Null coalescing operator

The null coalescing operator (called the Logical Defined-Or operator in Perl) is a binary operator that is part of the syntax for a basic conditional expression in several programming languages, including C#,Perl as of version 5.10,Swift, and PHP 7.0.0.

In contrast to the ternary conditional if operator used as x ? x : y, but like the binary Elvis operator used as x ?: y, the null coalescing operator is a binary operator and thus evaluates its operands at most once, which is significant if the evaluation of x has side-effects.

C#

In C#, the null coalescing operator is ??. It is most often used to simplify null expressions as follows:

For example, if one wishes to implement some C# code to give a page a default title if none is present, one may use the following statement:

instead of the more verbose

or

The three forms are logically equivalent.

The operator can also be used multiple times in the same expression:

Once a non-null value is assigned to number, or it reaches the final value (which may or may not be null), the expression is completed.

Liberman (album)

Liberman is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, released on October 23, 2015, through Dine Alone Records. It is the follow up to Carlton's 2011 album Rabbits on the Run and marks her first release since signing with Dine Alone Records. The title of the album comes from an oil painting made by Carlton's late grandfather, whose given surname was Liberman.

Background and writing

Following the 2011 release Rabbits on the Run, Carlton took time off to get married, start a family and write another album. She tells CBS News that these changes in her life are reflected in Liberman's songs and that she "wanted the whole album to feel like an escape type of album, where you put it on and you feel like you're in this dreamy state."

To avoid preconceived notions, demos recorded were sent to Dine Alone Records without Carlton's name attached. Label president Joel Carriere recalls hearing the demos and tells The Toronto Star, "The songs were amazing, it was atmospheric, it kind of fit into what we’re all into ... and we never would have guessed it was Vanessa Carlton because her voice has developed so much since her pop songs 14 years ago and the songwriting had obviously changed. We were, like: 'Yeah, we want to do this. But what is it we’re doing?'"

Special forces

Special forces and special operations forces are military units trained to perform unconventional missions. Special forces, as they would now be recognised, emerged in the early 20th century, with a significant growth in the field during the Second World War.

Depending on the country, special forces may perform some of the following functions: airborne operations, counter-insurgency, "counter-terrorism", covert ops, direct action, hostage rescue, high-value targets/manhunting, intelligence operations, mobility operations, and unconventional warfare. The term “special forces” in the US refers to the US Army's forces while the term “special operation forces” refers to all units. In Russian-speaking countries special forces are typically called spetsnaz, an acronym for "special purpose". Likewise Russian speakers refer to special forces of other nations as spetsnaz, for example US Special Forces would be referred to as Amerikanski spetsnaz in Russian.

Capabilities

Special forces capabilities include the following:

Clutch (sports)

Clutch performance in sports is the phenomenon of athletes under pressure, often in the last minutes of a game, to summon strength, concentration and whatever else necessary to succeed, to perform well, and perhaps change the outcome of the game. It occurs in basketball, hockey, football, and other sports. The opposite is "choking": failing to perform as needed, when under pressure.

It is a phenomenon that is studied in psychology and in the more specialized area of sport psychology. The greatest part of the academic literature is focused on baseball, specifically on clutch hitting, and addresses the academic issue of whether it exists or not.

See also

References

External links

Clutch (mascot)

Clutch the Rocket Bear is the mascot for the NBA's Houston Rockets.

The informal nickname "Clutch City" was given to Houston, Texas after the Rockets won their first NBA championship in the 1993-94 season. The moniker was adopted in response to a front-page headline in the Houston Chronicle declaring Houston to be "Choke City" after blowing a 20-point lead earlier in that postseason. The Rockets' bear, appropriately named "Clutch," was introduced on March 14, 1995.

Clutch was named the 5th-most recognizable mascot in sports by USA Today in February 2005, and was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2006. He also became the 2005 NBA Mascot of the Year. He also won the 2013 NBA Mascot of the Year.

He received even more attention in an Internet meme that involved a man being shot down during a halftime marriage proposal at a Rockets game in 2008. After the woman said "no" and stormed off the court, Clutch consoled him and walked him off, grabbing somebody's beer on the way out and giving it to the man. Some have questioned whether or not the incident was actually staged.

Clutch (literary magazine)

Clutch was a literary magazine begun in 1991 by co-editors Daniel Hodge and Lawrence Oberc in Lexington, Kentucky.

The magazine grew out of the editors' interests and experiences in the subculture of alternative presses and little magazines, as well as their previous experience in working on the staffs of literary journals at the University of Kentucky. After the first issue was published in 1991, the magazine moved its editorial headquarters to San Francisco, where it resided for the remainder of its history. The sixth and final issue was published with an imprint date of 1997/1998.

Clutch published original poetry and prose by writers including Charles Bukowski, Kurt Nimmo, Lorri Jackson, Peter Plate, John Bennett, Poe Ballantine, Simon Perchik, Robert Peters, Denise Dee and Todd Moore, as well as Hodge and Oberc. A small press imprint, Drill Press, was originally created as a publishing vehicle for CLUTCH, and also produced some small chapbooks of poetry featuring writers that had appeared in CLUTCH, including Moore and Oberc.

Black Holes and Revelations

Black Holes and Revelations is the fourth studio album by English alternative rock band Muse, released on 3 July 2006 in the United Kingdom. It gets its title from a line in the song "Starlight", which is the second track on the album. Recording was split between New York and France, and it was the first time Muse had taken a more active role in the album's production. The album was a change in style from Muse's previous albums, and the band cited influences that included Depeche Mode, Millionaire, Lightning Bolt, Sly and the Family Stone, and music from southern Italy.

Black Holes and Revelations was placed at number 34 in a public vote conducted by Q Magazine for "The Best British Albums of all time" in February 2008.

Like their two previous albums, Black Holes and Revelations has political and science-fiction undertones, with the lyrics covering topics as varied as political corruption, alien invasion, revolution and New World Order conspiracies as well as more conventional love songs.