text:
Q: What is more important in a test set sensitivity/specificity or ROC AUC I am working on a diagnostic test (I'm not a statistician) I used a logit model for regression with the help of another student who has since graduated.
I separated my data into a Training and Test Set. In the training set I have an AUC of 0.94 and a sensitivity/specificity of .87/.92.
In the test set I have an AUC of 0.88 (which seems acceptable)  but the sensitivity/specificity is .43/.92 if I use the same threshold as in the training set.
Is it an error to change the threshold? and also how can I describe my data in terms of its ability in diagnosis. What could cause this?
Would it be reasonable to say that "the test seems to have a reproducible specificity but many cases may be missed" or does this mean that the validation completely failed.

Training set ROC

Test Set ROC

A: If you used k-fold cross validation (CV) you would be in a better position to evaluate these performance metrics. Splitting data into training and testing one time (and then determining performance: sens, spec, AUC) is inefficient and does not provide an optimal measure of performance (see Ron Kohavi's paper on CV).  I like to repeat 10-fold CV a total of ten times, whereby each time I shuffle the order of the objects so that the folds contain different objects each time -- this is called a $repartition$, and in the end the process is called "ten 10-fold CV."
Sounds like you used CV for feature selection. If you trained using all the objects and then tested with a sub-sample, the classifier learned information from objects that are in the test set, which is biased. CV prevents that from happening. For example, use 10-fold CV. Permute (randomly shuffle) the objects and divide uniformly into 10 folds (partitions). Train with folds 2-10, and test with the 1st fold. Then train with the 1st and 3rd-10th folds, and test with the 2nd fold. Continue until you train with folds 1-9 and test with the 10th fold.
You can average sens, spec, and AUC over the 10 folds, or just keep padding (appending) ones to the confusion matrix throughout testing of the ten folds, and then determine sens, spec, AUC with the single confusion matrix. To understand the latter, for each tested object, a one is added to confusion matrix element in the row representing the true class, and the column representing the predicted class.  When done, classification accuracy is the sum of diagonal elements divided by sum of all matrix elements, because diagonal elements represent objects whose true class and predicted class are the same. Sens, spec are just variations on this theme.

A: Generally speaking, there is ample literature on characteristics of diagnostic tests (eg the
Joanna Briggs Institute Guidelines or the Cochrane Methods Section on Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies) detailing which statistics should be computed in a diagnostic test accuracy study.
Briefly, you should first identify true positives (TP), true negatives (TN), false positives (FP), and false negatives (FN):

Then, you can compute:

*

*prevalence, defined as (TP+FN)/(TP+FN+TN+FP);

*sensitivity,defined as TP/(TP+FN);

*specificity, defined as TN/(TN+FP);

*diagnostic odds ratio (DOR);

*positive predictive value (+PV);

*negative predictive value (-PV);

*positive likelihood ratio (+LR), defined as sensitivity/(1-specificity);

*negative likelihood ratio (-LR), defined as (1-sensitivity)/specificity;

*area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating curve (ROC).

The most accurate and robust statistics are +LR, -LR, and AUC, as they are less dependent on disease prevalence. In addition, diagnostic tests may have prognostic features, and you could also envision randomization to a diagnostic test.
Let's now focus on your questions:

Is it an error to change the threshold?

It could be risky, amounting to data massaging, unless you have sound clinical reasons to do that. Remember that the threshold you are proposing to readers is one only and should be stable for subsequent clinical application.

How can I describe my data in terms of its ability in diagnosis?

That's difficult to say without looking at the actual curves. It might be you have few cases and a few misdiagnoses are very impactful.

What could cause this?

As above, if your sample is small with few or many diseased cases even few misdiagnoses can be impactful on sensitivity and specificity.

Would it be reasonable to say that "the test seems to have a reproducible specificity but many cases may be missed" or does this mean that the validation completely failed?

I would also compute DOR, +LR, and -LR. If they are consistent, you can simply state that in your sample sensitivity is not the appropriately stable and precise statistics to describe the diagnostic accuracy of your test.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
No evidence of pets transmitting COVID-19 to humans, says Malaysias veterinary services department
KUALA LUMPUR: Pet owners in Malaysia have been asked not to be too alarmed about their pets being possible spreaders of the COVID-19 virus, and there was no need to subject the animals to coronavirus testing.
In a statement to address concerns on whether pets can transmit the virus to their owners, the Malaysian Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) said on Tuesday (Apr 7) that there were few COVID-19 cases involving pets so far.
"Although human COVID-19 infections are high, the cases among pets are isolated as pets cannot be infected naturally. To date, the source of infection for animals is from humans," it said.
READ: 'Theoretical possibility' that COVID-19 can spread from pets to humans, says MOH
The DVS said that while pets can be infected with the coronavirus, it would only cause a mild infection on them.
The viral load in the animals is also too low to be transmitted to humans, it added.
The DVS also cited an excerpt from a report by the World Organisation for Animal Health, which stated further studies are underway to understand if and how different animals could be affected by the coronavirus.
FILE PHOTO: A man wears a protective face mask sitting next to his dogs, following the outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Hong Kong, China March 6, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
The DVS' statement was issued following Health Ministry director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah's Monday Facebook post on pets and COVID-19 infections. He advised people to maintain good hygiene at all times, including when coming in contact with animals and pets.
On Monday, news broke that Nadia, a Malayan tiger and six other big cats at the Bronx Zoo in the United States, were infected with COVID-19 and showed minor symptoms, after coming into contact with an asymptomatic zookeeper. They were expected to make a full recovery, the zoo said.
This handout photo released by Wildlife Conservation Societys Bronx Zoo on April 5, 2020 shows the Malayan tiger Nadia who tested positive for Covid-19. A tiger at New York's Bronx Zoo has tested positive for COVID-19, the institution said Sunday, and is believed to have contracted the virus from a caretaker who was asymptomatic at the time. (Photo: AFP/Wildlife Conservation Society/Julie Larsen Maher)
There have been other isolated cases of pets infected by COVID-19 through their owners, such as two cases involving dogs in Hong Kong, and two cases with cats in Hong Kong and Belgium.
The DVS also advised pet owners who suspect themselves to be infected with COVID-19 to distance themselves from their pets. Pet owners should also maintain their personal hygiene, while ensuring their pets welfare, it added.
DON'T ABANDON PETS IN FEAR OF INFECTION: VET
Malaysia Small Animal Veterinary Association (MSAVA) president Gopinathan Gangadharan stressed that there was no known cases of pet-to-human transmission of COVID-19.
Speaking to CNA, he urged pet owners not to panic and abandon their animals in fear of being infected, as animal welfare is governed by law.
"If you are sick or in quarantine and cant take care of the pet, you cannot just abandon the animal.
"If possible, ask a trusted family member to help you until youre well or consult your nearest veterinarian," said Dr Gopinathan.
He added that currently in Malaysia, there are no veterinary clinic or private laboratory conducting tests for COVID-19 in animals.
Dogs wearing masks are seen aRead More – Source
SC seek Centre's response on plea for evacuating Indian students stranded in UK
Beijing-backed AIIB approves emergency loan to China to help with coronavirus response
Will.i.am's augmented reality revolution
EU's anti-Trump hit list: Everything including the kitchen sink
Chinese President will visit Pyongyang 'soon,' official says
Freddie Ljungberg delighted to return to Arsenal as U23 head coach

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The iHart server uses the library openCV to detect motion and faces in a video feed.
to create interactive programs that utilize computer vision.
When starting the program, a prompt appears with the option to choose a camera index.
windows will appear: if not all are visible, drag the top one(s) out of the way.
simply change the position of the trackbar.
Drawing on work done by Cleo Schneider and Audrey St. John.
to any programs listening to the server socket (in SocketHandler).
until the user drags the start trackbar to 1, starting the rest of the program.
Create the GUI for the server.
the rest of the program when prompted.
@param x: unused parameter; remains for method signature to be correct.
Searches for motion in the video feed; puts the found motion in data.shellList (instances of Blob).
after also merging them when they are within mergeDistance of each other.
@param contours: the raw data for the motion.
@param hierarchy: the hierarchy of the contours.
Convert the raw face data into instances of Blob, stored in data.faceList.
@param rawFaceList: the raw face data returned from detectMultiScale.
list (shellList) in their stead. The process is repeated until no more overlapping blobs are found.
@param shellList: the list of blobs to attempt to combine.
(The only way to escape the loop is to drag the quit trackbar to 1).
Start the main program (sensing motion and sending it to clients).
@param cameraIndex: which camera to connect to.


text:
Q: How to vlookup in text files with Powershell I have 2 txt files:
ConfigurationFile:
ABC_LKC_FW_PATH:  \\PathToABCFolder
QWE_LKC_MW_PATH:  \\PathToQWEFolder
DEF_BKC_FW_PATH:  \\PathToDEFFolder
ERT_BKC_MW_PATH:  \\PathToERTcFolder
and the other with parameters
ChoosenConfig:
ABC_LKC_FW_PATH
ERT_BKC_MW_PATH
My script reads and parses the configuration file to name and value.
I need to read from the ChoosenConfig file and use the value of the string in the ConfigurationFile.
No idea how to do it...
Script so far:
$IniFile_NME = "$SmokeTestFolder\SanityTests\Config\ConfigToParse.ini"
dir $IniFile_NME

$InputFile = [System.IO.File]::OpenText("$IniFile_NME")

while ($InputRecord = $InputFile.ReadLine()) {
    # Display the current record
    Write-Host "`$InputRecord=$InputRecord"
    Write-Host ""

    # Determine the position of the sign (:)
    $Pos = $InputRecord.IndexOf(':')
    Write-Host "`$Pos=$Pos"

    # Determine the length of the record
    $Len = $InputRecord.Length
    Write-Host "`$Len=$Len"

    # Parse the record
    $Variable_NME = $InputRecord.Substring(0, $Pos)
    $VariableValue_STR = $InputRecord.Substring($Pos + 1, $Len -$Pos -1).ToUpper()

    Write-Host "`$Variable_NME=$Variable_NME"
    Write-Host "`$VariableValue_STR=$VariableValue_STR"

    # Create a new variable based on the parsed information
    New-Variable -Force -Name $Variable_NME -Value $VariableValue_STR.Trim()

   # new-variable -name $Variable_NME -value $VariableValue_STR
   Get-Variable -Name $Variable_NME
}
$InputFile.Close()

A: Whenever you need to look up some value by another value the datastructure of choice is a hashtable. Split your input at colons followed by whitespace (:\s*) and fill the hashtable like this:
$configs = @{}
Get-Content $IniFile_NME | ForEach-Object {
    $key, $value = $_ -split ':\s*'
    $configs[$key] = $value
}

Another option would be to use ConvertFrom-StringData. For that you need to transform the content of the INI file to a single string where the keys and values are separated by = instead of :.
$configs = (Get-Content $IniFile_NME -Raw) -replace ':\s*', '=' |
           ConvertFrom-StringData

Use Get-Content $IniFile_NME | Out-String instead of Get-Content $IniFile_NME -Raw if you're still using PowerShell v2 or earlier.
Once you have the data in a hashtable, you can look up your configs like this:
Get-Content $chosenConfigsFile | ForEach-Object { $configs[$_] }


text:
Search CTV Windsor Close
1616 Ouellette Avenue goes into 'Crisis Management' following evacuation
Residents being evacuated at 1616 Ouellette Ave apartment building in Windsor, Ont. on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022. (Sijia Liu/CTV News Windsor)
The president and CEO of Marda Management says her company is assessing the requirements of an aging apartment close to Windsor's downtown.
"We are working with the owners — with the expertise from a crisis management prospective to help expedite repairs and address issues," said Marla Coffin.
About 100 tenants were ordered by the city to evacuate from their units on Nov. 22 because there has not been any working heat this fall.
New owners, who took over the property earlier in the fall, provided space heaters for tenants to stay warm, only to reveal other issues like unstable electrical power.
"The building is beautiful…," but Coffin added, "….the building has a lot of needs."
Coffin said the owner retained her company to help address those needs.
She pointed out, "Marda Management has been operating properties in Windsor and Chatham-Kent for 12 years," and believes her vendors can start to assess priorities.
The City of Windsor and the Canadian Red Cross opened an emergency shelter at the John Atkinson Memorial Community Centre, where 43 residents have registered to stay.
"Many went to family and friends for suitable accommodation," said Donna Girard, the emergency management coordinator for the Red Cross.
Coffin is unsure of how long the tenants will be without their homes, as crews are doing their own assessment.
However, she told CTV News she might have a better idea by the end of the week.


text:
NewsACT Politics
news, act-politics,
The ACT government will spend $100 million on improvements to public housing and projects to grow the number of affordable dwellings in Canberra, including efforts to kick start the build-to-rent sector. The upcoming territory budget will earmark $80 million over three years for public housing maintenance and add $19 million to the growing and renewing public housing program. The budget will also include $720,000 over four years to open an expressions of interest process for firms eager to build and operate long-term affordable rental housing in build-to-rent schemes. The ACT government is also set to nominate blocks in Turner and Lawson for expressions of interest in a build-to-rent project. The first stage of a build-to-rent model at the existing common ground site in Gungahlin will receive $640,000 in the 2021-22 financial year. The funding will cover due diligence work, site feasibility investigations and a concept design, and help the ACT government determine whether it builds and operates the project or another provider does. Chief Minister Andrew Barr has previously stressed the importance build-to-rent projects will have in ensuring Canberra has a steady supply of affordable housing. Mr Barr told The Canberra Times in May he had been knocking on the doors of industry superannuation funds to attract investment in build-to-rent projects in the territory, pitching the ACT as a simpler jurisdiction to work in with fewer layers of government. "Money is burning a hole in their pocket and they're looking to make some long-term social investments. They don't need, given where interest rates are, 7 to 11 per cent returns on these things; 3 to 5 [per cent] is fine, particularly over a 20-year, 25-year investment, with a capital gain potentially at the end of that," he said. "It's worked in other cities. We should be able to make it work here." Mr Barr said at the time the territory government was actively assessing its land release program looking for potential sites for build-to-rent projects. The ACT government will also restructure financial support and negotiate a long-term agreement with Community Housing Canberra Limited to manage the government's affordable rental properties. Housing and Suburban Development Minister Yvette Berry said the budget allocation showed the government was committed to its public housing portfolio. "In particular, the maintenance funding injection reflects our commitment to continuously improving the efficiency and effectiveness of maintenance services to provide homes that suit the diverse needs of our tenants," Ms Berry said. MORE A.C.T. POLITICS NEWS: The ACT government has previously brushed off calls from the Canberra Liberals to take stock of all public housing dwellings and bring any substandard properties up to scratch. The opposition spokesman on housing, Mark Parton, had pointed to a high number of complaints from tenants to Housing ACT about maintenance issues. "I cannot get sensible answers from the government as to why there is this shortfall of maintenance that seems to be occurring now," Mr Parton said in April. Housing Services Minister Rebecca Vassarotti said the government would need to help people find housing as long as it was a market and not a human right. "The $80 million boost to public housing maintenance will ensure that public housing tenants are treated with the respect we would expect from any other landlord, and so people can be proud of their home," she said. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/35sFyBanpD896MKnAH5FRtj/982d5973-247d-45bc-8ec4-e02566361d05.jpg/r3_285_5566_3428_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
ACT budget 2021: $100m over four years for public housing, affordable build-to-rent programs
Jasper Lindell
The funding includes $80 million over three years for public housing maintenance. Picture: Dion Georgopoulos
The ACT government will spend $100 million on improvements to public housing and projects to grow the number of affordable dwellings in Canberra, including efforts to kick start the build-to-rent sector.
The upcoming territory budget will earmark $80 million over three years for public housing maintenance and add $19 million to the growing and renewing public housing program.
The budget will also include $720,000 over four years to open an expressions of interest process for firms eager to build and operate long-term affordable rental housing in build-to-rent schemes.
The ACT government is also set to nominate blocks in Turner and Lawson for expressions of interest in a build-to-rent project.
The first stage of a build-to-rent model at the existing common ground site in Gungahlin will receive $640,000 in the 2021-22 financial year.
The funding will cover due diligence work, site feasibility investigations and a concept design, and help the ACT government determine whether it builds and operates the project or another provider does.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr has previously stressed the importance build-to-rent projects will have in ensuring Canberra has a steady supply of affordable housing.
Mr Barr told The Canberra Times in May he had been knocking on the doors of industry superannuation funds to attract investment in build-to-rent projects in the territory, pitching the ACT as a simpler jurisdiction to work in with fewer layers of government.
"Money is burning a hole in their pocket and they're looking to make some long-term social investments. They don't need, given where interest rates are, 7 to 11 per cent returns on these things; 3 to 5 [per cent] is fine, particularly over a 20-year, 25-year investment, with a capital gain potentially at the end of that," he said.
"It's worked in other cities. We should be able to make it work here."
Mr Barr said at the time the territory government was actively assessing its land release program looking for potential sites for build-to-rent projects.
The ACT government will also restructure financial support and negotiate a long-term agreement with Community Housing Canberra Limited to manage the government's affordable rental properties.
Housing and Suburban Development Minister Yvette Berry said the budget allocation showed the government was committed to its public housing portfolio.
"In particular, the maintenance funding injection reflects our commitment to continuously improving the efficiency and effectiveness of maintenance services to provide homes that suit the diverse needs of our tenants," Ms Berry said.
MORE A.C.T. POLITICS NEWS:
Barr warns territory rights will become an federal election issue
First dedicated coroner to be appointed in ACT after funding boost
Canberra Hospital gets $90m boost for expanded ICU, emergency surgery
The ACT government has previously brushed off calls from the Canberra Liberals to take stock of all public housing dwellings and bring any substandard properties up to scratch.
The opposition spokesman on housing, Mark Parton, had pointed to a high number of complaints from tenants to Housing ACT about maintenance issues.
"I cannot get sensible answers from the government as to why there is this shortfall of maintenance that seems to be occurring now," Mr Parton said in April.
Housing Services Minister Rebecca Vassarotti said the government would need to help people find housing as long as it was a market and not a human right. "The $80 million boost to public housing maintenance will ensure that public housing tenants are treated with the respect we would expect from any other landlord, and so people can be proud of their home," she said.
Discuss "$100m in ACT budget for public housing, build-to-rent plans"


Litigation Considerations, Adequacy of Search: Regarding the Missile Defense Agency, the court holds that "the information in [defendant's] latest affidavit is still insufficient to allow a conclusion that records systems in other individual Directorates are either too burdensome to search or unlikely to contain responsive information." "Nor does the latest affidavit state that no such records systems exist." "Although there is 'no requirement that an agency search every record system' or 'provide a comprehensive list of record systems unlikely to contain responsive records,' an agency must nevertheless 'provide a reasonably detailed affidavit, setting forth the search terms and the type of search performed, and averring that all files likely to contain responsive materials were searched, as well as a general description of the structure of the agency's file system demonstrating why further search would be overly burdensome.'" The court finds that "[defendant's] conclusory statements about the extent of the agency's records search do not suffice as a 'general description of the structure of the agency's file system,' . . . nor do they provide enough information about [defendant's] recordkeeping system such that the Court can understand whether or why searches of any file systems not yet searched would be overly burdensome." The court finds similarly regarding the search justifications of the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Staff.


text:
<?php

namespace Toadsuck\Core\Tests;

use Toadsuck\Core\Database;

class DatabaseTests extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
{
	public function __construct() {
		error_reporting(E_ALL);
	}

	public function testCanParseDsn()
	{
		$dsn = Database::parseDsn('mysql://un:pw@hostname/dbname');

		$this->assertArrayHasKey('driver', $dsn);
		$this->assertArrayHasKey('host', $dsn);
		$this->assertArrayHasKey('database', $dsn);
		$this->assertArrayHasKey('username', $dsn);
		$this->assertArrayHasKey('password', $dsn);

		$this->assertEquals('mysql', $dsn['driver']);
		$this->assertEquals('hostname', $dsn['host']);
		$this->assertEquals('un', $dsn['username']);
		$this->assertEquals('pw', $dsn['password']);
	}

	public function testCanParseDsnNoPassword()
	{
		$dsn = Database::parseDsn('mysql://un@hostname/dbname');

		$this->assertArrayHasKey('driver', $dsn);
		$this->assertArrayHasKey('host', $dsn);
		$this->assertArrayHasKey('database', $dsn);
		$this->assertArrayHasKey('username', $dsn);
		$this->assertArrayHasKey('password', $dsn);

		$this->assertEquals('mysql', $dsn['driver']);
		$this->assertEquals('hostname', $dsn['host']);
		$this->assertEquals('un', $dsn['username']);
		$this->assertEquals(null, $dsn['password']);

		$dsn = Database::parseDsn('mysql://un:@hostname/dbname');

		$this->assertArrayHasKey('driver', $dsn);
		$this->assertArrayHasKey('host', $dsn);
		$this->assertArrayHasKey('database', $dsn);
		$this->assertArrayHasKey('username', $dsn);
		$this->assertArrayHasKey('password', $dsn);

		$this->assertEquals('mysql', $dsn['driver']);
		$this->assertEquals('hostname', $dsn['host']);
		$this->assertEquals('un', $dsn['username']);
		$this->assertEquals(null, $dsn['password']);
	}

	public function testCanQueryORM()
	{
		$this->databaseInitSimple();

		$result = \Toadsuck\Core\Tests\App\Models\Captain::where('last_name', 'Kirk')->first();
		$this->assertEquals('James', $result->first_name);
	}

	public function testChainedQueryBuilder()
	{
		$this->databaseInitSimple();

		$result = (object) \Illuminate\Database\Capsule\Manager::table('captains')->where('last_name', 'Kirk')->first();
		$this->assertEquals('James', $result->first_name);
	}

	public function testUnhainedQueryBuilder()
	{
		$this->databaseInitSimple();

		$query = \Illuminate\Database\Capsule\Manager::table('captains');
		$query->where('last_name', 'Kirk');

		$result = (object) $query->first();
		$this->assertEquals('James', $result->first_name);
	}

	public function testORMChainedQuery()
	{
		$this->databaseInitSimple();

		$result = (object) \Toadsuck\Core\Tests\App\Models\Captain::queryBuilder()->where('last_name', 'Kirk')->first();
		$this->assertEquals('James', $result->first_name);
	}

	public function testORMUnchainedQuery()
	{
		$this->databaseInitSimple();

		$query = \Toadsuck\Core\Tests\App\Models\Captain::queryBuilder();
		$query->where('last_name', 'Kirk');
		$result = (object) $query->first();
		$this->assertEquals('James', $result->first_name);
	}

	public function testORMQueryBuilderShouldReturnEmptyArray()
	{
		$this->databaseInitSimple();

		$result = \Toadsuck\Core\Tests\App\Models\Captain::search(['first_name' => 'James', 'last_name' => 'Picard']);

		$this->assertTrue(empty($result));
	}

	public function testORMQueryBuilderShouldReturnOneResult()
	{
		$this->databaseInitSimple();

		$result = \Toadsuck\Core\Tests\App\Models\Captain::search(['first_name' => 'James']);

		$this->assertTrue(count($result) == 1);
	}

	public function testORMQueryBuilderShouldReturnThreeResults()
	{
		$this->databaseInitSimple();

		$result = \Toadsuck\Core\Tests\App\Models\Captain::search(['first_name' => 'J']);

		$this->assertTrue(count($result) == 3);
	}

	public function testCanQueryMultipleORM()
	{
		$this->databaseInitComplex();

		$beer_result = App\Models\Beer::find(1);
		$captain_result = App\Models\CaptainComplex::find(1);

		$this->assertEquals('IPA', $beer_result->name);
		$this->assertEquals('James', $captain_result->first_name);
	}

	protected function getTestDsnSimple()
	{
		return ['driver' => 'sqlite','database' => __DIR__ . '/resources/storage/example.sqlite'];
	}

	protected function getTestDsnComplex()
	{
		return [
			'example' =>
				['driver' => 'sqlite','database' => __DIR__ . '/resources/storage/example.sqlite'],
			'beers' =>
				['driver' => 'sqlite','database' => __DIR__ . '/resources/storage/beers.sqlite']
		];
	}

	protected function databaseInitSimple()
	{
		Database::init($this->getTestDsnSimple());
	}

	protected function databaseInitComplex()
	{
		Database::init($this->getTestDsnComplex());
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Three stunning ladies with amazing soul-voices, backed by a tight funky live-band, and a set-list that takes you through the history of Motown music.
The Supremes, The Jacksons 5, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and many more.
Picture stunning dresses, iconic dance moves, and the sensational sound of Hitsville USA. .
Motown Supremacy has lightened up many parties and corporate events over the recent years and has always managed to get the crowd dancing and singing along. If you want to be guaranteed of a succesful evening, you landed on the right page !
is mainly performing for corporate events and private parties. Here's a selection of happy clients.


text:
[COUNTERCULTURE & STUDENT MOVEMENTS] [VIETNAM PROTEST] HAEBERLE, Ronald L. (photograph)
Poster: Four More Years? Four More Years?
N.p. Artists' and Writers' Protest / Colorcraft, Inc., [1972]. First Edition. One of the most gruesome and effective pieces of propaganda to emerge during the Vietnam War, reproducing a photograph taken during the My Lai Massacre by U.S. Army photographer Sgt. Ronald L. Haeberle. This and other iconic photos were taken by Haeberle on March 16, 1968, using his personal camera, while assigned to follow Charlie Company into My Lai. Unlike the monochrome images which he returned to the Army, shot with a standard-issue Army camera, the color images he shot with his personal camera were brought back to the States, and sold to Life magazine, after Haeberle was honorably discharged. The photos were printed in the December 5, 1969 issue of Life, offering Americans a harrowing glimpse into some of the attrocities being committed overseas; his caption beneath this image read: "Most were women and babies. It looked as if they tried to get away." The poster was designed by members of the Art Workers Coalition and initially released in 1969, using the identical image, with the overlaid text reading: "Q: And babies? A: And babies." This version, published four years later, intentionally subverts Richard Nixon's campaign slogan "Four More Years," forcing Americans to ask whether or not they wanted Nixon for another term, and by extention, another four years embroiled in foreign conflict. OCLC notes a single holding (MoMA). Original photographic poster, offset printed in colors on white stock, measuring 96.5cm x 63.5cm (ca.38" x 25"). Some minor handling, trivial wear to extremities, else very Near Fine / A (unbacked).
Graphics & Original Art


text:
San Marcos de Neve
By: Bradley Folsom
Type: General Entry
San Marcos de Neve was a small Spanish villa (1808–1812) of approximately eighty-two persons located at the junction of the Camino Real and the San Marcos River. The Spanish government authorized the founding of San Marcos de Neve shortly after the United States's purchase of Louisiana in an effort to halt Anglo expansion, arrest contraband trade from the United States, and promote a ranching economy within Texas.
The population of San Marcos de Neve consisted almost entirely of persons born in New Spain. After receiving approval and funding from Gov. Manuel Antonio Cordero y Bustamante, a number of families from Refugio in Nuevo Santander departed for the San Marcos River on the Camino Real in December 1807. Led by Spaniard Felipe Roque de Portilla, these families arrived at the future site of the villa on January 6, 1808, and quickly set about building homes and a central plaza. They were joined shortly thereafter by a small contingent of soldiers from San Antonio under Juan Ygnacio de Arrambide, who issued thirteen town lots to residents in April 1808. By the following year, a number of additional families had joined the original settlers.
The people of San Marcos de Neve made their living primarily by raising livestock, with the vast majority of workers in an 1809 census listing herder or stockman as their profession. The ranchers raised cattle, horses, oxen, burros, and other forms of livestock for personal use and export. Although only one person on the 1809 census listed his profession as carpenter, it is possible that other residents of the villa had a skilled trade, but considered it secondary to their primary profession.
From the founding of San Marcos de Neve to its eventual abandonment in 1812, the settlement faced a litany of problems. On June 5, 1808, just a few months after the villa's founding, the settlement was overcome by a flood that washed through its plaza and destroyed a number of citizens' homes. Although settlers made preparations to rebuild the settlement on higher ground, they apparently never followed through with the idea. This same year, an almost complete crop failure forced residents to depend on their cattle herds. In 1809 settlers at San Marcos de Neve complained that Tonkawa attacks on the villa were so frequent that it was almost impossible to cultivate their land.
On July 27, 1812, a combined group of Comanche and Tawakoni Indians invaded San Marcos de Neve and ran off with some 205 horses. The small detachment of soldiers in the villa was powerless to stop the attack and unable to pursue the raiding Indians. Making matters worse for the civilians at San Marcos, a number of Comanches reported to Spanish officials in San Antonio that the attack was only a small part of a larger, multi-tribe effort to make war on the Spanish. Fearing that foreigners had been inciting natives, then Texas Gov. Manuel María de Salcedo recalled the soldiers of San Marcos in order to defend San Antonio. With no one left to guard against Indian raids, the people of San Marcos abandoned their homes, never to return. It appears that most of the settlers returned to Mexico.
Shortly after the abandonment of San Marcos, the commandant general of the Eastern Internal Provinces, Joaquín de Arredondo, ordered a massive fort built in the area to defend Spanish settlements against Indian raids. Workers quickly abandoned the project, however, because Comanches attacked them every time they went to chop wood for its construction.
In 1995 an archeological team under Nancy Kenmotsu located the remains of San Marcos de Neve in Hays County. Kenmotsu's inspection—and subsequent investigations in 1997 and 1998—found that although the villa contained a plaza, most of San Marcos's residents lived outside the town's center. Archeologists speculate that this could either be due to the villa's ranching focus or to residents rebuilding their homes on higher ground after the 1808 flood. In any case, the settlement pattern made it more difficult to defend against Indian attacks like the one that led to the villa's abandonment in 1812. A historical marker in Hays County designates the location of the former Spanish colony.
Carlos E. Castañeda, Our Catholic Heritage in Texas (7 vols., Austin: Von Boeckmann-Jones, 1936–58; rpt., New York: Arno, 1976). Mattie Austin Hatcher, The Opening of Texas to Foreign Settlement, 1801–1821 (University of Texas Bulletin, 2714, 1927). Christopher E. Horrell, "Archeological Investigations at the Spanish Colonial Villa de San Marcos de Neve," Bulletin of the Texas Archeological Society 70 (1999).
Bradley Folsom, "San Marcos de Neve," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed January 20, 2022, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/san-marcos-de-neve.


text:
Q: Singular/plural keyword search not working I am facing a problem with singular and plural keyword search.
For example, if I search men, it should return "men" and also "man". However, it is not working.

A: The easiest way is to use a SynonymFilter with those terms that you're aware of - the hard part is thinking of every alternative.
While you usually use stemming to get the common stem for words, this problem is known as lemmatization - where you're interested in the different forms of a word, and not the common stem.
For Solr your best bet is probably to be to go for something like Solr Lemmatizer by Nicholas Ding.


When I get ready to film, I try to make myself feel as confident and as calm as possible. I make myself a cup of tea to relax and then I take some time to do my hair and makeup. Once I establish my dog is happy, with a new treat, it is time to get ready to film.
I have three lights that I use to try and brighten the footage. I live in an apartment building, so I don't have a lot of options when it comes to natural light. I rely on the lights to enhance the setting.
I use a camera from canon. I don't believe it is available on Amazon anymore. I originally purchased it for work, but now use it for BookTube! Personally, I think you can tell the difference between a good quality camera and a poor one on YouTube. Hopefully, you think my footage is of good quality.
For my microphone, I use Rode VMGO Video Mic Go Lightweight On-Camera Microphone. I purchased it on Amazon for $99.00. I had this incredibly noisy neighbor (who was later asked to leave) and wanted to make sure that my internal microphone didn't pick up the external noises. Now, it just makes the audio so much better. It was a great purchase, I can really hear the difference.
Depending on the type of video, I may have an outline or notes to assist me with my filming. If it is an unboxing or a tag, I don't have any notes. But, if it is a book review, I have some of my thoughts written out before hand to ensure I don't skip or miss any key points.
If you have any additional questions, please let me know! Be sure to subscribe to my channel, Books Are My Hart, for new videos every Monday and Friday...with some additional ones during the week, too.


Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner projected to be selected at No. 1 overall by the Cardinals, visited with the New York Giants on Thursday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The Washington Redskins are next on the list for Murray to visit, and they'll host him next week. The Giants are comfortable with Eli Manning under center again in 2019, but they know they need to find his heir apparent. The Giants have the No. 6 overall pick in this month's draft.
Missouri quarterback Drew Lock has visits scheduled this week with the Washington Redskins and New York Giants. The Giants also spent time with Lock during his school's Pro Day and own the No. 6 and No. 17 picks in the first round. It's no secret that they are looking for Eli Manning's successor, and Lock could be that guy in the first round. Washington is also looking for more QB help despite trading for Case Keenum in the offseason. Alex Smith (leg) still isn't a lock to return to the league after a gruesome leg injury last season.
The New York Giants would love to find the successor to quarterback Eli Manning in this year's draft, but they aren't sure if they are enamored with Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins enough to take him at sixth overall. Trading for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen might be another option, but the team also isn't kidding about bringing back Manning for the 2020 season. The team's brass don't think he's quite done and saw enough out of him in the second half of last year to stick with him. Even if the Giants pass on a signal-caller with their first pick, they could land one later in the draft. The 38-year-old Manning looks to be limping to the finish line and will also be without Odell Beckham Jr. next season. He'll be an uninspiring QB2 for fantasy.
New York Giants QB Eli Manning is heading into the final season of his contract in 2019 but could remain with the team through 2020, a possibility that Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch recently said they were open to.
Fantasy Spin: Manning hasn't thrown for more than 26 touchdowns or been a top-16 fantasy QB since 2015, and now his top weapon -- WR Odell Beckham -- has been traded. Stay even further away from Manning in fantasy this coming summer, and also don't be shocked if this is a bit of smokescreen and the Giants come away with their QB of future in the coming draft.
New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur said the team would like to find quarterback Eli Manning's successor "sooner than later" and would prefer to have the QB spend a year learning behind Manning. With 2019 likely to be Manning's last with the Giants and possibly in his career, that means the Giants will need to draft a young signal-caller this year. New York has the sixth overall pick in the first round, but it's unclear if they'd go after Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins or Oklahoma's Kyler Murray if either are available.
The New York Giants brass met with Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins on Tuesday night, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Head coach Pat Shurmur, offensive coordinator Mike Shula, vice president of player evaluation Chris Mara, director of college scouting Chris Pettit and assistant general manager Kevin Abrams were in attendance. The Giants have the sixth overall pick in the draft and will need an eventual replacement for Eli Manning. Haskins is a big-armed pocket quarterback, but he could probably use a year of grooming before taking over the starting job in the NFL.
New York Giants general manager David Gettleman said that quarterback Eli Manning, who will make a base salary of $11.5 million in 2019, isn't going anywhere. The veteran quarterback is due a $5 million roster bonus on Monday. "This narrative Eli is overpaid and can't play is a crock," Gettleman told reporters Monday during a teleconference. The 38-year-old will count $23.2 million against the salary cap this year and is coming off a season where he was sacked a career-high 47 times behind a bad offensive line. Manning and the offensive line looked better down the stretch, as he threw 13 touchdowns and five interceptions in an eight-game span. Still, Manning is showing his age with diminished arm strength and lost his best aerial weapon when the Giants traded Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns last week. Manning will be a low-upside, mediocre QB2 in 2019.
New York Giants QB Eli Manning is scheduled to receive a $5 million roster bonus if he is on the roster Saturday, March 16, and the Giants plan on paying that bonus at this point, according to sources.
Fantasy Spin: It appears that Manning will be the starting quarterback for at least one more season but will not have many weapons to work with in the passing game. He should be avoided in all fantasy leagues in 2019.
Fantasy Spin: While Shurmur may feel this one, one has to question whether general manager Dave Gettleman will indeed be in agreement when push comes to shove. Cutting Manning would save $17 million against the 2019 salary cap, but there are not any clearly better options available at this time. Presuming Shurmur's words ring true, Eli is a low-end QB2 in 2019. In all likelihood, Manning will begin the year starting under center but give way to a rookie passer at some point in the season.
New York Giants QB Eli Manning is likely to return for another season and help groom his successor, likely a high-round rookie draft pick.
Fantasy Spin: Despite some elite surrounding weapons, Eli is no longer a viable fantasy starting option as he finished outside of the top 16 fantasy QBs in 2018 for the third straight season. It's time for the Giants to move on and spend a top pick on their QB of the future.
New York Giants QB Eli Manning's agent has already said he expects Manning to return to the Giant in 2019, but Spotrac considers it a 'longshot.' He'll cost the Giants $11.2 million in dead cap at 38 years old.
Fantasy Spin: Manning quietly rebounded last season after a humbling 2017 campaign. Even so, the money and the age are strongly against him. The Giants may try to squeeze another year out of him, but he remains on the fantasy backburner.
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning's agent, Tom Condon, believes that his client will be back with the Giants in 2019 for his 16th NFL season. I think hed love to come back, said Condon, the driving force behind the powerful Creative Artists Agencys football division. Guys love to play their whole careers with one team, if they have a good experience with that team. Whether Manning accepts a salary reduction in 2019 might be the deciding factor for whether the Giants bring him back. He's on the books for $17 million in the final season of his contract. The veteran QB had a passer rating of 92.4 this year and completed a career-high 66 percent of his passes for 4,299 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Manning didn't look as good as his numbers suggest in 2018, but he might still be the starter in 2019 if he returns. With limited upside at this point in his career, Manning is merely a mediocre QB2 target if he's starting.
New York Giants QB Eli Manning is expected to return to the Giants next season, according to his agent Tom Condon. Condon said he has not had any talks with the Giants about the possibility of them releasing Manning.
Fantasy Spin: Manning has thrown for at least 4,000 yards in four of the last five season but has thrown only 40 touchdowns over the last two seasons. The Giants likely will add a quarterback at some point this offseason, but it is not known if Manning will be a starter in 2019. Owners in all leagues probably can avoid Manning even if he is a starting quarterback.
New York Giants QB Eli Manning's future with the Giants is cloudy as general manager Dave Gettleman was noncommittal on Manning being the starter in 2019. 'I'm committed to making the best decision in the interest of the Giants. We're in the evaluation process,' Gettleman said.
Fantasy Spin: Manning will have a good game every now and then, but he's far from consistent and clearly one of the weakest links on the offense. Keep him off your 2019 fantasy draft board.
New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman isn't necessarily committed to keeping quarterback Eli Manning as the starter in 2019. "I'm committed to making the best decision in the interest of the Giants. Were in the evaluation process. I know you want answers now," Gettleman said. Manning turns 38 on Thursday and is clearly fading at the end of his career. He completed a career-high 66 percent of his passes in 2018 and threw for 4,299 yards with 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, but he didn't look as good as the numbers show. Arm strength is also an issue as he ages. If he returns as the starter for New York next year, he'll merely be a low-upside QB2 target.
New York Giants QB Eli Manning completed 24-of-41 passes for 301 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the Week 17 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Fantasy Spin: Manning has one year remaining on his contract, but it's uncertain if he'll return for that final season and retire this offseason. Either way, he has become more of a QB2 for fantasy purposes should be play into 2019.
Giants' QB Eli Manning passed for 301 yards on 24-of-41 with two touchdowns in Sunday's loss against the Cowboys. It was Manning's 2nd consecutive 300+ yard passing game. He has averaged 305 yards passing in those games.
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will start in Week 17 against the Cowboys in the season finale, according to head coach Pat Shurmur. Despite the coaching staff seemingly in favor of bringing back Manning in 2019 as the starter, this has the potential to be his final home game with the Giants. Manning did throw for 309 yards against the Colts in Week 16 -- his first time going over 300 yards since Oct. 28 -- but he faces a tough Dallas defense and won't be a recommendation in single-QB leagues, especially if Odell Beckham Jr. (quadriceps) remains out.
New York Giants QB Eli Manning will make the start against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17, according to head coach Pat Shurmur.
Fantasy Spin: It's not a surprise as Shurmur has consistently insisted Manning has "years left" and is his starting quarterback, but it is still a disappointment. The team does not seem interested in seeing what rookie Kyle Lauletta has to offer, nor does Shurmur care to realize Manning is a big part of what is holding his offense back. The Giants should be one of several teams desperately seeking to improve the quarterback position this offseason.
New York Giants QB Eli Manning completed 25 of his 33 passes for 309 yards, a touchdown and an interception in a 28-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16. He also added a rushing score.
Fantasy Spin: It was one of the better games for Manning this season, but it still wasn't enough to secure a win. There has been some speculation that he may not start the finale, but even if he does play, he can be ignored by fantasy owners.


text:
<ExtractVariables name="ParseElevationResponse">
  <!-- Parse the XML that we got back from the elevation service using XPath.
       (That service could have returned JSON too but this is a sample, right?) -->
  <VariablePrefix>elevationresponse</VariablePrefix>
  <XMLPayload>
    <Variable name="elevation" type="float">
      <XPath>/ElevationResponse/result[1]/elevation/text()</XPath>
    </Variable>
  </XMLPayload>
</ExtractVariables>


text:
Q: Return Relative Cell Reference in VBA I've been looking up some things on the Address function, but whenever it is called on a specific range of cells I get the absolute cell reference value instead of the relative cell reference.
I'm wondering if there's a way to return it without the '$'. I'm used to the ADDRESS formula, but haven't used it's VBA equivalent before. Is there a way to give the function a reference type like you can with the formula?

A: I feel a bit foolish, but I suppose I just hadn't phrased my question well enough in previous attempts to find out.
It is done by using (0,0) as arguments. i.e. myWorksheet.Cells(2,2).Address(0,0) will return B2


The primary responsibility is to exceed the expectations of internal and external customers by providing exceptional service and support. As the first point of contact for many of our customers, vendors, shareholders or future shareholders professionalism is key in this high volume, fast paced environment.
*Answer and appropriately direct inbound customer service calls and emails regarding rental termination requests, equipment service requests, rental requests, billing inquiries, escalations, etc.
*Log all calls into the Rentalman system: contact information, call details, and call type.
*Escalate after hours emergency service and rental requests per process, utilizing Branch contact information.
*Using available resources source requests for various departments and employees.
Flexibility and ability to deal with a high volume of tasks, stressful, and sometimes unfamiliar situations.
Office environment; sitting at a desk and working at a computer.
Disclaimer: Other duties assigned as needed.


Of all the rappers in the industry, I can't think of two more prone to relationship problems than Emilio Rojas and Joe Budden. So it's oddly appropriate that those very rhymesayers have ended up collaborating on a joint titled B*tch Is Crazy. Over a sampled beat by Audio Jones, the Rochester emcee and his Slaughterhouse-affiliated colleague commiserate about the cycle of "fighting, then f**king, then f**king, then fighting" that comes with dating a head case. If this inspired collab's left you craving more, be sure to cop Rojas's DJ Camilio-presented Zero F***s Given, Vol. One tape on May 27, when it drops for digital purchase and free download.


text:
FX Channels the Spirit of 'Louie' in New 'Better Things'
August 10, 2016 | By David Hinckley
Louis CK's FX show Louie may be on indefinite hiatus, but its spirit returns in full off center bloom Sept. 8 with Pamela Adlon's Better Things.
Adlon, a member of the CK posse who has appeared on his show, wrote and directed Better Things. She also stars as Sam Fox, an actress and single mother raising three daughters. Not entirely by coincidence, Adlon is an actress and single mother raising three daughters.
"That's my wheelhouse," Adlon told TV writers Tuesday. "When I was first coming up with the idea for the show, it was really hard. I was blocked. But I always knew that telling a story about girls at three different stages developmentally was very interesting to me."
Sam Fox's three daughters – Max (Mikey Madison), Frankie (Hannah Alligood) and Duke (Olivia Edward) – are, respectively, a teenager just starting to have boy dramas, a preteen who knows everything and a little kid who thanks to the others has a whole jumble of reference points.
Sam is exasperated and exhausted, of course, but her responses aren't always conventional. When Max blurts out the s-word, Sam cups her head and says, "My little girl has grown up."
Fans of Louie will feel quite comfortable with the 10 episodes of Better Things, just as they will enjoy another CK-linked show, Tig Notaro's One Mississippi on Amazon.
Better Things, like Louie, takes everyday family drama, gives it a slightly heightened sense of desperation, and turns both the good and the bad into something that, when it works, is both universal and amusing.
By traditional rules of the TV biz, that makes Better Things a comedy, though that term has been stretched considerably both by CK's shows and other recent half-hour hybrids from You're the Worst to Mozart in the Jungle, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Donald Glover's Atlanta, which launches Sept. 6 on FX.
"I just feel like everything is funny in my life," says Adlon. "There is a lot of funny in the darkness. I like things that just feel real, and I don't like anything that's dark without a heart.
"In terms of categories, it's like what we talked about with Louie and all those other shows. I just feel like there's really no category. It's not comedy or dramedy. It's like the incredible feelings show."
Autobiographical as the show's roots may be, Adlon says she tries to set boundaries.
"I'm very aware of things that would be too personal," she says, "and my daughters know that I wouldn't co-opt their lives. I don't walk into a room and go, 'Wait. Hang on. I've got to go write what just happened.' Although I do that with my mother.
"She walks into the kitchen, and I just get out a pen, and I go, 'Go.' I'm like, 'Oh, this is going to be good. Tell me about the Neighborhood Watch meeting, Mom. Let's go.' "
CK, who directed the pilot, has said he doesn't know when or if he will write a sixth season of Louie. He recently wrote, directed and starred in Horace and Pete, a streaming drama for which viewers paid a set fee each episode.


5. It's hard to improve quality if child care programs can't afford to stay open.
4. Thousands of child care staff will lose their jobs.
3. Good child care is all about school readiness.
Little Kids Shouldn't Take the Big Cuts.
Tell Frankfort To Rethink Cuts to Child Care.
Yesterday the Cabinet of Health and Human Services announced deep cuts in child care assistance which would take effect in April. Everyone knows parents with young children need child care in order to work. Kentucky's economy is weak enough. Now is not the time to make it more difficult for parents to get and keep a job!
Effective April 1, 2013 the state will not accept new applications from low income working families seeking assistance.
Effective July 1, 2013 income eligibility for current participants will be dramatically reduced — in fact, families would have to live below the poverty line to receive assistance (i.e, low wage workers would no longer receive assistance).
Immediate action is needed! There is a direct connection between parents' ability to work and our economy. The last thing we need is increased unemployment. This isn't good for kids and it's not good for business.
Please click Take Action to send an editable, prewritten message to the Governor, and forward this email on to 2 additional friends, colleagues, clients, or family members and ask them to take action too. It's very important that the Governor hears from as many people as possible. Thank you.
Don't forget to vote! Not sure where to go? Enter your address below to find your polling location.
That's the sound bite I always say during media interviews but it never seems to make it on to the airwaves. Recently 4-C has been talking with media about some of the "bad actors" in our local child care community. We all know they are out there. They are the ones who seem to have no interest in what's best for kids or families. They are the ones who bring down the public opinion of child care. And yet, somehow, they continue to operate, either openly or under ground. Maybe it's time those of us in the child care world take action to highlight the bad apples that are holding the child care system hostage. I am convinced we will never be able to make substantial progress to raising the quality across our system until we quit protecting those who are in the business for all the wrong reasons.
We know there are rumors flying around that 4-C is closing. Wrong, wrong, wrong. We've been here for 43 years and plan on being around for another 43!
While it is true that we will no longer be administering the CCAP subsidy program effective 7/1/12, we are still your central point of contact for child care information and services. Our office will still be located at the familiar 1215 South Third St. in Louisville and our telephone number remains the same.
We will continue to provide parents with referrals to child care programs, provide training in new and more convenient models and places, track and analyze child care trends, provide early intervention services, serve as the CACFP Food Program sponsor, and act as a Voice for families as well as child care providers on a local, state and national level.
Give us a call at 502-636-1358, go to our website www.4cforkids.org, or like us on facebook.
We're excited about the future of child care and 4-C!


text:
@implementation DTRangedAttributesOptimizer

- (id)init
{
    self = [super init];
    if (self) {
		_attributes = [[NSMutableArray alloc] init];
		_attributeIndex = [[NSMutableDictionary alloc] init];
    }

    return self;
}

- (void)dealloc
{
	[_attributes release];
	[_attributeIndex release];

	[super dealloc];
}

- (NSString *)description
{
	return [_attributeIndex description];
}

- (void)addAttribute:(DTRangedAttribute *)attribute
{
	NSMutableArray *keyArray = [_attributeIndex objectForKey:attribute.key];
	if (keyArray)
	{
		DTRangedAttribute *previousAttribute = [keyArray lastObject];

		// if it's identical attribute and continues right after it
		NSInteger lastPreviousIndex = NSMaxRange(previousAttribute.range);
		if (previousAttribute.value == attribute.value && (lastPreviousIndex == attribute.range.location))
		{
			NSRange extendedRange = previousAttribute.range;
			extendedRange.length += attribute.range.length;
			previousAttribute.range = extendedRange;

			_didMerge = YES;

			return;
		}
	}
	else
	{
		keyArray = [NSMutableArray array];
	}

	// below this line this is not an extension of existing attribute

	// store it in all attributes
	[_attributes addObject:attribute];

	// add it to index
	[_attributeIndex setObject:keyArray forKey:(NSString *)attribute.key];

	[keyArray addObject:attribute];
}

- (void)addAttributes:(NSDictionary *)attributes range:(NSRange)range
{
	for (id key in [attributes allKeys])
	{
		id value = [attributes objectForKey:key];
		DTRangedAttribute *attribute = [DTRangedAttribute rangedAttribute:key value:value forRange:range];

		[self addAttribute:attribute];
	}
}

- (NSArray *)allKeys
{
	return [_attributeIndex allKeys];
}

- (NSArray *)rangedAttributesForKey:(id)key
{
	NSMutableArray *keyArray = [_attributeIndex objectForKey:key];

	return keyArray;
}

#pragma mark Properties
@synthesize didMerge = _didMerge;
@end


It is reported that he at one point grumbled, "I should have said 'Follow your blisters,'" meaning that he never intended for anyone to think that hard work wouldn't be necessary on the sometimes steep and rocky path to bliss.
There is some misconception, too, about how much effort it should take to get and stay organized. I've put some very clear and clean systems in place for a few clients who've complained a few months later that the systems are difficult to maintain. Yes, if you don't take time to open the mail, file papers and put away your clothes, your systems will break down in a fairly short amount of time. Add the daily onslaught of incoming stuff and a little impulse shopping and the backlog becomes deeper.
Organizing, like meditation or physical exercise, only works if you do it. Also, once you get the great body, you can't rest on your laurels; you've got to keep going to the gym. But if you do it consistently, it can't not work. Do daily pushups and your arms will get stronger. It's inevitable. Open your mail daily, keep up with your filing and other maintenance chores and your space will stay organized.
What happens when you get really, really busy? Your decisions about what to do next and what more you can take on must be much more conscious. Like Jane Fonda says about the occasions she chooses to eat dessert: The next day she chooses to work out a little longer and harder. If you have a full plate and choose to take on a new project, you must delegate some tasks to others or work longer and harder yourself. You've got to be realistic -- there are only 24 hours in a day no matter who you are, and sleep deprivation usually makes the whole thing fall apart.
Organizing should be simple, but that doesn't mean easy. It definitely takes discipline to do those pesky maintenance chores. Give yourself a little mantra, like, "This is hard, but I'm doing it." Use it for the little things in life that you dislike and that don't feel particularly good (the blisters) and gradually you will get where you want to be (bliss).
I hate doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen at night. "This is hard, but I'm doing it," I say to myself as I wipe down the counters. I'm so grateful in the morning when I get up to make coffee that the kitchen is spick-and-span. Cleaning the kitchen is not a major accomplishment, but a clean kitchen in the morning sets the tone for a day during which a major accomplishment is more likely to occur. Start the day with dishes in the sink or filing undone and you're already behind. If you can hire someone to do this for you, more power to you!
The goal is to get yourself into ready position as soon as possible to be prepared for the next great opportunity coming your way. Constantly getting back into ready position might give you a few blisters, but prepared and open to opportunity leads directly to bliss.
Angela Hoxsey is a professional organizer based in the Napa Valley. For information about her services, go to HouseInOrder.com or call 707-738-4346. Like House in Order on Facebook for more organizing tricks and tips.


Um...was this a failed spam attack?
A lot of spambots are scripted to post an innocuous post first and come back and add things to it later once it's no longer noticeable as a new post. Since I read every post on the forums it's not generally necessary to point them out, I'll spot them when I log in.


With A E Talley Construction, you know what to expect every step of the way.
of those objectives is our primary goal.
Choosing the right construction company to work with is paramount in making your construction project experience a success. Our attention to detail, individual service, and over 10 years of experience can match your goals with the right design plan, quality manufacturers, and experienced craftsmanship.
A E Talley Construction is committed to making each project a success, on time and within your budget. We maintain the highest professional standards in our work.
A E Talley is dedicated to each and every construction project we undertake. Our attention to details are unmatched.


text:
What has Arvind Kejriwal achieved as a politician?
In my view, he has achieved the following -
Given hope - that you actually can rise in politics even if you are not the son or daughter of a big political hotshot
Provided a mirror - to the BJP & Congress that India is not at all a homogenously winnable equation, and that the strangest of challenges can erupt as long as genuine poverty persists
Provided a voice - to the poorest of the poor urban classes, in a political system that has no respect for them except during election seasons
Given birth to a new political class - Unknown individuals till yesterday could rise and shine as people's representatives, in a system where it is otherwise literally impossible to do so
Leashed the mighty - Love him or hate him, he is the embodiment of the key democratic principle that "People power actually is supreme" and no Party can assume its continued reign as a God-given right
Not a pleasant sight for the traditional political classes
In a horribly corrupt and criminalised system, where the sole motive of many who enter is rent-seeking of the most merciless variety, these surely count as massive achievements. While growing up in the 1970s and 80s, I remember distinctly how nearly everyone lamented the lack of educated people in Indian politics. Well, now we have one, with a bang. Let us hope he can deliver, in a spirit of cooperative federalism.
In a vast, diverse, complex and densely populated federal nation like India, even a powerful new idea will take time to show results. Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party deserve their fair share of time.
Labels: AAP and Arvind Kejriwal, BJP, Congress, Delhi, India, Indian economy, indian politics, power thoughts, Soft Power, Success, Youth at 2:11:00 PM
Why did communism as an economic philosophy not succeed
To understand the reasons for its 'failure', a quick look at its evolution is necessary.
Communism as a theory was a result of the brutal working conditions in the English factories during the Industrial Revolution. Men, women and children were being massacred through 18 hour workdays seven days a week, in hazardous conditions. Society and families in the newly evolved 'urban areas' had broken down (except, of course, for the factory owners).
This prompted Karl Marx to postulate a wonderful response in his seminal work Das Kapital - the Proletariat Revolution - which was a revolution of the industrial working classes against the newly-rich bourgeoisie. But for all its wonders, communism was still a theory.
It was turned into a ruling ideology with Vladimir Lenin's communist takeover of royal Russia in 1917. The Romanov dynasty was murdered (removed), and communists took over through a series of brutal machinations, internal and external. That grew into the Soviet regime. Then came the Chinese communism with Mao Tse-tung unfurling the PRC red flag in Beijing on 01–10–1949. Both the Soviets and Chinese tried to spread their influence worldwide, the Soviets succeeding to a greater extent. And today, communism is in retreat worldwide.
Reasons why communism as an economic ideology did not succeed -
Labels: capitalism, China, communism, Communist Party, Deng Xiaoping, Industrial Revolution, Karl Marx, Mao Tsetung, Mikhail Gorbachev, Oil, PRC, PT education, Russia, Sandeep Manudhane, Soviet Union, Xi Jinping at 12:43:00 PM
No more Rajan for the RBI
Finally, the cat is out of the bag. The dashing RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, whose 3 year stint as the boss of India's central bank saw him handle multiple grave challenges with aplomb, has finally called it a day. He will not accept a second term, is what the official RBI note (released 18-06-2016) says.
I find this amazingly sad, and very unfortunate. I feel so because he achieved much more in a limited three year period than many would have imagined. Here's a quick list-
Stabilising the boat when everything was choppy - In 2013, I distinctly remember taking classes discussing economic developments and the mood was of despondency. The rupee was in free fall, everyone was doubting the economy's long-term prospects, a rudderless administration was all that was visible, etc. In that scenario, he accepted the challenge and rose to the occasion like a mighty warrior. His presence soon was enough to calm nervous temperaments. In retrospect, if he did not believe in the India story, and was not "Indian enough", he could easily have refused the offer. I read in various publications that international investors found his mere presence very reassuring. There are fears that the rupee may take a hit now, fearing many populist measures by the new boss (that's pure speculation, though).
Labels: central banking, Civil Services, India, Indian economy, indian politics, Narendra Modi, power thoughts, Prime Minister, Professionalism, UPSC, USA at 6:04:00 PM
Narendra Modi, India's diplomatic ambitions, and the US Congress speech
India has traditionally been a non-aligned nation. It has neither been a very close friend of any major power, nor has antagonised anyone unnecessarily. However, developments over the past two decades in global politics, especially the Sino-Pakistan all-weather friendship in India's backyard, created serious threats for Indian interests not just in the sub-continent but globally. Hence, the Indian establishment has taken up a proactive global diplomatic relationship-building on multiple fronts. This picked up pace post the inauguration of the Modi government in 2014.
Namaste, from the emerging superpower
Multiple energetic initiatives followed, not the least of them being Prime Minister Modi leading the global charge personally. Despite constant ridicule he faced at home from a shrill media, and multiple WhatsApp memes, labelling him 'a visiting PM India has', he has continued undaunted. For all that, the results are beginning to show in a big way now, beginning with India gaining a positive edge for MTCR membership, further strengthening its case for a berth in the NSG, vital to our long-term Uranium needs.
In this background, PM Modi delivered a speech to the joint session of the US Congress on 08-June 2016, which summed up his multi-directional efforts. Undoubtedly, to my mind at least, it was one of his best speeches. I share a few pointers as to why it is so -
Labels: China, Civilisations, Dr Ambedkar, India, indian politics, Mahatma Gandhi, Narendra Modi, nuclear, Pakistan, power thoughts, Prime Minister, Professionalism, Soft Power, South Asia, USA, world politics at 11:35:00 AM
What has Arvind Kejriwal achieved as a politician?...
Why did communism as an economic philosophy not su...
Narendra Modi, India's diplomatic ambitions, and t...