All of you probably know our company. Unikom-Ug is a subsidiary of ANB International of USA. We handle most of ANB' metering business.
Our corporation is one of the largest and oldest companies in Ukraine. Let me remind you that Ukraine was scientific center of the USSR, with much of research in aeronautics, military and other applications done there.
Unikom-Ug is mostly engaged in defense industry. We also completed a number of projects in industrial automation, notably in the power sector. Our experience gives us a unique edge in providing highest quality, made in Europe products to our customers. Well-known manufacturing culture of Ukraine, ready-made communication, measuring and encryption algorithms from the military applications allow us to offer possibly the best products on the market. As in the other areas of Unikom-Ug business, our main objectives are innovation, highest security and reliability.
Yet the products of Unikom-Ug are very competitively priced. Large development expenditures led to a highly integrated design with relatively low manufacturing cost. Thus, we can procure the components of much higher quality than most other producers, notably from China, and because of the lower number of the components still offer very reasonable prices. Needless to say, a smaller number of components provides for increased reliability of the meters.
The important point is that we can always match any price of our competitors, even the lowest one. Integrated design allows us to do so. However, the lower price necessarily means not the best quality. It still remains much higher than, say, with Chinese products but doesn't meet our rigid standards of quality. Each product has its price. In this case, each quality has its cost. While our models with 2-year warranty are priced to win the most competitive tenders, those with 8-, 12- or even 20-year warranty may cost almost two times more. Although all models have life expectancy of 30 years, it is up to the customer to decide whether he wants highly reliable or low-priced product. In our opinion, unless there is a government requirement to award the tender to the lowest bidder, the preference should go for the high quality – even at the higher price. In the end, these products should operate in harsh environment for 30 years. As American astronaut once said, he would not be comfortable flying a space shuttle, whose components were outsourced to the lowest price bidder.
Needless to say, great products have beautiful design. Not only we employ professional industrial designers but also for most products we go through evaluation of our design by outside agencies to ensure ergonomics and perfect modern outlook.
We offer the full range of metering solutions. Let's start from basic electronic meters, simply a replacement for the mechanical ones. Their price is even lower than that of mechanical. Still, there are many advantages. First, they are highly reliable, with no accuracy drift during the lifetime. As all other models, they are well protected against tampering, like energy flow reversal, phase-neutral swap, neutral disconnection or opening of the meter. Next, they offer some additional features, like maximum demand measuring and reading from optical port. Also, there are many upgrade options, notably to multi-tariff, whether time-of-use or slab tariff, and to power line carrier (PLC) automated meter reading (AMR) or other networks.
The PLC AMR warrants more description. In our opinion, this is the most effective way to cut utilities' losses. AMR boards are installed in mechanical or electronic meters and read the rotating disk or pulse indicator, accordingly. Load profile data is then continuously sent through the power cable to the receiver, which is a small device installed at transformer or substation. From there the data is transferred to the central office through telephone line or GSM.
Thus, the utility office can read any meter, simply sitting in his office. No more the customer has to pay by assessed reading and, of course, now he cannot bribe the inspector to change the reading.
Most importantly, utility gets not only the month-end reading, but also continuous stream of load data. The integration period can be set as time, usually as 15-minute interval, or as quantity, commonly as 1 kWh. The information on meter disconnection is also logged and transferred to the central office.
The receiver can hold the load profile data for virtually unlimited period, at least for 1 year. It can service thousands of meters, removed from the transformer to 1km. The data from receiver can be transferred regularly to central office, read on demand from that office by polling, or read with inspector's handheld.
Now it becomes impossible for customer to change meter readings. He also cannot claim absence from home, because continuous meter readings will show that he, indeed, was using electricity all the time but at strangely low rate. By analyzing the consumption patterns, our software generates the report on suspicious customers. Then the inspectors can check these users.
Moreover, the system compares incoming and outgoing energy on each feeder. So, if the customer connects before the meter, the place of such losses can be pinpointed with high accuracy. Illegal connection can be easily terminated by inspecting such place.
As an additional benefit, PLC AMR allows introducing multitariff system with mechanical meters. Actually, consumption is divided by tariff zones at the receiver. There are 4 tariffs, definable by workdays or weekend and holidays. Each season of the year can be attributed different tariff, and during the day tariffs can be changed at hourly intervals.
AMR also collects data on disconnection of meters, providing for fast checking of tampering by consumers. Combination of maximum demand and disconnection data allows spotting possible fraud very reliably.
PLC AMR is a standard feature of our electronic meters. But let me point that it works even with existing mechanical meters. Installation of AMR boards is very easy – in fact, we'll make a board of specific shape for each type of mechanical meter case you're using. It is extremely effective and low-cost solution to drastically reducing the utility power losses.
Another very useful solution is a DB meter. Usually the utility experience two particular problems. One is that customer has uncontrolled access to his meter. Another is that he can connect the supply before his meter, thus bypassing it. DB meter eliminates both.
It looks like a common distribution board. One feeder comes in, and from there each customer takes his supply. However, all customer meters are installed inside the DB. Actually, only measuring units are installed there, while LCD can be located in a convenient place, like, for example, near the elevator. Card reader can also be installed there for prepaid operation. Each customer can view his reading by scrolling or entering his apartment' number.
Thus, customer consumption is measured not at the entrance to his apartment, but at the zero point, at building' entrance. DM meter measures incoming and the sum of all outgoing energies at the same time, preventing any possible fraud. Now customers can steal only from each other by connecting to the neighbor' supply. This, however, doesn't affect the total billings.
This system is not only highly secure but also convenient, taking less space than many meters. It is more reliable, easy to read or to connect to AMR.
I would like to also describe our multifunctional meters, commonly used for industrial customers and substations. They measure over 70 parameters, including per-phase active and reactive energy, current, maximum demand, voltage, power factor, frequency, load profile and a host of other values. This information is stored for the 12 months. Without doubt, these are the best multifunctional meters on the market. We took care to incorporate in them every feature we found in other meters: of Landis&Gyr, ABB, Schlumberger, and others. If some feature is not there – just let us know, and we'll do it for free. Importantly, our multifunctionals cost 4 to 20 times less than those of Landis&Gyr, ABB, etc. Of course, the reason is that our products are based on newer technology, and our development expenses are thus lower. In fact, we offer standard 8-year warranty on multifunctionals, and extended of up to 20 years. The lifetime is 30 years minimum.
Let us have a quick look on PM Communicator software. PM here stands for Power Meter. It is used to read the multifunctional meters. It can be installed on inspector's laptop computer or Palm handheld. The latter is a hand-size computer with large screen and host of other services, ranging from organizer to GSM or phone modem. It is not expensive and, actually, costs less than a regular handheld. Communicator can be also installed at utility' office for quick view of the meter data.
FILE menu allows saving and exporting of the downloaded data. It can be then transferred to utility' database – either an existing one, for which we provide data conversion software, or the database we install. You can see the latter in Power Point Elproject presentation.
Have a look at the MODES menu. DATA READOUT allows for reading compatibility with any AMR or handheld supporting standard IEC1107 protocol. Not all the data can be received in this mode, but just some basic values. This is because IEC doesn't specify the protocol on register level, and every manufacturer implements it a bit differently. We often are asked to provide compatibility with existing AMR or handhelds. This is usually not a problem but it really doesn't make sense to use old-type handhelds when we supply an inexpensive and modern ones.
See the OPTIONS menu. We can connect to the meter by numerous ways. This can be fixed AMR, of RS232 or RS485 types. Or PLC network. We can also support SCADA/Modbus connection, although this is not a good solution. SCADA was used when phone lines were expensive and unavailable in many places. Now phone or GSM modems are much cheaper and offer more functionality. Actually, GSM is quite cheap today and you can even use the connection during nighttime, when GSM charges are very low. Certainly, there is no need to sit in the office during the night – the computer will poll meters or concentrators automatically. You can program the polling schedule.
So, you can connect to the meter with phone, GSM or industrial – that is, 2-wire – modem. Of course, it is not necessary to install a separate modem in each meter. Many meters can be connected to concentrator through PLC, and from there we can link them to central office with phone or GSM modem. Of course, we like to sell more modems but actually you need only one per substation. Additionally, you can access the meter with handheld from the optical port. By the way, concentrators also have optical port, so inspector can read it manually, if, for example, phone line is down.
Now in MAIN PM CONTROLS we can see the current situation: active and reactive demand, voltages for each phase and frequency. Then, there are Totals: import and export of both active and reactive energy. You can switch the meter is import/export or import only mode. In import-only, it will log reverse energy as imported, too.
There are also two Maximum demand indicators, for active and reactive energy, with time/ date stamps. These are totals since the inception or since the last reset. Max demand for each month is stored separately.
Also, there is a number of ID's in the meter. One is Manufacturer's ID, which is preset at factory and is not alterable. MEA number is the utility' own and programmable number of the meter. There is Customer ID as well. Trip number refers to how many customers used this meter: for example, when it was installed at one place, then moved to another, or when the apartment tenants keep changing. Check digit is a service field for verification of parameters.
From this screen, you can read the meter by pressing Get current PM state button. Again, this function can operate either with laptop or handheld, or remotely, through the network. Inspector can also program the Meter ID's.
Of course, only authorized personnel can do this. The meter has 4 access levels, represented by different passwords: for reading, reset, changing of the parameters, including real-time clock, and the fourth is reprogramming meter ID's. Each time the meter is accessed, the inspector's individual number is stored in the log, so that the utility can perform access violation audits quite easily.
Then, it is possible to reset the totals by pressing Clear globals button. And separately you can reset (Clear) MDI. Actually, there is not need to reset MDI, as this value is stored for each month separately anyway. This option was useful in mechanical meters, and here it's just traditional.
On GLOBAL PARAMETERS screen we see the same information on active and reactive energy import and export, but now by tariffs. We'll discuss tariff structure in details later.
ADDITIONAL PM CONTROLS screen allows to effectively program the meter. First, we can see Current date and time. Although the clock is highly accurate, it requires adjustment ones in a few years. So, we can do it by pressing Set PM time/date to button. Inspector don't need to enter the time manually, the software will automatically synchronize meter clock with his handheld. When the country uses daylight savings time, we can set it on the same screen. Here we can also program the weekend: Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
Current tariff shows what tariff zone the meter is currently operating in.
Current billing period is a number of the current month. But here we calculate not as calendar year but since inception. For example, if the meter was installed in November, then second billing period is December, and twelfth – October. This function is required because meter stores information for the last twelve months, and regardless of the time of year, reaching the twelfth billing period is the last opportunity to read the data for the first month, before it will be replaced.
Look at the Billing date window. Residential customers are usually billed on the end of the month. But high-volume users are billed on any day the utility choose convenient to regulate its cash flow. For example, billing date can be set to 10 th , or 15 th , or whatever other date of the month. In this case, billing period starts not from the first of the month but from the appropriate date, from 11 th or 16 th in the previous example. Then November 5 will be still 10 th billing period, while the 11 th period will start after the billing date.
This screen shows whether and when totals were reset: time/date of the last clearing of MDI, total registers, billing data for 12 months and load profile. You can also see when tariff structure or real-time clock was corrected. This is information only for the last event, earlier occurrences, if any, are stored in the log and transferred to the central computer during each communication session. Thus, if customer bribes the inspector to change his tariffs, etc, the utility will be able to find out soon, which inspector did it – because his ID is stored during each communication session.
Here is also Temperature inside the meter. You can select what is Overheat at your territory. For example, 30 degrees is high in Alaska, while in Thailand this value should be set to 60 degrees or so. Overheat signals are logged or transferred directly to the utility. Repeated overheats may indicate that the meter has to be relocated. Regarding the operating temperature, IEC prescribes standard accuracy at 24 degrees and set up temperature coefficient for warmer conditions. There are many companies around who advertise their meters as working to 60 or even 80 degrees. What they don't tell you that except for a few most expensive models, the accuracy at this temperature is simply unknown – there is no specification for it. Our meters change their readings very little with temperature rise and we also supply meters with accuracy independent of the temperature up to 65 degrees. By the way, LCD works from –20 to 60 degrees. Out of these limits, it becomes black, but then restored when the temperature is back to normal.
The meter is equipped with 2 batteries. Battery 1 is for running the clock in power-off situation. It should work for at least 15 years. Memory is energy-independent and doesn't require the battery to preserve data for practically unlimited period. Battery 2 is for reading the meter in power-off situation. It is regular AA battery, disposable or rechargeable, at utility' choice. It works for about 1 year with no power. Condition of both batteries is constantly measured and you would know when it is necessary to replace them.
Back to PM parameters. Here you can set an integration period for max demand and load profile, anywhere from 1 to 60 minutes. At standard 15-minute interval, meter keeps one-month record of both active and reactive energy.
Meters may be precalibrated from 57 to 240V. Then, you only need to select the Base voltage to operate the meter at a particular place.
When the meter operates with current or potential transformers, their ratios can be entered so that inspector will see the direct readings.
Event timeout is a very important value. In most power networks, there are many short disturbances: surges of 0.5 second, voltage drops, etc. If recording all of them, the meter log will be jammed soon. You want to filter only significant events, lasting for some time, say, for 10 or 15 seconds. Here this period can be set.
By the same token, utility don't care about overload of 1-2%, or 5% undervoltage. In Over-, Undervoltage and Current overload screen you can select meaningful thresholds, usually at least 10% for overload, 5% for overvoltage and 10% for undervoltage. If the meter is connected through transformers, direct readings are shown, too, in Primary and Secondary windows of the thresholds' values.
Meter contains two relays, one for current and another for voltage links. They can be programmed to switch on overload, overvoltage, overheat, underfrequency, etc. The utility can also disconnect them remotely, or inspector can do it through his handheld, for example, when repairs are required.
The meter can be set in Import-only or Import/export mode. This feature is very convenient, allowing to move the meter to another category of customers.
There are two opinions on how it's more convenient to view LCD. Some prefer it to be scrolling, while others like to change readings by pressing button. You can program the meter for Manual or Automatic menu scroll. In the latter case, scrolling delay can be set to 2 or 4 seconds.
Actually, the meter calculates over 70 values. It is not expedient to show all of them on LCD, as it would take inspector forever to read them. So, LCD MENU CONFIG you can program, which values you want to be displayed on LCD. There are two levels, one is Base menu for the most common values, and the other is Alternative menu for more advanced reading. Inspector can switch between these modes by holding the button for a short time.
RATE ARRAY menu provides for tariff functions. In our meters, they are extremely versatile. An unlimited number of holidays can be programmed – just press on the appropriate day in the on-screen calendar. The system supports two weekend days. Of course, there is no need to program each meter separately: tariffs can be loaded from a file, and it's enough to assign meter to the appropriate tariff' group.
The meter supports 4 time-of-day and up to 7 slab tariffs, and even both of them at the same time. In the Tariff scale window, you can see programming of daily tariff structure. Tariffs can be set separately for workdays and holidays in hourly intervals. Each tariff is described as certain percentage of the basic rate. Also, the tariffs can be structured by Seasons. Each month can be attributed to one of the four seasonal Tariff groups. Thus, it is possible to define tariffs by workdays, weekend, holidays and seasons in hourly intervals. This should suit any requirement but if you want it differently we can surely do it for you. We support any conceivable calendar, including lunar ones and those where holidays are not fixed.
Regarding slab (Step) tariffs, they are also defined in percentages to the basic rate.
PHASE INFO screen contains vector diagram. It is bi-directional, and can reflect phase reversal. This screen also shows voltage, current and power factor for each phase, as well as frequency. Active, reactive and apparent energy data is shown for each phase, covering all four quadrants.
In the case of prepaid meter, SMARTCARD INFO screen provides the relevant data. Cost tariff window allows a quick confirmation that tariff rates are not altered. Let me point that we don't see any possibility of illegal changing of meter data. However, we're always aware of such outcome, and provide all the means to detect the fraud.
Account info shows the prepaid balance left (Account), date and amount of the last recharge (Update).
You can also view recent transaction history, including dates and amounts of recharges. This information is transferred to the central computer for analyzing abnormal patterns and possible attempts of fraud.
BILLING DATA screen presents data on import and export of active and reactive energy for the last twelve months. This data can be shown in 2- or 3-dimensional diagram, scalable from one month to one year. It can be also shown in table format for analyzing and transfer to the utility.
LOAD PROFILE screen shows the data on active and reactive demand for the current month. Integration period can be set from 1 to 60 minutes, with 15 minutes being a common value. The size of the log is then sufficient for one month of readings. This data can also be presented in 2- or 3-dimensional diagram or in a table.
EVENT LOG is an important means to detect possible fraud. General events window offers information on meter disconnection, reset of total registers, clock and tariff correction.
Communication events window supplies data on what inspector and when accessed the meter. By comparing this info to General events log and considering access level used, the central computer provides report on abnormal or illegal activity and identifies the suspected inspector.
Meter recognizes various tampering attempts: reverse energy flow, neutral off, CT bypass and meter open conditions. Reverse energy is properly calculated as import. Removing the neutral doesn't prevent proper operation of the meter. For CT bypass, central computer offers and approximation of the energy stolen. Fitting to IEC standard, the meter is immune to direct current, magnet and surges. Unlike many other meters, it is not reset by series of fast turning on/off.
CURRENT PM STATUS screen provides inspector or engineer in utility' office with a glance on the meter operation. It shows tampering, overheating, overload, voltage and frequency, and condition of the batteries.
Again, let me stress that our multifunctional meters is the most advanced product on the market, with any options you can find in other meters. They are extremely reliable and have numerous communication capabilities. And the price is very much reasonable.
Now let us pass on to the prepaid meters. There is an obvious reason why utilities want it – to ensure collections. This brings forward security as the most important point. Our experience in military encryption allows introducing the same algorithms in the meters, based on RSA1024 standard. Actually, the security of our meters is about 2 billion time more secure that that of bank transactions. Actually, banks can employ relatively low-grade encryption because all ATM's and credit card machines are connected to bank computers, allowing for immediate verification. Although it makes sense for some tens of thousand ATM's, such network would be unmanageable with millions of meters. Of course, installation of meter network is a lucrative business and we would be happy to implement it for you, if you decide to go with it. However, it is not a reliable or cost-effective solution.
Most companies offer protected memory and smart cards. Right, they're not expensive but, on the other hand, they offer zero security. It is possible to easily copy such cards with cloning device, which is sold on Internet for some 800 dollars.
Disposable cards is another option. However, it is sufficient to recall that the same cards used by telephone companies are commonly counterfeited. In fact, many used cards permit restoring the balance by simply keeping them in the freezer for a few days. Disposable cards are necessarily cheap, and in security, like in almost everything else, you get what you're paying for. Reliable security cannot be provided at a few cents per card.
Disposable SAM cards are a late development. SAM refers to Security Application Module technology. True, it is not possible to copy such cards directly. But then, meter knows how to communicate with them. It means that the code could be broken by using card emulator with the meter. There is a still simpler option. Software in the older processors can be read, using special equipment. It is not possible with new processors. But the new ones will become old in a few years. Then, any skilled engineer will be able to read the software, stored in the meter processor, and to find out the algorithm. This is a clear breach of security.
Disposable cards are in the end more expensive, because many of them need to be printed, instead of a single rechargeable card for the consumer. Utility can easily avoid the costs of establishing infrastructure of vending stations by selling them to merchants. They will be eager to install vending stations as an attraction for their customers, just like ATM's or credit card' machines, and operate for only a small commission. Each vending machine can be connected with the utility computer through phone lines, and the cost of such network to utility is almost nil.
Another argument against disposable cards is that smart cards are a natural medium for two-way communication. During recharge at point-of-sale (POS), new tariffs and downloaded on them, while the consumption and service data is read and transferred to the utility. Service data may include info on load profile, maximum demand, power outages, energy flow reversal and meter disconnection. Two-way data transfer is extremely useful, relieving utility from the necessity to connect meters to a network. However, if the utility still wants to go with disposable cards, we can support them and our meters will allow for easy conversion to the use of rechargeable cards when you discover than disposable cards are inconvenient or became counterfeited.
Keypad meters are actually even worse than those with disposable cards. First, they are extremely inconvenient. Just imagine an elderly person trying to key in more than a dozen digits on a small keypad. Then, keypads are vulnerable to vandalism: they can be destroyed with match fire or even with chewing gum. This is not a problem with card-operated meters, which have a very narrow card slot. Besides, it costs less than a dollar to replace a card reader, while vandalized keypad requires replacing of the expensive case.
Most importantly, keypad offers zero security, even with any algorithm. The problem is that user knows the key sequence. After a number of purchases, he accumulates, say, a few dozen keys. For each he knows the amount, date and time of recharge and transaction number. The key is usually based only on this data, sometimes adding a pseudo-random number of simple generation algorithm. By analyzing these keys with special software, it is possible to find out the key' creation algorithm. There is a number of other more complicated ways to do it. Knowing how to create the keys or tokens, anyone can counterfeit them.
Now, we use processor cards. They offer many advantages. First, they are extremely secure. Second, the transaction employs open-key procedure, where there is no permanent sequence. Thus, customer cannot find out the keys. Third and extremely important, such card provides for relatively easy upgrade.
The problem is that every kind of security can be possibly cracked. The issue is to make cracking it more expensive than the possible benefits. Right now the cost of breaking our encryption is about 1.2 million supercomputer hours, which is far in excess of any gain hacker can get from recharging the cards. However, computers become more powerful. Today 30-year-old encryption is usually very simple to break. But the meters suppose to operate for 30 years. Thus, we have to be able to upgrade the security every few years. And processor cards provide just this. Please note this as an extremely important point. You don't want to buy prepaid meters, which any schoolchild can hack 5-10 years from now. Possibility of upgrading both meter and card' software is a necessary requirement.
The security is very good, of course, but what about physical force? For example, if someone steals POS, he will be able to go on recharging the cards. This is true with other manufacturers but not with us. Each vendor has a cashier's card. He purchases it from utility, or the latter distributes it to its own offices and POS. Cashier's card stores a certain balance, usually sufficient for 1-2 weeks operation of POS. When customer wants to recharge his card, the balance is transferred from cashier' to his card. When the cashier's card is empty, the vendor gets a new one.
Cashier's cards are impossible to copy or to recharge illegally. They are prepared in a highly secure, bank-grade office of the utility. In effect, the one who program cashier's cards is creating money. All kinds of security measures must be taken to prevent unauthorized access. For our part, we install eye recognition system at the utility' computer, allowing only two persons (that is, in case one of them is absent) to recharge cashier's cards.
Even if stolen, POS will work only until the cashier's card is finished. Then it becomes useless. Of course, POS has other security features, like access card, PIN and fingerprint recognition.
Cashier's cards offer an added advantage of improved cash flow. With prepaid cards, utility receives about one month of advance revenue. But with cashier's card, merchant also needs to buy his cards in advance. He even usually keeps two cards to avoid interruption of recharge. Thus, the total amount of advance payment the utility receives almost doubles with introduction of the cashier's cards.
PM SMART CARD TERMINAL software can be used on computer or installed in cash- or credit-card-accepting ATM for stand-alone operation. The system operates with special, highly secure card readers. It is designed to work as a "black box", when cashier needs almost no training to use it.
By the way, it's impossible to provide interoperability with other cards or terminals. If other devices are able to offer the utility cards, it means, anyone can reprogram the cards using standard protocols. And the utility has no protection against illegal recharges.
To Start work session, cashier insert his access card and enter PIN. After acknowledging his identity, the system prompts him to insert cashier's card. This starts the operation. Operator' name and session time is displayed for convenience purposes. If the system is not used for some time, it logs off to prevent unauthorized usage in operator's absence.
Cashier's (SAM) card info is also shown, notably its number and owner name. This can be a name of independent merchant, if utility choose to offer any shop to install POS. Cashier also sees a balance left on his card, and know when to order a new one.
When customer comes, operator insert that user' card. By pressing Open client card, he can view card data, including its number, owner's name, amount left on the card and date of the last transaction. There is also info on the meter, in which this card was used last time: its number, owner's name and address, tariff group and balance left. It is possible to allow using the card with any meter or restrict its usage to a single meter. For security purposes, such restriction is not important.
If this card is new, a replacement, for example, or was used with a different meter before, operator will be prompted to enter customer' details: his name, address and tariff group. He can also view transaction history of the client and verify his tariff structure. All this information is stored on the card. During communication with central office, data on all recharges, as well as information uploaded from the cards, is transferred to the main database. Such communication can be performed by central computer polling the vending stations or they can initiate the calls once a day, for example. Although not necessary, communication session can be established for each recharge.
Add energy button allows the cashier to add kWh or money to the customer' card. He can then verify the transaction by pressing Reload data. Cashier' card balance is visibly deducted for the amount transferred to consumer's card. Operator can Close the card then and return the card to consumer. He can perform Cheque print operation to offer receipt. Certainly, the form of receipt is customizable.
When user inserts the recharged card in the meter, the balance is transferred in full from the card to the meter. Card balance is zero after that. When going to recharge the card again, user should insert it in the meter first to receive most up-to-date information on consumption, balance, clock accuracy, battery condition and possible tampering. Balance' data allows to process refunds, if required by customers moving out.
Although it is possible to provide visual or audible, even voice, alert of low balance, it's generally useless because there's little chance a customer will see or hear it. We use a different way. When the balance reaches certain minimum amount, the customer is disconnected. He then has to go and press button on the meter, thus acknowledging that he's aware of the necessity to recharge the card. After that, the energy is switched on again for certain period, like 2 or 3 days, during which time the customer has to pay. No disconnections take place during or immediately before holidays or during nighttime.
The system can also manage fixed, standby and minimum charges and bad debts. The same card and POS can be used for prepaid water and gas meters we supply. It can be also employed to manage the load, disconnecting customers, exceeding their demand or monthly consumption allowances. However, we suggest charging them punitive tariff on excessive demand, which is a more gentle option.
In many instances, it is politically impossible to require prepayment or to disconnect a poor consumer. Our meters can deal with this situation by operating in credit mode. Here the customer pays not beforehand, but for the previous month' consumption. For example, he has to pay for January consumption up to the 20 th of February. His monthly credit can be also limited by certain amount, after reaching which the customer has to pay regardless of the date.
If he doesn't pay before the due date, utility has two options. It can either disconnect the consumer or turn on the "friendly leakage" feature of the meter. In the latter case, customer will not be fully disconnected but allowed a small consumption, say, 50W. This will allow him a couple of bulbs or a small fridge running and prevent conflicts with the utility. On the other hand, such losses are minimal compared to power grid' losses.
To prevent user' tampering with the prepaid meter, it can be produced in split version, where measuring unit is installed at the pole or in electric room, and LCD with card reader – at customer' premises.
A recent development replaces cards with real-time power line carrier network. All meters are connected with PLC to concentrators at substations, and from there by telephone or GSM modem – to central computer. If customer doesn't pay on time, he's automatically disconnected by signal, sent from the office system to the meter.
This system is highly secure because communications are encrypted with DES or RSA algorithms. Security can be easily upgraded on request. There are no cards to hack. No need for POS. Customers don't have to change their habits. They pay as usual by check or at utility' offices – but now they will be effectively disconnected if not paid their bills on time.
This solution is actually more cost-effective than any system, based on highly secure – and thus expensive – cards. It's also much easier to manage than multi-POS network. The important point for the utility to look at is high level of data encryption during communication. Any weakness in the algorithm will open the possibilities to illegally open relays. Our experience is secure data transmission for military purposes provides just such assurance.
Our central office software performs numerous functions, including card initialization, polling of POS and concentrators, connection with remote offices and database management. The software suite runs under Oracle and we suggest using Alpha servers with Solaris, although PC with Windows OS can be also employed, of course, with less reliability. The system is totally hacker-proof, with database server physically isolated from the remote access computer. Data is continuously archived on local and, for added security, on remote computer at another location. DBMS structure provides for extreme reliability and is highly scalable. In fact, it can manage tens of millions of users, providing for countrywide extension. Each meter can be accessed and reprogrammed or disconnected without leaving the office computer.
During the installation, we set up the utility structure: how many main offices are there, what are the functions of remote offices, what is the firm' hierarchy and security procedures. Elproject is not off-the-shelf software but highly customizable set of modules, which we adjust to perfectly suit customer's needs.
Let us review the ELPROJECT software, on which you can see the presentation. Actual database is stored separately to avoid possible hacker attacks. The entire job is performed by secondary database. In its turn, it operates with field offices, automatically supplying each of them with copy of that part of the database, which is relevant to their activity. Field offices can be connected by leased lines, regular phone lines, Internet or updated via CD's by mail.
The important part of security is assigning a role to each operator. The role describes those fields of the database that this user can access. For example, there's no need for customer' service personnel to work with warehouse records, review meter status or engineering reports. Alteration of tariffs is preserved for authorized personnel, etc. All operations are logged along with operator' ID's, allowing to review personnel integrity with ease.
The software keeps a file on each meter: when it was delivered, what is the warranty period remained, what were the claims, when recalibration needs to b performed, what was the accuracy during the last test, and so on. Utility keeps track on meter' status: delivered to the warehouse, scheduled for installation, programmed, installed, de-activated, etc. There are many reports, specific to the meters, like, for example, probability of the need of recalibration, considering power quality analysis in the area where it is installed.
For each user, the system keeps a huge track of data, consisting of more than 240 fields, including his personal details, consumption history, load profiles and correspondence.
The system provides every conceivable report and we guarantee to add for free any reasonable reports customer may ask for. To make the things even easier, we provide script language so that utility programmers can make various reports themselves. The pre-set reports include engineering analysis, accounting support, customer service and, importantly, discovering abnormal patterns, whether in consumption or billing, as the traits of possible tampering.
Of course, if utility wants to continue using its existing billing software, we provide export of the data, collected from meters. However, there is no need to fear complexity of our software. In case of any problems, we can remotely dial into your system and correct its operation very soon. In almost all instances, the software will just reboot the computer to re-establish normal operation. We provide lifetime free phone support and our engineers will be happy to educate your staff. And extensive training is offered at no additional cost.
Besides power meters, we also supply prepaid water and gas meters, which can be used with the same infrastructure. We not only supply the products but also offer extensive training and supervision, including installation control. Although our products are very easy to operate and generally the experience of utility' engineers is quite sufficient, any kind of project consulting you may ask for will be provided. Taking into the account reasonably low prices and extreme durability of our products, Unikom-Ug is clearly the best party to deal with in the field in power metering.
Thank you for your attention and I would like to welcome your questions.
Copyright © 1995-2005 Unikom-Ug Corp.


Dont know why no one or any guide mentioned but mines will explode after 4mins a couple of minutes (not exactly sure how long) and if you dont clear them in time they all explode together and give you 9 10 stacks which can wipe you.
Dont know why no one or any guide mentioned but mines will explode after 4mins time and if you dont clear them in time they all explode together and give you 9 10 stacks which can wipe you.
This honestly needs more up-votes as our group ran into the same issue. Our second time around to the General's Pod. We noticed our stacks would jump up to about 6 or so, fall of and then get another 7 a few seconds after. The WarcraftLogs didn't show anyone triggering this. And even if they did it was only 1 or 2 mines.
In addition to my comment above: My group handled this by designating ONE person to purposefully trigger mines when the Admiral is out of her pod (when fusillades weren't happening). This damage is easily manageable. Just do not clear any during the Engineer or General phase as add charges and fusillades happening will be too tough on the healers.
We killed the boss on our next attempt after struggling with this nonsense. Hope this helps.
Healers, I recommend that you take the Ishkar trinket for Heroic Varimathras, specifically to cheese out Necrotic Embrace. The shield will eat both the Embrace and Alone in the Darkness, reducing a lot of stress from the fight. 2 healers can take turns with their trinket to cheese out this mechanic entirely.


Our very own Dr. Roger West serves on the National Beef Board as secretary/treasurer. This week on the Southeast AgNet radio featured series "Getting to know your beef checkoff", Dr. West says if it wasn't for the checkoff the beef industry would not be where it is today. Listen to the interview.
This entry was posted in Alachua Cattlemen, Florida Cattlemens and tagged checkoff. Bookmark the permalink.


A five-time Tony Award-winner, Assassins is a darkly comic look at the men and women of American history who took their own shot at the big time — with varying degrees of deadly success. Brought together by Sondheim's signature style and a phenomenal script by Emmy and Tony-winning writer John Weidman (Pacific Overtures, Anything Goes, Sesame Street), nine villains take aim at their President in the name of love, rage, patriotism and the promise of the American Dream.
Bold, original, and alarmingly funny, Assassins might be the most timely musical for a Western world this divided, and for a Scotland trying to grasp it all from the sidelines.
Tickets are £16.50 including a £1.50 booking fee. Booking fee is applicable for all tickets including those bought on the day or on the phone.


A woman who's lost everything.
Writer of words. Drinker of Diet Cokes. Lover of all things cute and furry, especially her dog. Catherine has had her nose in a book since the time she could read and finally decided to write down some of her own stories. When she's not writing she can be found exploring her home state of Oregon, listening to true crime podcasts, or searching for her next book boyfriend.


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Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show Embraces Broader Dateline
Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show
Embraces Broader Dateline
A sled-based coffee table by New Hope furniture maker George Nakashima will be on offer from Moderne Gallery, Philadelphia.
PHILADELPHIA — Continuing its efforts to broaden the range of material on offer, the Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show will dance to a different tune for its April 20–22 edition this year. Once a bastion of fine, traditional antiques and art from America and Europe, the show has announced that it will broaden the material on its show floor, accepting and encouraging decorative and fine art and design from Twentieth Century and living artists.
"In the past, it has always been more traditional," said Karen DiSaia, a co-manager of the show who shares her duties with Diana Bittel. "But we've opened up the dateline more than ever before. To stay relevant, we felt that we had to recognize the tremendous art that's emerged from the Twentieth Century. Whatever it be, an object, artwork or piece of furniture, the great stuff is always great, no matter when it was made."
And whether artists throughout history will admit it, they are not exempt from the fact that every maker, now and past, stands on the shoulders of giants.
"I think that the artistry of the Sixteenth through the Eighteenth Century often informs things from later times," DiSaia continued. "People who are artistically creative see things and find ways to improve them."
And with that, the show has permitted dealers to bring up to 25 percent of their material from living artists. Datelines are secondary to originality and quality, attributes that have found safe haven in the current collecting climate.
"I have found that people are following the trends of museums," said Taylor Thistlethwaite of Thistlethwaite Americana, Alexandria, Va. "Museums no longer assemble period rooms but rather look at individual pieces as works of art. Most collectors are doing the same thing. I personally love when I see a piece of contemporary art hanging above an Eighteenth Century dressing table or a piece of folk art next to a Barcelona chair. I find that the beautiful proportions of a period piece with a piece of abstract art is truly a wonderful pairing."
Lillian Nassau, New York City, will offer a Tiffany Studios leaded glass Trumpet Creeper lamp with Tree Trunk bronze table base.
After many years away, Twentieth Century design will return to the fair with the inclusion of Philadelphia-native Moderne Gallery. Founder and co-director Robert Aibel will feature works by George Nakashima, Wharton Esherick, David Ebner and Harry Bertoia alongside ceramics by Estelle Halper, Ira Winarsky and Karima Duchamp.
"Twenty years ago, we were the first all-Twentieth Century gallery ever invited to the show," said Aibel. "I was selling European Art Deco at the time. I'm back now because they're opening up; this show is one of the national highlights of the year. I'm happy to support it."
Arlie Sulka of Lillian Nassau, New York City, an authority on works by Louis Comfort Tiffany, said, "We believe that good design always works together, and that many of the designers working in the Craft and Studio furniture movements during the midcentury similarly embodied Louis C. Tiffany's approach to design, nature and dedication to high-quality craftsmanship. Tiffany himself took a similar approach to interior design, blending myriad stylistic influences and mixing antique objects with modern creations."
This year's edition adds another beneficiary to the show's fundraising efforts, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the first time alongside Penn Medicine. The museum will mount the loan exhibit "Philadelphia Collects Philadelphia," which will feature the work of historic and contemporary Philadelphia furniture makers and fine and decorative artists as well as porcelain and silver items from the museum's collection.
The show is delighted to offer a program schedule that will please collectors, academics and horticulturists. To pop the cork, the show begins with a preview party on Thursday, April 19, from 6 to 9 pm with early admission beginning at 5 pm.
Martha Stewart will kick off the scheduled events on Friday, April 20, with her "Martha's Flowers" talk at 11:30 am. Stewart and her co-author Kevin Sharkey are promoting her latest book, Martha's Flowers: A Practical Guide to Growing, Gathering and Enjoying, and will discuss when to plant, nurture and, at the right time, cut from your garden. At 2 pm the same day, Philadelphia Museum of Art curators Alexandra Kirtley and Elisabeth Agro will present "Collecting Philadelphia: A Legacy of Art," speaking on the significance of Philadelphia-native features like form, material and ornament that have spanned generations of artistic tradition in the City of Brotherly Love. Friday events are capped off with the 8 pm ADA Award of Merit dinner, which will honor Peter Kenny, co-president of the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust.
Two events on Saturday, April 21, continue the programming through the weekend. At 2 pm, Emelie Gevalt, PhD candidate at the University of Delaware, will present "Buying and Selling Philadelphia: The Story of the Legendary 1929 Reifsnyder Sale," which will explore the market forces, personalities and powerful mystique behind the sale of Howard Reifsnyder's Philadelphia furniture collection. From 6 to 8 that evening, the show will sponsor "A Special Evening of Collecting & Cocktails For Emerging Collectors," allowing a more intimate environment for those who are new to the field and offering them more one-on-one time with dealers and experts.
Peter H. Eaton Antiques, Newbury, Mass., will feature a classic country Sheraton chest, circa 1815–20, with molded-edge top, six graduated drawers, applied molded base and resting on turned legs
Programming will finish up on Sunday, April 22, at 2 pm, with a presentation from Stacey C. Peeples, curator-lead archivist at Pennsylvania Hospital. The talk, titled "The Pennsylvania Hospital and Its Historic Collections: Living History," offers a perspective into the preservation and restoration of the hospital's collections and touches on the unique position of working in an historic building and providing tours, while balancing the fact it is used for modern hospital business.
Each day from 10 to 11 am, Philadelphia Museum of Art Park House guides will offer guided tours through the show, highlighting notable objects and art, while taking a closer look at the 2018 loan exhibit.
Karen DiSaia is confident in the show's direction as she sees firsthand an audience that still desires to learn from objects and art.
"Through the show and the loan exhibit, visitors will experience timeless great design," said DiSaia. "Colonial-era pieces will be presented alongside midcentury ones, and you will be able to see the connections between the two," she said.
"We want people to come and enjoy the journey through time that the show offers," DiSaia added. "As they interact with some of the most informed art and antiques experts in the nation, they can expect it to be engaging, informative and fun."
The Philadelphia Antiques and Art Show will be held at Philadelphia's Navy Yard at the intersection of South 11th Street and Kittyhawk Avenue.
For more information, www.philadelphiaantiquesandartshow.com or 215-763-8100.
The Progress Of Papermania Plus
Gurley's First-Of-Season Boxborough Show Draws Large Crowd

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Pusha – teacup Pomeranian puppies are always busy playing and turning up the charm for her human friends. Sometimes so anxious for affection will rub against you so enthusiastically and will lose balance and flop over. This handsome teacup Pomeranian for sale is sure to greet his new forever family with sandpaper kisses and lots of love to go around. Pusha is SOLD. Please ask about Pickle and Penelope if you missed out on Pusha.


text:
Q: Sort dataframe with multi index A simple example, let's say I have this DataFrame:
raw = pd.DataFrame(np.array([
    [1, 2, 5, 'User 1', 5],
    [1, 2, 3, 'User 2', 3],
    [1, 2, 2, 'User 3', 5],
    [3, 2, 4, 'User 4', 7],
    [3, 2, 3, 'User 5', 2],
    [3, 1, 6, 'User 6', 5],
    [2, 2, 6, 'User 7', 1],
    [2, 2, 5, 'User 8', 4],
    [2, 2, 3, 'User 9', 8],
]), columns=['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e'])

and below that code:
raw.set_index(['a', 'b', 'c'], inplace=True)
raw.sort_index()
raw.head(9)

The output looks like that:

Instead of sorting it first by a, then by b, then by c. ( the whole row )
How could it be solved?

A: Add inplace=True parameter DataFrame.sort_index:
raw.sort_index(inplace=True)

Or assign output back:
raw = raw.sort_index()

print (raw)
            d  e
a b c
1 2 2  User 3  5
    3  User 2  3
    5  User 1  5
2 2 3  User 9  8
    5  User 8  4
    6  User 7  1
3 1 6  User 6  5
  2 3  User 5  2
    4  User 4  7

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Updated Mon, Mar 1 20219:35 PM EST
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Covid updates: Novavax nears U.S. vaccine clearance; CDC worried about states easing restrictions
CNBC.com staff
The coverage on this live blog has ended.
has begun shipping out nearly 4 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine after the drug was granted emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration late Saturday. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walesnky signed off on the single-shot vaccine on Sunday, writing on Twitter that the milestone "an encouraging step toward an end to the #COVID19 pandemic."
J&J CEO: Our science is well-positioned to deal with variants
Here are some of the biggest developments Monday:
America's teachers reach a breaking point
J&J CEO says vaccine will keep people out of the hospital, prevent deaths
First COVAX doses administered in Africa
Fauci says Biden administration is taking New York Covid variant 'very seriously'
Novavax expects FDA clearance for vaccine as early as May, CEO says
The U.S. is recording at least 67,300 new Covid-19 cases and at least 2,010 virus-related deaths each day, based on a seven-day average calculated by CNBC using Johns Hopkins University data.
The following data was compiled by Johns Hopkins University:
Global cases: More than 114.30 million
Global deaths: At least 2.53 million
U.S. cases: More than 28.61 million
U.S. deaths: At least 513,510
Mon, Mar 1 20219:16 PM EST
It's 'too soon' to pull back on Covid restrictions, warns surgeon
Surgeon Dr. Atul Gawande warned on CNBC's "The News with Shepard Smith" that it's "too soon" to roll back Covid restrictions, with a number of states easing social distancing rules.
"We continue to have 2,000 deaths a day, so this is not the level that we're in a good shape to just plateau at, we've got to push further downward," said the Harvard professor.
Gawande's concern for recent Covid trends echoed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky.
"Our recent declines appear to be stalling — stalling at over 70,000 cases a day," Walensky said during a Monday briefing. "With these new statistics, I am really worried about reports that more states are rolling back the exact public health measures we have recommended to protect people from Covid-19."
—Emily DeCiccio
The FDA could authorize Novavax
's Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use as early as May, the company's CEO, Stanley Erck, told CNBC on Monday.
Novavax's phase three trial in the U.S. is still ongoing, with 30,000 participants, Erck said. The company hopes the FDA will allow it to use data from its clinical trial conducted in the U.K. when it files its emergency use application later this year, he added.
U.K. health regulators will likely review the vaccine in April, followed by the FDA "probably a month after that," he told CNBC's "Closing Bell" in an interview. He added the timeline could get pushed back by one or two months if the FDA chooses to wait for the U.S.-based trial data.
–Berkeley Lovelace Jr.
President Trump, first lady Melania Trump vaccinated for Covid at the White House in January
Republicans unite around Trump at CPAC
The News with Shepard Smith
Former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump received coronavirus vaccinations in January at the White House, a person who works for Trump told CNBC.
Trump, who left office on Jan. 20, did not announce at the time that he and the first lady had been vaccinated.
It's unclear which vaccine the president and the first lady received. At the time they were inoculated, two vaccines had been authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Trump, in a speech Sunday at CPAC, encouraged "everybody" to get vaccinated.
—Kevin Breuninger
All U.S. Apple stores open for first time since March
A customer exits after picking up Apple's new 5G iPhone 12 that went on sale, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, at an Apple Store in Brooklyn, New York, October 23, 2020.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
All 270 Apple stores in the United States are open for business after the last closed locations reopened in Texas on Monday.
Not all stores are fully open for walk-in customers to go inside and browse, however. Many Apple locations are still open by appointment only or for pickups and drop-offs.
It's the first time that all U.S. stores are open since Apple started closing stores in response to the Covid-19 pandemic last spring.
Apple announced on March 13 it was closing all its stores outside China as the coronavirus pandemic started to pick up around the world. At the time, the closings were only scheduled through March 27, although it soon became clear that the lockdowns would stretch for months.
Twelve Apple stores in France and two in Brazil are still closed. Two stores in Mexico are scheduled to reopen on Tuesday.
—Kif Leswing
How soon new $1,400 stimulus checks arrive depends on Congress
A banner reading "Yo Congress - Real People, Real Relief" is displayed over North Capitol Street near the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021.
Sarah Silbiger | Bloomberg | Getty Images
This week the Senate is expected to take up the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill that contains $1,400 stimulus checks.
That has many Americans asking: When will I receive the money?
The timing of the direct payments depends on how soon the legislation is approved. Currently, that is expected to be mid-March, when extra federal unemployment benefits are due to expire.
From there, direct deposits could start arriving within two weeks for those individuals who have their bank information on file with the IRS, according to Garrett Watson, senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation.
The rest will arrive later as paper check or debit card payments, potentially into April or even May, Watson said.
One thing that could complicate the process is the fact that the IRS will be in the middle of tax season. However, the tax agency will be able to draw from its experience with the two previous rounds of checks, Watson said.
Senate Republicans could push back on the size of the overall package this week, said Bill Hoagland, senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
However, they will likely focus on recurring payments, he said. Therefore, the one-time $1,400 payments could stay unchanged.
—Lorie Konish
Delta hands out bonuses to managers after pandemic pay cuts
is paying managers bonuses from a few thousand dollars to above six figures, to help make up for pay cuts the carrier implemented at the start of the pandemic last year.
Frontline employees, like pilots and flight attendants, and other office workers are not receiving bonuses. Delta's pilots' union criticized the measure.
Delta cut managers' pay and cut workers' hours by 25% to slash costs after travel demand plummeted. The carrier avoided involuntary furloughs and job cuts, in part thanks to the 18,000 employees, roughly 20% of Delta's pre-pandemic workforce, that accepted buyouts and early retirement packages last year.
Delta lost a record $12.4 billion in 2020.
—Leslie Josephs
Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, on January 21, 2021.
Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images
The Biden administration is taking the emergence of a new coronavirus strain in New York "very seriously," White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said.
The new strain, which researchers are calling B.1.526, is rapidly spreading in New York City and carries a mutation that could weaken the effectiveness of vaccines, according to the New York Times. The variant first appeared in November and now accounts for about one in four viral sequences, the Times reports.
Fauci said the strain likely originated in Washington Heights, a neighborhood in the uppermost area of Manhattan, before spreading to other boroughs. He said U.S. officials need to "keep an eye" on the strain, including the possibility that it could evade the protection of antibody treatments and vaccines.
Mon, Mar 1 202112:59 PM EST
CDC director 'really worried' about states rolling back Covid safety measures
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said she is "really worried" about states rolling back Covid-19 restrictions as U.S. cases appear to be leveling off at a "very high number."
The declines in Covid-19 cases seen since early January now appear to be stalling at around 70,000 new cases per day, Walensky said during a White House news briefing. "Please hear me clearly: At this level of cases with variants spreading, we stand to completely lose the hard-earned ground we have gained."
Top U.S. health officials have warned in recent weeks that the rise of more contagious variants could reverse the downward trajectory in infections in the U.S. and delay the nation's recovery from the pandemic.
Officials say viruses cannot mutate if they cannot infect hosts and replicate. They are also pushing Americans to get vaccinated as quickly as possible before potentially new and even more dangerous variants continue to take hold.
Senate Democrats to abandon minimum wage plan in Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus
Senate Democrats will scrap plans to help raise workers' pay by taxing companies that refused to pay a minimum wage of $15 an hour.
A handful of lawmakers last week floated a backup plan to President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid-19 stimulus bill that would have punished corporations that paid workers below a certain threshold.
Senators had floated the so-called "plan B" after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that a proposed federal minimum wage increase to $15 per hour in Biden's original stimulus package didn't meet the requirements under budget reconciliation.
—Thomas Franck
Mon, Mar 1 202111:54 AM EST
Vaccines appear to reduce virus spread but question is by how much, Gottlieb says
Former FDA chief Gottlieb: Covid vaccine reduces transmission, but question is how much
Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC that early studies suggest Covid vaccines are effective in preventing person-to-person of the virus. However, a definitive answer on the level of impact is likely to arrive in the next month or two, Gottlieb added on "Squawk Box."
"The accumulating evidence is very convincing that there's a reduction in transmission," said Gottlieb, pointing to real-world studies involving Pfizer
and BioNTech
's vaccine in Israel and data released from Johnson & Johnson's
clinical trial regarding asymptomatic infections.
"I think most people agree ... people who are vaccinated are less likely to transmit the infection if they do become infected themselves," added Gottlieb, a Pfizer board member and former Food and Drug Administration commissioner.
J&J's CEO, Alex Gorsky, told CNBC earlier in the day that more data is needed but said those initial findings would represent a "major dent" in efforts to fight the pandemic.
—Kevin Stankiewicz
Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC contributor and is a member of the boards of Pfizer, genetic testing start-up Tempus, health-care tech company Aetion and biotech company Illumina. He also serves as co-chair of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings' and Royal Caribbean's "Healthy Sail Panel."
Covid relief lifts 1.6 million out of poverty
A volunteer carries food as he loads up cars of people who line up to receive food assistance amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Wayne County area at Second Ebenezer Church in Detroit, Michigan, January 29, 2021.
Emily Elconin | Reuters
A $900 billion Covid relief bill helped lift about 1.6 million Americans out of poverty in January, according to economists at the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame.
The legislation, passed in December, offered $600 stimulus checks and extra unemployment benefits, including a $300 weekly boost in jobless aid.
That cash infusion led the poverty rate to fall to 11.3% in January, from 11.8% the month prior. It was the first reduction in poverty since June. Americans had steadily joined the ranks of the poor after CARES Act relief expired.
The federal poverty line is $12,880 in annual income for a single adult and $26,500 for a family of four in 2021.
—Greg Iacurci
Dem accuses DeSantis of favoritism in vaccine rollout
A top Florida Democrat has accused Gov. Ron DeSantis of "political favoritism" in his state's distribution of Covid-19 vaccine doses.
Nikki Fried, the state's Democratic agriculture commissioner, said that at least three "pop-up" vaccination sites have been "organized in wealthy communities affiliated with donors to the governor's political campaigns."
Fried, who's long been a staunch critic of DeSantis, asked Congress to investigate in a letter sent to Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., chairman of the committee on the coronavirus crisis, and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., its ranking Republican member.
It's the second time a Florida Democrat has called for a federal investigation into DeSantis' handling of the vaccine rollout. On Feb. 21, Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., sent a letter to the Department of Justice, asking it to investigate reports that DeSantis has established vaccination sites "in select locations to benefit political allies and donors, over the needs of higher-risk communities and existing county waitlists."
—Will Feuer
Two former lawmakers debate long-term spending consequences of $1.9 trillion relief bill
Two former lawmakers debate spending consequences of $1.9 trillion relief bill
The Senate will debate President Joe Biden's stimulus bill this week, where divisions among some Democrats will be front and center. While the country is still suffering from the impact of Covid-19, there are concerns over the long-term impact of the trillions of dollars spent on the recovery.
Heidi Heitkamp, former senator of North Dakota and founding board member of The One Country Project, and Judd Gregg, former U.S. senator and governor from New Hampshire, joined CNBC's "Squawk Box" to discuss the bill.
The first Covid-19 vaccine doses that arrived in Africa as part of the World Health Organization-backed COVAX facility have been administered, the WHO announced Monday.
The first doses were administered to health-care workers in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, the WHO said. About 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca
vaccine arrived in Ghana last week and more than 500,000 doses arrived in Cote d'Ivoire.
COVAX is a global plan co-led by the WHO, an international vaccine alliance called Gavi, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. The goal is to acquire doses of Covid-19 vaccines and distribute them to participating companies with an emphasis on equity so that low-income countries are not left out of the vaccination effort. It plans to deliver at least 2 billion doses of vaccines by the end of the year.
Lost jobs, less pay, no childcare: A year into the pandemic, women are not OK
Brothers91 | E+ | Getty Images
The coronavirus pandemic is having a devastating effect on women.
Women are falling further behind in the workforce, reaching labor participation rates not seen since 1988, according to the National Women's Law Center. They are losing jobs at a higher rate than men: In December alone they accounted for 100% of the jobs lost. With schools closed, others have made the decision to downsize or quit their jobs.
The immediate impact is on their personal finances, leaving many families struggling to make ends meet. Yet there are also long-term implications. Experts worry the pay gap, currently at 82 cents for every dollar earned by men, could widen.
—Michelle Fox
Mon, Mar 1 20219:32 AM EST
CEO Alex Gorsky told CNBC that the company's newly authorized Covid-19 vaccine will be an important tool in the fight against the coronavirus because it prevents hospitalizations and deaths.
Some people have questioned whether they should get J&J's vaccine due to the lower efficacy rate. Clinical trial data show J&J's vaccine is 66% effective overall at protecting against Covid-19, compared with about 95% for Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccine.
But Gorsky said the most important finding of the J&J vaccine is that it prevented 100% of virus-related hospitalizations and deaths.
"There's a lot of different ways to try and do comparisons," he told CNBC's "Squawk Box." But when you really look at what's the objective here? Keeping people out of the hospital. Keeping people from dying. We believe this is an incredibly important tool to be added, to healthcare systems let alone for patients around the world."
CNBC's full interview with J&J CEO on the company's Covid vaccine approval
A teacher wearing a protective mask walks around the classroom during a lesson at an elementary school in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 5, 2020.
After nearly a year of struggling to meet the demands of teaching in-person or online during the coronavirus crisis, many educators say they are ready to switch careers or retire.
Overall, K-12 employees reported their general satisfaction with their employers sank to 44% in October from 69% in March 2020, according to a report from the Center for State and Local Government Excellence. More than one-third of respondents said that working during the pandemic has made them consider changing jobs.
At the college level, even more faculty say they are considering changing careers or retiring early, according to a separate report from Fidelity Investments and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
"Teachers have been feeling the brunt of how drastically this pandemic has changed our world," said Colin Sharkey, executive director of the Association of American Educators, a national professional association.
"The demands that are put on them are off the charts."
—Jessica Dickler
The latest on U.S. Covid trends
Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwards
Work-from-home hacks that are still vital a year into lockdowns
Roy James Shakespeare | Getty
A year into working from home during the pandemic, many employees are still seeking day-to-day solutions to maintain productivity.
Keeping good posture, instead of spending the entire working day slumped over a laptop, for example, is particularly difficult for workers without a dedicated workspace at home. One tip from an Instagram user is to use a resistance band to help keep shoulders back.
Getting back the lost commute time, which would typically be used by many to catch up on reading or emails, is another challenge. Grace Marshall, a productivity coach at Think Productive, suggested sticking post-it notes nearby and using points in the working day when we feel tired to tackle this "life admin."
—Vicky McKeever
UK searches for mystery person infected with Covid variant first detected in Brazil
Commuters cross London Bridge at sunrise on March 1, 2021 in London, England.
Hollie Adams | Getty Images
U.K. health officials are keen to trace one of six individuals infected with a more contagious variant of the coronavirus, initially identified in Brazil.
Up to six cases of the new strain — dubbed P.1 and considered a "variant of concern" by global health experts — have been detected in the U.K., with three cases in Scotland and three in England.
What's troubling to British officials is that one of the three cases found in England has not been traced. The government issued a statement Sunday noting that two of the cases in England are from one household in South Gloucestershire with a history of travel to Brazil, and "there is a third, currently unlinked case."
—Holly Ellyatt
Read CNBC's previous live coverage here:
Covid updates: New group could be eligible for stimulus payments; J&J details severe vaccine reactions


text:
Q: Jquery Switchery checkbox disable created new checkbox on page i struggle to disable the Switchery checkbox
but it creates me another Switchery checkbox on page .
i first define the checkbox which is working great:

        Additional Options

                <input type="checkbox" id="foo1"
                       name="foo1" class="js-switch"/>

now after the page loaded, i dynamically want to disable the checkbox so I do :
var foo1=  document.getElementById('foo1')
var switchery = new Switchery(foo1);
switchery.disable();

it disable the checkbox BUT it creates me new checkbox near the one i defined already
i don't understand why

A: I was using a template and it had this in their JS code:
$(document).ready(function () {
    if ($(".js-switch")[0]) {
        var elems = Array.prototype.slice.call(document.querySelectorAll('.js-switch'));
        elems.forEach(function (html) {
            var switchery = new Switchery(html, {
                color: '#26B99A'
            });
        });
    }
});

This runs when the page loads and may explain why you are seeing 2 switchery objects. You may have something initializing it in a JS script and then doing it again on the page itself.
I had a similar issue trying to enable/disable switchery objects after they were created so I set up a global array of switchery objects and added functions to control their state like this:
var switchery_objs = [];

function enableSwitchery(id) {
    switchery_objs[id].enable();
}

function disableSwitchery(id) {
    switchery_objs[id].disable();
}

function toggleSwitchery(id) {
    switchery_objs[id].setPosition(true);
    switchery_objs[id].handleOnchange(true);
}

function setSwitchery(id, checked) {
    if((checked && !switchery_objs[id].isChecked()) || (!checked && switchery_objs[id].isChecked())) {
        switchery_objs[id].setPosition(true);
        switchery_objs[id].handleOnchange(true);
    }
}

if (window.Switchery && $(".js-switch")[0]) {
    var elems = Array.prototype.slice.call(document.querySelectorAll('.js-switch'));
    elems.forEach(function (html) {
        switchery_objs[html.getAttribute('id')] = new Switchery(html, {
            color: '#26B99A'
        });
    });
}

With this, you can just call disableSwitchery("foo1"); to mark it as disabled.


HRW is excited to announce that Charlotte Petilla has joined the firm as an employment and litigation attorney.
Prior to joining Hirsch Roberts Weinstein, Charlotte worked in the litigation department at an international law firm. She has also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Raya Dreben of the Massachusetts Appeals Court; the Honorable Francis X. Spina of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts; and the Honorable Joan M. Azrack, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York.
Charlotte is a graduate of Boston College Law School and the University of Pittsburgh.
To learn more about Charlotte, check out her full biography here.


text:
Dissertation: A Fetus By Any Other Name: How Words Shaped the Fetal Personhood Movement in US Courts and Society (1884-1973)
The 1973 Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade was a significant event in the story of fetal personhood—the story of whether embryos and fetuses are legal persons. Roe legalized abortion care in the United States (US). However, the story of fetal personhood began long before the 1970s. People have been talking about embryos, fetuses, and their status in science, the law, and society for centuries.
China's One-Child Policy
In September 1979, China's Fifth National People's Congress passed a policy that encouraged one-child families. Following this decision from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), campaigns were initiated to implement the One-Child Policy nationwide. This initiative constituted the most massive governmental attempt to control human fertility and reproduction in human history. These campaigns prioritized reproductive technologies for contraception, abortion, and sterilization in gynecological and obstetric medicine, while downplaying technologies related to fertility treatment.
Subject: Ethics, Legal, Reproduction
Assisted Human Reproduction Act (2004)
The Assisted Human Reproduction Act (AHR Act) is a piece of federal legislation passed by the Parliament of Canada. The Act came into force on 29 March 2004. Many sections of the Act were struck down following a 2010 Supreme Court of Canada ruling on its constitutionality. The AHR Act sets a legislative and regulatory framework for the use of reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization and related services including surrogacy and gamete donation. The Act also regulates research in Canada involving in vitro embryos.
Adolescent Family Life Act (1981)
The 1981 Adolescent Family Life Act, or AFLA, is a US federal law that provides federal funding to public and nonprofit private organizations to counsel adolescents to abstain from sex until marriage. AFLA was included under the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1981, which the US Congress signed into law that same year. Through the AFLA, the US Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, funded a variety of sex education programs for adolescents to address the social and economic ramifications associated with pregnancy and childbirth among unmarried adolescents.
Subject: Legal, Outreach, Ethics, Reproduction
Stump v. Sparkman (1978)
On March 28, 1978, in Stump v. Sparkman, hereafter Stump, the United States Supreme Court held, in a five-to-three decision, that judges have absolute immunity from lawsuits involving any harm their judicial decisions cause. Linda Sparkman, who was unknowingly sterilized when she was fifteen years old in 1971, sued Harold Stump, the county circuit court judge who signed the petition to allow Sparkman's mother to have her sterilized. Sparkman's mother stated to Stump that she wanted her daughter sterilized because of Sparkman's alleged mental deficiencies and sexual promiscuity.


Whether you're taking a stroll around the block, or a leisurely walk across the property, it's time to cast your eyes a bit downward. Take a look at what is happening…even in the middle of winter. This much is certain: it's never as dead out there as it first appears. And the air, sunshine and exercise will do you good!
Quickly you will notice pansy and violas beginning to reset buds. Blooms will follow soon. You will notice how the colors of conifers are quite intense. Thoughtful landscapes that have included Sango Kaku (Coral Bark) Japanese maples, gold mop cypress, and blue star juniper are stunning, especially now. Plantings of Green Giant Arborvitae with gold twig dogwoods, now dormant ornamental grasses and berried hollies give a great contrast of color and texture. Winter is not to be dreaded, but enjoyed for its unique beauty.
Now that the thaw is upon us, we can better appreciate the mild nature our winters normally have. While in meteorological terms it has been cold, in horticultural terms, not so much. Plant hardiness zones are based on normal expected extreme temperatures not averaged temperatures. That is to say, from a plant's prospective, it is far better to have successive days of much below average temperature, than it is to have a single night of extreme low temperature.
So as the ground thaws and you venture out, remember to check on watering needs for container plants and any other plants in areas where adequate rainfall is deprived. This affords you a great opportunity to see at the ground level, what things may be showing signs of springing back to life.
And just in case you need to stretch your legs a bit further, I encourage you to come out and see our wonderful winter landscape selections. Even though it might appear we are out of plants, actually, we have all of our shrubbery indoors now. Add great winter color to your landscape now! We are open Monday -Friday from 8am to 4:00pm.


SpaceX prepares to do the amazing. Updated on 1/2/2018.
Elon Musk, the CEO and founder of the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) plans to use the maiden voyage of the Falcon Heavy Lift rocket to take his Tesla Roadster to Mars. The car will be sent to a heliocentric Mars transfer orbit. On both matrices below the axis term is FALCON HEAVY. Falcon Heavy is a reusable super heavy-lift launch vehicle being designed and manufactured by SpaceX. Musk also plans on sending two tourists around the moon in about a year. On Figure 1 MOON is at skip -1. The Falcon Heavy is a variant of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and will consist of a strengthened Falcon 9 rocket core with two additional Falcon 9 first stages as strap-on boosters. At the same absolute skip as FALCON HEAVY are ROCKET, TOURIST and TO MARS, but on Figure 1 MARS is not the at standard transliteration (S here is shin rather than samech). An ELS of the transliteration of SPACE and EXPLORATION are on the matrix as is THE SUN. I looked for words related to success, failure and sabotage. None of them were at a special case skip (+/- 1 or the absolute skip of the axis term) close to the axis term, however ANOMALY is shown on Figure 2.
STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF FIGURES 1 AND 2. As per my usual protocol, no statistical significance was assigned to the axis term, here only ELS of FALCON HEAVY. The most significant a priori term was TO MARS. Using 4 transliterations of Mars (with samech and shin, with and without an alef vs. a vowel mark for A) plus the Hebrew word for Mars pronounced moadeem) one of them was found against odds of about 15 to 1. EXPLORATION was found against odds of about 14 to 1. ROCKET was located at a special case skip against odds of about 9.8 to 1. TOURIST was found this way against odds of about 11.56 to 1. An ELS of SPACE was found against odds of about 7.88 to 1, but it had two shins rather than samechs so I had to account for both spellings. MOON was at a special case skip, but the 3-letter word had about a 76% chance to be found this way. MOON was, however, in a 48-letter box with FALCON HEAVY. Odds against a match that close were about 15.7 to 1. TESLA and THE SUN were not significant. Overall the matrix was found against odds of about 259,233 to 1.
WHY I LOOKED FOR SABOTAGE AND THE WORD ANOMALY FOUND ON FIGURE 2.
On September 1, 2016 an explosion rocked my neighborhood in Cape Canaveral, Florida. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blew up on the launch pad – two days before the scheduled launch of an Israeli Amos-6 satellite designed to bring additional Facebook internet coverage to the Middle East, Europe and Africa. I had reasons to suspect sabotage, which was an open possibility discussed in the press. Most notable was the fact that a film and sound recorded showed what might have been a person on the roof of the United Launch Alliance building about a mile from where the rocket blew up in 2016, and something like a gunshot was heard. On my article about the SpaceX disaster in 2016 I referred to the explosion as an anomaly. While this word was not shown on Figure 1, although it is not at a special case skip, I can place it with FALCON HEAVY in a box measuring 4 columns by 32 rows (128 letter area). Odds against a match this close were about 53.4 to 1. ANOMALY is a word that's obviously a concern to Musk, as is shown on Figure 2. He worries about the rocket blowing up on ascent.
Should Musk be worried about ANOMALY being on Figure 2? If it were at a special case skip the answer would likely be yes, but it's one skip more than that of the axis term. As such, even though Figure 2 has the preferred Hebrew for MARS, the 4-letter term is not significant once the 1,000-letter threshold area is crossed. Figure 2 had about 1 chance in 289 to exist. So it's about two orders of magnitude less significant than Figure 1. This obviously doesn't mean that an anomaly is impossible. The Falcon Heavy has 27 rocket engines on the first stage. That's a lot of potential for a failure. I have a neighbor who works for SpaceX. He's not optimistic about pulling off a success, at least in January, 2018, due to the large number of engines. But he didn't think the company could pull off landing on a barge at sea, and, after a few failures, he was wrong about that.
Elon Musk is a driven man with a singular purpose - personally living on Mars. He plans on his company landing two rockets on Mars by 2022, and landing people there by 2024. This year his company will start construction of the BFR (Big Falcon Rocket, sometimes called the Big F**king Rocket by SpaceX folks) to do just that. Given what he has accomplished, I don't think anyone can stop him from eventually getting there unless it is our Government trying to cover up something. If the 2016 anomaly was deliberate you can bet that he's learned some lessons from it. The security that has been maintained about the upcoming launch is pretty good. But even if he has to deal with another failure, Musk is a man who won't let it stop him from reaching his goal. May God bless him in all his endeavors.
Axis term FALCON HEAVY @ Skip 117,925 Axis Term ELS Rank 1. This calculation is just for ANOMALY in 128 letters with FALCON HEAVY.


text:
KO-PRODUCTION
KIM Da-mi
KIM Da-mi, born in 1995, has been taking acting classes since high school. After starting a degree in theatre at the Incheon National University College of Performing Arts, she gained experience playing on stage and in short independent films. She graduated in 2017, and made her first appearance in a commercial film as a minor character in <Marionette> (2018). KIM had her big break when she scored the lead role in PARK Hoon-jung's much-anticipated <The Witch: Part...More
KIM Da-mi, born in 1995, has been taking acting classes since high school. After starting a degree in theatre at the Incheon National University College of Performing Arts, she gained experience playing on stage and in short independent films. She graduated in 2017, and made her first appearance in a commercial film as a minor character in <Marionette> (2018). KIM had her big break when she scored the lead role in PARK Hoon-jung's much-anticipated <The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion> (2018) after beating 1,500 hopefuls in an open audition. She received universal acclaim for her strong performance in a challenging role that included intense fighting scenes, winning a large number of newcomer awards, including those from the Grand Bell Awards and the Blue Dragon Awards. Less
Hong Yeji to Debut in Mo Hongjin's GIRL Jun 08, 2021
Jeon Somin, Kim Jiyoung and Shin Eunjung Join New Social Issues DramaDebut actress Hong Yeji has been tapped to lead Girl (translated title), the new film by director Mo Hongjin. Also, cast in the project are veteran actresses Jeon Somin, Kim Jiyoung and Shin Eunjung.Written by Mo and Yoo Dayoung, Girl will feature Hong as the 19-year-old Yoonyoung, who finds herself imprisoned after becoming invo...
CHOI Woo-shik and KIM Da-mi to Headline first Studio N Original Series Mar 25, 2021
Korea's busy streaming market is set to welcome a new content creator as Studio N, the streaming service of internet web portal giant Naver, has announced its first original series. CHOI Woo-shik and KIM Da-mi have been tapped to headline the series That Year, We Were (translated title), reuniting the actors after The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion (2017).The romantic comedy drama will feature CHOI...
PARK Hoon-jung and NEW to Partner on THE WITCH Dec 03, 2020
Next Entertainment World (NEW) has confirmed that they have come on board as investor and distributor for The Witch 2, a sequel to the 2018 hit The Witch : Part 1. The Subversion, starring KIM Da-mi, CHO Min-soo and CHOI Woo-shik. The first film was financed and released by Warner Bros Korea, but since Warner Bros are in the process of winding down their film operations in Korea, development of th...
<The Witch : Part 1. The Subversion> Fantasia International Film Festival (2018) - Cheval Noir Competition - Best Actress
<The Witch : Part 1. The Subversion> Buil Film Awards (2018) - Best New Actress
<The Witch : Part 1. The Subversion> DAEJONG FILM AWARDS (2018) - Best New Actress
<The Witch : Part 1. The Subversion> Director's Cut Awards (2018) - Best New Actress
<The Witch : Part 1. The Subversion> The Seoul Awards (2018) - Best New Actress
<The Witch : Part 1. The Subversion> The Blue Dragon Awards (2018) - Best New Actress
<The Witch : Part 1. The Subversion> London East Asia Film Festival (2018) - Horror Special - Rising Star Award


I now have a github account. I will be using it to house programming projects, most of which are / will be released on this website.
I currently have 1 repository, which holds something that will be released here soon.


text:
using Snake_DesignPatterns.Controllers.Events;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Threading;

namespace Snake_DesignPatterns.Views
{
    class VInput
    {

        //Current pressed key
        private ConsoleKeyInfo key;

        private volatile bool shouldStop;

        //This array binds the inputs to the events
        Dictionary<ConsoleKey, Event> Binds = new Dictionary<ConsoleKey, Event>()
        {
            //Directional keys
            {ConsoleKey.UpArrow,Event.KeyPressedUp},
            {ConsoleKey.DownArrow,Event.KeyPressedDown},
            {ConsoleKey.LeftArrow,Event.KeyPressedLeft},
            {ConsoleKey.RightArrow,Event.KeyPressedRight},

            //Letters
            {ConsoleKey.Z,Event.KeyPressedUp},
            {ConsoleKey.S,Event.KeyPressedDown},
            {ConsoleKey.Q,Event.KeyPressedLeft},
            {ConsoleKey.D,Event.KeyPressedRight},

            //Spacebar
            {ConsoleKey.Spacebar,Event.KeyPressedPause},

            //Spacebar
            {ConsoleKey.Enter,Event.KeyPressedRestart}
        };

        Thread worker;

        public VInput()
        {
            worker = new Thread(work);
        }

        public void Start()
        {
            //Start only if not started
            if (!worker.IsAlive)
            {
                shouldStop = false;
                worker.Start();
            }

        }

        public void Stop()
        {
            shouldStop = true;
        }

        // This method will be called when the thread is started.
        private void work()
        {
            while (!shouldStop)
            {
                while (Console.KeyAvailable)
                {
                    Event e;
                    if (Binds.TryGetValue(Console.ReadKey(true).Key, out e))
                    {
                        Snake.EventManager.TriggerEvent(e);
                    }

                }
                Thread.Sleep(100);
            }
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
An 'Imperial Supreme Court' Asserts Its Power, Alarming Scholars
Before 2019, the court had not used the procedure for 15 years, according to statistics compiled by Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Since then, he found, the court has used it 19 times.
The court has been using another kind of shortcut to enhance its power, as two law professors — Lisa Tucker of Drexel University and Stefanie A. Lindquist of Arizona State University — demonstrated in a recent guest essay. The court has been, they wrote, "increasingly setting aside legally significant decisions from the lower courts as if they had never happened, invalidating them in brief procedural orders."
Yet another study, from Tejas Narechania, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, examined the cases selected by the justices for full-blown review on the merits.
"The Roberts court, more than any other court in history, uses its docket-setting discretion to select cases that allow it to revisit and overrule precedent," Professor Narechania found in the study, which will be published in the St. Louis University Law Journal and built on an earlier one in the Columbia Law Review.
In September, in remarks at a judicial conference, Chief Justice Roberts insisted on the court's primacy.
"You don't want the political branches telling you what the law is," he said, echoing Chief Justice John Marshall's famous statement in Marbury v. Madison, the foundational 1803 decision: "It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial branch to say what the law is."
The statement is popular with the current court. "Over half of the total number of majority or concurring opinions in Supreme Court history to have quoted this language from Marbury," Professors Brown and Epstein wrote, "have been penned by the Roberts court."


text:
// Dear emacs, this is -*- c++ -*-
// $Id: SParLocator.h 344 2012-12-13 13:10:53Z krasznaa $
/***************************************************************************
 * @Project: SFrame - ROOT-based analysis framework for ATLAS
 * @Package: Core
 *
 * @author Stefan Ask       <Stefan.Ask@cern.ch>           - Manchester
 * @author David Berge      <David.Berge@cern.ch>          - CERN
 * @author Johannes Haller  <Johannes.Haller@cern.ch>      - Hamburg
 * @author A. Krasznahorkay <Attila.Krasznahorkay@cern.ch> - NYU/Debrecen
 *
 ***************************************************************************/

#ifndef SFRAME_CORE_SParLocator_H
#define SFRAME_CORE_SParLocator_H

// STL include(s):
#include <list>

// ROOT include(s):
#include <TString.h>

// Local include(s):
#include "SLogger.h"

/**
 *   @short Helper class for finding the full path name of PAR packages
 *
 *          Unfortunately ROOT does not provide any facilities for finding a
 *          given (PAR) file in a list of directories. (Like in $PATH.)
 *          So I created this little class for constructing the full path name
 *          for the PAR packages. The class reads the list of directories to
 *          be searched from the PAR_PATH environment variable, which is
 *          usually set in SFrame/setup.[c]sh.
 *
 *          This is another part of the SFrame code that probably doesn't work
 *          on Windows, as I had to use standard POSIX code for locating the
 *          package files. Somehow I couldn't find any ROOT functions for
 *          listing all the files in a given directory. Very strange...
 *
 * @version $Revision: 344 $
 */
class SParLocator {

public:
   /// Locate a package file
   static TString Locate( const TString& parName );

private:
   /// Read the PAR_PATH environment variable
   static void ReadParDirs();

   static std::list< TString> m_parDirs; ///< List of directories to be searched
   static SLogger             m_logger;  ///< Logger object

}; // class SParLocator

#endif // SFRAME_CORE_SParLocator_H