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By Avilasha Sarmah in Editor's Pick 26/06/2019
Kirthi Jayakumar calls herself a lawyer by education but in the professional space she has been a social volunteer, an entrepreneur and even self-coded an app! Her extraordinary story revolves around creating the Red Elephant Foundation, a global organization that advocates gender equity and civilian peace-building. Operating on a zero budget, without an office and only by volunteers, the Red Elephant Foundation works with leading schools and organizations to end gender based violence and has managed to help women in distress in about 196 countries through the Saahas App.
"Perhaps Red Elephant was in the making, it just didn't find its outlet until a certain point, which happened to be the 16th December incident in Delhi."
Talking about the origin of the Red Elephant Foundation, Kirthi says that it coincides with her own story. It started when as a young schoolgirl she faced bullying, including gender based violence. The gender based violence ranged from being beaten to molestation.
"Growing up in that space I think, I saw what suffering looks like up close and it just felt that was where I had to be."
It was the 2012 Delhi gang-rape, which Kirthi calls the second biggest wake-up call in the post 90s space after Vishaka. She had just finished her graduation and became an online volunteer for the United Nations at 25. Working with the NGO Delta Women earned her the US Presidential Services Medal (2012). She was part of a digital campaign team using social media to translate into offline action – putting together a school for children at Delta State.
"The Award was unexpected. I was insignificant. But that work to have made an impact for the President of the United States to have thought of it as worthy of giving a medal, it felt tremendous."
But in a turn of events post the 16th December incident, she felt that it was a nudge that her direction must be different. While in the UN, she came close to the narrow understanding of 'gender' that was prevalent.
"Gender was a very common basis of discrimination. People didn't understand the dynamics of gender."
These catalytic moments of motivation gave birth to the Red Elephant Foundation 6 months after the 16th December incident.
Painting the Elephant in the Room Red: About the Foundation
"The idea is to paint the elephant in the room red until you take notice of it and talk about it."
It began with Kirthi telling her own story of being bullied on her blog. Using her blog as a medium helped reach living rooms faster. "Former bullies came back to me to apologize, which was so trans-formative because it set two people free in each conversation, myself and every person who hurt me and walked away with the guilt."
Kirthi's own experience formed the basis of the Red Elephant Foundation. It began with the core team talking to people and transcribing the stories of survivors of bullying and gender based violence, and publishing the stories on the website. The impact of this method was such that it influenced schools to use these stories in their classrooms. Kirthi and her team were called to work with students which eventually encouraged them to create a curriculum. When classrooms started showing response to become zero tolerance spaces for bullying, they realized they had a formula in place.
"The stories gave them a chance to think. The curriculum gave them a chance to act and articulate."
The Red Elephant Foundation is built on the foundations of story-telling, training, tech-for-good and advocacy for gender equity and civilian peace-building. As Kirthi explains, the motive is to deconstruct the unhealthy aspect of one's beliefs that could be harmful for both them and others. "Putting the truth in the tools to find the truth in your hands, and for you to figure out how you use that," Kirthi says.
The foremost step the foundation follows when engaging with people, is to always create a safe space. "When you come into our space, we want you to recognize that it is a positive space where you can be yourself," says Kirthi. With it also comes the assurance of no judgement. "You say what you wanna say and I am gonna say what I wanna say." This helps create a mirror, such that it triggers a reflection which allows one to look at themselves and realize the parts they need to work on. "It's something that's playing with your beliefs. It's coming at you with a very subtle way of telling you, buddy, what you have been learning, it's kind of wrong."
This is mainly done with culture based stories because a lot of the conditioning sets in from culture. "We take fables from your culture, present them to you and ask you to look at it in the right view." The idea is to differentiate between, as Kirthi puts it, "what your culture tells me and what you think your culture tells me".
Talking about one's problems could be challenging. To help aid the process, the foundation adopts a method called "intervention spaces". "The idea of building a space then becomes 'interventional' where you actually facilitate room for people to feel safe," explains Kirthi. They conduct a lot of activities towards building trust. It could involve games or even one of the members of the Red Elephant team being vulnerable. "If you can present yourself as vulnerable to another person, they will see that they can trust you."
For a foundation that works around gender violence, naming it 'Red Elephant', Kirthi says, was to break the serious nature these kind of organizations generally have and start a conversation instead. "If I called it center for something, I would be intimidated and not show up at work!" She says that the idea is that people needn't get intimidated that Red Elephant is trying to take their beliefs out of their system. "Rather we just work with them, walk with them, to help them change their mindset."
"Culture, references, beliefs, ideas can be conditioned specific to a border in a specific direction. But pain is universal."
Kirthi says that we live in an interconnected world wherein what affects one also affects another. "If anything is affecting you making your world unsafe, it is also affecting me making my world unsafe, even if I don't directly feel the pain of it." In that case, drawing borders seems contradictory.
Keeping this in mind, Kirthi knew that the tools of Red Elephant had to be universally available. Although their presence is largely in Chennai, they have had Skype sessions with students in Pakistan, Germany, even older women in Ireland, and students in varied parts of Africa, including physical sessions in Delhi and Alwar.
A Zero Budget Global Organization that runs only on volunteers!
"The model that the Red Elephant works on is give me your time, when you can. Give me your skills, if you can, when you can."
Kirthi says that she herself is a volunteer and takes no pay from the organization, encouraging the same work module for everyone involved. The motive is about giving back: "If you believe that you want to give to the world something, and you have the skills, drive and the desire to do it, we're one of many places where you can go and do it." She says that people have even come volunteering for an hour. This has been the reason the right team has come on board. "Apart from two people in my core team, I have not met anyone in person."
Kirti says that she is mainly very conscious about whether the solutions that they provide have a future. This is because the problem of gender based violence has a very long future, she explains. This is one of the fundamental reasons why Kirthi decided that they won't seek funding. "Because until we know this is working, that money can be put into it, I didn't want to do that." Also usually the money that comes in from large scale donors, says Kirthi, has its own limitations. "I don't want to come to a place where after taking money I am in a space where I am wondering whether what is asked being asked of me is right, or whether it is compromising on my values." In their 6th year now, Kirthi has started putting her own savings.
Being a "zero funded model", they have zero administrative costs, apart from just their website. They do not engage with an office space because they are mostly digital. They charge private schools for their workshops and use that money to pay the trainers and the reminder goes in making free workshops for children from marginalized communities.
Kirthi explains that because of their limited resources, the Red Elephant Foundation lacks a marketing burst, especially when it comes to the outreach of the Saahas App. But for one, they are always open to spaces that allows them to talk about it, initiatives like She Leads Tech by Facebook. It helped her get the promotional materials for about a year. "It is not an easy job to have to build your own marketing space, if you're an introvert."
In spite of that they have been able to help close to 7000 survivors that they know of. "Those that need it are getting access to it," Kirthi says.
"The problem persists because the problem persists. It is not because we are not doing enough. It is not that any organization is doing wrong."
Kirthi says that every organization, feminist, men, women, gender non-binary have been raising their voices and the fight matters. It is very important to know that "This is the space where more the collaboration, the more impactful the change will be. Lesser the competition, the more impactful the outcome." The one thing we tend to struggle with, she says, is the gamification of space which encourages competition. "The truth is that we can all work together because we are all doing the same work."
"This kind of work involves limited funding and resources, and those that have those resources force you to compete with one another to win those resources. When you compete, you're building walls."
"We don't need to be silenced for what we are already capable of giving back to the world."
"So many spaces that women occupy today is because some women worked for this for nameless, faceless, countless women in the future." This is the legacy we need to uphold. Their non-remunerated emotional labor became our safe spaces for today.
"The point is if I can go to sleep every night recognizing that at least one person is benefited and no person has been harmed, because of actions that I have taken; thoughts I have had; or beliefs I have had presented; then that's all I am aiming for," says Kirthi.
Tags: female entrepreneurs Female Entrepreneurs in India social entrepreneur social entrepreneur blog social entrepreneur ideas social entrepreneur in india social entrepreneur of india social entrepreneur organizations social entrepreneur projects social entrepreneurs in india social entrepreneurship
In Editor's Pick Health & Nutrition Trending


Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben and Jerry's fame want to raise money for underfunded progressive democratic congressional candidates, including Ammar Campa-Najjar in my 50th district.
They have proposed a personal ice cream flavor and a naming contest for the seven candidates they are backing. This campaign is being conducted in concert with Move-On.
Polls in the race with indicted incumbent Duncan Hunter are getting tighter. Neck and neck. The Congressman was in a courtroom today. Could be running the district from a prison cell one day.
Still it is a very conservative district.
I like Campa Najjar. Good interview with him in the Union Tribune. Young, smart, sharp. Moderate. He indicates that he wants to govern from the middle, a stance I applaud. His opponent's policies are anathema to all I hold dear and his infantile behavior, infidelity and constant partying has made him a mockery both here and in Washington.
Ben Cohen is coming to San Diego to campaign for the candidate at some point with his new flavor. Talk about putting your money where our mouths are.
Great news! I agree with all you said... especially about governing from the middle!


The enquiry hotline service under the Chinese Medicine Division of the Department of Health will be suspended on March 30 (Saturday) between 8am and 8pm due to a scheduled power outage.
The service will resume after power resumption.
The enquiry hotline on 2574 9999 provides information on registration of Chinese medicine practitioners, registration of proprietary Chinese medicines, Chinese medicines traders licenses, regulation of Chinese medicine and more.


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Q: Convert a MS Access 2003 Report into a MS Visual Basic 6.0 Form Im in the process of porting a MS Access 2003 application to MS VB 6.0
Consequently, there are a few reports in there, which I need to port too.
Now I haven't found anything in formtypes or google, but is it possible to make something very similar to MS Access reports as a form in MS VB 6.0 or, even better, directly import a form from a MS Access 2003 .mdb file?
Mind you though, whatever I'll come up with, needs to work on everything from win95 to win10

A: You can try building on the included DataReport, but it isn't quite up to snuff with the ease of report generation you're familiar with in Access. The only time I had a budget, I used ActiveReports, but I don't even know if you can get that anymore, as they were bought out and are now selling a .Net version.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


How to implement "Lean Thinking" in a Business: You want a tangible action for your leaders trying to do Lean? Try this! GTS "squared"
They consistently using different ways.
Very true and effective questions.


Hello Dear people, I am playin Dofus for quite a while got 199 Cra and I just understood that I got bored of Cra and just arent ejoying it anymore. And I was thinkin to change class and I need you advices because I just cant decide on my own what I want. I enjoy PvM much but as I mentioned I am solo player but also sometimes I like to do kolo or some PvP (for fun). My first thoughts was about Agility Osa. Thank you for your opinion, have a nice day.
Hey, so I wasnt playing Dofus for long time and now I see that Eniripsa got revamped and as I looked a lot of speels are chance now. So is eniripsa now basically chance? Or is it still mainly Int? Can you please tell me which one should I play, what gear to use and what speels to level up? I am gonna play 172 |Eniripsa and 195 Cra now Int but if Eni is Int based still so I change my cra to Str/Cha. Thanks and happy holidays!


It may sound cliche, but it's true: 'Everything that has a beginning has an end.' Losing your loved one can be one of the most devastating life events. It's a kind of pain that is hard to deal with. Not only will it affect you emotionally and physically but also financially. However, with proper planning and preparation, it can ease the financial needs before it arises.
In line with this, St. Peter, the Philippines' leading pre-need insurance company, celebrates DeathCare week and it's the best time to be aware of this hard reality.
The St. Peter DeathCare Week is a major Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Service Program of St. Peter Chapels that aims to promote awareness on DeathCare planning and preparation. It is also way of St. Peter in joining the entire nation in commemorating All Saint's and All Soul's days, which are traditionally honored events for Filipinos. St. Peter is now on 10th DeathCare Week Celebration.
The St. Peter DeathCare Week starts on October 27 and culminate on November 2. St. Peter picked these dates because All Saint's and All Soul's Days fall within this period and because of the company. It is during these dates that Filipinos visit, honor and remember their departed loved ones. This is the best time to be aware of DeathCare preparation and planning for such realities.
To emphasize the need to plan ahead, not for one's memorial needs but all times, St. Peter has partnered with Breakout Philippines, the country's first and premiere escape room game. From October 1 to November 6, 2017 experience how it is to plan, solve and escape with St. Peter in the following Break rooms and branches.
Employees, Sales Agents and St. Peter Plan Planholders can avail P100 off from the booking fee upon presenting their St. Peter Employees ID, Sales Agent ID, Planholders Identification Card or the white copy of their St. Peter Life Plan Contract.
Friday the 13th, St. Peter invited me together with my co-bloggers to try Corpse Bride in Breakout Philippines located in Greenbelt 5. Surprisingly before the time ended 6 minutes to be exact we were able to escape the room. But to tell you guys I might able to give up and started to freak out but by helping with my team in planning and solving we managed to escape.
Standing Pink Casket replicas will be displayed at the St. Peter Tents in selected cemeteries nationwide during the St. Peter DeathCare Week. Cemetery-Goers and passersby can take photos inside the pink casket and enjoy this unique and free photo opportunity with their loved ones and friends.
St. Peter Tents will be put up in selected cemeteries nationwide to provide assistance to our fellow Filipinos who will be traditionally spending their evenings at the cemeteries from October 31 to November 1, 2017. The Tents will be in PINK so they are easily recognizable and noticeable; you will not miss it. FREE HAND FANS AND UMBRELLAS will also be provided as giveaways to cemetery goers who will take a picture on their Pink Casket and avail of their products during this period.
In thanksgiving of colorful years in the DeathCare Industry, St. Peter will have a Eucharistic Celebration on October 29, 2017 (Sunday) at the Talitha Kum Healing Mass on TV which will be aired 8:00AM in PTV4 (formely NBN 4) It will be attended by employees, planholders and officers of St. Peter.


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To schedule a consultation with our team for your DWI case, contact us online or via phone at (817) 497-8148.
Officer Testimony
It's not widely known, but whenever a police officer or law enforcement professional makes an arrest, they're required to submit a report to their station. This report is an officer's subjective account of the arrest and the time leading up to it, and typically details why the officer made a decision to pull an individual over (and subsequently arrest them) in DWI cases.
Since offer accounts are subjective testimony, it's often a key part of the legal strategy for attorneys. Showing discrepancies between an officer's reporting of a DWI and other evidence, such as bodycam or dashcam footage, can help an attorney protect their client from DWI charges.
Other Office & Client-Provided Evidence
In addition to officer testimonies, law enforcement professionals typically give bodycam and dashcam footage to courts in DWI cases. This footage can help demonstrate unsafe driving practices to the court, or display evidence of an alleged offender's behavior during field sobriety tests that supports the officer's decision to arrest them or apply further testing.
Similarly, dashcam footage may help an alleged offender prove their innocence. For example, if an officer claims in their report that an individual was driving erratically, but the alleged offender can demonstrate otherwise using dashcam footage, it can help defend them.
Tests in DWI cases often come in two varieties: Field sobriety tests, and chemical tests such as breathalyzer or blood tests. Since Texas is an implied consent state and refusing a test can come with significant penalties, chemical tests play a role in most Texas DWIs.
For defense attorneys and prosecutors alike, the evidence on these tests is vital. Defense attorneys may be able to argue that inclement conditions or weather negatively impacted a field sobriety test and that it should be rendered invalid, or that there was a mistake in a chemical test, for example. Conversely, prosecutors can use the findings of these tests to validate their opinions in a case.
If you're involved in a DWI, having an attorney you can trust at your side is vital. To schedule a consultation with one of our experienced attorneys, contact us online or via phone at (817) 497-8148.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Shadowhunter News: Movie Tie-In Books and Shadowhunter Clothes!
Today, more about on Twitter, Cassandra Clare announced, through Entertainment Weekly, that there will be THREE new books (well, two technically) coming out July 9th, to tie in with the release of the City of Bones movie in August.
The first book revealed was The Shadowhunters Guide.
Preorder the Shadowhunters Guide here.
The next was is the movie cover edition of City of Bones, the book.
Preorder the movie tie-in edition here.
Preorder for the movie companion here.
Of course, I have already preordered the lot and am anxiously waiting for them. All the preorder links above are for Amazon, just so you all know. Also, remember the date of release is July 9th!
Also, all over Facebook today, people have been posting this picture below of Mortal Instruments inspired clothing that will be sold by Hot Topic.
Now, while these look SUPER legit, and like stuff that Hot Topic would sell, I haven't seen this posted by anyone that I trust, so its not 100% confirmed yet. I haven't seen Cassie post this yet, and I asked a good friend of mine, who works for the Hot Topic corporation, whether they're legit and once she gets back to me, I'll get back to you! I hope these are real though, because they are SUPER awesome.
You going to get these three books? Which clothing items do you like?
As always, share in the comments!
Remember! If you are going to see Cassandra Clare at the Festival of Books this weekend, come meet fellow Shadowhunter fans before her panel, at the official meetup! Click HERE for more details!
Previous Previous post: Divergent #3 Gets a Title and More Veronica Roth News!


Jennifer Peck is a founding staff member of the Partnership for Children & Youth (PCY), joining in 2001 and becoming the executive director in 2003. Since then, she has developed and implemented initiatives to finance and build after school and summer learning programs, and increase access to school meals and nutrition education programs in the Bay Area's lowest-income communities. Under her leadership, PCY has brought more than $90 million in public funding to schools and their community partners, enabling thousands of low-income children to participate in these programs.
Jennifer has built PCY into an influential policy-development and advocacy organization that has improved the effectiveness of public funding for youth programs in low-income communities across California.
Jennifer Peck, Co-Chair and Executive Director of California's Summer Matters Campaign, suggests finding a balance between the right program and an education-positive attitude at home to prevent summer learning loss.


This entry was posted in Nasty Little Things and tagged Chuck Hogan, Clive Barker, Edward Lee, Endless Night, extreme gore, gross-outs, Guillermo del Toro, Jeff Strand, John Ajvide Lindqvist, Let The Right One In, Nasty Little Things, Pressure, Richard Laymon, Slither, The Books of Blood, The Midnight Meat Train, The Strain by Meli Yoroshiku. Bookmark the permalink.
Eeewww!!! Cactus in the neck? What kind of deviant mind would put THAT in a book?
Well, this sick basteed has a lot of gruesome scenes to choose from, but for some reason this sticks out (pun intended)!


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Q: Group rows with start- end date by month on PostgresSQL I have a database with a tbl_registration with rows that look like
ID | start_date_time | end_date_time | ...
1 | 2021-01-01 14:00:15 | 2021-01-01 14:00:15
2 | 2021-02-01 14:00:15 | null
4 | 2021-05-15 14:00:15 | 2024-01-01 14:00:15
5 | 2019--15 14:00:15 | 2024-01-01 14:00:15

endDate can be null
It contains 500.000 - 1.000.000 of records
We want to create an overview of year grouped by month that shows the amount of records that are active in that month. So a registration is counted per month if it lies (partially) in that month based on start and end date.
I can do a query per month like this
select  count (id)
from tbl_registration
  where
 (r.end_date_time >= to_timestamp('01/01/2021 00:00:00', 'DD/MM/YYYY HH24:MI:SS')  or r.end_date_time is null )
  and r.start_date_time < to_timestamp('01/02/2021 00:00:00', 'DD/MM/YYYY HH24:MI:SS');

But that forces me to repeat this query 12 times.
I don't see a creative way to solve this in one query that would give me as a result 12 rows, one for each month
I've been looking at the generate_series function, but I don't see how I can group on the comparison of those start- and end dates

A: Postgres supports generate_series() . . . so generate the dates you want then then construct the query.  One method is:
select gs.mon, x.cnt
from generate_series('2021-01-01'::date, '2021-12-01'::date, interval '1 month') gs(mon) left join lateral
     (select  count(*) as cnt
      from tbl_registration
      where r.end_date_time >= gs.mon or r.end_date_time is null) and
            r.start_date_time < gs.mon + interval '1 month'
     )  x
     on 1=1;


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Social Europe & Jobs 04-09-2014
Lack of women no longer a problem for new Commission
Commission President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker is now almost certain to get support from the European Parliament because he has secured nine women on his team - the same number than in the current Barroso Commission. Three of them will be his deputies.
Development Policy 29-08-2014
What is Africa's ODA spent on?
Around 40% of the European Commission's Overseas Development Aid (ODA) goes to Africa every year. The continent has received more than a quarter of the €2.7 billion increase in the aid budget since 2005 and, in 2009, aid for trade to the African, Caribbean and Pacific States increased to €3.6 billion. But where does the money end up?
Health 29-08-2014
New study reveals financial burden of cardiovascular disease
New research looking at the costs of cardiovascular disease in six EU member states (France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom) concludes that the financial burden will rise to €122.6 billion by 2020, up from €102.1 billion in 2014.
EU Elections 2014 29-08-2014
Wrap-up: Leaders choose Tusk, Mogherini at Summit
EU leaders gathered at the European Council in Brussels, on Saturday (30 August), to break the deadlock on EU top jobs and to respond to the escalating conflict in Eastern Ukraine. An overview of events, as they happened, is below.
Cameron to support Tusk for Council president at EU summit
British Prime Minister David Cameron is prepared to support the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, as the next president of the European Council, according to the The Guardian.
EU tobacco directive faces lawsuit
The UK's leading electronic cigarette manufacturer, Totally Wicked, has launched a legal challenge to the EU's Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) on the grounds that Article 20 of the Directive breaches EU law.
Juncker's Commission looking politically conservative, gender imbalanced
With one week left before deadline and only four Commissioner nominees waiting to be revealed for the next term, Jean-Claude Juncker's Commission looks to become ever more politically one-sided and gender unbalanced.
Self-imposed food sanctions have already caused inflation in Russia
Russia's embargo on imported Western food is already hitting consumers' pockets, as food prices in Moscow shops have jumped by up to 6% in just a week, according to the BBC.
Sustainable Development 19-08-2014
Researchers say this year's ecological footprint has already been exceeded
Although there's four months left of 2014, humans have already exhausted the ecological space for this year. This means that there has been more consumption of resources than the planet can handle, and over-consumption is only getting worse, according to researchers.
Eurofound: Changes during crisis have benefitted women
The economic crisis has boosted growth in high-wage jobs. This has mainly benefited women, according to a study by Eurofound.
Study: Countries with faster school-to-work transitions have lower unemployment
EU member states with quicker school-to-work transitions have lower youth unemployment, a new study by Eurofound shows.
EU launches €845 million Pan-African initiative
The European Commission has kick-started a new programme to help integrate African countries and regions, with a €415 million cash injection between now and 2017 and a further tranche of €430 planned before 2020.
It's official: Last EU election had lowest-ever turnout
The May 2014 EU election saw the lowest voter turnout on record, according to updated figures discretely released by the European Parliament during the summer holiday period for EU institutions.
Level of horsemeat DNA in beef drops
The European Commission's second round of coordinated pan-European testing for horsemeat DNA in beef products, launched in April this year, showed only 0.61% of the samples testing positive.
EU Priorities 2020 01-08-2014
Poland, Italy nominations leave Juncker needing four more commissioners
Italy and Poland today confirmed the two leading candidates for the job of EU foreign affairs chief as their nominations for commissioner, leaving Jean-Claude Juncker waiting for Belgium, the Netherlands Cyprus and Denmark to complete the line-up of the new European Commission.
Non-EU citizens twice as likely to be unemployed
Non-EU citizens aged 20-64 were in 2013 twice as likely (21.3%) to be unemployed in one of the EU's 28 member states compared to "nationals" (10.0%), new data from the EU's statistics office Eurostat shows.
Commissioners urge coding classes at school
The two commissioners in charge of the digital agenda, and youth and education, have written to to the EU's 28 education ministers, urging them to give every child the opportunity to develop basic coding skills at school.
EU scales up aid to tackle Ebola outbreak in West Africa
The European Commission has pledged an additional €2 million to tackle the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, amid fears that the virus will spread to other parts of the world.
Transport 31-07-2014
European electric car sales continue to accelerate
Electric vehicle sales in Europe doubled again in 2013 for the fourth consecutive year, with more than one in every 20 new auto-buyers in the Netherlands and Norway opting for battery-powered cars, according to analysis of official data by the Transport and Environment (T&E) environmental think tank.
Hungary nominates foreign affairs minister as commissioner
Tibor Navracsics, Hungary's minister for foreign affairs and trade, on Wednesday (30 July) confirmed he is the country's nominee to become commissioner in the next EU executive.
Belgian coalition talks stumble over commissioner choice
The outgoing Belgian prime minister, Elio Di Rupo, has asked political parties engaged in government coalition talks to choose an EU commission nominee before Friday (1 August).
'Fat taxes' do work, EU report finds
Specific taxes on sugar, salt or fat do cause reductions in consumption, the European Commission found in a new report. But higher taxes may also merely encourage consumers to go for cheaper products, it warned.
Organic farming has grown rapidly, says EU
The organic farming sector has grown rapidly over the past ten years, to about 500,000 new hectares every year, according to EU statistics.
INFOGRAPHIC: 700 million underage girls married in 2013
Although child marriage is prohibited by international law, over 700 million underage girls are married worldwide, particularly in Africa and Asia.
RSS - EURACTIV.com
1LEAK: Commission considers facial recognition ban in AI 'white paper'
2European Parliament calls on member states to act on Poland and Hungary
3Greece ready to send 'forces' to Libya to monitor ceasefire
4Belgium debates phase-out of US nuclear weapons on its soil
5Billions to be wasted on 'unnecessary' gas projects, study says
6Oil and gas sector 'losing its social licence to operate', UK boss warns
7EU sidelined as Berlin summit thrashes out shaky Libya ceasefire
8Athens smarting after exclusion from German-hosted Libya conference
9Europe has an Islamophobia problem. Who's going to stop it?
10Poland, Germany get largest slices of Just Transition Fund


Over 500 Pack HVAC Excellence Educators Conference.
Vocational technical training programs have suffered deep cuts in federal, state and local funding. However, this did not stop over 500 dedicated professionals from attending HVAC Excellence's Educators & Trainers Conference at the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. Facing tremendous funding cuts for their programs, many of the attendees paid their own way to attend the conference. They did so knowing that a program is only as good as the instructor in front of the classroom. This is a testament to the dedication of the educators we have in the HVACR industry and their commitment towards making their students succeed.
The train-the-trainer boot camp provided attendees nearly forty sessions and nearly 80 exhibits. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) a division of the United States Department of Labor provides economic projections for over 700 occupations and 300 industries. During the HVAC Excellence Conference, Mr. Richard Holden - Regional Commissioner for the BLS provided attendees with the National Employment Outlook to the year 2020.
Mr. Holden discussed how the HVACR industry will grow by 33.7% by 2020 while the growth for all occupations in the United States is only expected to grow by 14.3%. The HVACR industry will grow by nearly twenty percent more than all other occupations in the United States. In addition, the BLS projects that 31.2% of HVACR service personnel will retire and need to be replaced by 2020.
In summary by the year 2020, 65.6% of service persons in the HVACR industry will be people that are not in the industry today. Being that HVACR service and installation jobs cannot be outsourced or automated, it means the HVACR industry offers tremendous job opportunities for persons not yet entering the workforce. This is great information to share with your local high school guidance councilors!
Simple math tells us that the HVACR industry cannot recruit and train the number of people needed by recruiting men alone. Ms. Patti Ellingson, President of Women in HVACR (WHVACR) provided a solution by addressing the importance of all of us working to recruit females into our industry. While women are half of the U.S. population, they consist of 0.7% of our industry. WHVACR is an organization of men and women that empower women to succeed through networking opportunities, mentoring programs and education. Learn more at www.womeninhvac.org Mr. Steven H. Allen (LEED AP) Executive Director of the Green Mechanical Council (www.greenmech. org) discussed the elements necessary for training technicians in sustainable technologies. He addressed the need to change the baseline knowledge of the persons entering our industry to understand concepts and terminology related to sustainable HVACR, sustainable mechanical systems, electrical, energy efficiency concepts, energy management and alternative energy systems.
Building upon the BLS statements, Mr. Allen discussed that the retirement of our industry affects not only our technicians, but also effects the educators that train them. His presentation went on to discuss the importance of looking at the educator training and certifi cation process. It needs to be inclusive of sustainable technologies and cross match the needs of the students and careers that await them.
Many of the attendees hold technician certifications from: HVAC Excellence, TABB, UA Star, RSES, NATE, BPI and others. However, as educators they want to pursue the prestigious title of Certifi ed Master HVACR Educator (CMHE). Educators should have a better understanding of the technologies and the theory that supports them. During the conference over 250 educator credentialing exams were administered and thirteen new Certified Master HVACR Educators were recognized. The breakout sessions covered a large number of technical topics and teaching techniques conducted by experts representing: Honeywell, Fujitsu, White Rogers, Carrier, Arkema, and Daiken to name a few.


Arthur Hall Insurance is pleased to announce that Kayce Morris has achieved the designation of Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and has been promoted to Commercial Lines Account Manager. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Ms. Morris also holds the designations of Associate Commercial Underwriting (AU) and Associate of Insurance Services (AIS). The CPCU Society's 26,000 national members are required to pass rigorous undergraduate- and graduate-level examinations, meet experience requirements, and agree to be bound by a strict code of professional ethics.
Arthur Hall Insurance has protected individuals, families, businesses, organizations, and professional offices in the Delaware Valley and tri-state area since 1966.


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Hitachi Data Systems Extends Social Innovation Initiative With Asia Pacific Launch of Hitachi Cloud Services Connection – Healthcare
Hitachi Data Systems (HDS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), today launched a first-of-its-kind open healthcare cloud platform for analytics, Hitachi Cloud Services Connection – Healthcare, (HCSC – Healthcare) solution in Asia Pacific, delivering another milestone in the acceleration of its global Social Innovation initiative. Introduced at
SAP GST India Forum Showcases Solutions To Enable Indian Enterprises Implement GST
SAP India, a subsidiary of SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) reaffirmed its assurance to its customers and partners with regard to Goods and Service Tax (GST) reform in the country at the SAP GST India Forum in Delhi today. SAP will offer a range of localized solutions which have the Indian
KPMG in India Wins System Integration Partner of the Year Award
KPMG in India has been awarded the prestigious "System Integration Partner of the Year by QlikTech" for the entire ASPAC region. QlikTech (NASDAQ: QLIK) is one of the leading and among the fastest growing new generation business intelligence and analytics platform in the world. KPMG in India provides consulting services
Mindtree Named A Top 10 Outsourcing Service Provider In EMEA By ISG
Bangalore (India) and Warren (NJ), May 13, 2015 – Mindtree, a global technology services company, today announced it has been named a Top 10 Outsourcing Service Providers by Information Services Group (ISG), a leading technology insights, market intelligence and advisory services company. Mindtree was among the leading providers in the
Japan's Kansai International Airport Selects Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi
Ruckus Wireless, Inc.(NYSE: RKUS) announced today that Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi products and technology have been chosen by Kansai International Airport (KIX) to provide free public Wi-Fi service for international travelers. KIX has deployed over 100 Ruckus ZoneFlex™ dual-band indoor access points(APs), centrally managed using two Ruckus ZoneDirector™ 3000 Series Smart
Method Park And KPMG In India Sign A Partnership Agreement
The German expert for software and systems engineering and supplier of process management solutions recently signed a partnership agreement with KPMG in India, one of the leading consulting companies in India. According to this agreement, KPMG in India is now an official reseller of "Stages" in the Indian market. Stages
SAP, IBM Join Forces to Transform Talent Management with Complementary Industry-Leading HR Solutions
Leveraging their existing global strategic alliance, SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced cloud-to-cloud integrations of the two companies' industry-leading human resources (HR) software and services. The product integrations are expected to help customers improve their business processes and make fact-based decisions more smoothly and simply about
SAP Announces SAP® S/4HANA, Cloud Edition
ORLANDO, Fla. — May 7, 2015 — SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announced the cloud edition of SAP® Business Suite 4 SAP HANA® (SAP S/4HANA) to help customers drive their digital business transformation with the simplicity of the cloud. SAP S/4HANA, cloud edition, brings the next wave of simplification and
10 Ways To Improve The Supply Chain: KPMG International Addresses Complicated LNG Major Projects
The liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry is facing massive challenges in today's unprecedented wave of expansion. LNG developers are facing the challenges of lower oil and gas prices, and consequent reductions in capital expenditure, along with more remote and challenging projects. And, according to a new report from the KPMG
Construction Project Failures Weigh on Industry Despite Advances in Planning and Controls -Finds KPMG Survey
New Delhi – Over half of construction project owners experienced one or more underperforming projects in the previous year, despite confidence in project planning and controls, according to KPMG International's 2015 Global Construction Project Owner's Survey: Climbing the Curve. Further, project owners said only 31 percent of their projects came


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← Teaser: 2016 Acura ILX at the LA Auto Show
Acura Set to Launch More Powerful, Technologically Advanced and Luxuriously Equipped 2016 Acura ILX Sport Sedan →
2016 Acura ILX – Los Angeles International Auto Show Remarks
Official release from Acura Media Newsroom:
Mike Accavitti, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Acura Division
Good morning and thanks for joining us.
It's been an exciting show so far, and we're thrilled to be with you today to showcase a thoroughly redesigned, refreshed and reborn Acura ILX sports sedan.
Acura is on the move, step by step, we're executing on our vision for the Acura brand, adding more performance, more luxury prestige, and more dynamic proportion in design. And we're gaining energy and strength with every new model launch.
It started two years ago on the SUV side of the lineup with the second-generation RDX, which has run its race at a torrid pace, turning in 25 consecutive months of sales records. It was followed to market by an all-new, third-generation MDX, which is not only the sales leader in its segment, it's the best-selling 3-row luxury SUV of all time.
Through the first 10 months of this year, sales of the best 1-2 punch in the luxury SUV game are up 16 percent – even over a strong 2013.
And in the months ahead we'll be sharing our plans to further enhance this Acura SUV lineup for even greater competitiveness.
More recently, we've been focusing attention on the sedan side of the Acura lineup, with the launch of the all-new 2015 TLX. The TLX brings to bear an incredible array of cutting edge Acura performance technology, including two next-generation Acura precision handling technologies, two advanced new engines, and two all-new, transmissions, and that includes the world's first 8-speed dual clutch transmission with a torque converter, which has debuted to rave reviews.
TLX also heralds the introduction of our AcuraWatch Suite of advanced safety and driver-assistive systems. This is absolute state-of-the-art stuff, technology that is on the road to the automated vehicles of the future you've begun to see in test programs.
AcuraWatch includes the capability to sense pedestrians, and both front and rear collision mitigation, including what we call Road Departure Mitigation, which means it will intervene to help keep the driver on the road. These are capabilities that match or outperform systems in competitor vehicles that are two or three times the price.
With its tremendously refined and thrilling performance and all of this great technology, it's no great surprise that the TLX is experiencing record customer interest and growing sales momentum. During the past two months as we began to fill the product pipeline TLX has been our best-selling sedan and is outpacing a slew of other recently-redesigned luxury sedans, and it's just getting started.
TLX is a core volume model for the Acura brand. More than that, we're seeing TLX lend a hand to the rest of the Acura lineup in creating showroom traffic, in raising purchase consideration among luxury intenders, and in advancing new leading-edge performance technology. And it is the latter opportunity, leveraging the performance attributes of the TLX that brings us here today.
This morning we've got great news about the gateway to the Acura lineup, the ILX sports sedan.
ILX was always a great idea. It broke new ground as the first entry-luxury sedan in an emerging segment, ahead of Mercedes, BMW and Audi. This is a hotly competitive market and a critical front in the battle to attract new, young luxury customers.
And in the context of its role as the gateway to our brand, the ILX has been fulfilling its mission, attracting a higher percentage of under-35 customers than any other car in the segment.
But we see opportunity to grow our sales and share. We have been listening closely to the voice of the customer, who told us that they liked the package and styling, but want more power and more luxury features.
We listened and we're responding, with more features, more leading-edge technology, and a major injection of Acura DNA, which means a heightened level of performance to create the lightning quick gratification that appeals to younger buyers.
Redesigned, reengineered and reborn as an even stronger, more powerful, and more refined Acura sports sedan, Ladies and gentleman, the 2016 Acura ILX.
This is more than just the normal mid-cycle refresh. Top-to-bottom, from styling to interior refinement, luxury features to leading-edge safety technology, thrilling sports sedan performance to luxury sedan quietness, ILX is now a true gateway to what it means to be an Acura sports sedan.
Acura customers already give us high marks for ILX's sporty and elegant exterior design, but for 2016, we've upped the ante with a bolder, more distinctive front end, highlighted by Acura's signature Jewel Eye LED headlights, now standard across the lineup, a boast no competitor can make.
The styling changes carry around to the back, with a restyled rear bumper and new LED tail lights.
Inside this new ILX is a level of standard feature-content unmatched in the segment, including remote engine start and all kinds of new connectivity options, including an HDMI hookup. If you'll pardon the pun, this ILX is in tune with the needs of millennials.
Further, there are available Cross Traffic and Blind Spot Monitors. And for the first time, we're offering Acura customers an easy to use, smartphone-powered navigation option, in addition to available embedded navi.
This is content younger buyers moving into luxury are going to demand. We've got it now.
But honestly, the biggest changes to this ILX are the ones you can't see, and that we can't really show you today, and that's the driving experience. This new ILX responds to the will of the driver, like only an Acura can, with intuitive and intelligent performance.
It starts under the hood, where we're doing more than infuse ILX with the spirit of the TLX. We've given it some of the thrill, by equipping it with one of TLX's two new powertrains. Yes, the same dynamic 2.4-liter, 16-valve, direct-injected i-VTEC engine, AND, our incredible 8-speed DCT. Both have received incredibly positive feedback in the TLX.
Now, this new powerplant will up peak output in the ILX by 51 horsepower, with torque up by 40 pound-feet from the outgoing automatic model. That gives the ILX the best power to weight ratio of any front-wheel-drive vehicle in its class.
If you've driven the 2.4-liter TLX, you know the story, incredibly intuitive and lightning fast shifts, with rev-matching down shifts, via the most advanced, most responsive and most joy-inducing transmission technology in the class.
In ILX, it all comes to you with finger-tip control courtesy of its steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters. It's a hell of a powertrain, and a major game-changer for ILX performance.
And we've made many more performance and ride quality enhancements. It's more quiet. And the driver will experience a thoroughly retuned suspension in their first trip down the road.
In the area of safety, the ILX gets another valuable shot of Acura DNA, with the adoption of our AcuraWatch Suite of safety and driver-assistive technologies, available as an option on all ILX models. This includes what enthusiast experts tell us is the best Lane Keeping Assist system in the business, along with new Road Departure Mitigation and an enhanced Collision Mitigation Braking system with sensor fusion technology. That even sounds advanced.
There are also major enhancements to the body, designed to achieve a Top Safety Pick Plus rating from the IIHS.
No other vehicle in this class offers this level of technology for safer driving and collision avoidance.
Finally, we're bringing the 2016 ILX to market with a trim package reflective of the Acura brand direction. That means expanding customer choice with a Standard, a Premium, a new Tech Plus, and the top-of-the line ILX A-SPEC, which is the model you see here.
This A-SPEC model gets an 18-inch alloy wheel, side sill garnish, trunk spoiler, fog lights, red instrument lighting, aluminum pedals and more.
And this beautiful new Catalina Blue Pearl is available on all Premium and above models.
And if you noticed a race car in that video, I will remind you that ILX won its class at last year's 25 Hours of Thunderhill race.
And next month, an in-house team of our associates will campaign an ILX with the new body style chasing the overall win against some of the world's great sports cars.
You know, it's one thing to sell a luxury badge at a more affordable price point. It's another thing to deliver true luxury levels of performance, prestige and dynamic proportion.
This 2016 ILX is now a great idea fulfilled. A luxury vehicle for the next generation. That's why we're telling luxury buyers , Catch it if you can early next year at Acura dealers nationwide.
Thank you for joining us.
Now, come join me on stage and check it out!
Posted in: Acura News, Acura Official Releases, ILX | Tags: 2016 Acura ILX, LA Auto Show	| Comment


Vensmile W10 Highlights:Vensmile W10 is the update version of Vensmile iPC002, comparing with iPC002, it is thinner, smaller, but with more storage,64GB eMMC, you can use it do more thing.
Why Choose Vensmile W10?1. Not only mini but powerful, Atom Bay trail quad core CPU, Windows 8.1 with Bing OS.
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ARBITRATORS AWARD KING DAY AS HOLIDAY
By KAREN GUZMAN; Courant Staff Writer
WALLINGFORD -- — The first tentative settlement in a long-standing and nationally publicized dispute between the town and its employees was reached Friday when a state arbitration panel awarded town supervisors Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday.
Arbitrators ruled that Wallingford must give its 55 supervisory workers, who are members of the Connecticut Independent Labor Union, King day off.
But the panel also emphasized that Wallingford and its mayor have been consistently willing to honor the day, and have been unfairly maligned during the controversy.
The ruling is not yet binding.
The Wallingford Town Council could still reject it, in which case the decision would be forwarded to another arbitration panel, whose decision would be final.
Mayor William Dickinson Jr., who said he disagrees with the decision, said he is not going to recommend rejection.
The ruling is just one of several decisions between the town and its seven unions involving the King holiday. Two other arbitration panels are still conducting hearings.
"The town was foolish not to negotiate. They knew the evidence going into this was overwhelmingly against them," said Wayne Gilbert, union director.
Wallingford and its unions have been arguing over the King holiday for more than 10 years. Wallingford is the only town in the state that doesn't give employees the day as a paid holiday.
The state legislature passed a law this year aimed at forcing the town and its unions to settle the matter.
In the face of a whirlwind of bad publicity, capped by a visit to town by the Rev. Jesse Jackson in April, Dickinson has held steadfastly to his position -- that the issue is solely a labor problem.
The workers now have 12 paid holidays, and the town has been unwilling to grant 13, fearing a loss of service.
In its decision, the arbitration panel says that a 13th holiday would have little financial impact on the town. It also refers to research showing that many surrounding communities provide employees with more than 12 paid holidays per year.
In the town's last, best offer to the union, it proposed swapping Lincoln's birthday with King Day, so workers could have King Day off, and it proposed giving each worker an additional $50 per year.
"The record shows that the town and Mayor Dickinson long have stood willing to provide MLK Day as a paid holiday," the panel concluded. "...the town (specifically Mayor William Dickinson) has been inaccurately and unfairly pilloried by public critics who have accused the town of harboring a peculiar objection to MLK Day as a holiday."
Dickinson called the arbitration ruling "wrong."
"Each of us wanted the same thing. So what has the town received in return for a new day being granted? Nothing. It's a gratuitous gift of a new day," he said.
A dissenting arbitration panel member, William F. Smith Jr., criticized the union for not fairly compensating the town and for being interested not so much in honoring King as in gaining another day off.
The union also argued for one paid personal day per year for employees.
Referring to the employees' already above-average vacation benefits and the awarding of the King holiday, the panel denied the personal day request.


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Meaning of 91% parliamentary majority – no BN front-bencher or MP could be referred to Committee of Privileges for most blatant offences of parliamentary contempt while Opposition MPs could be referred although they are totally innocent like Karpal Singh
(Parliament, Tuesday) : It is a blackmark for Parliament that the Speaker, Tan Sri Ramli Ngah has rejected my urgent motion to refer the Deputy Finance Minister, Datuk Dr. Awang Adek and the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Senator Datuk Seri Effendi Norwawi to the Committee of Privileges for committing parliamentary contempt – the former for misleading Parliament in his answer last Tuesday that bumiputra corporate equity on Bursa Saham last year registered 36.6 percentage and the latter for clarifying a government statement in Parliament outside the House.
What we are seeing is the real meaning of 91% parliamentary majority of the Barisan Nasional (BN) - no BN front-bencher or MP could be referred to the Committee of Privileges for the most blatant offences of parliamentary contempt while Opposition MPs could be referred although they are totally innocent like DAP National Chairman and MP for Bukit Glugor Karpal Singh.
Despite all the talk by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of eradicating the Malaysian malaise of "First World Infrastructure, Third World Mentality", Parliament is not setting the example of transforming itself into a "First World Parliament" where there is a clear concept of right and wrong, regardless of party affiliation – and the question whether Ministers, Deputy Ministers and MPs should be referred to the Committee of Privileges should be based on the prima facie case as to whether parliamentary contempt had been committed and not whether they are from the Barisan Nasional or Opposition, as has been the case with the Malaysian Parliament for the past 37 years.
My motion to refer Awang Adek and Effendi to the Committee of Privileges to the Committee of Privileges reads as follows:
"That under Standing Order 26(1) (p), the House resolves
(i) to refer the Deputy Finance Minister, Datuk Dr. Awang Adek to the Committee of Privileges under S.O. 36 (12) which states that "Any member who imputes statements that mislead the House is deemed to be in contempt of the House and that member may be referred to the Committee of Privileges for the offence" in connection with his reply during question-time in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday, 7th November 2006 (Question No. 2 by MP for Gua Musang, YB Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah) that bumiputeras own 36.6% of equity ownership at Bursa Saham valued at RM78.4 billion as at Dec 31 last year, as compared to 46.9 per cent or RM100.4 billion for non- bumiputeras and 16.45% or RM35.2 billion for foreigners, as the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Senator Datuk Seri Effendi Norwawi has said that the Deputy Finance Minister had made an inaccurate and wrong statement which had clearly misled the House and nation;
(ii) to refer the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Senator Datuk Seri Effendi Norwawi to the Committee for Privileges for contempt of the House in purporting to correct the above-mentioned statement by the Deputy Finance Minister outside the Dewan Rakyat by issuing a statement last night that the Deputy Finance Minister's statement was inaccurate as it should have been 21.8% on the ground of wrong methodology used, firstly, as the figure of 36.6 percent for 2005 had wrongly apportioned 45 percent of equity ownership held by nominee companies to Bumiputeras when it should be 8.3%, and secondly, it assumed that the equity held by government agencies are also owned by Bumiputeras. A clarification of any government statement made in the House should be made inside the House as otherwise it is a blatant case of contempt of Parliament, and in this case, such contempt has been doubly compounded as such clarification was timed for the Umno general assemblies instead of rectifying a misleading statement made in Parliament."
As I told the House this morning, Malaysians and the international community will now be very wary about trusting government statistics, as in the past month, the government had rejected two recent studies on equity ownership, viz:
the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) report by Prof. Dr. Lim Teck Ghee putting bumiputera equity ownership at about 45 per cent; and
the University of Malaya research study entitled "Bumiputeras in the Corporate Sector – Three decades of performance 1970-2000", by Dr. M. Fazilah Abdul Samad that the 30 percent bumiputera equity ownership as targeted under the government's New Economic Policy had already been achieved about a decade ago when it hit 33.7 percent in 1997.
Now, the government has rejected the Deputy Finance Minister, Dr. Awang Adek's statement in Parliament that bumiputera equity ownership in 2005 for listed companies was 36.6 per cent.
Did Dr. Awang Adek make a mistake? If Effendi is right, how could Dr. Awang Adek make such simple but fundamental mistakes?
Dr. Awang Adek is no ordinary UMNO MP but belongs to the breed of professionals and technocrats and had been bruited as a potential for the post of Finance Minister.
This is his educational background:
(i)B.A. in Mathematics and Economics – Drew University, United States
(ii)Master of Arts in Economics – Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, United States
(iii)Ph.D in Economics – Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, United States
His career profile before entering politics included the following:
(i)Assistant Governor, Bank Negara (formerly known as Advisor to Bank Negara) 1996 – 2001
(ii)First Director-General, Labuan Offshore Securities Industry Authority (LOFSA). 1996-1998
(iii)Chairman, Exchange Committee of the Labuan International Financial Exchange (LFX) 2002-2004
(iv)Chairman, Tenaga Nasional Bhd 2002-2004
If Dr. Awang Adek, with such a professional background, can make such mistakes as claimed by Effendi, what are the implications?
Dr. Awang Adek should come out with a clear-cut statement whether he had indeed made a mistake and why he could make such a mistake, or whether he had been made a scapegoat for a statement which was clearly politically motivated as it was rushed out late last night in time for the debates in the Umno Youth and Umno Assemblies.
Effendi's statement yesterday as well as past Economic Planning Unit (EPU) statements have raised many unanswered questions. What Effendi should do is to ensure that the Abdullah administration is truly transparent by making public all the studies which had been commissioned, including the survey conducted in March 2005 on 359 nominee companies to ascertain the status of ownership and beneficiaries of shares registered under nominees.
In the Table released yesterday, the percentage of ownership of share capital of limited companies by nominee companies had fallen sharply from 21.3% (for 325,997 companies) before 2,000 to 4.8% for 283,593 companies or 8% for 609,595 companies in 2004. It is only when all the reports and surveys on these statistics are made public for them to be checked and verified by independent researches that these official statistics can be reconciled and believed.


Rented points for 3 nights at Disney's Boardwalk Villas recently for my wife and I to take part in the RunDisney Star Wars Rival Run 10k. As frequent WDW visitors, but first time DVC Renters, I can't speak highly enough of the experience. From purchase to check in, it was seamless and exactly as if we had booked a Disney resort through Disney, except saving lots of money! I've already recommended David's to others and plan to rent again on our next WDW vacation!
We have used DVCrequest for several trips over the years and have always been so happy with the service, efficiency, and value. We just returned from a beautiful stay at the Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian, and we loved it so much that within days of returning, we decided to become DVC members ourselves with VGF as our home resort. While we may not need to rent points ourselves anymore, we will always consider Dave's for selling points and we will always recommend renting to family and friends!!! Thank you so much to the team at DVCrequest for all your seamless, stress free help over the years that ultimately led us "home."
We recently returned from our trip to Disney Aulani in a studio villa rented through David's and we couldn't be more satisfied! The rental process was easy and I kept working with David's staff for the room I wanted. My first plan was to book something in February but that wasn't to be. I couldn't be happier with the weather this last week as it was amazing. I can't wait to see what we can work out for a Florida trip for the WDW 50th! Thanks again David's!!!


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The Top 10 Pornstars of 2019
The porn industry currently has more pornstars than ever, so picking a top 10 list was never going to be easy, you might not...
The Top 10 Pornstars With Big Natural Tits
Every guy loves a nice set of tits, and most prefer natural tits – that's not to say fake boobs make women less attractive, in...
The Hottest Blonde Pornstars
This List Was Last Updated on . One of the most popular categories on most tube sites is 'blonde', guys love blondes...
The Best Big Ass Pornstars
This List Was Last Updated on . Whether you're an ass man or a boob man, there's no doubting that pornstars with a big ass are...
The Hottest Teen Pornstars
Teens are generally petite, innocent looking and fucking hot – we love them. Since in the world of porn there are only really two...
The Best Lesbian Pornstars
Everyone loves a lesbian, both guys and girls, and with all of the media surrounding homosexuality, why not compile a list of the...
The Top 10 Hottest Ebony (Black) Pornstars
This List Was Last Updated on . We love black pornstars here at IFL Porn, they seem to know how to work a man better than a lot of white girls, as they saying goes 'once you go black you...
Pornstars With the Best Fake Tits
You're either a boob man, arse man, leg man or foot man… I'm sure there are other fetishes out there that people use to determine their girl of choice – the guys here are generally arse or...
Every guy loves a nice set of tits, and most prefer natural tits – that's not to say fake boobs make women less attractive, in fact all most women who have fake tits look much better...
Top 10 Hottest Milf / Mature Pornstars
There's a saying in the porn industry that there are only two types of girl in porn, '18' and 'milf', and it's true, and that's why we love the porn industry – though we find it kind of...
The porn industry currently has more pornstars than ever, so picking a top 10 list was never going to be easy, you might not agree with all of the ladies we've listed but we hope you agree...
The Hottest Tattooed (Inked) Pornstars
If you're anything like us then you love an inked girl – the more the merrier, we say. The problem is, we think there is a lack of hot pornstars with tattoos. Sure, plenty of...
The Hottest Curvy Pornstars
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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HOME SUPPLY CHAIN SEMICONDUCTORS AND COMPONENTS SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ARTICLE
Realistic emulation of hacker behavior drives robust testing in cybersecurity realm
Tony Pallone
As reports of malware attacks and hacker-driven data breaches have become commonplace, the need for robust testing solutions in the cybersecurity realm has never been greater. Large enterprises and telecommunications carriers have experienced an expanding volume of encrypted traffic, while the deployment of application-aware systems has created networks that are more distributed and intelligent at the application level. Enterprise IT resources, moreover, have been strained by the rapid growth of cloud computing, IoT and a hyper-connected digital economy.
The CF400 Appliance provides 400G of application traffic and 200G of encrypted traffic performance testing capabilities. Source: Spirent CommunicationsValidating the efficacy of security controls in this brave new landscape requires the emulation of hyper-realistic network traffic that simulates both legitimate and hacker behaviors. The CF400 appliance is a new platform for cybersecurity testing from Spirent Communications. Not surprisingly, the platform allows users to test the performance limits of network devices, web applications and media services, ensuring Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) for their customers. But taking a closer look is where things really get interesting.
The CF400 is designed to work with Spirent's web-based testing tool, CyberFlood, which generates traffic scenarios to test the performance and scalability of application-aware network infrastructures. In fact, CyberFlood employs a database of tens of thousands of application, attack and malware scenarios, with updates delivered via an optional TestCloud subscription. Realistic hacker behavior with evasion techniques can be added; attacks can be encrypted to push security solutions to their limits. Malware testing is supported by infected host emulation, and custom tests can also be created for unique protocols, traffic flows and applications — all without scripting.
The platform also runs Spirent's Avalanche software, which supports the configuration of realistic user behaviors to provide testing that accurately reflects a company's network usage patterns. Multiple browser types can be emulated, and user behavior such as think times and HTTP aborts (also known as "clickaways") can be simulated.
According to the company, the CF400 is the industry's first network security and application delivery test platform to provide 400G of application traffic and 200G of encrypted traffic performance testing capabilities, including full HTTP/3 testing in a single appliance. In addition, its modular architecture provides the flexibility for stacking multiple appliances together in a single test system to validate the performance limits of multi-terabit-scale security controls, application delivery platforms and hyperscale data center networks.
Vorago to move its chip manufacturing to SkyWater foundry
Pan-European testbed project takes step into 6G era
Solutions to support the 5G mmWave network rollout
Melexis to expand Malaysian semiconductor facility
Foundry revenue to drop in 2023
Spirent "Send Us Your Device" service opens new routes for Wi-Fi equipment testing
Next-generation Ethernet validation platforms are Spirent's answer to ever-growing cloud
High-density Ethernet testing solution keeps pace with current trends
Malware toolkit compared to Swiss army knife
New testbed joins the OctoScope family


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package org.b3log.latke.http;

import io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext;
import io.netty.channel.CombinedChannelDuplexHandler;
import io.netty.handler.codec.http.*;
import org.b3log.latke.http.Response;

/**
 * Mock HTTP response.
 *
 * @author Liang Ding
 * @version 2.0.0.0, Nov 3, 2019
 * @since 2.4.34
 */
public class MockResponse extends Response {

    public MockResponse(final HttpResponse res) {
        super(null, res);
    }
}


Born in Lyon, France, in 1957, Pierre-Laurent Aimard studied at the Paris Conservatory, where he won four first prizes. As a student of Yvonne Loriod from the age of twelve, he developed a close relationship with the composer Olivier Messiaen and has subsequently become a leading interpreter of his works for piano.
It was as the winner of the Olivier Messiaen International Competition in 1973 that Aimard came to international prominence. Since then, he has played throughout the world under the direction of such conductors as Pierre Boulez, Seiji Ozawa, Zubin Mehta, Charles Dutoit, André Previn, Andrew Davis, and David Robertson. He made his American debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the age of twenty.


"The Bristol" 2 bed plus den with 3 baths. The Tower is a luxurious waterfront, hi-rise residential building. The floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies offer breathtaking water views of Narragansett Bay. Each sumptuous residence at the Tower is crafted with exceptional attention to detail and benefits from an expertly designed layout. The abundant windows provide each residence with wonderful natural light and together with the high ceilings create a delightful sense of space and tranquility. The kitchens have custom cabinetry, granite counter tops and state of the art appliances including wine refrigerator and built in Miele espresso maker. The opulent bathrooms are designed to pamper your senses. From the moment you arrive at the Tower and enter the elegant marble entrance foyer with concierge desk you know you have entered into a supremely special place. The elevator brings you directly to your residence offering you privacy and convenience. Tower residents benefit from a gym, library, conference room, cocktail room and a luxurious pool. The Tower truly offers a full concierge living experience! Membership at the Aquidneck Club offering golf, tennis, equestrian, yachting, & clubhouse with a bar and fine dining restaurant - is NOT required.


Guest Policy: The courts are not open to the public. One exception is the Tennis For Kids program. Parents must sign a waiver for their children to participate. Occasional guests are permitted when accompanied by a member. There is no cost. Members must use their own discretion.
Court Hours: The courts are open from sunrise until 11p.m. The lights are on an automatic timer. The lights go on at about 7p.m.
Please turn off the lights if you are the last one to leave. This will not disrupt the timer.
Dress Code: None…but appropriate shoes are required: athletic shoes with non marking soles.
Please see the CALEDON TENNIS CLUB CONSTITUTION below.


Kakadu is a wild but scenic place and it recognises six different seasons, each with different plants, climatic effects and attractions.
Adventures Beyond are professional guides for Kakadu tours, and we understand the highlights of the region so no matter when you visit Kakadu, there is always something to see and do.
Camping in Kakadu has no booking or reservation system – first in, first served! It is a fascinating region to stay in with a great mix off rugged landscapes, wildlife and cultural history.
- Commercial campgrounds with showers, toilets, barbeques and swimming pools.
The free bush campsites are only reached by 4WD. Wild bush camping is not permitted, you must stay at the designated camping areas.
Adventures Beyond offer Kakadu tours that take in the beauty of this region and give you a unique Australian camping experience.
Share a campfire meal under the Australian skies, go crocodile-spotting, swim in billabongs or waterfalls with amazing views or watch the sun set over the wetlands.
One of the campgrounds we include on selected itineraries is Garnamarr campground in the Jim Jim and Twin Falls area – after a day of sightseeing you'll feel like royalty with flushing toilets and shower facilities.
Joining a tour is an affordable option for an adventure in Kakadu because the region is very remote and transport choices are limited to self-drive or organised tours.
A pre-arranged tour takes the hassle out of buying camping gear for a portion of your itinerary, plus you will have guidance from experienced drivers who will allow you to explore areas only accessible by 4WD.
Adventure enthusiasts with limited time, can book a 2 Day 4WD Adventure (tour code: TK2) which includes a jumping crocodile cruise, rock art viewing and camping at a private safari campsite.
Or book an unforgettable tour – our 5 Day Best of the Top End Safari Tour departs from Darwin (tour code: WTA05) offering you value for money and a chance to see stunning waterfalls, wildlife and wetlands. We take care of the finer details so you don't have to!
To book your Kakadu tour now, contact us today!


Last night, the Slaughterhouse gang stopped by MTV Rap Fix live and didn't disappoint when it came to freestyle. Here's the bars they left behind for Sway.
posted the wrong link. thats not the slaughterhouse one.
where was joe? fcks goin on??


Thanks for choosing GWlegal as your legal provider. So that we may help you in the future we would like to keep you up-to-date on any news, services and offers that may be of interest to you. These services will be directly related to the legal sector.
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text:
package txtfnnl.tika.sax;

import java.util.logging.Level;

import org.junit.After;
import org.junit.Assert;
import org.junit.Before;
import org.junit.Test;

import org.xml.sax.ContentHandler;
import org.xml.sax.SAXException;
import org.xml.sax.helpers.AttributesImpl;

import org.apache.uima.analysis_engine.AnalysisEngine;
import org.apache.uima.jcas.JCas;
import org.apache.uima.resource.ResourceInitializationException;
import org.apache.uima.resource.metadata.TypeSystemDescription;

import org.easymock.EasyMock;
import org.uimafit.factory.AnalysisEngineFactory;
import org.uimafit.factory.TypeSystemDescriptionFactory;
import org.uimafit.testing.util.DisableLogging;
import org.uimafit.util.JCasUtil;

import txtfnnl.tika.uima.TikaAnnotator;
import txtfnnl.uima.cas.Property;
import txtfnnl.uima.tcas.StructureAnnotation;

public class TestUIMAContentHandler {
  UIMAContentHandler handler;
  ContentHandler mock;
  Level loglevel;

  /**
   * Set up the test environment by attaching a mocked content handler to the HTML handler.
   */
  @Before
  public void setUp() throws ResourceInitializationException {
    mock = EasyMock.createMock(ContentHandler.class);
    handler = new UIMAContentHandler(mock);
    handler.setAnnotatorURI("testURI");
    Assert.assertNull(handler.getView());
    final TypeSystemDescription typeSystemDescription = TypeSystemDescriptionFactory
        .createTypeSystemDescription("txtfnnl.uima.typeSystemDescriptor");
    final AnalysisEngine tikaAnnotator = AnalysisEngineFactory.createPrimitive(
        TikaAnnotator.class, typeSystemDescription);
    handler.setView(tikaAnnotator.newJCas());
    handler.startDocument();
    loglevel = DisableLogging.disableLogging();
  }

  @After
  public void tearDown() {
    DisableLogging.enableLogging(loglevel);
  }

  @Test
  public void testGreekCharacers() throws SAXException {
    final GreekLetterContentHandler greek = new GreekLetterContentHandler(handler);
    greek.characters(new char[] { 'a', '\u0391', ' ', '\u03D7' }, 0, 4);
    handler.endDocument();
    final JCas jcas = handler.getView();
    Assert.assertEquals("aAlpha kai", jcas.getDocumentText());
  }

  @Test
  public void testAddingElement() {
    final String uri = "test_uri";
    final String lName = "";
    final String qName = "test_qname";
    final AttributesImpl atts = new AttributesImpl();
    int count = 0;
    atts.addAttribute(uri, lName, qName, "test_type", "test_value");
    handler.characters("in".toCharArray(), 0, 2);
    handler.startElement(uri, lName, qName, atts);
    handler.characters("stuff".toCharArray(), 0, 5);
    handler.endElement(uri, lName, qName);
    handler.characters("out".toCharArray(), 0, 3);
    for (final StructureAnnotation ann : JCasUtil.select(handler.getView(),
        StructureAnnotation.class)) {
      Assert.assertEquals(2, ann.getBegin());
      Assert.assertEquals(7, ann.getEnd());
      Assert.assertEquals("testURI", ann.getAnnotator());
      Assert.assertEquals("test_uri#", ann.getNamespace());
      Assert.assertEquals("test_qname", ann.getIdentifier());
      Assert.assertEquals(1.0, ann.getConfidence(), 0.0000001);
      Assert.assertNotNull(ann.getProperties());
      Assert.assertEquals(1, ann.getProperties().size());
      final Property p = ann.getProperties(0);
      Assert.assertEquals("test_qname", p.getName());
      Assert.assertEquals("test_value", p.getValue());
      count++;
    }
    Assert.assertEquals(1, count);
  }

  @Test(expected = AssertionError.class)
  public void testUnconsumedElement() {
    handler.startElement("uri", "lName", "qName", null);
    handler.endDocument();
  }

  @Test(expected = AssertionError.class)
  public void testUnmatchedElement() {
    handler.startElement("uri", "e1", "e1", null);
    handler.endElement("uri", "e2", "e2");
  }
}


text:
45 Minute Country
Population density per square kilometer (highest in Central America).
Number of animal species, of which almost half are butterflies.
Percent of Salvadorans that are mestizo, descendants of Spanish and Indian ancestors.
El Salvador Stories, Information, and Opinion
The ISA World Surfing Games takes Center Stage in El Salvador from May 29 to June 6
by Eddie Galdamez
El Salvador, Entertainment, Travel
An overview of the ISA World Surfing Games starting in El Salvador this weekend. These games are also an Olympic qualifier event, determining which surfers… Read More »The ISA World Surfing Games takes Center Stage in El Salvador from May 29 to June 6
A Look at the El Salvador Legistlative Elections
El Salvador, News, Opinion
A look at President Nayib Bukele's landslide win in yesterday's El Salvador legislative elections. Yesterday the first of several Central American elections in 2021 took… Read More »A Look at the El Salvador Legistlative Elections
How to Celebrate Easter in El Salvador
El Salvador, Travel
Salvadoran blogger Eddie Galdamez offers his recommendations for the best places to enjoy and experience Easter in El Salvador. This article contains some affiliate (referral)… Read More »How to Celebrate Easter in El Salvador
My Four Favorite Pre-Columbian Sites in El Salvador
Although Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras are far more famous for their pre-Colombian sites, history lovers shouldn't rule out El Salvador. Blogger Eddie Galdamez offers a… Read More »My Four Favorite Pre-Columbian Sites in El Salvador
Juayua, El Salvador: The Perfect Weekend Getaway from San Salvador
If you're in El Salvador and looking for a place to get away for the weekend, you could do worse than the colonial town of… Read More »Juayua, El Salvador: The Perfect Weekend Getaway from San Salvador
Kickstarting El Salvador Tourism for a Post-Pandemic World
El Salvador, News, Travel
Looking for ways to restart El Salvador tourism, the government launches destination brand "El Salvador". In early October, the government of El Salvador launched a… Read More »Kickstarting El Salvador Tourism for a Post-Pandemic World
My Four Favorite Volcanoes in El Salvador to Hike Up
As El Salvador starts looking towards a post-pandemic future where tourists can travel again, it's worth checking out some of the activities available in this… Read More »My Four Favorite Volcanoes in El Salvador to Hike Up
Surf City: Surfing as Government Policy in El Salvador
In El Salvador, surfing is more than a sport. It's government policy and a lifeline to boosting tourism and improving the image of the country.… Read More »Surf City: Surfing as Government Policy in El Salvador
A Nostalgic 24-Hour Trip to El Salvador
by Patricia Trigueros
Last year, before the COVID-19 pandemic stopped such things, Patricia Trigueros and her friend took a quick trip to El Salvador from Guatemala. Here's hoping… Read More »A Nostalgic 24-Hour Trip to El Salvador
El Salvador's Murder Rate is Down 59% from 2019. Good for Tourism and Salvadorans.
El Salvador, Safety
In the past year, El Salvador has experienced a steep drop in homicides, unseen since the end of the 1980s civil war. What's happened? Since… Read More »El Salvador's Murder Rate is Down 59% from 2019. Good for Tourism and Salvadorans.


text:
The New Theatre in Łódź also known as the Kazimierz Dejmek New Theatre (Polish: Teatr Nowy w Łodzi or Teatr Nowy im. Kazimierza Dejmka w Łodzi) is one of the repertory theatres in Łódź (Poland), established in 1949. The theatre presents a varied programme, including international classic drama, and new plays by contemporary playwrights. In addition to performances at the Nowy Theatre building, the Nowy Theatre tours productions at theatres across the Łódź region, Poland and abroad.

History
In 1949, the Young Actors' Group (Polish: Grupa Młodych Aktorów), with Kazimierz Dejmek as one of their leaders, organized a series of workshops during which those assembled worked on learning the Stanislavski's system. It was this group that went on to create the New Theatre. The theatre was initially collectively managed and in November of 1949 presented its first jointly directed premiere, a production of a Czech repertory play by Vašek Káňa titled Grinder Karhan's Work Brigade (Czech: Parta brusiče Karhana). At this time, beginning with the January 1949 convention of the Polish Writers' Union held in the city of Szczecin, Socialist Realism became the governing aesthetic doctrine.

In 1950 Kazimierz Dejmek assumed the position of intendat and artistic director of the institution and abandoned acting as a profession. He remained the theatre's director until 1962. Later he held that position between 1974 and 1979, as well as in 2002. In 2008 the New Theatre was named after him, but the full title is rarely used.

In February 1950, communist President Bolesław Bierut awarded the theatre with the Order of the Banner of Work. In November 2019, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage awarded the Nowy Theatre with the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis.

References

Theatres in Łódź
Theatre companies in Poland
Recipients of the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis
1949 establishments in Poland
Theatres completed in 1949

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia