text:
Finance & economics | Under water
As yields turn negative, investors are having to pay for safety
Creditors holding $15trn-worth of bonds have few other places to hide
PENGUINS ON A melting icecap must choose between budging up tighter and taking the plunge. Institutional investors such as pension funds and insurers now face a similar unappealing choice, with ever-fewer safe assets that do not lose them money. According to an index calculated by Bloomberg, a quarter of the bonds issued by governments and companies worldwide are now trading at negative yields. Creditors holding $15trn-worth of securities will make a loss if they hold them to maturity (see chart).
Yields on many European government bonds turned negative in the mid-2010s as central banks engaged in quantitative easing—colossal bond-purchase programmes. By 2015, 40% of the continent's sovereign bonds offered negative yields. But as economies perked up, central banks changed course. By November 2018 many European bonds were back above sea level.
Now many have gone negative once again. France's ten-year bonds have been flirting with negative yields for two months; they went below zero three weeks ago and stayed there. Ireland followed on August 5th. Fiscally conservative countries like Austria and the Netherlands are well past that point. Spain and Portugal may soon follow, says Iain Stealey of JPMorgan Chase's asset management division. Germany's entire yield curve is already submerged.
As the trade war between America and China intensifies, investors are taking refuge in government bonds, pushing yields down. Meanwhile central banks, fearing a global downturn, are cutting interest rates. Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, recently hinted that it might ease policy after the summer.
Central banks have failed to pep up inflation, which has hovered well below the 2% or so targeted by most ratesetters in the rich world. Investors do not think that central banks are on track to nudge inflation up any time soon. Five-year forward swaps, which track investors' expectations on the matter, currently predict inflation of 0.9% in Europe and 1.7% in America. This contributes to depressed bond yields. Inflation erodes the purchasing power of bonds' future cash flows, so the higher expectations of future inflation are, the higher the yield investors will demand, and vice versa.
For now American investors still have somewhere to take refuge. Though yields on ten-year American government bonds have collapsed from their 3.25% peak last November, they are still positive, at 1.71%. Their 30-year equivalent yields 2.25%. That is not much comfort for European investors, who must pay around 3% to hedge against dollar swings. If the Fed eases faster than the ECB—and it has more room to do so—the narrower gap between American and European interest rates would make hedging cheaper, though it would also mean there was less point in buying American. Those investors who already had, however, would stand to gain.■
This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline "Under water"
Finance & economics August 10th 2019
The trade war escalates, and the fog of war descends
How yuan-dollar became the world's most closely watched asset price
The surprising departure of HSBC's chief executive
The Fed says it will build a real-time interbank payments system
Core elements of the global banking industry are moving to India
Prices for many goods do not move the way economists think they should


Is this feature displayed by threads anymore?
I fear I don't understand what you mean. Do you mean "No, now you'll have to swallow a ton of posts" or "Yes, you have to do this (in this case I don't know what's the solution to have the old display by threads back)?
I mean that you will now have to use Upi2DB system ( ACP >> Configuration >> Unread Posts >> Upi2DB and/or in UCP ) ..users can click the "U(#)"
And if you think new topics disappear too fast (straight after clicking) you can use the Recent Topics link.
Edited by Joshua203, Tue 23 Oct, 2012 13:00: Removed an "I"
That's because I have implemented the option only few days ago.
I still need to update GIT with latest changes... I didn't so far because I was still testing a very annoying bug.


text:
Q: Using tinyurl.com in a .Net application ... possible? I found the following code to create a tinyurl.com url:
http://tinyurl.com/api-create.php?url=http://myurl.com

This will automatically create a tinyurl url.  Is there a way to do this using code, specifically C# in ASP.NET?

A: You have to call that URL from your code, then read back the output from the server and process it.
Have a look at the System.Net.WebClient class, DownloadString (or better: DownloadStringAsync) seems to be what you want.

A: Keep in mind if you're doing a full-scale app, that you're wiring in a pretty specific dependency to TinyURL's URL/API scheme. Maybe they have guarantees about their URL not changing, but it's worth checking out

A: You should probably add some error checking, etc, but this is probably the easiest way to do it:
System.Uri address = new System.Uri("http://tinyurl.com/api-create.php?url=" + YOUR ADDRESS GOES HERE);
System.Net.WebClient client = new System.Net.WebClient();
string tinyUrl = client.DownloadString(address);
Console.WriteLine(tinyUrl);

A: After doing some more research ... I stumbled upon the following code:
    public static string MakeTinyUrl(string url)
    {
        try
        {
            if (url.Length <= 30)
            {
                return url;
            }
            if (!url.ToLower().StartsWith("http") && !Url.ToLower().StartsWith("ftp"))
            {
                url = "http://" + url;
            }
            var request = WebRequest.Create("http://tinyurl.com/api-create.php?url=" + url);
            var res = request.GetResponse();
            string text;
            using (var reader = new StreamReader(res.GetResponseStream()))
            {
                text = reader.ReadToEnd();
            }
            return text;
        }
        catch (Exception)
        {
            return url;
        }
    }

Looks like it may do the trick.

A: According to this article, you could implement it like this:
public class TinyUrlController : ControllerBase
{
    Dictionary dicShortLohgUrls = new Dictionary();

    private readonly IMemoryCache memoryCache;

    public TinyUrlController(IMemoryCache memoryCache)
    {
        this.memoryCache = memoryCache;
    }

    [HttpGet("short/{url}")]
    public string GetShortUrl(string url)
    {
        using (MD5 md5Hash = MD5.Create())
        {
            string shortUrl = UrlHelper.GetMd5Hash(md5Hash, url);
            shortUrl = shortUrl.Replace('/', '-').Replace('+', '_').Substring(0, 6);

            Console.WriteLine("The MD5 hash of " + url + " is: " + shortUrl + ".");

            var cacheEntryOptions = new MemoryCacheEntryOptions().SetSlidingExpiration(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(604800));
            memoryCache.Set(shortUrl, url, cacheEntryOptions);

            return shortUrl;
        }
    }

    [HttpGet("long/{url}")]
    public string GetLongUrl(string url)
    {
        if (memoryCache.TryGetValue(url, out string longUrl))
        {
            return longUrl;
        }

        return url;
    }
}

A: Here my version of the implementation:
static void Main()
{
    var tinyUrl = MakeTinyUrl("https://stackoverflow.com/questions/366115/using-tinyurl-com-in-a-net-application-possible");

    Console.WriteLine(tinyUrl);

    Console.ReadLine();
}

public static string MakeTinyUrl(string url)
{
    string tinyUrl = url;
    string api = " the api's url goes here ";
    try
    {
        var request = WebRequest.Create(api + url);
        var res = request.GetResponse();
        using (var reader = new StreamReader(res.GetResponseStream()))
        {
            tinyUrl = reader.ReadToEnd();
        }
    }
    catch (Exception exp)
    {
        Console.WriteLine(exp);
    }
    return tinyUrl;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Polar Bear collect near Kaktovik in the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve.
A young boar rests in the sand of a spit that separates Kaktovik from the Arctic Ocean.
Polar Bear boar gives us a look. Fortunately we don't look like seals.


When a hard drive becomes raw, you cannot access pictures, videos, office files and music from macOS. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is the best software for Mac Raw recovery. This easy-to-use software only takes three steps to restore lost Raw data. Read on to learn the detailed steps.
A hard drive that displays files as RAW means the computer cannot properly read it as they drive may have become corrupted.
The file system is displayed as "RAW".
When you access files, it will warn "Sector not found".
You will be reminded of "Disk is not formatted. Do you want to format now?".
Usually, the only way to fix this is to erase and format the drive completely. But you can first try to recover some of the data using data recovery software. If the data on the hard drive is important or irreplaceable, turn to a professional data recovery tool right away.
Before you do anything to the drive, if the data on the hard drive is important or irreplaceable, it's best to stop using it immediately and find professional data recovery software.
A wide range of supported file systems and availability of different scanning modes make EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac the best Mac data recovery software. With it, you can recover data from Mac hard drive, emptied Trash, external drive, or memory card. The software is easy-to-use and safe. You can completely trust it as it has so many users around the world. With simple 3 steps, you can restore all lost files from hard drive on Mac 10.14, 10.13, 10.12 or below. Read on to recover Raw data on Mac.
PS: Also read recover Raw hard drive in Windows 10/8/7 if you are using Windows.
If you want to recover RAW data from digital camera, SD card or hard drive on Mac or Windows, EaseUS is a good choice. It is a professional and easy RAW image recovery tool. Besides, the software is also qualified to recover lost data from corrupted, formatted or deleted disk partition in macOS Mojave. You can click to read guide for Mac partition recovery if you like.


We know that being a parent isn't easy. Let's face it, there are only 24 hours in a day and sometimes those 24 hours just don't seem to be enough to do all the things on your "To Do" list, plus help with the kids chemistry homework.
Being there for your kids at study and homework time though is critical to their success and it can give you the peace of mind you crave. Studies show that parental involvement can speed up a child's learning and give parents a firsthand look at what their child is learning and how well they're doing in school. It's definitely one good way to avoid not-so-great surprises on parent-teacher night.
We've all heard that setting aside a quiet place for homework is essential, but realistically, these days, kids are doing their work while IM-ing, listening to iPods and watching TV. While you should always work to keep the distractions to a minimum, there are other things you can do as a parent to make the most of homework time.
Telling your child how much you hated homework at their age isn't going to help. The attitude you present towards homework will be the attitude your child adopts. So stay positive and reinforce how important homework is to building a great future.
Establish a set time each day for doing homework and have your child do the most difficult work first. That way, they'll be most alert for the bigger challenges, and the easier ones will seem like a breeze when fatigue starts creeping in later. Don't let your child wait until it's almost bedtime to get started because you'll both be too tired to do your best.
When your child asks for help, give them guidance, not answers. Taking the easy route of just giving the answers so you both can get on with other things is a huge mistake. Letting your child work through questions to understand concepts will give them the confidence to know that they can face challenges on their own if they need to. The benefits will go far beyond homework.
Well, let's face it: every homework assignment isn't going to be a piece of cake. On top of that, every child has their own learning style, so you have to be alert to when your child starts showing signs of frustration. If you see your child is getting frustrated, give them some time out for a break. That break will help them to recharge and refocus on their assignment.
Everybody likes a pat on the back (or something better) when they do a great job, and your child is no exception. If you see that your child has worked hard and done well with their schoolwork, help them celebrate that success. Don't go overboard, but reward them with small "Congratulations" tokens like a trip out for pizza or a movie.
Tutor.com is a great resource to use along with these tips for helping your child with homework. At Tutor.com our professionals will help your child understand the concepts they learned in school, so that they can get better grades. Students who've used our service tell us it makes them feel more confident about schoolwork and over 90% say they would recommend it to friends.
You can give your child the same chance for success starting right now. Just sign in to your account to start working with a live, professional tutor in math, science, social studies and English. They're ready to help every day of the week from 2:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Eastern time, and they'll work with your child for as long as they need. Remember, the time you put in now with your child will pay off in the future.


A U.S. District Court struck down a key provision of the Patriot Act as unconstitutional Thursday, marking the second time that a provision which allows anti-terrorism investigators to write their own subpoenas for phone and internet records and require the recipients to never speak of them violated the First Amendment. The ruling (.pdf) strikes yet another blow at the FBI's use of National Security Letters, which were used to issue 143,074 requests for phone and internet records from 2003 to 2005, and as a recent Inspector General report showed, the widespread use led to abuses and sloppiness. Early this year, a damning report by the Justice Department's Inspector General found that the FBI used NSLs in violation of applicable NSL statutes, Attorney General guidelines and internal FBI policies. The FBI, along with the Inspector General, are now criminally investigating an office that sent more than 700 emergency letters, with false statements in them, to phone companies.
The ACLU sued on behalf of an anonymous internet service provider, which was served an NSL about one of the websites it hosted. The ISP contested the order, which the FBI subsequently dropped, but the ISP remains unable to even acknowledge that it got a request, and the company's president said he's been forced to lie to his friends and girlfriend about it.
Judge Victor Marrero of the Southern District of New York ruled that the gag order and the strict rules about how to contest them amounted to prior restraint on speech and allowed the FBI to pick and choose which persons would be gagged, based on whether the feds believed the target might speak critically of the government. Judge Marrero found, in a 106 page opinion, that the gag order provisions couldn't be struck down without affecting the rest of the statute so he found that the entire NSL provision was unconstitutional. He also stuck down a provision that prescribed the standards courts should use in judging the FBI's arguments for keeping gag orders. Marrero wrote that Congress had overstepped its bounds in setting out those standards.


text:
"Mean" Gene Okerlund Was TV Wrestling Distilled Into A Single Human Being
David Bixenspan
Filed to: Mean Gene OkerlundFiled to: Mean Gene Okerlund
Mean Gene Okerlund
Dead wrestlers
Photo: WWE.com
"Mean" Gene Okerlund, the most iconic interviewer and one of the most well-known announcers period in the history of televised pro wrestling, passed away at the age of 76, WWE announced on Wednesday morning. No cause of death was given by WWE, although Okerlund's son Tor later told the Associated Press that his father had "just kind of went from bad to worse" after a bad fall a few weeks ago. Okerlund had been in bad health on and off for decades, requiring three kidney transplants before the last one finally took in 2004. "I had a hereditary kidney disease, and I was on dialysis," he said in the finale of Legends House, a WWE Network reality show that aired in 2014. "My wife, God bless her [breaks down], stepped up to the plate, and gave me a kidney, and I'm here today. Very simple." Away from the wrestling business as in it, Okerlund was a survivor.
In his life in wrestling, Okerlund was best known for being able to add to stand-up interviews through his reactions to the wrestlers, both in terms of his reliably in-character facial expressions and his quips. Okerlund's superpower, which was no small thing in his job, was his imperviousness to cracking up on camera. Even in one of the few times fans saw him break, when a bad take of a pre-tape at SummerSlam '89—the sign behind him fell down and he yelled out "fuck it!"—ran by mistake, Okerlund almost immediately regained his composure. Somehow, as the extended version of the blooper on YouTube shows, he momentarily resumes what he was supposed to say.
"Gentlemen, as you know, The Ultimate Warrior," he begins, only for the sign to fall as Vince McMahon, off camera, says "Nice move." Okerlund yells, "FUCK IT!" at that point but then, like either a glitching computer or a true professional, somehow finishes his original sentence, saying "...has publicly stated…" before finally giving up and joking about the situation. "Dammit, who put that [sign] up? Is that $200 an hour?"
All of which is to say that Mean Gene could make anything work. Case in point: For weeks in 1990, a giant egg was present at every WWE TV taping, and the subject of constant hype about who or what might be inside. The popular scuttlebutt at the time was that it was recently departed WCW star Mean Mark, who ended up debuting on the show as The Undertaker in a slot as Ted DiBiase's mystery partner. (Recently, on his podcast, longtime wrestling insider John McAdam recounted that, as far as he knew, that rumor was actually true, with The Undertaker scheduled to kick out of the egg like a monster until someone in the promotion realize that would traumatize children.) When the egg finally hatched, though, it revealed the Gobbledy Gooker—that is, veteran wrestler Hector Guerrero in a turkey suit. Confused fans in Hartford instantly started booing, loudly. The resulting segment is terrible, both in concept and execution, but it's infinitely watchable thanks to Okerlund playing it completely straight while conversing with a gobbling man-turkey before finally accepting his dares to dance and do—well, attempt—a cartwheel in the ring.
Okerlund's real strength, though, was getting major storylines and angles over. During some of the wackier periods for WWE that work included getting cursed to sweat black ooze from his possessed hand, but stuff like that wasn't the norm. As much as we remember Mean Gene as charming and funny, his finest moments were arguably with the most serious storylines. Perhaps the ultimate masterpiece of early 1990s WWE storytelling was Earthquake breaking Hulk Hogan's ribs, complete with a brilliantly sad music video teasing Hogan's retirement. Okerlund's contribution to the bit came during the weekly "WWF Update" segment, where he recounted his friendship with the Hulkster while seemingly on the verge of tears. "If there's ever a time that Hulk Hogan needs your help, it's now," he begins. "I developed a friendship with the Hulkster, I'm proud to say that he considered me a friend of his. A lot of great years…[sniffles]…please write to him…let's go to the graphic…please write to Hulk Hogan at this address…I can't do this." Longtime fans and viewers of the company's home videos knew that Gene had even trained and teamed with Hogan for a one-off match, and so it was completely credible that Okerlund would be that overcome with emotion, especially given his performance.
Of course, he was also hilarious, as his interactions with Bobby Heenan and others show. Personally, I'm partial to Gene suggesting on a 1995 WCW late night marathon that the entirety of Papa John's was owned by some guy named Ron, just because it's so weird. More famously, there are moments like his attempts to engage a donut-eating Don Muraco and the Hogan training montage, as well as his random non-sequitur one-liners delivered to imaginary people off camera. It's all memorable, up to and including Ric Flair's manager, Woman, gently caressing Gene during every Flair interview.
Okerlund's reputation took a temporary hit in the mid to late '90s, during his time with WWE's rival WCW, which was owned by Turner Broadcasting. Mean Gene quickly became the star of WCW's scammy pay-by-the-minute 1-900 number hotline. (If you're too young to remember 1-900 numbers: It was a sleazy hustle used mainly for phone sex and uh information, especially about wrestling.) About a year into Okerlund's run, the plugs for the hotline started to get especially misleading, most famously on February 4, 1995, when Jerry "Crusher" Blackwell passed away. It was bad enough that the evening's shilling was built around finding out who died. More specifically, though, Okerlund touted the "death of a 45 year old former heavyweight champion." With Ric Flair having "retired" three months earlier, Bob Backlund having just been WWE Champion again, and the slightly older Terry Funk and Harley Race both recently disappearing from TV without explanation, the inference was clearly that it was one of them. Even worse, according to Wade Keller in that week's Pro Wrestling Torch, the Blackwell news was delivered as a throwaway at the end of seven to eight minute call.
That followed Okerlund around for a while, especially since WWE parodied him with a "Scheme Gene" character in early 1996. But by the time WCW closed and Okerlund returned to WWE, he was so lovingly embraced as a nostalgia figure—and so willing to satirize the old carnival barker hotline host image—that the stain didn't stick to him much past the '90s. Since his 2001 return to the WWE fold, he was pretty much a constant in some form. If there was any kind of nostalgia-tinged programming, he was there, whether that meant hosting programming on WWE's original video on demand service, appearing on Monday Night Raw's "old-school" nights, dropping in for a completely random early '90s-style "SummerSlam Report" in 2014, doing DVDs, helming the WWE Vintage Collection show for international markets, Legends House, or who knows what else, Mean Gene made his presence felt.
"They say never meet your heroes," the former WWE international department announcer Arda Ocal (there, he was "Kyle Edwards") told Deadspin. "But that absolutely did not apply to Gene. He was the nicest human, went out of his way to give me advice and words of encouragement. He consistently went to bat for me and I'll always be grateful. Every time I saw him I would yell 'PUT THAT CIGARETTE OUT!' And he would laugh slowly, smiling and shaking his head before telling us a ton of incredible stories. God bless Mean Gene."
David Bixenspan is a freelance writer from Brooklyn, N.Y., who co-hosts the Between The Sheets podcast every Monday at BetweenTheSheetsPod.com and everywhere else that podcasts are available. You can follow him on Twitter at @davidbix and view his portfolio at Clippings.me/davidbix.
Recent from David Bixenspan
Does NJPW Understand Why American Fans Like NJPW?
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Jason Kettwig is an American politician who served in the South Dakota House of Representatives from the 4th district from 2017 to 2019.

References

Living people
Republican Party members of the South Dakota House of Representatives
Year of birth missing (living people)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Sol Pais, 18-years-old, has been identified as the South Florida woman who is currently on the run from authorities after her "credible threat" caused 21 schools in the state of Colorado to be placed on lockdown.
While it is unclear at this time exactly where Pais is from or what her ethnicity is, in an interview with CBS 4 Miami at his South Florida home, you can clearly hear that Pais' father some sort of Latin accent.
Police say that Pais, just 18, flew to Colorado from Florida with the specific intention of carrying out a public act of violence, as she is "infatuated" with the Columbine High School shooting that took place in 1999.
While the exact nature of her threats is unclear, police did say that Pais purchased a shotgun after landing in Colorado and that her threats were credible enough to prompt the lockdown of over 20 Jefferson County-area schools.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and the Denver Division of the FBI have argued civilians not to approach Pais if they see her as she should be considered armed and extremely dangerous.
Pais' threats against Columbine High School and other Jefferson County, Colorado schools came the same week as the 20th anniversary of the mass shooting that left 12 students and 1 teacher dead following an attack from Columbine High School seniors Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.
Following her threats, Pais has been on the run from authorities since Tuesday, April 16, and remains at large at the time of this writing.
Authorities have asked anyone who comes across Pais not to approach her as she needs to be considered extremely armed and dangerous.
Additionally, police have also asked anyone who sees Pais or knows where she is hiding to immediately call the FBI tip line at 303-630-6227.


Like cows and sheep, camel digestive tracts produce large amounts of methane, a much more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, with adults producing about a ton of methane a year.
With no natural predators, camels now number more than one million in Australia's desert centre and the population is growing quickly.
The methodology is one of many being developed under the government's Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI), the country's first nationally regulated carbon offset programme that aims to reward farmers and investors for steps that cut greenhouse gas emissions on the land.
The government, which supports Northwest Carbon's 63-page methodology, released the rules for public consultation on Thursday.
Legislation for the Carbon Farming Initiative is being debated before parliament, and it is likely to be approved.
The scheme is far less controversial than a separate carbon pricing programme the government is struggling to win support for.
Camels, introduced in the 19th century, have become a major pest in Australia. They trample large areas of vegetation, damage water holes and compete with native species for food.
Camel culling under the methodology could generate up to 18 million carbon credits, with more than 650 000 created a year during the initial three to five years, Northwest Carbon said in a statement on Thursday.
Cutting methane from landfills, better management of grassland burning and tree plantations are also approved methods under the CFI, in addition to feral animal management.
Once the CFI is running, polluters will be able to buy offsets from approved projects or they can be sold overseas.
But the scheme is expected to start off slowly until parliament also passes the separate laws that put a national price on carbon emissions.
Agriculture can make up a large portion of a country's greenhouse gas emissions.


text:
HomeAlumni HighlightsVolleyball Coach Raquel Shaffer in the WNYK Alumni Spotlight
Volleyball Coach Raquel Shaffer in the WNYK Alumni Spotlight
April 26, 2018 Deborah Walker Alumni Highlights, Athletics, Rockland Campus Comments Off on Volleyball Coach Raquel Shaffer in the WNYK Alumni Spotlight
WNYK 88.7FM, Nyack College's radio station will air an interview with 2003 alumna Raquel Schaffer on Thursday, April 26 at 2:00 p.m. and repeat the segment on Friday, April 27 at 4:00 p.m. and on Monday, April 30 at 5:00 p.m.
Raquel has served as head coach of the Nyack Women's volleyball program since 2008. The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) 2013 "Coach of the Year" has led a strong program that has received the CACC Sportsmanship Award numerous times. Nyack volleyball players have shown consistent improvement under Coach Shaffer's leadership and has earned regular playoff berths, in addition to hosting their first home playoff match in 2013.
Coach Shaffer previously served as a head coach at Tappan Zee High School in Orangeburg, NY for four seasons where her team reached the post-season in each of the years under her direction. A decorated high school athlete, Coach Shaffer was an All-State standout in her junior and senior seasons at North Rockland High School and was an NAIA All-American in 2001.
Faculty and Alumni Featured Speakers at The Preaching Seminar: The Art of Homiletics
Nyack Literati Celebrate 50 Years of "The Fine Print"


India speaker's forum is a uniquely formed concept that endeavors to alleviate the biggest fear of humans, the fear of Public speaking.
Multinational Corporations & Business Owners can start a chapter of ISF within their company premises for the development of its people.
We have helped thousands of people improve their communication and inter-personal skills. Find out what our distinguished members are saying about Us.
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Find out the details of the upcoming ISF events and the registration process. Come experience the change, join the movement today. Sessions are full of fun and learning.
India Speakers Forum in addition to improving your public speaking and inter-personal skills help you in developing strong networking skills.
Individuals can join the ISF forums located near their place. We all need to communicate in our personal and professional lives.
You can start an ISF chapter in your Company, College, School or you may also join the forum as an individual member by locating a community forum in your city.
India's Speakers & Business Networking Forum is a uniquely formed concept that endeavors to alleviate the biggest fear of humans from primordial generations, the fear of Public speaking. The forum with its meticulously planned educational road-map , aims at developing the speaking and inter-personal skills of its members.
The forum meets once every fortnight on weekends for a duration of 150 minutes (2.5 hours). The members are professionals who are passionate about public speaking, interpersonal skills, and professional networking.
Every organization needs a goal for a journey to end; therefore it becomes inevitable for any organization to set a goal for itself and its fellow members so as to work diligently towards it. ISF aims at developing an individual's personal growth and polishing him/her to an inerrant state where all fears and set backs have been eliminated. Therefore, we expect every meeting to begin with the aim and end with an affirmation of having taken a step further towards it.
Every goal in life is empty without an honest promise of achieving it. The journey of India's Speakers Forum is futile if the members do not commit themselves to achieve the set goals and to their personal development. Members need to assiduously commit themselves to not only the aim of the club, but also to the club itself and the other members.


text:
George Washington Papers
From George Washington to Robert Morris, 29 January 1783
Newburgh Jany 29th 1783.
As I never saw, nor never heard of the resolve of Congress spoken of by the Secretary at war (as mentioned in your letter of the 21st Instt) I conceive it to be a right inherent with Command to limit (as circumstances & the nature of Service may require) the proportion of Women to the Men of an Army I confess I felt myself hurt by the interference of other departments without any previous notice or communication of sentiments with me, on the Subject.
The import of the resolution of the Secy at W. & yourself by fair deduction is, that an abuse existed, which required correction; by limiting the number of Rations for Women to a fifteenth of the Issues to Non-Commissioned Officers & privates; when the fact is, that from calculation the new mode has added 52,560 Rations to the annual expence of the Army in this Quarter, as will appear by the inclosed, Official Return; and would if the strict letter had been adhered to, have involved particular Corps in great distress.
It will appear, by having recurrence to my Orderly Book, that an Oeconomical attention to the public interest—in this case—has not been wanting; but that upon every return of the number of Women called for (at different periods) when compared with the totality of the Army—it has been found, that no general Rule consistent with American, or British Customs, could be established that would not encrease the agregate amount of the Issues—and therefore that it was better to submit to a surplusage in some Corps than to render the expence greater and the evil more extensive by adopting a limitation which would pervade the whole Army—especially too, as some of those Corps were, and still are, under particular circumstances—for instance the Regiments of York—which, in part, are composed of Long Islanders & others who fled with their families when the enemy obtained possession of those places and have no other means of subsistence. The Cries of the Women—the sufferings of their children—and the complaints of the Husbands would admit of no alternative. The latter with too much justice remarked "If pay is with-held from us, and Provisions from our Wives & Children we must all starve together; or commit Acts which may involve us in ruin"—Our Wives add they "could earn their Rations, but the Soldier—nay the officer—for whom they wash has nought to pay them." In a word I was obliged to give Provisions to the extra women in these Regiments or loose by Desertion—perhaps to the Enemy—some of the oldest and best Soldiers in the Service. To suspend the publication of the allowance I could not because it was a link into & became part of a Plan which was to have an operation in a few days, to wit before the first of this Month.
You will, My dear Sir, consider this as a free, friendly, & confidential communication. I early assured you, and more than once, with great sincerity have repeated it, that you will find the best disposition in me to support your Administration and to give efficacy to your plans of oeconomy as far as they came within my sphere of Action—If therefore you perceive, or think you perceive any defect in the Police of the Army and will suggest a remedy, I pledge myself to you that I shall receive the information, and hints, as a test of your friendship; and will, as far as my judgment & powers extend endeavor to correct it. But if from misconception, mis–information, or a partial investigation, the interior of my business is taken up by others at the distance of 150 Miles, it is easy to conceive the confusion & bad consequences which must ensue.
Any Assistance or advice, which I can give to the Assistant Comy of Marine Prisoners at Dobbs' Ferry will be afforded with Pleasure. Under the regulations wch I have established the imposition which you seem to apprehend—namely, applying money to mercantile purposes under the ostensible pretext & appearance of supporting the Prisoners—cannot be practiced, unless it is connived at by the Executive of the State from whence it comes—because it is a positive & standing order at that Post—where alone Flags are permitted, to suffer no Person to go in—send in—or have any communication with any person on the Lines who is not vested with proper authority therefor, from Congress, the Executive of the State in which the Applicant lives, the Secretary at war, yourself, or Head Qrs of the Army. That a correspondence is held with the Enemy through other Channels, I have not the smallest doubt; nor will five such Armies as I command prevent it, unless the states will make it Felony and execute the Laws with fidiltiy and Strictness on offenders without respect to Persons. With great esteem & regard I am—Dr Sir Yr most Obt & Affe H. Ser.
Go: W.
DLC: Papers of George Washington.
Early Access Link Note: this link will eventually disappear!
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-10529
Washington Papers
Washington, George
Morris, Robert
"From George Washington to Robert Morris, 29 January 1783," Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-10529. [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.]
From Morris to Washington [28 January 1783]
From Washington to Morris [29 January 1783]
All correspondence between Morris and Washington


text:
Catherine Cusset was born in Paris in 1963. A graduate of the École normale supérieure in Paris and agrégée in Classics, she taught eighteenth-century French literature at Yale from 1991 to 2002. She is the author of thirteen novels, including The Story of Jane and L'autre qu'on adorait (shortlisted for the 2016 Prix Goncourt), and has been translated into seventeen languages. Her latest book, David Hockney: A Life, was published in the UK in November 2020. Cusset lives in Manhattan with her American husband and daughter.
UK rights represented on behalf of Other Press
Photo credit (c) Francesca Mantovani, Gallimard
David Hockney: A Life


The boards of Cookson Group plc ("Cookson") and Foseco plc ("Foseco") are pleased to announce that they have reached agreement on the terms of a recommended cash offer by Cookson for the entire issued and to be issued share capital of Foseco (the "Acquisition"). The directors of Foseco, who have been so advised by Greenhill, consider the terms of the Acquisition to be fair and reasonable. In providing its advice, Greenhill has taken into account the commercial assessments of the directors of Foseco. Accordingly, the directors of Foseco intend unanimously to recommend Foseco Shareholders to vote in favour of the Scheme and the resolutions at the Court Meeting and the EGM, as those directors who are holders of Foseco Shares have irrevocably undertaken to do in respect of their own beneficial shareholdings.
Cookson believes that the Acquisition has a clear and compelling industrial and financial rationale, with significant benefits for its shareholders and other stakeholders. Foseco has a leading market position in its principal Foundry division, a Steel division which is complementary to Cookson's business and an established infrastructure with operations in all key geographies. Foseco's high quality employees and well-regarded operational management have built a strong record of growth in revenue, profitability and cash generation. In addition, the endmarkets for both divisions are strong and are expected to continue with "GDP plus" revenue growth over the medium-term. Foseco is highly complementary to Cookson's existing Ceramics division with both businesses supplying products and services into the foundry and steel-making industries. The combination of these businesses will enhance Cookson's product and service offering in both of these markets, thus providing its customers in foundry and steel markets with an excellent range of higher value-added products and services.
The integration of the two businesses should generate cost synergies of approximately £9 million in the first twelve month period post completion of the Acquisition rising to an ongoing annual rate of approximately £18 million thereafter through the elimination of overhead duplications (general and administrative, including head office) and increased purchasing efficiencies. Cash costs of approximately £15 million are expected to be incurred to realise these synergies with these costs being incurred in the first twelve month period post completion. In addition, revenue synergies are anticipated through the cross-selling of Cookson's foundry products through Foseco's sales network and vice versa for Foseco's steel products. Cookson expects the Acquisition to generate a return on invested capital ("ROIC") in excess of its weighted average cost of capital ("WACC") in the second twelve month period after completion of the Acquisition. In addition, Cookson expects the Acquisition to have a neutral impact on Cookson's headline earnings per share in financial year 2008 and significantly enhance Cookson's headline earnings per share thereafter.
Cookson's blended tax rate after the completion of the Acquisition is expected to be approximately 30.5 per cent. in 2008 and 30.0 per cent. in 2009. The funding of the Acquisition should ensure that post completion Cookson will remain in a strong credit position. At completion, net debt to pro forma EBITDA is expected to be approximately 2.5 times, reducing to less than 2.0 times by the end of 2009.
Cookson is a leading materials science company operating on a worldwide basis in the Ceramics, Electronics and Precious Metals markets. The Ceramics division is a leading supplier of advanced flow control refractory products and systems to the global steel industry and a leading supplier of specialist ceramics products for the glass, solar and foundry industries. It is also the regional leader in the US, the UK and Australia in the supply and installation of monolithic refractory linings. The Electronics division is a leading supplier of advanced surface treatment and plating chemicals and assembly materials to the electronics, industrial and automotive markets. The Precious Metals division is a leading supplier of fabricated precious metals (primarily gold, silver and platinum) to the jewellery industry in the US, the UK, France and Spain. For the year ended 31 December 2006, Cookson reported profit before taxation of £113.5 million on revenue of £1,661 million and had total assets as at 31 December 2006 of £1,310 million. For the six months ended 30 June 2007, Cookson reported profit before taxation of £67.6 million on revenue of £786 million and had total assets as at 30 June 2007 of £1,293 million. Cookson is a FTSE 250 company, headquartered in London and listed on the London Stock Exchange. As at 10 October 2007, Cookson had a market capitalisation of approximately £1,591 million.
Foseco is a leading supplier of consumable products for use in the foundry and steel-making industries. Foseco has a highly trained sales and service network in 32 countries and operates 29 production facilities in 17 countries. Foseco has major facilities in Germany, the US, the UK, Brazil, China, India, South Korea and Japan. Foseco serves the foundry and the steel-making industries through two operating divisions: Foseco Foundry and Foseco Steel. Foseco Foundry accounts for approximately 80 per cent. of Foseco's revenue and supplies consumable products, together with technical services and support, to thefoundry industry worldwide. For the year ended 31 December 2006, Foseco Foundry generated revenue of £327 million. Foseco Steel provides value-added, high-performance consumables and services to the steel-making industry, principally in Europe and North America. For the year ended 31 December 2006, Foseco Steel generated revenue of £82 million. For the year ended 31 December 2006, Foseco reported profit before taxation of £40.4 million on revenue of £409 million and had total assets as at 31 December 2006 of £255 million. For the six months ended 30 June 2007, Foseco reported profit before taxation of £21.9 million on revenue of £215 million and had total assets as at 30 June 2007 of £255 million.
This announcement includes "forward-looking statements" concerning Foseco and Cookson. These statements are based on the current expectations of the management of Foseco and Cookson and are naturally subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements typically containing words such as "intends", "expects", "anticipates", "targets", "estimates" and words of similar import. By their nature, forwardlooking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Neither Foseco nor Cookson undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent legally required.


text:
François-Pascal Simon baron Gérard (Rome, 12 maart 1770 – Parijs, 11 januari 1837) was een Frans kunstschilder.

Leven en werk
Gérard was een zoon van een Fransman en een Italiaanse moeder. Al op jonge leeftijd verhuisde het gezin naar Parijs. Aanvankelijk wilde Gérard beeldhouwer worden en werd leerling van Augustin Pajou. Hij toonde echter meer belangstelling voor de schilderkunst en werkte daartoe vanaf 1791 onder de hoede van Jacques-Louis David. Hij ontwikkelde zich tot een van diens beroemdste leerlingen.

Gérard was een classicistisch schilder en verwierf grote faam door zijn portretten van beroemdheden. Ook schilderde hij historische en mythologische taferelen. Zijn stijl vond aan het eind van de 18e eeuw veel navolgers.

Gérard had slechts enkele leerlingen, waaronder de Zwitserse kunstschilderes Barbara Bansi (1777-1863) en Marie-Éléonore Godefroid. Godefroid werd 1805 zijn assistent, en trok in 1812 bij hem en zijn vrouw in, tot na zijn overlijden.

In 1819 werd hij vanwege zijn verdiensten door koning Lodewijk XVIII, wiens hofschilder hij was, in de adelstand verheven. Tevens werd hij door de Franse regering benoemd in het Legioen van Eer.

Galerij

Externe link
 Biografie op artsender.com

Frans kunstschilder
Kunstschilder van het neoclassicisme
Lid van de Académie des beaux-arts


Please comment why you need such an option. Not everything of MSDK should be exposed in ffmpeg.
I guess the option "userawref" here you mean is to use original input yuv frame as reference during encoding, instead of using reconstruct frame as reference.
But what is the benefit? It will cause decoder behavior doesn't match encoder, then produce bad decoded video quality.


UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland has held an unprecedented meeting with Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony.
The meeting is part of moves to boost peace talks aimed at ending the Lord's Resistance Army's 20-year insurgency.
The 10-minute meeting with Mr Kony - who is wanted for alleged war crimes during the conflict - took place at a remote camp on the south Sudan border.
Mr Egeland had said it would only go ahead if rebels agreed to free abducted children, but this did not happen.
He has described the war as the world's most neglected humanitarian crisis.
Accompanied by senior Sudan officials, Mr Egeland went to a camp in the south early on Sunday where fighters belonging to the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) are gathered.
The BBC's Jonah Fisher, who was at the scene, says that after making the UN envoy wait for more than two hours, Joseph Kony strode out of the jungle.
Flanked by Kalashnikov-toting fighters in t-shirts and wellington boots, the rebel leader walked into the camp and shook hands with Mr Egeland beneath a green UN tent.
Mr Egeland said the LRA had agreed to give the UN an assessment of how many were in its camps.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Kony denied kidnapping children or women and holding people against their will. "We don't have any children or wounded, only combatants," he said.
The LRA leader also asked Mr Egeland to intervene to cancel an arrest warrant issued against him for war crimes by the International Criminal Court - a body over which he has no authority.
"We are talking about the peace talks in Juba," Mr Kony told reporters, adding that he would go to the talks if the indictments were lifted.
Mr Egeland said the meeting had been worthwhile.
"I was able to bring up the situation for the civilian population in northern Uganda, the absolute necessity for them to continue respecting the cessation of hostilities," he said.
Our correspondent says it is the first time that a senior international diplomat such as Mr Egeland has met the LRA and that it is a significant moment for the rebel group.
In fact, Mr Kony is only known to have appeared twice before in the presence of journalists.
Joseph Kony - a self-proclaimed mystic in his forties - has led the LRA through 20 years of brutal civil war in northern Uganda.
His fighters are accused of abducting children in northern Uganda and southern Sudan and driving more than 1.5 million people from their homes.
Tens of thousands of people have also died in the conflict.
Sudan has been hosting talks between Uganda's government and rebel leaders in the southern town of Juba, but Mr Kony has refused to attend in case he is arrested.
The Ugandan government says it will not consider an amnesty for the rebels until a peace deal is reached.
However, the past few months have seen progress stall, with arguments over ceasefire violations and whether LRA fighters are really gathering at two designated assembly points.


text:
DRIVEN TO DESPAIR
Tesco worker, 49, employed by supermarket for 17 years killed himself after he was sacked for 'chasing shoplifter'
Brittany Vonow
Updated: 12 Aug 2019, 15:43
A DEDICATED Tesco worker who had worked for the supermarket for 17 years killed himself after he was sacked for chasing a shoplifter, an inquest heard.
Shaun Winstanley, 49, had been awarded for his Years of Outstanding Service but was fired for "unreasonable behaviour" after running after the thief.
Shaun Winstanley, 49, had been working at the supermarket for 17 years before he was firedCredit: SWNS:South West News Service
He had even been honoured with awards including Years of Outstanding ServiceCredit: SWNS:South West News Service
An inquest at Blackpool Town Hall heard the customer assistant had first begun to struggle after he was held at gunpoint during a robbery in May last year.
And he continued to battle mental health problems after he was fired for putting himself and a customer in danger when he tried to chase down a thief on January 2.
He appealed the decision but it was rejected on February 6.
Mr Winstanley was found dead by a friend at his Staining home near Blackpool, Lancs, barely a week later on February 13.
Since his death, his family has revealed their heartbreak that the dedicated supermarket worker wasn't better supported.
'I'M ANGRY AT TESCO'
Speaking after the hearing, his devastated step-daughter Siobhan Winstanley, 28, told how she had written to Tesco about her father's death but was told the matter was closed.
She said: "It is very raw and very difficult for us to come to terms with.
"He was of the very strong opinion that [suicide] was a selfish thing to do, so obviously it's not something he would have done lightly, knowing he had children.
"It's not something that's actually sunk in. We feel maybe if we go into the Highfield Road shop he's going to be there. But he's not going to be there, because he's not here any more.
"I am angry at Tesco. We have got our father in an urn in our living room.
Anything they could give me wouldn't be good enough. It would be blood money
Siobhan Winstanleystep-daughter
"I sit there every morning with my coffee and look at him and wonder maybe if things had been different he would still be here.
"I think there needs to be an awareness of mental health and I think employers need to be doing right by their employees.
"I could try to take them [Tesco] to tribunal but anything they could give me wouldn't be good enough. It would be blood money. I don't want money. I want my dad back.
"Seventeen years he gave them and when he needed them most they let him down."
Siobhan said her dad was offered five counselling sessions following the traumatic armed robbery in May last year but his mental health went downhill from there.
He was then transferred from the Highfield Road Tesco Express - where the robbery took place - to shops in Bispham and Poulton.
However, he was not initially offered any time off work, said Siobhan, and was disciplined for missing three shifts following the crime.
Siobhan Winstanley said she was devastated Shaun was not better supportedCredit: Facebook
Under criminal law, a shop worker has the same rights as individuals to stop a suspect from committing a crime.
It is unclear what the policy is surrounding handling suspected shoplifters is for Tesco workers.
DEVASTATING DISCOVERY
During the inquest, the hearing was told one of Mr Winstanley's friends became worried about him as he had not seen him in several days.
He went to Mr Winstanley's house on February 13, where he found the door locked, lights on and his bichon frise dog, Benji, barking inside.
After knocking on the door and receiving no response, he called 999 and police forced entry to the property.
Police then forced entry into the home, tragically finding his body.Coroner Clare Doherty recorded a conclusion of suicide.
She said: "A friend spoke with Mr Winstanley on February 8 and he expressed thoughts of self-harm.
"It seems to tie in with the fact that he had appealed the loss of his job and he had not been successful in that appeal on that day.
"It was apparent that his employment was not going to be restored and he was devastated by that. He was an employee for 17 years and had won an award in the past for being a good employee.
"Mr Winstanley had suffered a marked mental deterioration last summer while at work he had witnessed at armed robbery.
"He was very affected by it and he had counselling from his employer and help from another agency called Supporting Minds.
"It does appear that he had fragile mental health and these events have caused a deterioration."
A spokesman for Tesco said: "The welfare and safety of our colleagues is of utmost importance to us and we were extremely sad to hear about the death of Mr Winstanley.
"Unfortunately, we are unable to comment on individual circumstances relating to our colleagues."
The dad had confided in a friend he was having suicidal thoughts after his dismissalCredit: SWNS:South West News Service
Shaun had been working at the Highfield Road Tesco ExpressCredit: Google Street View
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society - from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others... You're Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123
Movember, www.uk.movember.com


text:
Q: Page reload not showing message Using Codazon theme developed AjaxCartPro Module
Problem - when a user put product qty more than 10000 no error is showing but just reloading the page
we want to reload then show error message
app\code\Codazon\AjaxCartPro\Controller\Cart\Add.php
app\code\Codazon\AjaxCartPro\view\frontend\web\js\catalog-add-to-cart.js

A: If you are not getting error message on product page, then you need to do some custom coding in your product main .phtml file
<script>
require([
    'jquery'
], function($){
    jQuery(document).ready(function(){
        //Display error if found after jquery
        var messages = $.cookieStorage.get('mage-messages');
        if (!_.isEmpty(messages)) {
            customerData.set('messages', {messages: messages});
            $.cookieStorage.set('mage-messages', '');
        }
    });
});
</script>

This is the part when system check if message set on cookie and will will appear
If above code not work for you then you need to add this code in window load instead of document ready


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text:
Kyle White: Sheer force of will, incredible talent and a champion's mentality propelled Jonathan Rea to his greatest triumph
Jonathan Rea donned a Kawasaki-green dickie bow and jacket as he toasted his fifth successive World Superbike title success on Sunday at Magny-Cours in France.
Kyle White
All-conquering World Superbike king Jonathan Rea is now out on his own as the most successful rider ever in the history of the championship.
Rea overcame the biggest challenge of his glittering career to win an all-time record fifth consecutive title in 2019.
Many fans from Northern Ireland made the trip to France to cheer on Jonathan Rea at Magny-Cours in France at the weekend.
His title triumph on Sunday at Magny-Cours in France is all the sweeter after many wrote off the Northern Ireland rider's prospects following a sensational start to the season by series debutant Alvaro Bautista of Spain.
The 2006 125cc world champion crossed over from the premier MotoGP class to ride Ducati's new V4-R Panigale and swept all before him as he won the first 11 races in a row.
Before the midway point of the campaign, Rea's critics had dismissed his chances of retaining the title he has made his own since he joined Kawasaki in 2015.
Some even suggested Bautista's dominant start to the championship was proof of the gulf in class between Rea – the pre-eminent force in World Superbikes – and a middle of the road MotoGP rider such as 34-year-old Bautista.
Those ill-informed voices have been emphatically silenced by Rea, who clawed his way back to the top through a combination of sheer force of will, incredible talent and a champion's mentality.
Bautista was largely the architect of his own downfall, a series of DNFs denting his own championship aspirations, but Rea's methodical consistency ensured he was poised to strike should he be granted an opening by the Spaniard.
He seized upon every error by the Ducati man with ruthless efficiency and once he was back on his perch, Rea never relinquished his grip as he became Ulster's second five-time motorcycling world champion along with Joey Dunlop, who famously won the TT Formula 1 World Championship from 1982-86.
The magnitude of what Rea has achieved this year cannot be underestimated, and his name will stand rightfully among the legends of Northern Ireland sport for all time.
New Honda Racing signing Davey Todd breaks collarbone in winter training accident in California
Passengers were 'sobbing' and 'making calls' to loved ones - Aer Lingus pilot hailed 'miraculous' after landing plane during Storm Brendan
NI snow alert - first snow of 2020 has arrived confirm Met Office - subzero temperatures expected tonight
Cate Conway shares tearful video of hug Stephen Clements gave her at end of their final radio programme together
Storm Brendan NI BLOG: Widespread disruption, roads closed, coastal flooding and power outages
Eamonn Holmes in tirade against Meghan Markle
Irish League Football
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Professionals working with children may be required to prepare medico-legal reports as a consequence of their engagement with children and as part of their professional duties. In such situations review of case-based material, including medico-legal reports written by other health professionals might be required. In other situations requests for a medico-legal report might be made of health professionals to review case-based material in the absence of direct contact with a subject. These reviews of case-related material might also include medical reports written by other medical professionals.
Medico-legal reports based of review of case-related material might be requested for use by statutory child protection agencies, the Family Court of Victoria, the criminal justice systems, other courts or tribunals.
There are a broad range of reasons why a doctor who works in the field of Child Abuse Paediatrics/Forensic Paediatric Medicine might review case-related materials. Review of case-related material in order to prepare a medical report and/or testimony on behalf of a person accused of a crime is one such reason.
Review of case-related materials including case files is (and should be) a process involving objective, impartial, unbiased scrutiny of case-related material followed by critical analysis of available evidence. The opinion you provide should not be influenced by differing reasons for review or the identity of the purchaser. Review of case material for the defence (that is, on behalf of an accused) is not a "special case", free from constraints of peer review, other quality assurance activities or the usual duties and obligations of an expert witness.
The following guidelines have been written to provide advice for Victorian doctors preparing expert opinion reports in relation to medico-legal matters involving children.
Authors are encouraged to ensure that the material provided for review has been lawfully obtained.
As a matter of professional courtesy, and to enable further communication, reviewers are encouraged to ensure that authors of medico-legal reports that that have been provided for appraisal are aware of the additional review process. If the party requesting the review of case-based material specifically asks that you do not communicate with other medical practitioners then you will need to decide whether you wish to perform the case-file review under these circumstances.
Authors of medico-legal reports are reminded that their obligation is to the court. The author must confirm his/her awareness of these obligations as the provider of opinion evidence. This obligation applies to opinions expressed verbally, in written reports as well as to testimony in court.
If you believe that most of your peers could, or in all probability would, reach a different conclusion to your, and that your opinion is therefore unlikely to be shared by most of your colleagues, then this observation must be stated. Note that there is no compulsion, legal or otherwise, for any professional to merely reiterate a consensus view, but a unique hypothesis or theory must be clearly identified as such. It would be sensible to provide a comprehensive explanation of reasons for a rejection of alternative hypotheses in this situation.
All medico-legal reports should undergo review by a peer prior to release.


text:
Business | Europe's railways
A high-speed revolution
European railways form an alliance to promote swifter international travel
Jul 5th 2007 | brussels, frankfurt, paris and strasbourg
AS THE fastest train in Europe reaches its top speed of 320kph (200mph) the glasses of wine on the bar barely wobble. Champagne country is a blur as the train tears along Europe's newest high-speed line—the first to link France and Germany. France's Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV) can now travel between Stuttgart and Paris in only three hours 40 minutes instead of six hours. The latest generation of Germany's Inter-City Express (ICE) trains has similarly shrunk the journey time between Frankfurt and Paris.
This week high-speed railways in France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland joined with existing international services, such as the cross-channel Eurostar and the Paris-Brussels Thalys, to form Railteam, a new marketing alliance. The aim by the end of next year is to have one website that will allow travellers to view timetables and prices and, with one or two clicks, book tickets from one end of Europe to another. At the European Commission's insistence, Railteam members will compete on prices, though there could be some tricky moments as some of them team up to take on airlines.
Europe is in the grip of a high-speed rail revolution. Four new lines are opening this year and next, with trains running up to 320kph (see map). The eastern France TGV line is the first, to be followed in November by a new link from the Channel Tunnel to a new rail hub at London St Pancras, connecting Britain's first really fast line to the rest of the network. Paris will be only two hours 20 minutes away, and Brussels less than two hours. By 2008 Brussels will have new high-speed links to Amsterdam and Cologne. Railteam's aim is to increase high-speed passengers from 15m a year today to 25m by 2010.
The opening of the TGV-Est last month marked a huge change of heart for France. Its high-speed rail network has been spinning a web from Paris to the corners of the French hexagon since the mid-1970s. But now the TGV-Est wires France into the heart of its biggest neighbour, Germany, and gives birth to a joint venture between the French and German state-owned railways, SNCF and Deutsche Bahn (DB).
Although joint ventures between state-owned rail champions and a grand Railteam marketing alliance might not seem an ideal way of introducing a new level of competition into an industry long regarded as rusty, it is an important start. International passenger-rail services in Europe will be opened up to competition from January 2010. It could lead to a dramatic liberalisation of Europe's railways, akin to that of its airlines. Europe's open skies led to more privatisation of state airlines and the emergence of new, low-cost carriers such as easyJet and Ryanair. If Europe's railway revolution stays on track, an easyTrain or Ryanrail could emerge.
The prospects for Europe's trains have hardly been better since the great age of steam. For decades planes, cars and lorries have been quicker, more convenient and usually more reliable ways to transport people and goods throughout much of Europe. But concern over climate change, hassles at overcrowded airports, delayed flights and congested roads have conspired with better high-speed rail technology to make the train an increasingly attractive alternative, and an especially green one: a full high-speed electric train emits between a tenth and a quarter of the carbon dioxide of a plane, according to the bosses of Eurostar.
Signalling problems
Nevertheless, running railways is an expensive business and integration across national borders is painful and fraught with technical and political obstacles. Much of the expense is shouldered by taxpayers, who pay for the dedicated high-speed tracks, but the train services that run on them mostly make a profit (though Eurostar has been dogged by losses relating to the Channel Tunnel).
Then there are the technical difficulties. Brussels has been piling up directives on inter-operability for the past 16 years. Yet apart from a few services such as Eurostar and Thalys, rail travel has remained national, with locomotives and drivers changing at borders and little in the way of through tickets or co-ordinated timetables. Harmonising high-speed train control systems is an expensive nightmare. Eurostar trains have four different power systems for France, Belgium, the Channel Tunnel and the London commuter lines they had to use while waiting for the high-speed link to open.
Another obstacle to change is that governments and trade unions regard railways as providers of stable jobs that are shielded from competition. So there has been much resistance to opening up the market, particularly in France and Germany. The hope is that a grand alliance, and joint ventures under its umbrella, stand more chance of breaking free from old constraints than attempts to strike separate deals on particular routes.
Vorsprung durch DB
There is no doubt that Germany's state-owned railway is at the forefront of Europe's rail revolution. Hartmut Mehdorn, chief executive of DB, has turned a chronic loss-making railway into a powerful international business which plans to float some 30% of its shares next year. It is already a world-class logistics company, with a global business based on its international rail-freight activity. That could prove to be a useful hedge against greater competition in passenger rail.
DB carries twice as much freight and three times as many passengers as SNCF and owns and operates more than 90% of Germany's rail network. Over 200 competitors, mostly small firms that bid for franchises to run local services subsidised by regional authorities, run trains on its tracks. But DB still dominates the long-distance and inter-city traffic. Only two rivals compete on long-distance passenger services: Veolia on the Leipzig-Berlin-Rostock route, and Georg Verkehrsorganisation, which runs night trains between Berlin and Malmo in Sweden.
State rail firms have the ability to foil smaller rivals and new entrants. One way DB does this is with access to its tracks: InterConnex, owned by Veolia (a French group), fought a losing battle to run a passenger service between Frankfurt and Cologne. It was only offered a track on the right bank of the Rhine, which is winding and subject to delays. Some believe this is why DB will not be allowed to retain full ownership of the rail network in its pending privatisation. But Mr Mehdorn more or less made keeping the tracks a condition for staying when his contract was renewed for three years last month. Britain showed what can go wrong when track and train companies are separated: after the shambolic privatisation of British Rail the network company, Railtrack, collapsed and in effect had to be renationalised. Not surprisingly, there is little appetite to try anything similar on the Continent.
Over at SNCF the debates are different. Guillaume Pepy, SNCF's managing director, was taken aback when he was recently asked about privatisation. "No politician in France ever suggests privatising SNCF," he replied. But even if privatisation is not on the agenda in France, that does not mean greater commercialisation has been ruled out. There will be no avoiding it once access to Europe's passenger lines follows the freight liberalisation that started last January. SNCF's union-bound freight business is suffering so badly in the new environment that it will probably need rescuing by a partly privatised DB. But both SNCF's charismatic president, Anne-Marie Idrac, who made her name rejuvenating the Paris Metro, and Mr Pepy are bullish about international high-speed passenger rail: they conceived Railteam.
How successful will the new high-speed lines be at taking business away from airlines? A big shift in passenger numbers would be more likely if airlines had to pay the same taxes that train operators do, namely value-added tax and a tax on fuel, both of which would push up air fares. But despite the resulting price disadvantage, high-speed rail still has many attractions. The added comfort of a train and the ability to walk about, eat in a dining car, work online or use a mobile phone—not to mention the lack of endless queues and security checks—mean that high-speed rail offers a good alternative to flying. Hence the razzmatazz on May 25th when SNCF and DB ran their first high-speed trains from Stuttgart and Frankfurt to Paris, under a joint venture called Alleo, which is part of Railteam.
Move over, aeroplanes
There is more to the rivalry between rail and air than the experience in transit, however. Railways must compete in other respects, too. SNCF is justly proud of its airline-style yield management system (originally based on the expertise of Sabre, an offshoot of American Airlines), which fills up seats by pricing them according to demand. This booking-only system enables SNCF to fill over 80% of seats on average.
DB tried to introduce a similar system in 2003, but abandoned it because of opposition from politicians and consumer groups. They wanted DB to retain its turn-up-and-pay style of rail travel, which German passengers cherish. Karl-Friedrich Rausch, the head of DB's passenger business, consoles himself with the thought that although DB does not fill as many of its seats as SNCF, travellers can at least arrive at, say, Frankfurt airport's shiny new station and be sure that they can get an ICE train every half hour to Stuttgart or Munich without booking. One of the reasons for the German preference for hop-on, hop-off high-speed trains is that stage lengths are shorter than in France, where the population is more spread out, with fewer big towns. One German idea adopted by Railteam is that frequent travellers will be able to board the next train and get a guaranteed seat if they miss a connection because of a delay.
Mr Rausch, who used to work for Lufthansa, reckons airlines are 15 years ahead of railways in the way they manage their businesses. But he is doing his best to catch up. He is concentrating initially on the improvements to customer service that trains can offer. DB already runs co-ordinated services with Lufthansa that allow travellers to transfer from a plane to a train with a single ticket, for example. Mr Pepy at SNCF reckons that when rail networks are opened up in 2010, airlines such as Lufthansa and Air France-KLM will start operating their own train services. Mr Rausch is more cautious. He thinks open access will take some years to become a reality and that airlines will probably get involved only as partners to train operators.
Whether through competition, co-operation or both, a plethora of European directives such as the "Railway Interoperability Directive" and the "Third Railway Package" will encourage the emergence of this new era of international rail travel. Rail bosses note that on six-hour journeys they are typically winning more than 60% of the leisure market from airlines. The same is happening with business travellers on four-hour journeys. It may be a while before you can choose between a French TGV or a German ICE to ride to Bucharest or even Naples. But as when Lenin sped in his sealed carriage through war-torn Germany 90 years ago, the train of revolution has left the station.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline "A high-speed revolution"
Business July 7th 2007
The diddle kingdom
No ketchup, please
A change of tune
Where would Jesus queue?
Piecing things together
The man who bought trouble
From the July 7th 2007 edition
The race of the AI labs heats up
ChatGPT is not the only game in town
A short-seller rattles Gautam Adani's empire
What is at stake as Hindenburg Research picks a fight with India's mightiest tycoon?
The curse of the corporate headshot
A strangely pervasive custom of odd poses and forced smiles


The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority believes computers can mark NAPLAN writing tasks as effectively as human markers, but tests will be marked under both systems in 2017.
A transition from literacy and numeracy testing using pencil and paper to an online testing environment begins next May, with about 10 per cent of students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 taking the test online next year. All students are expected to be sitting NAPLAN online by 2019.
ACARA general manager of assessment and reporting Stanley Rabinowitz told The Australian that while there is broad acceptance that computers can mark the majority of the test questions, for which there is a right or wrong answer, doubts remain over computerised essay marking.
"We are proposing that computers can do as good a job as humans," Dr Rabinowitz said.
Dr Rabinowitz said trials of the NAPLAN online environment earlier this year highlighted some issues to be ironed out before the May testing window, but said he is "more than confident" that the self-selected 10 per cent of schools will be able to administer the test effectively.
It is still unclear if year 3 students will complete the writing component of NAPLAN testing using computers next year or use pencil and paper, with some concerns about the typing skills of those students.
Education ministers are expected to make a decision on that question later this month.


text:
<?php defined('SYSPATH') OR die('No direct script access.');

abstract class Kohana_LogReader implements ArrayAccess
{

	/**
	 * Default config formats of the log file
	 *
	 * @access	protected
	 * @var		array
	 */
	protected $_config = array(
		// 'time --- level: body in file:line'
		//"/(.*) --- ([A-Z]*): ([^:]*):? ([^~]*)~? (.*)/"
		'format'    => '/^([^:]*):? ([^\s].*)/',
	);

	/**
	 * Available keys for logs parser
	 *
	 * @access	protected
	 * @var		array
	 */
	protected $_available_keys = array(
		'project_id', // project ID ( contains char with integer ID )
		'incoming_mxml_file', // initial MXML file
		'exported_file' // array of the exports files
	);

	/**
	 * Log file name with realpath
	 *
	 * @access	protected
	 * @var		string
	 */
	protected $_log_file;

	/**
	 * String of the path name
	 *
	 * @access	protected
	 * @var		string
	 */
	protected $_path;

	/**
	 * String of the file name
	 *
	 * @access	protected
	 * @var		string
	 */
	protected $_file;

	/**
	 * Array pf the log file lines
	 * parsed by format
	 *
	 * @access	protected
	 * @var		array
	 */
	protected $_lines = array();

	/**
	 * Instance of the itself class
	 *
	 * @access	protected
	 * @static
	 * @var		string
	 */
	protected static $_instance = null;

	/**
	 * @method getInstance
	 * @access public
	 * @static
	 *
	 * get singleton instance of the itself class
     *
     * @param {String} - String of the log file name to parse them
     * @param {String} - String path name where is located the file
     *
     * @return (object) - Return instance of the created class itself
     */
	public static function getInstance( $path = null, $file = null )
	{
		if( is_null(self::$_instance) )
		{
			self::$_instance = new static($path, $file);
		}

		return self::$_instance;
	}

	/**
	 * @method __construct
	 * @access private
	 *
	 * @param {String} - String of the log file name to parse them
	 * @param {String} - String path name where is located the file
	 *
	 */
	private function __construct( $path = null, $file = null )
	{
		if( !is_null( $file ) )
		{
			$this->_file = $file;
		}

		if( !is_null( $path ) )
		{
			$this->_path = realpath(str_replace('\\', '/', $path));
		}

		$this->_log_file = $this->_get_file();
	}

	/**
	 * @method parseLog
	 * @access public
	 *
	 * @return (Array) - Return array of the files line
	 */
	public function parseLog($offset = null)
	{

		if( $file = $this->_get_file() )
		{
			$result = array();
			$file = fopen($file, 'r');
			$i = 0;
			$msg = array();
			$exported = array();
			while ( ! feof($file))
			{
				$str = trim(fgets($file));
				if (preg_match($this->_config['format'], $str, $msg))
				{
					$msg[1] = preg_replace('/([^\w]+)/', '_', strtolower($msg[1]));

					if( in_array($msg[1], $this->_available_keys) )
					{
						$result[$msg[1]] = $msg[2];
						$this->offsetSet($msg[1], $msg[2]);

						if( stripos($msg[1], "exported") !== false )
						{
							$info = new SplFileInfo($msg[2]);
							$ext = $info->getExtension();

							$exported[$ext][] = $msg[2];
							$result[$msg[1]] = $exported;

							$this->offsetSet($msg[1], $exported);
						}
					}
				}
			}
			fclose($file);

			return ( !is_null($offset) ? $this->offsetGet($offset) : $result );
		}

		return false;
	}

	/**
	 * @method remove
	 * @access public
	 *
	 * @return (Object) - return itself ( if file exists then remove them )
	 */
	public function remove()
	{
		if ($file = $this->_get_file())
		{
			unlink($file);
		}
		return $this;
	}

	/**
	 * @method _get_file
	 * @access protected
	 *
	 * @return (Object) - Get file from global pathname and filename
	 */
	protected function _get_file()
	{
		if( file_exists($this->_path. DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . $this->_file) )
		{
			return $this->_path. DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . $this->_file;
		}

		return false;
	}

	/**
	 * @method offsetSet
	 * @access public
	 *
	 * Set on the @var $lines
     *
     * @param {String/Array} - The key to set at the array, if key if array the set recursive
     * @param {String} - Value to set in array by key (but if key is string)
     *
     * @return (void) - Only set in the protected @var $lines
     */
	public function offsetSet($offset = null, $value = null) {
		if( is_string($value) )
		{
			$value = trim($value);
		}

		if( is_array($value) )
		{
			array_walk_recursive($value, function(&$item, $key){
				$item = trim($item);
			});
		}

        if (is_null($offset)) {

            if( !is_null($value) )
            {
	            $this->_lines[] = $value;
            }
        }

        if( is_array($offset) && Arr::is_assoc($offset) )
        {
	        foreach( $offset as $key => $item )
	        {
		    	$this->offsetSet($key, $item);
	        }
        }

        if( is_string( $offset ) && !empty($value) )
        {
	        $this->_lines[$offset] = $value;
        }
    }

	/**
	 * @method offsetExists
	 * @access public
	 *
	 * Check if exists on the array $lines offset by current key $offset
     *
     * @param {String} - Key to check of exists offset
     *
     * @return (Boolean) - Return true if exist or false if not exist offset by key
     */
    public function offsetExists($offset) {
        return isset($this->_lines[$offset]);
    }

	/**
	 * @method offsetUnset
	 * @access public
	 *
	 * Unset item from array of the offsets by key
     *
     * @param {String} - Key to check if offset exist and if true the unset them
     *
     * @return (void) - Only unset offset by key
     */
    public function offsetUnset($offset) {
        if( $this->offsetExists($offset) )
        {
	    	unset($this->_lines[$offset]);
        }
    }

	/**
	 * @method offsetGet
	 * @access public
	 *
	 * Get offset by from $lines array key
     *
     * @param {String} - Key of the offset to get
     *
     * @return (String) - Return string value of the finded offset by key or null if not
     */
    public function offsetGet($offset) {
	    return $this->offsetExists($offset) ? $this->_lines[$offset] : null;
    }

    /**
	 * @method getLogFile
	 * @access public
	 *
	 * @return (String) - Simple return string name of the log file with realpath
	 */
	public function getLogFile()
	{
		return $this->_log_file;
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Fixed Income Essentials
Bonds Fixed Income Essentials
What Does It Mean When a Bond Has a Sinking Fund?
By Brian Beers
Updated Jul 2, 2018
A sinking fund is a means of repaying funds borrowed through a bond issue through periodic payments to a trustee who retires part of the issue by purchasing the bonds in the open market. This provision is really just a pool of money set aside by a corporation to help repay previous issues.
How Bond Repayment Works
Typically, bond agreements (called indentures) require a company to make periodic interest payments to bondholders throughout the life of the bond, and then repay the principal amount of the bond at the end of the bond's lifespan.
For example, let's say Cory's Tequila Company (CTC) sells a bond issue with a $1,000 face value and a ten year life span. The bonds would likely pay interest payments (called coupon payments) to their owners each year. In the bond issue's final year, CTC would need to pay the final round of coupon payments and also repay the entire $1,000 principal amount of each bond outstanding.
This could pose a problem because while it may be very easy for CTC to afford relatively small $50 coupon payments each year, repaying the $1,000 might cause some cash flow problems, especially if CTC is in poor financial condition when the bonds come due. After all, the company may be in good shape today, but it is difficult to predict how much spare cash a company will have in ten years' time.
What Are the Reasons for Creating a Sinking Fund?
To lessen its risk of being short on cash ten years from now, the company may create a sinking fund, which is a pool of money set aside for repurchasing a portion of the existing bonds every year. By paying off a portion of its debt each year with the sinking fund, the company will face a much smaller final bill at the end of the 10-year period.
As an investor, you need to understand the implications a sinking fund can have on your bond returns. Sinking fund provisions usually allow the company to repurchase its bonds periodically and at a specified sinking fund price (usually the bonds' par value) or the prevailing current market price. Because of this, companies generally spend the dollars in their sinking funds to repurchase bonds when interest rates have fallen (which means the market price of their existing bonds have risen), as they can repurchase the bonds at the specified sinking fund price, which is lower than the market price.
This may sound very similar to a callable bond, but there are a few important differences investors should be aware of. First, there is a limit to how much of the bond issue the company may repurchase at the sinking fund price (whereas call provisions generally allow the company to repurchase the entire issue at its discretion). However, sinking fund prices established in bond indentures are usually lower than call prices, so even though an investor's bond may be less likely to be repurchased through a sinking fund provision than a call provision, the holder of the bond with the sinking fund stands to lose more money should the sinking fund repurchase actually occur.
As you can see, a sinking fund provision makes a bond issue simultaneously more attractive to an investor (through the decreased risk of default at maturity) and less attractive (through the repurchase risk associated with the sinking fund price). Investors should review the details of a sinking fund provision in a bond's indenture and determine their own preferences before investing their money into any corporate bond.
(For further reading, see Corporate Bonds: An Introduction to Credit Risk.)
Here's What Happens When a Bond Is Called
What is a stripped bond?
4 basic things to know about bonds
What does it mean if a bond has a zero coupon rate?
Callable Bonds: Leading a Double Life
An Introduction to Convertible Bonds
Purchase Funds Buy Securities When Values Falls Below Original Prices
A purchase fund is a feature of some bond indentures and preferred stock that requires the issuer to make an effort to purchase a specified amount of securities if they fall below a stipulated price.
Doubling Option
A doubling option is a sinking fund provision that gives a bond issuer the right to redeem twice the amount of debt when repurchasing callable bonds.
A sinker is a bond with payments that are provided by the issuer's sinking fund.
How a Call Provision Benefits Investors and Companies
A call provision is a provision on a bond or other fixed-income instrument that allows the issuer to repurchase and retire its bonds.
A Sinking Fund Helps a Company Pays its Long-term Debts
A sinking fund is an account a corporation uses to set aside money earmarked to pay off the debt from a bond or other debt issue. The fund gives bond investors an added element of security.
What Investors Need to Know Before Investing in Callable Bonds
A callable bond is a bond that can be redeemed by the issuer prior to its maturity. A callable bond pays investors a higher rate than standard bonds.


An introduction to the newly released security baseline, FedRAMP Tailored, which is designed for Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) with Low-Impact Software- as-a-Service (LI-SaaS) Systems. The webinar will address what FedRAMP Tailored is, how it was developed, how the finalized version differs from draft versions released for public comment, and other useful information geared toward CSPs, agencies, and 3PAOs. Discussion also address how to begin a FedRAMP Tailored authorization.


Our College Flags measure 3'x5' and include two metal grommets to fly from a traditional flagpole, one of our tailgate flagpoles, or aluminum 6' flagpole. We offer various levels of quality in our College Flag line including nylon or poly construction options, quadruple or double stitched flyends, and school insignias which are embroidered, appliqued, or screen printed.
All College Flags are viewable on both sides and our Stadium Flags are two-ply constructed, so they are viewable and readable correctly on both sides.
Finally, all College Flags are NCAA Officially Licensed by the selected university which ensures authentic school insignias, colors, updated logos, and top quality. With our various levels of quality, pricing, sizes, and variety of logo designs, College Flags and Banners Company will be your college flag source.


text:
Phuket Villa 4680
3 Bedrooms | USD $655 per night - USD $2,275 per night +17.7% Tax
High Jan 16, 2023 - Apr 30, 2023 USD $790 per night 3 nights min
Low May 1, 2023 - Nov 30, 2023 USD $655 per night 2 nights min
High Dec 1, 2023 - Dec 14, 2023 USD $790 per night 3 nights min
Peak Dec 15, 2023 - Jan 15, 2024 USD $2,275 per night 7 nights min


text:
Q: Adding pod to Today extensions forces production of generic archive I have stumbled upon a very strange problem.
In one of my apps I am using cocoa pods to install Alamofire. Up until today I was already adding Alamofire to my main target. However, I then decided to use Alamofire in 2 Today extensions which I have. I modified my Podfile to look like this
source 'https://github.com/CocoaPods/Specs.git'
platform :ios, '8.0'
use_frameworks!

target 'target1' do
pod 'Alamofire', '~> 2.0'
end

target 'target2' do
pod 'Alamofire', '~> 2.0'
end

target 'target3' do
pod 'Alamofire', '~> 2.0'
end

Everything works fine when I am debugging the product. I can also confirm that Alamofire executes correctly in extensions. The problem is that whenever I archive my app I am getting generic archive with no specific membership to any project.
Upon inspection I can see that target2.appex (0 bytes) and target3.appex (0 bytes) are copied in Products directory of my archive. The correct versions also exist in Products/Applications/target1.app/Plugins . I have no clue how to resolve this.
I have already tried using link_with in my Pod file. I have also tried playing with some build settings - it still does not work.
Has anyone experienced this problem and knows how it can be fixed?
I can confirm that when I change my Pod file to
source 'https://github.com/CocoaPods/Specs.git'
    platform :ios, '8.0'
    use_frameworks!

    target 'target1' do
    pod 'Alamofire', '~> 2.0'
    end

    target 'target2' do
    end

    target 'target3' do
    end

the created archive is correct. However, with such setup I cannot use Alamofire in my extensions...

A: Seems like this is an issue with Cocoapods and Xcode 7. This thread is the most helpful:
Invalid archive produced when using "Archive" in Xcode 7 GM (with watchkit extension) #4021
The most popular workaround is to delete the Copy Pod Resources phase from your Today Extension target (in Build Phases). I tried this and can confirm it works and keeps the pod I was using on my Today Extension working normally.
Other popular suggested workarounds are:

*

*Using CocoaPods 0.39.0.beta.3 and running pod install again

*Drag "Public" headers to "Project" for Header build phase in each Pod target.

See also: Archives broken in Xcode 7β6 by containing public pod headers


R 3.1.2 (codename "Pumpkin Helmet") was released last week. You can get the latest binaries version from here. (or the .tar.gz source code from here). The full list of new features and bug fixes is provided below.
[…] improvements for the log-Normal distribution function, improved axis controls for histograms, a fix to the nlminb optimizer which was causing rare crashes on Windows (and traced to a bug in the gcc compiler), and some compatibility updates for the Yosemite release of OS X on Macs.
embedFonts() now defaults to format = "ps2write" for '.ps' and '.eps' files. This is available in Ghostscript 9.x (since 2010) whereas the previous default, format = "pswrite", was removed in Ghostscript 9.10.
For consistency with [dpqr]norm(), [dp]lnorm(sdlog = 0) model a point mass at exp(mulog) rather than return NaN (for an error).
capabilities() now reports if ICU is compiled in for use for collation (it is only actually used if a suitable locale is set for collation, and never for a C locale).
(OS X only.) Package tcltk checks when loaded if it is linked against the CRAN X11-based Tcl/Tk and if so that the Tcl/Tk component and the X11 libraries are installed. This allows more informative error messages to be given advising the installation of the missing component or of XQuartz.The X11() device and X11-based versions of the data editor and viewer (invoked by edit() and View() for data frames and matrices from command-line R) check that the X11 libraries are installed and if not advises installing XQuartz.
icuSetCollate() allows locale = "default", and locale = "none" to use OS services rather than ICU for collation.Environment variable R_ICU_LOCALE can be used to set the default ICU locale, in case the one derived from the OS locale is inappropriate (this is currently necessary on Windows).
New function icuGetCollate() to report on the ICU collation locale in use (if any).
utils::URLencode() was updated to use unreserved and reserved characters from RFC 3986, http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3986, instead of RFC 1738.
unique(warnings()) and c(warnings()) are now supported.
The configure script reports on the more important capabilities/options which will not be compiled in.More types of external BLAS are recognized by name in that report.
LaTeX package upquote is no longer required for R's use of inconsolata.
Running R CMD check with _R_CHECK_DEPENDS_ONLY_ true now makes the VignetteBuilder packages available even if they are listed in Suggests, since they are needed to recognise and process non-Sweave vignettes.
R CMD check now reports empty importFrom declarations in a 'NAMESPACE' file, as these are common errors (writing importFrom(Pkg) where import(Pkg) was intended).
R CMD check now by default checks code usage directly on the package namespace without loading and attaching the package and its suggests and enhances. For good practice with packages in the Suggests field, see §1.1.3.1 of 'Writing R Extensions'. For use of lazy-data objects in the package's own code, see ?data.
dmultinom() did not handle non-finite probabilities correctly.
prettyNum(x, zero.print=*) now also works when x contains NAs.
A longstanding bug exhibited by nlminb() on Windows was traced to a compiler bug in gcc 4.6.3; a workaround has been put in place. (PR#15244 and PR#15914).
Rendering of command in HTML versions of help pages has been improved: this is particularly evident on the help page for INSTALL.
as.hexmode(x) and as.octmode(x) now behave correctly for some numeric x, e.g., c(NA, 1) or c(1, pi).
edit() (and hence fix()) failed if an object had a non-character attribute named "source" (an attribute that had been used in R prior to version 2.14.0).
callGeneric() could fail if the generic had ... as a formal argument. (PR#15937).
Forking in package parallel called C entry point exit in the child. This was unsafe (_exit should have been called), and could flush stdin of the main R process (seen most often on Solaris).As good practice, stdout is now flushed before forking a child.
R objects such as list(`ab` = 1) now print correctly.
getAnywhere("C_pbinom") now returns correctly a single object (rather than unlisting it).
Subclassing an S4 class failed if the class required arguments to the generator, through its initialize() method.
as.environment(list()) now works, and as.list() of such an environment is now the same as list().
merge(, ..) now works correctly for two 'independent' dendrograms (PR#15648), and still compatibly via adjust = "auto" e.g. for two branches of an existing dendrogram.
The plot method for "hclust" objects gets an optional argument check; When that is true (the default) it checks more carefully for valid input.
Rscript no longer passes --args to R when there are no extra ("user") arguments.
objects like getClass("refClass")@prototype now print() and str() without error.
identical() now also looks at the S4 bit.
RShowDoc("NEWS") now displays the PDF version.
R CMD Rd2pdf unintentionally ignored its –os option.
The internal method of download.file() was not reporting file sizes and progress correctly on files larger than 2GB (inherited from libxml2). This is corrected for 64-bit builds (32-bit platforms may not support such files, but where possible will be supported in future versions of R).
Adjust X11 auto-launch detection in DISPLAY on OS X to recognize latest XQuartz.