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HomeWhy Does Trump Hate COVID Testing But Love Standardized Testing?
Why Does Trump Hate COVID Testing But Love Standardized Testing?
September 7, 2020 stevenmsinger Accountability, Betsy DeVos, Budget, capitalism, Charter Schools, Child Predators, Civil Rights, Corporate Education "Reform", Democrat, Donald Trump, Education, Eugenics, Learning, NAACP, Politics, Poverty, Prejudice, President, private schools, privatization, Propaganda, Racism, Republican, School Choice, School Funding, school segregation, school vouchers, Schools, segregation, small class size, Social Justice, Standardized Testing, Students, TeachersBetsy DeVos, charter schools, coronavirus, COVID-19, education, high stakes testing, Politics, school vouchers, standardization, standardized testing, test scores, test-based accountability, testocracy, Trump
When it comes to COVID-19, Donald Trump sure hates testing.
But when it comes to public schools, his administration simply adores standardized testing.
Why the discrepancy?
Why is testing for a virus during a global pandemic bad, but giving students a multiple choice test during the chaos caused by that pandemic somehow good?
When it comes to the Coronavirus, Trump has made his position clear.
In a June 15 tweet, Trump wrote that testing "makes us look bad."
Five days later at his infamous campaign rally in Tulsa, he said he had asked his "people" to "slow the testing down, please."
At one of his White House press briefings, he said, "When you test, you create cases."
In his infamous Fox News interview with Chris Wallace, he seemed to be saying that the U.S. had just as many new cases now as it did in May. However, since there were fewer tests done in May and more are being done now, it only appears that the infection is spreading when it actually is not.
It's pure bullshit.
How would he know how many cases existed in May other than through testing?
He is simply trying to gas light the nation into believing that his abysmal job as Commander-in-Chief has nothing to do with the pandemic raging out of control on our shores.
He is trying to distract us from the fact that the US has only 4 percent of the world population but more than 25% of all COVID-19 cases. He wants us to forget that more Americans have died of COVID-19 than in any war other than WWII – 200,000 and counting.
So that, at least, is clear.
Trump hates COVID testing because – as he puts it – it makes him look bad.
So why is his administration pushing for more standardized testing in public schools as those same institutions struggle to reopen during the pandemic?
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos – everyone's favorite billionaire heiress turned public servant – sent a letter to state education leaders on Thursday saying high stakes testing probably would be required this school year.
They should not expect the Education Department to again waive federal testing requirements as it did last spring while schools were suddenly closing due to the outbreak.
The reason?
DeVos wrote:
"If we fail to assess students, it will have a lasting effect for years to come. Not only will vulnerable students fall behind, but we will be abandoning the important, bipartisan reforms of the past two decades at a critical moment."
However, this is a rather strange thing to say if you think about it.
Standardized tests are just one of many kinds of assessments students take every year. At best they represent a snapshot of how kids are doing on a given day or week.
But since students are tested all year long by their teachers, they earn end of the year marks, pass on to the next grade or are held back, graduate or not – there are a multitude of measures of student learning – measures that take in an entire year of academic progress in context.
Waiving standardized testing would not make it impossible to tell who learned what. In fact, waiving the tests in the spring did not leave teachers clueless about the students in their classes today.
We still know which students are falling behind because we interact with them, give them assignments, teacher created assessments, etc. And when it comes to vulnerability, standardized tests show us nothing unless we read between the lines.
Students from poorer households tend to score lower on standardized tests. Kids who attend schools with fewer resources and larger class sizes tend to score lower. Minority children tend to score lower.
We don't need any tests to tell us who these kids are. It's obvious! Just look at who qualifies for free or reduced meals. Look at school budgets. Look at student ethnographic data. Look at seating charts. Look at classroom grades.
We don't need standardized tests! We need resources to help these kids overcome the obstacles set before them or to remove those obstacles altogether.
Standardized testing does nothing to achieve this goal nor is there much help from the "bipartisan reforms of the past two decades."
After all, which reforms exactly do you think DeVos is referring to?
It's not hard to imagine since her letter was endorsed by far right and neoliberal organizations such as the Center for American Progress, the National Urban League, the Education Trust and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
DeVos is talking about charter and voucher schools – the same pet projects she spent her entire adult life either funding or trying to wrest funding away from public schools to fund.
In fact, she just had her ass handed to her for a third time by the federal court system for trying to siphon money to private schools that Congress explicitly earmarked for poor kids.
Congress set aside money in the CARES Act to be distributed among public and private schools based on the number of students from low-income families. However, DeVos said the funds should go to private schools BASED ON TOTAL ENROLLMENT.
Uh-uh, Betsy.
In her ruling this week, Dabney Friedrich, the U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia (and a Trump appointee) wrote:
"In enacting the education funding provisions of the CARES Act, Congress spoke with a clear voice… that cannot mean the opposite of what it says."
So why does the Trump Administration support standardized testing?
For a similar reason to why it doesn't support COVID testing.
Testing for the Coronavirus makes Trump legitimately look bad.
Testing kids with standardized assessments makes the public schools (during a pandemic or otherwise) illegitimately look bad. And that can be used as a justification to close those schools and replace them with private and charter schools.
It's not about academia or helping vulnerable children.
It's pure politics. The shock doctrine. Disaster capitalism.
This is another way the Trump administration is trying to rob the American public blind and get away with it.
When it comes to Coronavirus, there are a limited number of tests for infection. Trump is against all of them. He just wants to hide his head in the sand and pretend it will all go away.
When it comes to education, there are multiple measures of student learning. The Trump administration only champions one of them – the standardized variety.
Why? Because that is the assessment most inadequate to measure learning but it's the easiest to spin into an anti-education narrative.
After all, you can't use classroom grades or teacher-created tests to support the narrative of failing schools. Those assessments are in context and too clearly show the link between poor achievement and things like lack of resources and inequality. If kids are failing their classes, it's too obvious when schools are trying to help but stymied by a lack of resources and countless social issues. Shining a light on that will only lead to solving these very real problems.
But if we put the spotlight squarely on standardized test scores, we can spin the narrative that it is the public school system, itself, that is at fault and thus we can better sell the need for privatization in all its profit-driven forms.
That's the whole reason DeVos took this job in the first place.
And shame on Democrats like Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) who praised DeVos's testing pronouncement.
Scott, who serves as chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, said in a statement:
"There is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic is having severe consequences for students' growth and achievement, particularly for our most vulnerable students. We cannot begin to address these consequences, unless we fully understand them."'
Um, we do understand them, Congressman. You don't need a multiple choice assessment to see who is failing or why. It's due to targeted disinvestment of the poor and children of color.
Murray, the highest ranking Democrat on the Senate education committee, said:
"Especially when it comes to the disparities that harm so many students of color, students with disabilities and students whose families have low incomes, we've got to have data that shows us where we're falling short so we can better support those students."
How does a single test score from a corporation like Pearson show you more than a year's worth of academic assessments from a school?
Standardized tests convey ZERO to us about students falling behind or vulnerable students that we don't already know. And Murray is engaged in pure theater by framing her concern as an issue of racial justice while actual racial justice groups like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Black Lives Matter movement have explicitly condemned standardized testing.
An assessment system literally designed by eugenicists and pushed by segregationists is NOT a remedy to racial inequality – unless you're proposing getting rid of it.
In short, Trump and DeVos are two peas in a pod committed to avoiding accountability for themselves but determined to destroy public services like public schools based on bogus accountability measures like standardized testing.
Hopefully the American public will boot them both out on their asses in November so that rational leadership in the Department of Education and elsewhere will do what should have been done years ago – waive standardized testing for this year and every year that follows – Coronavirus or not.
← Steel Valley Schools Will Reopen Fully Remote Rather Than Compromise on Safety
The Everyday Exhaustion of Teaching During a Global Pandemic →
11 thoughts on "Why Does Trump Hate COVID Testing But Love Standardized Testing?"
Lloyd Lofthouse says:
Suggestion: Change "pure bullshit" to "toxic bullshit" :o)
There are so many shades of bullshit in Trump's America!
Reblogged this on Politicians Are Poody Heads.
Thanks for the reblog, Zorba.
drext727 says:
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Education.
Thanks for reblogging, David.
My initial thought was, they can't make money of Covid testing, but they can off student testing and any other scam they can think of to waste taxpayer money.
The entire high stakes testing industry is an unnecessary profit driven enterprise.
Steven Singer: Why Does Trump Hate COVID Testing But Love Standardized Testing? | Diane Ravitch's blog says:
[…] Singer, teacher in Pennsylvania, cannot understand why Trump hates COVID testing–which is necessary–but loves standardized testing which […]
I Can't Shield My Daughter From Both Coronavirus AND Edmentum – Our District's Crappy On-line Learning Platform | gadflyonthewallblog says:
[…] In any sane country, I wouldn't have to make such a choice. Where infection rates are moderate to high, schools should be closed and all instruction virtual. […]
Lawmakers Backing Standardized Tests Should Practice What They Preach | gadflyonthewallblog says:
[…] why politicians as diverse as Donald Trump and Joe Biden have struggled so desperately to defend standardized […]
Why Teaching to the Test is Educational Malpractice


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          Introduction
          Lesson 1: Methodologies and Development Lifecycle
          Lesson 2: IT Support
          Lesson 3: Testing Foundations
          Lesson 4: Manual Testing Activities
          Lesson 5: Intro Into Automation

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A: You are adding the function to the header and to the button onclick so they both run "at the same time" since the button is a child of the header and the style don't change.
The relevant code with one possible solution to your issue:
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        Introduction
        Lesson 1: Methodologies and Development Lifecycle
        Lesson 2: IT Support
        Lesson 3: Testing Foundations
        Lesson 4: Manual Testing Activities
        Lesson 5: Intro Into Automation

  Logout

    // REST OF HTML CONTENT ............

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El Turó de Can Docte és una muntanya de 514 metres que es troba al municipi de Subirats, a la comarca de l'Alt Penedès.

Referències

Muntanyes de Subirats

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You are at:Home»Arts and Media»River Campus»Art»Sculpture Unveiling Planned May 6 at Downtown Student Art Garden
Sculpture Unveiling Planned May 6 at Downtown Student Art Garden
By Ann Hayes on	 April 25, 2016 Art, Arts and Media, Campus, Home Page, Students
Southeast Missouri State University student artist Brigit Ciskowski will unveil her steel sculpture, "Prochronisme," to the public at a midday reception at noon on Friday, May 6, in downtown Cape Girardeau.
The unveiling will be held in the Student Art Garden at the corner of Broadway and Sprigg streets.
Ciskowski, of St. Peters, Missouri, received a competitive grant from Broadway Prescription Shop to fabricate a one-of-a-kind outdoor sculpture designed to serve as an inspirational focal point for the Student Art Garden.
Ciscowski is a sculpture student studying under Professor Chris Wubbena in the Department of Art at Southeast. She plans to graduate in December 2016 and move on to graduate school to earn her Master of Fine Arts. Ciscowski's artwork ranges in size and material, from large-scale steel sculptures to small woven and felted sculptures. Inspired by growth in nature, her sculptures explore whimsical and abstracted forms.
The Student Art Garden is in the heart of the Broadway Corridor between the main campus and the River Campus of Southeast Missouri State University. The noon event will be open to the public and marks a growing collaboration between Southeast Missouri State University and local businesses in the support of visual art.
The Student Art Garden was established in 2015. Broadway Prescription Shop owner Lee Schlitt says Broadway Prescription Shop collaborated with Southeast Missouri State University and the City of Cape Girardeau to establish a green space that downtown visitors, students, residents and the workforce could enjoy.
"Adding a piece of local art, created by a Southeast student, to this space was the perfect way to highlight both the beauty and talent here in Cape Girardeau," Schlitt said. "We're also excited to grow the relationship between local businesses and the University."
This is the second student grant that Broadway Prescription Shop has provided.
For further information, contact Chris Wubbena, sculpture professor at Southeast Missouri State University, at cwubbena@semo.edu or Lee Schlitt at lee@broadwaypharm.com.
Photo Caption: The garden's first sculpture created by Southeast student Ashley Sexton of Cape Girardeau was installed in spring 2015.
Jackson Appointed Director of Aviation Operations at Southeast
Board of Regents Approves Program Changes for Southeast

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Palmer Luckey's surveillance startup Anduril signs contract for 'virtual border wall'
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has signed a deal with Anduril, the "virtual border wall" startup launched by Oculus founder Palmer Luckey. The Washington Post reports that the agency awarded Anduril a five-year contract to deploy portable surveillance towers meant to detect moving vehicles and human figures across the US border. The deal will see CBP purchase 140 towers in 2021 and 2022, supplementing 60 towers that were already part of a pilot program. A company executive told the Post that the deal was worth "several hundred million dollars."
Anduril has been working with CBP since 2018, and it's secured additional contracts with groups like the US Marine Corps and UK Royal Navy. Its sentry towers use a variety of sensors, including LIDAR, to capture data. An AI system called Lattice then analyzes it to distinguish between different kinds of moving objects. The goal is to detect humans crossing the US border while minimizing the number of false alarms from animals. Anduril has also produced other technology like a battering-ram drone that is not part of the CBP contract.
Supporters of "virtual border wall" technology typically describe it as an alternative to an expensive and intrusive border wall like the one Trump built his 2016 presidential campaign around, although this technology will be rolled out alongside physical wall construction. An earlier effort called SBINet failed in 2011, but advances in computer vision have led companies like Anduril to revisit the concept.
Exiled Uighurs call on ICC to investigate Chinese 'genocide' in Xinjiang
SoftBank's shares return to dot-com bubble era highs
Twitter engineers pushed to replace 'master' and 'slave' programming terms
July 9, 2020 July 8, 2020 samarthakorg
Law enforcement arrests hundreds after compromising encrypted chat system


Hi everyone, I haven't been part of a forum in years so thought this might be fun and interesting....and great for feedback. My name is Debra and I'm an aussie artist. Is this quite an active forum? I hope this finds everyone well.
Welcome to ASC. It's nice to meet you. This community is sometimes active, sometimes not. But there is always great art to see and always opportunity to be active. Just needs artists like you to give feedback to others and vice versa.
Hello Deb, Welcome, I'm Peter from india . Nice to meet you all.


Barnes & Noble Inc hired a former Cablevision Systems Corp executive with experience in spinning off businesses and overseeing mergers to be its new finance chief.
The largest U.S. bookstore chain said on Monday that Michael Huseby would start his new job as chief financial Officer on Tuesday, replacing interim CFO Allen Lindstrom, who had been in the position for six months.
Barnes & Noble, which said in January it was considering turning its Nook digital book and device business into a stand-alone entity separate from the stores, touted Huseby's role in spinning off two businesses at Cablevision, where he was CFO from 2004 to 2011.
Huseby, 56, also had deal-making experience. Earlier in his career, he worked at AT&T Broadband and led the team that completed its merger with Comcast in 2002.
Huseby also was CFO at cable operator Charter Communications Inc.
Janney Capital Markets analyst David Strasser praised the appointment, saying Barnes & Noble needed to hire a CFO with background in technology given its shift toward digital books, and said Huseby looked to be "an excellent fit."
Huseby will receive a base salary of $850,000, according to a regulatory filing. He will also get 275,000 Barnes & Noble shares in two installments on the second and third anniversaries of his starting date.
Barnes & Noble is investing heavily to develop its popular Nook devices and the e-books sales they generate as readers move away from traditional books.
Its Nook sales rose 38 percent during the holiday quarter. In January, Barnes & Noble said it may spin off its digital business to "unlock" its value.
Barnes & Noble shares rose 1.3 percent to $13.57 in afternoon trading.


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Please always consider the charges, risk, expenses, and investment objectives carefully before purchasing any financial product, including mutual funds or variable annuities. For a prospectus containing this and other information, please contact a financial professional. Read it carefully before you invest or send money.
This article is provided for your informational purposes only.
Please be advised that this material is not intended as legal or tax advice. Accordingly, any tax information provided in this material is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer. The tax information was written to support the promotion or marketing of the transactions(s) or matter(s) addressed and you should seek advice based on your particular circumstances from an independent advisor.


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Home Local World sprinter Usain Bolt $1.2 billion retirement fund lost to fraud!
World sprinter Usain Bolt $1.2 billion retirement fund lost to fraud!
SPRINTER Usain Bolt
Jamaica| JAMAICAN sprint legend Usain Bolt is staring at a wipeout of his heavy investment at Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL) and is now fearing that the monies, which he had hoped to access in his later years, will likely not be recovered.
A Jamaica Observer source said the information was delivered to Bolt's management team last week just before the company went public about a massive fraud that sources say amounts to more than $1.2 billion.
Bolt is among more than 30 people whose investments at SSL are believed to have been fleeced by a wealth advisor.
Last Thursday SSL issued a statement saying that it had "become aware of fraudulent activity by a former employee of the company".
The company said that following initial internal investigations it "referred the matter to the relevant law enforcement authorities to facilitate a thorough and complete examination of all aspects of the matter". Added the company, "To ensure this, we have taken steps to secure those assets and strengthened internal protocols to detect suspicious activity in the shortest time possible." The company also said it would "continue to liaise and cooperate fully with law enforcement throughout this investigation and ensure that the responsible party faces the full consequence of the law".
Who stole Bolt Funds? Who???
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21/01/19 7:00pm - Beginners Programme continues every Monday until mid-September (excluding bank holidays). Meet in the car park for the Acorn Centre here on the map.
New to running or getting back after a long absence? Why not come to the BRJ Run and Tri Club's Beginner's Presentation?
You may have envied the grace and elegance or some of our elite athletes or felt sympathy for the slow determination of the "jogger" passing on the pavement. You may have memories of childhood when running was such a part of play, or of grim days of PE when running was imposed as a bleak form of punishment.
It is not by chance that running has become very popular. In 2014 research found over 4 million people had taken up running in the UK. The reasons are not hard to find: running is fun, sociable and healthy; it does not cost a lot to do and can become a regular part of your day. Just lace up your shoes and get out the door. Running regularly brings a host of health benefits for the heart and lungs as well as stronger bones and joints. Combined with a healthy diet it will aid weight loss which you will begin to feel when you run. Running is also relaxing. It is a way of getting out from under those other demands and stresses of the day and leaving them behind for a while.
Convinced of these benefits some people are keen to start running: just a mile or so to get started. Sadly, they discover that just running round the corner feels like a mile. Some press on and end up getting injured. So the trainers are retired to the cupboard and the ambition resigned to "I tried it once but I couldn't do it".
Are you interested in running but wondering where to start? How to avoid getting injured, being put off or discouraged? Come along to our presentation on 7th January.
From Monday 14th January BRJ will be putting on its annual Beginner's Programme which has been designed to guide and support you at every stage on the way to becoming a runner. The programme is based upon sound principles of running fitness and technique. The initial phase will be twelve-fourteen sessions progressing through walking and running with the aim of everyone achieving the initial goal of running non-stop around the 5K of the local parkrun at Hinchingbrooke Park during the school Easter holidays in April.
The training programme you will follow involves weekly meetings with the group on Monday evenings, then repeating the sessions twice independently each week. In previous years participants on the course arranged to meet up in smaller groups to complete these repeating sessions together, they became running buddies.
The course fee is £25 (the fee is to become a member of BRJ Run and Tri Club from January 2019 until the end of the 2019-2020 membership year on 31st March 2020) for coached sessions from 14th January to mid-September; there won't be coached sessions on the Bank Holiday Mondays, but there will be a number of additional coached sessions at the running track in the summer. If you are already a BRJ member the course is free, but you still need to register. Beginners and exisiting BRJ members should register at MemberMojo.
The most difficult part of any training programme is deciding to give it a go. We at the BRJ are devoted to our sports and would love you to join us and to get running.
Why not contact Simon at beginners@brjrunandtri.org and find out more.


My heart is so full knowing these gals learned so much & have built up confidence in their craft!
When your bride who was planning from across the country tells you that she selected you because you were the only stylist online that featured classic styling, it makes 13 years of perfecting classic styling techniques so worth it.
Boho and braids are beautiful and absolutely have their place, but techniques on placement and the ability to move hair will stand the test of time.
If you are looking for a true beauty expert for your wedding day we would love to talk with you.
Triple French Rope Braid! I'm posting the full tutorial tomorrow (Monday) at The Updo Collective on YouTube! If you're a professional stylist and love updos-DM me and I'll get you into our private Facebook community to grow and have support in your freelance bridal work!
Ponytails are one of the looks I will be demonstrating at my INSPIRED BRIDAL seminar.
One of the looks created on Monday's masterclass!
We loved meeting you all and loved all the feedback we received we are so glad you all loved it! And hope you learnt some new tips. .
Our stylists lead the way in bridal beauty. With two of Oklahoma's most sought after bridal stylists under one roof educating our team, we're more than prepared to create your dream look on your wedding day!
Check out @malorieavalinebridal for more. And @natasharaeartistry to see what our Bridal teams offer.
I've been so obsessed with crown braids and @hairandmakeupbysteph recently did a video showing the easiest way ever to achieve this style. I had to try it a few weeks ago when I did @mhuppp's hair for a styled shoot. I love how this turned out! Those whispy hairs around the face and falling out in the back are key to keeping this style modern and effortless looking!
Can't wait to share more photos from @ballphotoco of this photo shoot!
Ok, did yesterday really happen?? I am over the moon at the turn out of my very first bridal hair class. Thank you so much to everyone who attended and helped make it happen. There will be more classes in the future so make sure I have your email address if you're interested in coming!
I wanted my focus in yesterday's class to be about business. You can do pretty updos and braids, but if you don't understand the business side of doing weddings you're going to end up having bad experiences (trust me, I've been there). Being a bridal hair stylist means merging the hair industry with the wedding industry- you need to understand both to be successful. Sounds cheesy, but doing weddings really has changed my life and my career. If you put in the work it can open so many doors for you!
The gals @kaisalonmn know all about it! Today they stepped out of their comfort zone & pushed their upstyle skills to a new level! .
It's always an honor to work with this amazing team & to share my passion with other passionate stylists! Thank you SO much for having me in again, til next time!
I would love to have you in one of my Waves, Braids & Brides classes with Matrix at one of these SalonCentric locations! Inquire at the store or through your sales consultant. .
#bridalhaireducation #bridalhair #weddinghair #promhair #matrixhair .
✨My Go To Hairsprays/Thermal Tools and MORE!
Absolutely swooning over these images from a styled shoot that our bridal team was a part of.
@torikatebeauty slays the bridal beauty game!
Thank you to our amazing friends at @foreverborrowed for inviting us to be a part of the magic. Tap the photo for all the amazing vendors!
@starring by @tedgibson & #ibsnewyork created the opportunity for me to #share EVERYTHING #braidsandbridal again NEXT WEEK..
but, ☝🏻Not just to show #hairdressers #braidtrends or #updostyles .
#bridalexperts know it's about THE #bridalexperience !! .
TO EXCEED EXPECTATIONS FOR EVERY #bridetobe .
Because in all seriousness, I DONT CARE IF 🙅🏼♀.
If a BRIDES BEAUTY is not handled with PROFESSIONALism & styled for LONGEVITY !
The way SHE FEELS ALL DAY is 👇🏻compromised. .
#create a #bridalhair #experience .
Listen to my PODCAST episodes to get more insight on the passion and drive behind creating my Online Course for you ❤ and my purpose of doing it! .


Volkswagen Vento is one of the most stylish sedan model of the German passenger car manufacturer and it is available with both petrol and diesel engine options. The company rolled out this variant in numerous variants out of which, Volkswagen Vento Petrol Trendline is the entry level petrol variant that is powered by a 1.6-litre, In-line DOHC based power plant, which is very powerful and fuel efficient in its class. This luxury sedan has a great body design with class leading fit and finish, which makes it very stylish and more alluring in its class. Although, it is the base level variant, it is still among the most featured vehicle in its class with a very competitive price tag. The Volkswagen Vento Petrol Trendline base level variant comes with five seating option with 2+3 arrangement inside the cabin. There are tons of features you can find inside this four wheeler including an air conditioner, rear defogger, radio preparation including roof antenna, four speakers, a stylish instrument cluster with tachometer, odometer, speedometer, and trip meter. The German automobile company also offering some of the standard protective functions with this luxury sedan such as front disc brakes, high mounted third brake lights, rear fog lights and other advanced features.
One of the best aspects of the Volkswagen Vento Petrol Trendline trim is its stylish appearance. This luxury sedan has the best in class exterior body fit and finish that will certainly lure the car enthusiasts. To begin with, this four wheeler's front profile has been skillfully fitted with stylish and sleek headlight cluster that surrounds the radiator grille with chrome finish. The company logo has been fitted to this radiator grille that enhances the appeal of brand Volkswagen. The front bumper has a very sporty design and the air dam incorporated to it has a chrome surround. On the side profile of this sedan, you can notice that the wheel arches have been crafted well and have been fitted with 14 inch steel wheels. The window sills gets the black color garnish while the ORVMs and the door handles have been painted in body color. The doors also has the expressive lines that add to the style and elegance of the side profile. The rear end of this sedan is very beautiful and it looks most alike a high end luxury car. The prominent company badging and the variant badging on the boot lid gets the chrome treatment. The elegance of the rear end of this sedan is further enhanced by the unique design taillight cluster and macho design bumper.
Coming to the inside section, the interior cabin of the Volkswagen Vento Petrol Trendline trim has a lot of leg room and shoulder space that helps the occupants to experience high level comforts. The seats are very luxurious and offers better support to be body all the way from the shoulders to the thighs. The company covered these seats with superior Livon fabric upholstery. The company used the high quality scratch resistance plastic inside the cabin for obtaining a close finish and to create a plush environment. The front door trims inside the cabin are blessed with storage compartment that include cup holders as well as bottle holder. The dashboard is extremely stylish and it houses various equipments and control switches. The central console in the front cabin comes with cup holders and the front center arm rest offer the cup holders for rear passengers. There are lots of other features you can notice inside the cabin including ashtray in front, trunk illumination, 12V power outlet , sunglass holder in glove box and lots of other exciting features.
The German automobile company Volkswagen has assembled this base petrol variant with a 1.6-litre, DOHC based motor that comes with 4-inline cylinders and produces 1598cc displacement capacity. This engine unleashes a peak power output of about 103.56bhp at 5250rpm and yields 153Nm of commanding torque at 3800rpm, which is good. Volkswagen has coupled this particular engine with a 5-speed manual gearbox that enhances the smoothness of the engine while allowing the front wheels to draw the power from the engine. This vehicle takes only about 10.7 seconds to reach a speed mark of about 100 Kmph and it can go up to a maximum speed of about 185 Kmph.
The Volkswagen Vento Petrol Trendline trim comes with a proficient braking and handling aspects that gives a stress-free driving experience to the driver. The company fitted the front wheels of this sedan with disc brakes, while assembling the rear wheels with drum brakes. This is perhaps the most reliable braking combination that ensures precise braking. On the other hand, the suspension system of this vehicle contributes for the improvement of vehicle's stability. The front axle has been fitted with the McPherson Strut suspension system with stabilizer bar while the rear axle has been bestowed with Semi-independent trailing arm type of suspension system . The electronic power steering system of this vehicle doesn't require you to put much of efforts to steer the sedan away from traffic.
The Volkswagen Vento Petrol Trendline is the base level variant in the model series, but still it has been offered with most important comfort features. Some of those features include an air conditioning system with rear AC vents, dust and pollen filter, driver's seat height adjustment, speed sensitive power steering system, steering wheel with tilt and telescopic adjustment, electric trunk opening , front and rear power windows, rear defogger, vanity mirror in left side sun blind, front intermittent wiper with 4-step variable speed setting and so on. Apart from all these, the company also offering this base variant with a rear parking sensor for the convenience of the driver. These safety features will meet the most of the occupant requirements and makes the journey very comfortable.
When it comes to the safety aspects, this base level variant has been blessed with standard protective features. Some of the safety aspects includes the front and rear height adjustable headrest, front disc brakes , rear fog lights, high mounted third brake light, 3-point front seat belt, manual day/night internal rear view mirror and the most sophisticated electronic engine immobilizer system with floating code.
Pros: Decent features, trendy style and appearance.
Cons: Very poor mileage, price can be more competitive.


text:
About Truffle
What is Private Equity?
Private Equity involves buying, improving and selling private companies, i.e. companies that are not listed on the stock markets.
Ultimately, the Private Equity fund will seek to sell the company for a greater value than it originally paid, generally by floating on the stock market or selling to a strategic buyer.
Private Equity funds typically invest in high-quality established companies which have been tested through market cycles and offer the potential for significant future growth. These firms often have revenues greater than £100m, with international operations and hundreds of employees.
Understanding the Capital Structure
Any investment in a business with real value is made using a combination of equity and debt. One way to visualise a company is to think about the capital structure; of the total value, how much is financed by debt vs. equity.
Note: For illustrative purposes only. Actual capital structures and returns will vary by deal.
All investments involve an element of risk – investment theory states that an investor should expect to receive a return appropriate to the risk taken; i.e. the greater the risk, the greater the expected return (and vice-versa).
Private Equity funds invest in equity which, whilst the highest risk component of the capital structure, offers the potential for the highest returns. Put differently, unlike a debt investment, there is no theoretical cap on the return that can be generated – though there is limited downside protection.
What types of company do Private Equity Funds buy?
Private Equity funds generally focus on established businesses – the average size of a private equity deal in 2017 was $158 million (source: McKinsey).
These are not start-ups, but more mature high-quality businesses run by experienced management teams who work in partnership with the highly experienced Private Equity professionals.
Examples of companies that have been Private Equity owned include Formula 1, Dell, Hilton Hotels, Hackett, Rapha, Pret A Manger, Scott Dunn, Musto, The Cotswold Company, and Big Bus Tours.
Whilst each fund will have a specific strategy, most Private Equity funds generally seek to acquire businesses that display some or all of the following characteristics;
Note: For illustrative purposes only. Actual company characteristics will vary by deal.
What do Private Equity fund managers do?
Whilst each Private Equity fund is different, all funds follow the same high-level investment process:
1. Source Investments
The most senior team members at a Private Equity manager will spend a significant proportion of their time identifying companies for acquisition. The best managers have differentiated sourcing capabilities enabling them to buy high quality businesses in less competitive situations.
2. Due Diligence
Once a potential acquisition has been identified, the Private Equity manager will deploy the full resources of its team, complemented by third party consultants, accountants and lawyers, to undertake detailed due diligence on the company. This is to confirm the potential growth prospects for the company, and to ensure any risks are identified and understood.
3. Decision Making
If an investment opportunity is deemed sufficiently attractive following due diligence, then the Private Equity manager will seek the approval of its investment committee. Funds tend to be highly selective in the companies they seek to acquire, with most Private Equity funds ultimately investing in less than 10% of the companies they analyse. The investment committee is generally comprised of the most experienced members of the team, normally with 20+ years of experience buying, managing and selling companies. If the investment committee approves the deal, then the team will seek to finalise the acquisition.
4. Asset Management and Value Creation
Once acquired, the manager will seek to increase the value of the business generally through a combination of the following;
To realise its investments, Private Equity funds must manage the exit (or sales process) for each company in the portfolio. The chosen exit strategy will depend on the business and market conditions at the time, and generally involve either (i) an IPO, (ii) selling to a strategic investor, or (iii) selling to another Private Equity fund.
How does this translate into performance?
We have discussed what a Private Equity manager does, from sourcing investments, implementing value-add strategies and achieving exits. How does this effort translate into performance for investors? There are three main mechanisms that drive the gains made by Private Equity investors;
Note: Capital is at risk. The value of Private Markets investments can go down as well as up. Past performance is not indicative of future returns.
Why invest in Private Equity?
Private Equity funds generally offer their investors exposure to a diverse portfolio of high performing, privately owned, established companies. Investors in a Private Equity fund expect to generate strong capital growth, in excess of that available from publicly listed stocks. Most Private Equity funds target a return of 2x invested capital. Note that target returns are not guaranteed.
Private Equity investments are illiquid (i.e. investors cannot easily sell their investments until the fund has been through its full cycle). This illiquidity allows Private Equity managers to focus on the long-term development of their portfolio companies - not worrying about reaching quarterly share price targets - which can allow these companies to be built in a more robust, sustainable and, ultimately, successful manner.
Private equity funds invest in established high quality businesses run by experienced management teams who work in partnership with the highly experienced private equity professionals to operationally improve the company.
Private equity has been a major component of leading institutional investors' portfolios for decades. For example, one of the largest investors in the UK, The Wellcome Trust foundation, has $7 billion of its $28 billion portfolio invested in Private Equity (Source: Preqin, February 2017).
\ SUPPORT
Your capital is at risk. The value of your investment may go up as well as down. You may lose all your invested capital. Investment made through Truffle Invest Ltd are not covered by the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme ("FSCS"). Investing in Private Markets involves risks, including loss of capital (as outlined above), illiquidity, absence of control, lack of dividends and dilution, and should be done only as part of a diversified portfolio. Investments should only be made by investors who understand these risks and if in doubt should consult a fully qualified independent financial advisor. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and is subject to change in future.
Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Target returns are not guaranteed and actual returns may vary significantly from target returns. We do not give advice or make investment recommendations to you. No communications through this website or any other medium should be construed as such. See Key Risks and Terms and Conditions for further information.
Truffle Invest Ltd is an Appointed Representative (FRN: 816214 ) of Met Facilities LLP. This website has been approved as a financial promotion by Met Facilities LLP which is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 587084). The investment opportunities listed on this website are not offers to the public in general. Investments can only be made by investors once they have satisfied certain investment criteria. The summary information provided about investment opportunities on this webpage is intended solely to demonstrate the types of investments available on the platform, and any investment decision should be made on the basis of all available information. Where possible, Truffle Invest will provide access to the offering documentation of the underlying fund. When this is not possible, investors should only proceed with an investment if they are satisfied that they have sufficient information to make an informed investment decision. Any person resident outside the United Kingdom should ensure that they are not subject to any local regulations before investing.
Truffle Invest Ltd is registered in England with registered company number 11276896 and registered office at Truffle Invest Ltd, 67 Wingate Square, London, SW4 0AF.
© 2019 Truffle Invest Limited. All rights reserved.


text:
Q: Why doesn't double checked locking fail like this in case of Singleton classes? 1.   class Foo {
2.       private Helper helper = null;
3.       public Helper getHelper() {
4.           if (helper == null) {
5.              synchronized(this) {
6.                 if (helper == null) {
7.                    helper = new Helper();
8.                 }
9.              }
10.          }
11.          return helper;
12.      }
13.  }

The reason why this structure is considered broken is generally described the reordering of assignments done by the compiler such that the Helper constructor is called after the write to the helper variable. My question is that how is this code thread-safe and are the following steps possible?

*

*Thread 1, enters the synchronized block and finds out that helper is null.

*Thread 1, gives up the monitor at this point

*Thread 2, enters the object monitor and instantiates the helper

*Thread 1, comes back and re-initializes the helper instance as

I don't see how this solution is any better than single checked locking.

A: This works for the reference to the helper, but is still subtly broken.
Its broken because the VM is allowed to reorder program actions within the synchronized block as much as it likes, so the reference helper can be set to non-null before construction of the helper instance (by Thread 1) has completed.
Thread 2 can now see not-null outside the synchronized block, never attempts to enter the synchronized block (Thread 1 would be still holding the lock and be busy constructing Helper) and works with the half-constructed Helper instance.
This may or may not happen on a specific VM version. But the specification explicitly allows a VM to do this. Thats why the example is broken. It could be fixed by declaring helper volatile (only with Java 5+).

A: How could thread 1 give up the monitor after checking that helper is null? It won't release the lock until it has initialized helper.
This didn't work years ago on the JVM, but they changed the memory model and it fixed this.
The current "best" way is not DCL, but to implement singletons as enums.

A: It's still broken because the writes of any fields within Helper may not be published even though the Helper instance is not-null. For instance:
class Helper {
   int someField;
   public Helper(){
     someField = 10;
   }
}

In this case, it is possible according to the JLS to have something like:
Helper someHelper = getHelper();
if(someHelper.someField == 0){
   // error
}

The line marked //error in theory could be hit since the read & write of someField aren't synchronized with the write of helper within getHelper().


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


At DVP, we believe that being free of domestic violence is a human right and as such, we aim to assist all individuals. Learn more about our work.
BY PHONE Intake Number: (718) 875-5062, Mon, Wed, Fri 9AM to 5 PM We Speak: English, Spanish, Russian, Farsi, French and Arabic.
We rely on our strong network of allies and volunteers to get the word out, make a real impact and reach the most underserved communities in NYC. There are a number of ways to get involved with DVP.
Stay informed and keep yourself safe with our tips and tools.


Typescript, with manuscript corrections and insertions of 'Lucky poet' by Christopher Murray Grieve, 'Hugh MacDiarmid'., 1940.
Part of a manuscript related to 'The king my father's death' by Sydney Durward Tremayne., ?1972.
Papers of Sir Hugh McPherson (1870-1960) and his son Duncan.


"We condemn the bombings that took place in Boston two years ago, and we mourn the loss of life and grave injuries they caused. The death penalty, however, is not justice. It will only compound the violence, and it will not deter others from committing similar crimes in the future.
It is outrageous that the federal government imposes this cruel and inhuman punishment, particularly when the people of Massachusetts have abolished it in their state. As death sentences decline worldwide, no government can claim to be a leader in human rights when it sentences its prisoners to death."
Amnesty International has documented a steady decline in the use of the death penalty in the United States and around the world over the past several years, though in 2014 there was a marked increase in death sentences to address a real or perceived threat of terrorism especially in Egypt and Nigeria. There remains no evidence showing that the death penalty deters crime or has any effect in reducing terrorism.
Annual death sentences in the U.S. have declined since 2000. In the last eight years the number of death sentences has been lower than any time since reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. In 2014 there were 72 death sentences, the lowest number on record since 1976. Executions have declined as well, from a high of 98 in 1999 to just 35 in 2014, the lowest in 20 years; there were 43 executions in 2011 and 2012 and 39 in 2013.
Amnesty International USA opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. As of today, 140 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. The U.S. was one of only nine countries in the world that carried out executions each year between 2009 and 2013.


Are you great at cross-cultural communication? Are you interested in social entrepreneurship and emerging global markets? Do you adapt quickly to new roles and responsibilities? Impact Hub Seattle seeking a temporary part-time Fledge Coordinator who will work closely with Fledge14, the 2019 cohort of Fledge, the conscious company accelerator, starting immediately. This position coordinates with Fledge to actively engage with the Impact Hub Seattle community, deepening connections and inspiring creative collaboration, as well as supporting entrepreneurs to improve the economic, social, civic, and/or environmental well-being of the communities they serve.
The Fledge Coordinator will start immediately and be fully onboarded by the beginning of the cohort on Monday, April 29. The Fledge14 cohort lasts 7 weeks, until Friday, June 14. The Fledge Coordinator will work closely with the Fledge staff, participants, and guests, however Impact Hub will hire, train and directly supervise this staff member. See the full job description for more details and to apply.
Impact Hub Seattle currently doesn't have any other open positions. If you'd like to send us your resume to keep on file for future openings, email us at hiring@impacthubseattle.com.


With events happening almost around the clock in the city that never sleeps, this years CES has all the trappings of being something really big, but in reality it's just another edition of the ultimate toy show for boys and girls. What is going to make it different this time is the Internet's new Instant Journalists. You see, for the companies that can tell their story, show their wares and don't manufacturer hype, but have something to say, and most importantly, are willing to give time to the new "Instant Journalists" will be the ones who get seen, receive the coverage and garner acclaim, for it will be the Instant Journalists who tell that story for them like never before, in a time frame that has now become the standard, not the exception---Instantly..


text:
Rediff.com » News » 'Uddhav is not reluctant, but a consummate politician'
'Uddhav is not reluctant, but a consummate politician'
By HEMANT WAJE
Last updated on: December 31, 2019 09:36 IST
'He is as consummate a politician as anyone else which is evident considering the way in which he has placed his party and weeded out his rivals from within the party.'
IMAGE: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray flanked by state ministers Jayant Patil, left, and Balasaheb Thorat, right, after the first cabinet meeting at the Sahyadri guest house in Mumbai, November 29, 2019. Photograph: PTI Photo
On December 28, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government completes a month in Maharashtra.
Considering the unusual alliance and pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party, it seems a achievement of sort for the inexperienced but determined Uddhav.
"He is walking a tightrope. On one hand, he has to tackle the challenges of governance. On the other hand, he has to keep this very unlikely coalition together, " Dhaval Kulkarni, author of The Cousins Thackeray: Uddhav, Raj and the Shadow of their Senas, tells Rediff.com's Hemant Waje. The first of a two-part interview:
In your opinion, how long will the Uddhav Thackeray-led government survive?
Personally, I feel that no coalition of such disparate parties with divergent ideologies has run for a full term in India.
However, let us presume that this coalition holds for substantial amount of time.
We may see some a certain reorganisation of the political forces in India wherein regional parties can form a grand armada of Opposition parties to take on the BJP with the support of the Congress.
We must understand that in Maharashtra the only glue that is keeping the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress together is number one, the need to gain power and number two, more importantly, the desire to keep away the BJP.
Hence, it is very difficult to say for how long this government will run.
There are too many contradictions involved.
As head of the government, Uddhav Thackeray will have to walk a tightrope.
If this experiment succeeds, you may have a repeat of the Samyukta Vidhayak Dal governments of the 1960s where non-Congress forces came together to keep the Congress out of power.
So this experiment may happen in reverse in India.
Did anybody ever think it was possible that a Thackeray would become part of a government, forget becoming CM?
The Shiv Sena has crossed the Rubicon in more ways than one.
After all, politics is the art of the impossible.
Six months ago, if someone speculated that one day, when the BJP seemed invincible in Maharashtra, you may actually have Uddhav Thackeray as head of the government in the state in a coalition with the Congress and NCP, I think he would have been laughed at.
Politics is the art of achieving the impossible.
At the same time, we must also know that even before Uddhav Thackeray came anywhere into the picture as a chief minister nominee or even as chief minister, it was obvious that the first family of the Shiv Sena was not content in running only the party.
They were very eager to get a foot in or get some sort of a stake in the running of the government.
This was demonstrated when Aaditya Thackeray contested the assembly election from Worli, becoming the first from the Thackeray family to actually seek public office.
Was that a hint of things to come?
But again, no one saw this coming.
One has to admit that even the most astute political watchers, political pundits, did not see this coming.
No one ever thought that Uddhav Thackeray would ever become chief minister of Maharashtra.
But I would like to make a note that you know there are certain misnomers that get into politics that find a way into the political vocabulary or lexicon.
One of these misnomers, which is often repeated, is that Uddhav Thackeray is a reluctant politician.
There are several incidents which have shown that he is not a reluctant politician.
He is as consummate a politician as anyone else which is evident considering the way in which he has placed his party and weeded out his rivals from within the party.
This development wherein he has become chief minister further underlines that fact.
Videos: Hitesh Harisinghani/Rediff.com
Uddhav Thackeray is calm, not aggressive like his father Balasaheb Thackeray or cousin Raj Thackeray.
Comparisons are very odious.
Uddhav Thackeray is often compared with his father who was very aggressive, a fire and brimstone kind of speaker.
The same goes for his cousin who has a similar charisma like his uncle.
I personally feel these comparisons are wrong because everyone has his own individual personality and that again would be affirming some sort of toxic masculinity.
Uddhav has his own style.
His late father, even Raj, relied on their charisma to get the message across.
Uddhav -- since he perhaps doesn't have that element of oratory or that kind of charisma -- tried to go beyond that by strengthening the party organisation, taking the Shiv Sena beyond its traditional zones of influence in Mumbai, Thane and Konkan.
When Uddhav Thackeray became working president of the Shiv Sena, the party was an urban centric phenomenon. In the 1980s it grew in areas like Marathwada.
The Shiv Sena is essentially an urban centric phenomenon. Because it is a party which was born in a special set of circumstances when the Maharashtrians in Mumbai felt disempowered.
The Shiv Sena was born out of this disgruntlement, this angst.
Uddhav strengthned the party organisation and pushed the agenda to issues that were beyond the party's traditional agenda.
Like, for instance, he sought complete loan waivers for farmers. He took a very aggressive stance on this issue.
Why did Uddhav break the alliance with the BJP?
There are several reasons.
From what I've been able to gather, the BJP's refusal to acknowledge the alleged pact wherein the Shiv Sena and BJP would share the chief minister's position on a rotational basis was only the catalyst for the larger break-up.
There was growing sentiment in the Sena that the BJP nationwide has grown at the expense of its allies.
Be it with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party in Goa. Be it with the Asom Gana Parishad in Assam.
The BJP has traditionally grown at the expense of its allies.
Number two, we must understand that the Shiv Sena has a much wider social and political base then that of the BJP.
Contrary to popular perception, the Sena has a base in a section of the Muslim community, especially among Maharashtrian Muslims in the Konkan and parts of Western Maharashtra.
It has a huge base in sections of Dalits.
This is very unlike the BJP which even today is identified with a certain social category in Maharashtra.
In no other state do we have a situation where two political parties are competing for the same Hindutva vote base.
If the BJP has to grow beyond a point, it has to do so by cannibalising the Shiv Sena's social and political base.
Hence, this (Sena disenchantment with the BJP) was manifest before the Lok Sabha election.
Just after the 2014 (assembly) election the BJP tried to corner the Shiv Sena on seat sharing and suddenly broke off its alliance.
After the BJP came to power, the Shiv Sena was forced to play second fiddle.
From the party's point of view this was very humiliating.
Traditionally, the Shiv Sena has been the elder brother in the saffron alliance.
In the past five years, the BJP tried its best to unsettle the Sena, that's what Sena leaders claim.
Before the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the Sena said, okay we will ally with the BJP.
The Sena expected that the party would get important portfolios in the Modi government. That did not happen.
Arvind Sawant was the Shiv Sena's lone representative in the government. He was given the heavy industries portfolio again, which the Sena wasn't happy with.
Again, during the (2019) assembly election, Sena leaders claim the BJP went out of its way to defeat Sena candidates.
Considering all this, pressure was building up. The chief minister's position only turned out to be some sort of catalyst or breaking point.
Uddhav Thackeray has zero administrative experience. Is it cause for worry?
Of course, it is cause for worry.
Typically, the Thackeray family has not controlled the administration. It has controlled the party.
When the Shiv Sena was in power in Maharashtra from 1995 to 1999 and from 2014 to 2019 no member of the Thackeray family has ever controlled the government.
We must understand that the Shiv Sena is not considered to be a party of governance or government.
Though it has been controlling the BMC (BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation) for almost three decades now, the Sena is not known for its quality of governance.
So there are challenges.
But again, as someone rightly pointed out to me the other day, Uddhav Thackeray has an advantage of beginning with a very clean slate.
Of course, the challenge is he has to contend with veterans from the Congress and NCP who have traditionally been the ruling class in Maharashtra. He will have a tough time dealing with them.
How good a CM will he be? What happens if he fails?
That is for time to tell.
Considering the breakneck speed in which things have happened over the past month or so, it's very difficult to predict.
So let's wait and watch.
We have to give him some time because he has only started.
He is trying to understand the state and the modes of governance.
We have to give him some time.
Will he be able to keep the Aghadi together for five years?
That is his biggest challenge.
Personally, I feel he is walking a tightrope.
On one hand, he has to tackle the challenges of governance.
He has to fulfill the promises given by his government which include complete loan waivers etc, which would be a drain on the exchequer.
On the other hand, he has to keep this very unlikely coalition together, which has absolutely nothing in common in terms of ideology.
A coalition born out of a sense of political expediency, whose only glue is the need to gain power and cling on to it while keeping the BJP out of the government.
Part 2 of the interview: 'Shiv Sena won't discard Hindutva so easily'
HEMANT WAJE / Rediff.com
Related News: Bharatiya Janata Party, BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation, Shiv Sena, PTI Photo, Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi
As execution nears, 2 Nirbhaya convicts move SC, Prez
EC issues advisory reminding parties of model code
'It was necessary for Shiv Sena to split with BJP'
6 things to know about new Maharashtra government


text:
Q: How to deploy API gateway, Lambda(Node.js) and DynamoDB using SAM CLI? I am trying to create an application in my local system and deploy it to the AWS cloud using SAM CLI. The basic outline of this application is given in the diagram.

I have created a directory named myproj for this application and all the sub-folders and files are shown in the following diagram.

The template.yaml file consists of the following code -
AWSTemplateFormatVersion: '2010-09-09'
Transform: AWS::Serverless-2016-10-31

Resources:
  myDB:
    Type: AWS::Serverless::SimpleTable
    Properties:
      TableName: tabmine
      PrimaryKey:
        Name: id
        Type: String
      ProvisionedThroughput:
        ReadCapacityUnits: 5
        WriteCapacityUnits: 5

  LambdaWrite:
    Type: AWS::Serverless::Function
    Properties:
      CodeUri: functionWrite/
      Handler: write.handler
      Runtime: nodejs12.x
      Events:
        apiForLambda:
          Type: Api
          Properties:
            Path: /writedb
            Method: post
      Policies:
        DynamoDBWritePolicy:
          TableName: !Ref myDB

  LambdaRead:
    Type: AWS::Serverless::Function
    Properties:
      CodeUri: functionRead/
      Handler: read.handler
      Runtime: nodejs12.x
      Events:
        apiForLambda:
          Type: Api
          Properties:
            Path: /readdb
            Method: post
      Policies:
        DynamoDBReadPolicy:
          TableName: !Ref myDB

In the functionRead folder, package.json has the following contents -
{
  "name": "myproj",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "",
  "main": "read.js",
  "scripts": {
    "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
  },
  "author": "",
  "license": "ISC",
  "dependencies": {
    "aws-sdk": "^2.783.0"
  }
}

And the read.js file contains the following code -
var AWS = require('aws-sdk');

var ddb = new AWS.DynamoDB.DocumentClient();

exports.handler = function(event, context, callback) {
    var ID = event.id;

    var params = {
        TableName: 'tabmine',
        Key: {
            'id': ID
        }
    };

    ddb.get(params, callback);

};

In functionWrite folder, the file package.json has the following content -
{
  "name": "myproj",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "",
  "main": "write.js",
  "scripts": {
    "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
  },
  "author": "",
  "license": "ISC",
  "dependencies": {
    "aws-sdk": "^2.783.0"
  }
}

And the file write.js has the following content -
var AWS = require('aws-sdk');

var ddb = new AWS.DynamoDB.DocumentClient();

exports.handler = function(event, context, callback) {

    var ID = event.id;
    var NAME = event.name;

    var params = {
        TableName: 'tabmine',
        Item: {
            'id': ID,
            'name': NAME
        }
    };

    ddb.put(params, callback);

};

Then, I have navigated back to the myproj directory in the terminal and ran the command sam build.
After building was done, I ran the command sam deploy --guided and followed the steps to deploy the stack to the cloud. Then, I checked the console to confirm the deployment and it was successful.
Then, in the terminal, I ran  curl -X POST -d '{"id":"one","name":"john"}' https://0000000000.execute-api.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/Prod/writedb. But I got {message : 'Internal server Error'}.
To confirm if the lambda and dynamoDB are correctly linked or not, I went to Lambda console and created a test event for the lambda function with name write.js with the same payload {"id":"one","name":"john"}.It ran successfully and entered the those two items into the dyanmoDB table. Similarly, I have created another test event for the lambda function with name read.js and with payload {"id":"one"}. It also ran successfully and displayed the datas.
To confirm if the API gateway and the lambdas are are correctly linked or not, I ran the test in API gateway for both the resources /writedb and /readdb, but it is giving me {message : 'Internal server Error'}.
Please help me out of this problem.

A: The event object that will come from the API gateway invocation will have the following structure -
{
  resource: '/func1',
  path: '/func1',
  httpMethod: 'POST',
  headers: {
    accept: '*/*',
    'content-type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded',
    Host: '0000000000.execute-api.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com',
    'User-Agent': 'curl/7.71.1',
    'X-Amzn-Trace-Id': 'Root=1-5fa018aa-60kdfkjsddd5f6c6c07a2',
    'X-Forwarded-For': '178.287.187.178',
    'X-Forwarded-Port': '443',
    'X-Forwarded-Proto': 'https'
  },
  multiValueHeaders: {
    accept: [ '*/*' ],
    'content-type': [ 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded' ],
    Host: [ '0000000000.execute-api.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com' ],
    'User-Agent': [ 'curl/7.71.1' ],
    'X-Amzn-Trace-Id': [ 'Root=1-5fa018aa-603d90fhgdhdgdjhj6c6dfda2' ],
    'X-Forwarded-For': [ '178.287.187.178' ],
    'X-Forwarded-Port': [ '443' ],
    'X-Forwarded-Proto': [ 'https' ]
  },
  queryStringParameters: null,
  multiValueQueryStringParameters: null,
  pathParameters: null,
  stageVariables: null,
  requestContext: {
    resourceId: 'scsu6k',
    resourcePath: '/func1',
    httpMethod: 'POST',
    extendedRequestId: 'VYjfdkjkjfjkfuA=',
    requestTime: '02/Nov/2020:14:33:14 +0000',
    path: '/test/func1',
    accountId: '00000000000',
    protocol: 'HTTP/1.1',
    stage: 'test',
    domainPrefix: 'f8h785q05a',
    requestTimeEpoch: 1604327594697,
    requestId: '459e0256-9c6f-4a24-bcf2-05520d6bc58a',
    identity: {
      cognitoIdentityPoolId: null,
      accountId: null,
      cognitoIdentityId: null,
      caller: null,
      sourceIp: '178.287.187.178',
      principalOrgId: null,
      accessKey: null,
      cognitoAuthenticationType: null,
      cognitoAuthenticationProvider: null,
      userArn: null,
      userAgent: 'curl/7.71.1',
      user: null
    },
    domainName: '000000000.execute-api.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com',
    apiId: 'lkjfslkfj'
  },
  body: '{"id":"1","name":"John"}',
  isBase64Encoded: false
}

From the above event which is JSON object, we need the body. Since, the body is a string, so we need to convert it into JSON object.
So, write.js should be modified to -
var AWS = require('aws-sdk');
var ddb = new AWS.DynamoDB({apiVersion: '2012-08-10'});

exports.handler = async (event) => {
    try {

            //console.log(event);
            //console.log(event.body);
            var obj = JSON.parse(event.body);

            //console.log(obj.id);
            //console.log(obj.name);

            var ID = obj.id;
            var NAME = obj.name;

            var params = {
                TableName:'tabmine',
                Item: {
                 id : {S: ID},
                 name : {S: NAME}
                }

            };

            var data;
            var msg;

            try{
                data = await ddb.putItem(params).promise();
                console.log("Item entered successfully:", data);
                msg = 'Item entered successfully';
            } catch(err){
                console.log("Error: ", err);
                msg = err;
            }

            var response = {
                'statusCode': 200,
                'body': JSON.stringify({
                    message: msg
            })
        };
    } catch (err) {
        console.log(err);
        return err;
    }

    return response;
};

Similarly, read.js will get modified to -
var AWS = require('aws-sdk');
var ddb = new AWS.DynamoDB({apiVersion: '2012-08-10'});

exports.handler = async (event) => {
    try {

            //console.log(event);
            //console.log(event.body);
            var obj = JSON.parse(event.body);

            //console.log(obj.id);
            //console.log(obj.name);

            var ID = obj.id;

            var params = {
                TableName:'tabmine',
                Key: {
                 id : {S: ID}
                }

            };

            var data;

            try{
                data = await ddb.getItem(params).promise();
                console.log("Item read successfully:", data);
            } catch(err){
                console.log("Error: ", err);
                data = err;
            }

            var response = {
                'statusCode': 200,
                'body': JSON.stringify({
                    message: data
            })
        };
    } catch (err) {
        console.log(err);
        return err;
    }

    return response;
};

So, this will solve the problem. And template.yaml file is also correct.


text:
Q: VB.NET Pass Data Between Forms Frist of all sorry for my bad english.
I'm making an application in VB.NET and I have a little problem.
I have two forms one main FORM (always open), and one that I open as Dialog.
In the secondary form (such as the open dialog) I can choose what to do and based on what I choose I have to trigger an event in the main form.
Let me explain, In the child form I choose the customer number 2, I press OK, and the main form has to load all the data related to the customer number 2.
Obviously, being object-oriented vb.net I can not call a sub from another form (because I do not have access to the instance) and I can not declare a new one, because the main form is always open.
How do I then pass the id of the customer and raise the event to load?

A: Expose the customer ID in the child through a Public or Friend property, for example (child form):
Public Property CustomerID as Integer

Private Sub OK_Click(s as Object, e as eventargs) Handles OK.Click
    CustomerID = id 'pass the value here
    Me.DialogResult = DialogResult.Ok
End Sub

On the main form then:
If frmChild.ShowDialog = DialogResult.Ok Then
    MessageBox.Show("Customer ID: " + frmChild.CustomerID)
End If


text:
Economic growth, jobs key to Government being able to provide for Singaporeans
The Government must ensure that the economy continues to do well and that there are jobs, as it pledges to take better care of Singaporeans in terms of providing housing, education and health care, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Saturday. -- FILE PHOTO: MINDEF
Walter Sim
Japan Correspondent
https://str.sg/wQdD
The Government must ensure that the economy continues to do well and that there are jobs, as it pledges to take better care of Singaporeans in terms of providing housing, education and health care, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Saturday.
This will ensure Singapore avoids raking up debts like some countries in Europe, which are now saddled with a heavy burden, he said. He was speaking at the Toa Payoh Central Mid-Autumn Festival at Toa Payoh Town Park.
In his address, Dr Ng reassured people who have questioned how the country is going to foot the bills for policy changes announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally speech in August.
"I believe that the way to go is to make sure that the economy is doing well and there are jobs," said Dr Ng, who is also MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC. "It may not grow as fast as before, 8 per cent, 6 per cent, but we cannot slow down so much that we chase businesses away. If we do that, jobs will be lost and there will be higher unemployment rate and it will be a problem."


Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are relatively common in today's society, and with a reliable Dallas ADD assessment, you can find out if it is an ailment that is standing between your child and an enriching education.
Both ADD and ADHD are very abstract learning disabilities — there is not a single, defining test that can be administered to determine whether or not a child or adolescent suffers from it. With Dallas ADHD testing by Diagnostic Learning Services, you can shed a bright light on this issue.
Diagnostic Learning Services gives you access to qualified educational diagnosticians, who are certified by the state of Texas. They will use their best judgment and proven testing methods to determine whether or not your child is dealing with ADD or ADHD.
There are no 'yes' or 'no' answers to determine this information, which is why we offer thorough ADHD assessment in Dallas TX.
This three- to four-hour process also includes information provided from parents to help provide background information on the child. With all the data we collect, our team is able to properly diagnose each child and also offer post-evaluation consultations that offer helpful solutions to dealing with these ailments.
Learn more about our Dallas ADD assessment by contacting the Diagnostic Learning Services staff and scheduling an appointment.


text:
Sabonnères (okzitanisch: Sabonèras) ist eine französische Gemeinde mit  Einwohnern (Stand: ) im Département Haute-Garonne in der Region Okzitanien. Sabonnères gehört zum Arrondissement Muret und zum Kanton Plaisance-du-Touch (bis 2015: Kanton Rieumes). Die Einwohner werden Sabonnériens genannt.

Geografie
Sabonnères liegt in der historischen Provinz Savès, etwa 36 Kilometer westsüdwestlich von Toulouse und etwa 27 Kilometer westlich von Muret. Sabonnères wird umgeben von den Nachbargemeinden Bragayrac im Norden, Sainte-Foy-de-Peyrolières im Nordosten, Beaufort im Osten und Südosten, Montgras im Süden, Pébées im Westen und Südwesten sowie Savignac-Mona im Westen und Nordwesten.

Bevölkerungsentwicklung

Sehenswürdigkeiten
Siehe auch: Liste der Monuments historiques in Sabonnères
 Kirche Saint-Germain
 Schloss Saiguède

Literatur
 Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Haute-Garonne. Flohic Editions, Band 2, Paris 2000, ISBN 2-84234-081-7, S. 1258–1261.

Weblinks

Ort in Okzitanien


PURINA® PROPLAN® VETERINARY DIETS NF Renal Function is a tasty complete veterinary diet for cats with chronic kidney disease. NF contains restricted amounts of phosphorus as this mineral can build up in kidney patients and has been shown to contribute to progression of the disease. It also contains limited amounts of high quality protein to help reduce the build-up of toxins which make patients feel unwell, while helping to maintain muscle mass. Omega-3 fatty acids also help to maximise the natural anti-inflammatory processes and reduce blood pressure inside the kidney.
Adult cats aged 1+ years with chronic kidney disease.
PLEASE NOTE: Not suitable for cats that require a high protein or phosphorus intake such as pregnant queens and growing kittens.
The recommended period of use is initially up to 6 months. It is recommended that a veterinarian's opinion be sought before use or before extending the period of use.
*For each additional 1kg of body weight, feed an additional 1/4 of can per day when only wet food, and 15g of dry food when only dry food fed.


The Sales Process is divided into four steps – approach, proposition, demonstration and close. What's the big deal?
Nothing at all. Except that it's astonishingly old. In the year 1887, the National Cash Register Company, a US Corporation selling cash registers, ancestors to the kind we see with retailers today, released a slim volume called the NCR Primer. And this 4 step process is one of the many nuggets of sales wisdom from that Primer. The owner of the company was John H Patterson, who figures in most listings of all-time great sales gurus.
Prof Walter A. Friedman, Lecturer of Business Administration and Director, Business History Initiative captures NCR's fascinating story in a HBS Working Knowledge feature on John H Patterson and the Sales Strategy of the National Cash Register Company, 1884 to 1922 published in November 1999. Consider the first step – approach. The Primer instructions were clear. The salesman should make no mention of the cash register. So, what's he to do? "Instead, he explained that he wanted to help the businessman find ways to increase profit – that he wanted, in effect, to act as a consultant" the Primer advised.
Over a century later, a Forrester Research study of 2015 predicts that only the Consultant type salesperson who enlightens the buyers will survive the digital shift. Grimly titled, "Death of a B2B Salesman" the survey isn't optimistic about the survival of the other three salesperson archetypes, the Order Takers (Directly serving buyers), Explainers (Showing the buyers how products/services work) and Navigators (Guiding and directing buyers) And that's not all. In the demonstration phase, the Primer counselled that you tell the prospect "This, Mr. Merchant, is a National Cash Register of the most approved pattern. To appreciate what a help it would be to you, we must see what things you do in your store of which you keep a record". Sounds familiar? You can almost hear the voice of your first sales trainer in your head – "Need, create the need first before you attempt to sell. Stronger the need, surer the close". 130 years on, Mercuri International's Sales Excellence Survey 2017 also found that companies excelling in sales showed stronger competence in creating Customer need.
What is even more intriguing, as Prof Friedman notes, sales success practices such as scripts predated the NCR Primer. Almost 30 years earlier, in 1859, Equitable Life Assurance Society brought out Hints for Agents with sales arguments for reps to rehearse. These practices covered salespersons across a range of sales genres including book canvassers, atlas salesmen, lightning-rod peddlers and Bible Society canvassers.
Bottom line? While sales appears to be changing with the times, the principles that make selling beautiful remain unchanged. You can read the HBS Working Knowledge feature here .
The question essentially is one of how you move the magic you see on the fringes of your bell curve to more areas in the middle.
This book is a must read for all aspiring business leaders who are serious about scaling up excellence in their enterprises. Seasoned veterans know that excellence is not transplanted across the rank and file in a jiffy. It sprouts from tiny little spaces, and has to be incubated, nurtured to maturity, and then scaled up. The last two words are key. Understanding the drivers of excellence is just the starting point – The What to do's - in an organization's pursuit of excellence. It could also be the easiest part in a relentless ongoing journey. The tough part is about raising the bar for the vast majority and multiplying the islands of excellence. The 7 Mantras revealed in this book could be the secrets drivers – The How to do's - of agility and nimble footedness you envision for your people.
Elsewhere in this issue you will find the 'What to do's' of Sales Excellence. Robert Sutton & Huggy Rao are serving up the 'How to do's' from a wide spectrum of industries and challenges. Pick up their book from here. Read it. It could light up a few sparks in making excellence work for your Sales Org.
When the Federal Express courier comes to my office reception area, she is greeted by Annah Salas. When she looks at Annah, she should see $180,000 stamped on her forehead.
My little 20-person firm runs about a $1,500-a-month Fed Ex bill. Over ten years, that will total $180,000. I find this simple device, calculating the ten-year (or, alternatively, lifetime) value of a customer, to be very powerful. It has profoundly altered my own thinking.
Stew Leonard, the erstwhile Norwalk, Connecticut, grocer, got me started on this. He says, "When I see a frown on a customer's face, I see $50,000 about to walk out the door." His good customers buy about $100 worth of groceries a week. Over ten years, that adds up to roughly $50,000. We all agree that repeat trade is the key to business success; this simple quantifying procedure provides a way to add potency to the idea.
He touches my life… makes me want to excel..
He is the MESSAGE and I am learning..