The University Financial Aid Office (412-396-6607) has information about Stafford Loans and other financial aid programs for which you may be eligible.
Duquesne University is honored to serve those who have served their country. A wide array of academic programs and services make Duquesne a military-friendly university.
Visit our Veterans web page for more information.
The School of Nursing is administering a high volume of low-interest loans to future nurse-educators through the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP), a federal program created to help address the nursing shortage.
Since 2004, DU has been awarded Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) funding from the HRSA. The NFLP provides funding to meet the demand for nurse faculty and remove major barriers to accepting as many qualified nursing students as possible, thus alleviating the Nation's nursing shortage.
The School of Nursing has been able to make loans to select full-time and part-time students to complete their education. Students currently employed as nurse faculty or who are planning to assume a nurse faculty position in a school of nursing upon graduation are eligible. NFLP loans will be forgiven or canceled if the student completes educational coursework in their program (minimum of 3 credits) and an obligation to work as nursing faculty. Eighty-five percent of a student's loans can be canceled over a 4-year period. The loan cancellation takes place in increments of 20% per year for the first 3 years and 25% for the 4th year. Students may apply for funding when the call for applications is released during the summer. Awarded students may receive funding of up to $35,500 per year for a maximum of 5 years. Details are available through the Office of Student Affairs.
Full-time (6 credits or more) or part-time students in the PhD or DNP program who are currently faculty or are planning to become faculty upon completion of their program. MSN and Post Master's Certificate students are not eligible.
Student must be enrolled 2 out of 3 semesters of the academic year.
Citizen or national of the U.S., or a lawful, permanent resident of the U.S., the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa or the Trust Territory of the Pacific.
Free of any judgment lien entered against him/her based on the default of a Federal debt.
Each fall and summer semester, MSN, PMC, DNP, and PhD students have an opportunity to apply for a position as a Graduate Assistant (GA). The focus of this position is to provide support for designated faculty, primarily with his/her teaching and/or research responsibility. A GA designation is based on the primary work assignment and fewer than six (6) credits per term status (part-time); a GA is an employment arrangement in which bi-weekly timesheets must be completed and submitted to the Administrative Assistant to the Graduate Program Chairs (AAGPC) for processing on the dates requested.
This work can be accomplished at a distance or in person (on campus), depending on the availability of the student and nature of the work. The application, placements, and evaluation of the GA process are managed by the AAGPC. The supervision of the GA is provided by the assigned faculty member to whom the GA is directly responsible.
Graduate Assistantship positions are handled by the Chair of Advanced Role and PhD Program. Students may apply for positions when they are announced via email. Once a student is awarded a Graduate Assistantship, their Graduate Advisor is notified and will process registration accordingly. This process cannot be completed by the student through Self Service Banner.
Assistantship is a mechanism for graduate students to receive recognition on their transcript for teaching assistant or research assistant positions in the School of Nursing. Students who are awarded assistantships will also be registered for Assistantship FT (full time) or Assistantship HT (half-time) in the semesters that the position is awarded. Assistantship FT is equivalent to 6 or more hours of work per week per semester while Assistantship HT is equivalent to at least 3 hours but fewer than 6 hours of work per week per semester. There is no fee or credit amount associated with Assistantship FT or HT. It is a designation that will allow students to receive recognition for their work as a teaching or research assistant.
Students enrolled less than full time in coursework (HT) who are also awarded a teaching or research assistantship (at least HT) may combine the two designations to earn a full time status.
In accordance with the University withdrawal policy, if a student relinquishes his/her teaching or research assistantship position before the end of the semester, the appropriate withdrawal paperwork must be completed and the student's registration will be updated.
This guide, Student Loans: An Overview, can help you sort through the maze of options, exploring loan costs, requirements and repayment plans so that you can choose your loan wisely. This will help you achieve your educational goals without undermining other life aspirations, such as starting a family, owning a home, and pursuing the career of your dreams.


text:
TOP 10 Global Container Terminal Operations 2022
Lloyd' List released the top 10 global container terminal operations in 2022. The ranking combines factors such as container throughput, growth, and opening of new projects. In this year's ranking, Port of Singapore International (PSA) ranked first, APM Terminals and China COSCO Shipping ranked second and third respectively.
01/ PSA International
With massive expansion plans underway, PSA International's leading position cannot be surpassed. In terms of equity throughput, in 2021, PSA will complete a container throughput of 63 million TEU, 10 million TEU more than the second-ranked APM Terminals, and a year-on-year increase of 6.5%. Meanwhile, the terminal giant's throughput will continue to increase as it launches its much-anticipated Singapore flagship port Tuas, the world's largest fully automated port, in September 2022. Three berths have been used in the first phase, and when all are completed by 2024, the annual handling capacity of Tuas will reach 65 million TEUs.
02/ APM Terminals
Among the top 10 container terminal operators, APM Terminals gained the most. In 2021, the equity throughput climbed from the fourth place in the previous year to the second place, and showed double-digit growth, breaking through 50 million TEUs for the first time, rebounding against the trend in the epidemic. Keith Svendsen took over the helm of APM Terminals in July this year from Morten Engelstoft, who retired at age 1. Keith Svendsen served as Chief Operating Officer for five years under Morten Engelstoft during his long tenure as CEO.
03/ China Cosco Shipping
China Cosco Shipping maintained its position in the top three, although APM Terminals headed ahead, but its throughput is also on the rise. In terms of equity throughput, China Cosco Shipping completed a container volume of 49 million TEU last year. The terminal investment portfolio covers China, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, the Mediterranean and South America, etc., and operates and manages 367 berths in 37 ports around the world.
04/ China Merchants Ports
China Merchants Ports fell back to fourth place. In 2021, its throughput growth will slow down to only 2.2%, the smallest increase among the top ten container terminal operators. In recent years, China Merchants Ports has accelerated its overseas expansion, which has enabled the group to emerge as a global enterprise and become one of the fastest expanding operators. The group's business in South Asia, Africa, the Mediterranean and South America is expanding day by day, and its service network covers 42 ports in 25 countries. It is an active practitioner of the "Belt and Road" initiative.
05/ DP World
DP World and its chairman and chief executive Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem surpassed another independent operator, Hutchison Ports, to take fifth place in this year's rankings. DP World has diversified its business in recent years, investing in everything from the oil and gas industry, technology solutions, ferries to logistics parks, but ports and terminals remain its main business. In the first half of this year, DP World did not slow down investment, and invested up to US$400 million in capacity upgrades, including London Gateway in the UK, Sokhna in Egypt and Jeddah Port in Saudi Arabia.
06/ Hutchison Ports
Hutchison Ports fell out of the top five to sixth, despite a significant increase in terminal throughput. Eric Ip remains at the helm of the Hong Kong-based terminal operator, making him the longest-serving man in charge of the world's top terminal operator. He has led Hutchison Ports to steadily expand its overseas operations and its portfolio has grown to more than 50 terminals worldwide. More projects are on the way, including recent concession deals in Egypt and Rotterdam, the Netherlands. In Rotterdam, Hutchison Ports will develop the Maasvlakte I project in partnership with Terminal Investment Limited (TIL), a terminal investment company owned by MSC.
07/ Terminal Investment Limited, TIL
TIL, a subsidiary of Mediterranean Shipping Company, ranks seventh in this year's ranking, with an equity throughput of nearly 34 million TEUs in 2021. Ammar Kanaan, now in his fifth year at the helm of TIL, is responsible for more than 40 port-owning operations in 27 countries around the world. During his tenure, TIL invested heavily in new terminal projects to support the rapid growth of the Mediterranean Shipping fleet, inheriting the business left by his predecessor Vikram Sharma. Huge investments have seen TIL become a major terminal operator in Abu Dhabi, UAE and Valencia, Spain, and acquire Gioia Tauro, Italy, as well as its latest joint venture in Baltimore, USA.
08/ International Container Terminal Services Inc
Manila-based International Container Terminal Services Inc maintained its position among top-tier port operators, with equity throughput growth of more than 9% in 2021. ICTSI has more than 30 terminals around the world. Since its establishment in the Philippines in 1988, ICTSI has focused on terminal projects located in developed and emerging markets in the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Filipino billionaire Enrique Razon Jr remains ICTSI's chief executive and chairman, while Christian R Gonzalez, who took over three years ago, runs the operation.
09/SSA Marine
SSA Marine is ninth on the leaderboard. Seattle-based SSA Marine achieved the highest growth rate in 2021, largely due to SSA Marine's coverage in the United States. Strong consumer demand in the US in 2021 is driving throughput growth at its terminals. SSA Marine operates more than 20 terminals, including facilities in Central and South America, Oceania and Asia. Worked for Maersk Knud Stubkjær as CEO of SSA Marine for over ten years.
10/ Evergreen
The Evergreen terminal business ranks in the top ten for the second year in a row. Compared with the eleventh-ranked Turkish operator Yilport Holdings, it can be said to be a narrow victory. Because the equity throughput of the two differs only by 100,000 TEU. Like other shipping line-affiliated operators, Evergreen's port operations largely operate in tandem with its liner liner business. Although the Evergreen Group has been relatively low-key in terms of terminal acquisitions in recent years, in November 2022, Evergreen Shipping announced that it has acquired 100% ownership of the Colón Container Terminal (CCT) in Panama. In terms of route trade between Asia and the Americas, CCT is regarded by Evergreen as one of the most important and strategic transportation hubs, and is currently planning to establish a logistics park to support container business development.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
La Division 1 2022-2023 est la seizième édition du championnat de France de futsal, compétition de futsal de plus haut niveau en France.

Format de la compétition
Organisé par la Fédération Française de Football, le championnat de D1 se dispute en deux phases : la phase préliminaire, mettant aux prises tous les clubs qui s'affrontent en matchs aller-retour, et la phase finale pour les quatre premiers.

La première phase ne comporte que onze équipes lors de cette édition 2022-2023. La compétition reprend le samedi 3 septembre 2022 pour le compte de la première journée. La phase aller s'étend jusqu'au samedi 10 décembre (onzième journée). La dernière journée a lieu le samedi 13 mai 2023 (). Les rencontres se déroulent en principe le samedi à 16h00.

L'édition 2022-2023 voit le retour des play-offs appelé « phase finale ». Les demi-finales aller se déroulent le samedi 27 mai 2023 et les matchs retour ont lieu le samedi 3 juin 2023. Selon le règlement de la compétition, les demi-finales opposent le club classé 1er au classement au 4ème et le 2ème au 3ème, sachant que le club le mieux classé reçoit au match retour. La finale du championnat aura lieu le samedi 17 juin 2023. Le terrain de la finale est désigné par la Commission d'organisation. Le vainqueur de la finale des play-offs est sacré champion de France et proposé au Comité exécutif de la FFF pour représenter la FFF en Ligue des champions de l'UEFA.

Les deux derniers sont relégués en Division 2, où les premiers de chacun des deux groupes sont promus en D1 avec le meilleur deuxième.

Clubs participants

Les neuf clubs maintenus en Division 1 repartent pour la saison 2022-2023. Malgré les trois montées initiales, seuls deux clubs sont promus en D1 pour l'exercice 2022-2023. En effet, les deux premiers du groupe A de Division 2 se voient refuser la montée et le troisième n'est pas autorisé à accéder en D1 par le comité exécutif de la FFF. La compétition se joue donc à onze clubs.

L'été 2022 est marqué par la seconde sanction consécutive contre l'ACCS AV 92, champion de France 2020-2021 et rétrogradé en D2 en 2021-2022. Le club francilien subit une seconde rétrogradation administrative, au niveau régional cette fois, au lieu de remonter dans l'élite après avoir remporté le groupe A de D2 2021-2022. Club français historique et deuxième de D2-A derrière ACCS, Garges Djibson se voit aussi refuser la montée pour raison financière.

Premier du groupe B de D2, le Kremlin-Bicêtre futsal est promu en D1 ainsi que le Marcouville City Cergy-Pontoise Agglo, de facto meilleur second de D2 et qui connaît sa sixième promotion consécutive.

Compétition

Phase préliminaire

Classement

Résultats

Phase finale
Les demi-finales se jouent en match aller-retour opposant le 1er au 4e et le 2e au 3e, le club le mieux classé recevant au match retour. La finale se joue sur un terrain neutre désigné par la commission d'organisation. Le règlement prévoit une prolongation de deux fois cinq minutes en cas d 'égalité puis des tirs au but.

La finale du championnat de France D1 Futsal est placée le samedi 17 juin 2023 au Palais des sports de Caen. Comme la coupe nationale, elle est nommée « Michel Muffat-Joly » en hommage à l'ancien président du District de l'Isère et chef de délégation de l'Équipe de France de futsal disparu en 2020.

Trophées individuels

Meilleurs buteurs

Récompenses Futsal Zone
à venir

Médias
À la rentrée 2021, la FFF et Sportall concluent un contrat de partenariat d'une durée de cinq ans pour la diffusion de la D1 Futsal. Les matches du championnat de France sont ainsi diffusés en intégralité sur la chaîne digitale dédiée baptisée Futsal Zone. Produit par Sportall, nouvel acteur français sur le marché des médias digitaux et de ses droits de diffusion, ce player dédié (Futsalzone.tv) est accessible sur tous les supports (téléphone mobile, tablette, desktop, TV) à un tarif préférentiel pour les licencié(e)s FFF.

Bilan de la saison

Notes et références

Notes

Références

Articles connexes
 Championnat de France de futsal
 Championnat de France de futsal de deuxième division 2022-2023
 Coupe de France de futsal 2022-2023
 Ligue des champions de futsal de l'UEFA 2022-2023

2022-2023
Futsal
France M1

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


XIAMEN, November 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Qudian Inc. ("Qudian" or the "Company") (NYSE: QD), a leading provider of online small consumer credit products in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2018.
Including off-balance sheet loans directly funded by our funding partners.
Outstanding borrowers are borrowers who have outstanding loans as of a particular date.
Cumulative number of borrowers are borrowers who have drawn down credit on or prior to a particular date, on a cumulative basis.
Active borrowers are borrowers who have drawn down credit in the specified period.
M1+ Delinquency Rate by Vintage is defined as the total balance of outstanding principal of a vintage for which any installment payment is over 30 calendar days past due as of a particular date (adjusted to reflect total amount of recovered past due payments for principal and without taking into account charge-offs), divided by the total initial principal in such vintage.
For more information on this non-GAAP financial measure, please see the table captioned "Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release.
"With a focus on risk-adjusted profitability, we have further scaled down our budget car financing business as we emphasize our core small consumer credit businesses. Looking ahead, amidst the challenging regulatory environment, we are excited by the opportunities presented by our very flexible 'on-balance sheet + off-balance sheet + referral business' model to provide affordable credit to millions of users who are underserved by traditional financial institutions," Mr. Luo concluded.
Total revenues were RMB1,928.9 million (US$280.9 million), an increase of 32.9% from RMB1,451.0 million for the same quarter of 2017, mainly driven by growth of revenues from sales income generated by Dabai Auto business and loan facilitation income and others, partially offset by a decrease in revenue from sales commission fees.
Financing income totaled RMB960.2 million (US$139.8 million), a decrease of 8.9% from RMB1,053.9 million for the same quarter of 2017, due to a decrease in on-balance sheet transactions.
Loan facilitation income and others substantially increased to RMB337.9 million (US$49.2 million) from RMB100.8 million for the same quarter of 2017, as a result of a substantial increase in off-balance sheet transactions and the adoption of ASC 606 Revenue from contracts with customers, effective January 1, 2018. Prior to the adoption of ASC 606, loan facilitation service income was limited to the amount that is not contingent on the delivery of the undelivered post origination services. Upon adoption of ASC 606, the total consideration is allocated between the loan facilitation service and post origination services performance obligations. Loan facilitation service income is recognized when the service is rendered, i.e. successfully matching borrowers with institutional funding partners. The amount recognized is limited to the amount of variable consideration that is probable not to be reversed in future periods. Accordingly, the timing of revenue recognition for loan facilitation service income collected in periodical instalments will be recognized earlier under ASC 606. The adoption of ASC 606 resulted in an increase of RMB122.6 million (US$17.8 million) in loan facilitation income for the third quarter of 2018.
Sales income was RMB586.1 million (US$85.3 million) compared to nil in the third quarter of 2017 as a result of the launch of the new Dabai Auto business.
Sales commission fees decreased by 87.9% to RMB35.7 million (US$5.2 million) from RMB294.8 million for the same quarter of 2017, as a result of a decrease in the gross merchandise value relating to the merchandise credit business.
Total operating costs and expenses increased by 62.3% to RMB1,229.0 million (US$178.9 million) from RMB757.5 million for the same quarter of 2017.
Cost of revenues increased substantially to RMB698.5 million (US$101.7 million) from RMB258.9 million for the same quarter of 2017, primarily due to costs incurred by the Dabai Auto business, partially offset by a decrease in funding costs associated with our core online consumer finance businesses.
Sales and marketing expenses decreased by 36.1% to RMB120.1 million (US$17.5 million) from RMB187.9 million for the third quarter of 2017. The decrease was primarily due to a significant decrease in sales and marketing expenses for our core online small consumer credit businesses as a result of a significant increase in repeated transactions directly on our apps and termination of paid marketing through Alipay's dedicated channel for online third-party service providers, partially offset by an increase in expenses associated with the new Dabai Auto business.
General and administrative expenses were RMB48.2 million (US$7.0 million), flat from RMB51.1 million for the third quarter of 2017.
Research and development expenses decreased by 21.7% to RMB41.2 million (US$6.0 million) from RMB52.7 million for the third quarter of 2017.
Provision for loan principal, financing service fee receivables and other receivables increased by 73.7% to RMB292.4 million (US$42.6 million) from RMB168.4 million for the third quarter of 2017. The increase was primarily due to an increase in the loan balance and M1+ overdue loan principals and financing services fees receivables.
As of September 30, 2018, the total balance of outstanding principal and financing service fee receivables for on-balance sheet transactions for which any installment payment was more than 30 calendar days past due was RMB435.5 million (US$63.4 million), and the balance of allowance for principal and financing service fee receivables at the end of the period was RMB515.7 million (US$75.1 million), indicating M1+ Delinquency Coverage Ratio of 1.2x.
Income from operations was RMB702.8 million (US$102.3 million), flat from the third quarter of 2017.
Net income attributable to Qudian's shareholders increased by 5.1% to RMB683.8 million (US$99.6 million), or RMB2.13 (US$0.31) per diluted ADS, compared to RMB650.7 million, or RMB2.20 per diluted ADS, for the third quarter of 2017.
Non-GAAP Net income attributable to Qudian shareholders increased by 4.7% to RMB694.3 million (US$101.1 million), or RMB2.17 (US$0.32) per diluted ADS, compared to RMB663.3 million, or RMB2.24 per diluted ADS, for the third quarter of 2017.
As of September 30, 2018, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of RMB2,754.4 million (US$401.1 million) and restricted cash of RMB1,183.3 million (US$172.3 million).
On December 1, 2017, the Company announced that its Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to US$300 million of the Company's American Depositary Shares in open market transactions. As of November 21, 2018, the amount purchased under this repurchase plan was approximately US$240.9 million. Our board of directors has approved to extend the repurchase program for another year, until November 25, 2019.
The Company expects that its total non-GAAP net income for the full year of 2018 will be greater than RMB2.5 billion after excluding non-recurring costs and charges.
The above outlook is based on current market conditions and reflects the Company's preliminary expectations as to market conditions, its regulatory and operating environment, as well as customer demand, all of which are subject to change.
Qudian announced that it will hold its annual general meeting of shareholders (the "AGM") at Level 37, Tower A, AVIC Zijin Plaza, Siming District, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, on December 28, 2018 at 11:00AM (Beijing / Hong Kong Time). No proposal will be submitted to shareholders for approval at the AGM. Instead, the AGM will serve as an open forum for shareholders and holders of the Company's ADSs to discuss the Company's affairs with management. The chairman of the AGM will conduct and lead the AGM and may accept questions from shareholders at his sole and absolute discretion.
The board of directors of the Company has fixed the close of business on December 5, 2018 (Eastern Standard Time) as the record date (the "Record Date") for determining the shareholders entitled to receive notice of and attend the AGM or any adjournment or postponement thereof.
Holders of record of the ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, of the Company (the "Ordinary Shares"), at the close of business on the Record Date are entitled to attend the AGM and any adjournment or postponement thereof in person.
The notice of the annual general meeting is available on the Company's website at http://ir.qudian.com. The Company filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on April 9, 2018. Holders of the Ordinary Shares and the Company's American depositary shares may obtain a copy of the Company's annual report on Form 20-F, free of charge, from the Company's website at http://ir.qudian.com, or from the website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at http://www.sec.gov, or by contacting Qudian at Level 37, Tower A, AVIC Zijin Plaza, Siming District, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, attention: Ms. Annie Huang, email: ir@qudian.com.
The Company's management will host an earnings conference call on November 21, 2018 at 7:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time, 2018 (8:00 PM Beijing/Hong Kong Time).
Please dial in 15 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin and provide the passcode to join the call. The passcode is "Qudian Conference Call". Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.qudian.com.
Qudian Inc. ("Qudian" or the "Company") is a leading provider of online small consumer credit in China. The Company uses big data-enabled technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, to transform the consumer finance experience in China. With the mission to use technology to make personalized credit accessible, Qudian targets hundreds of millions of young, mobile-active consumers in China who need access to small credit for their discretionary spending or budget auto financing solutions but are underserved by traditional financial institutions due to lack of traditional credit data. Qudian's data technology capabilities combined with its operating efficiencies allow Qudian to understand prospective borrowers from different behavioral and transactional perspectives, assess their credit profiles with regard to both their willingness and ability to repay and offer them instantaneous and affordable credit products with customized terms, and distinguish Qudian's business and offerings.
We use adjusted net income, a non-GAAP financial measure, in evaluating our operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes. We believe that adjusted net income helps identify underlying trends in our business by excluding the impact of share-based compensation expenses, which are non-cash charges. We believe that adjusted net income provides useful information about our operating results, enhances the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects and allows for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by our management in its financial and operational decision-making.
Adjusted net income is not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. This non-GAAP financial measure has limitations as analytical tools, and when assessing our operating performance, cash flows or our liquidity, investors should not consider them in isolation, or as a substitute for net loss / income, cash flows provided by operating activities or other consolidated statements of operation and cash flow data prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars ("US$") at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from RMB to US$ were made at the rate of RMB6.8680 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect on September 28, 2018 in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or US$ amounts referred could be converted into US$ or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all.
The unaudited financial information set out in this earnings release is preliminary and subject to potential adjustments. Adjustments to the consolidated financial statements may be identified when audit work has been performed for the Company's year-end audit, which could result in significant differences from this preliminary unaudited financial information.


text:
Q: I have 23 Web Servers - I need to wipe all the servers - without loss of service on any sites hosted across them Okay so it's a challenge and I'm having trouble planning it mostly due to lack of experience. However it's become a task in my job and I'm doing it mostly solo with an extra hand.
I'm comfortable with Linux and all these servers are Debian or CentOS. Some are VPS, Shared hosts and other are Cloud VMs. I'm new to the company and have only gotten time over the last several monnths to take stock of outstanding issues. They all run plesk or cpanel.
I've found these servers were never configured, just bought and sites thrown up on them with very basic administration in the last two years (disk space clean up and domain/hosting management tasks mostly). There was no iptables set up and no security precautions taken and so these servers are riddled. I figure the best solution here is to start fresh and consolidate our hosting to fewer servers as they had just purchased new shared servers willy nilly. I feel we can support our entire client base on around 1/4 of our cluster.
My problem is that I'm not sure how to plan this move. It will require a LOT of moving sites and DNS changes. I'm thinking it would be wise to seek advice from any wizards out there who deal with this sort of thing regularly or at least have the experience to point me in the right direction.
Mud

A: There's no simple solution to this - its probably going to be a long and annoying road to getting everything moved. I'd start with a few things, but the book I recommended in the comments likely goes into a few details. I see four main stages here - inventory, redeployment, testing, and acceptance.

*

*What am I hosting right now

If you haven't already, do a complete inventory of what you have and what you're using now. Identify what are critical resources, and what are just sitting there. This question on SF may be a good start, though naturally, you will need to adjust it for a debianisque environment - maybe like this. This is the most critical stage.
'Web' servers are not all the same - check if you're running some process that runs its own web-server (like django) or if its a standalone webserver like apache.

*

*re-evaluate the current setup for best practices

Are you using EOLed versions of your OS and other software? Can you migrate? What issues would you face? Are there any known security risks? Can I standardise everything to a single version of all my software? Can I automate my deployment processes and to what extent (look at puppet and chef).

*

*create a set of tests for each server

Make a list of what needs to work, and how you're going to test it

*

*decide what you're moving to

That way you can pick the best P2V or V2V process for your needs.

*

*decide what to consolidate

You may choose to run several set of services that were seperate before on one server. You may also choose to run VMs. Both running very task specific VMs (you can restart one without affecting other things), and grouping together similar tasks (so you have fewer logical systems to maintain) have advantages

*

*set up an isolated testing environment

This way you can set up and test a system move without it getting in the way of production. You're likely going to be able to do this on maybe a single server running VMs.

*

*have a staging area for tested systems

Move the VMs over to the staging area and test them one last time

*

*Make use of maintainance windows for cut-over to the new systems.

Set a short dns ttl for systems that have been migrated successfully and change the domain name and other relevant settings during a maintenance window. Test again. Keep an eye out for any errors once the new server has been deployed

*

*Do not destroy old server installs until you can verify the new one works

Cover yourself. If something does go wrong, in the short term, you can always fall back to the old server.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The author has tried to narrate the story of American school students. It is about three American students who study in abroad. Thus the story revolves around the education system of Finland. The Smartest Kids in the World is a good practice for the students schooling across the world.


- Everyone will receive a Goodie Bags (Master Artist Makeup Kit) worth over $500+ products of Sonia's favorite top industry beauty brands.
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text:
Q: Joins Tables & Rails I have events and users/teams.
class Event
  has_many :users, :through => :registrations
end
class User
  has_many :events, :through => :registrations
end
class Registration
  belongs_to :users
  belongs_to :events
end

When I register a user, I'm connecting them to the event like so:
@event.users << @user

Does this implicitly create the Registration object for the user/event?  I've put a :goal_amount column in my Registration migration, and I would like to be able to set the :goal_amount when the Registration is created.  Do I need to explicitly create a Registration (ie: Registration.create(:user_id => @user.id, :event_id => @event.id, :goal_amount => params[:goal_amount]) to make this happen?

A: Yes, adding a user to an event automatically creates the relation object.
And yes you must manually create the relation if you wish to add that parameter in the middle table.
One solution to make it look cooler would be to create a add_user method in the event object.
def add_user user, goal_amount
    Registration.create({
        :user => user,
        :event => self,
        :goal_amount => goal_amount)
    })
end

Then you just have to call
@event.add_user @user, 100


It's been two years since Ohio legalized medical cannabis, and licensed cultivators haven't begun harvesting yet. State regulators are still not certain when dispensary doors will open to patients.
Ohio lawmakers and cannabis advocates are up in arms this week after state regulators announced yet another indefinite delay to the Buckeye State's long-awaited medical marijuana program.
According to concurrent reports from Cleveland.com and the Cincinnati Enquirer, none of Ohio's 25 licensed cannabis cultivators have received final approval to put plants in the ground, and without any bud growing, regulators say that there is no way they can meet the state's previously-scheduled September 8th dispensary sales start date.
"We should have done better. But we didn't do better," Ohio Democratic Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko told WOSU Public Radio about the medical marijuana program's delay. "And now, I can only hope and pray that someone wakes up and says, Ok, listen, what can we do to expedite this as quickly as possible and make this right?"
Ohio's medical marijuana law was signed by Governor John Kasich in May of 2016, but has since seen two years of regulatory stagnation and processing errors. Earlier this year, as the state Department of Commerce finally began scoring and awarding canna-business applications, Ohio Auditor Dave Yost pointed out a "critical flaw" in department information safety protocols that once again halted the permitting process.
Now, even with 25 ganjapreneurs given provisional cultivation licenses, regulators say that none of the expected growers have passed a final inspection. Because cannabis plants harvested indoors need 3-4 months to grow, simple math indicates that those pot farms are already well behind schedule.
To make up for the state's repeated medical marijuana delays, some Ohio residents are crossing state lines into Michigan, where a number of dispensaries have reportedly accepted Buckeye State cannabis recommendations as valid. Still, those out-of-state purchases are not sanctioned by Ohio law enforcement, leaving some desperate patients stuck between a rock and a hard place.
"Every day that this is delayed, people who are very sick, whose medicine is not working for them, they're making terrible decisions: to uproot their families, to engage in criminal behavior (to get marijuana) or to wait," Nicole Scholten, a cannabis advocate and Ohio parent hoping to treat her epileptic daughter with medical marijuana, told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
To reconcile the delays as quickly as possible, Department of Commerce regulators say that they have two final pre-cultivation inspections scheduled this month and seven more on the books for July. If those growers are cleared, it is possible that Buckeye State patients could have access to the plant-based medicine by the end of the year.
At least one potential Ohio pot supplier, Pure Ohio Wellness LLC, was inspected in May, but has still not been certified to begin cultivation.


Anyway, here's a couple of cards I made recently, one was for a friend's wedding. I like how they turned out. This card will be featured in an upcoming class at my place, so if you would like to learn how to make it, let me know.


Dancers are only permitted to participate in their class when all fees and payments have been submitted to the office.
PYP Company payments and fees are separate from your regular class fees. Please consult the PYP handbook for more information.
The annual registration fee is $30 for an individual student or $40 per family.
All failed payments are subject to NSF fee of $25. The NSF fee can only be paid with cash.
Schedule changes are subject to a $10 administration fee. Changes are processed upon receipt of the fee.
There is no administration fee to add a class.
Costume deposits are $60 per student per class.
As this is a deposit only, any outstanding balance will be collected in the Spring. If the cost of the costumes comes to less than the deposit, the balance will be refunded. Typically, costumes run from $90–110 each.
Costume deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable, with the exception of Adult class costume deposits.


In my last post, I told you how I got way too drunk at a party my freshman year, but it helped me make friends with a cool girl, Carmen.
On Monday I sat at Carmen's table again, and this time she actually spoke to me.
"You were pretty wild on Saturday, huh New Girl?" she laughed.
"It's Rachel," I said nervously. Now I wasn't drunk, I was back to my regular, slightly awkward self.
I had no memory of this but figured I could swing it. My mom was going on a work trip that week, so I would be alone at the house starting Wednesday. My mom always kept a fully stocked bar, as she liked to make the occasional cocktail for herself and her friends.
"Sure," I said, trying to act casual.
On Wednesday I cleaned the whole house and tried to dress to impress. I didn't want to look like I had tried too hard, though, since we were just going to be hanging out at my house. I wore leggings and a cute top and did my makeup like Carmen's again.
When the doorbell rang, I opened the door, and Carmen walked in with about ten people behind her, including some boys. I was instantly worried because I thought Carmen was just going to bring a couple of other girls over. My mom was going to kill me if she found out, but it's not like I could tell anyone to leave. How lame would that be?
Carmen tossed me a quick hello and then went directly to the bar in the kitchen, where she poured shots for everyone. I tossed mine back, just happy to be included.
A couple more shots later, I was drunk again for the second time in less than a week. I remember playing spin the bottle and truth or dare and laughing a lot. I threw up again, but this time I made it to my bathroom.
The next morning, everyone had left but Carmen, who was asleep beside me in my bed. My head and stomach hurt, just like it had Sunday morning, and I felt nauseous. I looked at my clock and was horrified. It was 11:00 a.m.! On a Thursday! We were missing school!
I started to shake Carmen awake. She looked over at me and yawned, then smiled.


text:
package mvc.bookstore.controller.vo;

/**
 *
 * @author rhegde
 */
public class PublisherVO {

    private Long id;

    private String name;

    public PublisherVO() {
    }

    public PublisherVO(Long id, String name) {
        this.id = id;
        this.name = name;
    }

    public Long getId() {
        return id;
    }

    public void setId(Long id) {
        this.id = id;
    }

    public String getName() {
        return name;
    }

    public void setName(String name) {
        this.name = name;
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


President Zuma conveyed his best wishes to the President-elect and said that he looked forward to working with President-elect Trump to build on the strong relations that existed between the two countries.
On 9 November, President Jacob Zuma, on behalf of the Government and the people of South Africa, congratulated President-elect Donald Trump for winning the presidential elections that were held in the United States of America (USA) on 8 November 2016.
He underlined that South Africa further looked forward to working closely with the new US Administration in promoting peace, security and prosperity around the world, especially on the African continent.
The Libyan crisis and its developments were at the centre of the meeting of the African Union (AU) High-Level Committee on Libya in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Tuesday, 8 November.
President Jacob Zuma represented South Africa at the talks chaired by the chairperson of the AU and Chad President, Idriss Déby Itno.
The members of the AU High-Level Committee of Heads of State and Government on the situation in Libya are Algeria, Congo, Egypt, Mauritania, Niger, South Africa and Uganda, while the AU representative for Libya is the former President of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete.
The North African country has been beset by chaos since North Atlantic Treaty Organisation-backed forces overthrew long-serving ruler, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, in October 2011.
The country remains divided politically between two governments and parliaments, despite a United Nations-brokered peace agreement signed by the country's political rivals in December 2015.
Concerns have also been raised over the rise of Islamist militancy there.
In recent years, the country has been a key springboard for migrants heading for Europe.
President Zuma also participateed in the Second Extraordinary Summit of the Volunteering Nations of the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC).
The aim of the summit was to discuss the status of the ACIRC Force following the conduct of the UTULIVU AFRICA I and II Command Post Exercises (CPX) and the verification of the pledged capabilities from May 2014 to April 2015, The Presidency said.
The ACIRC was established in 2013 and consists of volunteering nations such as Algeria, Angola, Benin, Chad, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
It was introduced as an interim measure, pending the full operational capability of the African Standby Force, to provide the AU with a rapid military response capability, with the specific objective of preventing emerging genocides, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
President Zuma was accompanied by the Ministers of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane; Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula; and State Security, David Mahlobo.
In 2015, the annual Ubuntu Awards were launched to celebrate South African citizens who play an active role in projecting a positive image of South Africa internationally. Through excellence in their chosen fields, these proud South Africans serve as global ambassadors of our nation.
O. R. Tambo Lifetime Achievement Award.
Next year's Ubuntu Awards will be hosted by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, and is expected to take place in February 2017 in Cape Town. The event will take place after the opening of Parliament and will bring together captains of industry, leaders from civil society, members of Cabinet and eminent persons in addition to all ambassadors and high commissioners accredited to South Africa.
The awards are aimed at recognising and honouring South African industry leaders, organisations and extraordinary citizens for their distinguished service and contribution to promoting South Africa's national interests and values throughout the world. Each award will be given to an organisation and/or an individual, who through excellence, innovation, creativity, social responsibility and patriotism, distinguished themselves as exceptional ambassadors of South Africa.
The year 2017 marks the centenary of Oliver Tambo's life. Therefore, the theme of the Ubuntu Awards will be: "In his Footsteps". The Ubuntu Awards thus recognise South African citizens who embody the principles of OR Tambo, namely: Integrity, Passion, Patriotism and Humility.
Previous award winners include South African companies MTN and Nandos; top Olympic athletes Wayde van Niekerk and Chad le Clos (Ubuntu Sports Diplomacy Award); DJ Black Coffee and Hugh Masekela (Ubuntu Cultural Diplomacy Award); the former South African Chief of State Protocol, Ambassador Billy Modise; and the late South African liberation struggle stalwart and diplomat, Mme Ruth Mompati (OR Tambo Lifetime Achievement Award) to mention but a few.
The IMC will ensure that the legacy and heritage of Mr Tambo is known, understood, affirmed and celebrated in a befitting manner by all South Africans.
The year 2017 marks the centenary of the late Oliver Reginald Tambo, a national icon and hero of the liberation struggle, who shaped the country's vision, mission and value system.
President Jacob Zuma has established an IMC to prepare for the celebration of the centenary of OR Tambo next year, the late former President of the African National Congress and one of the key founding fathers of South Africa's liberation and constitutional democracy.
The Deputy President met the leaders in Pretoria in his capacity as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Facilitator.
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has met with the three exiled leaders of Lesotho's opposition political parties.
The Presidency said the meeting was attended by former Prime Minister,Tom Thabane; leader of the Basotho National Party, Theselle Maseribane; and the leader of the Reformed Congress of Lesotho, Keketso Rantsho. They were joined in the meeting by leaders of the opposition parties based in Lesotho.
"The facilitator briefed the opposition political leaders on deliberations and outcomes of the 36th Ordinary SADC Summit, held in Mbabane, Kingdom of Swaziland, in August 2016 regarding regional efforts to assist the people of Lesotho to consolidate peace and stability," The Presidency said.
Deputy President Ramaphosa highlighted the SADC Summit decisions on the constitutional and security-sector reform processes, efforts to facilitate the return of exiled political leaders and the deployment of the Oversight Committee.
"In this regard, Deputy President Ramaphosa will soon pay a Working Visit to the Kingdom of Lesotho to introduce members of the Oversight Committee to all relevant stakeholders in the country.
"The Oversight Committee, working in consultation with the facilitator, will serve as an early-warning mechanism and assist the Government of Lesotho with respect to constitutional and security-sector reform," The Presidency said.
Deputy President Ramaphosa will also utilise the Working Visit to Lesotho to review progress regarding implementation of SADC decisions on the Phumaphi Commission of Inquiry and the facilitator's recommendations on the constitutional and security reform process.
Justice and Correctional Services Minister, Michael Masutha, says despite withdrawing from the Roman Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), South Africa remains committed to upholding human rights.
The Minister said this when he led a Parliamentary debate on South Africa's withdrawal from the ICC at the National Assembly recently.
"South Africa's commitment to the protection of human rights and the fight against impunity is unwavering, despite this decision to withdraw. This commitment was forged in the struggle for liberation against the inhumanity of colonialism and apartheid, and based on the values of our nation, namely human rights, freedom and dignity, as aspired to in the Freedom Charter, which was adopted by the people of South Africa in 1955 and enshrined in our Constitution.
"South Africa has always and will always condemn in the strongest terms human rights violations and international crimes wherever they may occur and call for accountability from those responsible," Minister Masutha said.
The debate came after Cabinet approved a decision of the South African Government to send an "instrument of withdrawal" letter to the United Nations Secretary-General, explaining its intention.
The Minister said the decision to withdraw from the Roman Statute was not taken lightly, given South Africa's historic involvement with the ICC.
South Africa played a significant role in the international negotiations on the establishment of the ICC and was one of the first signatories of the Rome Statute.
"South Africa cannot and will not be silent in the face of serious flaws in the practices of the ICC and will not join the chorus of uncritical loyalty.
"It is time to ask ourselves whether the ICC, as part of the international criminal justice system, is actually assisting the world to indeed make sure that there is no impunity against the crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity," he said.
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) took place within the broader cooperation framework between South Africa and Lesotho, which is based on the Bi-National Commission (BNC) that the neighbouring countries have. Both ministers led high-level delegations consisting of directors-general, executives and other senior government officials for the signing ceremony.
The Minister for Public Service and Administration, Advocate Ngoako Ramatlhodi, recently signed an MoU on cooperation in the field of governance and public administration with the Kingdom of Lesotho Minister of Public Service, Tsukutlane Au, in Pretoria.
All entities falling within the ambit of the South African Ministry for Public Service and Administration, namely, the Department of Public Service and Administration, National School of Government and the Centre for Public Service Innovation, will use the signed instrument to exchange information and share best practices.
South Africa and Lesotho have numerous MoUs signed among various ministries of the respective countries. The MoU on Public Service marks the beginning of a strategic partnership as exchanges of best practices on public administration will serve as a catalyst in bolstering and improving service delivery of the two countries.
South Africa, Norway and the United States launched a joint venture in marine research in Cape Town on 2 November, extending their partnership to gather information from three oceans around southern Africa.
The Nansen-Tutu Centre for Marine Environmental Research, established in 2010 to perform research that will assist in dealing with global change across the continent, will be responsible for implementing the joint venture. The University of Cape Town and the Nansen Environmental Centre in Norway, are among the partners in this research project, which enters its third phase.
The centre's vision is to serve Africa through advancing knowledge of the marine environment and climate system in the spirit of Nobel Peace Laureates, Fridtjof Nansen and Desmond Tutu.
The signing took place on the sidelines of the first Norway-South Africa Science Week.
South Africa's multibillion-rand maritime sector was the focus of the week-long event which started on Monday, 31 October, during which the two counties explored new business opportunities in the blue economy.
Parliament has accepted the COP21 Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
The National Assembly debated the adoption of the agreement recently.
The Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, thanked Parliament for its speedy work.
"We'd like to express our sincere appreciation to Parliament for having processed the Paris Agreement in such record time," she told the house.
"South Africa has a constitutionally-prescribed process to ratify all international agreements which are legally binding."
The motion was not objected to.
Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs heard in September that South Africa would play a key role in keeping the Paris Agreement alive.
The landmark agreement, which 195 countries signed in Paris last April, bound signatories to reduce the increase in global temperature to less than 2°C.
The Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), which takes place from 14 – 20 November 2016, is the largest gathering of innovators and entrepreneurs who launch start-ups that bring ideas to life, drive economic growth and stimulate socio-economic development.
The Minister of Small Business Development, Lindiwe Zulu, will on Friday, 11 November 2016, launch the GEW in Johannesburg. Minister Zulu will be joined by the leadership of the Gauteng Provincial Government and the President of the Global Entrepreneurship Network, Jonathan Ortmans.
Every year in November, a week is dedicated to inspire millions of people from more than 160 countries through local, national and global activities designed to help them unleash their potential as entrepreneurs and innovators.
The launch, which is supported by various stakeholders, will be attended by South Africa's leading chief executives, entrepreneurs, innovators and ecosystem leaders.
The GEW is a build-up to the Global Entrepreneurship Congress, which will host over 5 000 delegates from 160 countries and will be held in Johannesburg in March 2017 for the first time on the African continent.
The South African Local Government Association (Salga) joined the world in celebrating the World Cities Day 2016, which has been designated by the United Nations every 31 October.
Salga said World Cities Day was designated to promote the international community's interest in global urbanisation, and to push forward cooperation among countries in contributing to sustainable urban development around the world.
World Cities Day 2016 was celebrated under the theme: "Inclusive Cities, Shared Development", which highlighted the important role of urbanisation as a source of global development and social inclusion.
"This year's theme is embraced by the action and implementation of the New Urban Agenda, which puts the topic of inclusive cities as one of the main pillars of the urban shift," said Salga.
"Throughout the world, cities are growing at an exponential rate. As complexities grow, Salga is assisting municipalities to become smart cities, to be more critical and fully grasp the challenges and opportunities presented by urbanisation.
"Helping municipalities to develop their capacities to innovate and share best practices and knowledge management is part of Salga's mandate," said the association.
Salga national chairperson, Parks Tau, was recently elected to the Presidency of the United Cities and Local Government (UCLG), the global representative voice of organised local government.
UCLG is a significant player on the global stage and is poised to become even more important in relation to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg has made history on the continent in becoming the first African airport to implement a new Smart Security system.
A new screening booth for international passengers departing OR Tambo started a pilot implementation from Tuesday, 8 November.
It aims to digitise the security check process and should help speed up passenger progress through security.
Using the new Smart Security system, passengers will no longer be required to unpack laptops and other electronics, which OR Tambo says will speed up security checks significantly.
Physical checks are also no longer required when using the new system.
"We have become the first African airport to implement #SmartSecurity checkpoints that will digitise the security check process, speed up passenger progress through security and further enhance security through use of state-of-the-art scanners," the airport says.
Residents from Khayelitsha and Mitchell's Plain in Cape Town will soon be able to travel on electric buses into the Central Business District, according to ESI Africa.
The initial MyCiti bus outlined by the city will include trips from Khayelitsha and Mitchell's Plain.
News24 reported that the city said they would take delivery of buses in June 2017. Mayor Patricia de Lille said in a statement: "Apart from lowering our carbon emissions, local residents will also benefit from this contract through job opportunities."
The buses, manufactured by Chinese company BYD Motors, have a range of 250 km from a single charge and form part of the city's efforts to "reduce its carbon emissions footprint by 3,2% by 2020".
A stipulation by the City of Cape Town was that the buses be assembled locally and that the bus bodies in part also be manufactured locally.
Kagiso Rabada's 5/92 inspired the Proteas to a memorable 177-run victory over Australia in the first Test at the WACA on Monday, 7 November.
It is hard to think of a Test match more captivating, and given the circumstances, it is surely one of the finest performances in South Africa's history in the longer format.
At the end of day one, the Proteas was bowled out for 232 while a David Warner-inspired Australia were sitting pretty on 105/0.
At that point, a South African triumph seemed highly unlikely and then almost impossible when Dale Steyn walked off injured on day two with the Aussies just one wicket down.
But Rabada, Vernon Philander and Keshav Maharaj put in inspiring displays to restrict Australia to just 234 in their first dig.
Monday belonged to Rabada, who picked up two wickets in the morning session as he claimed his fourth five-wicket haul in Test cricket and the Proteas closed in on victory.
Being forced to bowl a lot of overs in the absence of seam ace Dale Steyn, this Rabada display is already being considered one of the finest ever seen by a South African quick.
Three South Africans, including Springbok Sevens try-scoring ace Seabelo Senatla, were recently nominated for the prestigious World Rugby Awards for 2016.
Senatla is one of three nominees for World Rugby's Sevens Player of the Year Award, in association with HSBC 2016. It's his second successive nomination for this honour, which was won by Blitzbok Werner Kok last year.
World Rugby announced recently that Senatla, who scored 66 tries in the 2015/16 HSBC Sevens Series, was on the shortlist alongside Virimi Vakatawa (France) and Osea Kolinisau (Fiji).
The three players were selected by an independent awards panel which includes a representative from each of the Sevens teams and the television commentators from the Sevens Series. The flying South African was already named top try-scorer for the season by World Rugby when the 2015/16 series concluded in London.
Senatla, who was recently named the Springbok Sevens Player of the Year, will try to emulate Kok and another one of this Springbok Sevens team mates, Cecil Afrika, who was named the best sevens player on the planet in 2011.
Rasta Rasivhenge and Jaco Peyper are shortlisted for the World Rugby Referee Award along with Jérôme Garcès of France and Spain's Alhambra Nievas.
The World Rugby Awards dinner will be held at the Hilton Metropole in London on Sunday, 13 November, where the winner will be announced.
SA'S BIGGEST HORSE RACING EVENT RETURNS IN 2017... TWICE!
The Cape's premier horse-racing and social calendar event, the L'Ormarins Queen's Plate (LQP), has announced that an additional day will be added to the line-up of festivities for the 2017 event.
Multi-day racing festivals are popular in other parts of the world, but this will be a first for South Africa. "We hope to follow in the footsteps of other racing festivals such as the Qatar Goodwood Festival, Royal Ascot and the Melbourne Cup", says LQP festival coordinator, Katherine Gray.
The event will be held on Friday, 6 January, from 11:00 – 17:30 and Saturday, 7 January, from 11:00 – 23:00 at Kenilworth Racecourse.
South Africa's Chad le Clos ended as the runner-up in the men's classification in the FINA Swimming World Cup, which concluded in Hong Kong recently.
Le Clos took home $50 000 (R681 652) for his efforts in the nine-leg short course series.
The Durbanite trailed Russia's Vladimir Morozov (640) by 124 points in earning a total of 516 points in the overall standings.
It was a back-to-back second-place finish for Le Clos, after losing to countryman Cameron van der Burgh in 2015.
In the ninth and final World Cup leg in Hong Kong, Le Clos won gold in the 50-m, 100-m and 200-m butterfly races.
He won his 20th consecutive 50-m butterfly gold medal by stopping the clock in 22.31 seconds.
The Rio Olympic silver medallist in the 100-m butterfly and 200-m freestyle, set multiple swimming benchmarks in the series this year, as he went undefeated for the season in the 50-m and 100-m butterfly events.
The 24-year-old also became the most successful World Cup male swimmer during the season when he won his 100th gold medal.
Le Clos is a three-time men's title winner, having won in 2011, 2013 and 2014.


DataViz today announced the availability of its flagship mobile office suite Documents To Go Premium Edition 3.0 for devices running Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.x Professional and 5.0 for Pocket PC Phone Edition. Already available for Windows Mobile Standard, BlackBerry, Symbian and Palm OS, Documents To Go, will now allow users of Windows Mobile Pocket PC devices to view, edit and create Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files as well as view PDF files on their devices and in their native formats. DataViz has also enhanced the PDF viewer included with their mobile office suite with this release of Documents To Go for Pocket PC.
The improvements provide a clear and crisp viewing experience of all Adobe PDF file elements (rendering stays true to desktop file) and makes dramatic speed improvements when opening files so users can be more productive.
Other features include support for password protected Word and Excel files, InTact' Technology for retaining 100% file formatting when editing files on the device, the ability to view, edit and create Excel charts and decompress, zip and send E-Mail attachments. Documents To Go is available for a wide variety of Windows Mobile Pocket PC devices such as the AT&T Tilt, Palm Treo 750 and Palm Treo 800w to name a few. An optimized version to support high resolution screen devices such the HTC Touch Pro and HTC Touch Diamond will be available in the next several weeks.


The neurobiology of social phobia.
Studies in the neurobiology of social phobia have used neuroendocrine, naturalistic and chemical challenges, pharmacological probes, neurotransmitter system measures, peripheral receptor binding and magnetic resonance measures. Studies of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axes have been largely unrevealing; adrenaline, carbon dioxide, caffeine and yohimbine tests have provided mixed results; probe studies using L-dopa, clonidine and fenfluramine have provided some evidence of post-synaptic serotonergic abnormality; studies on platelet and lymphocyte binding have failed to distinguish social phobia from other groups; magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies suggest possible differences between patients with social phobia and healthy controls in respect of dopamine, serotonin and second-messenger function. In aggregate, these studies have provided some neurobiological basis for separating social phobia from panic disorder and non-psychiatric healthy controls.


text:
Q: Why is $\sin (3x) \le 2$? I recently tried to solve this inequality:

$$\sin(3x)≤2$$

Even though the answer is true for all x ∈ $\mathbb R$
I can't understand how $\sin(3x)$ can be equal to $2$ if $-1≤\sin(x)≤1$.
And onother question: to solve any inequality with $≤$ $≥$, is it necessary to be true for both $<$/$>$ and $=$ to be able to solve the inequality or I can solve them even only one of them is true?
Like in the previus question I belived that $\sin(3x)<2$ is true but $\sin(3x)$ can't be equal to $2$.

A: Nobody is claiming that $\sin(3x)$ is sometimes equal to $2$. I suppose that you agree that you always have $-1\leqslant\sin(3x)\leqslant1$. So, since $-2<-1$ and $1<2$, you always have$$-2\leqslant\sin(3x)\leqslant2.\tag1$$In other words, the inequalities $(1)$ holds for every real number $x$.

A: The statement means
$$\sin(3x)≤2 \iff \sin(3x)<2 \quad \lor \quad \sin(3x)=2$$
and $A\lor B$ is true when at least one among $A$ and $B$ is true.
Therefore the given statement is true because $\forall x$ we have $ \sin(3x)<2$.


Nigerian troops repelled another attempt by Boko Haram to overrun a military base in northeast Nigeria, military and civilian sources told AFP on Tuesday, September 25.
Boko Haram "met stiff resistance, which led to a battle that lasted for hours," he said.
"Boko Haram attacked at about 5:45 p.m. (1645 GMT) on Sunday. They came in several trucks and on motorcycles," said bus driver Sani Madaye.
"A truck carrying fighters attempted to break [through] the barrier but the driver was shot and the truck swerved and crashed," added another witness, who gave his name as Abdullahi.
Further attempts were made to storm the base until Boko Haram finally withdrew at about 10:30 p.m., said Madaye, adding there were no military casualties.
Boko Haram has intensified its armed campaign in recent weeks, and has launched a number of major assaults on military bases in the remote northeast region, undermining repeated claims by the military that the insurgent group has been defeated.
On Thursday, Boko Haram fighters raided two villages in Konduga district near the Borno state capital Maidurguri, killing nine people and injuring nine others. It's unclear which Boko Haram faction was responsible for those attacks and there was no claim of responsibility.
Earlier this month, Nigerian soldiers repelled an attempted Boko Haram attack on a base in Damasak, in the far north of Borno state.
On August 30, 48 soldiers were killed in an attack on a military base in Zari, around 30 km (20 miles) from Damasak on the border with Niger. That attack is thought to have been launched from nearby Garunda village, where 17 soldiers were killed in a Boko Haram attack on a military base on August 8.
Boko Haram is divided into two factions that have competing goals and operational methods. One, led by Abubakar Shekau, is notorious for suicide bombings and indiscriminate killings of civilians. The other, known as Islamic State West Africa Province and led by Abu Mus'ab Al-Barnawi, largely focuses on attacking military and government targets.
ISWAP is dominant around the shores of Lake Chad in Borno while the Shekau-led faction is concentrated in rural areas of the state.
More radical elements are said to have taken over the ISWAP leadership, prompting fears of an upsurge in violence against the local population. ISWAP has previously vowed to hit only military and government "hard" targets.
Barnawi, the son of Boko Haram's founder Mohammed Yusuf, is widely seen as just a figurehead, with Mamman Nur directing day-to-day operations, but Nur was reportedly killed last month by hardliners because of his more moderate approach.
"The death of Mamman Nur has lifted the lid off the radical elements in the group, who prefer indiscriminate violence as carried out by Shekau," one unnamed source told AFP last week.


text:
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About SwiftMobile
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Im trying to understand the VIX Index, it gives the implied volatility of the S&P500.
Now if I was to calculate the volatility of the S&P500 using standard deviations of the returns over a period of time & compared this with the VIX index, should I expect them to be similar?
The VIX is basically the option market's forecast of the volatility that will be realized in the S&P500 in the next 30 days. The index is calculated (simply said) as average implied volatility of a wide range of options with average time to expiration of 30 days (see VIX White Paper at CBOE for details).
When you compare the VIX with volatility realized in the recent history (standard deviation of returns over some recent period), it will often be very close, but rarely exactly the same. Also note the length of period you choose for the historical volatility calculation can have significant effect on the result (HV in the last 20 days may be quite different from HV in the last 60 days, for example).
More often than not, the VIX is a bit higher than recent realized volatility, especially when volatility in general is very low, like in most of 2017. Sometimes it can be lower though, typically when realized volatility has just spiked (like in a flash crash) - the VIX spikes too, but less, as the market expects volatility to calm down again in the near future.
You can trade the relationship between VIX and (the future - not the past) realized volatility, using S&P500 or SPY options, or VIX futures, options or ETNs. That said, it is not that simple (VIX derivatives can move quite differently from the spot VIX index, which is not directly tradable itself). It can also be very risky and I wouldn't call it arbitrage (no guaranteed profits, as the future is unknown).
Historically, implied volatility tends to be a bit higher than subsequent realized volatility. This is known as volatility risk premium and explained as a compensation for the risk of volatility spikes / market crashes that option sellers take (and option buyers insure themselves against).
Short volatility strategies which try to capture the volatility risk premium have been very popular in the recent years, and also very profitable, thanks to the steady low-volatility bull market we've had. But these strategies often lead to heavy losses when the market turns and volatility spikes, sometimes wiping out all their previous gains. There is no guaranteed profit without risk.
The implied volatility that that VIX is based on is a measure of what the market participants expect the future volatility of the S&P 500 to be. Many people buy and sell near-term options which most experts agree depend heavily on future volatility. The VIX index uses a weighted blend of these options to back-out a reasonable estimate of what the market believes the future volatility will be.
Expected volatility in the future, just like realized volatility in the future, can certainly be higher or lower than past volatility (what you measure with standard deviation). Often you expect future volatility to be roughly similar to past volatility and there is plenty of data and models that support this. However, this is only a rough statistical relationship so no arbitrage is possible.
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How come none of the VIX ETFs track the index exactly?


text:
package org.windycitygo.windycitygo.util;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.net.HttpURLConnection;
import java.net.MalformedURLException;
import java.net.URL;

import android.content.Context;
import android.graphics.Bitmap;
import android.graphics.BitmapFactory;
import android.net.ConnectivityManager;
import android.net.NetworkInfo;

public class Network {

	 public static boolean isNetworkAvailable(Context context) {
	     ConnectivityManager connectivity = (ConnectivityManager) context.getSystemService(Context.CONNECTIVITY_SERVICE);
	     if (connectivity != null) {
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	public static Bitmap downloadRoundedBitmap(String fileUrl) {
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text:
Gulam Rabbani was an Indian lawyer and poet of Urdu literature who wrote under the nom de plume 'Taban'. He wrote several poems in Urdu, especially ghazals, and was known for his works, Zauq-i safar, Nava-e-avara, Poetics to politics and Saz-i larzan. He received the Sahitya Akademi award in 1979 for his work, Nava-e-avara. He was honoured by the Government of India in 1971 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.

Biography
Gulam Rabbani was born at Kaimganj, a small hamlet in Farrukhabad district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on 15 February 1914 in a rich family of Zamindars. He did his early schooling at the local village school and passed the intermediate examination from Aligarh. He graduated from St. John's College, Agra where he mixed with students most of whom were attracted to leftist ideology and took a degree in law.

Rabbani started writing during the college days under the pseudonym, Farchat but later, changed it to Taban. His leftist leanings got him into trouble with the British authorities and post independence, with the Indian law and order and he had to suffer incarceration on two occasions. Around this time, he joined Maktaba-e-Jamia, a Delhi-based publishing group and took to serious writing. He stayed with the organization for a number of years as its general manager till his retirement in 1975.

After retirement, he continued writing while engaging in journalism as well. The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of Padma Shri in 1971. He received the Sahitya Akademi award in 1979 for his anthology, Nava-e-avara.

Rabbani had three sons and three daughters. Azra Rizvi, one of his daughters, was among the trio of writers, the others being Ajmal Ajmali and Sughra Mehdi, who wrote Rabbani's biography published by  Mahnamah Kitab Numa, New Delhi in 1993 under the name, Ghulam Rabbani Taban : shakhsiyat aur adabi khidmat. He died in 1992.

See also

 Ghazal

References

Further reading

External links

Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education
Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Urdu
1914 births
1992 deaths
Indian people of Pashtun descent
People from Farrukhabad district
Poets from Uttar Pradesh
20th-century Indian lawyers
Urdu-language poets from India
Indian male poets
20th-century Indian poets
20th-century Indian male writers