A pipe or hot water heater burst, washing machine, dishwasher, or toilet overflow are stressful ordeals. The containmated water in your commercial property of home can weaken wood, corrode metals, ruin carpets and trigger mold growth. Highly unsanitary water increases the health risk and structural damage. We remove the water and shutting it downb at the source. We provide pipe burst, hot water heater leakage, and washing machine, dishwasher, or toilet overflow cleanup and restoration services to help you get your home or building back to its pre-loss state.
Catstrong is armed with the best equipment and experienced personel. We're ready to take on the challenges that you may have for us. Our objective is restore your daily life ASAP. Our team is ready to deliver it 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Washing machine, dishwasher, or toilet overflow contain your home's sewage. If they leak or burst, they can create damage during and after the plumbing emergency. Burst pipes can cause the following structural damages: cracks on floors and ceilings, cupped wood floors, wood rot, rust, nold and mildew, soiled furniture, wet electronic. Since the water is practically coming from your sewage, your family or employees living or working in your buildings or home may acquire diseases and illnesses, due to the toxic chemicals and microorganisms that you come in contact with either through physical contact or by inhalation. The water can carry bacteria and viruses. It's essential that you get in touch with an expert to handle it right away.
When your property is polluted due to water permeating into areas which are meant to stay dry, it can cause significant damage to wood and metal components of a building. Wood which is continuously damp can attract pests and become brittle. Cracks will develop in the walls and ceiling. The odor of contaminated water will pervade. With contaminated water, the rusting process tends to go faster. This weakens iron components of your structure and compromises its overall stability. Carpets and rugs are not meant to be subject to heavy water exposure. Water oftens weaken the latex that holds their backings together, making them susceptible to rips, tears and delamination. Black water usually makes carpets unfit for use, but with appropriate restoration methods applied, there's a good chance they may be salvaged.
When the contaminated water find its way into locations where clean water is stored can cause serious health repercussions. Bacteria can make people very ill and even when they're not ingested, microbes can cause skin diseases.
Families of mold fungi love to grow on moist surfaces where organic matter can sustain it. Toilet water property in contact with i.e. drywall,wallpaper, wood and other surfaces provide these conditions, enabling mold to form colonies. Mold and its spores have been associated with skin and respiratory irritation. In worst case scenarios, mold can produce mycotoxins that can cause neurological disorders.
When a carpet is badly affected by water damage, it is impossible to absolutely be rid of these hazardous substances. In order to avoid more expensive health problems in the future is to change out the carpet. Unsanitary (black, dirty, etc.) water is water which has raw sewage in it. The EPA classifies it as extremely unsanitary. Complete decontamination of carpets which have been exposed to this sludge is impossible, since the carpet is infested with fungi, bacteria, and viruses.
Catstrong has the state of the art equipment a procedures to perform the remediation.


Explore ancient ruins, dodge carnivorous beasts and avoid trigger-happy guards as Abe, the original Oddworld hero….
The Homeworld games have been painstakingly re-mastered with key members of the original development team and taking….
The beginning of the Resident Evil Revelations 2 tale sees fan favorite Claire Redfield make a dramatic return….
Besiege is a physics based building game in which you construct medieval siege engines and lay waste to immense fortresses and peaceful hamlets….
RAGE is a groundbreaking first-person shooter set in the not-too-distant future after an asteroid impacts Earth, leaving a ravaged world behind….


text:
Ekipa (tytuł oryg. Entourage) – amerykański film komediowy w reżyserii Douga Ellina, którego premiera odbyła się 27 maja 2015 roku.

Zdjęcia do filmu były realizowane w Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills i Miami.

Film zarobił 49 263 404 dolarów.

Obsada
Źródło: Filmweb

Przypisy

Linki zewnętrzne

Amerykańskie filmy z 2015 roku
Amerykańskie filmy komediowe
Filmy wytwórni Warner Bros.
Filmy wytwórni Closest to the Hole Productions
Filmy wytwórni Leverage Entertainment

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Ontario plans sewer, water rate increases
Ontario contracts with Mansfield for wastewater treatment, and because Mansfield raised rates for Ontario, Ontario has to raise rates for its residents.
Ontario plans sewer, water rate increases Ontario contracts with Mansfield for wastewater treatment, and because Mansfield raised rates for Ontario, Ontario has to raise rates for its residents. Check out this story on mansfieldnewsjournal.com: http://ohne.ws/2GxLzwS
Emily Mills, Reporter Published 8:52 p.m. ET Feb. 21, 2018 | Updated 2:56 p.m. ET Feb. 23, 2018
Ontario municipal building(Photo: News Journal file photo)Buy Photo
ONTARIO — Ontario officials are planning to increase residents' sewer rates by 20 percent and water rates by 3 percent this year because of increased rates in an Ontario contract with Mansfield for wastewater treatment.
Service-safety director Jeff Wilson said Ontario and Mansfield entered into a renewed 30-year contract in 2014 for Mansfield to handle all of Ontario's wastewater, as Ontario has no wastewater treatment plant to handle it.
The previous contract for wastewater treatment between the two cities was initially agreed to in the mid-1970s, Wilson said.
Rate increases were written into the terms of the renewed contract, with a 40 percent sewer rate increase in 2017, split up into 10 percent increases each quarter; an 18 percent increase in 2018; a 10 percent increase in 2019; and 3 percent increases in each remaining year of the contract.
Because Ontario's rates with Mansfield are increasing, that means Ontario has to pass along the increases to its residents, Wilson said.
"When Mansfield passes along those increases, we have to pass them along, too," he said. "We're basically a customer of Mansfield, just as all of their residents are, and our contract defines the agreement as far as what we agreed to pay."
"It's Mansfield. We're passing along Mansfield's rate," Third Ward councilman Mark Weidemyre added. "Mansfield's killing us with these rates."
The 20 percent rate increase for residents reflects the 18 percent passed on from Mansfield plus billing and administrative fees, Wilson said.
"That replaces some of what we've lost over the last couple of years by just making the pass-throughs transparent," Wilson said of the administrative fee.
In the current contract, Ontario has the option to opt out after five years, with an additional one-year notice period required before opting out.
"With knowing these increases were coming and not really being able to project them out to what that would do to our rates, we pushed to have that five-year opt-out clause," Wilson said. "We had that put in because we anticipated maybe having to pursue our own wastewater treatment plant."
Wilson said the city is considering creating its own wastewater treatment plant to help lower the high sewer rate currently passed on from Mansfield. The process is currently in the cost analysis stage as the city works with the Environmental Protection Agency to determine the feasibility of the project.
"It wasn't feasible in 2014 when we entered into this contract to build our own wastewater treatment plant. It was still affordable to send it to Mansfield," Wilson said. "But because of these significant increases over the last four years, it's becoming more and more feasible to look into building our own plant."
Wilson said the 3 percent water increase will cover administrative costs, chemical costs and costs of running the water treatment plant.
Weidemyre recommended only increasing the water rate by 3 percent because of the significant sewer rate increase.
Wilson said the current water rate is just over 30 cents for 100 gallons.
Ontario City Council's utilities committee approved creating legislation on the rate increases Wednesday night. The legislation will then be presented to council members for a vote.
Ontario Mayor Randy Hutchinson said the 18 percent increase from Mansfield is already in effect for the city but will not apply to residents until later this year.
The sewer rate increase will be broken down into a 10 percent increase that starts April 1 and a 10 percent increase that starts Oct. 1 "so it's less of an impact," Hutchinson said.
"We didn't do it because we wanted to," said fourth-ward councilman Dan Zeiter. "We did it because we were forced to."
"It's not something we're trying to make money off of...This isn't a situation where Ontario is pocketing and getting fat off the deal," councilman-at-large Larry Arnold added.
The 3 percent water rate increase will go into effect April 1, the same day the city also switches over from quarterly water and sewer bills to monthly.
More: Ontario will switch to monthly billing for water/sewer in April
More: Ontario considers making water and sewer bills monthly
Wilson said the average quarterly bill is between $230 and $275. Monthly bills should now be around $80 to $90, which should make it easier on families' budgets, Wilson said.
"We've tried to do our part to make people migrate into this comfortably, but let's face it: our (sewer) rates are four times what they were three years ago," Wilson said. "So it's to the point where now this is by and large this is why we're switching to monthly billing."
Wilson previously said the city will bill the January-February-March bill as quarterly, with the last quarterly bill received in April.
Residents will receive the bill for charges from April in May and will then receive a water bill each month in the future.
Hutchinson previously said residents have requested the change to prevent sticker shock four times a year from high water bills reflecting three months of water usage.
The city is outsourcing the billing work to a New Washington-based company, The Herald, to save costs.
According to city records, the current cost per billing cycle for the city is $2,800, with invoices for each of the city's 2,800 residents costing a little less than $1 apiece.
According to records from earlier this month, the Herald's bid came in at $1,905.80 per month, with the cost per invoice for Ontario's 2,800 customers at 68 cents per customer per month, or $8.16 per customer per year.
The cost includes a $716.80 monthly fee, $60 monthly administration fee and $1,120 postage fee.
Wilson said the bid is for a three-year agreement, with the only annual increases being stationery and postage costs.
Wilson said the Herald will not get any personal information from Ontario residents — only the names, addresses and bill amounts for each account.
Hutchinson, who said 41 percent of residents pay their bill at the window in the city building, encouraged residents to pay their bills online.
ejmills@mansfieldnewsjournal.com
Twitter: @EmilyMills818
Read or Share this story: http://ohne.ws/2GxLzwS
Galion police seeking cigarette thieves
New director of children Services familiar face
Cop calls: 3 teens flee Foundations for Living
Brennan leads Spanish Immersion, Costa resigns
Shelby school board chooses Rose as president
Miss Ohio lays wreath on Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Dave – this photo essay is amazing! I've posted the link on the NE KS flickr photogs group on facebook, as well as sent it to others. This is first class stuff in my humble opinion! See ya soon?
Agree with Frank…….first class! I love the image and all that it implies about ranching, hard work, etc. Great stuff!
That is such a nice photo!


text:
Will OR Acquittal Spark More Disputes?
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The stunning acquittal of seven people who occupied a federal wildlife sanctuary in Oregon during an armed standoff raised fears Friday that the verdict could embolden other militant groups in a long-running dispute over government-owned Western lands.
Meanwhile, a juror said the decision was a rejection of the prosecution's conspiracy case, not an endorsement of the defendants' actions.
Supporters of Ammon Bundy celebrated the verdict and said it could invite more confrontations. The government's top federal land official, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, issued a statement urging all employees to "remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity."
An activist from Boise, Idaho, who once camped by a memorial to occupier LaVoy Finicum at the site where he was shot dead by police, predicted that the verdict would encourage others to act.
"I think a lot more people will be revolting, rebelling and standing up against what we see as a tyrannical government," William C. Fisher said in a telephone interview.
The 41-day takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge last January in remote eastern Oregon was part of a larger debate about the use of federal lands in the West. The militants led by Bundy, a small business owner from Arizona, wanted to hand the refuge over to local officials, saying the federal government should not have dominion over it.
The U.S. government owns nearly half of all land in the West, compared with only 4 percent in other states, according to the Congressional Overview of Federal Land Ownership.
One of the jurors in the case asserted Friday that the panel was not endorsing militancy to resolve those issues.
The juror, identified only as Juror No. 4, wrote in an email to The Oregonian/OregonLive that the verdicts were a "statement" about the prosecution's failure to prove a conspiracy charge "and not any form of affirmation of the defense's various beliefs, actions or aspirations."
The acquittal of the white occupiers came on the same day that officers in riot gear evicted protesters from private land in the path of the Dakota Access oil pipeline in rural North Dakota. Officers fired bean bags and pepper spray as they surrounded demonstrators, many of them Native Americans who have spent months fighting over tribal rights and the project's environmental effects. At least 117 people were arrested.
"Are we going to look at these protests the same way?" asked John Freemuth, a public land policy expert at Boise State University. "I certainly think the tribes will have a point if they find themselves arrested and in jail and these Oregon guys get off."
Bundy, his brother Ryan Bundy and five others were charged with conspiring to impede federal workers from their jobs at the refuge.
Chris Rasmussen, a defense lawyer in an armed standoff case that happened two years ago at Bundy's father's ranch in Nevada, said it is "obvious" that Oregon prosecutors gambled in seeking convictions on felony conspiracy charges instead of misdemeanor trespassing charges.
But prosecutors had few other options for serious charges because the defendants never attacked anyone, said Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and a former federal prosecutor.
Rather than attempting to retake the refuge headquarters and risking a gunbattle, authorities took a cautious approach. They closed nearby roads and stayed miles away while urging the occupiers to abandon the land.
"The upside of not confronting them was it was less likely there would be violence," Levenson said. "The downside was it was less likely that they could use the assault charge."
The standoff finally ended when the Bundys and other key figures were arrested in a Jan. 26 traffic stop outside the refuge. That's when Finicum was killed. Most occupiers left after his death, but four holdouts remained until Feb. 11, when they surrendered following lengthy negotiations.
Bundy remains in jail because he still faces charges in the standoff at his father's Nevada ranch.
Joel Hansen, Cliven Bundy's attorney, said Friday that he thinks the jury in Oregon "saw through the lies" of a government that "is trying to prove these Bundy brothers and their compatriots were some kind of terrorists."
For Hansen and some others in the rural West, ownership of public land is a constitutional question that has not been settled.
"There is a seething anger among those who use the land," he said, citing the feelings of ranchers, loggers, miners and Indians. "It's all part of tyrannical oppression. Their goal is to manage them out of business to get them off the land."
The Oregon occupiers had chosen, perhaps inadvertently, a part of Oregon where locals and the feds had a recent history of working together. Few who live near the sanctuary welcomed the occupiers, most of whom were from out of state.
Not long before the takeover began on Jan. 2, locals and federal officials had determined the fate of large swaths of land, Harney County Judge Steve Grasty, the top local administrative official, said last summer in an interview.
The High Desert Partnership in Harney County, a group that includes the Bureau of Land Management, the Nature Conservancy and timber business owners, had been working quietly to determine land stewardship, which Jewell credited in her statement on Friday.


text:
<?php

namespace Cscore\Model;

use Zend\Db\Adapter\Adapter;
use Zend\Db\TableGateway\AbstractTableGateway;
use Zend\Db\Sql\Select as Select;
use Cscore\Model\Entity\Product as Product;
class ProductTable extends AbstractTableGateway{
    /**
     * Nombre de Tabla
     * @var type
     */
    protected $table  = 'product';

    /**
     * Constructor
     *
     * @param \Zend\Db\Adapter\Adapter $adapter
     */
    public function __construct(Adapter $adapter) {
        $this->adapter = $adapter;
    }
    /**
     * Busca por ID
     *
     * @param type $id
     * @return type
     */
    public function findId($id){
        $entities =array();
        $resultSet = $this->select(function (Select $select) use ($id){
                    $select->where(array('id' => $id));
                });
        if(count($resultSet)===1){
            $row = $resultSet->current();
            $entity = $this->setEntity($row);
            $entities = $this->getEntities($entity);
        }
        return $entities;
    }
    /**
     * Setea Entidades
     *
     * @param type $row
     * @return \Cscore\Model\Entity\Product
     */
    public function setEntity($row){
        $entity = new Product();
        $entity->setId($row->id);
        $entity->setSku($row->sku);
        $entity->setOthersku($row->other_sku);
        $entity->setDescription($row->description);
        $entity->setThumbimage($row->thumb_image);
        $entity->setFullimage($row->full_image);
        $entity->setLastupdate($row->last_update);
        $entity->setProductstatus($row->product_status);
        return $entity;
    }
    /**
     * Obtiene tipo de datos de entidades
     *
     * @param \Cscore\Model\Entity\Product $entity
     * @return type
     */
    public function getEntities(Product $entity){
        $entities= array(
            'id'=>$entity->getId(),
            'sku'=>$entity->getSku(),
            'other_sku'=>$entity->getOthersku(),
            'description'=>$entity->getDescription(),
            'thumb_image'=>$entity->getThumbimage(),
            'full_image'=>$entity->getFullimage(),
            'last_update'=>$entity->getLastupdate(),
            'product_status'=>$entity->getProductstatus()
        );
        return $entities;
    }
    /**
     * Lista Items Paginados
     *
     * @param type $cat
     * @return type
     */
    public function fetchAllPages($cat=1){
        $resultSet = $this->select(function (Select $select) use($cat){
                    $select->join('product_category',
                            'product_category.product_id = product.id','*'
                            ,'left');
                            $select->where(
                                    array('product_category.category_id' => $cat));
                            $select->order('product.id ASC');
                });
        $resultSet->buffer();
        $resultSet->next();

        return $resultSet;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Standards Committee
Place: Marsden Theatre, Worden Arts and Crafts Centre, Worden Park, Leyland, PR25 1DJ
Present: Independent Members Mr S Ellison and Mr J Holt
Borough Councillors Mr J E J Breakell, Mr P A Foster, Mr F Heyworth, Mr J W M Otter, Mr K W Palmer
Parish Councillors Mrs M Gelder and Mr R Mitchell
In attendance: David Whelan (Legal Services Manager) and Dave Lee (Democratic Services Officer).
Public attendance: 1
Other Officers: 1
Other Members: Councillor Best
Description/Resolution
OPEN ITEMS
6 Appointment of Chairman for the Meeting
In the absence of the Independent Chairman (Russell Atkinson), the Legal Services Manager invited nominations for the chairman for the meeting.
RESOLVED (UANIMOUS): that John Holt be appointed chairman for the meeting.
7 Apologies for Absence
Apologies were submitted on behalf of Russell Atkinson (Independent Chairman), Parish Councillor Mrs Houghton and Councillor Mrs Robinson.
8 Declarations of Interest
There were no declarations of interest.
9 Minutes of the Last Meeting
Minutes attached
RESOLVED (UANIMOUS): that the minutes of the last ordinary meeting held on 3 June 2010 be approved as a correct record and signed by the chairman.
10 Request for Dispensation from Members of Penwortham Town Council
Request for Dispensation attached
The Legal Services Manager introduced the report outlining applications from a number of dual-hatted town and borough councillors for a dispensation to enable them to take part and vote on any consideration of possible financial contribution to works to be undertaken at Priory Sports & Technology College and Penwortham Leisure Centre.
The Legal Services Manager emphasised that the purpose of the Standards Committee meeting was to consider the requests for dispensation and not the issue which would be considered at the town council meeting (the Director of Regeneration and Healthy Communities was present at the meeting to provide any background information on this matter).
During the course of the meeting, the committee noted the letter circulated to members by Penwortham Town Councillor Howarth (Town Councillor Howarth was unable to attend the meeting because he was away on holiday). The committee also noted that Councillors Stephen and Mary Robinson did not apply for dispensation.
The Legal Services Manager referred to some of the issues in the content of Town Councillor Howarth?s letter and explained that it was understood that based on what happened last year, Penwortham Town Council was not prepared to include and consider an item on this matter until all preliminary matters (including the consideration and determination of requests for dispensation) have been dealt with by the borough council. This special meeting was convened because it was felt that to consider the item at the next scheduled meeting of the Standards Committee to take place on 2 September 2010 was too close to the Penwortham Town Council meeting on 7 September 2010.
With the permission of the committee a member of the public addressed the meeting. He felt that dispensation should not be granted to Councillor Jim Hothersall because he was a member of the borough council?s Cabinet who had collective responsibilities for financial and budgetary implications for the council (nor to Councillor Mrs Jenny Hothersall as his spouse).
It was understood that Councillor Jim Hothersall was also the vice chairman of the town council?s Strategy and Finance Committee.
Referring to the requests for dispensation made last year, Borough and Town Councillor Best (in the public seating area) concurred with the member of the public and added that he and a number of other members of the town council had a prejudicial interest in this item and that, as such, if the requests had not been granted the meeting would not have been quorate. He was aware that the members concerned would not be able to speak on the matter at the town council if they did not apply for, and were not granted, dispensations. He went on and stated that due to Councillor Jim Hothersall?s role as a member of the borough council?s Cabinet and the vice chairman of the town council?s Strategy and Finance Committee dispensation should not be granted to him nor his spouse, Councillor Mrs Jenny Hothersall.
The committee noted the comments made by Councillor Best and the member of the public and was mindful of the fact that the issue could not be discussed at the town council meeting unless dispensations were granted and considered a number of possible scenarios before coming to a resolution:
? Dispensations could be granted to all of the members to enable them to debate and vote on the matter
? Dispensations could be granted to some of the members but not others, to enable them to debate and vote on the matter, depending on the perceived level of prejudice
? Dispensations could be granted to the members to allow them to make representations on the matter but not to vote
RESOLVED (8 FOR 1 ABSTAINED): that ?
1. dispensation not be granted to Councillor Jim Hothersall due to his collective responsibilities for financial and budgetary implications for the council as a Cabinet Member and his role as vice chairman on the town council?s Strategy and Finance Committee (nor to Councillor Mrs Hothersall as his spouse).
2. after careful consideration, and, mindful of the fact that without dispensations the democratically elected town council would not be able to discuss an item of its business nor make a decision thereon, dispensations be granted to Councillors Best, Mrs Blow, Mrs Buttery, Clegg, Mrs D Gardner, M Gardner, Hancock and Mrs Woollard, to allow them to take part in, and vote on, any debates relating to the issue of making a financial contribution to works to be undertaken at Priory Sports & Technology College and Penwortham Leisure Centre.
3. the dispensations granted in 2 above be valid for a period of six months from the date of this resolution (from 12 August 2010 to 12 February 2011).
Agreed Director of Corporate Governance, Legal Services Manager, Senior Democratic Services Officer
Published on Friday 20 August 2010


Central Coast's Coordinator General, Ms Lee Shearer. Archive image.
Coordinator General for the Central Coast, Lee Shearer, has said statements made in the last edition of Coast Community News, were "assertions" that were "incorrect".
"The assertions made in recent articles referring to the draft Development Control Plan 2018 (DCP) in the September 13 edition of Coast Community News that the Department of Planning and Environment is intending to develop the Gosford Waterfront (the water side of Dane Dve) and that the Department is somehow hiding this from the community via the draft DCP and draft SEPP, are incorrect," Shearer said. "The opening paragraph of your front page article stating that "the NSW Department of Planning's draft Development Control Plan for Gosford reveals the State Government's intention to develop the city's waterfront", is false," she said. "There have been no changes made to the planning controls on the Waterfront, as was made clear on page 6 of the NSW Government Architect Report, City Centre South, that can be found on the GoGosford site.
"The implication in the article that I have somehow been disingenuous when I have said that the proposed revitalisation of Gosford City Centre would not touch the waterfront, is also wrong.
"The draft DCP has been informed by the Government Architect's recommendations, which were placed on exhibition throughout the year in four reports which did not include the waterfront. "However, both the draft SEPP and the draft DCP apply to the 'Gosford City Centre', as currently defined in the Gosford LEP 2014, and this includes a part of the waterfront (refer to the map on page 7 of the Gosford City Centre Proposed Delivery Mechanisms Consultation Paper, and page 24 of the draft DCP that shows the southern extent of Gosford City Centre, relative to the waterfront). "Because the proposed SEPP and DCP will replace the existing provisions in the Gosford LEP 2014 and Gosford DCP 2013 for the Gosford City Centre, they need to include relevant controls for all of the Gosford City Centre.
"The incorporation of controls from Council's existing DCP into the draft DCP 2018, contained in appendices, has involved either minor changes, or removing outdated provisions. "For example, sites that have since been developed (ATO and DFSI buildings) and a key site which is now covered by the broader DCP 2018 (St Hilliers). "Or because they are inconsistent with the Government Architect recommendations, or the intent of the existing Council SEPP or draft DCP. "Note also that Central Coast Council has chosen to locate its Performing Arts Centre elsewhere. "The draft DCP includes appendices that replicate relevant parts of the existing Gosford DCP 2013 with controls for residential and business areas to the north, west and south of the City Centre and includes measures to cater for specific types of development in these areas. "The controls for these areas and matters such as advertising notification and heritage, largely replicate what is in the existing development control plan and that is why they are placed in appendices. "The provisions relating to the waterfront should not contain 'surprises' to the community and Central Coast Council as they have come from the existing Gosford DCP 2013, which was subject to community consultation, has been in place for several years and is on Central Coast Council's website.
"The article also states: The maximum floor plate size for commercial buildings will be 2,200 square metres, which is greater than the 1,500 square metres provided for in other parts of the CBD. "This statement is comparing two different things. "The reference to floor plates up to 2,200 square metres is from GDCP 2013 section 4.4.3.3. "The reference to floor plates of 1,500 square metres elsewhere relates to the tower component of multi-storey developments, as opposed to the podiums on which they sit, which could be larger. "On the question of large site provisions and how they apply to the Gosford Waterfront, the draft SEPP contains provisions for sites greater than 5,600 square metres, which allow exceptions to floor space ratio and height of developments subject to an enhanced design excellence process. "However, these will not apply to the zones on the water side of Dane Dve: RE1 Public Recreation or the W2 Recreational Waterways zone.


text:
Bruce Lee Voted Greatest Martial Artist In History
By : Jerry Gadiano On : 20 Jul 2018 11:47
Always 'be prepared', that's what NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told me when we spoke about his time learning under the martial arts icon that is Bruce Lee, back in 2015.
As well as being one of his students, the 7 foot 2 inch Los Angeles Lakers centre made a cameo 'for the ages' in Bruce's last film, Game of Death. Martial Arts has been around for centuries, but without Bruce Lee there wouldn't be the same impact on mainstream media and pop culture.
Ask any martial arts movie fan 'Who's the best?'. There is only one name on their lips. A poll by Ranker even ranked Bruce Lee as the greatest martial artist in history, while his spiritual successor Jackie Chan came in second.
But while we often praise him for popularising martial arts through his films, we tend to forget his legacy came at the cost of both his reputation and his body. Even though his magnum opus, Enter The Dragon, will be forever present in the annals of movie history, it's actually in UFC where his legacy has been truly cemented.
Before Bruce Lee came into his own, martial arts was bound by strict codes and traditions.
Figureheads in the martial arts community were openly reluctant on teaching their techniques and skills to those who weren't Chinese. There is an argument it was a racist/xenophobic approach to halt a form of cultural appropriation. Others would argue it was a simple matter of inherent distrust and misguided suspicion towards outsiders.
However, Bruce viewed things differently. Before moving back to America to complete his studies he became an accomplished practitioner of Wing Chun under the tutelage of Ip Man. But he was a noted firebrand, refusing to follow the rules and regularly getting into street fights with local gangs. In fact, it's the reason why his parents encouraged him to take up martial arts in the first place.
When he went back to the United States he began teaching non-Chinese students. This most likely stemmed from his own experiences when training under Sifu (teacher) Ip.
After some of Ip's students learned of Bruce's mixed ancestry they refused to train alongside him, as they believed non-Asians shouldn't learn martial arts.
When I spoke to Kareem three years ago he stated Bruce 'had one criteria':
You had to be in-shape. He didn't want people coming in there not being able to keep pace. But if you paid attention you learned a few things.
Perpetration, you had to be prepared. You had to understand what your skills are and how you want to do things and to defend yourself and I found that lesson repeated itself.
While Bruce's acceptance of students with no Asian heritage ostracised him from the traditionalists – with some even going as far as to challenge him – he saw the bigger picture. Martial Arts needed to get away from traditionalist elitism, and it needed to separate itself from the pseudo-mysticism which was preventing it from progressing further.
He may have been a great philosopher but for all his 'flow like water' advice, he was a pragmatist at his core. Often regarded as the godfather of MMA – a sentiment echoed by UFC President Dana White – he was one of the first mainstream wushu practitioners who saw a flaw in the system of Chinese martial arts.
He stepped away from the belief that 'one style is more superior to the other'. Instead, it's about the fighter and how they adapt to the situation. Which is why he analysed the head movements of boxers, the footwork of fencers and the grappling styles of wrestlers and judo practitioners.
Through this, he founded the style of jeet kune do, a hybrid philosophy of martial arts heavily influenced by his own personal philosophy and experiences. He described it as 'non-classical'. To quote Enter The Dragon 'You can call it the art of fighting without fighting'.
His profound influence – and by extension, his legacy – is felt throughout MMA. They may not have learnt under the man himself but they certainly took on board his philosophy of being the complete fighter. One person who took Lee's approach to martial arts to the heart is Ultimate Fighter fan favourite Alex 'Bruce Leroy' Caceres.
Anyone who's followed his career from The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck to the UFC will be aware of his affinity for Bruce Lee.
Speaking to UNILAD Caceres brokedown Lee's direct influence on his career and his fighting style. He explains:
As a fighter Bruce Lee showed me that 'no limitation was his limitation'. We are able to be creative as we want to be.
One thing that stuck with me throughout my entire career, Bruce said 'I'm not trying to teach you how to fight, like in karate, wrestling or boxing, I'm trying to teach you the best way that you can fight. I'm trying to teach you how to move with your body. The best way that you can move'.
He never believed in styles, just a human way of fighting. That's what I took to heart for a very long time, there was no 'way' of doing something.
It gave me the opportunity and the go-ahead – instead of learning different styles and picking one that resonated with me well – I was able to take all the fighting styles I was being taught at the time and blend them seamlessly.
Speaking of Lee's influence on the culture of MMA and UFC, Caceres states:
Bruce Lee had to take different aspects of people's fighting styles and blend them into their own. I think being a true martial artist and true 'martial arts' is just that, there are no boundaries, there is no 'way' of doing things.
What I take from that, is Bruce Lee was a wholeheartedly honest person when expressing himself. I think that was the key to martial arts in general. Like the Shaolin monks, yeah they practice five hours worth of kung-fu but each person practises their own style, they're very creative, they don't just stick to one style, they try to express themselves in the best way they can.
While we mythologise and praise Bruce Lee in death, when he was alive he was considered a dangerous nuisance to martial arts culture. It was because his methods began exposing the pseudo-mysticism which comes attached with martial arts. To question the martial arts system is tantamount to questioning the Chinese government itself.
And it seems history is repeating itself again as Chinese MMA fighter/coach Xu Xiaodong has begun a mission to expose 'fake martial arts'. In 2017 and 2018 Xiaodong challenged the hierarchy of martial arts in China when he beat two masters trained in the art of tai chi and wing chun. Something the Chinese government isn't pleased with.
Much like Bruce Lee in his formative years, Xu is cocky and abrasive and for the most part is proving that most traditional forms and styles of Chinese martial arts aren't practical. Xu's journey as a fighter runs pretty much parallel to Lee's.
The only thing which separates the two (Lee's acting career notwithstanding) is Xu appears to dismiss the styles he considers inferior or outdated. Whereas Bruce was keen to learn from them in order to dissect the strengths and weaknesses.
Films often portray martial arts in a romanticised manner – as if it was a ballet. But the truth is martial arts is ugly and brutal. Lee, being the visionary that he is, understood this clearly. Watch any MMA fight – or any combat sport for that matter – it's not a pretty picture. But pretty won't get the job done – speed and precision will.
And that is Bruce Lee's legacy in a nutshell.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to [email protected]
The Best Martial Artists in History


When the Marion High School Warriors stuffed Moundridge on a 2-point conversion attempt to preserve a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback and win 21-20 Friday, they might just have owed Hoisington High School an assist.
"We played JV against Hoisington in 2009 — Helmer, Tacha, and me and the rest of our guys — and we had three or four goal-line stops right there on the 1-yard line," Warrior senior Cory Hiebert said.
What the Warriors needed to do was to recover quickly from a stunning 47-yard touchdown run by Moundridge back Troy Unrau that pulled the Wildcats to within one point with 1:03 remaining in the game. Moundridge chose to go for the win by attempting a 2-point conversion.
"You've just got to make one big play – that's what we talked about," Marion head coach Grant Thierolf said about the time-out encouragement he gave to the team prior to the conversion attempt.
The Warriors, with senior Dakin Ledford leading the charge, gang tackled Wildcat Daniel Ratzlaff at the 2, and then went on to cover an onside kick and run out the clock for the win.
"Dakin made a great play on the goal line on the 2-point play," Thierolf said.
On a night when Marion's senior leadership came to the fore, none stood out more than Cole Lewman, who rushed for 102 yards and all three Warrior touchdowns, completed two key passes, intercepted a Wildcat pass, and covered the last-ditch Moundridge onside kick attempt.
Marion took the lead on their first drive of the game, starting with good field position at the Wildcat 47. Warrior back Colten Johnson saved the drive from stalling out with a clutch six-yard plunge on fourth-and-4 from the 11-yard line. Lewman scored from the 5 on the next play, and Grif Case kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead at 5:06 remaining in the first quarter.
But while the Marion defense kept the Wildcats out of the end zone until the end of the first half, the Warrior offense went stagnant after the opening drive.
Moundridge took over at their own 31-yard line with 4:56 remaining, and three plays later Ratzlaff ripped through the heart of the Warrior defense for 35 yards, down to the Marion 15. Wildcat Trey Unrau's carry on the next play gave Moundridge a second-and-1 at the Marion 6.
It looked like Marion would survive the threat after a chop block penalty nullified an apparent Ratzlaff touchdown. Stops for losses by Johnson and Lewman put Moundridge back on the 25-yard line facing fourth down.
But the Warriors gave up their second big play of the drive when Unrau caught a pass in the flat and ran all the way to the end zone for the score with only 34 seconds remaining. The Wildcat extra point sent the teams to the locker room at half with the score knotted 7-7.
Marion received the opening kick of the second half, with Taylor Heidebrecht returning the ball to the Marion 25. A steady dose of Lewman and Johnson moved the ball into Moundridge territory, but the Warriors gave the ball up when they came up short on a fourth-and-3 play at the Wildcat 34-yard line.
Moundridge responded by driving deep into Marion territory, converting twice on fourth downs, including once on a Marion facemask penalty.
The Wildcats faced another fourth down at the Marion 8, needing five yards for a first down. This time a wall of Warriors snuffed out Ratzlaff short of the first down, giving Marion the ball on their own 5-yard line.
Three plays later at the start of the fourth quarter, Moundridge got the first big break of the game by forcing a Johnson fumble that the Wildcats recovered at the Marion 13.
Ratzlaff scored on a three-yard run five plays later, and with the extra point the Warriors found themselves trailing in their homecoming game 14 – 7, with 9:46 remaining in the game.
Receiver Jacob Harper gave Marion's next drive a big boost when he hauled in a Lewman pass along the right sideline for 28 yards to move the Warriors into Wildcat territory at the Moundridge 37.
Johnson had to work fourth-down magic again, this time bolting eight yards behind a massive push from the offensive line to give Marion new life at the Wildcat 22. Three plays later, Lewman slipped around the right side for a touchdown, pulling the Warriors to within one, 14-13.
Marion elected to run for the two-point conversion, but Johnson was stopped, and Marion trailed with only 6:07 remaining.
Moundridge took over at the Wildcat 25 after the kickoff, looking to take time off the clock. But after converting one first down, the Warrior defense stiffened. On what would prove to be the second-most important defensive play of the game, Marion defenders slammed the door shut on a fourth-and-1 Ratzlaff run, handing the ball back to the offense at the Moundridge 43 with 3:33 remaining.
"David Helmer and Jon Tacha made a great play on fourth down," Thierolf said.
An offside penalty against the Wildcats moved the ball to the 38, where Lewman attempted a pass to Ledford in the middle of the field. The ball was deflected into the air and gathered in by the Wildcat's Unrau, who raced down the right sideline.
But the officials had blown the play dead, calling Moundridge for a pass interference penalty. Marion retained possession with a new set of downs at the 23-yard line.
After a Johnson rushing attempt, Lewman improved on his previous touchdown by evading Wildcat tacklers for a 23-yard scoring romp, giving Marion a 19-14 lead.
Lewman took the ball again on the 2-point conversion attempt, but was grabbed quickly by Moundridge defenders. Falling to the ground, Lewman managed to pitch the ball back to Johnson at the 5, and the Warrior back hurtled into the end zone for what would prove to be the winning points and a 21-14 lead with 2:41 remaining.
Thierolf's postgame comments started with praise for the Wildcats.
"I thought Moundridge came out and played great. Their kids were focused and they did a lot of good things," Thierolf said, noting the Wildcats outgained the Warriors in total yards.
"With that being said, I was very proud of our kids," Thierolf said. "Sometimes learning how to win in those situations is as important as anything else, and our kids learned how to win tonight in a tough situation.
"I'm not going to say we played great, but we played great when we had to," he said.
Theirolf praised the leadership of his seniors as well.
Lewman led the team in rushing with 102 yards on 10 attempts, and Johnson toted the ball 15 times for 54 yards.
Ledford and Harper each had one reception out of five attempts by Lewman.
Hiebert led the defensive surge with 14 total tackles, one more than Ledford. Johnson had 10, while Brody Carroll and Lewman both collected nine tackles.
With the win the Warriors improved their record to 4-0, and will travel Friday to Sedgwick for their next test, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.


text:
__БЕЗКН__

IC 4756 је расијано звјездано јато у сазвјежђу Змија које се налази на листи објеката дубоког неба у Индекс каталогу.

Деклинација објекта је + 5° 26' 0" а ректасцензија 18-{h}- 38-{m}- 54,0-{s}-. Привидна величина (магнитуда) објекта -{IC}- 4756 износи 4,6. -{IC}- 4756 је још познат и под ознакама -{OCL 94}-.

Референце

Литература
Revised New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue, Wolfgang Steinicke, 2012. Доступно у овом фајлу са објашњењем на овој страници
SIMBAD база података, Стразбуршки центар астрономских података (CDS), Стразбур

Види још
Индекс каталог
Нови општи каталог

Спољашње везе

Интерактивни каталог NGC, IC и Месјеових објеката
-{SIMBAD}- база података

Индекс каталог сазвјежђе Змија
Расејана звездана јата


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Jim's aghast a guest speaker at a New Jersey school got in hot water for telling high school students that Adolf Hitler was a "good leader" -- even though the speaker was clear Hitler had "bad moral character and intentions."
After all, Jim says, it takes a great leader to turn a people as dignified and smart as the German populace was into a murderous mob -- and it's a lesson that just because someone's a great leader, it doesn't mean people should go where he's leading.
"This is one of the most egregious examples of ... the scatological product of a bull,"
Jim says in this week's Jim Gearhart Show podcast, available here as well on iTunes and Google Play.
It's not that Hitler was a good person -- he was, of course, a murderous bigot history rightly condemns as a villain. But there's no doubt he knew how to get the masses behind him, Jim says.
"Well how can you deny that? What (the guest speaker) said is true," Jim says.
The lesson students should take away?
"Just be damn sure who you let be your leader. ... Because somebody can lead and be a good leader does not mean he is a good person," Jim says.
Love Podcasts? This week, on Speaking Podcast, Bill, Jay and Jessica take on everything from manspreading to recycled soap in a very special live video taking of the show.


385 Plains Road East is a property located in Toronto, Ontario. It is based in the area of Lasalle in Toronto. 303 Aldershot South, Bayview and Brant are nearby neighborhoods. While Plains Road has no real estate presently available, the area of Lasalle has 0 properties on the market. The majority of active real estate postings in the area around 385 Plains Road East are apartments.
There are currently no condos for sale at 385 Plains Road East. Contact us for this building's price history or to see units in nearby buildings.
There are currently no apartments for rent at 385 Plains Road East. Contact us for this building's price history or to see units in nearby buildings.


text:
Marc Bernardin Archives
Miranda, Smith, Gustin, Barrett & More Join Plague Nerdalogues for BLM
Writer and journalist Marc Bernardin (Critical Role, Alphas, Castle Rock, Star Trek: Picard) was motivated to do something to help people in need He got an idea — to have everyone's favorite genre actors perform the greatest speeches from genre films and TV After a brief technical conversation with his colleague Hannibal Tabu, it was determined[...]
"The Legend of Vox Machina": Critical Role Introduces The Writers Room [VIDEO]
In what is promised to be the first in a series, the writers room is revealed as we get to meet the fine folks penning the upcoming tales: Brandon Auman, Eugene Son, Ashley Burch, Jennifer Muro, Marc Bernardin, Chris "Doc" Wyatt, and others in the video below: https://youtu.be/fv-xZBRV_EMVideo can't be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: The Legend[...]
'Battlestar Galactica' Podcast Hosted by Caprica Six Coming to SYFY Wire
It's been 15 years since the mini series (later deemed "the pilot" for nuBSG) aired, and SYFY Wire is launching a new podcast for the occasion. The podcast will be hosted by Battlestar Galactica actress Tricia Helfer, who played character Caprica Six in the series, as well as journalist/Castle Rock writer Marc Bernardin. Helfer told Entertainment Weekly: "I'm excited to delve back[...]
Rich Johnston At The London Film And Comic Con Tomorrow, Table 38
Anything you can do to entertain them will also be welcomed. The London Film And Comic-Con will be at the Olympia exhibition hall near Earl's Court and Brompton Park. Joining me at the show are Marv Wolfman, Tommy Yune, Andy Diggle, Geoff Senior, Rantz Hoseley, Simon Furman, Jessica Martin, Ben Templesmith, Will Simpson, Amrit Birdi, Paul Cornell,[...]
In Stores This Week From Top Cow – Artifacts #38 And Genius #3
We've got two previews for books coming out this week from Top Cow. Artifacts #38 by Talent Hunt winners Devon Wong and Isaac Goodhart and the weekly series Genius continues with its third issue by Marc Bernardin, Adam Freeman and Afua Richardson. Artifacts #38 2013 Talent Hunt winners DEVON WONG and ISAAC GOODHART bring you the most shocking Darkness and[...]
Blood On The Tracks: Where Are The New Black Comics Writers?
With the cancellation of two of their titles, 100% of African-American DC writers, Eric Wallace and Marc Bernardin* of Mister Terrific and Static Shock, respectively, were laid off. 100 percent. Two writers. Both of them. Let that sink in; in one day, 100% of black writers working for a major entertainment corporation were let go Neither has worked for[...]


text:
Q: iPhone SDK - Using the Speaker / Clicker / Beeper on a 1st Gen iPod My current need is to provide an audio cue for an application with a timer, that would work on 1st gen ipods (i.e. iPods without a speaker).
I know that the bundled clock application of the iPod can use the internal speaker/beeper/clicker to show that the timer has run out.
Is there an api to interact with this speaker ?

A: To use the piezo speaker, you need:
Framework: AudioToolbox.framework
Header: #import "AudioToolbox/AudioToolbox.h"
Function: AudioServicesPlayAlertSound(kSystemSoundID_Vibrate);

Please note that sound will come through only if the user hasn't deactivated it in it's iPod/iPhone preference. This code will also make an iPhone vibrate if vibration is activated on the phone.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The MindFusion Forums - Is there anyone there?
The MindFusion Forums › MindFusion.Reporting › WPF › Is there anyone there?
I am currently evaluation the MindFusion WPF Reporting tool and as part of that evaluation I am investigating the typical support questions that get asked.
I am therefore pretty surprised to find that there were zero posts in this forum topic.
Am I in the wrong place? Is this not where I should be expecing to find details of other users experiences and issues with the WPF reporting tool?
Is it so good that nobody ever needs to ask a question or is it more the case that nobody is using it?
On first inspection the tool seems to work rather better than others out there (especially one from an unnamed competitor that seems to have spent a very long time in CTP). Are there enough users of the MindFusion product to make it viable for you to continue developing it?
Re: Is there anyone there?
Thank you for your interest in MindFusion.Reporting for WPF. This is our newest product so we haven't had much support requests yet. We will definitely continue developing it as part of our WPF Pack. In fact, we just recently released a new version, which adds the ability to export reports to Excel (XLSX). You can download the new version from here. For the next release we are planning to add a designer control, which will enable users to add report design functionality to their applications. If you are interested in this and have any recommendations, we will be happy to hear them.


text:
package org.metacsp.multi.spatioTemporal.paths;

import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
import java.io.FileReader;
import java.io.Serializable;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.Scanner;

import org.metacsp.time.APSPSolver;
import org.metacsp.time.Bounds;
import org.metacsp.utility.Gaussian;

import com.vividsolutions.jts.geom.Coordinate;
import com.vividsolutions.jts.geom.GeometryFactory;
import com.vividsolutions.jts.geom.Point;

/**
 * Represents a trajectory, namely, a path (sequence of {@link PoseSteering}s) plus a temporal profile.
 * The latter is represented as fixed durations between between successive {@link PoseSteering}s along the path.
 *
 * @author Federico Pecora
 *
 */
public class Trajectory implements Serializable {

	private static final long serialVersionUID = 1314671681021590724L;
	private PoseSteering[] psa;
	private double[] dts;
	private static double MAX_SPEED = 3.0;
	private static double MAX_ACCELERATION = 0.3;
	private int sequenceNumberStart = -1;
	private int sequenceNumberEnd = -1;

	/**
	 * Create a new {@link Trajectory} given a list of {@link Pose}s. The
	 * temporal profile of the trajectory is computed via naive numeric resolution
	 * assuming constant acceleration and a maximum speed.
	 * @param pa The list of {@link Pose}s used to build the path.
	 */
	public Trajectory(Pose[] pa) {
		this.psa = new PoseSteering[pa.length];
		for (int i = 0; i < pa.length; i++) {
			PoseSteering ps = new PoseSteering(pa[i], 0.0);
			this.psa[i] = ps;
		}
		this.dts = new double[psa.length];
		this.updateDts();
		this.sequenceNumberStart = 0;
		this.sequenceNumberEnd = pa.length-1;
	}

	/**
	 * Update the sequence numbers of this trajectory (used when this is
	 * a trajectory of a sub-trajectory envelope).
	 * @param start The start sequence number in the super {@link TrajectoryEnvelope}.
	 * @param end The end sequence number in the super {@link TrajectoryEnvelope}.
	 */
	public void updateSequenceNumbers(int start, int end) {
		this.sequenceNumberStart = start;
		this.sequenceNumberEnd = end;
	}

	/**
	 * Get the start sequence number of this trajectory.
	 * @return The start sequence number of this trajectory.
	 */
	public int getSequenceNumberStart() {
		return this.sequenceNumberStart;
	}

	/**
	 * Get the end sequence number of this trajectory.
	 * @return The end sequence number of this trajectory.
	 */
	public int getSequenceNumberEnd() {
		return this.sequenceNumberEnd;
	}

	/**
	 * Create a new {@link Trajectory} given a list of {@link PoseSteering}s. The
	 * temporal profile of the trajectory is computed via naive numeric resolution
	 * assuming constant acceleration and a maximum speed.
	 * @param psa The list of {@link PoseSteering}s used to build the path.
	 */
	public Trajectory(PoseSteering[] psa) {
		this.psa = psa;
		this.dts = new double[psa.length];
		this.updateDts();
		this.sequenceNumberStart = 0;
		this.sequenceNumberEnd = psa.length-1;
	}

	/**
	 * Create a new {@link Trajectory} given a list of {@link PoseSteering}s and
	 * the temporal profile of the {@link Trajectory}.
	 * @param pa The list of {@link PoseSteering}s used to build the path.
	 * @param dts The temporal profile of the {@link Trajectory} (times between successive points
	 * along the path). The zero-th element is assumed to represent the time to transition from the
	 * first point along the path to the second point along the path. The last element of this parameter
	 * should be zero.
	 */
	public Trajectory(Pose[] pa, double[] dts) {
		this.psa = new PoseSteering[pa.length];
		for (int i = 0; i < pa.length; i++) {
			PoseSteering ps = new PoseSteering(pa[i], 0.0);
			this.psa[i] = ps;
		}
		this.dts = new double[psa.length];
		this.dts = dts;
		this.sequenceNumberStart = 0;
		this.sequenceNumberEnd = pa.length-1;
	}

	/**
	 * Create a new {@link Trajectory} given a list of {@link PoseSteering}s and
	 * the temporal profile of the {@link Trajectory}.
	 * @param psa The list of {@link PoseSteering}s used to build the path.
	 * @param dts The temporal profile of the {@link Trajectory} (times between successive points
	 * along the path). The zero-th element is assumed to represent the time to transition from the
	 * first point along the path to the second point along the path. The last element of this parameter
	 * should be zero.
	 */
	public Trajectory(PoseSteering[] psa, double[] dts) {
		this.psa = psa;
		this.dts = new double[psa.length];
		this.dts = dts;
		this.sequenceNumberStart = 0;
		this.sequenceNumberEnd = psa.length-1;
	}

	/**
	 * Create a new {@link Trajectory} given list of {@link PoseSteering}s that is read
	 * from a file. The temporal profile of the trajectory is computed via naive numeric resolution
	 * assuming constant acceleration and a maximum speed.
	 * @param fileName The path of a file pointing to the list of {@link PoseSteering}s used to build the path.
	 */
	public Trajectory(String fileName) {
		this.psa = readPath(fileName);
		this.dts = new double[psa.length];
		this.updateDts();
		this.sequenceNumberStart = 0;
		this.sequenceNumberEnd = psa.length-1;
	}

	/**
	 * Create a new {@link Trajectory} given a list files containing paths.
	 * The temporal profile of the trajectory is computed via naive numeric resolution
	 * assuming constant acceleration and a maximum speed.
	 * @param fileNames The paths of files, each containing a list of {@link PoseSteering}s used to build the path.
	 */
	public Trajectory(String ... fileNames) {
		ArrayList<PoseSteering> combined = new ArrayList<PoseSteering>();
		for (int i = 0; i < fileNames.length; i++) {
			PoseSteering[] onePath = readPath(fileNames[i]);
			if (i == 0) combined.add(onePath[0]);
			for (int j = 1; j < onePath.length; j++) {
				combined.add(onePath[j]);
			}
		}
		this.psa = combined.toArray(new PoseSteering[combined.size()]);
		this.dts = new double[psa.length];
		this.updateDts();
		this.sequenceNumberStart = 0;
		this.sequenceNumberEnd = psa.length-1;
	}

	/**
	 * Get the length in meters of this {@link Trajectory}'s path. This is the sum of distances between path poses.
	 * @return The length in meters of this {@link Trajectory}'s path. This is the sum of distances between path poses.
	 */
	public double getPathLength() {
		double length = 0.0;
		for (int i = 0; i < this.getPoseSteering().length-1; i++) {
			length += this.getPoseSteering()[i].getPose().distanceTo(this.getPoseSteering()[i+1].getPose());
		}
		return length;
	}

	/**
	 * Get the temporal profile of this {@link Trajectory}.
	 * @return The temporal profile of this {@link Trajectory}.
	 */
	public double[] getDTs() {
		return dts;
	}

	/**
	 * Get the temporal profile of a portion of this this {@link Trajectory}.
	 * @param from The index of the starting path point.
	 * @param to The index of the last path point.
	 * @return The temporal profile of a portion of this this {@link Trajectory}.
	 */
	public double[] getDts(int from, int to) {
		double[] ret = new double[to-from];
		for (int i = from; i < to; i++) {
			ret[i-from] = this.dts[i];
		}
		return ret;
	}

	private double getConstantAcceleration(double percentComplete) {
//		if (percentComplete <= 0.5) return Gaussian.Phi(percentComplete, 0.25, 0.3)*MAX_ACCELERATION;
//		return -Gaussian.Phi(percentComplete, 0.75, 0.3)*MAX_ACCELERATION;
		if (percentComplete <= 0.25) return MAX_ACCELERATION;
		if (percentComplete <= 0.78) return 0.0;
		return -MAX_ACCELERATION;
	}

	private double getLinearAcceleration(double percentComplete) {
//		if (percentComplete <= 0.5) return Gaussian.Phi(percentComplete, 0.25, 0.3)*MAX_ACCELERATION;
//		return -Gaussian.Phi(percentComplete, 0.75, 0.3)*MAX_ACCELERATION;
		if (percentComplete <= 0.5) return 2*percentComplete*MAX_ACCELERATION;
		return -(percentComplete-0.5)*MAX_ACCELERATION;
	}

	private double getAcceleration(double percentComplete) {
//		return getLinearAcceleration(percentComplete);
		return getConstantAcceleration(percentComplete);
	}

	/**
	 * Get the sequence number of the path point that is closest to a
	 * given coordinate.
	 * @param coord The coordinate to which the closest sequence number should be found.
	 * @return The sequence number of the path point that is closest to the given coordinate.
	 */
	public int getSequenceNumber(Coordinate coord) {
		int minIndex = 0;
		double minDist = Double.MAX_VALUE;
		for (int i = 0; i < this.getPositions().length; i++) {
			if (this.getPositions()[i].distance(coord) < minDist) {
				minDist = this.getPositions()[i].distance(coord);
				minIndex = i;
			}
		}
		return minIndex;
	}

	/**
	 * Get an estimate of the time left to move on this {@link Trajectory}
	 * given the current position. The estimate is based on this {@link Trajectory}'s
	 * temporal profile.
	 * @param positionNow The position from which the estimate should be computed.
	 * @return An estimate of the time left to move on this {@link Trajectory}
	 * given the current position.
	 */
	public double getTimeLeftEstimate(Coordinate positionNow) {
		int minIndex = 0;
		double minDist = Double.MAX_VALUE;
		for (int i = 0; i < this.getPositions().length; i++) {
			if (this.getPositions()[i].distance(positionNow) < minDist) {
				minDist = this.getPositions()[i].distance(positionNow);
				minIndex = i;
			}
		}
		return getTimeLeftEstimate(minIndex);
	}

	/**
	 * Get an estimate of the time left to move on this {@link Trajectory}
	 * between two path indices. The estimate is based on this {@link Trajectory}'s
	 * temporal profile.
	 * @param sequenceNumNow The path index from which the estimate should be computed.
	 * @param sequenceNumTo The path index to which the estimate should be computed.
	 * @return An estimate of the time left to move on this {@link Trajectory}
	 * given the current path index.
	 */
	public double getTimeToEstimate(int sequenceNumNow, int sequenceNumTo) {
		double timeCounter = 0.0;
		for (int i = sequenceNumNow-this.sequenceNumberStart; i <= sequenceNumTo; i++) {
			timeCounter += this.getDTs()[i];
		}
		return timeCounter;
	}

	/**
	 * Get an estimate of the time left to move on this {@link Trajectory}
	 * given the current path index. The estimate is based on this {@link Trajectory}'s
	 * temporal profile.
	 * @param sequenceNum The path index from which the estimate should be computed.
	 * @return An estimate of the time left to move on this {@link Trajectory}
	 * given the current path index.
	 */
	public double getTimeLeftEstimate(int sequenceNum) {
		double timeCounter = 0.0;
		for (int i = sequenceNum-this.sequenceNumberStart; i < this.getDTs().length; i++) {
			timeCounter += this.getDTs()[i];
		}
		return timeCounter;
	}

//	public double getTimeLeftEstimate(int sequenceNum, int endIndex) {
//		double timeCounter = 0.0;
//		for (int i = sequenceNum; i < endIndex; i++) {
//			timeCounter += this.getDTs()[i];
//		}
//		return timeCounter;
//	}

	private void updateDts() {
		double dt = 0.1;
		ArrayList<Double> u = new ArrayList<Double>();
		ArrayList<Double> s = new ArrayList<Double>();
		//u = u + a * dt;
		//s = s + u * dt;
		s.add(0.0);
		u.add(0.0);
		double totDistance = 0.0;
		for (int i = 1; i < dts.length; i++) {
			Coordinate prev = getPositions()[i-1];
			Coordinate current = getPositions()[i];
			totDistance += prev.distance(current);
		}
		while (s.get(s.size()-1) < totDistance) {
			double percentComplete = 0.01;
			double newPercent = s.get(s.size()-1)/totDistance;
			if (newPercent > percentComplete) percentComplete = newPercent;
//			System.out.println(percentComplete*100 + "% --> " + getAcceleration(percentComplete));
			u.add(u.get(u.size()-1)+getAcceleration(percentComplete)*dt);
			s.add(s.get(s.size()-1)+u.get(u.size()-1)*dt);
		}
		totDistance = 0.0;
		dts[0] = 0.0;
		double prevSum = 0.0;
		for (int i = 1; i < dts.length; i++) {
			Coordinate prev = getPositions()[i-1];
			Coordinate current = getPositions()[i];
			totDistance += prev.distance(current);
			int countDts = 0;
			for (int j = 0; j < s.size(); j++) {
				if (s.get(j) > totDistance) {
					countDts = j-1;
					break;
				}
			}
			prevSum += dts[i-1];
			dts[i] = Math.max(countDts*dt-prevSum,0.001);
		}
	}

	/**
	 * Set the minimum transition times between path poses
	 * of this {@link Trajectory}. This is essentially the fastest
	 * time profile of this {@link Trajectory}.
	 * @param dts A vector containing the minimum transition times between path poses
	 * of this {@link Trajectory}. Values are assumed to be in seconds.
	 */
	public void setDTs(double[] dts) {
		this.dts = dts;
	}

//	public double getMinTraversalTime() {
//		return dts[dts.length-1];
//	}

	/**
	 * Get the path (list of {@link PoseSteering}s) of this {@link Trajectory}.
	 * @return The path (list of {@link PoseSteering}s) of this {@link Trajectory}.
	 */
	public PoseSteering[] getPoseSteering() {
		return psa;
	}

	/**
	 * Get the path (list of {@link Pose}s) of this {@link Trajectory}.
	 * @return The path (list of {@link Pose}s) of this {@link Trajectory}.
	 */
	public Pose[] getPose() {
		Pose[] ret = new Pose[psa.length];
		for (int i = 0; i < ret.length; i++) {
			ret[i] = psa[i].getPose();
		}
		return ret;
	}

	/**
	 * Get the list of positions in this {@link Trajectory}'s path.
	 * @return The list of positions in this {@link Trajectory}'s path.
	 */
	public Coordinate[] getPositions() {
		ArrayList<Coordinate> ret = new ArrayList<Coordinate>();
		for (PoseSteering ps : psa) {
			ret.add(ps.getPose().getPosition());
		}
		return ret.toArray(new Coordinate[ret.size()]);
	}

	private PoseSteering[] readPath(String fileName) {
		ArrayList<PoseSteering> ret = new ArrayList<PoseSteering>();
		try {
			Scanner in = new Scanner(new FileReader(fileName));
			while (in.hasNextLine()) {
				String line = in.nextLine().trim();
				if (line.length() != 0) {
					String[] oneline = line.split(" ");
					PoseSteering ps = null;
					//x,y,z,r,p,y,s
					if (oneline.length == 7) {
					ps = new PoseSteering(
							new Double(oneline[0]).doubleValue(),
							new Double(oneline[1]).doubleValue(),
							new Double(oneline[2]).doubleValue(),
							new Double(oneline[3]).doubleValue(),
							new Double(oneline[4]).doubleValue(),
							new Double(oneline[5]).doubleValue(),
							new Double(oneline[6]).doubleValue());
					}
					//x,y,z,r,p,y
					else if (oneline.length == 6) {
					ps = new PoseSteering(
							new Double(oneline[0]).doubleValue(),
							new Double(oneline[1]).doubleValue(),
							new Double(oneline[2]).doubleValue(),
							new Double(oneline[3]).doubleValue(),
							new Double(oneline[4]).doubleValue(),
							new Double(oneline[5]).doubleValue(),
							0.0);
					}
					//x,y,z,th,s
					else if (oneline.length == 4) {
						ps = new PoseSteering(
								new Double(oneline[0]).doubleValue(),
								new Double(oneline[1]).doubleValue(),
								new Double(oneline[2]).doubleValue(),
								new Double(oneline[3]).doubleValue());
					}
					//x,y,z,th
					else {
						ps = new PoseSteering(
								new Double(oneline[0]).doubleValue(),
								new Double(oneline[1]).doubleValue(),
								new Double(oneline[2]).doubleValue(),
								0.0);
					}
					ret.add(ps);
				}
			}
			in.close();
		}
		catch (FileNotFoundException e) { e.printStackTrace(); }
		return ret.toArray(new PoseSteering[ret.size()]);
	}

}


text:
Proving Optimizations Correct using Parameterized Program Equivalence
Sudipta Kundu, Zachary Tatlock, and Sorin Lerner
Translation validation is a technique for checking that, after an optimization has run, the input and output of the optimization are equivalent. Traditionally, translation validation has been used to prove concrete, fully specified programs equivalent. In this paper we present Parameterized Equivalence Checking (PEC), a generalization of translation validation that can prove the equivalence of parameterized programs. A parameterized program is a partially specified program that can represent multiple concrete programs. For example, a parameterized program may contain a section of code whose only known property is that it does not modify certain variables. By proving parameterized programs equivalent, PEC can prove the correctness of transformation rules that represent complex optimizations once and for all, before they are ever run.We implemented our PEC technique in a tool that can establish the equivalence of two parameterized programs. To highlight the power of PEC, we designed a language for implementing complex optimizations using many-to-many rewrite rules, and used this language to implement a variety of optimizations including software pipelining, loop unrolling, loop unswitching, loop interchange, and loop fusion. Finally, to demonstrate the effectiveness of PEC, we used our PEC implementation to verify that all the optimizations we implemented in our language preserve program behavior.
Proceedings of the 2009 Conference on Programming Language Design and Implementation (PLDI 2009)
Download: [ PDF ]


text:
Hjelmar von Danneville (1860-1930) est une prisonnière en Nouvelle-Zélande soupçonnée d'être un imposteur pendant la Première Guerre mondiale en raison de sa non-conformité de genre et de sa volonté de porter des habits masculins.

Biographique
Née au Danemark en 1860, elle arrive à Wellington en 1911, sans papiers et affirme avoir étudié la médecine en Suisse. Elle affirme également  avoir été correspondante travaillant sur la guerre russo-japonaise en 1905.

En raison de ses cheveux courts, de son style vestimentaire masculin et de son accent étranger, von Danneville est soupçonnée d'être un imposteur allemand par les autorités néo-zélandaises pendant la Première Guerre mondiale.

En mai 1917, le chef de la censure néo-zélandaise, le colonel Gibbon demande à Sir John Salmond, auteur du Règlement de guerre son avis sur le cas de Von Danneville en lui transmettant un dossier secret.

Selon les rapports, Hjelmar von Danneville était arrivée à Wellington en 1911. Elle avait été accusée d'espionnage pour le compte de l'Allemagne en octobre 1914 et se distinguait par le fait qu'elle portait des vêtements d'homme et semblait favoriser la compagnie des femmes. Elle dirigeait à l'époque un établissement de santé sur la péninsule Miramar de Wellington. Elle a pour partenaire commerciale une dénommée Edith Huntley. Elle s'engage dans la lutte contre les maladies vénériennes.

Elle est soumise à un examen médical forcé par l'armée pour déterminer son sexe, et est internée pendant six semaines à Matiu/Somes Island dans le port de Wellington en 1917 sous prétexte qu'elle est un danger public. Elle est la seule femme à être internée sur l'île.

Von Danneville déménage à San Francisco en 1918, où elle continue à se battre avec les autorités locales. Elle est arrêtée en 1925 pour s'être fait passer pour un homme, mais obtient finalement un permis pour porter des vêtements masculins. Elle meurt  à San Francisco en 1930.

Sur la base de ses lettres personnelles, les analyses historiques modernes ont émis l'hypothèse que von Danneville était peut-être lesbienne.

Dans la culture populaire
Von Danneville a été l'objet d'une exposition à la Enjoy Public Art Gallery de Wellington en 2018.

Son histoire a été présentée dans un livre non romanesque de 2019 de l'historien Jared Davidson, intitulé Dead Letters: Censorship and Subversion in New Zealand 1914–1920.

Références

Liens externes

 Biographie en vidéo
 Page d'exposition, Enjoy Public Art Gallery
 Essai sur Von Danneville, Garage Collectif

Imposture
Female husband
Homme trans
LGBT en Nouvelle-Zélande
Naissance en 1860
Décès en février 1930
Décès à San Francisco
Naissance au Danemark


A driver lost control of a Bentley and ploughed into a roundabout as he drove his wife and friends home from a wedding, leaving one of them paralysed.
A court heard the high-powered luxury vehicle went airborne as Lee Johnson struck a kerb as he drove at excessive speed.
Johnson's friend, Craig Derbyshire, suffered major spinal injuries and is likely to be wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life.
Mr Derbyshire's partner, Nicola Schofield, and Johnson's wife Shauna were also badly hurt in the incident.
Leeds Crown Court heard Mr Derbyshire had borrowed the Bentley from his boss to attend the wedding at King's Croft Hotel, Featherstone.
The incident happened when Mr Derbyshire offered Johnson, a life-long friend, a lift as he waited for a taxi with his wife.
Robert Galley, prosecuting, said Johnson then asked his friend if he could drive the vehicle.
The collision took place on Green Lane, Featherstone, in the early hours October 1 last year.
The Bentley travelled through the air twice before hitting the roundabout.
Johnson, who was not insured to drive, was breathalysed at the scene but refused to provide a blood sample at hospital.
Tyre marks at the scene indicated that the vehicle was travelling between between 81mph and 111mph along the 40mph stretch of road.
The two women, who were back seat passengers, were badly hurt but did not suffer permanent injuries.
Johnson, of Featherstone Drive, Featherstone, pleaded guilty to three offences of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, failing to provide a blood sample and driving without insurance.
Stephen Wellford, mitigating, said Mr Derbyshire had written a letter to the court stating that he he did not want Johnson to go to prison.
The court heard the two men are still friends.
Mr Wellford said Johnson had no previous convictions.
Judge Mushtaq Khokhar said the offences were too serious to impose anything other then an immediate prison sentence.
He said: "You were simply travelling too fast.
"The consequences are unimaginable if there were other road users.
"You will forever be reminded of this particular incident when you see Mr Derbyshire.


text:
Are cloud data centres a sustainable option?
by Jenny Darmody
Image: © Rawf8/Stock.adobe.com
With data centres consuming massive amounts of energy, we look at the environmental impact of cloud computing.
Discussions about cloud computing can often lead to discussions about data storage and data centres.
While data centres provide critical infrastructure for the digital world in which we live, they also consume high volumes of energy. In fact, the data centre industry accounts for approximately 1pc of global electricity consumption and, according to an Eirgrid report, could account for 29pc of electricity demand in Ireland by 2028.
The tech industry's impact on the planet has been criticised widely in recent years, from the level of e-waste produced to the carbon footprint of digital data.
Speaking to Siliconrepublic.com earlier this year, digital expert Gerry McGovern said data is growing at unsustainable levels. "We will soon be dealing with thousands of zettabytes of data – truly unimaginable quantities," he said.
However, industry players are making positive moves to promote better sustainability, particularly when it comes to data centres.
'There needs to be a greater level of collective purpose between the electricity generators, the distributors and the emerging data-led industries to not only coexist, but benefit from each other'
– HARM JOOSSE
Amazon announced a new 115MW windfarm project in Co Galway last year, which will begin operating in 2022 and will power AWS data centres across the country. And data centre group Host in Ireland recently launched a pollinator plan to address Ireland's biodiversity plight and help save the bees.
On a broader level, the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact was agreed upon by more than 40 data centre operators and more than 20 national associations to make data centres climate neutral in Europe by 2030.
Harm Joosse, director of business development of cloud platforms at data centre specialist Interxion, said that now is the time for the industry "to be brave, creative and relentless to meet the sustainability challenge".
He pointed out that 43pc of Ireland's electricity came from renewable sources last year, surpassing the Government's target of 40pc. "That is no small feat," he said. But there is still more work to be done.
"The 'this is how we've always done it' mindset is not going to maintain and grow one of Ireland's largest export industries [data centres]. It is going to require a greater level of collective purpose between the electricity generators, the distributors and the emerging data-led industries to not only coexist, but benefit from each other."
Cloud computing's role
Joosse said the growing trend of businesses migrating to the cloud gives the data centre industry a unique opportunity to become more climate conscious.
He explained that within the data centre industry, sustainability is measured with a set of metrics such as water and power use efficiency.
Enterprise data centres are usually located in rural areas and are typically between 10 and 20 years old, while co-location and cloud data centres are usually located in or around larger cities and are typically much newer. These differences, he said, can significantly reduce the environmental footprint of IT loads in cloud data centres.
A 2013 research paper, funded by Google, revealed that by moving commonly used software applications to the cloud, energy usage could decrease by 87pc. A more indirect sustainability benefit has specifically been highlighted in the last year. Cloud computing enables easier remote or hybrid working. This, in turn, reduces the number of workers commuting, reducing vehicle emissions.
However, while cloud computing may have a lot of environmental benefits compared to traditional data storage solutions, there are still challenges in terms of energy consumption.
The need to keep computer equipment in data centres cool typically accounts for around 40pc of total energy consumption and up to 80pc if the natural climate of the data centre is warmer.
However, there are novel attempts to mitigate this challenge taking place around the world. In Norway, for example, US-Norwegian company Kolos is putting a large data centre inside the Arctic Circle. Kolos said the chilled air and abundant hydropower available locally would help it keep its energy costs down.
Microsoft has also been working on innovative ways to make its data centres more environmentally friendly, including locating one underwater and using boiling liquid to create a closed loop cooling system.
Joosse said there are still challenges to consider when it comes to companies migrating to the cloud, adding that most organisations opt for a hybrid cloud strategy.
"Hybrid cloud enables some workloads to be migrated to the cloud on day one, and other workloads to be migrated at a later date or not at all. Co-location data centres offer ideal 'landing zones' in between on-prem data centres and cloud, allowing organisations to exit non-sustainable on-prem data centres today, but take a staged approach to cloud adoption," he said.
In-Depth: Cloud Week, More on Interxion
Related: Climate, Cloud, Interxion, Brand Insights, data centres, energy
Jenny Darmody is the deputy editor of Silicon Republic
What does hybrid working mean for data centres?
5 ways IT service providers can support hybrid cloud strategies
How subsea cables are making Ireland attractive for investment
What are the top trends coming down the line for cloud?
Debunking the myths around cloud-native architectures
Sustainability must be 'front and centre' for data centre operators
Microsoft to acquire Activision and become world's third-largest game company


Scott, Frances (2014) Despite the reshuffle, we are still a long way from a 50:50 gender balanced Parliament. Democratic Audit UK (22 Jul 2014). Website.
Much has been made of the addition of a number of extra women to the Cabinet following David Cameron's recent ministerial reshuffle. But despite the headlines, the UK still lags terribly behind other countries in terms of the levels of women in Parliament. Frances Scott, who is campaigning for a 50:50 balance in Parliament, argues that a debate in Parliament on the issue would be a decent starting point.


The New York Mortgage Coalition was awarded $474,577 from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for FY 2018. This funding supports housing counseling services at New York Mortgage Coalition's 12 sub-grantees in New York and Connecticut. NYMC's intermediary network has served over 14,000 clients in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017. HUD awarded $47 million in grants to local, regional, and national organizations to provide housing counseling services.
Read more on the NOFA announcement at: https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_18_116.


text:
Nazeri ist der Familienname folgender Personen:

Hafez Nazeri (* 1979), kurdisch-iranischer Sänger und Komponist
Mohammad Hassan Nazeri (* 1972), afghanischer Filmregisseur
Shahram Nazeri (* 1950), kurdisch-iranischer Sänger und Komponist


text:
A-Check Global Blog | Compliance Updates and Background Screening News
A-Check Global's Blog keep employers in the know with compliance, legislation, and HR updates, drug testing trends, and background screening industry news.
Information contained in this page is of a general informational nature and nothing herein, or on this website, should be construed as legal advice. For advice on questions of law, please consult a qualified attorney for additional guidance.
Drug and Alcohol Screening
Employment Screening Industry
Convenient, At-Home Collection Option for Your Workforce COVID-19 Testing
Compliance Clips for January 2022
From our Family to Yours, Have a Joyous Holiday and a Happy New Year!
In the Know: December 2021 Compliance Clips
A-Check Global update: Serving our clients through the pandemic, worldwide labor shortages, and more.
A-Check Global Background Check Background Check Compliance Background Checks Best Practices Compliance Compliant employment screening practices Drug Screening Drug Testing E-Verify E-verify Compliance EEOC EEOC Guidance FCRA FCRA Compliance Form I-9 HR Impact Webinar Series Instant Drug Test Janice Bryant Howroyd Webinar
Follow A-Check Global Blog | Compliance Updates and Background Screening News on WordPress.com
Unprecedented Times: Courts Remain Closed or "Kind-Of Open"
As an employer focused on the health of your employees and the continued success of your business, you've no doubt made a lot of pretty big adjustments to the way you do things. COVID-19 has presented challenges like we've never seen before.
Here at A-Check, we've been working via remote workforce to meet your needs without interruption, while at the same time navigating widespread court closures that have limited our access to documents and information.
As you already know, we continue to see impact in areas that have been hit hardest by COVID-19—like California and New Jersey. In NJ for example, some public access terminals have been removed, and court clerks are experiencing overwhelming call volume from field researchers requesting updates.
Courts are also working hard to meet the need
In spite of ongoing uncertainty and pandemic spikes, courts across the country have been doing their best to safely reopen wherever and whenever possible. This is great news for A-Check Global and other consumer reporting agencies trying to assist our customer requests.
During this time, many criminal record checks have been fulfilled through electronic court research, and we've provided results with little, if any delay. That said, in-person research has continued to be challenging in some courts. Limitations understandably continue to create longer turnaround times:
Courts are implementing CDC health guidelines. And while that is great for the safety of employees and visitors, that safety often means reduced capacity—often limited to just a few researchers within the building at a time—and longer turnaround time within courts.
Some courts have either removed or limited the access to public-facing terminals, limiting researcher access to information.
Some courts are requiring visitor/researcher appointments during specific times and days, or are limiting the amount of time any researcher can spend using public-facing terminals.
And, courts who offer personal service are now working with a substantial backlog of information requests that need to be fulfilled before getting to newer requests.
We're here to help keep your requests moving forward, and will do everything we can to that end. Within our client-facing portal, we include a daily listing of court closures/delays to keep you informed, but are happy to answer any questions you may have about your criminal record requests. Please feel free to reach out to us at support@acheckglobal.com. Your business means the world to us, and we look forward to meeting your needs.
By A-Check Globalin Background Checks, In the News July 14, 2020 July 15, 2020 409 WordsLeave a comment
Compliance Clips for July 2020
DATA SECURITY LEGISLATION
New Zealand: New Privacy Bill Effective December 1, 2020
New Zealand's parliament recently passed a modern version of privacy bill to replace the previous New Zealand Privacy Act. The bill is a new legal framework for the protection of information, including the introduction of a mandatory data breach notification. It received unanimous support in the parliament, and the bill—known as the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020—will become effective on December 1, 2020. This bill seeks to increase New Zealanders' confidence that their personal information is secure and will be treated properly.
South Africa: New Privacy Law Now Effective
South Africa's privacy law known as the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (the POPIA) becomes effective July 1, 2020, providing detailed legislation supporting right to privacy. The POPIA provides for a general information protection mechanism applicable to organizations in both the public and private sectors. Similar to EU's GDPR, POPIA establishes specific conditions for lawful processing of data.
Happy Birthday, GDPR
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) recently turned two years old, and we've all learned a thing or two about preparing for, and complying with evolving data security legislation. GDPR has also done much to elevate overall focus on privacy compliance.
A Reminder: Compliance with Form I-9 and E-Verify Requirements in Light of COVID-19
While we shared this information previously, there has been an additional update in light of ongoing COVID-19 efforts. The in-person requirement for the Form I-9 is temporarily suspended if your company is closed or taking other precautions due to COVID-19. The general rule is that an employer must undertake a physical inspection of the document(s) presented by the employee for section 2 purposes. UPDATE: Because of ongoing COVID-19 precautions, it has been announced that remote I-9 document review has been extended for another 30 days; the original exemption was set to expire June 18, 2020. The government has suspended the in-person and physical inspection of the document(s) presented by the employee when completing the Form I-9. During this time, an employer can view the document(s) presented by the employee via Zoom or Skype, for example.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE TESTING
Virginia: New Legislation Decriminalizes Simple Marijuana Possession
Now effective as of July 1, 2020, Virginia legislation decriminalizes possession, and prohibits employers from requiring applicants to disclose information related to past criminal possession charges.
Arizona: Growing Support for Marijuana Legalization Ballot Measure
Is Arizona next? In a survey of likely voters, about two-thirds showed support for placing a marijuana legalization initiative on the ballot this November. In the poll, which was conducted from May 18-22, the legalization initiative was positioned as a measure making it legal for adults 21 and older to purchase and possess cannabis and also impose taxes on legal sales. 400 respondents were asked if they would vote yes or no on the proposal.
AS A REMINDER: At A-Check, we're happy to help implement a drug screening program that meets your evolving needs—or make adjustments to the program you're already running with us. Just give us a call at 877-345-2021 and ask to speak with someone on your Client Relations team.
BAN THE BOX
St. Louis, Missouri: Ban the Box Legislation Passes
Beginning January 1, 2021, employers with ten or more employees, located within the City of St. Louis will be prohibited from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history on the employment application. Once the law takes effect, employers may not base a hiring or promotional decision on the criminal history, or sentence, of an applicant unless 1) the history is found to be reasonably related to, or bearing upon, the duties and responsibilities of the position; and 2) the employer can demonstrate that the decision is based on all available information.
Suffolk County, New York: Ban the Box Legislation Passes
Suffolk County soon will follow the trend of other state and local governments enacting "ban the box" legislation. The Suffolk County, New York, Legislature has passed the "Fair Employment Screening Amendment," prohibiting the County or any other employer having at least 15 employees from asking job applicants about their prior criminal convictions until after the first interview. The Amendment will go into effect on August 25, 2020.
SALARY HISTORY
Maryland: Upcoming Prohibition Against Wage History Inquiries
Maryland employers, get ready for new employment laws: Prohibition against facial recognition technology, salary history ban, and more. With regard to salary history ban, employers in Maryland should assess their hiring processes to ensure they do not request wage history information from applicants once the new law goes into effect on October 1, 2020. Additionally, employers should ensure that applicants who request wage range information for the position to which they are applying are able to obtain such information once the new law is in effect.
By A-Check Globalin Background Checks, Compliance Corner, Drug and Alcohol Screening, In the News July 1, 2020 July 1, 2020 798 WordsLeave a comment


text:
ONE Blog
From wrong-doers to do-gooders: The Integrity Idol movement in Liberia
18 December 2015 11:19AM UTC | By: Walter Lau
By Francis Lansana, Accountability Lab Liberia
Jugbeh Kekula is a registered nurse at the Grand Bassa branch of the Liberian government hospital in Buchanan—about two hours drive east of the capital Monrovia. She is renowned in her community for her outreach at local markets.
"I became a nurse because I love the nursing profession," she said. "I love serving humanity, I love helping to save lives one way or the other. I just love serving my nation, serving my people."
And now, after a national competition searching for Liberia's most honest government official, Jugbeh has been crowned the country's first ever Integrity Idol.
The Integrity Idol finalists with the team from Accountability Lab. (Photo credit: Ben Cleeton)
Here at the Accountability Lab in Liberia we've been working on this campaign for the past few months—to replace a culture of "naming and shaming" with a movement to "name and fame" outstanding civil servants. The goal was to uncover the hidden heroes that embody personal responsibility, civic-mindedness, and accountability. Liberians responded in droves: More than 1,400 people nominated a civil servant who they believed should be the nation's "Integrity Idol."
A diverse group of judges—the country's most popular musician, an executive at the country's anti-corruption commission, and the director of the National Democratic Institute (NDI)—selected the five finalists, working in the health, education, and legal sectors.
The Lab then traveled to the farthest parts of the country, filming the contestants going about their daily duties and explaining why and how they serve the public with integrity. (Watch these incredible video clips here!)
Following a week and a half of voting by SMS and online, with the episodes shown on national TV and broadcast on community radio stations, Jugbeh was crowned Liberia's first Integrity Idol yesterday in Monrovia.
The Integrity Idol finalists. From left to right: Oliver K. Kuson, Seorweh Dlayee Jaycheneh, winner Jugbeh Tarpleh Kekula, Comfort Nimely, and Daniel Gbety Nyenkan. (Photo credit: Ben Cleeton)
As Blair Glencorse, our director at Accountability Lab noted, "The value of the movement is in the process, not the outcome. It celebrates individuals, but those that serve the collective good."
In a country where corruption is often seen to be insurmountable—a recent Transparency International Report on corruption noted that Liberians pay more bribes than anyone else in Africa—Integrity Idol became a critical outlet for a national conversation in positive terms about the role that individuals can play in changing their society.
The Integrity Idol ceremony itself included everything from traditional Liberian dancing, speeches by a Minister and prominent local lawyer, a musical interlude from a local rapper, and—in keeping with Liberian tradition—the award of a chicken to Jugbeh as her prize.
The campaign is already beginning to show real impact. District education officer Oliver Kuson—a finalist who has not been paid for his services by the government in seven years—was promised his payroll would be rectified by an official in the crowd! The other finalists have begun to brainstorm on how they can build networks of integrity in their communities, and how they can make sure the momentum of the competition endures. And the local and international media have taken note—allowing these Integrity Idols to set an example not just here in Liberia, but around the world.
For the Accountability Lab, this is just the beginning. Over time, the idea is to build a community of local government do-gooders with integrity across Liberia and the world. They can share lessons, collaborate on ideas and push for reforms. In the end, transparency and accountability start with all of us—and it is these previously unknown heroes who show us how it is done!
Francis Lansana is an Accountability Resident with the Accountability Lab in Liberia.
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Walter Lau
18 December 2015 11:19AM UTC
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LAS VEGAS, Jan. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vesper, developer of advanced acoustic sensors, and Linkplay Technology, an Amazon Alexa Voice Service (AVS) Solution Provider, today announced a partnership to integrate Vesper's piezoelectric MEMS microphones into Linkplay's AVS enabled modules in 2018. The two companies will demo the products and the technology behind them for the first time at CES in January 2018.
Linkplay offers qualified Wi-Fi audio hardware and software modules to help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs) integrate Amazon Alexa into connected products. The company has selected Vesper's piezoelectric MEMS microphones because of their proven durability, stability and high-quality design.
The new line of products integrates Vesper's VM1000, VM1010 and new VM2000 piezoelectric MEMS microphones, the only MEMS microphones that maintain high system performance over the life of a product in the presence of environmental contaminants such as dust, water, oil or particles.
The new VM2000 targets voice-activated systems such as smart speakers, smart home and Internet of Things (IoT) products — which use microphone arrays to enhance voice capture and clarity — solving a critical need for stable, reliable and accurate microphone arrays that do not degrade over time. The Vesper and Linkplay partnership will enable OEMS in disparate product categories to make voice interface hardware or to enable voice in existing hardware products.
Vesper and Linkplay will demonstrate their new technology from January 9-12 during CES 2018. For more information on Vesper mics, please visit the company's website. To schedule a private meeting with both companies, email: info@vespermems.com.
Linkplay Technology, headquartered in Silicon Valley, CA and Shanghai, China, was founded by a global team of hardware and software engineers, business executives, and wireless audio experts. Linkplay's patent-pending technology is a turnkey Wi-Fi audio platform with global streaming music content integration, app and cloud development for speaker brands and original design manufacturers (ODMs). Technology partners include ODMs, component suppliers and key technology investors. For more information about Linkplay, visit www.linkplay.com or email info@linkplay.com.
This entry was posted on Monday, January 8th, 2018 at 7:42 pm and is filed under Advertiser, News.


Taking selfies while I wait at the traffic lights also happens.
And matching my tea cup with my outfit still happens.
Who needs words when you can take selfies?
You take super selfies Leanne.
I cannot take a decent one.
Ha ha great photos. Not a selfie addict in my house but still I love yours.
I really should embrace the selfie.