Ceph Calamari Goes Open Source
Today Red Hat is following through on one of my favorite promises from the acquisition: we’re open sourcing Calamari, the management platform for Ceph. Originally delivered as a proprietary dashboard included with Inktank Ceph Enterprise, Calamari has some really great visualization stuff for your cluster as well as the long term goal of being the all-in-wonder management system that can configure and analyze a Ceph cluster. We’re really glad that we can share this work with the community, with the added benefit of aggregating several different groups of folks working on a management GUI for Ceph. Now, on to the details!
[caption width="800" align="alignnone"] Photo Credit: Flickr[/caption]
What is Calamari Made of? ¶
Calamari consists of two pieces (and two separate repos, now in the Ceph Github project):
Backend -- the Calamari backend is written in Python 2.6+, using Saltstack, ZeroRPC, gevent, Django, django-rest-framework, graphite, (and a few others I may have forgotten) and instantiates a new REST API for integration with other systems. This is an important distinction because earlier versions of Calamari were based on the Ceph REST API. The new Calamari REST API is designed to be much more comprehensive and should be the basis for new development efforts that wish to interact with a Ceph cluster.
Getting Calamari running is relatively straightforward and can be done by following the README.rst in the source. The basic idea is an agent sits on your cluster machines gathering data and is then periodically polling by the main web agent. We think it’s pretty slick.
What Does This Mean for Existing Inktank Ceph Enterprise Customers? ¶
Ultimately this doesn’t change much beyond the fact that you now will have a management interface that benefits from the advantage of many more developers working on it (and testing it!). The Calamari product is developed as an upstream component of Inktank Ceph Enterprise, in the same way that Ceph itself is. The commercial Inktank product will still provide certified and supported binaries.
How Can I Get Started Hacking on Calamari? ¶
The reason that we pushed this through without a bunch of hullabaloo was so that we could get it into the hands of our community as fast as humanly possible. As such you are free to begin hacking immediately in the same way as you engage with the rest of the Ceph codebase. Below I have included a short FAQ and some contribution guidelines from John Spray (one of the Inktank Calamari devs) that should answer some of your questions, but you are always welcome to pose discussions on IRC, the mailing lists (notice the new ceph-calamari list), or as a development blueprint on our wiki.
For more details on the “big picture” thoughts of both Calamari and Inktank Ceph Enterprise, check out Neil Levine’s blog post over on inktank.com. If you still have questions you can always feel free to contact me directly (@scuttlemonkey or patrick at inktank). I look forward to our new army of GUI developers!
Q What's the relationship between Calamari and ceph-deploy? A Calamari doesn't include deployment functionality, but we expect that in the long term Calamari will have hooks for deployment tools that include both ceph-deploy and other tools like Puppet, Chef, Juju, etc.
Q What's the relationship between Calamari's REST API and the Ceph REST API? A The Ceph REST API is a low level interface, where each URL maps directly to an equivalent command to the `ceph` CLI tool. The Calamari REST API presents a higher level interface, where API consumers can manipulate objects using idiomatic GET/POST/PATCH operations without knowing the underlying Ceph commands. The Calamari REST API also includes functionality related to managing servers in general, as well as pure Ceph functionality. The main distinction between them is that the Ceph REST API will require a high degree of knowledge about Ceph internals, whereas the Calamari REST API produces interpreted data and is designed for many applications to be built on top of it.
Q I'm not a UI developer, can I still hack on Calamari? A Absolutely: we welcome implementation of features on the backend or suggestions on how to extend the API, to be exposed in a UI later. We would also welcome UX/UI help in the form of graphic design, even if you aren’t able to implement it with code.
Q Why are you using SaltStack instead of [Ansible|Chef|Puppet]? A Saltstack was chosen for its ease of integration with python applications, and for its secure, lightweight message bus.
Q What are the system requirements for a Calamari server? A The answer to this varies depending on the size of the Ceph cluster being managed. Calamari server is intended to be very frugal in its use of system resources, especially I/O. The main I/O consumer on the Calamari server is usually graphite, rather than Calamari itself.
Q Can I use the Calamari backend to integrate Ceph with my own user interface? A Yes: this is one of the primary goals of the Calamari REST API.
Q How should I send patches for Calamari? A Please use github pull requests, following the same commit message guidelines as ceph
Contribution Guidelines ¶
- Expose functionality cleanly via the REST API: use appropriate HTTP verbs and JSON document syntax, including validation for appropriate 400/304 response codes.
- Remote and potentially long running operations are implemented as UserRequest subclasses, *not* called directly from REST API handlers.
- Avoid persistence for anything that doesn't really need it, and do persistence asynchronously. We want to avoid operations blocking on DB I/O when they could return immediately and persist in the background, and we want to avoid writing lots of monitoring data to the database just to have the REST API code poll it: hold the current state in memory and expose it to the REST API layer using ZeroRPC.
- Design your code to cope gracefully with 1000s of OSDs and millions of PGs. For example, we don't pass the full PG data through Calamari server, instead reducing it to a summary while gathering it from the mon.
- Call out directly from REST API layer to outside world where it makes sense: for example, when we grab the tail of a log, read a graphite statistic, or manage Salt authentication keys, these operations are done directly from the REST API to the relevant external actor, without an intermediate ZeroRPC hop.
- Don't be shy about creating new services (processes on the backend exposing ZeroRPC interfaces): if you are implementing a substantial new feature it may well be appropriate to create a new service on the backend to handle it. Remember that more than one service can subscribe to the same messages from salt, and the REST API layer can call into as many different ZeroRPC interfaces as it needs to fulfil a request. Creating services is easy because you can add them to the supervisord configuration: no packaging changes needed.
- Follow the coding guidelines in doc/development/coding_style.rst
- Run tests (at least the unit tests) before sending us a pull request.
- Write tests for your new functionality: unit tests for isolated functionality like REST API validation or helper functions, integration tests (i.e. top level tests/) for end-to-end features


text:
- The average age of a main instructional school building is 49 years, according to survey findings released Thursday by the National Center for Education Statistics. Some 38% of these facilities were built even earlier — before 1970.
- A major building renovation was undertaken by fewer than half of the schools surveyed, with respondents saying it had been an average of 14 years since their last one. Additionally, the average time since their last major replacement or addition was 15 years.
- NCES' survey findings reflect long-standing concerns among policy officials over the conditions of older school facilities and the need to replace multiple building systems, including HVAC units.
NCES conducted a nationally representative survey in December of 1,625 public schools. The findings provide a glimpse into the state of aging school infrastructures nationwide.
While school facilities exist to house spaces for learning, they also affect the health and comfort of students and staff, NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr said in a statement.
“The condition of our school facilities plays a critical role in the education of more than 49 million U.S public school students,” Carr said. “These data provide insight into the current condition of our schools as the nation continues down the road to learning recovery.”
Though over a third of main buildings were built before 1970, NCES found that another 21% were constructed between 1970 and 1999, with an additional 20% built between 2000 and 2023.
Despite nearly a third of schools having had no major renovations, 13% reported one between 2020 and 2023, 16% between 2010 and 2019, 15% between 1990 and 2009, and 3% before 1990.
About one-third of schools — 31% — also had at least one portable building currently in use, NCES reported.
NCES also found 39% of schools have an indoor air quality coordinator, who is responsible for monitoring air quality conditions and reporting any related issues or complaints.
President Joe Biden’s administration has placed greater attention on K-12 indoor air quality in recent years. Concerns have long persisted among policy and education leaders over the status of older school buildings that receive no improvements for years and, in some cases, decades.
For instance, in 2021, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave schools a D+ in its 2021 Infrastructure Report Card. The group said 53% of public school districts reported a need to update or replace multiple building systems, such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
To address the high need for infrastructure improvements, some districts have tapped the historic federal pandemic-era relief dollars to fund school construction projects, including HVAC systems. Schools have also used these dollars to improve airflow and ventilation to prevent student and staff illness by minimizing the spread of COVID-19 and other airborne viruses.
But as deadlines close in for the obligation and spending of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds, and supply chain and staffing issues loom, district leaders worry that these projects won’t be completed in time.
Another avenue to assist with much-needed infrastructure upgrades is a federal grant program designed to help high-need school districts. The program was established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 and is operated through the U.S. Department of Energy, which doubled the awarded funds during the inaugural round of the program in 2023, from $80 million to $178 million.

domain: news


text:
Lions’ negative game plan hands all the momentum to Australia
Dropping of O’Driscoll a huge mistake
The Lions’ front row in action against Australia last week in Melbourne.The Lions’ scrum is not interested in giving the ball to the backline. Phtograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
The Lions have done everything in their power to give the Tom Richards Trophy to the Wallabies.
Two weeks ago when I was in Brisbane for the first Test, the Lions were clear favourites.
The Lions had several leaders, more game time, a stronger set piece and momentum was on their side.
It beggars belief that in less than two weeks all those factors have swung in favour of the Wallabies.
Robbie was in control of his environment. He was confident and relaxed. I coached Andrew Blades for four years at the Waratahs. He is a rugby intellect of the highest calibre.
Without giving away Wallaby state secrets, Andrew showed the coaches’ analysis of lineouts run by Paul O’Connell, compared to lineouts run by Geoff Parling. The findings were stark.
The Wallabies feared O’Connell’s organisational ability and leadership.
O’Connell’s lineouts were controlled and difficult to defend because he used a variety of personnel to avoid the defenders. Parling’s were rushed – as we saw in the disorganisation of the second Test lineouts – and more easily read as he called to himself the majority of times.
The Lions coaches could not control the injury to O’Connell but they do have a significant hand in tactics and total control of selection. The current Lions’ game plan centres on set play dominance to gain penalties for Halfpenny to score.
There is one problem. It ain’t working. The Lions are going into the deciding Test without a game plan that attacks Wallabies’ weaknesses.
The Lions did not liberate the ball from a single scrum last week. At the coaching conference the Wallaby staff showed analysis of the Lions scrum. It is unarguable that at the set-up, the Lions’ front row significantly angles forward at loosehead. On engagement the loosehead drives in, or attempts to walk around to gain a penalty.
The Lions’ scrum is not interested in giving the ball to the backline. The Lions are scrumaging for penalties. Despite Vunipola’s early errors, last week the Lions gained nine points from scrum penalties.
Last week the first five-metre attacking lineout saw the Lions backline run in to attempt to set up a 12-man maul. That style of attack is an abomination on the game, however it does reflect the lack of imagination in the Lions attack coaches.
The Wallabies have belief because the Lions took a knife to a gunfight, believing penalty kicks would be enough to win the series.
With a game plan that minimised backline attack and maximises field position to gain penalties, the Lions selectors then panicked and dropped Brian O’Driscoll, the most experienced leader available to them and the best defending centre. They have punished the outside centre for not attacking when the team’s tactic is to not pass the ball.
In dropping both Brian and Jamie Heaslip the Lions have gone from having five national captains on the field to one, in Alun-Wynn Jones.
The only possible rationale is the Lions’ staff believe a Welsh -based team have more experience playing together. If this is so then it has a major flaw. The Welsh were beaten three Tests to nil by a much weaker Wallaby team last June.
Unwittingly the lack of imagination in the Lions’ game plans has empowered a fragile Wallaby team to believe they can win. Like a wind changing direction, the series momentum has departed the Lions and has hit the Australians.
On the field the Wallabies’ defence has been top class and their fighting spirit unquestionable.
To the Lions coaches’ amazement, the Wallaby scrum has held and at times dominated. Watch for penalties on Adam Jones for his tactic of pulling down his opposing loosehead by grabbing his sleeve.
The return of George Smith could be a masterstroke. He understands referee Poite from his time in Toulon and speaks passable French. His presence at the tackle will be significant.
More importantly, Smith brings to the Wallaby team what O’Driscoll should have brought to the Lions. An aura of invincibility, a legendary position in the team’s lore that inspires his mates to give more because they do not want to let him down. Playing with a legend is inspirational.
The Wallabies have gained a great deal by selecting George and inexplicably the Lions have chosen to discard even more by dropping O’Driscoll
The impact on the Lions players of not selecting Brian is immeasurable. It has placed pressure on the selected team that could have been avoided and robbed them of an opportunity to say, “I played with Brian O’Driscoll the night he Lions won”.
A first class selection balls -up.
If I was Robbie Deans, part of my game plan would be to get the ball into Israel Folaus’ hands 20 times in the 80 minutes. If Australia do this they will win. He is a match- winner.
Today it will be close, but the Lions are unravelling.
I believe The Tom “Rusty” Richards Trophy will stay in Australia for another 12h years and the Lions will lose the unloseable series.

domain: sports


text: Poetry. History as content has a sharper feel to more Americans post 9/11. Martha King's work shivers with awareness of mortality and the echoes of history's violence. Wars-even those removed in time by generations-dislocate the present in many of these poems. In others, war is the long loving/hating war of parents and children, or the imperfect fit between human activity and what is called the natural world. These poems, written over the past 20 years, celebrate the ability of humor to squelch sentimental responses and the requirement of wit for free-range chickens. As the late Paul Metcalf commented, `Martha sure can be funny about death."

domain: sociology


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text:
The game will start after the video
Monster Truck 3D Arena Stunts
Get in your monster truck and join this thrilling obstacle race. Take your truck to the goal spots on the map before running out of time. Have fun!
3D Monster Truck Skyroads
Step on the gas and move around challenging tracks doing all kinds of tricks like a pro! Choose a vehicle and try to reach the goal in as little time as possible -- gather as much nitro and exp as you can!
Monster Truck Forest Delivery
Drive a monster truck around the jungle and try to take your cargo to its destination without losing anything in your way!
Cartoon Car Crash Derby Destruction World
In order to survive, you must get all these obstacles out of your way! Aim for a high score by getting rid of the enemies around these wonderful 3D stages. Get ready for a crazy ride!
Madalin Stunt Cars 2
Enjoy this sequel! Discover 18 amazing cars and 3 new tracks in this impressive multiplayer driving game. Jump, do all kinds of tricks and speed up!
Toy Car Simulator
Choose the vehicle you prefer, your favorite stage and time of the day and get ready to step on the gas to collect as many coins as possible! Purchase upgrades and new cars while putting your steering skills to test!
Choose your favorite vehicle and get ready to enjoy thrilling races and tricks around wonderful stages! Step on the gas, feel the adrenaline in your veins and purchase better cars as you get more and more money. Will you reach the goal before running out of time?
Scooby Doo Monster Truck
Join Scooby-Doo in a wonderful monster truck! Take over all sorts of tracks, ramps, fields and deserts! Upgrade your ride as you make progress -- wheels, engine, traction -- and try to prevent any kind of accident!
Monsters Wheels HD
Become a pro monster truck racer and join all kinds of championships around industrial, forest, arctic, desert and urban landscapes. Step on the gas, do all kinds of tricks and be the first to reach the goal!
Crazy Stunt Cars 2
Enjoy this sequel! Step on the gas and face endless ramps around amazing stages. Choose one of the 12 available rides and customize it to enjoy the whole experience!
Discover the world of monster truck races! Put your driving skills to test, dodge obstacles and try to keep your balance. Speed up down the slopes and jump!
Click Play to see the videoguide for Truck Attack
There are no gameplays yet. Add the first one!
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Enjoy this sequel -- follow the rhythm and dodge every obstacle in your way! Move along a rainbow tunnel, speed up and put your skills to test!
Neon Blaster 2
Enjoy this sequel! In this amazing space shooter you must get rid of as many blocks as you can -- upgrade your weapons, challenge your friends and have fun!
Try to paint the paths for every character in each stage as they stay out of each other's ways. Plan your moves carefully and have fun!
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Help Steve survive in a dark maze full of endless aisles and lurking monsters. Collect weapons, face your enemies and look for diamonds and stars to unlock the doors -- stay safe!
Lemmings Launch: Grizzy & The Lemmings
Load your slingshot with tiny Lemmings and launch them as far as you can! Try to knock the blocks and alarm clocks down in as few moves as possible so that the bear wakes up!
Face other users in this unique multiplayer game based on Nokia's 'Snake'! Control your colorful line and manage to make other players crash into it as you dodge the obstacles. Be the last curve standing!
Parking Fury 3D: Beach City
Control an amazing sports car and get ready to park it next to a beach! Put your skills to test behind the wheel and do a little show around the coast running away from the police!
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domain: entertainment


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have a very good time!


text:
A study on Peter’s letter to elect exiles teaching how to live in light of the gospel.
March 2019–May 2019
An exploration of the depths of God’s justice and grace in prophecy of Joel.
September 2018—March 2019
A study in Ephesians exploring our salvation in Christ and the new life we have through him.
June 2018–August 2018
A selection of Psalms celebrating the beauty and diversity of this book of songs.
May 2018–June 2018
A mini-series focused on practices for the Christian pursuit of godliness and joy.
April 2017–May 2018
A series in the book of Matthew looking at the life and teaching of Jesus Christ.
A collection of sermons that are not a part of a series.

domain: library


text:
DI MARCO, O.N. 1; HARKES, H. 2; AGNUSDEI, M.G. 3
The effect of leaf age and length on leaf blade quality was studied in tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponticum
cv. Hulk) leaf blades leaves from swards of two heights. Swards were grown in plots in a greenhouse (17± 4
ºC) in a randomized block design (n=3) of 160 plots/block. Leaves in 6 ontogenic stages from 3 consecutive
leaf generations (from early growth to advanced senescence) were obtained from vegetative tillers (~200/
harvest) harvested along 52 days of regrowth, with a frequency 80 GDD (growing degree days: Σ t1/2- 4,5 ºC).
The leaf lifespan (LLS), leaf appearance interval (LAI), leaf and sheath lengths, NDF content and NDF digestibility
(NDFD) were measured. The relationships among quality and morphogenic parameters were studied by
linear regression and was data analyzed as a complete randomized block design with factorial arrangement (2
heights x 3 leaf generations) and means compared by Tukey test (5%). The shorter leaf sward (241.8 vs 458.4
mm) had longer LLS (453.6 vs 337.8 GGD), similar NDF content and higher NDFD (~10%). In both swards the
NDFD decreased linearly with leaf age and length, but NDF remained unchanged during the LLS. It is concluded
that the NDFD declines with leaf age and length during regrowth, however shorter sward height delays
senescence (>LLS), increases tiller leaving leaf number and improves leaf blade quality.
Keywords: growth, NDF content, NDF digestibility, leaf age, leaf length.

domain: biology


text:
Part of the Chetham’s International Piano Summer School – explore the live stream series in full.
7.30pm – ‘Comedy Classics’ Film Fantasia with John Lenehan
‘Lenehan’s playing is of a special integrity and musicianship’ – Gramophone
Go back in time and enjoy two classic films with a live piano soundtrack, set against the stunning backdrop of The Stoller Hall.
British pianist John Lenehan presents a programme of Comedy classics accompanied at the piano with improvised scores featuring two Laurel and Hardy films Putting Pants on Philip and Big Business plus excerpts from Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.
Praised by the New York Times for his ‘great flair and virtuosity’, John Lenehan’s performances and recordings have been acclaimed throughout the world. With more than 70 albums to his credit, reflecting an enormous variety of genres and styles, John Lenehan ranks as one of the most versatile pianists on the international classical music scene today.
Founded in 2001, the Chetham’s Piano Summer School is now firmly established as one of the most vibrant, respected and universally friendly events of its kind in the world. Participants enrol from all five continents and are inspired, guided and educated by an extraordinary faculty of over 60 internationally celebrated performer-teachers. This year promises to be no different and to enable access for audiences around the world, all major concerts will be available to watch online.

domain: hobby


Athlon Magazine, which features Peyton Siva on this season’s cover, picked the University of Louisville basketball team to finish 10th in the Big East Conference and to do no better than the National Invitation Tournament during the upcoming season.
But that was before the following occurred, in no particular order:
- Justin Coleman declared ineligible.
- Robert Sallie, an expected transfer from Memphis, failed to enroll.
- Gorgui Dieng declared ineligible by the NCAA clearinghouse.
- Russ Smith out eight to 12 weeks with an ankle injury.
- Jared Swopshire out for six weeks with a sports hernia injury.
One has to wonder how much confidence the Athlon scribes would have today in their original predictions.


Rod Rosenstein: Russia inquiry chief set for Trump showdown
September 24, 2018 4:14 pm
Rod Rosenstein, the US deputy attorney general, is set for crunch talks with Donald Trump on Thursday, amid doubts over his future in the job.
The two already spoke on Monday to discuss reports that Mr Rosenstein had talked last year about ousting the president and secretly taping him.
Mr Rosenstein oversees the inquiry into alleged collusion by the Trump team with Russia during the 2016 election.
The president said Thursday’s meeting would be “determining what’s going on”.
“We want to have transparency, we want to have openness and I look forward to meeting with Rod at that time,” he added, speaking in New York where he is attending the annual UN General Assembly.


text:
Metal outdoor wall art is definitely an investment in your house and presents a lot about you, your own style must certainly be shown in the piece of furniture and wall art that you choose. Whether your choices are modern or classic, there are various new alternatives on the store. Don't purchase wall art and furniture you don't need, no matter what others recommend. Just remember, it's your house so be certain to fun with fixtures, decoration and nuance.
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Do you need metal outdoor wall art to be a relaxed setting that reflects your characters? Because of this, why it's highly recommended to ensure that you have each of the furniture parts that you are required, that they balance each other, and that provide you with conveniences. Piece of furniture and the wall art is focused on producing a comfortable spot for family and friends. Unique preferences will be awesome to apply inside the decor, and it is the simple personal touches that make originality in an area. Dont forget, the right setting of the wall art and old furniture also creating the area feel more welcoming.

domain: artistic


text:
Home > Archives > IJSRST184882
Test Quality of Variance and Tabulation : Case study from Indonesia
Authors(2) :-Ahmad Subagyo, Armanto Wijaksono
This paper aims to examine the relationship between financial ratios of banks namely NIM, ROA, CAR and NPL variables in 43 banking industry in Indonesia. This paper uses the analysis of quality of variance and tabulation to see the relationship between the financial ratios of banking in detail, based on data published in the financial statements during the period of 2011 to 2015. From the paper that has been completed studies, it was concluded that the test quality od variance and tabulation of banking financial ratios are carefully distributed simultaneously showing the positive effects and negative effects as presented in table 2 and table 3. While the value for the range of data generated, the amount of data, the average value of each data, and the resulting median values are presented normally as shown in table 1 results.
Ahmad Subagyo, Armanto Wijaksono
Test Quality of Variance, Tabulation Test, Banking Industry.
- Tarawneh, M, (2006) , "a comparison of financial performance in the banking sector: some evidence from Omani commercial banks", International Research Journal of Finance and Economics, vol. 3, pp. 101-112.
- Ahmed A. A., (2011), "Financial Performance Evaluation of Some Selected Jordanian Commercial Banks", International Research Journal of Finance and Economics. Issue 68.
- Khizer, A. et, all., (2011), "Bank-Specific and Macroeconomic Indicators of Profitability - Empirical Evidence from the Commercial Banks of Pakistan", International Journal of Business and Social Science, Vol. 2 No, 2011.
- Siddiqui. M.A., and Shoaib, A., (2011), "Measuring performance through capital structure: Evidence from banking sector of Pakistan", African Journal of Business Management. Vol. 5(5), pp.1871-1879.
- Rizvi, S. F. A, (2001), "Post-liberalization Efficiency and Productivity of the Banking Sector in Pakistan". The Pakistan Development Review 40: 4, 605-632.
- Shah, S.Q., and Rizwan J., ( 2014 ) Analysis of Financial Performance of Private Banks in Pakistan, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 109, 1021 - 1025, doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.12.583
- Khizer, A. et all., (2011), "Bank-Specific and Macroeconomic Indicators of Profitability - Empirical Evidence from the Commercial Banks of Pakistan", International Journal of Business and Social Science, Vol. 2 No, 2011.
- Raza, A. et all., (2011) "A Comparison of Financial Performance in Investment Banking Sector in Pakistan", International Journal of Business and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 9.
- Kamarudin, F. et all., (2016) Global financial crisis, ownership and bank profitefficiency in the Bangladesh's state owned and privatecommercial banks, Contaduria y Administracion 61, 705-745, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cya.2016.07.006.
- Islam, M., et all. (2014). Performance evaluation of the banking sector in Bangladesh:A comparative analysis. Business and Economic Research, 4(1), 70-107. http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ber.v4i1.4672
- Jayaraman, A., and Srinivasan, M. (2014). Analyzing profit efficiency of banks in india withundesirable output - Nerlovian profit indicator approach. IIMB Management Review, 26(4), 222-233. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.iimb.2014.10.004.
- Brown, M. B. and A. B. Forsythe (1974a). "Robust Tests for the Equality of Variances," Journal of the American Statistical Association, 69, 364-367.
- Brown, M. B. and A. B. Forsythe (1974b). "The Small Sample Behavior of Some Test Statistics which Test the Equality of Several Means," Technometrics, 16, 129-132.
- Conover, W. J., M. E. Johnson and M. M. Johnson (1981). "A Comparative Study of Tests for Homogeneity of Variance with Applications to the Outer Continental Shelf Bidding Data," Technometrics, 23, 351-361.
- Levene, H. (1960). "Robust Tests for the Equality of Variances," in I. Olkin, S. G. Ghurye, W.
- Harvey, Andrew C. (1990). The Econometric Analysis of Time Series, 2nd edition, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Harvey, Andrew C. (1993). Time Series Models, 2nd edition, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Published in : Volume 4 | Issue 8 | May-June 2018
Date of Publication : 2018-06-30
License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Page(s) : 370-376
Manuscript Number : IJSRST184882
Publisher : Technoscience Academy
PRINT ISSN : 2395-6011
ONLINE ISSN : 2395-602X
Cite This Article :
Ahmad Subagyo, Armanto Wijaksono, "Test Quality of Variance and Tabulation : Case study from Indonesia", International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology(IJSRST), Print ISSN : 2395-6011, Online ISSN : 2395-602X, Volume 4, Issue 8, pp.370-376, May-June-2018.
Journal URL : http://ijsrst.com/IJSRST184882

domain: literature


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Elsword Magician and Mercenary Reborn Teaser
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Raman Thedia Seethai Audio Launch
Raman Thediay Seethai is the first film of Moserbaer in Tamil as an individual producer. Since they have launched its production house with the intention of making good films, this project would be one such category. Speaking about the film, Director Cheran, the hero of the movie says that this film would become a turning point like Autograph.The director of this movie is Jagannath.He has already given two movies Puthiya Geethai with Vijay and Kodambakkam with Nandha.There are 5 heroines going to share the screen with Cheran. Ramya Nambeesan, one of the growing actresses in Malayalam makes her debut in this film. The other four heroines are, VimalaRaman, Gajala, Navya Nair and Karthika.And music by Vidhyasagar.


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The rate reduction brings employers’ three-year premium savings to an estimated $224 million
On May 30, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) set actions in motion for the distribution of $1 billion in cash rebates to Ohio employers, many of which can now also plan for additional savings through decreasing overall base-rates. The board unanimously approved a proposal set forward by Governor John Kasich to leverage BWC’s strong financial position by returning $1 billion to 210,000 Ohio employers. In a separate action, the board signed off on a 2.1 percent average reduction in base rates for private employers that brings their three-year premium savings to an estimated $224 million.
“The board’s actions in providing a rebate and reducing base rates makes it a banner day for business in Ohio,” said BWC Administrator/CEO Steve Buehrer. “We’re pleased prudent management and smart investing at the BWC are paying off, literally, for hundreds of thousands of Ohio’s private and public employers.”
The cash rebate to private employers and public employer taxing districts is made possible by larger-than-expected fund balances at the BWC generated by strong investment management. The entire proposal totals $1.9 billion and also calls for:
- Expanding the BWC’s successful Safety Grant Program from $5 million to $15 million to support increased statewide efforts that promote workplace safety and encourage further investment in protecting Ohio’s workers. Steps are already being taken to expand the program and increase overall safety efforts this summer.
- Modernizing how premiums are collected in Ohio by moving to a prospective-payment system and subsequently requesting the board issue an additional $900 million premium credit to mitigate transition costs. This switch would also result in rate reductions of 2 percent for private employers and 4 percent for public employers. This requires authorization by the legislature, which is currently considering the action.
The 2.1 percent base-rate reduction for private employers presented to the board last month and approved today is for the 2014 policy year, which runs Jul. 1, 2013 to Jun. 30, 2014. It represents an aggregate savings of $29 million over 2013 premium collections. The reduction follows a 4 percent rate decrease in 2012 and flat rates in 2013. Actual premium paid by individual private employers depends on a number of factors, including their industry, their recent claims history and expected future costs, and their participation in discount and savings programs. Rates for public employers, currently at a 30 year low, are decided in the fall.
– See more at: http://associationdatabase.com/aws/ORA/pt/sd/news_article/77328/_blank/layout_details/false#sthash.XiF8hrzs.dpuf


text: Hartley's Sports ShortsSports HARTLEY’S SPORTS SHORTS: MONDAY, JULY 9TH SHARE ON: Hartley Miller, staff Monday, Jul. 9th, 2018 (As of 9:01AM) ALYX TREASURE: Prince George high jumper Alyx Treasure won her fifth straight national title. The 26-year-old Treasure cleared the bar at 1.85 metres at the Canadian track and field championships in Ottawa. Treasure heads to Europe this week to compete at meets in Ireland, England and Norway. NORTHERN HARDWARE CANOE RACE: Greg Blackburn and Graham Smith combined to win the Alexandre Mackenzie Class at the Northern Hardware Canoe Race. They captured top prize of $2,000 for posting the fastest time in the 67.5-kilometre race ran from Isle Pierre to Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park. Organizer Patrick Turner and Kevin Taylor placed second. Chris Cupp won the 25-kilometre ‘Simon Fraser’ Class, which began in Miworth. Cupp’s victory was worth $600. PRINCE GEORGE SENIOR LACROSSE: PG Senior Lacrosse playoff action will continue tonight at 8 in Quesnel with the Westwood Pub Devils against the Crossfire. The Devils won the opener in the best-of-three semi-final, 12-6. The other semi will resume Tuesday in Mackenzie with the RPR Mechanical/J.R. Construction Bandits in front the Lumberjacks 1-0 after a 15-11 victory. All games are at 8PM. BANTAM LACROSSE PROVINCIALS: The Prince George Posse finished 0-3 at the BCLA provincial A2 bantam lacrosse championship in Richmond. The Posse lost 15-5 to Port Coquitlam (Saturday), 8-7 to Chilliwack (Friday) and 10-2 to Comox (Thursday). WIMBLEDON: Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ontario has advanced to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon for the third year in a row. The 27-year-old defeated his American opponent Mackenzie McDonald in four sets (6-3, 6-4, 6-7, 6-2) early this morning at the All England Club The 13th-seeded Raonic is the last Canadian left in singles play. WORLD CUP SOCCER: (in Russia) (Semi-finals) TUESDAY France vs. Belgium (11AM PT) WEDNESDAY England vs. Croatia (11AM PT) MLB: New York Yankees 2 Toronto Blue Jays 1 (10 innings) The 41-48 Jays finished 4-5 on a 9-game homestand. The Blue Jays visit Atlanta Tuesday and Wednesday before playing four games in Boston starting Thursday in their final action prior to the All-Star break. ### Blue Jays Pitcher J.A. Happ has been named to the All-Star Game for the first time in his 12-year career. The 35-year-old Happ, the lone Toronto representative on the American League team, is 10-5 with a 4.44 ERA. CFL: (Final games in week four) Winnipeg Blue Bombers 41 B.C. Lions 19 (Saturday) Toronto Argonauts 20 Edmonton Eskimos 17 (Saturday) WEEK FIVE: Calgary at Ottawa (Thursday 4:30PM PT) Toronto at Edmonton (Friday 6PM) Winnipeg at B.C. Lions (Saturday 7PM) WEST: Calgary 3-0, Edmonton 2-2, Saskatchewan 2-2, Winnipeg 2-2, B.C. 1-2 EAST: Ottawa 2-1, Hamilton 2-2, Toronto 1-2, Montreal 1-3 NHL: Former Prince George Cougars defenceman Dan Hamhuis remains a free agent. The 35-year-old from Smithers played the last two seasons with the Dallas Stars.


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It’s a dangerous life being a rabbit!
Enhanced with Flypaper Textures
There’s a brief “how I did it” Here
Licensed with Getty Images
flypaper textures headlights lights night rabbit road surreal
Absolutely love what you’ve done here! Excellent image!
absolutely wonderful image
fantastic work !
Wonderful work Jill.
awesome art !
Jill ..this is really quite a image..poor little bunny sitting there all alone..great image!! Sherri :)
What’s for supper? hehe Awesome work:)
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The stories we’re told as children can stay etched in our memories for a lifetime, and some very special tales are handed down from generation to generation. Beautiful storybooks can inspire, excite or soothe and reading to little ones can evoke a sense of nostalgia like nothing else.
For one little boy, the days spent playing in the forest with sticks for swords and a teddy bear for a companion led to stories he adored. His was a tale that went beyond his own bedtime, spun into stories enjoyed by countless other children for generations, penned by A. A. Milne. But there is more to this tale than its author, just as Milne mentions in the dedication to the book Winnie-the-Pooh:
“Hand in hand we come
Christopher Robin and I
To lay this book in your lap”
The Bear Formally Known as Edward
The story of Winnie the Pooh does begin with a bear, but not quite the one we know and love today. Winnipeg was a Canadian black bear, who was given to London Zoo by Harry Colebourn, a veterinarian from Canada. A. A. Milne’s son Christopher Robin was so fond of the bear that he renamed Mr Edward Bear, his own teddy, Winnie after Winnipeg. Winnie was extended to Winnie ‘the Pooh’, taking the name of a swan who Christopher Robin had named, considering it ‘a very fine name for a swan’. And so, Winnie the Pooh came to be.
A. A. Milne
The father who took young Christopher Robin to London Zoo was Alan Alexander Milne. A. A. Milne was an accomplished writer, who joined the Royal Warwickshire Regiment during the First World War as a signals officer, until he was invalided out with trench fever.
Milne sought inspiration from his son Christopher, or Billy Moon as he was also known, writing verses, hums and songs for children. Some were based on Christopher Robin’s stuffed animals, which are now on display at the New York Public Library. His ideas and tales would later become a collection of stories.
Christopher Robin was born on 21 August 1920. As a little boy he loved to venture into Ashdown Forest with his nanny, and it was here that the landmarks of the world of Pooh were discovered. The little boy’s imagination, bringing his stuffed toys to life, and his adventures in the forest were the inspiration behind Milne’s Winnie the Pooh storybooks, set in the Hundred Acre Wood.
E. H. Shepard
The illustrator that brought the Hundred Acre Wood to life was Ernest Howard Shepard. E. H. Shepard studied at Heatherley’s School of Fine Art and the Royal Academy Schools. During the First World War he received the rank of Major and was awarded the Military Cross. He went on to be a regular contributor to the publication Punch. It was here that he first illustrated A. A. Milne’s work, beginning with the first verses of what would become When We Were Very Young. Shepard would later create the illustrations for Winnie the Pooh using his own son’s Steiff teddy bear, named Growler, for inspiration. The artist’s timeless illustrations have brought the characters of the Winnie the Pooh storybooks into the hearts of generations of readers.
The First Adventure
The opening chapter of Winnie-the-Pooh begins with Christopher Robin trailing his loyal teddy bear down the stairs, bumping his head along the way. He is soon asking his father to tell him a story before bath and bedtime. The tales that A. A. Milne tells within those pages became the stories that thousands more children would come to know and love, with the friendly Pooh Bear at their centre.
‘And now all the others are saying, “What about Us?”’
Adventure always beckons when Pooh Bear and Christopher Robin are around, but the story of Winnie the Pooh wouldn’t be the same without the faithful cast of characters who shared their escapades in the Hundred Acre Wood – loyal Piglet, gloomy Eeyore, uptight Rabbit, ‘wise’ Owl, bouncy Tigger, charming Kanga and the adorable Roo.
To learn more about the friends of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh click here.
©Disney. Based on the “Winnie the Pooh” works by A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard.
How we put Pooh on a coin
Find out how we took the lovable characters from the Winnie the Pooh storybooks and captured them on coins in this charming series.Find out more
Colour in these iconic scenes
Colour in these classic illustrations and share your picture on social media.Download now


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With our DIY Fiberglass pool kits, you can have the designer style swimming pool you’ve always wanted at a price you can afford. Our easy to install fiberglass pool kits are available in array of styles, colors, and sizes and ready to be installed in your backyard.
Each DIY fiberglass pool kit contains:
- fiberglass shell
- returns installed in pool
Other optional accessories including; pump, filter and inline chlorinator package, or a pump, filter and salt system package or a Four color LED light with transformer package can be ordered to further customize your swimming pool. Delivery to your home in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina is available for a nominal fee.
Why a fiberglass swimming pool? One major benefit about that they are self installable. Just follow the step-by-step instructions that arrive with your pool kit. Free installation help is also available by phone to answer any questions you may have during the installation process. Another huge benefit of a fiberglass pool is that they are incredibly easy to maintain. Fiberglass pool owners spend less on pool cleaning and maintenance costs than concrete pool owners. Also, fiberglass is more durable than concrete and will not peel, chip or crack.
How easy is installation? Our one-piece fiberglass shell includes the liner so there aren’t any other pieces to assemble. Simply lower the shell into the hole you dug in the ground so it fits snugly in place. Then connect the pool pump and electrical wiring and you have a brand new in-ground fiberglass pool that will provide many years of swimming fun for the entire family.
While our DIY fiberglass pool kits are designed for self-installation over a long weekend with help from a few friends, if you are not familiar with electrical and plumbing, professional installation can be arranged for an additional fee. In fact, professional installation can be arranged to coincide with the delivery of your pool kit.
For more information about obtaining a do-it-yourself fiberglass pool kit, contact us at (386) 775-7914 today!


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Last Thursday, the much-hyped Fifty television series made its debut on EbonyLife TV, complete with
trending chatter on Twitter and live online interaction with the stars of the show.
So, was it worth all the noise?
Coming on the back of a blockbuster movie – the highest-grossing Nollywood drama of all time and the
top film of 2015 – expectations were high for this series sequel. I’m happy to say that it did not
disappoint. Right from the opening scenes, I was intrigued to know the identity of Lizzie’s new (and very
young) husband. The other characters, Tola (Dakore Akande, Maria (Omoni Oboli) and Kate (Keira
Hewatch), all played a role in the buildup to this unusual matchup.
Before the wedding reception was over, we had witnessed scenes of drunkenness, flirting, derogatory
comments and marital quarrels, until the whole affair descended into chaos. Lizzie (Ireti Doyle) was
reacting to Tola’s pessimism about the longevity of her marriage, while trying to separate Tola and
Maria, who were fighting over the same man. A physical struggle erupted as Tola placed a curse on the
unborn child of Maria and Tola’s estranged husband, Kunle (Wale Ojo). Talk about an action-packed
The rest of the episode focused on building a storyline around Lizzie’s daughter, Sade (Uzor Osimkpa),
who is still smarting from her mother’s affair with her boyfriend. Finally, we’re left guessing who was the
victim of the dramatic car accident at the very end.
This first episode of Fifty was highly entertaining and left me wondering how the producers can possibly
keep this pace up. Your guess is as good as mine. One thing is certain – this is first-class television drama,
with high production values, a racy storyline and some of Nollywood’s best talent.
Fifty the series airs on Thursdays at 9.30pm WAT (10.30 CAT) on EbonyLife TV, DStv 165.


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The visits took place in Haiti, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico
During the month of March, the 16th President General, brother Renato Lima de Oliveira, had the pleasure of visiting Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul has been working with great care in these countries to strengthen the conferences, to energize the social works and to strengthen charity towards our neediest brothers and sisters.
The first stage of the trip began in Puerto Rico, a territory associated with the United States of America. President Renato was accompanied during the trip by the President of the National Council of the United States, brother Ralph Middlecamp, and two other members of the US Board: brother John Berry (national President-elect) and sister Isabel Darcy.
The activities took place in three cities: San Juan, Añasco and Maricao. The highlight of the visit was a formation session, open to all conferences of the island, when brother Renato Lima spoke about the projects and programs of the Council General. The SSVP of Puerto Rico has a National Council with 12 Conferences and 200 members.
The visit to Haiti was restricted to the capital, Port-au-Prince. The National President, brother Hugues Vital, welcomed President Renato at the city’s airport. The SSVP in Haiti has a National Council, five Regional Councils (equivalent to the Central Councils) and 130 Conferences, totaling 1,300 members.
Visits were made to schools supported by the Vincentian Family. Everyone greatly enjoyed a meeting at the Office of the National Council where National Council members and Regional Councils Presidents presented a summary of their activities. The country is one with most needs in the world, ravaged by a political crisis that has generated a deep social and economic crisis. In addition, the sequels of the 2013 earthquake are still being felt to this day. Many young people are feeling desperate, in true crisis situations, and are seeking a better life abroad.
The visit to the Dominican Republic was conducted in Santo Domingo, the capital. The SSVP in that country is formed by a Superior Council, seven Particular Councils (called “Zone Councils”) and 65 Conferences, totaling 800 Vincentians. More than half of them are young members. President Renato was accompanied to this city by the Vice President Deputy, brother Sebastián Gramajo, and the Zone Coordinator, sister Gladys Torralba.
The National President, brother José Francisco Aguasvivas, greeted the President General at the airport. There was a very fruitful working meeting with the national board. But the highlight of the visit was a formation session by the President General. About 70 members coming from all parts of the country, listened to two lectures and participated in a question and answer period.
“It was a great joy for me to be with the SSVP members from each country, to participate with them in events, and to be able to show the importance of the Council General International to them. Our mission is to make the Council General better known and closer to the grassroots,” said President Renato.
The next edition of the digital magazine OZANAM NETWORK, to be published in April 2023, will have an article about the visits, with many photos and more details about the events that took place.

domain: geography


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Dice the cauliflower (or other vegetable of choice), the potatoes and the onion into small pieces
In a saucepan add the seed oil, heat it up a couple minutes then add the diced onion and let it cook for 3-4 minutes
Add the white wine and let it cook at medium heat for another 3-4 minutes
Add the cauliflower and the potatoes and thouroughly stir everything
Add the curry powder and stir again
Add all the veg milk, stir everything and let it simmer partly covered with a lid, at medium heat, for 35-40 minutes or until the veggies are cooked and the curry is creamy
To make the curry even creamier, add 1 tablespoon of white rice flour and stir
Add salt to taste and let the curry simmer another 5 minutes.
While the curry is cooking, you can boil some basmati or thai rice to serve with the curry, or simply enjoy with some toasted bread!

domain: food


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Some researchers are targeting artificial foods as a leading public health problem. As with so many dietary issues, though, the evidence tells a more nuanced tale.
After decades of searching, many scientists believe they have finally pinned down the main problem with our modern diets—the factor driving ever-escalating rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and any number of other serious chronic conditions. The culprit isn’t saturated fats, trans fats or some new killer fat you haven’t of. It’s not cholesterol, carbs or sugars; dairy, gluten or meat. It isn’t a specific thing at all.
The problem, according to this increasingly popular argument, is that we’re eating lots of ultra-processed food or UPF. Traditionally, people used limited processing techniques such as cooking and pickling to preserve food or to make it more pleasant to eat. Modern food companies transform food much more extensively through techniques such as extrusion and molding, adding lab-derived components including flavorings, emulsifiers and preservatives. They use this additional processing to make foods that are cheaper, longer-lasting and more convenient.
“There’s a long, formal scientific definition, but it can be boiled down to this: If it’s wrapped in plastic and has at least one ingredient that you wouldn’t find in your kitchen, it’s UPF,” writes author and infectious disease doctor Chris van Tulleken in his recent, widely praised book, Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn’t Food. These ultra-processed foods have come to represent a major part of people’s diets—a large majority in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. “We’ve started eating substances constructed from novel molecules and using processes never previously encountered in our evolutionary history, substances that can’t really even be called ‘food.’”
As a nonprofit journalism organization, we depend on your support to fund more than 170 reporting projects every year on critical global and local issues. Donate any amount today to become a Pulitzer Center Champion and receive exclusive benefits!
Many researchers and nutritionists say this shift has been a costly one. They point to a series of studies suggesting that ultra-processed food is a major driver of obesity, heart disease, cancer and even neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s. As the scientific evidence accumulates, some countries have responded by adopting public health policies to try to decrease the amount of ultra-processed food that people eat. The message has entered the popular media in increasingly alarming reports. “Ultra-processed food isn't just bad for your health—it messes with your mind,” reported National Geographic in November. “What makes ultra-processed foods so bad for your health?” probed The Economist in August.
Although there is good research raising concerns about ultra-processed food, we should be hesitant to declare it the primary scourge of the modern diet. The case against ultra-processed food isn’t as solid as the headlines and public outcry would lead us to believe. The research connecting these processed foods to health problems has limitations, and there is contradictory evidence as well. This is a classic example of how research doesn’t speak for itself: It must always be interpreted, by people, in the context of other, often conflicting evidence. “Are there really studies that show that ultra-processed foods are unhealthy? It’s pushing very weak data to make a case,” says Gunter Kuhnle, a nutrition researcher at the University of Reading.
The field of nutrition has a long history of overreacting to contemporary research trends, and we risk making the same mistake now with processing. “We’ve had that issue in the past, as with low-fat recommendations” that later turned out to be counterproductive, says Duane Mellor, a dietitian at Aston University in England. “We’ve messed up too many times. We need to make smarter changes more carefully.” The evidence on ultra-processed food, as is often the case in science, refuses to yield simple, black-or-white answers.
The idea that distinctive modern foods cause distinctive modern health problems started gaining traction in the popular press and popular imagination.
THE TERM "ULTRA-PROCESSED FOOD" was introduced 15 years ago, when University of São Paulo physician, epidemiologist and nutritionist Carlos Monteiro published a short commentary in the journal Public Health Nutrition arguing that industrial foods were “hardly compatible with survival,” and that “diets that include a lot of ultra-processed foods are intrinsically nutritionally unbalanced and intrinsically harmful to health."
Monteiro concluded by recommending the adoption of policies like those used to make alcohol and tobacco more expensive and less accessible. He and several colleagues soon created a food-categorization system called NOVA, with unprocessed or minimally processed food in group 1 and ultra-processed foods in group 3. (The system was later expanded to four groups.) UPFs were said to include a wide range of sweet, salty and fast foods such as soft drinks, chicken nuggets, ice cream, chips and cookies. It also encompassed products not usually thought of as junk food but made for convenience or with ingredients that are not used in home cooking, such as fruit yogurt, sliced bread, infant formula and breakfast cereal with low levels of added sugar.
Other researchers began using the NOVA categorization system to examine the potential health effects of ultra-processed food, comparing people who ate lots of ultra-processed food with those who ate more natural fare. A series of these studies found that UPFs were consistently associated with worse health outcomes.
A 2011 study in Guatemala found higher body-mass index and rates of obesity among people who ate more highly processed foods—a 10 percentage point increase in consumption of processed food translated to a 4.3% increase in BMI. A 2019 study of a group in the U.S. found a connection between eating ultra-processed food and experiencing metabolic disturbances such as high blood sugar and high blood pressure, conditions that increase the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
As more studies emerged, the idea that distinctive modern foods cause distinctive modern health problems started gaining traction in the popular press and popular imagination—and among many physicians as well. “Ultra-processed food feeds into this idea that everything was better in the past,” Kuhnle states. “On one side, you have the farmer going in the field. On the other side, you have smoking factories. And you can add that there is sort of this general distrust in people of science, of industry, of government.”
But there is one key, well-known limitation of this kind of retrospective research: Correlation does not prove causation. In these studies, people who ate lots of ultra-processed food were usually in worse health—not much worse, as in the case of smoking, but somewhat worse. That could be interpreted to mean that ultra-processed foods cause health problems, but there are other factors, or confounders, that could also explain the correlation. People who eat lots of processed food might have unhealthier lifestyles overall, which could explain why they have worse outcomes. People who listen to public health advice about eating fresh foods might also choose to walk up stairs rather than use the elevator, an increase in physical activity that might well not show up in research surveys. Researchers try to correct for these confounders, but different categories of people are too complicated to be perfectly statistically measured and compared.
A study of Spanish university students found that people who ate the most ultra-processed food were one-third more likely to develop depression over 10 years than people who ate the least.
OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES are also prone to an issue called reverse causality: Did diet soda make people gain weight, or did overweight people who wanted to shed some pounds start drinking diet soda? What’s more, there are major questions about how well people remember what they eat and therefore how accurately they can report it in observational studies. Some researchers say this kind of evidence doesn’t merit the boldface attention it often gets. “How this stuff gets published in The New England Journal of Medicine,” says psychologist and food researcher Peter Rogers, “that’s strange to me. That we’re not more concerned about the level of evidence.”
Some researchers have tried to get a better look at ultra-processed foods by running prospective studies, meaning that they gather a group of subjects, monitor their eating habits and lifestyles for some period, and compare their diets with their health outcomes, trying to correct for other factors besides diet. A 2019 French study that followed people for about seven years found that those who ate more ultra-processed food had a higher risk of mortality. For each 10% increase in the amount of UPF eaten, there was a 14% increase in the number of deaths, about half of which came from cancer and cardiovascular disease. A study of Spanish university students in the same year found that people who ate the most ultra-processed food were one-third more likely to develop depression over 10 years than people who ate the least.
Prospective studies can show how people change over time and help reduce the problems of reverse causality and poorly measured diets, but they don’t eliminate the core entanglement: People who follow the well-known advice to eat fresh foods are likely different in many complicated ways from those who hit the drive-thru. The great majority of the evidence against ultra-processed food is of a circumstantial variety. However, policymakers in a few countries decided the evidence was solid enough and began enacting measures to steer citizens away from UPF. “Ultra-processed foods and cardiometabolic health: public health policies to reduce consumption cannot wait,” wrote a group of researchers in the British Medical Journal recently.
There is one influential study that has gone beyond observational research to provide more concrete proof of how ultra-processed food affects people. In 2019, NIH researcher Kevin Hall and a group of colleagues published a paper based on an experiment in which they kept 20 subjects in a hospital setting, giving half of them a UPF-heavy diet for two weeks followed by a diet based on minimal processing for two weeks, allowing them to eat as much food as they wanted at each meal. The other half had the diet with minimal processing first.
The researchers carefully arranged the two diets to be equivalent in terms of nutrients, energy density fiber and other attributes; they differed only in the percentage of processing. While subjects were on the ultra-processed food diet, they ate about 500 more calories per day, and in just two weeks they gained 2 pounds. During the time they ate fresh foods, they lost 2 pounds. Finally, there was direct evidence that ultra-processed foods could push people toward obesity.
One paper, however, does not settle a complicated field. “It’s a very well-conducted study,” says Kuhnle. “But like all studies, there are limitations." For instance, the ultra-processed foods in the study didn’t have much fiber, so the researchers also gave people fiber supplements dissolved in water, but that may not be equivalent to eating fiber. Moreover, no single, small experiment could ever settle such a big nutritional question. “I’ve done studies of flavonols (compounds found in fruit, but also used in processing) with 20 or 50 people," Kuhnle says. “The response was always, ‘That’s a single study.’ We need more studies to understand this.”
Hall readily acknowledges that this single, small study doesn’t provide a final verdict on ultra-processed food, partly because it didn’t represent real life. “It’s a very artificial environment, where we can completely take control over their food,” he says. He also points out that we can’t extrapolate life-long effects based on two weeks of data. “Of course, that (level of overeating) wouldn’t last forever,” he says.
Eating more ultra-processed foods such as cereals, dark or whole-grain breads and yogurts was associated with slightly lower odds of developing Type 2 diabetes.
HALL, LIKE MANY OTHER RESEARCHERS, says the pressing question is to find what exactly is wrong with processed foods—that is, to identify the mechanism by which they seem to impact human health. He has reanalyzed the data from the 2019 study and found some support for specific hypotheses that other researchers have advanced. Perhaps the problem with ultra-processed food is its energy density; or its texture, which may encourage people to eat too fast; or its alleged “hyper-palatability,” which is defined by specific combinations of sugar, salt and fat. Hall and his colleagues are now running a second, similar diet trial to try to both replicate the original finding and also to see if any of these hypotheses are borne out by the experiment. This kind of study is costly and takes about two years to run, in addition to the preparation and analysis.
Another challenge is that not all ultra-processed foods are alike. In many cases, they are not more energy-dense than whole foods. Fruit yogurt is generally less energy-dense than a homemade cookie, for instance, largely because the yogurt has more water. This is part of the problem with the concept of UPF. Frozen and canned vegetables are often classified as ultra-processed, but they are in general healthier than cookies and other homemade, carb-rich foods.
For many researchers, the ultra-processed food puzzle is not so puzzling. The problem with processed foods, they say, is well explained by guidance that mainstream nutritionists have been flogging for years. “A lot of ultra-processed foods have high salt, fat and sugar levels,” says Kuhnle. “For most ultra-processed foods, we don’t really need the label. It’s already what we’d call junk food.”
Some recent research suggests that although there are junky, unhealthful types of ultra-processed food, there are other subcategories that aren’t so bad or that might even provide a benefit. A prospective study of about 200,000 people published in February 2023, found that eating more ultra-processed foods such as cereals, dark or whole-grain breads, yogurts and dairy desserts was associated with slightly lower odds of developing Type 2 diabetes. Another prospective study of about 270,000 people published in November 2023 found that people who ate more ultra-processed breads and cereals and plant-based meat alternatives had the same or slightly lower rates of multimorbidity (having two or more serious health conditions) than did those who ate less of them.
These studies are prone to the same kinds of confounders as other epidemiological research. It’s possible that people who have cereal for breakfast may live healthier lives in other, hard-to-measure ways. Still, they raise the question of whether ultra-processed foods comprise a monolithic category that should all be treated the same way, no matter what. When it comes to making real-life decisions about food, many nutrition experts draw lines between different types of ultra-processed food. “Soft drinks are banned in my house,” says Heinz Freisling, the senior author of the multimorbidity study. “But my daughter likes this cereal stuff. She eats it. I think it is possible that it can be part of a healthy diet.”
When Kevin Hall spends a day in his office, he usually brings in microwavable frozen lunches, even though they often contains additives to preserve flavors and textures through freezing and reheating. “It has lots of protein, lots of fiber, lots of legumes,” he says. “It’s an ultra-processed meal, but I think it’s healthy.”
These legitimate distinctions have sometimes gotten lost in a trend of blaming health problems on the ultra-processed food bogeyman. “I think it’s a fashion. I see it in the titles: ultra-processed food is connected with cancer or heart disease,” says Francesco Visioli, who does research on food chemistry at the University of Padova. “I disagree with following the fashion, I disagree with riding the wave. In five years, people will say, ‘Whoa, slow down.’ Progress has to be slow.”
We already have a long history of enacting nutrition policies prematurely and then scrambling them later when we get better evidence, sowing confusion, apathy and cynicism in many people’s minds.
CONCERN OVER THE REPUTED EFFECTS of ultra-processed foods has led to a well-intentioned yet possibly misguided push to do something forcefully and quickly about the issue. The dash to improve our health by condemning a new dietary villain should set off alarms: We already have a long history of enacting nutrition policies prematurely and then scrambling them later when we get better evidence, sowing confusion, apathy and cynicism in many people’s minds.
The research on ultra-processed food is picking up on something important, but it’s not clear that the category called “ultra-processed food” brings us closer to understanding the problem or ameliorating it. Some of those highly processed foods, such as sugary drinks and processed meats, can degrade health—but we’ve known that for years, through other nutrition research. Most people have gotten the message that they should be eating healthier fresh foods that they prepared themselves, rather than unnatural stuff that comes out of a sealed bag bearing a long list of unpronounceable ingredients. To little avail.
In many countries, most of what people eat fits in NOVA’s "UPF" category. It is folly to go to war with the majority of our food; it's also costly, unproductive and unfair to people without the means to buy and prepare fresh foods. “I don’t think I can overemphasize this. You might think ultra-processed foods are causing the problem, but ultra-processed food makes up 60% of the food supply,” says Kevin Hall, the researcher who provided the most widely touted evidence against ultra-processed foods. “It’s not like cigarettes and cancer, where nobody needs to smoke, and you could just ban cigarettes. People need to eat food. You can’t just ban 60% of the food supply, and you can’t just tax 60% of the food supply.”
Duane Mellor, a dietitian at Aston University in England, adds that policies against ultra-processed foods could backfire if they push people away from processed “gateway products” that help people to prepare healthy, mostly natural meals, such as shelf-stable salad dressings and soup-stock cubes.
We already have some good evidence about which foods are particularly bad, and further research will teach us more. The main goal for us now is to figure out how to make it easier for people to choose healthier options and avoid the true junk, a challenge that’s the same whether we call it “ultra-processed” or not. The better-processed foods can and should play a key role in replacing the dangerous stuff.
“I think there probably is a large set of healthy, ultra-processed foods that are already on the market,” says Hall. “We should make more of those, and increase the availability of those.”
Tools for Readers
The Non-Foodie’s Guide to Eating Healthy
You’ve probably heard that you should eat lots of fresh food, and there’s abundant evidence supporting that suggestion. Some countries tell people to eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits a day. Many nutritionists recommend sticking to the outer aisles of the supermarket (the fresh produce, dairy and meat areas) while avoiding the packaged foods in the middle of the store.
Unfortunately, for most people, it isn’t practical to eat fresh food all the time. Often we have limited choices, limited time, limited money or limited cooking skills, and we need to grab fast food or convenient food from a package, most of which is heavily processed. That doesn’t mean we’re doomed to poor health, however. There’s a wide range of processed foods, many of which are good enough to be go-to options in a healthy diet—you just need to know what to look for. Here are some pointers.
The Macro Level: Most of our food is made up of just a few chemical categories: carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water. Most processed food is low in water and fiber and high in carbohydrates and fats. Look at nutrition labels and aim to choose foods that contain plenty of fiber and protein. Drinking water while you eat is a good way to replace the water that’s pulled out of your body during digestion; water also helps you feel full faster and reduces overeating. The bugbears to watch out for are the “s” ingredients: sugar, saturated fat and salt/sodium.
Healthy From a Box: Some ready-to-heat meals, such as fish fingers or frozen entrees with lots of vegetables, can be fairly healthy. Here, too, look for ones that have lots of fiber and protein and not too much sodium.
Through the Gate: Some processed foods can be “gateway products” to eating healthy, fresh meals. Packaged dressing offers an easy way to eat fresh salads, for instance. Stock cubes make for flavorful, quick homemade soups.
How To Eat: Regardless of what kind of food you choose, you’re better off eating at a table, at a normal mealtime, with real people rather than with heads (or text) on a screen. Regular, social meals can help you avoid overeating. Another tip: Embrace the Confucian idea of eating until you’re 80% full. Stop there and you’ll often feel just right after the meal.


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Rose of Sharon Hedge
These blooms remind me of Hibiscus. Actually, Rose of Sharon and Hibiscus are in the same family, however Rose of Sharon are more hardy. They can grow to 15' high, while Hibiscus usually die back in the winter and reemerge in the spring. Also the Hisbiscus bloom is, in some instances, twice the size of the Rose of Sharon. I would definitely suggest that you try Rose of Sharon in your garden. They are easy to grow. Select a site with full sun to light shade and moist, well-drained soil. Plant in spring or fall. Space plants 6 to 10 feet apart, depending on the expected mature size of the plant. Dig a hole only as deep as the root ball and 2 to 3 times as wide. If your soil is in poor condition, amend the soil you've removed from the hole with a small amount of compost. Otherwise don't amend it at all. Remove the plant from the container and set it in the hole. Fill the hole half full with soil, then water it well to settle the soil and eliminate air pockets. Let the water drain, then fill the remainder of hole with soil and water thoroughly. You can also add a 2-inch layer of mulch to retain moisture and control weeds.


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As the urgency to control greenhouse-gas emissions grows, one significant source of emissions that is often overlooked is food waste. A study published last week in Nature found that about 33% of food produced globally is wasted annually. As this food decomposes in landfills, it releases methane and carbon dioxide. In 2017, emissions from food waste equaled the annual greenhouse gas emissions of the United States and European Union combined.
Organizations everywhere must be proactive rather than reactive to tackle these challenges. One of the best ways to do that is by staying informed on ESG and climate-related issues via our best-in-class ESG and Climate & Biodiversity programs.
1. IPCC publishes final warning. On March 20, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Sixth Assessment Report. IPCC’s research clearly shows that human activity has unequivocally driven climate change. As a result, the world is currently on track to fall short of achieving the 1.5°C (2.7°F) limit from the 2015 Paris Agreement, and unless significant actions are taken immediately, we will exceed 2°C (3.6°F). Countries and companies must make drastic changes in energy consumption, land use, and infrastructure now in order to limit the most severe impacts of climate change.
2. Cutting emissions in Europe. Last week, the European Union (EU) parliament voted in favour of a proposal stating that EU member states must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 40% compared with 2005 emission-levels. This proposal binds all EU countries into an agreement to reduce their emissions. However, each country’s targets will differ based on GDP and cost-effectiveness to ensure that the targets are realistic and achievable. The new regulation limits the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation, agricultural, and infrastructure industries. It will also have significant impacts on companies operating in the EU by closing loopholes that limit the ability to save emissions from previous years, borrow from the future and emissions trading between countries.
3. ESG backlash deepens in the US. On March 16, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced new state level regulations that disincentivize ESG-focused decision-making by financial institutions and state-level governments. Banks and other financial institutions will be prohibited from discriminating against customers on the basis of their political opinions. Government funds will also be withdrawn from banks that engage in “corporate activism”. Finally, investors will not be allowed to consider any ESG-related factors while making investment decisions. While Florida is the first state to pass legislation against ESG, 18 other US Governors from states including Montana, Tennessee, Alaska, Georgia, and more have joined DeSantis in creating an alliance and signing a declaration against the influences of ESG in the financial sector.
4. UK companies make slow progress on diversity. Companies everywhere are increasingly conscious of the value of DEI, especially in leadership positions. In the UK, women now occupy 40% of the board seats at FTSE100 companies, and one in five (19%) of every chair position, which compares favourably with 11% at European companies. That’s according to the recent European Gender Diversity Barometer, which was created by Ethics & Boards, a governance advisor, and ecoDa, the European body for institutes of directors. However, women still only occupy 28% of executive roles at FTSE100 companies, with just 9% as CEOs. At 15% of UK businesses, there is no female representation in executive leadership at all.
5. Germany’s reckoning for climate change. A new study by the Environment and Economy Ministries in Germany estimates that the impacts of climate change could cost Germany up to €900 billion by 2050. The Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW), the Society for Economic Structures Research (GWS) and Prognos AG developed several different scenarios for climate change between 2022 and 2050 to develop the study. The study examines the effects of extreme weather events, such as heat, fires and flooding. Even a best-case scenario would result in a €280 billion bill, which would damage Europe’s largest economy. The study estimates that Germany’s GDP would decrease by 0.6-1.8% as a result. Germany has already seen first-hand the impacts of climate change, with the massive floods in 2021 in the Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia regions costing dozens of lives and €80 billion.
Ira Srivastava is Competent Boards Program Coordinator. Follow Competent Boards on LinkedIn.Back To News & Views


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King of Kings 3: Divine Rebirth is a free-to-play 3D Fantasy MMORPG that features amazing Player vs. Player (PvP) and Realm vs. Realm (RvR) combat, with cutting edge Clan War functionality. In King of Kings 3 players begin by choosing from one of 3 traditional classes: the Warrior, Mage or Cleric, but after progressing to level 50 and beyond are free to choose additional classes, such as the Berserker, Sword Mage, Bishop and many more.
King of Kings 3: Divine Rebirth is a high quality online role-playing game with an emphasis on PvP and RvR. Discover a medieval fantasy world, splintered into seven unstable enemy realms after many long years of bitter war. Join one of these realms and create your own destiny. Found a guild with your friends and wage bitter war against other guilds. With your legions by your side, you can create a kingdom of your own. Conquer enemy armies to become the King of Kings!
King of Kings 3: Divine Rebirth Key Features
Multi-level, dynamic guild system – You start as a young lone warrior, but soon get the chance to band together with other to form an alliance. By rising to the daily challenges, your guild can thrive and prosper and be expanded to a legion. The stronger and larger your alliance grows, the more advantages and amenities it can offer its members. Once you have grown powerful enough and have learned to hold your own in battle, nothing can stand between you and the crown: become ruler of your own kingdom and secure your place in history.
Housing and town building – Discover your inner architect! Design your own home and build it up from a simple log house to a sprawling villa. Build a fortress for your legion and an impressive capital city for your kingdom, tailor-made and built up with a variety of functional and decorative buildings. Houses and towns can also level up and be improved to offer higher bonuses.
PvP with conquerable towns – Be it duels, spontaneous skirmishes, regularly-held events and battlegrounds or an all-out declaration of war on other kingdoms and attacks on their towns... King of Kings 3 has everything a PvP fan could wish for! Your efforts will also not go unnoticed: Look for your name at the top of the ranking lists. Collect titles that will bring not just fame and glory, but also increased buffs. Strengthen your kingdom and increase your fortune. Teach your enemies the true meaning of fear and prove that you are worthy of the title King of Kings!
Flexibility and depth – King of Kings doesn't just offer a wealth of features, but also has a depth never seen before in a game of this type. The detailed and elaborate game elements form a complex and multi-faceted world that - unlike in most other RPGs - is not static but rather can be changed by the player's choices.

domain: game


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I simply cannot be arsed to make individual posts for the books I haven’t written about yet, so here are the summaries of them.
Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives by Thomas French. I love animals and reading about them, so I was really keen on reading this book. I was not disappointed, because it was a good look into the life of the animals as well as the people who work in a zoo. I found myself crying for animals and people I’d never met and furious for the zookeepers who only wanted the best for the animals but got the short end of the stick. The book is based on a series of articles, and I found it quite exciting to see pictures of the animals after reading about them in the book. My rating: 5/5
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. I wanted to read this book because I really like magical realism, which you may have already noticed, but I ended up being a bit disappointed. Before reading it I knew it was going to be similar to Garden Spells, but I have to say I much prefer the latter. I just did not like any of the characters in Practical Magic and I was constantly thrown off by Hoffman’s descriptions of sexual encounters and the usage of the word “fucking”. I generally don’t mind either of those things and I have no problem with swearing, but somehow her language in these contexts differed so much from the rest of the book that it just seemed glued-on. Blech. My rating: 2/5
Where We Going, Daddy? Life With Two Sons Unlike Any Other by Jean-Louis Fournier. This was an extremely quick read that I finished between my morning coffee in the living room and finally transporting my butt to the computer room. (Yes, we have a separate computer room, what about it?) It was an interesting peek into a life with disabled children and it was far less heavy than The Boy in the Moon that I read last year. Funny and touching. My rating: 4/5
Secrets of the Cat by Barbara Holland. Cats, I love them. I have three of them. CATS. So obviously I was excited about this book and I did love learning new things about my furry friends and reading fascinating anecdotes. However, some parts were kind of boring and I probably should have skipped all the parts about burning cats alive. My rating: 4/5
Big in China: My Unlikely Adventures Raising a Family, Playing the Blues, and Becoming a Star in Beijing by Alan Paul. I’ve been pretty interested in China recently and it was interesting to read about it through a foreigner’s eyes too. I wasn’t quite as much interested in the music stuff but I didn’t find it boring either. I don’t really have a lot to say about this book, it was a nice read but I don’t think I’ll read it again. My rating: 3/5
A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French. I love Dawn French so I was pretty excited about reading this book and I definitely wasn’t disappointed. I would recommend reading this book to anyone who has or is about to have teenaged children. Some commenter on Goodreads complained that the characters were totally stereotypical, but I felt that the story showed the real people behind the stereotypes. I liked the story as well and I’m looking forward to reading Dawn’s newer book too. My rating: 4/5
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. I guess I should have figured it out by the book’s title that this book was mostly going to be about, well, books. It’s not that I have anything against reading about literature but I just wasn’t in the mood for it and I hadn’t read any of the books discussed except Lolita. However, I learned a lot about Iran’s history and what it’s like to live there, which was a valuable lesson. My rating: 3/5


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Sale Of Sacramento Kings To Chris Hansen's Group Officially Announced
SEATTLETIMES.COM - A sale of the Sacramento Kings to a group that will move them to Seattle was officially announced Monday morning.
Both the current majority owners of the team, the Maloof family, and the leader of the Seattle group, Chris Hansen, released statements confirming the sale.
"We are happy to announce that we have entered into a binding agreement with the Maloofs to purchase a controlling interest in the Sacramento Kings NBA franchise," the Hansen statement read. "The sale is obviously subject to approval by the NBA Board of Governors, and we look forward to working with the league in the coming months to consummate the transaction."
Varying reports stated the team was purchased for roughly $340 million, representing a 65 percent share of the franchise's assessed value of $525 million.
If approval comes from the NBA Board of Governors, the team could play in Seattle's KeyArena next season.
Hansen's statement continued to say:
"While we are not at liberty to discuss the terms of the transaction or our plans for the franchise given the confidential nature of the agreement and NBA regulations regarding public comments during a pending transaction, we would just like to extend our sincerest compliments and gratitude toward the Maloof family. Our negotiations with the family were handled with the utmost honor and professionalism and we hope to continue their legacy and be great stewards of this NBA franchise in the coming years and decades."
The Maloof family also announced the sale, saying:
"We have always appreciated and treasured our ownership of the Kings and have had a great admiration for the fans and our team members. We would also like to thank Chris Hansen for his professionalism during our negotiation. Chris will be a great steward for the franchise," said Gavin Maloof, Kings co-owner speaking on behalf of the Maloof family.
The sale would include a 53 percent share held by the current controlling owners of the Kings, the Maloof family, and 12 percent held by minority owner Bob Hernreich. Hansen's group and the Maloofs have been negotiating for several weeks.
The NBA released a statement that said, "The NBA received an executed Purchase and Sale Agreement for the transfer of a controlling interest in the Sacramento Kings from the Maloof family to an investor group led by Christopher Hansen. The proposed transaction is subject to the approval of the NBA Board of Governors and has been referred to the Board's committee process for review."
King County Executive Dow Constantine released a statement:
"The return of our hometown team is now within reach.
"I was a high school kid in the spring of 1979 when I joined 300,000 fellow fans on the streets of downtown Seattle to celebrate our SuperSonics winning the NBA Championship. Those were great days for our community.
"Thanks to Chris Hansen and his investment partners Steve Ballmer, Peter and Erik Nordstrom, and the strength of regional partnerships and our collective can-do spirit, we can now look forward to celebrating the day we can say, "Welcome home, Sonics!"
ESPN.com reported that other NBA teams were "formally notified Sunday night of the deal."
ESPN.com also reported that Hansen's group will give the Maloofs a nonrefundable deposit of $30 million by Feb. 1. ESPN.com also reported that the Maloofs may retain "a small piece" of the team. The remaining 35 percent of the team would apparently remain in hands of the current minority shareholders.
The NBA's Board of Governors will meet in New York in mid-April.
But Yahoo.com reported that their approval would be "a formality" and that the team would play in KeyArena beginning next season. The team would likely play in KeyArena for two years while a proposed arena in the Sodo District is constructed.
An investment group led by Hansen finalized a deal with Seattle and King County in October to build a $490 million sports and entertainment venue in the Sodo neighborhood with $200 million in public money to be repaid through revenue generated by the facility. Two lawsuits are challenging the financing and the location.
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, a former three-time NBA All-Star, said last week he has received approval from the NBA to present a counteroffer at the Board of Governors meeting. He is attempting to put together an ownership group and an arena plan that would match Seattle's, allowing the team to stay put. Several Sacramento media outlets reported Johnson could announce the specifics of the ownership group this week.
NBA Commissioner David Stern confirmed last week that Johnson would be given a chance to state the city's case before the Board of Governors in April. Johnson will be hoping to repeat what he did in 2011, when he was able to help convince the NBA not to let the Maloofs relocate the team to Anaheim.
In a statement Sunday night, Johnson said the city will continue its fight for the team. "When it comes to keeping the team in our community, Sacramento is playing to win," the statement read. "In particular, we have been focused like a laser on identifying an ownership group that will both have the financial resources desired by the NBA and the vision to make the Kings the NBA equivalent of what the Green Bay Packers have been in the NFL."
The NBA has a deadline of March 1 for teams to file for relocation.
In another twist, longtime NBA writer Peter Vecsey tweeted that former Lakers and Bulls coach Phil Jackson could be involved with a new Seattle franchise in a front-office role. Vecsey wrote that Jackson would not coach but would "mentor" the team's coach. Jackson's son Charlie and Hansen are reported to be close friends.
Seattle has been without an NBA team since 2008 when the Sonics were relocated to Oklahoma City by new owner Clay Bennett.
Hansen has spent the past year laying the groundwork for an arena deal and attempting to buy a team to move to Seattle.
The Kings have played in Sacramento since moving from Kansas City in 1985.
The Kings' franchise dates to 1945 beginning play in Rochester and later moving to Cincinnati and then Kansas City.
The Kings are currently 16-25 with a roster that includes two area players in former UW guard and Curtis High alum Isaiah Thomas, and Aaron Brooks of Franklin High.

domain: finance


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