An Oklahoma state law that helps fund schools, passed 23 years ago, was never implemented, and now 48 school districts are seeking action from the Oklahoma State Supreme Court. The lawsuit is filed on behalf of the school district and names Oklahoma State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, Treasurer Ken Miller and the Oklahoma Tax Commission as defendants. Every school district across the state has been given the wrong amount of money every year since 1991, the lawsuit alleges, a charge former State Superintendent Janet Barresi confirmed in 2014.
More than 150 districts are being short-changed funds, a group called Oklahoma Schools for Fair Funding said Monday. Just under 50 are participating in legal action, including Oklahoma City Public Schools. The law was intended to give districts extra money when taxes over a certain level. That money would go to local districts instead of the state. But that law was never implemented. The cap on property taxes has resulted in districts not getting the right amount of money now for some 20 years. And the fix means some districts will lose money, while some will gain.
The lawsuit seeks the defendants to "fufill its statutory duty" to determine the amount of money owed districts from 1991 until this year, "as a result of the [Department of Education's] acknowledged failure to follow the plain language of" Oklahoma law. It started with Ponca City superintendent Dr. David Pennington some 10 years ago, as he struggled to figure out why his calculations of how much his district should get—always came up short. In a press conference announcing the lawsuit, Pennington said his district is estimated to have lost $14 million.
A new, free iPhone app is designed to help organizations navigate 46 state data breach notification laws as well as federal statutes, such as HIPAA, attorney Scott Vernick says. Vernick, a partner at the law firm Fox Rothschild whose practice includes privacy and data security law, coordinated the development of the app, known as Data Breach 411. "We wanted to put something at people's fingertips so that they could readily, at a minimum, look at the 46 different breach notification statutes and get a sense of what their reporting obligations were," Vernick says in an interview with Information Security Media Group. The free app can be downloaded from iTunes. Vernick says the firm will likely eventually create an Android version.
An alphabetical listing of the 46 states with data breach laws, with links to relevant notification statutes; Links to federal breach notification rules and other relevant information related to the loss or theft of protected health information; and Links to credit agencies and credit monitoring services and the Federal Trade Commission website. The app also offers a section on the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act as well as infor-mation regarding the mining of data on minors. In the interview, Vernick describes the features of Data Breach 411, discusses the environment that created the need for the app and explains how the app will be updated and upgraded. Vernick is a commercial litigator who focuses on technology, intellectual property, health care, privacy and data security law. He regularly counsels multi-national and mid-sized businesses on how to mitigate risk and overcome the challenges posed by the multitude of state and federal laws and regulations dealing with IT security, privacy and data breach notification.
The court will not countenance the gross overreaching evidenced under the facts and circumstances of this case in which the client is not even being billed for legal services. To move any court to put its imprimatur of approval on such practices is simply intolerable.
The firm in question was Mayer Brown, which apparently made this foray into landlord/tenant law because one of the tenants, Thomas Clozel, is the son of Jean-Paul Clozel, a founder and CEO of Actelion, a Swiss biopharmaceutical company that's a Mayer Brown client. The client wasn't being billed, as noted by Judge Nervo, because the case was being handled as one of those "friend of the firm" matters.
I can't really fault Mayer Brown here, since "friend of the firm" matters often require Biglaw attorneys to immerse themselves in areas of law that they know nothing about. I once worked on such a case, involving the high school disciplinary problems of a kid whose father was a titan of finance, even though neither I nor the partner I worked with knew anything about education law. Luckily we were able to resolve the matter to the family's satisfaction (and they sent me a lovely case of wine for the holidays).
So next time your cousin wants your help getting back his security deposit, refer him to a knowledgeable residential real-estate litigator — unless your cousin is willing to pay you a six-figure sum.
After decades of commitment to the American Bar Association, Seth Rosner has been elected chair of the ABA Senior Lawyers Division. But focusing on professional pursuits would only tell part of his story.
Rosner, a Saratoga Springs, N.Y.-based practitioner specializing in business law, legal ethics and professional responsibility, was admitted to practice in 1955, the same year he received his JD degree from Columbia Law School. He began his service to the ABA in 1964 as a delegate from the New York City Bar to the Young Lawyers Division. He went on to represent seven different constituencies in the House of Delegates, among many other ABA involvements.
Rosner, 83, has served a cumulative 45 years on ethics and professionalism committees of the ABA as well as other lawyer groups.
"While many academics, judges and practitioners have distinguished themselves in the field of legal ethics, only a handful can truly claim to have contributed meaningfully to the overarching concepts of professionalism. Mr. Rosner is a leader of this very elite group," ethics lawyer Diane Karpman of Beverly Hills, Calif., said when Rosner won the Michael Franck Professional Responsibility Award in 2009 from the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility.
Another Center for Professional Responsibility award, the Rosner & Rosner Young Lawyers Professionalism Award, was created and is funded by Seth Rosner in memory of his father and brother.
Rosner earned his LLM degree in comparative law from the New York University School of Law, where he was an adjunct faculty member for 29 years.
He is a founding trustee, past chairman and now chairman emeritus of the Board of Governors of the Josephson Institute of Ethics, which has conducted programs for more than 100,000 public officials, school administrators, military and police officers, journalists, corporate and nonprofit executives, and judges and lawyers.
Earlier in his life, Rosner worked on a ranch in Idaho, won squash racquets championships in New York City and won table tennis tournaments aboard trans-Atlantic ocean liners. During his three and half years of active duty in the Navy, Rosner was legal officer and an officer-of-the-deck on the USS Intrepid in the Atlantic. He writes verse and his photographs have appeared in national magazines and a book. Rosner presently sings bass in the Racing City Chorus, the men's barbershop singers of Saratoga Springs.
The mophie space pack is coming, and it's the sort of product that had us thinking, "This is so obvious – why didn't anyone do this sooner?" We've all known mophie for its excellent battery packs and battery cases, but with the space pack, we're getting more storage space, too.
If your 16/32/64GB iPhone isn't cutting it for you, you can add an additional 16GB or 32GB, plus 1,700mAh of juice to your iPhone 5 or 5S. And the big news for mophie is that it just got the Made for iPhone certification from Apple, too, hence the big CES 2014 announcement.
The mophie space pack is almost exactly like the mophie juice pack air, except it's 3mm longer and it features the new "Space" hardware inside that works in conjunction with mophie's Space iOS app.
You'll feel right at home with the Space app since it's designed to look and function like a native iOS 7 app. From there, you can access your files, photos, videos and anything else you store within the mophie space pack.
You can also see your usage and available space via a pie chart or a line graph that looks like the iTunes usage graph. It's really great and there is virtually no learning curve in using this thing if you're already familiar with iOS 7 and iTunes.
Mophie gave us a quick demo of the Space app, and we were impressed with just how easy it is to use. We're definitely looking forward to reviewing the mophie space pack next month. We were reminded again why we gave the mophie space pack a Best of CES 2014 award.
As far as the hardware goes, it will be familiar to any mophie user with the addition of a new feature for that silver button in the back. The button will allow you to use Space when you open up the app, and the reason for the button is so that it conserves memory and battery life when you're not using Space. You just press the button again to activate it when you're in the app.
We can't stress enough just how useful the mophie space pack is, and why no one has thought to do this before. The downside is that it supports only the iPhone 5/5S right now, so if you're a mophie user with a Galaxy device, you might have to wait a bit longer.
New York University was blocked by a state judge from beginning much of a 2 million-square-foot expansion in Manhattan's Greenwich Village neighborhood.
State Supreme Court Justice Donna M. Mills in Manhattan ruled yesterday that portions of the plan would interfere with public parks, a result which would require approval by the state legislature.
"The court concludes that the public trust doctrine applies to three of the four parcels of land involved," Mills wrote, referring to the parks. If NYU is unable to obtain legislative approval, "it will, at the very least, have to develop alternative areas for construction staging that will not interfere with the use by the public," the judge said.
NYU, one of the largest private, nonprofit universities in the U.S. by enrollment, says it needs more academic and housing space to accommodate its growing student body. Neighborhood groups, arguing that the plan would overwhelm a cramped historic area, sued the city in September 2012 over its approval of the expansion.
"This is a huge victory for the Greenwich Village community, preserving this historic neighborhood and protecting its precious parkland," said Randy Mastro, an attorney representing opponents of the project and a deputy mayor under former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
John Beckman, a spokesman for NYU, said the ruling still allows the university to start part of the project in which it would replace an existing gym with 980,000 square feet of new space.
Mastro called that notion "delusional," saying the plan had been approved by the city as a comprehensive project and would need to be resubmitted.
Beckman said in a statement that the university disagrees with the assertion that the plan must be resubmitted.
City officials are reviewing the decision, Christopher Reo, a lawyer for the city, said in a statement.
NYU's intended expansion, known as the Sexton Plan after university president John Sexton, is a $6 billion project comprising almost 2 million square feet, according to a court filing on behalf of opponents. The expansion is opposed by dozens of university departments and divisions. Professors in the university's largest school passed a vote of no-confidence in Sexton on March 16, saying he failed to consult with them on the plan.
Beckman said in a statement yesterday that the decision "reaffirms" the city's approval of the plan. Five of six legal claims asserted in the case by the project's opponents were dismissed by the judge, he said.
"This is a complex ruling, but the judgment is a very positive one for NYU," he said. After further analysis of the ruling, the university will "work with the city, as lead respondent, to determine our next legal steps," he said.
The case is Weinstein v. Harvey, 103844-2012, State Supreme Court of New York (Manhattan).


If you're like us and still dreaming about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding, fear not, we don't have long to wait. Another one is happening later this year.
Harry's cousin, Princess Eugenie is tying the knot to long-time boyfriend Jack Brooksbank. The couple have been together for 7 years, first meeting on a ski trip in Verbier, Swizerland.
Posting on her own official Instagram account, wedding planning has begun! The Princess shared a throwback image of her and her older sister Beatrice as bridesmaids at their former nanny's wedding.
Here's everything you'll need to know about the couple's upcoming nuptials.
Princess Eugenie of York, who is eighth in line to the throne, will tie the knot on October 12, 2018.
Most people may associate royal weddings with Westminster Abbey, but St. George's Chapel has been hosting its own I do's since King Edward VII married Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1863.
More recently, it was the venue for Peter Philipps (Eugenie's cousin) and Autumn Kelly's wedding in 2008, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles' marriage blessing in 2005 and Prince Edward (Eugenie's uncle) and Sophie Rhys-Jones' wedding in 1999.
Brooksbank popped the question to Eugenie in early January 2018 during a romantic trip t Nicaragua.
"We had a beautiful volcano, (the) sun was setting, and birds were flying." He told BBC in a joint interview with his fiancée.
It's not known if Jack purposefully selected the ring to emulate Eugenie's mother's but there's a definite resemblance among the two.
Who will get an invite?
Eugenie and Jack are expected to have a smaller guest list than the 600 invited by Harry and Meghan thanks to their weekday wedding date.
Key members of the royal family such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth will likely all attend.
Harry and Meghan will also probably be there, the newlyweds narrowly avoiding a clash of dates with the Invictus Games starting in Sydney a week later.
While the guest list probably won't include the likes of Oprah Winfrey or Serena Williams, there should be some celebrity spotting on the day. Growing up on the English social scene, Eugenie is friends with Ellie Goulding, Cara Delevingne, Sienna Miller, Margot Robbie, Ed Sheeran and James Blunt.
Who will be in the Bridal Party?
Eugenie will most likely follow Kate Middleton's style and have her sister Princess Beatrice as maid of honour. The bride to be is incredibly close to her older sibling, with the two royals are less than two years apart in age.
Alongside Beatrice as bridesmaid, Prince George and Princess Charlotte will perhaps serve as a page boy and flower girl.
Given Eugenie and her sister Beatrice's fashion senses have been hit and miss over the years, her choice of dress is certain to be a highlight of the wedding.
Unlike Kate and Meghan, Eugenie's dress is expected to be more fashion forward.
Giving Eugenie's bold, feminine style, she might wear something from her favourite designer Erdem. Although the dress and designer is kept a close secret until the big day, we can expect the Princess to make a statement with a very different look from Meghan's slim, tailored look. Perhaps a full skirt, embellishment or a cinched waist.
It's rumoured Eugenie will wear the York tiara on her big day. The princess' mother, Sarah, Duchess of York, wore the headpiece during her 1986 wedding to Prince Andrew. Traditionally when brides get married, they normally wear the family tiara.
Will the Newlyweds receive a Royal Title?
« Millie Macintosh & Hugo Taylor are officially married!


I'm a bit of an arcade nut. It's amusing that when I was studying at university, the year when I got the best academic performance was the year when I spent the least time studying, and the most time playing arcade games. Why didn't I just keep doing it that way?
Anyway, this is a repositiory of miscellaneous information that may or may not be available in other places. No representations are made about the accuracy of any information presented here, and no responsibility will be accepted by any loss, damage or injury caused by any (mis)information presented, or the (ab)use thereof.
Are you confused by the service or test mode on an arcade machine? If it's listed here, I might have some insight that could help you.
English translation and explanation of service mode in Capcom's Capcom World quiz game.
English translation and explanation of service mode in Capcom's Jangokushi: Haoh no Saihai (カプコンの「雀國志覇王の采牌」), running on Capcom Play System II hardware.
English translation and explanation of service mode in Mitchell's Choko Mahjong Tile Puzzle (ミッチェルの「雀牌パズル長江」), running on Capcom Play System II hardware.
English translation and explanation of service mode in Psikyo's Taisen Hot Gimmick (彩京の「対戦ホットギミック」), running on Psikyo 4 hardware.
English translation and explanation of service mode in Psikyo's Taisen Hot Gimmick Kairakuten (彩京の「対戦ホットギミック快楽天」), running on Psikyo 4 hardware.
English translation and explanation of service mode in Psikyo's Taisen Hot Gimmick 3 Digital Surfing (彩京の「対戦ホットギミック3デジタルサーフィ ン」), running on Psikyo 4 hardware.
English translation and explanation of service mode in Visco's Lovely Pop Mahjong JangJang Shimasho (ビスコの「ラブリーポップ麻雀雀々しましょ」), running on SSV hardware.
English translation and explanation of service mode in Visco's Lovely Pop Mahjong JangJang Shimasho 2 (ビスコの「ラブリーポップ麻雀 雀々しましょ2」), running on SSV hardware.
English translation and explanation of service mode in Visco's Dramatic Adventure Quiz Keith & Lucy (ビスコの 「ドラマティック・アドベンチャー・クイズ キース & ルーシィ」), running on SSV hardware.
English translation and explanation of service mode in Visco's Gourmet Battle Quiz Ryohrioh cooKing (ビスコの「グルメバトルクイズ 料理王cooKing」) running on SSV hardware.
I've accumulated data on arcade components, and some of it is available here.
English translation of selected text from the Japanese data sheet. Diagrams aren't included, so keep the Japanese data sheet handy. Also, most of the electrical/timing parameters and physical package specifications are omitted. The translation doesn't read very naturally (I went for literal translations a lot of the time – "audio output" would work better than "playback" in many cases). It's XHTML strict, and for some reason it only seems to render correctly in FireFox.


text:
Charles halpern
Charles Halpern, JD, is currently a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, where he teaches its course on law and meditation. He was the founding dean of the City University of New York (CUNY) Law School and the founding board chair of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society. He is also the author of Making Waves and Riding the Currents: Activism and the Practice of Wisdom.
Quiet Justice
By Charles halpern | June 29, 2010
Meditating lawyers? It's no joke. Charles Halpern has been leading a movement to promote empathy and mindfulness in the practice of law.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The art of changing or influencing the course of events by using supernatural forces, the occult control of nature or witchcraft.
1. Like magic or as if produced by magic. 2. Amazing or enthralling.
In myths this is mainly used to describe the appearance of a spirit or something that is made clear to someone by appearing before them.
Roman word from which we get nightmares. Maras were evil ghosts who often tormented people at night.
A place where goods are brought and sold.
A person who is killed or made to suffer for his or her beliefs.
1st May often used to involve a festival with dancing and celebration.
A decorated pole with ribbons attached for dancing around on May Day.
Complex network of paths designed to puzzle those trying to find their way through it.
Lacking fullness, scanty or poor.
Small minded, malicious or nasty in behaviour.
Threatening or dangerous person or situation.
Mythical creature that is part fish part human, with body of a person and the tail of a fish. The mermaid in Britain is most likely derived from Celtic legend. A mermaid sighting are usually thought to be linked to storms, rough seas and possible shipwreck.
A man from the sea.


text:
China is cracking down on P2P lenders, again
David Scutt
Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images
Chinese policymakers are cracking down on the nation's peer-to-peer (P2P) lending sector, accusing some firms on Wednesday of running Ponzi schemes and engaging in illegal fundraising activities.
China's Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) said that P2P lenders would be barred from taking public deposits or selling wealth-management products to finance lending activities.
It also stated that lenders must appoint qualified banks as custodians over client funds and improve current information disclosure standards.
Alongside tighter restrictions on firms within the sector, the CBRC also placed limits on the amount individuals and corporations could borrow from P2P lenders.
According to Bloomberg, the CBRC stated that individuals could borrow as much as 1 million yuan ($150,000) from P2P sites, including a maximum of 200,000 yuan from any one site. Corporate borrowing limits were capped at five times those levels, noted Bloomberg.
The move follows a series of scandals in the sector, highlighting the loose levels of regulation currently governing the sector.
Ezubao, once China's biggest P2P lending platform, folded earlier this year after it turned out to be a Ponzi scheme that solicited 50 billion yuan in less than two years from more than 900,000 retail investors through savvy marketing, said Reuters following the CBRC announcement.
As yet, retail investors have been unable to get their money back.
Xinhua, citing the CBRC, stated that there were 1,778 P2P lending platforms with operational problems as at the end of June, accounting for more than 40 per cent of the total.
Outstanding loans issued by P2P platforms has reached 621.3 billion yuan (about 93.6 billion U.S. dollars), the state-run news agency said.
australian stories china economy and markets regulation


Green Diamond is a brand new 6 minute, grade 4.5/5 piece for wind band that is inspired by the blues scale and the American Railroad.
In my middle school jazz band, my director started every rehearsal with a blues scale exercise, which has stuck with me to this day. In 2012, I had the idea to write a concert band piece based on the blues scale, and Magnolia Star was born.
Last year, I began envisioning a sequel – a piece that builds on Magnolia Star, uses new harmonic and melodic material, and includes a few other surprises, like an off-stage alto sax soloist.
It's a fast and fun ride that incorporates the blues scale, the minor/major chord, and even the Dies Irae!
Green Diamond is the second piece in the Magnolia Star Trilogy, a group of pieces inspired by the blues scale and the American railroad. Magnolia Star, the first in the series, was written in 2012.
Green Diamond uses the blues scale as a key influence, but it also includes a new element: the minor/major chord (C-Eb-G-B-D). These two sound worlds (the blues scale and the minor/major chord) generate harmonic and melodic material that alternate, combine, and compete throughout the piece.
Like Magnolia Star, the influence of the American railroad provides inspiration for sounds that are fast, driving, and energetic. Green Diamond also features an off-stage alto saxophonist who provides somewhat distant, jazzy reminders of the blues scale, offering an answer to Green Diamond's preoccupation with the minor/major chord.
Green Diamond, like Magnolia Star, was the name of a train that ran in the early 20th century as part of the Illinois Central Railroad.
Listen to the U.S. Coast Guard Band Recording of "Vermont State Fair!"
I was honored to have the U.S. Coast Guard Band perform Vermont State Fair (my newest work for band) in March of this year!
Listen to their fantastic concert recording here. View a PDF of the score here.
A couple of weeks ago I had the honor of serving as Composer-in-Residence for the UMass Honor Band Festival. Matthew Westgate, the Director of Wind Studies at UMass invited me to participate in this wonderful day.
I spent two days at UMass; the first was focused on working with UMass students. I worked with the Wind Ensemble in a rehearsal of my Magnolia Star and Goodnight, Goodnight.
Sketches of "Vermont State Fair"
I am in the midst of composing a new work for band (and probably an orchestral version, as well) called Vermont State Fair. I wrote about the inspiration behind the piece back in April here. This picture shows a few of my "sketches" (that's a fancy way of saying "my notes and ideas"). At this stage, I am trying to come up with a several different motives that I can use and develop throughout the piece. Because the setting is a noisy and exciting fair (think people, rides, games, and horse racing), I anticipate moving between different melodies, motives, and sections frequently to give the piece a bombastic and fun feeling and give a sense of the exciting atmosphere. I have about ten motives/ideas/melodies so far and I hope to develop several more. I have also started planning out the progression of music - what order these things will happen in - and working on some orchestration in Finale.
This is a fun piece to write - a range of different kinds of music, but all fun and exciting. Stay tuned!
When I need to get out of the city (okay, Rochester isn't a huge metropolis, but it is a city nevertheless) I head to one of the most peaceful and beautiful small towns I know – Aurora, NY. Nestled on the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake, the town is steeped in history, with a picturesque main street running along the lakeside. It's a perfect place to get inspired and feel refreshed. As a composer (and I suspect this is true for other artists, as well), I have come to realize that it is important to get away and separate myself from my work occasionally. Often times, the best artistic ideas, seeds that can grow into a good idea, happen away from my desk. That's not to say that one should just hang out at the beach every day waiting for inspiration to strike; I am a big believer in creating regularly (every day, when possible) - exercising that creative muscle. I find that many times, when I put limitations on myself (such as deadlines), the creative work actually flows better. I have to be self-motivated, but that pressure can help fuel productivity.
Most artists tend to feel like they can never stop working - there is always room for improvement, always a higher level of excellence to pursue. Working hard is very important, but I have also found that getting away from work for periods of time can provide the spark needed to really come up with creative ideas.
What are your favorite places to get away?


In this day and age, the competence of your computers could possibly determine the efficiency of your business' daily operations, and it is highly crucial that everything is in tip-top condition, especially when it comes to your networking service.
Now, if you have a couple of computers in your business premises, say maybe 10 or more, then it is highly crucial that you keep up the service of your network. Why? Because a network service can do many things for your business such as data storage, manipulation, presentation, communication, and file sharing. All these work together to manage and enhance the workflow of your organisation so that you can maximise productivity, which means that you and your employees can get more work done in a day.
However, while you might have an existing networking service hooked up in your premises, it doesn't necessarily mean that it is running at its fullest potential. So, how exactly can you get the maximum output from your computer network service? Here's how.
This is probably one of the most basics things that you can do to increase the efficiency of your network. A WPA or WPA2 encryption method gives you privacy and security, and blocks out 'leechers' who are looking to get some free internet service from unsuspecting users such as yourself. This could possibly affect the speed of your network and its data usage. And worse, if someone manages to hack into your network, they could potentially steal vital information from your organisation. If your router and devices don't support WPA, it is highly recommended that you switch to a newer one which is able to do it.
Just like old televisions, almost all routers come with one or more antennas. If you are old enough to remember a time where you had to keep moving the antennas to get the best reception, the same theory can be applied to a router. If you've got a router with multiple antennas, point them in different directions to see which position will give you the strongest signal.
A network can experience problems from time to time so the best solution is to get help from a business IT solutions expert. When you administer Remote Assistance in your network, an experienced technician can provide you with real-time networking services and server support. Remote Assistance is absolutely safe to use and you can restrict network access to an IT support company via a Group Policy. However, it is highly important that you do some research and make sure that the IT solutions and networking services provider has a credible and trusted record of working with clients, both big and small.
An Active Directory is a database that stores all the usernames and passwords that everyone in your organisation uses to log in to the network. It is very similar to a telephone directory in the sense that it stores information based on various fields like name, address, telephone number and so forth. But that's not all, Active Directory allows you to conduct identity management so that you can grant permissions only to certain people to access the resources in your network, so you can protect sensitive information that are allowed to be seen by certain personnel. An Active Directory also allows you to create objects (user accounts, groups, computers and many more), impose policy settings, conduct computer behavioural auditing, and much more.
Well, these are some of the simple ways that you can use to optimise your network service. However, there are so many other more intricate ways to get your network running at its full capacity. If you want to find out more about how to set up and get the best out of your business' network service, simply call us up today and our IT support experts will help you with all your IT queries.


What is Japan up to?
Japan's ruling party is reportedly planning to reexamine the history of Imperial Japan from the Sino-Japanese War in the late 19th century to World War II. Japanese media reports that the Liberal Democratic Party plans to set up this month a history review panel to mark the 60th anniversary of the party's founding.
일본 여당이 19세기 후반 청일전쟁부터 2차 세계대전까지 제국주의 일본의 역사를 검증할 계획인 것으로 알려졌다. 일본 언론은 자민당이 창당 60주년을 맞아 이달 역사검증 위원회를 설치할 계획이라고 보도했다.
We suspect that the move is related to Japanese nationalists' persistent efforts to justify Japan's aggressions against Asian countries in the first half of the 20th century. The suspicion is strengthened by the reports that the panel, which will directly report to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, plans to review the verdicts handed down by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East.
이러한 움직임이 20세기 전반 일본의 아시아 국가 침략을 정당화하려는 일본 국수주의자들의 끊임없는 시도와 관련된 것이 아닌지 의심스럽다. 아베 신조 총리에게 직접 보고할 위원회가 극동국제군사법정이 내린 판결을 검토할 계획이라는 보도는 의혹을 더욱 굳힌다.
The tribunal was established in 1946 to judge the war crimes committed by the leaders of the Empire of Japan since the first Sino-Japanese war (1894-1895). It ruled 25 Japanese Class-A war criminals guilty of crimes against peace, sentencing seven of them, including wartime Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, death by hanging.
극동국제군사법정은 청일전쟁(1894-1895) 이후 일본 제국 수뇌부가 저지른 전쟁범죄에 대한 판결을 내리기 위해 1946년에 설치됐다. 일본의 A급 전범 25명에게 반평화 범죄에 대한 유죄 판결을 내리고 당시 일본 총리 도조 히데키 등 7명에게 교수형을 선고했다.
Japan accepted the jurisdiction by signing the San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1952. Yet Japan's right-wing politicians have long questioned the validity of the rulings. They argue that Tokyo trials simply delivered victors' justice rather than fair judgments.
일본은 1952년 샌프란시스코 평화 조약을 체결하면서 재판권을 받아들였다. 그러나 일본 우익 정치인들은 이 판결의 유효성에 오랫동안 의문을 제기했다. 이들은 도표 재판이 공정한 재판이라기보다 승자의 정의를 집행했다고 주장했다.
이러한 취지의 가장 최근 발언은 이나다 도모미 자민당 정조회장에게서 나왔다. 6월에 그녀는 도쿄 재판 판결 이유에 있는 역사 인식은 너무 날림이어서 일본인에 의한 검증이 필요하다고 말했다.
Underlying the nationalists' negation of the tribunal's verdicts is the perception that the war Japan waged against the Allies was not a war of aggression but a war of self-defense. They claim that America initiated the war of aggression and that Japan had no choice but to fight back for survival.
국수주의자들의 도쿄재판 판결 부정 밑에는 일본이 연합군을 상대로 벌인 전쟁은 침략이 아닌 자위 전쟁이라는 인식이 있다. 이들은 미국이 침략 전쟁을 시작했으며 일본은 살아남기 위해 맞서 싸울 수 밖에 없었다고 주장한다.


text:
Rising NBA star Luka Dončić caught in trademark dispute against his mother
Luka Dončić filed a petition with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) with the intent to cancel the registration of the trademark "Luka Doncic 7", the ownership of which currently belongs to his mother, Mirjam Poterbin. This case raises some interesting questions regarding consent to the registration of a trademark that references a famous individual.
Jan Buza
September, 20223 minutes read
Background of the case
Luka Dončić is a Slovenian professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Dallas Mavericks' rising superstar has quickly emerged as one of the NBA's top players. By the age of 22, he's earned three consecutive All-NBA First-Team nods and holds the second-highest career playoff scoring average in league history. Back in 2018, during his rookie season in the NBA, Luka Doncic agreed to his mother registering his name as a trademark, but since then tried to regain ownership over the trademark and failed as Mirjam Poterbin refused to transfer ownership.
Dončić initially tried to register "Luka Doncic" as a trademark, but it was dismissed due to the existing "Luka Doncic 7" trademark. The USPTO preliminarily rejected the registration of Dončić's 2021 applications for "Luka Doncic" and "Original Hoops of Luka Doncic" because they're too similar to "Luka Doncic 7" and might spark consumer confusion. A third application concerning "Luka Doncic" for use in charitable fundraising services hasn't been acted upon. This could become a big issue for his emerging brand as the NBA's top player.
Importance of personal branding
Personal branding is essential for pro athletes, as it helps them build and sustain their reputation in the mind of fans and consumers. While game contracts are the main way professional athletes earn money, another significant part comes from endorsement deals and partnerships. The more fan support and attention athletes get, the more their athlete brand is worth to sports teams, sponsors, and famous sports businesses like Adidas and Nike. We have witnessed other renowned sports figures such as Michael Jordan and Lionel Messi spend years in trademark disputes to take control over their intellectual property to utilize it for branding purposes.
While playing their sport is a huge part of an athlete's job, that part of their career will inevitably come to an end. With that being said, their legacy does not have to end as soon as they step off the field. Maintaining influence through other endeavours will be significantly more manageable when they have spent the time to grow a dynamic and profitable personal brand.
As a rising basketball star, Dončić recognizes the importance of taking control of his personal brand. The existence of conflicting trademarks, however, prevents Dončić from holding clear rights to use his own name. This emerging trademark dispute is complicated not only because it involves a conflict between family members but also raises a rare and potentially unprecedented legal controversy where consent to register a trademark that references a famous individual is granted and then subsequently revoked.
Product Mind
Helped scale portfolio firms for a VC fund
CEMS Prague
Gain more insights about the importance of brand in your industry through our selection of indicators and case studies.


text:
ERKA BLASA , CALLUM O'REILLY and KLEARHOS MURPHY, are composers, producers, conductors and arrangers based in Perth, Western Australia.
Experts in arranging music for orchestra, they specialise in creating symphonic textures and flavours to accompany a diverse range of artists for recordings and live performances.
"We don't believe that the worlds of classical and pop music need to be separated - when they work together, the music can turn into something surprising, energetic and colourful. Our aim is to merge these worlds by assisting artists who want to hear their music with classical musicians in an orchestral or classical setting."
"ERKA BLASA"
ERKA BLASA have written and arranged music for sold out shows world wide, and have worked with orchestras such as the Perth Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Australian Youth Orchestra, Willoughby Symphony Orchestra and others.
In 2018, they arranged for the acclaimed live performance of 'Plans' by Birds of Tokyo for the West Australian of the Year awards, featuring Birds of Tokyo lead singer Ian Kenny, Perth Symphony Orchestra and world music instrumentalists.
"Orchestral and classical-collaboration concerts don't have to be pompous or cheesy. We are conscious of this, and we believe there is a way to use the orchestra in a tasteful way which compliments the sound of an artist of any style."
Being frequent collaborators with Perth Symphony Orchestra, they have arranged music for many of their critically acclaimed orchestral concerts such as 'Love Him Madly: The Doors Reimagined', 'Sweet Dreaming: Eurhythmics Reimagined' and 'Nothing Compares: The Music of Prince'. In Early 2020, 'Love Him Madly: The Doors Reimagined' was taken to the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore to be given its Singaporean Premier.
Having also studied classical composition at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, ERKA BLASA have an extensive background in contemporary and classical genres. Their unique backgrounds offer a way of staying true to the music of the artist they work with whilst also creating an orchestral flavour that fits best.
© ERKA BLASA 2022.


text:
import copy
import datetime
import json
import requests
import uuid

import mock
from mock import call

from mistralclient.api import base as mistralclient_base
from mistralclient.api.v2 import executions
from mistralclient.api.v2 import tasks
from oslo_config import cfg

import st2tests.config as tests_config
tests_config.parse_args()

from st2common.constants import action as action_constants
from st2common.services import action as action_service
from st2common.util import loader
from st2tests import DbTestCase

MOCK_WF_TASKS_SUCCEEDED = [
    {'name': 'task1', 'state': 'SUCCESS'},
    {'name': 'task2', 'state': 'SUCCESS'}
]

MOCK_WF_TASKS_ERRORED = [
    {'name': 'task1', 'state': 'SUCCESS'},
    {'name': 'task2', 'state': 'ERROR'}
]

MOCK_WF_TASKS_RUNNING = [
    {'name': 'task1', 'state': 'SUCCESS'},
    {'name': 'task2', 'state': 'RUNNING'}
]

MOCK_WF_TASKS_WAITING = [
    {'name': 'task1', 'state': 'SUCCESS'},
    {'name': 'task2', 'state': 'WAITING'}
]

MOCK_WF_EX_DATA = {
    'id': uuid.uuid4().hex,
    'name': 'main',
    'output': '{"k1": "v1"}',
    'state': 'SUCCESS',
    'state_info': None
}

MOCK_WF_EX = executions.Execution(None, MOCK_WF_EX_DATA)

MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS_DATA = [
    {
        'id': uuid.uuid4().hex,
        'name': 'task1',
        'workflow_execution_id': MOCK_WF_EX_DATA['id'],
        'workflow_name': MOCK_WF_EX_DATA['name'],
        'created_at': str(datetime.datetime.utcnow()),
        'updated_at': str(datetime.datetime.utcnow()),
        'state': 'SUCCESS',
        'state_info': None,
        'input': '{"a": "b"}',
        'result': '{"c": "d"}',
        'published': '{"c": "d"}'
    },
    {
        'id': uuid.uuid4().hex,
        'name': 'task2',
        'workflow_execution_id': MOCK_WF_EX_DATA['id'],
        'workflow_name': MOCK_WF_EX_DATA['name'],
        'created_at': str(datetime.datetime.utcnow()),
        'updated_at': str(datetime.datetime.utcnow()),
        'state': 'SUCCESS',
        'state_info': None,
        'input': '{"e": "f", "g": "h"}',
        'result': '{"i": "j", "k": "l"}',
        'published': '{"k": "l"}'
    }
]

MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS = [
    tasks.Task(None, MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS_DATA[0]),
    tasks.Task(None, MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS_DATA[1])
]

MOCK_QRY_CONTEXT = {
    'mistral': {
        'execution_id': uuid.uuid4().hex
    }
}

class MistralQuerierTest(DbTestCase):

    @classmethod
    def setUpClass(cls):
        super(MistralQuerierTest, cls).setUpClass()

        # Override the retry configuration here otherwise st2tests.config.parse_args
        # in DbTestCase.setUpClass will reset these overrides.
        cfg.CONF.set_override('retry_exp_msec', 100, group='mistral')
        cfg.CONF.set_override('retry_exp_max_msec', 200, group='mistral')
        cfg.CONF.set_override('retry_stop_max_msec', 200, group='mistral')

        # Register query module.
        cls.query_module = loader.register_query_module('mistral_v2')

    def setUp(self):
        super(MistralQuerierTest, self).setUp()
        self.querier = self.query_module.get_instance()

    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=False))
    def test_determine_status_wf_running_tasks_running(self):
        wf_id = uuid.uuid4().hex
        status = self.querier._determine_execution_status(wf_id, 'RUNNING', MOCK_WF_TASKS_RUNNING)
        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_RUNNING, status)

    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=False))
    def test_determine_status_wf_running_tasks_completed(self):
        wf_id = uuid.uuid4().hex
        status = self.querier._determine_execution_status(wf_id, 'RUNNING', MOCK_WF_TASKS_SUCCEEDED)
        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_RUNNING, status)

    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=False))
    def test_determine_status_wf_succeeded_tasks_completed(self):
        wf_id = uuid.uuid4().hex
        status = self.querier._determine_execution_status(wf_id, 'SUCCESS', MOCK_WF_TASKS_SUCCEEDED)
        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_SUCCEEDED, status)

    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=False))
    def test_determine_status_wf_succeeded_tasks_running(self):
        wf_id = uuid.uuid4().hex
        status = self.querier._determine_execution_status(wf_id, 'SUCCESS', MOCK_WF_TASKS_RUNNING)
        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_RUNNING, status)

    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=False))
    def test_determine_status_wf_errored_tasks_completed(self):
        wf_id = uuid.uuid4().hex
        status = self.querier._determine_execution_status(wf_id, 'ERROR', MOCK_WF_TASKS_SUCCEEDED)
        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_FAILED, status)

    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=False))
    def test_determine_status_wf_errored_tasks_running(self):
        wf_id = uuid.uuid4().hex
        status = self.querier._determine_execution_status(wf_id, 'ERROR', MOCK_WF_TASKS_RUNNING)
        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_RUNNING, status)

    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=True))
    def test_determine_status_wf_canceled_tasks_completed(self):
        wf_id = uuid.uuid4().hex
        status = self.querier._determine_execution_status(
            wf_id, 'CANCELLED', MOCK_WF_TASKS_SUCCEEDED)
        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_CANCELED, status)

    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=True))
    def test_determine_status_wf_canceled_tasks_running(self):
        wf_id = uuid.uuid4().hex
        status = self.querier._determine_execution_status(wf_id, 'CANCELLED', MOCK_WF_TASKS_RUNNING)
        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_CANCELING, status)

    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=True))
    def test_determine_status_wf_canceled_tasks_waiting(self):
        wf_id = uuid.uuid4().hex
        status = self.querier._determine_execution_status(wf_id, 'CANCELLED', MOCK_WF_TASKS_WAITING)
        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_CANCELED, status)

    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=True))
    def test_determine_status_wf_canceled_exec_running_tasks_completed(self):
        wf_id = uuid.uuid4().hex
        status = self.querier._determine_execution_status(wf_id, 'RUNNING', MOCK_WF_TASKS_SUCCEEDED)
        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_CANCELING, status)

    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=True))
    def test_determine_status_wf_canceled_exec_running_tasks_running(self):
        wf_id = uuid.uuid4().hex
        status = self.querier._determine_execution_status(wf_id, 'RUNNING', MOCK_WF_TASKS_RUNNING)
        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_CANCELING, status)

    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=True))
    def test_determine_status_wf_canceled_exec_running_tasks_waiting(self):
        wf_id = uuid.uuid4().hex
        status = self.querier._determine_execution_status(wf_id, 'RUNNING', MOCK_WF_TASKS_WAITING)
        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_CANCELING, status)

    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=False))
    def test_determine_status_wf_running_exec_paused_tasks_completed(self):
        wf_id = uuid.uuid4().hex
        status = self.querier._determine_execution_status(
            wf_id, 'PAUSED', MOCK_WF_TASKS_SUCCEEDED)
        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_RUNNING, status)

    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=False))
    def test_determine_status_wf_running_exec_cancelled_tasks_running(self):
        wf_id = uuid.uuid4().hex
        status = self.querier._determine_execution_status(wf_id, 'CANCELLED', MOCK_WF_TASKS_RUNNING)
        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_CANCELING, status)

    @mock.patch.object(
        executions.ExecutionManager, 'get',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=MOCK_WF_EX))
    def test_get_workflow_result(self):
        result = self.querier._get_workflow_result(uuid.uuid4().hex)

        expected = {
            'k1': 'v1',
            'extra': {
                'state': MOCK_WF_EX.state,
                'state_info': MOCK_WF_EX.state_info
            }
        }

        self.assertDictEqual(expected, result)

    @mock.patch.object(
        tasks.TaskManager, 'list',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS))
    @mock.patch.object(
        tasks.TaskManager, 'get',
        mock.MagicMock(side_effect=[
            MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS[0],
            MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS[1]]))
    def test_get_workflow_tasks(self):
        tasks = self.querier._get_workflow_tasks(uuid.uuid4().hex)

        expected = copy.deepcopy(MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS_DATA)
        for task in expected:
            task['input'] = json.loads(task['input'])
            task['result'] = json.loads(task['result'])
            task['published'] = json.loads(task['published'])

        for i in range(0, len(tasks)):
            self.assertDictEqual(expected[i], tasks[i])

    @mock.patch.object(
        executions.ExecutionManager, 'get',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=MOCK_WF_EX))
    @mock.patch.object(
        tasks.TaskManager, 'list',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS))
    @mock.patch.object(
        tasks.TaskManager, 'get',
        mock.MagicMock(side_effect=[
            MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS[0],
            MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS[1]]))
    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=False))
    def test_query(self):
        (status, result) = self.querier.query(uuid.uuid4().hex, MOCK_QRY_CONTEXT)

        expected = {
            'k1': 'v1',
            'tasks': copy.deepcopy(MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS_DATA),
            'extra': {
                'state': MOCK_WF_EX.state,
                'state_info': MOCK_WF_EX.state_info
            }
        }

        for task in expected['tasks']:
            task['input'] = json.loads(task['input'])
            task['result'] = json.loads(task['result'])
            task['published'] = json.loads(task['published'])

        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_SUCCEEDED, status)
        self.assertDictEqual(expected, result)

    @mock.patch.object(
        executions.ExecutionManager, 'get',
        mock.MagicMock(side_effect=[
            requests.exceptions.ConnectionError(),
            MOCK_WF_EX]))
    @mock.patch.object(
        tasks.TaskManager, 'list',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS))
    @mock.patch.object(
        tasks.TaskManager, 'get',
        mock.MagicMock(side_effect=[
            MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS[0],
            MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS[1]]))
    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=False))
    def test_query_get_workflow_retry(self):
        (status, result) = self.querier.query(uuid.uuid4().hex, MOCK_QRY_CONTEXT)

        expected = {
            'k1': 'v1',
            'tasks': copy.deepcopy(MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS_DATA),
            'extra': {
                'state': MOCK_WF_EX.state,
                'state_info': MOCK_WF_EX.state_info
            }
        }

        for task in expected['tasks']:
            task['input'] = json.loads(task['input'])
            task['result'] = json.loads(task['result'])
            task['published'] = json.loads(task['published'])

        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_SUCCEEDED, status)
        self.assertDictEqual(expected, result)

        calls = [call(MOCK_QRY_CONTEXT['mistral']['execution_id']) for i in range(0, 2)]
        executions.ExecutionManager.get.assert_has_calls(calls)

    @mock.patch.object(
        executions.ExecutionManager, 'get',
        mock.MagicMock(side_effect=[requests.exceptions.ConnectionError()] * 4))
    def test_query_get_workflow_retry_exhausted(self):
        self.assertRaises(
            requests.exceptions.ConnectionError,
            self.querier.query,
            uuid.uuid4().hex,
            MOCK_QRY_CONTEXT)

        calls = [call(MOCK_QRY_CONTEXT['mistral']['execution_id']) for i in range(0, 2)]
        executions.ExecutionManager.get.assert_has_calls(calls)

    @mock.patch.object(
        executions.ExecutionManager, 'get',
        mock.MagicMock(
            side_effect=mistralclient_base.APIException(
                error_code=404, error_message='Workflow not found.')))
    def test_query_get_workflow_not_found(self):
        (status, result) = self.querier.query(uuid.uuid4().hex, MOCK_QRY_CONTEXT)

        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_FAILED, status)
        self.assertEqual('Workflow not found.', result)

    @mock.patch.object(
        executions.ExecutionManager, 'get',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=MOCK_WF_EX))
    @mock.patch.object(
        tasks.TaskManager, 'list',
        mock.MagicMock(side_effect=[
            requests.exceptions.ConnectionError(),
            MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS]))
    @mock.patch.object(
        tasks.TaskManager, 'get',
        mock.MagicMock(side_effect=[
            MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS[0],
            MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS[1]]))
    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=False))
    def test_query_list_workflow_tasks_retry(self):
        (status, result) = self.querier.query(uuid.uuid4().hex, MOCK_QRY_CONTEXT)

        expected = {
            'k1': 'v1',
            'tasks': copy.deepcopy(MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS_DATA),
            'extra': {
                'state': MOCK_WF_EX.state,
                'state_info': MOCK_WF_EX.state_info
            }
        }

        for task in expected['tasks']:
            task['input'] = json.loads(task['input'])
            task['result'] = json.loads(task['result'])
            task['published'] = json.loads(task['published'])

        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_SUCCEEDED, status)
        self.assertDictEqual(expected, result)

        mock_call = call(workflow_execution_id=MOCK_QRY_CONTEXT['mistral']['execution_id'])
        calls = [mock_call for i in range(0, 2)]
        tasks.TaskManager.list.assert_has_calls(calls)

        calls = [call(MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS[0].id), call(MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS[1].id)]
        tasks.TaskManager.get.assert_has_calls(calls)

    @mock.patch.object(
        executions.ExecutionManager, 'get',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=MOCK_WF_EX))
    @mock.patch.object(
        tasks.TaskManager, 'list',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS))
    @mock.patch.object(
        tasks.TaskManager, 'get',
        mock.MagicMock(side_effect=[
            requests.exceptions.ConnectionError(),
            MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS[0],
            MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS[1]]))
    @mock.patch.object(
        action_service, 'is_action_canceled_or_canceling',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=False))
    def test_query_get_workflow_tasks_retry(self):
        (status, result) = self.querier.query(uuid.uuid4().hex, MOCK_QRY_CONTEXT)

        expected = {
            'k1': 'v1',
            'tasks': copy.deepcopy(MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS_DATA),
            'extra': {
                'state': MOCK_WF_EX.state,
                'state_info': MOCK_WF_EX.state_info
            }
        }

        for task in expected['tasks']:
            task['input'] = json.loads(task['input'])
            task['result'] = json.loads(task['result'])
            task['published'] = json.loads(task['published'])

        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_SUCCEEDED, status)
        self.assertDictEqual(expected, result)

        calls = [
            call(MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS[0].id),
            call(MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS[0].id),
            call(MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS[1].id)
        ]

        tasks.TaskManager.get.assert_has_calls(calls)

    @mock.patch.object(
        executions.ExecutionManager, 'get',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=MOCK_WF_EX))
    @mock.patch.object(
        tasks.TaskManager, 'list',
        mock.MagicMock(side_effect=[requests.exceptions.ConnectionError()] * 4))
    def test_query_list_workflow_tasks_retry_exhausted(self):
        self.assertRaises(
            requests.exceptions.ConnectionError,
            self.querier.query,
            uuid.uuid4().hex,
            MOCK_QRY_CONTEXT)

        mock_call = call(workflow_execution_id=MOCK_QRY_CONTEXT['mistral']['execution_id'])
        calls = [mock_call for i in range(0, 2)]
        tasks.TaskManager.list.assert_has_calls(calls)

    @mock.patch.object(
        executions.ExecutionManager, 'get',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=MOCK_WF_EX))
    @mock.patch.object(
        tasks.TaskManager, 'list',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS))
    @mock.patch.object(
        tasks.TaskManager, 'get',
        mock.MagicMock(side_effect=[requests.exceptions.ConnectionError()] * 4))
    def test_query_get_workflow_tasks_retry_exhausted(self):
        self.assertRaises(
            requests.exceptions.ConnectionError,
            self.querier.query,
            uuid.uuid4().hex,
            MOCK_QRY_CONTEXT)

        calls = [
            call(MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS[0].id),
            call(MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS[0].id)
        ]

        tasks.TaskManager.get.assert_has_calls(calls)

    @mock.patch.object(
        executions.ExecutionManager, 'get',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=MOCK_WF_EX))
    @mock.patch.object(
        tasks.TaskManager, 'list',
        mock.MagicMock(return_value=MOCK_WF_EX_TASKS))
    @mock.patch.object(
        tasks.TaskManager, 'get',
        mock.MagicMock(
            side_effect=mistralclient_base.APIException(
                error_code=404, error_message='Task not found.')))
    def test_query_get_workflow_tasks_not_found(self):
        (status, result) = self.querier.query(uuid.uuid4().hex, MOCK_QRY_CONTEXT)

        self.assertEqual(action_constants.LIVEACTION_STATUS_FAILED, status)
        self.assertEqual('Task not found.', result)

    def test_query_missing_context(self):
        self.assertRaises(Exception, self.querier.query, uuid.uuid4().hex, {})

    def test_query_missing_mistral_execution_id(self):
        self.assertRaises(Exception, self.querier.query, uuid.uuid4().hex, {'mistral': {}})

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Unpacking ATT's impact on Facebook revenue | Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert
Unpacking ATT's impact on Facebook revenue
Posted on October 26, 2021 by Eric Benjamin Seufert
Facebook announced Q3 earnings last night, posting revenue of $29.01BN against analyst expectations of $29.57BN as polled by Refinitiv, for a revenue miss of nearly $600MM. Reported EPS of $3.22 beat expectations of $3.19, and reported MAU of 2.91BN missed expectations of 2.93BN.
Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) privacy policy took center stage on the call, being blamed for creating significant advertising measurement and targeting frictions that adversely impacted revenue. Of the frictions created by ATT, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's COO, noted in the earnings call:
We've been open about the fact that there were headwinds coming – and we've experienced that in Q3. The biggest is the impact of Apple's iOS14 changes, which have created headwinds for others in the industry as well, major challenges for small businesses, and advantaged Apple's own advertising business. We started to see that impact in Q2, but adoption on the consumer side ramped up by late June, so it hit critical mass in Q3. As a result, we've encountered two challenges. One is that the accuracy of our ads targeting decreased, which increased the cost of driving outcomes for our advertisers. And the other is that measuring those outcomes became more difficult.
And later, in the follow-up call with analysts, David Wehner, Facebook's CFO, stated (emphasis mine):
Yes. I mean, I think we have, I think, been out in front of saying that we expected this to be disruptive for the industry and it clearly has been. It's been difficult to forecast exactly how advertisers would react to the rollout. I would say we've seen the impact probably be a little bit more disruptive than we anticipated. I think just the retooling of all of the – all of the targeting and measurement to basically work for aggregated events is just it's difficult especially for smaller advertisers with smaller budgets. So I think it's certainly been – it's certainly been challenging. Obviously the areas that are hardest impacted are those with offline objectives. So the two I'd probably call out there, online commerce and gaming.
Also on the analyst call, Susan Li, Facebook's VP of Finance, observed:
Yes, I think echoing what Dave mentioned earlier, we had a range of expected impact from the ATT changes and ultimately what we've seen is in that range but it's really on the higher end of what we had expected, and I think the underreporting of web conversions has really been a bigger issue than we expected, but it's something that we're very focused on helping to mitigate through better modeling techniques.
In summary: ATT presented significant challenges, those challenges disproportionately were experienced by the gaming and ecommerce categories, and the magnitude of the challenges materialized on the higher end of the range expected by Facebook.
Facebook announced a number of important and consequential initiatives for the company on the call. Notably:
Facebook will conduct $50BN in stock buybacks;
Facebook will break reporting out between Facebook's family of apps and its Reality Labs division going forward;
The $10BN that Facebook invested into VR and AR in 2021 will likely grow yearly for the "next several years."
Each of these revelations is meaningful and deserves thoughtful treatment, but the scope of this article is a quantification of the cumulative revenue impact that ATT imposed onto Facebook in Q3 and will have on the company in Q4. While the company's stock price initially rose after earnings, it is now down 5% from this morning's open.
At $29.01BN, Facebook's revenue actually shrank on a quarter-over-quarter basis from Q2 versus growth of 15% for the same quarter last year, although Q2 revenues were abnormally high relative to Q1 revenues as I detail in this article. Wehner guided Q4 revenue to a range of between $31.5 to $34BN, which would represent quarter-over-quarter growth from Q3 of between 9 and 17%, versus 31% growth for the same quarter last year.
Back in January, I wrote a piece called Facebook may take 7% revenue hit from Apple privacy changes in which I tried to assess the damage that ATT would inflict on Facebook's advertising revenue. In the piece, I provided Best Case, Base Case, and Worst Case estimates predicated on levels of lost efficiency (I provide more detail on what I mean by that in the piece). The chart below, from the piece, walks through the logic of the impact, producing the quarterly impairment numbers at the bottom.
One thing to note: I wrote this piece before ATT's rollout was officially delayed and then subsequently slow-rolled, so the quarters each need to shift forward (eg. Q2 2021 above really corresponds to Q3 2021).
Assuming that Facebook's Q4 revenue lands at the top of its guidance range at $34BN, it appears that the real impact of ATT on Facebook's revenue also falls at the higher end of my projected range from the chart above: roughly 15% for Q3 2021 (versus my estimate in the Worst Case of 13.59%) and 12% for Q4 2021 (versus my estimate in the Worst Case of 11%). The absolute dollar impact of ATT in the case above, across Q3 and Q4, would be $8.3BN.
There are some assumptions inherent in these numbers, namely:
That Q2 2021 revenue would have been at the same level had ATT not been introduced;
That Q4 growth from Q3 in 2020 (30.75%) was not related to COVID and could be achieved again from Q3 to Q4 2021.
That latter assumption is probably a stretch, but even if the Q3 to Q4 2019 growth rate of 19.4% is used as the benchmark, Facebook's Q4 guidance is still off by $600MM, or 2% (closer to the Best Case estimate from my analysis from January).
My sense is that a "natural" growth rate between 19% and 31% — of, say, 25% from Q3 2021 to Q4 2021 — is a more appropriate assumption for the alternative reality in which ATT was never launched. Facebook's guidance against that baseline of 25% assumed growth would be a 7% decrease caused by ATT, slightly above my Base Case estimate of 6%.
I have made the data and simple model used to derive these values available here.
Heracles helps consumer technology and media companies reach massive audiences through strategy consulting, deep analysis, and marketing technology.


The LRB-3000 PRO Laser Range Finder Binocular's rugged waterproof assembly makes it a top pick for heavy-duty law enforcement, security and hunting applications. Containing a multi-coated glass binocular optics package that brings razor sharp focus to distant targets, this unit provides exceptionally accurate ranging out to a distance of 1.86 miles.
The LRB-3000 PRO provides an onscreen digital inclinometer readout that provides angle of sight measurement at up to 80-degrees off horizontal to an accuracy of 1-degree. This information, displayed either as degrees elevation or target, can be used by riflemen to plug into their bullet drop tables. By compensating for shot angles shooters can virtually eliminate high shots at any range, no matter the shot elevation.
The LRB-3000 PRO also provides an on-screen compass reading display that's accurate to 2-degrees and target speed measurements up to 249 mph (incoming and outgoing) to an accuracy of 1 mph. Additional features include selectable units of measure (yards or meters), a target quality indicator, a low battery warning and the ability to instantly recall the last 10 range measurements.
Ergonomic rubber-armoured body, long eye-relief, simple two-button operation, and wide objective lenses make observation and distance measurements with these binoculars accurate and comfortable. Tripod mountable, the LRB-3000 PRO includes a soft carry bag, neck strap, non-magnetic 9V battery, detailed user manual and a 1-year manufacturer's warranty.


curses… or maybe I am cursed?
but only very very lightly. I'm not taking any curse seriously, although quite seriously my poor little 2.5 yr old nephew just split his lip open this morning. News now is that he's on the mend but had to go to hospital for emergency repair. It was bad enough that he had to be stitched back together by a plastic surgeon (so tempted to type sturgeon). I've been told he's coming round ok after the general anaesthetic, and I can confirm he is JUST like his father, my big brother. Always getting in to the scrapes. He's going to look an absolute picture on our wedding day! poor little mite, I just hope his bottom lip does not need to wobble for the next few weeks. PLEASE, nothing else now, I need a smooth ride up to the big day.
May the blessings of one thousand lotus petals each one thousand Buddhas rain down upon you.


What Role Does Social Media Have in Your Sales Funnel?
You've probably heard it over and over again if you've done any kind of training in the online world. Post everywhere on social media: your page, your profile, your groups, other people's groups, and anywhere else you think might work for you.
I spent a lot of time on social media early on and there are benefits and drawbacks to every part of it.
Spending time on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest (not really social media but still…) and LinkedIn can be a great way to build a pool of prospects or leads. Or it can be a total waste of time.
LinkedIn is full of millions of business professionals that are more serious about the way they spend their time online.People on Facebook are there for conversation and connection, and both Twitter and Pinterest users have their own unique characteristics and patterns of behavior. Simply put, not all social media sites are alike when it comes to your sales funnel.
However, as a general rule, social media is a great place for doing a very specific job in your sales funnel ... creating leads.
Social media sites are meant for just that -- socializing. Your friends and connections are generally hanging out to have a good time, let their guard down, and are not usually looking to buy products and services. Even on LinkedIn, populated by serious business minded professionals, people are not usually looking to buy your products and services. They are on social media, however, for engagement.
They want to chat, interact and hang out with people a lot like themselves. This means social media offers a great opportunity for you to connect with your target audience. Present yourself as a "real person" rather than someone doing business, or as a business that is made up of real people that really get them. Your job is to put out great content that answers big problems and solves real questions for your audience.
The top of the funnel is the perfect place for social media. This is where you build a list of contacts by offering a free product or service in return for an email address. This is the "meet and greet" stage of the sales funnel, where you let people know about you and your business. Keep the conversation casual on social media sites during this process.
Think of social media as a coffee date. If you go in expecting a ring on the first date, you'll lose your prospect before they get a chance to know how great you are. So socialize, put out great content, show your expertise without being pushy, and persuade (not convince) them that they're missing out if they don't opt-in for a second date!


text:
import React, { Component, PropTypes } from 'react';
import { connect } from 'react-redux';
import { withRouter } from 'react-router-dom';

export default function (Container) {
  class isAuthenticated extends Component {

    componentWillMount() {
      if (!this.props.isAuthenticated) {
        this.props.history.push('/login');
      }
    }

    componentWillReceiveProps(nextProps) {
      if (!nextProps.isAuthenticated) {
        this.props.history.push('/login');
      }
    }

    render() {
      return this.props.isAuthenticated ? <Container {...this.props} /> : null;
    }
  }

  isAuthenticated.propTypes = {
    isAuthenticated: PropTypes.bool.isRequired,
    history: PropTypes.object.isRequired,
  };

  function mapStateToProps(state) {
    return {
      isAuthenticated: state.authentication.isAuthenticated
    };
  }

  return withRouter(connect(
    mapStateToProps
  )(isAuthenticated));
}


In 1933 Kildare House became a retreat for nuns, then served as a barracks during the war. Later it became home to the Canadian Hunger Foundation and various offices. In the fall of 2016 it was sold and interior restoration work began. Today it serves as offices, many in health and wellness, as well as beautiful event space.


text:
"Св. св. Борис и Глеб" () е православен манастир в село Борисоглеб, на 18 km от град Муром, Владимирска област, Русия.

Манастирът е разположен на брега на река Ушна, ляв приток на Ока. Неговото основаване се свързва с името на княз Глеб, сина на киевския княз Владимир I от българската му съпруга. В началото на XI в. Глеб е обявен от баща си за княз на Муром и е такъв до убийството си през 1015 г. Обстоятелствата обаче го принуждават да живее извън град Муром, където местните жители отказват да се покръстят. Вероятно манастирът възниква чак около две столетия след смъртта на княза – през XII – XIII в., когато Глеб и по-големият му брат Борис са вече почитани като светци из цяла Русия. Но едва ли има съмнение, че по времето на младия княз съществува параклис към княжеския дворец, от който в по-късни години се оформя самият манастир.

Първите достоверни сведения за манастира са почерпени от Никоновската и Четвъртата Новгородска летописи, датирани от първата половина на XIV в. В края на XVI и началото на XVII в. той получава много нови земи, което според някои историци се обяснява с роднинските отношения на владетелите на село Борисоглеб с Борис Годунов. През XVII в. на мястото на по-старите дървени църкви са построени три каменни.

През май 1719 г. манастирът тежко пострадва при пожар и Синодът взема решение да го обедини с манастира "Благовещение Богородично" в Муром, но силното недоволство сред населението на Муром възпрепятства това – до сливане на двата манастира не се стига.

При комунистическата власт манастирът почти напълно е разрушен и едва през 1992 г. е върнат на Руската православна църква като е обединен с манастира "Благовещение Богородично" в Муром. От 2013 г. е действащ женски манастир.

Бележки

Църкви в Муромската епархия
Манастири в Муромската епархия

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


These are the very first White Metal kits I ever brought, from a small model shop in an alley way behind New Street Station Birmingham, I would think around the early 1970s.
Both are John Day kits one on the Auto Union and the other of a Le Mans Panhard. Both models made over 40 years ago, all made straight out of the box, I didn't know what super detailing was back then!!
Quite random selection but probably dictated by what was on offer!!?? But they are both still in my collection.
These next two are both HRGs.
The streamlined car is the rare Aerodynamic HRG, and is actually a vacform bodied model. This is an all clear plastic body painted from the inside, like the old slot car bodies. No idea where I got this from or who made it Acorn Models possibly??
Those look quite good, the basic shapes are decent. Nice to see those old kits.
The Panhard was done in spyder form in 60's by Solido. I wonder if the John Day coupe was modified from the Solido - it would be interesting to see them side by side.
All made by me many years ago, shapes don't look too bad and the windows are good on all of them. Clearly I must have never brought the bad ones??
Another Mikansue Competition model the very first 1959 Marcos the original 'Wooden Wonder'. Now who apart from Mikansue have ever made a model of this one?
The Cosworth and the Pug are real gems - nice one.
Isn't it amazing what +40 years of technology can do !
Apart from the Healey they are all still quite good indeed!
I have the Spark Austin Healey 3000 and it is a gem they have it about right.


Identity theft is considered as a huge problem in our society. Identity theft occurs once a thief assumes another person's identity by using confidential information supposed to be known exclusively by that person. The thief will commit fraud using the person's name and important confidential information without the victim ever knowing about such transactions.
Individuals who are new in using the internet sometimes become to victim to computer identity theft systems. In most cases, the person involved in the identity theft systems uses your credit cards to buy supplies and merchandise for themselves.
While others will get an application for credit card, make bank account and destroy your good credit score. In addition, making some correction about such subjects includes more time, effort and is stressful, so here are ten useful ways that you can use to avoid yourself from being an identity theft prey.
Make sure that you have an email address that you can only use for businesses and other personal communication. If for instance, you want to buy something online, or you want to join a newsgroup, it is better than you use a disposable email address.
Yahoo and hotmail are some of the free accounts where you can make you own disposable email. Both of these are able to interface with other famous email clientele such as the outlook and the outlook express. You can use one of the two for your purchasing transactions.
If your name is Anne Brown try to not to use it in making your email accounts especially when having business with people you are not familiar with and deceitful-looking.
Perhaps if your birth date is April 17, 1968, do not make an account that contains both your name and birth date.
You can use one password for your private data, and then use a different one for your dealing account and another one for your disposable email addresses you made. If possible, do not use passwords that appear in order like password3 for your private account, password4 for you business transactions and password4 for disposable email addresses.
Avoid using birthdates, anniversaries, or your children's birthdates when making passwords. Do not use passwords that are purely letters or numbers.
In addition, to not to use passwords consist true words. Make passwords made of phases like "I drink 1 glass of milk everyday". Get the first letter of every word in the phrase and it will result to "id1gome".
You must change you passwords at least every 6 months or if you want, you can have it changed every year. If you think your passwords have been exposed, change them for your protection.
If you have more than three credit cards, stick to the one that you know will best work for online transactions. This is to monitor the transactions made with each of your credit cards. Therefore, if your other credit cards have an online transactions you are certain that those are fake.
Though many debit cards have online purchase safety steps, it is easier to fight fake charges than to refund debit card finances already used.
If you are making your first transaction on the internet, make sure that the company you are dealing with is someone familiar or referred to you by a trusted one.
When doing the first purchasing online, ensure to check the privacy guidelines, search for logos from purchasers groups and try to find out if they are a member of the better business bureau. If possible, click the logos to confirm that they are genuine.
• Do not open or sign up email inviting you to update your email account or credit card information through email.
These are only fraudulent. Some people do them attempt and secure your personal data. Most of them increasingly improve their modus operandi and go to great lengths to appear genuine like the company websites using their own logos.
Following the above guidelines, you are surely keeping yourself away from this computer identity theft.
As an advice, if an individual feels that he is a victim of an identity theft, it is appropriate to contact the nearest Justice Department. If not, a bank office can also help in that particular situation. Remember, in every action, taking extra care and getting help from the appropriate agencies is the safest thing to do.
Publishers are free to use this article on an ezine or website, provided the article is reprinted in its entirety, including copyright and disclaimer, and ALL links remain intact and active.


text:
'Off the Map' ratings not exactly off the map for ABC
Lynette Rice
By Lynette Rice Updated January 13, 2011 at 05:32 PM EST
Credit: Mario Perez/ABC
Image Credit: Mario Perez/ABCThe debut of Off the Map — ABC's latest medical drama that is (or isn't) Grey's Anatomy in the jungle, depending on who you ask — had a lackluster start on Wednesday: It only came in second in its timeslot among adults 18-49 (a 2.2 rating/6 share) and attracted a mere 7.5 million, according to preliminary ratings. That's not exactly riveting news for ABC's heavily-promoted drama, which comes from the auspices of its most important showrunner, Shonda Rhimes (Grey's, Private Practice).
To be fair, the President's address from the Arizona Memorial Service disrupted all the network schedules, and ABC, in particular, was forced to air an abbreviated rerun of Modern Family before jumping into the Off the Map premiere. ABC put a happy face on Map's debut by saying it brought 70 percent more total viewers and 83 percent more adults 18-49 to the hour — but the network had to be hoping for more from Rhimes' show. Maybe that's why ABC decided to reschedule the show tonight so folks will get another chance to watch.
ABC still won the night among 18-49 (2.9/8) and viewers (9 million), thanks to the huge fan base that continues to follow Modern Family. Barack Obama's address messed up the comedy's start time, but the combo of the President and Family earned a 3.6/10 and 10.2 million at 9, while an original of the sitcom and a partial rerun of it posted a 3.7/10 and 10.1 million at 9:30. An original of The Middle at 8 earned a 3.1/9 and 10.5 million.
NBC was second for the night in the demo (1.8/5) and viewers (6.3 million), with the Peacock's coverage of the memorial — combined with a special repeat of Minute to Win It — earning a 1.6/5 and 5.4 million from 8-9 p.m. From 9-10 p.m., the Arizona coverage and the second half of a Minute to Win It earned a 1.4/4 and 5 million. Law & Order: SVU posted a 2.5/7 and 8.3 million.
CBS came in third in the demo (1.4/4) and viewers (6.1 million), after airing repeats of The Big Bang Theory and Rules of Engagement. The combination of Obama and Live To Dance earned a 1.3/4 and 6.1 million, while the combo of Live To Dance and The Defenders got a 1.5/4 and 6.1 million. Fox aired a repeat of Raising Hope, Fox News coverage of the memorial, and a repeat of Kitchen Nightmares. It tied the CW in fourth place in the demo (.5/2).


In an effort to improve the visibility from the website, it really is mandatory that the website need to be developed in accordance to the guideline with the search engines like google. When the website is created and created as per the suggestions from the search engines like google, then it is going to undoubtedly attract the search engine bots or spiders. These will assistance in improved visibility and ranking.
Several of the Most Well-liked Approaches Which are Widely Used In Improving The Traffic Are Discussed Beneath.
The Seo is definitely the procedure of optimizing the website in accordance towards the guidelines of your search engine. Within this procedure, the page titles, meta tags and meta description is supplied towards the web pages. Apart from this, the content optimization can also be performed. Within this, the density of keyword as well as uniqueness of your content is checked in an effort to improve the ranking on the website.
The link constructing is regarded as the most strong method to fetch the targeted audience to the website. In this, the content distribution requires place. The relevant content material related towards the item or service is spread on distinctive platforms so that you can engage the targeted audience. The content material distribution is done using the support of your diverse tools. Several of the most highly effective tools are articles, blogs, directory, classified ads, social bookmarking and forum posting.
Utilizing these tools, the information and facts is spread at unique platforms. The content material spread at distinctive platforms support in spreading awareness regarding the solutions and services. When the targeted audience finds this details relevant, then he/ she stick to the link to go to towards the primary website to explore additional concerning the solution or service.
This is a different quite impressive approach to spread data amongst different sections on the society. Millions of people are connected with one particular another using the enable of different social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and different others. The organizations should really use these platforms in an effort to traffic to the key website. 1 can use these platforms to spread relevant information in regards to the products & services. When the targeted audience finds your data interesting, then he/ she will certainly navigate or check out your primary website.
These are certain approaches that one ought to use in an effort to attract a lot more traffic to the website. The use of these techniques will assist in enhancing the visibility and ranking in the website.


Are you tired of mince pies, grumpy in-laws and that song by Slade? Does the feeling of Christmas creeping up on you make you feel slightly like a hunted animal? Do your friends call you by the seasonal nickname 'Scrooge'?
If you answered yes to all of these then please read on.
When that Christmas magic starts dwindling then it is time to try and rediscover the most wonderful time of year. Take a change of direction and head out the door at Christmas; ditch the tradition for something a little…different. Plan yourself a Christmas getaway!
If you're going to alter your Christmas experience than you may as well take it to the extreme. Adopt a different type of white Christmas with a trip to the white sands of Indian Ocean.
The beaches here will seem much more appealing than the snow you've left behind. From chilling on the beach and swimming in the clear blue sea, Christmas in Mauritius will certainly display a new pace to festive life.
If you'd like to get a little more active, why not take a Christmas walk up to the summit of 'Le Pouce' which will offer you fantastic views of Port Louis and the north of the island? You can also don some snorkel or scuba gear and give your festive wishes to some of the marine life in the Indian Ocean.
Tropical fruits will replace the dried fruit cake you're used to back home, and rather than a Christmas tree, the extravagant red flame trees will stand proudly in bloom.
Not all the Christmas spirit will be missing; numerous streets will set up artisan markets where hawkers will sell various Christmas gifts. You can even go as far as getting a turkey from one of the local supermarkets that has slowly begun to cater to Western tradition.
Tempted? Take a look at our holidays to Mauritius from £987.
The thought of a barbecue in December would have many of us concerned and confused. But this has become something of a Christmas tradition in Australia. Many families like to head down to the beach on Christmas day, get the barbecue fired up and bask in the summer sun. If you head to Sydney at Christmas you can flock down with the crowds to the iconic Bondi Beach and enjoy a Christmas picnic, and if you're brave enough, a cheeky surf too.
Australians always look to make the most of the sunshine, and that includes the Christmas period, so don't expect the typical routine of sitting around drinking sherry and arguing with relatives.
Get outside and play some cricket in a park – just remember to set the recorder for the Boxing Day Ashes Test, unless of course you're lucky enough to score tickets.
There are plenty of ways to get into the festive spirit around many of Australia's cities. In Sydney there is an infinite Christmas Choir at Pitt Street Mall and also the Christmas Projection Festival. In Melbourne you can head to City Square, redubbed 'Christmas Square' in the run up to the big day.
Fancy a trip Down Under? We've got flights to Australia from £699.
A trip to the 'greatest city in the world' at any time of the year would be a special experience. But to combine this trip with the 'most magical time of year' is a recipe that can never fail to impress.
Christmas sparks an even greater dose of life into the city that never sleeps. It all starts with the simple addition of snow. A stroll through one of the city's iconic parks sprinkled in icy white with twinkling fairy lights all around you will set the magical tone of your Christmas getaway.
Combine this with some more wintery activities, such as ice skating at the Rockefeller Centre whilst thousand of tourists look on wide-eyed.
Christmas is a great time to hit some of New York's mega shopping department stores. Just try and avoid Macy's Herald Square on Boxing Day if you value your personal safety!
If New York still doesn't seem to capture your festive imagination then why not catch a Christmas-themed Broadway show and start singing some brand new Christmas tunes.
Christmas in New York wouldn't be complete without waking up on morning of the 25th in a grand hotel room complete with Christmas tree and presents – see Home Alone 2 for inspiration.
Want to take a bite out of the Big Apple? Here are our cheap flights to New York from just £369.
If the thought of hopping from tropical island to tropical island is more your idea of Christmas tradition, then there's probably no better destination for you than Thailand.
Whilst Christmas is a bit of a non-event in this predominantly Buddhist country, there is always a healthy Western population present to spark some life into the December days. The larger towns and cities will take some part in the fun and festivities with decorations and trees erected in shopping malls and restaurants. In fact recently a group of 852 Thai youths broke the world record for creating the world's largest human Christmas tree!
But that is really where the traditional side of Christmas ends – but you're not here to experience another standard December 25th are you?
What Thailand may lack in festive spirit, it makes up for in natural beauty, particularly in its beach culture.
Start off in the south near Krabi where you can enjoy some fantastic seafood and hop around some beautiful mainland and island beaches. Burn off some of those Thai food calories with rock-climbing at Railay Beach and a snorkelling trip off of Ko Phi Phi Island.
If you still haven't had enough of your beach fill, head to the East Coast and hop between Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Tao to get your sun and relaxation fill before heading home to a cold January.
Dreaming of seeing some sunshine this winter? Fly to Bangkok from £455 and explore the beautiful islands from there.
As one of the seven Emirates that make up the UAE, Dubai wouldn't be considered as a shoe-in for widespread Christmas celebrations. But for those of you that head to the Middle East for the festive season, you will be pleasantly surprised.
In fact, this year Dubai has made an extra special effort in raising Christmas cheer with the holding of the Dubai Christmas Festival. Artificial falling snow, ice rinks and snowball-fighting pits are among some of the features at this year's event, as well as the mandatory Santa Claus.
The majority of the leading hotels in Dubai, many of which are Western brands, will all be celebrating in fine style. Many are showcasing fantastic Christmas meal offers that will allow you to commemorate the big day with the utmost manner.
Away from the hotel you can always find a local spin to apply to your festive requirements. The fantastic range of traditional souks and less traditional malls will keep you shifting through stall to shop for hours, searching for that perfect gift.
And whilst you may not get some of the real white stuff during your visit, this won't stop you indulging in a little sledging. Head out to the incredible surrounding desert and enjoy the unique landscape whilst sliding along the sand on a makeshift sledge. You have to indulge in these pastimes somehow don't you?
If Christmas in Dubai is for you, we've got flights to Dubai from £326 or holidays to Dubai from £399!


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Edison Chen
Get your sip of happiness at Xing Fu Tang's first outlet in Singapore
Taiwan's highly anticipated bubble tea brand Xing Fu Tang (幸福堂) will officially open in Singapore on 28 June 2019 (Friday) at Century Square, marking the brand's first foray into Singapore. Xing Fu Tang's official opening also comes hot on the heels of its pop-up held at Takashimaya earlier this June. The pop-up was met with resounding success, which saw over 1,500 cups sold daily. Xing Fu Tang, which translates to 'Realm of Happiness', was founded by Edison Chen in Taiwan in January 2018. The brand name, along with its signature artisanal Brown Sugar Boba Milk drink, was inspired by Chen's…


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Stefan Struve Defends Dan Miragliotta's Actions At UFC Fight Night Washington DC
Stefan Struve and Ben Rothwell competed on the main card of UFC Fight Night Washington DC, a bout that Rothwell won via second round TKO.
Referee Dan Miragliotta seemingly urged Struve to continue competing after receiving two accidental low blows from Rothwell, but Struve says the official did nothing wrong on that occasion.
"I think he was just trying to help me by giving me the information that he had on what was going to happen if I stopped," Struve said to MMA Junkie. "I don't think it would've changed anything for what I did. He's a good dude, man. Dan is a really good dude; I like him a lot. He's reffed a lot of my fights, he's a good guy and I really think he only tried to help. Like there is no win for him if I continue or stop the fight, there's nothing that benefits him. He's just trying to do his job. He knows me for a long, long time, for over 10 years. So people need to get off his back and let him be. Refereeing in MMA is so hard, you need to make split-second decisions. And these kinds of things, like how many times do these things happen? Like how do you deal under pressure with a fighter who was just fouled two times? It's so tough."
Rothwell also commented on what Miragliotta said to Struve after the second low blow, stating the referee was just echoing was Struve's corner was saying.
Struve also believes that there would've been no controversy from the fans if the result of the bout had been different.
"They would've praised him, but that's life, that's what people like to do – they like to talk (expletive)," Struve said. "It doesn't matter what you do, you can never do right to everybody. So no, man, I thank him, no animosity. We always have a good laugh when we see each other and it is what it is, you can't change anything about it. I think everyone involved tried to continue the fight with the best intent. It's just really unfortunate for me the way it played out."
If Struve hadn't continued after being on the receiving end o
Posted by Kelley Tidwell
Kelley Tidwell
Dylan Howard
The Fighters Hub © 2013


For 37 years, the Capitol City Rifle and Pistol Club has been home to an extremely successful program devoted to teaching children the discipline, skill and enjoyment of participating in the sport of competitive shooting.
When my son was young, he did not participate as a team athlete at his school.
He started shooting under the tutelage of a few knowledgeable and competent adult club members who served as coaches.
This program includes the Cony and Gardiner High School rifle teams.
My daughter followed in his footsteps. Shooting competitively has become her high school sport.
Because of the exceptional training and guidance she has received from Julian Beale and the other volunteer coaches and the support of the senior members of the Capitol City Club, she has participated in national matches both in Ohio and at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado.
The National Rifle Association and USA Shooting have recognized the Junior Program as one of the top in the country.
One would think that such a successful program would be a source of pride for the leaders of the Capitol City Club.
On the contrary, the executive committee recently voted to discontinue the club's relationship with the Junior Program and has barred the young people from practicing, learning or competing at the club's facility.
At the same time, the committee has not kept the general membership informed about their decision to bring this program to a close.
I hope other members of the club agree that it is worth it to make a few personal sacrifices so that these young people can participate in this wonderful program. These children are our future.
Members of the club who are as upset about the junior shooters being shut out as I am should let their voice be heard.