When children and young adults daydream about their future weddings and parties, they underestimate how much work is involved in creating the magical atmosphere that they imagine. Even a child's birthday party is more complex to set up than the child or, for that matter, the other parents, grandparents and other adult guests, is likely to realize. Decorations must be appropriate to the situation and the area, food must be delicious, and activities must be planned out carefully ahead of time. To add to that, all of these things are usually expected to be on-theme. Event Planning in Houston TX is a huge responsibility. That said, it can be immensely rewarding when it turns out well.
The venue is the biggest and most important part of any event. A birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese is not the same as a birthday party in a backyard, and a wedding held in a rustic barn is not the same as a wedding in a ballroom. Any of these events can be amazing, certainly, but only if they match the theme of the party and the personality of the people or company throwing it.
To make Event Planning in Houston TX simpler, lists are the party planner's best friend. Before even looking for a venue, create a list of attributes one would like it to have. It may help to rank desirable attributes and list any deal-breakers at the bottom of the page. This helps keep things in perspective and makes it harder to be swept away by a beautiful presentation of a venue that has many things one likes, but also a deal-breaker, such as no space for a live band. Conversely, even if a venue does not have every single attribute, if those it is missing are at the end of the ranked list and it contains no deal-breakers, it is still a viable choice.
The next list a planner should make is one that enumerates the features a venue offers. This helps one remember and take advantage of the services and deals available. La Fontaine Reception Hall, for example, offers state-of-the-art catering and will arrange chairs and tables ahead of time, which some reception venues are not willing to do. Be aware of any location's advantages and limitations, as it will save a great deal of frustration and heartache.
You can find more information by visiting our local page.


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MacBook Air gets price cut as entry MacBook Pro adds Touch Bar
Eric Abent - Jul 9, 2019, 9:26am CDT
College students won't be returning to school for more than a month, but Apple is getting its back to school deals going early. In anticipation of that rush of students looking to buy MacBooks for the year ahead, Apple has updated the 13-inch MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro. These aren't complete overhauls buy any stretch, but they might make these laptops more tempting buys for people who were once on the fence.
Starting with the MacBook Air, Apple has updated the 13-inch Retina model with a True Tone display. True Tone automatically adjusts the color temperature of the display depending on ambient lighting, which Apple says should provide "a more comfortable viewing experience."
That's really the only upgrade the 13-inch MacBook Air is receiving, but it's also getting a little price cut to go along with it. The MacBook Air now starts at $1,099, though if you're a college student, you can snag one for $999. The new 13-inch MacBook Pro, on the other hand, will run $1,299 normally and $1,199 for college students.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro takes the position of Apple's entry-level Pro model, with new 8th-generation Intel quad-core processors under the hood. Apple has also outfitted the 13-inch Pro with its Touch Bar, which means that Touch ID is coming along for the ride as well. Add to that True Tone and Apple's T2 security chip and we've got what sounds like a fairly solid entry-level MacBook.
With these MacBook upgrades, Apple has also kicked off its Back to School promotion. College students and their parents, faculty, staff, and home-school teachers can pick up a qualifying Mac or iPad and receive a pair of Beats headphones as a bonus. If you're looking to buy, you can find these new MacBooks over at Apple's website.
2015 15-inch MacBook Pro battery issue already has 26 incident reports
Some 2018 MacBook Airs with logic board problems get free repairs
MacBooks will soon ditch accursed butterfly keyboard according to Kuo
Topics AppleComputingmacbookMacBook Airmacbook pro

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Q: How to concat two columns in pandas,but by filling the Nan Value? Ok, so i have two columns "Price 1" and "Price 2", some values in "Price 1" are Nan and some values in "Price 2" are Nan, but i want to concat them both.
My code and Output:
F3["Price 1"] = F3["Price 1"].fillna("0")
F3["Price 2"] = F3["Price 2"].fillna("0")

F3.index+=1

F3

    Price 1     Price 2
1   0        54.95
2   34.95    0
3   0        99.99
4   34.84    0
5   124.95   0
6   0        101.50

So i want the final to be This Output Below:
so the Data in Final Price will be filled From  "Price2" but only the 0 values will be filled in "Price 1"
 Final Price
1   54.95
2   34.95
3   99.99
4   34.84
5   124.95
6   101.50

A: It may be an extra step, but if you want to see the lists side by side, it's nice to make a data frame.
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np

P1 = [np.nan, 34.95, np.nan, 34.84, 124.995, np.nan]
P2 = [54.95, np.nan, 99.99, np.nan, np.nan, 101.50]

df=pd.DataFrame({'Price 1':P1 , 'Price 2' :P2})

# the answer then is to use .fillna() with price 2.
df['Price 3'] = df['Price 2'].fillna(df['Price 1'])
df

Out:

A: F3 = F3.fillna(0)
F3['Final price'] = F3['Price 1'].where(F3['Price 1'] != 0, F3['Price 2'])

alternatively without filling Nans:
F3['Final price'] = F3['Price 1'].where(~F3['Price 1'].isnull(), F3['Price 2'])

According to: pd.Series.where()

A: df = pd.DataFrame({'Price 1' : [0,34.95,None,34.84,124.95 ,None ],
                   'Price 2' : [54.95,None,54.95,None,None ,101.50 ]
                  })

df = df.fillna(0)

df['Final Price'] = df.apply(lambda row: row['Price 2'] if row['Price 1'] == 0 else row['Price 1'],
                     axis=1)

A: thanks you for everyone for your help, but i finally solved it by first converting it into float value and then adding them together
F1["Price 1"] = F1["Price 1"].fillna("0").astype(float)
F1["Price 2"] = F1["Price 2"].fillna("0").astype(float)

F1['Final Price'] = F1.apply(lambda x: x['Price 1'] + x['Price 2'], axis=1)

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Нижче представлено список пісень американського гурту Aerosmith. З моменту свого заснування в 1970 році вони випустили 15 студійних альбомів, 6 концертних альбомів та 13 збірок.

Список

Посилання
 Офіційний сайт Aerosmith
 Aerosmith  - YouTube
 Дискографія Aerosmith - MusicBrainz
 Пісні Aerosmith  - Музика Google Play
 Пісні Aerosmith  - iTunes
 Пісні Aerosmith - Amazon
 Aerosmith  - Last.fm
 Aerosmith  - SoundCloud

Aerosmith
Aerosmith

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Category Archives: Indian Ocean
Reduction of the High Risk Area in the Indian Ocean
Articles, East Africa, EU NAVFOR, Gulf of Aden, Horn of Africa, Indian Ocean, IUU fishing, Kenya, kidnapping, maritime security, OPERATION ATALANTA, Piracy and armed robbery, SomaliaBy Giulia Nicoloso 27th October 2021
On 17 August 2021, the global shipping and oil industries announced an agreement to reduce the boundaries of the piracy High Risk Area (HRA) in the Indian Ocean as incidents in the region have been decreasing in the last five years. The changes came into effect on the 1st of September 2021 and reduced the…
The Mozambique channel: an emerging maritime security hotspot
Articles, CRIMARIO, East Africa, Gulf of Aden, India, Indian Ocean, Insurgency, maritime security, Mozambique, Mozambique channel, oil trade, Somalia, terrorism, Transregional Organised CrimeBy Giulia Nicoloso 6th May 2021
The waters off Mozambique are becoming a major security hotspot in the Western Indian Ocean. On 24 March, militants linked to the Al Sunna group orchestrated a bloody ambush in the coastal town of Palma, in Cabo Delgado province. During the attack, dozens of foreign contract workers and locals were besieged at the Amarula Palma Hotel, while…
The European Council extended the mandates of Operation ATALANTA, EUTM Somalia and EUCAP Somalia
African Union, Articles, Cooperation, EU, EUCAP Somalia, Gulf of Aden, Horn of Africa, Indian Ocean, maritime security, OPERATION ATALANTA, Piracy and armed robbery, Somalia, SomalilandBy CRIMSON 13th January 2021
The European Council has prolonged the mandates of Operation ATALANTA, and of its two Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions – EUTM Somalia and EUCAP Somalia – until the 31st of December 2022. The decision of the Council aims to strengthen maritime security at large in Somalia and the Horn of Africa. Since its…
Preventing ecological disasters through information sharing: the Mauritius oil spill
Articles, Blue Economy, Cooperation, CRIMARIO, EU, Indian Ocean, Information sharing, IOC, IORIS, marine pollution, Mauritius, MDA/MDVBy Giulia Nicoloso 19th October 2020
On 25 July 2020, the bulk carrier MV Wakashio, en route from Japan to Brazil, ran aground on a reef at Pointe d'Esny on the south-eastern coast of Mauritius. Although not carrying any cargo, the vessel was transporting more than 4100 tonnes of oil which, after the collision with the reef, began leaking into the…
OIL SPILL AFTER ATTACKS ON FOUR OIL TANKERS IN UAE WATERS
Articles, Horn of Africa, Indian Ocean, marine pollution, Piracy and armed robbery, UAEBy Loic Bisson 3rd June 2019
Satellite imagery have revealed a likely bunker spill from one of the four vessels that were attacked near Fujairah emirate, in the gulf of Oman on 12 May.[1] The damaged ship is Bahri's very large crude carrier (VLCC) Amjad. This maritime route is particularly critical, as Fujairah is the only Emirati terminal located on the…
Piracy makes a comeback off the coast of Somalia with new attack
Articles, East Africa, EU, EU NAVFOR, Gulf of Aden, Horn of Africa, Indian Ocean, maritime security, OPERATION ATALANTA, Piracy and armed robbery, Seychelles, Somalia, SomalilandBy Loic Bisson 3rd May 2019
Between 21 and 23 April, a suspected pirate gang attacked one Korean and one Spanish fishing vessels off the Somali coast, before being apprehended by EU NAVFOR Atalanta. These were the first attempted pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa since October last year. The suspected pirates hijacked a Yemeni dhow on 19 April and…
Piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Africa: EU and global impact
Articles, Cooperation, CRIMARIO, East Africa, EU, EU NAVFOR, EUCAP NESTOR, GoGIN, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Guinea, Indian Ocean, Information sharing, maritime security, OPERATION ATALANTA, Piracy and armed robberyBy Marianne Rubira 20th March 2019
The in-depth analysis elaborated by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) was divulgated at the occasion of the High-Level Conference on Oceans that took place in Brussels on 19 March 2019. The paper addresses the most pressing challenges in relation to maritime security: piracy and armed robbery at sea. Africa is particularly vulnerable to these…
Iranian dhow catching fire in Seychellois waters
Articles, Illicit trafficking, Indian Ocean, Iran, Law Enforcement, maritime security, Seychelles, Transregional Organised CrimeBy Marianne Rubira 6th March 2019
On February 22, 2019 an Iranian dhow caught fire in the waters of Seychelles, while it was being towed to the main island by the national Coast Guard. The vessel was apprehended during a joint operation of the Seychelles Coast Guard, Seychelles Defence Forces' Air Force and the National Information Sharing and Coordination Centre. Thirteen…


Come one come all!! Tomorrow we will be presenting our 9th Element Eden Guest Blogger!!
With a world full of wonderful and creative ladies working hard to grow in their passions, we over at Element Eden hope to share, and thus grow, their beautiful missions! We had the great pleasure of hosting Alissa of Your Daily Thread and Porcha of Project Knapsack, as our most recent Guest Bloggers and the guest list only continues to grow and inspire!
With adventurous hearts and a passion to re-invent, re-work, and discover all that embraces the style and soul of action sports culture... These upcoming ladies live and breath a lifestyle that's about upholding nature, staying rooted with earth and loving the carefree, while inspiring others to do the same!
Get ready to dance around a few fires, as we welcome the ____________________ to be our Guest Bloggers all NEXT WEEK, May 30-June 3!
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Natalie Hanemann is an award-winning editor who has worked for more than seventeen years in book publishing. In 2012, she left her position as an acquisitions editor at a major book publisher to stay home with her four children and began her freelance editing business.
Before moving to Nashville, Tennessee in 2003, she worked at Duke University Press in Durham, North Carolina. She earned her undergraduate degree from Appalachian State University. She is currently working on her graduate degree in theology and Christian ministry from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio.
Natalie has a passion for the written word. She enjoys the various stages of editing a full-length manuscript from brainstorming the concept, coaching during the writing process, providing substantive feedback, and copy editing the completed work. She most enjoys working on Christian Fiction and Christian Living books as well as spiritual memoirs.
She has mentored young writers, been interviewed on author blogs, and contributed articles for books on writing. What she loves most about her profession is the variety of authors she gets to partner with who each have a unique and inspiring message to share with the world.


Colgate's most recent trend suggests a bullish bias. One trading opportunity on Colgate is a Bull Put Spread using a strike $62.50 short put and a strike $57.50 long put offers a potential 12.11% return on risk over the next 24 calendar days. Maximum profit would be generated if the Bull Put Spread were to expire worthless, which would occur if the stock were above $62.50 by expiration. The full premium credit of $0.54 would be kept by the premium seller. The risk of $4.46 would be incurred if the stock dropped below the $57.50 long put strike price.
The RSI indicator is at 76.93 level which suggests that the stock is neither overbought nor oversold at this time.


For example, when you're looking to share a lot of statistical information (without boring or confusing your readers), building this data into a well-designed, even fun-looking infographic can help keep your readers engaged with your content. It also helps readers remember the information long after they leave your …... Now, unless you scanned every piece of music separately, you will probably need to crack out PDFSAM and split your 30 page PDF into individual charts. More info here. Once you have each chart saved as it's own individual PDF, give all your charts pretty titles.
"Once you add music to a book and as one piece of art, I don't know if you can call that a book anymore. It's more of a multimedia experience," he says. It's more of a multimedia experience," he says.... Despite the numerous websites, experts and top 10 lists of 'how to's', there's this well trodden path of things to do to market yourself and your book. Tweet it. Facebook it. Launch it. Giveaways. Press kits. Repeat. The list goes on, but is finite.
This effect is often used in dance music. You can edit the songs in a playlist using the music software iTunes so that they are mixed together in the same way a DJ would do it. This can be a great effect for parties when you just want to leave the music playing.
No, your bio shouldn't book lengthened. If they're not giving you an opportunity to tell how many shows you've played, don't cram the information in there. Their formula is in place for a reason, and deviating from it is a good way to ensure your music doesn't get listened to at all.
Now, unless you scanned every piece of music separately, you will probably need to crack out PDFSAM and split your 30 page PDF into individual charts. More info here. Once you have each chart saved as it's own individual PDF, give all your charts pretty titles.


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Hlina Hliu | August 23, 2022 | 0 Comments
Worku Aytenew to build $1 bln worth cement plant
One of Ethiopia's wealthiest investors, Worku Ayetenew begins a process to build a cement plant with an investment capital of USD one billion. This will be the biggest investment he has ever made, next to the five billion birr edible oil plant he inaugurated last year, with his latest venture being in Ahadu Bank.
Worku is the latest to join the lucrative cement market, with renowned tycoons, Buzuayehu T. Bizenu, owner of National Cement, and Al Amoudi, major shareholder of Derba Cement, staying in the business for over a decade. Another businessman, Getu Gelete, recently purchased a 40 percent stake in Habesha Cement from Pretoria Portland Cement Factory Ltd.
The cement market has also attracted the attention of global investors after the government opened the sector to foreign competition with an investment regulation approved two years ago. National Cement collaborated with a Chinese company to establish a USD 2.5 billion cement plant in Ensaro, Amhara Regional State.
Worku is also seeking a partner for the new cement factory, while he has already requested to lease 150 hectares of land for the construction of the plant, which is located around Dejene town, Amhara Regional State, 230 km away from the capital.
"We have already finalized preparations to complete the construction in the next two years," said Kassim Siraj, project manager of the plant, which will be called W.A Cement Factory.
Six companies have already been shortlisted by the company to pick suppliers for the design, supply, construction, erection, and commissioning of the plant.
WA is the fourth cement factory that is expected to join the industry in the coming two years, after Abbay, Berenta and Lemi, the joint venture projects of National Cement.
Currently, there are 13 cement companies that are operational, with an installed capacity of 15.4 million tons. However, their actual capacity is only 6.3 million tons, which is an outcome of an aging machinery and lack of maintenance, among others.
Officials expect that companies in the pipeline will narrow the current demand-supply gap, while existing factories will use at least 85 percent of their installed capacity on average.
PRIVATE BANKS CONTINUE THEIR PROFITABILITY FOR HALF OF THE 2022/2021 FISCAL YEAR
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23 / 03 / 2019 FC Ararat Moscow ? - ? Zenit Moskva ????
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Be in the know! Don't let myths keep you from getting your house sold exactly when you want!
Myths about auctions abound, and it is definitely to your benefit to be able to separatethe facts from fiction before you decide to sell your house utiliziing the auction method.
MYTH #1: ALL real estate auctions are for distressed and bank owned properties, where people buy for pennies on the dollar.
FACT: Some are, and some aren't. There is a big difference between the auctions for multiple distressed properties, and a high-end, or individual auctions.
With an individual auction, the focus is 100% on your property. A professional auction company launches an intense strategic marketing campaign that effectively targets hundreds of thousands of prospects. On auction day, ready willing and most importantly able buyers arrive with cash in hand, prepared to buy.
MYTH #2: My home will not sell for fair market value at an auction – I'll have to give it away!
FACT: Since informed bidders have done their due diligence prior to thesale date, they have a good idea of the market value of your home. However, nothing makes a property more desirable than knowing that many other people want it and are prepared to act now.
In a competitive bidding situation with the excitement of a auction, properties can sell for more than fair market value. Unlike a traditional listing sale where it's customary for buyers to negotiate for a lower price, an auction drives the price higher.
MYTH #3 Auctions are the last resort.
FACT: If this were true, why do record prices get set for art, antiques, collectibles and real estate - at auctions? The reason is this: auctions create competition. No other form of selling creates competition like an auction does.
The reason some people think of auction as the last resortis because some sellers list their property first at an unrealistic asking price, and it sits on the market. They then decide to auction, and it promptly sells for fair market value.
Yet, if a seller chooses the auction method first, they have a better chance of getting a great price, because the property has never been priced to the market – and the market determines the price.
MYTH #4: Real Estate Auctioneers are not real estate brokers.
FACT: Real estate auctioneers must be licensed brokers/agents in almost every jurisdiction or have someone on their team that holds a real estate license in that state.
MYTH #5: Auctions are Expensive.
FACT: Sometimes sellers have issues with the marketing and advertising costs associated with auctions. These costs cover direct mail, signage, newspaper, magazine, online advertising, videos, press releases and property information packages. Marketing can cost thousands of dollars, depending on the type of property being sold.
Consider this: Have you ever known of anyone that had a great product, but the marketplace was not aware of it? How much exposure are you really getting when you put a sign in front of a house, place a listing in the MLS, and then wait for a buyerto show up? How manybusinesses go broke each year because they invest no money in advertising? In our fast-paced world, people must be informed before they are motivated to act. A properly executed auction marketing campaign produces stellar RESULTS.
MYTH #6: Selling my home at auction will cost me a lot more in commission than if I hired a Realtor.
FACT: The cost is comparable. However, with the auction method, the seller actually saves money in the long run, especially if they auction first instead of listing, because they can eliminate long-term carrying costs such as mortgages, maintenance and taxes. Let's discuss The Time Value of Money.
MYTH #7: If the high bid is less than the seller hoped for, he must accept the bid.
FACT: There are three basic types of real estate auctions: Absolute, Minimum and Reserve. We evaluate your situation and help you determine which type of auction is best suited for you. And, with a properly executed marketing campaign there will be multiple bidders competing for your property to drive the price up to what the marke will bear.
MYTH #8: If the property does not sell at auction, it is very difficult to market and sell it afterward.
FACT: Nothing could be further from the truth! In the extremely rare case that the property does not sell at the auction, remember that the intense marketing method has exposed the property to a huge pool of buyers. When contacted post auction, buyers will often make offers on the property. In many cases offers to buy the property prior to the auction date are made - and even accepted.
MYTH #9: Auctions attract buyers who are looking for a good deal.
FACT: This is actually true, and this is why auctions attract so many buyers. Aren't ALL buyers looking for a good deal? However, serious qualified buyers do their due diligence prior to the auction, so they will have an idea of the value of the property. While everyone wants the best deal possible, competition from other bidders actually drives the price up to market value.
MYTH #10: Auctioneers compete with real estate agents.
FACT: We welcome other agents and pay them a co-op commission for working with us towards the success of your auction.


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In Western New York, a Geneseo State College student was texting while driving when her car went out of control and flipped over. There have been seven other texting-related accidents in this area that ended in death since 2007.
Although a texting ban does exist in New York, it is only considered to be a secondary offense, which means that the offender must have broken another law in order for a police officer to justify pulling them over. As a result, many counties have developed local laws that have made texting while driving a primary offense.
Texting while driving should most definitely be a primary instead of a secondary offense considering its deadly consequences. This student, as well as the seven other students, had a bright future ahead of her, but her life was shattered because she was distracted while driving.


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Jude Thomas August 23, 2013 1 Comment
More often then I like to admit, I'm surprised by my lack of awareness of pop culture and pop music. About a week ago I saw an article on the BBC that was about Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams, and Clifford Harris Jr.'s recent single, "Blurred Lines," and the claims of copying from the estate of Marvin Gaye. In brief, the article addressed issues of music authorship and ownership, and it raised in my mind the question about what constitutes copying, and what constitutes an original work.
"Blurred Lines" is one of those songs that I didn't realize I already heard in stores and clubs. I never thought the song was much much than a knock off of Prince's "Kiss" track, but I also wasn't familiar with the Marvin Gaye song, "Got to Give it Up," which is being touted as the source of Thicke, Williams, and Harris Jr.'s material. Besides the fun of getting to judge who's right and who's wrong, listening to both songs back to back was a lesson in what makes a great pop track come together.
There is no doubt that the tracks are similar, the authors of "Blurred Lines" have even admitted that they took their inspiration from Gaye's 1977 disco song; both songs feature a bass line, a nice percussion groove, and lots of falsetto singing. The controversy seems to be in the drum hook at the beginning of each song. You can hear in the first few bars of each track:
However, there are big differences between the two songs. Most importantly, the vocal lines are different tunes and the hooks are not the same. Also, the songs develop differently. Gaye's track, despite its sparse instrumentation, contains significant development over the song. This is mostly from the bass, which jumps registers, implies weird chord changes, and varies the rhythmic pattern of the line. "Blurred Lines" does not contain nearly as much development as "Got to Give it Up" and despite virtually the same texture, the song is extremely repetitive; by the end of the second verse/chorus, the song has given everything is has to offer—so the songwriters added a rap verse and pull back some the orchestration to keep it interesting. It's a valiant effort on the part of Thicke & co., but it doesn't quite cut it.
"Blurred Lines" is not copying.* It shares a lot in common with "Got to Give it Up," but songs sounding similar is nothing new at all and I'll be surprised if the judge rules in favor of the Gaye estate. What this fiasco does demonstrate is how a simple thing as adding variety to a bass line can completely change the drive and interest in a song. The composers of "Blurred Lines" said they wrote the song in about an hour, and it sounds like it. With a little more variation, the track could have been much, much better. Hopefully, when Thicke, Williams, and Harris Jr. decide to use a classic track as the model for their next summer hit, they'll pay closer attention.
As a final note, while researching for this article, I stumbled upon this mashup of "Blurred Lines," "Got to Give it Up," and Prince's "Kiss." Enjoy!
30 November, 2013 – Unfortunately the mashup I mentioned has been removed, probably due to copyright restrictions.
*12 March, 2015 – A jury recently ruled that "Blurred Lines" does infringe upon "Got to Give it Up," and last summer I changed my opinion on whether the song is copying. I now believe that "Blurred Lines" is indeed infringement. Hopefully, we can all move on with our lives now that this has been resolved.
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The aversion to critical investigative journalism in Ghana
Executive director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, Sulemana Braimah reflects on the accelerated decline in the safety of investigative journalists in Ghana under President Nana Akufo Addo's watch
FEATURES | Latest | Jamlab Contributor | 21 Nov 2022
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Executive director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, Sulemana Braimah, reflects on the deteriorating state of safety of investigative journalists in Ghana.
I started my journalism career in the year 2000 and remained a practitioner until 2009. The greater part of my practice was, thus, under the regime of President John Agyekum Kufuor. I worked for The Chronicle newspaper, starting off as a reporter and later as the News Editor. At the time, The Chronicle was undoubtedly Ghana's leading investigative media organisation.
During the period, a number of major investigative stories were produced by journalists of the newspaper. There was a series of stories about forged signatures and dubious deals involving an MP who was also the Deputy Minister for Presidential Affairs at the office of the President. Following the revelations in the story, the said MP/minister had to resign.
Another story was on the issue of contract kickbacks. The then Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party was captured on tape telling party officials that the President at the time had been taking contract kickbacks and that monies were often carried in sacks and offloaded at the Presidency. The party chairman subsequently lost his re-election bid largely due to the story.
Then there was a major cocaine scandal in 2007, which implicated many top security officials. A Presidential Commission of Enquiry was subsequently established to probe the issue. In the end, some major decisions were taken.
There were indeed many other major investigative reports by The Chronicle and other media outlets during President Kufuor's regime, which made the government unpopular in significant ways.
Ministers were routinely exposed for wrongdoing. At one point, there was a series of reportage to the effect that President Kufuor had had an extra-marital affair and fathered twins with a lady whom the government had engaged as an advisor. The story was run as a series with occasional supposed interviews with the said woman called Giselle Yazji. The President denied the allegations and the stories, but the series continued.
Such robust reporting was taking place just a few years after President Kufuor made the bold decision to repeal Ghana's criminal and seditious libel laws.
At the time, the shadows of media repression under the military government and later the first NDC government still lingered; and other laws that could be used by the government to repress the media and intimidate investigative journalists remained in the law books as they are today.
But I don't recall journalists in general, and investigative journalists in particular, complaining about feeling threatened or unsafe at the time.
Journalists did their work with pride, with less official intimidation, and less fear. Publishers and editors encouraged their journalists to focus on critical accountability journalism and such publishers and editors robustly defended their journalists.
By the year 2008, when President Kufour was leaving power, the culture of investigative journalism had been cemented and the freedom of investigative journalists to do their work was largely seen as guaranteed.
Indeed, at the time, literally, every newspaper could fairly be described as an investigative newspaper even if some were partisan in their orientation. News was more of something being revealed or exposed, rather than the simple exercise of re-echoing what the President or Minister or MP had said.
There were a number of very hard-hitting opposition-aligned newspapers like The Ghanaian Palaver, The Lens, The Daily Democrat, among others, and their journalists operated without serious intimidations and limitations.
The situation of the safety of journalists did not change much under the regimes of Presidents Mills and Mahama. There continued to be robust investigative reporting with little to no manifest serious threats against journalists who produced such reports.
We can talk of Anas Aremeyaw Anas' judges corruption scandal and his works on corruption at Ghana's ports. We can also talk about Manasseh Azure Awuni's stories on GYEEDA, SADA and the Ford gift to President Mahama.
In fact, the Ford story was published just a few months before the 2016 general elections. It had the prospects of negatively impacting the electoral fortunes of President Mahama, yet the journalist has repeatedly said he didn't feel threatened at the time. There were several other damning stories by several other investigative journalists during the Mills and Mahama regimes.
A change in context – new king, new order
In the last four years, however, things have changed and not for the better. The change is reflected in many indices including the latest Press Freedom Index by RSF, which had Ghana dropping 30 places in the global ranking – from 30th to 60th; and dropping from 3rd to 10th position in Africa.
It's been almost a case of 'New King, New Order'. The context has been characterised by a semblance of official aversion for critical investigative journalism and an escalation of threats against investigative journalists. Certainly, investigative journalists are not and do not feel as safe as they used to be.
This sentiment was re-echoed in RSF's report on Ghana in its 2022 World Press Freedom Index report when it stated that "although the country is considered a regional leader in democratic stability, journalists have experienced growing pressures in recent years. To protect their jobs and their security, they increasingly resort to self-censorship, as the government shows itself intolerant of criticism."
There have been several incidents that point to a deterioration in the state of safety conditions for investigative journalists in the country.
Examples of these incidents include the threat and subsequent murder of Ahmed Suale in 2019. He faced those threats and incitement of violence against him for his involvement in the production of Anas' Aremeyaw Anas' Number 12 documentary.
In 2019 and 2020, investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, had to temporarily leave the country following threats on his life. His crime was for just doing his work as an investigative journalist.
Edward Adeti, another investigative journalist, had to temporarily leave his base in the Upper East regional capital, Bolgatanga, for Accra, due to threats he received. The threats followed a story he did about the then Upper East Regional Minister, which eventually forced the minister to resign.
Multimedia's Erastus Asare Donkor, has received several threats and endured statements of hate and incitement of violence against his person. The abuses and threats are simply due to his investigative works.
Apart from these few examples that are publicly known, over the last four to five years, several journalists have personally spoken to me about being threatened to drop an investigative piece they are working on. Journalists have played to me audio recordings of threats they have received for investigating particular stories.
Several others have spoken to me about feeling unsafe to pursue certain stories; while many others have talked about the heavy psychological and emotional trauma they endure simply for pursuing their career as investigative journalists.
Never in my combined 21 years of experience as a journalist and media freedom advocate, have I had as many investigative and other journalists speak to me about how unsafe they feel, how sad they feel about the fact that perpetrators of abuses against them are not punished; and how traumatising such experiences have been for them.
Causes of the deterioration
So why are investigative journalists feeling more unsafe over the last four years? The reasons are numerous but I will proceed to highlight four of them.
The first point is that in the last few years, we have had a government that professes commitment to media freedom in words but appears to despise critical journalism. Officials of government, for example, say flowery things about the value of media freedom in a democracy, but in action, there is little to no commitment on their part to promoting the safety of journalists.
It does appear that what the Nana Akufo-Addo government loves is journalism that sings the praises of officialdom and not the type that is truly valuable in a democracy – watchdog journalism that empowers the people and holds officials accountable to the people.
Second and related to the first point is the growing culture of impunity for crimes against journalists. So far, the state has not demonstrated any serious commitment towards sanctioning crimes against journalists.
Ahmed Suale was killed, nothing has happened; Anas, Manasseh, Edward Adeti and Erastus Asare Donkor, have been threatened severally, no action has been taken against those who threatened them; Latif Idris was severely brutalised by police officers at the police headquarters, there is no action. The list can go as high as the level of impunity.
These and many more other incidents have only resulted in an entrenched culture of impunity for crimes against journalists. The situation has created the impression that if you are powerful or connected to power, nothing will happen to you if you abuse an investigative journalist or any other journalist under the pretext of protecting the interest of the government or the powerful.
The third point is the problem of reduced professionalism and trust in journalists generally. This is in part, due to the proliferation of partisan media; the dearth of public interest journalism and corruption in the media itself.
Another reason for the reduced quality of journalism and the consequent reduction in public trust and support for journalists is the problem of a dearth of committed and bold editors in newsrooms. The combined effects of these have resulted in unsafe conditions for investigative journalism, limited public support for the safety of investigative journalists and vulnerabilities of investigative journalists to betrayal by their publishers, editors and colleague journalists.
The fourth point is weak regulatory and other support mechanisms for promoting the safety of investigative journalists in Ghana. At the moment, Ghana's media sector is largely unregulated. Even though the National Media Commission is independent and could do a lot to bolster the environment of safety conditions for all journalists, resource limitations and other factors have long constrained the Commission. The Commission is also largely powerless in terms of sanctions and enforcement. The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and other various industry associations have also lacked capacity and resources to robustly promote the safety of investigative journalists in the country.
Consequence and way forward
Generally, the consequence of the deteriorating state of safety of investigative journalists in Ghana has become manifest. It is, therefore, not surprising that we are seeing less and less critical, public interest, investigative journalism being done in Ghana. Doing such journalism is increasingly becoming a dangerous enterprise. But that is the kind of journalism that strengthens democratic governance, empowers people and makes societies prosper.
When we say journalism is critical for transparency, accountability and democratic governance, we are not talking about praise-singing journalism or the type of journalism that simply serves as a megaphone for the political class and the elite in society. No.
The type of journalism that keeps democracies alive is the one that serves the interest of the powerless by holding the powerful accountable; the type that exposes wrongdoing and gives a voice to those whose voices cannot be heard. Under the current context, it is becoming quite challenging to do the type of journalism that holds power to account.
But we need to persevere even if it's at the peril of our lives. That is because we cannot claim to love democracy and hate the kind of journalism that makes democracy thrive. When such journalism dies, democracy dies.
So, we need to confront the current challenge boldly and resolutely. That is why, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is strengthening its safety of journalists and media freedom work in Ghana and across West Africa.
The establishment of The Fourth Estate, as a public interest and accountability investigative journalism project is another way the MFWA is confronting the challenge we face and to make sure investigative journalism is not killed.
That is why we have also started the Next Generation Investigative Journalism (NGIJ) Fellowship, aimed at grooming young, enterprising journalists and equipping them with the required skills and mindset for doing public interest investigative journalism even in the face of repression.
We do recognise that many other individuals and organisations are doing their part to keep critical, watchdog journalism alive. But certainly, we need to mobilise more to do more. The need to support individual courageous journalists and independent media organisations in Ghana has never been more paramount.
Together, we will be able to hold the line, dismantle the threats and the barriers, and keep investigative journalism alive in Ghana to make our young democracy survive and thrive. We need to do all we can with all we have to keep investigative journalists and investigative journalism safe for it is the kind of journalism that will keep our democracy safe.
This statement was originally published on mfwa.org on 27 October 2022.
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https://www.wsj.com/articles/farmers-in-crisis-turn-to-high-interest-loans-as-banks-pull-back-11573381801
Farmers in Crisis Turn to High-Interest Loans as Banks Pull Back
Alternative lenders extend reach during steep agricultural downturn; 'They keep their finger on you.'
Farm debt is projected to hit a record $416 billion this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Photo: Jack Kurtz/Zuma Press
Jacob Bunge and
Jacob Bunge
BiographyJacob Bunge
@jacobbunge
jacob.bunge@wsj.com
Kirk Maltais
BiographyKirk Maltais
@kirkmaltais
kirk.maltais@wsj.com
Nov. 10, 2019 5:30 am ET
Financial stress is mounting in the Farm Belt, pushing more growers to take on high-interest loans outside traditional banks to stay in business.
After his local farm bank wouldn't lend him as much as he said he needed in 2017, Iowa farmer James Kron turned to Ag Resource Management LLC, a Texas-based financial-services firm. Now, when he takes his corn and soybeans to grain elevators near his farm, he signs the checks over to ARM until his loan is paid back in full.
He is one of many farmers leaning on alternative lenders to make it through the steepest agricultural downturn in a generation. With crop prices stuck at low levels, traditional farm banks are placing stricter terms on farm loans and doling out less money, leaving cash-strapped farmers such as Mr. Kron to seek capital from more lightly regulated entities.
While firms including ARM, FarmOp Capital LLC and Fora Financial LLC can be a lifeline for farmers, their loans can carry interest rates double those of traditional farm banks, said farmers, agricultural economists and lenders. The funding can require closer monitoring of how farmers spend as well as liens on each bushel of grain they produce.
"They keep their finger on you," said Mr. Kron, who has borrowed from ARM over the past three years at interest rates of about 8%. Comparable rates at more-traditional banks are between 2% and 5%.
Five straight years of bumper harvests have pushed down crop prices and eroded farm profits. The Trump administration's trade war with China has further depressed demand for U.S. crops. Record wet weather this year left millions of acres unplanted.
Farm debt is projected to hit a record $416 billion this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, up nearly 40% since 2012. Defaults and bankruptcies are rising as well, crimping the ability of cash-strapped farmers to secure funding for seed, fertilizer and fuel.
The total value of loans from the largest banks working in agriculture has climbed about 4% over the past five years, but some big banks have cut back, particularly on loans to smaller, less-capitalized farmers, lending officials said. That reflects their assessment that those farmers face greater risks from low crop prices and a year of bad weather, they said.
"A lot of balance sheets deteriorated to below what a lender would accept," said Curt Hudnutt, head of North America rural banking at Rabobank, one of the world's largest farm banks.
Wells Fargo & Co., U.S. Bancorp and Bank of America Corp. have cut their non-real estate agricultural loan portfolios by 8%, 36% and 57%, respectively, in the past five years, according to data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Farmers of crops such as corn and soybeans are having a tougher time meeting the financial requirements for a loan, said Michael Swanson, chief agricultural economist at Wells Fargo. He said the bank is lending more to farmers of increasingly popular crops such as almonds and pistachios. U.S. Bancorp and Bank of America declined to comment.
For collateral, alternative farm lenders rely on crop-insurance policies, government payments and crop-sale proceeds rather than real estate, equipment and other assets. Lenders said that allows them to lend to farmers who don't own much land or are working their way out of bankruptcy.
"We can keep the grower farming," said Billy Moore, president of insurance and field operations at ARM. The 10-year-old firm, backed by private equity, lends to 1,600 farmers in 19 states. Mr. Moore said the firm's loan volume has grown at a 40% rate over the past three years.
David Kohl, professor emeritus of agricultural economics at Virginia Tech, estimated such firms supply about 2% of financing to U.S. farms. They can provide a financial bridge to struggling farmers, but their looser regulation allows the firms more control over rates and terms, he said.
The trade war with China is putting a strain on the U.S. agriculture industry. WSJ's Jason Bellini sat down with a group of farmers from the corn, beef, soybean, and dairy industries to hear how tariffs are affecting their businesses.
"It's shadow financing for ag," Prof. Kohl said. "It's hot money trying to find a place to get a good return without a lot of oversight."
Heath Jobe, a 32-year-old Arkansas construction worker and farmer, said he quickly secured a loan from ARM after showing that his crop was insured and that he had enough equipment. A week later, he had $118,000 to buy seed, chemicals and fuel.
Dry weather hurt Mr. Jobe's rice, bean and corn crop in a recent year. When he tried to make a claim, his insurance company said he hadn't properly documented his crop losses. Loan payments carrying an interest rate of about 9% piled up. Mr. Jobe said ARM turned down his request for a new loan. A few months later, he filed for bankruptcy.
"If you don't make a crop and you have a bad year, they'll clean your clock," Mr. Jobe said.
Mr. Moore of ARM declined to comment on the specifics of Mr. Jobe's case. He said such outcomes are rare.
Some bankruptcy attorneys said costlier terms from nonbank lenders can make it hard for farmers to shore up their finances. Joe Peiffer, an attorney in Iowa, said a client secured a $500,000 loan from Fora Financial, a New York-based small-business lender. The loan carried an interest rate above 30%, Mr. Peiffer said, and required daily payments through automatic withdrawals from the farm's account.
"The money was extremely expensive," Mr. Peiffer said. He said the farmer, who declined to be interviewed, has liquidated his operation. Fora didn't respond to requests for comment.
Other farmers said alternative lenders gave them a lifeline when no one else would. John Bulman, who raises cabbage and grain near Elizabeth City, N.C., said he filed for bankruptcy in 2018 after a bank refused to extend his credit following a string of poor harvests.
The bank had a lien on his crops, Mr. Bulman said, and he needed fresh cash to finish harvesting and selling them. ARM gave him $400,000 at a rate of 12%. "If it wasn't for ARM, I wouldn't be farming today," he said.
Alternative lenders said new technology allows them to keep closer tabs on crops to make sure farmers are on track to meet their payment terms.
When will farmers be able to sustain their business without loans again? Join the conversation below.
St. Paul, Minn.-based FarmOp Capital tracks crop growth with satellites and data funneled from farm machinery. If a field is facing pests or disease, the company checks in with the farmer, said FarmOp Chief Executive Bill York. While FarmOp can provide quick capital at rates generally between 6.5% and 8.5%, evaluate operations and help farmers monitor crops, those steps are only effective up to a point, he said.
"If they don't have the ability to efficiently produce a crop, and their viability going forward, we're not going to be a magic bullet," he said.
Write to Jacob Bunge at jacob.bunge@wsj.com and Kirk Maltais at Kirk.Maltais@wsj.com
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Alternative lenders can be a lifeline for farmers, but their funding can require closer monitoring of how farmers spend.


The world of alternative health remedies - Some are skeptical just from the sounds of it. Others swear by off-the-wall medicines like acupuncture, herbal medicine, Chinese medicine, hypnotherapy, magnetic therapy, and the list goes on and on.
Magnet therapy is one remedy in which magnets are applied directly to different parts of the body to get rid of pain and speed healing. Methods of applying this therapy are a magnetic mattress pad, sheet or mattress, magnetic insoles, and magnetic jewelry such as magnetic bracelets, magnetic earrings, magnetic rings, and magnetic necklaces.
Many alternative medicines incite skepticism in people because their practices are not scientifically proven or even medically shown to be good for your health. This leads many to stay away from these types of potential cures for pain and disease. Magnetic therapy is no exception to this generalization of alternative medicines.
Think of all the uses of magnets in the everyday household – microwaves, televisions, computers, power stations, electric razors, and anything that uses electricity. The first cause for skepticism is because of these electronic devices and their associations with cancer, birth defects, etc. So how could one be persuaded to put themselves into a magnetic chamber designed to subject your body to high intensities of magnetic fields?
Well, positive results from healing instances from willing patients relaying their experience to others is enough for some. Scientific health experiments have been conducted in which multiple patients have applied magnet therapy to specific areas. Some patients received real magnets and other a placebo. The results were in the favor of the therapy! The half who received the real magnetic therapy reported a 50% reduction in their pain levels while the placebo patients only reported a very slight reduction in pain.
However, other studies of similar design found exactly the opposite results: there was not a vast difference between the pain levels of the magnetically treated and placebo.
The procedures for performing magnetic therapy are varied. However, correct positioning of the magnets during therapy is crucial!
Magnets have been used to provide relief from chronic pain of three or more months. Once again, it works for some, but not for all. This is why there are so many magnetic therapy items on the market today, such as bracelets (some said to improve your golf game), shoe inserts, and mattresses. However, many studies of these products criticize them because the information published to promote the products is written by those who are directly related to the sales of the gimmicky health products.
Promoters of magnetic therapy say that it provides relief for patients without inducing chemicals and expensive medications. It can offer remedies to cancer, blood vessel disorders, infections, and chronic pain. When small magnets are applied to an affected area, the chromosomes are shifted within cells, which help to relieve acute and chronic pain. Other experimenters have tried actions like sitting in large metallic, magnetic boxes every day, which they say has improved their day to day comfort levels.
One area of magnetic therapy that is proven is in healing broken bones. Applying direct magnetic rays to a broken bone can increase its healing dramatically.
Many criticisms of magnetic therapy are based on the lack of evidence and scientific proof. Even though some studies have proven that after applying magnets to a certain area, the patient does boast relief, no proof is shown that this relief is due to the actual magnets rather than the placebo affect (the mind simply heals the pain because it think the pain has subsided from the pain remedy). On the other hand, there is also no proof that the magnets are doing any harm. Therefore, if someone gains relief from a magnetic remedy, some might argue, "What's the difference?" They feel better, so who cares if it's actually from the magnets or just from the placebo affect.
However, some doctors are so strongly against magnetic therapy they consider it quackery. Evidence to prove the effectiveness of this alternative medicine is mostly prohibited by economic factors, politics, and human intervention.
In any case, many diagnostic medical machines, such as the MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imagery) are used to scan bones, joints, muscles and heads. Why is there no proof that this is not injuring people? After all, if patients are being harmed just to diagnose them, then wouldn't this type of medical care be counterproductive?
Many other examples of magnetic therapy have worked with post-polio patients. Sore spots treated with magnets were shown to have significant pain reduction. While placebos were also tried, pain reduction was not noted.
As alternative medicines such as magnetic therapy continue to emerge, society will show skepticism towards them until proven medically beneficial and not harmful. However, those same people who show uncertainty towards unproven therapies are often the ones unwilling to help support research and development on those very topics.
Learn about the amazing work of one man who applies many of the principles of magnetics for the purpose of locating just about anything, even if it is hundrededs of feet below the surface.


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Hey everyone! So as you know, Chapter 7 starts next week!
Starting today 'til next Wednesday, they'll be a Q&A spot open for people to ask questions about/at the characters, the world, the story, or even me!
THANK YOU! I'd really appreciate it!


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The Uptown Stage and Screen and Marquee Room to cease operations and vacate the Barron Building
The Uptown has made the business decision to cease operations of the Uptown Stage and Screen and Marquee Room and is vacating the Barron Building.
In light of movie piracy and the popularity of internet services such as Netflix, industry prospects are poor for cinemas specialising in "Art House" product.
We are intensely proud of our past programming and many contributions over twenty years to film, music, live theatre, dance, visual arts, and other artistic and cultural programming.
We thank the people of Calgary for all the years of support. We are grateful to all of the film and music fans, the artists, the event organizers, and our many partners who contributed to our award-winning programming. Particular gratitude goes to our many staff who have helped realise the dream of reviving the historic venue.
The Uptown Stage and Screen was built in 1951 and operated as the Uptown Theatre until 1988. Current management purchased the historic theatre and building above it in 1992.
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namespace Core {

template <class Base>
class Reflect : public Base
{
	protected:
		using Super = Reflect<Base>;
	public:
		using Base::Base;
};

}

// This alias is deliberitely outside of the namespace to make using this template less verbose
template <class Base> using Super = Core::Reflect<Base>;

template <class Derived, class Base>
inline Derived* DCast(Base* b)
{
	if (b && b->isSubtypeOf(Derived::typeIdStatic()))
		return static_cast<Derived*>(b);
	else
		return nullptr;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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The federal government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday debunked the report by the United States Department of Agriculture World Markets and Trade that Nigeria imported three million metric tons of rice in 2018.
The report ran contrary to several claims by the Nigerian Government that local rice production had increased while importation had dropped by up to 90 per cent.
The report, which was released in October, showed that since 2016, Nigeria had consistently milled 3,780,000 metric tons annually which is a reduction from 3,941,000 metric tons recorded in 2015.
But the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, while briefing journalists in the State House, described the report as false.
Mohammed, who said he had contacted the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Minister of Agriculture and rice millers on the authenticity of the report, argued that they all dismissed the report as untrue.
According to him, whereas 1.2 million metric tons of rice was exported to Nigeria in 2014, the figure declined to 644,000 in 2015 and went further downward to 25,000 in 2016.
However, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has said the claim by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari that it has increased rice production in the country is false.
The minister also faulted the claim by the report that local rice production in the country is declining, saying instead, local rice production capacity has risen to 4.9 million metric tons.
The CBN has also clarified that the volume of rice importation into Nigeria (in metric tonnes) has declined drastically in 2018, judging by figures obtained from various official sources.
Indeed, figures obtained from India and Thailand, which are dominant rice exporters to Nigeria indicated that as at September, the latter had so far exported about 5,161 metric tonnes of rice to Nigeria, while the former sold only a paltry sum of 426 as at July 2018.
Attributing the reduction to concerted effort by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and interventions of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Director, Corporate Communications at the CBN, Mr. Isaac Okorafor, in a statement yesterday, also stressed that the Bank had not allocated any foreign exchange for the importation of rice this year.
Okorafor, argued that the figures being bandied in certain quarters were based on unrealistic assumptions such as satellite mapping of farms, expected demand by politicians for election campaigns as well as expected losses from flooding, all of which led to unauthentic conclusions that the country had imported or could import 400,000 more metric tonnes.
The spokesperson for the CBN further noted that the combined figure of 5, 587 tonnes of rice imports from India and Thailand may have been rice imported on not-valid-for-forex basis.
Meanwhile, trade figures for the second quarter of 2018 received from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that total imports value was N2,106.7 billion; -16.3% lower than the first quarter (Q1), 2018 (N2518.26 billion) and – 19.9 per cent lower than Q1, 2017 (N2,631.65 billion).
The report on the Bureau's site showed that the value of imported agricultural goods in the second quarter of 2018 (N224.52 billion) increased by 21.7 per cent from Q1, 2018 (N184.49 billion) and lower by -3.14 per cent from Q2, 2017 (N231.80 billion).
According to the report, raw materials imports in Q2 2018 (N261.10 billion) declined by -8.3 per cent compared to Q1, 2018 (N284.81 billion) and lower by -14.2 per cent in Q2, 2017 (N304.43 billion).
The solid minerals import in Q2, 2018 (N17.29 billion) increased by 37 per cent on a quarter-to-quarter basis (N12.62 billion), but declined by -91 per cent on a year-to-year basis (N193.16 billion). Energy goods imports in Q2, 2018 (N98.17 million) was 202.6 per cent higher than Q1 2018 (N32.45 million) and 288.5 per cent higher than Q2, 2017 (N25.27 million).
The NBS reported that the value of manufactured goods imported in Q2 2018 (N1,175.86 billion) declined by -1.2 per cent over the previous quarter (N1,189.97 billion) but increased by 1.6 per cent over the same quarter in 2017.
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the CBN had been collaborating to reduce the volume of rice importation through what has become famed as the Rice Revolution.
Meanehile, the presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has said the claim by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari that it has increased rice production in the country is false.
Atiku in a statement issued yesterday by his campaign organisation said the recently released data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) World Markets and Trade Report has proven the claims by Buhari and his government to be false.
Atiku noted that the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, on May 2, 2018, also made similar claim.
The former vice-president, however, noted that the "World Markets and Trade Report of the USDA, which is a public document disclosed that Nigeria imported three million metric tons of rice in 2018, which is 400,000 metric tons more than the quantity of the product imported in 2017.


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There is enormous potential benefit to be gained by using even the most basic Systems Engineering methods within the Commercial Product Development Cycle. Unfortunately, that potential benefit is often obvious only to those with a current Systems Engineering background- in other words, virtually none of the key decision makers who currently control Commercial sector development effort are in a good position to understand what you want to accomplish.
The practical challenge to success is therefore twofold. First, to select suitable methods matched to specific design needs, and second, to earn the necessary time and resource"permission" to actually apply them. The first part is relatively easy, but the second part is often maddeningly difficult and the skill that will ultimately determine your success or failure as an SE in the Commercial Sector.
Please join us for a one hour Webinar that will not only explain what works, and why, but also equip you with valuable strategies for gaining support from Commercial Sector decision makers.
Mr. Iliff has over 30 years experience working on developmental projects ranging in size from a few thousand to well over a billion dollars, and has participated in all phases of project execution from proposal to close out. He is currently the Senior Systems Engineer and Director of Strategic Innovation, supporting Bjorksten | bit 7 clients with a range of services, including product design, project management, process refinement, and training.
He earned his BS in Engineering / Industrial Design from Michigan State University, holds an MS in Systems Management, Research and Development from the University of Southern California, and received Honorary Fellow appointment at the University of Wisconsin Antarctic Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Institute when he served as the Systems Engineering Manager for the ICECUBE project.
Honeywell, Qualcomm and many others to plan, establish, refine and confidently execute projects ranging from single product subsystems to entire product families.
Mr. Iliff is a charter member of the International Council On Systems Engineering (INCOSE), founder / prior Chairman of the INCOSE Commercial Practices Working Group, and a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI).
He is a frequent speaker, and has developed and conducted thousands of hours of training covering all aspects of enterprise wide system excellence. He is the Developer, Subject Matter Expert and Master Instructor for three intensive Motorola University programs that are conducted worldwide. He has spoken before groups as large as 1,200 people, been the Keynote Speaker and Master of Ceremonies for various events, and is well known for conveying not only useful information but his unique passion for the topic.
In 2005 he won top presentation honors at the annual Telelogic User Group Conference for his work "The Ironic Art of Negotiating With Your Own Management for a Chance to Save Them". In 2007 he presented the paper titled "A Question of Context - The Promise and Peril of Applying Manufacturing Concepts to Product Development Effort" at the Management Roundtable Conference on Product Development Metrics. In 2009 he delivered the Keynote Address at the University of Wisconsin Innovation Days Award Ceremony.
There is enormous potential benefit to be gained by using even the most basic Systems Engineering methods within the Commercial Product Development Cycle.


text:
Q: Batch processing of data files I have a large set of data files containing x-y coordinates.
I have written a notebook to extract angles and other relevant lengths from a single data file before exporting the results into a new data file.
The issues I am facing is that I don't know how to batch process this notebook on the entire data set. What I do now is to manually change the name of the file I am importing before running the notebook and exporting the new data. This is obviously very boring and time consuming.
Therefore I would like to :

*

*import all the data files (in the form data_xx.dat, all placed in the same folder)

*For each data file run the notebook and get the resulting data (one column table)

*concatenate all the results in one table and export it

Could you indicate me how to do that? Do I need to create another notebook in which I call the already existing notebook? If yes how so?
Many thanks.


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