Most of the reputed manufacturers and suppliers give the opportunity to clients to visit their factory and see the equipment in running condition before it is shipped at client doorstep. Obviously, here manufacturers and customers both have to make efforts.
Testing team also has to check equipment on several quality parameters to see either equipment matches international production standards as desired by large sized industries. In order to full benefits from any particular equipment, it should be tested repeatedly and maintained after regular intervals for assured outcomes.
Additionally, this is the responsibility of the customer to ensure either equipment works as per desired standards or not. For automatic capsule filling machines, the customer should be filling capacities, the size of machines and its production speeds etc.
For example, if a client needs a machine that can fill more than 10,000 containers every day and machine he is buying able to fill only 2000 containers every day then his investment would be nearly wastage. So customer should be clear on his requirements before he enters into the market to buy some product.
At the same time, reputed suppliers make sure that they have adopted best manufacturing standards to prepare product as per international quality guidelines. Once the customer has seen the machine in running state then he needs to check the same for convenience and ask for simple modifications wherever necessary.
Today, the wide range of innovative tablet machines India is available into the market that makes your life easier and simple. Custom solutions are also given by manufacturers that especially tailored to customer needs and requirements.
Innovative product solutions are always designed by experts after careful research and market study. This may lead customers to save their overall time and labor costs. Additionally, manufacturers make sure that equipment is working properly as expected.
This is true that manufacturers have to work dedicatedly to achieve utmost customer satisfaction. But the dedicated team of experts only is able to become successful in the long run. To know more on tablet machines India and to get customer solutions for the same, it is always better to contact expert team right away.


Now, more than ever, school system leaders are challenged with tackling inequities that perpetuate gaps, especially with our most vulnerable students. In addition, the complexities that exist around the current economic and social climate facing our school systems are overwhelming. This work cannot be done alone. PDK's Community of Learning and Practice is committed to creating a network of support that increases the opportunity for radical improvement in school districts across the country.
PDK's Community of Learning and Practice: Navigating the complexity of school system transformation. The inaugural cohort of school systems will consist of system leaders with a proven track record and commitment to leading for social justice, equity, and excellence. Our aim is to provide more support to system leaders with defining problems, designing solutions, and driving transformation through a social justice and equity lens.


Looking for the best dinner buffet in Bangkok? Then look no further! Cuisine Unplugged in Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel has collected the freshest and finest imported crabs from across the globe specially selected for their tender flesh and sweet taste complemented by the most succulent premium rib eye beef sourced directly from the the USA and Australia. Available from 18.00 – 22.30 hrs.
Discover a bountiful buffet beyond your wildest dreams with a variety of worldwide crabs specially selected for their tender flesh and sweet taste joined by a wide selection of international gourmet fare including an enticing seafood buffet, European and Chinese favorites, sushi, sashimi, roasted meats, homemade pizzas and pasta and crisp fresh salads with a delectable dessert corner as the sweetest ending. It's the perfect way to spend some quality time with your family or friends after a long day.
Experience succulent imported beef Asado from the USA, Australia and Argentina. The best dinner buffet in Bangkok featuring a BBQ seafood buffet with the freshest selection of seafood on ice including French Fine de Claire oysters and New Zealand mussels plus a parade of aged cheese and cold cuts, healthy salads with a variety of sauces, Japanese sushi and sashimi, Italian pizzas, BBQ meats and a decadent dessert corner.


Height can be 26" . 27" , 28", 29", 30".
Default height is 28"" - 71 cm. You can choose the height at no extra cost.
These are made of 60 x 5 mm flat steel bar.
Each set inclueding 2 legs.
A note about colored powder coating: If you choose your finishing option to be colored powder coating, you can directly choose your desired color from the drop-down menu. Colored powder coating has a UV filter which ensures that the color will not fade even at outside weather conditions.
Worldwide shipping is available with express cargo. Shipment cost will be displayed when address information is entered. For more information, you can contact us .


Ellen DeGeneres is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. Since 2003, Ellen has been the host of her own popular daytime talk show. Alongside her talk show, she has hosted the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, and the Primetime Emmys. Ellen is the author of three books and the owner of her own record company, Eleveneleven. With 14 People's Choice Awards and 13 Emmys, Ellen is currently in the midst of the 12th season of her daytime show, The Ellen DeGeneres show.


2 adjustable, sturdy shelves for books and more; 1 fix shelf.
Rich laminate for a professional appearance.
Solid, 3/4" thick shelves, adjustable on 1-3/4" centers with pinhole attachments.
Each shelf holds up to 110 lb.
Lorell Panel End 3-Shelf Hardwood Veneer Bookcase - High-quality, veneer bookcase features a vintage square design. Solid, 3/4 thick shelves are adjustable on 1-3/4" centers with pinhole attachments, except for bottom shelf. Three-shelf bookcase has a laminate finish on the back's interior and an unfinished back side. Each shelf holds up to 110 lb.
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including Toluene Diisocyanate which is known to the State of California to cause cancer, Toluene, which is known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/furniture.


I started uploading photos to Flickr in 2007. Currently, my collection contains more than 25,000 photos, most of which I took while traveling. For privacy and security reasons, I share my photos only with persons I know and trust. If you are interested and meet these conditions, please go to my Flickr photostream and add me as a friend.
At times, I share photos publicly on Instagram.


Delphi and C++ Resources | It's All About Code!
It's very common for me to receive messages from customers asking for help in several topics. And in fact, we have the most part of the requests covered by our documentation, tutorials, blog posts or webinars, from Embarcadero people, or from our great community and MVPs.
Based on these frequently requests, I started building a fixed resources page, to concentrate good resources that I'm collecting during these years, as well to publish all the new resources we are producing.
I'll also update the main list.


There will be road closures in place on Bolton Road, Park Road, Bridge Street and Cross Street on Tuesday and Wednesday due to filming in the village. A diversion will be in place to enable traffic to flow through the village.
We are very grateful to residents for their help and support in making this sort of activity possible. Using the village as a filming location represents a fantastic opportunity to raise the profile of Port Sunlight in a way that we couldn't ordinarily achieve. The cast and crew have gone to great length to minimise the impact of the filming and have been incredibly respectful of our unique heritage. The film company have been very struck by the special nature of the place and the warm welcome they have received from residents.


text:
CNAS Briefing: Key Questions for VA Secretary Confirmation Hearing
By Phillip Carter, Katherine Kidder, and Amy Schafer
Washington, January 30– In advance of the confirmation hearing for Dr. David Shulkin to be the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Center for a New American Security Military, Veterans, and Society Program experts Phillip Carter, Katherine Kidder, Amy Schafer, and Moira Fagan have prepared a series of questions addressing key issues facing the VA and the nation's veteran community. The full list of questions is available below:
Veterans Healthcare
Internal and external estimates of VA health care funding suggest that the system faces a shortfall next year of somewhere between $2 billion to $14 billion. This gap is likely so large that it cannot be bridged through efficiency measures alone, and may have an effect on access, quality, and patient satisfaction. What is your estimate of the funding gap facing the VA health care system, and what is your plan to either secure more resources or make the system more efficient in order to bridge this gap? – CNAS Senior Fellow Phillip Carter
Quality is one of the most important measures for a health care system. Recent reports indicate that the quality of VA care is often better than that of comparable private sector health care systems. However, recent reports suggest that VA health care quality is also uneven, with significant variation across clinics and hospitals, especially those with declining patient headcounts. What is your plan to improve quality across the VA health care system? – CNAS Research Associate Amy Schafer
Most of the VA health care system's struggles during the past decade relate to access. The VA faces enormous pressure from an aging veteran population, a new cohort of combat veterans, and increased demand for VA health care (driven, partly and ironically, by the Phoenix scandal and the new VA Choice Act program). Access has not improved significantly across the VA, and in some places has worsened, suggesting the VA still cannot keep up with veteran demand for health care. You worked as under secretary to improve this, including a plan to provide "same day" access for veterans in certain cases. What is your plan to improve access across the VA? If you don't get additional resources from Congress, can you maintain or improve access? – CNAS Senior Fellow Phillip Carter
Alongside quality and access, patient satisfaction is another important dimension of health care system performance. The VA has suffered for decades – but especially since the 2014 Phoenix scandal – with perceptions among veterans of its performance. However, surveys of veterans indicate the "MyVA" initiatives of the past two years have improved these perceptions greatly, and that patient satisfaction is on the rise too. What is your plan to continue or improve VA efforts to boost patient satisfaction and perceptions? Will you continue the "MyVA" initiatives now underway in whole or in part? – CNAS Research Associate Amy Schafer
President Donald Trump talked during the campaign about the need to create more choice for veterans and to more fully use the private sector to provide health care to veterans. As Under Secretary, you presided over a large increase in the use of the private sector to serve veterans, with nearly one-third of all veteran health appointments now taking place in the private sector. Do you believe the VA should privatize or outsource more of its capability or capacity? If so, do you believe that private sector medical facilities are appropriately equipped to handle veteran-specific medical needs? And how will you mitigate the risks to the VA from a loss of patients, ensuring the VA has a critical mass to do such things as research and training of clinical personnel? – CNAS Senior Fellow Phillip Carter
Veteran Homelessness
During the Obama administration, veteran homelessness was reduced from 65,455 to 39,471 largely due to the massive investments by the federal government in programs led by the VA, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and others. Some have suggested that the VA can begin pulling back from these programs in light of their success; others believe much remains to be done, and that homelessness will rapidly increase if the VA shrinks its spending in this space. What is your assessment of veteran homelessness and what will the Trump administration do to address veteran homelessness under your tenure? Will the Trump administration decrease, maintain, or increase the current level of spending on this initiative? –CNAS Senior Fellow Phillip Carter
The GI Bill
The VA has supported more than 1.5 million veterans and family members with the Post-9/11 GI Bill, spending tens of billions of dollars on higher education. And yet, educational and economic outcomes for this population have not been uniformly positive, for a broad variety of reasons. Some have argued the benefit should change and that VA should more aggressively police its use by veterans; others have argued the VA should more aggressively police colleges and universities that receive GI Bill funds. What is your assessment of the VA's GI Bill program and how will you ensure this program better serves veterans? –CNAS Senior Fellow Phillip Carter
The majority of the VA's spending goes to benefits, including disability compensation and educational benefits. The disability compensation system has existed for decades but is beginning to show its wear, most readily apparent in its outdated schedule of disabilities and its creaking system for disability evaluation and appeals. What is your assessment of the VA disability system, and what do you see as the most important or promising areas of reform? –CNAS Senior Fellow Phillip Carter
Transitioning from the Military to the VA
Connectivity with the Defense Department has frustrated the VA in many domains, from health records sharing to benefits adjudication. As the VA seeks to improve current care for veterans and deal with immediate crises, it must also contend with preparing to treat the veterans of the future. One example that has repeatedly caused issues and delayed care is the difficulty with sharing electronic health records between the Department of Defense and the VA. What is your assessment of the current health records sharing between the DoD and VA, and how will you ensure there is a smooth transition between the DoD and VA so there are no gaps in care for veterans? – CNAS Research Associate Amy Schafer
A signature effort of the McDonald tenure over the past two years has been the focus on strategic partnerships. These have included partnerships in the health care sphere, like with Walgreens to provide flu shots, as well as partnerships in the economic sphere, such as those with LinkedIn and Coursera to support veterans' employment pursuits. What do you see as the value proposition for strategic partnerships, and which partnerships will you continue or pursue? –CNAS Senior Fellow Phillip Carter
The Department of Veterans Affairs (and its predecessor agencies) has historically been led by a veteran. If confirmed, how will your previous private sector experience shape your leadership of the VA? – CNAS Research Intern Moira Fagan
Carter, Kidder, and Schafer are available for briefings and interviews on the confirmation hearing. To arrange an interview or briefing, please contact Neal Urwitz at nurwitz@cnas.org, or call 202-457-9409.
Phillip Carter
Former Senior Fellow and Director, Military, Veterans, and Society Program
Phillip Carter was the former Senior Fellow and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security. His research focused on iss...
Katherine Kidder
Former Fellow, Military, Veterans, and Society Program
Katherine Kidder was a former Fellow in the Military, Veterans, and Society Program and the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). In that capacity, she led the CNAS Rebui...
Amy Schafer
Former Research Associate, Military, Veterans, and Society Program
Amy Schafer is a former fellow at the Center for a New American Security, where she focuses on civil-military relations, issues facing military families and veterans, and mili...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
The Bauval Family (1785-1950s)
Robert Bauval tells the story of his origins in Egypt. Robert Bauval was born on 5 March 1948 in Alexandria. His great-great grandparents Joseph Siouffi and Therese Tutungi were born in Cairo in 1785-6 while his grandmother Caroline (Siouffi) Bauval was born in Alexandria in 1876. His father Gaston Bauval was born in Alexandria in 1905.
His grandfather Charles Bauval and his father Gaston Bauval in Alexandria c. 1909
Robert's grandmother Caroline (Siouffi) Bauval, Alexandria c. 1910
Robert's grandparents. From left to right: Robert and Mary Gatt (maternal grandparents), Caroline Bauval (paternal grandmother), Alexandria c. 1950
Robert's parents, Gaston and Yvonne (Gatt) Bauval, Alexandria, Egypt, 1939. Born in Alexandria in 1905 and 1915 respectively and married in 1938
Robert Bauval and his twin sister Therese with parents, Alexandria, 1955
Baptism and Birth Certificate of Gaston Bauval, Alexandria, Egypt, 1905
Baptism and Birth Certificate of Yvonne Gatt, Alexandria, Egypt, 1915
Baptism and Birth Certificate of Robert Bauval, Alexandria, Egypt, 1948
Credit: Robert Bauval blog.


A prestigious jewellery and timepiece maison with over a century of craftsmanship is looking for a Retail Performance Manager (based in Singapore) for its Singapore and Malaysia markets. Reporting to the Retail Director, you will own the rollout of the retail strategies, define and monitor the retail KPIs, and partner with individual boutiques in achieving business targets.
Please send your CV, remuneration package and notice period information to fliew@argyllscott.sg to indicate your interest, and I will be in touch with you shortly.


text:
Q: Heroku Javascript runtime error Copied from my log file
ActionView::Template::Error (Could not find a JavaScript runtime. See https://github.com/sstephenson/execjs for a list of available runtimes.
I'm not planning on using execjs as a runtime for my application. How can I avoid this problem?
In my Gemfile I commented the following two lines out, but I had no effect:
# gem 'sass-rails',   '~> 3.2.3'
# gem 'coffee-rails', '~> 3.2.1'

A: I had this same problem after a six month hiatus from using Heroku.
It turned out I needed to use the 'cedar' stack and change the deployment URL to use the new installation.
In my app directory:
heroku create --stack cedar
git remote set-url heroku git@heroku.com:blooming-river-1759.git
git push heroku master

http://dsimard.posterous.com/assets-problems-with-heroku-and-rails-31
http://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/cedar

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
A Saxon-Szász János műveiben jelentkező szimmetria- és lépésváltások leírására szolgáló játékos, egyedi fogalom.

Előzmények

A "polidimenzionális mezők" absztrakt, geometrikus és konstruktivista képzőművészeti hagyományaiból Tamkó Sirató Károly Dimenzionista manifesztuma, Péri László fa- és betonobjektjei – melyek az ún. shaped canvas előzményeinek tekinthetők -, és a MADI által meghirdetett poligonalitás (sokszögűség) emelhető ki. Matematikai előzményeiből pedig az arányrendszerek és számsorozatok (Pitagorasz-tétel, aranymetszés, Fibonacci-sorozat), a fraktálgeometria (Poincaré, Mandelbrot-halmaz) és a szimmetria-tudományok.

A konstruktivista képtől a MADI-objektig

Saxon-Szász konstruktivista hagyományokat folytatva, de a MADI szabad és játékos szellemiségében, ugyanakkor a modern matematika eredményeit is felhasználva hozza létre műveit (festmények, objektek, szobrok).

Első "polidimenziójával" tizenöt éves gimnazistaként a Csiky Tibor és Fajó János vezette gönci nyári alkotótáborban jelentkezett (Univerzum, 1979). A gönci és encsi szabadiskolák, majd 1982-től a Pesti Műhely tagjaként konstruktivista munkái kapcsán elsősorban a léptékváltó formák érdekelték (Struktúra, 1988).

A kilencvenes évek legelején csatlakozik a Carmelo Arden Quin vezette MADI-hoz. A mozgalomban uralkodó szabadszellem és kísérletező kedv hozzásegítette, hogy elhagyja a hagyományos négyszögletes táblaformát, és megérkezzen a formázott művek ("shaped canvas") műfajához (Síkfogyatkozás, 1988-1996).

Dimenzióceruza

Saxon-Szász az Espace de l'Art Concret-től 2000-ben meghívást kapott Franciaországba, Mouans-Sartoux-ba. A meghívás keretén belül tanított és egy könyvet írt Dimenzióceruza (Dimension Crayon) címmel. A könyvben lépésről lépésre vezeti végig az olvasót egy-egy egyszerű vonaltól vagy síktól a legbonyolultabbnak tetsző "polidimenzionális mező" megszületéséig.

Polidimenzionális mezők

2002-ben jelent meg Perneczky Géza Saxon-Szász János polidimenzionális mezői című könyve. Az angol–magyar nyelvű könyvben a jeles kölni művészettörténész és kritikus Saxon-Szász mintegy félszáz alkotását mutatja be együtt a matematikai és művészettörténeti előzményekkel.

Polyuniverzum

Saxon-Szász a 2000-es évek második felében folytatta kísérleteit, melyek célja az volt, hogy művészi eredményeit az oktatásban és a gyermekek vizuális nevelésében felhasználja. Polyuniverzum (angolul: Poly-Universe) nevű játékcsaládját 2010-től gyártják, ezt megelőzően a prototípust több iskolai bemutatón és művészeti fesztiválon is bemutatta. A játékcsaládon belül három játékváltozat van: háromszögekből, körökből vagy négyzetekből álló készletek. A játéknak nincsenek különösebb logikai szabályai, a gyermek a színes geometriai formákat tetszés szerint helyezheti egymás mellé egy asztalon. Mivel a lapokra további geometriai formákat festettek, ezért az egymás mellé helyezett lapok mandala-szerű absztrakt, geometrikus képet adnak ki. A játék közben szimmetrikus alkotások is létrejöhetnek. A lehetséges variációk száma nagy, ennek matematikájával Kiss Gábor fizikus foglalkozott.

Értékelések

"A végtelenül kicsi és a végtelenül nagy birodalmában felfedezhetik a nagy, a kicsi és a még kisebb közötti hasonlóságokat és különbözőségeket, és azt is, hogy világunk és benne mi magunk, hol is helyezkedünk el valójában. Ez a kaland, ha úgy kívánjuk, soha nem ér véget, és mindig új távlatokat nyit. Ez az, amit Saxon-Szász János adni akar a gyermekeknek és a felnőtteknek egyaránt – itt és most megköszönjük határtalan nagylelkűségét." (Odile Biec Morello művészettörténész, az Espace de l'Art Concret igazgatónője, Dimenzióceruza, Előszó).

"Amit Saxon-Szász János polidimenzionalitás alatt ért, az körülbelül megfelel annak az interdiszciplináris fogalomkörnek, amit a matematikai arányokkal és azok vizuális megjelenítésével foglalkozó tudományok fraktálgeometria néven vezettek be a szakmai köztudatba. …Saxon-Szász János figyelemreméltó módon nem használja a munkáját leíró szövegekben a fraktálgeometria terminológiáját, és ez azzal az egyszerű és (legalábbis számomra) imponáló ténnyel magyarázható, hogy nem a káoszelmélet és fraktálok divatbajöttének az uszályába kapaszkodva kezdett foglalkozni a léptékváltással szemben invariáns formákkal, hanem teljesen önállóan, a konstruktivista képzőművészet eddigi eredményeire támaszkodva jutott el ezeknek a forma-kompozícióknak a felfedezéséhez. Ez már önmagában véve is nemzetközi érdeklődésre számot tartó szenzáció lehetne. Saxon-Szász János azonban kitűnő képzőművész is, aki képes volt arra, hogy nagyon egyszerű formákból kiindulva és nagyon meggyőző vizuális nyelvet kialakítva építse fel a maga (ahogy ő nevezi:) polidimenzionális művészetét." (Perneczky Géza, Dimenzióceruza, Utószó)

Külső hivatkozások
 Saxon-Szász János honlapja
 Perneczky Géza honlapja
 A Nemzetközi Mobil MADI Múzeum honlapja
 Kis Gábor: A játékcsalád felépítése és kombinációs lehetőségei

Képzőművészet

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


If you've been asked to give the introduction speech for a guest speaker follow the tips below, step by step, and read the example. When you're through preparing your own you'll have a speech you'll be proud to deliver.
Let's start with the purpose of the speech.
Essentially you are the warm-up act. Your task is to focus and unite the audience, to prepare them for what is to come.
If you've done your job well your guest speaker begins without having to establish their credibility or reason for being there.
Do make sure you can say their name properly and easily! If you're in doubt get the correct pronunciation from your guest speaker and practice.
Sometimes you'll be given what the guest speaker wants said about themselves. If that isn't provided select events, achievements and qualifications to support establishing him/her as an authority within the context of the occasion. And do check that your guest is happy with what you are preparing to say about them.
a surprise to delight the audience, something that is not commonly known, and something revealing the personality or humanity of the person.
Build excitement or interest by piling one piece of information after another.
Make the name of the speech (presentation) and the speaker, the climax and end of your speech.
The setting for this fictitious introduction speech is a conference for an organization called "Women in Leadership". The audience are primarily women drawn together through an interest in leadership roles.
At the end of the speech, the speaker will lead the clapping as Rose Stephenson, the person being introduced, takes center stage.
"She's been a stalwart member of "Women in Leadership" for the last ten years. Over that time she's served in every office: secretary, treasurer, chairperson, chief fundraiser, education officer to name a few and in some roles several times over.
Her passionate dedication to promoting public speaking as an important component of empowerment is inspiring. We estimate that she has personally mentored at least 100 new speakers and has set an extraordinary "yes, you can" example for many more.
Yes, she was temporarily paralyzed, struck dumb by the mere thought of standing in front of an audience to speak.
How she got from awkward tongue tied silence to an eloquent front line spokesperson is the story she will share with us tonight.
Ladies, I give you ... Rose Stephenson on speaking to lead."
Say the speech out loud! Use it as a template!
Try saying it out loud to get the flow of it.
If you like it, use it as a model for the introduction speech you need to write.
Is what you've prepared appropriate for the occasion, audience and your guest speaker? Have you avoided cliche?
Pertinent and pithy - short and sweet is what you want. One to two minutes should be enough.
Test it out loud with a timer and trim if necessary.
You don't want to talk about your guest in a way that may embarrass them or cause the audience to question their right to be there.
Beware the horror of getting your facts muddled and, if you wish to mention something that may be sensitive, ask permission before you announce it in front of an audience.
5. Remember you are not the star of the show!
Cover only enough in your introduction to make the coming speech eagerly anticipated.
Do not stray into telling the audience what the guest speaker's speech will cover in detail. That's unfair!
Practice out loud until you are confidently fluent and able to convey the pleasure or enthusiasm the audience needs to get them in the right frame of mind.


text:
Q: How do I get the sum of individual lists within a larger list? So I know how to get the sum of a single list so say,

a=[1,2,3,4]
sum(a)
10

How would I go about trying to sum lists in a list of lists? So, from:

[[1,2],[2,3],[3,42]] to
[3,5,45]?

A: Code:
l = [[1,2],[2,3],[3,42]]
print([sum(i) for i in l])

Output:
[3, 5, 45]

A: You should use sum() in list comprehension for other lists
In [12]: a = [[1,2],[2,3],[3,42]]

In [13]: [sum(i) for i in a]
Out[13]: [3, 5, 45]

A: intial_list = [[1,2],[2,3],[3,42]]
res = list(map(sum, intial_list))
print(res)

output
 [3,5,45]


I think everyone has heard of Ladybird Johnson's mission of wildflowers and bringing them back to the hills and roadsides of Texas. It will be forever a living legacy to LadyBird, the bluebonnets that line our roadways and paths. Here are a few in this drought stricken year, still they come up and show us their colors. How Lucky am I to live in Texas and enjoy this sight every year!
CA Moves to Ban Black Cars! Not.


The rise of Asian economies, and in turn Asian investors, has proven to be one of the most significant developments in global real estate over the last decade. Enormous sums of money are flowing across borders in all directions. According to the Knight Frank Wealth Report, in 2014, New York was the number one city globally for cross-border investment. In 2013, Asians investors spent $92.9 billion. According to the Wealth X Global Luxury Residential Real Estate Report real estate is an investment, an asset and a lifestyle. East Meets West explores these topics.


text:
Q: Is there something like select explode in esper epl? I have the following declarations of schemas (event types)
create  json schema DetectedObjects as (tracking_id int, class_id int, class_name string, confidence double, bbox_xywh int[], rois string[], lc string[], rois_oc string[]);

create  map schema CountMap as (obj string, cnt int);

create   json schema Analytics as ( obj_count_rois CountMap, overcrowded_rois string[], lc_cum_count CountMap, lc_curr_count CountMap);

create   json schema FrameMeta as (frame_num int, source_id int, frame_width int, frame_height int, raw_time long, timestamp string, analytics Analytics);

create  json schema IdentifiedFrames as ( frame_meta FrameMeta,  Objects_meta DetectedObjects[]);

When receiving an instance of event IdenfitiedFames, Esper does not populate automatically the stream of DetectedObjects
For example, I receive the following event
{
  "frame_meta": {
    "frame_num": 500,
    "source_id": 4,
    "frame_width": 720,
    "frame_height": 567,
    "raw_time": 165478954214,
    "timestamp": "2021-11-11 16:45:46",
    "analytics":
    {
      "obj_count_rois":
      {
        "ROI1": 5,
        "ROI2":2,
        "ROI3":4
      },
      "overcrowded_rois": ["ROI1","ROI2","ROI3"],
      "lc_cum_count": {
        "LINE1": 11,
        "LINE2":15
      },
      "lc_curr_count": {
        "LINE1":2,
        "LINE2":3
      }

    }

  },
  "Objects_meta": [
    {
      "tracking_id": 1,
      "class_id": 0,
      "class_name": "person",
      "confidence": 0.7,
      "bbox_xywh": [25,165,40,150],
      "rois": ["ROI1"],
      "lc": ["LINE2"],
      "rois_oc": []
    },
    {
      "tracking_id": 2,
      "class_id": 2,
      "class_name": "bag",
      "confidence": 0.9,
      "bbox_xywh": [150,16,80,100],
      "rois": ["ROI1"],
      "lc": [],
      "rois_oc": []
    },
    {
      "tracking_id": 3,
      "class_id": 1,
      "class_name": "veichle",
      "confidence": 0.62,
      "bbox_xywh": [420,165,50,60],
      "rois": [],
      "lc": [],
      "rois_oc": []
    },
    {
      "tracking_id": 4,
      "class_id": 0,
      "class_name": "person",
      "confidence": 0.78,
      "bbox_xywh": [240,143,50,120],
      "rois": ["ROI2"],
      "lc": ["LINE1"],
      "rois_oc": []
    }
  ]
}

I want to populate the DetectObjects stream with each entry in the Objects_meta property. My question is: is there something like select explode in EPL? I know that I can declare everything as Java classes and use the runtime object to send events. I am seeking something of a declarative nature or scripting in EPL.

A: The select clause can have expressions in brackets that explode events into more events. The documentation is here. The brackets can also have a select-clause and can combine the container event and each contained event.
insert into Exploded select * from IdentifiedFrames[DetectedObjects]


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Peasant foods have been described as being the diet of peasants, that is, tenant or poorer farmers and their farm workers,[53] and by extension, of other cash-poor people. They may use ingredients, such as offal and less-tender cuts of meat, which are not as marketable as a cash crop. Characteristic recipes often consist of hearty one-dish meals, in which chunks of meat and various vegetables are eaten in a savory broth, with bread or other staple food. Sausages are also amenable to varied readily available ingredients, and they themselves tend to contain offal and grains.
The earliest use of the term in the post-industrial age appears to be in 1946 in The Farmer, a quarterly magazine published and edited from his farm by F. Newman Turner, a writer and pioneering organic farmer. The magazine sponsored the establishment of the Producer Consumer Whole Food Society Ltd, with Newman Turner as president and Derek Randal as vice-president.[66] Whole food was defined as "mature produce of field, orchard, or garden without subtraction, addition, or alteration grown from seed without chemical dressing, in fertile soil manured solely with animal and vegetable wastes, and composts therefrom, and ground, raw rock and without chemical manures, sprays, or insecticides," having intent to connect suppliers and the growing public demand for such food.[66] Such diets are rich in whole and unrefined foods, like whole grains, dark green and yellow/orange-fleshed vegetables and fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds.[63]
Some wines are packaged in thick plastic bags within corrugated fiberboard boxes, and are called "box wines", or "cask wine". Tucked inside the package is a tap affixed to the bag in box, or bladder, that is later extended by the consumer for serving the contents. Box wine can stay acceptably fresh for up to a month after opening because the bladder collapses as wine is dispensed, limiting contact with air and, thus, slowing the rate of oxidation. In contrast, bottled wine oxidizes more rapidly after opening because of the increasing ratio of air to wine as the contents are dispensed; it can degrade considerably in a few days. Cans are one of the fastest-growing forms of alternative wine packaging on the market.[138]
Lose It! This two-week phase is designed to jump-start your weight loss, so you may lose up to 6 to 10 pounds (2.7 to 4.5 kilograms) in a safe and healthy way. In this phase, you focus on lifestyle habits that are associated with weight. You learn how to add five healthy habits, break five unhealthy habits and adopt another five bonus healthy habits. This phase can help you see some quick results — a psychological boost — and start practicing important habits that you'll carry into the next phase of the diet.
The World Bank reported that the European Union was the top food importer in 2005, followed at a distance by the US and Japan. Britain's need for food was especially well illustrated in World War II. Despite the implementation of food rationing, Britain remained dependent on food imports and the result was a long term engagement in the Battle of the Atlantic.
Live food is commonly used as feed for a variety of species of exotic pets and zoo animals, ranging from alligators to various snakes, frogs and lizards, but also including other, non-reptile, non-amphibian carnivores and omnivores (for instance, skunks, which are omnivorous mammals, can be technically be fed a limited amount of live food, though this is not known to be a common practice). Common live food ranges from crickets (used as an inexpensive form of feed for carnivorous and omnivorous reptiles such as bearded dragons and commonly available in pet stores for this reason), waxworms, mealworms and to a lesser extent cockroaches and locusts, to small birds and mammals such as mice or chickens.
Many cultures have a recognizable cuisine, a specific set of cooking traditions using various spices or a combination of flavors unique to that culture, which evolves over time. Other differences include preferences (hot or cold, spicy, etc.) and practices, the study of which is known as gastronomy. Many cultures have diversified their foods by means of preparation, cooking methods, and manufacturing. This also includes a complex food trade which helps the cultures to economically survive by way of food, not just by consumption.
Environmental considerations of wine packaging reveal benefits and drawbacks of both bottled and box wines. The glass used to make bottles is a nontoxic, naturally occurring substance that is completely recyclable, whereas the plastics used for box-wine containers are typically much less environmentally friendly. However, wine-bottle manufacturers have been cited for Clean Air Act violations. A New York Times editorial suggested that box wine, being lighter in package weight, has a reduced carbon footprint from its distribution; however, box-wine plastics, even though possibly recyclable, can be more labor-intensive (and therefore expensive) to process than glass bottles. In addition, while a wine box is recyclable, its plastic bladder most likely is not.[139] Some people are drawn to canned wine due to its portability and recyclable packaging.[138]
An emulsion of starch with fat or water can, when gently heated, provide thickening to the dish being cooked. In European cooking, a mixture of butter and flour called a roux is used to thicken liquids to make stews or sauces.[15] In Asian cooking, a similar effect is obtained from a mixture of rice or corn starch and water. These techniques rely on the properties of starches to create simpler mucilaginous saccharides during cooking, which causes the familiar thickening of sauces. This thickening will break down, however, under additional heat.
In 2013 Overseas Development Institute researchers showed that rice has more than doubled in price since 2000, rising by 120% in real terms. This was as a result of shifts in trade policy and restocking by major producers. More fundamental drivers of increased prices are the higher costs of fertiliser, diesel and labour. Parts of Asia see rural wages rise with potential large benefits for the 1.3 billion (2008 estimate) of Asia's poor in reducing the poverty they face. However, this negatively impacts more vulnerable groups who don't share in the economic boom, especially in Asian and African coastal cities. The researchers said the threat means social-protection policies are needed to guard against price shocks. The research proposed that in the longer run, the rises present opportunities to export for Western African farmers with high potential for rice production to replace imports with domestic production.[127]
Communication between the Old World and the New World in the Columbian Exchange influenced the history of cooking. The movement of foods across the Atlantic, from the New World, such as potatoes, tomatoes, maize, beans, bell pepper, chili pepper, vanilla, pumpkin, cassava, avocado, peanut, pecan, cashew, pineapple, blueberry, sunflower, chocolate, gourds, and squash, had a profound effect on Old World cooking. The movement of foods across the Atlantic, from the Old World, such as cattle, sheep, pigs, wheat, oats, barley, rice, apples, pears, peas, chickpeas, green beans, mustard, and carrots, similarly changed New World cooking.[11]


Luke Hemsworth and "V" actor Charles Mesure are set to lead an impressive cast for the upcoming WWI-set Australian film "The 34th Battalion".
The $20 million project follows The 34th Battalion, the Australian infantry group formed just after the disastrous Gallipoli campaign.
The film's story follows four friends from the town of Maitland in rural New South Wales who join the group and serve on the Western Front.
In their first engagement, they saved the French town of Villers-Bretonneux. They later played key roles in the battle of Amiens and the battle of St Quentin Canal, the first full breach of the Hindenburg Line.
Emilie de Ravin, Les Hill, Nick Farnell, Clare van der Boom, Henry Nixon, Andrew Lees, Vince Colosimo, Ashley Zuckerman, Tony Bonner and Khan Chittenden also star.
Luke Sparke will direct and co-wrote the script with his father Ian Sparke. Shooting kicks off early next year.
Next articleChris McQuarrie To Helm M:I-5?


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Early Warning and Preventive Measures
The proliferation of conflict around the globe has required the United Nations to establish conflict prevention efforts to support UN staff and partner organizations on early warning and conflict prevention measures. In response, UNSSC operating as a project with institutional support from the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITCILO) in 1998, launched the "Early Warning and Preventive Measures" (EWPM) programme. Significant strides were made towards increasing awareness on early warning and preventive action for UN staff and partner organizations; building institutional capacity and improving the professional and analytical skills of UN staff and promoting greater exchange and coordination within, and between departments and offices dealing with policy as well as the practical aspects of preventive action.
Funded by internal UNSSC resources, six governments and the Turner Foundation, the programme featured an average of ten, five-day workshops that were delivered in English, French and Spanish and later conducted annually in different regions. Participants from across the UN System, Regional Organizations EU delegations, civil society organizations, Member States, and private-sector organizations came together for what proved to be a timely learning intervention developed in partnership with the London School of Economics (LSE) and the then Department of Political Affairs (DPA).
Following consultations with different stakeholders, and drawing on feedback from earlier editions, UNSSC went on to deliver an even more interactive learning exchange. Participants were able to examine different country contexts with the aim of identifying the causes and stages of conflict. In addition, they surveyed different techniques to structure the early-warning analysis, and looked at the means of identifying a range of measures for a preventive action strategy. They explored ways of understanding and making use of existing coordination mechanisms and improving the effectiveness of policy recommendations.
Given the high demand for the workshops, and to build on the momentum and deliver the workshops in different languages, UNSSC launched two "training of trainers" to create a pool of EWPM trainers from the UN System, recognized think tanks, universities, and NGOs. For each workshop, a group of three to four EWPM trainers were called upon to join UNSSC as part of the training teams that were deployed to field locations to deliver training. An impact evaluation of the project found that the EWPM was highly successful in contributing to a heightened awareness of early warning and conflict prevention measures. Furthermore, the training project contributed to facilitating linkages within departments and agencies, and between field and headquarters staff. It also gave headquarters staff an opportunity to better acquaint themselves with certain aspects of conflict prevention initiatives at the field level – thus contributing to the development of a unified approach to early warning and preventive action.
Today, UNSSC continues its work in the area of capacity building for conflict prevention. From the "seeds" sown through EWPM, several new learning offerings have been developed to address emerging peace-and-security challenges. Prevention and sustaining peace continue to lie at the core of our work.


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BLACK BEAUTY is a gorgeous film on the bonds between horse and human
Posted by Becca Blumenfeld Inigo | Nov 30, 2020 | - Featured Articles, Home Releases (BD, DVD, Digital), Movies and Television | 0
Growing up as a horse lover, there are two iconic movies you know inside and out: THE BLACK STALLION and of course, BLACK BEAUTY. So when I heard that Disney+ was releasing a modern retelling of the story of Anna Sewell's classic novel, I couldn't contain the joy and excitement in my horse-loving heart.
I had the opportunity this month to visit a ranch in Topanga. CA to hear from Ashley Avis the director of the film and Mackenzie Foy who plays the film's human lead. You might remember Foy from her lead role in 2018's THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS.
For this retelling of the story, Mackenzie Foy plays Jo Green, a girl who has recently lost both of her parents, and was sent to Birtwick Stables in New York to live with her horse trainer uncle (Iain Glen). Unlike the novel and the 1994 movie, both the horse Beauty and the human Jo are female! The film is narrated from the perspective of Beauty, voiced by the incomparable Kate Winslet.
Liberty Training
It wasn't long into the socially distanced press event before my heart was sent a flutter when we were treated to a special presentation of liberty training with Avis' horse Ghost. For the uninitiated, liberty training is one of the most difficult ways to work with a horse as it involves getting the horse to perform on command without the use of ropes or other mechanical aids. The bond between horse and trainer, therefore, is obviously key.
Part of liberty training is a process known as "hooking on," which is when a horse makes the choice to be with a person and follow them around without the use of a rope or reins. "I feel like we bonded fairly quickly," Foy said talking about one stunt horse Jenny. "I trust you, and I care about you—and I know that you trust and care about me.' It was a really unique thing."
Special Bonds
For the equestrian on-screen role of Beauty, four different horses were actually used in the film. Each one had different personalities and were used in different ways. Spirit, appropriately named, was used for much of Beauty's wildness and spunky scenes. Rosie, who Avis describes as having beautiful long legs and gait, was used for Beauty's running scenes. Meanwhile stunt horses included Indiana and, of course, Jenny who especially captured Mackenzie's heart.
Both Avis and Foy bonded so much with the horses during production that they both decided to get their own once the film wrapped. Avis even launched her own non-profit organization, The Wild Beauty Foundation to help wild Mustangs like the ones seen in the beginning of the film. While the story is not as strong as the original novel, it is a great modern day retelling. One standout component is absolutely stunning cinematography in this film. As a horse lover since birth, this is a great film to introduce anyone to the world of BLACK BEAUTY and the world of horses.
The film was shot in South Africa where the location could pass as New York county side, the city, and the coast. The production from start to finish took three years. Foy shared a memory that this time last year they were shooting the final scene of the movie on the coast of South Africa. She shared that she actually performed many of her own stunts.
It's not the easiest thing in the world to shoot a film when most of your cast are horses, "We did rolling takes, which was where we would just keep going. It was really fun… There was a running joke that Jenny read the script, she would do things that were just perfect, just absolutely perfect." But in at least one time Jenny told them what to do instead, "There was one scene where actually it was scripted that I give Beauty sugar cubes, but Jenny doesn't really like sugar cubes, and I gave her one and she was like, 'No,' and spit it out, I was like, 'Oh, I'm sorry,' and I got her a carrot and she ate that and was like, 'Oh, that's better. Thank you.' Little things like that would happen."
Both Avis and Foy loved the scene in THE BLACK STALLION when Alec is riding on the beach bareback. They knew they wanted to do that as well in BLACK BEAUTY. The use of it here is a beautiful and touching final shot of the film. Absolutely gorgeous finishing point that brought the final of many tears shed throughout. Avis said for that scene they had only one day and one take to do that scene because of insurance purposes. Makenzie said of that scene, "To have that moment and let go, and to have all that trust and that bond between you and the horse, it's just so many emotions, so many things just going through you that you can feel going through the horse. It's like nothing I'd ever experienced before. It's like you're flying."
BLACK BEAUTY is now streaming on Disney+.
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Education, Gotham City, Public Finance, Tech
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1010 WINS
City Gives Columbia $15M for Applied Science Institute
The city will support Columbia University's new Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering with up to $15 million in financial aid, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced today.
The New York City Economic Development Corporation projects that the new institute will generate $3.9 billion of nominal economic growth over the next three decades, with more than 4,000 permanent jobs created.
Columbia will spend more than $80 million of its own money on the project, and part of the city's contribution comes from debt forgiveness, discounted energy transmission costs and lease flexibility.
"It will create tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity, and it will encourage the growth of the tech sector in New York City and solidify our leadership in the innovation economy for decades to come," Mayor Bloomberg said in a press release.
This comes as part of the larger Applied Sciences NYC initiative, which aims to increase performance of fields like data science in the city, as well as bolster the city's economy. Other efforts include the city's collaboration with Cornell University to create a tech campus on Roosevelt Island.
"The discoveries produced by the Data Sciences Institute will establish a foundation for significant contributions to society and to the marketplace," Professor Kathy McKeown, director of the Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering, said in the release.
By 2016, the Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering is expected to add 44,000 square feet to Columbia's Morningside Heights campus, with construction starting almost immediately. The university also plans to add approximately 75 faculty jobs in the next 15 years.
However, advocacy groups do not have full confidence in this initiative's economic promises, seeking full transparency throughout the project.
"More and more, these large universities are running like large corporations," said Bettina Damiani, project director at Good Jobs NY. "They should be under the same due diligence and expectation to create good jobs."
By David King on July 30, 2012, 12:21 pm
In category: Education,Gotham City,Public Finance,Tech	| 2 Comments »
High school entrepreneur wannabes sought for city tech program
A new program aims to expose high school students to the city's growing Internet technology sector by teaming them up with industry experts to create Android phone apps and business plans.
The New York Economic Development Corp. and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship are sponsoring the bootcamp for teenagers, which starts in August. Thirty high school students will be picked to participate in the program, called NYC Generation Tech. Applications are being accepted until July 20.
"This is another initiative to foster talent in [the technology] sector, which is going to be critical to our economy going forward," said Patrick Muncie, a spokesman for the EDC.
To be eligible for NYC Generation Tech, students should be rising 10th or 11th graders who are either from a school where 50 percent or more of students qualify for free or reduced price school lunches or who qualify for the food assistance programs themselves.
The primary $100,000 of funding for NYC Generation Tech came from the city.
Terry Bowman, executive director for NFTE New York Metro Area, said the organization is looking to raise more money to provide scholarships and ongoing support for students after they complete the program.
By Nina Goldman on July 11, 2012, 2:18 pm
In category: Community Development,Education,Tech	| 2 Comments »
Cornell tech school to be housed temporarily at Google NY
Cornell University's new tech school will be housed at Google's New York headquarters while its permanent campus on Roosevelt Island is under construction.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced during a visit to Google's offices today that the company would donate 22,000 square feet at its offices for use by CornellNYC Tech for nearly 6 years or until its campus is completed. Bloomberg was joined by Google Inc. CEO Larry Page and Corrnell President David J. Skorton for the announcement.
Classes at CornellNYC Tech are scheduled to begin in the fall.
Cornell beat out other universities, including Stanford, in a bid to establishe a cutting-edge technology and enginneering school on city-owned land.
By Cristian Salazar on May 21, 2012, 12:20 pm
In category: Tech	| 20 Comments »
A new, digital Green Book for NYC
New York City's Green Book has gone digital.
The city announced today an updated online edition of its widely used directory of city, state and county agencies.
It's the first time the directory has been made available as a digital application, viewable from any modern-day browser.
Created in 1918, the book has a storied history, but hasn't been published since 2008. Dog-eared copies of older editions of the book still sit on the desks of researchers, journalists and policymakers, even though many of the phone numbers are outdated and agency heads have long since changed.
The new edition will still be available in print, available exclusively from CityStore in late June.
Continuing with the "green" theme of the directory, the new edition sports the city's environmentally conscientious mascot Birdie, holding a compact fluorescent light bulb and wearing a Statue of Liberty crown.
The online directory is searchable and will be updated on an ongoing basis. The new directory is a project of the city's Department of Citywide Administrative Services.
Link: www.nyc.gov/greenbook
By Cristian Salazar on May 11, 2012, 11:33 am
In category: City Hall,Tech	| 2 Comments »
Bronx Business Incubator Opens
The Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled a city-backed business incubator in the Bronx earlier today. The Sunshine Bronx Business Incubator at 890 Garrison Ave. in Hunts Point is set up to house 400 entrepreneurs. The New York City Economic Development Corporation helped started the incubator with a $250,000 grant. The incubator is the 8th to open as part of the city's network of incubators.
Here is the release from the Mayor's office: Read the rest of this entry »
By David King on January 9, 2012, 1:13 pm
In category: Economy,Gotham City,Land Use,Public Finance,Tech,Work and Labor	| 11 Comments »
Bloomberg's Technology Pit
Another day, another disturbing revelation about the city's handling of its technology contracts.
This time it's the latest chapter in the scandal involving computers at the Department of Education. The company the department paid $75 million to do technical work on its purchasing, payroll and finance systems – Future Technology Associates — bilked the city out of at least $6.5 million, according to a report by Richard Condon, the city's special commissioner of investigation.
Among other things, Future Tech set up shell companies and then vastly inflated its claims of how much those companies charged. So the Department of Education was being charged between $55 and $110 an hour for work that actually cost Future Tec $10 to $14 an hour.
Concerns about Future Technology have been circulating for some time.
According to a letter-report from the city comptroller's Bureau of Audit, given to Gotham Gazette today (posted here), in 2005 the department submitted a request that Future Tech get a no-bid contract. (No-bid contracts at the Department of Education have raised concerns in the past.) "This request appears to have contained inaccurate and misleading statements from FTA, which, if DOE had known, should have precluded FTA from being awarded this contract," says the report from the comptroller's office, which went to Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott and Condon's office.
By Gail Robinson on September 29, 2011, 4:24 pm
In category: City Hall,Crime & Safety,Education,Gotham City,Governing,Tech	| 10 Comments »
Digging Into Cuomo's Schedule
As we reported in our exclusive this morning–Gov. Andrew Cuomo has launched a new website called CitizenConnects that among other things has made is past and future schedules more available to the public and reporters. And reporters have wasted no time in digging into Cuomo's past meetings.
Jimmy Vielkind, of the Times Union, notes that Cuomo's schedules show that his daughters rode with him on state aircraft.
Ken Lovett of the Daily News discovered that Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ate together days before The Port Authority announced toll hikes.
Expect more news like this throughout the day as journos and good government types digest the wealth of information on the new site. I suggest everyone check it out. Don't forget that Cuomo will be doing a virtual chat on the site on Saturday.
By David King on September 22, 2011, 1:21 pm
In category: Albany,Eye on Albany,Tech	| 2 Comments »
DiNapoli vs. Murdoch
You might have missed this as you were taping your windows yesterday: The Daily News reports that State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has rejected the state Department of Education contracts with Wireless Generation. The educational tech company is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. — and as a result under the purview of former Schools Chancellor, now Murdoch consigliare Joel Klein.
In rejecting the $27 million deal, DiNapoli cited the phone hacking scandal that has shaken Murdoch's British newspaper empire — and Britain's government as well. "In light of the significant ongoing investigations and continuing revelations with respect to News Corp., we are returning the contract with Wireless Generation unapproved," DiNapoli's office wrote to the Education Department.
The education department blasted DiNapoli's move, with a spokesperson accusing the comptroller of having "allowed political pressure to get in the way of vital technology that would help our students/"
The state was prepared to use part of its federal Race to the Top money to pay Wireless Generation to develop software to track student test scores, achievement and so on, creating a system similar to the Achievement Reporting and Innovation System, or ARIS, that it developed for the city schools.
Even before the phone hacking scandal, the deal did not meet the smell test for many. The contract was a no-bid deal, even though many other companies reportedly expressed interest in it.
By Gail Robinson on August 28, 2011, 12:53 pm
In category: Albany,Education,Eye on Albany,Public Finance,Tech	| 1 Comment »
Murdoch in the Schools
The city and state teachers union are stepping up their opposition to the awarding of a state education contract to a company owned by Rupert Murdoch.
The unions have not been big fans of the beleaguered press mogul – or of former Chancellor Joel Klein, who now heads education technology (and damaged control?) for him. And the deal has been raising eyebrows since June when the Daily News' Rachael Monahan reported that the state Department of Education was about to award a $27 million no-bid contract to Wireless Generation to develop a system for the state similar to the city's Achievement Reporting and Innovation System or ARIS.
Klein had been a big promoter of Wireless Generation during his days as chancellor. Two weeks after he left the city to take a mega-lucrative deal with News Corp., the Murdoch company bought Wireless Generation. Admittedly Klein himself worked for the city, not the state. But the ties are there –- and the former chancellor certainly stands to benefit from a deal that, in the view of a Forbes blogger, "smack of cronyism."
The phone hacking scandal has raised further doubts. In their letter to Merryl Tisch, chancellor of the state Board of Regents, and state Education Commissioner John King Jr., state United Teachers president Richard Ianuzzi and Michael Mulgrew, head of the city teachers union, stressed those concerns. Parents and educators, they wrote, question "the wisdom of allowing a News Corp.-owned company to have access the the personal data of students from all across New York."
By Gail Robinson on August 5, 2011, 1:08 pm
In category: Albany,Education,Gotham City,Governing,Public Finance,Tech	| Comments Off on Murdoch in the Schools
Klein Cashes in on Race to the Top
The Daily News' Rachel Monahan has an eye-opening story today that the state is about to award a chunk of its federal Race to the Top funds to the company now run buy former New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. It's hard to imagine a tale more rife with seeming conflicts of interest.
First the news, according to Monahan: The state Department of Education is about to award a $27 million no-bid contract to Wireless Generation to develop software to track student test scores, achievement and so on. The system would be similar to the Achievement Reporting and Innovation System, or ARIS, developed for the city schools when Klein ran them.
The state, according to the News, said the no-bid contract is justified because ARIS already cover a third of the state (i.e. the city) and the system has received national recognition.
Recognition, yes, — but not all of it positive.
By Gail Robinson on June 9, 2011, 5:09 pm
In category: Albany,Education,Gotham City,Tech	| 2 Comments »
For CityTime Company, the Contracts Keep Coming
New York's City almost epic problems with Science Applications International Corp., or SAIC, have not kept the Virginia company from continuing to rake in multimillion, if not billion, dollar contracts from other governments.
This week, the Bloomberg administration cut more ties with SAIC, the main contractor on the automated payroll system, cancelling a $50 million deal with the company on what city officials described as an unrelated system
The move reported by the Wall Street Journal earlier this week, came after the arrest of a former company executive, Gerald Denault, on charges he accepted millions of dollars in kickbacks on the City Time contract.
(Find out who's hiring SAIC now, after the jump.)
In category: City Hall,Governing,Public Finance,Tech	| 12 Comments »
Another Black Eye for Ed Dept. Tech Effort
The Times is reporting that a former Department of Education consultant has been charged with stealing $3.6 million from the city. Federal prosecutors say Willard Lanham persuaded subcontractors to overbill the city for their work and then kept the difference for himself.
Fernanda Santos writes, "Verizon and I.B.M., the largest of the vendors involved in the projects, played a role in the scheme and profited from it, according to the city's special commissioner of investigation, Richard J. Condon." Verizon said it would "return any inappropriate profits."
Lanham, who reportedly already made $200,000 a year, supposedly used the money to buy fancy cars and Long Island real estate. He has denied any wrongdoing. The crime allegedly occurred between 2002 and 2008.
The projects involved were supposed to provide internet access in city schools. The case — assuming the charges are true — involves a number of issues that continue to prove extremely nettlesome for the Bloomberg administration.
(What those problems are — and some connecting of dots — after the jump.)
By Gail Robinson on April 28, 2011, 5:25 pm
In category: City Hall,Crime & Safety,Education,Tech	| 1 Comment »
Replacing Indian Point
Today we cover the Bloomberg administration's renewed interest in developing waste-to-energy facilities — or plants that burn or heat garbage to create energy.
The administration's interests are even more timely since Gov. Andrew Cuomo, experts and advocates have called for the closure of Indian Point.
(It should be noted that Mayor Michael Bloomberg does not share their opinion. He said last week: "We need energy in this city, and the first thing we have to do is take a very close look at what happened in Japan and see if there's any lessons that we should learn from that and any improvements that we should learn and make at Indian Point.")
Indian Point provides up to 30 percent of New York City's electricity. Steven Cohen, the executive director of Columbia University's Earth Institute, estimates waste-to-energy could provide about 10 percent of the city's needed megawatt hours.
"Particularly if you'd like to get rid of the Indian Point plant, generating 10 percent of the city's energy from garbage would be feasible," said Cohen. "What would you rather have? Would you rather have these trucks driving around the city polluting and a nuclear power plant, or would you rather close that down and have a bunch of waste to energy plants?"
Cohen supports the development of small-scale plants throughout the city.
For more on the debate, go here.
By Courtney Gross on March 23, 2011, 11:32 am
In category: Albany,City Hall,Community Development,Economy,Environment,Eye Opener,Gotham City,Governing,Land Use,nextNY,Public Finance,Tech	| Comments Off on Replacing Indian Point
Tied to Tech
On Friday, Comptroller John Liu announced he would conduct audits of two Department of Education tech projects: the Achievement Reporting and Innovation System, popularly known as ARIS and the Innovation Zone or iZone, the department's initiative to reshape city schools using on line learning and other technology, among other techniques. The announcement comes at time of increased scrutiny for all the Bloomberg administration technology projects, following the CityTime scandal, including those at the Department of Education.
The Department of Education hired IBM to develop the ARIS system to track student achievement in 2007, spending some $80 million on it. Last week, NY1 reported that many city schools had chosen to buy another system that they claim works better instead. Meanwhile the city is sticking with ARIS and plans on testing a new version of it this spring, Gotham Schools has reported.
Both the past and former chancellor have ties to ARIS The current chancellor, Cathie Black, sat on IBM's board from 1995 until she stepped down to become chancellor late last year. Over the years, IBM paid Black $300,000 a year for the part-time job, according to the Post In addition to that, Black got a $3.3 million payout when she left the board.
By Gail Robinson on March 21, 2011, 1:21 pm
In category: Education,Gotham City,Tech	| 5 Comments »
Schools Respond to Applied Science Request
From Korea to India to the United Kingdom, universities across the globe want to get to New York — at least according to the Bloomberg administration.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Deputy Mayor Robert Steel announced the city has received 18 responses from colleges and universities that are interested in building an applied science campus in the Big Apple. The city will narrow the pool over the summer and make a final decision by the end of the year, according to a release from the mayor's office.
The city has promised to make a "significant investment" towards the construction of a campus. According to the adminsitration, the proposals expressed interest in sites like the Navy Hospital Campus at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Goldwater Hospital Campus on Roosevelt Island in Manhattan, Governor's Island, Farm Colony on Staten Island and other privately-owned areas.
The campus is part of a larger effort by the adminsitration to attract emerging technologies to the five boroughs (we cover the race to attract bioscience extensively here).
Here are the schools that expressed interest:
Åbo Akadmi University, Finland
Amity University, India
Carnegie Mellon University with Steiner Studios
Columbia University and the City University of New York
The Cooper Union
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Korea
New York University, Carnegie Mellon, the City University of New York, the University of Toronto, and IBM
The New York Genome Center, with Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York University, Rockefeller University, and the Jackson Laboratory
The Stevens Institute of Technology
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Israel
The University of Warwick, United Kingdom
By Courtney Gross on March 17, 2011, 1:45 pm
In category: City Hall,Economy,Electoral Politics,Gotham City,Governing,Law,nextNY,Public Finance,Tech	| 1 Comment »
City Science Scores
A frequent criticism lobbed at the city's — and the country's — addiction to standardized tests for measuring student achievement is that everything not on the test tends to get short shrift.
Science scores released today tend to bolster that argument, at least as far as the city is concerned. New York City students lagged far behind other kids on a national science test given to eighth graders in 2009 and even did worse than their counterparts in other big cities. Sixty-two percent of the city eighth graders who took the test (only a sample do) did not, according to the test, have even basic science skills and knowledge; only 13 percent scored proficient or advanced, the two highest levels. This compares to 38 percent of all U.S. eighth graders scoring below basic and 56 percent of big city kids.
The city's fourth graders fared better, keeping pace with their fellow students across the country. That could offer scant comfort, though, sine it indicates some 44 percent scored below basic.
According to the National Assessment of Education Progress, among eighth graders, whites and Hispanics scored lower than the big city average; other groups were about the same. No group in New York outperformed on the eighth grade test. Among fourth graders, most groups performed at around the national average for city kids, except for those eligible for school lunch (a measure of poverty), who did better than other eligible students in U.S. cities.
By Gail Robinson on February 24, 2011, 4:52 pm
In category: Education,Gotham City,Tech	| Comments Off on City Science Scores
Lost in Big Apple Ed
For anyone who fights their way through the Department of Education web site looking for data, Big Apple Ed seems like a godsend. None of those pesky PDFs DOE loves. Instead, type in a school and get an attractive page with lots of data: from admission to average class size, from admissions criteria to special programs. And it has a nice feature that lets the user compare school s– which is exactly what parents want to do when they seek a place for their children.
Unfortunately Big Apple Ed seems to have released itself on the world before it was quite ready for prime time. The search by school name just does not seem to work. Looking for a popular elementary school I tried P.S. 321, ps 321 and 321 each time the site responded, "We couldn't find any schools for you."
I then went to the school search site where a visitor can enter one of a number of fields. I typed in Midwood. Once again no schools. Midwood High School. Same answer. Looking for a public (not charter) school near my Brooklyn address, the site recommended two charter schools in the Bronx and an elementary school in Queens.
In category: Education,Gotham City,Tech	| Comments Off on Lost in Big Apple Ed
Bloomberg's Business
This blog has been updated to try to make clearer which actions were taken by Bloomberg LP and which by the Bloomberg administration.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg likes to slam politics as usual, attack special interests and portray himself as someone who's above all that. Yet, as an article in The Nation spells out, Bloomberg can play the game of politics with the best of them when it comes to his own special interest — his company, Bloomberg LP, and the man himself.
In the article, Aram Roston describes how Bloomberg LP hired high-priced lobbyists who set up an organization with the lofty – and admirable — name Coalition for Competition in Media to push the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department to block the merger of NBC and Comcast. The merger went through — to the dismay of many who really want competition in media — but Bloomberg LP, according to the Nation, prevailed anyway. In approving the deal, the FCC required Comcast to group similar channels together — a victory for the nascent Bloomberg financial cable TV channel. This apparently was what he wanted all along.
Bloomberg, Andrew Jay Schwartzman of the Media Access Project told The Nation, "got what it wanted." Politico proclaimed, "Bloomberg TV a winner in Comcast-NBC deal."
To accomplish his victory, Bloomberg LP did a few things familiar to all of us in New York who have watched Mayor Bloomberg over the past nine years.
(The details after the jump.)
By Gail Robinson on February 11, 2011, 10:03 am
In category: City Hall,Gotham City,Governing,Tech	| Comments Off on Bloomberg's Business
Paterson Signs Battery Recycling Law
You know that broken iPod you've got sitting around? Those busted flip phones, or that laptop with the hole in the screen?(How on Earth did that get there?) Well they've all got batteries in 'em and those batteries are no good for mother nature. Thanks to new legislation, signed yesterday by Gov. David Paterson and sponsored by Sen. Liz Krueger and Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh, electronics manufacturers will be required under state law to work with retailers to set up convenient recycling programs for those sorts of batteries. The goal is to keep those toxic batteries out of landfills.
"With the Governor's signature, New York State is making the statement that through extended producer responsibility, manufacturers' accountability does not end once their products are sold," said Krueger in a statement.
"The final approval of this legislation removes the full burden of accountability from the consumer and shifts responsibility to the experts so that these products will be properly disposed of and recycled. I applaud Governor Paterson for taking this important step in helping protect the environment."
"By preventing consumers from throwing these items in the trash and ensuring that retailers and manufacturers take responsibility for disposing of them properly, we'll keep dangerous substances out of our air and water," said Kavanagh in a statement. "Recycling and reuse are the path to a sustainable economy and a healthy environment, and we're committed to making sure that New York leads the way. I thank Governor David Paterson, Senator Liz Krueger, and Assembly Environmental Committee Chair Bob Sweeney for their critical support in getting this law enacted."
By David King on December 16, 2010, 3:47 pm
In category: Albany,Environment,Eye on Albany,Tech	| 3 Comments »
A Budget Breakdown
Not all is fair in fiscal year 2011 — at least to the hordes of advocates and politicians vying to save their favorite projects and programs.
Below you can find out how your favorite agency has fared, whether its proposed cuts are deeper than other departments and how much it's slated to spend this year.
Click on the chart to interact. You can click through agencies on the side and roll over the graphic to view the funding level by fiscal year. If you want an expanded view, you can click on the title.
By Courtney Gross on May 24, 2010, 12:13 pm
In category: Albany,City Hall,Crime & Safety,Economy,Education,Electoral Politics,Environment,Gotham City,Governing,Health,Housing,Immigrants,Law,nextNY,Parks,Public Finance,Social Services,Tech,Transportation	| 3 Comments »
Gotham Gazette is published by Citizens Union Foundation and is made possible by support from the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Altman Foundation,the Fund for the City of New York and donors to Citizens Union Foundation. Please consider supporting Citizens Union Foundation's public education programs. Critical early support to Gotham Gazette was provided by the Charles H. Revson Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.


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Your options are for a referral!


WASHINGTON NEWS IN BRIEF Fish recipe gets girl seat at table Catfish dish's LR creator, 11, going to White House dinner by Sarah D. Wire | June 14, 2015 at 3:47 a.m.
WASHINGTON -- A recipe created by a Little Rock 11-year-old will get her a seat at the White House in July.
Aspen Smith will be recognized for creating a recipe for Arkansas baked almond catfish for the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, a nationwide recipe challenge for kids.
Aspen is to join winners from all U.S. states, four territories and the District of Columbia at a kids' "State Dinner" at the White House on July 10. The 55 children and a parent or guardian will eat a lunch featuring a selection of the winning recipes with first lady Michelle Obama, followed by a visit to the White House kitchen garden.
Aspen, a student at Episcopal Collegiate School in Little Rock, is the daughter of Lee and Veronica Smith of Little Rock.
Her recipe includes baking catfish dredged in a mixture of almonds and bread crumbs.
"My family loves catfish, especially fried, but my dad and other family members have heart problems," Aspen said in her submission. "I wanted something that was healthier for all of us to enjoy."
U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., announced Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is the recipient of his "Golden Fleece" award for excessive, unnecessary or costly government projects.
The award is specifically for solar panels installed at the Little Rock Veterans Affairs hospital over a year ago that were taken down to make way for a new parking deck that was approved at the same time as the solar panels.
About 7,300 panels were installed in the parking lot of John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital in 2013 at a cost of around $8 million. VA officials said the panels were never activated because they do not meet the requirements to go on line in Entergy's electrical system.
In May, Hill announced that he would begin handing out the awards, saying he was inspired to do it after learning about the solar panels. The award will revive a 13-year project begun by former U.S. Sen. William Proxmire, D-Wis., who announced 168 monthly winners of the Golden Fleece award between 1975 and 1988.
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., visited with Fort Smith Mayor Sandy Sanders; his wife, Sandi Sanders; and their granddaughter Isabel on Wednesday. Womack's office said that when the Fort Smith couple's grandchildren turn 13, the Sanderses take the children to visit Washington, D.C.
U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., met Tuesday with Families & Friends of Care Facility residents Jan Fortney and Alan Fortney of Maumelle. He gave tours of the Capitol on Wednesday to Hempstead Republican Committee Chairman Sara Darling; Jennifer, Syndey and Rusty Orr of Hope; and Josh, Rebecca, Gideon, and Hope Drake of Hot Springs.
On Saturday, he was to speak at the Pink Tomato Festival in Warren.
On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., spoke at the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus.
Hill met Mannco Environmental Services CEO Bradley Mannis of Conway on Tuesday and with Brian Cia with United Cerebral Palsy of Arkansas on Wednesday.
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., met Tuesday with Coco Dorsey and Kathy Hall with Arkansas Livestrong Foundation; and Joe Molinaro of North Little Rock, Len Pitcock of Hot Springs and Mike Wilson of Little Rock all with the Arkansas Cable Telecommunications Association. On Thursday, Cotton visited with Landon Sullivan of Valley Springs of the U.S. Cattlemen's Association.
U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., sat down with Shane Speights, vice president of medical affairs at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro on Monday. On Wednesday, he met with Arkansas Food Bank President Rhonda Sanders and Arkansas students with 4-H and the Close Up Foundation.
On Thursday. he visited with Rosemary Allen of Palestine in Washington with the National Patient Advocate Foundation and Dakota Pouncey of Hendrix College in Conway, visiting on behalf of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Four University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service graduates will work with Washington, D.C.-based organizations that work on women's issues internationally as part of a fellowship created by the family of former President Bill Clinton's first chief of staff.
Donna and Thomas F. "Mack" McLarty, along with their family, established The McLarty Global Fellows program at Vital Voices Global Partnership and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security.
Michelle Perez and Jennifer Guzman will work at Vital Voices. Anna Applebaum and Mara D'Amico, both of whom were fellows in 2014, will work with the Georgetown Institute.
Planning to visit the nation's capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Contact us at (202) 662-7690 or swire@arkansasonline.com.


Steve Phillips wrote in Political Intelligence, May 17, 2013.
The other intriguing race is in Georgia where the incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss is retiring, thereby creating an opening in a state that is 45% people of color and where Obama got nearly 46% of the vote without even contesting the state. Michelle Nunn, daughter of former Georgia Senator Sam Nunn, is looking carefully at the race and if she gets in, things could get very interesting.
Nunn could galvanize support from women across the country (two years before a potential Hillary run for President), helping her raise the resources to mount a competitive race. Most importantly from a strategic standpoint, a competitive Georgia statewide race could provide invaluable hands-on training to hundreds of activists and operatives who could then provide the infrastructure for contesting the Presidential race in 2016 and the Governor's race in 2018. For example, PAC+ Board member Stacey Abrams recruited a team of 75 young organizers to work in last year's races, and that network could be deployed, expanded, and further developed by working on Nunn's campaign. This is a race to watch.
Contrary to popular belief, Georgia's tipping point is not in 2020 but in 2014. Stacey and Georgia Democrats have plans laid out to chip away the Georgia Republican supermajority starting with Michelle Nunn running for U.S. Senate. Michelle Nunn, the former CEO of Points of Light Foundation, the largest volunteer service organization in the country, is the Democrat's best chance to maintain their majority in the U.S. Senate. In addition, Michelle's Senate race will be a chance for Democrats to harness the growing multiracial voter majority in Georgia to secure a win for Georgia Democrats.
Georgia Democrats want to basically turn their state into the next Virginia, where People of Color can elect Democrats into office. PowerPAC+ believes it can be done. As PowerPAC+ Senior Advisor, Kirk Clay tells our team in a recent Political Intelligence blog "Black Voters Can Save the Senate," Democrats need to replace "the decline of white progressive voters with a surge of voters of color." Clay goes on to say that "[Georgia Democrats] can't allow African American voter turnout to drop 3-5% [if they expect win in November]." If Democrats can turnout voters of color and pull in maybe 30 or 31 percent of whites, they can elect Nunn into office.
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