text:
Science 12 mei 2016 - 21:11
Volunteers checking river dams
Depopulation and dwindling funds have made Italian water managers resourceful. Why not have trained volunteers perform inspections of river dams? Dr. Juliette Cortes set up and tested a hydraulic inspection system.
The mountainous Fella valley in northern Italy (Friuli Venezia Giulia region) is prone to sudden floods of water and debris, and the expectation is that such sudden floods will become more frequent as climate change results in more intense rainfall. Population decreases as more inhabitants shift from the valley to the cities but exposure increases due to built areas for tourism and transport infrastructure. At the same time, rivers in the region have many different types of protecting structures that need to be regularly surveyed. This need puts pressure on the manpower for the inspection. Hence the idea of involving volunteers in the proactive inspection of these dams.
PhD candidate Juliette Cortes Arevalo has set up such an inspection system in collaboration with the technicians in charge in the Italian region. Coming from Colombia, where the emergency services are less developed than in Europe, she knew that citizens were often the first in line in emergency situations. She was motivated to investigate a more proactive role for the people in risk mitigation.
Cortes explains that she simplified existing inspection forms in the Friuli region together with those from neighbouring regions (the Province of Bolzano and the University of Padova) as a starting point. She iteratively adapted them with the technicians-in-charge. She had technicians and volunteers in the Fella valley filling out reports based on visual inspections. The results showed that not surprising perhaps, the volunteers had a higher variance in their reports than the technicians. But also that the reports of the professionals, although more precise, showed differences in judgments.
Forms & Trust
To deal with limitations of visual inspections, she decided that the evaluation of inspection forms needed more structure, including categorizing of the conditions of the structure. For example, is the dam in order (1), does it have slight deterioration without cracks(2), does it have visible cracks(3), are parts missing(4) or is the stability in danger (5)? The resulting inspection form is highly structured with little drawings explaining what is meant by the visibility of the lower part of the dam, for instance.
Aggregated inspection forms are the input for the water management agency. In the process, the inspection results are categorized according to the damage, obstruction and erosion level in the check dams to prioritise actions to be taken.
Cortes sees her work as a first step to support the use of inspections by volunteers. She recommends further research to improve the evaluation of the inspection reports. Moreover, volunteers' involvement requires understanding motivational aspects, finding necessary resources and coordination of all actors.
"It works two ways," she explained. "Management has to be able to trust the data they're getting from the citizens. Meanwhile, citizens need to be able to trust the water management to remain involved. Not only in the inspections, but also in proactively mitigating their exposure to flood in their habitat."
A smartphone application could improve the inspections by providing GPS tags, and by providing reference images as guidelines for photos made by trained volunteers. Cortes did make some screen sketches based on the paper forms to get the imagination going, but she didn't have time to develop a functional application.
When asked if a volunteer-based inspection scheme could work in the Netherlands as well, her PhD supervisor Professor Nick van de Giesen replied "The most obvious way in which volunteers could help in the Netherlands with checking hydraulic structures is with our dikes. There is actually a 'dijkleger' (dike army) that can be mobilized during times of high water to control dikes 24 hours per day. These are volunteers but they are trained and receive compensation for their work. As such, it differs from the subject of Dr. Cortes, which concerned volunteers without payment. It is unlikely that the dike army will be replaced by 100% volunteers as one needs to be able to rely on them in times of floods. For other tasks, such as sending pictures of staff gauges, cleaning of canals, checking water quality, etcetera there is undoubtedly more room for citizen involvement in managing our water system."
• Vivian Juliette Cortes Arevalo, Use of volunteers' information to support proactive inspection of hydraulic structures, PhD supervisors Prof. Nick van de Giesen (Faculty of CiTG) and Dr. Thom Bogaard in collaboration with the National Research Institute of Italy (CNR-IRPI), Defense: April 26 2016.
Jos Wassink
Promovenda geeft alcoholvrij bier een opfrisser
De vraag naar alcoholvrij bier stijgt, en niet alleen in de 'droge' maand januari. Er is een methode ontwikkeld om de smaak ervan te verbeteren. Gaat dat ook gebeuren?
Treacherous traffic in old inner cities
The rate of traffic injuries is much higher in old inner cities than elsewhere in the country, concludes Prof. Bert van Wee who was part of an RTL Nieuws investigation.
Welke plannen hebben politieke partijen voor het onderzoeksbudget?
Over twee maanden zijn er verkiezingen voor de Tweede Kamer. Wat staat er in de programma's van de politieke partijen over de financiering van het wetenschappelijk onderzoek?
'We just want to show what is happening to the climate'
He does not want to wag his finger, but does feel that people should be more aware of climate change. That's why student Dennis Botman thought up an app called ThermoMate.


text:
Published On: Mon, Nov 6th, 2017
Diamond Bank to sell-off West African Banking Operations to Focus on Nigeria
Nigeria's fastest growing retail bank, Diamond Bank said, it will sell its West African banking operations in order to focus on Nigeria's significant retail banking opportunity.
Diamond Bank has agreed to sell its operations in Benin, Togo, Cote d'Ivoire and Senegal to Manzi Finances S.A., a Cote d'Ivoire-based financial services holding company. Regulatory approvals have been obtained in all jurisdictions for the transaction, which is anticipated to close before December 31, 2017.
By focusing its resources exclusively on Nigeria, Diamond Bank is poised to capitalize on the positive macro fundamentals inherent in the Nigerian market. These include Africa's largest economy and evolving socio-economic trends driven by changing lifestyle preferences in favour of mobile delivered services, and a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Commenting on the transaction, Diamond Bank's CEO Uzoma Dozie said: "After 18 years of building the Diamond Bank franchise in other markets in West Africa, the time has come to fully apply our resources to Nigeria. This is aligned with Diamond Bank's strategic objective: to be the fastest growing and most profitable technology-driven retail banking franchise in Nigeria.
"We are prioritizing the Nigerian market because of its vast potential. A large segment of the population is underbanked or unbanked and the use of technology and mobile banking is rising exponentially. This provides Diamond Bank with the opportunity to reach millions of people, and facilitate financial inclusion on an exceptional scale.
In addition, Diamond Bank already has a foundation for growth in Nigeria with over 15 million customers.
" We also have a framework in Nigeria that will allow us to scale rapidly, efficiently and cost effectively. In part this is due to our digitally-led approach which has reduced the need to have a network of physical branches to service customers.
"Fundamentally this strategy stands to benefit all our key stakeholders – shareholders, customers and employees – in the immediate, medium and long term."
As a pioneer in banking through the harnessing of technology and a digitally-led approach, Diamond Bank has already made significant strides in Nigeria in recent years.
Key Diamond Bank initiatives include supporting Nigeria's future business leaders through its Building Entrepreneurs Today (BET) programme, improving financial inclusion by focusing on increasing female participation in the formal economy and the roll out of its Diamond Y'ello mobile banking app, which now has over 8.6 million users.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


(by Heath Druzin, Stripes.com) KHALIS, Iraq — Sgt. Hassan Jassaam strides through the trash-strewn streets of this Diyala province town, a Kalashnikov swinging against his blue camouflage, a red beret carefully placed on his head and a cigarette perpetually dangling from his mouth. He looks and acts every part the military leader, and that is part of the problem.
assaam is a police officer with a local emergency response force, somewhat akin to an American SWAT Team. On this day his men are supposed to be leading a joint patrol with American soldiers from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, but the Iraqis seem unsure of themselves, mostly looking to an American, 1st Lt. Christopher Motter, for instructions.
In trying to stand up Iraqi police forces, American troops are facing the challenge of working with officers who have the mentality and equipment of a military organization and who still rely heavily on American troops for guidance and expertise.
Violence has dropped markedly in Diyala province in the past year, but al-Qaida in Iraq and Jaish al-Mahdi insurgents still target Iraqis and American soldiers with roadside bombs and shootings. In a furrowed palm grove on the outskirts of this town in western Diyala, amongst drunks and stray dogs, Motter's soldiers find a rocket-propelled grenade warhead and detonator.
During two joint patrols led by Motter and Jassaam, flocks of pigeons were flushed from nearby rooftops, a common signal insurgents use to alert others to American troop presence.
After years of war and battles against insurgents, many Iraqi police officers are still in a military mindset, comfortable manning a roadblock, but uneasy with day-to-day police work, said U.S. Army Capt. Scott Jones, who is based in Khalis.
"We're trying to get them out of the checkpoint mentality," he said.
Jassaam's men each have a Kalashnikov – more commonly known as an AK-47, a fine tool for warfare but awkward for a beat cop. Jassaam said officers who want handguns must buy them off the street because the government so far has refused to pay for them. Another police officer said they use paper badges because they don't have the money for real ones.
On a mission to search for a suspected weapons cache, Jassaam seems at ease directing his men to clear vacant buildings, but he struggles to take a report from a woman who said her husband was murdered.
The state of Iraqi policing is a vast improvement over the days when officers acted more like sectarian militias than police, but making them a truly independent organization requires more work, said Brigade Commander Col. Burt Thompson.
"They've still got a long way to go," he said.
As U.S. forces reduce their presence in Iraq, they are trying to put an Iraqi face on police operations. Motter said he is working on teaching the Iraqis some basics like map reading and how to properly space officers during patrols to reduce vulnerability to attacks.
"They need more technical training, but mentally they're there," he said.
Jassaam said both American soldiers and Iraqi officers are working toward peace and that joint patrols are invaluable for his men.
"The big thing we get is the experience and we feel like when we work with them we are one team," he said.
Iraqi forces have a long way to go, though. Motter was consulted on nearly every decision during two recent missions with Jassaam's men. Jassaam even deferred to Motter when it came to questioning a man who had pro-insurgent graffiti on his wall.
When the Iraqis patrolled the cities narrow, sewage-filled alleys, Motter reminded them not to bunch up, to avoid becoming an easy target for grenade attacks. Some of the Iraqis sat down to take breaks in the middle of the patrol.
On a joint mission in the mud-hut enclave of Sufait, a slight, baby-faced Iraqi police officer leads American soldiers into a house suspected of being frequented by an al-Qaida member. When the Iraqi officer gets to the house, though, he just stands on the first floor, rifle at his side, looking unsure of what to do while American soldiers go room to room, clearing the building.
It's a tricky balancing act for U.S. soldiers such as Motter who want to build on security gains made over the last year while giving the Iraqis more responsibility.
"We're trying to maintain our presence but reduce our visibility," Motter said.
The task is even more difficult in outlying areas where U.S. presence is limited.
In Sufait, a 45-minute dirt-road drive from Khalis, 1st Lt. David Jarzab sat down for a frustrating conversation with the local police lieutenant. First the lieutenant complained that with only 15 officers, he is understaffed. When Jarzab said that other similar-sized towns have even fewer officers, the police lieutenant said he actually has only six officers.
It's not the first time the lieutenant has given U.S. forces shaky information, Jarzab said. Pointing to dug-up earth in the station's front yard, Jarzab said soldiers have even found weapons caches at the station.
"I want to tell you something, this [Iraqi police] station is corrupt," he told a reporter.
Motter said he has an excellent working relationship with Jassaam but that there is still a long way to go to build trust between soldiers and the Iraqi police. Corruption, bribery and worse are still rife within police ranks.
"I don't give them much intel because basically I assume they're infiltrated [by insurgents]," Motter said.
© 2008 Stars and Stripes. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. Visit the website at Stripes.com.
NOTE: Iraq is made up of 18 provinces. Diyala is the province highlighted in light green on the map of Iraq.
1. Who is Hassan Jassaam?
2. a) What main problem does 1st Lt. Christopher Motter have with the Iraqi police? Give an example.
b) Overall, what problem do U.S. officers have with Iraqi police forces?
3. a) What positive news has come out of Diyala recently?
b) What dangers still exist in Diyala?
4. What equipment problems do Iraqi police officers have?
5. How have the Iraqi police forces improved since the beginning of the war, according to Col. Burt Thompson?
6. What are U.S. officers like Lt. Motter doing to improve the police skills of the Iraqis?
7. 1st Lt. David Jarzab says that the police station in the small town of Sufait is corrupt. Lt. Motter even assumes that the police in Khalis are infiltrated by insurgents.
a) Do you think that every Iraqi police officer/station is corrupt or infiltrated by insurgents?
b) How can the U.S. military solve the problem of corrupt officers/stations?
c) What do you think of the job our military is doing in this area of training and transitioning control to Iraqis?
Diyala province extends to the northeast of Baghdad as far as the Iranian border. Its capital is Baquba.
Diyala province covers an area of 6,828 square miles. In 2003, it had an estimated population of 1.27 million, mostly Sunni Arabs, with a sizeable community of Shia Arabs and Kurds.
A large portion of the province is drained by the Diyala River, a major tributary of the Tigris. Because of its proximity to two major sources of water, Diyala's main industry is agriculture, primarily dates grown in large date palm groves. It is also recognized as the orange capital of the Middle East.
The Diyala Province also boasts the Diyala Media Center. The center was built under contract by a Japanese architectural firm in 1989. It is one of Iraq's few independent radio and television stations that offer local television and radio news coverage as well as re-broadcasting the state-run television media.
Read about Diyala province (1 of 18 provinces of Iraq) at the Multi-National Forces website.


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The 718 Knight Series is one of Lucky's most popular fish finder. With its durable fuselage, sophisticated technology, and stable performance and popularity, this product has became the leading fish finder by user selection. It is also one of the most successful fish finders in many years.


Getting caught in her wedding dress by her drop-dead-gorgeous exhusband is Reese Michaels' worst nightmare. Especially when her perfect-on-paper fiancé then cancels their wedding!
Reese has spent years trying to forget how her marriage to Mason Hicks crashed and burned – their chemistry was incredible! Mason might be her own personal brand of kryptonite, but surely life is meant to be lived a little dangerously...?
Gina Carrington knows exactly how to have fun! But when she slept with her friend's brother, the off-limits Carter, she quickly discovered she'd overstepped the mark.
Years later, Gina sees Carter again, and can't help but wonder what the harm would be in one more night. But Gina has secrets which she can't hide forever – will their chemistry be strong enough to keep Carter by her side when they come to light?
Having watched her three closest friends all find love, Southern Belle Marnie Price feels like she's the only single girl left. Luckily she's found a solution – one sizzling night with Dylan Brookes!
Dylan is all about making sensible choices, and a fling with Marnie is about as far from sensible as he can get! She might prove to him that taking risks is worth it, but that doesn't mean he's ready to give up his bachelor status, does it...?


If you are looking to plant fruit in your yard, blackberries are an excellent choice. Blackberry plants offer many advantages for you. They are easy to maintain, come in several varieties, and can grow almost anywhere.
Blackberry bushes are very easy to plant and maintain. They are self-fertile, so you can have one plant or hundreds if you would like. They grow best in full sun and fertile soil that drains well.
You can plant them shallowly. They need approximately one inch of water each week. It can be helpful to put mulch around them to help hold in moisture and to cut down on weeds.
Once a year, you should prune your blackberry bushes to increase your crop the next year.
You can get vining blackberries semi-erect, or erect blackberries. Thornless blackberry varieties are also available. If you get vining blackberries, you will want to set up a trellis for them to grow on. When planting, semi-erect go 5 to 6 feet apart. Erect blackberries should be planted 3 feet apart. Vining blackberries need to be 5-8 feet apart. Eight feet should be left between rows.
One of the great things about blackberries is that they can grow almost anywhere. Blackberry varieties are available for zones 5-10. In warmer zones, blackberries should be planted in the fall. In colder climates, waiting for early spring is ideal. Some hybrid varieties have been cultivated for colder climates, so they will produce berries earlier and not lose their flowers in a frost.
While blackberry plants are ideal for growing because they are so easy to care for and can grow in so many places, there is one significant advantage we have not covered. You get lots of nutritious and delicious blackberries to eat!!


text:
Höre The New World in der App.
StartseitePodcastsPolitik
London, Vereinigtes Königreich / Podcast, Politik
Imagining the New Truth: Oksana Zabuzhko
Ukrainian author Oksana Zabuzhko on processing the turbulent world through her work
Fixing Globalisation
Jim O'Neill asks if new challenges mean an end to the era of globalisation. As chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Lord O'Neill was seen as one of the high priests of globalisation - coining the term BRICs to describe the economic rise of Brazil, Russia, India and China. Now, many see the UK's vote to leave the EU, alongside the election of Donald Trump as indications that the world is turning away from globalisation. A stalling in the increase in global trade is seen as another significant indicator. Lord O'Neill believes that globalisation can be a positive force, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. But can this economic engine take care of those left behind by rapid, wrenching change? Producer: Helen Grady.
Fixing Globalisation – Jim O'Neill in conversation with Paul Mason
This is bonus material from interviews recorded for the New World Series. The economist Jim O'Neill talks to the left-wing thinker Paul Mason about globalisation, neoliberalism and how people across the political spectrum can unite to defend interconnectedness.
Fixing Globalisation – Jim O'Neill in conversation with George Osborne
This is bonus material from interviews recorded for the New World Series. The economist Jim O'Neill talks with his old boss, the former Conservative Chancellor, George Osborne, about the roots and policy responses to the current backlash against globalisation.
Fixing Globalisation – Jim O'Neill in conversation with David Miliband
The economist Jim O'Neill talks to the President of the International Rescue Committee and former Labour Foreign Secretary David Miliband about the roots and risks of 'de-globalisation'. This is bonus material from interviews recorded for the New World Series.
Über The New World
Hören Sie The New World, 1LIVE und viele andere Radiosender aus aller Welt mit der radio.de-App
The New World: Zugehörige Sender
BBC Radio 4 Long Wave
London, Talk


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text:
Stiffs.com
The Stiffs
Here's a long distance dedication to Casey from Reaper G: "I've been waiting for you a long time. I can't wait to spend eternity with you. You're my everything."
radio, television
1. The Mohamed Abdelwahab Memorial Three Bagger 1
2. The May 2014 Lee Jr. 15
3. The Bob Gassoff Three Bagger 8
4. The February 2014 Lee Jr. 22
5. The 2014 Lee Atwater Invitational Dead Pool 300
6. The 2013 Lee Atwater Invitational Dead Pool 3
8. The August 2011 Lee Jr. 1
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11. The 2011 Lee Atwater Invitational Dead Pool 4
12. The Aleksander Petrovic Memorial Three-Bagger 1
20. The September '98 Lee Jr. 2
Pick some famous people you think are going to die soon. Whoever gets the most right wins.
© 2020 Stiffs.com
Guess the Stiff!
Gonna leave this world for a while.
(d) October 2nd, 2017


Get a jacket with both substance and style. The Nike Women's Team Challenger Jacket is both fashionable, and features excellent technologies. Constructed from a Body Storm-Fit 1, 97g 100% polyester taffeta fabric. The lining is Dri-FIT®, 78g 100% polyester warp knit mesh. Features Durable Water Resistant fabrics, to protect against harsh weather conditions. Has elongated neck for extra protection. Stow away zip hood. Front Pockets. Recycled red at hem and at arm cuffs. And the contrast white inset at top of shoulder and middle waist lend a sleek, sweet design. Heat transfer Swoosh trademark at upper right chest. Imported.


text:
@implementation ForwardingChainIdentifier

- (instancetype)init { @throw nil; }

- (instancetype)initWithInDeviceUID:(NSString *)theInDeviceUID andInStreamIndex:(NSUInteger)theInStreamIndex andOutDeviceUID:(NSString *)theOutDeviceUID andOutStreamIndex:(NSUInteger)theOutStreamIndex
{
  if (self = [super init])
  {
    _inDeviceUID = [theInDeviceUID copy];
    _inStreamIndex = theInStreamIndex;
    _outDeviceUID = [theOutDeviceUID copy];
    _outStreamIndex = theOutStreamIndex;
  }
  return self;
}

+ (instancetype)identifierWithDictionary:(NSDictionary *)dict
{
  NSString *inDeviceUID = dict[@"InDevice"];
  NSNumber *inStreamIndex = dict[@"InStream"];
  NSString *outDeviceUID = dict[@"OutDevice"];
  NSNumber *outStreamIndex = dict[@"OutStream"];
  if (inDeviceUID && inStreamIndex && [inStreamIndex isKindOfClass:NSNumber.class]
    && outDeviceUID && outStreamIndex && [outStreamIndex isKindOfClass:NSNumber.class])
    return [[ForwardingChainIdentifier alloc]
      initWithInDeviceUID:inDeviceUID andInStreamIndex:inStreamIndex.unsignedIntegerValue
      andOutDeviceUID:outDeviceUID andOutStreamIndex:outStreamIndex.unsignedIntegerValue];
  return nil;
}

- (NSString *)description
{
  return [NSString stringWithFormat:@"<%@: %p; inDeviceUID = \"%@\"; inStreamIndex = %zu; outDeviceUID = \"%@\"; outStreamIndex = %zu>", [self class], (void *)self, _inDeviceUID, _inStreamIndex, _outDeviceUID, _outStreamIndex];
}

- (NSDictionary *)asDictionary
{
  return @{@"InDevice": _inDeviceUID, @"InStream" : [NSNumber numberWithUnsignedInteger:_inStreamIndex], @"OutDevice": _outDeviceUID, @"OutStream" : [NSNumber numberWithUnsignedInteger:_outStreamIndex]};
}

- (BOOL)isEqual: (id)someOther
{
  if (![someOther isKindOfClass:ForwardingChainIdentifier.class])
    return NO;
  ForwardingChainIdentifier *other = someOther;
  return _outStreamIndex == other->_outStreamIndex && _inStreamIndex == other->_inStreamIndex
    && [_inDeviceUID isEqual: other->_inDeviceUID] && [_outDeviceUID isEqual: other->_outDeviceUID];
}

#define NSUINT_BIT (CHAR_BIT * sizeof(NSUInteger))
#define NSUINTROTATE(val, howmuch) ((((NSUInteger)val) << howmuch) | (((NSUInteger)val) >> (NSUINT_BIT - howmuch)))
- (NSUInteger)hash
{
  NSUInteger hash = _inDeviceUID.hash;
  hash = NSUINTROTATE(hash, NSUINT_BIT / 2) ^ _inStreamIndex;
  hash = NSUINTROTATE(hash, NSUINT_BIT / 4) ^ _outDeviceUID.hash;
  hash = NSUINTROTATE(hash, 7) ^ _outStreamIndex;
  return hash;
}

@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
package mesosphere.marathon
package core.deployment.impl

import akka.Done
import akka.actor.{ OneForOneStrategy, Props, SupervisorStrategy }
import akka.pattern.{ Backoff, BackoffSupervisor }
import akka.testkit.{ TestActorRef, TestProbe }
import mesosphere.AkkaUnitTest
import mesosphere.marathon.core.condition.Condition
import mesosphere.marathon.core.condition.Condition.{ Failed, Running }
import mesosphere.marathon.core.event.{ DeploymentStatus, _ }
import mesosphere.marathon.core.health.MesosCommandHealthCheck
import mesosphere.marathon.core.instance.Instance
import mesosphere.marathon.core.launcher.impl.LaunchQueueTestHelper
import mesosphere.marathon.core.launchqueue.LaunchQueue
import mesosphere.marathon.core.readiness.ReadinessCheckExecutor
import mesosphere.marathon.core.task.tracker.InstanceTracker
import mesosphere.marathon.state.PathId._
import mesosphere.marathon.state.{ AppDefinition, Command }
import org.scalatest.concurrent.Eventually

import scala.concurrent.{ Future, Promise }
import scala.util.control.NonFatal

class TaskStartActorTest extends AkkaUnitTest with Eventually {
  "TaskStartActor" should {
    for (
      (counts, description) <- Seq(
        None -> "with no item in queue",
        Some(LaunchQueueTestHelper.zeroCounts) -> "with zero count queue item"
      )
    ) {
      s"Start success $description" in {
        val f = new Fixture
        val promise = Promise[Unit]()
        val app = AppDefinition("/myApp".toPath, instances = 5)

        f.launchQueue.getAsync(app.id) returns Future.successful(counts)
        f.taskTracker.countActiveSpecInstances(app.id) returns Future.successful(0)
        val ref = f.startActor(app, app.instances, promise)
        watch(ref)

        eventually { verify(f.launchQueue, atLeastOnce).addAsync(app, app.instances) }

        for (i <- 0 until app.instances)
          system.eventStream.publish(f.instanceChange(app, Instance.Id.forRunSpec(app.id), Running))

        promise.future.futureValue should be(())

        expectTerminated(ref)
      }
    }

    "Start success with one task left to launch" in {
      val f = new Fixture
      val counts = Some(LaunchQueueTestHelper.zeroCounts.copy(instancesLeftToLaunch = 1, finalInstanceCount = 1))
      val promise = Promise[Unit]()
      val app = AppDefinition("/myApp".toPath, instances = 5)

      f.launchQueue.getAsync(app.id) returns Future.successful(counts)

      val ref = f.startActor(app, app.instances, promise)
      watch(ref)

      eventually { verify(f.launchQueue, atLeastOnce).addAsync(app, app.instances - 1) }

      for (i <- 0 until (app.instances - 1))
        system.eventStream.publish(f.instanceChange(app, Instance.Id.forRunSpec(app.id), Running))

      promise.future.futureValue should be(())

      expectTerminated(ref)
    }

    "Start success with existing task in launch queue" in {
      val f = new Fixture
      val promise = Promise[Unit]()
      val app = AppDefinition("/myApp".toPath, instances = 5)

      f.launchQueue.getAsync(app.id) returns Future.successful(None)
      f.taskTracker.countActiveSpecInstances(app.id) returns Future.successful(1)

      val ref = f.startActor(app, app.instances, promise)
      watch(ref)

      eventually { verify(f.launchQueue, atLeastOnce).addAsync(app, app.instances - 1) }

      for (i <- 0 until (app.instances - 1))
        system.eventStream.publish(f.instanceChange(app, Instance.Id.forRunSpec(app.id), Running))

      promise.future.futureValue should be(())

      expectTerminated(ref)
    }

    "Start success with no instances to start" in {
      val f = new Fixture
      val promise = Promise[Unit]()
      val app = AppDefinition("/myApp".toPath, instances = 0)
      f.launchQueue.getAsync(app.id) returns Future.successful(None)
      f.taskTracker.countActiveSpecInstances(app.id) returns Future.successful(0)

      val ref = f.startActor(app, app.instances, promise)
      watch(ref)

      promise.future.futureValue should be(())

      expectTerminated(ref)
    }

    "Start with health checks" in {
      val f = new Fixture
      val promise = Promise[Unit]()
      val app = AppDefinition(
        "/myApp".toPath,
        instances = 5,
        healthChecks = Set(MesosCommandHealthCheck(command = Command("true")))
      )
      f.launchQueue.getAsync(app.id) returns Future.successful(None)
      f.taskTracker.countActiveSpecInstances(app.id) returns Future.successful(0)

      val ref = f.startActor(app, app.instances, promise)
      watch(ref)

      eventually { verify(f.launchQueue, atLeastOnce).addAsync(app, app.instances) }

      for (i <- 0 until app.instances)
        system.eventStream.publish(f.healthChange(app, Instance.Id.forRunSpec(app.id), healthy = true))

      promise.future.futureValue should be(())

      expectTerminated(ref)
    }

    "Start with health checks with no instances to start" in {
      val f = new Fixture
      val promise = Promise[Unit]()
      val app = AppDefinition(
        "/myApp".toPath,
        instances = 0,
        healthChecks = Set(MesosCommandHealthCheck(command = Command("true")))
      )
      f.launchQueue.getAsync(app.id) returns Future.successful(None)
      f.taskTracker.countActiveSpecInstances(app.id) returns Future.successful(0)

      val ref = f.startActor(app, app.instances, promise)
      watch(ref)

      promise.future.futureValue should be(())

      expectTerminated(ref)
    }

    "Task fails to start" in {
      val f = new Fixture
      val promise = Promise[Unit]()
      val app = AppDefinition("/myApp".toPath, instances = 1)

      f.launchQueue.getAsync(app.id) returns Future.successful(None)
      f.taskTracker.countActiveSpecInstances(app.id) returns Future.successful(0)

      val ref = f.startActor(app, app.instances, promise)
      watch(ref)

      eventually { verify(f.launchQueue, atLeastOnce).addAsync(app, app.instances) }

      system.eventStream.publish(f.instanceChange(app, Instance.Id.forRunSpec(app.id), Failed))

      eventually { verify(f.launchQueue, atLeastOnce).addAsync(app, 1) }

      for (i <- 0 until app.instances)
        system.eventStream.publish(f.instanceChange(app, Instance.Id.forRunSpec(app.id), Running))

      promise.future.futureValue should be(())

      expectTerminated(ref)
    }

    // This is a dumb test - we're verifying that the actor called methods we programmed it to call.
    // However since we plan to replace Deployments with Actions anyway, I'll not going to start a rewrite.
    "Start success with dying existing task, reschedules and finishes" in {
      val f = new Fixture
      val promise = Promise[Unit]()
      val app = AppDefinition("/myApp".toPath, instances = 5)

      f.launchQueue.getAsync(app.id) returns Future.successful(None)
      f.taskTracker.countActiveSpecInstances(app.id) returns Future.successful(1)

      val ref = f.startActor(app, app.instances, promise)
      watch(ref)

      // 4 initial instances should be added to the launch queue
      eventually { verify(f.launchQueue, atLeastOnce).addAsync(eq(app), any) }

      // let existing task die
      f.taskTracker.countActiveSpecInstances(app.id) returns Future.successful(0)
      f.launchQueue.getAsync(app.id) returns Future.successful(Some(LaunchQueueTestHelper.zeroCounts.copy(instancesLeftToLaunch = 4, finalInstanceCount = 4)))
      system.eventStream.publish(f.instanceChange(app, Instance.Id.forRunSpec(app.id), Condition.Error))

      // trigger a Sync and wait for another task to be added to the launch queue
      ref ! StartingBehavior.Sync
      eventually { verify(f.launchQueue, times(4)).addAsync(eq(app), any) }

      // let 4 other tasks start successfully
      List(0, 1, 2, 3) foreach { i =>
        system.eventStream.publish(f.instanceChange(app, Instance.Id.forRunSpec(app.id), Running))
      }

      // and make sure that the actor should finishes
      promise.future.futureValue should be(())

      expectTerminated(ref)
    }
  }
  class Fixture {

    val scheduler: SchedulerActions = mock[SchedulerActions]
    val launchQueue: LaunchQueue = mock[LaunchQueue]
    val taskTracker: InstanceTracker = mock[InstanceTracker]
    val deploymentManager = TestProbe()
    val status: DeploymentStatus = mock[DeploymentStatus]
    val readinessCheckExecutor: ReadinessCheckExecutor = mock[ReadinessCheckExecutor]

    launchQueue.addAsync(any, any) returns Future.successful(Done)

    def instanceChange(app: AppDefinition, id: Instance.Id, condition: Condition): InstanceChanged = {
      val instance: Instance = mock[Instance]
      instance.instanceId returns id
      InstanceChanged(id, app.version, app.id, condition, instance)
    }

    def healthChange(app: AppDefinition, id: Instance.Id, healthy: Boolean): InstanceHealthChanged = {
      InstanceHealthChanged(id, app.version, app.id, Some(healthy))
    }

    def startActor(app: AppDefinition, scaleTo: Int, promise: Promise[Unit]): TestActorRef[TaskStartActor] =
      TestActorRef(childSupervisor(TaskStartActor.props(
        deploymentManager.ref, status, scheduler, launchQueue, taskTracker, system.eventStream, readinessCheckExecutor,
        app, scaleTo, promise), "Test-TaskStartActor"))

    // Prevents the TaskActor from restarting too many times (filling the log with exceptions) similar to how it's
    // parent actor (DeploymentActor) does it.
    def childSupervisor(props: Props, name: String): Props = {
      import scala.concurrent.duration._

      BackoffSupervisor.props(
        Backoff.onFailure(
          childProps = props,
          childName = name,
          minBackoff = 5.seconds,
          maxBackoff = 30.seconds,
          randomFactor = 0.2 // adds 20% "noise" to vary the intervals slightly
        ).withSupervisorStrategy(
          OneForOneStrategy() {
            case NonFatal(_) => SupervisorStrategy.Restart
            case _ => SupervisorStrategy.Escalate
          }
        ))
    }
  }
}


text:
WFAN: Christie's appearances an audition for new job
For two days next week, Gov. Chris Christie is scheduled to sit in on WFAN 660-AM, a sports-talk radio station in New York, officials said.
WFAN: Christie's appearances an audition for new job For two days next week, Gov. Chris Christie is scheduled to sit in on WFAN 660-AM, a sports-talk radio station in New York, officials said. Check out this story on app.com: https://njersy.co/2uwqVbo
Keldy Ortiz and Dustin Racioppi, NorthJersey Published 8:06 p.m. ET July 6, 2017 | Updated 8:27 p.m. ET July 7, 2017
Governor Christie at the WOR-AM radio studios in Manhattan in 2009.(Photo: File photo)Buy Photo
For two days next week, Gov. Chris Christie is scheduled to sit in as a guest host on sports-talk radio station WFAN 660-AM New York, an appearance a station spokeswoman called an audition.
Christie is slated to be heard on Monday and Tuesday instead of afternoon host Mike Francesa, the radio station posted on its website. The two days will be audition days, Jaime Saberito, a station spokesperson, said Friday, as Francesa is set to leave the station once his contract ends later this year.
Christie will host the 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. show along with Evan Roberts, a WFAN host. He isn't the only one slotted to audition next week. Mike Valenti from WXYT-FM 97.1 in Detroit, former National Football League quarterback Chris Simms, SNY's Brian Custer and NFL Network and WFAN contributor Kim Jones will also audition next week, the station said. Roberts and his midmorning co-host, Joe Benigno, are also scheduled to audition in the afternoon slot, the station said.
Mark Chernoff, the station's program director and vice president of its parent company, CBS Radio New York, previously told The Record he would consider the governor, whose term ends in January 2018.
"If he's interested and we're interested, it's worth pursuing," Chernoff said in February.
TRAVEL COSTS: Chris Christie a frequent flyer on taxpayer-owned helicopters
RADIO READY?:Could Christie make it as a sports talk show host?
CANDIDATES:Christie one of many being considered to replace Mike Francesa
Chernoff has reportedly said he would like to have a plan in place for Francesa's replacement by Labor Day.
Christie has previously said he has an interest in sports broadcasting. But the governor is prohibited from seriously seeking or considering job prospects while in office.
Mike DuHaime, Christie's longtime strategist, said Friday that the governor has not precluded any job opportunities that may come his way, but that he is still focused on finishing his remaining six months in office.
"He's going to have a ton of opportunities before him. Only time will tell on that front," DuHaime said. "He is much more patient about that than everybody else who's watching it."
Christie regularly fills in as a co-host on the station's morning program "Boomer and Carton." Chernoff told The Record earlier in the year that he had planned to rotate Christie into the afternoon slot during the summer if the governor was willing.
Christie often faced criticism for spending so much time out of state when he was running for president, but he responded by saying that he could juggle duties, or "walk and chew gum at the same time." And he is often with aides and his cellphone if anything should arise in New Jersey that needs his attention.
"The governor enjoys the opportunity to talk about sports on WFAN and is happy to have the chance to do that with Evan Roberts for eight hours next week over two shows. Despite those eight hours, as always, he will be on the job as governor," Christie spokesman Brian Murray said in a statement. "As for the governor's future, he appreciates the interest and concern about his next employment from his friends in the media, but he is not concerned at all about it."
Read or Share this story: https://njersy.co/2uwqVbo
'I see someone who has thrown his life away': Keansburg man gets 40 years for murder
Lakehurst man gets 8 years after dropping cocaine in front of cop
'You make one wrong turn and it's irreversible': Jail interview with American Idol's Antonella Barba
NJ students find Sugar Daddies to pay for college
Red Bank apartments could tower 125 feet over West Front Street
Manchester teen admits killing mother in front of 4-year-old brother


I have replaced "simple syrup" with maple syrup and increased the rum portion, as well as "Persianizing" the brewing process; as a result my cocktail has a deeper flavor and thicker body and is still a bit tart and sour-sweet with amazingly refreshing effects!
3 tbsp. dry hibiscus tea (known in Persian as "sour tea") to get 4 cups of brewed tea (see instruction below).
2 cup aged rum such as Flor de Caña.
Variation: If you don't have maple syrup handy, go with the same amount of simple syrup. To make simple syrup, mix 1 cup water with 1 cup sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and syrup is thickened. Cool before using.
Measure out 3 tablespoons hibiscus tea. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, ideally in a kettle. Once boiled, add water to the hibiscus tea in a teapot. Place the kettle on a low heat, and put the teapot right on top of the kettle. Let it sit there for at least ten minutes. If you are not equipped to do so, after adding hot water to the teapot, simply keep the teapot close to the direct source of heat for ten minutes. This brewing technique brings out the most out of any kind of tea I promise you! Remove from the heat and let it cool.
Pass the tea through a fine mesh strainer in to a big bowl. Add lemon juice, maple syrup and rum. Stir gently to mix.
Place mint leaves in bottom of a pitcher. Add the contents of the bowl (cooled hibiscus tea, rum, maple syrup and lemon juice) to pitcher. Add 1 cup ice, stir and cover.
Prepare your serving glasses by placing a few mint leaves in the bottom of each and filing them with ice. Add club soda to the pitcher before pouring the drink into your glasses.
Place at least one mint string in each glass for added visual and sensory delight!


text:
Q: Docker log-driver blocking mode When log driver is set to blocking mode, docker says it can block the application due to back pressure. Is there some metrics/stats available that tells me how often is my application back pressuring?
I've noticed that we are using mode=blocking in production and would like to know its impact

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Schema changes on a live database are hard, and they should not be done lightly. That doesn't mean that schema changes should be avoided, not at all, a good database design is essential for security and performance.
If you are a MediaWiki hacker, please note that the following only applies to changes that will be deployed to WMF servers. MediaWiki schema changes and standards are not covered here. But it has been agreed that update.php is avoided in our servers, as it would cause huge production issues. For that reasons, the following workflow has been created in order to attend schema change requests as fast as possible.
This is not a dangerous process, and can be done unattended. However, due to labs filtering limitation (hopefully, to be solved soon) you still should block on a DBA to review the table creation to check private data leak is not possible (and also add heads up to create the appropiate views if they are public).
Lower priority and normally do not block anyone, while being even more dangerous than an alter. Add them to Task T54921 or as a subtask of that instead.
Other "cleanup" schema changes (e.g. a column that is stopped being used but it is not blocking code). While those are real schema changes, if they don't block code deployments, just use the #DBA tag to avoid prioritizing them over those that are actual blockers.
Make sure to involve as many relevant people as possible. For example, a DBA can provide constructive feedback in time if requested.
Where to run those changes (specific dblist file or the complete list of wikis, in text, to apply the change to). "All wikis" or "everywhere" are not specific enough and has been the cause of outages in the past.
If the schema change has been tested already on some of the test/beta wikis. Usually, as a last test, change should be applied to testwiki first.
If it involves new columns or tables, if the data should be made available on the labs replicas and/or dumps or not because they contain private or sensitive data (consult legal if you are unsure). Similar question if it involves deletion of data previously available on labs.
The alter will be performed as soon as possible within the available resources. If the schema change has to be done in a particular timeframe (for example, depending on code deployment), pinging with enough time in advance is strongly suggested (an easy change can take 1 week, but a very complex one can take months).
Schema changes are usually attended in the order they are requested (assuming they can be applied right away). If in doubt, request it/notify #DBAs as early as possible. SREs follow a 3-month goal schedule, so task prioritization and support needs are discussed at the end of March, June, September and December. Those teams that communicated with SREs Managers or the DBA team before the 3-month period explicitly will have a guaranteed window and dedicated time in the following 3 months. Those that communicate late in the 3-month schedule will be queued in order and susceptible of delays due to variable workload and variable availabe time (e.g. vacations) time.
DBA aka #Wikimedia-Database component: Tickets related to database administration of the WMF, and issues found on them. E.g.: "Please recover the table X on day Y.". "db1022 is down" "db1047 has lag"
blocked-on-schema-change tag: A schema change has been fully agreed (equivalent to +2, even if it is not yet merged), and we are waiting for the DBAs to perform the change on the WMF databases. Please note that a complex schema change could take up several months to be performed once it has started to be applied.
MediaWiki-Database component: Tickets related to programming/fixing issues of all kinds of database backends. DBAs can and will be happy to help with this, but have to be notified.
schema-change tag: a change in MediaWiki that is work in progress. Wikimedia DBAs should be (ideally) taken into consideration for possible optimizations, potential problems, etc.
All tables must have a primary key. That is not a suggestion, it is a MediaWiki policy. Primary keys prevent duplicate rows, allow better performance for ROW-based replication, and are required to perform online schema changes by many tools. Add one to your table before it gets too big.
Do not break compatibility with existing code. Usually, that forces to perform two code deployments, one where code is compatible with new and old structure, and the final one. While it is a lot of more effort, please take into account that schema changes are not transactional, they could take hours or even days to be deployed on all servers, on all wikis. Adding new columns at the end of the table is another way to do it, as code should be compatible with that. Once data has been migrated or filled in, the old columns could be dropped.
New indexes, at least on core functionality, should be documented on tables.sql. This improves maintainability and allows to detect redundant indexes or perform further alter changes with better context of what each index is used for.
DBAs are here to help, not to be an obstacle. If you have any doubt about a schema change (data types, performance, etc.), just ask.
Certain ALTER operations require to stop writes for a while while they are ongoing. For the master, this means that new edits and updates to the wikis are stopped or fail, for the slaves, it means replication lag, which can lead to other kind of bad consequences, such as querying stale data, or, with the protections put in place, not being able to read at all (as master reads are avoided as much as possible).
Even if an online alter table is possible (with the built-in online ALTER TABLE functionality or pt-online-schema-change), or the table is very small to not care about online changes, in mysql there exists a failsafe called metadata locking that avoids SELECTs running with stale metadata information. This metadata-locking means that, while SELECTS are ongoing, the ALTER TABLE cannot start, and it is queued. While the alter table is queued, all subsequent transactions are also blocked. Please note that tools like pt-online-schema change, while online, requires also metadata locking on the original table due to trigger creation. This happens on tables such as the image table on Commons, and other popular tables.
Schema changes can impact the performance of the server while ongoing, making it more susceptible to lag problems or overload. In order to perform a schema change successfully it is needed to prepare the deployment by warming up the tables on the slaves to minimize lag issues, and configure the online schema change tool adequately.
All schema change, like any code deployment, is a source of potential application breakage. Sometimes, in the most strange ways: deleting an apparently unused index can lead to a server failure if it was, in-fact, used and the application starts performing full table scans, maximizing connection count. Adding a new index can cause a better index to stop being used due to confusion of the mysql query planner. Please note that testing on beta is a requirement, but not a guarantee that things will work in production due to the high amount of traffic and the large amount of rows on certain tables (query plan is dynamic and depends on the status of the table, it is not static).
Schema changes, unlike code, cannot be rolled back. Only the reverse schema change can be executed again, assuming data has not been lost in the process. What it is worse, changes done with ALTER TABLE, if failed or cancelled, start rollbacking the process, that could take the same or more than applying the changes in the first place.
Sometimes, adding new columns has a lot of overhead in space consumed, and that could lead to server failure if the schema change fails do the lack of disk space. This is particularly impacting on large tables such as revision or page, as certain schema changes require to copy all table data, temporarily doubling its size while the schema change is ongoing.
Schema changes have to be coordinated so two incompatible changes are not running at the same time. Also, by grouping schema changes happening on the same table, usually a huge speed up is achieved and the applications is for less time in a degraded state.
For all those reasons, which can be summarized on assuring our system's reliability, schema changes should be carefully reviewed and applied by a Database administrator, or by someone at Operations/Platform engineering to avoid larger issues.
This page was last edited on 5 March 2019, at 12:01.


New Walther Q5 Match chambered for 9mm. Available at 507 Outfitters in Easton, PA. We also carry other Walther pistols. Contact us for pricing and availability at contact@507outfitters.com or call us at 610-438-4780.


When in your last year of school, academic tasks can be a weight on your shoulders. However, you have come so far to allow the final project ruin your chances of graduating. Thesis writing seems like a stressful road to pursue, but you can always partner with someone who will make your burden lighter. The many years you have put into schooling should not go to waste. Online thesis writing companies are the best solution to that problem.
They have a skilled staff. Most online thesis writing centers employ the best team. They employ individuals with Masters and Doctorates. They have invested in their labor force to warrant that they remain in the industry for long. They assist the client with any document including the highly technical or those that require in-depth research. For the customers who are specific about who handles their work, they can rest assured all will be well.
They hire native writers. Many of the online thesis writing companies have a pool of professionals from almost everywhere on the globe. They have specialists from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, China, and even Spain. It ensures that they spread their services to many countries and serve more people. They also translate materials to or from your language of choice. They guarantee the student natural-born speakers of the particular dialect. Going global puts them in a better position to compete on an international scale.
They have relevant experience. If candidates approach online thesis companies that have been in the writing business for a while, they stand to reap some benefits. First, it means that the writers have produced thousands of theses to know how to tackle your challenge. Second, they have read a lot of literature to ensure a liberal review and finally, they are aware of how to carry out the study and what methodologies to apply. They will also offer consultation and guidance during the entire process.
They have the passion. Many online thesis writing companies believe that academic excellence is always a journey and not the destination. They join the students and become avid travelers. They refer to their initial goals and rededicate their efforts so as to achieve or surpass them. They do not get blinded by their success and forget their objectives. Such an institution is the best shoulder to lean on for every candidate out there who is stuck. They will help you cross all the milestones that are between you and your degree.
They are committed to excellence. The online thesis writing companies have teams that are competent, they have the skills and are highly competitive. They know that to survive in the demanding field they have to exercise an unswerving patience, persistence and perseverance. The growing portfolio and the overwhelming testimonial should be a proof of how well they treat the clientèle. They will ascertain they produce plagiarism-free theses or chapters of it. They observe all the ethics and guidelines that govern their practice.
They are passionate about their job.
They consult and guide their customers.


Defined by their modern aesthetic and great comfort, the two-storey studios combine a double room with a classic island dome, a room on the second floor and a kitchen on the first floor. They feature a bathroom with shower and complementary bath products. Both rooms naturally have independent air conditioning and private balconies with a table and chairs.


Need a CPR Class even sooner?
If you just need a First Aid class we offer that as well.
We'll begin with the CPR Class. After the successful completion of this course, we'll immediately begin the First Aid Class.
If you only need to take a First Aid Class, and don't need to take a CPR Class sign up here.
If you have any questions regarding CPR or First Aid certification, please feel free to call us any time at 813-415-1791.
Copyright 2010 Tampa Certified CPR. All rights reserved.


Seems like the big winner of last weeks Super Bowl was this spot from Volkswagen featuring a pint sized version of Darth Vader. Admittedly, it is very well done, and ranks as my personal favorite from the big game. The thing about it was that it really found a way to build an emotional connection with the consumer. Volkswagen was pretty clever when they first showed this video to the public because rather than showing it to everyone during the Super Bowl for the first time, they uploaded it to YouTube a week before and let it it spread like wildfire so by the time the game came on, not only did people immediately recognize it, they made everyone wait by there TVs to show them this cool commercial they had already seen. Pretty clever Volkswagen, pretty clever.


text:
Google: 'We do not bias our products to favor any political agenda'
Posted: 12:52 PM, Sep 23, 2018
Google CEO Sundar Pichai responded to reports that some staff had discussed tweaking search results to show a pro-immigration bias.
"We do not bias our products to favor any political agenda," he wrote in an email to Google employees.
Pichai sent the note on Friday after The Wall Street Journal obtained emails traded between Google employees about tweaking search results to show pro-immigration content.
Those ideas, which were discussed around the time the Trump administration was rolling out a controversial travel ban for seven Muslim-majority countries, were never implemented, the company said last week.
"Recent news stories reference an internal email to suggest that we would compromise the integrity of our Search results for a political end. This is absolutely false," Pichai said.
The email from Pichai to employees was reported on earlier by Axios and others, and its authenticity was confirmed by Google to CNN on Sunday.
It's the latest in a series of events that seem to have pitted Google, and other tech companies, against the White House.
In an August 28 tweet, Trump accused "Google & others" of "suppressing voices of Conservatives and hiding information and news that is good."
He accused Google of rigging results to show "bad" stories when users search for "Trump news," though he offered no evidence to support his claim.
The controversy stirred up again last week when an hour-long video was leaked of Google executives and staff expressing anger after Trump won the 2016 US presidential election.
The company responded in a statement, saying Googlers are free to "express their opinions" at company meetings.
"Nothing was said at that meeting, or any other meeting, to suggest that any political bias ever influences the way we build or operate our products," the company said.
Here is Pichai's full letter to staff:
Hi Googlers,
Recently there have been some news stories about how we approach our work—in particular, how we present our Search results. We feel privileged to be building a product that provides instant access to information for everyone, everywhere—whether you're a PhD from MIT, or a student on the other side of the world using a computer for the first time. We have billions of people relying on us for accurate information and we feel a deep sense of responsibility to deliver the highest quality results.
It's important to me that our internal culture continues to reinforce our mission to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Recent news stories reference an internal email to suggest that we would compromise the integrity of our Search results for a political end. This is absolutely false. We do not bias our products to favor any political agenda. The trust our users place in us is our greatest asset and we must always protect it. If any Googler ever undermines that trust, we will hold them accountable.
As we advance our mission, we must stay grounded in our values—the first of which is to Respect the User. Not just one user ... everyone. We build products for people of every background and belief, and we have strong policies to ensure that our products remain free of bias. As we head into election season in the U.S., it's worth reaffirming that commitment. While we will stay true to our long-held principles, Google itself is and must continue to be non-partisan.
Our second value is to Respect the Opportunity. Working at Google comes with tremendous responsibility—not only to do the right thing, but to accomplish things that matter. The decisions you make have the potential to affect many people and each decision (big and small) defines what Google is. We have a long-term incentive to make the right decisions to ensure our products work for everyone.
Our third value is to Respect Each Other. We are a global company with more than 80,000 employees across nearly 60 countries who hold a wide range of political views. But we all have something very important in common: we joined Google to build products that improve the lives of as many people as possible. Google isn't a place where we can resolve all of our individual differences. It's a place where we come together in spite of our differences to pursue our mission.
We need to make sure that our culture continues to reinforce that purpose. I look forward to working with all of you to that end.
— Sundar Pichai
—CNN's Laurie Segall and Jordan Valinsky contributed to this report.


CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES (January 16, 2015) — Globe Telecom is bringing a plethora of colors to this year's Sinulog Festival as it unveils the Next ACT (Art + Community + Technology) Sinulog 2015 that gives locals and tourists from all walks of life a flavor of the next-generation festival celebration with exclusive offers, biggest parties, and heart-pumping concerts that are sure to give everybody the most wonderful festival experience.
"Sinulog cuts across all audiences, thus, Globe also offers an engagement for everyone from all ages whether through exclusive promos on products and services or via the numerous events lined up in different venues in Cebu. We want everyone to enjoy Globe wherever they are and whatever their mood or lifestyle may be," Joe Caliro, Globe head of Retail Transformation and Management, said.
At the center of it all is the Globe "village" in One Mango Avenue Mall, one of Cebu City's main venue of festivities and fanfare and where the fully-functioning, one-stop shop Globe Mobility Store-on-the-Go holds court surrounded by interactive game booths of Tattoo, Globe Prepaid, Globe Postpaid, TM as well as its partners, Cloudfone and Allphones.
Globe Mobility Store-on-the-Go does not only provide instant processing of postpaid line and broadband applications but also introduces a breathtaking festival scene guaranteed to enliven up any atmosphere. People can share the music of alternative rock band Callalily and energetic dance sets of four of the country's best DJs and Gen3 Next ACT ambassadors – DJ Mars Miranda, Callum David, Badkiss, and Eric Capili today while being bathed in a blast of bright and vibrant colors. The revelry is similar to the Indian tradition Holi, a celebration of spring where people throw various colored powders in the air while dancing to music, resulting in an exhilarating experience and visual stimulation.
For a more family-oriented activity, there are variety shows to be graced by popular actor and Cloudfone ambassador Xian Lim featuring games, dance contests, Kalokalike (celebrity look-alike) competition, among others. Registration is free for the four-day event and comes with drinks and treats from the various booths.
Since Globe wants to have something for everyone, it has also lined up more activities in various locations. For the youth, Globe Prepaid is bringing Sponge Cola, Radioactive Sago Project, DJ Jess Miller, DJ Aaron Atayde, and DJ Mars Miranda for Hangout Load Up Sessions at Mango Square. Value brand TM is back with its Republikaravan Concert at Gaisano Bowlingplex topbilled by Parokya ni Edgar.
Party crowd gets entertained by some of the country's hottest DJs at Tattoo's ElektroMundo at LivSuperclub today, and tomorrow, the 17th, at the City Times Square across Parkmall. Globe customers can enter for free upon purchase of a mobile Wifi from Globe Mobility or from the various PC shops across the city. They also get a loot bag that contains a bandana and a wristband as well as a Tattoo-branded shot glass which can be used for free drinks at the party. Spotify ambassadors will also roam the venue to educate customers on how cool it is to use Spotify on Tattoo Mobile Wifi or on a smartphone.
Amid the major activities are pocket events sponsored by Globe Prepaid such as Threadfast 2015 at Parkmall with Chicosci, Urbandub, Small Hands, Franco, Eleyn, Wilabaliw, and other Cebu bands and DJs as well as the Sinulog Royals at Alejandro's – Century Plaza.


text:
The Importance of Failure in Success
22/05/2017 - Amanda Potter
"The best things in life don't come easily", often quoted amongst those older and wiser to those in the midst of challenging times seeking guidance. This sentiment certainly rang true in our most recent research, Winning Attitudes; where we interviewed 42 successful entrepreneurs, CEO's, media personalities and Olympians, investigating what it took to reach their heady heights. We learnt that their paths to success were not without trials and tribulations, despite their achievements far exceeding the norm. In fact, a core theme that emerged from the interviews was how the Winners approached failure. Here, Katie Piper aptly summarises the prevailing thematic perspective;
"Failure is practicing for success" Katie Piper (Presenter/Entrepreneur, Katie Piper Foundation).
We hypothesised from our research that failure would play a key role in understanding the components of a Winning Attitude. For instance consider Steven Spielberg, a world renowned film-maker who failed to get into film school at the University of Southern California. For Spielberg this did not serve as a deterrent, who went on to graduate from a different Californian university with a degree in English. In this example a Negative Force served as a catalyst, a catalyst to persevere and persist rather than a reason to quit. This type of Negative Force (defined as significant adversity, failure or loss) emerged as a key theme within our research, with our Winners referring to setbacks as key to building their resilience and motivation. In fact, we found that many of our Winners experienced such Negative Forces during childhood, or whilst growing up, something which is also true for Spielberg who recalls being bullied during childhood.
"In high school, I got smacked and kicked around. Two bloody noses. It was horrible" Steven Spielberg, quoted by Bernard Weinraub (NY Times, December 12, 1993). The Negative Forces cited by our interviewees served as a marker for something which they wanted to move away from, and as such remain a sustained force which continues to influence their success beyond their current successes.
"My father used to put me down, that drove me to prove myself. It gave me determination and focus." Clive Jacobs, Entrepreneur, Holiday Autos, Travel Weekly (UK) and The Caterer
Having a Negative Force, although important in harnessing that Winning Attitude, only tells us about the underlying drivers that play a critical part in stimulating success beyond measure. Delving into this further we found that Winners exhibited particular Strengths in order to navigate and overcome failure; they remained Composed and Positive. They rolled up their sleeves and faced the challenge, focusing on how they could overcome the challenge rather than the difficulties they now face. Attitudinally, they are proactive and react with gusto and positivity.
"Although failure is not an option, it happens and you learn from it." Harry Rilling, Mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut
"Even if negative, we have to take every opportunity and turn it into a positive. We have to use the negative experiences to be better." Clive Jacobs, Entrepreneur, Holiday Autos, Travel Weekly (UK) and The Caterer
So, what does this mean for us? Firstly, that failure, adversity or loss can be conceptualised as a force for good and turned into something positive; a reason to take that risk. Secondly, that how you react or cope with perceived failures may influence the outcome of subsequent actions. This boils down to a key message, that failure and the will to overcome hardship, is not a hindrance but an opportunity, an opportunity critical for success. Perhaps next time you find yourself faced with failure and adversity ask yourself "how can I use this and turn it into a positive? How can I turn this experience/situation into a success? How can this make me a Winner?".
To read more around what makes up a Winning Attitude from the point of view of 42 business savvy corporate CEOs and edgy entrepreneurs, committed Olympic and sporting stars through to charismatic media personalities.


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UCCS places 10 graduate programs among nation's best in latest U.S. News & World Report rankings
April 17, 2020 Jared Verner
2019 Graduate Research Showcase
Ten graduate programs earned "Best Programs" distinction, led by a No. 14 ranking in homeland security, in the 2021 U.S. News & World Report graduate rankings.
"Although rankings are not the only indicator of the success of our graduate programs, I view these as an external recognition of our programs' excellence, the growing impact of our faculty's research and the quality of our students," said Kelli Klebe, dean of the graduate school and professor of psychology.
The graduate certificate in homeland security and emergency management leadership is one of six ranked programs west of the Mississippi. It's designed for law enforcement, public safety and emergency first responders, as well as military personnel potentially interested in civilian security careers. It can be completed online, in a hybrid format or in person.
The part-time MBA remained at No. 89 nationally from last year's rankings, with options to earn the AACSB-accredited degree with evening classes in Colorado Springs or with one of the first fully online MBA programs in the nation. The online MBA program ranked second in Colorado in the U.S. News online rankings released in January.
The overall engineering program and the specialty rankings in computer science and in electrical, electronic and computer engineering entered the national rankings for the first time since 2015. The programs in electrical and computer engineering tied for No. 129 nationally, computer science tied for No. 133 and the overall engineering graduate program tied for No. 152.
The overall graduate programs in public affairs improved six spots to No. 117 as one of two ranked programs in Colorado. Education graduate programs ranked No. 123 nationally, tied with Colorado State University in Fort Collins and second among the state's public institutions. Clinical psychology (120), physics (124) and psychology (148) also earned best programs distinction.
U.S. News rankings are based on expert opinions about program excellence and statistical indicators that measure the quality of school's faculty, research and students. The publication aims to provide a tool to students and parents who are comparing college programs at accredited public and private universities in the United States.
Three online programs rank in nation's top 40 in latest U.S. News rankings
You can help UCCS fuel success
No matter their size, one-time gifts make a big difference at UCCS. Make your gift today!
UCCS Graduate Student Research Support Fund: To provide support for the UCCS Graduate School for student research projects including, but not limited to, fellowships, travel, conferences, and stipends.
UCCS Fund for Excellence: To provide a flexible funding source to address to the campus's most promising priorities in support of enhancing student success and UCCS's prominence as an institution of higher education.
Scholarship Fund: To provide scholarships to eligible students at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.
College of Letters Arts and Sciences
School of Public Affairs


Randall Bateman, MD, from Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, provides an overview of his work on plasma amyloid testing at the press briefing at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2017, London, UK. Amyloid-beta build up in the brain occurs 10-15 years prior to the onset of symptoms. The goal of Dr Bateman's study was to detect amyloid-beta in the blood which would not only reflect amyloid build up in the brain but also act as a screening test to identify people who are at higher risk of Alzheimer's disease. Gold standard testing for amyloid involves PET scanning and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid measurement. Dr Bateman has showed how blood has the same characteristic hallmark as CSF, and the amount of this characteristic blood biomarker, amyloid beta 42 (Aβ42) mirrors the changes seen in CSF. Dr Bateman envisions that this test will be part of the basic standard of care we provide to patients, very much the same as screening for high cholesterol or diabetes currently. This research was supported by the Alzheimer's Association Zenith award grant and an NIH R01 study.


The Baylor University Courtside Players provides musical entertainment to thousands of basketball and volleyball fans across the nation. The band performs for all home volleyball and basketball games. An integral part of game atmosphere, the Courtside Players brings Baylor spirit and enthusiasm to the Ferrell Center and when traveling with the teams during tournament season.


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It's all about geometric shapes this fortnight and I want you to get creative to make learning fun with you and your littles. I've chosen this rather selfishly in light of the fact 2 of my 3 are back at school and Oren came home asking what a parallelogram was!
There are loads of shapes to explore and they can be 2D or 3D so lots of opportunity for building, drawing and creating. You can use anything you like; natural bits and pieces, household items but I think open ended Babipur goodies will come in pretty handy too!
A simple clay or dough activity. This works brilliantly for working on muscle tone and fine motor skills. Rolling out sausages to twist and turn into shapes or using cookie cutters and stamps to get indentations are all great fun.
A tray of rice or sand to get some finger tracing of shapes or positioning wee marbles or beads. Grapat mandala pieces work beautifully with rice/sand as a base and this adds a nice sensory element.
Stepping out from your basic geometric shapes like square, triangle, rectangle – you can add in hexagons, octagons, diamonds and not forgetting parallelograms! Recognition is great and these are all fun words for them to learn how to say as well.
You can ask them to write down how many sides each shape has (cheeky bit of a maths) or send them off on a hunt to match shapes around the house.
Start introducing the concept of angles. Squares have 90 degree corners, triangle corners all add up to 180 degrees.
Maybe you could get your older kids to work on their spatial awareness and build 3D versions of their favourite shapes. See if they can make a pyramid with blocks or a diamond. Get them thinking which shapes fit best together and see if they can build structures using as many shapes as possible or using only the same shape.
So you've got 2 weeks to show me your shenanigans with shapes and have lots of fun! The winner will receive the Bajo Blue Tangram as their prize!
Huge thanks to Siobhan; the Eventual Mother for sharing this beautiful picture of it in action with wee Harrison!
Multiple entries are encouraged and I look forward to seeing what you all come up with! I'll leave you with a flamingo atop a pyramid made out of squares and rectangles!
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3 die, 2 missing after fishing boat capsizes
The Tongyeong Coast Guard rescue passengers of a fishing boat, in the white circle, after it capsized following a collision with an LPG carrier off Yokji Island in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, Friday. / Courtesy of Tongyeong Coast Guard
By Kim Rahn
Three people died and two others are missing after a fishing boat capsized in waters off South Gyeongsang Province, following a collision with a cargo vessel Friday morning, according to Tongyeong Coast Guard.
The 9.7-ton Invincible Shark capsized about 80 kilometers off Yokji Island in Tongyeong about 5 a.m. The LPG carrier that hit it reported the incident to the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard found 12 among the 14 people on board. But two of them, and the boat's captain, were unconscious and transferred to a hospital by helicopter. They were later pronounced dead.
They were not wearing life vests and were found inside the cabin, according to the coast guard.
The others were taken to a hospital in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, on a patrol ship.
The survivors told the Coast Guard that a large ship crashed into the side of the boat and the boat capsized immediately while they were trying to put on life vests. The coast guard discovered later that the ship was the 3,000-ton LPG carrier that reported the accident.
"We are investigating the crew of the carrier for the exact cause of the accident," an official said, adding the Panama-registered ship helped in the rescue operation.
Survivors of a fishing boat accident leave a patrol ship at a port in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, Friday. Their boat capsized after it and an LPG carrier collided off Yokji Island in South Gyeongsang Province. Three among 14 onboard died and two are missing. / Yonhap
The Invincible Shark left Gukdong Fishing Port in Yeosu at 1:20 p.m. Thursday for hairtail fishing. The captain, surnamed Choi, one crew member and 12 anglers were onboard.
Regarding the Yeosu-registered Invincible Shark being found in the sea in South Gyeongsang Province, fishermen in the region say they have to go far to catch hairtail in winter and boats often violate regulations about not crossing provincial boundaries.
But the surviving crew member told the coast guard that they fished in the South Jeolla provincial sea and went into the South Gyeongsang area to make a detour due to wind. He said the captain and the passengers did not drink.
Authorities mobilized 14 patrol ships, four helicopters and four naval ships for the rescue operation, with five fishing boats helping with the work. They are continuing the search for the missing.
Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon made an emergency order to the Coast Guard, the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to make all efforts to find the missing people and provide adequate medical treatment for survivors.
"Lee ordered the authorities to mobilize all possible means, including divers and helicopters, to search every location, such as the seashore and the inside of the ship, to find the missing people," the Prime Minister's Office said.
Interior and Safety Minister Kim Boo-kyum also visited the situation room at the National Disaster and Safety Status Control Center in Seoul to monitor the rescue operation.
Officials of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries monitor the rescue operation at the ministry's situation room in the Government Complex Sejong, Friday. / Yonhap
Kim Rahn	rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr