text:
Q: Populating & merging an object collection from Json using a custom iDefaultContractResolver results in shifted/corrupt data This is my class data structure that I am serializing/deserializing:
public class SettingGroup
{
    public string name { get; set; }
    public string description { get; set; }
    public bool visible { get; set; }
    public ObservableCollection<SettingGroup> groups { get; set; }
    public ObservableCollection<Setting> settings { get; set; }
    public SettingGroup()
    {
        groups = new ObservableCollection<SettingGroup>();
        settings = new ObservableCollection<Setting>();
        visible = true;
    }
}

public class Setting
{
    public string name { get; set; }
    public string description { get; set; }
    public bool visible { get; set; }
    public DescriptionVisibility descriptionVisibility { get; set; }
    public Dictionary<string, dynamic> configuration { get; set; }
    public dynamic settingValue { get; set; }
    public SettingType settingType { get; set; }
    public SettingControl settingControl { get; set; }
    public Setting()
    {
        visible = true;
        configuration = new Dictionary<string, dynamic>();
    }
}

I am using the following to ensure that only the setting names and values are stored in the JSON, the rest are structured within the application itself and do not need to be saved/loaded via JSON;
    private static string safeFileName(string fileName)
    {
        string regexSearch = new string(Path.GetInvalidFileNameChars()) + " ";
        Regex r = new Regex(string.Format("[{0}]", Regex.Escape(regexSearch)));
        fileName = r.Replace(fileName, "");
        return fileName;
    }
    public static void saveSettings(this SettingGroup settingGroup, string fileName = "")
    {
        var jsonResolver = new IgnorableSerializerContractResolver();

        jsonResolver.Ignore(typeof(SettingGroup), "visible");
        jsonResolver.Ignore(typeof(SettingGroup), "description");
        jsonResolver.Ignore(typeof(Setting), "visible");
        jsonResolver.Ignore(typeof(Setting), "descriptionVisibility");
        jsonResolver.Ignore(typeof(Setting), "configuration");
        jsonResolver.Ignore(typeof(Setting), "settingType");
        jsonResolver.Ignore(typeof(Setting), "settingControl");
        jsonResolver.Ignore(typeof(Setting), "description");

        var jsonSettings = new JsonSerializerSettings() { ReferenceLoopHandling = ReferenceLoopHandling.Ignore, ContractResolver = jsonResolver };

        if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(fileName))
            fileName = safeFileName(settingGroup.name);

        try
        {
            if (!Directory.Exists(Global.DataDirectory)) Directory.CreateDirectory(Global.DataDirectory);
            File.WriteAllText(Path.Combine(Global.DataDirectory, fileName+".json"), JsonConvert.SerializeObject(settingGroup, Newtonsoft.Json.Formatting.Indented, jsonSettings));
        }
        catch { }
    }
    public static void loadSettings(this SettingGroup settingGroup, string fileName = "")
    {
        var jsonResolver = new IgnorableSerializerContractResolver();

        jsonResolver.Ignore(typeof(SettingGroup), "visible");
        jsonResolver.Ignore(typeof(SettingGroup), "description");
        jsonResolver.Ignore(typeof(Setting), "visible");
        jsonResolver.Ignore(typeof(Setting), "descriptionVisibility");
        jsonResolver.Ignore(typeof(Setting), "configuration");
        jsonResolver.Ignore(typeof(Setting), "settingType");
        jsonResolver.Ignore(typeof(Setting), "settingControl");
        jsonResolver.Ignore(typeof(Setting), "description");

        if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(fileName))
            fileName = safeFileName(settingGroup.name);

        try
        {
            if (!Directory.Exists(Global.DataDirectory)) Directory.CreateDirectory(Global.DataDirectory);
            var serializerSettings = new JsonSerializerSettings { ObjectCreationHandling = ObjectCreationHandling.Auto, ContractResolver = jsonResolver };
            JsonConvert.PopulateObject(File.ReadAllText(Path.Combine(Global.DataDirectory, fileName + ".json")), settingGroup, serializerSettings);
        }
        catch { }
    }

The custom iDefaultContractResolver is one that I have seen floating around SE but will include here anyway for completeness:
public class IgnorableSerializerContractResolver : DefaultContractResolver
{
    protected readonly Dictionary<Type, HashSet<string>> Ignores;

    public IgnorableSerializerContractResolver()
    {
        this.Ignores = new Dictionary<Type, HashSet<string>>();
    }

    public void Ignore(Type type, params string[] propertyName)
    {
        if (!this.Ignores.ContainsKey(type)) this.Ignores[type] = new HashSet<string>();

        foreach (var prop in propertyName)
        {
            this.Ignores[type].Add(prop);
        }
    }

    public bool IsIgnored(Type type, string propertyName)
    {
        if (!this.Ignores.ContainsKey(type)) return false;

        // if no properties provided, ignore the type entirely
        if (this.Ignores[type].Count == 0) return true;

        return this.Ignores[type].Contains(propertyName);
    }

    protected override JsonProperty CreateProperty(MemberInfo member, MemberSerialization memberSerialization)
    {
        JsonProperty property = base.CreateProperty(member, memberSerialization);

        if (this.IsIgnored(property.DeclaringType, property.PropertyName)
        // need to check basetype as well for EF -- @per comment by user576838
        || this.IsIgnored(property.DeclaringType.BaseType, property.PropertyName))
        {
            property.ShouldSerialize = instance => { return false; };
        }

        return property;
    }
}

It saves just fine just as I would expect with only the properties that I want to save, but loading causes the data to be "shifted", all the setting values will load into the wrong settings and such and cause type mismatches when trying to access them. I have tried with and without the custom Json Settings in the load portion with no difference in behavior. Also worth noting that without the iDefaultContractResolver the entire structure saves/loads just fine, but id rather not clutter my JSON files with unneeded data.
Here are the settings classes being constructed and populated with sample data:
        SettingGroup Settings = new SettingGroup();
        Settings.name = "Application Settings";
        Settings.description = "Common application settings.";

        SettingGroup generalSettings = new SettingGroup();
        generalSettings.name = "General settings";
        Settings.groups.Add(generalSettings);

        SettingGroup themeSettings = new SettingGroup();
        themeSettings.name = "Theme settings";
        Settings.groups.Add(themeSettings);

        SettingGroup updateSettings = new SettingGroup();
        updateSettings.name = "Update settings";
        Settings.groups.Add(updateSettings);

        SettingGroup startupSettings = new SettingGroup();
        startupSettings.name = "Startup settings";
        generalSettings.groups.Add(startupSettings);

        Setting startWithWindows = new Setting();
        startWithWindows.name = "Start IM with Windows";
        startWithWindows.settingValue = true;
        startWithWindows.settingControl = SettingControl.Checkbox;
        startupSettings.settings.Add(startWithWindows);

        Setting startMinimized = new Setting();
        startMinimized.name = "Start IM minimized";
        startMinimized.settingValue = true;
        startMinimized.settingControl = SettingControl.Checkbox;
        startupSettings.settings.Add(startMinimized);

        SettingGroup performanceSettings = new SettingGroup();
        performanceSettings.name = "Performance settings";
        generalSettings.groups.Add(performanceSettings);

        Setting threadPriority = new Setting();
        threadPriority.name = "Thread priority";
        threadPriority.description = "This setting may not have a noticeible impact on all platforms, especially higer end ones.";
        threadPriority.settingValue = 3;
        threadPriority.settingControl = SettingControl.Slider;
        threadPriority.configuration.Add("lowVal",0);
        threadPriority.configuration.Add("highVal", 7);
        threadPriority.configuration.Add("interval", 1);
        performanceSettings.settings.Add(threadPriority);

Edited to include Json sources and results:
Complete Json structure that has the settings info and default values:
{
  "name": "Application Settings",
  "description": "Common application settings.",
  "visible": true,
  "groups": [
    {
      "name": "General settings",
      "description": null,
      "visible": true,
      "groups": [
        {
          "name": "Startup settings",
          "description": null,
          "visible": true,
          "groups": [],
          "settings": [
            {
              "name": "Start IM with Windows",
              "description": null,
              "visible": true,
              "descriptionVisibility": 0,
              "configuration": {},
              "settingValue": true,
              "settingType": 0,
              "settingControl": 0
            },
            {
              "name": "Start IM minimized",
              "description": null,
              "visible": true,
              "descriptionVisibility": 0,
              "configuration": {},
              "settingValue": true,
              "settingType": 0,
              "settingControl": 0
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "name": "Performance settings",
          "description": null,
          "visible": true,
          "groups": [],
          "settings": [
            {
              "name": "Thread priority",
              "description": "This setting may not have a noticeible impact on all platforms, especially higer end ones.",
              "visible": true,
              "descriptionVisibility": 0,
              "configuration": {
                "lowVal": 0,
                "highVal": 7,
                "interval": 1
              },
              "settingValue": 3,
              "settingType": 0,
              "settingControl": 2
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "settings": []
    },
    {
      "name": "Theme settings",
      "description": null,
      "visible": true,
      "groups": [],
      "settings": []
    },
    {
      "name": "Update settings",
      "description": null,
      "visible": true,
      "groups": [],
      "settings": []
    },
    {
      "name": "General settings",
      "description": null,
      "visible": true,
      "groups": [
        {
          "name": "Startup settings",
          "description": null,
          "visible": true,
          "groups": [],
          "settings": [
            {
              "name": "Start IM with Windows",
              "description": null,
              "visible": true,
              "descriptionVisibility": 0,
              "configuration": {},
              "settingValue": true,
              "settingType": 0,
              "settingControl": 0
            },
            {
              "name": "Start IM minimized",
              "description": null,
              "visible": true,
              "descriptionVisibility": 0,
              "configuration": {},
              "settingValue": true,
              "settingType": 0,
              "settingControl": 0
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "name": "Performance settings",
          "description": null,
          "visible": true,
          "groups": [],
          "settings": [
            {
              "name": "Thread priority",
              "description": null,
              "visible": true,
              "descriptionVisibility": 0,
              "configuration": {},
              "settingValue": 3,
              "settingType": 0,
              "settingControl": 0
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "settings": []
    },
    {
      "name": "Theme settings",
      "description": null,
      "visible": true,
      "groups": [],
      "settings": []
    },
    {
      "name": "Update settings",
      "description": null,
      "visible": true,
      "groups": [],
      "settings": []
    }
  ],
  "settings": []
}

Data that is saved by my saveSettings extension that is designed to save only needed info such as group name children and setting names and value (this looks correct)
{
  "name": "Application Settings",
  "groups": [
    {
      "name": "General settings",
      "groups": [
        {
          "name": "Startup settings",
          "groups": [],
          "settings": [
            {
              "name": "Start IM with Windows",
              "settingValue": true
            },
            {
              "name": "Start IM minimized",
              "settingValue": true
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "name": "Performance settings",
          "groups": [],
          "settings": [
            {
              "name": "Thread priority",
              "settingValue": 3
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "settings": []
    },
    {
      "name": "Theme settings",
      "groups": [],
      "settings": []
    },
    {
      "name": "Update settings",
      "groups": [],
      "settings": []
    }
  ],
  "settings": []
}

But when loaded and merged with the existing class objects this is what the resulting data looks like, notice the duplicates and invalid values in control type which results in type mismatches IE cannot load a long value into a bool used by checkbox.
{
  "name": "Application Settings",
  "description": "Common application settings.",
  "visible": true,
  "groups": [
    {
      "name": "General settings",
      "description": null,
      "visible": true,
      "groups": [
        {
          "name": "Startup settings",
          "description": null,
          "visible": true,
          "groups": [],
          "settings": [
            {
              "name": "Start IM with Windows",
              "description": null,
              "visible": true,
              "descriptionVisibility": 0,
              "configuration": {},
              "settingValue": true,
              "settingType": 0,
              "settingControl": 0
            },
            {
              "name": "Start IM minimized",
              "description": null,
              "visible": true,
              "descriptionVisibility": 0,
              "configuration": {},
              "settingValue": true,
              "settingType": 0,
              "settingControl": 0
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "name": "Performance settings",
          "description": null,
          "visible": true,
          "groups": [],
          "settings": [
            {
              "name": "Thread priority",
              "description": "This setting may not have a noticeible impact on all platforms, especially higer end ones.",
              "visible": true,
              "descriptionVisibility": 0,
              "configuration": {
                "lowVal": 0,
                "highVal": 7,
                "interval": 1
              },
              "settingValue": 3,
              "settingType": 0,
              "settingControl": 2
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "settings": []
    },
    {
      "name": "Theme settings",
      "description": null,
      "visible": true,
      "groups": [],
      "settings": []
    },
    {
      "name": "Update settings",
      "description": null,
      "visible": true,
      "groups": [],
      "settings": []
    },
    {
      "name": "General settings",
      "description": null,
      "visible": true,
      "groups": [
        {
          "name": "Startup settings",
          "description": null,
          "visible": true,
          "groups": [],
          "settings": [
            {
              "name": "Start IM with Windows",
              "description": null,
              "visible": true,
              "descriptionVisibility": 0,
              "configuration": {},
              "settingValue": true,
              "settingType": 0,
              "settingControl": 0
            },
            {
              "name": "Start IM minimized",
              "description": null,
              "visible": true,
              "descriptionVisibility": 0,
              "configuration": {},
              "settingValue": true,
              "settingType": 0,
              "settingControl": 0
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "name": "Performance settings",
          "description": null,
          "visible": true,
          "groups": [],
          "settings": [
            {
              "name": "Thread priority",
              "description": null,
              "visible": true,
              "descriptionVisibility": 0,
              "configuration": {},
              "settingValue": 3,
              "settingType": 0,
              "settingControl": 0
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "settings": []
    },
    {
      "name": "Theme settings",
      "description": null,
      "visible": true,
      "groups": [],
      "settings": []
    },
    {
      "name": "Update settings",
      "description": null,
      "visible": true,
      "groups": [],
      "settings": []
    }
  ],
  "settings": []
}

A: You should be able to use the KeyedIListMergeConverter (not the original KeyedListMergeConverter which was specifically for merging List<T> collections) from Json.Net PopulateObject - update list elements based on ID, attaching [JsonMergeKey] to the names:
public class SettingGroup
{
    [JsonMergeKey]
    public string name { get; set; }
    // Remainder unchanged
}

public class Setting
{
    [JsonMergeKey]
    public string name { get; set; }
    // Remainder unchanged
}

Then use it like:
        if (!Directory.Exists(Global.DataDirectory))
            Directory.CreateDirectory(Global.DataDirectory);
        var serializerSettings = new JsonSerializerSettings { ObjectCreationHandling = ObjectCreationHandling.Auto, ContractResolver = jsonResolver };
        serializerSettings.Converters.Add(new KeyedIListMergeConverter(settings.ContractResolver));
        JsonConvert.PopulateObject(File.ReadAllText(Path.Combine(Global.DataDirectory, fileName + ".json")), settingGroup, serializerSettings);


A whooping crane birding tour was not something I had ever thought I�d be doing. The birds were something I grew up knowing about but had never seen. As the cranes migrated from my home province of Alberta, all the way down here to Texas, I thought it fitting that I should take the opportunity for the birding tour. It was a day well spent. We would easily recommend the Wharf Cat tour... Try This! Journal Question/Activity � Use numbers and measurements to compare your height and arm span to a Whooping crane's height and wingspan.
A whooping crane birding tour was not something I had ever thought I�d be doing. The birds were something I grew up knowing about but had never seen. As the cranes migrated from my home province of Alberta, all the way down here to Texas, I thought it fitting that I should take the opportunity for the birding tour. It was a day well spent. We would easily recommend the Wharf Cat tour... Escher Drawing Hands 1948 Lithograph Our first Project for Life Drawing 1 is to draw contour lines of our hand in different positions. It reminded me of M. Escher's famous artwork shown here. It reminded me of M. Escher's famous artwork shown here.
Whooping crane sightings can be reported online. On the books In 2008, Richter and his son Taylor, then 10, petitioned Georgia legislators to pass Senate Resolution 864 , declaring November as Whooping Crane Month in Georgia.... 9/11/2009�� Whooping Crane Activity Book--A Fun Peek Inside! While the ultralight-led Whooping Crane Class of 2009 is making its way south, children can read all about how imagination and innovation have helped us help our endangered Whooping cranes.
Crane Drawing. Here presented 51+ Crane Drawing images for free to download, print or share. Learn how to draw Crane pictures using these outlines or print just for coloring.
Try This! Journal Question/Activity � Use numbers and measurements to compare your height and arm span to a Whooping crane's height and wingspan.
Space or arrow keys. Cranes are my very favorite bird, so I decided to draw a bunch of them ^__^. This project includes the common crane, red-crowned crane, black crones crane, grey crowned crane, saurus crane, demoisselle crane, whooping crane and hooded crane!


text:
Lightstar leaders appointed to key roles with Black Owners of Solar Services and the Coalition for Community Solar Access
Lightstar Renewables Announces Sponsorship of Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center
Gallup Solar and Lightstar Renewables partnering to increase access to solar energy for Diné / Navajo communities
Wednesday, October 6, 2022: Traditional territories of the Diné (Navajo People) and the Zuni Pueblo / Gallup, NM – Today Gallup Solar and Lightstar Renewables are announcing a new partnership to boost access to clean energy and refrigeration for the Diné / Navajo People. An annual commitment of $10,000 and additional resources from Lightstar will double the annual number of solar installations Gallup Solar completes, and provide additional opportunities for community members to undertake solar installation training as part of Gallup Solar's certification program. This certificate is a credential that opens opportunities for employment on larger solar installations.
Access to electricity is acknowledged as a basic human right. Even still, approximately 15,000 families of the Navajo Nation do not have access to electricity, creating barriers to obtaining clean water, healthy food, healthcare, and using the internet. Opportunities to use clean energy via solar will mean essential activities, like the refrigeration of important medicines, are possible at home for the first time.
Gallup Solar has been bringing solar energy to Diné / Navajo communities for 15 years. Gallup Solar provides comprehensive installation training and graduates install the systems themselves, therefore, building skill capacity for future employment while connecting their homes or homes of elders to a reliable electricity source. The solar installation training program offers graduates of the program receive a certificate acknowledging this hard skill. Those who hold certificates have received preference when applying for solar installation jobs, which is important in this area as unemployment is at 13% in the Gallup, NM area and is even higher on the surrounding Navajo reservations.
Bill Bright, President of Gallup Solar said: "We know that access to clean energy impacts more than just where people get their power. It opens opportunities for better health, better shelter, and better access to fresh food. The opportunity to expand our training and increase solar installations with Lightstar's support means more people can thrive in their own homes and lives."
Lucy Bullock-Sieger, Lightstar's Vice President of Strategy shared: "We are deeply inspired by Gallup Solar and their work to support solar energy access and job training for Diné / Navajo community members. It's essential to provide access to solar to folks who need it most and fully aligns with Lightstar's mission to support solar for both the land and the community. We are humbled and honored to expand the impact of Gallup's solar installation and training program, in a culturally respectful way that honors the original stewards of this land."
Together, Gallup Solar and Lightstar will help more Diné / Navajo families gain access to low-cost and environmentally-friendly clean energy and provide workforce training opportunities that will support an even greater number of solar installations in the region. This impactful partnership will create space for the Diné / Navajo People to shape a more healthy, safe, and prosperous future for the community.
About Lightstar:
Lightstar is a community solar developer and long-term owner with a pipeline of over 500 Megawatts (MWs) of community solar farms in the US. Founded by a seasoned team of solar developers, our mission is to be good stewards of the land and the communities that we serve. We are focused on leading in community solar development that is built with ecology and agricultural needs at the forefront, which in our mind is a key next phase of the clean energy transition.
About Gallup Solar:
Gallup Solar is collaborating with communities, elected representatives, utilities, and industry to bring solar power to all peoples in our area. We envision a flourishing and healthy environment that enables all communities to live in harmony with creation.
Yulu PR
lightstar@yulupr.com
"We are strong believers that the future of energy must involve protecting and regenerating our land" June 20, 2022 – Boston, MA – Lightstar Renewables (Lightstar), Boston-based community solar and agrivoltaic developer with a national pipeline, is announcing its sponsorship of the Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center (CALC), an initiative of Jack's Solar Garden, that educates […]
Why Community Solar?
Dual Use & Agrivoltaics
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


James' Jetsam - Your Cruise Expert: Can you cruise if you're a Sikh?
Probably not, which is a shame I think. At least you can't if you're an orthodox Sikh anyway.I had an enquiry about this a day or two ago about cruises from Southampton and I thought I'd share with you what I'd learnt today.
Before I tell you why they can't cruise a quick bit of info might help about what makes a Sikh orthodox.
Kirpan - A strapped, curved sword.
Although adhering to these isn't necessary to call yourself a Sikh they are the articles of faith for anyone who wants to consider themselves an orthodox Sikh so they have to have these with them at all times.
You obviously can't take a knife onboard a cruise ship. Or can you?
The issue then obviously becomes however if they do try to take it and you don't want to board you're not allowed any kind of refund. Not sure I'd be happy leaving it to the last minute to find out if I could cruise but it was still the most positive response I had.
What do you think? Is this a form of discrimination from the cruise lines or just a safety issue; I can kind of see both sides point of view.
I know I wouldn't be happy with the ides of people onboard carrying knives but by the same token I wouldn't like to think of a group missing out.
What side of the fence do you fall on?
By the way, the above is all about cruise only options from Southampton, I couldn't find any information at all about flights. Does anyone know how orthodox Sikhs get around this?


-The Chairman of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Cllr. Jerome Korkoya.
Monrovia-Liberia-The Chairman of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Cllr. Jerome Korkoya, has issued a writ and mandated 19 Magistrates of the NEC to conduct the forthcoming October 10, 2017 Presidential and Representatives Elections.
Cllr. Korkoya said: "The writ of elections signifies the electoral process is transitioning from pre-elections to actual elections". He has reassured of the national Elections Commission's commitment to conduct free, fair and transparent elections.
According to Chapter 4, section 4.3 (2) of the New Elections Law of Liberia, provides that upon the directive of the Commission, the clerk of the writ shall issue writs for each election not later than 90 days prior to the time prescribed for the election.
The writ, in consonance with the election laws of Liberia, shall direct the magistrate of each county or district to conduct elections in accordance with the provisions of the title, regulations and instructions of the Commission.
According to the NEC Chairman, the exhibition of the Voter Roll will take place from 12th to 17th of June 2017, while nomination of candidates begins from 11th to 19th of June 2017, in keeping with the electoral timetable.
The Representatives of the Magistrates, Mr. Vopea Gongloe, described the writ as a constitutional mandate of trust, and confidence and said the nation's democratic process has reached a significant milestone.


text:
Soulo Smith – "Melanin War" and "The Focus"
Staff June 11, 2021
Recording Artist, Producer and Actor – Philly Soul, "Soulo Smith". Gaining respect for his creativity, charisma and grace on tracks while being a front runner in originality with music that relates, inspires and so much more like VIBE! Whether on screen or on the microphone Soulo leaves a timeless mark. Speaking of his music, from his wordplay to his delivery = uncommon but the experience begins with the instrumentation which he himself produces.
Inspired by artist such as Andre 3000, Micheal Jackson, Erykah Badu, Dr. Dre, Tupac, Jay-Z, Eminem, Drake, J. Cole Kendrick Lamar and more his versatility and style is similar to a complete arsenal. Follow him on Spotify, SoundCloud, Apple Music, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. Google "Soulo Smith" to find him on more streaming and social platforms.
Soulo Smith is on radio rotation with the tracks "Melanin War" and "The Focus".
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11036578/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/soulosmith
Youtube: https://youtu.be/fJwk_8P3NKw
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/soulo_smith
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/soulosmith
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SOUnLiketheOthers
Website: http://www.SOUnLiketheOthers.com
Tags: Hiphop & Urban Melanin War Soulo Smith The Focus
Bernie aka Birdbadas – 'Under The Sun'
Soul Chalice – "Sunflower Seeds"
TY-336 – "Let It Sang"
Jinxed 100K – 'Hurt Em' ft. Krizz Kaliko


I have been a long time kcup user. With the introduction of kcups in the market, I was really happy that they have a lot of flavors to offer the coffee drinker.
I am also on the lookout in the malls for a sale of k cups as I have always wanted to stock up on kcups at home because there are times that I have some visitors and I offer them kcups which they love a lot.
From brewing my own coffee in a pot in the past, the kcups has done a lot in helping me save time and giving me great tasting coffee all the time.


REQUIEM tells the story of a young woman torn between family, faith and illness. The film is inspired by true events.
It is the1970's and Michaela (Sandra Huller), 21 has spent all her life in a small town in Southern Germany where she has grown up up in a deeply religious family, with a kind but weak father and a cold-hearted, distant mother. Despite her years-long battle with epilepsy, Michaela yearns to leave home and study at university. At first, everything seems to be going well - her first taste of freedom brings a romantic involvement with Stefan Weiser (Nicholas Reinke) and a rekindling of a friendship with Hanna Imhof (Anna Blomeier), who is from the same home town. But soon, the shell of family and faith within which she has felt so protected starts to crack. The result is a breakdown.
Not a normal epileptic attack, but a frightening onrush of grotesque faces and voices. Afraid of being sent back home to her family, Michaela seeks help from a priest who reinforces her conviction that she is possessed. Though Stefan and Hanna entreat her to seek psychiatric help, they are unable to break through the dense religious and moral ties binding Michaela to her family, and leave her to her fate..
After 23, CRAZY and DISTANT LIGHTS, director Hans-Christian Schmid once again turns a sharply observant yet understanding eye towards a fragile human being at sea in a world of moral ambiguity. Loosely based on true events, REQUIEM tells the story of a young woman torn between family, faith and illness. Stage actress Sandra Hueller gives a stunning emotional tour de force in her feature film debut.


text:
Unit of Analysis and Sample Size
Predicting Sales at a Sporting Goods Store
Confidence Interval Multiple Choice
*Why is it important to ensure that the unit of analysis aligns with the purpose of the doctoral research?
*Explain the broader implications of selecting the incorrect unit of analysis on the practice to business
* How and why the unit of analysis for your proposed quantitative study is suitable for your research question?
*Explain how and why the unit of analysis for the proposed quantitative study is suitable for the research question
Research Question: Is there a relationship between executive compensation and organization performance in banks:
Source of data: Interviews-compensation committee members or c-suite executives.
Please use a min. of two scholarly references.
Analyze the relationship between sample size for the chosen unit of analysis and statistical power
Why is it important to ensure that the unit of analysis aligns with the purpose of the doctoral research?
The unit of analysis represents what is to be analyzed in the research. More precisely, it is the major entity analyzed in the study. The purpose of the doctoral research is a complex or a qualitative research of a thesis or dissertation. This is why is very important to align the unit of analysis with the purpose of doctoral research. For example, if we are comparing the students in two classrooms on achievement test scores, the unit is the individual student because we have a score for each student. On the other hand, if we are …
The expert explains why it is important to ensure that the unit of analysis aligns with the purpose of the doctoral research. The broader implications of selecting the incorrect unit of analysis on the practice to business is given. The unit of analysis for your proposed quantitative study is suitable for your research question is explained.
Probability Distribution, Mean and Variance


text:
El setge d'Acre fou la primera operació bèl·lica important organitzada pel rei de Jerusalem, Guiu de Lusignan per recuperar els territoris perduts en les campanyes de Saladí, cap dels musulmans de Síria i Egipte. Es considera una de les batalles de la Tercera Croada. El setge durà des de l'agost del 1189 fins al juliol del 1191 i no hagués estat possible sense la participació del rei d'Anglaterra, el de França, el d'Armènia, el duc d'Àustria i llurs tropes. La llarga durada significà que la força d'atac dels estats llatins era incapaç de fer un assalt efectiu a aquesta ciutat costanera i també que Saladí era incapaç de desfer-se'n del setge, ja que ambdós bàndols continuaven rebent subministraments per mar. Finalment la paciència permeté que els croats assoliren la victòria.

Context
Saladí havia destruït l'exèrcit de Guiu de Lusignan, rei de Jerusalem, el 4 de juliol del 1187. Molts cavallers cristians foren fets presoners. L'endemà, Saladí prengué el castell de Tiberíades i, en comptes d'atacar Jerusalem, preferí prendre altres ciutats amb l'objectiu de deixar el rei cristià sense efectius de suport.
El 8 de juliol arribà davant les muralles de Sant Joan d'Acre, ciutat que estava defensada per Joscelí III de Courtenay. Aquest senyor, no cercà resistir sinó que negocià tot seguit la rendició. Malgrat les protestes dels burgesos Acre fou cedida a Saladí el 10 de juliol.

Els termes de la rendició asseguraven la vida als habitants cristians i la conservació de llurs possessions, Saladí desitjava que continués sent una ciutat pròspera i quedar-se'n els beneficis, però la major part dels ciutadans malfiaren i decidiren emigrar. Saladí marxà després a conquerir altres ciutats costaneres, entre elles Jerusalem, que prendria el 2 d'octubre del 1187.
El 13 de juliol arribà per mar Conrad de Montferrat i, en veure que la ciutat havia caigut en mans musulmanes, escapà cap a Tir, que estava sent assetjada i a punt de rendir-se. Conrad organitzà la resistència i feu desistir Saladí del setge.

Saladí comprengué ràpidament el perill que representava Conrad per als seus projectes de conquesta del Regne de Jerusalem. Alliberà Guiu de Lusignan, que havia estat capturat a la batalla de Hattin, després de fer-lo jurar solemnement de no tornar a entrar en armes contra els musulmans, esperant que la mediocritat de Guiu faria neutralitzar la intel·ligència de Conrad. Per dues vegades, el 1188 i el 1189, Guiu provà d'assumir el comandament de les forces croades a Tir, però Conrad de Montferrat refusà obrir-li les portes de la ciutat, argumentant que ell se'n feia càrrec fins que arribés el successor Balduí V de Jerusalem. Segons el testament de Balduí IV de Jerusalem, Conrad era el parent més proper que havia d'assumir la regència del petit Balduí V. Guiu replicà que el títol corresponia a la seva esposa, Sibil·la, però Conrad es mantingué ferm i llavors Guiu plantà el campament a fora de les muralles.

A finals de la primavera del 1188, Guillem II de Sicília envià una flota amb 200 cavallers; el 6 d'abril del 1189, Ubaldo Lanfranchi, arquebisbe de Pisa, arribà amb 52 vaixells. Guiu aconseguí guanyar-se els suport d'ambdós contingents. A l'agost, Conrad tornà a negar-li l'entrada, així que decidí desmuntar el campament i marxar a atacar Acre, que estava a 50 km al sud; ell i les seves tropes viatjaren per terra seguint la costa, mentre que els pisans i els sicilians anaren en vaixell. Guiu necessitava urgentment una base des d'on organitzar un contraatac a Saladí, això acabaria fent de Guiu i Conrad aliats contra Saladí.

Inici del setge
El port d'Acre està en una península del golf de Haifa. La zona est estava protegida del mar obert, mentre que la zona oest i sud estava protegida per una muralla. La península estava resguardada en terra ferma per una doble barrera, reforçada amb torres. Com a principal base militar de Saladí, estava ben fornida d'armes i guerrers. L'exèrcit de Guiu, en canvi, era pobre en tots els sentits.

Inicialment Guiu provà d'atacar per sorpresa assaltant les muralles, però fallà i establí un campament a la rodalia, esperant reforços. Uns dies després arribà una flota formada per danesos i frisis, que reemplaçaren els sicilians, els quals abandonaren en sentir la notícia de la mort del seu rei Guillem II. Després arribaren francesos i flamencs comandats per Jacques d'Avesnes, Enric I de Bar, André de Brienne, Robert II de Dreux i el seu germà Philip de Dreux, bisbe de Beauvais. També arribaren alemanys comandats per Lluís III, landgravi de Turíngia, i Otto I de Guelders; i italians comandats per l'arquebisbe Gerhard de Ravenna i el bisbe Adelard de Verona. Lluís de Turíngia, que era cosí de la mare de Conrad de Montferrat, el convencé d'enviar tropes des de Tir. Un exèrcit armeni, comandat per Lleó II de Cilícia, també prengué part en el setge. Quan Saladí fou informat de tot aquest desplegament, posà en marxa les seves tropes cap a Acre, i atacà el campament de Guiu el 15 de setembre sense aconseguir res.

Batalla d'Acre
El 4 d'octubre del 1189, Saladí es traslladà a l'est de la ciutat per entrar en batalla contra els croats. L'exèrcit de croats sumava 7.000 membres en infanteria i 400 en cavalleria. L'exèrcit de Saladí havia estat reclutat a Egipte, Turkestan, Síria i Mesopotàmia.

Els musulmans posaren formació de semicercle i avançaren des de l'est cap a Acre. L'exercit croat quedà al mig, amb els arquers en primera línia i la cavalleria pesant en segon lloc. En l'anterior batalla els cristians havien lluitat repartint les forces; aquí la batalla començà de manera desigual, amb els templers atacant per la banda dreta de Saladí i acaparant la major part de l'atac. Aquesta estratègia tingué tant d'èxit que els musulmans hagueren de demanar reforços a altres parts del camp de batalla. El persistent avanç dels arquers obrí pas als que anaven amb espases de manera tan eficaç que el centre i la dreta de les tropes de Saladí fugiren.

Els vencedors s'afanyaren a fer pillatge. Saladin aplegà els seus homes en la distància i, quan els cristians començaven a retirar el botí, foren atacats per la cavalleria musulmana. Els croats no pogueren oferir resistència, els musulmans començaren a encalçar els fugitius i massacrar-los, fins que arribaren tropes fresques del flanc dret cristià. En aquesta lluita, els reserves de Guiu, carregaren contra els musulmans fent-los retrocedir contra els murs d'Acre; llavors sortiren de la ciutat 5.000 homes de la porta nord de la ciutat, que s'uniren als sarraïns del flanc dret i atacaren junts als templers, els quals tingueren moltes baixes i hagueren d'abandonar l'atac. Gerard de Ridefort, Gran Mestre templer, morí en la batalla. Andreu de Brienne també morí i Conrad se'n salvà de la mort perquè fou rescatat per Guiu. Al final els croats aconseguiren expulsar els atacants. Les baixes entre els cristians, segons les fonts, podrien ser de 4.000 o 5.000 fins a 10.000. Saladí necessitaria una altra batalla per poder-los vèncer totalment.

El doble setge
Durant la tardor, arribaren més croats d'Europa, cosa que permeté Guiu bloquejar Acre per terra. La notícia de l'arribada imminent de l'emperador germànic Frederic Barba-roja alçà la moral dels croats, però també fou una motivació perquè Saladí reunís un exèrcit més nombrós, capaç d'envoltar completament la ciutat i el campament dels croats, amb la idea de fer-ne dos setges per separat.

Els quinze mesos següents passaren sense activitat bèl·lica per cap dels dos bàndols. El 30 d'octubre, 50 galeres musulmanes travessaren el blocatge cristià i abastiren la ciutat amb aliments i armes. El 17 de desembre, una flota egípcia arribà per recuperar el control del port i el camí que hi duia. El març del 1190, quan les condicions meteorològiques eren millors, Conrad sortejà el control per salpar amb el seu vaixell cap a Tir i aviat tornà amb subministraments per als croats que contrarestaven la vigilància efectuada pels egipcis sobre la costa. També portà material per construir maquinària de setge, El 6 de maig les posaren en pràctica, però les màquines foren destruïdes sense aconseguir l'assalt.

El 20 de maig, Saladí, que havia continuat enfortint el seu exèrcit durant els mesos previs, inicià un atac sobre el campament cristià, que costaria vuit dies en ser repel·lit. El 25 de juliol, en contra de les ordres dels seus comandaments, els soldats cristians atacaren els musulmans pels flanc dret i foren derrotats. A l'estiu arribaren reforços de França, comandats per Enric II de Xampanya, Teobald V de Blois, Étienne I de Sancerre, Raül I de Clermont, Joan de Fontigny, Alain de Saint-Valéry, l'arquebisbe de Besançon, el bisbe de Blois, i el bisbe de Toul. A començaments d'octubre arribà el duc Frederic VI de Suàbia amb la resta de l'exèrcit del seu pare, l'emperador romanogermànic, que havia mort ofegat en el riu Saleph el 10 de juny. Poc després arribaren croats anglesos comandats per Balduí d'Exeter, arquebisbe de Canterbury. A l'octubre, també arribà el comte de Bar i els cristians s'obriren pas a Haifa, cosa que permeté portar més aliments al campament dAcre.

El 4 d'octubre, els croats atacaren el camp de Saladí, però cap bàndol obtingué avantatja. En aquest atac, el mestre templer Gerard de Ridefort fou capturat i executat; seria reemplaçat per Robert de Sablé, gran amic del rei Ricard.
La vida a l'interior de la ciutat i al campament s'anà posant difícil amb l'encerclament de Saladí. Els aliments havien d'estar molt racionats, el subministrament d'aigua estava contaminat amb la presència de cadàvers humans i d'animals que no podien sortir a enterrar, i aviat començaren a escampar-se malalties. Lluís de Turíngia, malalt de malària, feu plans per tornar a casa seva quan arribaren els francesos i morí a Xipre el 16 d'octubre, en el viatge de retorn. La reina Sibil·la, esposa de Guiu, morí també, pocs dies abans que les seves filles. Amb aquesta mort, Guiu perdia els drets al tron de Jerusalem i la successió passava a la germanastra de la difunta, Isabel de Jerusalem. Això no obstant, Guiu insistia en ser ell el rei.

Els barons del regne aprofitaren l'ocasió per deixar de donar suport a Guiu i arranjaren un matrimoni entre Conrad de Montferrat i Isabel. Primer calia que ella es divorciés del seu marit Omfrei de Toron i comprovar que ell hagués anul·lat el seu matrimoni anterior amb una princesa bizantina. El patriarca Heracli estava malalt i el seu substitut, Balduí d'Exeter morí sobtadament el 19 de novembre, per tant foren l'arquebisbe Ubaldo Lanfranchi de Pisa, legat papal i Philip, bisbe de Beauvais, els que s'encarregaren de fer possible el matrimoni. Conrad es retirà amb Isabel a Tir, però Guiu seguia insistint que ell era el rei, fins que l'elecció del consell de barons ho confirmà el 1192.

Mentrestant l'exèrcit de Saladí no havia parat d'augmentar, de manera que ara era impossible que cap cristià s'apropés a la ciutat per terra. L'arribada de l'hivern implicava que tampoc es podria arribar per mar. En el campament cristià els caps començaren a sucumbir a les epidèmies. Teobald de Blois i Esteve de Sancerre moriren, també Frederic de Suàbia el 20 de gener del 1191. Enric de Xampanya està lluitant amb la malaltia durant setmanes però es recuperà.

El 31 de desembre, s'efectuà un altre intent de travessar les muralles, el qual no reeixí, i el 6 de gener del 1191, el col·lapse parcial de la muralla permeté un altre intent d'atac cristià. El 13 de febrer, Saladí aconseguí obrir-se pas entre les línies dels croats i arribar a la ciutat, per reemplaçar els exhaustes defensors amb una nova guarnició de soldats; de no haver-ho fet els de l'interior haurien mort de malaltia. Conrad de Montferrat provà de fer un atac per mar cap a la Torre de les Mosques, però el fent desfavorable i el roquer li ho impediren. Al març, quan el temps va millorar i els vaixells podien tornar a portar provisions, el perill que la ciutat caigués en mans dels cristians augmentava. El duc Leopold V d'Àustria arribà i assumí el control de les forces cristianes. En saber-ho Saladí sentí que havia perdut l'oportunitat d'aixafar el que quedava dels croats. El rei Ricard d'Anglaterra i Felip II de França també es posaren en marxa cap a Terra Santa.

Els reis a Acre
El rei Felip arribà el 20 d'abril del 1191 i el rei Ricard el 8 de juny, després d'haver conquerit Xipre. Ricard anava amb una flota de 100 vaixells i 8.000 homes, Felip anava en una flota genovesa comandada per Simone Doria. Felip emprà el temps d'espera mentre arribava la flota anglesa, en construir màquines de setge del tipus trabuquet. Quan Ricard arribà demanà entrevistar-se amb Saladí i acordaren un armistici de tres dies per fer possible la trobada. Per desgràcia tant Ricard com Felip es posaren malalts i l'entrevista no es produí.
El rei francès volia començar el setge d'Acre, però Richard encara no estava recuperat de la malaltia i esperava l'arribada de més croats que probablement no havien arribat a causa de la mala mar. Refiaven que quan aquestes naus arribarien podrien fer més maquinària de setge amb el material que en portarien. Felip no volgué esperar-se i el 17 de juny començà l'atac amb balistes i altres armes. Els defensors de les muralles començaren a fer soroll i senyals de fum per alertar Saladí i el seu exèrcit que estava fora.

Les màquines aconseguiren foradar les muralles d'Acre, però llavors atacaven les tropes de Saladí i això permetia que els de dins reparessin els forats mentre els cristians havien de defensar-se de l'atac. L'1 de juny, Felip d'Alsàcia, comte de Flandes i Vermandois, morí en el campament, cosa que afectà molt al rei francès, ja que a més de ser amic seu, no tenia descendència que se'n fes càrrec del govern dels seus territoris.

El 3 de juliol, causaren una escletxa prou gran per entrar però l'atac dels cristians fou neutralitzat pels defensors. L'endemà la ciutat oferí rendir-se, però Ricard no acceptà les condicions. Aquest cop Saladí no replicà amb un atac a gran escala. El 7 de juliol, la ciutat envià una ambaixada a Saladí per demanar auxili o es rendirien. L'11 de juliol es produí la darrera batalla i el 12 de juliol els d'Acre tornaren a oferir una rendició i aquesta vegada els croats acceptaren. Conrad de Montferrat, que havia tornat a Tir perquè el rei anglès havia donat suport a Guiu de Lusignan com a candidat a rei de Jerusalem, fou reclamat com a negociador, a petició de Saladí. Saladí, però, no participà personalment en les negociacions, tot i que acceptà la derrota. Els cristians entraren en la ciutat, Conrad penjà la bandera de Jerusalem, la de França, Anglaterra i la d'Àustria en la torre més alta.
Leopold d'Àustria marxà dolgut perquè creia que Ricard no l'havia tractat com a igual per no tenir el títol de rei, sinó el de duc i perquè havia permès que els seus soldats llevessin la bandera austríaca de la torre. El 31 de juliol, Felip també tornà al seu país, ja que havia de solucionar la successió a Vermandois i Flandes. Ricard es quedà sol com a únic comandant dels croats.

Després de la batalla
Els cristians començaren a reconstruir les defenses d'Acre mentre Saladí recaptava diners per pagar el rescat dels musulmans que estaven captius. L'11 d'agost, Saladí portà el primer dels tres pagaments acordats i per poder començar a efectuar l'intercanvi de presos. Ricard no acceptà perquè determinats nobles cristians que els musulmans havien capturat no estaven presents en l'intercanvi. Tornaren a fer negociacions però no arribaren a cap acord. Ricard també volia que els presos musulmans que el rei francès havia deixat en mans de Conrad de Montferrat, fossin intercanviats. Conrad accedí a contracor i sota pressió. El 20 d'agost, Ricard pensà que Saladí es retardava massa i feu decapitar 2.700 musulmans que estaven presos a Acre. Saladí, en resposta, ordenà matar tots els cristians que havien capturat. El 22 d'agost, Ricard i el seu exèrcit abandonaren la ciutat, deixava com a encarregats de la seva custòdia a Bertam de Verdun i a Étienne de Longchamp.

La resta dels croats marxaren cap al sud i l'exèrcit de Saladí els seguí. Ambdós es trobarien en una nova batalla a Arsuf el 7 de setembre.

Referències

Bibliografia

Setges de les croades
Acre
Batalles del Regne Armeni de Cilícia
Acre

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


After providing for the interest upon any loans and deposits and after making such other deductions as required under Section 65(1) and 66 of the MCS Act 1960 and Rule 49A of MC5 Rules 1961 Twenty five percent of the net profit of all the business carried on by or on account of the society shall be placed at the credit of the Reserve Fund of the society.
The remaining 75 percent of the net profit of the society shall be utilised as provided under Rule 50,51,52,53.
To pay dividend not exceeding * 15 percent per annum, upon the paid up share capital at such rate as the committee may recommend and the annual general body meeting may approve. The dividend on shares shall be paid to the registered holders of such shares according to the books of the society as on the last day of the preceding co-operative year.
To pay honorarium to office-bearers of the society not exceeding 15 percent of the net profit to reward them for the sacrifice of their valuable time for the working of the society. However, the office bearer may take such amount of annual limit 15% or Rs.2000/-, whichever is less.
To allocate to a common welfare fund, such part of the profit as the annual meeting of the general body may determine to be utilised in furtherance of the objects specified in the bye-law No. 5(d).
The balance, if any shall be carried forward or dealt within such manner as the annual meeting of the general body on the recommendations of the Committee, may determine.
Subject to the bye-law No. 151, the society may write off any loan and interest thereon. Society's charges due from the members, the expenses incurred on recovery thereof and the accumulated losses which are certified as irrecoverable by the Statutory Auditor.
the meeting of the general body of the society has given due sanction for writing off the amounts.
the approval of the financial agency to the writing on the amount if the society is indebted to it, is obtained.
the approval of the-Registering Authority is obtained. Provided that, if the society is affiliated to the District Central Co-operative Bank or any other financing agency but is not indebted to it, the permission of the Bank or the financing agency is not necessary.
Provided further that, if the society is classified as A or B at the last Audit, no such permission of the Bank or the financing agency or the Registering Authority is necessary, if there is sufficient balance in the bad debt fund, specially created for the purpose to cover the amount proposed to be written off as per Section 67 as amended in 1994.


text:
In his last play, Shakespeare reflects on the power of theatre and the magic of performance. Prospero's island provides the stage for a tempest of words and theatrical inventions as actors and audience immerse themselves in a storm of love and conflicts, witty wordplay and philosophical musings.
Following the success of their adaptation of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Pan Pan now work with Theater Bonn's ensemble on the play which inspired Huxley's dystopia.
Pan Pan Theatre and Theater Bonn would like to acknowledge Culture Ireland's support.
02 March - 16 June 2017
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley at Theater Bonn – Rehearsal Pics


You are at:Home»iPad and iPhone News»Apple's iOS Car Integration is Coming Soon!
More reports are out and they indicate that the Apple iOS car integration is coming sooner rather than later in 2014.
The three automakers include: Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari and Volvo. At the WWDC (The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference) 2013 keynote, Apple Vice President of Software and Service, Eddy Cue indicated that other automakers will be onboard with the iOS car integration system as well. Some of the others include: Acura, Honda, Infiniti, Kia, Nissan and Hyundai.
"Ninety-five percent of cars sold today have integrated music playback and control from an iOS device, but we want to take this integration to a whole 'nother level," said Eddy Cue. The in-dash display will allow users to communicate with Siri, access your entire iTunes music collection and even receive iMessages via the automobile's sound system. Forbes has an interesting article that says in four years, most cars will work with smart phones.
Check out the video below and please share your thoughts.


Ok...those look pretty yummy...what are they?
That's melon soup with vanilla! When this was served by Loic's aunt, I wondered if she's been reading Bea's blog, since Bea had a recipe for this very soup a month ago today. Having sent her husband home from Paris a bit early, after Bea has wandered and shopped through her favorite arrondissements of Paris on her own, she finally settles on a place for lunch. When she tasted this soup, she asked for some clues about the recipe but they didn't divulge them, so when she got home, she reproduced the soup at home. This is the style in Bea's way of doing things that I love. I adored this soup and I think that Aunt Francois must have seen the blog. Otherwise, how would she know? Here is a link to Bea's recipe with gorgeous photos.


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Q: Wild Card % Giving an Error in a SQL Query This Oracle SQL query written in c# is  giving me  the following error : invalid character
qur = " select * from emp where name LIKE '%" + TextBox1.Text + "%'";

How can I solve this?

A: The problem is your query is very open to Sql Injection attacks. Since you are not using parametrized queries anything entered in TextBox1 can crush your query.
for example if I enter : ' char in Textbox your query will be select * from emp where name LIKE '%'%' and it will  throw error. And apart from that it is vulnerability and you should not use such queries.
You can change query to  :
SqlCommand cmd= new SqlCommand( " select * from emp where name LIKE @myParam");
cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@myParam", "%" + TextBox1.Text + "%");

you missed @
How do parameterized queries help against SQL injection?
C# constructing parameter query SQL - LIKE %

A: you should use it as below:
qur = " select * from emp where name LIKE '%'" + TextBox1.Text + "'%'";

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Jean Katzen joins our community governing body with a wide-ranging background as a Senior Executive in the fields of Advertising, Marketing and Media both in New Zealand and South Africa. In addition, she has held the position of Executive Director of the Women's International Zionist Organisation (WIZO) Victoria for the past eight years.
She commenced her new role during Pesach and has joined Zionism Victoria at a very busy time as our organisation hosts Yom Ha'atzmaut and Yom Ha'zikaron for the Melbourne community.
Jean has been eager to get her feet under the desk and assist with the initiation of these and other programmes and events for the 2017 year.
"I am thrilled to be joining Zionism Victoria, where I can contribute to the vibrant Jewish community and foster communication between Israel and Victoria helping our future generations to become and remain involved in all aspects of our community," said Jean.


text:
IAN RICHARDS
Ian Richards – Comedian, After Dinner Speaker, Charity Auctioneer.
an is a professional Comedian, After Dinner Speaker and Charity Auctioneer. Having now carved out a well recognised and respected niche in the After Dinner market, establishing himself as one of the most in-demand performers on the circuit today and first choice comedian for many of the worlds top companies and corporate organisers.
Ian has one of the most recognised and commanding voices in the business today and appears on many well-known brand commercials, he is also the most efficient and successful Host, Compere & Master of Ceremonies, being able to handle and maximise Charity fundraising, Auctions and Award Ceremonies to the highest professional standard. Totally reliable, impeccably presented, with fresh material and most importantly very funny!
From humble beginnings on the boards of Clubland in the late Seventies to Summer Seasons in, Jersey, Gt Yarmouth, Scarborough, Bridlington, The Isle Of Wight and Cromer. Ian has travelled the world.
Appearing in four decades as a full time professional. Ian has made over 500 appearances for the British Armed Forces on the mainland alone plus hundreds of appearances for England Golf Unions in almost every County. He is perhaps the most prolific and popular comedian at Golf Club Dinners and both Charity & Corporate Golfing Events, Masonic ladies nights, Rotary and Round Table Mixed events. Ian has recently appeared in Dubai, Las Vegas, Abu Dhabi and Croatia for major Corporate clients.
It is always important to select someone who has a proven track record of entertaining at the highest levels, with the ability to gauge carefully the mood of the audience and tailor his act to cater for all ages and tastes.
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Burger King is a well-known franchise around the world (known as Hungry Jacks in Australia) and just like any other fast food franchise the company has had legal trouble, but this one is a bit odd. A homeless man is suing the corporation for $1.2 million because the employees at the burger king he visited thought the money he had given them was fake. Emory Ellis attempted to buy food at a Boston Burger King with a $10USD bill, but the employees thought it was a fake not, so they called the authorities and had him arrested.
The arrest triggered a probation violation, and Ellis was held in jail without any bail for around three months. In the end, it was found by the Secret Service that the bill was legally meaning that Ellis had been detained for no reason and Ellis never got his money back. Ellis decided after this to sue the company for the incorrect claim and started a lawsuit. Ellis claims that it was decimation because of his race.
Ellis' attorney stated that if Ellis had "been a white man in a suit" that the employees wouldn't have even second-guessed and if they did that they probably would have apologised to them. The lawyer also stated that they probably would probably have just not accepted the cash if it was a "white man" without calling the police. This lawsuit had only shown up only after a few weeks before it two African American me were wrongly arrested in a Starbucks because an employee had called police after the two men hadn't bought anything.
Along with earlier that month, an African American student who fell asleep while falling asleep had the police called on him by a Caucasian student. It is not known whether Ellis' attorney is going to be using these examples in the upcoming case however the case will be going ahead. It is unknown when the final verdict will be reached, but the chances are high that Ellis will get at least some compensation for being so miss treated. It is unclear on whether Ellis will also be claiming for damages of being wrongfully imprisoned because of this incident but Ellis is determined to get justice for the damage that has been done. This is one of those court cases that is going to take a while, but Ellis' attorney is confident that they will win the case.


Hyeon Chung of South Korea was the winner of the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals, in the championship upsetting top-seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia 3-4(5), 4-3(2), 4-2, 4-2 in the experimental short-set scoring format in Milan, Italy.
The 21-year-old Chung is the first South Korean to win an ATP title since Hyung-Taik Lee 14 years ago.
Rublev rued his chances, saying he was the dominant player until he let his emotions get the best of him.
Chung also beat Rublev in round robin play en route to going 3-0 and into the semifinals. The No. 6 seed advanced past the semifinals at an ATP event for the first time.
In the third and fourth set Chung's relentless defense wore on Rublev, whose frustrations became apparent. Chung clinched the title in the fourth set on a no-ad point. Both players collected one of the largest paychecks of their career, Chung $390,000 and Rublev $235,000.
Great fun and should be a great learning curve for these young players as well as generating interest in the future of tennis.
Well done to them all, but especially Chung.
Just me then, looking to the future.


text:
Fonterra's loss
What does it take for bosses not to get their bonus?
Written By: Simon Louisson - Date published: 11:26 am, September 13th, 2018 - 17 comments
Categories: business, capitalism, economy, Economy, employment, farming - Tags: fair pay, fonterra
Fonterra's $196 million loss for the June year – the first loss in the co-op's 17-year history and a staggering reversal of last year's $745m profit – failed to seriously dent the remuneration of its former CEO Theo Spierings.
Spierings has retained the same out-sized $8m-plus remuneration he was paid last year, raising questions not just of greed but whether bonuses actually work.
The question is: what does it take for CEOs to lose their bonus? Why is it that all risk lies with the shareholders? Why does poor performance by a company not result in CEO and top management bonuses being clawed back? And why do employment protection laws apply to those on enormous salaries so despite espousing the ideology of taking risk, it doesn't apply to them.
Instead, what we see is that these enormous bonuses continuing to be paid despite regular abysmal performance.
Many of the KPIs that earn CEOs bonuses are just the normal things CEOs should be expected to do excellently.
Spierings' pay last year led to calls to reign in levels of chief executive remuneration and caused angst amongst many of Fonterra's farmer-investors.
Almost $4.2m of what he received in 2018 related to bonuses, albeit some that were earned in the previous year. But it included a short-term bonus of $979,702 (versus $1.18m in 2017). Under Fonterra's pay scheme he could have earned up to $1.48m worth of short-term incentives.
In 2017, he earned a long-term bonus of $4.3m. He may still get some long-term bonuses paid next financial year. Nothing would surprise.
The co-op said its normalised earnings before interest and tax was $902m, down 22 per cent. But for a big company to claim "normalised' earnings is a nonsense.
For big operations, every year will include "abnormal" events.
But even on a so-called normalised basis, gross margins fell to 15.4 per cent from 16.9 per cent. Hardly, something bonuses should be paid for. Return on capital fell to 6.3 per cent from 8.3 per cent, while its gearing ratio (debt to equity) bumped up to 48.4 percent from 44.3 percent.
The average loss relating to farmers' ownership of Fonterra for the co-op's 10,000-odd farmer-owners amounts to $8,000.
The abnormals were a $405m writedown in investment in Beingmate in China – an investment that can certainly be sheeted home to Spierings' management, and a $183m payment to Danone from the botulism scare, an event that was incredibly poorly managed by the company and its PR firm.
No pay details have been disclosed of interim chief executive Miles Hurrell, who took up his position last month.
Hurrell said, "there's no two ways about it, these results don't meet the standards we need to live up to. In 2018, we did not meet the promises we made to farmers and unit holders."
What he didn't add is that we will pay our CEO and top managers their bonuses anyway.
This year, Fletcher Building, what was our second largest majority locally-owned business with any international competitive impact, made similar catastrophic losses – a $190m loss for the June year.
Its former CEO, Mark Adamson, was paid a $2.9m "exit package". Although he forfeited $8m of bonuses held in a long-term share scheme, my question is why should a CEO who has overseen a loss of ~$5 billion in shareholder value not just be sent down the road, no questions asked?
Part of the trouble lies in the fact that people on very high salaries get the same employment protection that ordinary workers receive. I would argue that the law should be changed so that once an employee receives remuneration of over ten times, or even five times, the average income, he/she should be prepared to take the responsibility that they live or die by their performance.
As a former businesses reporter, time and again I would see bosses fired for incompetence but paid enormous "golden parachutes". Once, after a CEO of Tower was sacked but paid a $4m golden parachute, I asked if the same conditions would be put in place for the replacement; chair Colin Beyer said: "Of course, we have to remain competitive".
It was pigs at the trough closing ranks.
(Simon Louisson is a former journalist who reported for The Wall Street Journal, AP Dow Jones Newswires, the New Zealand Press Association and Reuters and has been a political and media adviser to the Green Party).
17 comments on "What does it take for bosses not to get their bonus?"
Gabby 1
The CEO Club seem to have achieved provider capture.
KJT 2
Even the shareholders can avoid a lot of the risk.
Like voting for excessive borrowing to extract dividends, then having no liability for the company collapse.
It is staff and suppliers who have to wear the losses, while owners and managers, scarper.
Bill 3
I'd guess…if they gave voice to their social conscience they'd lose their bonus. That said, their social conscience was sucked under by a pool of filthy lucre long ago – so it ain't gonna be happening.
But that's a large reason they get paid what they do.
They're willing to head up companies and organisations that do terrible things, and they're willing to be the smiling apologists for whatever it is the company or org does and to generally keep it all under wraps or "in house".
Can you imagine the CEO of something like Fonterra standing up and calling a spade a spade when it comes to water pollution, land degradation, or whatever else sits on the raft of environmental damage that floats atop their profits?
They are paid to maintain a culture that successfully punts the company as some quite nice and wonderful to have financial or business asset, while neutralising any criticism that may be "incoming" on their environmental record, or their employment practices, or any of their various dodgy dealings….
And after it's all done, well it takes a lot of money to distract the poor poppets from any potential guilty feelings that might see them "spill the beans" on the shit they encountered, or witnessed, or managed while they sat in that 'overseers' chair. 😉
We're told their salaries all are about financial performance? We believe it?
If it takes a pay of, millions, to motivate someone to do their job properly, perhaps they are recruiting from the wrong people?
Certainly the quality of management has dropped as salaries have sky rocketed, and the idea took hold, that someone totally ignorant in the field the company is in, can manage it.
Dennis Frank 5
Bonuses derive from contracts, so responsibility lies with who authorises those contracts. In a corporation, that's the board, right? So, with all due respect to Simon for helping the Greens, his analyst doesn't get to the crux of the issue.
At board level, decisions are made in accord with mutual perceptions of what's best for the corp, as regards future prospects, and whether profits suffice to satisfy shareholders despite the payment of bonuses. Takes a lot to generate a shareholder revolt. So the reason bonuses have become automatic is due to the board consensus that it is required by the current market situation. Capitalist class interests prevail.
Grantoc 5.1
With respect Dennis, bonus's for CEO's/executives have not become automatic.
I recently undertook a review of a CEO's performance on behalf of a board in order to determine whether or not the CEO should receive any incentive reward, as part of the work that I do. The CEO's incentive plan consisted of a number of objectives and KPI's that the board and the CEO had agreed to at the start of the cycle. They related to the achievement of the organisation's strategic goals. The quantum of the incentive reward for the CEO was determined by the quality of the CEO's performance. For some objectives his performance was not up to expectations, and he got little or no payment; for other objectives he performed up to and beyond expectations and he received an incentive reward in recognition of this.
The situation I describe above is typically what happens in most organsations. There are exceptions but that what they are, exceptions.
Payment of bonus or incentives is hardly ever automatic and it defies the logic of having them in the first place. It would be stupid of any board to agree to this. In a CEO's employment agreement bonuses are typically described as 'at risk' pay and it is stated that they are conditional upon certain objectives being met.
RedBaronCV 5.1.1
which still leaves the question – why is there not a minus bonus for the not achieved areas ? Other wise the CEO risk is all 0 to +ve territory – no chance of a downgrade overall.
Phil 5.1.1.1
why is there not a minus bonus for the not achieved areas ?
I suspect the answer is probably something to do with employment law?
CEO's are still employees, after all. I doubt that "you haven't achieved your targets, so you're going to have to pay back some salary" is looked upon fondly in employment court.
Phil 5.1.2
Hi Grantoc,
I'm curious if your review included any consideration of 'gateway' incentives?
For those unfamiliar, gateway incentives are designed to ensure a staff member works toward both their quantitative targets (e.g. $x sales or company profit of $y mln) as well as behavioral/qualitative targets (e.g. complied with the organisation code of conduct at all times throughout the year, filed all paperwork to the appropriate standard, minimal number of process errors, etc).
While quantitative incentives usually scale with performance, the behavioral gateway incentives are typically binary. That is to say, even if you nail all your sales targets during the year, the gateway to any incentive payment may be closed if your behaviors were not up to scratch.
This type of incentive/bonus framework is now common in most financial institutions.
Herodotus 6
Re "normalised profits" I took great interest in fletcher buildings result ( being a worker) that the normalised profits for bonus calculations excluded costs associated with the earth quake yet all following years the remedial work and building materials sold by the company were normalised. Lesson: bad results are abnormal, good results are normal 🤑
Dukeofurl 7
What baffles me why do business journalists talk about company results which mostly give profit on accrual basis as if its a cash basis
When the numbers that matter is given here:
"normalised earnings before interest and tax was $902m, down 22 per cent. '
Doesnt sound like a $8k loss because there was no such thing.
Fonterra is doubly hard to report on because its a Cooperative and the owners are mostly paid in their milk price. A Coop wouldnt normally have a profit at all and all its surplus goes to the farmer suppliers without any tax paid.
But for a $20 bill company its shows in the gross margins which are 15.5%. Thats $3.2 bill territory.
Business journalists are doing a bad job when they talk about accounting write offs as individual shareholder losses. That is swap between accrual and cash accounting as though they are the same thing.
CEO remuneration packages are big part of the company gloss & PR. It's like bolting on a big muffler, a big spoiler, and mags and pretend to have a powerful racing car while in fact it is a sad excuse for hoon-wreck to be. People are so easily fooled by shine & gloss (all the glitters is gold). It's also known as make-believe.
It's not just CEOs of large companies where these sort of inequities occur.
I work in a small business (30 employees, 10 of them full time), there is secure car parking available next door.
This is for the exclusive use of the general manager and two owners.
No one else to use them any if they are not being used.
Leaving the rest of the staff, in the shadow of minimum wage to pay up to $12 a day in fees.
RedBaronCV 9.1
And then there are the joys of working for those that get a bonus. Incentivizes a lot of plain awful downwards behavior.
KJT 10
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8242873948775998562#editor/target=post;postID=5019555867712783018;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=94;src=postname
"One of the corollaries or supporting ideologies behind Neo-Liberalism is the cult of Management.
The idea that individual shareholders, managers or directors are the main contributors to the success of a corporation, and thence the economy. And deserve the greatest share of the rewards. The jobs and income of all other employees and State servants is a generous charitable gift from these people.
Except, maybe in the case of genuine entrepreneurs, we all know this is not true."
KJT 10.1
http://kjt-kt.blogspot.com/2011/04/kia-ora-corporatism-and-neo-liberalism.html
SaveNZ 11
Great to see another quality piece SIMON LOUISSON…
There seems something abhorrent in a new wave of corporate bosses who are hired in often from overseas at great rates and run the business into the ground by lowering wages in real terms, hiring moron group thinkers from a decade ago financial crisis culture, and making many people outside of that self promoting, anti employee culture redundant and not innovating at all or seeing the future.
A ten year old can see that you need to have quality IT for example in a modern business, but why pay 8 million (Fonterra) or 5 million (Fletchers) for example to a boss that also manages to screw it up???
There is little to no strategy going on and little to no management going on in these cases, but still the business community keeps the mantras going… pay the bosses exceptionally to keep competitive, don't worry about cultural fit, overseas people are better in all cases, pay most other people to do the work poorly and celebrate underpaying employees and ripping them off and giving them no rights under poor managers and then wonder why the business is suddenly not competitive and the company is a shambles within a few years under that approach?
The top most valuable company in the world is Apple whose founder worked for a salary of $1 at one point and the top 5 most valuable companies are technology.
When you look at Amazon, a tech retailer – even a company that has an old school way of working aka retail, make value through technology… and often the tech side becomes more profitable than the retail side…
So as the NZ government goes further and further down the low wage, bums on seats at cheap rates, old school style of commodity business, and attract B grade or less managers at high rates and give them cart blanche to destroy the NZ culture that caused them to be great in the first place and replace old workers with new cheaper contractors often from overseas, NZ as a country are having to use asset sales to keep the Ponzi going and increasingly are not even in control as we recruit bosses that don't seem to return any value to our shores to run and operate our businesses at the top end, while turning a blind eye to the scams both financial or immigration based blooming smaller business operating concurrently plus the tax scandals like Cadbury who can transfer wealth, replace it with debt and then make everyone redundant shortly after taking over.


The Supreme Court recently announced it will hear its first Second Amendment case since 2010, raising the question of whether the Court's newly conservative majority is on the verge of erasing a decade's worth of gun safety regulations.
In this lawsuit, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. City of New York, the NRA and other plaintiffs are challenging a New York City law that prohibits individuals in possession of a "premises" license, the narrower of the two types of firearm licenses the city offers, from bringing their guns to public places beyond their property. While the law at issue applies only in New York, the case raises general questions about how Second Amendment cases are decided that could have a broader impact.
In a presentation delivered days before the Supreme Court's announcement, at a Second Amendment symposium co-hosted by Giffords Law Center and Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly, Yale Law Professor Reva Siegel drew parallels between the NRA's activism leading up to the 2008 case District of Columbia v. Heller and the surge of gun violence prevention activism the country has witnessed over the past year.
Amidst concerns that the Court will soon take up more Second Amendment cases to further expand Heller—which ruled that an individual has the constitutional right to keep a handgun in the home for self-defense—Siegel and others have raised questions about how the Court will react to the wave of gun safety momentum that has swept the country since Parkland, leading to 67 new gun safety laws in 2018 and well over 90 percent of Americans supporting measures like universal background checks.
"The Supreme Court's appetite for expanding the Second Amendment, if such an appetite develops, will be wildly out of sync with the mood of the country," wrote New York Times columnist Linda Greenhouse in early January 2019.
In her opinion piece, "A Call to Arms at the Supreme Court," Greenhouse effectively refutes the argument that the Second Amendment has been treated as a "second-class right" in the courts, an argument that has become a rallying cry of a gun lobby eager to denounce any and all gun safety regulations as unconstitutional.
The application of the phrase "second-class right" to the Second Amendment originates with Justice Samuel Alito's opinion in McDonald v. Chicago in 2010. As Greenhouse points out in her opinion piece, it has been used most frequently by Justice Clarence Thomas since then, particularly in instances in which the Court has declined to take on new Second Amendment cases.
As Lowy and others have noted, the right to bear arms is not just about having lethal firearms—it's also about using them. Exercising the right to bear and use firearms can have a detrimental effect on the exercise of other constitutional rights, like to right to peaceably assemble, to worship, and to speak freely.
When courts approve gun safety laws that protect people who are exercising these and other rights, they aren't treating the Second Amendment as second-class—they're making sure to safeguard all of the rights in our Constitution. In a panel at the Second Amendment symposium, Washington University School of Law Professor Gregory Magarian expanded on this idea by suggesting that Second Amendment interpretations should be informed by First Amendment law and the differences between gun rights and speech rights.
"The right to keep and bear arms is predicated on the ability to do great physical harm," Magarian said. "That's what guns do. So the right to keep and bear arms is never going to have even the partial claim to a relatively innocuous character that the right to the freedom of speech has." Magarian also noted that the First Amendment doesn't protect speech that incites violence—further proof that gun safety laws aimed at reducing violence are consistent with limits imposed on other rights.
The idea that the highest court in the land might be poised to stray from Justice Scalia's guidance and adopt an absolutist view of the Second Amendment right—one that fails to take public safety into account—should worry any American who wants to see a safer future for our country.
To learn more, read Second Amendment Litigation Director Hannah Shearer's Interested Parties memo and Giffords Law Center's factsheet on the Supreme Court and the Second Amendment.


text:
County Manager Presents $662 Million Budget
Real estate tax revenue fuels 5.4 percent increase despite loss of state funds.
While state legislators are wrestling with a budget shortfall that reaches into the billions, county officials are looking at a $662 million balanced budget proposal that increases spending despite cuts in funding from state officials.
On Saturday, Feb. 8, County Board members got their first look at County Manager Ron Carlee's proposed budget for fiscal 2004 on Saturday, Feb. 8, a proposal Carlee said maintained all current county services and provided suggestions for additional programs that would be self-sustaining. "Of course this is only the beginning of the process," said Carlee.
County officials will hear concerns of residents over the next few months before the county board approves an official budget on Saturday, April 26.
As usual, budget numbers were calculated based on the current tax rate, but many residents have said they will ask the board for cuts in real estate taxes in response to the release of the latest real estate assessments late last month.
Assessments on single-family homes in Arlington rose an average of 17.3 percent, which could translate to a $462 tax increase for homeowners across the county. Rising assessments have been "the savior" of county programs, said Chuck Gubisch, county budget director. Indeed, 48 percent of county funds in the proposed budget would come from real estate taxes.
That means local homeowners will bear an unfair burden in such uncertain economic times, according to some residents. Tim Wise, president of the Arlington Taxpayers Association, said county officials' emphasis on state funding cuts draws attention away from the facts.
Officials estimates show that state money coming to Arlington will be cut by $2.1 million next year, while county spending will increase by $14 million. Wise says that shows county officials aren't just making up for state cuts to maintain services. "The local government is plundering the citizens of Arlington," he said.
COUNTY BOARD MEMBERS said they would listen to the concerns of residents, but it's too early to say how much of a tax cut, if any, could come to Arlington homeowners.
County officials estimate that for each penny drop in the real estate tax rate, county coffers would lose $3.2 million in fiscal 2004, which runs from July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2004.
County Board chair Paul Ferguson said he remains hopeful that priority services such as schools, public safety and neighborhood conservation could remain protected while county officials find room to keep the tax burden low.
Board member Barbara Favola said she too would consider lowering taxes, but only after she is certain that county services would be adequately funded. The current budget proposal represents a "compassionate budget," with full funding for public education and public, she said.
Favola rejected the notion that increased spending means unfair burdens on taxpayers. "It's becoming more and more expensive to run the county," she said. Nevertheless, she expects rising expenses will be balanced against concerns for the taxpayers.
SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES faced county budget planners, including cuts in state funding, increasing insurance costs, and minimal growth in sales, personal property and business tax revenues.
Although state aid makes up only 8 percent of county funds, the loss of $2.1 million dollars from Richmond forces county officials to make some adjustments. Carlee said unlike many jurisdictions, he and his staff did not even consider dipping into rainy day funds, reserve funds set aside for emergencies, to make up for the cuts. Instead, they're banking on continued prosperity in the real estate market and streamlining some county services.
For instance, to respond to the projected $1.3 million dollar, or 34 percent, increase in insurance costs, employees with health insurance policies through the county will face larger co-payments and prescription costs.
County budget proposals rarely include a long list of new initiatives. This proposal is intended to provide a balanced guideline for the county board to use when considering new programs.
"I think this is a continuing-services budget," said Barbara Donnellan, director of the Management and Finance Department. In other words, some funds were reallocated, and revenue sources shifted, but the core services provided by the county remain essentially unchanged under the proposed budget.
The proposal does contain provisions for four strategic initiatives that county board members may or may not choose to support: economic sustainability, transportation, human services and neighborhood conservation.
ALL FOUR INITIATIVES are self-funded, meaning residents would not incur any additional across-the-board taxes if the board chooses to adopt them.
The Economic Sustainability Initiative would create a special taxing authority in Rosslyn. In order to create a Business Improvement District, the authority, made up of local businesses and community groups, would impose a small property tax on Rosslyn buildings, to fund cleaner streets, marketing for the area and community events.
In addition, board members would consider a 2-percent increase in the hotel tax to fund a new Conference Center, one of the chief priorities of late county board chair Charles Monroe.
On Saturday, county board members were hesitant to discuss specific initiatives but have on numerous occasions said they will dedicate this year to fulfilling Monroe's vision for the county, so it seems likely that the conference center could become a reality.
The hotel tax increase is not included in the main budget and would be enacted only if the conference center is approved.
RESIDENTS WILL PAY more to park if the board approves the Transportation Initiative. The initiative would be funded by a 25-cent increase at all parking meters, making an hour 75 cents at long-term meters and $1 at county short-term parking.
The extra funds would go toward pedestrian safety measures, mass transit and a new Parking Coordinator position. The coordinator would "take a more strategic look" at Arlington's parking crisis, Donnellan said, and would study ways of improving parking policies across the county.
Transit funding continues to be elusive under the current budget proposal. Despite limited self-funding under the Transportation Initiative, the county will be searching for funds to meet its obligation to Metro and to push forward on mass transit for Columbia Pike.
On Saturday, a new Bus Rapid Transit vehicle was demonstrated outside the county board meeting. It's one option for Columbia Pike and elsewhere in the county. But Jim Hamre, Transit Program Coordinator, said he expects funding and operations would not be ready for another six years.
DISCUSSIONS ON funding transit improvements included revenue from the regional sales tax referendum that was voted down in last Novemeber's elections. But board member Chris Zimmerman said county officials had not been banking on it.
Nevertheless, when that referendum was defeated, it left county officials scrambling for ways to improve mass transit. Zimmerman says the next option is to lobby for federal funding. In today's uncertain economic climate, though, it's unlikely Arlington will be seeing federal transit dollars any time soon.
The Human Services Initiative wouldn't require any additional funding derived from residents' pockets. Federal funding would be applied to various programs including behavioral health services and affordable housing.
Affordable housing is one area Ferguson said he will examine closely. On Saturday, the board approved an affordable housing redevelopment project in Columbia Heights West. The project will almost completely empty the county's affordable housing fund for this year.
Some residents opposed the project, saying depleting the fund this early in the year is putting too much faith in the success of this development. But Ferguson said he remains hopeful that the 2004 budget will contain enough funding to replenish the affordable housing fund without cutting into other services.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION may prove to be an unavoidable initiative. The manager's proposal would add staff to help manage the projects already approved by the Neighborhood Conservation bond of 2002.
That's an example of how one expense locks taxpayers into greater burdens for years to come, Wise told board members. Infrastructure funded by bonds requires provisions in future budgets for maintenance. "You should have known that when you approved the bonds," he said.
Necessary maintenance of existing infrastructure explains part of the county budget increase, as does inflation. But the 5.6 percent increase in the proposed budget exceeds those factors, Wise said.
Funding for public schools creates the largest drain on county funds, due to the 48.6 percent revenue-sharing agreement. That means when county revenues rise in 2004 due to real estate assessment increases, Arlington Public Schools get more money whether they need it or not. The schools transfer would rise 8.6 percent under the proposed budget, because county revenues are expected to rise 8.6 percent.
"It's obvious that the schools are going to be drowning in money," Wise said.
Carlee's Budget Tops $700 Million
Carlee Proposes 6.3% Budget Hike
Schools Face Cuts
As Budget Approval Nears, Teachers, Watchdogs Look at Details
County Board OKs $628 Million Budget


text:
Stash of more than 600 Roman-era silver coins discovered in Turkey
By Laura Geggel published 8 February 21
The coins are about 2,100 years old.
Archaeologists in Turkey discovered 651 silver coins in a jug. (Image credit: Aizanoi Excavation Archive)
Archaeologists in Turkey have unearthed a hoard of Roman-era silver coins in a jug buried near a stream.
The 651 coins are about 2,100 years old, but despite their age, the text and imagery engraved on them is still legible, said Elif Özer, an archaeologist at Pamukkale University in Turkey who helped excavate the coin jug in Aizanoi, an ancient Greek city in Turkey's western Kütahya province.
"It was an extremely exciting discovery," Özer told Live Science in an email. It's likely that "a high-ranking soldier came to Aizanoi ... and he must have buried these coins here for a reason we do not know yet."
Related: Photos: Roman-era silver jewelry and coins discovered in Scotland
Archaeologists found the jug buried on the banks of a stream in Aizanoi in September 2019. After examining the cash hoard, they identified 439 pieces as denarii, or ancient Roman coins minted on silver, and 212 as cistophori, silver coins from Pergamum, an ancient Greek city located in modern-day northwestern Turkey.
Many of the coins were minted in southern Italy, Özer noted, and all of the coins dated to between 75 B.C. and 4 B.C. Portraits of Roman emperors decorate the silver coins, she added.
The coins are about 2,100 years old. (Image credit: Aizanoi Excavation Archive)
The coins featured Roman emperors on one side. (Image credit: Aizanoi Excavation Archive)
The hoard includes 439 denarii and 212 cistophori. (Image credit: Aizanoi Excavation Archive)
It's possible that a high-ranking soldier buried the treasure. (Image credit: Aizanoi Excavation Archive)
The coins dated to to between 75 B.C. and 4 B.C. (Image credit: Aizanoi Excavation Archive)
Many of the coins were minted in southern Italy. (Image credit: Aizanoi Excavation Archive)
Caesar, Brutus, Mark Antony and Augustus Young are depicted on the coins, and the back of each coin "tells a different story," she said. For example, one type of coin shows a scene with Aeneas — a Trojan hero who is the son of the goddess Aphrodite and Anchises, a cousin of the Trojan king, according to Greco-Roman mythology; Aeneas is also known as the ancestor of Remus and Romulus, twin brothers considered to be the founders of Rome. In the scene engraved on the coin, Aeneas carries Anchises on his back, Özer said, illustrating the famous scene in Virgil's "Aeneid" in which Aeneas carries his family out of burning Troy. (It's a famous scene that was also immortalized in the "Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius" sculpture by the Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini.)
—Images: The largest stash of gold coins discovered in Israel
—In photos: Well-preserved Roman villa found beneath UK home
—Photos: Major Roman settlement discovered in North Yorkshire
The vast collection of denarii and cistophori are known as a "coin album," because they feature rulers from the late Roman Republic, Özer said.
After the team finished their inventory of the rare find, they sent the hoard to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, where the coins will go on display.
Originally published on Live Science.
Laura Geggel
Laura is an editor at Live Science. She edits Life's Little Mysteries and reports on general science, including archaeology and animals. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Scholastic, Popular Science and Spectrum, a site on autism research. She has won multiple awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association for her reporting at a weekly newspaper near Seattle. Laura holds a bachelor's degree in English literature and psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and an advanced certificate in science writing from NYU.
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« Another Stan related job in baseball!
Great blog post. I really like rstanarm, but a mention of brms might be good here as well. The 'brms' package is great for marginal effects plots of interactions, which might be useful to this person for some of question #3 that they had.
> The other thing is, yeah, forget type 1 error rates and all the rest. Abandon the idea that the goal of the statistical analysis is to get some sort of certainty. Instead, accept posterior ambiguity: don't try to learn more from the data than you really can.
Measuring sensitivity and specificity is useful for binary decision problems like medical diagnostic testing. It's not so useful for things like testing if a regression coefficient is non-zero—as Andrew keeps pointing out, we don't really expect any of these effects to be exacty zero. Instead of type-I error rates, can you just report posteriors for parameters like regression coefficients and some indication of whether they'd make much of a difference in practice? That way you can deal with sign and magnitude and difference from zero in a unified framework. And it seems to be what people really want. That is, instead of using point estimates and reporting things like "two cups of coffee/day leads to 17 fewer days of life expectancy (all else being equal and average!)" that you see reported everywhere, including the popular press and clinical drug trials, you'll at least get uncertainty in these predictions. The all-else-being-equal bit's still a tough one, as it often mixes distinct subpopulation predictions.
One approach that you could try is the Piironen/Vehtari approach to variable selection. It's like a souped-up L1 regularization that will effectively zero parameters that aren't useful based on a clevere extension of the horseshoe prior. Also, Jonah Gabry and Ben Goodrich developed useful default priors that are also reasonably scaled as defaults; here's the prior vignette from CRAN and here's the general rstanarm::glmer vignette.
call me skeptical of the entire enterprise. What we want is a model to estimate effect parameters with a probability distribution that is a function of causal conditioning. P(Y|do(X)). What we have in exercises like this are models that give us consistent estimates only for probabilistic conditioning P(Y|X). I'm using Cosma Shalizi's language here. Sure, all the work in causal modeling shows us how to get consistent estimates under causal conditioning, but what I'm skeptical of is that we can actually do this in practice – that is we're only going to approximate consistent estimates under fairly limited conditions. This is not a DAG vs. linear model argument – I think DAGs are nice theoretical tools but in practice don't help for questions like Mark White's. But of course if everyone thought like me then whole fields of study would end today!
I didn't mean to comment as Anonymous – a student came in and I hit send without filling in the boxes!
Thanks for the response! So assume I have `y`, the outcome; `z`, the treatment indicator; and `x1` to `x4`, some categorical demographic variables. I could do something like: `y ~ z + (1 + z | x1 + x2 + x3 + x4)`, but when there are only 2 or 3 levels for each demographic variable, I worry that we don't have enough groups to estimate the variance of the treatment effect. So if `x1` was `f` or `m`, then we would be trying to estimate a mean and a variance from two groups, right?