Category Archives: Golden Rule

With help from Rishika Dugyala and Teresa Wiltz

Supporters cheer as then-Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin walks onstage at a campaign rally days before the November election. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Hi, hi, Recast family! Maya and Sabrina here filling in for Brakkton this week. (Hes taking a much-needed vacay.) Were sure youve read plenty of the hot takes in the wake of the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections last week. And while we expect more takes hopefully with more data in the days and weeks to come, well walk you through some of the biggest takeaways on what Democrats need to be looking at heading into the midterm elections. Lets jump in.

Democrats have a bigger problem than they thought.

Following bruising losses up and down the ballot in Virginia and a too-close-for-comfort win in New Jersey, Democrats are doing damage control. Its going to take some heavy lifting for them to stop the bleeding in 2022. Thats because theyll need to totally rethink and seriously prioritize their strategy to mobilize the constituencies they most need: Black and Latino voters.

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe fell short of the governors mansion by just over 2 points even as turnout among voters of color rivaled the record-breaking figures from 2020, when President Joe Biden won the commonwealth by 10 points. Its leading grassroots organizers, campaign strategists and party leaders alike to reexamine where the party went wrong in the commonwealth.

Then-Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe departs after speaking during his election night event on Nov. 2. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Among the main concerns emerging from the election results: Democrats over-reliance on Black and Latino voters to turn out and counteract overwhelmingly white, Republican enthusiasm. Democrats expect POC voters to show up without making necessary investments to gin up Black and brown turnout, some party officials, consultants and pollsters say. Whats more, they add, the old strategies of outreach last-minute mailers, a handful of Spanish-language ads and visits to Black churches and barber shops are outdated, ineffective strategies in the face of data-driven, well-funded outreach strategies coming from the GOP.

Its like we watch the same movie every election cycle and we expect a different beautiful ending. Every now and then we get one, but oftentimes its not because everything that couldve been done was done on outreach and turnout with people of color, said Julin Castro, former Democratic presidential candidate and Housing secretary in the Obama administration.

That needs to change.

And its not just about outreach. Voters need something to get excited about. That was particularly evident as Republicans drove much of the public debate and Democrats struggled to gain traction with their talking points on policy. Education dominated the Virginia race, as panic over critical race theory a legal academic framework that examines racism in American institutions quickly morphed into a debate around whether parents should control what their children learn in school.

The issue animated the gubernatorial race, as now Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin promised to ban the teaching of it while McAuliffe waited until weeks before the election to fully address it, handing out copies of Toni Morrisons Beloved. McAuliffe, who launched his campaign on education, also was haunted by a September gaffe during a debate where he said parents shouldnt tell schools what to teach.

All of that led to conditions in Virginia, unfortunately, for the dog whistle politics and the grievance politics, that Glenn Youngkin can perpetuate it to be quite successful, and quite effective, said Terrance Woodbury, A Democratic pollster who studies Black voting behavior.

Now, lets be clear: Democrats loss in Virginia isnt about placing blame on voters of color. The truth is Democrats are bleeding support from white voters.

And that helped Republicans in Virginia, where the electorate that turned out was certainly whiter.

The share of white voters supporting McAuliffe also went down to 38 percent from 45 percent for Biden just a year earlier.

Meanwhile, exit polls in Virginia portrayed dueling narratives with Latino voters in Virginia, as one had Youngkin winning by 12 points while another showed McAuliffe winning by more than 30 points. Democratic pollsters and political insiders, however, say one thing is clear: Latino support for Democrats is eroding and they need to act fast.

The electorate was also older. More than one-fourth of voters were over the age of 65 an age group that leans more conservative up from 18 percent in 2020. Only 10 percent of voters were in the 18-to-29 age range, a group that leaned toward McAuliffe, down from 20 percent in last years election. Exit polls also show a swing among independent voters with a majority voting for Youngkin after a majority backed Biden last year.

Stickers reading "I Voted" are available to those afterwards who cast ballots at the Fairfax County Government Center on Nov. 2 in Virginia's election. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

We know that the party in power in the White House often faces headwinds. At the same time, Im looking for, How do we buck that trend? Castro said. In order to buck that trend, were going to have to drive up turnout among our base. That means you need great candidates, you need well-funded grassroots outreach efforts and you need an appealing record of accomplishment and strong narrative going into 2022.

As always, well be watching to see how this dynamic plays out in 2022 and beyond.

All the best, The Recast team

Power dynamics are changing. With The Recast, you'll get a twice-weekly breakdown of how race and identity are the DNA of American politics and policy. Stay tuned for fresh analysis, scoops and new voices.

Programming note: Brakkton will co-moderate a discussion at POLITICOs inaugural sustainability summit on Nov. 16 about what it will take to achieve a just transition to a clean energy economy. RSVP here.

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THE ROUNDTABLE

Former Democratic presidential candidate Julin Castro speaks at a campaign event in Atlanta in December 2020. | Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

We wanted to dig a little deeper into how the results in Virginia shook out, how much Democrats should be paying attention and how voters of color in the commonwealth could be a bellwether for how the party might perform next November. So we spent some more time on the horn with Woodbury, a Democratic pollste, and Castro, former HUD secretary and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. And we enlisted Chuck Rocha, a Democratic strategist and former senior adviser to Bernie Sanders. This conversation has been edited and shortened for clarity.

THE RECAST: What demographic shifts did you notice in Virginia in 2021 that Democrats might have underestimated? What could that tell us about next years races?

TERRANCE WOODBURY: We saw the electorate get significantly whiter and significantly older than it was in 2020. I think that shows some underperformance amongst voters of color, primarily Black voters, who both turned out at a lower rate, but also supported Democrats at a lower rate.

JULIN CASTRO: Its clear there was an uptick of white voters in the electorate compared to previous cycles. And also that Youngkin was able to peel off independents who likely had voted for Joe Biden versus Donald Trump and who very well may have voted for McAuliffe in 2013 and Northam in 2017.

CHUCK ROCHA: There was such a hyperfocus on white women. And Terry McAuliffe ran millions and millions of TV commercials targeting white women with the choice issue. So much so that you saw them saying, Dont Texas my Virginia and trying to use that as a motivational factor for white women, when in fact, they dramatically underperformed.

So, you know, saying that this is on Black and brown voters is totally false.

THE RECAST: Did you notice any warning signs with voters of color ahead of the November election? And what were some of your biggest takeaways in either or both New Jersey and Virginia?

WOODBURY: We always say if you're asking the wrong questions, then you're getting the wrong answers, and a lot of pollsters are asking the wrong questions. And, frankly, conventional polling doesn't even include racism and discrimination in most issue batteries.

ROCHA: The biggest thing that we're hearing in the community is that Black and brown people were horribly affected by Covid, because of education, and kids being home from school. So Covid overlaps with the schooling issue, because unlike rich white folks, or you could say just rich folks in the suburbs, [working class] black and brown folks don't have a nanny or don't have the privilege to get to work from home. So the whole family suffered when the child had to stay home. And nobody was talking about that issue in Virginia. And I've heard it in every single focus group of Black and brown voters in almost every state I've worked in.

CASTRO: From both the elections, I took that Republicans were able to control the narrative in Virginia that race became a lot about critical race theory and essentially white identity politics as expressed in whats taught in schools. And in New Jersey, it centered a lot around taxes and thats particular to New Jersey.

THE RECAST: What lessons can Democrats learn from 2021 so not to repeat them in 2022?

CASTRO: Democrats have to enhance the outreach and the resources to drive up registration and turnout, especially turnout among low propensity Latino voters We need a full court press on registration and turnout 365 days a year, not only a few months before an election. And that the agenda of accomplishment in Washington and in state capitals across the country reflects the interests of Latinos and other people of color.

I believe that Jamie Harrison and the DNC get that and that you have a lot of people that do understand the urgency of making these investments and doing the outreach. But sometimes things get lost in the shuffle.

ROCHA: There's a golden rule in politics. And that is you only get one time to make a first impression.

WOODBURY: Democrats often are on the right side of these issues, but not willing to take the bold public stance ... Even when I was focus grouping Democrats who were considering or had already supported Donald Trump, and I asked them, What is it about him? Even after explicit racism, like, demonstrable racism, what is it about him that would make you still want to support him? They say, Well, at least he stands for what he believes in, even if it's wrong. Even if it's unpopular. And that's what they're missing in Democrats, is someone that will stand for them. Even when it's unpopular.

ICYMI @ POLITICO

For weeks, dozens of students have taken over the social hub of Howard University while sleeping on pallets, air mattresses and tents inside and outside of the building. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Howard University students are still protesting abysmal campus living conditions, reports POLITICOS Eugene Daniels. They have a message for the Biden administration, Congress and their most famous alumnus, Vice President Kamala Harris: follow through on a promise.

For POLITICO Magazine, Ruby Cramer dives into the new Pete Buttigieg documentary. Amid the action of the campaign, she notes that the real drama is watching a person who is still becoming comfortable with himself and doing so on the biggest stage imaginable.

What happens when a movement meets a man who cant be moved? Also for POLITICO Magazine, Ruair Arrieta-Kenna reports on the Sunrise Movements challenging year in a Washington seemingly ruled by Sen. Joe Manchin. Its a hard look at efforts to win transformational climate policy and the limits of the progressive wave.

THE RECAST RECOMMENDS

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Truth: Democrats have a white voter problem - Politico

This one's for those who dont have access to (or the ability to play) a real guitar, but still want those sparkling textures. The solution: software sample libraries and virtual players. Some even boldly argue that software guitar is a more practical route to rich, majestic guitar melodies

Its now a nearly universally recognised fact that the pro-level sample library has largely negated the necessity of investing in bank-breaking instruments, or studio recording time. From the comfort of your home, music makers across genres can easily conjure lush orchestration, realistic-sounding drum-kits and authentic analogue synth tones with the right applications of professionally curated sample collections, in conjunction with natural-sounding legatos and humanisation abilities.

For some however, guitar sampling remains something to be treated with a degree of scepticism, as those stubborn real-world players remain dubious of the idea that software can reproduce guitar parts as realistic as those performed by a human being when performed via a MIDI keyboard, or programmed via software.

Well, that idea should be put to bed right now, because, in reality, guitar sampling has been a perfectly elegant solution for those less able to weave dazzling solos with their fingers for years, or for those looking to apply guitar characteristics that are simply outside of their sphere to muster.

The idea that these virtual guitar suites cant sound truly realistic may have held water some ten years ago, but the last decade has seen rapid innovations in performability and sample animation. Many guitar sample libraries feature phrases and scale runs performed by superlative players, recorded in a studio context with top of the line amps, cabs and microphones too. When applied to a track, very few listeners if any would be able to tell that they were added using software.

While its definitely the case that you now dont actually need a real guitar in order to work the instrument in your mix, you really do need to make sure that you listen carefully to the sound of the legion of virtual guitar VSTs for sale before you part with your cash.

Youll find that, as a general rule, theyve all been tailored for a specific sonic purpose. Impact Soundworks Shreddage for example, is aimed at those wanting a pounding metal thrash, while the affecting, delayed licks found in Audiomoderns Opacity II heavily vie to be used in a Nordic murder mystery soundtrack. While both aretechnically guitar packs, they cater for very different audiences.

Sound aside, many of these types of virtual guitar plugin will contain pre-played phrases, riffs and licks that are triggered like any other sample, but if you were wanting to create your own, note-by-note, youd be advised to take a look at the individual expressive capabilities of the suite. The aforementioned Opacity II is exemplary in this regard, with its pre-prepared (and pre-mixed) textured pads able to be scaled seamlessly, while the sequence loops, swells and pads can yield stunning guitar atmospheres it would take days to carve.

The same can be said of the much more straightforward Session Guitar series from Native Instruments. While these suites contain some stellar recordings of classic guitars (for example a Martin D-35, in the case of the standout Strummed Acoustic), the best aspect of the software is that ability to trigger predetermined chord sequences via a pattern selector, or, to boil things down to a crazily simple level, via a one-note key press, which triggers a lush chord on the chosen guitar. Its actually almost that bit too easy, but at the end of the day, it sounds real, and accelerates the production process.

While direct overall control over chords and notes is one aspect of being a guitarist, the parallel pleasure of exploring the expressive scope of the instrument, and coming up with new, off-the-wall riffs and melodies is something that many might expect the software world to not be able to cater for.

Well, Impromptu Guitars from Zero-G features an engine that randomly weaves together a wide range of improvised loops, crossfade-able by use of the central knob. These evolving sounds can be mixed into your track in numerous pleasing ways, and were all captured with real amps and pedals.

Other software, such as the range offered by Real Guitar, allows a wide range of techniques and chordal control, with key velocity and your mod wheel affecting such aspects as harmonics, strum intensity and chord voicing. Real Guitars suites among many others also contain humanisation algorithms, designed to combat the former jarring realisation that were working in the domain of samples, with chord strums and technique being carefully thought about during the recording process.

Oddly, human imperfection and unpredictability is a discernible, sought-after attribute. While weve named a few of our particular favourite guitar sample manipulating products, do take the time to explore around and hone in on the right fit for your music. Or, if youre starting fresh, a guitar sample library with performance abilities can be a splendid starting point.

Even if youre a guitarist through-and-through, its certainly not an either/or situation with regards to the virtual world. Certain software suites could lead you down more interesting creative angles.

Melodic sample packs, such as Pedal Steel from Loopmasters, or Guitar Hooks from IQ Samples can be easily slotted in to your mix, and can spur on the creation of new earworms, which you can develop further with an actual instrument (though you may want to keep these royalty-free sounds as they are, bearing in mind theyve been captured with god-tier guitars and amp combinations).

However you want to approach things, the golden rule is that all music-making technology is there to help your creativity to flourish, and tired arguments about hardware vs software or indeed guitars vs sampled guitars restrict both sides of the fence.

But, there are no shortcuts to achieving the perfect sound for your track as weve over-stated throughout this feature, the track should always be the primary consideration.

Even if youve spent your life in dance music, and never worked with the guitar as a mix element before, then why not open your ears to the possibilities it presents? You might be surprised with how a considered application of guitar sounds can prove to be the missing ingredient that makes your track into a real gourmet dish.

If you want some beefy metal power in your mix, but dont own either a guitar or the necessary skill to conjure the required tone, then Shreddage 3 is tailor-made for you. Using a MIDI keyboard, Shreddage allows you to control the guitar via Poly Input, while the suite also contains huge numbers of articulations and presets.

Featuring 3,682 samples, the realistic fretboard and string-handling noises found within Ample Guitar L III means that youd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between it and a real guitar recording. A substantial helping of articulations, realistic legato and a choice of instrument types result in a quality simulated guitar option.

It may be over ten years old, but Electri6ity is still held in high regard by many software-guitar explorers. Its automatic chord feature revoices your MIDI keyboard chords into guitar chord shapes, while the programmable strumming ability keeps things sounding human. Theres also a huge amount of scalability and effects within.

Across Natives range of Session Guitarist instruments, stunning guitar recordings are performable via your standard MIDI keyboard. Strummed Acoustic is certainly up there as a vital go-to if you dont have a real guitar to hand. It provides the simple ability to construct realistic performances that can help to texture your mix.

Taking their cues from a classic Gibson Les Paul sound, this sublime package captures the playing of acclaimed player Michael Dowdle, and features a heap of pre-recorded parts, phrases and programmable notes. The strumming animation controls are top notch as well, which features the ability to palm mute and apply harmonics.

Available in a range of different flavours, the Virtual Guitarist series provides many musical styles to choose from, with thousands of samples and performance options to explore. Full chords can be triggered with single-note presses, and more than 100 presets can direct you to a tone that will work for your track. The effects are pretty sweet, too.

Original post:

How to get a great guitar sound... without buying a guitar - MusicRadar

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Treat others as you would want to be treated, the Golden Rule is short, succinct and powerful.

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Having been taught this age-old concept from the time we were young, most of recognize its place in our personal lives.

When it comes to the world of business, though, this rule isnt applied nearly as fervently.

Sure, wed like to say that we uphold this rule in our professional lives -- but when it comes down to it, do we really? How often do we ensure that ethics are held in the same regard as, say, our financial goals? Are morals ever measured as diligently or given as much consideration as our ROI spreadsheets?

Its easy to dismiss the concept of ethics as less important than other areas of business; to stuff them into our business values page, but to leave them out of the day-to-day processes. But far from being "fluffy" concepts with no real place in the business world, its important to recognize that ethics are directly tied to a companys long-term success.

Related: The Ethics Coach: In Tough Conversations, Do This

When you think about it from a practical standpoint, applying the Golden Rule in business makes a lot of sense. Treat your customers right and theyll be happier, more likely to come back -- and more inclined to recommend you to friends and family. Treat your workers fairly, and theyll be motivated to provide excellent service, which leads to satisfied and committed customers. And the numbers dont lie. In most industries, companies that are the loyalty leaders have a compound annual growth rate that is more than twice that of their competitors. Likewise, treating your workers well has been shown to lead to excellence, which of course, results in increased profits.

When it comes to the Golden Rule, this simple yet timeless guideline holds more value than first meets the eye. In a world where the question of ethics and moral dilemmas often arises, having a standard that you can refer to in your decision-making process can be invaluable.

Likewise, in todays ultra-competitive marketplace, where companies start and fail at a drastic rate, having a solid set of ethics could be just what your company needs to stand head and shoulders above the rest. With this in mind, lets take a look at how the Golden Rule breaks down practically and see how implementing it into your business strategy and daily operations can pay off.

One of the most valuable possessions that you have is your reputation -- and its important to guard it at all costs. Profits can be lost and regained, but rebuilding a damaged reputation -- thats far more difficult.

Related: How To Be An Ethical Leader

Ensuring that you follow the Golden Rule in your interactions with others and your decision-making processes in business -- is a simple way to keep your reputation intact.

Each time you live up to the Golden Rule, your reputation is enhanced; each time you fail, it is diminished, writes author and speaker Fred Reichheld in an article in Harvard Business Review.

As it turns out, rising above the situation and treating others decently is just as important in the business world as it is in our personal lives. A cut-throat business strategy may work at first, but as scientist Robert Axelrod argues, over time it will, ironically, destroy the very environment it needs for its own success.

Build your business sustainably. Dont step on others to climb the corporate ladder. Treat your team, your customers, your vendors, and competitors fairly. Go above and beyond whats required of you. Doing so will help to preserve your reputation and pay off significantly in the long run.

The secret to a satisfied customer base is your ability to put yourself in your clients shoes.

Henry Ford recognized the value of this simple concept. If there is any one secret of success -- Ford is quoted as saying, -- it lies in the ability to get the other persons point of view and see things from that persons angle as well as from your own.

While its fairly easy for small companies to give customers the attention that they need, as a company expands, this concept usually becomes more difficult. But even as a company grows, its important for them to remain true to their roots -- to continue to recognize and meet their customers expectations -- and to provide excellent service. In short, to treat their customers how they want to be treated.

The sobering fact is that customer satisfaction works both ways. When customers feel mistreated or misled, they give what they got, writes Fred Reichheld, highlighting the reality of dissatisfied customers. They leave -- if they can -- and complain if they cant. They demoralize your employees. And they badmouth your company, alienating your prospects. Theyre costly.

Related: Are Business Ethics at a Low Ebb?

How costly? Studies show that people are far more likely to complain about a negative experience than they are to talk about a good one. News of bad customer service reaches more than twice as many people as praise for a good service experience, and a whopping 91 percent of unhappy customers -- will leave and wont come back.

As it turns out, treating customers well is important for their satisfaction and retention -- helping to keep them happy -- and coming back for more.

One of the best ways to assemble a team thats driven, motivated and on board, is by treating them well.

A satisfied workforce will be motivated to provide great service to your customers, and theyll be more loyal to your company as well. Not surprisingly, studies show that pure, simple appreciation can go a long way towards motivating employees.

Harry C. Handlin, former President of Lincoln Electric, believed in applying the Golden Rule in the workplace -- and the importance of putting others first -- not only in the more obvious area of customer relations, but the employer-employee relationship as well.

If, as managers, we treat our employees the way that we would like to be treated, we are rewarded with a dedicated, talented and loyal work force that will consistently meet the needs of the marketplace, Handlin said.

Its easy to spot a company that treats its team well. Workers are motivated, turnover is lower, and customers are happier as well.

Having a satisfied and happy team thats committed to meeting customers needs is important for sustainable growth. Ive seen this concept myself during my time at Renters Warehouse. As founder and CEO, I was committed to providing the best work environment for my team -- and in return, they were motivated and driven to provide excellent service to our clients.

For companies today, dusting off the Golden Rule and putting it to work in your customer service department would be a good start but I would argue that employing this rule throughout every aspect of your company, and professional career, is an even better approach. Using it to guide your actions in business may not instantly put you on the fast-track for success -- but it will most definitely pave the way for sustainable, long-term growth.

The best companies know that relationships rather than transactions are what matter; something that is at the heart of the Golden Rule. Treat others like people, not numbers and put yourself in their place once in a while. Its not as complex as some of the other business philosophies out there, but it undoubtedly encompasses many of them as well. As it turns out, following the Golden Rule will help you to go far -- in life and in business as well.

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Why the Golden Rule Must Be Practiced in Business

DOWNTOWN

Our Downtown shopis managed by Anthony.

Monday - Saturday 8am -5pm

(509) 328-3280

Anthony was born and raised right here in Spokane, where his dad was a mechanic in the National Guard. At a young age, Anthony learned everything from him and now Anthony teaches his dad all the new stuff. Anthony works 6-7 days a week to be a good role model for his 4 children, showing them hard work pays off but always finding time for his wife, family activities or kid's sporting events. He will go out of his way to help anybody he can. Anthony has worked for the company since February 2011 and loves working for Golden Rule Brake because the past and present owners are real people that are involved in all portions of the company and invest in the employees and their families.

NORTHSIDE

(509) 489-4890

Our north Spokane shop is managed by Corey.

Corey was born and raised in Spokane and grew up tinkering with cars ever since he could hold a wrench. He joined the Army at 17 where he spent 4 years. After his military service, he went back to school to further his knowledge in his first love, cars!!! He earned a degree in Automotive Technology as well as several ASE certifications. He has 2 great kids and loves working for Golden Rule Brake, saying, "The moral values of honesty, integrity and respect that this company is built on makes me feel right at home."

SPOKANE VALLEY

(509) 928-9280

Our Spokane Valley shop is managed by Mike.

Mike is originally from San Diego. He has been around cars since before he can remember and would sit on his grandpas workbench in a diaper helping fix whatever was broken. Mike moved to Spokane in 2005 and has a wonderful family, including 2 great kids. If hes not working, youll find him in the woods with his family or at the racetrack with his son. Mike says, I love working at Golden Rule because of the close-knit group of employees and the honest and family focused ethics of the company. This is the best job Ive had hands-down.

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The git rebase command has a reputation for being magical Git voodoo that beginners should stay away from, but it can actually make life much easier for a development team when used with care. In this article, well compare git rebase with the related git merge command and identify all of the potential opportunities to incorporate rebasing into the typical Git workflow.

The first thing to understand about git rebase is that it solves the same problem as git merge. Both of these commands are designed to integrate changes from one branch into another branchthey just do it in very different ways.

Consider what happens when you start working on a new feature in a dedicated branch, then another team member updates the main branch with new commits. This results in a forked history, which should be familiar to anyone who has used Git as a collaboration tool.

Now, lets say that the new commits in main are relevant to the feature that youre working on. To incorporate the new commits into your feature branch, you have two options: merging or rebasing.

The easiest option is to merge the main branch into the feature branch using something like the following:

Or, you can condense this to a one-liner:

This creates a new merge commit in the feature branch that ties together the histories of both branches, giving you a branch structure that looks like this:

Merging is nice because its a non-destructive operation. The existing branches are not changed in any way. This avoids all of the potential pitfalls of rebasing (discussed below).

On the other hand, this also means that the feature branch will have an extraneous merge commit every time you need to incorporate upstream changes. If main is very active, this can pollute your feature branchs history quite a bit. While its possible to mitigate this issue with advanced git log options, it can make it hard for other developers to understand the history of the project.

As an alternative to merging, you can rebase the feature branch onto main branch using the following commands:

This moves the entire feature branch to begin on the tip of the main branch, effectively incorporating all of the new commits in main. But, instead of using a merge commit, rebasing re-writes the project history by creating brand new commits for each commit in the original branch.

The major benefit of rebasing is that you get a much cleaner project history. First, it eliminates the unnecessary merge commits required by git merge. Second, as you can see in the above diagram, rebasing also results in a perfectly linear project historyyou can follow the tip of feature all the way to the beginning of the project without any forks. This makes it easier to navigate your project with commands like git log, git bisect, and gitk.

But, there are two trade-offs for this pristine commit history: safety and traceability. If you dont follow the Golden Rule of Rebasing, re-writing project history can be potentially catastrophic for your collaboration workflow. And, less importantly, rebasing loses the context provided by a merge commityou cant see when upstream changes were incorporated into the feature.

Interactive rebasing gives you the opportunity to alter commits as they are moved to the new branch. This is even more powerful than an automated rebase, since it offers complete control over the branchs commit history. Typically, this is used to clean up a messy history before merging a feature branch into main.

To begin an interactive rebasing session, pass the i option to the git rebase command:

This will open a text editor listing all of the commits that are about to be moved:

This listing defines exactly what the branch will look like after the rebase is performed. By changing the pick command and/or re-ordering the entries, you can make the branchs history look like whatever you want. For example, if the 2nd commit fixes a small problem in the 1st commit, you can condense them into a single commit with the fixup command:

When you save and close the file, Git will perform the rebase according to your instructions, resulting in project history that looks like the following:

Eliminating insignificant commits like this makes your features history much easier to understand. This is something that git merge simply cannot do.

Once you understand what rebasing is, the most important thing to learn is when not to do it. The golden rule of git rebase is to never use it on public branches.

For example, think about what would happen if you rebased main onto your feature branch:

The rebase moves all of the commits in main onto the tip of feature. The problem is that this only happened in your repository. All of the other developers are still working with the original main. Since rebasing results in brand new commits, Git will think that your main branchs history has diverged from everybody elses.

The only way to synchronize the two main branches is to merge them back together, resulting in an extra merge commit and two sets of commits that contain the same changes (the original ones, and the ones from your rebased branch). Needless to say, this is a very confusing situation.

So, before you run git rebase, always ask yourself, Is anyone else looking at this branch? If the answer is yes, take your hands off the keyboard and start thinking about a non-destructive way to make your changes (e.g., the git revert command). Otherwise, youre safe to re-write history as much as you like.

If you try to push the rebased main branch back to a remote repository, Git will prevent you from doing so because it conflicts with the remote main branch. But, you can force the push to go through by passing the --force flag, like so:

This overwrites the remote main branch to match the rebased one from your repository and makes things very confusing for the rest of your team. So, be very careful to use this command only when you know exactly what youre doing.

One of the only times you should be force-pushing is when youve performed a local cleanup after youve pushed a private feature branch to a remote repository (e.g., for backup purposes). This is like saying, Oops, I didnt really want to push that original version of the feature branch. Take the current one instead. Again, its important that nobody is working off of the commits from the original version of the feature branch.

Rebasing can be incorporated into your existing Git workflow as much or as little as your team is comfortable with. In this section, well take a look at the benefits that rebasing can offer at the various stages of a features development.

The first step in any workflow that leverages git rebase is to create a dedicated branch for each feature. This gives you the necessary branch structure to safely utilize rebasing:

One of the best ways to incorporate rebasing into your workflow is to clean up local, in-progress features. By periodically performing an interactive rebase, you can make sure each commit in your feature is focused and meaningful. This lets you write your code without worrying about breaking it up into isolated commitsyou can fix it up after the fact.

When calling git rebase, you have two options for the new base: The features parent branch (e.g., main), or an earlier commit in your feature. We saw an example of the first option in the Interactive Rebasing section. The latter option is nice when you only need to fix up the last few commits. For example, the following command begins an interactive rebase of only the last 3 commits.

By specifying HEAD~3 as the new base, youre not actually moving the branchyoure just interactively re-writing the 3 commits that follow it. Note that this will not incorporate upstream changes into the feature branch.

If you want to re-write the entire feature using this method, the git merge-base command can be useful to find the original base of the feature branch. The following returns the commit ID of the original base, which you can then pass to git rebase:

This use of interactive rebasing is a great way to introduce git rebase into your workflow, as it only affects local branches. The only thing other developers will see is your finished product, which should be a clean, easy-to-follow feature branch history.

But again, this only works for private feature branches. If youre collaborating with other developers via the same feature branch, that branch is public, and youre not allowed to re-write its history.

There is no git merge alternative for cleaning up local commits with an interactive rebase.

In the Conceptual Overview section, we saw how a feature branch can incorporate upstream changes from main using either git merge or git rebase. Merging is a safe option that preserves the entire history of your repository, while rebasing creates a linear history by moving your feature branch onto the tip of main.

This use of git rebase is similar to a local cleanup (and can be performed simultaneously), but in the process it incorporates those upstream commits from main.

Keep in mind that its perfectly legal to rebase onto a remote branch instead of main. This can happen when collaborating on the same feature with another developer and you need to incorporate their changes into your repository.

For example, if you and another developer named John added commits to the feature branch, your repository might look like the following after fetching the remote feature branch from Johns repository:

You can resolve this fork the exact same way as you integrate upstream changes from main: either merge your local feature with john/feature, or rebase your local feature onto the tip of john/feature.

Note that this rebase doesnt violate the Golden Rule of Rebasing because only your local feature commits are being movedeverything before that is untouched. This is like saying, add my changes to what John has already done. In most circumstances, this is more intuitive than synchronizing with the remote branch via a merge commit.

By default, the git pull command performs a merge, but you can force it to integrate the remote branch with a rebase by passing it the --rebase option.

If you use pull requests as part of your code review process, you need to avoid using git rebase after creating the pull request. As soon as you make the pull request, other developers will be looking at your commits, which means that its a public branch. Re-writing its history will make it impossible for Git and your teammates to track any follow-up commits added to the feature.

Any changes from other developers need to be incorporated with git merge instead of git rebase.

For this reason, its usually a good idea to clean up your code with an interactive rebase before submitting your pull request.

After a feature has been approved by your team, you have the option of rebasing the feature onto the tip of the main branch before using git merge to integrate the feature into the main code base.

This is a similar situation to incorporating upstream changes into a feature branch, but since youre not allowed to re-write commits in the main branch, you have to eventually use git merge to integrate the feature. However, by performing a rebase before the merge, youre assured that the merge will be fast-forwarded, resulting in a perfectly linear history. This also gives you the chance to squash any follow-up commits added during a pull request.

If youre not entirely comfortable with git rebase, you can always perform the rebase in a temporary branch. That way, if you accidentally mess up your features history, you can check out the original branch and try again. For example:

And thats all you really need to know to start rebasing your branches. If you would prefer a clean, linear history free of unnecessary merge commits, you should reach for git rebase instead of git merge when integrating changes from another branch.

On the other hand, if you want to preserve the complete history of your project and avoid the risk of re-writing public commits, you can stick with git merge. Either option is perfectly valid, but at least now you have the option of leveraging the benefits of git rebase.

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Merging vs. Rebasing | Atlassian Git Tutorial

It is a good thing my mother isnt around to see the many changes since she passed away in October 1983.

My mother was a no nonsense woman. Right was right, and wrong was wrong. Things were either black or white. There were no gray areas in her reasoning.

A lot of changes have happened in the last 38 years since she has been gone. I would love to see her reaction to the way kids dress today. The fashion trend of torn blue jeans with gaping holes would have sent her to her sewing machine to start mending them, and there would have been a long lecture on responsibility and importance of having nice clothes.

She was a firm believer in school clothes, Sunday clothes, and play clothes. Im sure anyone who is over 60 years old was raised the same way.

Sunday clothes were the best ones and only worn to go to church at least until they started to look worn and they could be considered as school clothes or as play clothes, depending on their condition.

The next most important clothes were the ones to be worn to school. The golden rule was that as soon as you got home from school you had to change into play clothes.

I got many a whooping when I forgot to change into play clothes when I got home from school.

I remember well the day I forgot to do that. It was shortly after the school year started that I got the whooping of my life.

I had only worn a pair of pants to school a couple of times before I put a hole in the knee. Mom wouldnt believe it wasnt really my fault.

When I was putting my bike away in the barn, the mama cat brought out her kittens that had just opened their eyes to show them off.

The accident that happened was the cat and kittens' fault. After all, who can resist playing with kittens when they first open their eyes and are still wobbly on their little paws.

As I played with them, I forgot I still had school clothes on. After a while the mother cat decided her babies had enough attention for one day and started gathering them up to go back to their hiding place. As I got up to leave, she darted across my path, tripping me. Falling on the cement floor tore a hole in the knee of my pants.

Hopes of being able to sneak into the house and hide the evidence that I had not changed clothes were dashed when she met me at the door.

It was three days before I could sit comfortably after the spanking she gave me with the two-inch wide leather strap she kept behind the kitchen door used for discipline.

I think that incident may have been the tipping point for my life-long affection for dogs over cats.

Mary Drier is a freelance reporter and columnist for the Huron Daily Tribune.

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Drier: The reason I love dogs more - Huron Daily Tribune

Want to lower the risk of a delayed flight? Book an early flight.

For travelers who want to dramatically lower the risk of a delayed flight during the holiday period, the golden rule is to book the earliest flight possible on your travel day.

The early bird gets airborne, statistically, with less delays and fewer cancellations, says Kathleen Bangs, a former commercial airline pilot and current spokesperson for FlightAware, an app that provides real-time, historical, and predictive flight tracking data.

The later it gets in the day, the more likely your flight is to be delayed or cancelled, explains Bangs. As the day wears on, airlines have less options for passengers which is why if you really need to be on-time, taking the morning flight is often your best bet.

This trend plays out throughout the year, even during non-holiday periods. In July 2021 at the 30 largest airports in the United States, for example, roughly 85% to 90% of morning flights were on time. Comparatively, 65% to 70% of flights leaving between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. were delayed, according to the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, which uses data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

Importantly, this pattern becomes amplified during busy travel periods like Thanksgiving week and the holiday period that starts before Christmas and runs through the New Year.

When FlightAware crunched flight data for Thanksgiving week over the past 10 years, it found a clear pattern of flight delays ramping up sharply as the day progressed. Flights scheduled to depart around 5 p.m. experienced the most delays of all. On the busiest days the Tuesday before and Sunday after Thanksgiving there were roughly 50% more delays for 5 p.m. departures compared to noon departures.

The odds of Thanksgiving flight delays increases as the day rolls on.

The domino pattern spikes over holiday periods simply because there are more flights leaving airports. Flights scheduled to depart late in the day are more vulnerable to delays because airlines reuse planes and crews throughout the day. So when one flight is delayed, it causes a chain reaction for other flights that rely on the same resources.

Later segment flights, which are those relying on crew and potentially the plane itself from a prior segment, are more susceptible to be delayed, explains Adit Damodaran, economist at Hopper, the airfare deal-finding site. In other words, an early flight getting delayed can have a ripple effect in which subsequent flights are also delayed.

So how can travelers diminish the risk of getting sucked into the delayed-flight vortex? Set your alarm clock. We recommend booking the earliest flight available, so youre less likely to be impacted by delays from earlier in the day, says Damodaran. If youre booked on an afternoon flight and some earlier flight gets disrupted, youre likely getting disrupted, too.

Next, be sure to build in extra time at the airport. Early, early, early, says Bangs. Get to the airportearly, especially if you do not have TSA Precheck. The security lines could be very long over the holidays.

If you have a choice between airports, it can be smart to choose the smaller option. Our data suggests that aside from whether the flight relies on earlier segments, the number of concurrent departing flights can also be a strong indicator of delays, says Damodaran. This is more likely on busier travel days at larger airports.

Want an early heads-up on potential delays? Keep an eye on the national weather forecast. Last weekend,American Airlines cancelled more than 2,000 flights, blaming bad weather and staffing shortages. The same issues caused widespread cancellations for Southwest and Spirit Airlines in recent months.

Look up the weather online in advance and recognize if large storm systems could impact your departure or arrival airport, suggests Bangs. As weve seen lately, even a storm system not in your path can still impact your airline in terms of delays and cancellations.

TheFlightAware appgives travelers real-time flight tracking and customizable flight status push alerts and notifications. You can check flight statuses by airline, airport and specific flight. In addition, check out FlightAwares interactiveMiseryMapto see which airports are shaping up to be migraine hubs. Hover over a problematic airport, and the map will show you which routes are experiencing the most delays and cancellations.

Its also a good idea to lock in some insurance. Travelers booking through Hopper can add change for any reason protection to their reservations. This plan gives you the power to instantly change your flight, including date, time, and airline, for any reason up to 24 hours prior to your scheduled departure with no added fees, says Damodaran, noting that Hopper also offers a cancel for any reason option as well as a flight rebooking guarantee. If your trip is delayed or you miss your connection, you can instantly rebook the next flight to your destination in the app no matter the airline at no additional cost.

Lastly, you might consider booking a back-up flight. My personal favorite trick is I often buy separate refundable or at least changeable tickets on two different airlines, leaving two to four hours apart, says Bangs. That way, if something happens with one carrier, I can hop on the other flight, and still have a ticket that can be refunded or used later for another flight A big caveat: You must cancel the unused flight before it departs, or youll forfeit any refund or changes.

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Why You Should Never Fly After Noon During The Holidays - Forbes

Formal charges have been filed against two women accused in the stabbing of a man during a Facebook Marketplace transaction in Trussville.

Trussville police Thursday night said Amirah Latrice Harris, 28, of New York, and Kyarra M. Bastian, 22, of Massachusetts, are charged with attempted murder, first-degree robbery, and reckless endangerment.

Both are being transferred to the St. Clair County Jail where they will be held without bond, said Trussville Lt. Clint Riner.

Trussville police shortly before 11:45 a.m. Tuesday received a 911 call from a residence on Mack Roper Road. The male caller told dispatchers he had been stabbed by two people. The victim was able to give dispatchers a physical description of his attackers, as well as their vehicle.

A lookout bulletin was issued, and police spotted a vehicle matching the BOLO description on Sample Drive traveling north into downtown Trussville. Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver refused.

The suspect vehicle passed several safe locations to pull over and accelerated in an attempt to evade officers, Riner said. Trussville police initiated a pursuit because the suspects were wanted in a violent felony, and the chase lasted about 1 miles.

The pursuit ended when the suspect vehicle veered off the roadway and crashed on the railroad tracks behind Golden Rule Bar-B-Que. Harris and Bastian were taken into police custody, and an 18-month-old girl in the vehicle with them was taken into protective custody.

During the course of the investigation Riner said, detectives learned that the offenders were responding to a Facebook Marketplace ad for a 2015 Nissan Altima that was listed for sale by the victim. The altercation occurred over the vehicle, but additional details are still being investigated.

The victim was transported to a hospital for treatment of his stab wounds.

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2 women charged in stabbing of Trussville man during Facebook Marketplace transaction - AL.com

The RSA are reminding the public of the rules of the road as thousands of people await their driving tests.

Drivers are being reminded of some the basics after gardai warned the public of a recent new rule to the roads.

Rules in relation to roundabouts often cause drivers confusion.

Roundabouts can be dauting for new drivers as well as cyclists.

But the RSA have listed out the rules you need to follow - including one golden one.

The 'Golden Rule'

The golden rule is quite a simple one - think of a roundabout like a clock

You approach the roundabout from the 6 o'clock position. Exit one is at 9 o'clock, exit two is 12 o'clock and exit three is at 3 o'clock.

You always enter the roundabout by turning left onto it.

You must give way to traffic approaching from the right

This can land you up to three penalty points if you disobey, as well as a 90 fine.

If there is traffic already on the roundabout, you need to give them the right of way.

If the roundabout is clear or there is a reasonable distance of a gap, you may proceed.

If exiting the roundabout on the first exit, signal left as you approach the roundabout.

This is a basic thing that plenty of people seem to get confused about.

If you're taking the first exit on the left hand side, you are going left - so signal as such.

If you are exiting the roundabout on the second exit, signal left AFTER you have passed the first exit.

Remember the clock? If you're heading 'straight on' then you're leaving at 12 o'clock.

But this still means that you're turning off, so signal left as or after you have passed the first exit.

If you are exiting the roundabout on the third exit, approach on the right-hand lane if there.

If youre taking the road leading to the right, (third exit/ 3 o'clock), you would normally position just left of the centre line, or select the right-hand lane (but there are some situations where the road signs will tell you what to do)

You would signal right on approach, however when you reach the centre point of the 2nd exit, you would signal left, to let other traffic know that you are leaving at the next exit.

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The rules of the road that all drivers must obey at roundabouts - Dublin Live

TRUSSVILLE, Ala. (WIAT) The Trussville Police Department arrested two women Tuesday after allegedly stabbing a man multiple times and leading officers on a vehicle pursuit.

Amirah Latrice Harris, 28, of Brooklyn, N. Y., and Kyarra M. Bastian, 22, of Springfield, Mass. were charged with attempted murder, 1st degree robbery and reckless endangerment. TPD said that they will be transferred to the St. Clair County Jail where they will be held without bond.

According to TPD, officers were called to Mack Roper Rd. just before 11:45 a.m. when they discovered a man suffering from multiple stab wounds. The victim was able to provide authorities with a description of the suspects and the vehicle they drove off in.

Law enforcement was then able to locate a vehicle that matched the description near Sample Drive. Officers attempted a traffic stop but the suspects failed to pull over which began a chase for 1.5 miles before the driver lost control and stopped on the railroad tracks behind the Golden Rule Bar-B-Que.

Two women inside the vehicle were arrested, and an 18-month-old girl was also found inside the vehicle. The child has been released to the Department of Human Resources, according to Trussville PD.

Investigators say the suspects had apparently responded to a Facebook Marketplace ad for a car that was posted by the victim.

Lt. Clint Riner said its important to never do online transactions in person alone and to be around other people.

Its always best to have a friend, just someone to look after you to help you out, help call the police if needed or help fight somebody off, Riner said. Always bring somebody that you feel comfortable and confident in that can help protect you if the situation goes sideways.

Trussville Police offered the following advice if you plan to shop on sites like Facebook Marketplace to best protect yourself and your family:

1. Do not meet alone. If possible bring a family member or a friend

2. Tell a family member or friend when, where and who you are meeting.

3. Make contact with a family member or friend just prior to and after the transaction.

4. Do not meet in a secluded area, try shopping center parking lots or other populated areas.

5. Do not invite strangers into your home and do not go to their home if you cant meet in public.

6. Perform the transaction during daylight hours.

7. Be cautious when buying or selling high value items.

8. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

9. Have a cell phone with you and be aware of your surroundings

10. Always trust your instincts, leave if you dont feel comfortable.

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2 women arrested for stabbing man, leading police on car chase with toddler inside in Trussville - WIAT - CBS42.com