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Snow Q
Re-imagining the Snow Queen story
WELCOME! WITAMY!
Snow Q Event
Adventures in language and identity – Rita
On November 25, 2018 November 27, 2018 By mariajastrzebskaLeave a comment
In our project to re-imagine the Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen along contemporary themes we've been lucky in attracting some fantastic organisations as partners, but have also found amazing individuals to work with. We're extremely excited to be working with actor Rita Suszek who will perform live as well as in recordings at our installation on Dec 21st. Here she tells us a bit about herself and her approach to Snow Q:
When I first saw the casting call for Snow Q, I had to pinch myself, it was so perfect. It included words such as "non-binary", "poetry", "fluent in both Polish and English" – terms that describe me as a person, but also pertain to my artistic career. I have lived in the UK for over 6 years now, and have all but given up on being cast in projects as an actor, largely because I don't present like people's idea of a Polish girl (slim, short, blonde, long-haired); I have been writing and performing my own work for some time now. To find a casting like that was a miracle; to get the part was a gift.
I have been learning English steadily since age 10, with first exposure to it from about age 5; it is my second language, second home. When I moved to the UK in 2012 I already spoke it fairly fluently and was starting to write in it. Even though my actual degree is in Polish Literature, the everyday usage has taken its toll: when I converse with family, I'll suddenly realise I translated idiomatic English phrases or the very sentence structure into Polish. The concept of Polglish (or Ponglish, as Maria calls it) is something of an inside joke for me and my loved ones.
In many ways, I feel both Polish and not-Polish at the same time: Polish because I am an immigrant and won't be shamed for that, political rhetoric be damned; because languages and writing have always been my home; because as a Literature graduate I have roots in the writing of Mickiewicz, Świrszczyńska and many others – Polish poets, novelists and playwrights that shepherded me through my childhood and adolescence. But my not-Polishness – living somewhere else; finding home in another language that at times allows me more breathing room; disagreeing strongly with Poland's dominant rhetoric, conservative mindset and ruling political paradigm – is equally important to me. Gender identity, something very poignant in Snow Q, is also a concept I have given a lot of thought over the years – partially because growing up in Poland, I have found no way to simply… be. If I was indeed a girl, I was a "girl interrupted", mostly by ubiquitous misogyny: something that to this day I work through, both privately and through my art.
Given all that, I have been really enjoying the experimentation with phrasing and alliteration in both languages that is the text of Snow Q. It feels like a secret code, tailored to a few, partially accessible to many. Being an immigrant, you are often expected to do all the work necessary to understand and be understood: learn the words and phrases, look up the cultural references, catch up on the backstory. Against this backdrop, Snow Q gives me a feeling of relief. There is a playfulness to dropping Polish words here and there, disrupting the fluency of the experience for the English speakers. Not to mention it connects both halves of my brain, that often, when left undisturbed, thinks in both languages at the same time – a patchwork-y mass of meaning, mess of words.
There is some magic that I feel coursing through the project as a whole; an extraneous meaning that is born out of connecting different art forms and people. If nothing else, there is nuance. We are bringing things that are cast as opposites or binaries (Polish and English; genders; ice cold, loving warmth – isolation and friendship) and creating a living, breathing portrayal that is multifaceted and full of depth. Taking on a story that everyone knows sometimes makes you realise that we don't know it all that well; the tale of Snow Queen becomes a vehicle through which we can find ourselves again. In our troubled yet beautiful and fractured times, connection is the answer – and art is one way to find it.
Photographs courtesy of Wendy Pye and Juwel Haque
A short Intermission – Maria
On November 19, 2018 November 19, 2018 By mariajastrzebska1 Comment
All through this year's glorious U.K summer we've been thinking about snow and ice – literally and metaphorically – for our project to reimagine Hans Christian Andersen's Snow Queen story. The nights are drawing in now, the wind is cold and we're getting closer and closer to our event. Scroll down for more information & how to book. (Maria tried to chase the sun but found she couldn't escape.)
On a short break in beautiful Málaga, not only did the rain catch up with me, but who should I bump into: Mr Andersen who travelled to Málaga in 1862, on one of the 'first cultural tours of the 19th century'. Here is a sculpture of him by Maria Córdoba in the Spanish town he said he felt 'most happy and comfortable' in.
As if that wasn't enough at CAC (Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga) I found myself mesmerised by this and other paintings by Hernan Bas – all of men or boys. It's called Thawing.
Paintings of men/boys generally hold a currency of 'everyman'-ness while women are interpreted very differently in the art world which in turn determines how non-binary people are seen. Bas' young men in the exhibition are referred to as androgynous. I've yet to see a major exhibition by an out lesbian artist.
Nevertheless I was enchanted by this artist's work: his exploration of adolescence, the shifts between past and present in his paintings, of which he says that he likes to make images 'that describe the middle of the story, maybe the intermission, but never the end'.
Back to Snow Q EVENTS: On December 1st at 4pm Lewes Live Literature presents a sneak preview from Snow Q. Maria Jastrzębska will talk about the Snow Q project, with performances by actor Rita Suszek of new text written in the curious hybrid language of Ponglish (half English / half Polish). An intimate try-out of a new work in progress at the secret space that is LLL HQ. Numbers are very limited and entry is free but by invitation only. If you would like to come please contact: leweslivelit@gmail.com.
On December 21st between 4pm and 9pm Snow Q presents its COLLABORATIVE INSTALLATION at the Regency Town House Basement Annexe in Brighton/Hove. For all the information about our event please go to our Snow Q event page or click HERE – we recommend booking! This will be the culmination of this phase of our work. Which isn't the same as the end of course…
Parley-vous Kra Kra? Maria
On November 9, 2018 November 10, 2018 By mariajastrzebska2 Comments
Two of Snow Q's founding artists, fine artist Dagmara and writer Maria, are Polish-born and bilingual, actor Rita is a more recent arrival from Poland and the composer Peter has strong Polish connections and knows Polish. We've drawn inspiration for this collaborative project from The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen (written in Danish, translated into many languages including Polish and English.) At our meetings we often switch between languages. Not surprisingly perhaps Maria has been writing poems for the project in somewhat macaronic language or what she calls Ponglish… Peter asked her to explain a bit more about this:
You know how it is with artistic decisions – you go on your nerve then rationalise later. Originally Gerda was going to speak with words simply missing (her difficulty in finding/expressing herself) but it didn't work as well out loud so I had to think again. And I wanted to write something that explores the bilingualism of our project anyway.
I've been drawn to Gerda and Kai, the two young people in the original story but there is another character who immediately caught my imagination too. I haven't wanted to post spoilers but some background could be helpful.
On her quest Gerda is helped by the Crow, whose first language – naturally – is Crow. "it is so difficult to speak your language" the Crow says to Gerda. Sadly, although her grandmother understands Crow, Gerda has never learnt it. How many migrant families struggle with communication across generations as well as with their host countries? How many languages become erased?
I grew up between two cultures, two languages. We children would mix those languages as I hear young Polish people doing today. My parents discouraged this, hoping to preserve our mother-tongue. Largely thanks to them I've maintained a good level of Polish, but of course there was something deliciously transgressive about mixing the languages – Ponglish has that charm for me.
I'm obviously not the first poet to write about a Crow… but am hoping mine has its own identity. (More Shakespearian Fool than naturalistic animal.) Incidentally, in Polish Crow takes the feminine pronoun while animals in English are generally 'it' (Ted Hughes' Crow is 'he' of course) which adds another dimension to thinking about it/her!
My Crow is old – in Timelord (sic) fashion – and has managed to learn a mix of Polish and English as additional languages. Being a bird gives it a wider perspective on the world it has flown over. Gerda and Kai are more typically second generation so mix in a bit of their mother tongue but speak mostly English. Kai's Polish has become almost a form of punctuation – the way London kids say 'innit' etc – while Gerda uses Polish for emphasis or when searching for a word.
I am also by no means the only writer working with a plurality of languages: among others, poets such as Vahni Capildeo (equally at home in Old Norse and the various languages of her Indian diaspora/Caribbean background) or Elżbieta Wójcik-Leese (using English, Polish and Danish) spring to mind. I write in English but Polish is always there at my shoulder. Mary Jean Chan* calls Chinese a 'foil or fraternal twin' to her English. She too has written on the importance of multilingualism for children.
In the poems I've been writing for our installation Polish words are preceded or followed by English translation though it's not always quite so literal. Writing like this has allowed me to be playful, enjoying both languages, (plus a few in Crow) which I hope the audience will pick up on. As the words are mainly spoken – not on the page – the sound matters as much as meaning.
Myself and actor Rita Suszek will be presenting a sneak preview of this work in Lewes on Dec 1st. Entry is by invitation as numbers are limited – If you'd like to be invited, email us at leweslivelit@gmail.com
Thank you to Dagmara for all sketches.
*Mary Jean Chan New Poetries VII Carcanet
& Queerness as Translation: from Linear Time to Playtime in Modern Poetry in Translation House of Thirst Focus on LGBTQ+ Poetry, No 2 2018
Older and Out – Maria
On November 2, 2018 November 2, 2018 By mariajastrzebska1 Comment
If you told someone they were looking especially old, how would it go down? Why is 'old' – still – such a dirty word? As part of our research and development for Snow Q, a collaborative project inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's Snow Queen story, we've been meeting different groups in the community. It's important to us to work across a range of ages. So often in our artistic work – unless we are teaching young students – we can end up spending time with people of the same age. Having worked with the Brighton Young Carers Group earlier in the project, Maria recently visited Older and Out a social networking group providing a monthly lunch & meet up for local older LGBTQUI people where she received a warm welcome and tasty fish and chips:
In the Snow Queen story Gerda is helped on her quest by a range of characters, including two of my favourite: the old Lapland woman and the old Finnish woman. They live in the far north of the world, nearest to the Snow Queen's frozen domain. The Lapland woman guides Gerda on her way and in order to communicate with the Finnish woman – and since she has no paper – she writes her a message on a dry fish. When the Finnish woman receives the message, after she has read it three times so that she knows it by heart, she pops the fish into her saucepan as she never wastes anything…We had some wonderful discussions with the Older and Out group about stories and characters they remembered being influenced by or looking up to as children. These often included comic book characters rather than literary ones, Rupert Bear, Minnie the Minx, Desperate Dan, Wonder Woman, Dan Dare, also The Famous Five as well as actual war heroes such as fighter pilots Douglas Bader and Guy Gibson. Some of the group were children during World War 2 and could remember the impact of their stories vividly. Some remembered growing up before TV and the thrill of being allowed to buy a comic. Not surprisingly, a couple of the women mentioned feeling alienated from female role models of the time.
Although we'd already eaten our fish for lunch (followed by trifle!) Dagmara had kindly prepared some Snow Q paper fish for me which I then asked the group to write messages on. Being passionate about inter-generational dialogue I asked them to write messages for younger people on the fish – in true older Lapland woman style – in particular their messages for young LGBTIQ people. These messages will be worked into our installation with Dagmara's help.
In the work I've done with both older and younger LGBTIQ people before as part of the ongoing heritage project Queer in Brighton I've been struck by how vital this communication across different generations is. We often don't know our own history as it's been erased or covered up in mainstream narratives. Our relationship to family is not always straight(sic)-forward so that feeling connected to those younger and older than ourselves is especially important. We need our elders. As someone who never had much in the way of role models and who is now older myself, I felt especially privileged and touched to be working not only with people of my age but also those older than me who struggled for years in the face of prejudice and persecution.
Snow Q Crow Goes to Lewes Live Literature – Rita June 5, 2019
The Flower Garden in May and June at the Phoenix Brighton May 16, 2019
FILM, FILM! March 27, 2019
Behind the scenes at the installation… with Dagmara and Wendy February 6, 2019
Gone fishing… January 19, 2019
More of our marvellous Crow/Gerda/Kai - Rita Suszek @rita_vision from our re imagining of #thesnowqueen by #hanschristianandersen set at @theregencytownhouse #snowqproject #snowq #crow #fairytales #fairytalesperformance #sitespecificinstallation
Header image by Wendy Pye


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AND EVERYTHING IS GOING FINE
AND EVERYTHING IS GOING FINE (director: Steven Soderbergh; editor: Susan Littenberg; music: Forrest Gray; Runtime: 89; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Amy Hobby/Kathleen Russo/Joshua Blum; IFC Films; 2010)
"Absorbing documentary on the career of actor, storyteller, and performance artist, Spalding Gray."
Steven Soderbergh ("Bubble"/"Traffic"/"The Girlfriend Experience") directs this absorbing documentary on the career of actor, storyteller, and performance artist, Spalding Gray. It follows Spalding from his childhood in Rhode Island, raised by working-class parents, to his later fame as an actor and his unique introspective confessional act as a monologist. The film includes wall-to-wall footage, home movies and clips of Spalding performing on stage, and thankfully no talking heads to try and explain Spalding's creative tortured soul.
Spalding revealed in public intimate secrets about himself, his family and loved ones. Using the suicide of his mentally tortured 52-year-old mother as part of his act, which upset some of his family members. He also told about sexual experiments in his early life with both men and woman. When Spalding discovered experimental theater, he found the right outlet for his creativity to blossom and never looked back at doing anything else.
The last clip shows a low-energy Spalding as an aging family man performing in a Long Island museum setting after he was severely injured in an auto accident in Ireland. Shortly afterwards, in January of 2004, at the age of 62, a pained Spalding took his own life by jumping from the Staten Island Ferry.
Soderbergh has the good sense to let the articulate Spalding tell his own story, in his own words. The doc celebrates the artist's good humor, his curiosity about life and his lust for living. For Spalding's fans, this is a must see.
REVIEWED ON 12/16/2010 GRADE: A-
Dennis Schwartz: "Ozus' World Movie Reviews"
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DENNIS SCHWARTZ

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


SST Public School Rashidabad has introduce "Online Monthly Test" which is first of it's kind at school level.
SST Public School Rashidabad secures each year top positions in Cambridge exams.
Through Online Result Portal parent's can access their son progress report at any time.


A special congratulations is in order for Sandwich High School senior Lily Barter! Lily has advanced to the Finalist standing in the National Merit Scholarship Program for 2015 based on her academic performance on the PSAT/NMSQT, SAT and her academic performance at Sandwich High School. Currently Lily is one of the finalists under consideration for scholarship awards from the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Lily is known to be a self-motivated, passionate and considerate student at Sandwich High School. An athlete and scholar, Lily has achieved many accomplishments throughout her time at Sandwich High School which include; School Council member, 2015 class officer, Senior Mentor, and Girls State representative. Lily has devoted her time towards athletics through varsity lacrosse, cross country, winter track as well as community service through Habitat for Humanity, Key Club, Youth Street Reach, Cradles to Crayons and the Boston Food Pantry. Lily is currently a member of the International Studies club and plans on majoring in International Studies while pursuing a future in politics, language or economics. She has recently been accepted to Williams College, UMass Amherst and Macalester College. However, she is waiting to hear back from some of her top choices: Middlebury College, Wesleyan University and Yale University as well as other colleges including American University, Connecticut College, Vassar College, Skidmore College, Carleton College and Reed College.
Lily should hear back from the National Merit Scholarship Program later this spring on any awards she may have won. Regardless of the NMSP outcome, Lily is clearly an exceptional young woman that will be missed upon her graduations from Sandwich High School and will surely flourish when she brings her gifts, talents and aspirations to her future college.


At Metro Electric we know what we are about, and it is more than just business.
Relationships with customers; relationships with employees; relationships with vendors; relationships with associates; relationships with our community.
The quality of our Electrical, Telecommunications and Wireless work; the quality of our people.
Success for our customers; Success for our company and employees.
Commitment to our projects; commitment to our relationships; commitment to quality; commitment to success.


This is another installment of Dave McIntyre's occasional series of recommendations of wines that provide exceptional value for the price.
This is an interesting contrast to the St. Francis: much lighter in texture and brighter in acidity, with straightforward cherry flavors.
Grapes of Spain/Elite: available in the District at Calvert Woodley, La Bodega, Rodman's; on the list at Et Voila!, Taberna del Alabardero. Available in Maryland at Chesapeake Wine Co. and the Wine Source in Baltimore. Available in Virginia at Fern Street Gourmet and Planet Wine in Alexandria, the Wine Seller in Herndon, various Whole Foods Market locations.
This blend of Ugni Blanc and Colombard is a simple, refreshing white for sipping or noshing, and it is a great value when on sale for even less than the suggested price. It's a good candidate to be your house white, and the screwcap makes it easier to save some for tomorrow. It's low in alcohol, too, at 10.5 percent.
Kacher/Washington Wholesale: available in the District at Calvert Woodley, Connecticut Avenue Wine & Liquor, Dixie Liquors, Morris Miller, Pearson's; on the list at Acadiana. Available in Maryland at Snider's Super Foods in Silver Spring. Available in Virginia at various Balducci's and Whole Foods Market locations.
This blend of merlot, syrah, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc is quite nice for the price, lushly textured, sappy and a tad sweet, with black fruit and mushroom flavors.
Kobrand/Republic National: available in the District at Calvert Woodley, Circle Liquors, Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, Morris Miller, Super Fresh, Whole Foods Market Tenleytown; on the list at CoCo Sala, Enology, Fogo de Chao, the Rookery.


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Roullete – A Game of Chance With a Low House Advantage
Roullete is a casino game based on the ancient game of Biribi, which originated in Italy. It is a game of pure chance with a low house advantage. It has been popular for centuries and is often played for fun. Its low house advantage makes it an ideal game for those who enjoy a few drinks and a good time.
Blaise Pascal invented the game
Blaise Pascal, a mathematician and philosopher, is believed to have invented the game of Roulette. In the 17th century, Pascal invented a mechanical wheel with 36 numbers without a zero, which is now known as the roulette wheel. He also invented the concept of probability. Today, there are two versions of the game, the European and the American.
The game of roulette is a type of slot demo gratis game, which originated in France. It has been around for hundreds of years, but it was invented by Blaise Pascal in the seventeenth century. It has since become a star of the casino scene, becoming a global icon. In fact, the roulette wheel and its variations are the poster children of casinos around the world.
It is a game of pure chance
Roullete is a game of chance, in which the outcome of the game is completely based on randomness. The players have no control over the outcome, and the outcome of the game is determined by a randomly-placed ball. The players wager money in order to influence the outcome, but they cannot control the outcome of the roulette ball.
Aside from the fact that the game is based on pure chance, there are certain winning strategies that can help you improve your chances of winning. For instance, it is not a good idea to bet on numbers that are not likely to be yours, as this may increase the chances of losing. In addition, players can make outside bets, which do not require the same luck. In this way, players can also argue that roulette is not a pure chance game.
It has a low house advantage
The best way to play roulete with a low house advantage is by using an online roulette casino. These sites have low operating costs, which means they can afford to offer low house advantage games. In addition, they use a single zero wheel, which has a smaller house advantage than double zero games. These sites also allow you to make 35-1 straight bets and have 37 pockets on the roulette wheel.
Although Roullete has a low house edge, that doesn't mean that you'll always win. It's important to understand that even though you won't always win, you'll be losing less than you spend betting. It's crucial to learn about the house edge of each game so that you can make informed decisions and minimize your losses.
It is a drinking game
Roullete is a drinking game that is played in a group setting. The first player chooses a glass and all the other players try to fill the glass with either water or vodka. They then say, "Click!" or "Bang!" when they have a glass of one of the two beverages in it. The game continues until only one player is left. There are hundreds of dares, including drawing something, running in circles, and touching a stranger inappropriately. The first player must say the dare, which is usually hilarious to those watching.
To play, fill shot glasses with either clear spirits or water. Then, players take turns saying, "Mmm, Water!" in a convincing voice. They have to drink even if they are lying or are wrong. The game ends when all the shots are empty. The winner gets the prize pool.
Previous: Tips For Better Poker Hands
Next: What You Need to Know About Playing Slots Online


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The fact that I going to die gives spiritual meaning to my life.
If there was no death, there would be no hope for a complete transformation. No hope for higher meaning, existence without physical or emotional pain - Can there be growth without discomfort - Pain propels us to seek but does not itself transform.
Death gives life more value.
Death gives me gratefulness for today.
Death gives me a deeper ability to love.
My instincts tell me that my death will be from within. Diabetes, and or Heart Attack, or may Alzheimer's Disease. Like others I don't want to be a burden on my family for long. However I would like the chance to say goodbye, make peace if needed. Help make plans for Charlie if he is still alive.
My deepest hopes for my death would be to die in a peaceful sunny, breezy place by water a room like this but maybe on a lake or river - the beach would be best. I would like loved ones to come and go, not too many at one time but maybe a lot would be OK. Maybe the most important thing would be love. The love and shared love between the people I love.
I hope I am comfortable but alert. If not alert - comfortable. I hope I can say I love you, Thank you, Forgive me, I forgive you and Good Bye (I'll see you later to all the people I love.


On Tuesday night, the Carolina Hurricanes battled the Boston Bruins in an attempt to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Hurricanes stormed out to a commanding 4-1 lead which was vanquished by five unanswered Bruins goals.
Instead of hearing how the game played out by me, watch Mark Armstrong of ABC11's spirited-but-misguided account of what went down.
"Stampeding over the plains like Genghis Kahn through Eurasia," is how Armstrong described Elias Lindholm's blazing speed leading to the Canes' fourth goal.
"Boston cried to the heavens in great fruitless anguish" was the response Armstrong gave to Carolina's commanding 4-1 lead.
However, he followed that with an abrupt "the B's scored five straight in the third to win six to four".
With the Carolina Hurricanes now sitting seven points out of the playoffs, the team may want to consider receiving a pep-talk from Armstrong. If anyone believes they can mount this deficit, it is him.


On the heels of a busy January, the world of fintech turned even more interesting in February with a blockbuster banking deal and other big news.
As the Investment News headline declared this week, our industry has long been an industry dominated by men, but increased visibility of women in fintech, "where new ideas and companies are emerging all the time," according to Danielle Fava at TD Ameritrade Institutional, is happening, thankfully, at a faster rate than on the rest of Wall Street. "Women can get into the [fintech] space and be a thought leader more easily than becoming a leading CFP," she told Investment News.
If you take a glass-is-half-empty view, the latest research is rather grim for credit unions: "Only 10% of credit unions believe they are on an equal playing field with their banking and fintech competition regarding their all-important data strategy. Ninety percent are two or more years behind what they feel is the industry benchmark," according to Kirk Kordeleski, senior managing partner and chief strategy officer at BIG Consulting, as reported by Credit Union Times' Roy Urrico.
However, under a glass-is-half-full lens, reported the same article, credit unions are making progress. One credit union VP of IT who responded to the survey said, "Data analytics is a major part of our strategic discussion. We recognize that we have reached a point where a data warehouse is a necessity. Continuing to build out our own solution does not make sense for us, anymore. We are in the beginning stages of developing a data analytics roadmap that will lay out our journey to become a data-driven organization … I look at the end game. It's clear we need to use our data to be competitive. The reality is it is an evolving process, so there really isn't a finish line. We just need to start." –Jeremey Sterner, vice president of information technology at Heritage Valley Federal Credit Union in York, Penn.
Last week at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Lael Brainard spoke for the group on the importance of the Board getting involved in the discussion of how AI is changing the financial landscape.
In summary, there's a lot of noise right now about AI in financial services. We're thankful to see the regulators weighing in on the opportunities and risks.
In an article in Wired magazine in 1996, former CEO of Citibank Walter Wriston was quoted as saying "Information about money has become almost as important as money itself" – a famous remark now inscribed in the lobby of New York's Library of Science, Industry and Business. What's even more amazing is that Wriston actually said that in the 1970s!
Read the full 1996 Wired article "The Future of Money," by Thomas A. Bass.
In summary, we're thankful to be living in 2018 and working in the world's most exciting industry!
Got a suggestion or comment for Essential Fintech News? Please email me at steve.jensen@mx.com.
October is where ideas coalesce! It seems every bank is on the road in in October—from Money 20/20 in Las Vegas (where MX is) to the American Bankers Association (ABA) conference in New York—all happening at the same time!
To help you cut through the clutter, we bring you the October edition of Essential Fintech News, your source for the latest trends in fintech.
Europe has seen the future. Is the U.S. next?
Will the European banks have a leg up when it comes to acquiring new customers? Do banks such as BBVA and Barclays have an advantage because they've already had to live with PSD2 and open banking regulation for the past year? Will they be going after the U.S. bank customers next?
There are many fun dates you can go on with your partner from rock climbing and watching a movie to even skydiving. But a financial date is one of the most meaningful dates you could plan. Order delivery from your favorite restaurant, cozy up at home together, and spend an evening talking about money.
© 2019 – MX Technologies Inc.


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Supreme Court to Hear Argument on Federal Law Governing Dialysis Coverage Under Employer Group Health Plans
November 15, 2021 by Kristine Maher
On November 5th, the Supreme Court granted a petition for certiorari filed by Marietta Memorial Hospital and its co-defendants. The case is Marietta Memorial Hospital Employee Health Benefit Plan v. DaVita, Inc. (No. 20-1641), and is one in several similar cases that dialysis giant DaVita filed against group health plans and their employer sponsors beginning in late 2018.[1] This particular case began in federal district court in Ohio with a win for the employer and the group health plan that the Sixth Circuit later reversed on appeal.
In these actions, DaVita has zeroed in on the coverage provisions for dialysis in health plans and argued that they violate a particular section of the Medicare Secondary Payer Act. That section prohibits employers and their group health plans from (1) "taking into account" that a participant is eligible for Medicare; and (2) differentiating in coverage between participants with end stage renal disease (ESRD) and those without it.
The crux of these disputes and the split between the Sixth Circuit and Ninth Circuit involves the uniformity exception found in the implementing regulations for this prohibition. In essence, the uniformity exception allows group health plans to limit dialysis coverage so long as the limitation applies uniformly to participants who have ESRD and those who do not. The example provided in the regulation states: "For instance, if a plan limits its coverage of renal dialysis sessions to 30 per year for all plan enrollees, the plan would not be differentiating in the benefits it provides between plan enrollees who have ESRD and those who do not." 42 C.F.R. § 411.161(c).
The Supreme Court will hear argument on three issues that employers should be aware of. The first two directly implicate the uniformity exception while the third focuses more generally on the intent and purpose of the Act. The first issue asks the Court to determine whether a group health plan's uniform reimbursement of all dialysis treatments complies with the Act's prohibitions. The second issue asks the Court to decide whether a group health plan's provision of the same dialysis benefits to all participants complies with the Act's prohibitions. On both of these first two issues, the Sixth Circuit says "yes" while the Ninth Circuit says "no."
The third issue seeks a decision on whether the Act is a coordination-of-benefits measure designed to protect Medicare as opposed to an antidiscrimination law designed to protect dialysis providers from alleged disparate impact of uniform treatment provisions in group health care plans.
No date has been set yet on oral argument for this case. But we will post an update to this post when that date comes out and will continue to follow this through to an opinion next year.
[1] Graydon successfully defended one of its clients in one of these actions in Virginia federal court. DaVita also sued at least two other group health plans and employers in federal courts in Idaho and California during this same timeframe.
Benefit Plan Deadlines Extended Again for States of Emergency
August 10, 2022 by John Kirk
Your Health Plan Cost Increased, But What you Can Charge…
September 14, 2022 by Lyndsey Barnett


The company GameArt, Slotegrator's long-standing partner, added a brand new slot called Tiger Heart to its portfolio, which is already the third gimmick in a series of breathtaking games including well-known Wild West adventures of Texas Ranger's Reward and wacko Money Farm 2.
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Resilience and perseverance were on display at the inaugural Matrix Human Services Mother's Tea.
The event was hosted at MGM Grand Casino Hotel and sponsored by Molina Healthcare. More than 150 mothers from our Matrix Head Start program were in attendance to discover tangible ways to overcome obstacles that most mothers have to endure. Oftentimes, all alone.
Each table of mothers was paired with a Role Model Host – all women in our community who have overcome obstacles to reach a profound level of success. These women agreed to serve as a resource to our Head Start mothers. Our Role Model Hosts and their table of Matrix head Start mothers discussed whatever was on their hearts leading up to the empowering all women panel.
Janis D. Hazel was our first speaker who discussed many ways to properly cope with grief and the sudden loss of a loved one. She specifically stressed the importance of seeking therapy.
Dr. Sherida DuBose, MD, Medical Director for Molina Healthcare touched on the importance of stress awareness, what stress looks like and how it affects your body. People often go through life not realizing the key indicators of stress are headaches, muscle tensions and sleep depreciation. An important take-away that she shared, although it may seem like a difficult thing for mothers to do, is that finding alone time is one of the best ways a mother can manage stress. Even if that alone time only lasts for five to 10 minutes a day.
Then it was time to "Get Moving" with Latoya Willoughby, Assistant Manager and School Nurse for the Matrix Head Start program. She encouraged movement by having the attendees take a stride around the room, followed by several breathing techniques designed to destabilize stress in a stressful situation.
Next up, was Pamela Morgan who wowwed the crowd when she described how to eliminate toxic relationships. Mothers had the opportunity to identify what some toxic relationships could be in their life and the best way to resolve or dissolve those relationships.
Then our VP of Human Resources at Matrix, Ms. Karen Gray, shared her own story of turning a very personal unfortunate incident into a situation that has since made her fly higher than ever. Her key to resilience what not allowing herself to take the fault of other's actions. Learning that she was never the blame and that she is a true survivor.
Finally, Nadonya Muslim, Entrepreneur and Assistant Principal for East English Village Preparatory High School, spoke on how she turned being bullied in grade school into choosing a profession that protects other children and then finding her passion in creating her own lip gloss line that has garnered her much success.
We would like to thank all of the women panelists in addition to our exceptional role model hosts including: Katrina Frazier, Gwendolyn D. Bush-Farrell, Karen Newman, Raquel Martin-Wade, Lisa Howze, Linda Jackson, Jeri Beasley, Earnetta Williams, Marivel Ibarra, Jessica Byrd, Laura Castone, Portia Powell, Christie Laster, Stephanie Pride, Dr. Tina Pickett, Blessing Adesiyan, Lois Elizabeth Bingham, Tracey Robinson, and Rashida Williams.


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The Roman conquest of Italy
Rome's victorious streak and gradual control of Italy meant that it eventually came as far as the sea. Consequently they had to enter the international arena in order to find a new enemy.
The Roman conquest of Italy, the Punic wars and Carthage
Their first international enemy of Rome was King Pyrrhus (318-272BC) of Epirus in Greece . The Romans had reached as far south as the rich and cultured port city of Taranto, which at that time was a Greek colony. The Tarentines called King Pyrrhus for help and he, duly influenced by his belief in the greatness of his Macedonian ancestry, attempted invasion of Italy in 280BC. The term "Pyrrhic victory" comes from this period: King Pyrrhus won two battles against the Romans but these were so costly to him that he lost the war and was forced to retreat back to Greece in 275BC.
Pyrrhus was the first to use elephants in battle against the Romans. Having never seen such beasts the Romans actually thought them to be some sort of giant Ox.
Rome's next international enemy was far more powerful and harder to overcome but the Romans could hardly be satisfied or indeed feel safe without ensuring dominion of the seas around Italy. This meant direct conflict with the city of Carthage.
Carthage on the north coast of Africa was founded some 100 years before Rome. Its power and wealth was heavily dependent on its command of trade across the Mediterranean.
The wealth and power of the two cities reached a point where their individual interests could no longer be defended by treaty and the following century witnessed three tiring and cruel wars also known as the "Punic wars".
Given the Roman expansion throughout the Italian mainland, the first of these wars was above all for the control of Sicily – an important mercantile and production centre of Cereals, Olive oil and Wine. The war was waged between the years 264 and 241BC and resulted in a clear victory for Rome. Although the war was resolved to Roman advantage it was only a first "round" from which both sides resulted essentially unscathed.
The second Punic war lasted seventeen years between 219 and 202BC and proved to be rather more devastating and decisive. The stake at play this time was control of the Western Mediterranean basin, which was essential to shipping and mercantile trade. Again the war was won by Rome.
Carthage and its general-in-chief Hannibal were humbled but not without a good deal of suffering for Rome: Hannibal surprised Rome by invading Italy from the north, crossing the Alps. He also surprised the Roman military machine by using Elephants. The feat of crossing Elephants through mountain passes alone is surprising but even more historic was his great talent for battle strategy. The battle at Cannae near Rome has been at the core of military training ever since. With considerably fewer men and resources than his enemy, Hannibal's amazing tactical ability together with his army, particularly his cavalry, humiliated the vastly superior numbers of the Romans on their home ground. Never again would Rome dare face Hannibal in a pitched battle. Years of mutual guerrilla attacks, burning of crops and provisions eventually forced Hannibal to retreat back to Carthage. It is said that the poverty of Southern Italy's soil today is the effect of erosion caused by those years of continuous destruction.
Rome at the head of its alliance of Italic peoples benefited from an almost unlimited supply of soldiers and managed to take the war across the sea to Carthage itself. The great general Scipio Africanus finally defeated Hannibal at Zama in the year 202.
Carthage and trade across the Mediterranean sea was thus subjected to Roman rule. The third and last Punic war saw the total destruction of Carthage in the year 146BC.
RELATED PAGES HISTORY OF ANCIENT ROME
Ancient Rome History Index
Ancient Rome History
Roman Timeline
Romulus, Remus, Origins of Rome
Ancient Alexandria
The Kingdom and Seven Kings of Rome
Summary Roman Kings
Ancient Rome during the Republic
Ancient Roman Republic
Crisis of the Republic of Ancient Rome
Julius Caesar and the end of the Republic
Fall of the Roman Empire
Reasons for the collapse & fall of the Roman Empire
Society after the Fall of the Roman Empire
Medieval Rome
Renaissance Rome
Rome, the Renaissance & Counter Reformation
Baroque Rome
Modern Rome
Ancient Roman Kingdom & Republic
Roman Kings
Pliny's Natural History
Rome – Capitoline Hill
Rome Palatine Hill Area
Rome – Esquiline hill area
Rome – Quirinal hill area
Rome – Piazza Navona to Campo de' Fiori
Rome – Pantheon area
Rome – Piazza del Popolo area
Rome – Villa Borghese and Villa Giulia
Rome – Forums area


It'd be nice if we could just show up at a job site and start sealcoating a parking lot or driveway regardless of the weather. As sealcoating contractors, being able to work wherever and whenever would make our lives a whole lot easier. Unfortunately, that's not how it is.
Temperature: For it to be totally effective, sealcoating should only be applied when the temperature is 50 degrees or higher for a 24-hour period. If the air temperature isn't warm enough, you can guarantee that the ground temperature will be too cold. If the ground temperature isn't just right, the sealer won't adhere properly, and your asphalt will still be vulnerable to the elements.
Precipitation: If the ground is wet, you can forget about applying sealcoat that day. As you can probably imagine, sealcoat won't adhere as well on wet pavement. Additionally, the ground can't get wet for a few days after the sealcoat is applied. So, if there's any rain in the forecast, we'll have to reschedule your sealcoating project for a different day.
Humidity: The dryer the day, the better! Any moisture or fog in the air can throw off the drying process, which will leave your pavement unprotected. That's good news for pavement contractors, too. After all, who wants to be outside working on hot pavement when it's super muggy?
Can I sealcoat my driveway by myself?
You don't have the tools or materials: Unless you've sealed your driveway in the past, there's a very slim chance that you have all of the necessary supplies to perform your sealcoating project. There's no point in buying a bunch of tools for a one-time project. Instead, just hire the pros who already have all of the right tools to get the job done.
Pros save time and money: Going out and purchasing supplies to seal your driveway is a huge waste of time and money. Unless you really want to spend your money on sealcoating supplies and waste your weekend out in the driveway, hire a pro!
You're inexperienced: Practice makes perfect when it comes to sealcoating an asphalt surface. After many years in the industry, our crew members have perfected the process, ensuring your driveway is sealed and protected.
When Mother Nature cooperates, be sure to choose Sunstar Seal Coating, Inc. for your sealcoating in Phoenix, AZ. Give us a call today to get an estimate or learn more about all of our services!


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August 22, 2021 S.R. Kheas Discovery, Mini TV Series Review, Reviews, Star Trek, Star Trek Discovery, Star Trek Discovery Reviews, TV Series Reviews
Scifi TV Review: Star Trek Lower Decks Season 2 Episode Two: Kayshon, His Eyes Open
With a great intro to the second season Lower decks starts in with a bang…of a sonic shower in an episode that explores the vital differences between an 'active' ship like that of the Titan or Enterprise, compared to your average ship of the line like the Cerritos. The irony is, not much other than random character defining moments of danger that are resolved in a short yet intense time, which our friend Boimler discovers first hand.
The Episode itself is almost a sequel to the STNG episodes Darmok and The Most Toys as it brings back both a member of the Tamarian Race who speak in metaphor and one of the collectors (you know the ones who wanted to collect Data). During that part of the story, an automated defense system attempts to purge them resulting in the puppification of one of the crew. Meanwhile, Boimler finds that life on the Titan isn't quite what he had hoped for when he has to come face to face with the Pakleds and gets an very unexpected reprieve.
Is it a 'Good' Episode?
Again, I can not praise this series enough. I love how it explores the assumptions made about how people feel about being stationed on the various ships such as the Enterprise. The assumption is that one ship is better than the other but, when you actually see what certain ships go through on a weekly basis…well..maybe a more relaxed approach is more favorable. We also get some really solid character development for Beckett Mariner as she comes to realize that, maybe, she needs to rely on her friends input from time to time instead of always being in charge.
Overall, yet another very solid episode that continues to be as fun as it is filled with deep Star Trek references that never feel just jammed in for no reason, we even get a great reference to Riker's transporter clone in a very unexpected way.
If you are not watching this series…you are missing out.
Gleanings, Questions and cool bits: (slight spoilers here)
We learn that lower decks members shower together ala Starship Troopers.
There is also an explanation for how various crew members ranks change by accident on these series…heh…street corn.
Some of the collectibles seen on the station include:
A Flag from the Terran Empire
an alien probe from the Original Series
The Game headset from STNG
A mars rover
What appears to be one of Sisko's baseballs
an arcade machine
Riker's Trombone
Klingon Weapons
A salt monster from TOS
crates of Chateau Picard wine bottles
Odo's Bucket
Kahless' Fornication Helmet
Khan's necklace
a skeleton of the giant Spock from the Original Animated Series
Abraham Lincolns skeleton
Thanks for reading the SciFi TV Review, I look forward to discussing the rest of the series with you! Some teasers of next weeks episode below!
For more reviews: check out the weekly series called Key Movies Of My Life that comes out every Thursday and for more Trek goodness check out our Retro TV Reviews here.
As always, please feel free to comment below and share your experiences with these episodes as well. If you just happened by, tell me what you think! Don't Forget To Follow me if you like the blog!
Late To The Game 8/14/2021
Special Thanks to Memory Alpha as they are one of the best sources for details on Star Trek information available. Although I have a pretty deep knowledge on the subject, they have proven invaluable as a regular resource.
"Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan production is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made production intended for recreational use. No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures."
Tagged CBS, CBS All Access, Enterprise, prime directive, Prime Universe, review, Sci fi, science, scifi, ship, Spock, Star Trek, Trekker, Trekkie
Retro TV Review: Star Trek DS9 SSN Four Episode Eleven: Paradise Lost
Retro TV Review: Star Trek Enterprise Season Three Episode One: Season Premiere The Xindi


A beneficiary is someone who is entitled to benefits in the event of someone else's death. Beneficiary designations are required on numerous types of financial accounts, such as retirement accounts and life insurance policies. There are two types of beneficiaries, primary and contingent. Depending on the type of account that's paying out such as a traditional IRA vs. a Roth IRA, beneficiaries might have different tax responsibilities.
What's the Difference Between Primary and Contingent Beneficiary?
The primary beneficiary on an account is the first in line to inherit the money in an account when the owner dies, or in the case of a life insurance beneficiary, the death benefit of the policy. The contingent beneficiary is next in line, after the primary beneficiary.
If there is more than one primary beneficiary, the contingent beneficiary is not entitled to any proceeds unless all of the primary beneficiaries predecease the contingent beneficiary. For example, if there are two 50/50 primary beneficiaries on the account and one of the primary beneficiaries dies, the remaining primary beneficiary will receive 100 percent of the proceeds. Only if both primary beneficiaries either pass away, are unable to be located or refuse the inheritance will the contingent beneficiary receive any proceeds.
It's important for account holders to name both primary and contingent beneficiaries on an IRA for a few reasons. Naming beneficiaries ensure that the proceeds of the account end up in the hands of those that the account holder desires. If an IRA owner passes away without naming beneficiaries, the IRA custodian may name the beneficiary. In many cases, this means that the proceeds are paid out to the IRA owner's estate. This can subject the account balance to unnecessary taxes and rob the beneficiary of the tax-deferred benefits of keeping the money in an IRA.
Naming a contingent beneficiary is important because IRAs are by nature long-term accounts. It's entirely possible that the primary beneficiaries predecease the original IRA account holder; human nature being what it is, beneficiary paperwork is not always updated immediately. Having a contingent beneficiary at the time of account opening can help ensure that there is always a beneficiary attached to the account.
It is made more than five years after the start of the first taxable year in which a contribution was made.
It is made on or after the account holder turns 59.5.
It is made due to the disability of the account holder.
It is made to a beneficiary after death.
It is made for a first home, up to $10,000.
Is a Roth IRA Distribution Taxable to a Beneficiary?
Per IRS rules, distributions of Roth IRA funds to a beneficiary are generally tax-free. However, the distribution must meet the requirements of a qualified distribution, meaning the Roth IRA must have been established for at least five years. Beneficiary distributions also avoid the 10-percent early withdrawal penalty that is normally assessed on distributions made before an account holder turns age 59.5.
Non-spouse beneficiaries do not have to take an immediate distribution of the entire inherited Roth IRA proceeds. However, the entire interest in the Roth must be distributed by the end of the fifth year after the owner's death, or on an annual basis over the life expectancy of the beneficiary. The IRS publishes tables showing anticipated life expectancy by age. For example, if you're age 50, your life expectancy according to the IRS tables is 34.2 years. You must divide this number into the year-end account balance of the IRA to determine your required annual distribution. If you're 50 years old and you inherit an IRA worth $102,600, your first year's distribution must be at least $102,600 divided by 34.2, or $3,000.
Rules are slightly different for spousal beneficiaries, who are allowed to roll over an inherited IRA into their own IRA. Roth IRAs are different than traditional IRAs in that mandatory distributions are not required when an account holder turns age 70.5. Thus, a spousal beneficiary can keep inherited Roth IRA proceeds in their own Roth IRA indefinitely.
When Can a Policy Owner Change a Revocable Beneficiary?
A revocable beneficiary, by definition, can be changed by the account holder at any time. However, these changes must be documented. To change the beneficiary on a Roth IRA, an account holder must submit the appropriate instructions to the IRA custodian. For some firms, this will require filling out forms and signing them. For others, beneficiaries may be able to be changed online or over the phone.
In a community property state, an account holder's spouse must be the primary beneficiary. This provision can only be overridden with the written consent of the spouse.
If you name someone as your Roth IRA beneficiary, the process seems straightforward: Upon your death, the IRA custodian will pay out your account to your beneficiary. But what if you also have a will or trust, and those instructions conflict with your beneficiary designation? This can easily happen, as many people set and forget their beneficiary designations when they open an IRA and never revisit them, even after drafting estate-planning documents such as wills or trusts.
In the case of beneficiary designations versus wills and trusts, beneficiary designations triumph. For example, if you name your brother as the beneficiary of your IRA, but your will designates your son as your heir, your brother is the one who will receive your IRA proceeds. There is one exception to this rule. If you live in one of the nine community property states, your spouse is entitled to the full proceeds of your IRA when you die, regardless of who you name as your beneficiary. This can only be overridden with the written permission of your spouse.
It's important to remember to keep your beneficiary designations up-to-date because life is constantly changing. If you first opened your Roth IRA 20 years ago, for example, it's entirely possible that one or more of your primary or contingent beneficiaries has passed away. Another common potential complication is if you remarry but still have the name of your original spouse listed as your beneficiary. Unless you live in a community property state, in which case your new spouse becomes your rightful heir, your former spouse remains legally entitled to your IRA assets upon your death.
IRS: Publication 590 -- What Are Qualified Distributions?
FindLaw: Marital Property -- Who Owns What?
Investopedia: Can a Spouse Who Is Not Named as a Beneficiary Receive Assets From an IRA?
Can You Contest a Primary Beneficiary on a 401(k) if You're a Contingent?
Can a Child Inherit a Pension?
Does a 401(k) Get Passed On to Children?
Can a Beneficiary Waive Their Rights to an Inherited IRA to Another Person?


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Harold Burson, a Giant in Public Relations, Dies at 98
Like many young veterans, Harold Burson came home from World War II full of ambitious dreams. He was 25, had worked in public relations before the war and decided to try it again in New York. It was 1946, and there were 540 local phone listings for "public relations" and "publicity" — a scrimmage of press agents who took reporters to lunch, hoping to plant items for clients.
Who knows what happened to them all? But over the next five decades, Mr. Burson became one of the nation's most celebrated P.R. men, a founder of the giant Burson-Marsteller agency who broke ground not only by enhancing corporate images but also by helping clients soften the blows of potentially ruinous crises. These included a Tylenol-tampering case that panicked Americans in 1982, and the 1984 toxic gas leak that killed thousands in Bhopal, India, considered the world's worst industrial disaster.
Mr. Burson, who was hailed by the industry publication PRWeek in 1999 as the most influential P.R. person of the 20th century, and whose standards gave a luster of respectability to a business often seen as a confraternity of spin doctors, died on Friday in Memphis, the city of his birth, where he had resided for the last six months. He was 98.
Catherine Sullivan, a spokeswoman for his company, now known as Burson Cohn & Wolfe, said the cause was complications of a fall in November. He had lived for many years in Scarsdale, N.Y., and Manhattan before moving to Memphis in July to live with a niece. He died at the Memphis Jewish Home & Rehabilitation Center.
Public relations has long been an easy target of critics, who liken its faceless practitioners to Machiavelli's Prince or Orwell's Big Brother, manipulating public opinion to hide truths and maximize profits. But to Mr. Burson, it was a profession that used the arts of persuasion for corporations and governments to publicize facts, not lies, for worthy social, political and commercial goals — and, by the way, to make the clients look better.
"We are advocates," Mr. Burson told The New York Times in 1984. "We are being paid to tell our clients' side of the story. We are in the business of changing and molding attitudes, and we aren't successful unless we move the needle, get people to do something. But we are also a client's conscience, and we have to do what is in the public interest."
In 1953, after seven years at his own agency, Mr. Burson and a Chicago advertising man, William A. Marsteller, agreed over a breakfast at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan to team up and call the new agency Burson-Marsteller, with offices in New York and Chicago. Over the next 35 years it became one of the world's largest and most successful public relations firms, rivaling Hill & Knowlton, as the industry evolved into mass marketing and global communications.
Burson-Marsteller's clients included Philip Morris, Merrill Lynch, Coca-Cola, Shell, ExxonMobil, General Motors, Dow Chemical, IBM, American Express and Citicorp. The firm also served Nigeria, Argentina and Romania — countries that had dictatorships and image problems. It eventually established offices around the world.
Mr. Burson integrated public relations with advertising and promotions; hired financial experts and engineers for technical writing and translators for global work; and prepped chief executives for crises yet to occur. One coaching technique was to simulate hostile news conferences, complete with abrasive reporters.
And he was called in crises. When cyanide-laced capsules of Tylenol, the pain medication, killed seven people in the Chicago area in 1982, its manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, made the best of a bad situation. After consulting Mr. Burson, the company's chief, James E. Burke, announced a recall, ordered new tamper-resistant caplets and packaging seals, and mounted a campaign that acknowledged the facts, stressed safety measures and eventually restored his company's credibility.
"Basically, I served to help him think through problems and reinforce his own instincts," Mr. Burson said of Mr. Burke. It was not modesty. P.R. people have always tried to keep their hands invisible, allowing clients to take credit and blame, and the Tylenol case is often cited as a textbook model of corporate responsibility in a crisis. No one was ever prosecuted for the tampering, or for an isolated 1986 recurrence.
There was no way to "manage" the fallout from the 1984 gas leak at a Union Carbide plant in India that killed as many as 3,800 people overnight and thousands more later. Burson-Marsteller helped get out the story of the disaster and company efforts to alleviate the suffering. Mr. Burson defended the work, insisting that Union Carbide, which paid $470 million in 1989 to settle lawsuits, had been forthright and ethical.
Burson-Marsteller promoted trade and tourism in Romania and Argentina. Human rights advocates said the work supported brutal regimes in the 1960s and '70s, but the company insisted that it did not answer for the conduct of dictators. Nigeria hired Burson-Marsteller in the late 1960s to counter allegations of genocide in Biafra, the breakaway state that was defeated and reabsorbed by Nigeria in 1970 after almost three years of civil war; an international commission found wide suffering in the war but no genocide.
Mr. Burson advised corporate C.E.O.s to get bad news out quickly and fully, making it a one-day story rather than letting it drag out. He urged them to be candid, and refused to take clients who could not be. He held staff seminars to promote Burson-Marsteller's "vision and values." He was less interested in hiring reporters with contacts than he was in finding good writers who could capture the essence of a client. As business and financial news reporting improved in the 1970s and '80s, he sought writers adept at detailed analysis, not the old puffery about chief executives and companies.
Mr. Burson knew presidents and world leaders, but never talked about them, associates said. He was wealthy, but lived modestly. He and his wife, Bette Burson, lived quietly for decades in Scarsdale. He had married Bette Ann Foster in 1947. (She was his office manager during the first five years of their marriage.)
Ms. Burson died in 2010 at 85. Mr. Burson is survived by their sons, Scott and Mark; and five grandchildren.
Mr. Burson collected stamps and looked like an old-world philatelist: contemplative, analytical. He was a small man with a gentle face, appraising eyes behind improbably oversize glasses and a bald pate with a fringe of gray touching the ears. The voice was soft, patient. To a question, he would think a bit, and then have something to say.
In 1979, Burson-Marsteller was acquired by Young & Rubicam, the advertising agency, which was absorbed by the communications giant WPP Group in 2000. Mr. Burson remained as chief executive of Burson-Marsteller until 1989, when he became founder-chairman. He continued for many years to visit company offices, mentor employees and meet clients. Mr. Marsteller, who retired in 1979, died in 1987.
Mr. Burson won numerous awards and lectured at many colleges and universities. He wrote two memoirs, "E Pluribus Unum: The Making of Burson-Marsteller" (2004) and "The Business of Persuasion: Harold Burson on Public Relations" (2017). Since 2006, when he turned 85, he had written a blog on current events, history and people.
"Blogging is akin to taking dope," he said. "The more I blog, the more I like it."
Harold Burson was born in Memphis on Feb. 15, 1921, a son of English immigrants, Maurice and Esther (Bach) Burson. He graduated from high school at 15 and worked his way through the University of Mississippi writing articles, at 14 cents per column inch, for The Commercial Appeal in Memphis. One article, in 1937, was an interview with William Faulkner; it made the front page, was picked up by a wire service and ran in many newspapers.
After graduating from Ole Miss in 1940, he took a P.R. job with H.K. Ferguson, an engineering and construction company, which began building military installations as America went to war. Deferred from the draft for a time, he joined the Army in 1943, in the middle of World War II.
As a soldier he removed land mines from Normandy beaches after the 1944 Allied invasion, and was later a radio reporter for the American Forces Network, covering early trials of Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg. On the eve of the trial of Hermann Goering, Rudolf Hess and others who had been close to Hitler, he caught the mood of an empty courtroom when, in a script, he wrote, "Tomorrow morning, the conscience of the world will be present."
He added: "These trials have a meaning even greater than the immediate importance of doing justice in reference to those men charged in the indictment with plunging the world into war. The real long-range importance of these trials would subsequently mean that we have, in our time, established an agency to which we could hold accountable the rulers of all nations of the world in years to come."
He mustered out in 1946, landed in New York and became sole proprietor of Harold Burson Public Relations.


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Monographs (33)
Research Collections (3)
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Book Title A-Z Book Title Z-A Oldest to Newest Newest to Oldest Author Asc Author Desc
The Social Cost of Electricity
Edited by Anil Markandya, Andrea Bigano, Roberto Porchia
This book reports and rationalizes the state-of-the-art concerning the social costs of electricity generation. Social costs are assessed by adding to the private generation costs, the external costs associated with damages to human health, the environment, crops, materials, and those related to the consequences of climate change. The authors consider the evolution of these costs up to 2030 for major electricity generating technologies and, using these estimates, evaluate policy options for external cost internalization, providing quantitative scenarios by country and primary fuel for 2010, 2020 and 2030. While mainly focusing on European countries, the book also examines the situation in key emerging economies such as China, India, Brazil and Turkey. Learn More
2011 Hardback Price: $ 152.00 Web: $ 136.80
Technological Learning in the Energy Sector
Edited by Martin Junginger, Wilfried van Sark, André Faaij
Technological learning is a key driver behind the improvement of energy technologies and subsequent reduction of production costs. Understanding how and why production costs for energy technologies decline, and whether they will continue to do so in the future, is of crucial importance for policy makers, industrial stakeholders and scientists alike. This timely and informative book therefore provides a comprehensive review of technological development and cost reductions for renewable energy, clean fossil fuel and energy-efficient demand-side technologies. Learn More
Security of Energy Supply in Europe
Edited by François Lévêque, Jean-Michel Glachant, Julián Barquín, Christian von Hirschhausen, Franziska Holz, William J. Nuttall
In economic, technical and political terms, the security of energy supply is of the utmost importance for Europe. Alongside competition and sustainability, supply security represents a cornerstone of the EU's energy policy, and in times of rising geopolitical conflict plays an increasingly important role in its external relations. Within this context, the contributors analyse and explore the natural gas, nuclear, and hydrogen energy sectors, which will be of critical significance for the future of energy supplies in Europe. Learn More
International Handbook on the Economics of Energy
Edited by Joanne Evans, Lester C. Hunt
As an essential component for economic growth, energy has a significant impact on the global economy. The need to meet growing energy demand has prompted cutting-edge innovation in clean technology in an attempt to realise environmental and cost objectives, whilst ensuring the security of energy supply. This Handbook offers a comprehensive review of the economics of energy, including contributions from a distinguished array of international specialists. It provides a thorough discussion of the major research issues in this topical field of economics. Learn More
2011 Paperback Price: $ 84.00 Web: $ 67.20
HardbackPaperback
The Economic Growth Engine
Robert U. Ayres, Benjamin Warr
The historic link between output (GDP) growth and employment has weakened. Since there is no quantitively verifiable economic theory to explain past growth, this unique book explores the fundamental relationship between thermodynamics (physical work) and economics. Learn More
Electricity Reform in Europe
Edited by Jean-Michel Glachant, François Lévêque
The realisation of a European internal market for energy is still a work in progress. Written by leading European scholars and discussed with major energy stakeholders, this book presents a thorough analysis of the motives and methods needed to achieve a single European energy market. Learn More
Markets for Carbon and Power Pricing in Europe
Edited by Francesco Gullì
Why do power prices seem to be correlated with the carbon price in some markets and not in others? This crucial question is at the centre of Francesco Gullì's enlightening book, through which the contributing authors investigate a number of related issues. In particular, they explore why power firms are not consistent in passing-through into power prices the opportunity cost of carbon. They also examine the relationship between the pass-through mechanism and the structure of the power market. Learn More
Liberalizing European Energy Markets
Finn Roar Aune, Rolf Golombek, Sverre A.C. Kittelsen, Knut Einar Rosendahl
This book presents an economic analysis of the main effects of liberalizing the electricity and natural gas markets across Western Europe. It is based on a state-of-the art detailed numerical simulation model that takes account of the interlinkages between different energy markets. Short-run and long-run effects are identified and the robustness of results is tested. Separate chapters discuss climate policy, renewable energy and the role of Russia. A key finding is that liberalization lowers energy prices and increases consumption, particularly in the electricity markets where prices fall by 25 per cent on average in the short run. Effects are somewhat stronger in the long run, as investment options are utilized. The welfare benefits of liberalization are considerable in the long run. However, liberalization increases emissions of CO2. The welfare costs of fulfilling Western Europe's Kyoto obligations depend highly on the policies implemented, but are at least as large as the benefits of liberalization. Learn More
Innovation for a Low Carbon Economy
Edited by Timothy J. Foxon, Jonathan Köhler, Christine Oughton
This book shows that although innovations in energy systems represent a core contribution to achieving national and international energy policy goals, theoretical approaches to understanding innovation differ radically between separate disciplinary perspectives. The need for greater mutual learning between these approaches is met within this study as international academics from economic, institutional and management backgrounds share and analyse their respective approaches, knowledge and insights. Learn More
Heat, Power and Light
Roger Fouquet
Heat, Power and Light is an invaluable and unique contribution to this profoundly important topic. Learn More
Electricity and Energy Policy in Britain, France and the United States since 1945
Martin Chick
Martin Chick's book is a major economic and historical study of the development of electricity and energy policy in Britain, France and the United States since 1945. Using newly available archival material the author draws important comparisons between these countries and includes all of the fuel and power industries. Learn More
China and the Global Energy Crisis
Tatsu Kambara, Christopher Howe
This book examines China's record of oil and gas development, its refining capacity, and energy prospects. The authors conclude that there are no fundamental reasons for anxiety about China's demands on the world energy economy, but they emphasize that its energy future will depend critically on a continuation of reform and internationalization. China and the Global Energy Crisis is a concise but detailed study of these issues. Learn More
Competitive Electricity Markets and Sustainability
Edited by François Lévêque
This book responds to the opening up of electricity markets to competition, which has completely changed the nature of power generation. The building of new generation and transmission capacity and the setting of the energy mix between nuclear, gas and renewable resources are mainly left to private initiative and investors. Learn More
Sustainable Energy in Developing Countries
Peter Meier, Mohan Munasinghe
The main energy-related areas discussed include electric power, new and renewable energy sources, transport and oil-based fuels, and greenhouse gas emissions. The methodological tools of energy and environmental economics provide a rational basis for identifying policy priorities, evaluating them, and developing more sustainable energy options. The results of the studies are presented in an integrated manner, and contribute to the practical resolution of many important public policy issues. How to deal with risk and uncertainty, and how to identify robust policy options, are major themes that run throughout the volume. Learn More
The Economics of Technology Diffusion and Energy Efficiency
Peter Mulder
Technological change plays a crucial role in realizing energy efficiency improvements and, therefore, in ameliorating the conflict between economic growth and environmental quality. However, the diffusion of new technologies can prove a costly and lengthy process, meaning that many firms do not invest in best-practice technologies. The author offers important new explanations for this energy-efficiency paradox. Learn More
Achieving a Sustainable Global Energy System
Leo Schrattenholzer, Asami Miketa, Keywan Riahi, Richard Alexander Roehrl
Sustainable development and global climate change have figured prominently in scientific analysis and international policymaking since the early 1990s. This book formulates technology strategies that will lead to environmentally sustainable energy systems, based on an analysis of global climate change issues using the concept of sustainable development. The authors focus on environmentally compatible, long-term technology developments within the global energy system, while also considering aspects of economic and social sustainability. Learn More
The Economics of Energy and the Production Process
Guido Buenstorf
The economics of energy has been a contested issue over the past century. Although it has not figured prominently in mainstream economics, numerous alternative proposals have called for energy to play a more central role in economic theory. In this highly original and enlightening volume, Guido Buenstorf develops a new conceptual approach to the economics of energy which originates from recent advances in evolutionary economics. Learn More
Energy in a Competitive Market
Edited by Lester C. Hunt
This fine collection of original essays is in recognition of Colin Robinson, who has been at the forefront of thinking in energy economics for over 30 years. Energy in a Competitive Market brings together both prominent academics and practitioners to honour his outstanding and unique contribution. The authors cover a wide and fascinating selection of topics incorporating the whole spectrum of energy economics. In doing so, they examine the belief that markets are the key to the effective allocation of resources, a notion which arguably applies as much to energy as it does to any other commodity. Learn More
Competition in European Electricity Markets
Edited by Jean-Michael Glachant, Dominique Finon
This book focuses on the diversity of electricity reforms in Western Europe, drawing evidence from ten European Union memberstates plus Norway and Switzerland as associate members. The contributors analyse the various ways of introducing competition in the European electricity industries, and consider both the strategies of electricity companies and their behaviour in electricity marketplaces. They also offer an explanation of the differences of reforms by the institutions and the industrial structures of each country which shape the types of marketrules, industrial restructuring and public service regulations which have been adopted. Learn More
The Russian Oil Economy
Jennifer I. Considine, William A. Kerr
In this unique work, Jennifer Considine and William Kerr contend that while OPEC currently dominates the international oil market, Russia will be a key player in the future international energy market. Indeed, Russia's petroleum resources rival those of Saudi Arabia. More than almost any other industry, future performance is often determined by the influence of decisions made in the past. This book provides a detailed history of the development of the Russian oil economy in order to build up a comprehensive and discerning picture of its future role and significance in the global energy market of the 21st century. Learn More


text:
Q: Unpin app from taskbar, startmenu using Inno Setup I am developing an installer using Inno Setup targeting XP, Win7, 8. I need the app icon to be pinned to taskbar and the startmenu. So far I have been able to do that.
Now, when the user uninstalls this program, the pinned items should be unpinned. I haven't managed to find a solution to this.
Please guide.

A: You've said that you have used a function from this link. I assume the one from this post:
procedure zylPinAppToTaskbar(strPath, strApp: string);
var
  vShell, vFolder, vFolderItem, vItemVerbs: Variant;
  vPath, vApp: Variant;
  i: Integer;
  sItem: String;
  h: LongInt;
  szPinName: String;
  filenameEnd : Integer;
  filename    : String;
  strEnd    : String;
begin
  SetLength(szPinName, 255);
  h := LoadLibrary(ExpandConstant('{sys}\Shell32.dll'));
  LoadString(h, 5386, szPinName, 255);
  FreeLibrary(h);
  strEnd := #0;
  filenameEnd := Pos(strEnd, szPinName);
  filename := Copy(szPinName, 1, filenameEnd - 1);
  if (Length(filename) > 0) then  //WinXp or lower, no pin taskbar function
  begin
    vShell := CreateOleObject('Shell.Application');
    vPath := strPath;
    vFolder := vShell.NameSpace(vPath);
    vApp := strApp;
    vFolderItem := vFolder.ParseName(vApp);
    vItemVerbs := vFolderItem.Verbs;

  for i := 1 to vItemVerbs.Count do
  begin
    sItem := vItemVerbs.Item(i).Name;

    if (sItem = filename) then
    begin
      // 63 63 72 75 6E 2E 63 6F 6D
      vItemVerbs.Item(i).DoIt;
      break;
     end;
    end;
  end;
end;

That's really hacky way (which I wouldn't rely on). Let's focus now on what it actually does. The function loads the Shell32.dll library and reads from its string table the caption of the popup menu item that belongs to the Pin this program to taskbar feature (and stores it into the filename variable). Then it connects to Shell and creates the Folder object for the passed folder path (vFolder variable). For this folder object it then creates the FolderItem object (vFolderItem variable) and on this object iterates all the available verbs (vItemVerbs variable) and checks if the Name matches the one read from the Shell32.dll library. If it finds one, it invokes the action by the DoIt method and breaks the iteration.
Now if you know what the above code does, you can guess that the only thing you need to do to perform the unpin action is finding the caption of the popup menu item for that feature. I've looked into the string table of the Shell32.dll library and the Unpin this program from taskbar string has ID 5387, so the only thing to modify the above function for unpinning is changing this line:
// this magical 5386 value is the ID of the "Pin this program to taskbar"
// popup menu caption string in the Shell32.dll string table
LoadString(h, 5386, szPinName, 255);

To this:
// this magical 5387 value is the ID of the "Unpin this program from taskbar"
// popup menu caption string in the Shell32.dll string table
LoadString(h, 5387, szPinName, 255);

But I do not recommend that way. There is no official way to pin program to taskbar because that's been reserved for the user to decide.

As a bonus, I wrote the following wrapper for the above code:
[Code]
#ifdef UNICODE
  #define AW "W"
#else
  #define AW "A"
#endif

const
  // these constants are not defined in Windows
  SHELL32_STRING_ID_PIN_TO_TASKBAR = 5386;
  SHELL32_STRING_ID_PIN_TO_STARTMENU = 5381;
  SHELL32_STRING_ID_UNPIN_FROM_TASKBAR = 5387;
  SHELL32_STRING_ID_UNPIN_FROM_STARTMENU = 5382;

type
  HINSTANCE = THandle;
  HMODULE = HINSTANCE;

  TPinDest = (
    pdTaskbar,
    pdStartMenu
  );

function LoadLibrary(lpFileName: string): HMODULE;
  external 'LoadLibrary{#AW}@kernel32.dll stdcall';
function FreeLibrary(hModule: HMODULE): BOOL;
  external 'FreeLibrary@kernel32.dll stdcall';
function LoadString(hInstance: HINSTANCE; uID: UINT;
  lpBuffer: string; nBufferMax: Integer): Integer;
  external 'LoadString{#AW}@user32.dll stdcall';

function TryGetVerbName(ID: UINT; out VerbName: string): Boolean;
var
  Buffer: string;
  BufLen: Integer;
  Handle: HMODULE;
begin
  Result := False;

  Handle := LoadLibrary(ExpandConstant('{sys}\Shell32.dll'));
  if Handle <> 0 then
  try
    SetLength(Buffer, 255);
    BufLen := LoadString(Handle, ID, Buffer, Length(Buffer));

    if BufLen <> 0 then
    begin
      Result := True;
      VerbName := Copy(Buffer, 1, BufLen);
    end;
  finally
    FreeLibrary(Handle);
  end;
end;

function ExecVerb(const FileName, VerbName: string): Boolean;
var
  I: Integer;
  Shell: Variant;
  Folder: Variant;
  FolderItem: Variant;
begin
  Result := False;

  Shell := CreateOleObject('Shell.Application');
  Folder := Shell.NameSpace(ExtractFilePath(FileName));
  FolderItem := Folder.ParseName(ExtractFileName(FileName));

  for I := 1 to FolderItem.Verbs.Count do
  begin
    if FolderItem.Verbs.Item(I).Name = VerbName then
    begin
      FolderItem.Verbs.Item(I).DoIt;
      Result := True;
      Exit;
    end;
  end;
end;

function PinAppTo(const FileName: string; PinDest: TPinDest): Boolean;
var
  ResStrID: UINT;
  VerbName: string;
begin
  case PinDest of
    pdTaskbar: ResStrID := SHELL32_STRING_ID_PIN_TO_TASKBAR;
    pdStartMenu: ResStrID := SHELL32_STRING_ID_PIN_TO_STARTMENU;
  end;
  Result := TryGetVerbName(ResStrID, VerbName) and ExecVerb(FileName, VerbName);
end;

function UnpinAppFrom(const FileName: string; PinDest: TPinDest): Boolean;
var
  ResStrID: UINT;
  VerbName: string;
begin
  case PinDest of
    pdTaskbar: ResStrID := SHELL32_STRING_ID_UNPIN_FROM_TASKBAR;
    pdStartMenu: ResStrID := SHELL32_STRING_ID_UNPIN_FROM_STARTMENU;
  end;
  Result := TryGetVerbName(ResStrID, VerbName) and ExecVerb(FileName, VerbName);
end;

And its possible usage, for pinning:
if PinAppTo(ExpandConstant('{sys}\calc.exe'), pdTaskbar) then
  MsgBox('Calc has been pinned to the taskbar.', mbInformation, MB_OK);
if PinAppTo(ExpandConstant('{sys}\calc.exe'), pdStartMenu) then
  MsgBox('Calc has been pinned to the start menu.', mbInformation, MB_OK);

And for unpinning:
if UnpinAppFrom(ExpandConstant('{sys}\calc.exe'), pdTaskbar) then
  MsgBox('Calc is not pinned to the taskbar anymore.', mbInformation, MB_OK);
if UnpinAppFrom(ExpandConstant('{sys}\calc.exe'), pdStartMenu) then
  MsgBox('Calc is not pinned to the start menu anymore.', mbInformation, MB_OK);

A: I was able to do it. Here's the code to pin and unpin from the startmenu and taskbar.
oShell := CreateOleObject('Shell.Application');
objFolder := oShell.Namespace(ExpandConstant('{localappdata}\My_Path'));
objFolderItem := objFolder.ParseName('MyApp.exe');
colVerbs := objFolderItem.Verbs();
for i := 0 to colverbs.count() do
begin
   VerbName := lowercase(colverbs.item(i).name);
   StringChangeEx(VerbName,'&','',true);
   if (CompareText(Verbname, 'Pin to Start Menu') = 0) then
     colverbs.item(i).DoIt
   if (CompareText(Verbname, 'Pin to Taskbar') = 0) then
     colverbs.item(i).DoIt
end;

Change the compare string to 'Unpin from Start Menu' and 'Unpin from Taskbar' at the time of unpinning.

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text:
You are here: Home / News / Author Nikole Hannah-Jones to speak tonight at Waterloo West High
Author Nikole Hannah-Jones to speak tonight at Waterloo West High
November 23, 2021 By O. Kay Henderson
A Waterloo native who won the Pulitzer Prize for leading a New York Times project that examined slavery and the historical contributions of black Americans will speak at a free public event at Waterloo West High School tonight.
Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of The 1619 Project, was a guest on Iowa Public Radio's "Talk of Iowa" program Monday.
"When we are not taught to think about these things or to understand the role that black Americans played, we fill in that gap with a presumption that black people haven't done much worthy about knowing," she said, "and that slavery was just an asterisk to the American story."
Hannah-Jones, a 1994 graduate of Waterloo West, will appear on stage with the high school history teacher who introduced her to the date 1619.
"In that one semester, I learned more about the history and contributions of black Americans than I had learned in my first 10 years of education," Hannah-Jones said.
Hannah-Jones described the experience as empowering and she refers to it in preface of the just released book version of The 1619 Project.
"When you start to see that history, then all of a sudden the world starts to make sense," Hannah-Jones said. "And, I mean, that is what propelled me to do The 1619 Project and that is what I have heard from readers of all races and all ages is that no one ever taught us any of this and now I have a deeper understanding."
Oprah Winfrey is producing a series based on The 1619 Project. The Des Moines Public Library Foundation presented Hannah-Jones with its 2021 Iowa Author Award last night.
In February, some Republicans in the state legislature criticized The 1619 Project. The governor later last spring signed a bill that did not directly mention Hannah-Jones' work, but the new law prohibits Iowa schools from teaching that Iowa and the United States are fundamentally or systemically racist.
"I can't tell you how profoundly disappointing it is that my own state would seek to prohibit the teaching of my work when it was in an Iowa classroom that I received the transformative experience that allowed me to have the type of success I've had," Hannah-Jones said.
In January, Hannah-Jones will join the faculty at Howard University where she's founding the Center for Journalism and Democracy. She has also established a privately-funded after school program in Waterloo for struggling readers.


text:
UFO Sighted Over Vancouver, WA
legacy/led-ufo.jpg
On Sunday, February 20, 2011 a number of residents in Vancouver, WA sighted what they described as a "flying saucer." Several people phoned 911 and were directed to the National UFO Reporting Center in Seattle, but so far no official reports have been filed.
The object was described as being extremely bright - bright enough to draw neighbors out of their houses to see what was causing it. It was also described as hovering soundlessly in the air, between 7 and 8PM.
What was hovering over SW 192nd Street in the Clear Meadows neighborhood last Sunday night? It did not appear on airport radar, according to the FAA. It hovered roughly in one spot, although it made "occasional side-to-side movements."
Frankly, having seen the video, I suspected that it was an RC helicopter with a string of attached LED lights on the "Party" setting. One eyewitness even said of the saucer-shaped object that "it was almost like someone was controlling it from the ground." The lights flashing on the object are dead ringers for the strips of lightweight LED lights which can be programmed to flash in pattern.
Combing through the comments on the article in The Columbian, I noticed an interesting comment from someone who claimed to know the object's identity. "A relative saw it from Fishers Landing, drove around and found the source, it was someone flying a kite with LEDs on it in a park in Fishers Landing."
Another commenter said that "it was a kite in Clearmeadows park… We watched it from our window during dinner."
Of course, comments on online newspaper articles are the third-lowest form of discourse available on the internet today. (In case you were wondering, YouTube comments are the second-lowest, and 4chan is the #1 lowest.) And these unverified assertions are coming from an essentially anonymous account, so who knows what the provenance is, there.
Nevertheless, they do have the ring of truth. And certainly a kite decorated with a string of LEDs makes more sense than other theories which have been floated, including a mis-sighting of the planet Jupiter (not from the video it isn't), and military helicopters. (Why a military helicopter would hover over a Vancouver neighborhood for the better part of an hour is an exercise left to the reader.)
The kite explanation also addresses the most unusual aspect of this sighting, which is its silence, combined with its low height. It seems clear to me from the video that this is a smallish object hovering somewhere around treetop level.
A Google search for "LED Kite" shows that these are a real thing, which you can buy online. You can either buy a fully-equipped kite, or you can buy the LED lights to attach to your own kite. Anyone interested in UFO phenomena should definitely acquaint themselves with these, because we're sure to be seeing a lot more kite/UFO reports in the years to come!
(And potential pranksters, be aware that people have been arrested for flying LED kites and scaring the crap out of the townsfolk.)
Photo: still image from "Led Kite Lights" uploaded by kiteworldevents
Brocken Specter: The Fog Monster


text:
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">

<TITLE>
Constants (Spring Framework)
</TITLE>

<META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="org.springframework.core.Constants class">

<LINK REL ="stylesheet" TYPE="text/css" HREF="../../../stylesheet.css" TITLE="Style">

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org.springframework.core

Class Constants

java.lang.Object
  org.springframework.core.Constants

public class Constants
extends java.lang.Object

This class can be used to parse other classes containing constant definitions
 in public static final members. The asXXXX() methods of this class allow these
 constant values to be accessed via their string names.

Consider class Foo containing public final static int CONSTANT1 = 66;
 An instance of this class wrapping Foo.class will return the constant value
 of 66 from its asInt() method given the argument "CONSTANT1".

This class is ideal for use in PropertyEditors, enabling them to
 recognize the same names as the constants themselves, and freeing them
 from maintaining their own mapping.

Since:

16-Mar-2003

Author:

Rod Johnson, Juergen Hoeller

Constructor Summary

Constants(java.lang.Class clazz)

          Create a new Constants converter class wrapping the given class.

Method Summary

 java.lang.Number
asNumber(java.lang.String code)

          Return a constant value cast to a Number.

 java.lang.Object
asObject(java.lang.String code)

          Parse the given string (upper or lower case accepted) and return
 the appropriate value if it's the name of a constant field in the
 class we're analysing.

 java.lang.String
asString(java.lang.String code)

          Return a constant value as a String.

 int
getSize()

          Return the number of constants exposed.

 java.util.Set
getValues(java.lang.String namePrefix)

          Return all values of the given group of constants.

 java.util.Set
getValuesForProperty(java.lang.String propertyName)

          Return all values of the group of constants for the
 given bean property name.

 java.lang.String
propertyToConstantNamePrefix(java.lang.String propertyName)

          Convert the given bean property name to a constant name prefix.

 java.lang.String
toCode(java.lang.Object value,
       java.lang.String namePrefix)

          Look up the given value within the given group of constants.

 java.lang.String
toCodeForProperty(java.lang.Object value,
                  java.lang.String propertyName)

          Look up the given value within the group of constants for
 the given bean property name.

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

Constructor Detail

Constants

public Constants(java.lang.Class clazz)

Create a new Constants converter class wrapping the given class.
 All public static final variables will be exposed, whatever their type.

Parameters:
clazz - class to analyze

Method Detail

getSize

public int getSize()

Return the number of constants exposed.

asNumber

public java.lang.Number asNumber(java.lang.String code)
                          throws ConstantException

Return a constant value cast to a Number.

Parameters:
code - name of the field

Returns:
long value if successful

Throws:

ConstantException - if the field name wasn't found
 or if the type wasn't compatible with Number
See Also:
asObject(java.lang.String)

asString

public java.lang.String asString(java.lang.String code)
                          throws ConstantException

Return a constant value as a String.

Parameters:
code - name of the field

Returns:
String string value if successful.
 Works even if it's not a string (invokes toString()).

Throws:

ConstantException - if the field name wasn't found
See Also:
asObject(java.lang.String)

asObject

public java.lang.Object asObject(java.lang.String code)
                          throws ConstantException

Parse the given string (upper or lower case accepted) and return
 the appropriate value if it's the name of a constant field in the
 class we're analysing.

Throws:

ConstantException - if there's no such field

getValues

public java.util.Set getValues(java.lang.String namePrefix)

Return all values of the given group of constants.

Parameters:
namePrefix - prefix of the constant names to search

Returns:
the set of values

getValuesForProperty

public java.util.Set getValuesForProperty(java.lang.String propertyName)

Return all values of the group of constants for the
 given bean property name.

Parameters:
propertyName - the name of the bean property

Returns:
the set of values
See Also:
propertyToConstantNamePrefix(java.lang.String)

toCode

public java.lang.String toCode(java.lang.Object value,
                               java.lang.String namePrefix)
                        throws ConstantException

Look up the given value within the given group of constants.
 Will return the first match.

Parameters:
value - constant value to look up
namePrefix - prefix of the constant names to search

Returns:
the name of the constant field

Throws:

ConstantException - if the value wasn't found

toCodeForProperty

public java.lang.String toCodeForProperty(java.lang.Object value,
                                          java.lang.String propertyName)
                                   throws ConstantException

Look up the given value within the group of constants for
 the given bean property name. Will return the first match.

Parameters:
value - constant value to look up
propertyName - the name of the bean property

Returns:
the name of the constant field

Throws:

ConstantException - if the value wasn't found
See Also:
propertyToConstantNamePrefix(java.lang.String)

propertyToConstantNamePrefix

public java.lang.String propertyToConstantNamePrefix(java.lang.String propertyName)

Convert the given bean property name to a constant name prefix.
 Uses a common naming idiom: turning all lower case characters to
 upper case, and prepending upper case characters with an underscore.

Example: "imageSize" -> "IMAGE_SIZE".

Parameters:
propertyName - the name of the bean property

Returns:
the corresponding constant name prefix
See Also:
getValuesForProperty(java.lang.String),
toCodeForProperty(java.lang.Object, java.lang.String)

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DETAIL: FIELD | CONSTR | METHOD

Copyright (C) 2003-2004 The Spring Framework Project.

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