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Notes from the Justin Harper and DeAndre Liggins Introductory Press Conference and Why Stan Thinks They'll Make the Roster
It's hard to get excited about 2nd round draft picks. It's just reality. For every Gilbert Arenas and Rashard Lewis, there are 15 Stanley Robinson's. Rarely do these picks "pan out" and even if they make rosters, it's not likely that they stick around longer than a year or two. So it's no surprise that Orlando Magic fans haven't exactly been rushing out to get custom-made Justin Harper and DeAndre Liggins jerseys.
Something seems different with these guys though. They both have unique talents that can provide value to the roster and after hearing Stan Van Gundy speak glowingly about both prospects, it's hard to imagine that both guys won't end up making this team's roster.
Let's take a look at some notes from today's introductory press conference. Starring Otis Smith, Stan Van Gundy, Justin Harper and DeAndre Liggins:
General Thoughts on Both Guys
- Both players mentioned during their introductions that they spoke with Gil and know that he was also a second pick success story.
- Both guys have been talking to Gilbert Arenas and acknowledged they use his path as motivation. Read into that what you will.
- On the lockout and their potential tougher path, both guys seemed just to acknowledge that is was out of their hands. On top of that, neither guy even knows anything besides what they are going through right now.
Justin Harper
- Being that he was always much bigger than the guys around him, he always played the 5 growing up. That all changed in 8th grade when he started expanding his game and turning into the player he is now.
- In the last 3 days that he has been in Orlando he has been going through a lot of workouts with the staff and has spent a large chunk of time working with Patrick Ewing on refining his post game.
- If the lockout comes, Justin will likely workout either back in Richmond, here in Orlando or up in Boston with some of his trainers he worked with prior to his Senior season.
- There was a loose rumor floating around the draft that Harper had some medical issues that were causing him to slip. Harper addressed it head on when asked and cited a minor shoulder injury that happened prior to his Senior season during a pick up game. Obviously it didn't hold him back and the Magic training staff found nothing wrong either.
- Justin also got a chance to meet Dwight Howard and Gilbert and Dwight shared some of his own rookie stories with him. I asked Justin if he was the secret photographer behind the "Plank Off" and he laughed and said he wasn't around for that one.
DeAndre Liggins
- DeAndre actually knows Tony Allen and has played against him before. Liggins has often been compared to Tony due to his defensive tenacity. DeAndre told the crowd that Tony stressed to him that his job isn't easy and that he must work hard every day to get better. Tony Allen is from Chicago just like Liggins. Not too shabby of a role model.
- When asked if he could defend the PG position as well, DeAndre quickly responded with, "I can guard 1-3. That's my job." He seems to be owning potential niche as a stopper. Remember that Liggins played some point guard as well as a freshman.
- If the lockout hits, DeAndre is planning to go back to Lexington to work out with the team. Although, pointed out that he hadn't talked to Coach Cal about that yet.
- Another guy that Liggins has played against back home in Chicago is Orlando's own, Quentin Richardson. According to Stan Van Gundy, Q had nothing but great things to say about how tough he is to play against.
Stan Van Gundy
- Stan is not always known as the most positive guy in the room, but today he spoke glowingly about both Justin Harper and DeAndre Liggins. He continuously praised what great shape they are both in; stressing that you'd be surprised how often that isn't the case.
- The last three days that Harper and Liggins have been with the team has been more of getting to know the players strengths and weaknesses and less of trying to teach them the Magic system.
- Stan stressed that both players pleasantly surprised him. For Harper he was very pleased with his ability to put the ball on the floor and his overall ball handling.
- The pleasant surprise for Stan in regards to Liggins was his ability to shoot. Stan stressed that DeAndre has shot the ball much better than he originally had been led to believe and pointed out that he certainly would not be an NBA player who could just be left unguarded.
- Another praise Stan had for both guys was that they both have great basketball bodies. It sounds generic, but Harper is long and lean yet still strong and Liggins has incredible length. Stan pointed out that every great defender he has ever seen (Bowen, Deng, Rondo) were/are very long guys.
- Stan also pointed out that while Liggins is known as a great defender in the SEC, it all changes in the NBA when you are chasing Ray Allen around screens or being posted up by Joe Johnson. Those are the types of things (being able to adapt) that set guys apart.
- Stan also spoke very positively about how well coached both guys are. Adding that they have a leg up and aren't raw guys and further stating that "They are as ready as guys coming out of college can be."
Otis Smith
- Otis pointed out that the Magic are in better shape than most teams because they only have 2 free agents (Clark and Richardson).
- "We like our team" – #otisspeak
- Otis also stopped Harper at one point when Justin was talking about all the great 2nd round picks that have come into the league by making sure everyone in the room knew that Otis was the #41 overall pick.
- Watch the full video of Otis speaking before the press conference:
The most telling information moving forward came from Stan Van Gundy when I asked him if we can expect to see these guys on the roster come November 1st. While prefacing that everything moving forward has a lot of different variations to play through with free agency, a new CBA, the actual lockout and etc., he implied that the Orlando Magic organization fully expects both guys to make the roster.
That in itself should be exciting news to the fans that were pining for more youth and versatility from last year's squad. It's not splashy and certainly not sexy, but the simple fact that both Otis and Stan speak so glowingly about these guys should mean that the fans should be excited as well.
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HTC cites competition from Apple's iPhone as profits drop 26%HTC on Monday revealed that its handsets are struggling against Apple's iPhone, as well as Android-based smartphones from companies like Samsung, leading to a 26 percent drop in fourth-quarter profits.
The outlook for the current quarter is even worse, with HTC officials projecting a 36 percent drop, according to Apple 2.0. HTC Chief Financial Officer Winston Yung told investors on a conference call Monday that his company is in the midst of a product transition that will hurt sales in the next quarter.
"Our weakness in first-quarter guidance also comes from facing competition in the U.S. from iPhone and Samsung," Yung said. "LTE handsets also didn't meet our expectations."
In addition to being once of the first Android smartphone makers, HTC was also among the first to embrace 4G long-term evolution technology, the high-speed wireless data standard positioned to replace 3G. Apple has stayed away from LTE in its wireless devices, citing poor battery life with the first generation of 4G chips.
HTC declined to reveal any specific sales figures for its smartphones on Monday, so its unknown how the Taiwanese company fared unit-wise against the record 37 million iPhone sales Apple saw in the holiday quarter. HTC has promised to introduce four new handset models at the Barcelona Mobile World Congress, which will kick off on Monday, Feb. 27.
HTC has been closely aligned with Google Android since the mobile platform debuted in 2008. In fact, the HTC Dream, which was marketed in the U.S. as the T-Mobile G1, was the first phone on the market to run Android.
But since then, HTC has been surpassed by rival competitors who also build Android handsets. During the holiday quarter, Samsung is estimated to have sold about 32 million total smartphones, shy of Apple's 37 million.
HTC is also involved in a number of patent infringement suits with Apple, in which each has accused the other of stealing its ideas in smartphones. Apple won one such case against HTC in December related to "Data Detectors" in operating systems. Microsoft is believed to receive $5 per unit for each HTC Android device sold.

subset: commoncrawl


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Removal of Saddam – A Disaster for US PolicyThe 1991 Gulf War - Result of Proxy Economic Warfare by US Saddam – An ex-CIA Person
Casino Capitalism: The Collapse of the US Economy and the Transition to Secular Democracy in the Middle East
($23.95, 328 pages, iUniverse, 2012)
Get it at Barnes & Noble (available in e-book version also) and other bookstores
Please click here to see its entire cover page
About the book:
It is an extension of Chapter 6 ("The Collapse of the American Economy") of "The Modernization of Islam..." book.
Rated * * * * * out of 5 by ForeWord Clarion Reviews, saying:
"Frighteningly thought-provoking ... easily understood ... the Occupy Wall Street crowd will find vindication in this book."
Please click here to read the entire review.
The Modernization of Islam and the Creation of a Multipolar World Order
($20.95, 376 pages, Booksurge, 2008)
Get it at Amazon and other bookstores
About the book: The book has 376 pages (500 words per page) and 640 endnotes. It took 4 years to write this book. The Chapter 6 ("The Collapse of the American Economy") was finished in early 2007.
($11.95, 86 pages, iUniverse, 2012)
Get it at Barnes & Noble (available in e-book version also) and other bookstores
About the book:
Until recently people used to consider units of time and distance as 100-200 years and 100-200 miles, respectively,
whereas astronomers now measure time and distance in billions of years and trillions of miles. Still science can study
the scientific laws of only 4 percent of the materials in the universe as it can not 'see' the remaining 96%, called as 'dark matter' and 'dark energy.'
Great persons like Christ, Buddha, Moses, Prophet Muhammad, and Krishna knew something about the workings of the Universe which are not common knowledge,
and that's why we claim their actions to be miracles or religious dogma whereas these teachers were applying scientific principles, unknown to us, in everyday
life. Dr. Kumar has explained
the constituent parts of mind, the effect of mantra on the mind and how Karma may be scientifically defined and explained.
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The start of something new — FlakPhoto Digest.
We're developing a new project, a weekly newsletter focused on photography + visual culture recommendations carefully curated from across the Web. You know, the good stuff that deserves a closer look. FlakPhoto Digest is currently in closed beta and will be available to the public later this year. You can request an invite by subscribing below.
Solid Liquid Gas,
Brewer, Maine, 2006
Website - CalebCharland.com
Growing up in rural Maine, Caleb Charland spent much of his childhood helping his father remodel their family home. These experiences instilled an awareness of the potential for the creative use of materials, and the ability to fabricate his visions. Charland earned a BFA in photography with departmental honors from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2004, an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago as a Trustees Fellow in 2010, and was a participant at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2009. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is in the Collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Progressive Collection, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Charland currently lives in Maine and works at the Maine College of Art as an artist in residence.
Posted on Friday, July 11, 2008.
Paul, 2007
Pearl and Pine St., 2012
Toothbrush, 2006
Are you promoting a photography project? Share it with Flak Photo's global audience by placing a graphic advertisement in this space. For details about banner ads, media partnerships or other inquiries, contact editor Andy Adams »


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Brian Morgan
Research Associate
Geography Graduate Group
133 Hunt Hall
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA 95616
PhD Geography, University of California, Davis (in progress)
BS Landscape Architecture, University of California, Davis
My work focuses on the use of geographic information systems (GIS) technology as a management and decision-making tool for public gardens. I developed a suite of open source tools and templates for implementing GIS projects at public gardens called the ArcGIS Public Garden Data Model. I am also the director of a consortium of living collection managers and GIS professionals called the Alliance for Public Gardens GIS, a group committed to making GIS technology more accessible and easier to use at public gardens. My current work as a Putnam Research Fellow involves creating a GIS for the Arnold Arboretum based on the ArcGIS Public Garden Data Model, and creating a web-based application for performing collections research.
Recent Publications
- Burke, M. T. and B. J. Morgan. In Progress. Case Study: UC Davis Arboretum—Mapping is incremental. In Rakow, D. A. and S. A. Lee (Eds.) Public Garden Management. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ.
- Burke, M. T. and B. J. Morgan. 2009. Digital Mapping: Beyond Living Collection Curation. Public Garden 24(3). 2 p.
- Thorne, J. H., B. J. Morgan, and J. A. Kennedy. 2008. Vegetation Change Over Sixty Years in the Central Sierra Nevada, California, USA. Madroño 55(3). 15 p.
- Morgan, B. J., M. T. Burke, S. E. Greco. 2008. The ArcGIS Botanical Garden & Zoological Park Data Model. Proceedings of the 2008 ESRI International User Conference. Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, CA. 8 p.
- Morgan, B. J. 2007. Collection Mapping & GIS for Landscape Management. Association of Zoological Horticulture Conference Proceedings. 4 p.
- Thorne, J. H., J. Honig, S. Thrasher, R. Kelsey, and B. J. Morgan. 2006. 1930s Extent of Oak Species in the Central Sierra Nevada. Proceedings of the 6th California Oak Symposium. US Forest Service, Sacramento, CA. 22 p.
- Thorne, J.H., B. J. Morgan, T. R. Kelsey, and J. A. Kennedy. 2006. Wieslander Vegetation Type Maps: A Digitizing Process Manual. Technical Report prepared for the Pacific Northwest Research Station, US Forest Service. University of California, Davis, CA. 56 p.
- Thorne, J.H. and B. J. Morgan. 2005. Developing historical vegetation maps to support modeling in California. California Energy Commission's Second Annual Climate Change Conference, Sacramento, CA. 10 p.
- Morgan, B. J. and R. L. Thayer. 2002. Opportunities for Conservation in the Blue Ridge-Berryessa Natural Area: Land Acquisitions & Easements. Blue Ridge-Berryessa Natural Area Conservation Partnership, Napa, CA. 18 p.
Current Grants
- 2009. "GIS Training for Museum Professionals". 21st Century Museum Professionals, Institute of Museum & Library Services.
- 2009. "GIS for Tree Assessment". Conservation Program Support, Institute of Museum & Library Services.
Recent Honors & Awards
- 2010. Special Achievement in GIS Award. Esri International User Conference, San Diego, CA
- 2010. Katherine H. Putnam Fellowship in Plant Science. Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Boston, MA
- 2006. Best Instructional Presentation. Esri International User Conference, San Diego, CA


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A letter in the April 7, 2009, Tomahawk Leader:
Soon Easter will be upon us and many parents are tempted to buy one of those cute baby Easter bunnies that appear in all the pet stores. Unless the child is older than 12 years and is very responsible, a toy stuffed bunny will make a much better gift.
Rabbits are fragile creatures. They have a lighter bone structure than do dogs or cats and easily break the spine if dropped. Baby bunnies are cute and cuddly and tolerate handling. But babyhood doesn't last long. In two short months, puberty turns that baby rabbit into Bugs Bunny. Often, the bunny no longer tolerates being held. Powerful hind legs can scratch and sharp teeth can bite. Un-neutered males spray and mark their territory, just like dogs. Unspayed females are territorial and may attack little hands that enter the cage. Thumper must be spayed or neutered to eliminate those undesirable behaviors. Every summer humane shelters receive a large influx of former Easter rabbits as they reach adolescence.
Rabbits live 10 to 12 years. Will your child still care for the rabbit after the novelty wears off? Or will Thumper spend this summer abandoned in a backyard hutch? Like dogs, rabbits are social animals and need daily interactions with their human owners.
In 2008, over 800 rabbits were surrendered at animal shelters across Wisconsin. And unlike wild rabbits, pet rabbits released into the wild cannot fend for themselves. Thumper won't survive for more than a day or two on his own.
Older rabbits in shelters have little chance of being adopted because most people mistakenly want a baby rabbit. This is unfortunate because older rabbits make the best pets. They are more tolerant of children and have reached their affectionate adult personality.
Rabbits make great pets, provided you accept them on their own terms. They need a safe and loving environment in your home – not in an outdoor hutch. Save a life and don't buy an Easter bunny. If you must have a rabbit, rescue an altered rabbit from your local animal shelter or from the House Rabbit Society. A listing of available rabbits near you is available at www.petfinder.org. Call 608-232-7044 for more information or visit www.rabbit.org.
George Flentke
Wisconsin Houserabbit Society
Don't get an Easter bunny …
Letters to the Editor from the Tomahawk Leader.
3 posts • Page 1 of 1
- Administrator
- Posts: 679
- Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2001 1:01 am
- Contact:
Re: Don't get an Easter bunny …
I didn't realize this was an actual problem. Then again, I didn't realize there was a state houserabbit society. Has anyone bought a rabbit for an Easter gift for a child? Then again, I didn't realize there was a state houserabbit society.
- Floyd Alvin
- Contributor
- Posts: 135
- Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 10:55 am
- Tie to Tomahawk: Past Resident
- Location: Central Coast of California
- Contact:
Re: Don't get an Easter bunny …
Heck man, I didn't even know there was such a thing as a Houserabbit! And they have their own society!
Is it true that Buggs Obama is the president and Harvey Bidden the VP?
Kerry, as a resident of Madison we expect you hop right on down the trail and check this out, quick as a bunny. You can finish weiring them smoke detectors later.
Is it true that Buggs Obama is the president and Harvey Bidden the VP?
Kerry, as a resident of Madison we expect you hop right on down the trail and check this out, quick as a bunny. You can finish weiring them smoke detectors later.
3 posts • Page 1 of 1
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Nice camera - but wider zoom would be useful
I'm puzzled why this, like some other 'super zoom' cameras, extend the 3:1 (35-105mm) zoom range of basic compacts at the "long end" only e.g. 35-380mm. (The Panasonic FZ50 is another such example 35-420mm).
Possibly designing a short focus zoom lens is harder than an long focus one, but an effective zoom range of 28-280 or 25-250 mm would seem much more useful.
For the odd shot where one wants something just a bit longer than ~250mm one can always zoom the image by a 20-25% (and make use of those millions of pixels) without loosing too much resolution. But there is no 'post processing' way to get the part of the frame not included in a 35mm shot.


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Gunfire in Macon Injures Two | Crime
Macon police say two people were shot early today in the 4300 block of Capitol Avenue in south Macon.
It happened just after 1 a.m.
A police dispatcher says the injuries were not life-threatening, but one person was taken to the hospital.
Police say they're looking for a suspect in a silver vehicle. Macon police detectives and the Crime Lab responded to the shooting.
Details are still coming in and we'll update you as soon as they become available.


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10 p.m.
An aide to a Florida congressman who was wheeled out of the Capitol on a stretcher Wednesday says he "did not suffer a heart attack, but he continues to be evaluated by doctors."
Kelly Simpson, Rep. John Rutherford's chief of staff, says he is "is conscious, alert, and in good spirits."
The 64-year-old Republican worked in law enforcement for 41 years and served as sheriff in Jacksonville, Florida, before being elected to Congress last November. He represents Florida's 4th Congressional District.
Simpson says further updates on Rutherford's condition "will be provided once doctors have finished their evaluation."
7:10 p.m.
A freshman congressman from Florida, John Rutherford, has been wheeled out of the Capitol on a stretcher.
No other information is available about Rutherford's condition. His office did not immediately return requests inquiring about his condition.
The 64-year-old Republican worked in law enforcement for 41 years and served as sheriff in Jacksonville, Florida, before being elected to Congress last November. He represents Florida's 4th Congressional District.
6:50 p.m.
The GOP-led House has approved a bill that would overhaul how government regulations are enacted by prohibiting the most costly rules from taking effect until courts can resolve litigation challenging their enactment, among numerous other changes.
The bill has passed, 238-183.
It is the third regulatory overhaul passed in the House during the first two weeks of the 115th Congress, but all three measures face difficult prospects in the Senate.
The legislation incorporates several measures passed by the House in previous sessions. Republicans say the changes sought would reduce costs on businesses and make it easier for businesses to hire workers and grow the economy.
Opponents say the bill would make it difficult, if not impossible, to put in place any new safeguards for the public, no matter the issue.
6:20 p.m.
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, President-elect Donald Trump's choice for energy secretary, says he has stepped down from the boards of two energy companies that are developing the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline project.
Perry said in a letter to ethics officials that he stepped down Dec. 31 from the boards of directors of Energy Transfer Partners LP and Sunoco Logistics Partners LP. The companies are developing the proposed 1,200-mile crude oil pipeline that has stoked mass protests in North Dakota.
Perry said he still owns stock in the companies but will divest the stock within three months of his confirmation. He says he will not take part in any decisions involving the two companies for at least two years.
6 p.m.
Sen. Marco Rubio is frustrated with how Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state handled his confirmation hearing.
Rubio says Rex Tillerson didn't seize the opportunity to forcefully rebuke countries failing to respect human rights.
Rubio is lecturing the former Exxon Mobil CEO on the importance of being the nation's top diplomat and the need to stand up for people around the world.
Rubio says, "They look to the United States."
The Florida Republican says he is discouraged Tillerson didn't declare Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal or call Saudi Arabia and the Philippines human rights violators.
Rubio's opinion could prove pivotal when the Senate Foreign Relations Committee votes on Tillerson's nomination. The panel is comprised of 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats.
5:55 p.m.
A Missouri congressman tells House Speaker Paul Ryan he's concerned the speaker will follow up on "vigilante censorship" in the House by removing a painting that's at the center of a dispute about its appropriateness to be displayed on Capitol Hill.
Democratic Rep. William Lacy Clay says in a letter to Ryan that removal of the painting, after hanging six months without controversy, "would be a naked and unprecedented act of censorship and thought control" that would lead to litigation.
The painting won a student arts competition in Clay's district and depicts a scene involving police officers pointing their guns at an African-American man. One of the officers resembles a pig, with an elongated face and tusks. Some GOP lawmakers and police groups say it's offensive.
4:30 p.m.
Rex Tillerson says he doesn't agree with President-elect Donald Trump's suggestion that the world would be "better off" if countries like Japan and South Korea had nuclear capabilities.
Trump's choice for secretary of state is telling the Senate Foreign Relations Committee he doesn't believe "anyone advocates for more nuclear weapons on the planet."
Sen. Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, pressed Tillerson to respond to Trump's musings during the presidential campaign about America's allies in the Pacific having the means to defend themselves from the growing nuclear threat in North Korea.
"Do you agree with that or disagree with that?" Markey asked.
"I do not agree," Tillerson responded.
3:55 p.m.
Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state likens China's island building in the disputed South China Sea to Russia's annexation of Crimea.
He says it has to stop.
Rex Tillerson says in his confirmation hearing that China's actions are "extremely worrisome" and the U.S. failure to respond "has allowed them to keep pushing the envelope."
He says the U.S. must make clear to China that access to the islands won't be allowed.
His remarks are sure to anger China, which claims sovereignty over much of the South China Sea.
Over objections by the U.S. and rival claimants, China has reclaimed thousands of acres of land and constructed military-grade infrastructure, and reportedly installed weaponry.
3:30 p.m.
Rex Tillerson says Islam is a "great faith" and he doesn't support the "blanket rejection" of people from the United States because of their religion.
President-elect Donald Trump said during the presidential campaign that if elected, he would implement a total ban on Muslims entering the United States. Trump has since proposed "extreme vetting."
Tillerson, Trump's choice for secretary of state, is telling the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the U.S. has to be "very clear-eyed" about the threat posed by the Islamic State and other extremist groups.
2:18 p.m.
Rex Tillerson is telling senators he would work closely with Congress on any new Russia sanctions.
Trump's choice for secretary of state says he would cooperate "on the construct of new sanctions" after Moscow's alleged interference in the presidential election and aggression in other parts of the world.
Tillerson also says the Trump administration will be committed to seeking support from Congress for major military actions.
He says Trump believes "it is important that we not just lightly go into these conflicts" and would "seek the engagement and support" of Congress, either through a resolution or legislation to authorize the use of force.
Tillerson says: "It's much more powerful when the U.S. shows up with everyone aligned."
2:00 p.m.
The Republican-led Senate is poised to take a step toward dismantling President Barack Obama's health care law despite anxiety among some GOP senators that their party still hasn't come up with an alternative.
A procedural budget vote slated for late Wednesday or early Thursday would trigger committee action to write repeal legislation that could come to a vote next month. A full replacement would follow sometime after that if Republicans can come up with one.
The nearly seven-year-old law extended health insurance to some 20 million Americans, prevented insurers from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions and steered millions to the states for the Medicaid health program for the poor.
1:39 p.m.
Democrat Cory Booker says his Senate colleague Jeff Sessions has at times exhibited hostility toward civil rights.
Booker is taking the highly unusual step of testifying against President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general on the second day of Sessions' confirmation hearings.
The New Jersey senator said an attorney general "must bring hope and healing to the country and this demands a more courageous effort that Sen. Sessions demonstrates."
Booker added the Alabama Republican's opposition to reform of the criminal justice system, among other issues.
Sessions was rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1986 for a judgeship amid accusations that he called a black attorney "boy" - which he denied - and the NAACP and ACLU "un-American."
Sessions called those accusations "damnably false."
1:14 p.m.
A Republican congressman has asked the architect of the Capitol to review whether a high school student's painting of the events in Ferguson, Missouri, should be displayed on Capitol Hill.
The painting has the image of a pig in a police uniform aiming a gun at a protester. It hangs among hundreds of other works of art chosen in last year's Congressional Arts Competition.
In a letter on Wednesday, Republican Rep. Dave Reichert of Washington state says it's not his desire to censor an individual's right to freedom of speech and expression.
But Reichert says the painting is "in clear violation" of the competition's official rules, which state that exhibits "depicting subjects of contemporary political controversy or a sensationalist, or gruesome nature are not allowed."
The painting has set off a battle in Congress, with several Republicans taking it down and Missouri Democrat William Lacy Clay of Missouri putting it back up. Clay maintains that the paint represents free speech. Republicans call it offensive to law enforcement.
12:58 p.m.
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi says she doesn't know what has been reported or corroborated regarding reports that Russia obtained compromising information about President-elect Donald Trump, but she's long been curious about what information Russia had.
Pelosi says "I've always wondered what did Russia have on Donald Trump that Donald Trump would question whether we should support our sanctions that we had in Europe."
A U.S. official says top intelligence officials told Trump about an unsubstantiated report on him last week. A dossier contains unproven information about close coordination between Trump's inner circle and Russians about hacking into Democratic accounts. It also contains unproven claims about unusual sexual activities by Trump, among other suggestions attributed to anonymous sources. The Associated Press has not authenticated any of the claims.
Pelosi was speaking on a jobs bill when asked about Trump.
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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House Republicans Lend Big Oil a Hand
Geez, the federal government sure has made the last year so tough for struggling oil companies to get new offshore drilling leases. And if there's one sector that needs a helping hand these days, well, it's oil. But thanks to House Republicans those dark days will soon be over! Yesterday a bill was passed — creatively titled the Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act — by a vote of 266-to-149 to bring back offshore drilling auctions, which had been shelved in order to make sure safety and environmental concerns were addressed — a long, drawn out mess that was probably pretty annoying for oil companies.
More details of the bill, from the Times:
The House bill that was approved on Thursday sets specific deadlines for lease sales in the gulf and off the Virginia coast and deems existing environmental reviews for the tracts to be adequate. The Obama administration has said it would make those areas available for drilling only after new environmental impact statements are prepared and certain safety measures adopted by the industry.


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As CNBC's senior economics reporter, Steve Liesman reports on all aspects of the economy, including the Federal Reserve and major economic indicators. He appears on "Squawk Box" (M-F, 6AM-9AM ET), as well as other CNBC programs throughout the business day.
Liesman joined CNBC from The Wall Street Journal where he served as a senior economics reporter covering monetary policy, international economics, academic research and productivity. At the Journal, Liesman previously worked as an energy reporter, and Moscow bureau chief. He won an Emmy for his coverage of the financial crisis and was a member of the reporting team recognized with a Pulitzer Prize for stories chronicling the crash of the Russian financial markets.
Prior to joining the Journal in 1994, Liesman was the business editor for The Moscow Times, where, as the founding business editor for the country's first English-language daily newspaper, he helped create the publication's stock index, which was the country's first. Liesman also has worked as a business reporter for both the St. Petersburg Times in St. Petersburg, Fla., and The Sarasota Herald-Tribune in Sarasota, Fla.
Liesman holds an M.S. from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a B.A. in English from the State University of New York, Buffalo.
Follow Steve Liesman on Twitter @steveliesman.


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SOUL SISTER Begins February 25 at the Lyceum Theatre
Soul Sister, the new West End smash-hit musical inspired by the music, life and times of Ike and Tina Turner, rolls into the Lyceum Theatre from Mon 25 February - Sat 2 March.
Following the highs, lows, passions and heartbreak of Ike and Tina as their careers soared whilst their marriage crumbled, Soul Sister stars critically-acclaimed singer Emi Wokoma (Hairspray) as Tina Turner, alongside Chris Tummings as Ike Turner, the energetic Ikettes and superb on-stage band.
Soul Sister features all the classic Tina Turner hits including What's Love Got to Do with It, Proud Mary, Private Dancer, River Deep Mountain High and Simply the Best.
Described as full of heart and soul, electrifying choreography, and stunning musical numbers, Soul Sister is sure to have you on your feet, partying the night away.
Tina Turner is arguably one of music's greatest ever live performance and recording artist 'divas', and was named "one of the greatest singers of all time" by Rolling Stone Magazine. With a career spanning over 50 years, her combined album and single sales total approximately 180 million copies worldwide. She has won 9 Grammy Awards, and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, amongst many other accolades and honours.
Soul Sister was devised by John Miller and Pete Brooks; directed by Pete Brooks and Bob Eaton and designed by Laura Hopkins, with choreography by Jason Pennycooke, and musical staging and additional choreography Carole Todd. The musical supervisor and arranger is Keith Strachan.
Tickets for Soul Sister are on sale now from Sheffield Theatres' Box Office, priced £17.00 - £31.00. Call 0114 249 6000 or visit sheffieldtheatres.co.uk to book.


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Staff writer
It is not just the white bear in a red satin dress flanked by a red and white sparkly heart bouquet that catches the eye. There are currently heart-shaped lights draped with white spiral garlands around the city of Hillsboro office window in city hall, and according to the women in the office, there are roses in the bathroom too.
"Mary Klenda decorates for us,
city clerk Jan Meisinger said. "We appreciate it so much. She makes the holidays so festive around here."
Klenda's recent work centered on Valentine's Day, but she has special boxes with decorations for each holiday that she pulls out to share with others at the city building offices.
"I've just always enjoyed decorating for the holidays," Klenda said. "Even in my own home, I get it all out. It makes me happy. I enjoy sharing it with others."
Klenda works full-time as a custodian for the city, cleaning the offices, city meeting rooms, and bathrooms. However, she also enjoys decorating the building before and after regular hours.
"When each holiday comes, I just put it all right up," she said.
Klenda said the Valentine's Day display would remain until Thursday, but the next day she will get out St. Patrick's Day items.
"After St. Patrick's, I am ready for Easter," she said. "Christmas is my favorite, but I have pretty things for each holiday. I just like to do that."


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Cell Phone Safety
Read the original story. Click the "LISTEN" button at the bottom of the page to hear the story. When you are done, click the "NEXT" button.
How dangerous is it to use a cell phone while driving? A new bill under consideration at the State Capitol could provide some answers.
The state Assembly has passed legislation that would require officers to include information about the use or abuse of cellular phones in automobile accident reports. Officers would even need to note if a cell phone was present in the car, even if it wasn't being used at the time of the accident.
A crash last year near Lodi is a good example of how distracting and dangerous it can be to talk and drive at the same time. A teenage driver crashed her car while trying to hang up her phone. She was killed and her passenger was critically injured.
CHP officers say cell phone use is just one of many things distracting drivers nowadays. "People can actually have personal computers. They can set up printers. People are drinking coffee. People are eating," said CHP Officer Max Hartley.
If the bill does become law, the statistics from accident reports would be studied by the Office of Traffic Safety. The results would be used for a variety of purposes, including framing future cell phone laws.
(This story was provided by News10 KXTV Sacramento.)


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Boone County Fire Leaves Home a "Complete Loss"
BOONE COUNTY - A residential fire in Boone County Wednesday left a home a complete loss. A passerby reported the fire on route J around noon. When Boone County firefighters arrived, they found flames in the back of the house. Fire officials on scene said the fire began in the basement of the house. They were unable to fight the fire from inside the house due to dangerous conditions. Crews found a 100-pound propane tank inside the house as well as ammunition that forced firefighters to retreat.
A total of 33 firefighters were called to the scene with two engines and five tanker trucks to transport water to the rural location. Boone County Division Chief Gale Blomenkamp said he did not believe any people or animals were in the home at the time of the fire, and no one was injured.
One of the main issues they faced when fighting this fire was the water supply in the rural location. Blomenkamp reported the nearest water supply was more than a mile away, forcing the district to haul water to the location using tanker trucks.
There is no report of the exact cause of the fire, and there is not yet an estimate on the damages, but fire officials reported the home was a "complete loss."


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Understanding your experiences and opinions helps 4th Angel make the program better for you and others.
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Send 4th Angel an email to request brochures.
We are available to answer your questions.


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You are correct about what has been going on in France--and other European countries--re DWI.
Let me point out that while the DWI stats have been rising in France, it is also true that per capita wine consumption has been falling while spirits consumption has been rising. Could there be a correlation to DWI?


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Social Match: Cisco's Social Media "Dating" Program
At Cisco, we see the long-term benefits of using social media to connect with fans and enhance employees' work efforts. The Global Social Media Marketing team has been experimenting with a number of different ways to drive social media adoption internally. One example includes rewarding and recognizing SMEs (subject matter experts) who showcase exemplary use of social media (if you're interested in reading about our most recently awarded SMEs, check out the new "Meet Our SMEs" blog series).
An Innovative Approach to Endorse Social Media Use
On the other hand, we'd also like to have our employees proactively drive this process by having the SMEs offer their social media knowledge for social media managers who might need an SME's help with a variety of different projects. So how did we go about executing this initiative?
We decided to borrow a technique from online dating sites to mix and match individuals based on their needs, capabilities, and common interests—thus creating the "Social Match Program."
There were a couple main objectives to this program. Besides providing social managers with the short-term assistance they needed, we also wanted to offer exciting new opportunities for our SMEs to partake in so that they could get additional exposure and become more adept at utilizing their social media skills. This would ultimately result in a win-win situation for both parties.
A Closer Look at the Mechanics of the Program
How does it work? This winning combination includes a few key ingredients: two simple online forms and a "matchmaker." The SME Open Participation Form consists of a series of questions that SMEs can voluntarily fill out about their areas of expertise and interests, after which they would automatically be added to our database. On the flipside, social managers can submit an SME Request Form when they want to ask for an SME's help with a certain social media opportunity (e.g., events, launches, campaigns, and more). Upon receiving an SME Request Form submission, our team acts as "the matchmaker" to work our magic in identifying and connecting social managers with the appropriate SMEs.
Program Successes to Date
Although the program still has many improvements to make, it has garnered much initial interest and positive feedback from employees. In just two months following its launch at the end of last year, several hundreds of SMEs have volunteered to join the database, representing a plethora of different business functions and market segments. Moreover, the program has overseen 8 total Social Match projects so far with 4 projects currently in progress.
For the future, we hope that Social Match can continue to assist social managers and SMEs alike get the most out of their social media pursuits while helping employees find others with a common passion for social media.
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.
4 Comments
Jody Leung
Great program for social media enthusiasts!
Looks like an interesting concept and a program. Looking forward to be part of this initiative.


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Unworthy at the Table
God truly loves His people, but there is nothing in us that makes us worthy of such love. He saves us on account of His promises to Christ and His love for Him. What a marvelous blessing! Because He loves ...Read More
David Hood
Christian theologians have always recognized that sins of omission, the failure to do what we know is right, incur the judgment of God (James 4:17). Our negligence and failure to think things through can cause many problems for other ...Read More
David and Goliath
In this world of causes great and small, it can be tempting to jump on every bandwagon that comes along. We are not, however, called to megalomania, nor are we called to be equally zealous for all campaigns that present ...Read More
God Chooses Israel's King
Men and women after God's own heart are sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit and strive not to quench Him as He convicts us of sin and guides us in righteousness. One of the best ways to ...Read More
As God Had Commanded
The commendations of Noah's righteousness are intended to illustrate the benefits of holiness and motivate our obedience. Those who seek to follow all that the Lord commands can rightly expect a blessing, even if the fullness of this blessing ...Read More
The Abandoned King
Samuel mourned for Saul but withdrew from him. Jesus lamented for Jerusalem but left it (Matt. 23:37–39). Likewise, there may be times when, as a last resort, it is best to disassociate from people over whose hardness of ...Read More
The Good and the Better
"It is much easier to bring a bullock or lamb to be burnt upon the altar than to bring every high thought into obedience to God," Henry writes. Take care lest the good but more-ritualistic aspects of the ...Read More
The Grief of God
Many today believe, as Saul seems to have thought, that what one does is not as important as the sincerity behind the action. But God wants us to have right motives and right actions. True good deeds are motivated by ...Read More
Vengeance on Amalek
God is indeed patient and longsuffering. And yet, each day His patience comes to an end for many who rebel against Him. Their lives end and they are lost. We are called to tell unbelievers that they are trying the ...Read More
Saul's Successes
God does not judge success in the same way as the world. Those He deems faithful may attract no notice at all from other people. Our goal, therefore, ought to be His approval, not man's. Do you long to ...Read More
Exposing the Sin
The Bible clearly calls believers to honor and submit to their leaders. But there may be times when those leaders are prepared to take such ungodly measures that they must be opposed. We need great wisdom to discern when such ...Read More
The Sin of the Famished
No man can see all the repercussions that will ripple outward from a decision. Only God can see the end from the beginning. But leaders ought to give thought to the possible consequences of their actions. Pray that God will ...Read More
Saul "Troubles the Land"
Saul was something of a Pharisee—he required more from his men than God did. We, of course, are prone to the same sort of behavior, dreaming up guidelines for ourselves and others that God never lays upon us. Beware ...Read More


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Translated from Japanese, this lovely novella describes the growing friendship between an employee of the Akebono Housekeeping Agency, her 11-year-old son, a Hanshin Tigers baseball fan, and a professor who solves mathematics problems, then submits his solutions to math journals.
Injured in an automobile accident years before, the professor has 80 minutes of short-term memory, after which he must be reminded where he lives, even who his new friends are. To aid remembering, he clips notes to the worn suits he wears daily, though he rarely leaves his cottage, where, like the professor himself, "just about everything ... was either broken or on its last legs."
One note reads "the function of the elliptical curve"; one, "Hilbert's thirteenth" (a math problem). One note bears a sketch of the housekeeper; another of her son, whom the professor calls Root, "because, he said, the flat top of his head reminded him of the square root sign."
Despite the professor's impairment, two constants remain with him from before the accident: the beauty of numbers and the memory of his sister-in-law who, living next door, cannot be bothered to look after him. Part of the reason she refuses to do so appears in an equation the professor writes when the sister-in-law threatens to fire the housekeeper. Together with other numbers -- the housekeeper's birthday, Root's weight at birth, the Hanshin players' uniform numbers and statistics -- the equation provides a glimpse into what the professor calls "God's notebook."
A cosmic mystery of love, hope and remembrance, this notebook is like a pattern woven by "the creator of the universe," the housekeeper comes to realize. "And all we ask is to be able to re-create the pattern, weave it again with numbers, somehow, in our own language; to make even the tiniest fragment our own ... "
The mother and son's "fragment" occurs during that summer. One day, for example, the professor hesitantly leaves the cottage to accompany them on an outing. As their bond deepens, so, too, does the appreciation Root and his mother have, both for the professor's kindness and for his understanding of eternity, which "meant something more than it did to the rest of us, eternal in the way a math theorem was eternal."
Ogawa's plot twists, her narrative pacing, her use of numbers to give meaning and mystery to life are as elegant in their way as the math principles the professor cites. "Math is like God's lace," the housekeeper learns.
Ogawa's short novel is itself an equation concerning the intricate and intimate way we connect with others -- and the lace of memory they sometimes leave us.
Anthony Bukoski's most recent short-story collection is "North of the Port." He lives and teaches in Superior, Wis.


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Sunday, 11 March 2012
Escape The Everyday....
Hello my dear friends... Life has been fabulously fun of late - as we've been working on some very exciting new projects at The Little Cottage which are finally coming to fruition! Those of you work in the creative way will know well that it takes time for things to happen... Projects require love and tending over the long haul before they are ready to be set free into the wider world... Well, I have a couple of projects almost ready to fly and I can't wait to tell you more... Watch the blog over the next few weeks to see snippets of my new book (I'm sooo excited about this one!) and also my new range of Shannon Fricke Bedlinen. Yes... Bedlinen! I've been a lover of all things bedlinen for so many years - and so it seemed like a natural place to extend on my product range ( my Free Range ceramics)... We've been working away for the past 12 months to create a range that is EXACTLY as I want it to be - a range that reflects the carefree and inspiring lifestyle that I live and love everyday... So watch this space all - as I'll be posting pics from the photographic campaign (photographed by none other than the tireless Prue Ruscoe at my little studio up at the farm)... But that's not all! Watch this space as - we're putting the finishing touches on the new Shannon Fricke website - a one stop spot for hearing all our news, shopping the range, and booking into our workshop dates. Due to go live beginning of April...
In the meantime, I want to share with a you a recent project that I've been working on close to home - a small hotel refurb in beautiful Byron Bay... I was chuffed and slightly overwhelmed when I was approached to work on the refurb and fit out of what is now known as the Bayshore Bungalows in Byron Bay... An existing site (at north Belongil) - which hadn't been updated since it was first built in the late 70s/80s (think brown brick and pine raking ceilings!)... the Bayshore Bungalows was in desperate need of some tender loving care to bring it up to the now. The brief was to make it fresh, exciting and relevant without losing that wonderful, down-to-earth, been here for years vibe that Byron Bay is famous for... I love a challenge - and what really drew me to this project is the clients desire to 'tread lightly and with respect' for what came before. Of course, it's often easier to knock down and rebuild something that is seen as outdated - but not nearly as fun. The Bayshore Bungalows are quirky buildings (originally brown brick - be inspired those of you with a brown brick bungalow!) with a great feeling - and so the team and I set about giving them some life.
A palette of white walls and neutrals were the ideal backdrop to layer the muted, worn palette of blues and greens that became the essential accents. Been there before details such as sand sieves, oars, ropes and glass buoys give the space a down-to-earth attitude and a wonderful warmth. All topped off with artwork by local artist Potts - and you have a smooth, carefree interior that begs you to stay a little longer.
If you're coming to Byron Bay then check out the Bayshore Bungalows - the location is ideal - far enough out of town to be truly relaxing but close enough to the action of Byron. And Belongil beach (a stroll down the road) is a stretch of paradise... Check out their website here - also worth noting for those of you with a wedding coming up - that the bungalows are attached to the North Byron Events (which is a beautiful wedding location right on the beach).
Check back in everybody as I have more news to tell you! Namely, I'm in NYC - and I had dinner with the gorgeous Holly Becker and Amy Atlas last night!!! Watch this space...
all pics here by Alicia Taylor
10 comments:
- LINDA from OEKE said...
Oh my Shannon .. that was a very exciting post to read 1st up on a Sunday morning. Can't wait to see/read more.
Have a great trip (-:
- 11 March 2012 at 8:16 am
- Kylie Tyrrell said...
oooh Shannon, I had wondered what you were up to. I am thrilled to hear you will be doing your workshops again soon - I am desperate to book myself in for one! lovely fitout - cant wait to see what you have been up to. Kylie from Gold Chalk
- 11 March 2012 at 8:50 am
- beachvintage.com said...
I am googling them right now!
- 12 March 2012 at 2:04 pm
- Scandi Coast Home Australia said...
Can't wait to see all the projects in the works, and the new book!
Tania Maree xx
- 12 March 2012 at 2:07 pm
- Busana Muslim said...
WONDERFUL Post.thanks for share..
- 13 March 2012 at 2:55 am
- Rachel Callaghan said...
LOVE the interiors of the bungalows you have done. Stunning references to nautical but in such a fresh interior. Gorgeous. Really inspiring for seaside homes. Rx
- 13 March 2012 at 9:38 am
Love the white raked ceilings and colour scheme/decor you have done, just gorgeous :) I would love to see some before photos of it all as one day I'd love to do up an old 70's/80's house with the raked ceilings as I think they have great character and can look fabulous done all white like you have :)
- 13 March 2012 at 3:33 pm
Wow, it's beautiful. I just love white raked ceilings. I would love to do up an old house with wooden beams etc one day... Do you have any before photos? Marnie :)
- 13 March 2012 at 7:37 pm
- leah of sang the bird said...
I was smitten with the idea of S.F bedlinen and further taken in by your dinner with Holly.... So exciting! xxx
- 17 March 2012 at 8:09 pm
- Kellie Collis said...
What a lovely home! Have a great time in NYC! Kellie xx
- 17 March 2012 at 8:17 pm


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From startup and small business to large enterprises, each type of business requires a unique blend of Data professional. Though in today's world, much of the Data being gathered, catalogued, and analyzed happens both in the Cloud and on a hard drive, each type of business has a different need, budget, goals, and objectives. But there is one thing each and every business will have in common. At the heart of the Data team will be a Data Engineer. The Three Main Roles of a Data Engineer This is an analytics role in high demand. It is a growing and lucrative field with steps and stages for nearly every level of business and education experience. For example, a Data Scientist interested in stepping into a Data Engineer role might begin as a Generalist. In all, there are three main roles for each level and type of business – Generalist, Pipeline-Centric, and Data-Centric. Let's take a quick look at each of the roles with an eye toward the type of person who might be the best fit: Generalist – Most often found on a small team, this type of Data Engineer is most likely the only Data-focused person in the company. They may have to do everything from build the system to analyze it, and while it carries its own unique set of skills, it doesn't require heavy architecture knowledge as smaller companies may not yet be focusing on scale. In a nutshell, this might be a good entry point for a Data Scientist interested in upskilling and reskilling themselves to transition into a Data Engineering role.Pipeline-centric – This focus requires more in-depth knowledge working with more complex Data science needs. This type of role is found more often in mid-sized companies as they grow and incorporate a team of Data professionals to help analyze and offer actionable insight for the business. In a nutshell, this role creates a useful format for analysts to gather, collect, and analyze each bit of Data at each stage of development.Database-centric – This role is found most often in larger companies and deals not only with Data warehouses, but is focused on setting up analytics databases. Though there are some elements of the pipeline, this is more fine-tuned. In a nutshell, this role deals with many analysts across a wide distribution of databases. A Fine Balance Between Technical Skills, Soft Skills, and Business Acumen While it's important for anyone filing this role to have deep knowledge of database design as well as a variety of programming languages, its equally important to understand company objectives. In other words, once the groundwork is laid and the datasets established, it'll be important to explain what it is the business executives need to know to make the best decisions for their business. Knowing how and what to communicate to executives, stakeholders, and your Data team also means understanding how to best retrieve and optimize the information for reporting. Depending on your organization's size, you may need both a Data Analyst or Scientist and a Data Engineer. Though this is less likely in medium and larger enterprises. On the flip side, in order to understand the business' needs, you'll also need to be good at creating reliable pipelines, architecting systems and Data stores, and collaborating with your Data Science team to build the right solutions. Each of these skills are meant to help you understand concepts to build real-world systems no matter the size of your business. One Final Thought… Do you like to build things? Tweak systems? Take things apart and see how they work, then put them back together better and more efficient than before? Then Data Engineering might be for you. Are you a business who knows you're ready to scale up and hire a Data professional? We have a strong candidate pool and may have just the person you need to fill your role. Are you a candidate looking for a role in big Data and analytics? We specialize in junior and senior roles. Check out our current vacancies or contact one of our recruitment consultants to learn more. For our West Coast Team, call (415) 614 - 4999 or send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com. For our Mid-West and East Coast Teams, call (212) 796 - 6070 or send an email to email@example.com.
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We are thrilled to announce the launch of our 2019 Data & Analytics Salary Guide. With over 1,500 respondents across the USA, this year's guide is our largest and most insightful yet. Looking at your responses, it is overwhelmingly clear that the Data & Analytics industry is continuing to thrive. This has led to an incredibly active market with 72% in the US willing to leave their role for the right opportunity. Salary expectations remain high, although we're seeing that candidates, on average, expect 10% more than they actually achieve when moving between roles. We've also seen a change in the reasons people give for leaving a position, with a lack of career progression overtaking an uncompetitive salary as the main reason for seeking a change. There also remains plenty of room for industry improvement when looking at gender parity; the US market is only 23% female, falling to 17% in Data Engineering roles and 16% in the Data Science space. In addition to our findings, the guide also include insights into a variety of markets and recommendations for both those hiring, and those seeking a new role. You can download your copy of the guide here.
10. June 2019


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You are here
Revealed: Volvo XC Coupe Concept
Volvo unveiled another concept car in Detroit. And there'll be another concept in Geneva, designed to show their interior design prowess. And then… at last… there'll be the new XC90. And if the world can wait that long, the XC90 will be a new chapter. It's the first car to use Volvo's much-heralded all-new platform matrix as well as the first to be designed by Thomas Ingenlath.
Still the Concept XC Coupe gives us something to be getting on with. It's a full-sized crossover. They say we mustn't think it's just a coupe version of the next XC90 - it's too low for that - but it does show several cues that are lined up for production.
F'risntance, Ingenlath says you can expect all the next generation of Volvos to have this grille, the T-shaped daytime LEDs, the same bonnet profiles, and the shouldered tail-lamps. The concept also demonstrates the new platform architecture can make cars with the front wheels well forward, which makes them look like RWD premium cars even when they're actually FWD.
Lots of details on the concept are, Ingenlath says, inspired by action sports equipment and colours. Sure enough they are done nicely here. The grey rubberised material on the bumpers and grille is a nice departure from the usual flat black or chrome. But if we had a tenner for every time a car designer said a car was inspired by sports equipment, we could fund the BBC's licence fee.
He stresses this concept isn't just a three-door version of the next XC90, which will turn up at the Paris show this autumn. The XC Coupe is lower, in the bonnet and waist-line as well as the roof, and slightly wider too.
The concept on the show floor didn't actually have a finished interior, so Volvo hung on the wall a full-size model of the insides. It has just two seats in the rear, and they were folded to reveal special spaces for crash helmets and a personal watercraft thingy.
Volvo is making astounding claims for its coming safety tech. The platform uses a lot of super-strength steel and aluminium to make sure it's crash-safe but not heavy, and it's crammed with driver aids. Volvo says it expects that from the year 2020 no-one will get killed or seriously injured in its new cars.
The new XC90 will rely on the company's new family of four-cylinder engines, but the top one is supercharged and turbocharged for 300bhp, plus it gets an additional hybrid shove. That'll make a total of 400bhp, they claim.
The XC90 will come first, and then a new S80 saloon two years from now, and then a replacement for the V70.
What do you think?
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Automattic recently released the newest version of their popular open source blogging and content management platform, WordPress, version 2.6.
The new release is named "Tyner," for jazz pianist McCoy Tyner. It is by no means as significant an upgrade as previous upgrades such as 2.5, which sported an entirely new backend design in addition to the standard feature additions and security patches. However, this new version includes many exciting and helpful features that users have been clamoring for, and some that many users never expected. Some notable additions include:
- Post revision tracking: Bloggers can now have a wiki-like record of all the different drafts of their posts that have been saved. You can see what things were changed, deleted or added, and restore an old version. This feature will definitely be handy for sites with many authors.
- "Press This" bookmarket allows users to create a new post from any webpage, and pull text, pictures, videos and other bits of content automatically for their post.
- Google Gears support: WordPress is implementing Gears in a way that's a bit different than most sites and services. Rather than offering offline access to your blog (heard of a text editor?), WordPress 2.6 includes a new feature called "Turbo", which allows users to cache common files like stylesheets and scripts to their own computers. This speeds up loading and operation times significantly.
- Theme previewing: You can now see what a new theme will look like on your blog before activating it.
- SSL support is very important to many users, and it's now built right into WordPress.
Many other features have been added, including 194 bug fixes. You can find a more complete list, along with a video demo here on the official site. So far, upgrades have been going fairly smoothly. However, there is always the risk that something could go wrong in the process, and there are some users that have reported problems that range in significance from a messed up interface to a fatal PHP error when loading the blog.
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This online training module has been designed to provide a detailed look at all the good practice measures and enable participants to become qualified as a SKA Rating Assessor for the Offices scheme. Delegates will be required to complete and pass the online course examination to become eligible for the SKA Rating Assessor Accreditation.
This e-learning course is essential learning for all Contractors, Architects, Interior Designers, M&E Engineers, Project Managers, Portfolio Managers, Quantity Surveyors and Environmental Assessors who are qualified under other assessment schemes such as BREEAM or LEED.
To complete this e-learning module delegates must have completed the SKA Foundation course (Online or Face to Face) or have previous SKA assessor experience and have completed the SKA Foundation course exam.
This e-learning course contains the following:
The online exam is multiple choice and time restricted. Candidates will be afforded two opportunities to pass the online exam as part of the course. Any additional attempt thereafter will be charged at £80.00 + VAT.


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3536 Canada Road,Lakeland, TN 38002
Tenant: Gould's Salon and Spa
Gould's Salon and Spa has signed a deal to become The Lake District's newest tenant.
This marks the 12th location for Gould's, which joins The Stock Market and Malco Theatres in the 160-plus-acre mixed-use development.
Can You Feel It? Tuesday is election day in Memphis and across the state in this presidential election year. And all indications are the turnout locally should be above the 24 percent mark we've been at in the last two presidential election years.
Germantown-based Trezevant Realty Corp. has deep roots in the Mid-South commercial real estate market, and the uptick in the economy has more projects moving full-steam ahead.
Another Broken Egg Cafe will open later this year in East Memphis.
Franchise owners Chris Gouras and George Gouras of Gouras Restaurant Group have signed a 3,232-square-foot lease at Park Place Centre, at 6063 Park Ave. in East Memphis
A new farm-to-table burger restaurant is slated to open in Overton Square in May.
The restaurant by Ben McLean, which is called Belly Acres, will occupy 3,894 square feet at 202 Trimble Place in Overton Square, on the east side of the new Tower Courtyard with a patio overlooking the area.
A Durham, N.C.-based biologics company is relocating its Memphis presence, signifying a boon to the Northeast office submarket.
Bioventus LLC has inked 38,880 square feet of office and manufacturing space in Goodlett Farms Business Campus, 1900 Charles Bryan Road, in Cordova.
A trendy Vernon, Calif.-based retailer has inked its first Tennessee location in Austin Peay Plaza.
Gen X Clothing Inc. signed a 35,000-square-foot lease at 3252 Austin Peay Highway. The space was formerly occupied by Big Lots.
A growing Philadelphia-based value retailer has inked a substantial industrial lease deal in Olive Branch.
Five Below Inc. has leased 605,427 square feet in Hacks Cross Logistics Center Building 1, 9105 Hacks Cross Road.
Two well-known Memphis advertising agencies have inked a unique Downtown office deal.
Red Deluxe Brand Development has subleased 10,400 square feet of office space from Sullivan Branding in the old Smooth Moves building at 85 Union Ave.
A well-known snack food company has boosted its distribution presence in the Memphis area.
Snyder's-Lance Inc. signed a 26,757-square-foot lease at Airways Distribution Center Building F, 8425 Airways Blvd., in Southaven.
2342 Lamar Ave.Memphis, TN 38114
Sale Amount: $850,000
Sale Date: Aug. 17, 2012
An office complex in Raleigh has traded hands after being under the same family ownership for more than 30 years.
Commercial Real Estate Network LLC, a local investor, has purchased the 40,756-square-foot Raleigh Center Office Complex at 2974 Austin Peay Highway from Charles R. Averwater Living Trust for $299,000.
A longtime Memphis diner chain is expanding its presence into the Jackson, Tenn., market.
CK's Coffee Shop has signed a five-year lease for 1,390 square feet of the existing 4,900-square-foot Old Medina Market Gas Station at 2800 Old Medina Road.
Longtime Memphis diner chain CK'S Coffee Shop has signed a five-year lease for 1,390 square feet of the existing 4,900-square-foot Old Medina Market Gas Station at 2800 Old Medina Road.
The former Mazda North America Inc. distribution center in DeSoto County has been acquired by Hillwood Investment Properties for $13.5 million.
Askew Nixon Ferguson Architects has announced a trio of promotions in its Memphis office, 1500 Union Ave.
Dallas-based Behringer Harvard has acquired the Arbors Harbor Town Apartments – a 345-unit multifamily community in Harbor Town on Mud Island – for $31.5 million, or $91,304 per unit.
A Rome, Ga.-based surface components manufacturer is relocating its distribution facility to the Southeast Memphis industrial submarket.
Capitoline Products has signed a 23,500-square-foot lease at 5805 Advantage Cove, confirmed the firm's co-owner, L.G. Smith. The company is currently located off Lamar Avenue.
Memphis-based Hackmeyer Properties has bought the former Prairie Life Fitness Center at 3690 S. Houston Levee Road in Collierville from Prairie Life Fitness LLC for $2.7 million and is leasing the 57,264-square-foot facility to a new fitness company.
Memphis-based Hackmeyer Properties has bought the former Prairie Life Fitness Center at 3690 S. Houston Levee Road in Collierville from Prairie Life Fitness LLC for $2.7 million and is leasing the facility to a new fitness company.
CB Richard Ellis Memphis has recently closed two distressed multifamily properties in the West Winchester apartment submarket.
Tommy Bronson III and Blake Pera with CBRE's multifamily division represented MPI Coventry Village LLC in the $1.25 million sale of Highland Creek Apartments, 1305 Turkey Run Lane, to Highland Creek Acquisitions LLC.
A Memphis-based wholesaler of collectable items has signed a new industrial lease in the Southwest submarket.
MBIN Global Inc. has signed a new lease for 26,250 square feet at Bellbrook Industrial Park, 1004 Brooks Road.
Herbo Humphreys has joined the Crump Realty Group of Keller Williams Realty. Humphreys previously worked as a project supervisor for Bryan-Turley Properties.
A handful of industrial deals in recent weeks hit Northeast Memphis in full force, significantly tightening the already solid submarket.
Mattress Firm has signed a 23,500-square-foot lease in Century Center, 1590 Century Circle, for a new retail and distribution space.
A San Jose, Calif.-based worldwide electronics distributor is entering the Memphis area with full force.
WPG Americas Inc. has signed a 54,000-square-foot lease at Airways Distribution Center, 481 Industrial Drive, in Southaven. The project – a relocation of the WPG America's New York facility – represents a $1.5 million investment by the company and will create 60 jobs over the next three years.
The world's largest office products company will soon enter the Memphis market.
Framingham, Mass.-based Staples Inc. has signed a 17,945-square-foot lease at Ridgeway Trace, the shopping center at Poplar Avenue and Interstate 240 developed by Houston-based Weingarten Realty Investors.
A Wolfchase auto dealership facility is officially changing hands and names.
First Tennessee Trust Department has bought the 48,085-square-foot auto dealership formerly known as Cadillac SAAB of Memphis, 7727 U.S. 64, for $4 million.
Raleigh, N.C.-based Highwoods Properties Inc. has signed two deals at its Southwind Office Center, a 62,000-square foot, three-story building with views of the Tournament Players Club at Southwind golf course.
A TCBY franchise has signed a 1,225-square-foot lease in University Center, 3445 Poplar Ave., at the southwest corner of Poplar and Highland Street.
The Daily News in September launched a new weekly column called "Inked" to spotlight Memphis' commercial leasing landscape.
Despite tough times, local commercial real estate firms were able to ink plenty of deals in the past four months. Here's a rundown of some of the most noteworthy commercial leases since Inked's debut:
Evolve Digital Media has more than doubled its Memphis location at Apple Tree Center in Hickory Hill.
The Memphis-based company expanded its lease from 2,520 to 6,327 square feet at 6073 Mount Moriah Road Extended. Tyler Tapley, associate with CB Richard Ellis Memphis, represented the landlord, Apple Tree Center Partnership.
Memphis Metro Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) leaders pinned five new chapter designees last week in Orlando, Fla., after the designees passed a comprehensive exam.
The latest additions to CCIM are Rob Downey with The ServiceMaster Co., Aaron Petree with Loeb Properties Inc., Fred Placke with Fischer & Co., Taylor Trezevant with Trezevant Realty Corp. and Mark Utley with Utley Properties.
Evolve Bank & Trust has named Lewis E. Holland to its board of directors.
Holland served six years as president of the regional investment banking firm UMIC Inc., and after its sale in 1988 became a partner at the Memphis office of Ernst & Young LLP.
3431 N. Trezevant St.Memphis, TN 38127Sale Amount: $1.3 Million
Sale Date: Jan. 12, 2010Buyer: Tritex Real Estate Advisors Inc.Seller: Emily Bowman, successor trustee
At a time when real estate companies everywhere are closing offices and agents are abandoning the profession, Keller Williams Realty is expanding.
Bad things come in threes, as the old saying goes, and that principle could easily apply to the 520,000-square-foot Southaven Towne Center, where the economic downturn has taken its toll on a trio of high-profile stores.
A Florida development company absent from the Memphis market for the past few years is returning to the area with plans to develop outparcels at a Collierville retail center and a Germantown hotel.
3660, 3670 and 3680 Houston Levee RoadCollierville, TN 38017Sale Amount: $15.8 million
Sale Date: Jan. 22, 2008
Kenneth M. Peterson has been appointed director of purchasing for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Previously, Peterson was a career employee of the U.S. government, and formerly served as director of the National Acquisition Center for the Customs and Border Patrol Protection Service in the Department of Homeland Security.
40 lots in ShelbyAnd DeSoto countiesLoan Amount: $3.6 million
Loan Date: Sept. 13, 2007
Maturity Date: Sept. 20, 2012
177 N. Highland St.Memphis, TN 38111Permit Cost: $600,000
Project Cost: $40 million
Permit Date: Applied July 6, 2007
7110-7136 Winchester RoadMemphis, TN 38125Sale Amount: $14.5 million
Sale Date: Dec. 15, 2006
The Center City Development Corp. meets at 9 a.m. today in the Center City Commission conference room, 114 N. Main St. Call 575-0540.
Bridges Inc. hosts an open house from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the Bridges Center, 477 N. Fifth Ave. Refreshments will be served. Visit www.bridgesusa.org for details.
Five years ago, DeSoto County's list of places to dine wasn't that impressive. But today, choices abound.
With more than 1 million square feet of retail space expected to be delivered in the next few years, coupled with the construction of several new subdivisions, it's no wonder the dining options available to DeSoto County residents are increasing exponentially.
DeSoto Sees Rush of Commercial Activity
Major projects on table for Horn Lake, Hernando
The Daily News
The two large-scale shopping centers opening soon in DeSoto County arent the only items making a splash in t...
Busy Corner Attracts Health Club, Retail
Nebraska-based fitness center picks Collierville for new club
Construction will start soon on a multi-level shopping c...
Neighborhood center adds to burgeoning Collierville corner
By LANCE ALLAN
Trezevant Realty Corp. and Utley Properties are partnering to bring a 43,000-square-foot neighborhood retail center to the northwestern edge of...
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by The Daily News Publishing Co. Inc. - All Rights Reserved


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On Friday morning, the Ministerial Segment opened with a presentation by Isabella Teixeira, Environment Minister, Brazil, on preparations and expected outcomes for Rio+20.
Delegates then considered a report from UNEP on emerging issues from a global perspective, and delegates identified their own emerging issues, such as disaster management, sustainable urban development, invasive marine species, food security and animal welfare. Next Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, introduced the agenda item on the 12th Special Session of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum by urging LAC Environment Ministers to use the meeting to seek common ground with their peers from other regions regarding Rio+20.
Acting on a proposal by Venezuela, FME18 suspended its work to convene as the First Meeting of Environment Ministers of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (CELAC). This meeting was presided over by Rodrigo Benitez, Vice-Minister for the Environment, Chile, in Chile's capacity as pro tempore President of CELAC. The CELAC meeting agreed to create a working group to, among other things, develop a regional environmental agenda. UNEP was asked to act as Secretariat for the CELAC Ministers.
In the afternoon, FME18 reconvened to review the draft final report of FME18, followed by a paragraph-by-paragraph review, negotiation and amendment of the Quito Declaration until its approval late in the evening. Following closing remarks, the meeting was adjourned at approximately 10:45 pm.


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"It's time for the nitty gritty."
After the heartbreaking Ravens' loss, for Baltimoreans, Park City, Utah sounds like a great place to hide away. On Episode 4, the ladies traveled to the mountains with Ben and wallowed in amazing self-pity to rival that of the ultimate Ravens' fan.
Snaggle Tooth Snags Ben
Sarah: Between all the crying and fighting, where did Rachel find the time to get her snaggle tooth filed down? Her new smile looks great, but she ruined it by wearing that huge black bra under her white tank top.
Chris: All the girls are jealous when Ben and Rachel leave for their date on a...


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By BRENT OWENS
If someone has never seen a light airplane before and decides that maybe this is something they are interested in, what is their first exposure? For many it will be via an Internet search engine or the newsstand. And what will our new pilot-to-be see when he or she looks?
If you search the Internet for the term "learn to fly" a couple of gaming sites will come up and then you'll hit the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and Cessna learn to fly websites. After a little more digging you'll find that a license is upwards of $10,000 and airplanes are north of $100,000.
Next visit your local newsstand. Prominently displayed in most places are a variety of aviation-themed periodicals. Crack open the cover and the glossy ads that pop out all show high-end machines that cost more than most people's homes.
Not exactly a good start for our would-be aviator.
There is nothing nefarious about all this and if our expectant airman doesn't throw in the towel and keeps digging, he or she will find cheaper ways to break into our ranks.
In fact, many people, including myself, have dedicated resources to that effort. But the simple fact is flying is expensive — especially the kind of flying that is popularized within the industry.
This begs the question: Are we taking the right approach?
The current structure would have you jump into the deep end of the pool with large expenditures and intense training before you really have much exposure to the sport.
Walk into one of a thousand "pilot factories" around the country and they'll whisk you in, give you an intro ride, and then sign you up for an expensive course. Then they start feeding you information through a firehouse while you are writing sizable checks — and we wonder why student starts and completions are at an all-time low.
Can't we ease people into our community another way without having them mortgage their homes?
Maybe before committing thousands to a private pilot or sport pilot certificate, would it be more appropriate to get trained in a glider or something similar?
What I'm suggesting is that instead of the industry promoting these tired old ideas that clearly don't work under the crushing weight of the costs, we should promote getting back to our roots.
Image having "fun flying centers" around the country where you can learn to fly gliders, ultralights, hang gliders, etc. Putting more energy into setting the hook this way will garner more folks who graduate to the big iron later on. There are certainly pockets of these kinds of places scattered throughout the country, but if you don't know how to seek them out, you aren't likely to even know they exist. Most of these specialize in a single discipline, making them rather small and invisible to the average Joe.
By using a gateway drug that's fun, relatively inexpensive, and teaches the fundamentals of flight, we come away with a new crop of pilots who have a solid foundation upon which to build. As their interests and financial standing changes, that private pilot ticket and eventually a Cirrus or Diamond could eventually be realized.
When was the last time a flight instructor or flight school manager followed up with someone who expressed interest, but didn't come back out? Probably not often, if ever. Further more, if that did occur and the potential pilot expressed financial concerns, did they suggest that there might be other options to get airborne? I would bet that almost never happens. We could tell them about that countryside glider port or hang gliding center a short drive away. What would be the harm in that?
So to everyone who is dedicating resources to promoting aviation — including folks who are making their living from it, like instructors and schools — I suggest shifting our focus to creating a pool of ready reserve aviators by niche'ing down our businesses. If that's not possible, we should at least suggest alternatives to clients who can't participate in our expensive old system. Those folks have a high potential to eventually pursue the "conventional" pilot track later on, and of course, we'll welcome them with open arms.
Brent Owens is the force behind iFLYBlog.com and FixedWingBuddha.com, which offers money-saving tips for pilots. A corporate pilot, he built and flies an RV-8.


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Why the blended learning model is a good choice
One of the latest trends in the education world is blended learning. So what is blended learning and how can it help English Language Learners? The term blended learning has been used in education for many years. It involves the integration of traditional classroom instruction and educational technologies and can take different forms. Nowadays, the newest model is the flipped classroom.
In a flipped learning environment, the traditional format of in-class lectures followed by at-home student assignments is turned around or flipped.The student is required to watch an instructional video or lecture at home and then complete associated tasks or projects in the classroom. While students work through assignments in class, teachers can better identify and target each students needs and facilitate differentiated instruction.
Another objective of this individualized approach is to empower students to direct their own learning by coming to class prepared to ask questions and problem solve with their peers after viewing the subject matter on their own.
For English language learners the model has some obvious advantages. While watching a video at home, students can take notes, work at their pace and re-watch the video as many times as necessary. Watching video naturally lends itself to language learning, since the visual content is more readily accessible to students of all proficiency levels than complex textbook syntax and vocabulary.
The next day, teachers can spend less time lecturing in the front of the room (chalk and talk) and have more time to spend engaged with students, giving more personalized instruction, while the students use class time to complete tasks alone or collaboratively.
This brings me to the next and perhaps the most important advantage of the flipped classroom for ELLs. When English language learners are given more opportunities to interact with their peers in class, opportunities to think critically, and use English to connect authentically with others to acquire knowledge increases dramatically.
To read more about the flipped classroom and blended learning visit the following links:


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Article from May 2018 on the credit creation theory of banking, explaining credit money and seigniorage in simple terms. It was inspired by a paper issued by the Bank of England in 2018 which "recognises the credit creation theory of banking as a useful theory for understanding the process of money creation".
Online Text and Notes in Financial Economics
A textbook on trade finance, with eight modules and hundreds of pages of materials, created within Wikiversity by MSU Global for a project funded by the US Department of Education. The first three modules explain different kinds of risk and risk mitigation techniques.
Part of the Open Yale website, this course website covers financial markets as taught by Robert Schiller of Yale University in spring 2008. The course strives to offer understanding of the theory of finance and its relation to the history, strengths and imperfections of such institutions as banking, insurance, securities, futures, and other derivatives markets, and the future of these institutions over the next century. The website includes audio, transcripts, syllabus, lecture slides and exams with solutions.
This page assumes a little prior knowledge of game theory but applies it to the context of investment, introducing the problem of optimal portfolio selection and concepts such as risk premium, volatility and sensitivity analysis. It has been produced by Hossein Arsham of the University of Baltimore.
This web page discusses an hypothesis and theory of the supply and demand securities and the behaviour of speculators. The document is hyperlinked to glossary terms elsewhere on the Investor Home site and to other sources on the Internet.
Howard Davies sits on the International advisory councils of the China banking and securities regulatory commissions. In this lecture from October 2008, he is in in conversation with Professor Danny Quah from the LSE. Davies reviews the progress of reform in China's financial markets, and the implications for the rest of the world. The conversation is available as a 90 minute audio podcast (mp3) with the accompanying website providing speaker notes and PowerPoint slides.
An Introduction to Investment Theory is an online textbook "designed for use in a four-week teaching module for master's students studying introductory finance", written by William N. Goetzmann of Yale University, School of Management. Eight chapters covering theories of financial investment decision, risk, portfolio selection, asset pricing, arbitrage, capital market efficiency. Assumes some basic statistical knowledge, but presentation mostly uses diagrams and simple algebra.
This complete set of materials for teaching income tax has been used in a second year undergraduate microeconomics course for economics specialists at the London School of Economics. The material could also be used in a public finance course. There are 107 Powerpoint slides, a worked example to support the lecture, a class activity involving student presentations (printable instructions for students and for lecturers) and some assessment questions.
PowerPoint presentation depicting decision-making under risk, showing how risk attitudes can be examined using choices among lotteries or willingness to pay for insurances. Shows how risk attitudes can be captured in convexity of the indifference curve or strict concavity of the utility function; and how risk aversion can be quantified by the ratio of second and first derivatives of the utility function, implying that it falls as wealth increases.
PDF transcript of a inauguration speech given in 2012, illustrated with cartoons and graphs. Kocken calls for an understanding of risk based on Minsky's Financial Instability Hypothesis, informed by psychological research on cognitive biases. The file has been taken offline, so this link goes to the Web Archive's copy.


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PLAY GIG-IT Launches Virtual Concerts With Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar on Facebook
Can't see your favorite artists on tour this summer? PLAY GIG-IT, a new concert game created for Facebook, may be just the ticket to get close to artists like Lil Wayne and Kendrick Lamar.
The game incorporates player avatars in a customizable 3D concert featuring real venues, back-up dancers, dance moves and more. Once completed, players can post, share and give friends access to their virtual personal concert featuring actual artists like Weezy, K. Dot and Nas, among others.
A myriad of official brands like Live Nation have also partnered with the property. Users can choose which brands they want to sponsor their concert.
"Numbers don't lie and there are over 500 Million active social gamers, so signing on to be a part of The PLAY GIG-IT platform was a no-brainer for me," said Nas.
More about PLAY GIG-IT can be seen on Facebook.