text:
Taxodium distichum 'Peve Minaret'
Common Name: bald cypress
Type: Tree
Family: Cupressaceae
Bloom Time: Non-flowering
Bloom Description: Non-flowering
Water: Medium to wet
Suggested Use: Rain Garden
Leaf: Good Fall
Tolerate: Deer, Clay Soil, Wet Soil, Air Pollution
Best grown in average, medium to wet, moisture-retentive soils in full sun. Prefers moist, acidic, sandy loams, but tolerates a wide range of soil conditions ranging from average moisture garden soils to wet soils.
Taxodium distichum, commonly called bald cypress, is a long-lived, pyramidal conifer (cone-bearing tree) which grows 50-70' tall (less frequently to 125'). Although it looks like a needled evergreen (same family as redwoods) in summer, it is deciduous ("bald" as the common name suggests). It is native to southern swamps, bayous and rivers, primarily being found in coastal areas from Maryland to Texas and in the lower Mississippi River valley to as far north as the southeast corner of Missouri. In the deep South, it is a familiar sight growing directly in swampy water, often in large strands, with its branches heavily draped with Spanish moss. In cultivation, however, it grows very well in drier, upland soils. Trunks are buttressed (flared or fluted) at the base, and when growing in water, often develop distinctive, knobby root growths ("knees") which protrude above the water surface around the tree. Soft, feathery, yellowish-green foliage (1/4" long, flat needles in two ranks) turns an attractive orange/cinnamon-brown in fall. Rounded, wrinkled, 1 inch diameter, purplish-green cones mature to brown. Heavy, straight-grained, rot-resistant wood has been used for a variety of purposes including barrels, railroad ties and shingles. Closest relative is the dawn redwood (Metasequoia) which is also deciduous. State tree of Louisiana.
Genus name comes from the Latin word Taxus meaning yew and the Greek word eidos meaning resemblance from a similarity of leaf shape.
Specific epithet means is two ranks for the needle arrangement.
'Peve Minaret' is a dwarf cultivar that slowly grows in a dense, pyramidal form to 6' tall by 2-3' wide over the first 10 years. Foliage has a fern-like texture.
Healthy, well-maintained plants in the proper growing conditions usually have few problems. Twig blight and rots may occur. Watch for spider mites.
Interesting landscape specimen or accent. Foundations, near patios, small garden areas. Tolerates placement in moist soils or low spots.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The first settler to lay claim to the land on which Hunting Ridge sits is John Scutt, who in 1695 received a patent for 400 hundred acres that stretched from present day Edmondson Avenue to Franklintown Road.
At the time "Hunting Ridge" referred to the land running along the entire high ridge from about the present Edmondson Village Shopping Center westward through Catonsville.
Mr. Scutt eventually lost the land (cause unknown) and at some point the land was owned by an English colonist named John Bailey. John Bailey's son, by the same name, sold the land to Daniel Dulany in 1769. Eventually the Dulany family built a mansion that stood on the current Edmondson Village shopping center grounds, and this was named Hunting Ridge.
In 1780, Daniel Dulany, who tried to remain neutral through the Revolutionary war, had sold (or was forced to sell) his land into four parcels after seeing some of his loyalist friends lose their property to those faithful to colonial interests, emboldened by their recent victory.
The next owners of record are shown in this map from 1877. Basically, the railroad industrialist Thomas Winans (see bio on Thomas Winans) had owned a good portion of Hunting Ridge and the land northwest of it, including the famous Crimea Mansion property, across the current Leakin Park. John Cook, proprietor of the Breisgau Fruit Farm, had a large parcel of modern-day Hunting Ridge along Cooks Lane, and the family of General John Swan owned much of the eastern portion.
Between 1898 and 1915, many changes were taking place all around current Hunting Ridge, but the Winans property itself was undeveloped and belonged to Mrs. George M. Hutton, the married name of Winans' daughter Celeste.
John Cook's property and fruit farm saw more buildings go up - to be known as Cooks Row. By 1915, the streets of Ten Hills were constructed as that neighborhood began to develop; and to the east, the border of Baltimore City was now out to the eastern side of Rognel Heights. Three years later the border will move west again to where it is today, encompassing all of Ten Hills and the land in Hunting Ridge.
n 1922 the George R. Morris Organization, a Baltimore real estate firm, began to develop a large tract of land purchased from Mr. G. M. Hutton, who then owned what had been known as the Thomas Winans Estate. The George R. Morris Organization had prepared a plat of the Hunting Ridge community plan which included 269 building lots, showing most of the streets as we know them. Lots for the first 10 houses, or cottages as they were first advertised, were sold within a year. It is unknown when the first family moved in, but the Fall edition of the 1923 phone book listed two homes with addresses in Hunting Ridge.
By 1928, construction was well underway with nearly 100 homes built in Hunting Ridge. The original Thomas Jefferson School #232 constructed in 1923 served the new Hunting Ridge residents along with the communities it was already serving, Rognel Heights and Ten Hills. The Swan Avenue firehouse had been long standing at the ready since it was built in 1921. Hunting Ridge Presbyterian Church began construction in 1929.
The Depression took its toll on the pace of building homes. To help with cash flow problems, the George F. Morris Organization (operating as the North West Real Estate Company) sold many plots to other builders, most of who were related in some way (senior executives) to the George F. Morris Organization.
It should be noted that early maps of Hunting Ridge did not show Winans Way extending to Franklintown Road. This would not occur until 1928 when the City of Baltimore bought land from Mrs. Hutton for the roadway.
The homes on Colherne and Nottingham Roads (where Cooks Lane meets Edmondson) were originally a subdivision unto themselves called Nottingham, named by their developer after the road on the south side of Edmondson Avenue. This little community was built on land purchased from John Cook's estate in 1928 and a year later many of the semi-detached homes were nearly completed. At some time in 1970s the residents of Nottingham chose to join the Hunting Ridge Community. As evident in the 1928 map, the land of the future Nottingham apartments and upper Briarclift Road (to Cooks Lane) were not part of the original Hunting Ridge plans. These homes and additions sat on the Cook property which was kept in the family until 1953 when they sold it to the George Awalt company (Mr. Awalt was a former Geo. Morris executive). Until that time, Briarclift simply ended at the foot of Brookwood where an active stream poured water into a drainpipe that diverted the water down to the intersection of Briarclift and Winans Way.
In 1954 the two surviving Cook family members sold 12 acres to a company named Westpark, Inc. This development company was run by George Miller and William Meyer. They designed a small community incorporating a combination of row homes, semi-detached homes, and individual homes, using existing street names were appropriate, and adding two new streets to the landscape. Westparkway was named for the development firm, and Milyer Lane was named for Miller and Meyer. Sales were handled by Lindsay Realty. The Westpark homes were nearly all built in 1955 and 1956. Some years later the residents decided to be represented by the Hunting Ridge Community Assembly.


Originally Published: January 19, 2011 10:15 p.m.
Hungry children in the Humboldt Unified School District soon will have something to eat on weekends, thanks to a community effort of volunteers, St. Mary's and Yavapai Food banks, and the school district.
Mountain View and Lake Valley Elementary schools will pilot the Hungry Kids program, which is still in the planning stage. The program already exists in the Prescott Unified School District, where more than 50 children take home food for six weekend meals every Friday.
HUSD and PUSD superintendents Paul Stanton, Dave Smucker and the corresponding food and nutrition directors of each district met Jan. 12 with Ron Barnes, founder of Prescott Area Leadership, and Eric Wolverton, director of St. Mary's Food Bank in Flagstaff, by phone.
Wolverton made it clear that he wants to help set up the program for HUSD.
"We want to make sure if we're going to start a program, we never want it to stop," he said. "It's a community endeavor."
The Flagstaff program works within the school district to identify children who may not have food during the weekend. They often get free or reduced-cost meals at school during the week, but the family doesn't have the resources to feed the children meals Saturday and Sunday.
The program discreetly provides backpacks with two breakfasts, two lunches and two dinners to students Friday afternoons. The meals are free to students, but cost about $8 each, Wolverton said, which includes labor to bag the food and transport the individual bags to each school.
At PUSD, Hungry Kids meals cost about $5.50 for each child each weekend, or $209 per child per year, Barnes said. Volunteers and district kitchen staff work in teams providing the labor to slice up produce and pack the bags. They started with 15 identified children and now serve 76. Barnes said they have enough volunteers to rotate teams once every seven weeks.
Finding volunteers is not an issue, he said. Raising money to pay for the core menu items that go into each bag is the difficult part. He has helped raise enough money in Prescott to feed PUSD students for the rest of the year.
Now Barnes is seeking donations from the Prescott Valley community to start the Hungry Kids project in PV.
"Your kids are our kids," Barnes told Stanton. "I feel responsible for all of them."
The food bags benefit only the child or children; they are not designed to feed an entire family.
The St. Mary's Food Bank delivers a truckload of food to the Yavapai Food Bank, which is a redistribution point for about 30 agencies, said YFB Director Ann Wilson.
"One of the biggest problems is who is going to pick up the food, where to put it, and how to distribute the bags," Wilson said. "We don't have a lot of extra space here."
HUSD Food and Nutrition Director Rick Littel will explore delivery points, bagging areas and finding volunteers.
If the food bank is out of core menu items, the school district would need to purchase those and could do so through the food bank at a reduced cost. PUSD Food Service Director Bob Toomer said he also watches local grocery sales and picks up canned food at good prices.
"I try to maintain the same food in each bag. We get what we get," Toomer said.
Wolverton said supermarkets regularly donate fresh vegetables and fruit. That could mean potatoes, onions or eggplant, depending on what is available. Right now, gleaners in the Valley are providing a lot of citrus.
Littel said he's seen a rise in the number of HUSD families qualifying for free and reduced-cost school meals, from 50 percent to 60 percent this year. The Chino Valley Unified School District also is up from 60 percent to 75 percent, Barnes said. In Prescott, the number has increased from 34 percent to 38 percent.
"When you go to the school and see those kids carrying a bag of food home, it makes it all worthwhile," Smucker said.


text:
Possible Spoiler for Reigns vs Bryan
There's some backstage speculation that WWE officials have fully decided to make Roman Reigns the winner at Fastlane and go on to headline WrestleMania 31 against Brock Lesnar.
According to MetsFan4Ever (a person who claims to be a former WWE employee & has revealed many backstage WWE news), the only reason WWE booked this match for Fastlane was to quite some of the fans for some time, while officials try to get Reigns over (looks like they are getting him back to his silent badass gimmick from the Shield). The plan for WrestleMania still remains the same, it doesn't matter if Reigns is over with the crowd or not, he's going to WrestleMania to beat Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Despite Bryan's size, he is considered one of the most physical workers in the WWE today and was picked to work with Reigns to get him ready for the physicality of the "Beast Incarnate" Brock Lesnar.


An order of magnitude describes the link between two amounts. The difference between each step is usually 10, with each order being either 10 times greater or 10 times smaller than the next amount. This makes the scale easy to manipulate using logarithms. For time, the difference between the smallest limit of time, the Planck time, and the next order of magnitude is larger than 10.
1 ys: time taken for a quark to emit a gluon.
10−21 1 zeptosecond zs Zeptosecond, (zepto + second), is one trillionth of one billionth of one second. 7 zs: half-life of helium-9's outer neutron in the second nuclear halo.
17 zs: approximate period of electromagnetic radiation at the boundary between gamma rays and X-rays.
↑ "Shortest time interval measured". BBC News. 25 February 2004.
↑ "Fastest view of molecular motion". BBC News. 4 March 2006.
This page was last changed on 7 July 2015, at 03:54.


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Two-day Arunachal Film Festival concludes
Itanagar, Dec 29 (PTI) The two-day Arunachal Film Festival concluded here after showcasing some of the best short, feature and documentary films from the state and some of the world cinema.
This year keeping in view the ongoing pandemic, the Film Federation of Arunachal (FFA) in collaboration with the state Information and Public Relations (IPR) department organised the seventh edition of the festival online from December 27.
'This was the first such film festival from the Northeast to have a dedicated website, where the films and workshops were screened and held online with audience from all across the state, country and the rest of the world,' the FFA said in a communique on Tuesday.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu inaugurated the two-day event and expressed hope that the film industry of the state would strive better with each year and that in coming years the filmmakers from the state would be creatively at par with the rest of the region and the country.
The online event hosted some of the best creative works in the field of cinema under short-fiction, feature and documentaries from across the state, country and abroad. The festival also held panel discussions and master classes with eminent film personalities and mentors to equip the young filmmakers with the art of filmmaking.
Despite the ongoing pandemic and considering that the film industry of the state was one of the worst-hit, there were some considerable amount of entries in different categories of the festival which was very encouraging and a positive participation from the creative personalities of the state.
The event also hosted the second Film Award under various categories.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, FFA president Hali Welly appreciated the support given to the federation from the IPR department and the chief minister.
He also appreciated the sincere efforts of all filmmakers who enthusiastically participated in the festival's competition category and congratulated all the winners.
'Arunachal Pradesh has made significant development in the field of filmmaking, not just in terms of how films are made but also in terms of how films are made available to the audiences,' Welly said and hoped that the upcoming Arunachal Film Policy 2020 would immensely contribute in the development of the state film industry. PTI UPL RG RG


The Smoking Dog pub is located in the historical district of Lyon.
Click sign to start the virtual tour and enjoy the feeling of being in this pub right from your browser! To navigate from one scene to another, just click or touch the arrow.


A financial professional that evaluates the dangers of insuring a particular person or asset and uses that information to set premium pricing for insurance policies. Insurance underwriters are employed by insurance companies to help price life insurance, medical insurance, property / casualty insurance and homeowners insurance, among others.
Underwriters use computer programs and actuarial data to establish the magnitude and likelihood of a payout over the life of the policy. Assets and higher-risk persons must pay more in premiums to get the same degree of protection as a (perceived) lowerrisk individual or asset..
Insurance underwriting is big business – simply ask Warren Buffett, who for years has used reinsurance and insurance premiums to finance his investments at Berkshire Hathaway.
Insurance companies walk a tightrope between being too aggressive or too conservative in their underwriting obligations. If they're too aggressive, greater-than – expected claims could cut into firm earnings; if they are too conservative, they will be outpriced by the contest and lose business.


You may Get clock skew error while connecting from Cisco Access Control Server (ACS 5.x) to Microsoft Active Directory selecting it as an External Database. The Clock time should be the same on both Cisco ACS server and Microsoft Active Directory Server to avoid this error.
You can configure the ACS Server with three command so that the Clock is matching with the Active Directory Server.
Once set these command Save the configuration in ACS server, reload the server and try connecting external database again.


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Q: Is it possible to parameterize the model by $\Psi = \frac{1-\theta}{\theta}$ ? Prove your answer A random sample of $6$ observations $(X_1, X_2, \cdots, X_6)$ is generated from a Geometric($\theta$), where $\theta \in (0, 1)$ unknown, but only $T = \sum_{i=1}^{6} X_i$ is observed by the statistician.
(a) Describe the statistical model for the observed data ($T$)
(b)-(i) Is it possible to parameterize the model by $\Psi = \frac{1-\theta}{\theta}$ ? Prove your answer
(b)-(ii) Is it possible to parameterize the model by $\Psi = \theta(1-\theta)$ ? Prove your answer

My attempt:
(a) Since geometric is iid with Negative Binomial
Each $X_i$ ~ $\mathrm{Geometric}(\theta)$ therefore $T = \sum_{i=1}^{6}$ ~ $\mathrm{NegativeBinomial}(r, \theta)$ where $\theta \in (0, 1)$ unknown.
The probability function for T is given by $$f_{\theta}(t) = {t +r-1\choose t}(1-\theta)^t \theta^r$$ for $t = 0,1, \cdots, 6$
parameter is $\theta$ and parameter space is $[0,1]$
(b)-(i) and (b)-(ii) I'm not sure how to do. Would I just show they are one to one by graphing each of them? Not sure

A: Your answer for (a) is a probability mass function so personally I would not use $f$ to describe it as that is often used for a density.  I would write $6$ rather than $r$.  And it depends on  whether your negative binomial starts at $0$ or $6$, i.e. whether your geometric distributions start at $0$ or $1$
For (b)(i)  you can say that $\Psi = \frac{1-\theta}{\theta} \iff \theta = \frac{1}{\Psi+1}$ at least if $\theta \not = 0$ which it has to be for the question to be sensible, so you can just use this as a substitution to parameterize the model by $\Psi$
For (b)(ii)  you can say that $\Psi = \theta({1-\theta})$ is satisfied by $\theta = \frac{1 \pm \sqrt{1+4\Psi}}{2}$, and the $\pm$ is a warning sign; for example $\Psi=0.09$ could be produced by $\theta=0.1$ or $\theta=0.9$ which would give you different probabilities, so so you cannot parameterize the model by this $\Psi$

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: How to get a Adwords API token without interaction with a user and browser My question is: How to get the token Adwords without needing to interact with the browser, but only via code
Now I run this code:
token = adwords.authorize () do | auth_url |
  puts "Hit Auth error, please navigate to URL: \ n \ t% s"% auth_url
  print 'log in and type the verification code:'
  VERIFICATION_CODE = gets.chomp
  VERIFICATION_CODE
end

And lap the token that is returned in browser url to liberate access.
Is to do all this using only Ruby code?
Thank you.

A: In order to get offline access to a user's AdWords data,

*

*They must grant your app offline permissions

*You must store and use a refresh token in order to get new access tokens after the initial one expires.

Asking for Offline Permissions
To ask for offline permissions, simply add the following query parameter to your OAuth2 URL:
&access_type=offline

Here is an example of a full URL requesting offline permission to the user's AdWords data:
https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth?access_type=offline&approval_prompt=auto&client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&redirect_uri=YOUR_CALLBACK_URL&response_type=code&scope=https%3A%2F%2Fadwords.google.com%2Fapi%2Fadwords%2F

Your client ID will be something like this: 111122223333.apps.googleusercontent.com
Make sure to properly escape your callback URL before substituting it in.
Using a Refresh Token
This way, when you get an access_token for the account, you will also get a refresh_token from Google in the same response.  Store this in your database with the rest of the account's data (including the access_token).
Later, when your original access token has expired, you can request a new one by making the following request:
https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/token?refresh_token=THE_REFRESH_TOKEN&client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET&grant_type=refresh_token


text:
Diversity and Authenticity
Minorities hesitate to share information about themselves at work. That's a problem for everyone.
Katherine W. Phillips,
Tracy L. Dumas,
Nancy P. Rothbard
From the Magazine (March–April 2018) · Long read
Harvard Business Review Staff
Many minority members fail to understand that their career mobility can be affected by their colleagues' feelings of familiarity or closeness with them. Even those who do understand this can find building workplace relationships across racial boundaries difficult. Being one's true self, disclosing elements of one's personal life, and forming social connections are harder when attempted across a demographic boundary such as racial background. Helping workplace relationships flourish among people of differing races may require special effort.
The authors suggest several strategies that organizations can use to make employees from varied demographic groups feel comfortable engaging with one another: (1) Recognize the role that structure—such as formal icebreaker games or having a leader introduce everyone at a gathering—can play in easing the discomfort of free-form socializing. (2) Adopt a learning orientation by asking open and curious questions that demonstrate that being different makes someone more valuable. (3) Consider creating a buddy system of informal mentorship, in which more-experienced employees help facilitate social relationships for new hires.
Building workplace relationships across racial boundaries can be difficult. Being one's true self, disclosing elements of one's personal life, and forming social connections are easier within one's own group than they are across a demographic boundary. But employees who hesitate to open up are less likely to build the deeper relationships that lead both to success and to more happiness at work.
Organizations that recognize this challenge can take specific steps to make it easier. Creating structure in social events (such as icebreaker games) may reduce the anxiety associated with free-form small talk. Leaders can model a learning mindset, whereby differences between people create an opportunity to hear something new. And mentorship can be especially helpful to minorities, who may feel marginalized within the organization.
When Marcus (not his real name) joined a leading international bank right out of college, he believed that success would come from delivering solid numbers. "Secure the highest returns, bring in the most clients, keep your head down, and get the work done," he says, recalling his strategy. For years Marcus did just that, receiving awards for his exemplary work on complex deals. But despite earning the best performance ratings in his group, he kept getting passed over for promotion. One day he worked up the nerve to ask his boss why. "You are really good at your job, but the problem is that the partners feel they don't really know you," his manager told him. Marcus acknowledged the criticism. "I was afraid to open up," he says. So he worked to overcome that fear. He began seeking out lunches and other social opportunities with partners and finding common areas of interest, such as children, college sports, fantasy sports, and new restaurants. He began talking more openly about his life outside the office—a key to building relationships. "Once I did that, things started to turn around," he says. Today Marcus is a managing partner.
Nothing in that series of events makes it obvious that Marcus is African-American. He is, and in our experience (backed up by our research), his ethnicity played a role in his discomfort with "opening up" at work. Just like Marcus, many other minority members fail to understand that their career mobility can be affected by their colleagues' feelings of familiarity or closeness with them. And even for those who do understand this, building workplace relationships across racial boundaries can be difficult. Given the obstacles minorities face in navigating a corporate culture, this may seem minor. It is not. Opening yourself to others requires risk taking and trust, but without it employees are less likely to build the deeper relationships that lead both to success and to more happiness at work. Our research focuses on African-Americans, but this dynamic applies to the acclimation and professional trajectories of all those who find themselves in the minority at work, including working mothers, older employees at youth-oriented start-ups, and people whose conservative political views make them feel like outliers in organizations dominated by liberals or progressives.
Decades' worth of studies have shown that similarity attracts—a phenomenon known as homophily. Our research focuses on a specific aspect of this: That being one's true self, disclosing elements of one's personal life, and forming social connections are easier within one's own group than they are across a demographic boundary such as racial background. This is crucial to keep in mind as companies aspire to become more diverse. Simply hiring members of a minority group won't ensure that they feel comfortable or equipped to build the relationships necessary for advancement. And as companies invest in mentorship and sponsorship programs, making these relationships flourish among workers of differing races may require special effort.
Social Events Can Create a Strain
Out-of-the-office social events are an important venue for building relationships with colleagues. We surveyed more than 300 employees from many racial backgrounds—half of them employed full-time in a wide variety of industries, half of them MBA students—about their participation in such events. They reported engaging in three distinct kinds of work-related social activities: (1) official company events, such as holiday parties, company picnics, outings to sports events, and so forth, which are typically organized by the HR department and open to all employees; (2) informal get-togethers orchestrated by small groups of staffers, such as happy-hour drinks, baby showers, and lunches; (3) professional development activities, such as community service events, team-building retreats, and skill-building seminars. Among the three kinds, ad hoc drinks after work were by far the most common.
The problem is not that minorities fail to show up for such outings. In fact, our research reveals that their attendance rates are similar to those of other demographic groups. However, in our surveys, minorities are more likely than others to report attending out of a sense of obligation or a fear of negative career consequences if they don't appear. Prior research has shown that this socializing can make people feel closer, and our studies confirmed that—with one important difference: Regardless of race, people who would prefer to skip such events typically come away feeling no more connected to colleagues than when they walked in the door.
One reason these gatherings fail to help minorities bond with coworkers is the difficulty people have making small talk across racial lines. "What am I supposed to say in these social networking settings?" one black female executive asked. "How do I jump into the conversation when I often have no idea what they are talking about? I don't watch the same TV shows or the sports they are discussing." When the conversation turns to workplace gossip, minority employees say, they may hold back because they lack the trusting relationships necessary to participate in exchanges that involve discreet backbiting or criticism of bosses. As one black executive put it, "I don't feel safe sharing information that might later be used against me." Because making conversation at these events can be challenging, many minorities we interviewed said they intentionally arrive late and leave early—they put in an appearance, but no more.
In a second set of studies aimed at understanding the obstacles to self-disclosure, we surveyed more than 300 young African-American, Hispanic, and other racial-minority professionals who were seeking admittance to an elite MBA program. Asked how likely they would be to disclose personal information to either a white or an African-American coworker at a company social event, these highly educated people reported that they'd be more uncomfortable opening up to a white coworker than to a black one, especially if they felt their work performance was average (as opposed to high). Their responses reflected fear that personal information highlighting their race (termed status-confirming disclosure) might reinforce the stereotypes that can undermine performance reviews and prevent progress toward leadership roles.
"I don't feel safe sharing information that might later be used against me."
Consider a woman we'll call Karen, a well-educated professional working in higher education, who recalls a conversation at a birthday party her colleagues threw for her. A white coworker asked, "What did you do for your birthday?" Karen replied, "I went to a concert with my husband and some friends." The coworker asked the logical follow-up question: "Who did you see?" Karen had seen Kirk Franklin, an African-American gospel artist who's quite popular among her black friends. She assumed the colleague wouldn't be familiar with Franklin, so she mumbled, "You won't know him" and pivoted to a new topic. This may sound like an innocuous exchange, but years later Karen remembers it as significant: "If I am not comfortable with who I am, the music I like, the places I like to go, how can I expect my coworker to value me for who I am? What is so wrong with being excited about Kirk Franklin?"
Strategies to Reduce the Stress
Organizations that hope to increase diversity and promote the careers of racial minorities can benefit from being aware of these challenges—and taking steps to make employees from varied demographic groups feel comfortable engaging with one another. So how can we ensure that racial minorities and majority members do feel that way—both socially and professionally? Our research focuses on understanding the various dimensions of this problem. Drawing on the research of others, we suggest several strategies that may help.
Organizations must recognize that racial boundaries can truly impede socializing.
First, recognize the role that structure can play in easing the discomfort created by free-form socializing. Instead of the typical cocktail party, where some people (of any race) struggle to navigate the room, introduce themselves, and choose how, when, and with whom to initiate and exit conversations, consider a different approach. Some companies use formal ice-breaker games that create orderliness and purpose, reducing that need to navigate—just as structured speed-dating events can make it less stressful to meet many people quickly. If the gathering is small, have a leader introduce everyone, focusing on the unique talents each brings to the group. In a larger setting, forming teams or introducing a competitive element may create a more pleasant experience, not just for minorities but for everyone who finds it challenging to mingle with people he or she doesn't know very well. Remember that no matter how diverse the work group, all its members have one thing in common: the work. That means events that celebrate a win or otherwise highlight the collective work itself will help group members relate more easily.
This same sense of structure and roles can be useful back at the office, when managers meet to discuss individuals' performance. Consider the benefits of appointing someone to keep an eye out for subjective comments that refer to social rather than work performance. Recognize that the best performance conversations are specific and descriptive and focus on work-related actions and behaviors. When remarks stray toward the personal or the vague, they are often coded and loaded with cultural assumptions. (Comments such as "Marcus just doesn't fit in" and "We feel like we don't know him" are good examples.) To be sure, specific, business-oriented criticisms of social behavior may be valid, but often these catchall comments are off base and a way of penalizing someone who avoids the Thursday happy hour because he or she feels different from the majority. Designating someone in advance to throw the flag on such remarks can keep management discussions focused on the most relevant performance dimensions.
Pay attention to diversity research showing the advantages of adopting a learning orientation: Organizations and individuals benefit when exposed to differences. Although this orientation is typically established at the organizational level—modeled and reinforced by leaders—individuals can speak and act in ways that mirror it. For instance, instead of asking, "Did you watch Modern Family last night?"—which puts someone with a different taste in television at an immediate disadvantage—try a gambit like this: "I can't find anything I like on TV right now, and I want to try some new shows. What are you watching that you really enjoy?" This legitimizes everyone's choices and reduces the feeling that people may be judged on their answers, or that certain parts of the culture should be universal. Such open and curious questions demonstrate that being different makes someone more valuable—the essence of a learning orientation.
In an organization that takes this approach, people should naturally feel more comfortable opening up. As they do, minorities might consider beginning their self-disclosure by sharing status-disconfirming interests that help them connect with others. For instance, if a conversation turns to music, an African-American who enjoys the opera or the symphony might say so, because that interest runs counter to racial stereotypes. We do not, of course, suggest being untruthful or deceitful but, rather, mindful about sharing information that serves to bridge boundaries. Over time, in an inclusive organizational culture rooted in a learning orientation, an African-American employee may become equally comfortable disclosing status-confirming information—such as a love of Kirk Franklin.
Mentorship.
Organizations should recognize that racial boundaries can be a real impediment to socializing—and that impediment isn't going to disappear overnight. They might consider creating a buddy system of informal mentorship, in which more-experienced employees help facilitate social relationships for new hires, particularly minorities who may feel marginalized in the organization. Assigning coaches, mentors, or sponsors levels the playing field and helps people connect across differences. The role should also involve feedback. Marcus's boss took a risk by telling him that the reason his career was stalling was that he lacked social ties; such risk taking is easier if it is part of an experienced manager's assigned responsibilities—and an accepted and appropriate part of the feedback process.
All the people involved should go easy on one another, recognizing how challenging these activities can be and giving others the benefit of the doubt. Not only are the social behaviors we describe difficult to master (whether within or across racial boundaries), but merely discussing racial differences can be uncomfortable. It is reasonable to proceed cautiously with self-disclosure; we've all experienced instances of "oversharing" or "too much information." Sharing should be encouraged thoughtfully, with support, and with a focus on small and early wins.
Color blindness is not an effective strategy for dealing with racial differences in the workplace. Rather, our research suggests that acknowledging and highlighting them, along with the related challenges, can go a long way toward kindling relationships. People don't need to be "best friends" to work effectively together, but friendships tend to create happier workers and more-effective teams. Bonding around the work itself is powerful, especially for those who are collaborating across racial boundaries. But over time, deeper relationships depend on people's opening up about their personal lives. For that to happen, colleagues must be intentional about getting out of their comfort zones and connecting with people who are different. That may feel like a risk, but it's one worth taking.
Read more on Leadership & Managing people or related topics Developing employees, Motivating people and Diversity
Katherine W. Phillips is the Paul Calello Professor of Leadership and Ethics and the senior vice dean at the Columbia Business School. Her research focuses on the areas of diversity, stereotyping, status, identity management, information sharing, minority influence, decision making, and performance in work groups.
Tracy L. Dumas is an associate professor of management and human resources at the Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business. Her research primarily considers how employees' personal, non-work related roles, and identities shape their experiences in the workplace.
Nancy P. Rothbard is the David Pottruck Professor of Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.


I rarely do preshampoo treatments (or pre-poos,) mostly because with all the steps in my hair-care routine, I can't be bothered to add yet another one unless I'm really motivated. But John Frieda's Frizz Ease 10 Day Tamer Pre-Shower Treatment sounded too interesting for me to pass up — laziness be damned. The product promises to keep your frizz in check for 10 days, with just a quick 8 to 10 minute wait time. Usually my pre-poo treatments are just a concoction of oils I have sitting around the house, and I leave it in for at least an hour, just so my hair can really let the potion settle in and do its thing.
The front patch of my hair loves nothing more than to frizz up on me and lose curl definition nearly every time I need it to do the opposite. I know the frizz will never be completely gone (that's just the way my hair is), but anything that can be done to minimize it gets a gold star from me. This product is meant to be applied before you shower to dry hair. Following the instructions, I added enough so that my hair was completely wet with product. It did seem to smooth down my typically unruly strands, but then again, it was wet. I got distracted around the house as I was using this, so I actually wound up keeping it on for around 40 minutes. I hopped in the shower, washed it out of my hair, and went on with my hair routine as normal after that.
Of course, my front patch still frizzed up because it really DGAF, but it seemed to be a bit of a smoother frizz this time around. I can't say the effect lasted for 10 days (it was more like one or two), but I honestly think it's because of the highly textured nature of my hair. I had our senior beauty editor Jessica Chia try it for herself, and as I suspected, the results were more obvious on her straighter hair. "When I rinsed it out, my hair instantly felt smoother. Like, as soon as I washed it," she told me. "And it stayed smoother for a week, though I did still see frizz (less of it, but frizz) on humid days." While she notes that it took a while for her to get the product to coat her hair as the instructions say, the effort was worth it once she hit the beach. "Usually my hair feels all crunchy and dry after I swim in the ocean, but it didn't at all! It looked pretty and wavy but still felt soft!"
Overall, this is a good product for people with a looser texture than mine. I need something a bit more heavy-duty in order for it to have the desired effect on my hair type. Give it a go if your curl pattern is looser or you've got straight hair, because at just $12.99, it's probably one of the cheapest, easiest, and most efficient options out there.


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Brainstorm: If you haven't already, jot down what you'd like to research or study in the next 12 months and outline some attainable goals for that work. Identify what kind of support you need: Do you need money to travel to a museum or archive? Do you need support while you write your dissertation? Do you need funding to conduct an extended research trip? Think about what fields your research covers and write those down, too. Think about how much funding you'd need to achieve your goals (you'll need to do this later for budgetary reasons anyway).
Search Databases/Listings: Search the GSAS listing of major fellowships for graduate students (which is not exhaustive of all that's out there, but rather a general guide to get you started). Then search at least three databases for other opportunities. Bookmark the foundations or specific funding opportunities that are of interest to you.
Read Book Acknowledgements: Look in the acknowledgements of books that have been written on your topic. See if the author received funding from an institution that may also support your work.
Network: Networking has obvious career advantages. And, it can also help you find grants. Use any professional meeting or conference as an opportunity to uncover funding opportunities. Talk to your advisor, colleagues, and your professors — find out where they have received or applied for funding.
Select: Once you have a list of agencies, foundations, and other institutions that might support your work, select 1–3 fellowships that you are eligible to apply for now and a few others that you might apply for further down the line. Be sure you understand what and whom the funder and the program support so that you can prepare to argue why your proposal should get funded.
Begin your application at least 6 weeks before the application deadline. Remember, you not only need time to write the application, but also: your referees typically prefer at least 3 weeks notice to write their recommendations; your advisor and/or colleagues need time to critique your proposal; and depending on the grant, the Office of Research Administration may need to review your proposal several days before the deadline and also submit it for you.
Before you begin writing, think about how you your proposal will persuade readers of the following four statements, which should help provide a greater context for your proposal: (1) The work is original and important — perhaps advancing research that's already begun; (2) The work will help meet the broader goals and objectives of the funder or program; (3) The grantseeker is uniquely qualified to conduct this work; (4) The methods are sound, and the costs are appropriate.
Read the solicitation or announcement very carefully. Determine how your proposal will meet each of the program's objectives or review criteria.
Carefully read and follow the directions. It seems simple, but if you break the rules for margins, font sizes, page limits, submission, etc., it is easy for funders to say "no" on those grounds alone.
Write the proposal so that academics from other fields can understand it. Write plainly, avoid jargon, and overly dense material.
Use headings, figures, and white space to help make your proposal easier to follow and understand.
Put your main idea or conclusion up front, then expound. Don't make your readers read through all sorts of background, introductory information before getting to the main purpose of your proposal.
Reviewers are usually tired and overworked. Write a stimulating, intriguing proposal that will be sure to captivate their attention.
Remember, a proposal is not an academic article. Write a persuasive document and keep an interdisciplinary audience of reviewers in mind at all times.


We all have that year or project that played a major role in getting us to where we are now. When I look in the rearview, this one pops out as a major direction change that would forever influence how we approach projects.
The year was 2010. The economy was not looking too good. We had ridden the .com and funny money wave for many years and had found a nice niche in the $250k to $1m resort-style outdoor living market. With 10-15 full-time employees, I had become a glorified babysitter. And while I was pretty happy, I always felt like I was in a race. The downturn in the economy ultimately forced some changes and though it was not welcome at the time, I now appreciate the shift it created.
I had two years of Genesis Education behind me, including construction school and one of my first hydraulics classes. I decided to start building the pools on our projects, after having subbed them for the previous twenty plus years. I was unsatisfied with the "top builder" I was using and the prospect of having more control of the process and stepping up quality became our goal. I had always wanted to build pools but never slowed down to take the time to learn what I needed to feel confident. Genesis3 slowly changed that.
I also discovered Watershape Magazine—I was hooked! The internet wasn't remotely close to what it is today, and I wasn't particularly web-savvy so the magazine was my resource into cool pools, information and the industry. I wanted to design and build what I was seeing was possible!
My entrance to the pool industry lacked good timing but we weren't ready to give up yet. Our company downsized and "all-hands-on-deck" became our new approach.
A referral came in for a possible pool on a 40-acre property in Healdsburgh, centered in the middle of stunning wine country and located on the top of a ridge. I met the owner on the site and he shared a design from a local Landscape Architect. The owner's current design was terrible–I was able to highlight that his design was huge investment that was mostly hidden from sight. In fact, he would only see his pool when walking down to use it. Instead, we proposed to build something he would enjoy every moment he was on the property—both from the pool and looking out from the house. I knew it would be a challenge as the grading fell off fast. Really fast. Photo A.
We were hired to redesign and the project moved through the process.
Our design placed pool level just off the existing patio level in order keep the pool within sightlines from inside the adjoining kitchen, family room as well as the patio. This also meant the outside edge would be somewhere near 18' above existing grade. We also added in our company's second vanishing edge to date and our first slot overflow on the patio side: Go big or go home.
The pressure was on. The client's son was getting married and they wanted to throw a party –the process needed to accelerate.
We sent our design to engineering. We knew piers were in order but we could only speculate. As soon as we received engineering, we had the challenge of putting numbers to our one-of-a-kind design. Uncharted territory. We had designed a traditional trough as that is what we knew and proudly used our hydraulics education and surge capacity math to size. The cool surprise was what material would support the pool: geofoam.
The education process that would forever change my approach to projects began. I dissected the plans down to each component and built in my head step-by-step. I would be doing this project myself with the help of one carpenter and an occasional laborer or two.
This sounds exciting, and it was except for the client's bully attitude and the pressure to turn around numbers quickly. If the numbers were not right, this project was canned. The state of the economy and the opportunity to bring this vision life clouded my better judgement. I've always been a stick counter so calculating the materials portion was not too difficult. But working on a steep hillside with some unique materials meant things could go south fast so a fine line was set. Think this through tight and methodically. I had never played with geofoam or piers sticking out of grade by 8 ft so there were some things to learn.
Presenting the proposal was unnerving. Of course, it was more than the client was willing to spend by a good amount. Project canned. Now what? "Let me think on this for a few," I told him. "You're only as good as your solutions," we like to say. I couldn't give up yet although our client's attitude sure made me want to throw in the towel.
My breakdown of each step made value engineering much easier. The outer wall and its supports were target as they looked redundant. I recalled a trough detail in a Genesis class and approached the engineer with the thought of a version that would grow out of the pool wall and channel water to a tank below. We could also shorten the pool by approximately ten feet without compromising the intent and vision. NOA was able to make the structural changes for a minimal charge and if those two changes alone saved around $80k.
Lesson learned: There are always options—so keep looking.
The project was back on and deadlines were set. Showtime. Having spent some time in a cabinet shop, it's hard not to keep looking at the little marks between the larger ones on the tape measure. Ultimately, my attention to detail is a good thing although I would get plenty of comments. When your end-goal is to have as perfect an edge as possible, 18 ft above grade, the small marks are worth noticing.
The batterboards would dictate the layout from day one. Everyday we would reference back to them so it was vital to take care to do everything possible to make them perfect and able to withstand months of construction, facing woodshrink and warping, as the project grew out of the ground. We wanted account for everything. Months later and still our daily guide.
Lesson learned: Start perfect to stay perfect—it pays off!
Learning about geofoam as soon as possible (where to get it, dimensions available, trucking, moving, workability, etc.) was vital. When we knew what size fit the criteria, we made sure the bench cuts in the hill matched this within inches so as we could keep cutting and back-filling to a minimum. These foam blocks were like huge Legos. Access required transferring pieces off flatbeds onto the shoulder of main road, ten minutes down the mountain, and shuffling uphill in smaller truck (while trimming overhead branches on route up while nobody was looking). Again, again, again and again. Careful handling of the foam blocks kept the "snow" to a minimum.
Lesson learned: What seems like a simple task is not always so. Don't assume.
There's no manual on how to logistically build a project like this so write your own. I am extremely fortunate in my life to have worked with two master craftsman who have been building fine homes for 40 plus years each. Old school boys. Darryl and I go back to little league days together and we still work together. Tim and I worked together for at least double-digit years. On this project Darryl was building a house with a friend so this was my first opportunity to work side by side with Tim. Tim always used to get in my ear, ranting about prebuilding and controlled environments. He made some sense but I didn't have the available bandwidth to fully absorb and apply. That would change on this project and forever be engrained to this day. Tornado Tim or Slash as I sometimes called him seized the opportunity to apply his concept and craft. We premade all the form panels we could on a perfectly flat area we created just for fabrication. We spun top and bottom plates on 1 1/8" plywood to the exact radius of the design and squared up each panel with plywood again knowing that the more accurate we were now, the more precise the walls would grow to be.
Lesson learned: Square and plumb! Controlled environments for prefab rules!
Making our own pretend construction manual meant thinking of the next step and beyond that, and how our actions now would affect the future. We made the tall outer forms taller than the bottom of the pool and the first shoot, leaving them on to support the cantilevered trough when we acknowledged that no seam at the transition would be stronger and present fewer potential issues.
Lesson learned: Think ahead, think further ahead, then think backwards, too.
Bracing the piers that would grow from grade and pass through the yet to be installed geofoam, to the bottom floor of the sun shelf, was one of the more nerve-racking steps. Fear of a leaning pier made for restless nights. Photo G also shows the bench cuts dimensioned to match future Geofoam block size.
Lesson learned: If you keep thinking about it, consider it a premonition that needs addressing. Brace, brace and brace again.
A major part of the process was constantly mapping out visual references to be used by all parties involved. The steel crew wants to jam and not think too much so we decided to map out the profile of the pool floor and grade beams (which would be in the foam, not actual grade). In cabinetry we call it a story stick. I'm not sure what to call it in pools but I can assure you it was a wise move. The red tape in the picture was the profile that once mapped out was what we would foam to and the steel crew would follow, as well.
Lesson learned: Taking the time to preplan and map out will accelerate the install and labor, eliminating the need to burn those last braincells when things need to get done.
The geofoam turned out to be quite the adventure. Cheap electric chainsaws were key. The hot wire was ok, at times. It's a thrill when it's hundred degrees out and the reflection off the white is tanning you, yet have Styrofoam snow sticking to you!
This would be my first project where no trenching was involved for plumbing, as all routing was left to our discretion. Foam trenches! We had to account for this as we finally reached the level of the bottom of the pool. Our plan was to build the exterior walls up to prepool floor level, foam fill and then continue with pool forms on top of exterior wall forms, which we left installed to slow down curing. By doing this, we would also be shooting the pool shell monolithically (if it technically made a difference). Basically, create a nice level work area then start working up again. It was also crucial to get all plumbing in before any steel as the steel schedule was so intense, it would require test panels and all sorts of application protocol. The photos below show how much fun the steel crews had. Seismic is our local engineering buzzword every time we ask why so damn much. When all said and done over $20k went towards special inspections and observations as required by code and engineering. Welcome to California.
Lesson learned: Think in terms of stages. Always.
Considering stages especially applied when phasing the shoots.
Once the super structure was completed, the process became all about the aesthetics. The payoff on all the diligence spent with precise batters came to fruition as the compound miters on the tile and stone at the radiused curves were so much easier to execute.
There are still many many more sub stories to this project. Though the stress throughout the project was no bueno, the buzz for me was taking the risk to complete such an enormous (with a knucklehead client) that could have been disastrous and derailed at any stage. The level and uniqueness of the engineering and execution has since made all other projects feel very tame. It has given us the confidence to take on any "challenging" site or design, knowing that if you look before you leap, you can land feet first. An extra bonus was working hands-on has forever helped me with estimating intricate jobs. It also helped me decide to stay small, specialize when possible and maybe even jump up from the glorified babysitter rate.
Looking back has been fun. Knowing that without having taken that challenge, then we wouldn't be what we are today—that makes it worth it.


Consumer Reports wants to direct our attention to a report warning of the danger that presents itself when animals are given too many antibiotics.
An editorial going by the title "Pig Out" and featured in a journal known as Nature stresses the need for farmers to abstain from giving their livestock large amounts of non-veterinary antibiotics, a practice typically carried out not to prevent infections, but rather to promote quick growth within the animals. Unfortunately, according to the editorial, doing so could cause various types of bacteria to become resistant to the antibiotics. This in turn presents a danger to humans, since we end up eating the animals and those resistant bacteria can pass to us.
Numerous parties have called on the Food and Drug Administration to begin regulating the overuse of antibiotics, and the organization recently took tentative steps toward doing just that. Right now, the meat and poultry industries are responsible for buying up around 80% of antibiotics on the market. Some people have gone so far as to call the continued rampant distribution of antibiotics to livestock a public health crisis.
Consumer Reports, for their part, says that consumers worried about this troubling trend can find food from the supermarket that does not contain antibiotics. However, they also stress that a lack of clarity on product labels makes it difficult to to discern the true nature of many such items.


This document is an extension of the excellent work done by Nancy Thuleen at http://www.nthuleen.com/ This document is a Language Gym reference document. Language Gym is a Berlin based language training program that stresses patterns in grammar and speaking through storytelling.
Key 1a: This key is 'typed' so as to be as simple to use as possible. It is 'version 1' and will no doubt be refined.
t: time, m: manner, pl: place : all these elements are in fact adverbs or adverb phases.
1. In normal statements, the conjugated verb is ALWAYS the second element in the sentence. This rule will never change, and it is very strict, so get used to following it! Do remember that an 'element' may consist of more than one word: 'heute Morgen' for instance, is just one element, as is 'gestern um 3 Uhr nachmittags' — both are simply (adverbial) time elements, even though they consist of several words.
A corollary to this rule of "V2" is that almost any element OTHER than the verb can move to the first place in a sentence. If you want to emphasize the time when something happened, start with the time element; if it's the object that's important, start with that. But in all cases, no matter what starts the sentence, the verb will be the second element. If the subject is not the first element, then it will be third — the verb and the subject always need to stay close together.
vc s t pl ?
vc s t pl v ?
3) In a question that has a question word (e.g. who, what, where, when …), the question word is in first position, and the verb is second. The subject is almost always in third position.
s(Ich) vc(kann) t(jeden Abend bis zwei Uhr) pl(vor dem Fernseher) v(sitzen).
vc s t m pl v ?
Ich | bin | gestern | zu viel | um den Campus | gelaufen.
7)Separable prefixes are a little confusing to explain, but generally easy to use. The prefix is removed from the verb when it is conjugated, and the prefix is moved to the end of the sentence. When the verb appears in the infinitive form (for instance with a modal verb), then the prefix is not removed, it stays attached. And in the participle (ge-form) of the verb, it is attached before the -ge-.
vc s obj2 pl v ?
Soll ich Wein für die Party mitbringen?
fernsehen / ich / heute Abend / nicht .
nach Chicago / Claudia / möchten / mit uns / mitfahren .
* es gibt: an expression: is there/there is: here 'es' is the subject' and 'ein Quiz' is an obj2.
geben / es / ein Quiz / morgen ?
There are many more conjunctions like this in German, which you will pick up along the way. Some other frequent conjunctions are as follows.
Weißt du, ob wir heute Unterricht haben?
Ich kann nicht kommen, weil mein Auto kaputt ist.
Er sagt, dass ich zu spät gekommen bin.
Ich glaube nicht, dass ich gut kochen kann.
There are two pitfalls to be avoided here. One is forgetting to move the verb — just pay attention to the conjunction, and move the verb appropriately. But the other pitfall is moving the WRONG verb: notice that in the part of the sentence BEFORE the conjunction, the word order is completely normal. It's only the part of the sentence AFTER the conjunction that changes at all.
Er sagt, dass er den Wein mitbringt.
Ich weiß nicht, ob er sein Zimmer aufräumt.
Er fragt, wie das Wetter in Berlin ist.
This document was written to support Language Gym — Berlin. A program to learn English based on grammar patterns and oral story telling. That is version 1 of the semi-formal grammar for German word order. Comments and improvements to peterjmerrick@gmail.com. Peter Merrick PhD Software Engineering, BSc. Hons Computer Science University of East Anglia. If you like this work please subscribe. Visit the website to join the program or the mailing list. Thanks.


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Home Business and Economy Minister kicks against establishment of ICT institute
Pantami, NIPOST receives zero allocation from N137.2 billion Capital
Ojochenemi Onje-James
OrderPaperToday – Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Ali Pantami, has kicked against the proposed establishment of Institute of Information and Communication Technology in Iwo, Osun State.
This came to the fore when the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybercrime considered a bill sponsored to that effect by Senator Adelere Oriolowo (APC, Osun West) at the public hearing last Thursday.
While the Committee led by Senator Yakubu Oseni ( APC, Kogi Central) gave its total support for the proposal as entailed in the bill, the minister kicked against the proposal on the grounds of alleged duplication of mandates of existing institution.
Sponsor of the bill titled, "a bill for an act for establishment of the institute of information and communication technology, Iwo, Osun State," Senator Oriolowo in his presentation at the public hearing, said the Institute is a necessity in the digital world.
He said that the institute when established, would carry out scientific and applied research in the area of modern information technology application to optimize processes and decision support systems.
"Globally, applications of ICT are making dramatic changes in economic and social development. These changes do not generally mean an increase in the number of computers appearing in homes, work places and schools but a change in the foundations of economic growth and its relationship to human capital," he said, adding:
"The Institution is definitely going to play a key role in the training of journalists and media practitioners in the emerging global issues of climate change, natural disasters and insecurities/insurgencies around the world".
Pantami who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Bitrus Bako Nabasu, said the institute being sought for was not needed at this time of economy downturn.
"As promising as the proposed institution may be, paucity of fund being faced by already existing institution, will also affect it if created.
"Another critical observation made by the ministry in the bill seeking for the institute is that the courses listed to be run by it are already being run by some of the Polytechnics in the country.
"Rather than seeking for establishment of a different institute, concerted efforts should be made to make adequate financial provisions for the existing institution.
'The Ministry on account of these observations, submit that the bill should be stepped down", Nabasu stated.
In a passionate appeal, the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, pleaded with the Committee and the Minister to make establishment of the Institute see the light of the day.
He stated President Muhammadu Buhari's government is known for Infrastructural revolution requiring the proposed Institute as icing on the cake.
Previous articleSenate passes N17.12trn for 2022 budget
Next articleCHRISTMAS: Senate adjourns plenary till Jan 18, 2022
Ojochenemi Onje-James is a research writer and journalist with years of proven footprints in areas of crime and politics. She has M.Sc in International Relations and Strategic Studies; and B.Sc in Mass Communication.
MIDTERM: Two Anambra senators tie on motions
MIDTERM: Adeyemi had no motion, petition in Senate


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Archives for July 23, 2018
Rally against fraudsters, rapists & child abusers
July 23, 2018 by NHL Werasinghe Leave a Comment
Teachers throughout the island would begin a protest campaign of applying sick leave on 26th July to protest against providing various positions to a certain group of teachers on the pretext of making amends for political victimization by previous governments thereby denying promotions for teachers who genuinely deserve such promotions says the General Secretary of Lanka Teacher Services Union (LTSU) Mahinda Jayasinghe.
He emphasized that giving promotions for 1011 persons as members of Educational Administration Service, principals etc. while there are many who are qualified but have been overlooked is not justifiable.
Mr Jayasinghe said there are fraudsters, rapists and child abusers among the 1011 persons who are to be promoted. As such, he called upon all teachers, principals, and officials in the Educational Administrative Service to come forward to protest against handing over the future of the children of the country to such fraudsters, rapists and child abusers.
ජූලී 20 ගුරු සටනට ඔබත් එක්වන්න…
Posted by Mahinda Jayasinghe on Saturday, July 21, 2018
Filed Under: Latest
Sri Lanka win 2nd test & series
Sri Lanka has won the second test match by 199 runs to sweep the two-test series against South Afric 2 – 0.
Rangana Herath picked up six wickets including that of de Bruyn who finished with a maiden Test century. Dimuth Karunaratna is the man of the match and man of the series.
Scores:- Sri Lanka 338 (Dhananjaya de Silva 60, Danushka Gunathilaka 57; Keshav Maharaj 9-129) and 275-5 (Dimuth Karunaratne 85, Angelo Mathews 71; Keshav Maharaj 3-154). South Africa 124 (Francois Du Plessis 48; Akila Dananjaya 5-52, Dilruwan Perera 4-40) and 290 (Theunis De Bruyn 101, Temba Bavuma 63; Rangana Herath 6-98) Sri Lanka won by 199 runs.
'Brotherhood Day' motorcycle tours, cultural show & rally today at Nugegoda
The 'Brotherhood Day' organized every year by the Socialist Youth Union (SYU), the youth wing of the JVP will be celebrated today (23rd) with several events.
A progamme named 'One country and a human wall' organized in a bid to develop unity among communities was held throughout the months of June and July as a part of the overall programme leading to 'Brotherhood Day'.
Among the programmes that had been carried out were developing national unity in 100 selected villages in the country, assembling intellectuals, teachers and professionals who are willing to represent national unity to one center, involving them to take the message of national unity to schools and their places of work, carrying out religious programmes in temples and other religious places to develop solidarity among religious groups were worked out.
Today, motorcycle tours commencing from Chilaw, Ratnapura, Kandy and Galle at 9.00 a.m. will converge at Ananda Samarakone Outdoor Stadium at Nugegoda where a cultural show and a rally will be held starting at 3.30 p.m.
The Leaders of the SYU, representatives of various organizations and leaders of political parties are expected to address the rally.


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Charles Strouse was most commonly known for his impressive musical talents. He wrote the opera "The Future of the American Musical Theater," presented at the Northwood Institute, Midland, Michigan campus. In 1977, he directed the ASCAP workshop for young composers in NY. Strouse began his entertainment career with his music featured in films like "The Mating Game" (1959), "Bonnie and Cl...
Life After Tomorrow (2006)
Deadpool 2 (2018)
The Post (2017)
Annie (1982) -- (Movie Clip) It's The Hard-Knock Life
Annie (1982) -- (Movie Clip) I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here
Bye Bye Birdie (1963) -- (Movie Clip) The Ed Sullivan Song
Bye Bye Birdie (1963) -- (Movie Clip) Conrad Birdie Pledge
Annie (1982) -- (Movie Clip) Sign!
Honored with an award from the Northwood Institute for his "outstanding achievements in the arts" (1991)
Strouse has lectured at the Northwood Institue in Dallas.
Charles Strouse was most commonly known for his impressive musical talents. He wrote the opera "The Future of the American Musical Theater," presented at the Northwood Institute, Midland, Michigan campus. In 1977, he directed the ASCAP workshop for young composers in NY. Strouse began his entertainment career with his music featured in films like "The Mating Game" (1959), "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967) with Warren Beatty and the western "There Was a Crooked Man" (1970) with Kirk Douglas. His music also appeared in the comedy "Just Tell Me What You Want" (1980) with Ali MacGraw. Strouse won a Primetime Emmy Award for "Bye Bye Birdie" in 1996. Strouse won a Musical Tony Award in 1970. Strouse was nominated for an Original Song BAFTA Award for "Annie" in 1982. In the eighties and the nineties, Strouse's music continued to appear on the silver screen, including in films like "All Dogs Go to Heaven" (1989) with Dom DeLuise, "Jungle Fever" (1991) and the Danny Aiello action film "29th Street" (1991). His work was also in "Year of the Comet" (1992) with Penelope Ann Miller. Strouse's music was also featured in the comedy "Edtv" (1999) with Matthew McConaughey, the action flick "Pushing Tin" (1999) with John Cusack and the Meg Ryan dramatic adaptation "Hanging Up" (2000). His music was also featured in the dramatic adaptation "Kissing Jessica Stein" (2002) with Jennifer Westfeldt and the Mike Myers smash hit comedy sequel "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (2002). Strouse's music was most recently used in "Charlie Bartlett" (2008). Strouse had two children.
Writer (Feature Film)
Shrek Forever After (2010)
Charlie Bartlett (2007)
Fred Claus (2007)
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (2006)
Beyond the Sea (2004)
Secondhand Lions (2003)
School of Rock (2003)
Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)
Hanging Up (2000)
Ed TV (1999)
Pushing Tin (1999)
Fathers' Day (1997)
Annie: A Royal Adventure (1995)
Bye Bye Birdie (1995)
Serial Mom (1994)
Life with Mikey (1993)
Year Of The Comet (1992)
Jungle Fever (1991)
29th Street (1991)
All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)
Ishtar (1987)
Off Beat (1986)
The Worst Witch (1986)
Portrait of a Showgirl (1982)
There Was a Crooked Man ... (1970)
The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
The Mating Game (1959)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Music By Richard Rodgers (1990)
The Songwriters Hall of Fame 20th Anniversary... The Magic of Music (1989)
An Evening With Alan Jay Lerner (1989)
The Music Makers: An ASCAP Celebration of American Music at Wolf Trap (1987)
Liberty Weekend (1986)
Broadway Plays Washington! (1982)
Taxicab Confessions: New York, New York (2003)
Challenge to America (1994)
Title Music
All in the Family 20th Anniversary Special (1991)
Night of 100 Stars III (1990)
It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (1975)
Applause (1973)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile the Musical: The House on East 88th Street (1987)
Music (TV Mini-Series)
A Child's Garden of Verses (1992)
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (1990)
Directed the ASCAP workshop for young composers in NY
Movie Clip
Annie (1982) -- (Movie Clip) I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here A bigger-still production number, shot inside Wilson Hall, Monmouth University in Long Branch, NJ, John Huston directing with choreography by Arlene Phillips to a tune by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin from the original Broadway hit, Aileen Quinn (title character) supported by Anne Reinking (as Miss Farrell) and other members of the Warbucks household, in Annie, 1982.
Annie (1982) -- (Movie Clip) Sign! Having warmed to the title character (the orphan whom he originally meant to adopt for just one week), wealthy Oliver Warbucks (Albert Finney) pressures the orphanage boss (Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan) to sign the deal, but she has her own agenda, in Annie, 1982, song by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin.
Annie (1982) -- (Movie Clip) It's The Hard-Knock Life Immediately following the restrained first number, the girls (Aileen Queen the "Little Orphan" title character, Toni Ann Gisondi as little Molly) have scared up their minder, Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan, director John Huston exercising a tight grip in his first musical, song by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, choreography by Arlene Phillips, production design by Dale Hennesy, in producer Ray Stark's Annie, 1982.
Bye Bye Birdie (1963) -- (Movie Clip) The Ed Sullivan Song Silly bit about turtle eggs sets up Paul Lynde (as "Mr McAfee") and family (Mary LaRoche, Ann-Margret, Bryan Russell) in Charles Strouse and Lee Adams' tune, formally titled "Hymn For A Sunday Evening," in Bye Bye Birdie, 1963.
Bye Bye Birdie (1963) -- (Movie Clip) Conrad Birdie Pledge Conrad Birdie (Jesse Pearson) rides into town where Ursula (Trudie Ames) and Kim (Ann-Margret) recite the Conrad Birdie Pledge and the townsfolk (Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Bobby Rydell, Paul Lynde, etc.) reel in Bye Bye Birdie, 1963.
Bye Bye Birdie (1963) -- (Movie Clip) Open, Bye Bye The opening sequence, like the movie, is all about Ann-Margret, singing the title tune and leading into the credits in director George Sidney's Bye Bye Birdie, 1963.
Bye Bye Birdie (1963) -- (Movie Clip) Goin' Steady The song is really called "The Telephone Hour," by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams but it's all about "Goin' Steady" in this wild technical sequence from director George Sidney's Bye Bye Birdie, 1963.
Bye Bye Birdie (1963) -- (Movie Clip) Put On a Happy Face Albert (Dick Van Dyke) uses animation and "Put On a Happy Face" by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams to cheer up fiance` Rosie (Janet Leigh) in director George Sidney's Bye Bye Birdie, 1963.
Bye Bye Birdie (1963) -- (Movie Clip) Honestly Sincere Conrad Birdie (Jesse Pearson) slays the town with his rendition of "Honestly Sincere" by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, especially Kim (Ann-Margret) and Ursula (Trudi Ames), in George Sidney's Bye Bye Birdie, 1963.
Nicholas Strouse
Actor.
Victoria Strouse
Screenwriter.
Inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2001.


Rayman, named platformer of the year and winner of multiple artistic and musical achievements, is back with a brand new adventure. Michel Ancel, celebrated creator of Rayman, Beyond Good & Evil and the Raving Rabbids is bringing his innovative creativity to these platforms. Additionally, advancements in the UbiArt engine has helped pave the way for new, more detailed graphics and lighting.


・Great place! So friendly, close to beach, clean, well equiped cottages. I will be back! Christine. A fantastic place to stay! Great cabins BBQ area and a very short distance to the beach. Michaela&Mark, The cottage was everything we needed. It is so close to the beach but is shielded from the wind. We had a wonderful time. Thank you! Dylan. It was a wonderful stay! And everyone could enjoy the beach, BBQ, and the company of friends, both new and old! Can't wait to come back again! Thank you! Shannon. The bbq was great! we enjoyed our time at your lovely cabines Yumigahama. Amarda. 23 Sep.
・Wonderful place ! We've stayed twice and have loved it each time. The location is perfect. The cottages are ideal for a beach-stay. The management/owner adds such a friendly personable touch that we feel like we have made new friends as we have visited. Would recommend it to anyone! 11 July Cade Salmon Family.


text:
Home News Handkerchief That Messi Used in His Farewell Is Auctioned for a Million...
Handkerchief that Messi used in his farewell to be auctioned for a million dollars | AFP
Handkerchief That Messi Used in His Farewell Is Auctioned for a Million Dollars
An anonymous user offered on the 'Mercado Libre' platform the handkerchief that Messi used to dry his tears for a million dollars.
For a few weeks, the name of the Argentine star, Leonel Messi, has been on everyone's lips due to his sudden departure from Futbol Club Barcelona after being one of its star players for around 21 years, that is why his emotional farewell did not take long to go around the world, where he could not help crying when he separated from the team that saw him grow up.
That moving day, the wife of the new Paris Saint Germain player, Antonella Roccurzo, upon seeing him with tears in his eyes in the middle of the press conference, handed him a tissue so he could dry his face, which went unnoticed by all the assistants until a few days ago.
Also read: 125 oil wells suspended after Pemex platform fire
Apparently, a person who was that day in the 1899 Auditorium where the event was held to dismiss the footballer, picked up the handkerchief and took the opportunity to auction it on the internet, seeking to earn a few thousand dollars with this peculiar object.
Por si ocupan…
En internet se vende en un millón de dólares el pañuelo que uso Messi en su despedida. 💰 pic.twitter.com/c0gfTohsnl
— ZEL (@Mariazelzel) August 18, 2021
The anonymous seller used the 'Mercado Libre' platform to offer it to all fans of the PSG striker for the exorbitant amount of one million dollars, where he placed a striking description that did not go unnoticed by web users.
"Wrinkled, but in good condition. Great opportunity to get Leo's genetic material and clone it ", was the curious text that accompanied the photograph of the small piece of paper that was supposedly used by Leonel Messi on the day of his farewell from Barça, however, this cannot be known with certainty.
As expected, thousands of Internet users began to spread the images of this impressive offer through digital platforms, turning this unusual fact into a trend, which has caused a wave of memes and many other auctions with other 'Messi handkerchiefs'.
A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi)
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The most compelling advantage is the greatly reduced fabrication cycle time and consequently significantly lower part costs and higher production rates.
TPC opens up a new range of fabrication options. Selecting the optimal method requires consideration of part size, complexity and production process.
– Continuous compression molding (CCM).
ATC can help you navigate through the range of possibilities to the best solution for your components.
A major advantage of thermoplastics is the rapid processing. The polymer is simply heated, formed to shape and cooled with no chemical reaction or cure.
Aerospace applications demand the highest performance, a wide service temperature range, environmental resistance and very low flammability.
The select polymers have desirable characteristics for aerospace structures and interiors. All the polymers have high service temperatures, represented by the Glass Transition temperature (Tg).
The summary table lists the typical Aero polymers key processing and service temperatures and key benefits or limitations.
(1) For aircraft structural use. Service temperature must be determined by designer on service requirements.
ATC works with prepregs (fully impregnated and powder coated), and consolidated laminates. Additionally, we manufacture laminates in house using a Continuous Compression Molding (CCM) and Press Molding techniques.


The Issue Management Team within AWS Platform needs experienced Software Development engineers to work on the Issue Management platform. Our team delivers the in-house software platforms and services that are used by more than 150,000 unique internal users every day, and need to scale up to twice that use pattern! These are the core software technologies that Amazon and AWS use to collaborate on, monitor, engage and manage all of the software defects, incidents, agile deliveries and business processes across the entire company.
We are looking for innovative software engineers who want to join us in solving scaling and availability challenges together. We need software developers who can excel in a fast-paced and often ambiguous environment.
Have full ownership. You own the vision, the product, the customers, and the code. We do have a lot of engaged customers.
Design/develop/iterate tools that are used by every single person, device, service and website across Amazon and AWS.


Our signature coffee capsule: a rich intense aroma and structure: the espresso youwould drink in the heart of Milan.
Blend of the best Arabica from Brazil and Guatemala, and Robusta from India.
Rich and intense: low acidity and a long chocolate aftertaste.
Our signature coffee capsule: a rich intense aroma and structure, the espresso you would drink in the heart of Milan.


This is a placeholder page for Lori Argent, which means this person is not currently on this site. We do suggest using the tools below to find Lori Argent.
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Athanasios Ntalakas, a gambler at Titan Poker for the last two years, came in above 1,675 other players on January 10, 2010 and took home the first prize of $200,000 in the $1,000,000 Guaranteed Prize poker tournament, a monthly event at the popular online poker gambling site.
Back on November 23, 2009, Athanasios, whose home is Athens, Greece, won the first prize of $52,000 at the first event of Titan Poker's European Championship of Online Poker gambling. That poker tournament, also a Texas Holdem No Limit Freezeout, carried a $250,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool and was the starter of the fourteen-night series.
"My experience so far at Titan Poker is amazing and I will continue playing for a long time and also give it a try at satellites for a live event," Athanasios said.
At his previous win in November, Athanasios came in first among 1,240 other players in an online poker tournament that lasted over 9 hours. In addition to his cash prize, he was awarded with a prestigious Tag Heuer automatic chronograph series Carrera watch, engraved with his nickname and the name of the online poker tournament that he won.


text:
Education Religion US News
Public school 'purges' Christian authors from library
Sep 28, 2014 Christian Books, Christian Purging, Christians, Education, Schools, Southern California, Springs Charter School system, Supt. Kathleen Hermsmeyer
A charter school in Southern California is facing the threat of a lawsuit for "purging" Christian books from its library.
Parents contacted the Pacific Justice Institute after Springs Charter School system Supt. Kathleen Hermsmeyer declared the library would not be allowed to carry "sectarian" materials.
Pacific Justice President Brad Dacus told WND that among the books was "The Hiding Place," the story of Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch woman sent to a prison camp by the Nazis of World War II for helping Jews escape.
Dacus said PJI's legal team and the district have exchanged letters already.
"I think she doesn't understand the law," he said of Hermsmeyer.
Dacus cited her statement that the school officials "do not allow sectarian materials on our state authorized lending shelves."
"That's a problem," he said. "She apparently doesn't understand that public libraries do not have the obligation to sterilize religious books from their shelves."
Strictly religious books, such as the Bible or the Quran, routinely are on library shelves, he argued.
Dacus said an immediate correction of the school's policy would prevent a lawsuit.
"It is alarming that a school library would attempt to purge books from religious authors," he said. "Indeed, some of the greatest literature of Western Civilization comes from people of faith. Are they going to ban the sermons or speeches of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? What about the Declaration of Independence that invokes the laws of nature and nature's God."
Written by BOB UNRUH
Read more at WND
Government US News
NYC Tenants Owe More Than $2 Billion In Unpaid Rent As Cuomo Extends Eviction Moratorium
Joe Biden Unveils $1.9 Trillion COVID Stimulus Plan


text:
Bloomberg's Recent activity
Germany to Unveil European Cloud to Rival Amazon, Alibaba
"Data are the resource of the future," according to a strategy paper by the Economy Ministry. "That's why Germany and Europe needs data infrastructure that ensures data sovereignty and enables the sharing of data on a...
Chinese Official Touts Blockchain After Xi Praises Technology
A senior Chinese foreign-exchange regulatory official called for "special attention" to be paid to blockchain as the nation looks to gain advantages from digital finance.
A Jakarta-based startup HARA is using blockchain to collect and manage farm data, from soil and crop conditions to pest infestation, cultivation process, land ownership and grains transaction in a bid to help improve...
Apple Revamping Smart Home Efforts After Falling Behind Amazon, Google
The overhaul is designed to spur more outside accessory and appliance makers to connect smart-home products with the iPhone and Apple's voice-activated digital assistant, Siri.
Adobe Exposed Data of More Than 7 Million Software Users
Adobe supposedly addressed the vulnerability the same day it was discovered and the exposed information didn't include passwords or any financial information.
Microsoft's JEDI Win May Open 'Floodgates' For Cloud Growth
Analysts wrote that while the dollar-amount of the deal made it "inconsequential" for Microsoft's near-term results, it still represented a milestone for its fast-growing cloud business.
Microsoft at Record High on Controversial Pentagon Contract
The $10 billion cloud contract -- unthinkable for Microsoft even a year ago -- will likely come at a cost, both legally and internally.
Microsoft to Expand Pentagon Ties With $10 Billion JEDI Contract
Microsoft Corp. said it's seeking to expand its partnership with the Pentagon after winning the sought-after JEDI cloud computing contract valued at as much as $10 billion over a decade.
Microsoft Wins $10 Billion Pentagon Cloud Contract, Beating Amazon
Microsoft has won the sought-after JEDI cloud computing contract with the Pentagon valued at as much as $10 billion over a decade, dealing a blow to the market leader, Amazon.com, which had been the front-runner.
Google, Facebook, Netflix Face Possible Digital Tax in Turkey
The move would mirror efforts in other countries, like France and the U.K., to develop tax policies that can better account for operations of digital and virtual companies that have seen exponential growth.


People love to add things to the strings to make them quieter and faster. I personally like to keep as much weight off the string as possible. This way I can get the best performance of the string. On my Winner's Choice string, I have the peep, serving, and two speed buttons.
When it comes to waxing your bowstring, it is all personal preference. Some people wax their bowstring a lot, a few times, or they do not wax it. I prefer to shoot the least amount of wax possible on the string. To me, string wax is to keep the fibers from falling apart. Living in Arizona, you would think that the heat would dry out the bowstring. However, I only wax my string once or twice a season. I know a lot of people put more wax on their strings when they are in rainy or snowy conditions, but I prefer to use the lightest amount of wax on the string. The surface area is so small the water will not soak into the string. The bowstring could be under water and the string still will not be soaked.


text:
College tutor, 24, becomes a top female WRESTLER
College lecturer Carmel Jacob really has a hold on her students — after becoming one of Europe's top women WRESTLERS.
Pretty Carmel, 24, works as a learning development tutor but in the evening dons a figure-hugging outfit to teach her rivals a lesson in the ring.
Carmel took up wrestling lessons when she was aged just 16 and turned professional two years later.
[half]
Pro-wrestler Carmel Jacobs
[/half]
Carmel is also a college tutor
She is now a top wrestler with bouts across Europe while also lecturing students on health, well-being and employability at Edinburgh College in Scotland.
Carmel, of Edinburgh, said: "At work, I'm nice and helpful to people but in the ring I beat people up.
"I'm professional at work and professional in the ring but I keep both characters separate.
"I have a degree in psychology and I always wanted to get into counselling. I wanted to help people with their learning.
"Sometimes its hard to balance both my job as a lecturer and my passion for wrestling.
Obviously, there is a massive difference between both characters.
During the day, pretty Carmel, 24, works as a learning development tutor at Edinburgh College but in the evening she swaps her smart business suit for a sexy, figure-hugging outfit
"As a wrestler I play a stereotypical bad girl, who cheats and does anything to win a fight. Being in the ring allows me to let out aggression which I would not be able to let out during the day.
"When I was growing up, I watched a lot of wrestling and always said I was going to do it one day."
Glasgow-based wrestling promoter Michael Gilbert added: "She is one of the top three female wrestlers in Europe."
Woman driver who paralysed a nurse while driving on the wrong side of the road is fined… just £90
Candid panda! Rare species are recorded with hidden cameras in their natural habitats


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On Wednesday I took part in an online discussion on Agile / Continuous Integration / DevOps / Continuous Delivery organised by Electric Cloud (see http://electric-cloud.com/blog/2014/10/c9d9-continuous-discussions-episode-1-recap/) .
I was really happy to be invited to talk as a panellist on the discussion, especially seeing the very high calibre of the other individuals on the panel. It was great to be included among such an insightful and talented group of people.
One of the things that struck me was that there was widespread agreement among the panellists of the benefits of Agile / CI / DevOps / CD, and many of the barriers that were encountered were also the same.
The end customer is ultimately responsible for integrating, final QA and release into production. The point was made on the discussion panel that if you look at your development process as a pipeline you can only move at the speed of the slowest stage. This is definitely an issue where we are at the moment, we have the ability to produce much more value but we are constrained because the end of the pipe cannot absorb change quickly enough.
As a consequence of this, as releases become further and further apart they become larger and hence have a higher level of inherent risk. It is an irony that the risk-aversion that leads to endless test cycles of an integrated solution ends up slowing down the deployments so much that each deployment becomes ever riskier.
One of the keys to solving this is DevOps. Within my dev programme we've got great build and infrastructure guys embedded so we can all work together to create our slick process. At the end customer the various teams involved are all in different organisational silos (and often in different organisations altogether). The multi-functional teams required to make releases slick and frequent are not in place.
This makes for an interesting observation. In software, quality comes from automation, because only by using automation can we be truly repeatable, and a precondition of software quality is repeatability. But - again an excellent observation made on the panel - automation also frees software developers from mundane repetitive tasks so that they can focus on spending more time delivering solutions. We should embrace automation, it is our friend.
Also, and this is my own reflection on this, true agility (as opposed to agile methodologies, which I prefer to regard as strategies for managing change) comes from adopting best practices. It involves setting up the software development / test machine (note that these two cannot be separated) so that when we change the solution we get feedback on the level of quality quickly. As anyone with a knowledge of control circuits knows: if you want a stable system the speed of change has to be slower than the speed of feedback .
Which brings me back to where I was before. Long release cycles involve slow feedback. We try to get around this by delivering into a QA environment on several-times-a-day basis (fast feedback). However, we are at the mercy of integration issues at the other end of the pipeline and there the feedback can be months. This causes us issues because we are regularly working on updated requirements to fix integration issues - not because this adds more business value, but because slow integration did not catch this early in the cycle.
A great discussion, much food for thought for me about where I want to take this. My current programme is winding down at the moment, and I'm thinking of what I want to work on next year. All I know for sure is that I want MORE CI, MORE DevOps and MORE Continuous Delivery!
And to work on big stuff.
Many thanks to everyone involved in #c9d9.