text:
<?php
namespace Neos\FluidAdaptor\Tests\Unit\Core\ViewHelper;

use Neos\Flow\Mvc\Controller\ControllerContext;
use Neos\Flow\ObjectManagement\ObjectManagerInterface;
use Neos\Flow\Reflection\ReflectionService;
use Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\ViewHelper\TemplateVariableContainer;
use Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\ViewHelper\AbstractViewHelper;
use Neos\FluidAdaptor\View\TemplateView;
use TYPO3Fluid\Fluid\Core\ViewHelper\ArgumentDefinition;
use TYPO3Fluid\Fluid\Core\ViewHelper\ViewHelperVariableContainer;

require_once(__DIR__ . '/../Fixtures/TestViewHelper.php');
require_once(__DIR__ . '/../Fixtures/TestViewHelper2.php');

/**
 * Testcase for AbstractViewHelper
 *
 */
class AbstractViewHelperTest extends \Neos\Flow\Tests\UnitTestCase
{
    /**
     * @var \Neos\Flow\Reflection\ReflectionService
     */
    protected $mockReflectionService;

    /**
     * @var \Neos\Flow\ObjectManagement\ObjectManagerInterface
     */
    protected $mockObjectManager;

    /**
     * @var array
     */
    protected $fixtureMethodParameters = array(
        'param1' => array(
            'position' => 0,
            'optional' => false,
            'type' => 'integer',
            'defaultValue' => null
        ),
        'param2' => array(
            'position' => 1,
            'optional' => false,
            'type' => 'array',
            'array' => true,
            'defaultValue' => null
        ),
        'param3' => array(
            'position' => 2,
            'optional' => true,
            'type' => 'string',
            'array' => false,
            'defaultValue' => 'default'
        ),
    );

    /**
     * @var array
     */
    protected $fixtureMethodTags = array(
        'param' => array(
            'integer $param1 P1 Stuff',
            'array $param2 P2 Stuff',
            'string $param3 P3 Stuff'
        )
    );

    public function setUp()
    {
        $this->mockReflectionService = $this->getMockBuilder(\Neos\Flow\Reflection\ReflectionService::class)->disableOriginalConstructor()->getMock();
        $this->mockObjectManager = $this->createMock(\Neos\Flow\ObjectManagement\ObjectManagerInterface::class);
        $this->mockObjectManager->expects($this->any())->method('get')->with(\Neos\Flow\Reflection\ReflectionService::class)->will($this->returnValue($this->mockReflectionService));
    }

    /**
     * @test
     */
    public function argumentsCanBeRegistered()
    {
        $viewHelper = $this->getAccessibleMock(AbstractViewHelper::class, array('render'), array(), '', false);
        $viewHelper->injectObjectManager($this->mockObjectManager);

        $name = 'This is a name';
        $description = 'Example desc';
        $type = 'string';
        $isRequired = true;
        $expected = new ArgumentDefinition($name, $type, $description, $isRequired);

        $viewHelper->_call('registerArgument', $name, $type, $description, $isRequired);
        $this->assertEquals(array($name => $expected), $viewHelper->prepareArguments(), 'Argument definitions not returned correctly.');
    }

    /**
     * @test
     * @expectedException \Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\ViewHelper\Exception
     */
    public function registeringTheSameArgumentNameAgainThrowsException()
    {
        $viewHelper = $this->getAccessibleMock(AbstractViewHelper::class, array('render'), array(), '', false);

        $name = 'shortName';
        $description = 'Example desc';
        $type = 'string';
        $isRequired = true;

        $viewHelper->_call('registerArgument', $name, $type, $description, $isRequired);
        $viewHelper->_call('registerArgument', $name, 'integer', $description, $isRequired);
    }

    /**
     * @test
     */
    public function overrideArgumentOverwritesExistingArgumentDefinition()
    {
        $viewHelper = $this->getAccessibleMock(AbstractViewHelper::class, array('render'), array(), '', false);
        $viewHelper->injectObjectManager($this->mockObjectManager);

        $name = 'argumentName';
        $description = 'argument description';
        $overriddenDescription = 'overwritten argument description';
        $type = 'string';
        $overriddenType = 'integer';
        $isRequired = true;
        $expected = new ArgumentDefinition($name, $overriddenType, $overriddenDescription, $isRequired);

        $viewHelper->_call('registerArgument', $name, $type, $description, $isRequired);
        $viewHelper->_call('overrideArgument', $name, $overriddenType, $overriddenDescription, $isRequired);
        $this->assertEquals($viewHelper->prepareArguments(), array($name => $expected), 'Argument definitions not returned correctly. The original ArgumentDefinition could not be overridden.');
    }

    /**
     * @test
     * @expectedException \Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\ViewHelper\Exception
     */
    public function overrideArgumentThrowsExceptionWhenTryingToOverwriteAnNonexistingArgument()
    {
        $viewHelper = $this->getAccessibleMock(AbstractViewHelper::class, array('render'), array(), '', false);
        $viewHelper->injectObjectManager($this->mockObjectManager);

        $viewHelper->_call('overrideArgument', 'argumentName', 'string', 'description', true);
    }

    /**
     * @test
     */
    public function prepareArgumentsCallsInitializeArguments()
    {
        $viewHelper = $this->getAccessibleMock(AbstractViewHelper::class, array('render', 'initializeArguments'), array(), '', false);
        $viewHelper->injectObjectManager($this->mockObjectManager);

        $viewHelper->expects($this->once())->method('initializeArguments');

        $viewHelper->prepareArguments();
    }

    /**
     * @test
     */
    public function prepareArgumentsRegistersAnnotationBasedArgumentsWithDescriptionIfDebugModeIsEnabled()
    {
        $dataCacheMock = $this->getMockBuilder(\Neos\Cache\Frontend\VariableFrontend::class)->disableOriginalConstructor()->getMock();
        $dataCacheMock->expects($this->any())->method('has')->will($this->returnValue(true));
        $dataCacheMock->expects($this->any())->method('get')->will($this->returnValue(array()));

        $viewHelper = new \Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\Fixtures\TestViewHelper();

        $this->mockReflectionService->expects($this->once())->method('getMethodParameters')->with(\Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\Fixtures\TestViewHelper::class, 'render')->will($this->returnValue($this->fixtureMethodParameters));
        $this->mockReflectionService->expects($this->once())->method('getMethodTagsValues')->with(\Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\Fixtures\TestViewHelper::class, 'render')->will($this->returnValue($this->fixtureMethodTags));
        $viewHelper->injectObjectManager($this->mockObjectManager);

        $expected = array(
            'param1' => new \Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\ViewHelper\ArgumentDefinition('param1', 'integer', 'P1 Stuff', true, null, true),
            'param2' => new \Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\ViewHelper\ArgumentDefinition('param2', 'array', 'P2 Stuff', true, null, true),
            'param3' => new \Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\ViewHelper\ArgumentDefinition('param3', 'string', 'P3 Stuff', false, 'default', true)
        );

        $this->assertEquals($expected, $viewHelper->prepareArguments(), 'Annotation based arguments were not registered.');
    }

    /**
     * @test
     */
    public function prepareArgumentsRegistersAnnotationBasedArgumentsWithoutDescriptionIfDebugModeIsDisabled()
    {
        $dataCacheMock = $this->getMockBuilder(\Neos\Cache\Frontend\VariableFrontend::class)->disableOriginalConstructor()->getMock();
        $dataCacheMock->expects($this->any())->method('has')->will($this->returnValue(true));
        $dataCacheMock->expects($this->any())->method('get')->will($this->returnValue(array()));

        $viewHelper = new \Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\Fixtures\TestViewHelper2();

        $this->mockReflectionService->expects($this->once())->method('getMethodParameters')->with(\Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\Fixtures\TestViewHelper2::class, 'render')->will($this->returnValue($this->fixtureMethodParameters));
        $this->mockReflectionService->expects($this->once())->method('getMethodTagsValues');
        $viewHelper->injectObjectManager($this->mockObjectManager);

        $expected = array(
            'param1' => new \Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\ViewHelper\ArgumentDefinition('param1', 'integer', '', true, null, true),
            'param2' => new \Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\ViewHelper\ArgumentDefinition('param2', 'array', '', true, null, true),
            'param3' => new \Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\ViewHelper\ArgumentDefinition('param3', 'string', '', false, 'default', true),
        );

        $this->assertEquals($expected, $viewHelper->prepareArguments(), 'Annotation based arguments were not registered.');
    }

    /**
     * @test
     */
    public function validateArgumentsCallsPrepareArguments()
    {
        $viewHelper = $this->getAccessibleMock(AbstractViewHelper::class, array('render', 'prepareArguments'), array(), '', false);
        $viewHelper->injectObjectManager($this->mockObjectManager);

        $viewHelper->expects($this->once())->method('prepareArguments')->will($this->returnValue(array()));

        $viewHelper->validateArguments();
    }

    /**
     * @test
     */
    public function validateArgumentsAcceptsAllObjectsImplemtingArrayAccessAsAnArray()
    {
        $viewHelper = $this->getAccessibleMock(AbstractViewHelper::class, array('render', 'prepareArguments'), array(), '', false);

        $viewHelper->setArguments(array('test' => new \ArrayObject));
        $viewHelper->expects($this->once())->method('prepareArguments')->will($this->returnValue(array('test' => new \Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\ViewHelper\ArgumentDefinition('test', 'array', false, 'documentation'))));
        $viewHelper->validateArguments();
    }

    /**
     * @test
     */
    public function validateArgumentsCallsTheRightValidators()
    {
        $viewHelper = $this->getAccessibleMock(AbstractViewHelper::class, array('render', 'prepareArguments'), array(), '', false);
        $viewHelper->injectObjectManager($this->mockObjectManager);

        $viewHelper->setArguments(array('test' => 'Value of argument'));

        $viewHelper->expects($this->once())->method('prepareArguments')->will($this->returnValue(array(
            'test' => new \Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\ViewHelper\ArgumentDefinition('test', 'string', false, 'documentation')
        )));

        $viewHelper->validateArguments();
    }

    /**
     * @test
     * @expectedException \InvalidArgumentException
     */
    public function validateArgumentsCallsTheRightValidatorsAndThrowsExceptionIfValidationIsWrong()
    {
        $viewHelper = $this->getAccessibleMock(AbstractViewHelper::class, array('render', 'prepareArguments'), array(), '', false);
        $viewHelper->injectObjectManager($this->mockObjectManager);

        $viewHelper->setArguments(array('test' => 'test'));

        $viewHelper->expects($this->once())->method('prepareArguments')->will($this->returnValue(array(
            'test' => new \Neos\FluidAdaptor\Core\ViewHelper\ArgumentDefinition('test', 'stdClass', false, 'documentation')
        )));

        $viewHelper->validateArguments();
    }

    /**
     * @test
     */
    public function initializeArgumentsAndRenderCallsTheCorrectSequenceOfMethods()
    {
        $viewHelper = $this->getAccessibleMock(AbstractViewHelper::class, array('validateArguments', 'initialize', 'callRenderMethod'));
        $viewHelper->expects($this->at(0))->method('validateArguments');
        $viewHelper->expects($this->at(1))->method('initialize');
        $viewHelper->expects($this->at(2))->method('callRenderMethod')->will($this->returnValue('Output'));

        $expectedOutput = 'Output';
        $actualOutput = $viewHelper->initializeArgumentsAndRender(array('argument1' => 'value1'));
        $this->assertEquals($expectedOutput, $actualOutput);
    }

    /**
     * @test
     */
    public function setRenderingContextShouldSetInnerVariables()
    {
        $templateVariableContainer = $this->createMock(TemplateVariableContainer::class);
        $viewHelperVariableContainer = $this->createMock(ViewHelperVariableContainer::class);
        $controllerContext = $this->getMockBuilder(ControllerContext::class)->disableOriginalConstructor()->getMock();

        $dummyView = new TemplateView([]);
        $renderingContext = $dummyView->getRenderingContext();
        $renderingContext->setVariableProvider($templateVariableContainer);
        $renderingContext->setViewHelperVariableContainer($viewHelperVariableContainer);
        $renderingContext->setControllerContext($controllerContext);

        $viewHelper = $this->getAccessibleMock(AbstractViewHelper::class, array('render', 'prepareArguments'), array(), '', false);

        $viewHelper->setRenderingContext($renderingContext);

        $this->assertSame($viewHelper->_get('templateVariableContainer'), $templateVariableContainer);
        $this->assertSame($viewHelper->_get('viewHelperVariableContainer'), $viewHelperVariableContainer);
        $this->assertSame($viewHelper->_get('controllerContext'), $controllerContext);
    }

    /**
     * @test
     */
    public function renderMethodParametersWithMultipleTypesAreRegisteredAsMixed()
    {
        $this->mockReflectionService->expects(self::any())->method('getMethodTagsValues')->willReturn([]);
        $this->mockReflectionService->expects(self::any())->method('getMethodParameters')->willReturn(['someArgument' => [
            'type' => 'array|\Iterator',
            'optional' => false
        ]]);

        $argumentDefinitions = AbstractViewHelper::getRenderMethodArgumentDefinitions($this->mockObjectManager);
        $this->assertCount(1, $argumentDefinitions);
        $this->assertArrayHasKey('someArgument', $argumentDefinitions);
        $this->assertEquals('mixed', $argumentDefinitions['someArgument'][1]);
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The flying field was directly outside the Museum of Science and Industry.
It is a difficult place to fly but a fine spot of a festival. Pat and Charlie Sotich help 1500 kids make kites. Al Sparling brings a Trilobite. Greg and Carrie Rasberry bring the awning. And Bob and Heidi Rymaszewski bring chairs. The wind comes off the lake and life is good. I don't even let the throng of kids bother me.
So we're flying to Baltimore today and then driving on to Ocean City. It should be a grand convention with over 500 fliers in attendance. Check next week for photos and a report.


Are there 7 reasons to move to Kansas City?
My wife and I have been discussing relocation. Kansas City (I guess either side or whatever?) came up in both of our lists but we didn't know why. So, I could use your help: give me 7 reasons why we should move to your city (cities?).
Bonus points for kid friendly, beer wine and food, arts, and sports reasons.


Depending on if you use your own Computer or a Mediamatic Macbook, I would recommend to install bookmarks on Google chrome. When you have your own computer, you could create a Mediamatic folder in your bookmarks. When you work on a Mediamatic Macbook with a Mediamatic account, I would recommend to have these all saved separately.
Open Chrome. It's usually in the Start menu in Windows and in the Applications folder on a Mac.
Click the star. It's at the far-right edge of the address bar at the top of the screen.
Select a folder. Select one of the folders from the "Folders" list, or click More... to view other options.
To add the bookmark to the bar that runs along the top of the browser, select Bookmarks bar from the "Folders" drop-down.
To create a new folder, click More..., and then click New Folder. Type a name for the folder, and then press ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return.


In the first part of this essay a brief historical overview and legal framework of international commercial arbitration will be described, considering both the Law of England and Wales and international regulations in this area which have also a direct or indirect effect on the development of international commercial arbitration in England and Wales. Following this, in the second part of this essay perceived advantages and disadvantages of international commercial arbitration will be discussed mainly in comparison to litigation involving international commercial disputes in national courts.
Regardless of the popularity of international commercial arbitration as an alternative method for resolving international commercial disputes, this method has both strengthens and shortcomings in many aspects. The neutrality of arbitrators or international arbitration institutions, the enforceability of arbitral awards in foreign countries, the flexibility in arbitration process and confidentiality of arbitration proceedings are often considered as the most advantageous features of international commercial arbitration, with some criticisms on these aspects, while generally the cost and the slowness of this method makes it disadvantageous.
In this part of this essay these characteristics will be described and detailed considering both positive and negative aspects of these features where relevant.
International Commercial Arbitration has not been a completely ideal way to resolve international disputes yet, but Born suggests that it is the least ineffective way and comparatively better than the alternatives. (1994) Even though in domestic disputes litigation in national courts may be preferable to arbitration depending on the circumstances in each particular case, in international disputes opinions are strongly in favour of international commercial arbitration as the nature of international disputes differs from domestic disputes in many aspects.
This essay has attempted to address the question of what are the advantages and disadvantages of international commercial arbitration. Despite the disadvantages of this method, such as the possibility of biased private arbitrators, the difficulties of the enforcement process in some countries who are not members of New York Convention, the opportunity of creating procedural rules in favour of one party, limited discovery rights in terms of public interest to provide confidentiality and in some cases slow and expensive nature of this kind of dispute resolution, it would be true to say that international commercial arbitration becomes more and more preferable with regard to its overwhelming advantages. Offering theoretically competent arbitrator as a neutral decision-maker, easily and reliably enforceability in many foreign states than foreign court decisions, providing greater freedom in terms of procedural rules and timetables, giving a chance to disclosure business secrets in terms of confidentiality are mostly more advantageous in comparison to the possible disadvantageous sides of these characteristics. In conclusion, as a most suitable way to resolve international commercial disputes, international commercial arbitration has come to be the accepted method of resolving international commercial disputes.
"Advantages And Disadvantages Of International Commercial Arbitration." LawTeacher.net. 11 2013. All Answers Ltd. 04 2019 <https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/commercial-law/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-international-commercial-arbitration-commercial-law-essay.php?vref=1>.
"Advantages And Disadvantages Of International Commercial Arbitration." LawTeacher. LawTeacher.net, November 2013. Web. 20 April 2019. <https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/commercial-law/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-international-commercial-arbitration-commercial-law-essay.php?vref=1>.
LawTeacher. November 2013. Advantages And Disadvantages Of International Commercial Arbitration. [online]. Available from: https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/commercial-law/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-international-commercial-arbitration-commercial-law-essay.php?vref=1 [Accessed 20 April 2019].
LawTeacher. Advantages And Disadvantages Of International Commercial Arbitration [Internet]. November 2013. [Accessed 20 April 2019]; Available from: https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/commercial-law/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-international-commercial-arbitration-commercial-law-essay.php?vref=1.


Many courses at university level build on knowledge students have gained while still at school. Some university courses require students to have studied a particular subject already. For example, Maths and Physics are typically essential A-levels for Engineering degrees. The A-Level subjects which are most often required for a wide range of university subjects are called 'facilitating subjects'.
Which subjects are facilitating subjects?
Why should you choose to study a facilitating subject at A-Level?
1. You want to study a degree which requires one or more facilitating subject.
This varies between courses, so use the Unifrog Subjects Library or UK Universities tool to find out if it applies to you!
2. You have no idea what you want to study at university.
In this instance, choosing 2 facilitating subjects would leave a range of university courses available to you.
3. You want to study at a Russell Group university.
These 24 universities have outstanding teaching, research and student facilities. On average they also have more teaching staff per student. Choosing one or two facilitating subjects often supports applications to these universities. To see a full list of Russell Group universities, click here.
Does this mean you shouldn't study any non-facilitating subjects?
Absolutely not! For instance, Psychology is not a facilitating subject, but if you're certain you want to study Psychology at university, choosing it at A-Level is a good way to gain a solid foundation of understanding.
A good solution is usually to choose one to two facilitating subjects, depending on how certain you are of your next steps and whether or not you want to go to a Russell Group university, and one non-facilitating subject.
1. Use the Subjects Library to find your ideal university subject. One the subject profile, you'll see a list of the most popular school subjects for that subject. This uses data from students who have already gained entry onto programmes for that particular university subject. You'll be able to see from that list whether or not any facilitating subjects are required.
2. Create a trial UK university Shortlist. Head over to the UK University tool and create a Shortlist of university programmes you would consider. On the Shortlist, you'll see an 'entry requirements at A Level' section for each university degree programme.
Finally, another option is to check the entry requirements on the degree programme description itself, which you should be able to find on the university website. You could also ring the university admissions team or speak with your school careers adviser to discuss your options in more detail.


There's nothing better than finding an awesome new ATV trail. Whether you're staying close to home or taking your ATV on a far-ranging trip, here's a quick guide to help you find places to ride.
Start with public lands and parks. Most states have a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) or another agency that operates the state park system. These agencies often provide a list of trails and other resources for ATV and Off Road Vehicle (ORV) riders. At a national level, you can search federal lands and national park websites for areas to ride your ATV. Check the website of your nearest public land or park to see if they have a map of ATV trails.
When in doubt, ask. An internet search for "private ATV park" may help you find local clubs designed just for riding ATVs and other ORVs, but simply asking around may turn up some hidden gems. Ask your local ATV/ORV dealer for tips — there may be some local recreational clubs or landowners that maintain off-the-grid trails and land for ATVs. But don't rely on hearsay alone for private or public lands — a phone call to the landowner or government agency that maintains the land will help you avoid unsafe areas and make sure you're not trespassing.
Follow the rules, whether written or unwritten. Written rules are usually posted at a trailhead or on the park website and can include anything from no alcohol or riding after dark to seasonal trail closures. Unwritten rules are about rider etiquette, common courtesy and respect for the great outdoors. Examples include limiting excessive noise from your vehicle, staying on designated trails, giving right-of-way to hikers and horseback riders, and approaching wildlife and livestock in your path with caution. Both written and unwritten rules keep you safe and ensure that everyone can share and enjoy the land. For more safety tips, check out 7 Tips for Safe ATV Rides.
Obey the laws. Most states have regulations about where you're allowed to ride. For example, many states prohibit riding your ATV on highways or even public roads in general, while some states only regulate ATV use in state parks. Check your state's ATV regulations on the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) ATV site.
An ATV is a great way to enjoy the outdoors. With this guide, you'll be blazing new trails on four (or three) wheels in no time.


text:
Tilítxiki (en rus: Тиличики) és un poble del territori de Kamtxatka, a Rússia, que el 2021 tenia 1.700 habitants. És la seu administrativa del districte d'Oliutorski.

Referències

Pobles del territori de Kamtxatka

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I went to Kumamoto on May 29-30 to do yoga retreat interpretation for Haidar Ali at Nichirinnji Temple.
Nichirinji Temple is a Soto Zen temple. My family is Soto Zen so I felt close to the temple.
I used to sit in a Zendo in Canada but this was the first time for me to sit in a temple in Japan. I was really looking forward to it!
Took 1 and 1/2 hours by car from Fukuoka airport, temple, located in a mountain.
Mika-san who runs a yoga studio HUSLABcame to get us.
Nichirinnji temple was really nice.
The monk was a good person.
I never had anyone appreciated me as a yoga interpreter as much as them!
People can connect with yoga, with themselves, with others and with the universal energy much much deeper by spending 2 days together.
We went to hot spring after yoga.
Found a huge centipede in my suitcase at night and panicked!
We sat for 30 hours each day for zazen.
We had Shojin Ryori, vegetarian meal, which was delicious.
Such a wonderful retreat and wonderful people.


The top news stories from the weekend's papers from the weekend of September 27-28, 2008.
The Observer, The Mail on Sunday and The Independent on Sunday all reported that Marks & Spencer was set to report a fall in like-for-like sales of more than 6%in a trading update this week.
The Observer added that around a third would be wiped off profits, and that criticism of the retailer was increasing in the City.
The Independent on Sunday reported that Ted Baker's first half results are likely to be down but better than many of its rivals.
The Mail on Sunday said that Mosaic, which owns high street chains Oasis, Warehouse and Karen Millen, is expected to buck the fashion sales trend this week, with an increase in profit before interest, tax and other charges, for the first half of the year.
It says that international expansion has boosted performance, with Karen Millen expected to draw more sales in Russia than in London by the end of the year.
The Sunday Times reported that eyewear manufacturer Fabris Lane has appointed Price Waterhouse Coopers to carry out a strategic review of the business. It reported that the Surrey-based company was not for sale but that it could look for investment to help expand the business.


text:
Solar Inspections & Repairs
Energy Usage Form
Aztec Solar CEO, Ed Murray, elected for third year in a row as president of California Solar and Storage Association
Aztec Solar is pleased to share some exciting news: For the third year in a row, our very own Ed Murray, CEO of Aztec Solar, has been elected as president of the California Solar and Storage Association (CALSSA).
Aztec Solar and CALSSA share the mission of promoting the widespread use of smart, local and clean energy technologies. Together, we are building a better energy future in communities across Northern California and beyond.
The solar industry is better positioned today thanks to the association's steadfast advocacy before key stakeholders and state agencies and lobbying in the California State Legislature. CALSSA tackles the big issues — such as defending Net Energy Metering — so that solar energy services, technology and products remain accessible, affordable and central to our future.
We are proud that our CEO will continue to lead CALSSA to advance an ambitious agenda that meets the values we share within the solar industry family.
Since 1978, Ed has worked to preserve and develop the solar industry. He has been associated with CALSSA since 1984. In addition to his role as president of CALSSA, he is the chair of the Solar Heating and Cooling Division for SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association) and serves on the Consumer Protection Committee, Election Committee and Federal Policy Committee. Ed is on the NABCEP board of directors and has been a board member of SEIA since 2011.
With Ed's leadership, the solar industry can look forward to continued opportunities for collaboration and growth. Our vision is a shared one because we know the potential of solar energy, energy storage and energy management. It's never been greater. We know that we can continue to empower consumers to take control of their energy consumption, drive positive activities that allow the economy to grow and provide a clear path forward to a brighter and cleaner planet for all.
Aztec Solar believes renewable energy is the future of this country. That is why as a company we support and promote the efforts of CALSSA. Aztec Solar is committed to meeting the energy needs of people across Northern California. Our service and products reflect this.
Solar investment tax credit decreased in 2020, act now before it goes away in coming years
Prepare for the next fire season by going with solar and battery storage now
Solar panels required for newly constructed homes in California beginning Jan. 1
Pew Survey: Growing number of homeowners say 'yes' to solar power
Researchers develop device that can generate power through solar and cool down buildings | Aztec Solar on Solar-powered plane flies for record 25 consecutive days
Gov. Jerry Brown signs solar energy storage legislation into law | Aztec Solar on The Future of Photovoltaic Storage
5 reasons why you should go solar in Sacramento | Aztec Solar on Report: Sacramento's summers are the sunniest in the world!
Solar storage legislation passes state Legislature, heads to governor's desk | Aztec Solar on The Future of Photovoltaic Storage
Five states now getting at least 10% of their energy from solar | Aztec Solar on The Investment Tax Credit for solar energy has been extended
Solar Blog
© Copyright 2020 Aztec Solar. All Rights Reserved.
WordPress Development by Ryan McBride

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Garnet Roach
Contact Garnet
More from Garnet
Activism: Taste for large-cap targets picks up in 2017
Almost a third of US targets in first half of year were large caps, data shows
Shareholder activists renewed their appetite for US large caps in the first half of the year, with almost a third of companies subjected to public demands by activists having a market cap of more than $10 billion, Corporate Secretary sister publication IR Magazine reports.
This compares to an average of 27 percent between 2013 and 2016 – and 26 percent in the first half of last year. That's according to data from the Activist Insight Monthly half-year review 2017, produced in association with law firm Olshan Frome Wolosky.
'Activists have responded to a turnaround in the markets by making ever more concentrated bets on large-cap companies,' report editor Josh Black notes in a statement.
More than 100 large-cap companies were targeted in the first half of 2017 – a number that exceeds the total of any year since 2010 and crosses 'a threshold approached in recent years' (numbers of large-cap companies targeted in 2015 and 2016 were 94 and 96, respectively).
Small-cap companies are the next most popular target for activists so far this year, with this group accounting for a quarter of all public campaigns, representing a 3 percentage-point increase. Mid caps accounted for 19 percent, up 2 percentage points from the first half of 2016.
These increases have come as activists have moved away from micro caps (14 percent in the first half of 2017, down from 19 percent in the same period last year) and nano-cap companies (11 percent this year, down from 17 percent in the first half of 2016).
'Despite high profile campaigns at Nestlé and BHP, activism in Europe and Asia appears flat or slightly down,' Activist Insight adds in its statement.
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Digital Meeting Platform Drives Higher Attendance - An Alternative to In-Person Events
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text:
Digital innovation and the passenger experience - a view from three airports
By Marisa Garcia | March 20, 2017
Airports are keen to improve the passenger experience and remove some of the barriers for travellers in the process.
During this years Passenger Terminal Expo in Amsterdam, airports shared their progress towards a seamless journey eased by automation processes and digital innovations.
Seamless walkthrough at Schiphol
Charles Hendriks, digital architect for the Schiphol Group, discussed the benefits and challenges of introducing passenger biometric ID. The airport is in the process of designing a Seamless Passenger Walkthrough, integrating all travel checkpoints so that passengers only have to identify themselves once.
"What we'll have to do is find a way to implement this new way of handling passengers within our existing classically designed terminals and our classically deigned processes. You can't go for a big bang. It won't work. We have to find a more harmonious agile way, an incremental approach [to adoption]."With a minimal footprint, and starting with minimal technology you can move slowly in steps."This technology works great in the lab. That is why you should put it into a productive environment, with real passengers, to see how it performs in the real world."You can start with boarding. Brisbane is starting with check-in and boarding. If you're really not afraid, you can go for border control but you could also go for access control, as Abu Dhabi said it would."Once that works, you can start to connect your touch points. Then, you can create a biometric route through your terminal. Either arrival passengers leaving through your gates, or transfer passengers; it all depends on your services. Then, you should scale up. After you've reached something that you show can work and you can prove your business case."For the back-office systems of stakeholders, don't start with all your airlines at the same time. Start with one airline, with one flight, and slowly expand from there."
Schiphol uses facial biometrics, encoded through an algorithm to generate a long numeric ID to identify passengers. It does not capture an image of the face and the code cannot be used to recreate the face. This ensures privacy.
Still, Hendriks believes that there is still a lot of coordination needed between airports and authorities to create a universal standard for this type of identification, both in how it is configured and how the data is protected.
"We would like to have international agreement on how you do this process. We're going forward in the best way we think is possible."Privacy should be on the top of the list. We must make sure that our passengers' data are only used in the circumstances that we have agreed with that we will use it."We create an architecture with privacy in mind. There are also a couple of agencies in the Netherlands and in Europe and we are closely aligning with them, having audit our systems, but it would be if there were international standards that we can say we adhere to these international standards."
With regulatory and airport groups already discussing the process, Hendriks expects international standards may be available to guide airport adoption of biometric journeys as soon as two years from now.
Streamlining processes at Cologne
Ulrich Stiller, director of marketing and sales at Cologne Bonn Airport, believes airports need to look at eliminating the many manual processes of the airport experience and replacing them with more efficient, automated or digital solutions.
"Manual interfaces at the airport create time-consuming processes. For instance, you have arrival in parking, you have the check-in area, the passport control, the extra security check, the boarding area—all of those things."Manual processes create hurdles along the way from the parking area to the aircraft."
The airport has deployed a number of programs which aim to automate or eliminate these legacy hurdles.
Stiller believes ultimately automated parking could speed the journey, but in the interim, by encouraging passengers to pre-book their parking on-line with a discount, the airport has eliminated the delays of finding a spot and can better predict parking space utilization.
Since introducing the parking reservations scheme, Cologne has seen adoption rise to 50% of passengers who would park cars.
Airlines already encourage passengers to check-in at home, which, Stiller says, has helped Cologne forecast passenger traffic and demand on counters.
Luggage still needs to be checked, but Stiller expects automatic and digital bag tagging coupled with automated bag drops will improve the process in future.
He also hopes the industry will move to standardize baggage loading and unloading, moving away from outdated baggage handling practices.
"We need standardization. All the different suitcases have been handled the same way for 40 years. If you look at the shipping industry, it is all containerized and standardized."
As airlines conform to IATA Resolution 753, this could become easier.
Radio Frequency Identification chips in bags could eliminate the need to scan each bag individually and might allow bags to be identified by proximity, even when stored in containers.
It's not all digital.
Some analogue solutions can also help improve the journey. Cologne is working to reduce queues through a process re-design inspired by the trusted traveler program. It simplifies security for those who travel often.
"We are working on easy security where you can overtake inexperienced passengers. It's on a test-phase at Cologne and the process is much quicker than before."
Mobility as a service at Munich
Anita Neudeck, senior manager, innovation and partnering for Munich Airport presented a new "mobility as a service" platform which offers door-to-door transport information service to passengers, from the city centre all the way to the gate.
It combines transport services and traffic information with airport way-finding and flight updates and gives passengers a full view of their journey, according to the transport method they select.
"We are implementing a service where you, as a passenger, just type your locations and also put in your flight number, select the mobile transport options: car sharing, or public transport. "Or, if you go by your own car, we can tell you what the situation is on the road. You can search and you get a list of options to get you to the airport. We include how much it will cost and how long it will take."
Neudeck believes this type of solution will be attractive and very relevant to modern digital travellers who simply want to get there and have little patience to spend time searching.
"Transportation has become intermodal. Seventy percent of Millennials are using multiple ways of getting around cities and the suburbs. People don't want to think about what transport to use. They just care about the destination and they care about time and costs."
Munich Airport is collaborating with Hamburg Airport, Düsseldorf and Münster/Osnabrück to offer passengers a single "Passnger App" which gives travellers all the information they need for their journey.
One of the motivations behind the collaboration is that Neudeck agrees with others in the industry who have questioned the usefulness of single airport apps.
She believes passengers are more likely to download and use the "Passngr App" because it offers something more valuable than terminal information alone.
"The idea is for all of the airports to come a bit closer and provide one service to all passengers. This channel gives us the opportunity to offer real door to door service."
Munich Airport has partnered with Siemens, which supplies the framework of the mobility platform.
"Siemens has all the connections to public transport companies and car sharing, and they also get traffic information from the road. There is one interface to our IT at Munich."
As the mobility as a service digital platform grows and matures, Neudeck believes it could become a revenue builder for airports, offered to airlines as a B2B service. An API would let airlines give their passengers the same door-to-door, multi-modal transport information, and terminal way-finding, all within their branded app.
"For that, we have to make the first step, try it out for ourselves, and gain some experience. If we are able to integrate one more airport to the 'Passngr App', I think it will be important. It would become very relevant. That would be a very good thing for switching to a B2B model."
KLM tests boarding via facial recognition
NB: Airport image via BigStock.


I took a quick trip to a local permission in the afternoon, I only took my air rifle.
After a quick chat with the farmer's wife in the yard, I headed to the bury under the Nettle patch.
There was a large doe sunning herself, and she was too busy enjoying the warmth of the sun to notice me arrive.
She slumped on the spot.
I collected her, and headed to the bury by the rock piles.
As I approached I saw a rabbit dive for cover, so I got into position behind a broken wall.
I watched the hillside for about 5 minutes, when there was a rustling sound from further on the bank.
I slowly turned to face the noise, and saw a rabbit making its way towards the bury I was sat outside.
I watched it hop closer, and waited for it to reach a small clearing.
He rolled down the banking and lay motionless.
I waited another 10 minutes, then had to move because 3 young girls were heading down the hillside from the top farm, so I collected my rabbits, and went to check further down the hillside.
As I approached a large area of bushes, I spotted a pair of Collared Doves feeding in the undergrowth.
One of the doves slumped, and didn't flutter a wing, the other took off, and sat in the nearest bush.
I re-cocked the rifle, took a small side-step to get a clear view, and squeezed the trigger again.
Missed! I hit a small branch, and the dove fluttered to another nearby bush.
Once again, I moved to get a clear view, and took a shot.
I took 5 shots at this dove, and after each shot, it moved to the next bush or tree, I still didn't get it. Then it flew away.
I headed to the bottom of the hillside, where this permission joined the next, and as I searched the trees around the plant paddock (this farm is a plant nursery) I saw a Grey Squirrel sat in the fork of a large Oak tree.
I steadily raised the rifle, and placed the sight-post on its chest (just behind the shoulder.
He fell from the tree, and lay on the floor with no more than a couple of flicks of his tail.
I collected him, and checked the rest of the remaining trees on the boundary.
My mobile rang, it was my wife saying she was beginning to make tea, so I called it a day, and headed back to my car.


With a trip to the Snowbowl under our belts and a newfound sense of confidence in our abilities (didn't take much… ANY practice was a bonus after four years off skis), it was time to take ourselves on a real ski trip. In one of those rare cases where plans come together effortlessly, and somewhat coincidentally, we were able to sync our trip with that of friends, we were off to Breckenridge.
As a kid we spent every Spring Break skiing Steamboat. Every year from the time I was three until college. (It suddenly just clicked as to why I'm such a creature of habit at heart.) I vaguely recall us trying, but ultimately nay-saying other ski resorts. As a family, Steamboat was it for us as it held so many happy memories. Not to say we didn't branch out eventually. Tahoe became the new venue of choice as we got much older and gorgeous as that is, I was ready to head back to Colorado and experience a brand new town in a new way.
a) Must give props to our big group of friends and ski companions for the weekend. We had two houses full of people that totally MADE this trip.
b) Apres ski. Hands down the best part of every day. Vodka with cherries, please.
c) The town and being able to walk from 'home' to the slopes, restaurants, bars, shops… you name it. We miss that every day in AZ so to have some semblance of city life (however small) was FUN.
I usually limit myself to a,b, and c, but I have to throw in a d) here – the change of pace. A tinge of hippie plus the very chilled locals (aka functioning potheads) was a nice contrast to our norm.


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Hannah Peel is a Northern-Irish electronic music composer.
Peel was first known for creating handmade music boxes, composing, recording and performing with them under the title 'Rebox'. Peel's solo album 'Awake But Always Dreaming' was released in 2016 to critical acclaim, with Q Magazine describing the album as a "sublime electronic opus." The album explores Peel's experience of her grandmother's dementia, reflecting on the memory loss and confusion caused by the disease.
Peel has worked with numerous collaborators in wide ranging projects. She plays as a member of The Magnetic North, a highly praised collaborative project with Simon Tong (The Verve, The Good The Bad And The Queen, Gorillaz) and Erland Cooper (Erland & The Carnival). She has also released records with many other collaborators including the electronic group John Foxx and the Maths, and Beyond the Wizards Sleeve.
In 2012, Peel co-composed the music for the Sadlers Wells Theatre production 'Compass' working alongside film maker and visual artist Tal Rosner.
Peel's music has been used on television and film releases, including on the trailer for 'American Horror Story', and title music for the UK series 'Dates'. The latter won her a Royal Television Society Award in 2013.
In 2016 Peel unveiled a new space-age alter-ego, Mary Casio, playing analogue synth compositions with a 33-piece colliery brass band. The Observer describes Peel as "a great singer and a latter day Delia Derbyshire."
www.hannahpeel.com/
Minutes by Hannah Peel


Greg is the Founder and CEO of BUILDERA, a Silicon Valley technology startup focused on big data for structural monitoring and forensics. During his career, he has held senior leadership roles at Fortune-500 companies including EMC, NetApp and Hewlett-Packard as well as multiple startups. His 360-degree customer focus underpins cross-functional use of data to improve business outcomes in sales, marketing, customer service, engineering, product management, support and operations. Greg is also the Co-Founder of LeakSentinel and serves on the board of Zizmos, a Palo Alto startup building a seismic early warning network using wireless sensors.
Greg graduated from Stanford University with Bachelors and Masters degrees in Electrical Engineering. He holds multiple patents in the areas of image processing and structural monitoring solutions. Greg frequently mentors diverse students and professionals on career development and work/life balance.


text:
Michelle Loucadoux
Brands We Love vol. 2 — OG Corporate Hippies
Next time you need something to eat, wear or clean with, consider one of these three corporate hippies
The "Doc" himself.
Dr. Bronner's comes first in our hearts because it is probably the most batshit brand success story in US history — a story that hasn't been told enough. Let's get into it. In 1936, family patriarch Emanuel Heilbronner escaped the burgeoning Nazi party and fled to the US. The entirety of his family perished in Holocaust death camps after their soap-making business was nationalized. He was put in a mental institution in Illinois as a young man for espousing "crazy" beliefs like proud Zionism, virulent anti-Nazism and a general concern for the wellbeing of the world. The Doctor later blamed shock treatments for declining eyesight and blindness. He escaped in 1945 and set his sights on soap, something his family had been making since 1858 in Laupheim, Germany. Oh, and by the way, he's not a doctor. But with his German accent and air of authority, no one doubted him.
Bronner was beyond eccentric. His label hasn't changed much since the 1960s. It is covered in personal creeds like his "Moral ABCs," including statements like —
"12th: God bless the persecuted! They alone are his chosen people! Those that did not suffer from persecution remained short-sighted, small! Only those who united worked hard to survive ice-aged persecution evolved into Humane Beings, like Jesus — Mintz — Sills — Straus — Stasz-Zamenhof, brave, to help teach all, every slave, the Moral ABC of All-One-God-Faith, for we're all-One or none! Listen Children Eternal Father Eternally One! Exceptions? None!"
"14th: Let him who is without fault throw the first stone, for only God is always perfect! So, when our fellow man you measure, take him at his best, with that lever lift him higher, overlook the rest! For we're All-One or none! Remember, more good is caused by evil than by good. So, do what's right! Maximize the good, minimize the wrong! Then the Kingdom of God's Law inspires — evolves — unites. All-One! All-One! All-One!"
For a period of time, Bronner ran the company as a tax-exempt religious organization but was found to be out of compliance and was levied with $1.3 million in back-taxes in 1985. When this occurred, Jim Bronner, Emanuel's son, began to work for the company and recapitalized it as a for-profit company in 1988.
Celebrities including but not limited to Bobbi Brown, Oprah, Olivia Wilde, Natalie Portman, Kate Hudson, Lady Gaga and Meghan Markle all swear by Dr. Bronner's. Drake even includes it in his rider (alongside Hennessy and rolling papers). The brand has paid exactly $0 for influencer marketing or endorsements.
From Vox:
Its CEO, David Bronner, a ponytailed vegan surfer who wears tie-dyed shirts and drives a rainbow-colored Mercedes-Benz, has planted hemp seeds on the Drug Enforcement Administration's lawn and was once arrested for locking himself in a cage outside the White House.
His slightly more low-key brother, who also helps run the family business, still demonstrates a strong moral backbone has described social media as "essentially amoral."
Since the 1950s, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps has championed a number of causes related to drug policy reform, animal rights, genetically modified organisms and fair trade practices. The company has self-imposed caps on executive pay, with executive salaries not to exceed 5 times the wage of its lowest paid workers.Roughly a third of the company's profits are dedicated to charitable giving and activist causes annually. All of this has stood since long-before the corporate virtue signaling of the 2010s began.
Dr. Bronner and his family have heralded in a magically American success story — over $100 million in annual revenues for a company proudly declaring a belief in "Spaceship Earth." When we talk about authenticity, this is it. Oh, and by the way, the soaps are incredible. In the cadence of your labels, we declare "Bravo, Bronner family!!!"
Founder Yvon Chouinard
So, yeah. We know. You know. Everyone knows Patagonia is the best. But, it wasn't until a millennial-led endorsement of the brand as sustainability hero occurred that it truly hit the mainstream as "cool." Before then, it was simply a hippie-dippie outdoor brand, kind of like The North Face's younger brother who doesn't cut his hair and potentially lives in an Airstream.
Let's dive into what makes it truly such a special brand and company.
Founder Yvon Chouinard was an adamant rock-climber throughout the 1960s and 1970s. On a trip to Scotland in 1970, he bought and re-sold some rugged rugby shirts, realizing the need for good-looking but durable outdoor apparel and gear. Three years later, Patagonia was born. From the beginning, Chouinard held a commitment to understanding the impact of his brand on the environment. In 1986, Chouinard committed the company to "tithing" for environmental activism, committing one percent of sales or ten percent of profits, whichever is the greater. The commitment included paying employees working on local environmental projects so they could commit to these efforts full-time. In the 1990s, an environmental audit of Patagonia revealed that corporate cotton, although it was a natural material, had a heavy environmental footprint, making Patagonia the first to call attention to this. In 1996, Chouinard committed the company to using all organic cotton. In 2002, Yvon Chouinard founded 1% for the Planet and Patagonia became the first business to commit 1% of annual sales to the environment.
Culturally, Patagonia has a few iconic pieces. The sherpa fleece, now made from recycled plastic, is the most famous. The "baggies" shorts are another one — famously utilitarian and ideal for swimming, running or lounging around. But overall, the brand today is measured not by its look and feel (which famously has been co-opted by investment bankers, who were then issued a very on-brand ultimatum from Patagonia: be a mission-driven company that prioritizes the planet, or no more co-branded merch) but rather by its philosophies.
And it's working. Patagonia's stock has doubled in the last 5 years. They've also launched Patagonia Provisions, a sub-brand geared towards "rethinking the food chain" and Tin Fund Ventures, a VC firm investing in "the next generation of responsible businesses."
The delectable dynamic duo.
Ben &Jerry's
Let's get this out of the way first — Ben & Jerry's is owned by Unilever, which could be considered an evil corporate entity. The company has a long history of greenwashing while allowing environmental and social abuse, especially in "third world" workplaces. They're also a tremendous participant in virtue signaling which always makes me nervous — show, don't tell, right?
From Forbes' "Unilever And The Failure Of Corporate Social Responsibility":
In 2016, Unilever settled with almost 600 workers in India over mercury exposure from a now closed thermometer plant following a 2006 lawsuit over exposure to the toxic element. The issue reached global attention from an Indian rapper's song "Kodaikanal Won't" that modified Nicki Minaj tune "Amaconda," with lyrics addressing the mercury contamination problem.
A 2011 Irish Times story exposed sexual harassment claims from African workers that said they had to bribe supervisors to stop them from unwanted advances.
[Former CEO] Polman's efforts to address the sexual harassment claims were not universally accepted by NGOs. A 2014 report by the Netherlands-based Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations "claimed the existing system of checks and balances has failed to stop abuses of workers on Unilever's Kenyan estate, including sexual harassment and poor housing conditions."
So, yeah, not great. But there's something to be said for Unilever's deft handling of Ben & Jerry's. The brand continues to apparently do whatever it wants, including releasing flavors like Empower-Mint in support of Black Lives Matter back in 2017.
Founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield were childhood friends from Merrick, New York. Greenfield couldn't get into med school and Cohen dropped out of college. So, like any unemployed young people, in 1977, Cohen and Greenfield completed a correspondence course on ice cream making from Pennsylvania State University's creamery. Cohen has severe anosmia, a lack of a sense of smell or taste, and so relied on "mouth feel" and texture to provide variety in his diet. This led to the company's trademark chunks being mixed in with their ice cream. On May 5, 1978, they started an ice cream parlor in an old gas station in Burlington, Vermont with $12,000. In 1979, they marked their anniversary by holding the first "free cone day", now an annual event at every Ben & Jerry's store.
Ben & Jerry's never outgrew its hippie ethos, even after being acquired by Unilever in 2000. The brand's three core missions are economic (profit), sustainability and product — with an equal emphasis on all three. For over 40 years, the brand has fought for racial justice, voting rights and democracy, non-GMO labeling and fair trade processes.
So, next time you need household essentials like soap and ice cream (yes, ice cream is an essential) or anything from fair-trade coffee to an iconic fleece vest, consider one of these three corporate hippies.
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It is difficult for us to give up control of something. We just want to do it ourselves. In fact, we are taught to do things for ourselves. We teach our kids to do things themselves. We like to control things because that means we're in charge. Unfortunately there are some things that are simply out of our control. We cannot do it ourselves, but oh how we try.
Why do we try so hard to do things ourselves and keep all the control? I think part of it human nature, especially for guys. We feel like it's our job. We are the head of the family, therefore we have to be in charge and in control. I know I'm guilty of that. But sometimes we need to step back and turn control over to someone else. Some situations may call for the control to shift to our spouse, our kids, or maybe even a friend. Of course we really need to give up control of everything and let God take charge. He knows what is best for us and will always lead us down the right paths.
I'm learning more and more to do just that. There are so many things that happen every day – at work, at home, etc. – that I simply have no control over, no matter what I do. I'm learning to focus on the things that I can control and turn those that I cannot over to Him. I'm not there yet, but I'm working on it. I've found by doing that there is much less stress throughout the day. Hopefully I can stay focused on what I can do and turn the rest over to God and move out of His way.


Your computer should no longer crash to a black screen because 'sleep' has been replaced by 'hibernate'.
Start> power key > Hibernate, Shut Down or Restart.
Why as the only user (as administrator) can not use Surface Apps after a period of time?
I can nor read the serial number of my Microsoft 2 band and can not register it. What can I do?


Cauchy was born in Paris and educated as an engineer at the École Polytechnique. After serving for a short time as an engineer, he became interested in mathematics and, with encouragement from Laplace and Lagrange, changed fields. He made important contributions to algebras, number theory, and analysis; he is responsible for the fundamental theorems in complex variables. Cauchy saw the need for more rigor in analysis and developed tests for the convergence of infinite series and published an exposition of calculus based on limits; he was not completely successful, since he did not have the constructions of irrational numbers later given by Cantor, Dedekind, and Weierstrass. He was a man of strong opinions, including those concerning the calculus, and received the wrath of students and administrators alike for teaching a limit based calculus course at the École Polytechnique. Except for Euler, Cauchy was the most prolific mathematician of all time, and the still in effect four page limit for papers in Compte Rendus was instituted to deal with his output. He was, however, a difficult man who held extremely conservative (bigoted) religious and politic views; he also has the distinction of losing important papers of both Abel and Galois while serving as a referee.


Does yii\jui\DatePicker support Julian dates?
I would probably implement Keith Woods Calendar for jQuery. It may not be as friendly to code with as the default date picker but assigning it to a $form->textInput() should be simple enough.


I am the Chairman for The Guild of Needlelaces which started as an administrative role but has progressed to me strating to make lace and now teach beginners.
Welcome. Please read all the NOTES. They explain our policies, the laces we include, and how the software works. Once you join the GUILD OF NEEDLE LACES group, I'll mark you as an administrator for that group.


text:
Why did Hamas make concessions in the Cairo talks?
February 23, 2021	Gaza, Palestine News
Only an ignorant individual would deny that Hamas has made some concessions in the Cairo talks and even beforehand. These concessions include the issue of salaries for Palestinian Authority employees in Gaza; the Constitutional Court; agreeing to the elections being held in succession; and the submission of a letter from Ismail Haniyeh, and then waiting for the presidential decree regarding several issues and other details that everyone now knows.
Hamas made concessions with the aim of getting out of this miserable, unenviable political situation. Maintaining the status quo means more unilateral political and administrative decisions and continued division. While unilateralism serves a certain group of Palestinian leaders who enjoy their privileges and are happy to make decisions without accountability or questions, the political split has become an excuse that the leadership uses to justify its failures, while the army of corrupt people who tamper with the fate of the people hide behind them. All of this means more fragmentation and the loss of the Palestinian national cause, as well as further reassurance and comfort for the occupation state, which will continue to control the outcomes of the political reality as it affects the Palestinian arena and even, it seems, in most Arab arenas.
This ramshackle Palestinian political scene, which provokes into anger anyone loyal to the country, has become a motive to seek change and bring about a new equation based on unity and partnership no matter how many concessions must be made in the process. This is what was achieved in recent months after a series of meetings of the factions' secretaries-general and bilateral meetings, which culminated in the Cairo talks. The statement issued by the secretaries-general was adopted by them as a political programme; they chose national partnership as a way to end the division.
I must emphasise that the concessions made by Hamas to make the reconciliation a success do not reflect a state of weakness and fear, as some claim. The data on the ground indicates an improvement in living conditions and life in the Gaza Strip, although it has not reached the desired level. The State of Qatar has provided Hamas with financial assistance that enables it to stand on its own two feet at the moment, while the electricity project that the Qatari representative is working on and which has been approved by Israel, promises better economic conditions for the coastal territory.
Furthermore, Egypt has opened the border crossing and is allowing goods through, suggesting that better days lie ahead for Gaza. The leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip is confident that the resistance movement has a serious deterrence factor in its favour.
All of this confirms that the concessions offered by Hamas were aimed at ending the state of Palestinian division, political stagnation and weakness, and moving towards collective action and positive influence. Will the path to reconciliation and the elections be smooth and safe? Will the Palestinian national accord project continue? The answer lies in the organisational developments of Fatah and its impact on the election decree. We shall find out in the Cairo talks at the end of March, which hide within them the elements of success and ready-made justifications for failure
Previous Gaza launches drive to roll out covid vaccine
Next Gaza, Egypt deal sparks dispute in Palestine


Steve Simpson, Glendale College Computer Instructor | Designed For My Students, Friends and Family!
ENTERTAINMENT Spotify vs. YouTube Music: Which Is Best?
WINDOWS PRODUCTIVITY Mail vs. Outlook: Which Email App Is Right for You on Windows 10?
Posted by simpsongcc in GCC, Job Hunting?


A Classical Studies degree at the University of Exeter enables you to understand an ancient world that has fundamentally impacted the society we live in today. Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece form the cornerstones of our modern Western civilisation and learning to interpret their language, literature and philosophy can unlock new ways of thinking. You will study ancient history in context to modern day issues such as power, sexuality, ethics, migration, identity, magic, food, globalisation and religion. Not only will you emerge as an accomplished researcher, you will have a deep understanding of classical languages and the confidence to analyse, interpret and challenge traditional theories and concepts.
The Classical Studies degree programme is made up of compulsory (core) and optional modules, which are worth 15 or 30 credits each. Full-time undergraduate students need to complete modules worth a total of 120 credits each year.


text:
Movie Curiosities: Seven Psychopaths
williamb
Blogs, Movie Curiosities
I don't remember why I passed on In Bruges when it came to Portland, but I've been paying for that decision ever since. I've heard nothing but good things about that movie, with a number of quotations as proof of the film's superior screenplay. Luckily, In Bruges was successful enough for freshman writer/director Martin McDonagh to get a second film underway.
It's worth bearing in mind that In Bruges was released four years ago. That's a decent length of time for film geeks to continuously drool over the thought of what McDonagh was preparing for his sophomore effort. But now, at last, Seven Psychopaths is out in theaters. And the film is so funny, so action-packed, and so utterly batshit crazy that it's enough to make anyone a fan of McDonagh.
Before going any further, I should point out that the poster is a lie. Not all of the eponymous psychopaths are played by those actors. Indeed, some of those actors only get a few precious scenes before disappearing entirely, and only four of them are playing what could seriously be called main characters.
First and foremost is Billy Bickle (Sam Rockwell), who comes up with the harebrained scheme of kidnapping dogs, keeping them for a few days, then returning the dogs to their owners to collect the reward money. Billy's partner in crime is Hans (Christopher Walken), who's using his share of the funds to pay for his wife's cancer treatment. Unfortunately, they capture the Shih Tzu of a particularly sentimental crime boss (Charlie Costello, played by Woody Harrelson). Charlie misses his precious dog to a comically childlike degree, so of course he's eager to find and kill whoever took the bitch.
The bodies start piling up, Billy's best friend (Marty Faranan, played by Colin Farrell) gets caught in the middle, and hilarity ensues.
Keep in mind that this is only the bare-bones synopsis. This is what you might consider the A-plot or the central premise. It might make for an entertaining film in itself, but the movie has so much more going on. Most of it revolves around Marty, a screenwriter struggling to write his next movie. All he has on paper right now is a title, which is… wait for it… "Seven Psychopaths."
Yes, ladies and gents, we're diving headfirst into meta territory. Leave your psychiatrist at the door, because things are about to get crazy up in here.
First of all, Marty goes through the film examining several possible ideas for his cast of psychopaths and their respective stories. Some of them are inspired by actual psychopaths who bring their stories to Marty, in response to a want ad that Billy put in the paper without his friend's knowledge or consent. These stories start out strange enough, and it's very entertaining to see how they get twisted and reshaped as the film continues. Naturally, the sideplots pretty much always comment on the main plot's proceedings in some way. What's more, a few of them are given some wonderfully surprising and heartfelt endings. My personal favorite example concerns the Buddhist psychopath that Marty comes up with. Yes, you heard me: A Buddhist psychopath.
See, one of the reasons why Marty is having such a hard time with this film is that he wants to make a film with "psychopaths" in the title, but he also wants to make something peaceful and life-affirming. So it is that Marty, Billy, and Hans work together and try to reconcile these two entirely opposing notions. Not only is it very funny to watch, but the results also provide some very intriguing thematic material.
For example, one of this movie's most prominent recurring themes is race. The movie features no less than two interracial marriages, and a Vietnamese man plays a vital role in the film as well. It doesn't stop with skin color, either. Marty, Hans, and Kaya (Marty's girlfriend, played by Abbie Cornish) are all white, but the movie stresses the point that these respective characters are Irish, Polish, and Australian. The film puts a tremendous emphasis on the races and religions of its characters, even going so far as to use racial epithets as a way of reinforcing the point.
I have no idea why.
No, really. The film uses religion and race as prominent motifs, but doesn't use them to make any kind of overt thematic statement. At least, none that I could find on a single viewing. If anyone out there has any idea what the film was trying to say on this subject, I'd be intrigued to hear it.
Anyone who goes to see this film should be warned that logic isn't necessarily a given thing. The narrative tends to ramble aimlessly, there are a huge number of plot holes, and contrived events are bound to happen frequently. However, the film makes it very clear that this isn't a bug, but a feature.
Remember, the movie is designed to resemble Marty's screenplay, so one can comment on the other. Marty's screenplay doesn't have a structured plot yet, so of course the movie doesn't have a structured plot. For another thing, the characters poke fun at the movie by way of poking fun at the screenplay, often making some very interesting statements about modern cinema itself in the process (to paraphrase an example: "Your female characters are terribly written, and something bad always happens to them." "*shrug* Well, it's a tough world for women."). The meta aspect eventually gets so overwhelming that our main characters start to think that they're the heroes in a movie. As such, they expect things to happen according to Hollywood logic, with suitably comical — and often violent — results when things go differently.
Then again, the film's meta aspect can work as a double-edged sword. At some point in the proceedings, events get to be so impossible and contrived that it's like all the rules suddenly got thrown into a wood chipper. Logic takes a permanent coffee break, with no possible explanation given, save that the movie has somehow become self-aware. The narrative has slipped its leash, free to do whatever it pleases without any fear of consequences because it's not like these characters were ever predictable to begin with.
The main characters are all immoral and irate morons, but each character brings a unique brand of crazy. Sam Rockwell, for example, plays his character with a seemingly bottomless reservoir of energy, so Billy is effectively a maniac on a never-ending sugar rush. The guy is so insane that even Charlie — himself a homicidal mobster, albeit one with a soft spot for dogs — has to look at Billy and go "Dude, get a shrink!" It's much funnier than it sounds, trust me.
Don't even get me started on Billy's big scene just past the hour mark. He pitches a massive shootout for the climax of Marty's screenplay, bringing together every single character in the movie, and we get to see the whole demented thing. Everything that's great about this movie — the performances, the screenplay, the direction, etc. — all perfectly and beautifully intersect in those glorious and laugh-out-loud hilarious few minutes of what-the-fuckery.
Then there's Christopher Walken, who depicts Hans as… oh, who am I kidding? Christopher Walken is totally playing himself here. He's deadpan, he's creepy, and he's completely detached from the proceedings. Everything you'd expect from Christopher Walken playing crazy (for better or worse) is here. By a similar token, Tom Waits appears in this movie. I shouldn't even have to tell you that his character is a scary kind of nutso.
That leaves Marty. Not only is the poor guy Irish (read: an alcoholic), but he's the film's designated "straight man." As such, it's his responsibility to provide reactions to all the craziness going on around him. Given the quantity and variety of craziness going on around him, it should go without saying that Marty's reactions are over-the-top and very humorous.
The actors in this movie are all a lot of fun to watch, though it helps that the screenplay is a work of art. There are screenwriters who succeed at crafting realistic characters and dialogue, and then there are screenwriters like Martin McDonagh, who succeed at the exact opposite. The dialogue in this film is so witty, so clever, so funny, and so expertly crafted that I didn't even care about the fact that no one was acting or talking like a normal human being ("Hands in the air!" "No." "But I've got a gun." "I don't care." "That doesn't make any sense." "Too bad.").
What's more, the narrative in this picture is alarmingly well-crafted. This movie juggles its various subplots and sideplots in a way that's simply awe-inspiring. What's more, this film frequently deviates from the established rules of storytelling in cinema to consistently entertaining results, even if the film's oddball methods don't always make sense.
Seven Psychopaths is a very crazy film. Not nearly as crazy as Detention or Antichrist , I grant you, but it's still insane. Dealing with the film's meta elements and gaps in logic takes a lot of suspending disbelief, but the gut-busting humor and the wildly unpredictable characters keep the ride enjoyable throughout.
This is a very smart, very original, very entertaining film. Absolutely worth a look.
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Read more about: Abbie Cornish, Christopher Walken, Colin Farrell, Gabourey Sidibe, Harry Dean Stanton, Kevin Corrigan, martin mcdonagh, Olga Kurylenko, Sam Rockwell, seven psychopaths, Tom Waits, Woody Harrelson


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An Unexpected Sin
8:04 am 2 May 2014
Sarah Ballance's An Unexpected Sin, book 2 of Sins of Salem was a delightful read. I enjoyed it much more than book 1, Her Wicked Sin. The storytelling was flowing; I was hooked from the first page. Reading about a young couple, known to each-other since childhood and already harboring deep emotions, IMO, was a plus point of this story.
An Unexpected Sin, though set in the dark backdrop of Salem's witch trial, is not directly involved in it. There are instances where one or more of the characters are said to have some kinda connection to this horrid event one way or the other but the story itself is all about Anne and Josiah's love for each-other.
Anne was a minor character in book 1, who was also a friend to the h, Lydia, Salem village's physician. She was falsely accused of witchcraft, from which she was saved by her lover (later her husband), Henry Durham. Anne proved to a true friend, warning Lydia about the farcical accusation about her that were being spread through the town. Though Lydia left Salem in the dark of the night to avoid any further consequences, Anne is stuck here with her parents.
Anne now lives in Salem town and helps with her father's inn but once upon a time, Salem village was what she called 'home'. That was before her brother Samuel was lost in the nearby river. Anne and her parents' lives have never been the same, this is the reason why they moved away from the memories to start anew. Samuel's best friend, Josiah, who was like another member of the family, has always been blamed. It's said that Josiah led Samuel to his death, though no one tells Anne of the true incident, least of all her parents.
Anne has had a crush on Josiah since she was a young girl, barely in her teens. Josiah is only 2 years older than her. Because his mother died when he was just an infant and his father remarried, Josiah called Anne's family 'home' rather than his own. He was well-loved and always welcomed, spending more time with her family and Samuel. Anne loved those days, still fondly remembers them. But after Samuel's death, Josiah was sent from Salem by his mortified father, never to be seen again. Anne thinks she may never see him again.
In the middling years, no man has caught Anne's attention and she has not been in a hurry to get married, though her mother is gradually becoming more and more vocal about it. That was until one day, a stranger catches her eyes, alongside her flirty best friend Prudence's. But Anne is ensnared by the way she finds this stranger helping out in the building of a house for a neighbor. It was not just the physical response to his attractive (and sweaty :p) body... Ok it was plain that cause at that time, Anne couldn't even begin to imagine how her life was going to change in the coming months. When she gathered enough courage and talks to the stranger in pretense of offering him a glass of water, she finds he looks familiar. Then, he introduces himself and Anne's world is completely altered.
Josiah returned to Salem just for this moment, to see Anne once again and to find out if she's still single, and would have him. He wondered if he'd see anger and hatred in her eyes because of his part in Samuel's death. He's ecstatic to learn that not only Anne recognizes him but also, she's not even betrothed. The next, Anne and Josiah go private to talk about what happened to him in the past few years. Josiah keeps thinking how fortunate that Anne doesn't hold him in contempt! Sadly, he had no idea that Anne didn't know of that little nugget of information, so she never had any reason to belittle Josiah. He had always been the man she wanted to be with, and finding him returned to Salem, claiming that he specifically came to see her, could only make her heart pound with joy. I didn't even mind that they kiss that very day cause the yearning was just that palpable, coming from the both of them.
It doesn't take long for the love birds to find a plan to help Josiah. Anne thought he wants to prove himself to her parents before divulging his true identity, and for her hands in marriage. His return can also mean a great deal of distress because he'd remind them of Samuel. Yet, she suggests that Josiah go to his father's inn and ask to be hired, because a strong helper is always needed. Her poor, elderly father can't do many chores around the inn anymore.
Against his better judgment, Josiah does just that. Being close to Anne wins out all reason. He decides he'd face it if things come to that... but to his relief, neither of the Scudders seem to recognize him. Josiah finds a place at the inn, starting as a help around that very day. Though he's a man educated in Cambridge, Josiah doesn't care for anything but being with Anne at the moment.
Anne is exited to find Josiah heeding her suggestion. They try spending time together, hiding away from Anne's mother's ever watchful eyes. It's apparent that she doesn't care much for him. But Anne doesn't care either. She feels reckless and alive to have him nearby; one night even going to his room, where they end up kissing and touching. Anne's mother starts petitioning to her father about Anne's marriage. This makes her unhappy, so much so that a couple of times, she ends up quarreling with her mother for her rudeness towards Josiah. Anne doesn't understand why her mother is like that around him. No matter, Anne is determined to marry Josiah and that's that.
One day, a tragedy takes place. One of Anne's friends, Elizabeth, was falsely accused of witchcraft and she's hanged in front of her eyes. Feeling helpless and bitter, Anne wanders away, not telling her family of where she's going. When she doesn't return, Anne's frantic parents consider Josiah's proposal of help. He finds her and instead of coming home, they spend the night in an abandoned cottage. Anne does what she always wanted to do, seeking solace in Josiah's arms. I wouldn't have minded if Josiah, who was about to tell Anne of his guilt about Samuel's death, came clean of the whole matter. But he breaks off midway and they end up having sex. This didn't feel right to me. I already knew that when Josiah informs Anne, there'd be trouble between them. Now I knew that it'd be tenfold because of their new intimacy...
... Which it is, the very next day. Anne's mother was more than happy to twist things in a way that left Anne confused about Josiah's role in Samuel's death. It was way too apparent that the woman was trying to get rid of him, and I knew it wasn't just because of Samuel. From the conversation Josiah earlier had with Anne's ancient grandmother, who doesn't speak that much these days, it became clear that he harbored another dark secret; Josiah's mother was hanged after being condemned as a witch. The whole matter was rather hush-hush. So far, Josiah thought no one else but his father, he and the people who were involved in the crime knew of it. But after this, and Anne's angry confrontation about her brother's death, he decides it's best for everyone that he leaves, even if it breaks his heart. Either way, he wouldn't stay when it's Anne who doesn't want him here anymore.
True to his words, Josiah leaves that very day...
Josiah was a great guy; soft spoken and overall nice. I think when he said he was true to Anne, he meant about not being with anyone else. Maybe he should've fought a little harder to be heard. But the fact was, he was wrecked with guilt. And if you were thinking; did he kill Samuel? In literal sense, no. I never felt he's capable of killing anyone. What happened is this- Josiah has always been afraid of water, yet because of his urging Samuel accompanied him on that fateful day. He couldn't save Samuel when he drowned, that's all. I was rather annoyed at Anne's mother, and then Anne for not even giving him the chance to explain anything. When the truth was revealed at the end, I didn't like Anne's mother at all. Then, Anne... they just had sex the night before, how could she be so cruel to him?
Anne, though late, realizes her fault and what her outburst and rash decision has wrought. She finds herself pregnant and no way of contacting with Josiah. She becomes desperate and leaves town secretly in search of Lydia, who also used to be a midwife.
The story moves fast from there. I knew Josiah would come looking for his Anne. He just couldn't have stayed away. Anne was able to reach to Lydia. She starts living there for the duration of her pregnancy, with a sketchy plan about her future at best... until Josiah comes knocking at the door. Then, it was all about revelations and what happened to Samuel and why Anne's mother wanted Josiah away from Anne. I loved the ending because I finished the book with a smile on my face.
I know there'd be a book 3 and it made me think, could the next installment be of Samuel's? His body was never found, so he was presumed dead. I don't know but I'd like to find out later. 4 stars.
This ARC was provided to me by Entangled Scandalous via netgalley which didn't influence my review and rating in any way.
arc-reviewcopy-netgalley-edelweiss sarah-ballance sweetnsexy-beta


As you can see, I managed to use up quite a few products in May. I've found that since I re-organised all my products (see post here) I've been using up products I already own instead of buying more/new things.
1. St Ives Apricot Scrub Renew & Firm - This has been my holy grail cleanser for years. I find the exfoliating beads are gentle enough to use everyday and the inclusion of AHA keeps my skin looking bright and fresh without stripping my skin unnessarily.
2. Young Blood Mineral Primer - I received this from a friend about a year ago. It's very similar to the Benefit Porefessional Primer with that matte silicone type finish. It was a beautiful primer but a little too expensive for me to repurchase.
3. Swisspers Cleansing Wipes - I don't often use these to remove makeup - more to clean my makeup from dirty fingerprints and swatches off my hands/arms! I find them pleasant to use but have no preference about brands of cleansing wipes.
4. Pantene Deep Fortifying Shampoo - This is always my go-to supermarket brand for haircare.
6. Garnier Clean Sensitive Eye Makeup Remover - I did like this eye makeup remover it is nice and gentle - no stinging at all - but I still always seem to end up with panda eyes when I get out of the shower. I have now started using Coconut Oil as a makeup remover again and it's a lot more effective at getting makeup off.
7. Alchemy Unscented Wheat Free Conditioner - This is a lovely conditioner that hydrates my hair but doesn't weigh it down. My hair is quite fine so a gentle conditioner like this is perfect for me.
8. Eyelure Accents Eyelashes Black 318 - I got these in my last Her Fashion Box and I couldn't wait to try them out. They're half lashes that are designed to be applied on the outer half of your lash line. I found them pretty easy to put on, they didn't need trimming at all, I just put the glue on and applied with tweezers. They lasted two days before I pulled them off (they would've lasted more but I can't handle not washing my eyelashes for any longer) and they looked so pretty and natural on. I will definitely be buying these again.
9. Redken Extreme Strength Builder Plus - This was a fantastic treatment conditioner full of proteins that noticeably strengthened my hair. My hair felt incredibly soft after using it and I will definitely be picking up another tub of this once I've used up my collection of samples.
Do you have trouble finishing off products before opening new ones like me?
P.S Don't forget to like Imminent Beauty on facebook (link below or on the side bar) to be the first to hear about the beauty boxes, when blogs go live and everything else beauty related!
I look forward to reading your review on the Batiste Dry Shampoo, I have a real love/hate for dry shampoo. Love to use it hate that it dries my hair out.
Can't wait to hear your thoughts.
I'm doing a reorganising as well; you've used up so much! The packing of the Alchemy conditioner looks so luxe. I've seen Young Blood products around but haven't bought the primer.
I love a good hair mask! That Redken one sounds great. I have been using the St Ives apricot scrub for years too. Mine has never had the purple stripe that says renew and firm. Is that a new variation in the brand?