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Leveraging data to change cities as we know them - the social impact
20 September 2016
Historically the public sector has been light years behind the private sector when it comes to utilising technology in their operations, and even later to the party when recognising the value of the data they hold. However, recent developments encouraging government transparency and efficiency have forced officials to rethink the issue.
Big Data is one of the Government's Eight Great Technologies to support UK science strengths and business capabilities, but research such as PwC's Global Data & Analytics Survey, shows that the volume, veracity and speed of public data need to be improved for real insights to be drawn. The 'Information Economy Strategy' reports on the increase in data being collected and the importance of computing power, in order to reap its potential economic value.
The use of big data analytics could save the public sector between £16bn and £33bn a year – equivalent to between 2.5 per cent and 4.5 per cent of the Government's total budget of about £700bn according to a report by think-tank - the Policy Exchange.
The scale and range of Government data is overwhelming. HM Revenues and Customs interacts with over 40 million customers, about 12 million more than the Big Four high street banks combined. Departments, agencies, and local authorities procure over £243 billion worth of goods and services and according to the Labour Market survey from the Office of National Statistics, about six million people work in the public sector, each of whom the Government store data on.
According to Tom Heath, Head of Research at the Open Data Institute "Data can enable government to do existing things more cheaply, do existing things better and do new things we don't currently do."
Smart Cities
One of the most exciting developments in IOT and big data analytics is the potential for the creation of Smart Cities.
According to Wikipedia a Smart City is an urban development vision to integrate multiple Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions in a secure fashion to manage a city's assets – in other words connecting the movements of a city with its inhabitants.
As the use of social and mobile technologies increases and physical objects are embedded with sensors, cognitive systems will be able to find patterns in the vast quantities of data produced. They can then reason through patterns that emerge and learn from their interactions with us to refine their suggestions.
By 2019, the number of smart phone users in the world is expected to surpass 2.5 billion – this will allow people to have a digital key to the city right at their fingertips. Information about what is happening in the city, what experiences are relevant to them and how to get there will be delivered straight to their phone. Mobile apps will become the new standard for tracking pot holes, broken street lights and inaccessible sidewalks.
Public officials will also be able to have a direct communication channel to every citizen, allowing city leaders to develop bespoke plans for communities and regions, addressing each person's needs in a tailored way.
By allowing cities and their leaders to leverage the knowledge in the data being produced around them, cities can become more flexible, faster to react, less encumbered by bureaucracy and more open to sharing data and insight. Perhaps even allowing citizens to have direct input into their community's and city's plans and receive feedback from city leaders.
The iUrban case study, carried out by PwC, showed that opening up Government data can massively contribute to a city's competiveness in many ways - such as by increasing democratic participation, accountability and transparency, spurring innovation, and even improving a city's service provision.
Some of the trail blazers in the journey to smart interconnected cities are IBM, Microsoft and Google.
Google's Alphabet has a subsidiary that has started a "Sidewalk project" which, if approved, will lobby bids from states or cities in need of an upgrade.
It's well known that Alphabet already has high-tech divisions working on developments that would be well-matched with a smart city; the self-driving car, Project Wing, Makani, and Project Insight, just to name a few - making this project an excellent commercial offering for Google.
IBM Researchers in Brazil are working on a crowdsourcing tool, Rota Acessivel that allows users to report accessibility problems to help people with disabilities better navigate challenges in urban streets and in Uganda, UNICEF is collaborating with IBM on a social engagement tool that lets Ugandan youths communicate with their government and community leaders on issues affecting their lives. Using IBM text analytics and machine learning, leaders are able to identify trending concerns or urgent matters and immediately take action where needed. These are the kind of analytical programmes that could be a game changer for developing countries that are regularly subject to political and economic turmoil.
Microsoft CityNext aims to connect functions like energy, water, infrastructure, transportation, public safety, tourism, recreation, education, health and social services, and government administrations.
Several cities are already on their way to modernization, including Auckland, New Zealand; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Hainan Province and Zhengzhou in China; Hamburg, Germany; Moscow, Russia; and Philadelphia.
As with any technological advances, there are risks and limitations. Much like Tesla founder Elon Musk, no one wants "The Terminator" to become a reality.
The iUrban study suggests that implementing open data initiatives in the public sector is not without its challenges and requires a number of key enablers: distributed leadership, prioritisation, choosing the right scale while involving private companies, grassroots movements and agile brokers within the municipal administration.
Some of the main concerns revolve around privacy and data protection. The speed of advancements in technology is surpassing the legal system. While massive improvements could be made, such as edge analytics for healthcare, digital government platforms and citizen e-ID's, there is debate as to how to implement these technologies ethically.
So what is stopping Government bodies from improving their constituent's day-to-day lives on a massive scale? Is it a matter of trust? Are you comfortable with the level of data sharing and connectivity that would be required? While public bodies would need funding and the technological know-how to implement smart tech, without our trust and a willingness to share our data it won't be possible to realise the benefits.
Join the debate at www.psrc.pwc.com, or leave your comments below.


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For 58 minutes on Saturday, Western Illinois stood poised for one of the biggest upsets in the football program's history.
For 58 minutes on Saturday, Western Illinois stood poised for one of the biggest upsets in the football program's history.
But Arkansas scored on its final two possessions to rally to beat the Leathernecks, 28-24.
"It's such a disappointing loss and the players are hurting right now," Western's acting head coach Mark Hendrickson said. "I think this is a real special team though. You can say the positive situation is that we played against an SEC school and played them really tough. We gave it all we had and played them to the wire."
Western led by 10 points on two separate occasions, including a 24-14 lead with 10:34 remaining in the game.
But senior quarterback Casey Dick wore finally wore down WIU's defense.
He found Greg Childs over the middle for a 26-yard touchdown, then led an 83-yard drive for the winning score.
Arkansas faced fourth-and-10 at the Western Illinois 33, but rather than attempt a field goal with strong-legged Alex Tejada, Arkansas coch Bobby Petrino decided to go for it.
Dick completed a pass to Carlton Salters, who just barely picked up the first down. The Razorbacks moved all the way to the 4, where Dick took a shotgun snap and ran left into the end zone.
Western had 1:42 to try and reclaim the lead, and picked up one first down. But a false start penalty pushed the Leathernecks back and quarterback Matt Barr's pass attempt on fourth down was incomplete.
Arkansas was playing its first game under Petrino, who was hired last December to replace Houston Nutt. The new era was off to a bad start before the game even began when the school announced running back Michael Smith's one-game suspension for improper use of scholarship textbooks.
Dick went 25-of-41 for 318 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, numbers that would have been even better if his receivers hadn't dropped about a half-dozen passes. Dick ran for two TDs in the second half.
He was the first Arkansas passer to throw for more than 300 yards since Clint Stoerner in 1999.
Javid Milton scored from a yard out on fourth down to make it 24-14, but the Leathernecks couldn't hold off the Razorbacks much longer.
Herb Donaldson rushed for 157 yards and a touchdown for Western Illinois. He also caught a 12-yard scoring pass from Barr early in the second half to make it 17-7.
Dick answered with a 23-yard TD run.
Arkansas freshman Elton Ford returned the opening kickoff to the 15 before fumbling, giving Western Illinois great field position. The Leathernecks botched a field goal attempt on that possession, but they took the lead later in the first quarter on Taylor Rowan's 42-yard kick.
Dick put Arkansas ahead in the second quarter with a 10-yard scoring pass to freshman Joe Adams, but Donaldson scored on a 3-yard run with 1:21 remaining, giving Western Illinois a 10-7 halftime lead.
Western almost did what it could not do the last time the Leathernecks played a school from the SEC.
In 2003 the Leathernecks were competitive for most of three quarters before losing 35-7.
"We only came here for one reason, to win, and that just didn't happen," Hendrickson said. "This was just game one though and we have to turn this into a positive. Our thought now is to come back and get victory No. 1 at Hanson Field (next week against Quincy)."

subset: commoncrawl


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Dear Mayors: Mi casa es su casa
Because I'm on vacation and won't be here for the 65th annual Conference of Mayors, I felt I should leave you a note. You know, the kind that people tape to their refrigerator when they leave town and you use their place to save money on a hotel.
"Hi. Welcome. Mi casa es su casa. Bed linen's clean. Garbage pick-up Monday. Sorry about the noisy neighbors. Chardonnay on counter is for you. Hope weather holds. HAVE
See, for you to get the most out of your stay here in my home, I think I need to explain a few things.
The most important is that many San Franciscans feel the same way I do, that this isn't just our city but our home. We take almost everything that happens here personally. Keeping this in mind will help you unravel many mysteries and incongruities - from our Brioni-clad cheerleader of a mayor to any protest demonstrations you may encounter.
Also, we are a big, slick, busy, sophisticated urban center, but we think like villagers. That mentality colors just about everything we do or refuse to do. Good and bad.
For example:
San Francisco is the favorite U.S. city of international tourists. Moscone Center and the town's hotels are perpetually booked with conventions such as yours. We have "Wall Street of the West" in our Financial District, exquisite restaurants and a world-class symphony, opera and ballet. Even the lowliest inhabitant is guaranteed the right to wake up each day to a heartbreakingly beautiful pastel city, built on golden hills and perched at the edge of the Pacific.
Given all this, would you expect us to tie our self-esteem to anything as pedestrian as a professional sports franchise?
Well, although the vote was close, the citizens of this fabled cosmopolis just OK'd a $100 million revenue bond so the 49ers could build a new $525 million stadium and adjoining shopping mall and thus not desert us. As the august morning newspaper moaned in an editorial: "The thought of San Francisco without the 49ers is numbing."
Like Green Bay without the Packers?
What with the movie shoot, the trip to Oakland for Cirque du Soleil and all those choreographed parties, you aren't likely to see many of the following, of which we have tens of thousands:
* Working people, trying to pay their mortgages or rent and hoping their children make it through the public school system.
* People, as down and out as it gets in the USA, living, begging and dying on the streets.
* People in "the nonprofit sector" dedicating their lives to helping the aforementioned people.
* Rich people and people in "the corporate sector," drawing from their own wells, time and again, to help the nonprofit sector.
What I'm saying is, while this truly is no ordinary American town, it is inhabited by pretty ordinary American people. People like you - no matter how oddly we may dress or whom we elect to our Board of Supervisors.
Many of us, in fact, came here from somewhere else; we grew up in real villages or small, land-locked cities. One thing makes us different though. We all remember the moment when something inside of us flipped, and we went from "I love this place" to "I've got to live here."
And live here we do. We fall in love, get divorced, raise kids, watch TV, prosper, break even, go bankrupt, attend church, root for the 49ers and Giants and occasionally stop to remember that people like you pay good money to come and stay with us.
So, welcome. San Francisco may look like a movie set, but it's home to us. As for you, sleep well on clean linen. Use garbage cans. Sorry about the noisy neighbors. Drink chardonnay. Hope weather holds. HAVE FUN!!!!!<


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FP7-TRANSPORT - Specific Programme "Cooperation": Transport (including Aeronautics)
From 2007-01-01 to 2013-12-31| See all projects funded under this programme / topic
Framework programmeFP7
Previous programmeFP6-SUSTDEV
Successor programmeH2020-EU.3.4.
Programme fundingEUR 4 160 million
Official Journal ReferenceL 400 of 2006-12-30
Legislative Reference2006/971/EC of 2006-12-19
Transport is one of Europe's strengths - the air transport sector contributes to 2.6% of the EU GDP with 3.1 million jobs and the surface transport field generates 11% of the EU GDP employing some 16 million persons. But, transport is also responsible for 25% of all the EU emissions of CO2.
What's the benefit for citizens:
During FP7 at least €4 billion will be allocated to fund EU research in order to develop safer, "greener" and "smarter" European transport systems for the benefit of all citizens. Research on transport will also have a direct impact on other major areas such as trade, competition, employment, environment, cohesion, energy, security and the internal market.
What's the benefit for researchers:
The need for new transport networks and infrastructures in Europe is growing and development costs are increasing. Their development at the European level can become a reality only through the collaborative activities of the various RTD providers.
It is imperative to address the different political, technological and socio-economic challenges in a cost-effective manner on issues such as the "clean and safe vehicle" of the future, interoperability and intermodality especially with respect to waterborne and rail transport. Also, developing technologies in support of the Galileo system and its applications will be essential in implementing European policies.
The activities envisaged to be addressed during the lifetime of FP7 will be:
• Aeronautics and air transport (reduction of emissions, work on engines and alternative fuels, air traffic management, safety aspects of air transport, environmentally efficient aviation)
• Sustainable surface transport- rail, road and waterborne (development of clean and efficient engines and power trains, reducing the impact of transport on climate change, intermodal regional and national transport, clean and safe vehicles, infrastructure construction and maintenance, integrative architectures)
• Support to the European global satellite navigation system –Galileo and EGNOS (navigation and timing services, efficient use of satellite navigation)
What's the benefit for industry and SMEs:
Investment in transport research is needed to ensure that European transport industries have a technological advantage allowing them to be competitive globally. In addition, FP7 Transport Research activities will also provide SMEs at the cutting edge of innovation with improved access to pan-European research programmes and their related benefits


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So yesterday, I made what Edward P. Jones' character Cassandra called "a death mistake." I wandered off and left Paul alone in the kitchen.
Red quinoa, oats, turmeric, chili, lemon curry, and salt all over. It's that brown and white stuff you see all over the cookbooks and counters behind him. He was awfully pleased with his culinary masterpiece. To complete the meal, he whipped up an omelette on the floor while my back was turned cleaning up the entree. (What was I thinking, turning my back on him AGAIN?) While I cleaned that up, he climbed the desk in the kitchen. Thwarted too many times in too short a time span, he screamed his little head off and then passed out for an early nap. Exhausting work, that.
Quinoa is a tiny grain. I'll be finding it 'til kingdom come. But isn't he something? What a handsome little devil, and how satisfied he is to have accomplished that task!


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We will guide you on every step from learning to trade, choosing the right broker for you and keeping up to date with technical and fundamental analysis as well as seminars and news.
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The League Management Company (LMC) on Monday said it had released funds to all the 20 clubs in the Globacom Premier League to develop and recruit young talents into their feeder teams.
LMC's Public Relations Officer Mike Enahoro told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the release was based on the dearth of feeder teams into most of the clubs in the Globacom League.
"The release of funds to these clubs is to enable them to fully develop their feeder teams and for those with no feeder teams to develop one.
"The dearth of feeder teams in the Globacom League is worrisome to the LMC, and we need to release funds for them for effective continuity
According to him, the future of football will be uncertain without feeder teams in the various clubs participating in the premiership.
"We understand that clubs have to develop their feeder teams for continuity and growth.
"We gave clubs a substantial amount of money to cater for their feeder teams.
"And we are optimistic that they will use the money judiciously for this purpose, Enahoro said.
According to him, LMC will go from time to time,to see how the feeder teams are faring, and offer advice when necessary.


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is an effort to universalise elementary education by community-ownership of the school system. It is a response to the demand for quality basic education all over the country. The SSA programme is also an attempt to provide an opportunity for improving human capabilities to all children, through provision of community-owned quality education in a mission mode
- All children in school, Education Guarantee Centre, Alternate School, 'Back-to-School' camp by 2003
- All children complete five years of primary schooling by 2007
- All children complete eight years of elementary schooling by 2010
- Focuson elementary education of satisfactory quality with emphasis on education for life Bridge all gender and social category gaps at primary stage by 2007 and at elementary education level by 2010
- Universal retention by 2010 the country


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Smarty Pants presents The Big Balloon Show
Glenview | Website
This event occurred in the past.
Map | Find Parking
Inspired by classic vaudeville, this innovative all-ages production includes magic, comedy, and Smarty's award-winning, eye-popping balloon props. Preference is given to Glenview Library cardholders. Please register at glenviewpl.org/register or by calling.


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nice !
i never tell anyone about u n urself !
trustworthy ? u will never be !
be the BIRDS
that spread the WORDS
which will definitely HURTS !
u should be awarded ~
broke da promise !
backstabbing !
hypocrite !
don't ever say HYE
to people u tell LIE
I might gonna CRY
coz u can't be RELY
so don't ever TRY
make it until i DIE !


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Date: Fri, 20 Jan 1995 22:23:44 -0600
Message-Id: <email@example.com>
Sender: firstname.lastname@example.com
Precedence: bulk
From: ERITREA-L <firstname.lastname@example.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list <email@example.com>
Subject: Eritrea Profile #45
X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0b—ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas
From: IN%
firstname.lastname@example.com 20-JAN-1995 14:19:00.77
Subject: Eritrea Profile ...#45
'Electoral Systems' was one of the issues discussed in the International Symposium on the Making of the Eritrean Constitution held in Asmara from January 7-12. Dr. Gebrehiwot Tesfagiorgis, a member of the Constitutional Commission of Eritrea and a professor at the University of Nebraska, USA, presented the issue paper and participants debated on the pros and cons of different forms of representation from various countries.
Democracy means representation. In a representative democracy, elected
officials make decisions on behalf of the people. Electoral systems
are the methods by which citizens' votes are translated into
representatives' seats. There are many types of electoral system
reflecting different national constitutional and political
contexts. They can be categorized into two broad types: majority
systems (MS) and proportional representation (PR). Under MS one person
at a time is elected by majority vote. This results in a legislature
(parliament) which does not fairly represent the electors, and in
which minorities are often under-represented. The PR system is one in
which the number of seats in a constituency is divided amongst the
total votes cast so that each opinion is reflected by the votes it
wins. The purpose of elections is to reflect the main opinions within
the electorate, ensure majority rule, elect suitable representatives
and guarantee the establishment of strong and stable governments.
Dr. Gebrehiwot stressed that it is possible to devise an electoral
system that fulfills these aims. But which one? Former British and
French colonies in Africa inherited the majority system. But in the
last five years there has been a massive shift towards PR. According
to Professor Goran Hyden of the University of Florida this is because,
there is a genuine feeling that the majority system is too
divisive. It's based on the assumption of winner-take-all or a
zero-sum game. As a result of this there is a fear that that kind of
system, in Africa in particular, given its cultural pluralism and
ethnic diversity, is going to tear the country apart.
Prof. Shadrack Gutto of the University of Witwatersrand in South
Africa cited an illustration to support Professor Hyden.
In the
recent multi-party elections in Kenya, the ruling party won the
elections with 35% of the popular vote. The opposition, which had 65%
of the vote, did not win because of the way constituencies were drawn.
The popular vote was not taken into account.
Prof. Gutto described African countries as multicultural or
multi-ethnic entities, whereby some groups are too small to be fairly
represented in majority systems of elections.
PR, he said,
gives a greater voice to the minorities who would otherwise be
marginalized through the majority system. Prof. Hyden mentioned
Namibia and South Africa—two countries which have recently
changed to PR—to strengthen his argument that PR can guarantee
representative national unity in a way that MS does not. Although the
above arguments favour PR over MS, it doesn't mean that the
former is predictable.
Assuming that the voter is primarily
concerned with support for a party, said the issue
Parties should be given representation in proportion to
their support. Under PR, then, quotas are established to ensure a
party a seat. Ato Dawit Yohannes, a member of the Council of
Representatives in Ethiopia, questioned the soundness of this
Parties do not represent the majority if the masses are not
directly involved in political life. The PR system is a complex
process that presumes that the majority of voters belong to a
political party. In our case, we found that 90% of Ethiopians do not
belong to political parties. Only 10% belong to over 120 parties that
have come into existence in the last three years. To divide seats
among these political parties is to pay lip service to reality. So we
have insisted that our electoral system should reflect the
participation of the majority, who participate in elections without
being allied to a political party. We discovered that this was the
only way that the constituency/representative relationship could be
maintained. A representative of the Arab Lawyers Union from Cairo,
Dr. Yehia El Gamel, agreed that PR leads to fuller representation. But
he warned that certain
preconditions had to be met. There must
be genuine political freedom, he said. Secondly, a real system of
political parties should exist.
If you have political parties
without democracy inside them, Dr. Yehia argued
PR will lead to
catastrophe. Party leaders will prepare a list of candidates which do
not reflect the power of the wings in political parties. The
consequence of such abuse—the premature dissolution of
legislatures -will result in a lack of effective government. Mr. Bona
Malwal of St. Anthony's College in Britain who is also the
editor and publisher of the Sudan Democratic Gazette, pointed out the
economic impact of such instability.
It is important to develop a
system whereby parties or the parliament have to stay the course of
the period that has been given, otherwise the instability that follows
is something that a developing country like Eritrea can ill
afford. The scandals that have surfaced in Italy, France, Belgium
and to a certain extent in the United States, South Korea and Japan,
according to Dr. Zaki Mustapha, are probably related to the way
representatives have been elected. Dr. Zaki, a Sudanese lawyer working
at the Law Office of Ahmed Z.Yemani in Saudi Arabia, recommended that
Africans coin a system that matches their reality.
Mr. Crawford Young, a professor of Political Science at the University
of Wisconsin, reconciled the debate on representation by saying,
significant aspect of an electoral system is that it can be adjusted
over time. As a basis for his proposal the professor noted that
the consequences of electoral systems are not always readily
One fundamental purpose in designing electoral
systems, he continued,
is not just to reflect the cultural
diversity of the country. It is also to broker differences between
segments of a society and provide incentives for those competing for
office to seek support from more than one group. He suggested
incentives for cooperation in the electoral process and not just in
coalition formation after the elections have taken place. Mr. Abdul
Rahman Babu, from Birkbeck College, London, also noted the merits and
demerits of both systems.
The most important thing for a
constitution, however, is to sustain the trust of the people. We have
already seen in the mature democracies of the United States and
Britain how voters become cynical. Only last month, in the elections
in America , less than a sixth of the electorate bothered to
vote. That is a threat to democracy.


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Things looked rough in Sydney today, with top seeds and high-ranked players crashing out, retiring, and having uncomfortably close calls. Caro, JJ, Bepa (still having problems with that ankle) and Nads all lost, while Vika got played a little too close for comfort by Sabine. And while Sam losing to Flavs is not, on its face, a terrible result, the quality of play she showed was... uh, not good. What up, Sammy?
The only seed that lost on the guy's side was Igor Andreev. I think his hair is getting him down.
And then there was this...
Singles - First Round
[6] J Melzer (AUT) d F Fognini (ITA) 57 63 62
[WC] J Statham (NZL) d [WC] D King-Turner (NZL) 62 75
T Bellucci (BRA) d M Chiudinelli (SUI) 63 63
Singles - First Round
(2) Shahar Peer (ISR) d. (WC) Olivia Rogowska (AUS) 63 62
(5) Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) d. Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) 61 62
(7) Zheng Jie (CHN) d. Kaia Kanepi (EST) 46 63 76(4)
(8) Gisela Dulko (ARG) d. Melinda Czink (HUN) 64 62
Sara Errani (ITA) d. Melanie Oudin (USA) 36 63 75
Jelena Dokic (AUS) d. (Q) Elena Baltacha (GBR) 64 62
Tamira Paszek (AUT) d. Roberta Vinci (ITA) 64 63
(Q) Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) d. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 60 60
(Q) Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) d. (WC) Sophie Ferguson (AUS) 62 62
Women's Singles - First Round
Li Na (CHN) d. (4) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 26 63 62
(6) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d. Sabine Lisicki (GER) 36 62 75
(Q) Agnes Szavay (HUN) d. (7) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 57 61 75
Elena Vesnina (RUS) d. (8) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 33 ret. (right ankle injury)
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. Jill Craybas (USA) 60 64
Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Samantha Stosur (AUS) 63 61
(Q) Kimiko Date Krumm (JPN) d. Nadia Petrova (RUS) 63 57 64
María José Martínez Sánchez (ESP) d. (Q) Varvara Lepchenko (USA) 63 63
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) d. (LL) Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) 76(2) 61
Aravane Rezai (FRA) d. (Q) Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) 67(3) 62 62
(Q) Vera Dushevina (RUS) d. (WC) Casey Dellacqua (AUS) 62 62
Men's Singles - First Round
[Q] L Mayer (ARG) d [7] I Andreev (RUS) 67(7) 63 76(4)
R Gasquet (FRA) d F Lopez (ESP) 61 64
M Baghdatis (CYP) d [WC] N Lindahl (AUS) 62 75
A Seppi (ITA) d [Q] M Matosevic (AUS) 64 64
P Cuevas (URU) d M Llodra (FRA) 62 76(1)
P Starace (ITA) d [Q] F Gil (POR) 61 64


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Posted on June 2, 2017 in Investment Firms
Madison Street Capital is an investment banking firm and the financial advisor for DCG Software. DCG provides function point analysis and software value management globally and have merged with The Spitfire Group. Charles Botchway of Madison Street Capital announced the transaction although the terms remain undisclosed.
According to Charles Botchway, both Mike Harris, the CEO of DCG and Mark Richtermeyer, the CEO of Spitfire, both companies have exceptional management teams in place. He was pleased to work with both of these leaders in IT Business. From their first meeting right up to the deal closing, Harris felt thoughtful insight and powerful analysis were provided by Jay Rodgers who led the team. He stated that both himself and Mark will continue their work with the MSC team so they can find more ways for clients to continue the growth of their software value.
DCG Software Value provides software analytics, agile services for support and quality management services on a global basis. Companies of all different sizes have been depending on DCG's software since 1994 and rely on them for resource management, the fostering on improved decision making and to favorably impact their bottom line. DCG's corporate office is located in Malvern, Pennsylvania with an additional office in the United Kingdom. Objective Integrity, Inc. operates under the name of DCG Software Value.
The Spitfire Group is a technology and business consulting firm specializing in helping their clients align their technology initiatives and business objectives. They use the concept of force multiplier and are a team of highly experienced and trained professionals who help a company's teams and technology perform at a much higher level. They specialize in integration and development projects, custom development and the assessment of technology architecture.
The Madison Street Capital Reputation is impeccable. They are an investment banking firm who operates on an international level and are committed to excellence, integrity, service and leadership. They specialize in acquisition and merger expertise, financial advisory services and opinions and valuation services. They help private and public businesses succeed globally. They treat the objectives and goals of their clients as their own.
Madison Street Capital sees the emerging markets as the main component in helping their clients grow. For this reason their assets remain focused on these markets. The firm uses a combination of an extremely high level of professional standards and unwavering dedication to earn their clients trust.
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Candidate's residency challenged by lawsuit
A complaint filed Aug. 15 in the Circuit Court of Pulaski County challenges the qualifications of candidate Wes Wagner for District 54 State Representative. The lawsuit was filed by Manila resident Chris Gamble through his attorney, Christopher D. Brockett, of Hatfield, Sayre & Brockett in Little Rock.
The lawsuit challenges the Manila residency of Wagner. Under the law, a candidate must be 21 years old, a resident of Arkansas for two years prior to an election and must live in the district for at least one year preceding an election.
According to Gamble's attorney, the lawsuit is based on the Plaintiff's (Chris Gamble) personal knowledge and belief that Wagner resides in Jonesboro.
Wagner ran in 2010 for the State Representative seat in District 76, which represents the eastern half of Craighead County. On the candidate information receipt for the 2010 election, he listed a Jonesboro address as his residence. Wagner lost the 2010 race in a run-off decision in the 2010 Primary election.
According to information provided by Brockett, Wagner used a post office box number in Manila as his permanent address on his candidate information form and receipt for the 2012 election in District 54. This post office box is the mailing address for his law office located in Manila. Further, Wagner listed on his Democratic party 2012 district, state or federal candidate filing form an address at 838 Highway 77 West, Manila. The plaintiff has taken the step of attempting to locate that address and says he was unsuccessful. The area where the address should be located is undeveloped farm land and has no structures. The plaintiff also contacted Entergy Arkansas to determine whether they have any record of the address and whether electrical service is provided to the address. Entergy Arkansas answered "no" to each of the questions.
Gamble's suit requests the court enter a declaratory judgment declaring Wagner ineligible for candidacy as State Representative for District 54 and that he be excluded from the Nov. 6 election ballots.
Wagner was unopposed in the May primary election.
An expedited hearing also is requested in the suit, mandating that state officials either allow votes for write-in candidates to be certified in determining the outcome of the election for District 54 or hold a special election prior to the Nov. 6 general election to obtain a replacement candidate.
District 54 is made up of northern and western Mississippi County, Lepanto, Rivervale and Trumann in Poinsett County.
Listed as separate defendants in the lawsuit are the Mississippi County election commission, Mississippi County Clerk and Arkansas Secretary of State in their official capacities, in that the adjudication of this action may lead to a Writ of Mandamus regarding the Nov. 6 ballot information.
Wagner, a Manila attorney, said he was served with papers regarding the lawsuit on Sunday morning at his Manila residence as he was leaving for church.
Wagner said the listed address of his Manila residence is the 911 designated address given to him.
"I did not just pull the address out of the air," he said. "The numbers may not be in order, but until my number is changed in the 911 emergency system, I will continue to use it. I do have an Entergy account at my Manila residence, along with my other utilities.
"I sense that this issue stems from when my law office flat out refused to go along with an attempt to mislead an insurance company on a claim for damages to a mobile sign," he continued. "I am fully aware of the residency requirements to run for office, therefore, I have no doubt I have been, and obviously I am, a current resident of District 54. I have the utmost confidence that this lawsuit has no merit."
Wagner said the residency requirements will hinge on the definition of intent, adding his intent "has always been and will continue to be a resident of Manila."
"I do have another residence in Jonesboro, but it is not my primary residence," Wagner said. "You can have more than one residence."
"I have lived most of my life in Manila, attending K-12 and graduating in 1997. After college and law school, I decided to come back to Manila to help this community as a whole.
"I want to see the community prosper, and in doing so, I most recently worked, along with the city council, to see that the new swimming pool will become a reality.
"It is common knowledge that Mr. Gamble worked against the sales tax to pay for the pool, and with his attitude toward the community, I would not be surprised if his next frivolous lawsuit was an attempt to stop construction of the new water park.
"Not only do I live, work and enjoy the many recreational activities such as hunting and fishing in Manila, but also, I have many investments in Manila from my law office and carwash to rental property and farmland. I also try to do business with the people of our town, including Gamble Furniture, where, ironically, I got my cookstove for my residence in Manila. They even delivered it, and I can assure you they did not drop it off at my post office box," Wagner said.
"If Mr. Gamble has a personal vendetta against me, then it is very unfortunate that he is letting that create such collateral damage to the town I love and call home. In filing this estranged lawsuit, he has regrettably also caused undeniable tension between and among our mutual friends. I must say that I greatly appreciate the mountains of support I have received from across the state, around the district, and throughout the entire town of Manila.
"More importantly, I am very excited and look forward to representing the people of Manila, who I consider all to be friends. It will be an honor to represent all the constituents in District 54 in the state legislature."
As of Monday morning, no date has been set for a hearing.


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Cardinal Splines
A cardinal spline is a sequence of individual curves joined to form a larger curve. The spline is specified by an array of points and a tension parameter. A cardinal spline passes smoothly through each point in the array; there are no sharp corners and no abrupt changes in the tightness of the curve. The following illustration shows a set of points and a cardinal spline that passes through each point in the set.
A physical spline is a thin piece of wood or other flexible material. Before the advent of mathematical splines, designers used physical splines to draw curves. A designer would place the spline on a piece of paper and anchor it to a given set of points. The designer could then create a curve by drawing along the spline with a pencil. A given set of points could yield a variety of curves, depending on the properties of the physical spline. For example, a spline with a high resistance to bending would produce a different curve than an extremely flexible spline.
The formulas for mathematical splines are based on the properties of flexible rods, so the curves produced by mathematical splines are similar to the curves that were once produced by physical splines. Just as physical splines of different tension will produce different curves through a given set of points, mathematical splines with different values for the tension parameter will produce different curves through a given set of points. The following illustration shows four cardinal splines passing through the same set of points. The tension is shown for each spline. Note that a tension of 0 corresponds to infinite physical tension, forcing the curve to take the shortest way (straight lines) between points. A tension of 1 corresponds to no physical tension, allowing the spline to take the path of least total bend. With tension values greater than 1, the curve behaves like a compressed spring, pushed to take a longer path.
Note that the four splines in the preceding figure share the same tangent line at the starting point. The tangent is the line drawn from the starting point to the next point along the curve. Likewise, the shared tangent at the ending point is the line drawn from the ending point to the previous point on the curve.
To draw a cardinal spline, you need a Graphics object, a Pen object, and an array of Point objects. The Graphics object provides the DrawCurve method, which draws the spline, and the Pen object stores attributes of the spline, such as line width and color. The array of Point objects stores the points that the curve will pass through. The following example draws a cardinal spline that passes through the points in myPointArray. The third parameter is the tension.
myGraphics.DrawCurve(&myPen, myPointArray, 3, 1.5f);


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The IFBB Professional League/National Physique Committee has recently announced new weight limits in the Men's Classic Physique division. According to IFBB Pro League/NPC President Jim Manion the Classic Physique, first launched in 2016, is perceived as the middle ground between the Bodybuilding and the Men's Physique categories. It highlights symmetry ...Read More »
Home | Tag Archives: NPC
New competitive division announced for 2016
The Classic Physique division, a brand new class to the world of bodybuilding, was announced this week by National Physique Committee (NPC) and IFBB pro league president Jim Manion. The new competitive division is a bridge between Physique and open bodybuilding classes. Classic Physique will be for athletes who want ...Read More »


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Graham Norton wants Alan Carr 'gay-off'
- Bang Showbiz
- 16 March 2011
Chat show host Graham Norton has challenged his fellow comedian Alan Carr to a ''gay-off''
Graham Norton has challenged fellow comedian Alan Carr to a chat show "gay-off".
The 47-year-old TV presenter - who fronts BBC One's 'The Graham Norton Show' - explained there is always competition among chat show hosts to secure the juiciest guests, regardless of who is billed against who in the ratings.
However, the Irish funnyman insisted he isn't threatened by 'Chatty Man' host Alan.
Graham told BANG Showbiz: "There's always competition for guests, it doesn't matter who you are, when your show is on, what time or what channel. It's always a scrum to try and get guests.
"I'm not threatened by other hosts. You just have to try and make the show the best you possibly can. Is Alan Carr gayer than I am? I don't know. We could have some kind of gay-off and find out!"
Graham - who is also commentating on the coverage of this year's Eurovision Song Contest for the BBC - admitted while he is confident of boyband Blue's chances in the talent contest, he is worried about the havoc exuberant 'X Factor' stars Jedward may cause while representing Ireland.
Speaking at last night's (15.03.11) Royal Television Society Awards at London's Grosvenor House Hotel, he added: "Blue are really well-known around Europe so it looks as though we're taking it seriously this year. We might do alright.
"I just worry about Jedward - those two boys alone in Dusseldorf? I can't see it going too well."


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As I previously exclusively reported here on Sportskeeda, and via our dirtysheets.net YouTube channel, Shane McMahon is set to wrestle Kevin Owens at the upcoming Hell in the Cell PPV.
You can read the previous article here:
Shane McMahon wrestling is often a topic that divides opinion, however, we can reveal that there are multiples reasons behind why Vince McMahon opts to have his 47-year-old son risk the dangers of the squared the circle.
These reasons are outlined in more detail the YouTube video, below, courtesy of my colleague Nick Connolly (credit- dirtysheets.net)
The key reason behind focusing on Shane is the fact that Vince McMahon believes his son is a huge attraction. Internally, Shane is given a significant amount of credit for the success of WrestleMania 32.
The event was looking to me a monumental disaster at one point, until Shane McMahon was added to the card, resulting in the additional sale of the final 26,000 tickets- causing secondary market pricing to rise to an average of $301.
This could have just been a coincidental late surge for tickets, but McMahon firmly believes that it was based on his decision to reconcile with his son and bring him back into the fold. The event ending up bringing in $29.4 million for the company.
McMahon clearly banked on his son to deliver big business even before he saw the actual numbers, with Shane being signed to a $1.5m per year guaranteed contract.
According to our sources, Shane netted an impressive $1.8m during the first year of his deal, adding a hefty $300,000 in bonuses and royalties to his already healthy pack packet.
Shane's current contract is solely a performer's contract, meaning he has zero involvement in creative, thus meaning he's simply signed to perform as the SmackDown GM, along with being contractually obligated to wrestle twice a year.
Therefore, whilst his match against Kevin Owens will fulfill his contractual obligation, make no mistake about it, the fact that Shane McMahon was ever offered such a lucrative deal, is solely down to the belief that Vince McMahon believes his son is a significant draw, who has the capability to boost fledgling business.


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The Swedish NHL goaltender, Mr Henrik Lundqvist, tells us how he gets ready for a night on the town.
Leading the field in both sport and style is no mean feat, yet it's something that 30-year-old Mr Henrik Lundqvist can boast confidently. Looking equally at home in a tailored suit as he is in a hockey kit, this year Mr Lundqvist won the Vezina Trophy for best NHL goaltender and Most Stylish Athlete at the New York Style Awards. "I dress the way I feel comfortable," he says. "Coming from Sweden, I had a different style. I heard a lot of comments about my suits and skinny jeans. It was definitely a different look." While Mr Lundqvist's sporting achievements may seem rather effortless - he was named "King Henrik" after his rookie season and led Sweden to its second Olympic gold medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics - he reminds us that sartorial success comes with patience. "I learnt from my mistakes. You need a time in your life where you search for your answers." Hear more from Mr Lundqvist in our exclusive film below.


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Posts Tagged 'aaron rose'
Beautiful Losers
Posted October 16, 2008on:
Interesting documentary about the beginnings of the subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop & graffiti which gradually became a movement that has been transforming pop culture. Featuring some of the artists who are considered leaders within this culture. Love the tagline "Make something out of nothing" and the beautiful graffiti styled butterfly poster.
Tags: aaron rose, art, beautiful losers, documentary, graffiti, subculture