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5 Most Powerful Female Car Execs in the World
Let's face it, some industries are behind the times. Whether it's resilience to introducing new technologies, chopping down layers of corporate bureaucracy, or reticence to diversify the workforce, old patterns hardly die young. Even in the past couple of decades, women working in the automobile industry was considered rare or nonexistent. However, things are slowly changing as more auto manufacturers around the world are encouraging upward mobility for females to be placed in important executive roles.
Here are the top 5 women executives in the automotive world right now:
Photo courtesy of GM Authority.
1. Mary Barra
Mary Barra is the current Chairman and CEO of one of the biggest car companies in the world, General Motors. She created history on January 15th, 2014, by succeeding Dan Akerson for the top spot. She is also the first ever female CEO of any major car manufacturing company in the world. She has been working for General Motors for over 38 years now. Previously, she held several executive positions in the company. With a whopping 180,000 employees and annual revenues of over $145B, her hard work and dedication have paid off.
Photo courtesy of Ford Media Center.
2. Barb J. Samardzich
Barb J. Samardzich is the current vice president and CEO of Ford Motor Company Europe GmbH. She was appointed as head of the European division of Ford on November 1st, 2013. Ms. Samardzich is one of the oldest and most loyal employees of the company. She joined Ford back in 1990 as a product engineer and held positions in quality, and powertrain development until climbing the ranks to more leadership roles at Ford.
3. Linda Hasenfratz
Linda Hasenfratz is a Canadian businesswoman who has been serving as the Chairman and CEO of Linamar—a Canadian automobile car parts manufacturing company. Ms. Hasenfratz started her career as a machine operator at Linamar in 1990. She climbed up the ranks throughout the years and finally ended up at the top. In 2002, she succeeded her father, Frank Hasenfratz, after his retirement, and she has been running the company that her father built from scratch. With nearly 26,000 employees and over $6B in annual revenue, Ms. Hasenfrazt has some tough shoes to fill! But we're confident this Ernst & Young Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Manufacturing winner and Entrepreneur of the Year for all of Canada can handle the pressure.
4. Trudy Hardy
Ms. Trudy Hardy is the current Vice President of Marketing at BMW North America. She joined BMW in 2001, and after serving the company for twelve years, she made it to the top in her department. She was promoted to the position of Vice President of Marketing in September 2013, and she has held the position since then.
Ms. Hardy is a marketing veteran with more than 25 years of experience. 15 of those years, she worked with BMW group. She started with the German automakers as the communication manager for their MINI brand and the rest is history now.
5. Elena Ford
Ms. Elena Ford is the Director of Global marketing at Ford Motor Company. She is the great-great-granddaughter of Henry Ford, the man who founded the Ford Motor Company. Previously, she also served as Vice President of the company before grabbing the top spot in the department of global marketing. Ms. Ford is the daughter of Charlotte Ford (the heiress of the Ford Motor Company) and Stavros Niarchos (a billionaire Greek shipping tycoon). Though Ford is one of the largest, most powerful companies in the world, they still have remnants of being a family business.
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High-quality antenna is the basis for proper reception of satellite programs - without interference and interruption. You can have the highest quality satellite receiver, but if the antenna will have a small diameter and low quality, the appearance of interference, especially in rainy, windy or snowy days, it is almost certain. To meet these problems were created by LTC satellite dishes.
This antenna has a very high resistance to mechanical factors, resistance to strong and gusty wind, excellent quality of the signal coming from the antenna, easy to mount and extremely good mechanical protection (antenna steel galvanized steel, powder-coated).
This antenna is recommended for use in installations for one or two satellites, including the use of converters twin, quad and quattro under multiswitches. The canopy is ideally suited to receive the signal from the satellite Astra, Hotbird, Amos, Eutelsat, etc. Standard holder converter (4 cm diameter) makes it possible to mount any modern converter. Antenna Universal cooperating with each tuner and decoder.
The highest quality materials and high precision guarantee a long product life, safety and user satisfaction. An additional advantage is a reasonable value for money, making this antenna average attention and worth recommending to everyone, even the most demanding user.
Warning! Any complaints related to mechanical damage bowls will not be accepted without damage protocol certified by courier.


Using a few "starter fish," to begin the new aquarium — hardy species of fish that are less susceptible to harm from ammonia levels — before adding any new fish will set the cycle in progress. You can then determine the progress of the cycle by checking the water chemistry over the course of about 4-6 weeks.... 8/07/2012 · Introducing fish to an aquarium without a healthy nitrogen cycle in place is a bad idea — buildup of waste chemicals can put major stress on the fish, even potentially killing them. Thus, cycling is something that every new aquarium owner needs to do to ensure the health and safety of his/her fish.
8/07/2012 · Introducing fish to an aquarium without a healthy nitrogen cycle in place is a bad idea — buildup of waste chemicals can put major stress on the fish, even potentially killing them. Thus, cycling is something that every new aquarium owner needs to do to ensure the health and safety of his/her fish.... We recommend that when setting up new aquariums, a fishless cycle should be the first choice. Please see this link . However, if you have already added fish, then you will need to do a fish-in cycle, which is discussed further below.
Customer Comments. Dear AFN, I also thought you might be interested in fishless cycling. You can cycle aquariums without using fish by using pure household ammonia instead.... Customer Comments. Dear AFN, I also thought you might be interested in fishless cycling. You can cycle aquariums without using fish by using pure household ammonia instead.
In a new aquarium however these bacteria are not present, so any fish will be exposed to high levels of ammonia and nitrIte until the colonies form and multiply sufficiently to cope with the waste produced. This process is termed the 'cycle'.
Aquarium maintenance is easy if you have an aquarium nitrogen cycle going on. The aquarium cycle is more commonly known as the nitrification process and is the biological filter for your tank. Aquarium filtration systems work to keep your water pristine and provide a safe home for your fish, and the biological filter is perhaps the most important filtration system to have.
The conventional method of using a hardy fish to cycle a new tank has some disadvantages. First, subjecting a fish, however hardy, to ammonia and nitrite stress may be unnecessarily cruel. Second, you have to have some use for the fish after the tank is cycled. Third, this hardy fish may bring in pathogens to your aquarium environment.


Every city has a place you fall in love with. The perfect district you know you could be a part of. In Paris, for me, it is undoubtedly Montmartre. I know it is cliché but any artsy district and I fall all over myself. How can you not fall for a place that has housed such greats as Picasso?
It also is home to a few very notable landmarks of the great city of Paris, ones you should not miss when you are venturing to the city of lights. The Moulin Rouge is located at the foot of the hill of Montmartre. A giant red windmill looms over the street. Forget trying to see a show there, the cheapest ticket will still cost you around 100 euro. A far cry from the prices it used to boast back in its heyday. It was not a site of luxury but a den of hedonism. Montmartre used to be where Paris ended and the debauchery began. Outside the city limits left it outside the city rules. Many of the French elite would escape here for a night of half naked ladies dancing and all the absinthe they could drink. Now, it is simply a symbol of what was and a pricey tourist destination. For anyone who is a fan of the movie (which I am) or French history it is worth a photo or too. I for one would like to believe that somewhere inside the spirit of Toulouse Lautrec still resides.
If you are interested in more of Toulouse Lautrec check out Artsy and their resources on his art!
The area used to be filled with windmills. Years ago the long, winding walk up to the top would have been filled with them. Now there are only a few left. You will find tons of brassieres and adorable houses on your way up. It is also home to the last winery within Paris' city limits. Long ago it would not have been weird to find these grapes growing around the city limits but now one lone vineyard stands among buildings and cobblestone roads. Right across from the vineyard is The Lapin Agile, made famous by Pablo Picasso. It is said that when he was a struggling artist he would go there for meals and in return for a free one he would give the staff portraits he made. Since Picasso is the rare kind of artist who made it big during his lifetime these drawings ended up being worst well more then what he would have paid for his meal.
Once you have made your way to the top, you must wander around the small village that inhabits it. Everywhere you turn there are artists with easels, drawing the faces of eager tourists or selling paintings. The smell of fresh made crepes loft through the alleys calling you, as you window shop. Until you get to what I consider the main event of all of Paris. I know, quite a statement to make in a city of so much to see.
Although some might find the Moulin Rouge to be a disappointment the Sacre Coeur never is. Also known as the wedding cake cathedral which you can see looks like a bright white wedding cake, it is the highest point in Paris. Even the daunting crowds can't ruin the spectacular view from its steps. High above the rest of the city, Paris lights up for you.
You start to understand why people call it the city of light and love.
You feel it all around you when you realize what a tiny place you inhabit in this world and sometimes how close you get to be to so much wonder.


Massive Leak Reveals Criminality, Paranoia, Among Corporate Titans LONDON - February 26 - WikiLeaks begins to publish today over five million e-mails obtained by Anonymous from "global intelligence" company Stratfor. The emails, which reveal everything from sinister spy tactics to an insider trading scheme with Goldman Sachs (see below), also include several discussions of the Yes Men and Bhopal activists. (Bhopal activists seek redress for the 1984 Dow Chemical/Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal, India, that led to thousands of deaths, injuries in more than half a million people, and lasting environmental damage.) Many of the Bhopal-related emails, addressed from Stratfor to Dow and Union Carbide public relations directors, reveal concern that, in the lead-up to the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster, the Bhopal issue might be expanded into an effective systemic critique of corporate rule, and speculate at length about why this hasn't yet happened—providing a fascinating window onto what at least some corporate types fear most from activists.
Worldclock POODWADDLE WORLD CLOCKThe World Stats Counter (V 7.0) This minute 250 babies will be born, 100 people will die, 20 violent crimes will be reported, and the US debt will climb $1 million. The World Clock tells more than time. About OverviewThey Rule aims to provide a glimpse of some of the relationships of the US ruling class. It takes as its focus the boards of some of the most powerful U.S. companies, which share many of the same directors. Some individuals sit on 5, 6 or 7 of the top 1000 companies. How To [Read/Tip Off] Zero Hedge Without Attracting The Interest Of [Human Resources/The Treasury/Black Helicopters] It seems prudent to make some suggestions about contacting the Zero Hedge team.1. Don't email us directly from work. Somewhere out there, there is a log with your address and ours on it. If your employer is likely to peruse such things (pretty much guaranteed if you work at a financial institution) you might be in for a bit of scrutiny. Don't play that game. 2.


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ZBB Announces 2023 Tour! See Dates in Upstate NY including SPAC!
Just Announced: A Zac Brown Band North American Tour will happen in 2023 and the tour will feature multiple stops in Upstate NY, including Zac's return to SPAC! "The tour will showcase Zac Brown Band's one-of-a-kind, southern rock style, serving as an ode to fans and those that have lent a helping hand to pull this country out from the fire of these past few years and helped us all get back
Shania Twain Adds 3rd Stop to Upstate New York for Her 2023 Tour
Just when you thought she was done adding shows... she adds yet another stop in Upstate New York.
Shania Twain Extends 2023 Tour, Adding Another Stop in Upstate NY
If you thought you missed your chance to see Shania Twain coming through New York in 2023, then think again.
Thomas Rhett Returns! Beloved Hit-Machine to Play Albany this Spring!
Country music fans in Upstate New York, we've had it pretty good! There's been no shortage of amazing shows and concerts lately, and we're about to another one to your list. It's been over three years, and I think the Capital Region is ready for the return of one of country music's most beloved and successful superstars: Thomas Rhett...
Dylan Scott 'Hooked' The Crowd At FrogFest 33 In Upstate New York
FrogFest 33 starring Dylan Scott at the Herkimer County Fairgrounds was presented by Curtis Lumber. He had the crowd "hooked" throughout the entire performance.
Dave "Wheels" Wheeler
Whiskey Creek Makes Their Return At FrogFest 33 In New York
Whiskey Creek was back in the lineup to FrogFest for 2022 and rocked the stage.
This Country Star Adding Another Stop In New York To His Tour
He's not only making one, but now two stops to smaller venues in New York this summer.
Luke Combs Announces Two Big Shows in Albany Later this Fall
Country music mega-star Luke Combs announced not one, but TWO shows in Albany, New York when his "Middle of Somewhere Tour" rolls through the Northeast later this Fall. And here's what you'll need to know about purchasing and winning free tickets to see one of the most celebrated, accomplished, and beloved artists in country music today. ...
Go On The Road Again? See A Music Legend In Upstate New York
You have three shots to see him, but you will have to hit the road to do it.
Chenango Blues Fest To Make Big Comeback in Norwich, NY
A renowned music event for blues enthusiasts is returning to the Norwich, NY fairgrounds for 2022 - get read for The 29th Annual "Chenango Blues Fest" at the Chenango County Fairgrounds in Norwich, August 19 and 20.
Leslie Ann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Pedro came to the U.S. seeking work to support his family in the Philippines. As a recent immigrant, he had difficulty finding good-paying work. He got a job as a caregiver at a facility where he slept on the floor and worked around the clock attending to elderly and disabled residents. Despite the important caretaking work he performed and his long work hours, he was paid only $1,500 a month.
Unaware of his rights, Pedro didn't realize he was being exploited. He kept his head down and kept working. He also stayed quiet because his employer had fraudulently promised to submit an immigration petition for him to remain lawfully in the U.S.
But when Pedro saw elderly patients being abused and beaten, he decided he could not stay silent any longer. After he reported the elder abuse and wage violations, his employer retaliated by firing him. She also threatened to report him to immigration authorities and to withdraw the immigration petition.
Because of Pedro's courage in coming forward, the elder abuse stopped and the facility was eventually shut down. Advancing Justice – ALC's Workers' Rights and Immigrant Rights teams helped Pedro win wage and hour claims against the employer and also petitioned for a U Visa based on his employer's abuses against him. Following a three-year wait, Pedro's U Visa was finally granted in 2016, along with derivative visas for his wife and son. After more than 10 long years apart during which they were only able to see each other via Skype, Pedro and his family were finally reunited earlier this year.
On the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of every month, our Workers' Rights program hosts a free clinic that addresses employment issues ranging from wage and hour recovery to wrongful termination. Our Immigrant Rights program holds clinics on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays and focuses on challenging the detention and deportation of immigrants with criminal convictions.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


California prosecutors have announced that a task force will investigate the Santa Anita Park horse racing track after 23 thoroughbreds have died since December.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement that investigators will determine "whether unlawful conduct or conditions affected the welfare and safety of horses at Santa Anita Park," which is located in Arcadia, California.
Officials at the park began testing the track's soil in February after 19 horses died. The region had experienced an excess of rain and frigid temperatures in the months prior.
Roadster, right, with jockey Mike Smith, heads to the finish and the win in the Santa Anita Derby horse race at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., April 6, 2019.
The track has closed and reopened multiple times as the death toll continued to climb. The 23rd fatality occurred on March 31 when one of the horses died while coming down the hillside turf course. Racing has been suspended on that portion of the track, Mike Willman, director of publicity for Santa Anita Park, told ABC News, but racing was not suspended after the latest death and is scheduled to run until June.
Prosecutors have been working with the California Horse Racing Board to monitor the track for the past month, Willman said.
"Santa Anita has, is and will continue to fully cooperate with the district attorney's investigation," Willman said in a statement. "The Stronach Group is fully committed to modernizing our sport in a way that prioritizes the welfare and safety of horses above all. We will work with anyone—including the district attorney's office—that share our commitment to this cause."
The field for the 6th race breaks from the starting gate as fans look on at Santa Anita Park, March 29, 2019, in Arcadia, Calif.
The California Horse Racing Board voted on March 28 to limit whips and medications on racing day. Santa Anita Park announced on March 14 that it would enact a "zero tolerance" policy for the use of medication on racing day in the wake of the "heartbreaking" deaths.


WhatsApp for iOS received an update today, bringing some additional improvements to the messaging platform.
For the first time, users can now tap "send" on messages when they don't have a connection, and the messages will be sent when a data connection is re-established. Multiple messages can be queued up in the offline mode, so users are free to carry on their side of a conversation until connection resumes.
Elsewhere, WhatsApp developers have redesigned the storage usage screen, which now lets users manage their phone's storage space by deleting selected message types, such as videos, from specific chat threads. The storage screen options can be accessed by going to Settings -> Data and Storage Usage -> Storage Usage and tapping "Clear Chat".
Lastly, the v2.17.1 update enables users to send up to 30 photos or videos at once.
Snapchat got an update too.


Traxxas Certified NiMH batteries are engineered to give you the punch and on-demand power to reach the top speeds your Traxxas model is built to achieve. Available in a full range of capacities in 2-cell (2S) and 3-cell (3S) configurations, Traxxas Power Cell LiPo batteries are engineered specifically to fit Traxxas models and maximize their full performance potential. Only Traxxas gives you more of what you want most: simple installation, a great price, and the most speed and run time available.


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Time difference between Rome, Italy and Itaituba, Brazil
Rome is 4 hours ahead of Itaituba.
Time in Rome
Time in Itaituba
Rome time zone: UTC+01:00 or CET	 05:40 AM
Itaituba time zone: UTC-03:00 or -03
Find out the distance between Rome and Itaituba
Find out the time difference between Rome and other cities
Rome, Italy: basic facts and figures
Rome coordinates: 41°53′30″ N, 12°30′40″ E
Find out what time it is in Rome right now
See the map of Rome
Wikipedia article: Rome
Find out the distance between Rome and other cities
Find out the distance between Rome and the North Pole, the South Pole, the Equator, the Tropic of Cancer, the Tropic of Capricorn, the Arctic Circle, the Antarctic Circle
Itaituba, Brazil: basic facts and figures
Itaituba coordinates: 4°16′33″ S, 55°59′00″ W
Find out what time it is in Itaituba right now
See the map of Itaituba
Wikipedia article: Itaituba
Find out the distance between Itaituba and the North Pole, the South Pole, the Equator, the Tropic of Cancer, the Tropic of Capricorn, the Arctic Circle, the Antarctic Circle


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Large turnout for tree lighting ceremony during rainstorm
December 12, 2018 — by Kayene Morrison
On the day after Thanksgiving, the 17th annual tree lighting took place in Blaney Plaza in downtown Saratoga. In the late afternoon, the square was packed with people in raincoats and holding umbrellas to protect themselves from the rainstorm that had begun earlier that day.
City clerk Debbie Bretschneider attributed the large turnout to advertising the city did on its website, Facebook page and Twitter feed.
The ceremony began with the mayor, Mary-Lynne Bernald, addressing the crowd, followed by a performance by the Marshall Lane Elementary School choir. This year, a high-quality sound system with microphones and speakers broadcast the singing along with keyboard accompaniment.
After the performance, the Christmas tree, which was planted three years ago after the previous one was hit by a car and now stands roughly 20 feet tall, was lit. However, there were some technical difficulties, possibly due to the weather.
"Unfortunately we had a little issue with electricity and the lights kind of flickered a little bit, but the tree lit up, and that's what's important," Bretschneider said.
As in the past, the Saratoga Youth Commission attended the event and passed out free hot chocolate to audience members.
"It was pouring down rain that night, yet so many people still came out," said junior Mary Elizabeth Miller, one of the Youth commissioners. "And passing out hot cocoa, it was so much fun to see the kids' faces and how happy they were."
Bretschneider agreed that the event was a success.
"As one of the people who helped organize it, it's great when it all works out," she said. "We have a really nice big tree now, and it's pretty spectacular when it's lit."


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Kyoto Station, Kyoto, Japan
Designed by visionary architect Hiroshi Hara, Kyoto Station opened in 1997, commemorating Kyoto's 1,200th anniversary. iStock.com/SeanPavonePhoto
By James Scott Brew, AIA; Tomoaki Ushio, P.E., Member ASHRAE
Kyoto, Japan, is world renowned for its historic architecture, rich cultural history and beauty. Kyoto Station is the gateway to the city and was designed by visionary architect Hiroshi Hara in the early 1990s. The station opened in September 1997. Shortly thereafter, on December 11, 1997, at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol was signed. Since then Kyoto has become synonymous with climate leadership.
In 2009, the Japanese government selected the city of Kyoto as an environmental model city. Thereafter, the Kyoto Station Building Development Co., Ltd., approached the city to discuss the city's environmental targets and their interest in working together to help reduce Kyoto Station's energy use—the single largest building energy user in Kyoto. At the time, typical HVAC system replacements might achieve 10% to 15% in whole-building, source energy savings, but the project owner wanted to dig deeper.
To describe Kyoto Station as a mixed-use, transportation-oriented development would be an understatement. With a gross area of over 235 942 m2 (2,539,659 ft2), nearly a dozen different occupancy types, and more than 77 million users each year, it is truly a city within a building complex. Occupancies include the train station, offices, a shopping mall, department store, a hotel, theater, many restaurants, a museum, specialty shops and various support spaces.
The chilled water plant requires six chillers, including redundant units for maintenance and backup. Four constant speed and two centrifugal chillers (one shown here) were chosen for central plant operation.
NIKKEN SEKKEI
To bring this building complex into compliance with the Kyoto emissions targets, the overarching design brief for this project was to achieve a 30% reduction in whole-building source energy use and a 60% reduction in annual plant energy use. The secret to achieving this comes as no surprise—teamwork.
Kyoto Station was the first project in Japan to apply a full life-cycle commissioning process—from the predesign phase, nearly continuously, through the operations phase and for three years thereafter. Commissioning meetings were held once or twice a month for 7.5 years. This life-cycle approach enhanced opportunities for interactive communication among the owner team, commissioning members and the design team during the predesign, concept design and final design phases. At the construction phase, the building operator and constructor were added to the meetings, and many new ideas for energy savings and staging of construction were captured. This integrated process led to the successful achievement of significant energy savings on this project. (Figure 2).
Rightsized Challenge
The original station building site was to be limited in allowable building height and area by Kyoto city rules. Therefore, the electrical service to the site was sized and installed based on this rule. After the original station design began in 1990, these height and area rules were relaxed, and the building complex was allowed to nearly double in height and area. Thus, in the original design, the electrical service was inadequate to use electric chillers, and a gas-fired steam system was chosen instead as the thermal energy source.
At the time of the renovation, the existing gas-fired steam system was very inefficient, so the energy retrofit team immediately focused on reducing the chiller plant size and increasing its efficiency. However, in renovations, central plant size reduction is often difficult as there is the possibility of undersizing it and having a shortage of cooling or heating capacity. This can be a considerable risk for the designer.
For this project, the annual trend of chilled water demand in the existing building was carefully researched before the design phase began.
Using actual energy consumption data for the prior three years, and energy savings calculations from reducing the outdoor air volume (while still satisfying sufficient air volume per person), it was determined that chiller plant size could be reduced by 20%, even with the inclusion of one backup chiller (Figure 3).
This chiller plant size reduction would offer the following advantages:
Highly efficient operation of the chiller plant. Each piece of chiller plant equipment is operated at high load, increasing its efficiency.
Electric peak load reduction. Reducing chiller plant size allows the use of more electrical heat pumps.
Creation of equipment replacement space. Heat source capacity reduction produces equipment replacement space. New chillers could be located in the machine room, and new air-source heat pumps on the roof, in place of old cooling towers.
Initial cost reduction. Chiller plant size reduction also contributes to reducing initial cost.
With over 77 million visitors per year, Kyoto Station is the second largest station and one of the largest buildings in Japan.
iStock.com/bee32
Considering Options
A variety of central heating and cooling systems were carefully studied to better understand their initial cost, energy cost, operating cost, primary energy consumption and relative peak demand. These systems included a gas-fired steam system (which is the same as the existing system), an all-electric heat pump system and a gas-driven absorption chiller, among others (Figure 4). Altogether, 13 variations of central heating and cooling systems were compared.
The existing steam system had a lot of heat loss and was very low in efficiency. If this gas-fired steam system were changed to an electric chilled and hot water system, large energy savings could be realized. An electric chilled and hot water system, using variable speed centrifugal chillers and air-source heat pumps along with gas-driven cogeneration, was determined to be the most efficient. However, this system was the most expensive compared to the other options. To meet the budget, there was an initial cost reduction by leaving some of the existing steam system piping that serves the hotel and theater AHUs in place temporarily. This modified system was ultimately selected and used in the building (Figure 5).
With nearly a dozen different building occupancy types, Kyoto Station operates 24 hours per day, every day, making a deep energy retrofit even more challenging.
iStock.com/vanbeets
Adding Value by Subtracting Energy
Several other systems were also used on this project to improve efficiency.
Heat Recovery Chiller
A heat recovery chiller was chosen for reheat for dehumidification in summer and simultaneous cooling and heating in winter. This chiller reclaims the heat produced as a byproduct of the cooling process and can produce hot water more efficiently than an air-source heat pump at low loads.
Heat Pump System Using Well Water
This site has an abundance of well water, which is used as drinking water, flushing water, makeup cooling water and as a heating energy source in the winter. The well water temperature is fairly constant throughout the year compared to the outdoor air temperature, which contributes to highly efficient operation of the heat pump system. The well uses a 530 kW well water pump system
Reducing the size of the chiller plant created equipment replacement space. For instance, the new air-source heat pumps can be located on the roof.
A 65 kW solar hot water system was added to supply hot water for the hotel.
Central Plant Operation
The chilled water plant requires six chillers, including redundant units for maintenance and backup. A variable speed centrifugal chiller is more efficient in partial loads than a constant speed. So the best option was to select six variable speed machines. But because of cost limitations, a combination of four constant speed and two variable speed machines was selected. To cover the partial-load efficiency, new control logic was developed by the commissioning team and it was adopted in the building energy management system (BEMS).
Pumping Energy Reduction
Pump head pressure was carefully studied based on as-built drawings. All new pumps were selected by cutting redundant head pressure. This, in turn, improved the efficiency of pumps. A variable water supply system was applied for chilled water, hot water and cooling water using estimated terminal head pressure.
Cloud-Based BEMS
The building energy management system (BEMS) for this complex has approximately 15,000 measurement points, which are gathered every one minute. Using the cloud, all BEMS data can be accessed by the internet, from anywhere. Gathering data faster than usual allows modification of heat source operation quickly for optimal energy savings.
And the Beat Goes On
Much of Kyoto Station is operated 24 hours per day. Like many energy retrofit projects, this complex needed to maintain normal operation. Given the wide variety of building uses and varying occupancy levels, this was particularly challenging for this large-scale, complex project. There was added pressure to complete the project as fast as possible to both meet the Kyoto protocol and reduce energy costs and emissions. The construction phase was completed in just 18 months. Construction was staged, in part, with the changing seasons. For example, as chilled water demand declined with the winter approaching, the old chillers could be sequentially replaced. The ongoing commissioning process since construction completion has contributed to continued improvement in energy use reductions.
Energy consumption of the central plant system was reduced from 455.0 TJ (431 257 MMBtu) to 182.7 TJ (173 170 MMBtu), when comparing 2009 (before renovation) and July 2018 to June 2019 (three years after renovation completion). The reduction ratio of the central plant system is 59.9%. The whole-building primary energy savings is 33.4% (Figures 6 and 7; Figures 8 and 9). The central plant system COP, based on primary energy consumption, improved from 0.73 to 1.64. Chilled water transportation energy was reduced by 80.4%. Annual water use was reduced by 13.4% because the makeup cooling water for a centrifugal chiller is much less than that of a steam-driven absorption chiller.
Cost-Benefit
Energy cost was reduced by $5.7 million dollars (USD) per year after this renovation.
The Kyoto Station building needed to renovate its existing central heating and cooling system to a new one because it was 20 years old and near the end of its useful life. The simple payback is 5.7 years by energy cost reduction alone (Figure 10).
As the targets for continuing to meet the Kyoto Protocol are increasingly aggressive, Kyoto Station ownership knows they have their work cut out for them. They are maintaining a close watch on energy use and are always seeking opportunities for improvement and fine-tuning of systems.
Future projects include changing the remaining steam system serving the hotel and theater to a hot water system, reducing air-handling unit volume to the minimum necessary in other areas, introducing high-efficiency fans and increasing free-cooling, where possible.
Kyoto Station has become a world-class energy retrofit example in a global environmental model city.
Yoshida, H., N. Matsushita, Ph.D. 2020. "Energy conservation in heat-source plants with renovation of a large complex station building introducing commissioning." 2020 ASHRAE Conference Paper, Seminar 10. •
James Scott Brew, AIA, is a senior associate architect with the Building Services Design Section, and Tomoaki Ushio, P.E., is a mechanical engineer with the Building Services Design Section at NIKKEN SEKKEI, Ltd., Japan.
Click for PDF version of article.
Categories: Homepage Top Stories
Montana State University (MSU) Campus, Bozeman, Montana
Mission Possible: ASHRAE's New Global HQ


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Racial Disparities in STEM Graduation Rates
New Arizona State 'Future of Innovation' School Wants Students 'To Make a Difference'
Cloud Computing | News
Australian Researchers Gain Access to Microsoft Cloud
Microsoft is providing cloud computing grants for three of Australia's research organizations. National ICT Australia, the Australian National University, and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation will receive three years of free access to Microsoft's Windows Azure cloud computing platform, as well as technical support and client tools under development.
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced similar partnerships with European, American, and Japanese institutions.
The arrangement enables researchers to access the computing power of the cloud from their desktops. The opportunities and challenges of cloud computing were the topic of a report issued in September 2010 by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. According to one of the authors of that report, Craig Mudge, a professor at the University of Adelaide, the Microsoft cloud technology "will also make a contribution to innovation as enterprising researchers launch new forms of business, namely, those competing on ideas rather than sizes of capital budgets."
National ICT Australia, a research center founded and funded by a consortium of government agencies and universities, will use Azure to study patterns in social network usage and to explore reasoning of structured data on the Web. "This is a unique opportunity for us to conduct these studies at an unprecedented scale, so that we can address difficult real-world problems, such as those associated with the collection, management, and sharing of information in large e-health systems," said Anna Liu, cloud computing research project leader. "The results will potentially enable businesses to adopt more effective strategies and ultimately enhance collaboration and productivity in the workplace."
Australian National University and its National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) expects to apply the cloud resources to "solving data-intensive research problems in novel ways, increasing the diversity of tools available to researchers, and allowing NCI to explore ways of migrating advanced computational services into the cloud," according to Lindsay Botten, NCI's director.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia's national science agency, will use Microsoft's resources to support a project focusing on transport and logistics. "Having this staggering computing power available to us in one spot is a wonderful opportunity for our scientists," said Ian Oppermann, director of the agency's computing center. "I can't wait to see what our imaging, modeling, and simulation researchers will do with this much raw power at their fingertips."
Microsoft's director of the eXtreme Computing Group, Dennis Gannon, agreed, adding, "The grants being distributed through this global initiative will make powerful, simple cloud computing tools available to researchers worldwide, empowering diverse communities of academics and scientists whose work ultimately benefits all of us."
Accelerate Business Agility with Faster Server Refresh Cycles


Started just half an hour ago or something.
Best game at the moment is Serbia-Italy.
Watching the France match right now... waiting for Germany start in about an hour. Go Germany!
The French team is really fun to watch.
Lithuania, Spain, France and Serbia should be the best teams to watch really.
no way GB makes a win in the Olympics against another European team.
Not Euro basket but Brazil beat Argentina 73-71 for the Copa America of bball!!!
So Brazil is in the Olympics now?
where the **** is t wolf????
and where the **** have last years mockery posts gone?
Brazil going to the Olympics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! without playing Nene, Varejao or Leandrinho!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
does anyone know why there's a point for a loss at eurobasket? why not just 1 point for a win, 0 for a loss? or better yet forget points and just count wins? wouldn't it be the same results? what advantage does the current system have over that?
It's been like this ALL OVER THE WORLD (except USA) for as long as I remember it.
Nobody uses W-L records in Europe so there's no point in having just basketball with that.
I don't believe that system is used everywhere - the Australian NBL doesn't use it, and as far as I know neither does the Spanish ACB, German Bundesliga or Italian Serie A.
Even if everyone did it, it still doesn't make sense. Why 2-1, instead of 0 points for a loss like the major football leagues? Who decided 2-1 was a good idea? I mean it gets the same results as win loss, or 1-0, or 7-3, or 13.5-2, or whatever, it's just weird.
Can any one tell me the system of the qualification to the Olympics ?
I don't know what that means - am I wrong?
Everyone in Europe has a point system, in every sport. Be it soccer, basketball, volleyball, handball, ice hockey, water polo, rugby or whatever.
We weren't talking about having a points system or not. I follow European sports (and other sports around the world), and I understand the use of points systems (it's worth noting that the NHL uses a points system, so Americans understand them too).
We were talking about the specific system of 2 points for a win and 1 for a loss - the point for a loss is weird and completely unnecessary so I was wondering how it came about. That 2-1 system isn't used 'all over the world' (which was your explanation) as evidenced by the prominent leagues I cited that don't use it.
In volleyball, it's interesting to have this system.
I agree, it's ****ed up, but it is what it is. And it exists everyone. There's no rankings table in the world outside some American sports that don't have a points system.
Ah, forfeitures are a good reason I hadn't thought of. I'd have thought it would be easier to just dock points for those, but that works too. Thanks.


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text:
By Dora | September 16, 2013
Platform: Flash
Categories: bluemanchu, board, browser, card, flash, free, game, linux, mac, microtransactions, rating-y, rpg, strategy, turnbased, windows
Blue Manchu's card battling RPG board game Card Hunter is one of those games that makes me whine, "But I had things I was supposed to do today!" without a trace of genuine regret and is worth every second of its extremely short registration process. Besides, when Felicia Day speaks, I obey. How can you not enjoy a tabletop-themed turn-based strategy game with Cheese Puffs and soda right alongside the action? Play the extensive single-player campaign with your noble DM Gary, or go up against other players in multiplayer to earn more loot. It's beautifully made, fun, and strategic... if only it weren't for those pesky free-to-play problems...
The basics are pretty simple. You and your opponent each have a party of characters and face off on opposite sides of the board. Your characters have hit points, which are self-explanatory, and a set of character-specific cards that represent abilities, spells, and more. You right-click a card to see what it does, and left-click to play it. Each time you play a card is a turn, and then your opponent takes theirs. Once a card is played, it vanishes from that character's inventory, and when both you and your opponent "pass" your turn instead of acting, it begins a new round and distributes cards to characters on all sides. Easy-peasy, right?
Well, easy in concept, yes, in play? Not so much. Card Hunter is all about planning ahead, about taking stock of all the cards you have available in a round and figuring out the best order to play them in. You can't treat it like a regular turn-based RPG because, well, it's not. Even movement costs a turn on its own, and since only one character can take an action per turn, it's extremely easy to paint yourself into a corner if you don't develop a strategy and have your heroes work together. Throw in being able to place cards to trigger on terrain when something moves into that square, terrain that impacts movement and line of sight, different damage types, character classes and races, and you have a game with a remarkable amount of strategic depth. When you win, you're granted treasure you can equip to make your party stronger, and even teach them new card moves.
Once you play through the first two battles to learn the ropes, you'll be able to begin to create your own deck with your own heroes, and that's when things get really interesting. At this point, you'll also gain access to the world map, which opens up new areas to adventure in, and quests to undertake. Most quests can only be done once per real world day, and will reset for you to play again the next. As you play, your party will earn experience points and level up to become stronger, and you'll gain new party members to boot. Better equipment can be bought at the armory, where you can also sell off your unneeded loot. Note that although the game is free, you can pay real money for "pizza slices", which can be exchanged for in-game gold at a rate of one slice for five coins, or buy special chests with rare items. Also for purchase is a membership in the Card Hunter Club (which boosts your loot drops in exchange for supporting with a subscription), and special Treasure Hunt Adventures that will give you an epic quality item for successfully completing them.
Analysis: If you're a turn-based strategy fan, this really is not the game to sit down to if you have any other priorities in your day. Card Hunter is such a fantastic idea I can't believe someone hasn't thought of it sooner. Mixing satisfyingly complex strategy with the charm and cheek of a fantasy tabletop RPG setting works in an unexpectedly wonderful way. It helps that the presentation is so incredibly polished, with beautiful illustrations and solid writing to take you along, though the audio is a bit of a mixed bag largely because it's so bare bones. (As of this writing, the ambient sound will not turn off even if you lower all the volume sliders under options.)
Having the more extensive tutorial take place after the initial two battles seems a bit strange. I get that showcasing the flashier battles and abilities is good to draw players in, but if you're like me and more interested in the guts of the mechanics, you'll find the "real" game (which is to say, after you're forced to make your own party) vastly more interesting once it starts being explained to you. Traits, map terrain, blocking directions, racial bonuses and more make for an even deeper experience than the opening battles initially suggest. Though it may initially feel like you're at the whims of the game when it comes to the cards your characters are dealt, knowing how to build their individual decks so they're less likely to wind up with, say, an entire hand of useless movement cards for a round is part of the strategy.
It's unfortunate, then, that Card Hunter's free-to-play model feels like it skews more in favour of those that pay than those that don't. With the ability to straight-up buy chests that are guaranteed better than most anything you'll get, or, heck, even more powerful heroes, it's easy to become a little bitter at the grinding you'll be doing if you don't put out your credit card. You get some pizza during the campaign, but you can't just earn some by playing, and with the "cheapest" microtransaction in their in-game store to buy slices being $10.00USD, players who might otherwise feel inclined to shell out a few bucks to support the site might rightfully balk at the set price. Obviously, you don't need to buy pizza, but, well, the more you play, the more it feels like the grind ramps up to encourage you to do so. When the game shows you what you would have got as loot for paying to join the Card Hunter Club ($10.00USD a month) and chastises you for not doing so? Then it starts getting annoying and downright insulting.
It's not about whether Card Hunter is worth paying for. If it were a paid game, I would have happily plonked down its asking price. I encourage players, whenever possible and they are able, to consider donating to developers and games like this that give them entertainment for free. And if you choose not to pay a penny for Card Hunter, you'll still get entertainment for free, and a lot of it. I just wish its payment model were more unobtrusive then it chose to be, and one that both offered other price tiers and options. In the end, Card Hunter is a gorgeously designed, engagingly strategic game that's well worth checking out and I hope we see even more from in the future, despite its clunky pay model.
Play Card Hunter
Konrad • September 17, 2013 6:06 PM
I've been playing this in beta since early June (I'm Kalin in game and on the forums).
It looks pay-to-win, but it really isn't. Someone who wins one MP game a day for a month will have a much better collection of items than someone who buys $50 worth of chests. And skill is very important too: one of the AIs you face in MP has ridiculously overpowered cards, but can be easily beaten because she plays stupidly. The items in the starter packs look powerful, but only because they're the first high level items you'll see; they're actually pretty mediocre. I do agree that the payment model is too much in your face.
Your review doesn't mention the Custom Scenario Editor which lets you create your own maps, fill them with monsters and share with your friends. You can even set it up so you're controlling monsters too.
Some notes for newbies:
As you play the campaign, Gary will give you 150 pizza and the Adventurer starter pack for free. Don't attempt multiplayer without a starter pack.
Treasure Hunt rewards can be found in the shop or random chests; I had three of them before I unlocked any of them.
Pay close attention to what the cards say, and hold your mouse over any underlined words for definitions.
Armor (grey border) and Block (green border) cards work very differently.
The Spark Inductor/Generator cards affect two types of magic in different ways; Sparks are Electric and Zaps are Arcane.
You can right-click items to see thier cards full-size.
This is a collectible game more than RPG; just because a new item seems better than your old one doesn't mean you'll never want the old one in the future. I always keep one of every treasure and as many of the other items as a party can possibly use.
Price to buy items in a shop is based on the item's rarity and the different between its level and yours; you'll get the best price when you're the same level or higher. Amount items sell for is solely based on rarity and whether it's a treasure.
Club rewards have the same guaranteed rarity as the guaranteed rarity of the chest; actual items you get can have higher rarity.
In the campaign, 2 item chests have no guaranteed rarity, 4 item chests have 1 guaranteed Uncommon unless there's a specific reward for the first time you complete the module. Mouse over the MP chests to see their rarities.
moldar • September 18, 2013 12:48 PM
I have to agree with the above post. Also been playing through beta. The game is well designed, balance updates are done intelligently, and it is just pure fun!
kokois • September 19, 2013 4:33 PM
Wow, this game is the worst thing that could have happened to my productivity - it's addictive. I'm really enjoying the intricate strategy and some of the really tough battles that force me to think deeply about strategy.
Kimberly • September 23, 2013 11:21 AM
Spent my whole weekend on this game. I am hopelessly addicted to it. But like Dora said, I wish the pay model was different.


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text:
Herbert Protocol scheme to help trace people living with dementia quicker launched in North East
Photo from L to R Inspector Carron McKellar, Fredda McIntosh, who is supported by Alzheimer Scotland and Sarah Duff, Service Manager, Alzheimer Scotland
Morag Kuc
A scheme to help trace people living with dementia more quickly after they are reported missing, has been launched in the North East.
The Herbert Protocol is national scheme which will be rolled out across the North East of Scotland by Police Scotland in conjunction with NHS Grampian, Aberdeen Health and Social Care Partnership, Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership, Moray Health and Care Social Partnership, Alzheimer Scotland and VSA.
Inspector Carron McKellar of Police Scotland said: "Almost 23,000 people are reported missing every year in Scotland with over 500 of these reports relating to people living with dementia.
"In the North East, 4% of reports of missing persons in 2017/18 involved people living with dementia.
"The Herbert Protocol is named after Normandy veteran George Herbert who lived with dementia. He sadly died in 2011 after he went missing in England looking for his childhood home. The protocol was originally devised by Norfolk Police to compile information about a person which could be used if a vulnerable person was reported as missing. The protocol has since been adopted by other Forces across England and Wales since its original introduction.
"It is well known that people living with dementia can suffer from loss of short term memory but can easily recall memories from decades earlier. Sometimes we find that those who are reported missing are attempting to make their way to a place of previous significance to them.
"The Herbert Protocol consists of a form that anyone can access from the Police Scotland website. It can be printed off and completed for any vulnerable person where there is concern that they could potentially go missing in the future. The form records vital information such as where the person grew up, favourite places, former or current hobbies, GP contact details and also a picture of the person, with consent to share this on social media should it be required.
"If a person living with dementia does go missing, in addition to our usual checks of family members, last sightings, hospitals, etc. we would use the information captured on the form, to help identify where best to deploy our officers and issue appeals on social media and traditional media for any sightings.
"It can be distressing for family members to give important details when their loved one has disappeared so by completing the Herbert Protocol form before any incident occurs, it will make things easier for families and help officers respond more quickly.
"Although only 4% of missing person episodes relate to people living with dementia, by the nature of the vulnerabilities and high risks invariably involved, it is estimated that dementia-related missing person cases require two to four times the policing resource that would typically be engaged in a non-dementia related missing person case. By having this information already compiled it will save precious time and mean that enquiries can be progressed immediately, and tailored to the known details of that person.
"It is hoped the introduction of this protocol will provide a consistency of service across the division, increasing the chances of vulnerable missing persons being found safe and well sooner and provide reassurance for friends and families."
The Herbert Protocol is currently also used in Dumfries and Galloway and may be introduced by other divisions in Scotland in the future. In the North East a local scheme similar to that of the Herbert Protocol was used in the Garioch area from 2010. The Divisional Herbert Protocol launched today will cover the entire North East division and will therefore supersede the former Garioch initiative.
Sarah Duff, Service Manager, Alzheimer Scotland, said; 'We are delighted to host the launch of the Herbert Protocol in Grampian during Dementia Awareness Week. If someone with dementia does not return home or has lost their way it's a distressing time for families so having vital information to hand relieves some of that pressure and helps focus searches on places meaningful to the individual concerned. Speed is of the essence. I encourage anyone to get in touch to find out how to complete a form for their loved ones'
Julia Wells, Nurse Consultant, Older Adults Mental Health at NHS Grampian, said: "NHS Grampian are delighted to have worked in partnership with Alzheimer Scotland, VSA and other third sector agencies to support Police Scotland in the launch of The Herbert Protocol.
"It is important that healthcare professionals working in hospital, social care and voluntary agencies support people to live well with dementia and a vital part of this is future planning. We therefore encourage people at the stage of diagnosis and thereafter to complete the Herbert Protocol and keep it safe as a precautionary measure, should their symptoms deteriorate. This will enable the police to respond to a report of a missing person living with dementia in a timely, responsive way."
MP slams "despicable" attacks on more than 200 ambulance staff


A Japanese manufacturer of thermal property measurement equipment is seeking partners for its fibre orientation measurement equipment. This equipment is the only one in the world that can measure fibre orientation inside moulded plastics using only thermal diffusion. Sales agents or distributors with network with laboratories, academic facilities and enterprises operating with fibres, interested to finalize a distribution or commercial agency services are sought.
The company is looking for partners that have experience in sales and distribution with actual track record of handling fibre orientation measurement equipment in the EU. Maintenance capability is one of the conditions for partnerships. The measurement service can be optional. The potential partners are expected: - To develop a market for fibre orientation measurement equipment with the company to stimulate potential demand. - To have access to and have networks with laboratories or quality control departments of academic facilities and enterprises that need to measure fibre orientation.
The Japanese company has been developing and manufacturing measuring equipment for thermal properties such as the thermal conductivity rate and thermal diffusivity rate. More recently, the company has developed a fibre orientation measurement equipment based on their expertise of thermal evaluation. This equipment is the only one in the world that can measure fibre orientation inside moulded plastics using only thermal diffusion instead of using X-ray as most conventional equipment does. The company has just started their business in Europe and is seeking partners (sales agents or distributors) who can also provide maintenance and ideally also measurement services. A distribution or commercial agency services agreement will be finalized with relevant partners. Their targeted customers are laboratories that belong to academic or business facilities and quality control departments of enterprises related to manufacturing of plastic sheet, plastic materials, graphite sheets, ceramics, metals, diamonds, carbon etc. The equipment's features are as below: -	Measuring fibre orientation of moulded plastics such as CFRP (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastics) with easy condition setting and fast measurement time -	Non-destructive and contactless measurement adopting periodic laser heating radiation thermometry method with infrared camera -	No strict requirements of a sample's shape -	Analysis by PC with easy operation: after placing samples, all procedures of the analysis will be performed by the PC The company's fibre orientation measurement equipment has been applied for the below-mentioned samples: -	carbon reinforced plastics -	carbon reinforced thermal plastics -	carbon composite products -	CFRP (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastics) -	GFRP (Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastics) -	pseudo-isotropic plate material -	automobile interior components and exterior components, as well as textile products The company equipment fulfill CE marking requirements.
The company's product can detect fibre orientation and distribution inside moulded plastics by adopting periodic laser heating with infrared camera on the spot of a sample. This equipment is the only one in the world that can measure fibre orientation inside moulded plastics by using thermal diffusion only, not using X-ray as most conventional equipment. Comparing with fibre orientation measurement equipment that uses X-ray, the company's new method has the following advantages: 1) Cheaper The equipment cost of conventional equipment is much higher than the company's one because it requires professional operation support by a radiation engineer. The company's equipment is easy to handle and can be operated by anybody, which will reduce the cost. 2) Faster Conventional equipment takes several hours for processing due to focus on high resolution. With the company's equipment, evaluation of the fibre orientation is possible in one minute. 3) Larger analysis area The measurement range per spot of conventional equipment is small such as within 2mm. The company's measurement range per spot is 10mm in diameter. 4) Easier Sample preparation is needed for conventional equipment such as cutting samples into pieces. With the company's method, measurement of any plate shape is possible and no cutting of samples is required. This saves time that usually would be used for the sample's preparations.


Professor Black is a tough colleague to get along with and every time a fresh TA shows up, he finds this out the hard way. When he threatens to go to the dean because of Professor Darks's attitude, she immediately changes her tune. Though she still 's isn't the easiest man to get along together, she's always down for a hard pounding!!!


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text:
/*A company has name, address, phone number, fax number, web site and manager.
 * The manager has first name, last name, age and a phone number.
Write a program that reads the information about a company and its manager and
 * prints it back on the console.*/

using System;

class PrintCompanyInfo
{
    static void Main()
    {
        Console.Write("Company name: ");
        string companyName = Console.ReadLine();
        Console.Write("Company address: ");
        string companyAddress = Console.ReadLine();
        Console.Write("Company phone number: ");
        int companyPhoneNumber = int.Parse(Console.ReadLine());
        Console.Write("Company fax number: ");
        int companyFaxNumber = int.Parse(Console.ReadLine());
        Console.Write("Company web site: ");
        string companyWebSite = Console.ReadLine();
        Console.Write("Manager first name: ");
        string managerFirstName = Console.ReadLine();
        Console.Write("Manager last name: ");
        string managerLastName = Console.ReadLine();
        Console.Write("Manager age: ");
        int managerAge = int.Parse(Console.ReadLine());
        Console.Write("Manager phone number: ");
        int managerPhoneNumber = int.Parse(Console.ReadLine());

        Console.Clear();

        Console.WriteLine(companyName);
        Console.WriteLine("Address: " + companyAddress);
        Console.WriteLine("Phone number: " + companyPhoneNumber);
        Console.WriteLine("Fax number: " + companyFaxNumber);
        Console.WriteLine("Web site: " + companyWebSite);
        Console.WriteLine("Manager: " + managerFirstName + "" + managerLastName);
        Console.WriteLine("Age: " + managerAge);
        Console.WriteLine("Phone number: " + managerPhoneNumber);
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


There is something about watching a winter sunset from the fells that is very appealing and, I reckon, one of the finest things you can see from up on high. I did have the choice of going out in the beautiful clear sunshine of the day but decided to leave a walk until later and grab the sunset view. Of course I ended up leaving it all a little close for comfort and it ended up being a bit of a race to the top.
Once up there, all was silent and there wasn't even a breath of wind, my fingers and face were numb with the cold and the beautiful final embers of sunlight made the icy ground glow. Magnificent.


For an article for Nautilus Magazine I interviewed several experts on science/media and science/society to find out what happened to the mad scientist TV trope in the past few decades.
This Spotlight (front section) article for Development highlights science careers away from the bench. It was based on a series of posts I curated for The Node, with additional reporting.


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Teen Titans Go! To the Movies is a 2018 American animated superhero comedy film based on the television series Teen Titans Go!, which is based on the DC Comics superhero team  of the same name. This film is directed by Peter Rida Michail and Aaron Horvath (in their feature directorial debuts) and written by Michael Jelenic and Horvath. The events of the film take place during the fifth season of the series. It is the second Warner Bros. Animation theatrical feature film to be based on a television series, following 1993's Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, in addition to being the first theatrical feature film to be based on a series airing on Cartoon Network since 2002's The Powerpuff Girls Movie. It features the voices of Greg Cipes, Scott Menville, Khary Payton, Tara Strong, and Hynden Walch reprising their respective roles from the series, while Will Arnett (who also produced the film) and Kristen Bell join the cast. The film follows the Teen Titans, who attempt to have a movie made about them in Hollywood while dealing with supervillain Slade, who was responsible for making blockbuster movies about superheroes undercover as a Hollywood director.

The film premiered in the BFI Southbank on July 22, 2018, and was theatrically released in the United States on July 27, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It grossed $52.1 million worldwide against a $10 million budget and received positive reviews from critics, which praised the stylized animation quality, cast, score, and screenplay.

Plot

In Jump City, the Teen Titans arrive to stop Balloon Man. When he fails to recognize them, the Teen Titans jump into a rap song to introduce themselves ("GO!") and become distracted, forcing the Justice League to intervene. They criticize the Titans for their childishness and inability to take their positions as superheroes seriously, while raising the fact that they do not have a feature-length film to prove their legitimacy as superheroes.

While at the premiere of Batman Again, the Titans' leader Robin is mocked by the audience after a misunderstanding leads him to assume that there would be a film about him. At the rest of the team's suggestion, Robin resolves that in order to get a film made about him and the Titans, they need an arch-nemesis. Nearby, a supervillain named Slade breaks into S.T.A.R. Labs to steal a crystal. The Titans arrive and attempt to stop him, but he swiftly defeats and insults them.

The next day, Beast Boy, Starfire, Cyborg, and Raven create a film to cheer up Robin, but he turns it off prematurely and declares that they will go to Hollywood to have a film made about them ("Upbeat Inspirational Song About Life"). Upon arriving at Warner Bros. Studios, they encounter director Jade Wilson, who is responsible for all the superhero films being made. She turns down the Titans' request to be in a film ("My Superhero Movie"), saying that the only way she would make one about them is if they were the only superheroes in the world. The Titans take her words literally, and go back in time to prevent the origins of the other superheroes ("Crystals" and "Back in Time"), but upon returning to the present, they discover that having done so erases the other heroes' existence and are forced to go back in time again and undo their blunder.

Slade next arrives at Wayne Tech to infuse the crystal's power and the Titans arrive to stop him, this time putting up an actual fight. They secure the crystal, but Slade escapes, resolving to split Robin from his teammates.

The next day, Jade invites the Titans back to Hollywood and announces that she will make a movie about them due to their fight with Slade. While Robin is given a tour of the premises, Raven, Beast Boy, Starfire, and Cyborg venture out and cause mischief ("Shenanigans"). They find a device labeled "DOOMSDAY" and try to destroy it, but Jade arrives and explains that D.O.O.M.S.D.A.Y. is an acronym for a new streaming service for the new movie she is making. She resolves to drop the rest of the Titans from the film and make it solely about Robin, which he happily accepts, much to the consternation of his team, who wish him luck. Robin finishes making the movie, but begins to regret his decision and misses his friends.

During a scene shot on location inside Titans Tower, Jade is revealed to be Slade in disguise. He steals the crystal back and reveals to Robin that having made numerous superhero films was part of his plan to keep all the heroes busy while he stole technology from their cities and dimensions to build D.O.O.M.S.D.A.Y., a device that can  control minds and allow him to conquer the world. He destroys the entire Titans Tower, but Robin safely manages to escape the exploding building. In the aftermath of the wreckage, Robin calls his friends and apologizes to them, who make peace with him.

At the premiere of Robin: The Movie, the Titans arrive and unmask Slade, but Slade unleashes the crystal's power to control the other heroes and sends them after the Titans. Robin goes after Slade while the rest of the team leads off the heroes. However, Slade uses his new power to control Robin, and tells him to attack his friends. They show him the rest of the movie they made for him, causing Robin to come to his senses. Slade attempts to fight them with a giant robot, but the team uses a song ("GO! (Battle Remix)") to take out Slade, altogether while also destroying the crystal, snapping the other heroes out of their trance. They all congratulate the Titans for their heroic efforts with Robin admitting that he has learned to be himself without needing a movie.

In a post credits scene, the 2003 Titans said that they found a way back, thus creating a bridge to Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans.

Voice cast

 Scott Menville as Robin, Batman's sidekick and the de facto leader of the Teen Titans who uses gymnastic skills, martial arts and various weapons to fight crime.
 Jacob Jeffries as Robin's singing voice for the song "My Superhero Movie".
 Hynden Walch as Starfire, a beautiful Tamaranian princess who has the ability to fire bright green-colored bolts of ultraviolet energy and green laser beams from both her hands and eyes as well as possessing superhuman strength and flight. She is also shown to have a villainous older sister known as Blackfire.
 Khary Payton as Cyborg, a cybernetic enhanced human cyborg and once a former athlete and football player who has the power of using a variety of weapons from his mechanical body as well as possessing superhuman strength. He is the oldest of the Teen Titans, Beast Boy's best friend and also a member of the Justice League.
 Tara Strong as Raven, a human sorceress who is secretly half-demon and has the ability to fly, use telekinesis, teleportation and magic as well as open portals. She is also the daughter of an inter-dimensional satanic-like demon called Trigon and a human named Arella and was originally born on Azarath, her former birthplace and home realm.
 Strong provides the vocal effects of Silkie, Starfire's pet mutated caterpillar who was formerly owned by Killer Moth.
 Greg Cipes as Beast Boy, a green-skinned humanoid, a member of the Teen Titans and Cyborg's best friend who is the youngest and comic relief of the group and has the power to shapeshift into various animals of all shapes and sizes.
 Will Arnett as Slade, a supervillain and Robin's nemesis.
 Kristen Bell as Jade Wilson, a famous filmmaker who the Teen Titans try to persuade to make a movie about them and is secretly Slade in disguise.
 Eric Bauza as Aquaman, a member of the Justice League and King of Atlantis. Bauza also voices Stan's assistant.
 Michael Bolton as Tiger
 Nicolas Cage as Superman, a member of the Justice League and survivor of Krypton. Cage was intended to play Superman in the cancelled film Superman Lives directed by Tim Burton.
 Joey Cappabianca as Plastic Man, a member of the Justice League.
 Greg Davies as Balloon Man, a balloon-themed supervillain.
 John DiMaggio as Guard, Synth Skate Voice
 Halsey as Wonder Woman, a member of the Justice League and Princess of Themyscira. She makes a reference to the 2017 film Wonder Woman.
 David Kaye as the Alfred trailer announcer, and the Inside Premiere announcer.
 Tom Kenny as Machine Voice
 Jimmy Kimmel as Batman, a member of the Justice League and Robin's father figure and mentor.
 Nicolas Cage's son Kal-El Cage voices the younger Bruce Wayne.
 Vanessa Marshall as Vault Voice
 Phil Morris as D.O.O.M.S.D.A.Y., a streaming device. Morris also voices the Red Carpet Announcer.
 Patton Oswalt as Atom, a member of the Justice League.
 Alexander Polinsky as Control Freak, a media-manipulating enemy of the Teen Titans.
 Meredith Salenger as Supergirl, the cousin of Superman.
 Dave Stone as Walter "Prof" Haley, leader of the Challengers of the Unknown.
 Fred Tatasciore as Jor-El, the late father of Superman. Tatasciore also voices a security guard.
 James Arnold Taylor as Shia LaBeouf
 Lil Yachty as Green Lantern, a member of the Justice League and Green Lantern Corps who made a reference to the 2011 film Green Lantern (commenting "We don't like to talk about it").
 Wil Wheaton as The Flash, a member of the Justice League.
 Stan Lee as himself in his only cameo in a DC Comics project.

Production
On September 25, 2017, Warner Bros. announced the film and its release date of July 27, 2018, with the show's cast reprising their roles. A month later, the film's title and teaser poster debuted, and it was announced that Will Arnett, who voices Batman in The Lego Movie franchise, and Kristen Bell had joined the cast. The film marks the first time Warner Bros. Animation has released a theatrical film since Warner Animation Group's formation in 2013 and also technically the first fully 2D animated theatrical feature from Warner Bros. Animation since The Iron Giant while the first 2D animated film to be presented by Warner Bros. Pictures since Clifford's Really Big Movie.

On March 12, 2018, it was announced that musicians Lil Yachty and Halsey were part of the cast, as Green Lantern and Wonder Woman, respectively, with Nicolas Cage revealed as Superman the same day. Cage himself was originally slated to portray Superman in Tim Burton's canceled Superman film, Superman Lives, in the 1990s. Jimmy Kimmel was announced to voice Batman in the film through an extended cut of the trailer.

Music

The Teen Titans Go! To the Movies soundtrack was released on July 20, 2018. The soundtrack consists of songs that the cast sing throughout the movie that serve mostly as musical pop culture references and parodies, and the musical score composed by Jared Faber.

 "GO!" – Hynden Walch, Tara Strong, Scott Menville, Khary Payton, Greg Cipes
 "My Superhero Movie" – Jacob Jeffries
 "Upbeat Inspirational Song About Life" – Michael Bolton, Hynden Walch, Tara Strong, Scott Menville, Khary Payton, Greg Cipes
 "Crystals" – David Gemmill and M A E S T R O
 "Shenanigans" – Peter Rida Michail and Khary Payton
 "GO! (Battle Remix)" – Hynden Walch, Khary Payton, Scott Menville, Tara Strong, Greg Cipes
 "GO! (Remix)" – Lil Yachty
 "Upbeat Inspirational Song About Life [Reprise]" – Michael Bolton
 "Welcome to Jump City" – Jared Faber
 "Balloon Man Invades" – Jared Faber
 "Check This Out" – Jared Faber
 "This Is Where They Make Movies" – Jared Faber
 "Slade Arch Nemesis Suite" – Jared Faber
 "Chasing Slade" – Jared Faber
 "Slade's Master Plan" – Jared Faber
 "Robin Misses The Titans" – Jared Faber
 "The Tower Collapses" – Jared Faber
 "Titans Save The World Suite" – Jared Faber
 "Slade Becomes Giant Robot" – Jared Faber
 "Justice League Returns/Saved By Titans" – Jared Faber
 "Star Labs/Doomsday Device" – Jared Faber
 "Worthy Arch Nemesis" – Jared Faber
 "Back To The Future Theme" – Alan Silvestri (arranged by Fred Kron)

Release
The film was released in theaters in the United States on July 27, 2018, by Warner Bros. Pictures and became generally available on November 23, 2018, followed by a United Kingdom bow a week later. It was released in Australian theaters on September 13, 2018. An early screening was held on June 22 at Vidcon 2018, for both badge members and YouTubers. The film was also shown at the San Diego Comic-Con International on July 20, 2018. DC Comics announced that Teen Titans Go! To the Movies held a watch event on November 22, 2018 and released Teen Titans Go! To the Movies for general availability on the next day. The film's theatrical release was preceded by #TheLateBatsby, a short film based on Lauren Faust's forthcoming DC Super Hero Girls television series. Teen Titans Go! To the Movies was generally available for download from MSDN and Technet on November 7 and for retail purchase from November 23, 2018. The film was set to make its network television premiere on TBS on September 12, 2020, but was removed from the schedule and replaced by an airing of Sherlock Gnomes for unknown reasons. The film made its official network television premiere on Cartoon Network on November 25, 2020.

Home media
Teen Titans Go! To the Movies was released on digital copy on October 9, 2018, and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 30, 2018.

Reception

Box office
Teen Titans Go! To the Movies has grossed $29.6 million in North America, and $22.3 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $52 million, against a production budget of $10 million.

In the United States, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies was released alongside Mission: Impossible – Fallout, and was initially projected to gross around $14 million from 3,188 theaters in its opening weekend, with a chance to go as high as $19 million. However, after making $4.6 million on its first day (including $1 million from Thursday night previews), estimates were lowered to $10 million, and it ended up debuting to $10.5 million, finishing 5th at the box office.

Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a "Certified Fresh" rating of  based on  reviews, with an average rating of . The site's critical consensus reads, "Teen Titans Go! To the Movies distills the enduring appeal of its colorful characters into a charmingly light-hearted adventure whose wacky humor fuels its infectious fun – and belies a surprising level of intelligence." Several critics have called the movie, "Deadpool for kids". On Metacritic, the film has a score of 69 out of 100 based on reviews from 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

Laura Prudom of IGN gave the film a score of 8/10, calling it a "gleefully unhinged deconstruction of superhero tropes that isn't afraid to take aim at the rest of DC's cinematic roster". Owen Glieberman of Variety said "Teen Titans GO! is fun in a defiantly super way, and that's a recommendation." Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "Considering the somberness that afflicts so many DC universe releases, the tongue-in-cheek, albeit admittedly juvenile humor of Teen Titans Go! To the Movies should come as a welcome relief to fans."

David Betancourt of The Washington Post opined, "Teen Titans Go! To the Movies is a laugh-a-minute ride that hits you with the jokes from the very first frame. From the cute shots at Marvel Studios to the self-deprecating tone on the state of DC movies, you'll leave the theater with a new set of superhero abs from laughing so hard."

Brandon Katz of The New York Observer said that the film is "a fun parody of sorts that gently skewers our superhero obsessed culture, and while there may be one too many gags thrown in there which can get a bit tiresome after awhile, it's an enjoyable movie for both kids and adults." Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com rated the film 3/4 stars, saying "It's not a film designed to break ground or even offer too much social commentary on the role of superheroes in modern culture. It's built with the primary goal of making you laugh and forget your problems for just under 90 minutes, and it does exactly that."

GameSpot's Chris Hayner, while finding fault with what he deemed excessive toilet humor and some dragging in the film, said that "In a superhero movie landscape where the world is constantly being destroyed by massive CGI abominations, this is a refreshing change... it doesn't forget how funny and exciting these types of movies can be."

Accolades

Sequel
An episode of Teen Titans Go! premiered about a month after the film's release. The episode, titled "Tower Renovation", was about the Titans attempting to rebuild Titans Tower after Slade destroyed it in the events of the film.

References

External links

 DC page
 Warner Bros. page

2018 animated films
2018 films
2010s American animated films
2010s animated superhero films
2018 action comedy films
2010s English-language films
2010s musical films
2010s superhero comedy films
American flash animated films
American action comedy films
American children's animated comedy films
American children's animated fantasy films
American children's animated musical films
American children's animated superhero films
Animated films about extraterrestrial life
Animated films about time travel
Animated films about friendship
Animated films based on animated series
Teen Titans
Demons in film
Depictions of Stan Lee on film
Films about Hollywood, Los Angeles
Films set in 2018
Films set on fictional planets
Teen Titans films
Metafictional works
Self-reflexive films
Warner Bros. animated films
Warner Bros. Animation animated films
Warner Bros. films
Animated superhero crossover films
Fiction about mind control
Films based on television series
Animated teen superhero comedy films
2018 directorial debut films
Teen Titans Go! (film series)
Films produced by Will Arnett
Films produced by Sam Register

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Digital Asia links: PLA QR codes, a new OBOR portal, India's social sphere and more
Danielle Cave
The Asia-Pacific is the most dynamic digital landscape in the world.
Photo: Flickr/Jaehyun Lee
Published 7 Apr 2017 16:24 0 Comments Follow @DaniellesCave
A fantastic description of the ongoing tussle between the New York Times and China's Great Firewall.
The New York Times is not the only group trying to get around China's Great Firewall – a robust industry of Chinese 'information smugglers' has arisen to meet domestic demand for international news and current affairs. These Chinese media agencies use circumvention tools each day to access foreign web content and then translate and repackage these (often sensationalised) stories for the domestic market (original Chinese-language piece here).
Teenage Singaporean blogger Amos Yee was granted asylum in the US last month.
This blog post runs through how South Korea manages its national cybersecurity drill and how participants, including anti-virus companies, video game developers, financial operators and defence officials are coordinated.
QR (quick-response) code scams are on the rise in China but that hasn't stopped thirteen units across the People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s Navy, Air Force and Rocket Force being issued QR code metal tags. The piloted QR code tags also contain a built-in microchip containing health information to be used in emergencies.
Twitter launched a data-light version of its platform in India yesterday, Instagram has become the country's second-most popular social media site, but Facebook remains dominant with 183 million users (though only one-quarter of these are women).
China's liberal, social media–savvy generation are really taking to Donald Trump.
There is a growing demand for mobile payment systems across Asia but growth is disparate. While China leads the way and Indonesia's cashless future looks bright, cash remains king in Japan and the Philippines.
Chinese Internet company Baidu has doubled its Silicon Valley presence and has gone all-in on Artificial Intelligence (AI). But the company is desperate to lure AI talent to China after recently losing its chief scientist.
Kakao Corp, the company behind South Korea's largest online media platform KakaoTalk, has been granted permission to become the country's second online bank.
The Chinese Government launched a portal for the Belt And Road Initiative.
This piece argues Singapore needs to leverage its expertise and smart-nation vision to become a leader in global cyber-security services.
With China's skies crowded with unmanned aerial vehicles, the government is considering real-name registration for unregulated drones.
North Korea is hacking banks and using ransomware (viruses that encrypt data in an infected computer or smartphone) for revenue.
Interesting insight into why some Chinese rural entrepreneurs are quitting e-commerce platform Rural Taobao.
While Japan has laid the foundations for becoming a serious player in cyberspace under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, this paper argues the government's efforts remain underfunded and hampered by overly complicated bureaucracy.
Anthony Kuhn, a media correspondent in China, went viral on Weibo after asking a question at a government press conference last month.
Hong Kong activists and artists used Facebook Live and the hashtag #1194only to crowdsource and live-stream four hours of silent video protest to highlight what ordinary Hong Kongers were doing on 26 March while 1186 Hong Kong electors (1194 are eligible) voted in new Chief Executive Carrie Lam:
Syria's chemical weapons: Khan Sheikhoun attack may not be the last
Weekend catch-up: US missile strikes, the Xi-Trump meeting, China-Russia relations and more
Anu Anwar 10 Sep 2019 06:00
Why the US and its allies should keep ASEAN at the centre
Southeast Asia has its own interest in maintaining the free flow of trade in the region.
Rodger Shanahan 18 Apr 2017 10:31
Syria: Losing lives and land
With populations displaced, land ownership is sure to feature as a key source of internal friction for years after the conclusion of hostilities.
Alexandre Dayant 28 Nov 2017 16:30
Aid and development links: Britain, NGOs and the search for evidence
Aid and development links from The Interpreter team.


Although Lars Berglund and his team at Stockholm's KTH Royal Institute of Technology are not the first who have managed to produce transparent wood, their method is also suitable for mass production.
Wood has always been one of the most fascinating and most versatile materials, and this is set to continue. Where would we be today without it? Yet for all its versatility, there is one property it has never had - by its very nature, it has never been transparent. Although a number of inventors have managed to give wood a certain transparency, none of these solutions has proven suitable for commercial use. This is where they differ significantly from the development recently unveiled by Professor Lars Berglund and his team from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.
For the first time, the technology developed by the team for transparent wood is also suitable for mass production, enabling the wood to be used for energy-saving buildings, for example. "Transparent wood is an ideal material for solar cells, as it's economical, readily available and renewable," explains Professor Berglund. "This is particularly important when covering large areas with solar cells." The first step toward creating transparent wood is the chemical extraction of lignin, which makes tree cells solid. The wood is then impregnated with a transparent polymer to obtain the familiar stability. At the end of the complete procedure, the wood has an incredible 85 percent translucency level. "Nobody had ever considered the possibility of manufacturing larger transparent structures for use in solar cells and buildings," says Berglund. Now the researchers are working to prepare their invention for mass production and make the wood even more transparent. "We're also planning to work with different types of wood," adds Berglund.