text:
World Bank trims 2020 growth forecast amid slow recovery for trade, investment
The World Bank shaved 0.2 percentage point off of growth for both years, with the 2019 global economic growth forecast at 2.4 per cent and 2020 at 2.5 per cent
Reuters Last Updated: January 9, 2020 | 09:10 IST
World Bank trimmed its global growth forecast
The World Bank on Wednesday trimmed its global growth forecasts slightly for 2019 and 2020 due to a slower-than-expected recovery in trade and investment despite cooler trade tensions between the United States and China.
The multilateral development bank said 2019 marked the weakest economic expansion since the global financial crisis a decade ago, and 2020, while a slight improvement, remained vulnerable to uncertainties over trade and geopolitical tensions.
In its latest Global Economic Prospects report, the World Bank shaved 0.2 percentage point off of growth for both years, with the 2019 global economic growth forecast at 2.4% and 2020 at 2.5%.
"This modest increase in global growth marks the end of the slowdown that started in 2018 and took a heavy toll on global activity, trade and investment, especially last year," said Ayhan Kose, the World Bank's lead economic forecaster. "We do expect an improvement, but overall, we also see a weaker growth outlook."
The latest World Bank forecasts take into account the so-called Phase 1 trade deal announced by the United States and China, which suspended new U.S. tariffs on Chinese consumer goods scheduled for Dec. 15 and reduced the tariff rate on some other goods.
While the tariff rate reduction will have a "rather small" effect on trade, the deal is expected to boost business confidence and investment prospects, contributing to a pickup in trade growth, Kose said.
Global trade growth is expected to improve modestly in 2020 to 1.9% from 1.4% in 2019, which was the lowest since the 2008-2009 financial crisis, the World Bank said. This remains well below the 5% average annual trade growth rate since 2010, according to World Bank data.
But both trade and overall economic growth prospects remain vulnerable to flare-ups in U.S.-China trade tensions as well as rising geopolitical tensions. World Bank officials said they were not able to estimate the growth effects of a wider U.S.-Iran conflict, but said this would increase uncertainty, which would hurt investment prospects.
Also read: World Bank cuts India's FY20 growth estimates to 5% from earlier 6%
EMERGING ECONOMY GAINS
Advanced economies and emerging markets and developing economies also show divergent prospects in the World Bank forecasts. Growth in the United States, the euro area and Japan is expected to decline slightly to 1.4% in 2020 from 1.6% in 2019 - a markdown of 0.1 percentage point for both years - due to continued softness in manufacturing and the lingering negative effects of U.S. tariffs and retaliatory measures.
But emerging market economies are expected to see a pickup in growth to 4.3% in 2020 from 4.1% in 2019, although these are both a half percentage point lower than forecasts made in June.
Much of the emerging market improvement is driven by eight countries, the World Bank said. Argentina and Iran are expected to emerge from recessions in 2020, and prospects are expected to improve for six countries that struggled with slowdowns in 2019: Brazil, India, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
DECELERATION IN CHINA
China's growth rate is projected to decelerate to 5.9% in 2020, a 0.2 percentage point reduction from the June forecast, as the world's second largest economy deals with fallout from U.S. tariffs, the World Bank said.
Kose said the trade war hit China's manufacturing and exports hard last year, holding growth to 6.1%, a 0.1 percentage point reduction from the World Bank's June forecast. Tighter regulations on China's shadow banking sector also dented investment.
China's outlook could worsen if trade tensions with Washington flare up again, or there is a disorderly unwinding of debt. But Kose said China had sufficient policy buffers to cushion any deeper slowdown.
Also read: SBI lowers GDP estimates for FY20 to 4.6% from 5%
Also read: Govt's advance estimate pegs GDP growth at 5% for FY20
Tags: World Bank | global growth estimate
World Bank cuts India's FY20 growth estimates to 5% from earlier 6%
Envoys from US, Bangladesh, South Korea, 14 more countries to visit Jammu and Kashmir today
UPSC Mains 2019 exam result declared; here's how to check score, other details
Audi launches flagship SUV Q8 in India; prices begin at Rs 1.33 crore
Inspired by physically challenged man's venture, Anand Mahindra sets aside Rs 1 crore for micro-entrepreneurs
iPhone SE 2 specs leaked; here's what we know so far


text:
package com.adaptris.core.services.conditional.operator;

import com.adaptris.annotation.AdapterComponent;
import com.adaptris.annotation.ComponentProfile;
import com.adaptris.core.AdaptrisMessage;
import com.adaptris.core.services.conditional.Condition;
import com.adaptris.core.services.conditional.Operator;
import com.thoughtworks.xstream.annotations.XStreamAlias;

/**
 *

 * This {@link Operator} simply tests a single value is not null.
 *

 *

 * The value used in the not-null test is the {@link Condition} that this {@link Operator} is
 * configured for; which could be the message payload or a metadata item for example.

 *

 *
 * @config not-null
 * @author amcgrath
 *
 */
@XStreamAlias("not-null")
@AdapterComponent
@ComponentProfile(summary = "Tests that a value exists (is not null).",
    tag = "conditional,operator")
public class NotNull implements Operator {

  @Override
  public boolean apply(AdaptrisMessage message, String object) {
    return object != null;
  }

  public String toString() {
    return "is not null";
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Report: China Hackers Targeted Spy Info in Google Attack
FOXBusiness
As part of a sophisticated counterintelligence operation, Chinese hackers who infiltrated Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) during a high-profile 2010 breach reportedly gained access to a secret database with information containing data about U.S. surveillance targets.
While the initial breach was revealed by Google, the apparent intent of the hackers to discover the identities of Chinese spies operating in the U.S. who were being watched by American law enforcement agencies was reported by The Washington Post.
The operation underscores the sophisticated nature of cyber espionage operations targeting major U.S. companies from hackers around the world, some of whom may be representing foreign governments.
According to the Post, it's not clear how much information the Chinese hackers were able to glean from the attack, but the breached database contained information about court orders signing off on surveillance.
A successful attack may have given China a heads up about spies in the U.S. who kept Gmail accounts and were being investigated by the U.S.
"Knowing that you were subjects of an investigation allows them to take steps to destroy information, get people out of the country," a former official told the paper.
Mountain View, Calif.-based Google declined to comment about the report.
Google initially disclosed the hack, dubbed the "Aurora" attack, in 2010, but it didn't say the target of the attack appeared to be the secret database of court orders. Google said the hackers stole the source code for its search engine and targeted email accounts of Chinese activists.
"The Chinese government prohibits online criminal offenses of all forms, including cyber attack and cyber espionage, and has done what it can to combat such activities in accordance with Chinese laws," a Chinese Embassy spokesman, Yuan Gao, told the paper. "We've heard all kinds of allegations but have not seen any hard evidence or proof."
Google alerted the FBI about the breach of the sensitive database soon after detecting it, but the company denied access to an FBI supervisory agent working on Chinese cyber espionage cases who sought to conduct a national security investigation at the company's headquarters, the Post reported.
Meanwhile, a Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) exec recently said Chinese hackers targeted the company's servers in a similar fashion, searching for accounts that were under surveillance by the U.S.
However, Microsoft disputed that account in an emailed statement.
"The so-called 'Aurora' attacks did not breach the Microsoft network," said Matt Thomlinson, general manager of trustworthy computing and security at Microsoft.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Gacha Neon review
Gacha Neon is a PC version of the popular Android game that, following the mechanics of gacha, allows you to create your own avatar. You can use it to create fun scenes with characters, as well as battle with other players.
Create your own avatar and create scenes or fight with other users
The main element of the game is the design space, where you can unleash your creativity by creating different avatars. There are different character models for this, as well as clothing, aesthetic accessories, and even pets with which to personalize the game.
The main features of the PC version of Gacha Neon:
Create an avatar based on various character models.
All kinds of aesthetic accessories: clothes, hats, bags, hairstyles, facial expressions, pets...
Create scenes and save them on your PC in PNG format.
Various wallpapers to recreate scenes.
Battle your characters with the characters of other players.
If you're a fan of Gacha Life, you can't miss Neon on your PC as it expands the gaming resources, but without restrictions such as time limits and other elements.
The Best Xbox One Games: Enjoy the Best of Both Worlds With the Xbox Series X and S dominating the console market, many gamers are wondering...
Sean Williams January 20, 2023
Google Releases Last Game and Farewell Note for Stadia Fans Google Stadia, the cloud gaming platform, was announced to be shut down on January 18th....
YouTube TV 4K Plus Add-on Receives a Major Discount With the cost of traditional cable TV services skyrocketing, many consumers are looking for more...
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The winery Messias elaborates this Messias Bruto (£6.82), a sparkling wine from Bairrada made of baga grapes and shows an alcoholic content of 13%. 4 of 5 points is the average score of this sparkling according to Uvinum users.
- View: light color, green citrus shades, and numerous small bubbles.
- Nose: aromas of ripe fruit, yeast and toasted.
- Mouth: dry sparkling wine, with good acidity and balanced.
WINE PAIRING: with salads, fish and also the beginning of a meal.
I tried it before the meal. I gave it to some friends because i had to make a gift.
A beautiful vivid colour. A Bairrada with yeasty aromas. I liked the Messias Bruto, but it tasted a bit rough.
Intense ruby ??colour. Bubble and fine persistent bead. Complex aroma with notes of dried fruits and jams. Slight cistus. Taste fresh and prolonged.
If you want to buy Messias Bruto, at Uvinum you will find the best prices for Bairrada sparkling wine.	Save money with Uvinum, easy, quick and safe. We have over 59.000 products for sale which makes us the leading marketplace for wine, beer, and spirits in Europe with more than 38.000 customers who trust us.


text:
package com.vmware.vim25;

import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlAccessType;
import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlAccessorType;
import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlElement;
import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlType;

/**
 *
Java class for DistributedVirtualSwitchPortConnection complex type.
 *
 *
The following schema fragment specifies the expected content contained within this class.
 *
 *

 * <complexType name="DistributedVirtualSwitchPortConnection">
 *   <complexContent>
 *     <extension base="{urn:vim25}DynamicData">
 *       <sequence>
 *         <element name="switchUuid" type="{http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema}string"/>
 *         <element name="portgroupKey" type="{http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema}string" minOccurs="0"/>
 *         <element name="portKey" type="{http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema}string" minOccurs="0"/>
 *         <element name="connectionCookie" type="{http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema}int" minOccurs="0"/>
 *       </sequence>
 *     </extension>
 *   </complexContent>
 * </complexType>
 *

 *
 *
 */
@XmlAccessorType(XmlAccessType.FIELD)
@XmlType(name = "DistributedVirtualSwitchPortConnection", propOrder = {
    "switchUuid",
    "portgroupKey",
    "portKey",
    "connectionCookie"
})
public class DistributedVirtualSwitchPortConnection
    extends DynamicData
{

    @XmlElement(required = true)
    protected String switchUuid;
    protected String portgroupKey;
    protected String portKey;
    protected Integer connectionCookie;

    /**
     * Gets the value of the switchUuid property.
     *
     * @return
     *     possible object is
     *     {@link String }
     *
     */
    public String getSwitchUuid() {
        return switchUuid;
    }

    /**
     * Sets the value of the switchUuid property.
     *
     * @param value
     *     allowed object is
     *     {@link String }
     *
     */
    public void setSwitchUuid(String value) {
        this.switchUuid = value;
    }

    /**
     * Gets the value of the portgroupKey property.
     *
     * @return
     *     possible object is
     *     {@link String }
     *
     */
    public String getPortgroupKey() {
        return portgroupKey;
    }

    /**
     * Sets the value of the portgroupKey property.
     *
     * @param value
     *     allowed object is
     *     {@link String }
     *
     */
    public void setPortgroupKey(String value) {
        this.portgroupKey = value;
    }

    /**
     * Gets the value of the portKey property.
     *
     * @return
     *     possible object is
     *     {@link String }
     *
     */
    public String getPortKey() {
        return portKey;
    }

    /**
     * Sets the value of the portKey property.
     *
     * @param value
     *     allowed object is
     *     {@link String }
     *
     */
    public void setPortKey(String value) {
        this.portKey = value;
    }

    /**
     * Gets the value of the connectionCookie property.
     *
     * @return
     *     possible object is
     *     {@link Integer }
     *
     */
    public Integer getConnectionCookie() {
        return connectionCookie;
    }

    /**
     * Sets the value of the connectionCookie property.
     *
     * @param value
     *     allowed object is
     *     {@link Integer }
     *
     */
    public void setConnectionCookie(Integer value) {
        this.connectionCookie = value;
    }

}


We met Mary Grace and Harvey last year and were thrilled when they asked us to capture their wedding at Francis Xavier Church in Mississauga. For their engagement session, we headed out to J.C. Saddington Park off Lake Ontario in Port Credit, Ontario.
As always, we always suggest planning your shoot either early in the morning or late afternoon to get the best light and avoid the crowds. This park is lovely as it has a new of the lake, trees, flowers, and lot's of shade. Watch out for cyclists! =) We love all the colors in this shoot!! Can't wait to work with them again in a few months.


text:
Sociologists Available to Discuss Same-Sex Marriage
With the Supreme Court of the United States expected to rule imminently in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, which addresses the matter of marriage equality and the constitutional status of state bans on same-sex marriage, the American Sociological Association (ASA) has a number of sociologists available to discuss same-sex marriage.
Journeys in Sociology: From First Encounters to Fulfilling Retirements
The editors and twenty contributors to the essential anthology Journeys in Sociology use a life-course perspective to address the role of sociology in their lives. The power of their personal experiences—during the Great Depression, World War II, or the student protests and social movements in the 1960s and '70s—magnify how and why social change prompted these men and women to study sociology. Moreover, all of the contributors include a discussion of their activities in retirement.
Contexts Collection: On Aging
A special electronic collection of articles from the Fall 2009 and Winter 2010 issues of Contexts on the topic of aging. Featuring Vincent J. Roscigno, Phyllis Moen, Eric Utne, Deborah Carr, Stacy Torres and the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on an Aging Society. 28 pages, March 2010.
Contexts: Untethered
Features include "Financial Foreclosures," "Fat Eggs or Fit Bodies," "God's Case for Sex," "Revisiting the Rationing of Medical Degrees in the United States," and "Activating Politics with Poetry and Spoken Word."
Study: Banks Hired Risk Officers to Mitigate Risk in Years Before Collapse. It Didn't Go So Well
New research suggests a significant number of national and international American banks hired new Chief Risk Officers to mitigate risk but may have actually helped lead the industry into widespread insolvency.
Starting in the 1990s, many major banks hired Chief Risk Officers (CROs) in a response to new laws and regulations put in place following financial meltdowns in the 1980s. In an effort to comply, banking officials elevated risk analysts to corner offices to show they were serious about tackling risk.
Contagious Addiction: Opioid Prescriptions Increase Likelihood of Family Members' Use
Contact: Naomi Paiss, Communications Director, at (202) 247-9859, npaiss@asanet.org, or (202) 440-0875 (cell); Johanna Olexy, Senior Communications Associate, at (202) 247-9873, communications@asanet.org, or (202) 251-6251 (cell).
Washington, DC. While opioid addiction and abuse continues to figure as the most serious public health emergency in the U.S., academic research is increasingly able to identify some of its causes.
(-) Remove Criminology/Delinquency filter Criminology/Delinquency
(-) Remove Finance filter Finance
(-) Remove Aging/Social Gerontology filter Aging/Social Gerontology
Disabilities (1) Apply Disabilities filter
(-) Remove General users filter General users


text:
'Stranger Things' Added a Bunch of New Characters for Season 4
Take notes, everyone. There's a long list.
Olivia-Harvey-300x225.png
Olivia Harvey Jun 10, 2021 @ 2:05 pm
Stranger Things cast
The Stranger Things family just got a little bigger. The Netflix sci-fi show added four new recurring characters to the Season 4 lineup, and their character descriptions are giving us more of an inkling as to what exactly will go down in the upcoming season.
Amybeth McNulty (Anne with an E) is hopping on as Vickie, "a cool, fast-talking band nerd," according to a Stranger Things Twitter thread, a potential love interest of one of the heroes.
Myles Truitt (Queen Sugar) signed on as Patrick, a Hawkins high school basketball star who reportedly has a great life "until shocking events send [it] spiraling out of control."
Regina Ting Chen (Queen of the South) will play the guidance counselor Ms. Kelly, who is trying to help her students that are struggling the most.
And Grace Van Dien (The Village) will play Chrissy, the head cheerleader of Hawkins High and the most popular girl in school who is hiding a dark secret.
In September, Stranger Things announced it would also be adding Jamie Campbell Bower (Sweeney Todd, The Twilight Saga), Eduardo Franco (Booksmart), Joseph Quinn (Catherine the Great) and Robert Englund (best known for his role as Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street).
Bower will play Peter, an orderly working at a psychiatric hospital. Franco plays Argyle, Johnathan's new best friend. Quinn plays Eddie, who runs the official Hawkins High D&D club, and Englund will play Victor Creel, a resident at the psychiatric hospital imprisoned for a murder he committed in the 1950s.
Other new recurring cast members include Tom Wlaschiha, who plays a Russian prisoner and friend to Hopper, Sherman Augustus, whose character believes he knows how to stop the evil in Hawkins, Mason Dye, who plays another high-and-mighty high schooler, and Nikola Djuricko, who plays a Russian smuggler.
The new cast will, of course, act alongside series regulars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, and Priah Ferguson.
Stranger Things Season 4 is currently filming in Atlanta, and with so many new characters to get to know and love, we're ready for the premiere right now.


I gave you a good program, MirrorFolder, $39 with a 30 day full function free trial.
Like 'x509', I am an enthusiastic endorser of Goodsync. Bought ver9 years ago and updates to v10 and freq updates have been free. I like how easy it is to use the folder tree to set filters for each Job. It can process a massive amount of data pretty quickly and backs up changes for rollback, if a file is accidentally deleted or changed.
In looking at some backup folders, I see tiny differences due to the drive creation date diff's and whether thumbs.db and .ini files are copied or not. But I have never seen a folder or file diff other than those details that was due to Goodsync. And I sync >500gb of data running it almost daily to external drives. Hope this reassures you some.


text:
GM Beats Estimates as Pickup Sales Soar
John Rosevear, The Motley Fool, AOL.com
Jul 2nd 2013 8:00PM
It doesn't always look like it, but General Motors is making progress in its long haul back from bankruptcy.
GM said on Tuesday that its U.S. sales were up 6% in June, with all four of its brands posting retail sales gains. That beat analysts' estimates, which called for an average 2.1% gain, according to Bloomberg.
The all-new 2014 Chevy Silverado has just started to arrive at dealers, and it's selling at a fast pace. Photo credit: General Motors.
Six percent may not sound like a big gain, and it's likely to have trailed the U.S. market's overall growth for the month. (We'll know for sure in a day or so.) But the numbers behind the headline tell a story that suggests that GM is finally on the right track in its home market.
Strong retail sales should drive profit gains
GM pointed out that its retail sales actually grew 14% in June, likely outpacing the overall market. Executives noted that GM's fleet sales were down because of the timing of deliveries of certain large orders -- they happened to have hit earlier this year than in past years.
Generally, analysts tend to like it when an automaker's fleet sales are down relative to retail sales, as, generally speaking, retail sales are more profitable. But that's not the whole story: Rival Ford gets as much as a third of its U.S. sales from "fleet" business -- more than GM -- but its overall profit margins in North America are among the best in the business. What sometimes goes unnoticed is that a lot of Ford's fleet sales are to commercial customers, who are buying high-profit trucks and vans.
Many pickups are bought by businesses like building contractors, who may buy 10 or 20 or more at a time. That's good business to have, better than the low-margin rental car sales that many associate with "fleet" numbers. GM likely has been losing some of that business to Ford, because Ford's F-Series pickups have been more competitive (and more fuel efficient) than GM's outgoing models.
But that could change as GM rolls out its all-new 2014 pickups. Some of those have already reached dealers, and GM U.S. sales chief Kurt McNeil said on Tuesday that they are "turning" very quickly - spending just 10 days on dealer lots, on average. Overall, sales of GM's Chevy Silverado (both old and new versions) were up a very impressive 29% in June.
GM is currently selling a mix of old (2013) and new (2014) pickups, a situation that is likely to continue for several months as GM ramps up production and begins a big marketing push for its all-new trucks. The new trucks will be much more profitable than the outgoing ones. But profits on the 2013s may be better than expected: It's customary to boost discounts on outgoing models, but because of strong industrywide demand, GM hasn't had to do that with its remaining 2013 trucks.
New products driving nice gains, and likely increased profits
There were other signs of progress for GM in June. Like Ford, GM's much-improved small cars saw strong sales as consumers continued to seek out high-quality, fuel-efficient options. The compact Chevy Cruze had its best sales month ever, GM said, and both the subcompact Chevy Sonic and the Chevy Volt hybrid posted strong results.
GM's all-new Impala is posting strong retail numbers. Photo credit: General Motors.
Sales of the full-sized Impala were roughly flat vs. last year's totals, but that hides a nice success story. Last year's sales were of the outgoing model, a dated car that sold largely to fleets. The new Impala is a much nicer (and much more profitable) product, and GM has emphasized retail sales with success: Retail sales of the Impala were up 62% over last June's totals.
GM is also seeing more and more success with its Cadillac and Buick brands, as more of its much-improved new products hit dealers and gather steam in the marketplace. That's a story we're likely to be hearing again and again over the next year and a half, as GM's long-awaited new-product offensive has now shifted into high gear -- and GM's bottom line should show the results over the next few quarters.
China is already the world's largest auto market -- and it's set to grow even bigger in coming years. A recent Motley Fool report, "2 Automakers to Buy for a Surging Chinese Market," names two global giants poised to reap big gains that could drive big rewards for investors. You can read this report right now for free -- just click here for instant access.
The article GM Beats Estimates as Pickup Sales Soar originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor John Rosevear owns shares of Ford and General Motors. The Motley Fool recommends General Motors. It recommends and owns shares of Ford. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


text:
Q: Direct3D Renders to wrong texture In the code below I try render a sphere to a texture (renderTargetView), that texture is supposed to be rendered to the back buffer on a quad. I'm experimenting with it to use with glow later. The problem right now is that the sphere is rendered to the back buffer and is visible, it doesn't even matter if I comment out the lower half of the code, same result. I'm using this background color D3DXCOLOR(0.4f, 0.2f, 0.0f) here, but that is not what's on the screen, it's the color set with back buffer devcon->ClearRenderTargetView(backbuffer, D3DXCOLOR(0.0f, 0.2f, 0.4f, 1.0f)); that is showing.
        // Set and clear render target
        devcon->OMSetRenderTargets(1, &renderTargetView, zbuffer);
        devcon->ClearRenderTargetView(renderTargetView, D3DXCOLOR(0.4f, 0.2f, 0.0f, 1.0f));

        devcon->PSSetShaderResources(0, 1, &pTextureSun);
        devcon->UpdateSubresource(pCBuffer, 0, 0, &cBuffer, 0, 0);
        devcon->Draw(sizeOfVertexVector, 0);

        // set the shader objects
        /*
        devcon->VSSetShader(pVS_glow, 0, 0);
        devcon->PSSetShader(pPS_glow, 0, 0);

        // set the render target as the back buffer
        devcon->OMSetRenderTargets(1, &backbuffer, zbuffer);

        devcon->IASetVertexBuffers(0, 1, &pVBufferQuad, &stride, &offset);
        devcon->UpdateSubresource(pCBuffer, 0, 0, &cBuffer, 0, 0);
        devcon->PSSetShaderResources(0, 1, &shaderResourceView);
        devcon->Draw(6, 0);*/

Here is where the back and depth buffers set up (I have been trying with different formats such as DXGI_FORMAT_D24_UNORM_S8_UINT for depth buffer and others but no luck):
// create a struct to hold information about the swap chain
DXGI_SWAP_CHAIN_DESC scd;

// clear out the struct for use
ZeroMemory(&scd, sizeof(DXGI_SWAP_CHAIN_DESC));

// fill the swap chain description struct
scd.BufferCount = 1;                                   // one back buffer
scd.BufferDesc.Format = DXGI_FORMAT_R8G8B8A8_UNORM;    // use 32-bit color
scd.BufferDesc.Width = SCREEN_WIDTH;                   // set the back buffer width
scd.BufferDesc.Height = SCREEN_HEIGHT;                 // set the back buffer height
scd.BufferUsage = DXGI_USAGE_RENDER_TARGET_OUTPUT;     // how swap chain is to be used
scd.OutputWindow = hWnd;                               // the window to be used
scd.SampleDesc.Count = 4;                              // how many multisamples
scd.Windowed = TRUE;                                   // windowed/full-screen mode
scd.Flags = DXGI_SWAP_CHAIN_FLAG_ALLOW_MODE_SWITCH;    // allow full-screen switching

// create a device, device context and swap chain using the information in the scd struct
D3D11CreateDeviceAndSwapChain(NULL,
    D3D_DRIVER_TYPE_HARDWARE,
    NULL,
    NULL,
    NULL,
    NULL,
    D3D11_SDK_VERSION,
    &scd,
    &swapchain,
    &dev,
    NULL,
    &devcon);

// create the depth buffer texture
D3D11_TEXTURE2D_DESC texd;
ZeroMemory(&texd, sizeof(texd));

texd.Width = SCREEN_WIDTH;
texd.Height = SCREEN_HEIGHT;
texd.ArraySize = 1;
texd.MipLevels = 1;
texd.SampleDesc.Count = 4;
texd.Format = DXGI_FORMAT_D24_UNORM_S8_UINT;
texd.BindFlags = D3D11_BIND_DEPTH_STENCIL;

ID3D11Texture2D *pDepthBuffer;
dev->CreateTexture2D(&texd, NULL, &pDepthBuffer);

// create the depth buffer
D3D11_DEPTH_STENCIL_VIEW_DESC dsvd;
ZeroMemory(&dsvd, sizeof(dsvd));

dsvd.Format = DXGI_FORMAT_D24_UNORM_S8_UINT;
dsvd.ViewDimension = D3D11_DSV_DIMENSION_TEXTURE2DMS;

dev->CreateDepthStencilView(pDepthBuffer, &dsvd, &zbuffer);
pDepthBuffer->Release();

// get the address of the back buffer
ID3D11Texture2D *pBackBuffer;
swapchain->GetBuffer(0, __uuidof(ID3D11Texture2D), (LPVOID*)&pBackBuffer);

// use the back buffer address to create the render target
dev->CreateRenderTargetView(pBackBuffer, NULL, &backbuffer);
pBackBuffer->Release();

// set the render target as the back buffer
devcon->OMSetRenderTargets(1, &backbuffer, zbuffer);

// Set the viewport
D3D11_VIEWPORT viewport;
ZeroMemory(&viewport, sizeof(D3D11_VIEWPORT));

viewport.TopLeftX = 0;    // set the left to 0
viewport.TopLeftY = 0;    // set the top to 0
viewport.Width = SCREEN_WIDTH;    // set the width to the window's width
viewport.Height = SCREEN_HEIGHT;    // set the height to the window's height
viewport.MinDepth = 0;    // the closest an object can be on the depth buffer is 0.0
viewport.MaxDepth = 1;    // the farthest an object can be on the depth buffer is 1.0

devcon->RSSetViewports(1, &viewport);

And the render-to-texture:
D3D11_TEXTURE2D_DESC textureDesc;
D3D11_RENDER_TARGET_VIEW_DESC renderTargetViewDesc;
D3D11_SHADER_RESOURCE_VIEW_DESC shaderResourceViewDesc;

// Initialize the render target texture description.
ZeroMemory(&textureDesc, sizeof(textureDesc));

// Setup the render target texture description.
textureDesc.Width = SCREEN_WIDTH;
textureDesc.Height = SCREEN_HEIGHT;
textureDesc.MipLevels = 1;
textureDesc.ArraySize = 1;
textureDesc.Format = DXGI_FORMAT_R32G32B32A32_FLOAT;
textureDesc.SampleDesc.Count = 1;
textureDesc.Usage = D3D11_USAGE_DEFAULT;
textureDesc.BindFlags = D3D11_BIND_RENDER_TARGET | D3D11_BIND_SHADER_RESOURCE;
textureDesc.CPUAccessFlags = 0;
textureDesc.MiscFlags = 0;

dev->CreateTexture2D(&textureDesc, NULL, &renderTargetTexture);

// Setup the description of the render target view.
renderTargetViewDesc.Format = textureDesc.Format;
renderTargetViewDesc.ViewDimension = D3D11_RTV_DIMENSION_TEXTURE2D;
renderTargetViewDesc.Texture2D.MipSlice = 0;

dev->CreateRenderTargetView(renderTargetTexture, &renderTargetViewDesc, &renderTargetView);

// Setup the description of the shader resource view.
shaderResourceViewDesc.Format = textureDesc.Format;
shaderResourceViewDesc.ViewDimension = D3D11_SRV_DIMENSION_TEXTURE2D;
shaderResourceViewDesc.Texture2D.MostDetailedMip = 0;
shaderResourceViewDesc.Texture2D.MipLevels = 1;

// Create the shader resource view.
dev->CreateShaderResourceView(renderTargetTexture, &shaderResourceViewDesc, &shaderResourceView);

Any ideas?
UPDATE
This code is executed before rendering to texture, if I comment out it..
        // set the render target as the back buffer
        devcon->OMSetRenderTargets(1, &backbuffer, zbuffer);
        cBuffer.doBlur = 0;
        devcon->PSSetShaderResources(0, 1, &pTextureEarth);
        devcon->UpdateSubresource(pCBuffer, 0, 0, &cBuffer, 0, 0);
        devcon->Draw(sizeOfVertexVector, 0);

...this now renders to texture, currently it just shows the background color of the texture, not the sphere.
        // Set and clear render target
        devcon->OMSetRenderTargets(1, &renderTargetView, zbuffer);
        devcon->ClearRenderTargetView(renderTargetView, D3DXCOLOR(0.4f, 0.2f, 0.0f, 0.3f));

        devcon->PSSetShaderResources(0, 1, &pTextureSun);
        devcon->UpdateSubresource(pCBuffer, 0, 0, &cBuffer, 0, 0);
        devcon->Draw(sizeOfVertexVector, 0);

        // set the shader objects
        devcon->IASetInputLayout(pLayoutGlow);
        devcon->VSSetShader(pVS_glow, 0, 0);
        devcon->PSSetShader(pPS_glow, 0, 0);

        // set the render target as the back buffer
        devcon->OMSetRenderTargets(1, &backbuffer, zbuffer);

        devcon->IASetVertexBuffers(0, 1, &pVBufferQuad, &stride, &offset);
        devcon->UpdateSubresource(pCBuffer, 0, 0, &cBuffer, 0, 0);
        devcon->PSSetShaderResources(0, 1, &shaderResourceView);
        devcon->Draw(6, 0);

A: The problem was that blend wasn't enabled.

A: I had problems with rendet to texture before because I bound a shader resource view to the same texture as what was the render target, which is forbidden. If you use Visual Studio 2012, you should try checking your code in debug mode. Aren't you making the same mistake as me?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Take a look at the World's Biggest Ship, the Shell's Prelude FLNG
Floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) is a revolutionary technology that will allow Shell to access offshore gas fields that would otherwise be too costly or difficult to develop. Prelude FLNG (100% Shell) is the world's first FLNG development.
Shell took final investment decision on the Prelude FLNG Project on 20 May, 2011. It will start building a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility to produce and export LNG off the coast of Australia at the site of the gas field.
Over 1.6 million man hours were worked for the Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) phase of development for the Prelude FLNG Project.
Once operational, the Prelude FLNG facility will produce at least 5.3 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of liquids: 3.6 mtpa of LNG, 1.3 mtpa of condensate (equivalent to 35,000 bbl/d) and 0.4 mtpa of LPG.
Shell has moved the Prelude FLNG project forward at a rapid pace, with first production of LNG expected some ten years after the gas was discovered. Shell discovered the Prelude gas field in 2007.
Shell speech about decision to move forward with groundbreaking Floating LNG
Browse Basin, Australia
~250 metres
Floating liquefied natural gas
Shell 100%
Prelude and potentially other Shell natural gas assets in the region
FLNG facility production capacity:
At least 5.3 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of liquids: 3.6 mtpa of LNG, 1.3 mtpa of condensate and 0.4 mtpa of LPG
Key contractors:
Technip/Samsung Heavy Industries consortium
The floating facility will chill natural gas produced at the field to –162°C, shrinking its volume by 600 times so it can be shipped to customers in other parts of the world. Ocean-going carriers will load the LNG as well as other liquid by-products (condensate and LPG) for delivery to market.
The Prelude FLNG facility will be 488m long, 74m wide and will displace around 600,000 tonnes of water. It will be the largest floating offshore facility in the world.
The Prelude FLNG facility will be built at Samsung Heavy Industries' Geoje Island ship yards in South Korea. The Samsung ship yard is one of the few yards in the world big enough to construct a facility of this size.
Once constructed, the facility will be towed to its location, approximately 475 kilometres north-northeast of Broome, Western Australia. The facility will be moored and hooked up to the undersea infrastructure and the whole production system commissioned.
The Prelude FLNG facility has been designed to withstand the most powerful tropical cyclones. It will remain permanently moored at the location for around 25 years before needing to dock for inspection and overhaul.
The LNG, LPG and condensate produced will be stored in tanks in the hull of the facility. LNG and LPG carriers will moor alongside to offload the products.
The Prelude FLNG Project is well placed to help meet the growing natural gas demand of Asia.
Environment & society
The project will create around 350 direct and many more indirect jobs. It will also provide taxes and revenue to Australia, create opportunities for local businesses and result in Shell spending billions in capital and operating expenditure.
The Australian Government gave the Prelude FLNG Project environmental approval - opens in new window on November 12, 2010.
The Prelude FLNG Project will use significantly less materials, land and seabed area than developing the same gas via a similar onshore facility.
Developing the gas at the location of the gas field will reduce impact on sensitive coastal habitats as FLNG avoids the need for shoreline pipe crossings, dredging and jetty works. Product carriers will be far from coastal reefs or whale migration routes.
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text:
Episode 9 Roar
Subtitles Found! We found subtitles for the program Episode 9. Please scroll down to get them, or go here for a preview
Browse content similar to Episode 9. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
'Today on Roar, we'll discover what they keep behind locked doors.
'The sinister, the scary and the downright weird.'
'Johnny, what is that?'
'You'll never guess. You'll have to watch the show to find out.'
Hello. Welcome to Roar. I'm Rani.
I'm trying to learn my lines. This goat is getting in the way.
We're in the pygmy goat enclosure.
You do realise that pygmy goats like to eat things?
But I'm in the perfect place to rehearse
and I don't know what to say next.
I suppose all that's left to say is, let's get on with today's show.
What about our lines?
'Coming up today: Lions have a great sense of smell
'to help hunt down their prey.
'But wouldn't they rather sit around sniffing pretty flowers?'
'How do you stop a three-tonne rhino from playing too rough?
'We're going out with the rhino patrol.'
'And we'll be trying to cheer up the pancake tortoises
'because they've been feeling a little flat.'
'There are more animals in Animal Adventure
'than in any other area at Longleat.
'But you won't see them all on display at the same time
'because there's a lot going on behind the scenes.
'But now, we're in for a treat.
'Darren Beasley, the keeper in charge of Animal Adventure
'is about to take us on an exclusive through-the-keyhole,
'access-all-areas VIP tour.'
Hang on, hang on. This is a secret area I'm going to show you.
You've got to wait there. Just wait there for a second.
How about this?
This is an Argentinean tegu. He's called Diego.
He's a ground lizard. And he is a bit of a whopper. Look at this.
He's quite heavy. Look at that huge, long tail there.
He's a big, big, strong lizard.
And he's also very friendly.
Can you see this tongue? They grab smells on the end of their tongue,
put it in the roof of their mouth, in the Jacobson's organ.
It sends a message to their brain that says
you smell friendly or you smell like beans on toast
or something to eat, maybe, like that.
Perhaps a nice mouse or a bit of fallen fruit.
So that's our little secret that I brought him out to see you.
I'll put him back in his little cupboard now.
He can go in and have a nice dig. See you in a bit.
The next place I'm going to take you is the Bug Room.
Don't be scared. Come this way.
This is Ruby!
Hello, my darling. Come here, sweetheart.
This is a Chilean rose tarantula spider.
Tarantulas are brilliant.
They've got these special hairs on the back.
They're urticating hairs. It's a brilliant defence.
Imagine loads of arrows that you could flick out with your back legs
and you can fire them into somebody's eyes or mouth,
if you're silly enough to try and eat it.
If you've ever been stung by stinging nettles, that's what it feels like.
Imagine stinging nettles in your eyes. Painful!
She can do that, defend herself and run away to fight another day.
You've seen eight legs, eight legs are groovy.
What about more than eight legs?
Any bids? Six? Ten? Twelve?
How about possibly... 240 legs?
Look at this. This is a giant African millipede.
Imagine having to buy school shoes for that many legs. Incredible!
And these are nature's recyclers.
These ones live on the forest floor in Africa.
And they eat all the fallen vegetable matter,
all the leaf litter and turn it into soil.
It goes in that end as a mouldy leaf, comes out that end as soil,
all nicely composted. Wonderful creatures.
'There are more creatures in the Restricted Zone, including this.
'Though you'll have to wait til later to find out what it is.'
'In the wild, to catch their prey, lions have super-sharp senses.
'Sight, hearing and smell.
'They need speed, power and agility.
'The massive teeth and razor-sharp claws come in useful, too.
'Here in the park, the lions have an easier time,
'but they still like to exercise their talents.
'Their sense of smell, for example.
'Keeper Stuart's called Rani and me down to the lion enclosure
'to help set something up before they're let out for the day.'
-What are we doing?
-Putting in some enrichment for them.
-We've got a sack of straw with lavender in it.
-That's mine. Nice, relaxing.
-From this little bottle.
-Very nice!
-I'll take that.
Johnny, I'm afraid you got the short straw
and you add a bag of rhino dung.
Alright, then, what do we need to do?
First of all, I'll give you a pair of gloves each.
-Ooo! Lovely.
-Where there's gloves, there's always poo, Stu.
-So, what are we doing, then?
-We're going to prepare the sacks.
-You are going to prepare the sacks.
-Thanks!
So we need to get that poo into that sack.
-This is rhino dung?
Let's have a little look at this beauty.
-Don't let it put you off your breakfast.
Eurgh! It's full of hay, as well.
Why are we doing this, please? You open the sack there, John.
Yes, that's the big question. Why are we doing this?
It gives the cats something different in their enclosure.
So they interact, they go out, they suss it out,
they see what the smells are, they're drawn to the smells.
-It gives them something different.
-Are you telling us those lions
are going to want to smell stinky, horrible rhino dung?
-They certainly are.
It's something different for them. Something they don't get every day.
And what about the lavender? My mum likes lavender in a hot bath.
But will they like it?
Yes. It'll have the same effect as catnip would on a domestic cat.
-On your pet cat.
-Really?
I do believe that's the dung done. Now we've got the lavender.
-So, what have we got in here?
-Basically, it's just a bit of straw.
We'll just scent it with lavender oil and that will be the job done.
-They'll be attracted to one of these?
-One of these two.
But they are watching us, so shall we just leave it here
and see which one they go to first?
If we hang it up in the fallen tree here,
that will give them something to work for
and climbing up, having a good old look around.
It'll give them something to do and see what scent they like.
Which do you think they'll go for first?
-I think they'll go for the lavender.
-Wise choice.
I think I'd rather go for the lavender, as well.
-I've grown attached to the smell of the dung.
-Yeah?
Join us later to see what the feisty females make of the funky smells.
Get your dung. Let's go.
-What's small, cuddly and purple?
-I don't know.
A koala holding its breath.
Miaow! Miaow! COUGHS
Hairball.
What does a lion say to his friends before they go out hunting?
Let us prey.
Raar!
How do monkeys make toast in the jungle?
They put it under the gorilla.
'In Animal Adventure, head keeper Darren is taking us on a tour
'of the parts the public never sees.
'It's very rare to get such privileged access
'to the park's Restricted Zone.'
Right. Come in here, but don't tell anybody.
This... is my reptile room.
This is where we keep the lizards and the snakes.
And you're in for a surprise. Not everybody gets to see this.
These are some of our baby snakes.
They're just about a year old now. Look at these.
These are royal pythons.
A big handful of lovely, beautiful, mouse-eating snakes.
These really, they're nature's pest control.
If you were in a village in Africa
and you've got all the mice eating your corn,
your maize and stuff that is there for you to have for your tea,
snakes live around the villages and they eat all the mice and pests.
They're wonderful creatures.
This is a big no-no, but because you're with me,
I can let you in. So come in here.
Have you ever seen one of these before?
This is an armadillo.
And my favourite thing is - look, they can close themselves up.
That's the head and that's the tail. In a complete ball.
And he's just waking up. Can you see his little eyes here?
Because this is a very special tour today,
I'm going to put him down over here for you
and I'm going to feed him some lovely bugs, which he adores,
and we'll see if we can get him to shuffle around.
You have to watch really quick because he does move fairly fast.
Does he want any? He's off!
'Bye, Armadillo.
I hope you enjoyed this behind the scenes tour of Animal Adventure,
but I really have got a lot of work to do now, so I've got to go.
Earlier in the show, Johnny, Stu and myself were in the lion enclosure.
And we were filling up some Hessian sacks
with some real great odours.
Johnny used rhino dung and I used lavender.
They're hanging up, we're in the safety of the van,
-Stu, can we release the lions?
-We can indeed.
Yes! Will they go for the lavender or the rhino dung?
-I can't wait! They're pacing back and forth, Stu.
-They are.
Six lions in Two Run. It's OK to let them go.
Ooo! Here they come! Look at that!
Straightaway out of there.
Now, they were watching us. Let's see what they go for.
We didn't even ask you which one they'd go for first.
-And that's the poo.
-It is the poo. Why would that be?
Well, it might be that there's more of an animal smell to the dung.
As predators, that would draw their curiosities to that side of things.
But the lavender will have a different effect
because it's not associated with food.
-So the poo was more closely related to their catch.
-Exactly. Yeah.
They look very proud of their poo. Look at that!
-They've got their trophy.
-Look how proud this lion looks.
Is that where the phrase comes from, a pride of lions?
Yeah. That's why I'm paid big bucks!
The thing is, we've got rhino dung in there,
would they come across rhinos in the wild?
In their natural zones, they would come across rhino.
Would they take down a rhino?
Are they smelling that dung, thinking, "This is dinner.
"I'll just wait for the animal to come by"?
I think naturally, they probably wouldn't try to tackle
a fully-grown adult rhino because of its sheer size.
If it was injured or lame for any reason
and they were excessively hungry
and they came across that situation, then possibly.
-They would most definitely take down a youngster.
-Wow!
They've got a great sense of smell,
but how do they use it and why is it important?
In the wild, they would use their sense of smell to track food,
sniff out other prides, territory markings.
Is that their primary sense, the best thing they've got,
rather than their eyes or their hearing?
I think their eyes are very good, as well.
Their sense of smell is probably second to their eyesight.
You know what? I'm kind of ponging a little bit -
I didn't want to mention it!
I think we should leave before they turn their attention onto us!
'Our Roar Rangers today are brother and sister George and Nicole.
'And they're raring to go.'
I want to be a Roar Ranger because animals are important to me.
I just love animals. That's my life.
I want to be a Roar Ranger to have a great day
and to spend more time with my brother.
'Maybe they don't see much of each other.
'These are the pets they have to look after,
'Angel the hamster, Eddie the dog and Socks the cat.
'But what will they be looking after today?
'Time to find out.'
George and Nicole, today you are going to be giraffe keepers.
'There's no time to lose because the keeper's waiting.'
I'm Ryan and I work at the giraffe reserve.
We are going to get some browse and hang it for the giraffe to eat.
Why are they called browse?
We call it browse because giraffe browses.
They eat off trees and bushes. They don't graze.
When it comes to animals that don't each meat,
they fall into two different groups, browsers and grazers.
Giraffe being tall with a long neck has to be a browser
because it's hard to reach the grass.
We've got the browse on and the trailer hitched up,
-so if we jump in the truck and go to the reserve and hang it out.
-Okay.
'The giraffes at the park are a special kind.
'They're called the Rothschild giraffe
'which comes from East Africa.
'Sadly, they've suffered badly from habitat loss
'and with fewer than 700 in the wild, it's an endangered animal.'
We'll be in an area where there are animals roaming around,
so you have to stay close to the vehicle at all times.
Do exactly as I tell you, okay?
What we need to do is put the winch on.
-Does this heave the branches all the way up there?
I don't fancy going up a ladder!
We need to let this bundle down.
They just strip off the leaves?
You can see what they've done. They've taken all the leaves.
And the bark as well. That's good for them.
How close will they come up to you?
When we move away, they'll be right here.
I won't let them come any closer while we're still here.
'Ryan's right to be careful.
'Giraffes can run up to 35 miles per hour
'and have a kick strong enough to kill a lion.'
See this one here, this is Doto, our big male
he's the biggest giraffe that we've got.
I think he's about sixteen and a half feet tall.
He's quite a big lad.
'Sixteen and a half feet! That's five metres tall
'which is bigger than a double decker bus.
'In fact, the giraffe is the tallest animal in the world.'
Now we've got most of the giraffes eating away happily
it should be safe to go down the bottom and put more browse there.
We can have a look at the new baby.
'Yes, there's a baby here. Seven week old Kaiser.
'Nicole and George are in for a treat if they can get close.
'We'll catch up with them later to see if they do.'
'Okay, all you gamers, here comes today's G code for the game
'on the CBBC website.
'It's wind5.'
'Have you checked out the feeding time section?
'Just answer a couple of questions to feed today's animal.
'See a special video and earn an extra treat for your park too.
'See you there!'
'We interrupt this broadcast to bring you a special report
'from the big Game reserve.'
Welcome to Longleat Safari Park. I'm Jack and I drive the tractor.
'But Jack and his tractor don't plough fields,
'or tow trailers because they are the rhino patrol.
'Their job is to guide the three white rhinos every morning
'from the house up to the big game reserve and bring them back again.
'While the park is open to the public,
'the rhino patrol must guard the animals at all times
'because these beasts are amongst the most dangerous in the place.'
They fight, they swing around, they might be near road.
They are not small, when they start running
they run pretty quick. We keep an eye on them.
'Weighing more than two family cars and with those horns,
'you can't just walk up to a rhino and put it on a lead.'
'To keep the rhinos and the public safe,
'Jack needs special equipment,
'that's where the heavy metal comes in.'
It's a big tractor. It doesn't have to be this big.
The bigger it is, the better and the more presence for the rhinos.
It has this big piece of steel on the front
to protect the tractor.
It's protection for us more than anything else.
C'mon Dani!
It's just a case of guiding them.
Just rev the engine a little bit. They listen to the tractor.
'At the moment, only two of the three rhinos
'are going to the reserve, the male and female
because the keepers are hoping they'll mate
'and make one of these.'
'The third rhino here is Marashi and she is spending time
'in the big yard.
'When he's not patrolling, Jack helps her keep busy
'with an exercise class.'
I run up and down the fence to get her running and blood pumping.
She does seem to like it, but it does make you look a bit silly.
She likes it, that's the main thing.
'A rhino doing PE? This, we have to see!'
Come on, let's go!
Don't stop, that's lazy!
'But as the last cars leave the park, playtime is over
'and Jack is back in his tractor for the final job of the day,
'guiding the rhinos back to the house for the night.'
They can run about 22 mph.
I'm trying to keep up with them. I think they can go faster than that.
'Rhinos can go 30 miles per hour
'which is faster than what any person can run.'
'But now with all the rhinos safely back home,
'the keeper's work is done.'
'It's a bit different to most people's jobs
'but for Jack, it's been just another day on rhino patrol.'
'Back out in the park, our Roar rangers are on their way
'with keeper Ryan to put out food for the giraffes.
'Now, they've got their eyes peeled for the newest edition to the herd.'
-Oh, look at the little baby one.
-Yeah, that's Keiser.
Oh, look how small it is.
'Keiser is the 104th giraffe to be born here.
'He's now just seven weeks old.
'When he was born, he was almost two metres tall
'and he was up and walking by the time he was one hour old.'
Is the mum going to try and drive you off?
We're lucky because the mum, Imogen is really good natured.
She's lovely. She trusts the staff around the baby.
She's happy for us to walk around her baby.
'Keiser is on nothing but his mum's milk.
'But the others are ready for that browse.'
-Do you want this branch?
-Yep.
Put that through there.
'As it goes up, they start coming closer,
'including Imogen and her baby.'
If we'll get back in and let them eat this one.
'As soon as the rangers pull back, the giraffes are in.'
-Did they eat acacia in Africa?
They love acacia trees even with the really long thorns.
They've got a really long tongue and they can deal with long thorns.
It's a very hard tongue.
They pick around all the thorns and pull off all the individual leaves
without getting thorns in their mouths.
Why are giraffe's tongues purple?
Because they spend a lot of time out in the sun.
They use their tongue for browsing for the majority of the day,
and if they had a pink tongue, it would get sunburnt.
It's a nice dark colour to stop if from getting sunburnt.
'But now it's time for the Roar rangers to head off
'and leave the giraffes to finish their food.'
Being a giraffe keeper was a good experience
because they are one of my favourite animals.
They were helpful lugging the browse on the back
because sometimes the staff struggle pulling the browse about.
The best thing I did with the giraffes
was when we put up the browsers,
and we got to see the baby one come close.
It's almost the end of another show but before we leave you,
we've come to meet our cool mates, the pancake tortoises,
and their cool keeper, Jo.
-Hi Jo. I have to say, they really are as flat as a pancake.
But they are quite cute as well. They're so soft.
You think they're quite but you haven't seen anything,
until you see these two.
-Oooh!
-Some baby pancake tortoises.
-That's Quanza.
-Hello Quanza.
-And that is Camwee.
-Camwee is tiny!
-I know!
So this is a fully grown tortoise, who's trying to escape.
Yes. This is Stuart. He's a fully grown male.
How old are the little ones then?
The one that you've got there is nine months and that one is six months.
And are these like those tortoises...
I know some of them go to like 200 years or something.
No. These only go until about mid 20s.
-And they only come from Kenya and Tanzania.
-Six months old.
-The shell is really soft.
-It is.
Is it going to harden up? Mum and dad are harder on top.
The reason for them being like that
is that they wedge into tiny nooks and crannies.
-Will it get harder?
-A little but not a lot.
If you feel mum and dad, they're soft as well.
The top is harder than the bottom.
Seeing these guys in action,
I think it's a myth that pancake tortoises are slow.
They're not slow.
These are reportedly supposed to be the fastest tortoises on land.
-Look at that!
While we try and keep up with these speedy dudes,
why don't you check out what's coming up
on the next episode of Roar.
There's big news from Gavin and Stacey. Their eggs have hatched.
We'll be getting the first look at the new ostrich chicks.
Ever heard the expression, don't bite the hand that feeds you?
The pelicans haven't!
Whoa! Who's this fella here attacking me?
And when the baby goats are just one week old,
they must join the rest of the herd.
But those guys have hard heads, spiky horns and no mercy.
So we'll see if the kids are going to be alright.
All that and more next time on Roar.
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
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Yemen: A nation in danger
Release Charles Etukuri!
Emulate St. Janani Luwum Memorial
Yemen is in crisis, 18 million Yemenis are on the brink of starvation, 80 percent of the population is in immediate danger and the growing humanitarian crisis there is thought to be the worst in the world today, yet still the news of children and women starving to death there rarely makes the front page
Sheikh Muhammad Ali Waiswa
By Sheikh Muhammad Ali Waiswa
Fifteen centuries ago, Prophet Muhammad spoke of the Yemeni people: "The people of Yemen have come to you and they are more gentle and soft-hearted. Belief is Yemenite and Wisdom is Yemenite, while pride and haughtiness are the qualities of the owners of camels [i.e., Bedouins]."
The country of Yemen is one with an ancient history; an arid land, it was a favorite for tourists with gingerbread houses, coral reefs and stunning ecology. Today, Yemen is being systematically destroyed while the world stands by. Ancient dwellings, modern homes, hospitals and schools are all being bombarded. And millions of people are on the brink of starvation; cholera has taken the country in its grip. The result? Probably the worst humanitarian crisis in recent history.
The crisis is the result of a war that started in 2015. Houthi rebels took advantage of the weakness of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi's new government and tried to grab power. The Houthis are Shiite and backed by Iran. Hadi and his government are backed by a seven-country coalition of Sunni states, led by Saudi Arabia.
But these details do not matter to the people who have no source of income, no education and no food. The Saudis have indiscriminately bombarded the Yemeni territory, hitting military facilities as well as tourist sites, homes, schools and hospitals.
It is estimated that 18 million people of the 27 million population are on the brink of starvation. The vast majority of the population is malnourished and in danger. Cholera is spreading throughout the country, and with the delivery of medical aid blocked by land and sea the future is grim for Yemen.
According to the United Nations, as of last week 5,000 children have been killed or severely injured in the ongoing war, while 400,000 are severely malnourished, on the brink of starvation.
In addition to those who have lost their lives in bombardments, UNICEF estimates that every 10 minutes one child dies from malnutrition, diarrhea or other preventable diseases. The health system is in ruins. There is no power, no medication. Less than half of the medical facilities in the country are able to function, closed due to shortages or bombed by the Saudi-led coalition. It is feared that this year, one million Yemenis may be caught up in the cholera epidemic
Last year, Save the Children warned that more than 50,000 Yemeni children were expected to die from starvation or disease by the end of 2018.
It is estimated that over 100 Yemeni children are dying every day. Save the Children stated that 400,000 children or more would need to be treated for acute malnutrition.
As stated above, the Yemeni crisis is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. 80 percent of the population does not have enough to eat. This situation in the country has been critical since 2015, but the Saudi imposed blockade on the borders and ports of Yemen has merely exacerbated the situation. Food, water and medical supplies cannot be brought in.
This is not an unusual story. People outside the country - that is, not Yemenis - are fighting for power and influence in the country. The Saudi-led coalition is fighting the Iranian-backed Houthis. What is being depicted as a sectarian conflict is actually nothing more than regional powers flexing their overgrown muscles. This is not a unique situation. It is a story that we are all familiar with. But once again, as in Syria and other areas of conflict, it is the local people who are paying the price.
According to Mark Lowcock of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the situation in Yemen "looks like the apocalypse." "The cholera outbreak is probably the worst the world has ever seen with a million suspected cases up to the end of 2017."
Food is scarce, medical supplies are scarce. Vaccines are scarce, and the vaccines that do exist in the country cannot be stored properly. Fuel prices are rising - nearly 100 percent. Inflation is rampant, making it harder for people to find food, heating and basic goods. Over 1 million public employees have not been paid their wages. The majority of families do not have stockpiles of food.
Yemen is a country that is reliant on food imports. Yemen is a nation that has little water and little agriculture. It has always been one of the poorest countries in the region. Before the civil war Yemen had to import nearly 90 percent of all its food. The barren terrain and low rainfall made agriculture almost impossible. Most of the imports came by sea. Even when there was no war, it was normal for there to be massive delays in getting food and supplies to the people. But with the blockades imposed by the Saudi coalition, the situation has become dire. Food is not the only import affected by the blockades. Medical supplies are in desperate short supply.
The BBC has reported that the conflict in Yemen, with the cruel blockade, has "left 20 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and created the world's largest food security emergency."
The war in Yemen is now approaching its 3rd year. A war between Iranian backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed efforts to restore Hadi to office has destroyed a country that was never wealthy or prosperous.
And this bodes ill for Yemen, which is now facing a growing cholera crisis. Every day more and more people are succumbing to the disease. With a shortage of medicine, food and water, the future is bleak for this country.
Add to this the fact that even people who have employment are not being paid their salaries. Education in schools has been interrupted by long strikes; other schools have been bombed. Many schools cannot function because it is too dangerous for the children to attend; according to UNICEF approximately 2 million Yemeni children are out of school, and this number continues to grow.
More than 3 million children have been born since the beginning of the war. These children are experiencing violence, disease, poverty and malnutrition. These children cannot receive essential medical aid.
And yet, the situation in Yemen does not make the front page. We are not as aware of what is happening in Yemen as we are aware of what is happening in Myanmar or Syria. The disinterest is not a matter of proximity. Myanmar is not near, but it remains close to our hearts. Nor is this disinterest a matter of religious or cultural sensibilities. Rather, the lack of forceful reporting is that alongside the difficulties in reporting the massive humanitarian disaster that is happening right now there is little interest.
Perhaps it is because there is no threat of a potential refugee crisis. Syrians can get to the Mediterranean and try to make it to Europe; this has caused hysteria in EU countries. This in turn forces the governments to try to prevent the influx.
Johannes van der Klaauw from UNHCR has said that Yemen had been forgotten even before the war started. He goes on to say that "I see that the international community and particularly Europe has now galvanized more support and also political action because the Syrians and the Iraqis are coming in large numbers to Europe. If the Yemenis would do the same I am sure there would be more attention for Yemen."
Just last week 30 or more people drowned off the coast of Yemen when their boat was capsized. There were reports that the refugees were being shot at when the boat overturned. The majority of the people in the boat were not Yemenis though - they were Somalis and Ethiopians fleeing Aden.
Yemenis cannot escape - they are blocked on land and sea, they are trapped in the borders of their country, waiting to be bombarded by the Saudi-led coalition. They are being starved to death and have been left to die without medical supplies or support. Their hospitals and schools are being destroyed.
There is another reason for a lack of media coverage. The blockade has prevented not only human right organizations from operating - few organizations have succeeded in negotiating the number of physical and bureaucratic obstacles. Many foreign journalists are also kept out. The Saudi coalition bans the U.N. from allowing journalists to board aid flights. Some journalists have managed to sneak past the blockade, but this is difficult and dangerous.
The Houthi rebels are also wary of journalists; Yemen is a very dangerous place for a reporter to be.
But the information is there. It is available for everyone to read and consider. All major newspapers have reported on the situation in Yemen, but millions dying, a country in danger of extinction is still not front-page news.
Unfortunately, the world is full of tragedy, horror, pain and suffering. Yet, no matter how many countries, how many people are in danger or are suffering, it is not possible to ignore even one instance of cruelty or inhumanity. Humanitarian disasters are exacerbated only when humanity turns the other way. Yemen is waiting for the world's attention. Perhaps we can give it before it is too late.
In conclusion, I appeal to peace loving Nations to intervene immediately and to reconcile the two brotherly states of Yemen and Saudi Arabia to stop a humanitarian catastrophe of the century.
The writer is the Deputy Mufti of Uganda and Imam of Makerere University Business School
Sheikh Muhammad Ali Waiswa,
Prophet Muhammad,
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PHP :: Request #63454 :: Inheriting static function with static variable defined in a trait.
Inheriting static function with static variable defined in a trait.
it's not about triat, it's about run-time or compile-time.
I suppose it's a bug isn't it?
Or is it normal behavior?
the moment of defining their classes. It does not work with traits.


This image describes the variation of swells directed at Cotillo through a typical June. It is based on 2786 NWW3 model predictions since 2006 (values every 3 hours). The wave model does not forecast surf and wind right at the shore so we have chosen the most applicable grid node based on what we know about Cotillo, and at Cotillo the best grid node is 52 km away (32 miles).
The rose diagram illustrates the distribution of swell sizes and swell direction, while the graph at the bottom shows the same thing but lacks direction information. Five colours illustrate increasing wave sizes. Blue shows the smallest swells, less that 0.5m (1.5 feet) high. These were forecast only 59% of the time. Green and yellow represent increasing swell sizes and highest swells greater than >3m (>10ft) are shown in red. In either graph, the area of any colour is proportional to how commonly that size swell was forecast.
The diagram implies that the prevailing swell direction, shown by the largest spokes, was NW, whereas the the dominant wind blows from the N. Because the wave model grid is out to sea, sometimes a strong offshore wind blows largest waves away from Cotillo and offshore. We lump these in with the no surf category of the bar chart. To keep it simple we don't show these in the rose diagram. Because wind determines whether or not waves are clean enough to surf at Cotillo, you can view an alternative image that shows only the swells that were forecast to coincide with glassy or offshore wind conditions. Over an average June, swells large enough to cause surfable waves at Cotillo run for about 41% of the time.


Craig, Roy M. September 26, 1963.
Stamford Leader, Vol. 62, No. 2.
Craig, Roy M. Stamford American and The Stamford Leader (Stamford, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 31, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 26, 1963, newspaper, September 26, 1963; Stamford, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1054910/: accessed April 25, 2019), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Stamford Carnegie Library.


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Irving ISD to Redistrict Trustee Zones
Posted by Irving ISD | Dec 2, 2021 | Headlines | 0 |
Irving ISD will engage in a redistricting process for its Board of Trustee single member districts from December 2021 to January 2022. Redistricting involves changing the single member district boundaries used for trustee elections. Please note, there will be no impact on any school attendance boundaries.
Irving ISD is making changes to the single member districts because the Texas Education Code requires a school district to redistrict if data shows existing single member districts have a population deviation of more than 10 percent between the most and least populous district. Census data, gathered every 10 years, is what is used to determine those population changes.
Based on the 2020 Census population totals, Irving ISD single member District 1 as it exists today is the most populous district, and Irving ISD single member District 6 is the least populous. The deviation between the two of these is 112.3 percent, so redistricting is needed to balance the single member districts as required by the Texas Education Code.
The community is invited to review the two proposed single member district maps and provide input via a short survey or at the December board meeting. The survey will be open through January 7, 2022. Feedback will be shared with the Board of Trustees prior to a vote on the proposals. To find the survey, visit IrvingISD.net/TrusteeRedistricting OR click here to participate in the survey.
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