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text:
Court of Arbitration for Sport media release
CAS ad hoc division Olympic Games Rio 2016 The CAS ad hoc division in rio closes with a total of 28 procedures registered Rio de Janeiro, 21 August 2016 – The ad hoc Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 rendered its last decision earlier today in the arbitration between the Iranian weightlifter Behdad Salimi (+105kg), the Iranian National Olympic Committee (the Applicants) and the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), following a protest filed by the Applicants in relation to a decision of the Competition Jury to overturn the decision of the Referee to validate Salimi's 2nd attempt at lifting 245kg in the clean and jerk event on 16 August 2016. The CAS Panel in charge of this matter retained jurisdiction but rejected the appeal. It considered that the dispute was related to a "field-of-play decision" and has confirmed the CAS jurisprudence that CAS arbitrators do not overturn the decisions made on the playing field by judges, referees, umpires or other officials charged with applying the rules of the game unless there is some evidence that the rule was applied arbitrarily or in bad faith. The full award with the grounds has been published on the CAS website. It is the last award rendered by the CAS ad hoc Division at the Rio Olympic Games. In total, 28 applications have been registered by the CAS ad hoc Division, setting a new record of cases for one edition of the Olympic Games (formerly 15 cases registered in Sydney 2000). However, such exceptional record must take into account the fact that 16 of the 28 procedures were related to the status/eligibility of Russian athletes, following the IOC EB decision of 24 July 2016 in relation to the eligibility of Russian athletes for the Olympic Games Rio 2016. www.tas-cas.org

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Subscribe to the Lefsetz Letter
Geek Gods
From a thirtysomething female friend of mine:
I am sure you have already read this, being the instigator of the fabulousness of geekdom for the past umpteen years…but I definitely think these geeky guys have become the football jocks of this genration–the "popular" girls are gravitating toward them in high school–a true reversal of fortune that need not be waited out until the post college years as it once did!
I LOVED hanging at the Apple store on Prince Street–taking it all in –when I was in NY –and now, the one in the ___________ mall here is not bad either. The geeks are usually a bit young for me, but the energy, the socialization and the action and excitement of all the newest and greatest Apple products–is romance enough. Teenage girls are usually circling these glasses-clad geeky guys with little body strengthin the black shirts–pining for the bits of insight that they drop so fluidliy. The demise of the jock getting the Homecoming Queen is upon us. Ah, the times they "have a changed" indeed. If my generation was only so forward-thinking, those former cheerleaders would be rolling in IPO money now instead of the dirty laundry of their weekend warrior pot-bellied former jocks husbands.
Here's to the geeks…
From today's "New York Post":
By LAURA J. VOGEL and SARA STEWART
The men of the SoHo Apple Store's Genius Bar in uniform:
black T-shirts.
Photo: J. Scott Wynn
May 31, 2005 — HIS name is Carlos. He's cute, in that rumpled Williamsburg-geeky way. And he's smart, really smart – you can tell the instant you meet him. Sitting across from you at the blond-wood bar, looking deeply into your eyes, he gently confides: "I think you're going to need a new battery."
So goes a typical tension-filled encounter at the Apple Store's Genius Bar, where the men of the help desk have become a draw for New York's damsels in hard-drive distress.
Single women are having their rescue fantasies fueled by the suprisingly chatty, sociable Mac daddies, some of whom look more like members of the Strokes than the cast of "Revenge of the Nerds."
"It's really a scene!" says one customer, Anthea King, visiting the Prince Street hot spot on a recent night. "That guy over there, the one checking people in, is really cute.
"The people are incredible. They spend as much time with you as you need. It's really fun here – almost like going out."
Genius Bar's new late-night hours – it's open until midnight Monday through Saturday – mean more cruising than ever in the repair bar, which is not unlike a true SoHo watering hole with its mod vibe and black-laquer stools.
Helping to create a clubby atmosphere is a musical playlist (courtesy of iTunes, natch) featuring Beck, Bjork and Coldplay in heavy rotation.
"Too bad this isn't a real bar!" says writer Kate Donnelly, who has "rocked the Genius Bar"six times in the last year with her Powerbook G4 in tow.
"I almost had the Carrie Bradshaw moment – where she loses all her work – these dudes rescued me and I will always be grateful to them.
"Usually, the vibe here is great and you see lots of funny things: There's always some smarmy guy hitting on you, and then there are the criers . . . weeping because their iPod is screwed up – please!"
"Do you work out at all?"one lanky male customer behind us said, as if on cue, to a bored-looking woman.
The romantic foray didn't help much, but the Apple SoHo managers say they've heard of romance blossoming at the Genius Bar, which is not suprising.
This is a place where normally reticent New Yorkers are forced to sit, often for a few hours, and most end up chatting with strangers.
If you're here, you're in crisis mode, when people tend to open up and cling to one another – and especially to their perceived rescuers.
When the store first opened in July 2002, there were eight Geniuses on staff; today, the ranks have swelled to about 65.
They're Apple's front line of customer service, tasked with assisting all manner of puffed-up, peeved New Yorkers – and they do it gracefully.
"Everyone here is so cute and friendly," raves independent realtor Dana Lang.
"It turns out that they can't help me. I have to send my hard drive to a data-recovery place. But it's like the piano player on the Titanic – they make you feel good while you're sinking."
Even among the attractive, educated ranks of the Apple Store employees, the Geniuses are gods.
"Those guys know way too much, man," gushes one employee standing near the front door. "They're so smart."
Aspiring Geniuses are put through the paces.
Aside from weeks of intensive Mac training, "it's about personal, face-to-face interaction with the customer – so we look for Geniuses who can convey their knowledge and experience, who can work with the consumer," was all a company spokesperson would say.
The winsome wizards do engage in a bit of good-natured flirting, but mainly keep things professional. Mostly, they're far too swamped with software glitches to notice, but a real looker might rate a break-room "Check her out."
Most of the love flows the other way. And the fact that all of these super-smart saviors wear their names on lanyards around their necks goes a long way toward helping the be-crushed track down the objects of their affection.
One scruffily good-looking Genius (who must remain anonymous due to Apple policy) said he just received a greeting card from a smitten customer in the mail.
And craigslist.org, that repository for all things geeky and romantic, usually has at least one mash note to a Genius in its "Missed Connections" section.
"We were both on the N train, then were both at the store, you working, me needing help with my 3 problems," reads one recent posting. "i think your name is robin. anyway you're supercute. i was wearing a straw fedora."
Luckily for the love-struck, Apple's new ProCare program allows obsessed Mac users to spend even more quality time with their favorite Genius. For $99, among other perks, ProCare members can book consultations with the Genius of their choice.
"It's kind of like an escort service," jokes Lang. "You can choose whichever one you desire. . . but I want to know if it comes with a 'happy ending'!"
(And to think there used to be this kind of energy and excitement in RECORD
stores! If only the record industry were selling wares as cool and necessary
to one's lifestyle as Apple Computer…)
By: bob | 2005/05/31 | Apple | Trackback | Comments [RSS 2.0]
One Response to Geek Gods »»
That Apple Cool « * wallflower magazine *
Pingback by That Apple Cool « * wallflower magazine * | 2008/06/24 at 12:07:14
[…] wing retail chain in the world. There is something about those sterile white stores, where geeky IT boys are likened to knights in shining armor, that […]
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text:
0121 2705 548 INFO@ASAEVENTS.UK
WEDDING VENUE STYLING
EVENT CONSULTATION
CONTACT STAGES
SPECIALISING IN CORPORATE EVENTS, SOCIAL EVENTS, PRODUCT LAUNCH EVENT PLANNING AND EVENT CONSULTATION SERVICES
Office Telephone: 0121 2705 548 Mobile: 07494 959 299 Email: INFO@ASAEVENTS.UK
MILK COSMETICS PRODUCT LAUNCH
We enjoy executing fantastic product launches for our clients. This particular product launch involved a makeup line which was aimed at department store buyers. We wanted to make an impression with the buyers who were in attendance. One of the main aspects of this event was to put the emphasis on what the product could do for the consumer of the product. We also wanted to have an eye-catching display to draw plenty of attention.
L O C A T I O N
This product launch was held in an indoor public location where we aimed to draw as much attention as possible to the product. We needed to consider the particular location where the display would be placed so we draw attention to the product. The location of the display in relation to the attendees was among the key considerations to make a success of this event.
We focused on details such as the appearance of the display, the lighting, and we employed a team of representatives to engage our attendees. To add some uniqueness and creativity we imported some exotic fruits instead of flowers to be used on the main display. This enabled us to really utilise colour in an innovative way to attract lots of attention. The use of colour on the display was unified with the branding of the product.
With the main focus being the product and what it can do for the user we engaged the buyers with free trials and had make-up specialists on hand to apply the products to show how best they could be utilised. We also had some models on hand who had the makeup applied in particularly stylish ways to emphasise that the product was able to be used creatively and in various ways.
The product launch itself was also integrated with the product's branding so that the product brand was reflected during the product launch. This was important so that we could maintain the option to extend the product launch into a more extensive marketing campaign. Our guests enjoyed a sit-down dinner during this product launch to give time to discuss the product and make an event of the occasion.
C O N C L U S I O N / R E S U L T
The display attracted many compliments and people loved the product particularly after seeing how the product could be applied and this translated into major sales. We paid attention to all aspects of the product launch to ensure that it made the right impact.
The client felt that the launch helped to boost the products' appeal and marketability. We took videos on the day that could be translated into part of a more general marketing campaign for the product. Being part of a successful launch is important for us. We always put our all into our assignments and are happiest when our client is happy.
Client: Undisclosed
Event Type: Product launch
Budget: Undisclosed
" I will always recommend ASA Events Management & Consultancy Specialists as they are extremely efficient, flexible, supportive and pleasurable to work with. "
— L O U I S E S T E V E N A G E ,
M I L K C O S M E T I C S .
STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST NEWS BY JOINING OUR MAILING LIST.
Designed & Developed by CAE
Copyright 2019. ASA Events Management & Consultancy Specialists LTD | Registered in England and Wales. Company number 10730331.
Address: 2nd Floor Quayside Tower, 252-260 Broad Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B1 2HF.
Office number: 0121 2705 548
Mobile number:07949 959 299
info@asaevents.uk
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text:
// -*- c-basic-offset: 4 -*-
#ifndef CLICK_CYCLECOUNTACCUM_HH
#define CLICK_CYCLECOUNTACCUM_HH

/*
=c
CycleCountAccum()

=s counters

collects differences in cycle counters

=d

Incoming packets should have their cycle counter annotation set.  Measures the
current value of the cycle counter, and keeps track of the total accumulated
difference.  Packets whose cycle counter annotations are zero are not added to
the count or difference.

=n

A packet has room for either exactly one cycle count or exactly one
performance metric.

=h count read-only

Returns the number of packets that have passed.

=h cycles read-only

Returns the accumulated cycles for all passing packets.

=h zero_count read-only

Returns the number of packets with zero-valued cycle counter annotations that
have passed.  These aren't included in the C<count>.

=h reset_counts write-only

Resets C<count>, C<cycles>, and C<zero_count> counters to zero when written.

=a SetCycleCount, RoundTripCycleCount, SetPerfCount, PerfCountAccum */

#include <click/element.hh>

class CycleCountAccum : public Element { public:

    CycleCountAccum() CLICK_COLD;
    ~CycleCountAccum() CLICK_COLD;

    const char *class_name() const	{ return "CycleCountAccum"; }
    const char *port_count() const	{ return PORTS_1_1; }

    void add_handlers() CLICK_COLD;

    inline void smaction(Packet *);
    void push(int, Packet *p);
    Packet *pull(int);

  private:

    uint64_t _accum;
    uint64_t _count;
    uint64_t _zero_count;

    static String read_handler(Element *, void *) CLICK_COLD;
    static int reset_handler(const String &, Element*, void*, ErrorHandler*);

};

#endif

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The 2015 College Football Championship Future Odds have been released, and as usual there is a disconnect between these odds and the preseason Top 25 Rankings.
The 2015 College Football season will be here before you know it as opening weekend is now less than three months away, and as usual we will be here every week with our college football picks. And it is never too early to start peeking at Championship Future Odds, as now may be the best time to act on them as the odds will only get tighter as the regular season draws nearer.
Those future odds are currently up at 5Dimes and one nice early exercise is to compare these odds with the projected Top 25 ranking to begin the season, as the bookmakers may be tipping their hands as to who the "real" best teams are, perhaps giving a clue as to which teams are undervalued and, on the opposite end of the spectrum, which teams are overrated to begin the year.
Mark Schlabach of ESPN has released what he calls the "Way-Too-Early Top 25", which might be a good indicator of what the first preseason polls will look like when they are officially released. Those early rankings now follow, along with each school's college football odds to win the national championship at 5Dimes.
Just a quick eye-balling of these odds reveal that seventh ranked Alabama is actually the second choice on the futures at +850, splitting the top two ranked teams Ohio State and TCU, and Florida State also seems undervalued in the rankings at number 15. On the opposite end, Arizona and Boise State seem severely over-ranked based on their future odds.
So who is right and who is wrong in these situations? Well, there is no answer to that that is correct 100 percent of the time, but here are our predictions of which teams we feel offer good value at the present time, followed by a few teams that we recommend avoiding.
TCU +950: Among the favorites, we like the Horned Frogs the best, especially at longer odds than Alabama, as we feel they have a realistic chance at going undefeated this season with their toughest game all year being vs. Baylor in the season finale. Remember that Baylor was the only team standing between TCU and an undefeated season last year that would have resulted in a College Football Playoff berth, and the Horned Frogs have not forgotten and this time get the Bears at home! TCU has long had a reputation of playing great defense under Coach Gary Patterson, but now the Horned Frogs have an offense to go with it as returning quarterback ranked fourth in the country last season in total offense while throwing 33 touchdown passes. The Frogs are again stacked at the offensive skill positions and they also return four of the five starters on the offensive line. A national championship game between TCU and Ohio State would be epic this season, but these +950 odds will look a whole lot better should Ohio State stub its toe along the way (more on that later).
UCLA +3200: UCLA was a popular darkhorse selection to make the College Football Playoff last season, but they failed to make the Pac-12 Championship Game after losing three games during the season and were forced to settle for an Alamo Bowl bid, where they dispatched of the Kansas State Wildcats out of the Big 12 to finish 10-3 overall to finish 10th on the final AP Poll. Perhaps that optimism was one year early as the Bruins were a very young team last year and they now return 18 starters, tied for the most in the country! The fact that quarterback Brett Hundley is not one of the returning starters though has tempered the optimism this season somewhat, but we actually think that may give UCLA more value. After all, if the Bruins are really as talented as many experts felt before last season, and there is no reason to believe that they are not, then they should be especially dangerous with so many returnees benefitting from that added year of experience.
Florida State +1400: The Seminoles were believed to have a gaping hole at quarterback when Jameis Winston, who did not lose a game in his two years at the helm in Tallahassee until last season's Rose Bowl and College Football Playoff semifinal vs. Oregon, bolted for the NFL after his sophomore season. However, Florida State may have instantly re-entered the national title picture when it was announced that Everett Golson was transferring in from Notre Dame and he will be eligible to start immediately. Golson is no stranger to taking undefeated teams to the National Championship Game as he did precisely that with the Fighting Irish in 2012 before losing to Alabama. One big difference for the Noles this year compared to last year is they have two tough conference road games at Georgia Tech and Clemson as well a tough non-conference road affair at Florida. But if the Noles can go 2-1 in those games (not impossible) and then win the ACC Championship Game, they may find themselves back in the playoffs again.
Wisconsin +7500: Remember what we said about Ohio State potentially stubbing its toe? Well, the Badgers have a rather favorable schedule this season as they do not face those Buckeyes nor Michigan State during the regular year, and while running back Melvin Gordon is now in the NFL, Wisconsin already has a fine heir apparent as Corey Clement rushed for 949 yards on 6.5 yards per carry with nine touchdowns in spot duty last year. All this could align to set up a rematch with Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game, where the Badgers will have not forgotten last year's score of Ohio State 59, Wisconsin 0. So would the Badgers get their revenge if that matchup comes to pass? Well, it certainly seems a worthwhile investment with a minimal risk given these 75/1 odds to then go on and win the championship.
Oregon +1900: These odds could be based more on reputation than anything else, as Oregon could face a stiff challenge from Stanford this year with Marcus Mariota now gone, and even if the Ducks do beat out the Cardinal for the North Division title and another trip to the Pac-12 Championship Game, a date with either UCLA or USC would not be a walk in the park either.
Auburn +1150: It is interesting that Auburn is ranked higher than Alabama on the early rankings and yet is a bigger price, but we do not think it will matter as the Tigers simply have too much competition in the SEC South Division to accept this relatively short price, and getting LSU, Arkansas and Texas A&M on the road this year does not help their cause.
Alabama +850: While we agree that Alabama has the best team in the SEC this year and thus agree with them have shorter odds than Auburn despite being ranked lower in the early rankings, the disparity between the Crimson Tide and the rest of the conference is not that much and yet these odds are set as if this is the vintage Alabama team of a few years ago, which it is not especially defensively.


The National Archives' inaugural Summer Lecture Series, sponsored by the Friends of The National Archives and supported by the Royal Historical Society, takes place each Wednesday in August. A leading historian will address the topic of 'Secrets and Lies', exploring ideas of truth and 'alternative facts' throughout history.
The lectures starts at 17:30, with light refreshments and a document display from 16:45-17:30.
These events are free and open to all. To register, please follow the links below.


Eagle Power and Equipment has announced the addition of Tom Hahn as branch manager of its Eagle, PA, location. In his new position, Hahn will oversee the day-to-day operation of the facility, including customer satisfaction, supervision of staff, sales of parts and service, equipment rentals, and maximizing profits.
Hahn comes to the company with 12 years of industry experience. He was previously employed by The Modern Group Ltd., Ransome Rents, Total Rental and Volvo Rents.
For more information, call 610/458-7054.


text:
Luis Cruz Azaceta
Alejandro Anreus
Foreword by Chon A. Noriega
The first major book on this Cuban American artist
The first book on the extensively exhibited and widely collected Cuban American artist's life and creations, Luis Cruz Azaceta traces the artist's career and explores the themes that are the focus of his singular art. Alejandro Anreus discusses how the Cuban diaspora, above all, has shaped Cruz Azaceta and how the experience of exile has found expression through starkly forceful self-portraiture.
Lavishly illustrated, this is a thoughtful, in-depth biography of an important contemporary artist.
Cuban Art News
Art and Performance, Cultural Criticism
Cuban American artist Luis Cruz Azaceta addresses what author Alejandro Anreus calls the "wounds and screams" of the human condition. Although Cruz Azaceta's work is extensively exhibited and widely collected, this is the first book on the artist's life and creations.
Anreus traces Cruz Azaceta's career and explores the themes that are the focus of his singular art. Anreus discusses how the Cuban diaspora, above all, has shaped the artist and how the experience of exile has found expression through starkly forceful self-portraiture. Anreus also examines the artist's ongoing concern with current events. Cruz Azaceta has responded to national crises, such as the AIDS epidemic, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina, with graphically powerful paintings, mixed-media pieces, and installations.
Over the past four decades Cruz Azaceta has experimented with his visual vocabulary, moving from the flat, pop style of his early canvases, through neo-Expressionism, and into the abstraction of his more recent work. His commentary on humanity, however, has not changed. His art continues to remind us that there are no easy solutions to the presence of violence and cruelty, exile and dislocation, and solitude and isolation.
1st Place, Best Arts Book (English) at the 2015 International Latino Book Awards
$29.95 paper ISBN 978-0-89551-152-2
$60.00 cloth/jacket ISBN 978-0-89551-153-
156 pages, 82 color plates, 6 1/2 x 6 1/2, August 2014
Series: A Ver, Volume 10
Alejandro Anreus is professor of art history and Latin American and Latino studies at William Paterson University in New Jersey. He is the author of Orozco in Gringoland and coeditor and contributor to Ben Shahn and the Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti; The Social and the Real; and Mexican Muralism: A Critical History. His articles and essays have appeared in Art Journal, Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies, Commonweal, Encuentro de la Cultura Cubana, and Third Text.
Chon A. Noriega is professor of film, television, and digital media and director of the Chicano Studies Research Center at UCLA.
Any librarian looking for a reason not to purchase this volume—or the series—would come up wanting.
ARLIS
Jacketed Cloth
Yolanda López The first book-length exploration of the prominent Mexican American visual artist's career
Gronk The first major book devoted to the influential Chicano artist
Carmen Lomas Garza Explores the art of the celebrated Chicana artist who depicts her childhood in the Mexican American community of South Texas
Celia Alvarez Muñoz Considers the work of this provocative and pioneering Chicana multimedia artist
Rafael Ferrer The first major account of the celebrated Puerto Rican artist
Pepón Osorio Explores the award-winning Puerto Rican artist whose work challenges common myths of society and human relationships
Ricardo Valverde Tracing the remarkable path of photographer Ricardo Valverde's art and life
María Brito Exploring the art and personal iconography of the prominent Cuban-born American sculptor and installation artist


text:
Q: Sentiment analysis Pipeline, problem getting the correct feature names when feature selection is used In the following example I use a twitter dataset to perform sentiment analysis. I use sklearn pipeline to perform a sequence of transformations, add features and add a classifer. The final step is to visualise the words that have the higher predictive power. It works fine when I don't use feature selection. However, when I do use it the results that I get make no sense. I suspect that when feature selection is applied the order of the text features changes. Is there a way to work around that?
The code below has been updated to include the correct answer
from sklearn.base import BaseEstimator, TransformerMixin
from sklearn.pipeline import Pipeline, FeatureUnion

features= [c for c in df.columns.values if c  not in ['target']]
target = 'target'

#train test split
X_train, X_test, y_train, y_test = train_test_split(df[features], df[target], test_size=0.2,stratify = df5[target], random_state=0)

#Create classes which allow to select specific columns from the dataframe

class NumberSelector(BaseEstimator, TransformerMixin):

    def __init__(self, key):
        self.key = key

    def fit(self, X, y=None):
        return self

    def transform(self, X):
        return X[[self.key]]

class TextSelector(BaseEstimator, TransformerMixin):

    def __init__(self, key):
        self.key = key

    def fit(self, X, y=None):
        return self

    def transform(self, X):
        return X[self.key]

class ColumnExtractor(TransformerMixin):

    def __init__(self, cols):
        self.cols = cols

    def fit(self, X, y=None):
        # stateless transformer
        return self

    def transform(self, X):
        # assumes X is a DataFrame
        Xcols = X[self.cols]

        return Xcols

class DummyTransformer(TransformerMixin):

    def __init__(self):
        self.dv = None

    def fit(self, X, y=None):
        # assumes all columns of X are strings
        Xdict = X.to_dict('records')
        self.dv = DictVectorizer(sparse=False)
        self.dv.fit(Xdict)
        return self

    def transform(self, X):
        # assumes X is a DataFrame
        Xdict = X.to_dict('records')
        Xt = self.dv.transform(Xdict)
        cols = self.dv.get_feature_names()
        Xdum = pd.DataFrame(Xt, index=X.index, columns=cols)

        # drop column indicating NaNs

        nan_cols = [c for c in cols if '=' not in c]
        Xdum = Xdum.drop(nan_cols, axis=1)
        Xdum.drop(list(Xdum.filter(regex = 'unknown')), axis = 1, inplace = True)

        return Xdum

def pipelinize(function, active=True):
    def list_comprehend_a_function(list_or_series, active=True):
        if active:
            return [function(i) for i in list_or_series]
        else: # if it's not active, just pass it right back
            return list_or_series
    return FunctionTransformer(list_comprehend_a_function, validate=False, kw_args={'active':active})

#function to plot the coeficients of the words in the text with the highest predictive power
def plot_coefficients(classifier, feature_names, top_features=50):

    if classifier.__class__.__name__ == 'SVC':
        coef = classifier.coef_
        coef2 = coef.toarray().ravel()
        coef1 = coef2[:len(feature_names)]

    else:
        coef1 = classifier.coef_.ravel()

    top_positive_coefficients = np.argsort(coef1)[-top_features:]
    top_negative_coefficients = np.argsort(coef1)[:top_features]
    top_coefficients = np.hstack([top_negative_coefficients, top_positive_coefficients])
     # create plot
    plt.figure(figsize=(15, 5))
    colors = ['red' if c < 0 else 'blue' for c in coef1[top_coefficients]]
    plt.bar(np.arange(2 * top_features), coef1[top_coefficients], color=colors)
    feature_names = np.array(feature_names)
    plt.xticks(np.arange(1, 1 + 2 * top_features), feature_names[top_coefficients], rotation=90, ha='right')
    plt.show()

#create a custome stopwords list
stop_list = stopwords(remove_stop_word ,add_stop_word )

#vectorizer
tfidf=TfidfVectorizer(sublinear_tf=True, stop_words = set(stop_list),ngram_range = (1,2))

#categorical features
CAT_FEATS = ['location','account']

#dimensionality reduction
pca = TruncatedSVD(n_components=200)

#scaler for numerical features
scaler = StandardScaler()

#classifier
model = SVC(kernel = 'linear', probability=True, C=1, class_weight = 'balanced')

text = Pipeline([('selector', TextSelector(key='content')),('text_preprocess', pipelinize(text_preprocessing)),('vectorizer',tfidf),('important_features',select)])
followers =  Pipeline([('selector', NumberSelector(key='followers')),('scaler', scaler)])
location = Pipeline([('selector',ColumnExtractor(CAT_FEATS)),('scaler',DummyTransformer())])
feats = FeatureUnion([('text', text), ('length', followers), ('location',location)])
pipeline = Pipeline([('features',feats),('classifier', model)])
pipeline.fit(X_train, y_train)

preds = pipeline.predict(X_test)

feature_names = text.named_steps['vectorizer'].get_feature_names()
feature_names = np.array(feature_names)[text.named_steps['important_features'].get_support(True)]

classifier = pipe.named_steps['classifier']

plot_coefficients(classifier, feature_names)

Before feature selection

After feature selection

To use feature selection I change the following lines of code from
text = Pipeline([('selector', TextSelector(key='content')),
                 ('text_preprocess', pipelinize(text_preprocessing)),
                 ('vectorizer',tfidf)])

to
select = SelectKBest(f_classif, k=8000)
text = Pipeline([('selector', TextSelector(key='content')),
                 ('text_preprocess', pipelinize(text_preprocessing)),
                 ('vectorizer',tfidf),
                 ('important_features',select)])

A: Why this is happening
This is happening because Feature selection selects the most important features and discards the other, so that the indices don't make sense anymore.
Suppose you have the following example:
X = np.array(["This is the first document","This is the second document",
"This is the first again"])
y = np.array([0,1,0])

Obviously, the two main words that drive the classification are "first" and "second". With a pipeline similar to yours, you would do:
tfidf = TfidfVectorizer()
sel = SelectKBest(k = 2)
pipe = Pipeline([('vectorizer',tfidf), ('select',sel)])
pipe.fit(X,y)

feature_names = np.array(pipe['vectorizer'].get_feature_names())
feature_names[pipe['select'].get_support(True)]

>>> array(['first', 'second'], dtype='<U8')

As a result, what you need to do is not only to get the features from the tfidf vectorization, but also to select the indices kept by the feature selection through pipe['select'].get_support(True).
What to change in your code
Hence, what you should change in your code is just adding this line of code:
feature_names = text.named_steps['vectorizer'].get_feature_names()
## Add this line
feature_names = feature_names[text['important_features'].get_support(True)]
##
classifier = pipe.named_steps['classifier']
plot_coefficients(classifier, feature_names)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Lane produces architectural, medical, people, product advertising, editorial work, design and photography artwork. Lane has worked as an illustrator for over 30 years and attended Paier School of Art in New Haven, CT and The School of Visual Arts in New York City. His editorial work has been featured in numerous children's books, newspapers and magazines. His artwork has been exhibited at the Society of Illustrators in New York and numerous galleries.


But of course, when I'm at home, if ever I'm tempted to read a book, a part of me is braced for the phone to ring or the chime of "you've got mail" in the next room. So I interrupt myself even if it doesn't interrupt me. And if ever I'm tempted to look at the stars, I think, oh no, there are a thousand things I have to do around the house or around the town. Or if I'm involved in a deep conversation, I think, oh, the Lakers game is on T.V. I should do that. And so one way or another, I always cut into my own clarity and concentration when I'm at home. And it reminded me why sometimes people like me have to take conscious measures to step into the stillness and silence and be reminded of how it washes us clean, really.
— Pico Iyer in his On Being conversation with Krista Tippett.
Pico puts perfectly and beautifully, as he always does, a phenomenon I've thought about as pre-distraction distraction.
Pre-distraction distraction means that the activities I'm willing to put my mind to are always small, and are always far down on the list of importance, because we expect the interruption that is to come. And when we expect that interruption, we are never willing to engross ourselves in the Dostoevsky we have always intended to read, or to write that polemic about the state of concentration in the modern world, because we know we will only last five minutes before the distraction comes.
Instead we scroll through Twitter or Instagram, perhaps reply to a few brief emails (ignoring the meaningful ones that require one's full attention), or we browse through a picture-filled magazine until, inevitably, comes the vibration in the pocket or the chime from the laptop.
Without distraction-free places our minds come to take on the the tasks that we anticipate can be completed before the distraction comes. And who ever learned or accomplished anything great in five minutes?


text:
Q: Mysql slow.log user specific I use a slow.log logging on my MySQL server, to catch bottlenecks in my script, but at the same time, i use phpmyadmin on this server. My script and pma has different MySQL user accounts and now, when i analyzing the slow.log file, i see a lot of spam from pma queries, is it possible, to configure the MySQL to logging a slow queries only from specific users?

A: You can try to analyse your slow log with the Percona tool pt-query-digest and use the option :
–filter '($event->{user} || "") =~ m/john/'

Max.


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Adventurous Tastes: Is Whoopie Pie the new cupcake?
Is Whoopie Pie the new cupcake?
The NY Times has an article this week about the sudden national prominence of the previously regional Whoopie Pie. Check it out here.
I made whoopie pies back in fall, and I admit I'm a convert. These fluffy cake like cookies sandwich a thick layer of decadent frosting. Why should people in Maine have all the fun?
The classic version is often chocolate with vanilla icing, but I made Martha Stewart's pumpkin version with cream cheese icing. They were completely addictive and gone in a flash! Granted pumpkin is seasonal, but even the professional baker in the NY Times article says that people seek her version out year round. Yum!


Take a break from the heat and dust of the city, to cool Dalhousie. Explore this charming town where several cultures intermingle harmoniously, for 3 days. Take a bracing walk on Thandi Sadak and indulge in delicious gulab jamoons. Enjoy the mesmerising panoramic views of the stunning snow-capped mountains at Dainkund Peak and Bakrota Hills.
Arrive in Delhi by Air or Train. Today morning pickup from Delhi airport/ railways station and drive to Dalhousie . Evening Reach in Dalhousie ,check into hotel . Dinner and overnight stay in Hotel.
Today morning after breakfast drive to Khajjiar, one of the most scenic saucer shaped Plateau and is surrounded by dense pine and deodar forests, its beauty has further been enhanced by a small lake in the center with a floating island and 9-hole golf course here are the other interesting places to cover. Return to Dalhousie Hotel.
Today Morning After Breakfast Drive to Chamba Valley. The Chamera Dam Lake is one of the modern engineering marvel of the State of Himachal Pradesh, as also provides an opportunity to have a exiting boating trip around the magnificent lake. This backwater lake is formed on River Ravi, which originates from Manimesh, a scared pilgrim and abode of Lord Shiva. This fresh water lake is around 5 km and around 150 mts deep.Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Dharamshala.
MAP meals plan - 2 Bed teas, 2 Breakfast, 2 Dinner.


text:
'Meet Dave' premiere
Getty ImagesActor Ed Helms arrives at the Premiere Of 20th Century Fox's "Meet Dave" at on Wednesday at The Mann Village, in Westwood, Calif.
Getty ImagesActor David Henry arrives at the Premiere Of 20th Century Fox's "Meet Dave" at on Wednesday at The Mann Village, in Westwood, Calif.
Getty ImagesActress Elizabeth Banks (L), director Brian Robbins and actor Scott Caan pose at the premiere of 20th Century Fox's "Meet Dave" at the Mann Village Theater on Wednesday in Los Angeles, Calif.
Getty ImagesActress Gabrielle Union arrives at the Premiere Of 20th Century Fox's "Meet Dave" on Wednesday at The Mann Village, in Westwood, Calif.
Getty ImagesActress Jo Champa arrives at the Premiere Of 20th Century Fox's "Meet Dave" on Wednesday at The Mann Village, in Westwood, Calif.


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Two men arrested on Queen Street following train station stabbing. Best dating website for Brisbane? Just wondering what you guys think is the best dating site to use for Brisbane? I'm not great at breaking the ice in person, so I thought I would give online dating a shot.
Online Dating Brisbane Russian women pay great attention to these sites. It is an easy way for them to establish contact with a foreign man, and there are many Russian brides download many of their best photos to try to attract the men.


text:
arrow-logo
==========

arrow-logo is an implementation of the LOGO programming language.

Prerequisites
-------------
You need the dart-sdk for web development installed.
You need to have webdev activated globally.
It is recommended to also have run this, for simple serving.
`pub global activate dhttpd`

Running
-------

Assuming you have dart installed and webdev activated globally.

```
make get
make serve
```

Deploying
---------

```
make
```

References
----------

* http://www.nostalgia8.nl/drlogo.htm great collection of Dr. Logo resources


text:
Q: Cannot re-install Canon printer Have been at this for over 2 and 1/2 hours trying to figure out, any suggestions much appreciated
Canon MG5700 series on updated Ubuntu

*

*Checked USB cable and printer functions working (from printer controls)

*Tried installing from extracted downloaded Canon printer driver - no work

*Tried to install via Synaptic - no work

*Tried install from Ubuntu database of printer drivers (MS5700 no there so tried generic) no work

*Tried tweaking from CUPS - says printer there but still - no work


With an extensive range of unit dose powder samplers, we can sample anything from normal free flowing powders to cohesive sticky powders. Our range of Unit Dose Samplers allows accurate samples to be quickly taken.
The range has been designed to meet the latest GMP requirements.
The range of powder samplers include multilevel and single point samplers.


The Arts Every Day Schools Program is a three-stage model designed in partnership with Baltimore City Public Schools for school communities committed to growing a schoolwide Arts Integration Initiative. Arts Every Day provides Partner Schools with professional development, a framework of progress – known as the Stages Guide – for building its own unique school wide Arts Integration Initiative, as well as funding for arts programming to support classroom instruction.
Applications are available mid March for partnership the following school year.
If you have questions about partnership, please email Carla Blackwell, Schools and Partnerships Manager, at carla@artseveryday.org or call our offices at 410.685.1172.


text:
Q: Set nil *int32 struct field using reflection I'm trying to set the value of a nil *int through reflection.
In the example below, replaceNilWithNegativeOne should replace any nil *int32 field (tagged with grib:"foo") with a pointer to -1.
However, when the code is run, reflect is panicking with panic: reflect: reflect.Value.Set using unaddressable value.
I've seen almost the exact question I'm asking here in several other places, such as:

*

*Using reflect, how do you set the value of a struct field?

*Using reflect, how do you initialize value of a struct pointer field?

*reflect.Value.Set using unaddressable value

*Set a pointer to a field using reflection

*As well as non SO research.

I know the answer must be in those responses somewhere, but I am still having trouble connecting the dots. I've tried several implementations in addition to the one you see in the example below, but they all seem to either lead to either a segfault, or, more frequently, the unadressable value panic.
It is clear to me that fieldPtr.CanSet() == false, but, that being said, how would I go about accomplishing what it is that I want to accomplish?
Example
// https://play.golang.org/p/yZOtYxwTzUs
package main

import (
    "log"
    "reflect"
    "strings"
)

func main() {
    type testStruct struct {
        SomeField *int32 `grib:"foo"`
    }
    testStructInstance := testStruct{
        SomeField: nil,
    }
    replaceNilWithNegativeOne(testStructInstance)

    if *testStructInstance.SomeField != int32(-1) {
        // We never get here
        log.Println("Didn't get set")
    }
}

func replaceNilWithNegativeOne(obj interface{}) (err error) {
    objType := reflect.TypeOf(obj)
    for i := 0; i < objType.NumField(); i++ {
        if t, ok := objType.Field(i).Tag.Lookup("grib"); ok {
            if strings.Contains(t, "foo") {
                fieldPtr := reflect.ValueOf(obj).Field(i)
                if fieldPtr.Kind() != reflect.Ptr {
                    // do some stuff
                    break
                }
                if fieldPtr.IsNil() {
                    v := -1
                    // I know this isn't working because the CanSet() == false
                    // But I want to set the value to -1.
                    fieldPtr.Set(reflect.ValueOf(&v))
                    continue
                }
            }
        }
    }
    return
}

A: There are two issues here.  The first is that an addressable value is required. Pass a pointer to the struct to the function instead of the the struct value:
replaceNilWithNegativeOne(&testStructInstance)

In the function, call Value.Elem() to get the reflect value for the struct.
The other issue is that the code assigns an int to an int32. Use int32(-1) to fix the problem.
Here's the updated function with these changes:
replaceNilWithNegativeOne(obj interface{}) (err error) {
    v := reflect.ValueOf(obj).Elem()
    t := v.Type()
    for i := 0; i < t.NumField(); i++ {
        if grib, ok := t.Field(i).Tag.Lookup("grib"); ok {
            if strings.Contains(grib, "foo") {
                fv := v.Field(i)
                if fv.Kind() != reflect.Ptr {
                    // do some stuff
                    break
                }
                if fv.IsNil() {
                    iv := int32(-1)
                    fv.Set(reflect.ValueOf(&iv))
                    continue
                }
            }
        }
    }
    return nil
}

Playground Example


Our self sufficient "Stand-alone unit V60" in the standard version is fitted with 4 non-exchangeable glass tanks – each with 10 sections and a limpid lid for each section.
Water supply of each section in front side over single water-supply lines for flow control at each section. Drain over pre-filter pads at the back.
Each of the sections is equipped with our convenient filter pad. This filter pad benefits breeding and husbandry of each size of Zebrafish from embryos to adults. Further advantage is that food cannot flush out of the cabins; fishes may eat calmly.
An installation of this unit by our mechanics is needed - please ask for an individual offer.


text:
Q: Permission problem when installing RStudio in an Ubuntu Bionic Beaver (18.04), x86_64 I am experiencing similar problems to user Aurele in this forum: https://community.rstudio.com/t/cannot-install-rstudio-desktop-on-my-linux-machine-permission-problem/7264. My error message:

~/Downloads$ sudo dpkg -i rstudio-xenial-1.1.463-amd64.deb
  (Reading database ... 239410 files and directories currently installed.)
  Preparing to unpack rstudio-xenial-1.1.463-amd64.deb ...
  Unpacking rstudio (1.1.463) ...
  dpkg: error processing archive rstudio-xenial-1.1.463-amd64.deb (--install):
   unable to open '/usr/lib/rstudio/www/rstudio/0E471A7ED100AFCB82EF81C71F4D11F4.cache.js.dpkg-new': Operation not permitted
  Processing triggers for shared-mime-info (1.9-2) ...
  Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme (0.17-2) ...
  Processing triggers for gnome-menus (3.13.3-11ubuntu1.1) ...
  Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils (0.23-1ubuntu3.18.04.1) ...
  Processing triggers for mime-support (3.60ubuntu1) ...
  Errors were encountered while processing:
   rstudio-xenial-1.1.463-amd64.deb

I tried installing other older versions of rstudio (rstudio-1.0.153-amd64.deb, rstudio-0.99.903-i386.deb)

~/Downloads$ sudo gdebi rstudio-1.0.153-amd64.deb
  Reading package lists... Done
  Building dependency tree
  Reading state information... Done
  Reading state information... Done
  RStudio
   RStudio is a set of integrated tools designed to help you be more productive with R. It includes a console, syntax-highlighting editor that supports direct code execution, as well as tools for plotting, history, and workspace management.
  Do you want to install the software package? [y/N]:y
  (Reading database ... 239410 files and directories currently installed.)
  Preparing to unpack rstudio-1.0.153-amd64.deb ...
  Unpacking rstudio (1.0.153) ...
  dpkg: error processing archive rstudio-1.0.153-amd64.deb (--install):
   unable to open '/usr/lib/rstudio/bin/r-ldpath.dpkg-new': Operation not permitted
  Processing triggers for shared-mime-info (1.9-2) ...
  Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme (0.17-2) ...
  Processing triggers for gnome-menus (3.13.3-11ubuntu1.1) ...
  Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils (0.23-1ubuntu3.18.04.1) ...
  Processing triggers for mime-support (3.60ubuntu1) ...
  Errors were encountered while processing:
   rstudio-1.0.153-amd64.deb
~/Downloads$ sudo dpkg -i rstudio-0.99.903-i386.deb
  Selecting previously unselected package rstudio:i386.
  (Reading database ... 239410 files and directories currently installed.)
  Preparing to unpack rstudio-0.99.903-i386.deb ...
  Unpacking rstudio:i386 (0.99.903) ...
  dpkg: error processing archive rstudio-0.99.903-i386.deb (--install):
   unable to create new file '/var/lib/dpkg/info/rstudio.list-new': Operation not permitted
  Processing triggers for shared-mime-info (1.9-2) ...
  Processing triggers for gnome-menus (3.13.3-11ubuntu1.1) ...
  Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils (0.23-1ubuntu3.18.04.1) ...
  Processing triggers for mime-support (3.60ubuntu1) ...
  Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme (0.17-2) ...
  Errors were encountered while processing:
   rstudio-0.99.903-i386.deb

As you can see, each error is in a different folder. I have tried sudo apt-get autoremove and sudo apt-get autoremove rstudio, and even forced the removal of a conflicting package (rstudio:i386) and later reinstall, without success. rstudio appears as not having been installed at all.

sudo apt-get autoremove rstudio
  Reading package lists... Done
  Building dependency tree
  Reading state information... Done
  Package 'rstudio' is not installed, so not removed
  0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

Aurele's topic was not solved in the end. Would anyone have an idea of what is happening? Thanks!


text:
Canadian PM Trudeau announces legislation to 'freeze' handgun ownership, buy back 'assault-style weapons'
By Paul Best
Justin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, speaks during a press conference at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on Monday, May 30, 2022.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that his government is introducing legislation to "implement national freeze on handgun ownership" throughout the country.
"What this means is that it will no longer be possible to buy, sell, transfer, or import handguns anywhere in Canada," Trudeau said at a press conference.
"We recognize that the vast majority of gun owners use them safely and in accordance with the law, but other than using firearms for sport shooting and hunting, there is no reason anyone in Canada should need guns in their everyday lives."
Canadian Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino also said that a mandatory buyback program for "assault-style weapons" will go into effect later this year if the bill passes, calling it Canada's "most significant action on gun violence in a generation."
BIDEN CALLS 9MM 'HIGH-CALIBER WEAPONS,' SUGGESTS BANNING THEM
"The first AR-15s and other assault style firearms will start to be bought back by the end of this year," Mendicino said. "It's going to be hard, but we're going to get it done."
About 55,000 new handguns have been registered annually in Canada per year over the last decade, Mendicino said.
The legislation will also create new red flag laws that will allow courts to remove guns and suspend licenses for people who pose a threat to themselves or others. Magazines that hold more than five rounds will also be banned under the new laws.
In August 2020, a gunman used both rifles and handguns to kill 22 people around Nova Scotia, in what was Canada's deadliest mass shooting history.
GET UPDATES ON THIS STORY AT FOXNEWS.COM.
Delta flight attendant sits, comforts jittery passenger in touching photo
$1M Mega Millions ticket sold in NJ
Top Reads on FOX5NY
MSG facial recognition: James Dolan gives exclusive interview on FOX 5
James Dolan threatens to not serve alcohol at an upcoming Rangers gams.
Sinkhole opens up in Long Island home's front yard; 3 rescued
Three people were rescued after a sinkhole opened up in the front yard of a home in Suffolk County, police said.
Here are the dirtiest cities in the U.S.
In a list that no one wants to be on, Houston has been named the dirtiest city in the United States.
Certain baby names are reportedly "at risk" of going "extinct" in 2023, according to a new report from a parenting resource.


PHUKET: For its organisers, the waste management campaign march at Srisoontorn village in Moo 8 in Thalang district last weekend was a small step towards better local environmental awareness.
They hope that more Phuket villages will follow in their green footsteps.
The awareness campaign was inspired by the daily routine of villager Wiroj Kerdpon, who usually collects garbage as he does his daily exercise walks.
Inspired by his example, the local residential committee decided to run a village-wide waste management campaign as part of its sustainable village project.
In the new campaign, residents were shown how to separate their daily waste. They also learned how to use organic waste to produce Effective Microorganisms (EM) balls, which help to chemically balance and improve the soil in an organic way. Most of the villagers earn their living from agriculture.
The village committee plans to establish a recycling market for villagers to exchange or trade in refuse.
"Getting full cooperation from every villager will take time," said Mr Wiroj. "Lack of cooperation is a barrier in this awareness education campaign." Some villagers now collect rubbish around their homes but not yet in public areas.
To encourage greater participation, last Sunday (January 16) the committee marched around in a colourful waste-collecting parade, joined by many villagers, some dressed in bits of refuse. Children were also encouraged to join, in order to raise aware of what they need to do to achieve a cleaner future.
"Our campaign must be on-going," said Mr Wiroj, who believed that with a continuing campaign, more villagers would realise the importance of waste management.


The UK leaving the EU will have a deeper impact on the FX industry than the SNB crisis had.
Victor Golovtchenko contributed to this article.
Apparently every year a mega event is bound to happen – January 2015 saw the SNB bomb hit the markets, while June 23rd 2016 is going to be remembered as the day that the Brexit happened. The Brexit, however, is not at all similar to the SNB crisis – it's a lot more challenging.
In 2015 the SNB unexpectedly removed the peg for the Swiss franc, sending shock waves across the financial industry and especially across currency trading, with the EUR/CHF pair being affected the most.
Most of the firms involved in FX trading were caught off guard with our analysis indicating that the industry lost over a billion dollars within minutes – and this excluded changes in market caps for firms such as FXCM which due to major losses went from a valuation of over a billion dollars to less than 100 million dollars almost overnight.
Most severely affected were banks and STP brokers that had to hedge positions with counterparties which either refrained from pricing or priced aggressively off-market, thus exacerbating losses for those brokers.
Ironically it was the market makers, which are usually characterized as 'unfair' by traders for taking sides against them, that actually finished that day in profit. Beyond the massive losses to some brokers and banks, the industry as a whole was largely unaffected with just a handful of brokers going out of business or taking emergency capital injections.
While the SNB event 'started' and 'ended' within minutes, Brexit is a completely different animal. Its consequences are much more long term and a lot less clear. The timing of the event was known well in advance and most banks and brokers had thoroughly prepared for it.
Whether the outcome was to be in or out, brokers took different measures to hedge themselves against either outcome. Up to this point we have not received any information about any broker taking a big hit; on the contrary, we are bombarded by company announcements mostly sharing that everything went smoothly. This could indeed be the case.
The market however is missing a crucial point – Brexit has two sides to it. The first and the easiest to analyze is the market impact: changes in rates, volatility and potential gains/losses for brokers and traders.
This would be the end of the story were Brexit to fail, however it didn't, and the aftermath is much harder to analyze from the financial industry's perspective as a whole. With the UK poised to leave the EU, a large number of questions are set to arise concerning the future of EU regulation.
For instance – will London continue to be Europe's main financial hub and what is the alternative, if any? Will British brokers be allowed to market to EU customers or vice versa? Will European brokers be allowed to acquire British customers? Will the FCA break free from MIFID or continue with a MiFID-like framework emulating its main points?
There are myriad other issues to consider and there's really just one legit answer – only time will tell. I will however offer my perspective on the matter.
London was, is and quite likely will still be Europe's main financial hub for the foreseeable future. The main reason however is not its tradition and infrastructure, but simply the lack of a suitable runner up.
In financial services London was the winner that took it all in Europe. It has by far the largest concentration of financial institutions, arguably the best and most agile regulatory framework with the FCA being the model regulator for any other regulator in the world.
There is also no doubt that London has the best infrastructure including the biggest trading data centers. It's home to Europe's largest or 2nd largest stock exchange, depending on how you measure it. The city is also home to myriad regional and global banks and of course it has one of the most skilled workforces worldwide, with hundreds of years of tradition and experience.
In addition to that, let's not forget the English language which is a second language for pretty much anyone dealing with finances. While all of the above could be rivaled separately by Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt, Brussels, Luxembourg, Geneva, Zurich and a few more, none of those could offer anything near the complete package that London does.
Last but not least, London is 7 hours away from New York by plane. In the longer term all of the above could be replicated in another location with the right focus and investments, but this would take years, if not decades – something the EU currently doesn't have and London wouldn't be happy to find out either. Clearly there is a reason why the City of London was one of the few regions that strongly voted in.
What is the biggest risk then? I would say it's financial regulation. I've set some of the questions above, and the main one would be – could the UK really exit the EU in terms of financial regulation? I think it would be immensely difficult and wrong for both parties to do that. In the case of full separation, both the UK and the EU are set to lose a lot.
That said, I believe this to be the less likely scenario – the FCA has been heavily involved in drafting MiFID II and it is Europe's leading regulator which means that basically FCA helped shape MiFID II in wake of its own regulation – meaning the framework is quite similar.
Here is the right moment to mention that Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein are also members of MiFID, and they are not members of the European Union. That said, these countries are also maintaining an open border policy and contributing to the EU's budget about 85 per cent of what a regular member country does.
The ideal scenario would then be that the UK and EU work out a harmonized financial regulation for the benefit of both parties, passporting to be replaced with a new but similar mechanism and so forth.
I'm sure however that the FCA would now have a much stronger say on who can market to British citizens and what instruments/offers they could make. One of the bigger faults of the EU's financial regulation was that licensing in any state would open the gates to all other states – without them being able to oppose the issue.
Having said that, there are bigger forces at play here which have less rational considerations in mind, and just as with any theory or analysis, only time will tell who's wrong or right. But there is no doubt that the Brexit is going to have a much more profound impact on the financial and trading industries than the SNB crisis ever did.
Well, the FM London Summit will certainly have a lot to talk about. I would consider adding an extra day (or 1/2 day) just to analyse the fallout off the brexit decision.
Your analysis isn't so far off. SNB was a one-off eventuality (the floor had to give at some point…they just lied about when). Brexit is more complex because it is ongoing in nature (not just the initial referendum, but we've got 2-3 years to see the fallout of the divorce).
@Jon are you telling we will finally get to see you?
We'll see if I can make it out. Unlikely though.
Very well written article, Michael. While depth of impact and ramifications are still unknown, this is a well thought-out analysis and hits critical points!
This is a very good article. Absolutely first class and very smart analysis on why London will – probably – maintain its leading role as the #1 financial center in Europe.
Regulation is a very important point: I fully agree.
I say, new plan –> new opportunities.


text:
Home / Headlines / Police, Subah Arrest More SIM BOX Fraudsters
Police, Subah Arrest More SIM BOX Fraudsters
Posted on July 18, 2015 by theheraldteam in Headlines
By Gifty Arthur
The Anti-Telecom Fraud Task Force, made up of detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), personnel from the National Communications Authority (NCA), Telecommunications Service Providers with a state-of-the-art technology provided by SUBAH Infosolutions Ghana Limited, have arrested three suspect for engaging in SIM BOX fraud.
The suspects, who diverted their share of the booty into a private escrow account abroad, denied government, some US$196,992. 00.
The three, including a 16-year-old minor, Nicholas Ntsu, Selassi Dorfenyo 24 and Eric Agbanya 30, both business men, were arrested on July 6, 2015 by the team, during a swoop in Tema Community 12 in the Greater Accra Region.
Meanwhile, sources at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) reveals to The Herald that, the contract with the SUBAH Infosolution, is raking a whopping GH¢50 million into state coffers on monthly basis.
Recently, a year's contract was signed between the company and GRA, while government takes steps to establish the Interconnect Clearing House under Ministry of Communication. This was after the last deal expired in May, this year.
The taskforce is able to perform this operation primarily, because of the technical support at their disposal from SUBAH, which is able to detect the exact location of the fraudsters, leading to their arrests.
The recent arrest, comes months after the team arrested six others, including a founding member of the Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA), Dr. Alexander Tweneboah, who is still facing criminal trial in court.
This brings to 24, the number of arrests made in the last 7 months as persons involved in SIM box fraud.
At a media briefing yesterday at the Police Headquarters in Accra where two of the three arrested suspects were shown to the media, the Director-General of the CID, Commissioner of Police (COP), Prosper Kwame Agblor said, the three suspects were found at their base, busily scratching and loading top-up cards unto SIM cards to feed the SIM boxes which were operational at the time of their arrest.
The team in a search at the premises of the suspects retrieved 2 SIM Boxes, 700 MTN SIM cards, 100 Airtel and MTN Top-up cards, a generator, heavy duty batteries, 1 laptop, 1 mini tablet and 16 antennas.
During interrogation, suspects Selassi and Nicholas, mentioned one Eric Akpanya, as the one who engaged them to assist him operate the SIM Boxes.
The following day July 7, 2015, suspect Eric, was apprehended and he confessed his involvement in the crime. Eric, told the team he had a Lebanese national as his partner in the operation, who is yet-to-be arrested.
According to COP Agblor, "the suspects have confessed operating this illegal business for the past four months". Since 2011, the team according to COP Agblor, have had three suspects convicted, discharged 4, 10 pending, 1 case to the A-G's Department for advice while 6 suspects are on the run.
Charges to be preferred against the suspects includes, money laundering, while their accounts and asserts are likely to be seized by the states.
He warned that with the equipment provided by SUBAH Infosolutions, experts in revenue assurance, document digitization, banking solutions and rural telephony, they would locate the hideouts of these nation wreckers, "and that we shall continue to pursue such fraudsters until SIM Box fraud is brought to its barest minimum if not eradicated".
The General Manager Business Development of SUBAH Infosolutions, Redeemer Kwame, reiterated his outfit's commitment to work with the agencies involved in the operation to clampdown these fraudsters.
"The consistency with which we have performed our duties could not have been possible without the support we have received from the National Communications Authority [NCA], the security agencies and the telecommunication operators and we assure you that together, we will succeed and ensure that SIM boxing become history", he said.
The Director-General of the NCA, William Tevie, noted that the many arrests that have been made in parts of the country including Accra, Kumasi and Tema 'has truncated an estimated loss of fifty-two million dollars of revenue that was due to be received from service providers abroad if the calls had passed through the licensed international gateways to Ghana'.
On the 700 SIM Cards retrieved from this month's arrest, Mr. Tevie, urged the Police to investigate in details, the SIM Cards and activation of such numbers for this illegal bypass of international traffic.
The exercise is part of the special SIM fraud triangulation project by the stakeholders like SUBAH and the Police CID to digitally locate and confiscate SIM boxes used in the illegal business.
A SIM box fraud, is a setup in which fraudsters install SIM boxes with multiple low-cost prepaid SIM cards and terminate international calls through local phone numbers to make it appear as if the call is a local one.
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According to legend, it was goatherds who discovered the stimulating effects of coffee. They noticed that their goats became especially active whenever they fed on the red cherries of the coffee bush. Curious, the herdsmen tried the beans themselves and discovered the effect they had. They kept experimenting until they unlocked the delicious scent of the brown beans by roasting them. Once they had discovered how to grind the beans, they were finally able to enjoy coffee as a drink.
The first clues about how coffee was used can be found in the Bible. In the first Book of Moses (XXV, 30) and in the Book of Samuel (XVII, 28), the story of the Queen of Sheba is told, proving that even then there were lively relations between the Ethiopian Highlands and the lands of the Arab world. Could coffee have been among the Queen of Sheba's gifts?
Right up until medieval times, coffee was transported arduously on caravan routes from the Ethiopian Highlands to the Red Sea. Later, coffee began to be planted in the terraced gardens of Yemen, and from what was then the port city of Mocha, it began its conquest of the world. As the cultivation of coffee spread throughout Oceania and South and Central America, the country in which coffee originated was gradually forgotten.
Even today, coffee cherries in Ethiopia are harvested mainly in primeval forests of wild coffee bushes or in small farmers' plantations. The climate, the fertile soils and an altitude of 2,000 metres above sea level give rise to coffee of exceptional quality – particularly on certain hillsides in the Sidamo district.
Picture caption (top): Queen Makeba, ruler of Ethiopia, visiting King Solomon in Jerusalem. The queen brought many precious gifts from her homeland.


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Didelphodon (May 2017)
Mammals lived during the Mesozoic Era when dinosaurs ruled the earth, but they were relatively small, never growing much larger than a modern opossum. Because many early mammals were small and likely nocturnal, for years Mesozoic mammals have been portrayed as tiny and weak, often depicted hiding under forest growth from the huge, lumbering monsters who ruled during the daylight hours. While this was certainly true of many mammals, it was not the case for all of them. Didelphodon was relatively small, but was certainly not a weakling.
Fossil of the Month: Didelphodon
Many of the earliest mammals from the Triassic and Jurassic periods were nocturnal insectivores, an ecological niche that quite a few mammals still occupy today, such as bats and aardvarks. Didelphodon may have been nocturnal, but was more likely crepuscular, which means that it was most active in the twilight hours around dusk and dawn.
The ferocious Didelphodon, posed eating a hard-shelled mollusc. Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston, TX. Photo credit: John Gnida
Didelphodon, meaning "two-womb-tooth," was a marsupial mammal that lived at the very end of the Cretaceous period, alongside dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops. In fact, it is the only mammal fossil that has been recovered from this time period in North America. That doesn't mean that it was the only mammal, of course. Fossils from small animals are very rare, particularly those of mammals and small dinosaurs. Smaller bones tend to be very delicate and aren't often preserved in the fossilization process. Individual bones from mammals have been found, but these are difficult to place in a family without more associated bones.
Until recently, only parts of the jaw and skull of Didelphodon had been discovered. In the last ten years, however, a fairly complete (30-40%) fossil skeleton has been uncovered in South Dakota, probably well-preserved because it was buried after it died in its burrow. With a body about the size of a large otter, it was obviously very small compared to the huge dinosaur giants of the day. Nevertheless, Didelphodon was one of the largest mammals from the Mesozoic Era. The comparatively large skull suggests that this animal was a predator that likely ate a widely varied diet. Didelphodon had large crushing teeth reminiscent of the modern Tasmanian devil, and suggest a diet that probably consisted of hard-shelled animals such as clams or turtles most likely supplemented with a variety of other foods including small marine invertebrates and perhaps even some plants.
Didelphodon mount at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, Woodland Park, CO. Photo credit: John Gnida
The skeleton was found near an ancient riverbed, and this fact, along with the shape of the body, suggests Didelphodon was a semi-aquatic animal. It was undoubtedly very active, and was certainly a predator with its several types of teeth made for both cutting and crushing. It had very large premolars and extremely powerful jaws, no doubt making Didelphodon a terror of its Cretaceous river environment.


RIKEN CSRS and RIKEN BioResource Center undertook joint research involving a single-cell genome analyses of one of the surface symbiotic bacteria of a protist. The analyzed bacteria were found to have various catabolic enzymes for breaking down cellulose and hemicellulose, suggesting that the bacteria could have a symbiotic role, efficiently breaking down, or "pretreating," lignocellulose before ingestion by the protist.
The ability of the termite gut to efficiently break down lignocellulose is generally thought to be the work of protists, but this research presents the possibility that symbiotic bacteria on the surface of protists also contribute to the breakdown.
Advancing knowledge of how protists and their bacteria coordinate their decomposition systems could be applied to creating efficient lignocellulose breakdown systems. Further advances in single-cell genome sequencing should also shed light on the until-now obscure roles of individual microbes.
"Dominant ectosymbiotic bacteria of cellulolytic protists in the termite gut also have the potential to digest lignocellulose".


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Drake Generates Album Hype with Pop-up Merchandise Shop
By Hannah Abrams
Image via Instagram
With Drake's new album, "Views from the 6," set to drop April 29, fans eagerly are devouring any information the artist supplies. Earlier this week, Drake announced a cryptic message on Twitter, indicating fans should stop by a specific address in New York City at 4 p.m. April 18.
Those who were able to check out the event were rewarded with a pop-up merchandise shop, powered by Apple's Beats by Dre, according to Stereogum. Unlike Kanye West's pop-up shop in March, Drake's event gave away merchandise for free in support of the upcoming LP.
Naturally, the lines to get into the pop-up shop were vast, but that did not deter fans from putting in the time. Inside the pop-up shop, fans were rewarded with minimalist black and white T-shirts with "Views" imprinted on the front.
Drake announced on Twitter yesterday that he was doing another pop-up shop in Miami, which took place at 5 p.m. Similarly to the New York event, fans lined up in droves, and after waiting in line for two hours, were rewarded with the same 100 percent cotton T-shirt that was made in Mexico, according to the Miami New Times.
MIAMI TODAY #VIEWS
500 NW 23RD ST - MIAMI. 5PM
Powered by @beatsbydre pic.twitter.com/gLGwXUf4If
— Drizzy (@Drake) April 19, 2016
No word yet on whether the artist will announce similar pop-up shops in any other major metropolitan cities, but it's safe to assume that if he does, it will be another fan frenzy.
Either way, these two pop-up shops, alone, stirred up a ton of hype for his "Views from the 6" album release.
E Hannah Abrams Author's page
Hannah Abrams is the senior content editor for Promo Marketing. In her free time, she enjoys coming up with excuses to avoid exercise, visiting her hometown in Los Angeles and rallying for Leonardo DiCaprio to win his first second Academy Award.
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Every now and then, we release new firmware versions for our SH100 and upgrading your SH100's firmware allows your device to be compatible with the new features that we release. Aside from being able to use the new features, you are also upgrading the security of your network through the security updates and patches that are included in the new firmware version.
Log in to your MyWiFi dashboard.
Proceed to the Devices section.
Click Edit Device to begin the firmware upgrade procedure.
Click the Upgrade Firmware button in the Info tab.
Thoroughly read and understand the upgrade notes.
Upgrade your firmware ONLY if you have a stable internet connection. 3G/4G/LTE connections are not stable internet connections and an unstable wireless signal can brick your SH100, rendering it broken/unusable.
Once you have read and understood the upgrade notes, click the Confirm Upgrade button.
The upgrade will last about 5 minutes. Once your SH100 reboots and returns to normal operative state, the firmware upgrade has been successful.
Grab a bite! You have successfully upgraded your SH100's firmware.
Why am I not seeing Presence Analytics on the SH100?


Evidence based approach on how to respond effectively to those who are engaging in non-suicidal self-harm.
It is strongly influenced by Narrative Therapy, in that it takes a position of curious and respectful enquiry to the stories of those who consult with us (the mental health professional), developing a re-authoring approach to stories about their lives and the role self-harm has played. The program also includes some cognitive behavioural coping strategies, as well as some art therapy ideas where a less verbal approach has proved invaluable in being able to express feelings and tell stories in meaningful ways.
This workshop builds on the introductory workshop, so those attending workshop 2 must also attend workshop the day prior (Introduction to Alternatives to Self-Harm).
Workshop 2 will be targeted specifically for those who offer individual treatment or therapy. The underlying evidence-based principles of the Alternatives Self Harm approach learned in Workshop 1 will be further explored with experiential tasks including role play to enhance your learning.
Find out what helps and what hinders in the attitude of staff when supporting a client to change self-harming behaviour.
Understand how self-harming 'helps' the client and is best understood before offering alternative (and safer) coping strategies.
Discover how building an Emotional First Aid Kit with your clients must be matched to their needs, and not be a random Pick-N-Mix approach.
Grasp the X Factor: Know why a self-contract, not a contract with you/your service, is more likely to succeed and know how to do this.
How to apply the APEX model to a case example & create a first aid kit matched to that case example.
Practice and gain confidence in using the Stop & Think strategy.
Understand how to use the Emotional Intensity Continuum.
Create an XYZ contract with a case example where the purposes are matched to 3 alternative strategies.
Frontline staff who regularly interact with these groups on a day-to-day basis and need to have some practical tools and insights to brief interventions that will allow them to support the person who is currently self-harming.
Typically therapists who are focused providing therapeutic interventions as the main component of their role.
Diane Clare is a registered clinical psychologist who trained at the University of Canterbury. Diane has worked in mental health and counselling services since 1981, first as a grief counsellor then as a psychotherapist, before becoming registered as a psychologist in 1993. She has worked in leadership and Director level roles across a range of services in both NZ and the UK including primary care, adult mental health, forensic, intellectual disability and tertiary student services.
While in the UK in 2005 she developed the Alternatives to Self Harm programme and has presented her work internationally since 2012. Now based in Nelson New Zealand, Diane is a seasoned presenter and provides a range of workshop options with an emphasis on practical solutions for clinical staff. She has a specialist interest in working with people recovering from the effects of complex trauma.


I've pretty much switched to Vibrax. I started finding the build quality of Mepps to not be that great anymore. The shaft often bends to easily, and the spinning action stops.
With my old engine...2006 optimax...I never fogged it. Ran stabil at end of year...and put it away (after changing the lower unit oil). It was stored in a shelter...etc. Never had a problem. But that was only my experience. Others may have had issues with a motor seizing....so it may come down to peace of mind. My new ETEC has a self "fog"...injects more oil into the cylinder. So I did that this year, since it is part of the motor anyway.
I have used Bounce Sheets since I started storing my boat. Got that from people that used them in their RV's. I put them all throughout the Boat. I have never had Mice - but no idea if the Bounce Sheets are actually doing anything. However - my Dad's boat was next to mine in Storage - and he had mice in the Motor casing (because of the sound insulation). No bounce sheets in his boat - so take it for what it is worth.
Got to try the winterization feature on Friday. Figured since I may not make it out again - and I was on the water - why not. Have to say - it is a GREAT feature. Wonder why it took so long for someone to build it into the Engine. Took about 2 minutes - motor is fogged. The bonus is, if I want to go out again, I just go. I can run the process again when I am done.
Thanks for the tips. The G1 has a separate Oil Tank - will be interesting to see if it does the same thing. I have not received my Warranty Info yet. I was told it would come by mail - but may have to follow up with where I purchased it from. Not sure how they can deny warranty based on a Propeller - but good to check it out. I have ordered the BRP Diagnostic Software and cable. Hopefully I will get it before the season ends, so I can do out and do another prop test. I am not 100% convinced my Tach is showing me the right numbers. I can run the motor with a Laptop connected to verify. Right now my slip numbers are coming in around 22% which seems awfully high. I can't see what else can be done - the cavitation plate is on the surface at full trim.
Oh...we fished them 1st....but nothing was hitting for us that day sadly.
They have icon gauges...which I believe are similar. I did not look to heavily into it, so not sure what features it has. Ya...the trolling option it pretty slick.
Nice. Have not made it up there yet this year - hope to before the season closes.
My best results have been out through the straight, and into G'bay. Last year I had lots of smallies, all around any rock/shoal that you could fine - at the same time of year. I believe it was warmer however. I did get some Pike follows as well, and hooked up on a couple - nothing really big though. Look for my posts, I am pretty sure I put some of the pictures up. I have yet to catch anything in Moon River and/or Blackstone. I am pretty sure I did get a musky strike one year trolling - as the Twister tail I was running on a lure came back - without the tail. Let us know how you do. I keep trying - won't be up there this year unfortunately, or probably would have seen you on the water.
Simcoe - Smallies or Pike?
Going to be heading out on Saturday out of Kempenfelt. Two part really - 1st is to test a new Prop. But once that is out of the way, going to fish for the day. Probably head up towards Orillia and/or go down to Cooks Bay. Not looking for your Hot Spots - more of a general idea of what the fish are doing (of course if you want to share some areas, feel free to do so 😁). This will be my 1st time fishing on it this year, so definitely out of practice.
Wondering if anyone was using this prop on your motor. Would like some feedback, etc. Performance on these sound close to Stainless Steel, though I am sure it won't be as good. Might decide to stick with Aluminum if this make is any good. Would be going with a 14.5 19P most likely. Thanks.
I tried out my Aluminum Prop on the weekend. Hole Shot was almost scary - top end was actually 1 or 2 KM faster than the SS I had. However the Aluminum was smaller diameter (though same pitch). I think I like the larger diameter prop - the entire boat felt way more stable at high speed, then with the Aluminum (it is supposed to be my backup prop anyway). This will be due to the larger surface area, which can bite more water - and I think the weight of the prop too. There are some cons too it as well - when I slow down, it is like putting your face through the windshield -> and turning to the Right is much more difficult, but I think I can correct that with adjusting the fin on the motor slightly. I am trying a different style of SS - maybe this weekend. But pretty sure I am going to order the Large Diameter Rebel - but at a 17P instead of a 19P, so I can get the RPM's maxed out where they should be. Then when I add people and/or equipment, I will be in the proper range for the motor to work. 72KM/H in this boat is plenty fast enough 😎, as I have discovered.
That is correct - I am in the range. However if I start adding weight to the boat (i.e more people, which I do quite often) I will fall out of the range. From the reading I have done, you want to get as close to the red line as you can. Figure dropping down a pitch on the bigger prop will do nicely. Hole Shot was not the greatest either.


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What is a Solicitation document?
Procedural Issues
Technical Requirements and Evaluative Criteria
Responsive vs. Responsible Offeror
Advertising a Solicitation
Content of the Solicitation Announcement
Due Date for Responses to the Solicitation
A solicitation is a process of notifying prospective or qualified offerors that a school wishes to receive bids or proposals on the specified product or service. A "solicitation document" is a formalization of this process in a written format. Solicitations include request for pricing (i.e. 3 bids and a buy), Invitation for Bid (IFB), and Request for Proposals (RFP), which may be required to be made public through advertising, mailings, or some other method of communication.
Solicitation documents will vary greatly depending on the procurement method chosen. Regardless of procurement method all solicitation documents should contain enough information to permit the potential offeror to submit an adequate response.
Solicitation documents contain the following areas of importance. Schools should not limit themselves to only these elements if additional beneficial elements are identified.
the name and contact information of the contact person at the school,
general descriptions of the goods or services to being procured,
how the goods and/or services will be used,
eligibility requirements of offerors,
estimated quantities of goods or services,
purchasing method (request for pricing (i.e. 3 bids and a buy), Invitation for Bid (ITB), or Request for Proposals (RFP)),
type of contract (i.e., fixed-price, cost-reimbursable with a fixed fee, total cost bids, or line-item bids),
payment provisions including invoice and billing procedures, method, and schedule of payments,
duration of the contract,
bonding requirements, if applicable, and
the laws and regulations that govern the procurement and the awarded contract.
Procedural Issues:
how and who to contact at the school,
the date and time by which the bid or proposal is due,
allowable methods for offerors to submit a response (i.e., by mail, hand delivery, fax, electronic mail, in a sealed envelope with the solicitation number and due date and time on the outside),
a request for the signature of the authorized representative that can bind the offeror contractually,
pre-bid meeting and conference information, including a notice when attendance is mandatory, if applicable,
clarification procedures that the school will use to explain the solicitation and respond to questions,
required forms and certifications that must be completed and submitted with the bid or proposal (i.e., non-procurement debarment and suspension, or anti-lobbying, etc.),
an explanation of how the school will proceed if a contract cannot be executed with the apparent successful offeror,
cancellation, withdrawal, and reissuance procedures that the school will use when the solicitation is withdrawn for cause or convenience,
protest procedures that are available to offerors to resolve disputes, objections, and procurement protests, and
an explanation of what method and criteria will be used for evaluating responses, including factors and weighting information.
Technical Requirements and Evaluative Criteria:
specifications that describe the required characteristics of the goods and/or services (remember that when one known brand name or product is used as the "quality standard," regulations require the solicitation to say "brand name or equal"),
cost requirements/pricing mechanism of goods and/or services (i.e., costs will be evaluated based on unit prices);
offeror's years of experience,
offeror's past performance,
delivery terms such as time or days of delivery, unloading and shelving services, distribution of materials, location(s) of delivery, etc.,
whether subcontracting will be permitted, and
offeror responsibility.
Only offerors that are responsive and responsible offerors can be considered for awarded contract. An offeror who is responsible and submits a responsive offer is one:
who clearly indicates compliance without material deviation from the solicitation's terms and conditions, and
who possesses, at the time of contract award, the experience, facilities, reputation, financial resources, and other factors necessary to fulfill the terms of the contract successfully.
The solicitation document must include a description of how an offeror demonstrates compliance for this requirement.
Formal procurement method requires public announcement of the solicitation. This is a critical part of the procurement process. The school must announce its solicitation in way that does not restrict free and open competition.
When advertising a solicitation a school needs to consider the following:
the content of the solicitation announcement,
the due date of the offer, and
the manner in which the solicitation will be advertised.
Types of public announcement methods may include:
state designated newspapers,
trade periodicals,
designated Internet sites,
direct mailings to known vendors (see "Note" below), and
other print media that serves the business community and general public.
Schools may want to consider using more than one announcement method to reach the widest possible audience.
The content of the solicitation announcement should be sufficient enough in scope to allow offerors to identify:
the general nature of the goods or services to be procured,
the method of procurement that will be used (i.e., informal (3 bids and a buy) or formal (RFP or IFB)),
how they can obtain the solicitation or more information, and
the due date for responses to the solicitation.
The solicitation must be advertised sufficiently in advance of the due date to permit potential offerors the opportunity to obtain the solicitation and prepare a response.
The following must be taken into consideration when determining the due date:
the complexity of the solicitation requirements,
the time needed for pre-bid/award meetings, site visits, etc., and
Federal due date requirements:
FSMC solicitations for all Child Nutrition Programs, except the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), must be announced at least 21 days (10 days prior to the pre-bid meeting and 10 days after the pre-bid meeting) in advance of the due date,
SFSP FSMC solicitations must be announced at least 14 days in advance of bid opening, and
in absence of applicable State and local rules, other solicitations should be publicly announced at least 21 days before the response is due, unless an emergency or good cause exists for expediting the acquisition.
Providing ample time between the advertisement and date of submission may make the difference in receiving many effective responses versus few ineffective responses. Schools should be cognizant of holidays and not build in short timeframes that restrict competition. Schools can potentially open themselves up to a bid protest if respondents believe the timeframes were set too quickly to eliminate competition.
Back to Formal Procurement Page