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Visual Studio 2008 offers developers more testing options
by Tony Patton in Software Engineer , in Developer on January 29, 2008, 12:18 AM PST
Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition includes Microsoft's own unit testing offering. Tony Patton offers more details about the recent changes in Visual Studio 2008 and surveys the current landscape of .NET testing options.
Unit testing has evolved from a fringe activity to an industry-accepted way to develop software. This change in attitude was aided by the introduction of numerous freely available testing frameworks -- most notably, NUnit.
Microsoft's testing options have drawn the ire of the development community for years because there has been a lack of testing support from the company. Non-Microsoft tools require extra product installations and setup, so many developers called for Microsoft to offer such tools with its IDE. Finally, Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition includes Microsoft's own unit testing offering.
I'll offer more details about the recent changes in Visual Studio 2008 and survey the current landscape of .NET testing options.
Testing options in Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition
Visual Studio 2005 Team System included Microsoft's testing engine (MSTest), but many developers still clamored for the testing tools to be available to a wider audience. Their efforts paid off, and MSTest is now available in Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition.
The new Test drop-down menu within the IDE provides easy access to the testing framework. It allows you to author, generate, and run tests. Other changes have been introduced as well. For instance, a new Run Tests context-menu option has been added to the MSTest engine to simplify the execution of tests.
Test-driven development options
A basic tenet of eXtreme programming is test-driven development. The goal is to create tests before developing any code. This goes against traditional programming; instead of writing functional code and then testing code as an afterthought (if testing is performed at all), you start with the test code.
You make sure the test is correct according to the necessary logic. With the test complete, it is available when the code is ready, and you quickly know if the code performs as desired. Basically, you develop code that will pass the test.
A key part of test-driven development is the automated unit test that properly tests code functionality. Testing frameworks provide a vehicle for creating and running these tests. Various frameworks exist for .NET developers, including the following:
NUnit: An open source unit-testing framework for the .NET platform. It is the leader in this category, as it mimics the JUnit Java offering for the .NET platform; that is, it brings test-driven development to .NET. NUnit provides both a GUI and command-line interface. It also promotes unit testing your .NET code after coding is complete or using the test-driven approach to development. (Learn more about this framework by reading my article, "NUnit allows effective unit testing with .NET applications.")
xUnit.net: A freely available testing framework available via Microsoft's version of open source with the CodePlex site. It was designed with a goal of closely aligning itself with the .NET Framework. (One of the developers of xUnit.net originally worked on NUnit.) xUnit.net was built using .NET Framework 2.0; it does not require any installation, and it offers better integration with source control tools. xUnit.net focuses heavily on test-driven development as opposed to just testing, so there are some differences with NUnit. xUnit.net is the latest to join the pool of testing frameworks.
MbUnit: MbUnit or the Generative Unit Test Framework for the .NET Framework is offered free of charge. It was built using the .NET Framework, and it promotes test-driven development. It offers both command-line and GUI interfaces along the lines of the same features available in NUnit.
QuickUnit.net: A simple testing framework written in C# for .NET applications. It is a minimalist approach to testing for developers who ignore writing unit tests and test-driven development. It can be used as a first step to become familiar with testing.
csUnit: A freely available testing framework that promotes test-driven development. It offers a graphical interface and easy integration with Visual Studio 2005.
Visual Studio add-ons
There are a few Visual Studio add-ons that make it easier to use the various testing frameworks within the IDE. One of the more popular products is TestDriven.NET; however, unlike the testing frameworks, it is not free. TestDriven.NET allows you to use the features of the testing framework from within Visual Studio via one click of the mouse. It works with all versions of Visual Studio.
Will developers migrate from their current testing tools?
The Professional Edition of the IDE is so popular that, theoretically, the inclusion of MSTest makes unit testing available to the masses. The requirements for third-party products to support testing are gone. Developers can be up and running with unit testing out of the box.
While it is a great addition, it makes me wonder if it will encourage developers to migrate from existing testing tools and adopt a test-driven approach for their projects. There are a number of solid tools currently available, and I think it will be hard to pull developers from these tools.
Do you plan to check out the new unit testing options in Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition or stick with your current tools? Share your thoughts with the Visual Studio Developer community.
Tony Patton began his professional career as an application developer earning Java, VB, Lotus, and XML certifications to bolster his knowledge.
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members of the congregation claim that they have obtained some permits for the building to function as a house of worship but are still missing some documents, which they say have been difficult to obtain from government officials, especially during the recent holiday period. In September, authorities in the East Sumatran city of Jambi sealed three churches, which had been used as places of worship for over a decade, because they lacked official permits. An administrator at one of the churches said they were given no warning prior to the closure and that he suspected the churches were shut due to pressure from certain groups who threatened to protest if they remained open. Officials from one of the churches said their attempts to obtain the proper permits had proven difficult as government officials [in the Muslim majority nation] always denied them.
The church … lost the use of its building in October 2018, despite the congregation responding to requests to install fire exits and fire extinguishers. While conversion from Islam is not a criminal offence in Algeria, those who witness to Muslims potentially face a five-year jail sentence. The officially recognised church had been open for five years and is a powerful ministry to local Muslims. …. A number of churches have been shut down since the start of 2018, either for alleged breaches of health and safety, or because authorities claim they are not properly registered.
Uganda: Muslims beat and hospitalized a Christian woman for praying to Christ in her home. "Today we have come to warn you that you should avoid noisy prayers and the use of Issa [Jesus] in your prayers," one of the four assailants informed Deborah Gimbo's after bursting into her home. They added that a local cleric had said that "people who pray in Jesus' name should be fought and pressured until they accept only worship of Allah, or else be killed." "I cannot stop praying," she responded, "and more so, Issa [Jesus] is my Lord and Savior, and I will continue praying in His name…. Immediately two of the intruders left the house, and in no time entered the room again with sticks and started beating me. I was hit on my face, and blood started flowing down my face as I started shouting for help." Neighbors came to her rescue; she was hospitalized for two days.
The conviction of Mr Fadaie and Ms Bakhteri for asserting Christian doctrine is not only a grave violation of their right to espouse a religious belief of their choosing, but also criminalises the Christian faith, which the Iranian constitution purports to recognise…. We call for the verdict against Mr Fadaie and Ms Bakhteri to be overturned, and urge the Iranian authorities to ensure due process in cases involving religious minorities. We also continue to urge the Iranian government to cease all forms of harassment and intimidation of peaceable religious communities, and to release all those detained in connection with their religion or belief.
Hundreds of Christians in Somalia, typically foreigners from nearby countries who work across the East African nation, fear [that] Muslim extremists — both jihadists in al-Shabab, a group linked to al-Qaida, and rogue elements among their otherwise peaceful neighbors — would kill them if they knew they held Christian services. Around 99.8 percent of Somalis are Muslim…. In recent years, the situation for Christians in the Horn of Africa has worsened, as illustrated by killings shared on social media. In the region under the control of al-Shabab, the militants hunt for Christians.
The police arrived and carried Hassan away with blood flowing from his body. My son's leg is bruised, he has serious chest and back pain, he is unable to walk and some of his teeth were removed. My family is in danger, where are we going to hide ourselves? I cannot go back to Islam. I am better dying with my family than going back to Islam….I have suffered several persecutions from the Muslims for converting to Christianity…. My stomach is ailing from the attack I suffered few years ago. I cannot stand in an upright position. I and my family have chosen the cause of Christ. No turning back.
They called her name, grabbed her, covered her nose and mouth, twisted her hands and sprayed some chemical on her that left her unconscious…They took her to the windowless room in an unknown house where they poured water on her, pulled her hair and tied her hands and legs to a chair, all the while shouting her name. Covering her eyes, they reminded her of her Islamic upbringing in Sudan, and how after her school years she moved with her family to Saudi Arabia. Her Sudanese father, they reminded her, is a sheikh (Islamic teacher) in Saudi Arabia.
"You are disgrace to your Muslim family, you brought shame to the family," they yelled at her as they beat her. "You are 'kafira' [infidel]." They ordered her to return to her Sudanese family in Saudi Arabia, otherwise, she, her husband, and daughter aged 11 would all be slaughtered. "I will not go back to Islam—I hate Islam," she shot back, prompting them to beat her even harder. One of her abductors then brought "a copy of the Koran and began reciting verses that call for the killing of those who leave Islam"—even as they all shouted "Allahu Akbar" in between recitals. "The extremists then untied her, forced her to lie on the floor and ripped her clothes. In spite of her pleas to stop, they raped her in turns." One of the men said, "This is lesson number one." They continued abusing and beating her, asking after each torture session if she was ready to renounce Christ and resubmit to Muhammad, only for her to refuse. She was eventually struck unconscious, and when she came to, was lying in the middle of a busy street.
A separate January 21 report revealed the sufferings of a Muslim man who also fled from Sudan to Egypt after converting to Christianity. Osman "left Khartoum in April 2014 after police from Sudan's Criminal Investigation Department accused him of apostasy, punishable by death in Sudan." At one point, "National police arrested him from the streets of Khartoum, covered his eyes with a cloth and took him into secret detention, where they tortured him for three weeks… He was suspended from the ceiling while agents poured cold water on him, leaving his left hand permanently damaged…" "[T]hey told me they were going to kill me if I do not return back to Islam," he explained. "I fled Sudan for my life after I learned that my life was in danger." Before long, however, unknown persons in Cairo began sending him death threats via phone texts. Most recently, his apartment was raided and his passport stolen, prompting him to go into hiding. "My life is in great danger as Egypt is becoming an insecure place for me," Osman was last reported as saying.
Read it all, and years worth of previous monthly reports compiled by Raymond Ibrahim.com and completely ignored by Western media elites.
This IS the cesspool that Ilhan Omar came from, and the anti-social – anti-human being disease and MENTAL DISORDER she intends to spread in America..
..And she is on OUR U.S. House of Representatives "Foreign Affairs Committee"?
Who every said, "They are human"? Heathens to the bone!
Don't forget, Muslims are still streaming into our country as 'refugees' and 'sneak-ins'. Worse, the Democratic party welcomes all this as they hope for more votes.
So there's the solution. Drive them out of town.


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caufield & shook (photographer) (32)
royal photo co. (photographer) (5)
university of louisville. school of law (5)
joseph & joseph (architect) (1)
musee du louvre (paris, france) (1)
saatchi collection (london, england, united kingdom) (1)
thomas barrow collection (1)
corsini, harold, 1919-2008 (photographer) (46)
rosskam, edwin, 1903-1985 (photographer) (30)
rosskam, louise, 1910-2003 (photographer) (30)
webb, todd (photographer) (19)
bubley, esther (photographer) (18)
libsohn, sol, 1914-2001 (photographer) (18)
parks, gordon, 1912-2006 (photographer) (11)
lee, russell, 1903-1986 (photographer) (10)
vachon, john, 1914-1975 (photographer) (6)
eagle, arnold (photographer) (4)
baton rouge (la.) (78)
jefferson county (ky.) (46)
louisville (ky.) (45)
new england (30)
tomball (tex.) (18)
ra's tannurah (saudi arabia) (14)
petroleum industry (120)
employees (48)
refineries (26)
petroleum workers (21)
safety film negatives (174)
nitrate negatives (24)
film negatives (5)
: Tank
September 1946 issue of the Louisville and Nashville Employes' [sic] Magazine, also known as the L&N Magazine, which featured news about the company and its employees, stories about towns along its routes and industries utilizing its lines, and...
April 1931 issue of the Louisville and Nashville Employes' [sic] Magazine, also known as the L&N Magazine, which featured news about the company and its employees, stories about towns along its routes and industries utilizing its lines, and other...
Twenty Burt Lights. The Twentieth Issue of the Official Burt the Cat Fanclub Newsletter, June-July 1998.
Fan magazines; Rock music--Kentucky--Louisville; Musicians; Zines; Underground newspapers
The twentieth issue of the Louisville fanzine commonly known as the Burt. Includes record reviews, live show reviews, horoscope and other commentary. Please be advised that this magazine may contain images, language, and themes that may be...
March 1945 issue of the Louisville and Nashville Employes' [sic] Magazine, also known as the L&N Magazine, which featured news about the company and its employees, stories about towns along its routes and industries utilizing its lines, and other...
Education building, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, August 4, 2009 flood.
Floods--Kentucky--Louisville; Floods; Men; Equipment; Hoses; Oil spills; Buildings; University of Louisville--Buildings
A reddish pool of diesel fuel leaks out of two large vents in the side of the on the University of Louisville College of Education and Human Development (renamed the Woodford R. and Harriett B. Porter Building in September 2010). The spill occurred...
Floods--Kentucky--Louisville; Floods; Men; Equipment; Hoses; Buildings; University of Louisville--Buildings; Refuse disposal; Debris
Two men from Pettit Environmental sweep water and debris outside the on the University of Louisville College of Education and Human Development (renamed the Woodford R. and Harriett B. Porter Building in September 2010) the day after the flooding....
Louisville Law Examiner 2.5, November 30, 1976
University of Louisville. School of law; University of Louisville--Students; University of Louisville--Alumni and alumnae; University of Louisville--Faculty; University of Louisville--Employees; Law students; Law & legal affairs; Law and...
The Louisville Law Examiner (1975-1991) was the second of three official University of Louisville School of Law student publications.
The Louisville Leader. Louisville, Kentucky, Saturday, August 12, 1950.
Newspapers; African American newspapers
The Louisville Leader was an African-American newspaper published from 1917 to 1950 by I. Willis Cole in Louisville, Kentucky. This issue says Vol. 32. No. 25. but is actually Vol. 33. No.32. There are small holes in the center of each page of this...
February 1952 issue of the Louisville and Nashville Employes' [sic] Magazine, also known as the L&N Magazine, which featured news about the company and its employees, stories about towns along its routes and industries utilizing its lines, and...
May 1939 issue of the Louisville and Nashville Employes' [sic] Magazine, also known as the L&N Magazine, which featured news about the company and its employees, stories about towns along its routes and industries utilizing its lines, and other...
November 1928 issue of the Louisville and Nashville Employes' [sic] Magazine, also known as the L&N Magazine, which featured news about the company and its employees, stories about towns along its routes and industries utilizing its lines, and...
January 1951 issue of the Louisville and Nashville Employes' [sic] Magazine, also known as the L&N Magazine, which featured news about the company and its employees, stories about towns along its routes and industries utilizing its lines, and other...
June 1968 issue of the Louisville and Nashville Employes' [sic] Magazine, also known as the L&N Magazine, which featured news about the company and its employees, stories about towns along its routes and industries utilizing its lines, and other...
January-February 1974 issue of the Louisville and Nashville Employes' [sic] Magazine, also known as the L&N Magazine, which featured news about the company and its employees, stories about towns along its routes and industries utilizing its lines,...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Bowmans show hockey is a family affair
by John Kreiser
"The people I've met, the places I've gone -- it was a great childhood and it really fed the love of hockey I have now. Because of my background, that's where I am today."
-- Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher
When new Chicago Blackhawks General Manager Stan Bowman needs some guidance, he can do what a lot of us do when we need some advice: Call dad.
Of course, it's a lot easier for an NHL GM to get good counsel when your father is a Hockey Hall of Famer like Scotty Bowman. Stan Bowman won't have to go far to find out what his father thinks -- Scotty came aboard last summer as a senior advisor of hockey operations.
"Even when I was a little kid I liked to go to the games -- and most importantly, to absorb things, when he would talk to other coaches and players, other GMs," Stan Bowman said during an interview at last month's Entry Draft. "I was just exposed to that at a young age and I took a liking to it. As I got older … I wanted to be part of something that I love doing. I look at hockey that way; it's not really a job for me, it's something I enjoy. The exposure from a young age really helped me."
Stan Bowman joins the ranks of second-generation hockey executives who have followed their fathers into the general manager's office.
However, he isn't the first next-generation GM to get a job this offseason. On May 21, Chuck Fletcher -- son of Hall of Famer Cliff Fletcher, a GM with Atlanta/Calgary, Toronto and Phoenix -- was named general manger of the Minnesota Wild. He joined the Wild after serving as an assistant to Pittsburgh's Ray Shero, another second-generation GM and son of a hockey legend -- Fred Shero coached the Philadelphia Flyers to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and '75 and later served as coach/GM of the New York Rangers.
In all, there have been seven father-son GM tandems in NHL history. Here's a look at them:
The Patricks
Lester (New York Rangers, 1926-46)
Muzz Patrick (New York Rangers, 1955-64)
Lynn (Boston, 1954-65; St. Louis 1967-68 and 1971-72)
Craig (New York Rangers, 1980-86; Pittsburgh 1989-2006)
Bowman replaces Tallon as 'Hawks GM
The Blackhawks have announced that Dale Tallon has been reassigned to Senior Advisor, Hockey Operations and replaced in the GM's chair by Stan Bowman. READ MORE ›
VIDEO: The Bowmans: Like Father, Not Like Son
VIDEO: Dale Tallon on RFA signings
Stan Bowman following in his father's footsteps
ALL OFFSEASON 2009 STORIES ›
Lester Patrick is the patriarch of the Rangers, the man who established hockey as a big-time sport in New York and built the franchise from the ground up. He served as general manager and coach until 1939, winning a pair of Stanley Cups, before stepping down to concentrate on his job as GM. Patrick's Rangers won a third Cup in 1940, but struggled after the start of World War II, and Lester was replaced as GM after the 1945-46 season.
His sons, Muzz and Lynn, both played for (and won a Cup under) their father in New York and went on to become hockey executives. Muzz succeeded Frank Boucher (who was named GM when Lester was let go) in 1955 and was GM for nine seasons before turning over the reins to Emile Francis. Lynn spent a decade as general manager of the Bruins, then served as the first general manager of the St. Louis Blues when they entered the NHL in 1967. Patrick also began the season as coach before hiring a young unknown named Scotty Bowman, who led the Blues to the Stanley Cup Final in each of their first three seasons. Bowman also served as GM for two seasons before Patrick returned for one season in 1971-72.
By then, Lynn's son Craig was an NHL player. Craig didn't have the success of his father in his eight seasons on the ice, but wound up having a lot more off it. After serving as an assistant coach under Herb Brooks with the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic team, Craig followed his father and uncle by becoming GM of the Rangers (hiring and firing Brooks as coach in the process and also serving two stints behind the bench himself). He enjoyed his greatest success after being named GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins in December 1989. Patrick brought in Bob Johnson (and later Scotty Bowman) as coach and engineered the trade that brought Ron Francis and Ulf Samuelsson to Pittsburgh, bringing in the final pieces that helped the Penguins win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1991 and '92. Craig was let go as GM in April 2006 -- nine months after the Penguins selected Sidney Crosby with the first pick in the 2005 Entry Draft.
The Sheros
Fred (New York Rangers, 1978-80)
Ray (Pittsburgh, 2006-present)
Fred Shero became famous as the coach of the "Broad Street Bullies" -- the mid-1970s Philadelphia Flyer teams that used a combination of mayhem and talent to win consecutive Stanley Cups in 1974 and '75. But after three non-Cup seasons following the two championship years, a disappointed Shero stepped down and returned to his roots -- he had grown up in the Rangers organization, played in New York and went back there in the summer of 1978 as coach and general manager.
The move initially was a success -- the Rangers upset the regular-season champion Islanders in the semifinals and won Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final at Montreal before losing the next four. But after a disappointing 1979-80 season and a slow start by the Rangers in 1980-81, Shero stepped down from both jobs and was replaced by Craig Patrick.
Unlike his father, an introverted, enigmatic personality whose nickname was "The Fog," Ray Shero is much more outgoing. And like his father, Ray also owns a Stanley Cup.
The younger Shero played college hockey at St. Lawrence, was a late-round pick by the Kings in 1982 but never played, and spent eight years as a player agent. Shortly after his father died in 1990, he got into management, serving six years as an assistant general manager with the Ottawa Senators and eight more as an assistant GM under David Poile with the Nashville Predators.
He was named to the GM post in Pittsburgh on May 25, 2006, a month after Craig Patrick was fired, and has enjoyed quick success with the Penguins, adding the final pieces to a Stanley Cup finalist in 2008 and making a midseason coaching change that paid off in a Cup victory this spring.
The Fletchers
Cliff (Atlanta/Calgary Flames, 1972-91; Toronto, 1991-97 and 2008; Phoenix 2001)
Chuck (Minnesota, 2009-present)
Cliff Fletcher was the assistant general manager of the St. Louis Blues when the NHL added the Atlanta Flames and New York Islanders for the 1972-73 season. He was named the Flames' first GM and helped the NHL's first foray into the U.S. South get off to a fast start -- the franchise made the playoffs six times in eight seasons in Atlanta. Fletcher stayed with the Flames when the franchise moved to Calgary in 1980, and he built the team that won two division titles, two regular-season championships, a pair of conference titles and the Flames' only Stanley Cup, in 1989.
The Maple Leafs lured him to Toronto, and Fletcher turned the Leafs into a success on the ice, making the conference finals in 1993 and '94. After leaving Toronto in 1997, he worked for the Tampa Bay Lightning as a senior advisor for two years, and then served as Executive VP and GM for the Phoenix Coyotes in 2001 before being named Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations.
He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004, but returned to the Leafs after John Ferguson Jr. was let go as GM in January 2008. He served as general manager until Brian Burke took over as president and general manager Nov. 22, 2008.
If Cliff Fletcher's career is winding down, his son's is just getting started. Chuck Fletcher was named as the second GM in the history of the Minnesota Wild on May 21, 2009, replacing Doug Risebrough. The younger Fletcher spent nine years working as assistant GM and interim GM for the Florida Panthers, four more as director of hockey operations, assistant GM and vice president of amateur scouting and player development for the Anaheim Ducks, and the last three as assistant general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, working closely with GM Ray Shero on scouting, prospect development and contract negotiations.
"I was 5 years old when he was named a general manager, so my entire life I've been the son of a general manager or working in hockey," Chuck Fletcher said at his introduction as Wild GM when asked about his father's influence. "I had terrific opportunities, just from getting used equipment and sticks, skating on the ice with the players to traveling with the team and sitting next to my father at every game and pretending I was a hockey official in the organization.
"I was 5 years old when he was named a general manager, so my entire life I've been the son of a general manager or working in hockey." -- Chuck Fletcher
The Buttons
Jack (Pittsburgh, 1974-75)
Craig (Calgary, 2000-03)
Jack Button took over as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins midway through the 1973-74 season. He replaced Jack Riley, who had been the team's first GM and came back again in 1971-72. Under Button, the Penguins improved from 65 points in '73-74 to 89 points and a playoff berth in 1974-75. It appeared as if the Pens were on their way to their first trip to the Stanley Cup semifinals when they won their preliminary-round series and took the first three games of their quarterfinal against the New York Islanders -- only to see the Isles become only the second team to rally from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.
The Penguins hit financial rocks that summer, with the NHL briefly taking ownership before the team was sold. Button was tapped by NHL President Clarence Campbell to become the head of the new NHL Central Scouting Bureau. He joined the Washington Capitals in 1979 and enjoyed great success as a scout; he's credited with discovering players such as Peter Bondra, Sergei Gonchar and Brendan Witt.
Both of Jack's sons, Craig and Tod, followed their father into hockey. Craig joined the Minnesota North Stars in 1988 and followed the franchise to Dallas five years later. He became director of scouting and then director of player personnel for the Stars' 1999 Stanley Cup championship team. In 2000, he was hired by the Calgary Flames to be their general manager, but was let go after three non-playoff seasons -- though he was responsible for assembling much of the talent that got the Flames to Game 7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Final. He currently serves as an analyst on the NHL Network and writes occasionally for NHL.com.
The Poiles
Bud (Philadelphia, 1967-69; Vancouver 1970-73)
David (Washington 1982-97; Nashville 1998-present)
There must be something about the Poile family that enjoys a challenge. Both Bud and his son David have spent most of their careers as NHL executives trying to build franchises from the ground up.
Bud Poile played for five NHL teams and won a Stanley Cup with Toronto in 1947, then spent 13 years as a coach before becoming the first general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1967. Three years later, he again helped start a team from scratch when he was named GM of the expansion Vancouver Canucks. He lasted just three years in that post, but his career in hockey was far from over. Poile took over as commissioner of the Central Hockey League in 1976, became commissioner of the International Hockey League in 1983-84 and held that post until he retired in 1989. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990.
By that time, David Poile had turned the Washington Capitals from a ragamuffin franchise into a consistent winner -- taking a team that had never made the playoffs previously and leading it to 14 trips to the postseason in 15 years. The younger Poile, who had spent 10 years in the front office of the Atlanta and Calgary Flames, largely built the 1998 team that went to the Stanley Cup Final.
He came to Nashville in 1998 and helped get the franchise off the ground. The Predators were an instant hit in Nashville and have been competitive since Day 1. David received the Lester Patrick Trophy for service to hockey in the U.S. in 2001, making him and his father one of only six father-son pairs to receive the award.
The Fergusons
John (New York Rangers, 1976-78; Winnipeg 1979-88)
John Jr. (Toronto 2003-08)
The hiring of John Ferguson by the New York Rangers in 1976 marked a first -- the former Montreal Canadien was the first non-Ranger to become a coach or GM in the Big Apple (he filled both posts). Ferguson, who was a key member of five Cup-winning teams in Montreal in the 1960s, changed the Rangers' uniforms but didn't have any success changing their fortunes -- they were a team in decline. Ferguson stepped down as coach in 1977; the team made the playoffs in 1978 but was eliminated in the preliminary round by Buffalo. That summer, ownership brought in Fred Shero as coach and GM.
Ferguson quickly resurfaced as GM of the WHA's Winnipeg Jets and was back in the NHL in 1979 when the Jets were one of four teams that were absorbed by the League. He lasted until December 1988, when he was let go and Mike Smith took over. After that, he worked for the Ottawa Senators before becoming a special adviser for the San Jose Sharks. He died of cancer in July 2007 at the age of 68.
"I strive to emulate my father's traits," John Ferguson Jr. said at his father's funeral -- and by then the younger Ferguson had done just that by becoming an NHL general manager. After a playing career that saw him reach the AHL but never make it to the NHL, he worked as a scout for the Senators before moving to St. Louis, where he rose to VP and director of hockey operations. In August 2003, the 36-year-old was named GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, replacing Pat Quinn.
The Leafs made the playoffs in his first season as GM, but failed to do so in 2005-06 and 2006-07. With the team struggling again in 2007-08, Ferguson was let go midway through the season and replaced by Cliff Fletcher.
The Bowmans
Scotty (Buffalo, 1979-87)
Stan (Chicago, 2009-present)
"Stan started pretty young; he wanted to get a job in hockey and I said, 'You're better off to do it with another team and do it on your own. He wrote letters to teams, and that's how he got started."
-- Scotty Bowman, discussing son Stan
Though he's had the title of general manager just once in his long hockey career, few people in any sport have enjoyed the kind of success Scotty Bowman has.
After four years (and three trips to the Stanley Cup Final) as coach of the St. Louis Blues, Bowman came to Montreal in 1971 and led the Canadiens to five Stanley Cups, including four in a row from 1976-79. He had hoped to be named general manager of the Canadiens when Sam Pollock stepped down, but when it didn't happen, he left to take over as coach and GM of the Buffalo Sabres. However, he never enjoyed the kind of success he had in Montreal, and he left in 1987 to work as an analyst for Hockey Night in Canada.
By 1990, he was back in the NHL as player personnel director in Pittsburgh. When health reasons forced Bob Johnson to step down after coaching the Pens to the 1991 Cup, Bowman took over and led Pittsburgh to a repeat in 1992 and the Presidents' Trophy in 1993.
Then it was on to Detroit, where he won three more Cups before stepping down following a championship in 2002 as the winningest coach in NHL history. He spent the next six seasons as a special adviser to the Wings before joining his son Stan in Chicago last summer.
Little could he have known that Stan, an assistant GM under Dale Tallon, would become the boss a year later. On July 14, the Hawks reassigned Tallon and promoted Stan Bowman to GM.
Both Bowmans say the biggest difference between them is that Stan never wanted to follow his father behind the bench.
"We're different in that I did do some managing with different teams, but coaching was really what I started when I couldn't play any more," Scotty Bowman said in an interview at the Entry Draft last month. "I got into it at a young age, and I think that in the coaching or managing field, if you get into it when you're younger, by the time you've reached the top of the heap, you've had a lot of experience.
Added Stan Bowman: "I knew early on that coaching wasn't my thing. I think I'm more suited toward the management side. That's what I always took an interest in."
The Bowmans now have a chance to work together to see if they can end the Blackhawks' 48-year Stanley Cup drought.


Warning: This interview contains spoilers for season four, episode 1 of Ripper Street, available now on Amazon Prime Instant Video. Please click back if you do not wish the be spoiled.
If you're wiping the sweat from your brow and returning to the back of your seat with your heart still thumping wildly in your chest, you might have just watched the final few scenes and the shockingly good new episode of Ripper Street.
The criminal mastermind behind the locomotive disaster that claimed the lives of 55 innocent souls last series, Long Susan, is supposed to be receiving her comeuppance. Of course, a certain Mr Jackson simply won't stand for it. And the two resort to incredible measures to fake a hanging.
We were delighted to speak to Long Susan actor MyAnna Buring about her thoughts on filming the scene in question and what's next for Susan and Jackson.
How were the hanging scenes like to film?
This is the truth of it. The scene leading up, playing it, it was actually quite horrific. Seeing [Jackson], seeing them – that walk up the gallows – it's filled with a lot of trepidation. The set really helped to play that. How do you walk towards a death? The reality of having a rope put around your neck is quite horrific, whatever the consequences of that may be. One little slip and you could be dead.
The actual hanging hanging was done by one of our wonderful stunt team, so that I do not know. I'm very grateful she did it for me, I think she did a wonderful job. There are a lot of stunts on Ripper Street and I think they're always executed brilliantly. Hats off to the people who do things we don't do.
It was quite emotional watching it back actually, that's when I felt most emotional about it. It was like yeah of course, wow my gosh of course that happened. We've lived with these characters for four years now, it's been a long time, it's imbued with a lot of history. It's great. What fun that is to play.
Do you think these guys have a plan now?
Come on, it's Long Susan and Jackson.
Ripper Street Season 4 is now available exclusively on Prime Video, with new episodes released weekly.
Our favourite Victorian crime drama (and that's a surprisingly tough category) Ripper Street is returning for a fourth season this Friday, exclusive to Amazon Prime Video.
Last season's finale saw Reid finally hang up his hat and resign from his position as Head of the H Division at Whitechapel, moving to the seaside with long-lost daughter Mathilda. Drake took over Reid's former role and married the love of his life, Rose Erskine.
It was a less happy ending for Long Susan, however, who was imprisoned for her role in the locomotive disaster, which killed 55 people. Jackson was at her side as the series closed, but have they remained together for the long-haul?
We spoke to Ripper Street stars Adam Rothenberg and MyAnna Buring about Susan and Jackson, the upcoming new series of Ripper Street and plans for a potential spin-off.
The end of last season ended on a positive note – kind of – for Susan and Jackson's relationship.
As in – you're together. So what's next? Are you going to be more of a united front this season?
Adam: As far as I'm concerned I think – I hope – it seems the days of us going should we, shouldn't we are gone. That's been sorted.
Adam: It would be silly to fight it at this point.
Why do you think they make such an interesting couple?
MyAnna: Because they're not straight down the line soppy anything. It's been hard. They're strong personalities that clash, and yet underneath that clashing there's this massive love.
Adam: I think it's love. It's something else. I don't know if it's addiction, but it's something else. It's a wonderful thing but also very messy. It's very extreme but everyone can relate. What people go through in our world internally when they fall in love – the tumultuousness – these are those feelings just to the extreme.
Do you two personally think they should be together?
Adam: I never get that. One of the interviewers said "so, Jackson is a terrible husband" and I was like "What?" I got so depressed.
MyAnna: The only time [I disagreed] was the gambling. The gambling of the money.
Adam: That was a mistake, but the only reason he did it was to get you out of a pickle that you'd put yourself in by borrowing money that Jackson knew nothing about. I'm not advocating it, but in his way – because he's brilliant in many ways and a buffoon in others – he tried. Should they be together? At this point, yeah. If you rewound to before they ever came here and were on the run, maybe no.
At the start of the new season, Susan has given birth to the couple's son Connor. Do you think parenthood has changed your characters?
MyAnna: Yes. Absolutely. I think the idea that you know, your sense of self has extended outside of you into another little creature. What becomes important to protect is not yourself but something else.
Adam: Of course yes, but I'd say in many ways no. I think Connor is an idea to Jackson, but Jackson's not really had anything to do with him [until now]. It's gonna sound cold, I don't mean it this way. I think he would love his son, if you asked Jackson do you love your son he'd say absolutely. But I think if he was being honest, it's a piece of baggage he has to take if he wants Susan, because now Susan's love is very divided. I think Jackson doesn't know what to do about it, but he knows what he has to do. I think when he lies awake at night he dreams of Susan, he doesn't dream of his son.
But that's something that could change over the course of the series?
Adam: Absolutely. It's just he hasn't seen him.
There are a lot of new characters this series. What can you tell me about them?
MyAnna: They're brilliant. They are all brilliant.
Adam: All of them really.
MyAnna: Yet again, the casting has been phenomenal. It's not only brilliant actors, it's really lovely people who add so much to the set. David Threlfall is a great example of that, I think everyone who worked with him loved to do so. He's brilliant at what he does but he's also a wonderful energy to have around. He's been around a long time, he really understand how sets work and he contributes to a lot to them. Jonas Armstrong, a phenomenal actor as well. Matt Lewis. We've had really exceptional – as always – actors joining in and they serve to make this story richer.
Any characters in particular you find quite interesting?
Adam: Croker. He's one to watch out for! The new boys Thatcher and Drummond, they're great boys, they've got some good stuff coming up.
MyAnna: We've got our new reporter, taking over from Best.
MyAnna: I know. So upsetting, I see David [Dawson, who played Fred Best in series 1-3] now, I'm still devastated. I'm like "nooo, you're not there." That was my saddest thing this year actually, that David wasn't around. I really miss him.
Adam: There's no wasted new casting. Every face you see is going to do something interesting.
One of the things I love about the show are the historical references in it. I wondered if there is anything in this new series that is based off any real life events or characters?
MyAnna: What our writers do brilliantly is that they always go and fact check and pick out little bits of information here and there that is interesting to the story and relevant to the time that will place Ripper Street within the era its placed. And what it also does, it springboards from that truth.
Technology is often featured like the telegram, the telephone, stuff like that, technology is always mentioned and referenced. And what Ripper Street does is it takes that historical fact, like the mass immigration that was taking place in Whitechapel during that time, it takes that and creates a much more heightened story out of it.
It's not a historically exact programme, yet it's one that is definitely based within the realm of truth. But within it, lots of things are made up. Story is never sacrificed to be factually correct at all time. But for anyone who is interested in that time, I think it's got huge [appeal].
Are there any fun things you get to do in a Victorian drama?
MyAnna: Play in that world.
Adam: The whole thing is a playground. I just have to say props and wardrobe. And the fact nothing is solved by [technology] – there was technology back then, but everything was a chore. Getting someone in a hurry requires physical effort. I just think it's fantastic, that's the fun of it.
So you enjoy the costumes? They're not too restrictive?
Adam: For me it's very freeing, because it's the same thing all the time. Colourful jacket, that hat, it sorts itself. I think modern dress can be unspecific and sometimes you're doing a show and you've got eight costumes for no good reason. This one, for me it's like putting on your character.
MyAnna: I've complained [about my corset] enough. But no, the costumes are wonderful. I think they put all of us into character. And seeing everyone in costumes just brings that world to life.
How does it feel to have fans so dedicated that this series was brought back from the grave?
MyAnna: Really flattering, really lovely, it's wonderful to have that kid of support.
Adam: Absolutely, that's all there is to it. Thank you.
The series has been renewed for two new seasons, does this mean there are some storylines that aren't really wrapped up in this series and lead onto the fifth?
Adam: Oh yeah. I would venture to say that everything that happens in five is directly related to what goes down in four. I would think that series four and five would feel like one giant extended season.
MyAnna: I think so, but then again we don't know, we haven't got the scripts.
The most obvious spin-off to me would be based around you two, so would you be up for this?
Adam: Can you write this thing and start a petition?
You guys escaping somewhere, that makes the most sense to me.
MyAnna: I think you're totally right. That's brilliant. Write a little note on that.
It doesn't even have to be set in England, you guys can go all over the world.
Adam: Exactly… We could film in New York, you guys live over in my neck of the woods.
And that would be a completely different story, I've thought this through.
Ripper Street Season 4 will be available exclusively on Prime Video from Friday 15th January, with new episodes released weekly.
David Threlfall (Shameless, Hot Fuzz, Nowhere Boy) has joined the cast of Ripper Street as a new series regular.
The hit period drama has just begun filming its fourth series in Dublin, following a successful reboot by Amazon Prime Instant Video.
Ripper Street was infamously dropped by the BBC after just two series and flailing ratings, only to be picked up by Amazon after fan uproar. Amazon Prime members are now able to view all three series of the show at will, while the BBC are currently airing series three of Ripper Street on Friday nights at 9pm.
Threlfall joins a group of new arrivals for the fourth season: David Warner (The Omen, Titanic), Matthew Lewis (Harry Potter) and Killian Scott ('71, Calvary). Jonas Armstrong (Robin Hood, Edge of Tomorrow).
Amazon have yet to confirm the date the series will be made available on the platform.
Ripper Street will return to Amazon Prime Instant Video for a fourth and fifth series. Launch dates will be announced later this year.
The revival of the BBC's Ripper Street on Amazon Prime Instant Video has been a unquestioned success. When the third series was released on the platform in November, after cancellation on the BBC less than a year before, it became the most-watched show on Amazon Prime Instant Video in the UK at the time.
Ripper Street stars Matthew Macfayden, Jerome Flynn, Adam Rothenberg and MyAnna Buring. It is set in the Victorian period following the reign of the notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper in London's East End.


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The 1 Question You Must Ask in Interviews
⇑ back to "Marketplace"
11:45AM EST 2/11/2016	 Dr. Steve Greene
Find out what your candidate's self-image is like. (iStock photo )
One of the things we most want to determine when interviewing candidates for employment is how they feel about themselves.
Self-image is a predictor of how a candidate will respond and assimilate into a new culture. Very early in an interview, I want to get a feel for how the candidate displays an abundance mentality. If the candidate demonstrates a scarcity mentality, it's very likely that the individual functions with an entitlement belief.
Here's the revealing question:
What did your last employer not understand about you?
Follow-up with probing questions such as, "Really? Tell me more; how did that make you feel?" Keep the candidate talking about himself.
Listen for opportunities to probe deeper.
You will learn things in the answer that you will probably be addressing during annual evaluations.
A candidate's self-perception is revealed when asked about what he wished others knew about him.
This is another good follow-up probe:
Do you think your past employer(s) were able to get your best work from you?
Ask follow-up questions such as, "How did your boss hold you back?" and "What could your supervisors have done to empower you to greatness?" Again, listen for cues into future behavior.
This type of questioning isn't standard and most candidates will find themselves revealing some key points for your evaluation. And isn't that the real purpose of an interview?
One other point to consider when assessing a candidate's self-image is how they demonstrate a dependence on the Lord. In this exam we find out a lot about what's inside the candidate.
In virtually every question I offered here, the candidate has an opportunity to speak about her faith.
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my concerns, and see if there is any rebellious way in me, and lead me in the ancient way" (Ps. 139:23-24).
Platform Tip No. 60
Over time, many platform messages drift into new fields. The expert leaves his expertise. The core message becomes diluted and the audience begins to slip away.
A new topic requires a completely new platform. I expect to hear about leadership from John Maxwell. If he begins to speak about car repair, I won't be listening.
He could build another platform about car repair, but that platform would be designed to attract do-it-yourselfers.
If you become bored with your message, you are probably just delivering content.
Your message endures because it's what you say better than anyone else. And you keep saying it, creatively but continually.
Do you want to learn more about developing your personal platform?
Send for my free series of lessons titled, "The Fundamentals of Creating, Curating and Developing Content for Multiple Platforms." Send your request to: platform@ministrytodaymag.com.
We will not share your email address with anyone.
Dr. Steve Greene is the publisher and executive vice president—Media Group, Charisma Media. Sign up here for Dr. Greene's newsletters.
Related topics: Leadership


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Angelina Jolie's Dating History: Brad Pitt, Billy Bob Thornton and More
By Nicholas Hautman
Claudio Onorati/EPA/Shutterstock
Jolie was accused of causing Pitt's divorce from Aniston in 2005 when the Mr. & Mrs. Smith costars fell in love on set. However, the Girl, Interrupted star denied they had a physical affair, saying on the Today show that year, "I wouldn't be attracted to a man who would cheat on his wife." That said, Brangelina's romance soon went full steam ahead. She became pregnant with their first child together, Shiloh, by the end of 2005. Pitt legally became Maddox and Zahara's father in 2006, and he adopted Pax in 2008, the same year that Jolie gave birth to Knox and Vivienne. Now a family of eight, the By the Sea costars announced their engagement in 2012. They wed at their Château Miraval estate in France two years later. Jolie filed for divorce in 2016. She and Pitt have yet to finalize their divorce as they battle for custody of their kids.
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Beep Beep The Road Runner Comic Books
COMICS: 1-20 | 21-40 | 41-60 | 61-80 | 81-100 | 101-105
Beep Beep The Road Runner # 1
Beep Beep The Road Runner # 10
Wile E. Coyote (also known simply as "The Coyote") and The Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from a series of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. The characters (a coyote and Greater Roadrunner) were created by animation director Chuck Jones in 1948 for Warner Bros., while the template for their adventures was the work of writer Michael Maltese.
In each cartoon, instead of animal senses and cunning, Wile E. Coyote uses absurdly complex contraptions (sometimes in the manner of Rube Goldberg) and elaborate plans to pursue his quarry. It was originally meant to parody chase cartoons like Tom and Jerry, but became popular in its own right.
The Road Runner vocalizes only with a signature sound, "Beep, Beep", recorded by Paul Julian, and an occasional "popping-cork" tongue noise.


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PPRO appoints Rahul Raswant, former Wayfair finance head as new CFO
PPRO, the leading provider of digital payments infrastructure, has appointed former Wayfair Europe finance chief Rahul Raswant as its new Chief Financial Officer.
Rahul takes over the position from Götz Möller, who is stepping down after more than three years at the company. Rahul brings diverse international experience to the role. Prior to joining PPRO, he was the European Head of Finance at Wayfair for three years. Earlier roles include Managing Director at Standard Chartered Bank, investor at Passport Capital and close to a decade at McKinsey & Co. Rahul holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.
"I have the pleasure of welcoming Rahul Raswant to the team as our new CFO. Rahul's mix of international consulting, banking, investing, enterprise and entrepreneurial experience will be valuable for the next phase of PPRO's growth and development.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank Götz Möller for his huge contribution over the last three years helping reshape the business. Standout achievements include transforming our finance, treasury, legal & compliance, internal audit and enterprise risk functions, and playing a lead role in strategic acquisitions, divestments, and multiple funding rounds. In addition, he led our board and shareholder governance activities. On behalf of the whole team, I'd like to wish Götz all the best in his next career move and for the future," said Simon Black, CEO of PPRO.
About PPRO
PPRO is a fintech company that globalises payment platforms for businesses, allowing them to offer more choice at the checkout and boost cross-border sales.
Payment service providers, enterprises, and banks that run on PPRO's infrastructure are able to launch payment methods faster, optimise checkout conversions, and reduce the complexities of managing multiple fund flows.
Citi, PayPal, and Stripe are just some of the names that depend on PPRO to expand their platforms beyond borders. In 2020 alone, the company processed €8.84 billion for its partners. And with a growing global team of over 400 people, it's no wonder why they're considered the go-to local payments experts.
PPRO is regulated in the UK by the FCA and in Luxembourg by the CSSF. For more information, please visit www.ppro.com


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Girl Meets World First Look: Minkus Returns to Spar With Topanga
By Andy Swift / August 14 2014, 1:04 PM PDT
Cory Matthews' bespectacled nemesis Stuart Minkus is returning to his world this Friday — but don't ready your paper airplanes just yet.
RELATED Girl Meets World Renewed for Season 2
Lee Norris' character, while still super nerdy, has apparently undergone quite an evolution, as you'll see in TVLine's exclusive first look at Friday's Girl Meets World (Disney Channel, 8:30/7:30c). Now the head of Minkus International — because people who are bullied in high school inevitably grow up to become way more successful than their bullies — Stuart has ditched his '90s bowl cut and thick-rimmed glasses for a Bieber bob and a helicopter.
Of course, some things never change, including Minkus' long-standing rivalry with Topanga. (And no, they're not above using their children as weapons in their war of merits.)
Hit PLAY on the sneak peek above, then drop a comment with your fond memories of Minkus below.
TAGS: Disney Channel, Girl Meets World
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COVID's Impact on College Sports Emerges From New Financial Data


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Home Archive December 2010 Issue Issue Content The "Radicalization" of Maritime Piracy: Implications for Maritime Energy Security
The "Radicalization" of Maritime Piracy: Implications for Maritime Energy Security
Tuesday, 14 December 2010 00:00 Dr. Donna J. Nincic
Recent trends in maritime piracy
The last decade of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st have seen a rise in maritime piracy largely unseen—or at least undocumented—since the "golden age" of piracy several centuries ago. At the same time, the last ten years have seen several shifts in modern piracy: from small-scale "mom and pop" operations to loosely organized criminal gangs, and finally to big business off the coast of Somalia; and a geographic shift from hotspots in Asia to the predominance of maritime piracy in Africa (Figure 1):
Maritime Pirate Attacks 1995-2009
World Asia Africa
1995 188 na na
More recently, we have seen an increase in the number and intensity of the attacks. More ransoms are being demanded and paid, and the troubling violence of the attacks has increased, especially off the coast of Nigeria. For example, as recently as 2007 the average ransom payment in Somalia was in the neighborhood of $500,000; by 2008-2009 ransom demands were running as high as $25 million, and average ransom payments had escalated to between $2 and $3 million (for example, $3 million was paid for the Sirius Star). In 2008 alone, it was estimated that $150 million was paid to pirates in Somalia ("Pirates collect," 2008). And on the west coast of Africa, despite having far fewer pirate attacks than Somalia, the waters of Nigeria were declared the most dangerous in the world in 2004 ("Nigeria: Piracy Report," 2004). In 2009, of the 68 seafarers injured in pirate attacks globally, 44 were injured in Nigeria (International Maritime Bureau, 2010).
At the same time, we are seeing a new and potentially more troubling trend occur: the increasing "radicalization" of maritime piracy in that pirate groups—especially in Somalia, but not limited to that country—are starting to cooperate at certain levels with terrorist entities in the region. Up until very recently, pirate gangs and terrorist organizations were thought to have mutually exclusive agendas. The fact that they seem to have arrived at some level of accommodation and mutually beneficial cooperation may presage more dangerous waters for the future.
New developments: the 'radicalization' of maritime piracy
Maritime pirates are increasingly exploiting the world's "ungoverned geographical spaces" with greater and greater success (see Swart, G "Pirates of Africa's Somali Coast: On Terrorism's Brink?" South African Journal of Military Studies 37/2, 2009). These events are transpiring in areas outside of effective state control. At the same time, these same "ungoverned" regions, both on land and at sea, are also increasingly the locus for the rise of domestic radical groups, which are now often aided and abetted by foreign infiltration. Many of these groups have acquired, or seek to acquire, the ability to operate effectively in the maritime domain.
Of the forty-four terrorist groups described in the US Department of State's Country Reports on Terrorism 2009, ten are identified as having maritime capabilities, or at least having demonstrated maritime capabilities in the past (see Country Reports on Terrorism,US Department of State, 2010).
• al-Qa'ida
• Abu Nidal Organization
• Abu Sayyaf Group
• Basque Fatherland and Liberty
• Hammas
• Hizbollah
• Jemaah Islamiya
• Lashkar e-Tayyiba
• Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
• Palestine Liberation Front – Abu Abbas Faction
However, with the exception of al-Qa'ida and Jamaah Islamiyah in Indonesia, the terrorist and/or insurgency groups currently of most concern to maritime energy trade do not appear on this list—either because they have not been designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations by the United States, or because they have not yet demonstrated maritime capabilities. These include: al-Shabaab, al-Qai'da in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Hizbul Islam operating in the Gulf of Aden region, and the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), along with its affiliated groups, currently active in Nigeria. Additionally, with the recent attack on the M Star in the Strait of Hormuz, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, an affiliate of al-Qa'ida, should also be added as well.
To date, al-Qa'ida has had the most developed maritime strategy. Developed by Abd al Rahman al-Nashiri, this four-part strategy consisted of: 1) suicide attacks on vessels, 2) hijacking ships and using them as "weapons" against port or transportation infrastructure, 3) attacking large vessels such as supertankers from the air by using explosive-laden small aircraft, and 4) attacking vessels with underwater demolition teams using limpet mines or with suicide bombers. Al-Qa'ida has demonstrated its maritime terrorist capabilities in the attacks on the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000, and off the Yemeni coast in 2002 on the French-flagged oil tanker M/V Limburg. More recently, al-Qa'ida attacked a smaller boat launched from the USS Firebolt in the Persian Gulf in 2004. These attacks were consistent with a documented al-Qa'ida strategy to attack not only Western maritime targets, but energy targets as well.
Since the capture of al-Nashiri in 2002, there has been little maritime threat directly from al-Qa'ida. Rather, maritime terrorist concerns have now shifted to al-Qa'ida-related affiliates, many of which operate in Africa. For example, Comoran national Fazul Abdullah Mohammed (Harun Fazul), suspected of involvement in the 1998 al-Qa'ida bombings of the US Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, is now operating in Somalia. Initially reported killed in 2007, Harun Fazul is now believed to be a top military commander in al-Shabaab, a group closely affiliated with al-Qa'ida.
This spread of fundamentalist groups in the Horn of Africa, coupled with the relentless surge of maritime piracy, has led to three concerns of importance to the energy sector, and particularly to the maritime energy sector:
1. The "conflation" of maritime piracy and terrorism (i.e., piracy should be considered a form of terrorism);
2. Terrorist cooperation with pirate groups;
3. Terrorists learning from pirates to operate in the maritime realm
Piracy as a form of terrorism
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III) offers a formal definition of maritime piracy, essentially defining it as acts of crime on the high seas (beyond a state's territorial waters) for economic gain. Maritime terrorism, on the other hand, refers to "any illegal act directed against ships, their passengers, cargo or crew, or sea ports with the intent of directly or indirectly influencing a government of group of individuals" (see Menefee, S. P. "Terrorism at Sea: The Historical Development of an International Legal Response" in Parritt, B.A.H., ed. (1986) Violence at Sea. Cited in Young, A. J. and Valencia, M. J.,"Conflation of Piracy and Terrorism in Southeast Asia: Rectitude and Utility," Contemporary Southeast Asia 25/2, August 2003). However, since the 9/11 attacks in the United States, many have argued that maritime piracy should be considered an act of terrorism, arguing that the root causes and factors which enable both piracy and terrorism are similar, and that the tactics of each overlap, particularly in hijacking and hostage taking (ibid. Young and Valencia, 2003). Members of the US Congress have also at times made this argument, as has former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice during the Bush Administration. The distinction between the two is not purely an academic one. For example, in 2008, a German naval patrol in the Gulf of Aden on an anti-terrorist mission encountered pirate vessels attacking a Japanese tanker. But since the Germans were allowed to intervene only if the pirates were defined as "terrorists," they had no choice but to let the pirates go (see Burgess, D. R. "Piracy Is Terrorism," New York Times, December 5, 2010).
However, conflating the two terms is also problematic in that the fundamental motivations of pirates and terrorists are different (economic gain versus political gain). This supports the argument for separate and distinct solutions that will involve a complex mix of economic, political and military responses. At the same time, and of particular relevance for the shipping industry, conflating the two terms has very practical implications. At the moment, while the merits of paying ransoms can be debated, it is entirely legal for shipowners to pay ransoms to free their hijacked crews and vessels. Indeed they are motivated to do so; human lives are at stake, and they have a strong incentive to treat their crews well—otherwise they may have trouble finding crews for the vessels in the future. However, should piracy become a form of terrorism, this would change, as it is illegal—at least under US law—knowingly to make payments to terrorist groups. Indeed, the problem is already a real one, in that ransoms paid to pirates are already ending up in the hands of terrorists. Further complicating the situation, President Obama signed an Executive Order in April 2010 outlawing anyone from supplying financing to any Somalis involved in military activities. Shipping officials have already said it is no longer clear whether companies with U.S. interests can legally pay ransoms. To date, the US Treasury Department has indicated it is not interested in prosecuting anyone trying to free hostages, though the situation clearly remains ambiguous.
Terrorist cooperation with pirate groups
There have been rumors of pirate-terrorist cooperation since the mid-1990s, particularly in Indonesia, where some pirate attacks have been loosely linked with terrorist or insurgent groups. For example, in May 2003 pirates off the coast of Malaysia attacked the M/V Penrider, a Malaysian-registered oil tanker. Three crew members were taken hostage and a ransom was demanded for their release. Ultimately $100,000 was paid by the ship owners, the crew was freed, and the attack was initially considered a fairly typical pirate attack for ransom. However, the ransom money was eventually traced to the Free Aceh Movement, an insurgent group operating in Indonesia. In another example, in 2003 the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development suggested that terrorist groups in Indonesia and the Philippines were possibly collaborating with local cash-flush pirate gangs (see "Security in maritime transport: Risk factors and economic impact," OECD, Directorate for Science, Technology, and Industry, Maritime Transport Committee, July 2003).
Of current concern is the evidence supporting increased levels of cooperation between pirate and terrorist groups in Somalia, despite contradictory goals and objectives (it is in the pirates' best interest that ships are largely undamaged, and crews unharmed while being held hostage, otherwise ransoms will not be paid; on the other hand, terrorists seek death and destruction to achieve their ends). That said, some pirate and terrorist groups—particularly al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam—have found that their interests overlap.
Since gaining control over significant parts of the country, al-Shabaab has sought to expand its influence into the maritime realm by seeking association with pirate groups and by engaging with regional terrorist organizations, particularly al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), to threaten the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, currently used by some 25,000 ships annually. For example, the pirates in Kisimayo are known to coordinate with al-Shabaab fighters. However, while there are some suggestions emerging to the contrary, at the time of this writing, al-Shabab apparently does not play an active, direct role in the pirate attacks. Rather, the linkages are currently financial; al-Shabaab requires some pirates to pay a "protection fee" of up to 10% of ransom monies. If further support such as training or financing is provided, al-Shabaab may receive between 20% and 50% of the ransoms. There is additional evidence that the pirates are assisting al-Shabaab with arms smuggling from Yemen and two central Asian countries. They are also reportedly helping al-Shabaab develop an independent maritime force so that it can smuggle foreign jihadist fighters and "special weapons" into Somalia (see Shinn, D. H.,"Rise of Piracy and other Maritime Insecurity in Somalia" East Africa Forum, 2009). A link with terrorism is worrisome, but the alliance between the pirates and al-Shabaab is currently fragile.
A similar level of cooperation is emerging with Hizbul Islam and other local pirate groups. Despite initial cooperative overtures to al-Shabaab, in October 2009 armed conflict broke out between al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam over control of the port town of Kisimayo. Hizbul Islam was expelled from the city and from most of Southern Somalia in the following months, with Kisimayo remaining in the hands of al-Shabaab.
However, in May 2010, Hizbul Islam succeeded in capturing the important pirate port of Xarardheere (Haradhere), where vessels hijacked by pirate gangs are usually taken (see Moulid, H., "Hizbul Islam Seizes Pirate Base In Somalia. All Headline News, May 3, 2010). Initially Hizbul Islam declared war on piracy in Somalia, claiming it was "unholy," and demanded that the pirates reduce their ransoms. The pirates refused, but agreed to split their ransoms with Hizbul Islam (and also al-Shabaab), leading some to speculate about growing cooperation between pirates and extremists in the country (see Gettleman,J.,"Somalia's pirates sail forth into new mission – on land", New York Times, September 4, 2010 2010). However, while the link between pirate groups and Islamic radicals in Somalia is certainly of concern, it is by no means true that all pirates are embracing the Islamic groups. For example, in the nearby pirate stronghold of Hobyo, pirates have been deputized by local government officials to fight the Islamic insurgents (ibid Gettleman, 2010).
Terrorists learning from pirates to operate in the maritime realm
Terrorist groups operating in the maritime realm is not a new concern; several terrorist organizations have—or have had—well-developed abilities to attack targets at sea. In addition to al-Qa'ida's previously mentioned attacks on the USS Cole, the M/V Limburg, and the USS Firebolt, Abu Sayaaf in the Philippines is responsible for the largest maritime terrorist event ever to have occurred: the 2004 bomb attack on SuperFerry 14, which killed over 100 people. And the (currently non-operational) Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam launched several successful suicide missions against maritime targets from their bases in Sri Lanka.
Not all terrorist groups have mastered maritime operations, but many currently seek to do so, in parts of the world that have been relatively free of maritime terrorist activity. Of the greatest concern is Somalia and the impact this could have on shipping in the region if terrorist attacks on vessels were to occur more frequently. Additionally important are recent activities of splinter groups associated with the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta in Nigeria. For example, in 2008 militants from the Niger Delta region attacked the MT Meredith, a tanker carrying 4,000 tons of diesel fuel, and kidnapped a Romanian crew-member (released a day later). The militants, believed to be associated with the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), succeeded in dynamiting the ship's engine and severely disabling the vessel. While the MEND and other related "copycat" groups have been known to attack and blow up oil pipelines, this was the first time such an attack has occurred at sea and may portend an increasing concern for the future.
Finally, the July 2010 attack on the Japanese-owned VLCC (very large crude carrier) M Star in the Strait of Hormuz is a worrisome development for the world's critical energy trade. The damage to the tanker—believed to be caused by "homemade explosives" aboard a dinghy—was not considered serious, but the news instantly fanned worries about shipping security, as it was the first attack of its kind in the critically strategic strait. Responsibility for what they called a "suicide attack" was claimed by the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, an al-Qa'ida affiliated group.
Implications for maritime energy security
If these terrorist groups—particularly those operating in Somalia and Nigeria, and now possibly the Persian Gulf—couple a more sophisticated maritime capability with the desire to launch attacks in the maritime domain, the energy sector would clearly be a logical target. Energy vessels—oil tankers, LNG and LPG carriers—have long been targets of pirate attacks, but, to date, no clear pattern in the attacks has emerged (Figure 2).
Energy Vessels Attacked: 1995-2009
Tanker: Crude Oil Tanker: LNG Tanker: LPG Oil Rig/Platform
2007 25 1 5 4
Source: International Maritime Bureau: 2006, 2009
Pirates do not seem to be targeting energy vessels specifically; nor, however, do they seem to be avoiding them. In 2009, crude oil tankers were still only the fifth most likely vessels to be attacked after bulk carriers (109 attacks), container ships (63 attacks), general cargo vessels (53 attacks), and chemical tankers (46 attacks) (International Maritime Bureau, 2010). That said, it is clear that energy vessels can be successfully attacked and boarded. If terrorist groups in the Horn of Africa or the Strait of Hormuz acquire the ability to operate in the maritime domain, and if they desire to target the energy sector specifically, the number of available targets would make it relatively easy for them to launch their attacks. (In an interesting side note, when the UAE-based and Saudi-owned VLCC MV Sirius Star was captured by pirates in 2008, an unspecified group of "Somali Islamic rebels" threatened to attack the ship to liberate it from the hijackers, in retaliation for seizing a Muslim vessel.)
Of particular note is the attack on a single LNG carrier in 2009. In June 2009, pirates operating in the Bab El Mandeb strait in the Red Sea attempted to board the Salalah, a Panamanian-flagged LNG tanker of the Oman LNG Project. The vessel successfully implemented anti-piracy measures (increased speed and took evasive maneuvers) and managed to escape unharmed. While most maritime industry experts believe it would be difficult, if not impossible, to cause an LNG carrier to explode into a massive fireball, the attack raises concerns about the continued security of the LNG facilities in Yemen (which, incidentally, is a supplier to US markets). While LNG has an excellent transit safety record, and while LNG carriers—specifically from Yemen—have special escort in the US, concerns remain about security on the Yemeni end, especially if militant groups in the region adopt a more maritime-focused agenda.
The current trend towards the radicalization of maritime piracy, particularly in the strategically important Horn of Africa, has significant implications for the maritime energy sector, especially if energy vessels become specific targets of attack. To date, no clear pattern has emerged to suggest that ships vital to the global energy trade are targeted more by pirates than other vessels. But this could change if groups increasingly committed to the disruption of Western energy markets adopt more robust maritime capabilities.
Dr. Donna J. Nincic, Professor and Director, ABS School of Maritime Policy and Management, California Maritime Academy, California State University


Exposed roots of trees. Washington Cascades.
Broken glass - cracked with hole over blue sky.
Hammer hitting stone surface. Concept of strenght, impact and force. Nobody is holding the hammer.
Water droplets falling from leaf causing ripples. Flowering cherry tree leaf.
A service technician or person installing a spare tire or tyre using an impact wrench.
Crashed car after frontal impact is on city street with police in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. Driving oncoming traffic lane.
Pillar result of recoil from impact of water droplet Water frozen by strobe light.
Asteroid Impact In Earths Distant Past.
The impact caused by trucks driving in the savanna.


Kris Reid from Ardor SEO shares what businesses need to focus on to play nice with Google and get found using the right keywords and backlinking strategies.
After losing his job as a software engineer Kris needed another way to make money. He knew apps were all the rage so he dove in and developed an app that he knew the marketplace needed. The problem was he couldn't figure out how to get the word out about his app.
This inspired Kris to learn everything he could about SEO. Once he figured out how to get traffic to his app and make sales he knew he could use the same strategies to help other businesses get the word out about their product and services as well and that is how his company Ardor SEO was born.


text:
MainAll NewsUS & CanadaAmericans Don't Want Congress to Boycott Bibi
Americans Don't Want Congress to Boycott Bibi
Poll finds that Americans don't like Boehner's invitation to Netanyahu, but think congressmen should attend the speech nonetheless.
Tags: Poll Netanyahu US Visit
Gil Ronen , Feb 12 , 2015 4:35 PM
Netanyahu in Congress, 2011
Americans think that it was a breach of protocol for House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to invite Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to speak to Congress the way he did, but they still want members of Congress to attend Netanyahu's speech, a HuffPost/YouGov poll finds.
The poll found a 23-point margin in favor of those who said that it is inappropriate for a member of Congress to invite a foreign leader to speak in the U.S. without first consulting with the White House, and a 17-point margin in favor of those who said that Boehner's invitation to Netanyahu, specifically, was inappropriate.
There is controversy over whether or not Boehner informed the White House of the invitation before Netanyahu accepted it, but the poll appears to have accepted the claim that Obama was not consulted.
Despite this, though, 46% said that their member of Congress should attend Netanyahu's speech, while just 24% said they shouldn't, with another 30% unsure.
Fifty-eight percent said President Barack Obama should meet with Netanyahu, with only 19% opposed and 23% were not sure. Obama has said that he will not meet Netanyahu, ostensibly because the visit in early March is too close to Israel's elections.
A number of Democrats in Congress have said they will not attend the prime minister's speech. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) told The Huffington Post on Tuesday that he and more than 20 other members of Congress had signed a letter to Boehner urging him to postpone the speech until US diplomatic negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program are complete.
Democrats said by a 9 point margin that their representative should avoid the Netanyahu speech, while Republicans said by an identical margin that their representative should attend.
The public is about evenly divided on whether Obama or congressional Republicans do a better job of handling U.S.-Israel relations, with 24% naming Obama, 26% the Republican party, and the other 50% unsure or saying neither is better.
The HuffPost/YouGov poll consisted of 1,000 completed interviews conducted Feb. 4-8 among US adults.


text:
Wipro Consumer Care Launches Venture Fund
Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting (Wipro Consumer Care), the number two personal care company in Malaysia and owner of the number one Halal facial care brand Safi, launches venture fund, Wipro Consumer Care – Ventures, to invest in innovative consumer brand start-ups in South East Asia and India.
Wipro Consumer Care's new initiative aims to establish partnerships with consumer businesses that have unique customer offerings and e-commerce expertise, enabling both businesses to leverage their respective strengths for growth.
Commenting on the venture fund, Kumar Chander, President – Southeast Asia and MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, Wipro Consumer Care said, "We are excited to announce the formation of Wipro Consumer Care – Ventures, which is focused on supporting small businesses with consumer offerings that complement our leading portfolio of personal care brands. Our goal is to support start-ups on their growth journey by sharing our deep operational knowledge and experience in scaling businesses, as well as our strong understanding of consumers in India and Southeast Asia.
"The venture fund supports our ambition to become one of the top three players in the Personal Care category across Asia, as we look to strengthen our consumer offering by further building our digital and e-commerce capabilities. We look forward to learning from and leveraging the expertise of the forward-thinking and innovate start-ups we invest in."
Wipro Consumer Care – Ventures aim to invest in new-age start-ups throughout Asia that adopt innovative approaches to digital and e-commerce to reach consumers. Reflecting the company's own enterprising characteristics, it will invest in businesses with strong entrepreneurial leadership and sound business models. Of particular interest are companies with consumer offerings that complement its existing portfolio of brands in the personal care, skincare, home care, and lighting categories.
The company sees significant value and potential in investing and partnering with start-ups. The success of the Wipro Consumer Care's investment in a minority stake in Indian-based personal care company Happily Unmarried in 2017 highlights the benefits of investing in and partnering with start-ups.
"Since our investment in Happily Unmarried two years ago the business has grown many folds. During this time the learnings and understandings we have gained has enabled us to further grow our digital and e-commerce offerings throughout Asia. Our work together has been invaluable," said Kumar.
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The leading English-language monthly business magazine, Business Today, has grown in leaps and bounds since its inception in June 2001. Today, it is instantly recognised all over Malaysia as the definitive business magazine that delivers strong, intelligent and insightful content with perspectives from leading figures in the region.
Contact us: editor.btoday@reach.com.my
© Copyright © 2019 Reach Publishing Sdn Bhd | Managed by Zahid Aramai
The HP Elite Dragonfly; Made For The Modern Business Professional
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U Win Myint had little to celebrate during the Thingyan Water Festival. To accommodate the festivities in nearby Mandalay, the authorities had released an extra or unusual amount of water from the Sal Taw Gyi dam, and in the process flooded U Win Myint's paddy fields in the Mya Nandar Advanced Farmland district, Pa Thein Gyi Township. U Win Myint spent the Water Festival draining his paddy fields.
Usually, being close to the Sal Taw Gyi dam has been a blessing for the rice farmers in Pa Thein Gyi Township, one of the few areas in central Myanmar to be linked to an irrigation system allowing them to grow two rice crops a year. Nowadays, it is not just the Water Festival that has made the proximity to the Sal Taw Gyi dam dangerous for rice farmers. The water-rich region has also become the target of land speculation, driven in part by local Myanmar-Chinese merchants and Chinese speculators and businesspeople.
U Win Myint, albeit inconvenienced by the dam's overflow, is fortunate to be able to use land in Mya Nandar, part of a government farmer-support project launched by former military strongman Senior General Than Shwe in 1994.
In contrast, U Myint Htway, another rice farmer from the area, had to sell his farm to Chinese buyers to pay for his wife's medical bills.
The price of farmland near the Mandalay- Mattayar highway has risen to K100,000,000 per acre, he said. "Farmers want to sell their farmland as they are hypnotized by the figures," said Daw Khin Than Win, deputy officer of the Ministry of Agriculture branch in Pa Thein Gyi Township. She acknowledged that land speculation was rife in the township, spurred by not just by Chinese buyers.
"Farmland is bought by Chinese and also by Myanmar people," she said. "The farmland in Pa Thein Gyi Township including our Mya Nandar Extension area get water from Sal Taw Gyi hydro-power dam, so whoever buys the farmlands must grow crops on the land. It is clearly stated in the farmland law... There's no other water source which is as powerful and plentiful as Sal Taw Gyi. This land must be used for growing paddy which can only be grown with a reasonable amount of water," Daw Khin Than Win said, blaming farmers for spreading rumours that the land would be upgraded to residential land.
Whether based on rumours or not, what is clear is that land prices are soaring in the region and farmers are selling.
"Now, the Chinese have already bought most of the farmland," U Myint Htway said. "We are now growing crops on their land. We have to give them 15 kilogrammes of paddy for one acre. For example, the farm I grow has three acres, so I have to give the Chinese owner 45 kgs when the paddy is cropped." And much of their rice crop is now exported to China.
Mya Nandar Advanced Extension Farmlands, deemed a VIP district in the Pa Thein Gyi Township, has been a hotbed for experimenting with new rice growing techniques and hybrid grains since the project was launched by Senior General Than Shwe two decades ago as part of the past military regime's efforts to boost farmers' incomes. Since 2012, Mya Nandar farmers have been growing the new hybrid Pa Lal Twal rice strain imported from China.
The Pa Lal Twal hybrid is a fast-growing rice strain with high yields, according to Daw Khin Than Win. "We convinced farmers to grow Pa Lal Twal as a summer paddy." However, for the rainy season crop farmers are allowed to grow their preferred Ma Gyan Taw rice strain, which takes longer to mature than Pa Lal Twal rice but is the local favorite for consumption. "Pa Lal Twal takes less time to be ripen than Ma Gyan Taw. Pa Lal Twal is stickier than Ma Gyan Taw. Local Myanmar people do not like sticky rice, so, it is a little bit difficult to convince farmers to grow Pa Lal Twal as it is difficult to sell the rice locally." Daw Khin Than Win said. In fact, most of the Pa Lal Twal hybrid rice is exported to China.
Pa Thein Gyi Township, Mandalay County, has over 29,000 acres of farmland, of which 6,500 acres is under the Mya Nandar Extension programme. Of the 6,500 acres, 644 acres has been devoted to Pa Lal Twal hybrid rice since 2012. The rice is bought by several modernized rice mills and will be exported to China.
China is now the largest importer of Myanmar's rice, according to rice industry sources. Of the 1.1 million tons of rice exported by Myanmar during the first nine months of fiscal year 2014-15, starting April 1, some 800,000 tons was exported to China through border trade, according to Oryza.com, a rice-industry newsletter. Myanmar rice has continued to flood across the Myanmar-China border, much of it illegally, despite efforts by China to block the trade at the Muse border crossing last year. Myanmar hopes to export 1.5 million tons of rice this fiscal year, and 2.5 million in fiscal year 2015-16, according to Oryza.com.
Not everyone in Mya Nandar is happy with growing hybrid Chinese rice strains for the Chinese market.
"We don't want to grow Pa Lal Twal as summer paddy," the landless farmer U Myint Htway said. "We want to grow VG and Shwe Twal Yin strains because they ripen earlier than Pa Lal Twal." If farmers can plant the rainy season paddy – the main crop – earlier, they can harvest it sooner and then grow beans and sesame on their land. "But we here are under the government project and so we have to grow what the officer instructs us to grow. We don't have much choice," U Myint Htway said.
Daw Khin Than Win, however, insisted that the ministry has not ordered the farmers to grow Pa Lal Twal, but just persuaded them to do so by offering incentives, such as easy access to milling and a secured market.
But not everyone is satisfied with the price offered. "The government will buy Pa Lal Twal from us this year, but the price paid by the government is less than the market price," said U Aung Lwin, a Mya Nandar farmer.
"If the market price is K500,000 per 100 kgs, the government price will be K450,000. They give many excuses that our paddy's quality is bad, the paddy is wet, the paddy is over-dry. Many excuses. It is not easy to earn a living here." U Aung Lwin does not own the land and gets paid for his labour.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: React Native pass parameters through map function I am just learning React Native and I want to create a series of buttons using dynamic data.  My current code is:
var locations = this.state.campus.map(function(item, key){
            return(
                <TouchableHighlight key={key}
                style={[styles.button, (this.state.location==={item} && styles.buttonPressed)]}
                underlayColor='#dddddd'
                onPress={()=>this.buttonPress({item})} >
               <Text style={
                   styles.plainText}>{item}</Text>
            </TouchableHighlight>
           )

My issue is with the lines
style={[styles.button, (this.state.location==={item} && styles.buttonPressed)]}

and
onPress={()=>this.buttonPress({item})}

I am trying generate these lines using the data dynamically off the map function.  These lines of code work perfectly if I use static data (ie generate each button separately), but fail using dynamic data.  The code does produce a display so the issue is not with rendering, the issue is with the functionality.
With the button press I get the error message undefined in not an object while the style simply causes the whole display not to render.
It is obvious that the dynamic data ({item}) works inside the Text element but not when passed to the other two elements as data. I have tried using {{item}} but this throws a syntax error.
Is there a way to handle dynamic data like this in React Native?

A: In both cases you are unnecessarily wrapping item in {}.  For both of these lines, the expressions inside the outer {} are pure javascript (an array and a function) and should follow javascript syntax.
So the lines should read as follows:
style={[styles.button, (this.state.location===item && styles.buttonPressed)]}

and
onPress={()=>this.buttonPress(item)}

A: You should store this in another variable : let _this =this;
Then use _this instead of this

A: the issue is  happened because you are using function(item, key){   and you have to use arrow function
let locations = this.state.campus.map((item, key) => { return <TouchableHighlight key={key}..

you have to do it for keep using 'this'  context

A: This method is work:
1) Create function for creating elements with dynamic datas
createElement = (item) => {
    return(
        <TouchableHighlight onPress={()=>this.buttonPress({item})}>
            <Text style={ styles.plainText }> {item} </Text>
        </TouchableHighlight>
    )
};

2) Use this function into render function how in follow example:
render (
    elementsList = [];
    for (var i = 0; i < 10; i++){
        elementsList.push( this.createElement(i) );
    };

    return (
        <View>
            {elementsList}
        </View>
    )
);

It work, if you understand how use this.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange