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Supporting your child with Crohn's or Colitis: My lovely Mum's perspective
Hello Comfizz readers!
With it being Mothering Sunday this month, I wanted to do a slightly different post. I asked my lovely Mum to write something on her perspective with having a child with Crohn's Disease and she kindly agreed.
My Mum & I
Mum has been a massive support to me all my life with whatever comes my way. I remember many a time feeling so bad that I was putting my family and loved ones through having to watch someone they love suffer & be in pain continuously. Mum, like my Dad & brother, never once complained.
Despite struggling with anxiety when I was a young child, she always found ways to be there for me. She would ensure I had hospital bears to keep me company on my journey if there were times she couldn't make it & when Dad was working & couldn't get to me. As well as Mum, my Dad has also been such a support to me right from the beginning. He has worked himself tirelessly between hospital and a full time job and looking after a family to be there for me. If it wasn't for my parents' decision to take me to A & E before my major surgery in 2011, I wouldn't be here.
I struggled a lot in hospital controlling my bowels out of having IBD mixed with my nerves and would have continuous accidents where I couldn't even have attempted to get to the toilet. I would sit and rock myself backwards and forwards, squeezing my legs and bum cheeks together trying to hold everything in, which made my stomach pain ten times worse.
Mum's love has always been deeply felt by me no matter what she has been dealing with herself. Mum has taken me to countless hospital visits as I went through my teenage years with Crohn's and provided a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold, the most random & hilarious giggles to keep me entertained on my long infusion days & often slept in a chair to be by my bedside both at home & in hospital when I would wake up in agony & sometimes panicking, especially after my major surgery to give me my permanent ileostomy in 2011.
I have always felt so much more than a daughter to Mum. I can describe our relationship for me as feeling like her daughter & best friend rolled into one. There are very few people who will ever connect with me & have ever connected with me on the same level emotionally (& in the most silly, hyper ways) as my Mum.
From encouraging me to try to eat, ensuring I'm warm, giving me her arm to hold on trips out when I was scared I'd pass out, wheeling around my drip stand as she walked by my side, me being sick on her & her cleaning up endless poop, her showering me & lifting me in & out of the bath & her love carrying me through post-surgery when I asked to die, it's safe to say I wouldn't be who I am today without my Mum. She threw herself into a life, where her daughter has a cruel disease then had a permanent stoma formed, so selflessly and has helped me change my stoma bags, dress my surgical wounds, widen my stoma at home when it's become narrow and has always been so eager to learn about my daily life with a stoma and how she can make it easier for me. Hospital trips have been made so much easier even in recent years where I haven't had the energy to drive myself there and back. She has taken me and looked after me without any hesitation.
Here is a glimpse into Mum's perspective... You might want a tissue...It had me crying!
IBD & Me: Mum's perspective
Seeing your child ill, whatever age, is never easy.
As a mother, I felt I'd failed Amy, It was my fault she was born with this illness.
Amy had frequent problems which intensified as she started Junior School.
She had school work sent home many times as she was so weak she couldn't attend her classes.
After many visits to the Doctor, she was referred to a children's clinic at hospital.
Children's clinic visits were once a month, sometimes more and she was admitted to the children's ward for procedures. These didn't tell us the whole story.
This carried on to just before Amy was 18 and then she was transferred to the adult clinic.
Amy was admitted for observations and procedures, I slept in a chair at the hospital, I didn't want to leave her all alone. As she slept, I'd look at her and think "I wish it was me going through all this pain and not her". I just wanted her to be better. Everything she went through was so upsetting but I knew I had so stay strong for her and not let her see me crying. I remember crying in the shower so many times. The hardest visit was when Amy's consultant told her she had one of the worst cases he had seen so far in his career.
A & E visits followed, surgery was set up, she was so weak so they cancelled. Again A & E visits and at the last visit prior to surgery we didn't know how close Amy would come to losing her life.
As surgery went ahead we waited at the hospital, hours passed and we didn't see her.
We were worried we were going to lose her and what life would be like without her.
After surgery, we were informed she had a tumour the size of a baby's head and had it been a couple of days later she wouldn't have survived.
We were absolutely devastated. I'd had experience of Ulcerative Colitis as my brother Graham had it and he had a stoma. Realising what life he had now compared to what he had pre stoma I was reassured Amy would slowly get better and have a better life as long as there were no complications.
On the hospital ward, Amy repeated "I want to die". What could we do? We felt helpless.
We kept trying to reassure her she would get better but it seemed a long way off. Graham visited and Amy talked to him about his stoma, how he managed with it and they shared tips. None of us had this illness, it was difficult to imagine, so I'll be forever grateful to him for chatting to Amy when he could.
We visited every day after school (Her Dad, her younger brother Tom and I). Tom insisted we waited so he could go every day and hold his sister's hand.
Amy got her discharge date, the day before she started bleeding, so that was put back.
When we got Amy home I helped her in and out of the bath, washed her, changed her stoma bag with her, gave her injections and slept on a sofa in her bedroom for several nights so I could check she was alright.
As life got back to some sort of normality I was astounded by Amy's strength of character and how she coped with "Stacey Stoma" as she is now called. Stacey wasn't only vital for Amy I was thankful for her as she has given our daughter her life back.
When Amy reached her target weight I was elated with her. Her Dad, Tom and I went to many hospital appointments with her. Every time I was proud of her beyond words.
Personally, I'm extremely proud of Amy. As there wasn't any help available for her when she started with this illness I'm also amazed at how selfless she is in helping others too.
She has made many true friends through having Stacey and for that I'm happy too.
Thank you to my lovely Mum for being so open about her experience & writing for Comfizz - I'm sure it'll be one that a lot of parents can sadly relate to. I'd also like to say a huge 'thank you' to my younger brother for all his support & expert wheelchair driving skills in hospital!
Tags: Crohn's Disease Family IBD
Jennifer Shaw March 5, 2021
Bless you both, your mum and yourself ❤ What a journey you have had and the love and support from your mum is so wonderful, I would be the same. It's heartbreaking to see your children ill and suffering. Amy, you were my inspiration in 2013 before I underwent bowel surgery and I'll always remember and admire the strength you have and how your words of your experience helps others.
Angie Owst March 4, 2021
Well Amy, what can I say!! You weren't wrong about the tissues!! Even though you have outlined the story, had no real idea of the journey up to and through those darkest of times. Humans are an incredible species, to go through so much pain, physically and mentally and yet, with the support of those closest to us, we can get through them and become so much stronger for it. I have always been in awe of your courage and determination to power through , with your ' got this' motto and enjoying life to the full. I thank the Lord that Ben came into your life to add that extra support and above all , to enrich your life with his strength when yours takes a knock.
Your Mum, Dad and brother are truly inspirational and must be super proud of all your achievements, particularly as your Mum says, supporting others who are going through similar situations .
Never change Amy, you are one of a kind . Xxx
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Tag Archives: Sandy Hook
Twenty years have passed since twelve students and one teacher were murdered by two students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. It seems that the word 'Columbine' is so infamous that is requires no explanation. Arguably, there were school shootings prior to the 1999 attack at Columbine High School that were just as shocking: for instance, the Westside Middle School attack in 1998 perpetrated by students aged eleven and thirteen years old. Over the past two decades since Columbine, there have been numerous horrendous school shootings, including ones at Sandy Hook Elementary School and Parkland High School. There have also been mass shooting incidents with a higher death tool such as the Pulse Nightclub massacre and the Las Vegas Strip shooting. None of these, however, have ever quite had the impact of Columbine.
There are a number of reasons for this. Columbine is so infamous. To start with, the news coverage was different to previous school shootings. Broadcast news stations showed footage from the scene of the attack as it unfolded, documenting schoolchildren leaving the school, SWAT teams storming the building and those who had been shot escaping. In one notable example, footage captured a student who had been shot jumped out the window of the library. After the shooting, Columbine continued to generate interest in the news. Debates unfolded about school violence and culture, Gothic culture, bullying, violence in films and mental health. The shooting at Columbine High School was the top news story of 1999, with 68% of viewers claiming they were following it 'very closely.' (1)
Columbine also had a notable impact on policy debates. There was strong criticism of the law enforcement response to the attack; additionally, gaps in the existing in emergency management plan for the school were highlighted. This led to changes in emergency management planning across the United States and law enforcement tactics for these types of shooting incidents. Measures to report threats such as the hotline Safe2Tell were set up to. Security measures like metal detectors were also installed in schools throughout the United States. Despite it giving salience to the issue of youth gun violence, gun legislative responses to Columbine were modest in nature. Age restrictions and child safety requirements on firearms were passed in a handful of states. The background checks system was tightened in Oregon and Colorado, the state in which Columbine occurred. There was no action at the federal action, with the policies of the Clinton administration failing to make it through Congress. Twenty years on, Tom Mauser, one of the parents of a victim of the Columbine shooting, is still campaigning for tighter gun laws, wearing the shoes his son, Daniel, died in. (2)
Unfortunately, Columbine also appears to have motivated school shootings that have occurred in the past two decades. It is claimed to have inspired seventy-four 'copycat' plots, twenty-one of which actually became mass shootings in schools and other locations. (3) Furthermore, in a compiled list of school shootings from 1999-2007, seven out of nine in the United States and six out of eleven occurring elsewhere in the world referenced the Columbine incident. (4) Some of the other more noteworthy attacks like the shootings at Virginia Tech University in 2007 and Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 have involved perpetrators who were interested in the Columbine perpetrators. Thwarted school shooting plots, such as one at Radnor High School devised by a female student, have involved individuals fascinated with the Columbine perpetrators. There was even a threat made against Columbine High School itself this week, made by a female perpetrator who was said to be 'obsessed' with the Columbine incident. (5) It appears that the Columbine shooters have become somewhat of a role model for the disenfranchised.
Lessons have been learned from this incident. Policies have been changed. Sadly, further attacks have been inspired by this attack. On the twentieth anniversary of the Columbine shooting, the most important thing is to remember the victims and their families, the survivors and all others affected by the attack. The bravery and dedication showed by those impacted by Columbine is commendable. As said by then-President Clinton "Columbine was a momentous event in the history of our country…Even in the midst of tragedy, we've seen the best, the best there is to see about our nation and about human nature."
[This blog post was written for the twentieth anniversary of the Columbine attack. It was written based on previous research conducted by the researcher relating to school shootings. Regular blog posts will resume in summer 2019.]
(1) Pew Research Center (1999) "Columbine Shooting Biggest News Draw of 1999.'"http://www.people-press.org/1999/12/28/columbine-shooting-biggest-news-draw-of-1999/
(2) Christopher Bucktin. (2019) 'Dad of Columbine shooting victim wears shoes his son died in as he fights gun laws.' The Mirror, 13th April. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/dad-columbine-shooting-wears-shoes-14308219
(3) Follman, Mark. 2015. "Inside the Race to Stop the Next Mass Shooter." Mother Jones November/December edition. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/09/mass-shootings-threat-assessment-shooter-fbi-columbine
(4) Larkin, Ralph W. 2009. "The Columbine Legacy: Rampage Shootings as Political Acts." American Behavioural Scientist 52: 1309-1326.
(5) BBC News. (2019) "Denver schools close as FBI hunt 'Columbine-obsessed' woman." 17th April. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-47959374
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Columbine High School, copycat effect, Las Vegas Strip mass shooting, Parkside High School, Sandy Hook, school shootings, Westside Middle on April 20, 2019 by SKerr1.
Shaping and Showcasing Killer Identities: The Example of the Jokela School Shooting
In the blog post published on the 22nd of June 2014, I outlined the ways in which promotion of an identity constructed before a school shooting is a 'performance' intended for a particular audience. This post will follow up on this, by looking at the specific example of the Jokela High School incident on the 7th of November 2007. In this case, the eighteen year old perpetrator, Pekka-Eric Auvinen, put together a manifesto package explaining his motives. Prior to this, he engaged in online discussions about school shooters and gave some indication that he would perpetrate his own attack.
Eight were killed in the attack perpetrated by Auvinen in an attack on the upper (secondary) school within the Jokela School Centre. Similar to other school shootings, this incident had been planned well in advance. Preparations for Jokela were thought to have started in March 2007 based on Auvinen's diary entry at that time, which stated intent to carry out an 'operation against humanity.' Also included in that diary entry was a desire for this 'operation' to be infamous with a lasting impact on society and to inspire others to carry out similar acts.
These sentiments were echoed in online debates Auvinen engaged in, taking place in internet communities dedicated to discussing the Columbine school shooting. Auvinen's interest in this particular attack was explicated in him making a video about the incident: for instance, he put together a montage from the surveillance camera footage of the Columbine attack. Researchers found that the ties to these online groups magnified Auvinen's desires and went some way to encouraging him to follow through with these in a proper attack. (1) Corresponding with others interested in school shooters has been a feature of other school shootings: for instance, the perpetrator of the Sandy Hook attack compiled a spreadsheet about school shooters and discussed them in detail with others online. (2) In the case of the Jokela school shooter, a clear intention to carry out a school shooting was expressed; although this lacked concrete details such as a date and location.
With him having a potential audience within the online community he was part of, Auvinen then uploaded materials to the internet: one of these was a manifesto entitled 'Natural Selector's Manifesto.' (3) Throughout internet discussions, Auvinen had been prone to paraphrasing the quotations of Columbine attacker, Eric Harris about natural selection and being 'God-like.' Similar to Harris, in this manifesto, he made scathing comments about certain types of social groups and decried the human race in general. In addition to this document, the final media package constructed the night before his attack included a more detailed manifesto comparing his actions to 'political violence' to promote an ideology, videos featuring various mass murderers and a goodbye note for his family. With his fascination with radical ideology and terrorism, Auvinen had originally expressed a desire to target the Parliament in Finland; however, he felt that an attack in a school would create more 'publicity.' (4)
Considering all of this, it is clear that the online discussions helped both to cultivate an audience for Auvinen and provide him with further details about school shooters. It was clear he admired the Columbine school shooter, Eric Harris, and this was echoed in his manifesto comments about 'natural selection' and humanity. This was exemplified further in Auvinen preparing a detailed final manifesto to portray himself and his beliefs in a certain way before carrying out the attack and sending this to the media with the belief that this would bring maximum publicity.
[This blog post looked at a specific school shooting incident in Finland. Continuing the international theme, the next post will compare and contrast European school shootings with those occurring in the United States.]
Oksanen A., Nurmi J., Vuori M., Räsänen P. (2013) 'Jokela: The Social Roots of a School Shooting Tragedy in Finland.' In School Shootings, edited by Böckler N., Seeger T., Sitzer P., Heitmeyer W. New York, NY: Springer, 189-215.
The dangers of 'school shooter admirers' was discussed in my blog post published on the 29th of June 2014.
Accordingly, he picked the user name 'NaturalSelector89' for his user account on YouTube.
See page 208 of Oksanen A., Nurmi J., Vuori M., Räsänen P. (2013) 'Jokela: The Social Roots of a School Shooting Tragedy in Finland.' In School Shootings, edited by Böckler N., Seeger T., Sitzer P., Heitmeyer W. New York, NY: Springer, 189-215.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Columbine, fan admiration, Finnish school shooting, Jokela school shooting, manifestos, multi-media packages., news media coverage, online threats, Sandy Hook, school shooter admirers on September 25, 2017 by SKerr1.
The Dunblane Shooting: A Tragedy Close to Home
Today marks the twentieth anniversary of the tragic shooting at Dunblane Primary School in Scotland. This incident involved the murder of sixteen schoolchildren and their teacher, as well as the wounding of fifteen others, perpetrated by Thomas Hamilton. The Dunblane shooting was particularly shocking and horrifying, given mass shootings were — and still are — extremely rare in the United Kingdom.
As mentioned in the blog post published on the 14th of April 2014, the Dunblane incident had a lot of parallels with the school shooting that occurred in Sandy Hook Elementary School in the United States: the victims consisted of female staff members and very young children aged five and six; the attacks were perpetrated by adult males, using hollow point bullets as their ammunition. Although the incidents occurred sixteen years apart, the similarities between them meant a comparison could always be drawn between the earlier tragedy in Dunblane, Scotland and the later one in Newtown, Connecticut. Some of the families of the Sandy Hook victims drew upon support and friendship from a handful of the Dunblane parents. Both incidents were so high-profile and shocking that they gave traction to proposals for gun legislation; although the response in the United Kingdom to the Dunblane shooting was far more notable for its blanket ban on the private ownership of handguns, unless 'good reasons,' such as pest control for farmers, could be cited.
At the time of the Dunblane shooting, I was also a primary school student (albeit slightly older than the victims) living in Glasgow, Scotland. The resonance and close geographical proximity of the incident meant I was thereafter scared in school, feeling that another attack was likely at my school. One of my teachers used to ask the class where they would hide in the event of a shooting and options for finding help; this further cemented my theory that a shooting at my school was imminent. I also witnessed the changes made to school security policies in the aftermath of Dunblane. Due to the salience of the memory of that time in my life, the Dunblane incident was something I could never forget. Thankfully, there was never another school shooting attack in Scotland or the United Kingdom as a whole since then. Conversely, the United States suffered a spate of them, starting to really become a trend in the 1990s. School shootings also occurred in other countries, including Canada, Germany and Finland. Being horrified by all of these tragic incidents, I decided that something should be done about the problem. With that in mind, I decided to pursue a research project looking at policy solutions to try to prevent school shootings: this eventually became a doctoral thesis. Even though this particular project is finished, I am still pursuing avenues to find a solution to such a horrific crime. There are still too many children out there who are scared to go to school.
This blog post is dedicated to the victims of the Dunblane shooting, their families and the wider Dunblane community.Those who have lost their lives in Dunblane and all other school shootings should never be forgotten.
[This blog post was put together with further reading about the Dunblane and Sandy Hook shootings. The next posting on the 31st March will return to a discussion about policy proposals.]
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Dunblane, gun legislation, innocent victims, Sandy Hook, school shootings on March 13, 2016 by SKerr1.
Sandy Hook and the Arming Teachers Debate
In the blog published on the 30th April 2014, the impact of the Sandy Hook school shooting (2012) on provoking calls to tighten up gun legislation in the United States was deliberated. On the other hand, it also led to legislative proposals in twelve states to allow teachers to carry concealed weapons in elementary, middle and high schools. The rationale behind this 'arming teachers' movement by those promoting it is that it would allow teachers to defend against future school shooters, preventing one occurring through deterrence or limiting the death toll if one should transpire. A small town in Texas, Harrold, trained a number of teachers and allow them to carry concealed weapons, purporting that this will be a safer solution than a uniformed security guard, given the identities of the armed teachers will be hidden.
Markedly, the emergence of this is relative to a particular social and historical context. Following the Columbine school shooting, there were only sporadic mentions of arming teachers, which were quickly dismissed. Following the Sandy Hook shooting, however, it seems this issue has begun to be accepted as a viable solution to the problem of school shootings. Analysing YouTube videos on this topic finds that some users blamed the high death toll of the Sandy Hook shooting (six educators and twenty children) on the ban on concealed carry at the elementary school, claiming that an armed teacher could have neutralised the shooter; and, henceforth, that allowing teachers to be armed in schools would negate any future school shootings. This policy response is part of the legacy of fear discussed in an earlier blog and draws upon a neoliberal interpretation of self-defence, where 'individual responsibility,' as encompassed by the armed teachers, is paramount.
Despite its straightforward premise of armed teachers prevent school shootings, this issue is a bit more complicated in reality and likely to polarise the American public. Although some parents may feel safer knowing teachers at their children's schools are armed, it could have the opposite effect on others. There may be teachers, who will feel safer knowing they are carrying weapons; whilst others could be overwhelmed at the onus for saving students and possibly having to shoot one (most school shooters are internal attackers) being put on them. Additionally, an insurance attorney speaking at 'The Briefings' in summer 2013, outlined the possible general liability insurance problems associated with arming teachers, due to the possibility of accidental discharge or students stealing the guns. He also maintained that the parameters for self-defence need to be clarified for armed teachers: should teachers use guns to break up physical fights between students or would it be limited to incidents involving weapons; would it also apply off school grounds, such as field trips, sports games at neighbouring schools; is there a possibility the teacher would be held liable if they failed to act in a situation and someone was wounded or killed. There is also the issue of the Heller (2008) and McDonald (2010) Supreme Court rulings, which stipulated restrictions on concealed carry of firearms should still apply to 'sensitive places' like schools. Any future Supreme Court rulings centring on this issue should define the parameters of 'sensitive places,' so the issue is clear for both supporters and opponents of arming teachers.
[The findings for this blog were taken from research conducted on social media, background reading and the insurance attorney's presentation at 'The Briefings.' Special thanks go to the organisers of 'The Briefings.' ]
This entry was posted in Gun Legislation and tagged arming teachers, concealed carry, neoliberal, Sandy Hook, self-defence, sensitive places., Supreme Court on May 28, 2014 by SKerr1.
How Sandy Hook Changed the Political Landscape for Gun Reform
On the 16th March 1996, a school shooting took place in Dunblane, Scotland, which irrevocably changed the United Kingdom's relationship with guns: private firearm ownership was revoked, except in circumstances where individuals could demonstrate 'good reasons' for needing them, such as 'pest control' and sports shooting. On the 14th December 2012, a school shooting paralleling the Dunblane incident occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut: adult male perpetrators carried out the attacks; similar ammunition (hollow point bullets) was used; the majority of victims were young children aged five and six. Similar to Dunblane, the horrific Sandy Hook shooting acted as a 'focusing event,' putting the issues of gun violence and school shootings back on the policy agenda. In the United States, the cultural and historical values attached to guns and constitutional parameters means that the policy debate Sandy Hook triggered was of a different nature to the one in the United Kingdom after Dunblane; although, it was in no way less significant.
Until that day in 2012, prospects for gun reform in the United States had stalled. Calls for action on gun laws were made following a mass shooting in July 2012 at a late night screening of 'The Dark Knight Rises' at a cinema in Aurora, Colorado, which killed twelve people and wounded fifty-nine others. With 2012 being an election year, no action was taken by the Obama administration on this occasion. After the Sandy Hook school shooting, however, re-elected President Obama gave a very emotional press conference and appointed a team headed by vice-President, Joe Biden, to put together gun reform proposals. A bi-partisan bill was put together in early 2013 requiring background checks for gun show and internet sales; this failed to pass the Senate by five votes.
This does not mean, however, that policy action in this area has stalled. The political action committees Mayors against Illegal Guns and Americans for Responsible Solutions are funding gun reform campaigns. Other prominent groups like Moms Demand Action, whose particular focus is preventing children becoming victims of gun violence, have emerged. A number of political actors are now on board for change. Public support for universal background checks for all gun sales in polls is high and not particularly partisan in nature. A number of states have managed to introduce background checks bills into their legislatures, with Connecticut, Colorado, Maryland and New York passing landmark laws. All these factors, coupled with the risk of future school shootings occurring, strongly suggest that the tragic Sandy Hook (2012) incident will continue to generate policy responses in future.
[The statements made here are taken from the research findings of my doctoral thesis about the news media and policy responses to school shootings, as well as further background reading.]
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Dunblane, gun reform, Sandy Hook, school shootings on April 30, 2014 by SKerr1.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and Piedmont Federal Savings Bank present the 2nd Annual Watauga Leadership Challenge Alumni Dinner. The event takes place at Harvest House in Boone, Thursday May 2nd, from 6-8pm.
Connect with a network of graduates of the Watauga Leadership Challenge program and help us recognize the Class of 2019.
Appalachian State Head Football Coach Eli Drinkwitz serves as keynote speaker, and will share lessons learned during a career journey that brought him to Boone as leader of a Top 25 college football program.
Cost is $20 for chamber members and $30 dollars for non-members, and you can register by clicking on this link.
Any graduates of Watauga Leadership Challenge or those interested in learning more about this community leadership development program are welcome to attend.


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As part of an initiative to expand national sales coverage, QBP has created a new territory sales team for Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and western Wisconsin. Noah Jensen, QBP outside sales rep, will work closely with Tom Morgan, QBP inside sales rep to provide more comprehensive service to the company's dealer accounts in the central region.
Jensen, who worked in bicycle retail for eight years before joining QBP in 2008, has served in a variety of roles at different shops, from self-described jack-of-all-trades to sales manager at Bokoo Bikes, an independent retailer in Chanhassen, MN. While at QBP, he has covered numerous territories, most recently the Mid-Atlantic.
For the last two years, Morgan was part of the successful mid-Atlantic sales team led by Grimes. In his new position, he will handle inside sales and continue to work closely with Jensen in his outside sales role.


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Annual drag show has strong freshmen class participation
Heather Brown-Hudson, also known as Savvy Blanc, will perform in several acts during the drag show.
Photo by Lindsey Fiala
LINDSEY FIALA |Culture Editor
This year's annual Gender Sexualities Alliance drag show, Show Up and Show Out, has one of the largest groups of freshmen participation since the drag show began, according to Heather Brown-Hudson.
The show consists of 15 acts and does not have a theme, according to Ethan Miller, also known as Mercury Poisoning.
"I think this year they just decided to make it a little more open [to] just do your best drag," Miller said.
Miller will be performing two acts during the show and has performed in every drag show Lindenwood has put on, despite no longer being a student.
"I do [drag] professionally now, and I still come back to do it which is really nice to me that they invite me back because they don't owe me anything," he said.
Lucy Couture and Dickie Rebellion, both whom do professional drag, will be performing in the show.
Miller fell in love with drag when he performed in Lindenwood's first drag show.
"[My favorite part about drag] is the ability to turn into somebody completely different and pretend to be somebody different," he said. "It's [also] a good way to release any type of emotion really."
Brown-Hudson, also known as Savvy Blanc, loves doing drag.
"When I was in high school and college, I did theater; I love musical theater and I love performing," she said. "And I love drag. This literally gives me the opportunity to collaborate with my students and to be a part of the LGBTQ community. I feel like I'm helping the community to kind of increase visibility on campus as a faculty member."
Brown-Hudson is also happy about the strong freshmen presence in this show.
"They are excited, and they're motivated and our president, Brooke Parker, is graduating and she's going to pass the presidency down to one of our freshmen," she said.
Audience members are encouraged to bring money to toss at the performers throughout the show. All donations will be given to TransParent.
According to Brown-Hudson, TransParent St. Charles is the local chapter of a national organization. They support the parents and the families of transgender and gender non-conforming children.
"It's a family organization, but it's really focused on supporting the families, to help lift up the parents to give them the tools and resources, the language and the knowledge to help support their children," she said.
Show Up and Show Out is being performed in the Emerson Black Box Theater in the J. Scheidegger Center on Tuesday, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Admission is free, but space is limited to 180 seats, so performance entry is first come, first served. Free t-shirts will be handed out upon entrance.
Editor's note: An earlier version of the story called the Gender Sexualities Alliance the Gay Straight Alliance. This has since been corrected, and we apologize for the error.
Gender Sexualities Alliance
GSA drag show
One Response to "Annual drag show has strong freshmen class participation"
Jen Spellazza on April 9th, 2019 4:16 pm
Hi Lindsey, thank you for the amazing article! It's great! Can we edit the name of the stud org to Genders/Sexualities Alliance? Thank you!


Racquel Yarmish joined the firm after working for Blackrock Title Agency, Bernstein Liebhard LLP & Platinum Rye Entertainment. She received her J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she worked as a student-attorney in Cardozo's tech startup clinic, where she represented emerging business in the technology sphere on matters of corporate governance, intellectual property, and employment law and obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Touro College.


GHC recruitment section will be planning to upload the Gauhati High Court Judicial Assistant Admit Card 2019 in the ghconline.gov.in page very soon. In fact, it is ready to inform the GHC Judicial Assistant Exam Date within few days after the application form closed. Once exam date is known to the contenders, then they will know the time to download GHC Judicial Assistant Call Letter.
Gauhati High Court for the filling of Judicial Assistant Vacancy positions scheduling the competitive written exam on the said Gauhati High Court Judicial Assistant Exam Date. It is instructed to the attendees of the exam bring the Gauhati High Court Judicial Assistant Admit Card 2019 without fail.
It is a reminder to the applicants who are waiting to take the Gauhati High Court Judicial Assistant Examination on the recommended dates of the officials have to download the GHC Judicial Assistant Admit Card 2019. Because with this admit card p only you are permitted to take up the question paper of Judicial Assistant. In fact, entry into the examination venue or centre is decided to depend on the admit card only. That's why we are informinng all the postulants get your Gauhati High Court Judicial Assistant Admit Card 2019 when you have found the link that is supporting the downloading access to those who have entered the application id and password.
Gauhati High Court Judicial Assistant Admit Card 2019 release date informing purpose this post is posted by recruitmentindia.in portal. Along with the admit card available date we are also added the download link of GHC Judicial Assistant Admit Card. The existence of the link at this page saves the time of the contenders by giving the login link of the admit card. GHC recruitment board won't give the chance of writing the exam to all the contenders whoever submitted the application. In the recruitment panel, there will be scrutiny team to verify the particulars given in the application form and report the higher officials who are the truly deserved persons for taking the examination. Based on that reference the admit cards will be generated to only those applicants. So only a few of the applicants are not accessible to obtain the admit cared due to errors in the registration form or not having eligibility.
The fixation of the Gauhati High Court Judicial Assistant Exam Date will depend on the participant's count. The organization from the list of applications accepted individuals will plan the exam date to them when it has done the arrangement of the examination centres. The GHC recruitment section considers only the exam eligible list to decide the GHC Judicial Assistant Exam Date. Surely the board will keep a gap of minimum 15 days in between the exam date and admit card release date. In the meanwhile, contenders have to download the call letter earlier to the exam date and arrange all the documents and works that are needed to be completed before the exam time.
Analysing how many individuals will take the examination the board will schedule in the examination in one or two days. Applicants, so to know the exam slot and timing given to you check the GHC Judicial Assistant Call Letter. You have to depend on the information given only in the admit card. The officials to communicate the exam details like exam centre, exam date, the shift of the exam using the admit card. Hence postulants have to follow the dates and timing given in their individual ghconline.gov.in Judicial Assistant Call Letter irrespective of other competitors admit cards. The time and date of the exam will vary due to multiple exam shifts so finally what we want to say is attend the exam only as per the details present in your Gauhati High Court Judicial Assistant Admit Card 2019. Keep an extra copy of the admit card to use when results declared.
The post Gauhati High Court Judicial Assistant Admit Card 2019 | GHC JA Exam Date appeared first on Recruitment India.


Trouble finding your passion or purpose?
If so, you need to stop trying to find the perfect passion or purpose.
If you've been trying, and you're stuck, it's time to try something else.
It's time to discover what works for you.
I wrote a book called Find Your Passion: 25 Questions You Must Ask Yourself. Am I now saying that what I wrote is useless?
For many, answering the questions in my book is an excellent starting point. But if you've done that, and you're still stuck, then you need to uncover the cause of that stuckness.
If something doesn't work for you, find another way.
Absorb what is useful. Discard what is not. Add what is uniquely your own.
One path is seldom the right one for everyone. You have to find what works for you, and eliminate everything else.
You're afraid of what might happen, so you look for perfection, thinking it will guarantee your desired outcome.
You grapple with a fear of failure, fear of criticism, fear of not being good enough, fear of making mistakes, and on the list goes.
You believe that if you can just find the right path, the right passion, everything will be okay.
But that line of thinking is a lie.
See life as an experiment, a testing ground.
Instead of attempting to find the perfect passion, let it reveal itself through tasting life.
Notice what you're interested in, and take a tiny step in that direction.
You may be afraid, and that's okay. You get through fear by taking action anyway. When you do, you slowly realize that your mind doesn't know everything.
And because your mind isn't all-knowing, you don't have to take it so seriously. You can simply enjoy the dance that we call life.
Below is a video on this topic. The video and article complement each other, so I recommend you watch/read both.
And if you want more videos, subscribe to my YouTube channel, because I don't post everything here on the blog.
The article continues after the video.
Since 2002, I've been following my heart.
I've done that by taking tiny steps toward what resonates.
A tiny step could be as simple as reading a page in a book, sending a 2-sentence email, or writing a one paragraph story (if you enjoy writing).
When you're stuck, you live in abstraction. You're stuck in your mind. To escape, bring your attention to this moment. Instead of worrying about what's to come, ask yourself: What feels magnetic to me right now?
What next step can I take toward what makes me come alive?
Worries and fears will surface. When they do, re-focus on what you can do with what you have, right now.
Below is a video on the power of living in the present moment.
What If You Fall Flat on Your Face?
You get back up, dust yourself off, and put one foot in front of the other.
You extract the lessons, and you move on.
As you move forward, the wisdom from your failures becomes the fodder for your success.
Do you realize that you only really need one real success? You can fail 100 times, but if you uncover gold one single time, everything changes.
Entrepreneurship is about failing until you succeed.
The problem is that most people avoid failure, so they never get to extract the wisdom necessary for success.
If something keeps you stuck, discard it.
If you can't find your passion or purpose, forget about it, at least for now.
Focus on what is interesting to you, right now.
Look at what you're able to do + what you find interesting. Then take a tiny step in that direction.
That's all I've done. I have no idea where I'm going, but I move toward what calls me.
The more I've done this, the more I've realized that my mind is full of fake news.
I don't have to take it so seriously.
I can just enjoy life.
Indeed, to be authentic and do what you like most pays real happiness in life. This article has added value to my life.
My goal was to take on as much paid work as possible in my current employment even though my current employment isn't not my passion, previously I had been cautious not to take on a big work load because back then I felt it was more important to find and do work that I was interested in and made me feel happy.
I had a feeling of – I'm not good enough, I'm a failure, not worthy of good things, And I quickly noted judgmental, resentful and thoughts coming up for me constantly and repetitively.
That's a powerful insight. Thanks for taking the time to share, Amelie. I appreciate it, and I'm sure others will, too!
Glad you like it, Adriana!


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Chronoxenus myops is a species of ant of the genus Chronoxenus. It was described by Forel in 1895.

References

Dolichoderinae
Insects of India
Insects of China
Insects described in 1895

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


autofs will consult a configuration file /etc/auto.master (see auto.master(5)) by default to find mount points on the system. For each of those mount points automount(8) will mount and start a thread, with the appropriate parameters, to manage the mount point. /etc/rc.d/init.d/autofs reload will check the current auto.master map against running daemons. It will kill those daemons whose entries have changed and then start daemons for new or changed entries. If a map is modified then the change will become effective immediately. If the auto.master map is modified then the autofs script must be rerun to activate the changes. /etc/rc.d/init.d/autofs status will display the status of, automount(8) ,running or not.
This manual page was written by Christoph Lameter <chris@waterf.org>, for the Debi GNU/Linux system. Edited by H. Peter Anvin <hpa@transmeta.com>.


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Sportscasting | Pure Sports
Motobiscuit
The Cheat Sheet
Home NFL
5 NFL Rookies Who Will End Up Being Busts
by Jeff Smithon September 9, 2016 September 9, 2016
The 2016 NFL Draft is long gone, the preseason is in the books, and now, finally, the regular season is upon us. With that said, all of the many NFL rookies who were drafted — and even the undrafted ones — hope to come out and make an immediate impact in 2016. A few select players will be in contention for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. For others, they'll simply look to go out and make a positive impact for their respective teams.
Finally, there are the players who may not get in the action immediately in 2016. Regardless of what situation each rookie falls into, any player with expectations can wind up being labeled as a bust. As brutal as that may seem, it's just the nature of the beast. So, we're going to take a look at five NFL rookies who, in our opinion, won't be able to meet the expectations of their franchises and fans when all is said and done in their careers.
1. Jared Goff, quarterback, Los Angeles Rams
Jared Goff is selected No. 1 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft | Jon Durr/Getty Images
Putting aside the numbers from Jared Goff's major 2016 NFL preseason struggles, let's also consider the fact that he took nearly all of his snaps during his time at California from the shotgun. Now, he's attempting to transition to playing under center, and in doing so, hasn't looked like a legitimate NFL prospect in the slightest.
The man who the Rams traded away a boatload of draft picks to move up and land, has gotten injured twice during the preseason, and just can't seem to adjust to the speed of the NFL. That's a very, very bad sign, and to top it all off, he's entering the 2016 season as the team's No. 3 quarterback, behind Case Keenum and Sean Mannion, respectively.
2. Christian Hackenberg, quarterback, New York Jets
Quarterback Christian Hackenberg of the New York Jets looks for a target | Evan Habeeb/Getty Images
You can argue that it's not fair to put a player like Christian Hackenberg, who's buried on the Jets depth chart, on the list for potential busts. Unfortunately, when you get selected as a second-round draft pick, the word "bust" can still absolutely be associated with your name. There's a lot from the rookie's preseason with the Jets that makes you believe Hackenberg will be a bust, but nothing more than the fourth and final preseason game of 2016.
Hackenberg wasn't just bad, he was so bad that it actually made major headlines. The rookie completed just 11 of 31 passes against the Philadelphia Eagles for 54 yards. Yes, 54 yards on 31 pass attempts, which is just painfully bad. He also had an interception returned 90 yards for a touchdown as well. Hackenberg may get one more preseason on a roster, but it could end up being his last.
3. Will Fuller, wide receiver, Houston Texans
Will Fuller makes a run for it | Jon Durr/Getty Images
Will Fuller is the complete opposite of the two names above. The former Notre Dame wide receiver had a great preseason, catching eight passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. So, why is he on this list? Fuller is a receiver with excellent speed, but one who seems to constantly catch the ball with his body, instead of his hands.
That will work fine at the college football level, but not so much at the NFL level. Unless he's able to get that fixed before his rookie season, it will turn into an issue. To go along with that, seeing Fuller — who's going to be a starter this season for the Texans — attempt to break press coverage against some big and strong cornerbacks won't be easy. This season could be eye-opening for Fuller.
4. Robert Nkemdiche, defensive end, Arizona Cardinals
Robert Nkemdiche was excited to be drafted by the Arizona Cardinals | Jon Durr/Getty Images
Aside from the off-field issues, Robert Nkemdiche is probably the most physically gifted player in the entire 2016 NFL draft class. The guy has size, speed, and power, yet he could never get it to transition to success for him during his time at Ole Miss. Over three seasons and 29 games, Nkemdiche totaled just 81 combined tackles, 16 tackles for loss and six sacks. For a player with as much upside as Nkemdiche, he should have tallied far more than six sacks during his collegiate career. It's more than a bit concerning, and there's obvious reason to be worried about him.
5. Artie Burns, cornerback, Pittsburgh Steelers
Artie Burns formerly of the Miami Hurricanes walks off the field | Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Yes, the Steelers needed a cornerback in the 2016 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, the player who many fans had hoped the team would land, William Jackson III, went just one pick before they were on the clock. In turn, the Steelers chose to take a player in Artie Burns, who's absolutely still a project. While he did have six interceptions during his final collegiate season in 2015, that stat doesn't tell the entire story for the rookie. He didn't look great in zone coverage and seems very likely to have some issues adjusting to the speed of the NFL. It'll be interesting to see how Burns does early on his career, but he's going to have an uphill climb during his career.
Statistics courtesy of ESPN and Pro-Football-Reference.
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The s.p.a.ce trembled violently as terrifying waves of energy, visible to the eye, rolled away. They expanded in all directions with Nubis at the center, shattering the s.p.a.ce around him and causing it to alternate between darkness and a golden color.
A terrifying, tremendous pressure filled every inch of the surroundings. The s.p.a.ce seemed to be crushed under the pressure, as if it had become even tougher now.
In the sky, the golden snake that had taken form from Nubis' essence moved through the clouds. It absorbed the energy in the surroundings, causing the energy in the region above the ocean to surge toward him.
The snake seemed like a bottomless hole. It devoured the energy of the world endlessly, but at the same time, it became even more dazzling and resplendent, illuminating the surroundings even more.
Jian Chen watched Nubis break through from afar. The disturbance from Nubis' breakthrough was far greater than any other expert's. He understood that his breakthrough this time would be a very important metamorphosis.
Nubis was a beast of antiquity. He could evolve unlike humans. If he devoured the essence of his clansmen, of other Golden-Striped Silver Snakes, his own essence would become even more powerful and pure, even leading to unknown changes in the future. Nubis had only consumed the heavenly resources collected in the Xuanhuang Microcosm for his breakthrough this time. Ignoring their value and scarcity, just the heavenly resources themselves possessed Xuanhuang Qi, something that was filled with wondrous uses.
The Xuanhuang Qi could not be absorbed by anyone, but the heavenly resources that had been soaked in it would become even more powerful and reach an even higher grade. After consuming the heavenly resources, Nubis had clearly benefited, allowing his essence to undergo a metamorphosis.
The glistening essence absorbed a large amount of energy and was finally satisfied. After that, it shot through the sky as a golden streak of light, disappearing into the top of Nubis' head with another flash of light.
Nubis' vital energies immediately underwent an overwhelming change after the return of his essence. His bearing became dignified while he gave off a tremendous pressure unknowingly. Compared to before, he now possessed the faint bearing of a ruler.
Nubis' breakthrough caused a huge disturbance, but it finished much faster than breakthroughs of humans. He had completed the process in a very short amount of time.
The golden light on Nubis gradually vanished and so did the light that illuminated the surroundings. Only a blanket of nine-colored rainbow clouds filled the sky.
Jian Chen arrived before Nubis and said, "Nubis, congratulations on becoming a Saint Emperor, the fourth Cla.s.s 9 Magical Beast."
Nubis' face was filled with obvious excitement and joy. He felt the seemingly-endless amount of energy within him and could not help but laugh at the sky. He said, "I never thought that there would be a day when I, the great Nubis, would become a Cla.s.s 9 Magical Beast. It's been over a hundred thousand years since a Cla.s.s 9 Magical Beast has appeared for the Golden-Striped Silver Snakes. In this period of time, I am the only one who has reached Cla.s.s 9."
Nubis wildly yelled as he let himself go. Back when he was still a Saint Ruler, his greatest dream had been to become a Cla.s.s 9 Magical Beast. He had not even considered the 9th Cla.s.s since the ancient times were long gone. It was extremely rare for Cla.s.s 9 Magical Beasts to appear. As a result, Nubis only treated the 8th Cla.s.s as his target, devoting his life to achieving it. Now, not only had he become a Saint King in an extremely short amount of time with Jian Chen's help, but he had even stepped into the realm of Saint Emperors at an unbelievable speed. He felt like he was in a dream.
"Jian Chen, following you was the greatest decision I have ever made in my life. I believe that if I continue to follow you, I will be able to surpa.s.s my seniors without much time pa.s.sing and reach Cla.s.s 10," Nubis chuckled aloud. He was overjoyed.
Jian Chen smiled slightly, "Nubis, don't worry. I believe your wish will become true soon enough. You might even go far beyond that."
"Hahaha!" Nubis laughed from the bottom of his heart. An odd light flickered through his eyes because he had just remembered about the Beast G.o.d Continent. There were also Golden-Striped Silver Snakes there.
The Golden-Striped Silver Snakes were beasts of antiquities and a powerful species but also an extremely brutal one. They did not have many clansmen at all, and using the description of mythical would be apt. As soon as they came across another clansmen, there would definitely be a slaughter. They would try to devour each others hidden essence in order to transform or evolve.
This was the same thought that Nubis currently had.
"Jian Chen, I'll be visiting the Beast G.o.d Continent first. I'll be back very soon," Nubis was rather eager. Back then, he was not strong enough, so the Beast G.o.d Continent had always been a forbidden place to him. With his understanding, the old snake on the continent had reached Cla.s.s 8 long ago, so he was nowhere close to being that old snake's opponent when he was just a Saint Ruler. He always hid in the outskirts of the Cross Mountains on the Tian Yuan Continent and cultivated in peace, rarely appearing outside at all so he could avoid being found.
However, he had become a Saint Emperor now. That old snake would no longer pose any threat to him. Once he devoured the hidden essence of that old snake, his own essence would become even more powerful.
"I'll be going to Three Saint Island. Come look for me there once you return," said Jian Chen.
"Three Saint Island," an odd gleam of light flashed through his eyes before he agreed straightforwardly. He said, "Alright, I'll immediately come look for you on Three Saint Island after I deal with that old snake on the Beast G.o.d Continent. Hmph, back then, that G.o.dd.a.m.n island mistress or something like that had scared me into hiding every time I saw her with her soul attacks. Now that I've become a Saint Emperor, my soul has become greater. Her zither won't harm me at all. When the time comes, I'll show her what's good and get back my dignity."
An odd expression immediately filled Jian Chen's face when he heard that. He chuckled aloud, "I just happen to be planning on spending some days on the island. I'll be waiting for you there."
Jian Chen and Nubis separated. One made his way for Three Saint Island while the other headed to the Beast G.o.d Continent.
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Current Time is 21-Apr-2019 02:35:15 AM.


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Bali Events
BeatLife
Features, Interviews, Nightlife Features
Maurizio Colella is an eclectic Italian-Swiss DJ and producer known as EDX who celebrated 25 years in the industry last year. He has been an integral part of the house and EDM scene for decades now, hosting parties all over the world and playing alongside the most highly regarded DJs on the planet. Following the ultra-busy year of 2018, which saw hits like "Jaded", "Anthem" and his "Make Me Feel" remix top the Beatport charts and amass millions of streams, it is the start of a new year and time to reach new goals for the Italian DJ. We caught up with the Grammy-nominated DJ before his gig at Sky Garden on the 5th of April to get an insight into his life.
Hey there Maurizio! How are you?
Hey what's up guys! I'm doing really well thank you. I've just come back from a really long tour and now I'm spending a few days with the family and in the studio before I head to Miami for Miami Music Week.
What are you most looking forward to about your Asia tour?
Wow, my Asia tour is going to be crazy! I'm playing seven shows across China, Japan, Thailand and Indonesia with my homie Croatia Squad which I'm super excited about as it's always a lot of fun being able to play with friends on tour. I'm really looking forward to coming back to Bali, one of the most relaxed places in the world, and you guys have always been big supporters of my music. I can't wait to play some EDX music for you all!
How do you find the balance to keep touring and producing whilst maintaining a healthy life style?
I learned very early on in my career that nutrition, sleep and a healthy mindset are some of the most important things to ensure a long and successful career in the music industry. I'm able to express myself through my music to the world, which is already making me feel great as it's such a special gift. I also think you have to be the sort of person that loves to travel, as that is a big part of the job, but for me I see it as a blessing – being able to experience new cultures and meet new people all over the world is just amazing.
Can you describe your sound to our readers who may not know what it's about?
Haha, that's a question I get asked a lot and it's actually very simple. If I had to describe my sound in just three words, it would be Make. People. Smile. I want to create a really great vibe when I play my music and I want people just to have fun and forget any daily worries that they may have and be in a space where they are free.
What kind of vibe can we expect to hear at Sky Garden?
Sky Garden is a really special place. It's a big big venue that attracts real music lovers. You can expect to hear a lot of EDX tracks for sure. I know a lot of my older tracks are doing really well in Indonesia, but I also want to play some of my newer signature stuff for you guys too. If you want to spend a night dancing to sexy groovy music with your friends, you should come along. It'll be a great night.
If you had to choose one, would you rather play to an intimate club or for a sea of people at a festival? Why?
I've been doing this for so long and I really love both sides of the coin. I love playing festival sets because you're often playing to a huge crowd in the sunshine and you're able to bring people into a very special level of energy and vibe. I also love playing intimate clubs because you get much closer feedback and reaction from the crowd, being able to pick out individual faces. To be honest, I just love playing music, whether it's to 200 people or 20,000 people. Being able to perform to people all over the world is such a blessing for me.
What are some of your favorite summer parties?
I love playing festivals and pool parties, and I'm especially looking forward to playing in the Mediterranean region, in Italy, Greece, Turkey, all the Balkan countries and all these places that are celebrating high life during summer. Of course, I'm also really looking forward to coming back to Ibiza, which is the home of dance music over the summer.
Can you share any feel-good moments you've had whilst being behind the decks?
I love to play in my home city of Zurich, because I get to see so many familiar faces that I've known for decades. It's funny, it actually makes me feel really old because I'm seeing people coming from my town where I went to school, or people I used to know when I first started clubbing in the late 80s, or even people on the other side of the world who have come to see me in Zurich.
What are some of your favorite tracks at the moment?
There is so much great music out there at the moment, but in my case I always like music that has a feel-good vibe to it. One of my favourite tracks at the moment which I like to play towards to the end of my sets is 'Breathe' by Camelphat and Cristoph. I know it's been out for a few months now, but it's such high energy and it works so well on the dance floor.
Have you got any new projects/releases/collaborations coming up?
I'm constantly working on new music and I just realised the other day when I spent a few days working in a studio in Nashville that I have so much new music ready to go. I'm really looking forward to my next release, which is an original vocal single with the amazing Amba Shepherd called 'Off The Grid'. It's a typical EDX feel -good summer single and it's being released at the end of April. I'm also working on some really cool remixes which I'll be sharing with you guys really soon.
Here's latest track from EDX 'Who Cares'
Do you have your eyes/ears on any upcoming producers?
My boy Kaz James has recently made a smooth transition into a deeper, more progressive sound. The remix he did for that track 'The Deep End' is one of my favourite records right now and is exactly the sort of track I like to play out. I'm also a big fan of Passenger 10 at the moment.
Do you generally stay out and party after your gigs or go home and sleep?
Haha..Well, in the case of my show in Bali, I'm flying straight in from a festival in Austria the day before. I think I land in Bali at 8pm and I play at midnight, then I have to play in Tokyo the same weekend, so there won't be a lot of time to stay out and party. If I'm somewhere like Ibiza and I know I don't have a flight until later on the next day then it might be a different story.
Pizza or Pasta?
Beer or Wine?
Biggie or Tupac?
Check the good times rolling with EDX at last year's Tomorrowland festival
Editor on Chat & Set with DJ Danny Technici
Roger Peterson on Chat & Set with DJ Danny Technici
Finns Beach Club Bali Dress Code on Seminyak Nightlife [Updated Feb 2020]
Finns Beach Club Bali Happy Hour on Surfing under Lights and Happy Hour Nightly at Finns Beach Club
Umberto on Weekend Getaway to Ubud
Music Mondays: Josh D
Local mover n shaker Josh D (@joshdavidsmusic) is up next for our musical night of the week! The tech...
New Year's Eve Bali 2022
New Year's Eve 2021 festivities suited the reality of 2020 being closed or 'locked down' at 11pm. Police and...
Music Mondays: Alex Verdacchi
The famed bang jago Alex Verdacchi (@alexverdacchi) is up next for our musical Monday night. The Italian/Greek stallion is...
Music Mondays: Sould Out
Our next guest is groove master and disco connoisseur Sould Out (@j_souldout). Known on the island for his eclectic...
The Beat Bali is a leading source for news and information about Bali nightlife. The Beat reports on all happening events and venues in and around Bali. Started out in print, The Beat is the number one and longest going source for events and where to go for the nightlife.
Sign Up for The Beat Eblast & Whitelist @thebeatbali.com
Subscribe to The Beat Report, a weekly update on the nightlife events in BalI


When one thinks of Minnesota, the images of snow, lakes, and random samplings of German and Scandinavian heritage often come up. Japan-U.S. relations might not come to mind unless you look a bit closer. Minnesota has a unique mix of different cultures from its first inhabitants the indigenous tribes of the Great Plains, to the Western settlers from northern Europe, to more recent immigrants from Africa and Asia. In terms of Japan, Minnesota has had a long relationship fostering peace initiatives, including having the longest running Japan-U.S. sister city partnership in the nation. It is with that connection in mind that the Japan- Minnesota Grassroots Forum took place at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus on February 2nd, 2019. With the assistance of financial and grant funding from the Sasakwa Peace Foundation USA and U.S. Japan Exchange & Teaching Program Alumni Association (USJETAA), multiple Japan-related organizations met to discuss the shared goal of increasing U.S.-Japan relations and possible future collaboration efforts... Read the full article on the JETAA Minnesota blog.


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In South Africa, a Return of Stolen Indigenous Remains
Researchers are now returning human remains, once unethically obtained from the Khoe and San people, to their families.
Top: An ancestral blessing ceremony for the Abraham and Stuurman families, who were reunited with the remains of their ancestors. Visual: Je'nine May / University of Cape Town
By Sarah Wild
Almost 100 years ago, a University of Cape Town (UCT) medical student dug up eight skeletons from his family's farm near the town of Sutherland, South Africa. The student intentionally exhumed the people, some of whom his family knew personally, and donated the remains to his university for study.
All of the deceased had gravestones of some kind. The student provided names and information about how some of the individuals had died. He also donated a ninth body, which had been found in the nearby mountains.
The men, women, and children whose remains came from the farm died between 1875 and 1913. All of these people were either San or Khoe, indigenous peoples of South Africa. The person buried in the mountains lived about 700 years ago.
3D Printing and the Ethics of Replicating Bones
The San and Khoe groups were the region's first people. From the 18th century onward, European colonists massacred people from both groups. Those who survived were often forced into service on farms, such as the one in Sutherland.
When biological anthropologist Victoria Gibbon uncovered the skeletons at the university in 2017 during an audit of the collection, she knew that the remains had been unethically obtained. A moratorium was placed on their use immediately. They needed to be returned to their descendants, she explains.
Armed with two full names from the collection records — Klaas Stuurman and Cornelius Abraham — Gibbon and a team from the university visited the region to locate the descendants and to return their lost family members' remains. "My expectation was they would be reburied and the families or community would have closure. I did not anticipate [the descendants] would request as much information as possible," Gibbon says.
A moratorium was placed on their use immediately. They needed to be returned to their descendants.
In response, Gibbon organized an unprecedented effort to provide that knowledge. What followed was a two-year journey, involving researchers from multiple disciplines in three countries, Sutherland communities, and numerous other parties, to understand who these people were, how they lived and died, and even what they looked like — filling in gaps in the country's brutal and often expunged history.
For South Africa, this effort is an important first. There is no internationally established method for repatriating unethically obtained human remains. Despite numerous such collections in South Africa, there is also no legislation governing restitution, repatriation, and reburial. UCT's efforts could guide future regulations and inform other efforts around the world.
Globally, activists, communities, and scholars are pushing museums and universities to locate their unethically or unwittingly obtained human remains and return them to descendants. In the United States, for example, many institutions are researching the provenance of Native American remains to return them to lineal descendants and communities as part of the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
Some nations are engaging in high-profile discussions of the return of ancient human remains, such as the Kabwe cranium, held by London's Natural History Museum but found in what is now Zambia. In November, Germany said it would return the remains of 45 Australian indigenous people. And in October, the U.S. administration indicated that Finland would return the remains of Native Americans removed from burial sites in 1891 by a researcher from Scandinavia.
But often recipient communities are left unaided to deal with the historical trauma, of which the remains are a reminder. Sometimes these communities must even handle the reburial on their own. "What is important about [the UCT] example is the involvement of the descendants through the project and particularly the role of the university in not only identifying the remains but also supporting the whole process," says Sarah Morton, a heritage specialist at Bath Spa University in the U.K. who did not assist in the UCT effort.
San hunter-gatherers lived in the region first. They later shared the land with Khoe pastoralists for hundreds of years prior to the arrival of Bantu-speaking people about 1,800 years ago. When Europeans began colonizing the country in the 17th century, European scientists saw the San and Khoe as a "disappearing race" linked to extinct hominins. Grave robbing — like the work of the medical student in Sutherland — was a major source of bodies for study. Some of these remains formed the basis of museum collections in South Africa and overseas.
Often recipient communities are left unaided to deal with the historical trauma, of which the remains are a reminder. Sometimes these communities must even handle the reburial on their own.
Despite the fact that San and Khoe bodies were treated as scientific curiosities, much of these communities' history has been lost. First colonizers and later leaders of the apartheid regime, which came to power in 1948 and legally sanctioned racism, suppressed or ignored the histories of indigenous populations. Some of these individuals argued that sub-Saharan Africa had been uninhabited.
Given the dearth of knowledge about San and Khoe life in the area, when the UCT researchers tracked down members of the Stuurman and Abraham families in 2018, those families requested as much information about the deceased people as possible.
Starting in that year, Gibbon headed up an interdisciplinary team, which included researchers from the humanities and social, health, and natural scientists, to unravel the mystery. In total, the nine skeletons included seven adults and two children.
Their bones revealed that they led active lives of hard physical labor. Some had signs of healed trauma, such as broken fingers and cheekbones. Nearly all of them suffered from poor dental health. One adult found on the farm died from head trauma — as did the man discovered in the mountains.
Researchers from the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft's Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany performed ancient DNA analyses, showing some of the adults were related by second and third degrees. Three individuals also had strong genetic links with the Khomani San, a specific group of San people.
Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University in the United Kingdom created reconstructions of the faces of the deceased. That work offered families a possible visual image of their ancestors at their time of death.
Descendants of the people whose remains had been removed from the Sutherland farm view facial reconstructions of their relatives. Visual: Je'nine May / University of Cape Town
The science also helped to arbitrate other claims on the remains. Another group named Stuurman, who lives in the Eastern Cape, a province on the other side of the country, had disputed that the individuals buried in Sutherland had deep roots in the region. However, isotopic bone analysis revealed that the people came from an arid environment like Sutherland, rather than the wetter Eastern Cape.
"It was very important to have this information to confirm who we are and where we come from," Alfred Stuurman, one of the family members, said at a press conference last month. "This information shows us that we were from this area and not from the Eastern Cape."
UCT researchers and administrators hope that this process can be a model for the future. And scholars at other institutions not involved in this process praised the effort. For example, Chris Dudar, manager of the repatriation laboratory at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, noted that the practice of researchers engaging with descendants to restitute remains "is not new per se, but the particular historic elements involved in the UCT case are unique — as is each repatriation case."
Indeed, Gibbon notes that because restitution processes must suit the circumstances and stakeholders, there is no one solution. But one lesson that could set a precedent for other efforts was the choice to place an immediate moratorium on handling the remains. "From that moment, the decisions of what happened to the remains and their records was in the hands of the community," she says.
Asked whether there were more unethically obtained skeletons in the university's collection, Gibbon says: "This field in South Africa, and internationally, is constantly changing. It is likely with the new legislation on restitution, repatriation, and reburial that definitions and criteria will change. If the criteria for unethically obtained changes, then — yes — there could be more."
Sarah Wild is a freelance science journalist based in South Africa.
This work first appeared on SAPIENS under a CC BY-ND 4.0 license. Read the original here.
Sarah Wild is a freelance science journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
In Collecting Genetic Data, an Ethical Catch-22
By Adrian Pecotic


As legend has it, Japan was founded around 660BC by a direct descendent of the Sun Goddess. It is from this basic legend that Japan derives the name of "Land of the Rise Sun." Japan has a long monetary history which dates back to when coins were first introduced from neighboring Korea and China. It is not known exactly when the first imports occurred, but it may have been even earlier that the first century AD. What we know for certain is that following the establishment of diplomatic relations with the T'ang of China, Japan imported T'ang Dynasty coins, the first of which was the Kaigen Tsuho in 618 AD (3.59 grams: 24.0 mm; Chinese Denomination: 1 cash). Consequently, Chinese coins are found in Japan long before coins were actually minted in Japan.
It was Emperor Temmu (672/73-686AD), the 40th emperor of Japan, who officially imported foreign coin for circulation. These were the Chinese bronze coinage. He issued a decree forbidding the use of silver coinage in the Nihon Shoki entry of April 15, 683AD (Tenmu 12th year), and mandating the use of copper coins. This reflects that Japanese were using Chinese coins long before his reign. There is much debate concerning the coinage of Japan between 300BC and 700AD. For you see, Temmu's foreign policy favored the Korean kingdom Silla, which took over the entire Korean peninsula in 676AD. It was sometime after the unification of Korea that Temmu decided to break diplomatic relations with the Tang dynasty of China. This may have been to keep on good terms with Silla. This change in foreign policy impacted Japan for it relied greatly upon the Chinese monetary system for a prolonged period. It is likely that this prompted the 683AD decree to prohibiting the use of silver. Even Korea did not begin to use money until the Koryo Period (936-1392AD) when coins they began to mint their own in 996AD. Chinese coinage was freely imported and began to circulate in Korea. Prior to this time, barter based on rice and cloth was the principal means of exchange.
Under Empress Genmyo (Gemmei)(707-715AD), we find in the first year of Wado (708AD), both silver and copper coins began to be minted in Japan. This coincided with discovery of large copper deposits that were made in the Musashi province. Copper was discovered in the Chichibu District of what is now Saitama Prefecture, and the Japanese were so overjoyed with the discovery that they named the Wado era (708-715AD) after it, where Wado means "Japanese Copper".
These first Japanese coins are thus known as Wado Kaichin and represent the first standardized production of Japanese coinage. They were cast, as were the Chinese coins of the period. The silver coins (5.272 grams; 22.65 mm) lasted only for about one year, whereas the copper coins were minted for the total of 51 years. The term Wado Kaichin (or Wado Kaiho) (3.3 grams; 25.1 mm) meant "Japanese Copper Initial Treasure." The Chinese coins were known as Kaigen Tsuho referring to being foreign (Kaigen). The Wado Kaichin was modeled after the Kaigen Tsuho (K'ai Yuan T'ung Pao in Chinese), and while the majority were cast in copper, a few were also cast in silver. The Japanese and Chinese coins are very similar in design. However, the Wado Kaichin is read clockwise starting from the top, whereas the Kaigen Tsuho is read top-bottom, right-left.
It was Emperor Shomu who spent vast amounts of money constructing Buddhist Temples that included the famous Todai-ji (Todai) Temple, that was the largest wooden building in the world located at Nara. Its great hall was 284 feet long (87 meters), by 166 feet wide (51 meters), and 152 feet high (46 meters). This housed a bronze Buddha that was 53 feet high constructed of 1 million pounds of copper, tin, and lead that was gold gilded. To this day, it is the second largest bronze statue in the world constructed in 752AD.
Nonetheless, it was this extravagance, however, that left the Imperial Treasury virtually bankrupt. This is known as the Nara Period and represents a cultural peak in Japan. Nevertheless, this extravagance also resulted in a shortage of coinage that caused the hoarding of coin and thus deflation since a million pounds of copper effectively reduced the money supply creating STAGFLATION.
In 760AD, the Emperor Junnin (758-764AD) issued coins in gold, silver, and copper coinage known respectively as Kaiki Shoho, Taihei Genpo, and Mannen Tsuho (4.3786 grams; 26.3mm). The gold Kaiki Shoho was the first of its kind in Asia since not even China issued such coins beyond ceremonial. This contributed to the view that the Land of the Rising Sun is where the gold was. The silver coinage is also exceptionally rare and thus there is no evidence that the silver or gold were minted for general circulation but may have been limited for large transactions and international trade buy goods coming to Japan through Korea after traveling the Silk Road in a virtual two-tier monetary system.
Consequently, this vast construction created a huge shortage of copper. During the second reign of Empress Shotoku (765-770AD)(b 718–770AD), was the 46th and the 48th monarch of Japan respectively. Her first reign was as Emperess Kōken (749-758AD). She reascended the throne in 765 until her death in 770. It was at that time during the year 765AD that marked an effort to try to restore the economy by issuing a new coinage of copper known as the Jingu Kaiho (2.623 grams; 24.2 mm). The treasury was depleted and this new issue was tariffed at 10 old Wado pieces. While this new issue helped to ease the coin shortage, it did not end the hoarding for indeed Gresham's law applied in Japan as well, that bad money (devalued) drives out good (older heavier coinage).
The traditional monetary system in Japan had long been barter given the fact it was also much more rural than urban. Hoarding is only natural when someone would have to turnover 10 old coins for one new coin. The economic turmoil of the period is reflected by the fact that Emperor Konin (b 709; 770-781AD) was the 49th emperor of Japan who had married Imperial Princess Ikami, a daughter of Emperor Shōmu.
It was Emperor Konin who issued a decree revaluing the old and the new coinage to be equal in 772AD. This helped to restore the monetary system by devaluing the Jingu Kaiho to be equal to the old Wado coinage. Clearly, what was taking place was the old coinage had been hoarded and the money supply shrunk prompting the 772AD revaluation.
The economic conditions in Japan did not improve on a sustained basis. The revaluation of 772AD of all the outstanding previous issues actually was inflationary because it drastically increased the money supply. Emperor Kammu (b 737; 781–806) was the 50th emperor of Japan and the son of Konin. He was faced with a continuing economic decline largely by his father revaluing all the old coinage to be equal to the present in 772AD. The financial burdens upon the state increased, and the court began dismissing nonessential officials. The Buddhist monks had been dominating the imperial throne in Nara and it was Kammu who took control of the state returning it into imperial hands. He picked up an left Nara moving the capital in 784AD to Nagaoka-kyō. In 792AD universal conscription was abandoned, and district heads were allowed to establish private militia forces for local police work. Decentralization of authority became the rule despite the reforms of the Nara Period.
In 794AD, Emperor Kammu moved the capital again to Heian-kyō (literally Capital of Peace and Tranquility), about twenty-six kilometers north of Nara. By the late eleventh century, the city was popularly called Kyoto (capital city). "To" mean east and thus Tokyo became the city east of the capital "Kyo". Every effort to cut expenses of the state were employed but without success. His father's revaluation of all outstanding coinage of previous emperors had simply introduced drastic inflation as old coins now dominated the money supply. Emperor Kammu was compelled to initiate a monetary reform again in 796AD. The old coins were ordered to be surrendered and were to be removed from circulation entirely within 4 years. He issued a new copper coinage, the Ryuhei Eiho (2.623 grams; 24.2 mm), that was again valued at 10 times that of the old coinage in circulation and was issued for nearly the next 23 years.
Emperor Saga (809-823AD) (b785; r 809-823; d842) was the 52nd emperor of Japan. Soon after his ascending to the throne, Saga became ill and using the former-Emperor Heizei (r 806-809) who had been the 51st Emperor of Japan, his ambitious third wife, Kusuko, and her brother Nakanari organized an attempted rebellion in 810AD. It was Heizei who reorganized the bodyguards. The existing Imperial Bodyguards became the Left Imperial Bodyguards, while the Middle Bodyguards became the Right Imperial Bodyguards. Heizei had appointed Sakanoue no Tamuramaro (758–811) as Senior Commander of the Imperial Bodyguards of the Right who ironically quickly defeated the Heizei forces during the rebellion as the bodyguards remained loyal to Emperor Saga. Heizei's wife Kusuko died of poison and her brother was executed. Heizei took the tonsure and became a Buddhist monk. Emperor Saga played an important role as a stalwart supporter of the Buddhism and this merely depleted the treasury further. Saga was forced to modify the coinage in 818AD changing the characters. This was the Fuji Shinpo (2.8 grams; 23mm) which was designed by the Emperor Saga himself.
However, in the reign of Emperor Ninmyo (b 808; 833-850AD), was the 54th emperor of Japan. The economic decline in Japan was clearly underway. The costs simply kept increasing as tax revenues declined. In the year 835AD, the monetary system was again revised introducing the Showa Shoho (2.04 grams; 20.7 mm) that was to be valued at 10 of the old copper coins. Where the Fuji Shinpo was issued for nearly 23 years again, this Showa Shoho issue lasted for just 3 years illustrating the economic decline was picking up speed. In 848AD, Emperor Ninmyo revised the monetary system again issuing the Chonen Daiho (1.77 grams; 19.5mm) that was valued at 10 times that of the Showa Shoho. These economic conditions also led to the attempt to reestablish diplomatic ties with China as a mission to Tang were headed by Fujiwara no Tsunetsugu.
It was Emperor Uda (b 867; 887-897; d 931AD) who was the 59th Emperor of Japan. He was one of the few to reign whose mother was not of the powerful Fujiwara family that dominated Japan between 859AD to 1160AD. Emperor Uda's reign is marked by a prolonged struggle to reassert power by the Imperial Family away from the increasing influence of the Fujiwara. Shortly after the death of Mototsune of the Fujiwara clan, Emperor Uda assigned supporters of Mototsune, to provincial posts in the remote provinces. Meanwhile, non-Fujiwara officials mainly from the Minamoto family, were promoted to prominent ranks, while Mototsune's son and heir, Fujiwara no Tokihira, rose in rank, but only just enough to prevent an open power struggle.
Meanwhile, Emperor Uda attempted to return Court politics to the original spirit envisioned in the Ritsuryo Codes, while reviving intellectual interest in Confucian doctrine and culture. In the seventh month of 896AD, Emperor Uda dispatched Sugawara no Michizane to review prisoners in the capitol and provide a general amnesty for the wrongfully accused, in keeping with Chinese practices. Emperor Uda also issued edicts reinforcing peasant land rights from encroachment by powerful families in the capital or Buddhist monastic institutions, while auditing tax collections made in the provinces that had evolved into extortion. Emperor Uda also stopped the practice of sending ambassadors to China.
In 890AD, Uda also issued a monetary reform trying to address the significant shortage of copper coinage that was in part created by the constant new issues valued at 10 times the last one. This results in massive hoarding constantly driving the older issues out of circulation. Uda introduced the Kanpei Daiho (2.22 grams; 19 mm) valued at 10 times the old coinage and were issued for about 18 years.
Uda retired in 897AD abdicating in favor of his eldest son Daigo (897-930AD). Nevertheless, Uda remained often the power behind the throne. It was Uda who issued reforms aimed at increasing tax collection among the large landowners. In 927AD, he was instrumental in enacting the Engi shiki (Institutes of the Engi, or Yengi Period) that was a major legal reform that is still looked upon as the beginning of the Japanese Rule of Law.
In 907AD, the year that the Tang Dynasty fell in China, Emperor Daigo backed by Uda, also issued a major monetary reform where by the Kanpei Daiho were recalled and recoined as the Engi Tsuho (3.04 grams; 19 mm) that were once again valued at 10 times that of the old coinage. This issue would last for nearly 50 years.
Emperor Murakami (b 926; r 946-967AD) was the 62nd Emperor of Japan. He also found the treasury depleted upon ascending to the throne. He issued the Kengen Daiho (3.3 grams 20.5 mm) in 958AD that were again valued at 10 times the old currency. This was the last the Japanese coin issues to be minted and the coins were so inferior that no official wanted their name on them.
From 708 to 958 AD the Japanese minted only 12 coins. In addition to copper coins, the gold Kaiki Shoho and the silver Taihei Genpo were very rare and thus not truly in wide circulation. Overall the copper coins declined in quality with each successive issue, and usage never actually became widespread with barter of goods remaining the primary medium of exchange because of the fiscal mismanagement of government.
Overall, the coinage had shrunk in size, the metal was debased, and the quality of the production appeared amateurish. By 785AD, the brief unity that made Japan a nation began to fragment. Nara had become dominated by Buddhist Temples and religion began to subordinate the state. As there was a separation between church and state that became the Protestant Reformation in Europe, this split between the state and religion resulted in the separation of the state from Nara. The split came with the 794AD movement of the capital to Kyoto, then known as Heian Period. This is when the government became dominated by the Fujiwara family. Their feudal wealth helped to create Kyoto transforming it into a new metropolitan court open to Chinese influence generally between the 9th and 11th centuries. The Buddhist monks of Nara declined in power and influence politically.
The constant issue of a new coin with its value being decreed as worth 10 times that of the old coinage ruined the economy and undermined the integrity of the state. This practice created the incentive to rely upon barter. Coinage simply fell out of use much as was the case with the fall of Rome. Government's assumption of the power to decree value of coinage (fiat) only produced an accumulative inflation during the Nara Period and early Heian Period that remains one of the highest in history. It would have been as if government printed a new one dollar bill and declared arbitrarily that all one dollar bills dated today are worth 10 old one dollar bills. You can imagine the economic confusion this introduced.
Consequently, this belief of an assumption of power to simply decree the value of money as the government pleased with no responsibility whatsoever for the consequences based solely upon the idea that the Emperor is chosen by God, ruined the economy. This practice simply created a two tier monetary system whereby coinage just fell out of use. Money was clearly not a store of wealth. The people returned to a barter system. Tangible goods with some utility value never really fell out of use namely rice and silk. Coin production stopped for about 600 years until 1587. Some foreign coins appeared from China, Korea and Annam (now part of North Vietnam) during this period right up until the Meiji era (1868–1912), but this was minimal reflecting international commerce, not domestic.
Until 1542, Japan had no contact with Western culture and as such its monetary history is strikingly different from ancient customs found in the West. European traders and missionaries proceeded to broaden contact with Japan until the Shogunate, recognizing the potential military threat posed by these new foreign devils, made a direct effort to expel all foreigners thereby severely restricting any contact with the outside world during the 17th century.
Nearly 200 years later, the famous black ships of the United States under Commodore Perry landed in Japan during the year 1854. The economics of Japan were ripe for change and this time the American visit marked a rebirth for Japan from an economic perspective. Industrialization was rapid in the wake of abolishing the Shogunate and the transformation of government toward a parlimentary system. By the end of the 19th century, Japan had exploded with a new economic vigor unmatched by most nations. This new age of industrialization was known as the Meiji period. The Emperor Meiji forced modernization upon his people in everything from clothing to construction. By the end of the 19th centiry, Japan had indeed emerged from the backward agricultural economy into a modern industrial nation with a strong military to match. A series of wars with mainland China and Russia and her alliance with the Allies during World War I enriched Japan and broadened its territorial interests. It would be these new territorial interests in the Far East that would ultimately set the stage for a major military clash with the United States during World War II. Due to the territorial trade expansion dreams of Britain, Netherlands and the United States, Japan abandoned her old allies of World War I and found herself aligned with the interests of Germany who stood against most of Europe. After Japan's defeat in World War II, the old military dictatorship and expansionary politics were purged from the political systems. The Japanese people, for the first time in history, were free from the military rule that had for so many centuries suppressed any hope of a true democracy emerging. Free at last, the Japanese people demonstrated their unique ability to rebuild a nation very rapidly as it once had under the brief and shining moments of the Meiji period.
In 1870, the Emperor Meiji embarked on a great new age of modernization that would be reflected in all aspects of life including the monetary system. The new monetary system would not merely change the shape of the nation's coinage, but also for the first time clearly standardize the weights, denominations and the relationships between them. However, while the new coinage would take the shape of a round coin according to western standards, Japan's monetary system would also follow the same direction of western trends as well. Gold coinage was issued between 1870 (Yr 3 Meiji Period) until 1931. Japan, like most of Europe, abandonded the mintage of gold coins and the gold standard during the Great Monetary Collapse of 1931.


TheOx Advanced fusion instrument is the new version of the world-renowned TheOx instrument. Just like the previous version, it has six fusion positions and is designed for laboratories with a high sample throughput. TheOx Advanced electric fusion instrument is used to prepare glass disks for XRF analysis as well as borate and peroxide solutions for ICP and AA analysis.
TheOx Advanced instrument ensures high productivity in the laboratory. In fact, it is very powerful and it has a quick temperature ramp up that allows shorter fusion cycles and an increased sample throughput. Just like its previous version, TheOx Advanced instrument can perform from 24 to 30 fusions per hour.