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Events, Exhibits, From Our Collections, Hartman Center
Look Boys and Girls!
June 1, 2011 Amy McDonald
Date: May 5-July 25, 2011
Location and Time: Rare Book Room cases during library hours
Contact Information: Jackie Reid, 919-660 5836 or j.reid(at)duke.edu
Over the last 30 years, the explosion of Saturday morning cartoons and children's television programming has caused American parents no shortage of worry about their children's exposure to advertising. As the Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History's new exhibit, "Look Boys and Girls! Advertising to Children in the 20th Century," shows, this advertising is anything but a new phenomenon: advertisers started selling directly to kids, rather than their parents, in the early 20th century. Companies like Heinz and Palmolive published children's stories (like The Story of Peanutville at right) that positively portrayed their products.
Advertising to Children: A Timeline
1910s: Companies like the Winchester Rifle Company established contests to encourage the use of their products.
Late 1920s: Kids could join "clubs" and might receive prizes and higher status if they consumed more of the sponsoring company's product. Some companies promoted products through sponsored radio shows and even through schools.
1930s: Comic strip advertising was used to target children and played off the popularity of this section of the newspaper.
1953: Two of the first television shows aimed exclusively at preschoolers, "Baby Sitter" and "Ding Dong School," were broadcast.
1960s: As interest in young consumers increased, advertisers consulted the latest psychological studies about how best to target children. This segmentation of the market has continued to narrow, with children now broken into two-year age groups like "tweens" or "explorers."
1962: McDonald's ran its first print advertising campaign and used cartoon-like characters to appeal to children.
1979: Well-known children's advocate, Peggy Charren, testifies before congress, stating that "children's advertising should be considered, per se, an unfair commercial practice." Cable station Nickelodeon launches.
Late 1990s: Advertisers continued to expand their reach to these influential customers through the Internet, re-emphasizing "old-fashioned" ways of appealing to children through contests and loyalty clubs.
If you can't visit the exhibit in person, be sure to check out the online exhibit!
We'd also like to welcome Julian, son of Hartman Center intern Katharine French-Fuller. He made his first visit to the library today (which included a visit to this exhibit)!
The Poetic Mushroom
Rights! Camera! Action!: Escuela
The Victory Bell Tradition
Previous PostDurham Before Duke (and After)Next PostUniversity Archives Field Trip


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Estimating the clinical effectiveness and value-based price range of erenumab for the prevention of migraine in patients with prior treatment failures: a US societal perspective
Lipton, R.B., Brennan, A. orcid.org/0000-0002-1025-312X, Palmer, S. et al. (7 more authors) (2018) Estimating the clinical effectiveness and value-based price range of erenumab for the prevention of migraine in patients with prior treatment failures: a US societal perspective. Journal of Medical Economics (JME), 21 (7). pp. 666-675. ISSN 1369-6998
BACKGROUND: Frequent migraine with four or more headache days per month is a common, disabling neurovascular disease. From a US societal perspective, this analysis models the clinical efficacy and estimates the value-based price (VBP) for erenumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor. METHODS: A Markov health state transition model was developed to estimate the incremental costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and value-based price range for erenumab in migraine prevention. The model comprises "on preventive treatment", "off preventive treatment", and "death" health states across a 10-year time horizon. The evaluation compared erenumab to no preventive treatment in episodic and chronic migraine patients that have failed at least one preventive therapy. Therapeutic benefits are based on estimated changes in monthly migraine days (MMD) from erenumab pivotal clinical trials and a network meta-analysis of migraine studies. Utilities were estimated using previously published mapping algorithms. A VBP analysis was performed to identify maximum erenumab annual prices at willingness-to-pay (WTP) thresholds of $100,000-$200,000 per QALY. Estimates of VBP under different scenarios such as choice of different comparators, assumptions around inclusion of placebo effect, and exclusion of work productivity losses were also generated. RESULTS: Erenumab resulted in incremental QALYs of 0.185 vs supportive care (SC) and estimated cost offsets due to reduced MMD of $8,482 over 10 years, with an average duration of treatment of 2.01 years. The estimated VBP at WTP thresholds of $100,000-$200,000 for erenumab compared to SC ranged from $14,238-$23,998. VBP estimates including the placebo effect and excluding work productivity ranged from $7,445-$13,809; increasing to $12,151-$18,589 with onabotulinumtoxinA as a comparator in chronic migraine. CONCLUSION: Erenumab is predicted to reduce migraine-related direct and indirect costs, and increase QALYs compared to SC.
Lipton, R.B.
Brennan, A. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1025-312X
Hatswell, A.J.
Porter, J.K.
Sapra, S.
Villa, G.
Shah, N.
Tepper, S.
Dodick, D.
© 2018 Informa UK Ltd trading as Taylor & Francis. This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in Journal of Medical Economics. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.
CGRP; I10, I19; Value based-price; chronic migraine; cost-effectiveness analysis; economic evaluation; episodic migraine; erenumab; indirect costs; productivity
Published (online): 3 April 2018
The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Health and Related Research (Sheffield) > Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research
Symplectic Sheffield
PubMed URL
Filename: Value based pricing manuscript_March 19 2018.pdf

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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We're thrilled to bring capital region sibling rock artists Jocelyn & Chris and their band back home to the area next Friday, October 11th for a performance at Putnam Place in Saratoga.
Joining us on the bill is "Little Days" featuring Gov't Mule bassist Jorgen Carlsson!
If you're not familiar with Jocelyn & Chris, they grew up in the area and both earned scholarships to Harvard University. While completing high school and subsequent studies at Harvard, they've recorded six albums with guests including G. Love, Cory Wong of Vulfpeck, and Danny Louis of Gov't Mule and toured extensively. Jocelyn & Chris's last three consecutive singles have charted in The Billboard AAA Top 40 with radio play coast to coast. Their current album also debuted at number 1 on the Jambands Top 30 Album Chart.
Jocelyn and Chris have been featured on NBC's Today Show, Jam in the Van, Baeble, Paste, Huff Post, Relix, The 405, Now This, and numerous other outlets.
And… they're from right here!
On behalf of our team at Bridge Road, I'd like to offer you and a guest complimentary admission.
Use the link below to RSVP and claim complimentary tickets no later than Thursday 10/10.
Please note: comp tickets are for Eddie Committee members, judges, and their guests only.
ENTER PROMO CODE "EDDIES" AT CHECKOUT TO RECEIVE 2 FREE TICKETS
CLAIM YOUR TICKETS


288 pages, paperback, Gambit, 2010.
Solving chess puzzles is one of the most enjoyable exercises available; no chess-player can resist trying to find the answers. Thus when my editor Graham Burgess put forward the idea of creating a huge book of puzzles, similar to John Emms's The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book, I was immediately filled with enthusiasm.
I have to acknowledge that once this initial feeling of pleasure had passed, the task of finding 1001 original puzzles (original in the sense that they have never appeared in similar books or other collections of chess puzzles) appeared to me to be a very complicated task, and the four-figure number was rather daunting. But it didn't turn out that way: the process of research and selection took some time, but it was not as immense as I had feared, partly because I found the task so enjoyable.
In order to exclude any very familiar puzzles, I decided that most of them would have to come from two main sources: either tournaments played in the last two years, or else games of my own, or with which I was familiar because I had observed them, or which had made an impression on me. Nevertheless, the book to some extent took on a life of its own, and sometimes seemed to be taking its own decisions. This is particularly relevant in Chapter 7, which features a wholly different source of top-quality examples that will be unfamiliar to most readers.
The games are mainly taken from Mega Database 2009 and the last few years' editions of The Week in Chess and Chess Today. The analysis was done with the aid of Fritz 11 and Rybka 3.
The first chapter deals with the main tactical ideas, as in the above-mentioned book by Emms, together with some additions and my own personal take on how best to present and explain these basic ideas.
Chapter 2 contains 120 puzzles, the majority of them highly suitable for novices, or as warm-up exercises for club players; the first 60 are supplied with hints to help you find the solution, but for the remaining 60 you receive no help.
Chapter 3 is called 'On the Attack' and consists of 100 puzzles, from level 1 to 4 (on a scale where 1 is easiest and 5 most difficult), and the theme is attacking play. There are hints for the first 50.
Chapter 4 is the biggest one, comprising 200 puzzles of levels 1 to 4; for the first 100 I have included hints.
Chapter 5 provides the first of three batches of test positions (Chapters 8 and 10 are the other two). Points are awarded for correct answers, which you can translate into a very approximate evaluation of your Elo rating. It consists of five tests with 16 puzzles in each, i.e. 80 in each of the three chapters, making 240 test positions in total.
Chapter 6 is called 'Defence and Counterattack'. This aspect of our play is unjustly neglected; every player knows that there is just as much pleasure, or more, to be gained from saving a half-point after a successful defence (especially if one has been made to suffer) as from conducting a successful attack. There are 90 such puzzles, with hints for 40 of them.
Chapter 7 is entitled 'Mundo Latino' and is one part of the book which, as I mentioned earlier, took on a life of its own. It comprises 90 puzzles, including 40 with hints; these puzzles are taken from games by Latin players, both European and American, although the majority are from tournaments in Argentina, where there was a great deal of chess activity from the early decades of the 20th century right up to the 1980s. This chapter unexpectedly overflowed into many of the others, since I found such an abundance of good and little-known material. There are clear reasons for the prevalence of such good examples; there were frequent visits and tournament appearances by the world's best players to Argentina, principally to Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata. These visits included World Champions such as Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Smyslov, Petrosian, Fischer, Spassky and Karpov, together with such outstanding figures as Keres, Bronstein, Korchnoi, Larsen, Reshevsky, Stein, Polugaevsky, Olafsson, and many others. Furthermore, in 1939 the chess Olympiad was being held in Buenos Aires when the Second World War broke out, leading to many masters staying on and making their lives in Argentina, thus raising the already good local standard of chess even higher. To quote just one example: it will probably surprise you to learn that, according to chessmetrics.com, the Argentinean player Julio Bolbochan was the 13th strongest player in the world at several times between 1951 and 1955.
Chapter 9 is called 'The World of Endgames' and is made up of 90 endgame puzzles, of levels 1 to 4; the first 40 of these feature hints.
Chapter 11 is the last and the most difficult, comprising 81 puzzles of level 5 and beyond, which even grandmasters will find challenging. The first 30 include hints.
Finally I must thank all my friends, and friends of friends, who suggested material, including Sergio Estremera, Reinaldo Vera, Manel Garcia, Luis Scalise, and many others.
Ich weiß nicht genau warum, aber ich musste beim Lesen des Titels sofort an die Mega-Sudoku-Bücher, die zweitweise jeden Presseladen überschwemmten, denken. 1001 Schachaufgaben für jeden Schwierigkeitsgrad verspricht der Untertitel, die nach erfolgreichem Lösen mit großer Wahrscheinlichkeit eine Spielstärkeverbesserung fördern. Der Einstieg wird durch die taktischen Grundelemente gebildet, die für den totalen Newcomer zu knapp gekommen sind und für den erfahreneren Spieler primär eine Wiederholung darstellen. Gleich 120 Aufgaben (die Hälfte davon mit Hinweisen zur Lösungsfindung) fragen das taktische Grundwissen ab. Über den Angriff auf König, Verteidigung und Gegenangriff oder Taktik im Endspiel wird sich zu den Tests gehangelt, die das Wissen in Punktform benoten. Es gibt drei Tests im Buch, die anhand einer Punktetabelle eine taktische ELO bestimmen. Etwas fremd im Kontext des Buchtitels wirkt das Kapitel 'Mundo Latino ', welches 90 Aufgaben beinhaltet, in denen Spieler aus Lateinamerika die Gewinner sind. Erfreulich, dass der Großteil der Aufgaben aus den Jahren 2007-2009 besteht und das Buch somit nicht der x-te Druck einer Taktikaufgabensammlung ist.
Wer Lust am Aufgabenlösen findet und schon über zahlreiche Bücher dieser Art verfügt, aber auf neues Material wartet, der wird hiermit bedient.
"The Giant Chess Puzzle Book" von Großmeister Zenon Franco ist ein Märchen aus Tausendundeine Nacht. Dort, wo die Tochter des Wesirs, Scheherazade, dem mordlüsternen König Schahriyâr jede Nacht Geschichten erzählt und immer an der gerade spannendsten Stelle abbricht, dort zeigt Franco dem geneigten Leser spannende Stellungen aus Schachpartien. Er verwendet zwar vielleicht nicht gerade eine so blumige Sprache wie die Heldin des Romans doch versteht er es von Anfang an, den Leser in das Reich der Schachaufgaben, der Rätsel und der taktischen Wunder am Schachbrett zu entführen. Unterteilt in mehreren Kapiteln schraubt Franco anfangs fast unmerklich aber letztendlich doch spürbar den Schwierigkeitsgrad der Aufgaben nach oben. Über die anscheinend obligatorisch gewordenen Tests mit ELO-Auswertung kann man geteilter Meinung sein, ich bin kein Freund von solchen Sachen aber wer es braucht, bitte. Nach erfolgreich bestandenem Test in der Mitte des Buches kann man seine ELO-Zahl ausrechnen. Das Buch liegt gut in der Hand und würde auch als überdimensionale Fliegenklatsche gute Dienste verrichten, das wäre aber natürlich die reinste Verschwendung! Wer sich also vom fulminanten Umfang und der großen Anzahl der Aufgaben nicht abschrecken lässt, erhält mit diesem Buch eine riesige Sammlung von relativ unverbrauchtem Trainingsmaterial.
Viel Text, viel Erklärungen, ausführlich besprochene Lösungen, unverbrauchte Aufgaben und die Menge an Material.
Ähnlich wie die Geschichten aus Tausendundeine Nacht endet das Buch irgendwann dann doch. Ich hoffe auf eine Fortsetzung!


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The news first came out a few weeks ago, but this Saturday is the last day within the confines of the Ferry Building for Mastrelli's Deli. The spinoff of North Beach icon Molinari's couldn't renegotiate a lease.
The Ferry Building of course has had its fair share of problems with tenants either leaving or being forced out in recent months.
Both Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Café and LuLu Petite said they were forced out of the building and two more vendors said they would have suffered the same fate if they did not renegotiate their lease.


A+. The grade I gave myself in the friendly confines of Fox Television for my performance as president; equivalent to my Wharton MBA. See "Fox Television"; cf. "Wharton." Attorney General. My personal lawyer. See "personal lawyer"; cf.


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Grassley Concerned with Proposal to Expand Employment Benefits to Foreign Students
By Bill at July 20, 2015 20:34
WASHINGTON --- Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa is expressing concern that the Obama administration is proposing expanding employment benefits to foreign students in the Optional Practical Training program despite the fact that the Government Accountability Office says it's susceptible to abuse and requires additional oversight.
In a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, Grassley wrote, "The proposed new regulations, while still being internally discussed, are irresponsible and dangerous considering the Government Accountability Office report issued in March 2014 finding that the program was full of inefficiencies, susceptible to fraud, and that the Department was not adequately overseeing it."
Currently, foreign students are authorized to work for a 12-month period after graduation from a U.S. degree program. Foreign students graduating from Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) degree programs are granted an additional 17 months of employment. The legality of the STEM Optional Practical Training extension regulations is currently being challenged in federal court.
The Department's proposal would increase the extension period from 17 to 24 months and allow students to benefit from such an extension twice in their academic career. A student who graduates from a STEM bachelor's degree program could work for up to three years after graduation in student status, then go on to get a master's degree and work for three more years after that. Thus, under the proposed new regulation, a foreign student could work in the United States post-graduation on a student visa for a total of up to six years, completely outside of the nonimmigrant employment-based visa programs, and their associated worker protections, established by Congress.
Grassley had requested the Government Accountability Office report after hearing concerns that employers were targeting for recruitment foreign students with Optional Practical Training and learning that there was an atypical upward trend in participation. The report is a follow-on to previous studies about the Student Exchange Visitor Program, which the Government Accountability Office has evaluated and found serious flaws.
The report found that foreign students, sometimes aided by school officials, were abusing the Optional Practical Training program to acquire unauthorized employment in the United States. In addition, the report said that the federal government's inability to track the foreign students in the program resulted in a national security risk.
Grassley wrote, "Instead of addressing the weaknesses of the OPT program, or addressing the legitimate criticisms of the OPT-STEM program raised in the Washington Tech Alliance lawsuit, it appears the agency is intent on doubling down on the misguided policies that triggered the GAO report and lawsuit in the first place."
Here's a copy of the letter to Johnson. A copy of the signed version can be found here. Grassley's March 7, 2014, letter to Johnson can be found here.
Via Electronic Transmission
The Honorable Jeh Johnson
Dear Secretary Johnson:
On May 28, 2015, Senate Judiciary Committee staff received a briefing from officials of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about proposed rules affecting foreign students. I'm concerned about the Department's plans to expand the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, and urge you to reconsider expanding the program without adding adequate controls and safeguards.
Currently, Department regulations authorize an F-1 student who has attended an ICE-certified college, university, conservatory, or seminary on a full-time basis for at least one academic year to receive up to 12 months of employment authorization per education level. In 2008, the Department published regulations authorizing a 17-month extension of the OPT period for foreign graduates of U.S. degree programs in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematical (STEM) discipline. The 2008 OPT-STEM regulation is currently the subject of a lawsuit by an association of American tech workers challenging its legality.
I understand, based on the May 28 briefing, that the Department is moving forward with new regulations on OPT—
(1) allowing foreign students with degrees in STEM fields to receive up to two 24-month extensions beyond the original 12-month period provided under OPT regulations, for a total of up to six years of post-graduation employment in student status; and
(2) authorizing foreign graduates of non-STEM U.S. degree programs to receive the 24-month extension of the OPT period, even if the STEM degree upon which the extension is based is an earlier degree and not for the program from which the student is currently graduating (e.g. student has a bachelor's in chemistry and is graduating from an M.B.A. program).
The proposed new regulations, while still being internally discussed, are irresponsible and dangerous considering the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report issued in March 2014 finding that the program was full of inefficiencies, susceptible to fraud, and that the Department was not adequately overseeing it.
Putting aside the legality of the OPT program, which I have questioned, I am greatly troubled by the proposal to lengthen to a full two years the OPT-STEM extension period. Doing that would authorize foreign STEM students to remain working in the United States after graduation, potentially for a total of up to six years, completely outside of the nonimmigrant employment-based visa programs, and their associated worker protections, established by Congress. As the plaintiffs in the Washington Tech Alliance lawsuit state in their complaint: "DHS's OPT regulations deliberately circumvent the statutory caps on H-1B visas ... by allowing aliens who are unable to get an H-1B visa to remain in the United States and work on an F-1 student visa instead." By increasing the total amount of time a foreign student may work in OPT after each degree to 3 years – the same amount of time that an H-1B visa would be valid – there is little doubt that the Administration has administratively established a de facto shadow H-1B program, in violation of Congressional intent. OPT is meant to be a temporary training program, not as a bridge to a longer-term work visa or a way for employers to hire cheaper foreign labor in lieu of Americans or foreign workers in visa programs with prevailing wage requirements.
The GAO found numerous problems with the OPT program. Their report found that foreign students, sometimes with help of designated school officials, were abusing the program to acquire unauthorized work. It also found that the Department was not adequately overseeing the program and did not have adequate monitoring mechanisms in place to ensure program compliance. In fact, it found that the Department was not tracking vital information that was necessary to ensure schools and students were following ICE regulations, such as accruing too much unemployment, completing the program within a certain amount of time, or ensuring students were engaging in work that was in their field of study.
The report also exposed a major national security problem in that the Department does not know where tens of thousands of foreign students are living and working in the country. The GAO said that "ICE cannot fully ensure foreign students working under optional practical training are maintaining their legal status in the United States." The GAO report also found that ICE does not consistently collect information as to the type and timing of foreign students' employment, thus leaving the agency in the dark as to where these students are and for whom they might be working.
Instead of addressing the weaknesses of the OPT program, or addressing the legitimate criticisms of the OPT-STEM program raised in the Washington Tech Alliance lawsuit, it appears the agency is intent on doubling down on the misguided policies that triggered the GAO report and lawsuit in the first place.
After the GAO issued its report in 2014, I wrote to you and urged you to consider issuing a moratorium on OPT approvals until the program was secured and students could be located. I also asked that the Department swiftly move to implement the GAO's recommendations. The Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Alejandro Mayorkas, responded on your behalf to my letter. He said the Department concurred with the recommendations and was working on them. I would like to know the status of each GAO recommendation, whether they have been fully implemented, and if not, why not. I also strongly urge the Department to undertake additional reforms to increase oversight and improve compliance monitoring beyond what the GAO has recommended. I want to know what specific actions the Department will take to locate students, rein in fraud and abuse, and ensure compliance.
While I realize the agency is also considering requiring certifications that the employers will not displace U.S. workers, there does not seem to be any certification contemplated that the employer has recruited or tried to find U.S. workers who may be at least equally qualified as the foreign students. Nor will the regulations, as proposed, require substantive wage requirements in order to ensure that employers are not exploiting foreign students and thereby driving wages down for U.S. workers.
I urge you to reconsider the proposed rule for STEM students, and at a minimum, address the underlying issues with the standard OPT program. If you do not have the appetite to cease the program altogether, as I have suggested in the past, I would encourage the Department to, at a minimum: 1) increase oversight and monitoring compliance by schools as well as foreign students and those who employ them; 2) ensure that employment is secured before any OPT is granted; 3) ensure that foreign students report any changes in employment to designated school officials and be held accountable if they do not; 4) ensure that designated school officials are notifying the Department about the whereabouts of their students, including the employer's name and location and be held accountable if they do not; 5) require that employers who hire any foreign student with OPT be enrolled in E-Verify; 6) require employers to pay a reasonable wage to foreign students with OPT; 7) require employers of students with OPT to pay a fee equal to the wage savings from not having to pay FICA payroll taxes for OPT workers, in order to level the playing field between OPT and American workers; 8) more closely bind OPT training to the student's academic course of study; 9) establish avenues for foreign students to report employer abuse; and 10) place a numerical cap on the number of foreign students who may receive a work authorization.
In addition to providing me with updates on the GAO recommendations and any other oversight measures undertaken, I request your response to each of the ten recommendations I propose above and why the Department would not include them in the regulations being considered.
Please send a response to my questions and concerns no later than June 22, 2015. I appreciate the consideration of your views and look forward to your reply.
Charles E. Grassley
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Tags: OPT, F1 Visa
Student Visa, Indirect Approach to Work in USA
By Bill at May 06, 2011 00:15
In strategy, the longest way round is often the shortest way there. -- B. H. Liddell Hart.
You want to work and live in US. But you could not find American employers who are willing to hire you from thousands of miles away. Or you are already in United States, but your visa is going to expire before you can find a work visa sponsor.
Should you give up? Student Visa(F Visa or M Visa) can be your indirect approach to work visa.
There are over 9 thousand schools in United States that have been certified to issue I-20 Form for student visa, from Harvard University in Boston to language training center in Jersey City. In fiscal year 2009, United States received 477,782 applications for F1 Student visa and approved 331,208 of them, a success rate of 70%.
With student visa, you can work on and off campus. You will get 12 - 29 months of practical training period after graduation. Not to mention that American employers will be much more likely to hire you and sponsor your green card if you have a US degree......
Please search or browse the schools that can assist you in getting student visa. Following resources will also be helpful in your job hunting.
H1B Visa Sponsors
Green Card Sponsors
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Tags: Student Visa, F1 Visa
Tax Deadline is very near!
By Bill at April 06, 2011 07:01
April 18th is just less than 15 days away. US Tax filing is a mandatory requirement, non filing or delays can cause significant penalties and interest. Act fast if you have not filed yet, and get your tax obligation for 2010 taken care of. If you didn't get a chance to think about your tax return, it may be prudent to file an extension for your 2010 to avoid any late filing penalties. Tax professionals at MyTaxFiler will gladly file your extension at no charge, if you send them an e-mail to tax@mytaxfiler.com with subject "File Extension", and a copy of your 2009 tax return.
IRS refund this year has averaged $ 3000, so you may be missing out by filing a return. Read this article from IRS to learn more about 2010 Tax refunds.
2010 Tax Filing deadlines
April 18th 2011 – Individual Tax Return
April 18th 2011 – Last day to make IRA/SEP contributions
June 30th 2011 – Foreign Bank Account Reporting Form
August 30th 2011 – Last date for 2nd Foreign bank Disclosure Amnesty program
October 17th 2011 – Final deadline to file individual tax returns (with extension)
Foreign Bank Account Reporting Form (FBAR)
If you own or have authority over a foreign financial account, including a bank account, brokerage account, mutual fund, unit trust, or other types of financial accounts, you may be required to report the account yearly to the Internal Revenue Service. Read More
Global Value Add, Inc – MyTaxFiler have been assisting our members in planning and filing their tax returns at discounted rates. They have experts on board who can assist J1, H1, L1, F1 and Opt Visa holders.
Below is their information if you wish to contact with their tax professionals.
Customer support (888)- 996-9829 or (972)-349-0149
US Office: (888)-482-0279 or (972)-961-4814
E-mail: tax@mytaxfiler.com
Homepage: www.mytaxfiler.com
MyVisajobs page: www.myvisajobs.com/TaxFiling.aspx
Good Read:
Tips for Choosing a Tax Preparer – Click here
Important tax law changes in 2010 – Click here
How to keep yourself away from IRS Audits – Click here
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Tags: Tax Deadline, h1b visa, F1 Visa
Extension of OPT and F1 under H1B Cap-Gap
Washington April 1, 2011: USCIS released Q&A on Extension of OPT and F-1 Status under the H-1B Cap-Gap Regulations
These Questions & Answers address the automatic extension of F-1 student status in the United States for certain students with pending or approved H-1B petitions (indicating a request for change of status from F-1 to H-1B) for an employment start date of October 1, 2011 under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 H-1B cap.
Q1. What is "Cap-Gap"?
A1. Current regulations allow certain students with pending or approved H-1B petitions to remain in F-1 status during the period of time when an F-1 student's status and work authorization would otherwise expire through the start date of their approved H-1B employment period. This is referred to as filling the "cap-gap," meaning the regulations provide a way of filling the "gap" between the end of F-1 status and the beginning of H-1B status that might otherwise occur if F-1 status is not extended for qualifying students.
Q2. How does "Cap-Gap" Occur?
A2. An employer may not file, and USCIS may not accept, an H-1B petition submitted more than six months in advance of the date of actual need for the beneficiary's services or training. As a result, the earliest date that an employer can file an H-1B cap-subject petition is April 1, for the following fiscal year, starting October 1. If USCIS approves the H-1B petition and the accompanying change of status request, the earliest date that the student may start the approved H-1B employment is October 1. Consequently, F-1 students who do not qualify for a cap-gap extension, and whose periods of authorized stay expire before October 1, are required to leave the United States, apply for an H-1B visa at a consular post abroad, and then seek readmission to the United States in H-1B status, for the dates reflected on the approved H-1B petition.
Q3. Which petitions and beneficiaries qualify for a cap-gap extension?
A3. H-1B petitions that are timely filed, on behalf of an eligible F-1 student, that request a change of status to H-1B on October 1 qualify for a cap-gap extension.
Note: Although the first business day of October 2011 is Monday, October 3, eligible F-1 students must make sure to request Saturday, October 1, as their start date in order to qualify for cap-gap extension.
Timely filed means that the H-1B petition (indicating change of status rather than consular processing) was filed during the H-1B acceptance period which begins April 1, while the student's authorized F-1 duration of status (D/S) admission was still in effect (including any period of time during the academic course of study, any authorized periods of post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT), and the 60-day departure preparation period, commonly known as the "grace period").
Once a timely filing has been made, requesting a change of status to H-1B on October 1, the automatic cap-gap extension will begin and will continue until the H-1B petition adjudication process has been completed. If the student's H-1B petition is selected and approved, the student's extension will continue through September 30 unless the petition is denied, withdrawn, or revoked. If the student's H-1B petition is not selected, the student will have the standard 60-day grace period from the date of the rejection notice or their program end date, whichever is later, to prepare for and depart the United States.
Students are strongly encouraged to stay in close communication with their petitioning employer during the cap-gap extension period for status updates on the H-1B petition processing.
Q4. How does a student covered under the cap-gap extension obtain proof of continuing status?
A4. The student should go to their Designated School Official (DSO) with evidence of a timely filed H-1B petition (indicating a request for change of status rather than for consular processing), such as a copy of the petition and a FedEx, UPS, or USPS Express/certified mail receipt. The student's DSO will issue a preliminary cap-gap I-20 showing an extension until June 1.
If the H-1B petition is selected for adjudication, the student should return to his or her DSO with a copy of the petitioning employer's Form I-797, Notice of Action, with a valid receipt number, indicating that the petition was filed and accepted. The student's DSO will issue a new cap-gap I-20 indicating the continued extension of F-1 status.
Q5. Is a student who becomes eligible for an automatic cap-gap extension of status and employment authorization, but whose H-1B petition is subsequently rejected, denied or revoked, still allowed the 60-day grace period?
A5. If USCIS denies, rejects, or revokes an H-1B petition filed on behalf of an F-1 student covered by the automatic cap-gap extension of status, the student will have the standard 60-day grace period (from the date of the notification of the denial, rejection, or revocation of the petition) before he or she is required to depart the United States.
For denied cases, it should be noted that the 60-day grace period does not apply to an F-1 student whose accompanying change of status request is denied due to the discovery of a status violation. The student in this situation is not eligible for the automatic cap-gap extension of status or the 60-day grace period. Similarly, the 60-day grace period and automatic cap-gap extension of status would not apply to the case of a student whose petition was revoked based on a finding of fraud or misrepresentation discovered following approval. In both of these instances, the student would be required to leave the United States immediately.
Q6. May students travel outside the United States during a cap-gap extension period and return in F-1 status?
A6. No. A student granted a cap-gap extension who elects to travel outside the United States during the cap-gap extension period, will not be able to return in F-1 status. The student will need to apply for an H-1B visa at a consular post abroad prior to returning. As the H-1B petition is for an October 1 start date, the student should be prepared to adjust his or her travel plans, accordingly.
Q7. What if a student's post-completion OPT has expired and the student is in a valid grace period when an H-1B cap-subject petition is filed on their behalf? It appears that F-1 status would be extended, but would OPT also be extended?
A7. That is correct. F-1 students who have entered the 60-day grace period are not employment-authorized. Consequently, if an H-1B cap-subject petition is filed on the behalf of a student who has entered the 60-day grace period, the student will receive the automatic cap-gap extension of his or her F-1 status, but will not become employment-authorized (since the student was not employment-authorized at the time H-1 petition was filed, there is no employment authorization to be extended).
Q8. Do the limits on unemployment time apply to students with a cap-gap extension?
A8: Yes. The 90-day limitation on unemployment during the initial post-completion OPT authorization continues during the cap-gap extension.
Q9. What is a STEM OPT extension?
A9. F-1 students who receive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees included on the STEM Designated Degree Program List, are employed by employers enrolled in E-Verify, and who have received an initial grant of post-completion OPT employment authorization related to such a degree, may apply for a 17-month extension of such authorization. F-1 students may obtain additional information about STEM OPT extensions on the Student and Exchange Visitor Program website at www.ice.gov/sevis.
Q10. May a student eligible for a cap-gap extension of post-completion OPT employment authorization and F-1 status apply for a STEM OPT extension while he or she is in the cap-gap extension period?
A10. Yes. However, such application may not be made once the cap-gap extension period is terminated (e.g., if the H-1 petition is rejected, denied, or revoked), and the student has entered the 60-day departure preparation period.
Q11. In recent years, employers have been able to file H-1B cap-subject petitions after April 1, and have not always requested an October 1 start date. However, some students' OPT end dates were nevertheless shortened to September 30, even though their H-1B employment would not begin until a later date. What should the student do to correct this?
A11. The student should contact their DSO. The DSO may request a data fix in SEVIS by contacting the SEVIS helpdesk.
Q12. If the student finds a new H-1B job, can he or she continue working with his/her approved EAD while the data fix in SEVIS is pending?
A12. Yes, if the (former) H-1B employer timely withdrew the H-1B petition and the following conditions are true:
The student finds employment appropriate to his or her OPT
The period of OPT is unexpired; and
The DSO has requested a data fix in SEVIS
Note: If the student had to file Form I-539 to request reinstatement to F-1 student status, the student may not work or attend classes until the reinstatement is approved.
Q13. If the student has an approved H-1B petition and change of status, but is laid off/terminated by the H-1B employer before the effective date, and the student has an unexpired EAD issued for post-completion OPT, can the student retrieve any unused OPT?
A13. Yes, but only if USCIS receives the withdrawal request from the petitioner before the H-1B change of status effective date. Once the petition has been revoked, the student must provide their DSO with a copy of the USCIS acknowledgement of withdrawal (i.e., the notice of revocation). The DSO may then request a data fix in SEVIS by contacting the SEVIS helpdesk.
If USCIS does not receive the withdrawal request prior to the H-1B petition change of status effective date, then the student will need to file a Form I-539 to request reinstatement and wait until the reinstatement request is approved, before resuming employment.
Q14. Can the student work past October 1 on their OPT (their EAD card will still show the original end date) if the request to change the end date back is pending?
A14. If the H-1B revocation occurs before October 1, the student may continue working while the data fix remains pending, because the student will still be in valid F-1 status.
If the H-1B revocation occurs on or after October 1, the student will need to apply for reinstatement and wait until the reinstatement request is approved before resuming employment.
Q15. Are students in valid F-1 status while the request to change the OPT end date is pending?
A15. If the H-1B revocation occurs before the H-1B change of status effective date, the student is still deemed to be in F-1 status while the data fix is pending.
If the H-1B revocation occurs after the H-1B change of status effective date, the student will not be in valid F-1 status and will therefore either need to apply for reinstatement or depart the United States.
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Tags: USCIS, OPT extension, H1B Visa Cap Gap, F1 Visa


We have been working on our house for what seems like forever now. While it has only been 9 months, for some reason it really seems much longer. We have ALMOST finished phase one which was converting the back house into a garage, fencing in the back, laying concrete, landscaping the front, gutting the master bathroom, re-doing the downstairs powder bathroom and of course decorating and furnishing the house. We still lack little things like drapes, a piece of art for above the fireplace in the formal living room, a lamp here and there but nothing too big well, besides the kitchen.
Currently we are trying to get all of the punch list items completed by our current contractor and CLOSE that door with him so we can move onto conquering the kitchen. Honestly, I am so thankful that we did not do all three major areas at once because that would have been even more of a headache but also it has given us a chance to really 'live' in the space and decide what we want out of the kitchen as well as maybe going in a different direction in regard to design.
Ok, enough overall home updates…I want to get a little more specific and move onto my favorite thing and what I like to call the 'heart of the bedroom', the bed. Now for those of you who have shopped for a master bed or are currently in the process of finding the perfect bed for you space, you probably are just as frustrated as we were. I cannot tell you how many hours we spent looking online, shopping in stores, showrooms and really everything in between. Regardless of how many places we looked we could never find anything and honestly, we didn't want to settle because this is such an important space in a house.
After months of looking and feeling quite frustrated, a sweet friend told me that I should look at My Chic Nest for a bed. She told me that they have just about every style bed and the best part was that could could pick exactly what you wanted. Oddly enough that seemed to be the biggest problem when we were bed shopping. We would find a shape but would HATE the wood/fabric. To me, there is no point in spending so much money on something just to have to buy fabric and stain the wood.
I decided to check out My Chic Nest in hopes to find something that would work perfectly for us. You guys, the minute I got on the My Chic Nest website and went to the beds category I found our bed. I saw the My Chic Nest Deborah bed and knew it was 'the one'. I loved the combination of wood and fabric as well as the shape of the head and foot boards. Oh and the fact that I could literally pick any stain and fabric made it a home run.
It took me about 1 hour to commit to the bed, pick out fabric and wood swatches to be sent to the house to 'confirm' before the bed was built and the rest is history. 7 weeks later our dream bed arrived and we have never been so happy with a custom piece of furniture. The process was seamless and the My Chic Nest team was a dream to communicate with, which made purchasing a piece of custom furniture very easy (often it is such a beating).
We now have a beautiful mahogany and white bed in our master bedroom and I could not be more thankful that this particular item is checked off the list.
Gorgeous! All white is so classic and chic!


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Entrepreneur: 'Animal Nanny' provides service more common in larger cities
LARRY MAYER/Gazette staffJamie Porch, left, and Kendra Herzog walk dogs at Lake Elmo State Park. Porch's business, Big Sky Animal Nanny, will take care of your animals while you're away.
Gazette Staff
Sure, you can ask a neighbor to watch your pets and your house while you're away on vacation or on a business trip.
It had better be a pretty good neighbor, though, if you're going to get away with that every time.
For people who don't want to impose on their neighbors and their pets, there's Big Sky Animal Nanny.
Jamie Porch started the business because being with her own animals wasn't enough. She wanted to find a way to make a living at hanging around animals. Her company grew so fast, she took on a partner, Kendra Herzog, and together they have baby-sat dogs, cats, horses, a parrot, a lizard, even a chinchilla. But, so far, no pet snakes.
"I'm not too partial to snakes," said Porch, "although I wouldn't have any trouble taking care of one if I was asked."
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Porch charges by the visit, about $10, and that includes an offer to provide your house with a "lived-in look" by alternating lights, collecting mail and newspapers, and adjusting blinds or curtains.
The company can be reached at 855-9622 or by email at . Here's what else she had to say about starting and running her own business:
Nature of the business: Big Sky Animal Nanny is an at-home pet sitting service. We come to clients' homes so that their pets can remain in their own familiar environment. Our service is personalized for our clients and their pets. We tailor each visit to their needs.
We can do midday checks for people who work long hours and cannot make it home or we can also visit pets up to three times per day when their owners are out of town.
Hiring a professional pet sitter can be an alternative to imposing on friends and family. Each partner of Big Sky Animal Nanny is bonded and insured. Knowing that their pets are well cared for and their home is secure gives our clients peace of mind, which is priceless.
Why start this business? A few years back my folks were in Colorado and noticed an ad in the paper for a pet service. Knowing that I had always wanted to work with animals, they told me about the idea, and I immediately knew it could be a perfect way to make a living. Because I had a business degree, I decided to combine this background with my love of animals to start Big Sky Animal Nanny.
With 65 percent of the population owning pets, I found that this is a very needed service. I later discovered I could take on more clients and better serve my existing clients if I had some help and getting a partner was a good solution. Of course, I wanted someone who loved animals as much I did and also someone who I could work well with. Kendra and I had such a good friendship for so long that we knew we could also have a great business relationship.
Where did start-up funding come from? The start-up costs were minimal, so they came from our own reserves. The main costs are on-going such as the liability insurance, dishonesty bond, license, gasoline and general maintenance, and advertising.
How long have you been in business? Big Sky Animal Nanny was started in February 2001. Since then, I have developed the business to the point that I felt adding a partner would not only be beneficial to the business but to the clients as well.
Biggest challenges in running the business? We think the biggest challenge so far has been educating people about the service. Many do not even know that it is an option. Pet sitting as a professional service has been around for years in bigger cities, but it is a fairly new concept in the Billings area.
What was done to overcome those challenges? We just try to educate people however we can. We tell everyone we know about the service. We also send out information to all pet-related industries including veterinarians, groomers and pet shops.
What is being done to expand the business? The main business expansion was collaborating our efforts so that more clients can be served. We are distributing flyers, brochures, business cards, and doing the usual advertising methods.
Your worst business mistake? Not starting this business sooner. We have been friends for nearly 17 years, so we could have pursued this a long time ago. We are sure that we will make some mistakes along the way, as everyone does, and we will learn from those to continue to improve our business.
Advice for someone running a business? Research all aspects in your industry and identify the factors which will help you succeed. Do something you enjoy since you will be spending more hours doing this than a regular 9-to-5 job. On the same token, make sure that you also take necessary time for yourself.
Number of workers? Currently just the two of us are handling the business.
What's your five-year plan for the business? Our five-year plan is to be a top pet sitting business in the Billings area. By hiring independent contractors we could expand to include Shepherd, Worden, Lockwood and Laurel. We also plan to attend Pet Sitters International conventions yearly so we can keep up with the industry. Here we can take classes in pet first aid, animal behavior and media training, among many others.
A question you would ask other entrepreneurs? What are the major factors that allowed you to succeed as an entrepreneur?
If you weren't doing what you are now, what would be your dream job? Both of our husbands comment on how perfect this job is for us. We have both grown up with animals and always plan to have pets in our lives. Being able to take care of others' pets as we do our own really is a dream job. Both of us have always wanted to be in business for ourselves, so if it was not for Big Sky Animal Nanny, it would be some other venture.
"Entrepreneurs" appears regularly in the WorkWeek section. The feature will help readers become familiar with new businesses, as well as educate others in the challenges of starting a business. If you have been in business for at least one year and would like to tell your story, please contact:Chris Jorgensen Billings Gazette 401 N. Broadway Billings, MT, 59101 657-1311, office 657-1208, fax cjorgensen@billingsgazette.com
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PALERMO AGAINST ALL KINDS OF CRIMINAL CONDUCT
Home /News/PALERMO AGAINST ALL KINDS OF CRIMINAL CONDUCT
Palermo 13th October 2020:
In the investigation coordinated by the DDA on the Borgo Vecchio family, relations between the Palermo football supporters and Cosa Nostra emerged. The company is not involved.
In Palermo, the leaders of the Borgo Vecchio mafia family wanted to control the contrasts between ultra groups to avoid clashes inside the stadium, on the one hand harmful to the development of the matches and on the other a source of possible difficulties for a historic ultra rosanero boss, element of contact between the clan and the world of organized citizen supporters. This is what emerged from an investigation by the carabinieri, coordinated by the DDA, which today led to 20 arrests.
Palermo FC press:
In relation to the relations between members of organized crime and self-styled Palermo ultras, as emerged from the "Resilience" operation conducted by the Carabinieri on 13 October in Palermo, the Palermo F.C. harshly and incontrovertibly condemns any criminal conduct, even and even more so when connected to the Renzo Barbera Stadium and the activities of the rosanero team, assets that contribute to distinguishing the municipality and citizenship, bearers of sound values such as that of legality. For this reason, the Company has already given a mandate to its lawyers to evaluate the establishment of a civil party and any useful initiative in all appropriate fora.
The Lega Pro is going to take an action against ElevenSport
Palermo FC Calendar, new dates and times
TAGS: arrested borgo vecchio carabinieri criminal football involved palermo rosanero supporters ultras


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Father Cosmas K. O. Nwosuh, MSP (Missionaries of St. Paul)
'I have never ceased to marvel at the
transformative power of God's grace'
Father Cosmas K.O. Nwosuh, MSP, is parochial administrator at Holy Rosary Parish, Medicine Lodge, St. Boniface Parish, Sharon, and St. John the Apostle Parish, Kiowa. He is a native of Nigeria.
SKR: Why did you enter the religious life (other than being a diocesan priest)?
Father Cosmas K.O. Nwosuh, MSP: I think it is important I admit in all honesty that when I first considered the priesthood I did not know the difference between the religious life and the diocesan priesthood. Then I was about eight years old and an Altar server. But even at that young age, the reputation of a certain religious order, the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (C.S.Sp.) or the Holy Ghost Fathers, a.k.a. the Spiritans, had captured my imagination. The Order had been the primer for missionaries in Eastern Nigeria from where I came. I grew up regaled with tales of their legendary zeal, sacrifices, and achievements. I do not know exactly when and where, but I believe that it was within this impressionable period in my life that I decided that if ever I became a priest, "I will be a Holy Ghost Father." It was not that I never met many diocesan priests. I did! In fact some of those I had met were ex-students of my father and were frequent visitors to our home. But there was "something" about the Holy Ghost Fathers that had captured my imagination. It never left me. SKR: Why did you choose your particular congregation?
Father Cosmas: Yet, when a decade later I finally decided to pursue my dream for the priesthood in earnest, I did not end up with the Spiritans although I had applied to them for admission. But I had applied also to the new and emergent religious institute in the country called National Missionary Seminary of St. Paul. Again, even though I knew practically next to nothing about the emergent institute, I felt drawn to it. I guess it was the two leading adjectives, "National" and "Missionary" that had appealed most to me and nudged me to submit an application, since to me the words had a connotation of "broadness," "universality," and even "distance." Somehow I felt that in joining the institute, I will still realize my dream of being a priest and a missionary like the Holy Ghost Fathers I had known by repute.
However, it was while I was already at seminary – studying the Constitutions of the Missionary Society of St. Paul – that I became informed of the difference between a religious congregation (like the Spiritans) and a Society of Apostolic Life (like MSP). Therefore in strict canonical terms the Missionary Society of St. Paul to which I belong is actually not a religious congregation (like the Dominicans, Franciscans, or Passionists). Whereas Societies of Apostolic Life have a lot in common with institutes of consecrated life, they however have some differences which we must admit are neither huge nor really radical. As a friend wittingly puts it, "The difference between them could be likened to the difference between six and a half of a dozen."
SKR: What kind of ministries have you been/are you involved in?
Father Cosmas: Since my ordination into the Society over two decades ago, my ministry has been largely within the area of seminary formation, i.e. the training of candidates for the priesthood. My first assignment was to our "Formation House" where we run a two-year probation program for candidates before they begin their studies in philosophy and theology. In the Formation House I was involved in teaching, preaching retreats, and spiritual direction. After two years, and on the instructions of my superiors, I went to the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. There I completed the graduate program in Church History and assumed a new assignment at my society's seminary, where I spent 10 years teaching, writing, and occasionally preaching retreats. I also served as the seminary's Academic Dean and the Archivist of the Society.
SKR: What have been your greatest joys?
Father Cosmas: I think one of the greatest sources of my joy as a seminary teacher and formator is being present at the priestly ordination of my students. Each student is as unique as each set or class is. I have never ceased to marvel at the transformative power of God's grace: transforming young (and sometimes "clueless") seminarians into ministers of his Word and Sacrament. The experience is simultaneously joyful and humbling.
SKR: What have been your greatest challenges as a religious?
Father Cosmas: Some of the greatest challenges I have experienced include believing and accepting without resentment that God's will for me is transmitted through my superiors; or practically giving up your will and life to be run by others.
SKR: Please offer a quote that makes a statement about the value of religious life for you.
Father Cosmas: For me the statement that best offers the value of religious life is: "Pro Christo legatione ergo fungimur" [We are ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20)]. This happens to be the motto of my missionary Society.


Just a thought now that we are into January.
Many people look forward to the New Year so they can have a new start on their old habits. That is us!
All the best for 2014 from the staff of Business Travel News.


SAO PAULO — A resurgent Brazil squad under new management became the first team to qualify for the World Cup on Tuesday, the same day archrival Argentina heightened its risk of missing a spot at Russia 2018.
The five-time World Cup champions had a 3-0 victory over seventh-place Paraguay in Sao Paulo, moving to 33 points from 14 matches in South American qualifying. The Brazilians secured a direct spot for Russia 2018 after third-place Uruguay lost 2-1 to Peru in Lima.
Argentina, playing without suspended star Lionel Messi, lost 2-0 to Bolivia in the altitude of La Paz earlier and slipped from third to fifth with four matches remaining.
The top four in South America earn direct places at the World Cup. The fifth-ranked South American team goes into a playoff against a team from Oceania for a spot in Russia.
Argentina has 22 points from six wins and four draws, putting coach Edgardo Bauza under intense pressure to step aside.
While Argentina struggled, Colombia had a 2-0 win at Ecuador, posting its first win in Quito in 20 years and ended the day in second spot in qualifying with 24 points. Ecuador dropped out of the top five for the first time, slipping to sixth with 20 points.
Also on Tuesday Copa America champion Chile beat last-place Venezuela 3-1 in Santiago and climbed back to fourth spot with 23 points.
Argentina's best chance of qualifying for the next World Cup seemingly relies on winning an appeal to have Messi's suspension shortened. The Barcelona star made offensive remarks to a Brazilian linesman in the 1-0 victory against Chile last Thursday and, if the FIFA ruling prevails, will only return to the team in their last match for qualifiers in October against Ecuador.
From a TV set in the locker room, Messi saw Argentina little by little fade into an average side outrun by the Bolivians at the 3,600 meters of altitude. The last time the Argentines managed to win in La Paz was in 2005.


text:
Q: How do I persist a struct instance across files? I want to persist the contents of a struct created in one Rust file into a different Rust file. In this minimal reproduction, command line arguments are used to build a recursive data structure:
// main.rs

struct Foo {
    a: i32,
    b: Option<Box<Foo>>,
}

fn main() {
    let args: Vec<i32> = std::env::args()
        .map(|s| s.parse::<i32>().unwrap())
        .collect();

    let mut my_data = Foo { a: 0, b: None };

    for arg in args {
        my_data = Foo {
            a: arg,
            b: Some(Box::new(my_data)),
        };
    }
    //generate output.rs from my_data
}

I want to generate an output.rs file that allows me to use my_data (as it was built in main.rs) sometime later. If I run rustc main.rs 5 4 then output.rs should look like this:
// output.rs

struct Foo {
    a: i32,
    b: Option<Box<Foo>>,
}

fn main() {
    let my_data = Foo {
        a: 4,
        b: Some(Box::new(Foo {
            a: 5,
            b: Some(Box::new(Foo { a: 0, b: None })),
        })),
    };
    // Do stuff with my_data
}

This way, I have accomplished one part of the computation already (getting the command line arguments) and can save the remainder of the computation for later.
Is there a crate or a macro-related solution to accomplish this?

A: What you're looking for is called a build.rs build script. Build scripts are used for more complex compile-time code generation than macros are capable of. For instance, my own makepass password generator uses a build script to handle turning a words dictionary into a rust source file, so that the words can be built directly into the binary.
For your specific use case, you might do something like this. Note that the build script typically lives in the project root, rather than the src directory.
// build.rs

use std::{
    env,
    fmt::{self, Display, Formatter},
    fs::File,
    io::{BufWriter, Write},
    path::Path,
};

fn main() {
    // your original code used `std::env::args`. It's not possible to pass
    // command line arguments to a build script, so instead I'm using an
    // environment variable called LIST, containing a space-separated list
    // of ints
    let list: Vec<i32> = env::var("LIST")
        .expect("no variable called LIST")
        .split_whitespace()
        .map(|item| item.parse().expect("LIST contained an invalid number"))
        .collect();

    // When generating rust code in build.rs, use the OUT_DIR variable as a
    // directory that contains it; cargo uses it to help preserve generated
    // code (so that it's only regenerated when necessary)
    let path = env::var("OUT_DIR").expect("no variable called OUT_DIR");
    let path = Path::new(&path).join("output.rs");
    let output_file = File::create(&path).expect("Failed to create `output.rs`");
    write!(BufWriter::new(output_file), "{}", FooWriter { data: &list })
        .expect("failed to write to output.rs");

    // This directive informs cargo that $LIST is a build-time dependency, so
    // it rebuilds this crate if the variable changes
    println!("cargo:rerun-if-env-changed=LIST");
}

// This struct is used to implement the recursive write that's required
struct FooWriter<'a> {
    data: &'a [i32],
}

impl Display for FooWriter<'_> {
    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
        match self.data.split_first() {
            None => write!(f, "None"),
            Some((item, tail)) => {
                write!(
                    f,
                    "Some(Box::new(Foo {{ a: {}, b: {} }}))",
                    item,
                    FooWriter { data: tail }
                )
            }
        }
    }
}

// src/main.rs
#[derive(Debug)]
struct Foo {
    a: i32,
    b: Option<Box<Foo>>,
}

fn main() {
    // include! performs a textual include of a file at build time.
    //   the contents of the file are loaded directly into this
    //   source file, as though via copy-paste.
    // concat! is a simple compile time string concatenation
    // env! gets the value of an environment variable at compile
    //   time and makes it available as an &'static str
    let my_data = include!(concat!(env!("OUT_DIR"), "/output.rs"));

    println!("{:#?}", my_data)
}

This program will fail to build if the LIST environment variable doesn't exist at build time. Here's how it looks when LIST does exist:
$ env LIST="1 2 3" cargo build
   Compiling rust-crate v0.1.0 (/Users/nathanwest/Documents/Repos
    < ... warnings ... >
    Finished dev [unoptimized + debuginfo] target(s) in 1.50s

$ ./target/debug/rust-crate
Some(
    Foo {
        a: 1,
        b: Some(
            Foo {
                a: 2,
                b: Some(
                    Foo {
                        a: 3,
                        b: None,
                    },
                ),
            },
        ),
    },
)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Available in White and Black color.
Vessel sinks are so popular and versatile. Aside from being functional, they are also elegant looking and great conversational pieces. They are truly works of art. They are very popular in renovating bathrooms, not only in contemporary homes but in traditional homes as well. They can be used in bathroom remodel (which is the most common place to use vessel sinks), kitchen (2nd sink for hand and vegetable washing only and not for heavy duty dish and pot washing), and as a sink for your wet bar.
I purchased two of these sinks for my master bathroom remodel about 3 years ago. They are beautiful and have held up wonderfully. They are a great value and I highly recommend them.


I'm confused with the Keling data sheets [Archive] - CNCzone.com- Largest Forums for CNC Professional and Hobbyist alike!
One of my customers asked me to choose a 34-size servo motor from Keling for his application. I visited the Keling web site and downloaded the three data sheets - and then the confusion started.
The KL34-180-90 motor lists the KE of the motor as 18.95 V / 100 rpm. In another place they list the max. speed at constant voltage as 3200 rpm and they list the terminal voltage as 90VDC. My calculator shows that 3200 / 90 = 35.555 rpm per volt. In other words, if I multiply 35.555 by 90, I get 3200. If I multiply 35.555 by 80 I get 2844 rpm. Since the maximum voltage of a Geckodrive G320x is 80V, I need to know how fast that motor will turn if I give it 80V.
The same problem exists with the KL34-170-90 motor and the KL34-150-90 motor. The 170 motor lists KE at 18.75V / 100 rpm but it also gives 4200 rpm @ 90V when 4200 / 90 = 46.666. The 150 motor lists KE at 13.36 V / 100 rpm but it also gives 6000 rpm and 90 V which would imply 66.666.
The KT ratings are just as confusing. The 180 motor lists a KT rating of 0.182 Nm/amp but lists constant torque as 1.6Nm and continuous current as 7.8A which computes to 1.41Nm.
What figures should I believe?
When I emailed Keling, they responded asking what my application was. I responded and have heard nothing more from them.
Are they just pulling numbers out of the air or have I made some fundamental computational errors in trying to make sense of their data?
Ke V/100rpm should be 18.95 kV/kRPM.
For the KL34-180-90, at 90V this should produce a max speed of 4,750 rpm with no load. At rated torque output, this drops to 3200 rpm.
We can calculate Kt from Ke (here (http://www.aveox.com/DC.aspx)). In Nm this is Kt = Ke * 0.0095. Kt is right at 0.18Nm/A.
I can't say whether Kelings info is accurate, but you can compare your calculations on a very similarly specced motor: ID33000 series (http://www.ametektip.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=196) (or noreg here (http://www.iptech1.com/pdf/mcg3.pdf)).
Thanks for that help. For several years, I've had an MCG-33004 motor connected to a Geckdrive G340 (modified to be a G320 by removing the pulse multiplier) servo driver sitting on the back of my test bench. Because stepper motors have handled my customers' needs, I haven't spent much time testing the servo stuff; however, a customer wants to use servo motors in a machine that he is building and the local sales office for the MCG products has closed - so I decided to take a look at the Keling products.
The sites that you referenced have the background info that I need to make some valid comparisons.


text:
.. _vba:

VBA: Calling Python from Excel
==============================

xlwings VBA module
------------------

To get access to the ``RunPython`` function and/or to be able to run User Defined Functions (UDFs), you need to have the
xlwings VBA module available in your Excel workbook.

For new projects, by far the easiest way to get started is by using the command line client with the quickstart option,
see :ref:`command_line` for details::

    $ xlwings quickstart myproject

This will create a new folder in your current directory with a fully prepared Excel file and an empty Python file.

Alternatively, you can also open a new spreadsheet from a template (``$ xlwings template open``) or manually insert
the module in an existing workbook like so:

* Open the VBA editor with ``Alt-F11``
* Then go to ``File > Import File...`` and import the ``xlwings.bas`` file. It can be found in the directory of
  your ``xlwings`` installation.

If you don't know the location of your xlwings installation, you can find it as follows::

    $ python
    >>> import xlwings
    >>> xlwings.__path__

.. _vba_settings:

Settings
--------

While the defaults will often work out-of-the box, you can change the settings at the top of the xlwings VBA module
under ``Function Settings``::

    PYTHON_WIN = ""
    PYTHON_MAC = ""
    PYTHON_FROZEN = ThisWorkbook.Path & "\build\exe.win32-2.7"
    PYTHONPATH = ThisWorkbook.Path
    UDF_MODULES = ""
    UDF_DEBUG_SERVER = False
    LOG_FILE = ThisWorkbook.Path & "\xlwings_log.txt"
    SHOW_LOG = True
    OPTIMIZED_CONNECTION = False

* ``PYTHON_WIN``: This is the full path of the Python interpreter on Windows, , e.g. ``"C:\Python35\pythonw.exe"``.
  ``""`` resolves to your default Python
  installation on the PATH, i.e. the one you can start by just typing ``python`` at a command prompt.
* ``PYTHON_MAC``: This is the full path of the Python interpreter on Mac OSX, e.g. ``"/usr/local/bin/python3.5"``.
  ``""`` resolves to your default installation as per PATH on .bash_profile. To get special folders
  on Mac, type ``GetMacDir("Name")`` where ``Name`` is one of the following: ``Home``, ``Desktop``, ``Applications``,
  ``Documents``.
* ``PYTHON_FROZEN`` [Optional]: Currently only on Windows, indicates the directory of the exe file that has been frozen
  by either using ``cx_Freeze`` or ``py2exe``. Can be set to ``""`` if unused.
* ``PYTHONPATH`` [Optional]: If the source file of your code is not found, add the path here. Otherwise set it to ``""``.
* ``UDF_MODULES`` [Optional, Windows only]: Names of Python modules (without .py extension) from which the UDFs are being imported.
  Separate multiple modules by ";".
  Example: ``UDF_PATH = "common_udfs;myproject"``
  Default: ``UDF_PATH = ""`` defaults to a file in the same directory of the Excel spreadsheet with the same name but ending in ``.py``.
* ``UDF_DEBUG_SERVER``: Set this to True if you want to run the xlwings COM server manually for debugging, see :ref:`debugging`.
* ``LOG_FILE`` [Optional]: Leave empty for default location (see below) or provide directory including file name.
* ``SHOW_LOG``: If False, no pop-up with the Log messages (usually errors) will be shown. Use with care.
* ``OPTIMIZED_CONNECTION``: Currently only on Windows, use a COM Server for an efficient connection (experimental!)

.. _log:

LOG_FILE default locations
--------------------------

* Windows: ``%APPDATA%\xlwings_log.txt``
* Mac with Excel 2011: ``/tmp/xlwings_log.txt``
* Mac with Excel 2016: ``~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/xlwings_log.txt``

.. note:: If the settings (especially ``PYTHONPATH`` and ``LOG_FILE``) need to work on Windows on Mac, use backslashes
    in relative file path, i.e. ``ThisWorkbook.Path & "\mydirectory"``.

.. _run_python:

Call Python with "RunPython"
----------------------------

After your workbook contains the xlwings VBA module with potentially adjusted Settings, go to ``Insert > Module`` (still
in the VBA-Editor). This will create a new Excel module where you can write your Python call as follows (note that the ``quickstart``
or ``template`` commands already add an empty Module1, so you don't need to insert a new module manually):

.. code-block:: vb.net

    Sub MyMacro()
        RunPython ("import mymodule; mymodule.rand_numbers()")
    End Sub

This essentially hands over control to ``mymodule.py``:

.. code-block:: python

    import numpy as np
    from xlwings import Workbook, Range

    def rand_numbers():
        """ produces std. normally distributed random numbers with shape (n,n)"""
        wb = Workbook.caller()  # Creates a reference to the calling Excel file
        n = int(Range('Sheet1', 'B1').value)  # Write desired dimensions into Cell B1
        rand_num = np.random.randn(n, n)
        Range('Sheet1', 'C3').value = rand_num

You can then attach ``MyMacro`` to a button or run it directly in the VBA Editor by hitting ``F5``.

.. note:: Always place ``Workbook.caller()`` within the function that is being called from Excel and not outside as
    global variable. Otherwise it prevents Excel from shutting down properly upon exiting and
    leaves you with a zombie process when you use ``OPTIMIZED_CONNECTION = True``.

Function Arguments and Return Values
------------------------------------

While it's technically possible to include arguments in the function call within ``RunPython``, it's not very convenient.
To do that easily and to also be able to return values from Python, use UDFs, see :ref:`udfs` - however, this is currently limited
to Windows only.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The last major Civil War battle took place in Alabama 150 years ago today. This interactive map describes how it went down.
The clock will be turned back 150 years on Saturday at Historic Blakeley State Park with over 150 re-enactors honoring the sesquicentennial of what's considered the last major battle of the Civil War.
The Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts conducted the audit.
Saturday's Blakeley Bluegrass Festival has been canceled due to the threat of bad weather posed by Tropical Storm Karen, organizers have announced.
The annual Blakeley Bluegrass Festival has drawn faithful followers of the old time American folk music for more than 20 years.
State conservation officials have assured the public that plenty of alligators remain to be seen on the next Blakeley State Park Delta boat tour Sept. 14.
Seating is still available for Blakeley State Park's boat tour of the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta, the State Docks and the Port of Mobile area on June 22.
The Delta Explorer, a 50-passenger eco-tour pontoon boat, will conduct a two-hour narrated tour of the Mobile Tensaw River Delta at 9:30 a.m. June 8.
Director Jo Ann Flirt said the lack of state appropriations to operate the park caused the cancellation.


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The Eastern Shore is a beautiful place to live. We're proud to be the area's premier new homes builder. In short, there's no place we'd rather be.
The Eastern Shore of Maryland is widely known for the beautiful scenic waterways, gorgeous farmland, abundant wildlife, and good old fashioned Eastern Shore Charm.
While the Eastern Shore accounts for more than one third of Maryland's land area, it accommodates only 8% of its population. It is, however, conveniently located within easy driving distance of Washington D.C., Baltimore, Wilimington, and Philadelphia.
If you love the outdoors, you'll love the Eastern Shore. Residents enjoy hunting, fishing, crabbing, boating, and sailing as regular weekend activities. For decades, the Eastern Shore has been a weekend destination for recreation seekers or for those visiting one of the many fine seafood restaurants located in one of the Eastern Shore's many charming small towns.
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text:
Five Star Movement: saviours of democracy?
Although thriving on the anti-establishment fervour across Italy and Europe, the prospect of a M5S government in Italy could be an unexpected impulse for democracy in the EU.
Enea Desideri
Five Star Movement leader, Beppe Grillo. Demotix/eidon photographers. Some rights reserved.
First it was Brexit, then Trump, now Italy. The winds of change blowing around the world, fuelled by people's discomfort with the status quo, have claimed yet another illustrious victim. Matteo Renzi, the young Italian (ex-)Prime Minister once seemingly unstoppable, has finally fallen.
His resignation, in the absence of a strong government or a clear electoral law to hold new elections under, leaves the boot-shaped country in a tricky situation. And yet, for many of Renzi's opponents, the present times offer an occasion not to be missed.
With the polls placing it head to head with Renzi's PD, the Five Star Movement (M5S) has emerged as the real winner from the failed attempt to reform the Italian constitution, which it fiercely opposed. On the wings of this fresh triumph, its chances of gaining power have never looked so concrete. Its unexpectedly strong performance in the 2013 elections was already an unprecedented break with the past in the history of the Italian Republic; the prospects are nowadays even more promising for this curious political animal.
Born out of the initiative of the comedian-turned-politician Beppe Grillo, this movement/party has been a reality of Italian politics for quite some time already, and in light of recent developments is now increasingly catching attention abroad too. A Five Star Movement led government is indeed a scenario which worries many in Italy and Europe.
For an EU that struggles to cope with the aftereffects of the Brexit vote and lost as it is in the twists and turns of its economic and immigration crises, a party perceived as openly hostile in charge of one of Europe's most economically important countries and one of the Founding Six would represent a sea change in modern European history.
Interestingly, far from being limited to the European establishment, a certain scepticism towards the Movement is also widespread among many on the Left who, while staunch critics of the current EU, are not ready to embrace the M5S mission. The latter's formal proximity to UKIP in the European Parliament in particular, creates the widespread impression that a Five Star government would represent yet another breakthrough for extremist eurosceptic parties in Europe. And yet this perception is rather superficial and largely misconceived. It relies, I believe, on a misunderstanding of what the Movement nowadays stands for.
Once its positions are analysed beyond the easy labels imposed by the current regime of a 'politics of fear', the experience of this strange political force stands as an interesting case which, far from being easily dismissed as a eurosceptic party with xenophobic views, comes much closer to those forces on the left-end of the political spectrum such as Syriza or Podemos which, while being populist in their appeal to the people against a corrupt establishment, do not hold a closed and exclusionary conception of the people and avoid nationalistic or xenophobic undertones.
These forces adopt a critical rather than sceptical stance towards the EU and do not see a roll-back of sovereignty as their ultimate goal; the focus being rather on a reversal of austerity economic policies and on the necessity for greater democracy and solidarity in Europe.
Academic studies confirm this ideological proximity, stressing how its voting behaviours in the European Parliament position the Five Stars much closer to the Left than the Right. This might appear unusual given the distrust that shines through Beppe Grillo's discourse towards what is public and which rests uneasily with the traditional stances of the Left.
Nevertheless, one cannot but notice how, beyond mere rhetoric, many similar proposals link the M5S to the Left. One example is the call for a basic citizenship income, one of the Movement's pivotal battles.
Furthermore, while the M5S electorate has certainly moved from a traditional electoral base made of left-wing voters to include more varied support, a significant part of its parliamentary class still identifies programmatically with concerns inspired by new politics and the libertarian Left.
In this light, while a certain level of scepticism towards the Movement is understandable on the part of the Left, after the hopes and the subsequent disillusion linked to Syriza's victory in Greece, the Movement's success might represent hope for a change in Europe among nominally left-wing people.
Which of course does not imply that the European Left should blindly embrace the M5S moralising mission. There is a noticeable gap between the Movement's leadership and its politically active members. Such a feature creates unpredictability in relation to how it may operate once it gets into power. An unpredictability which is reinforced by the intellectual standing – or lack thereof – of the Movement.
As pointed out by Tommaso Segantini, much of the distrust towards the M5S finds its roots in the latter's 'absence of a guiding ideology or worldview' and in its failure to elaborate a coherent critique of the current economic system in particular. While the Movement's self-positioning on the political spectrum as 'neither right-wing nor left-wing' is not an isolated case – Podemos initially adopted a similar approach only to overcome it more recently – the M5S is peculiar in its being informed by a genuine lack of ideological self-understanding.
This marks a fundamental distinction between Grillo's party and other European forces on the Left otherwise potentially close to its positions. It is this very lack of a fully developed ideological self-consciousness which represents possibly the most interesting characteristic of the Movement and marks its main strength and weakness.
As an unpredictable force extremely difficult for the establishment to understand and counterbalance, the Movement's disruptive potential is higher than that of more traditional Left forces. At the same time, the lack of internal coherence and of a fully developed international dimension sets a lot of questions on the potential for change of a Five Star government in Europe.
While it has certainly had a positive impact on Italian politics as an opposition force – for instance bringing attention to the necessity of cutting its absurd expenses – doubts remain on its ability to govern. The substantial risk very much exists of a weak government, worn out by divisions between different factions and internecine fighting among its internal currents – an antipasto of which we have been given in the municipality of Rome, where 5MS Mayor Virginia Raggi was for long time in the impossibility of assigning some key posts in the municipal council because of internal dissent.
On the other hand, the Movement has also proven much more resilient to challenges than its detractors would have expected, and might once again surprise everyone by positively reacting to the test of government. While the experience of power could disintegrate Grillo's creature, it also has the potential of forcing the Movement to take a clearer stance on many issues that have so far been overlooked.
This is particularly the case when it comes to its international standing. While the Movement has so far failed to develop a clear set of alliances in Europe – at least beyond the one of mere convenience with UKIP within the European Parliament – the burdens of government would force it to be much more explicit as to its foreign policy preferences.
This would be an extremely interesting development with the potential of revealing the proximity of the M5S to other left-wing eurocritical, as opposed to Eurosceptic, parties in Europe. Prospects which are even more concrete once one considers that the EFDD, the transnational group to which the M5S belongs in the European Parliament, will likely be forced to dissolve once the UK, and thus UKIP, leaves the EU.
This creates the possibility of a scenario where an influential eurocritical left-wing Mediterranean bloc could emerge in its place, making up a force difficult to ignore and representing a potential challenge to the neo-liberal dogma dictating the EU's agenda. Of course, being that uncertainty is the characteristic of our times, any prediction needs necessarily be highly speculative in kind. However, dismissing a priori the potential contribution of a M5S government in making Europe more democratic would certainly be a mistake.
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