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New Yorkers celebrate Met's reopening as a sign life is returning
Visitors tour the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York as it reopens to the public on August 29, 2020. The museum closed on March 13, 2020, because of the coronavirus pandemic. Safety protocols are in place, including mandatory face coverings for staff and visitors, more frequent cleanings, hand sanitizing stations and capacity will be limited to 25 percent. The museum hosted 15,000 to 20,000 visitors a day before the pandemic. Kena Betancur / AFP.
by Catherine Triomphe
NEW YORK (AFP).- With visitors raising their arms in a sign of victory, clapping and lining up eagerly at ticket windows, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art reopened its doors to the public on Saturday in a festive atmosphere -- a sign for many that the largest US metropolis is returning to normality after a nearly six-month closure caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
"I am a huge supporter of all the museums, and I'm so excited to be here," said Michelle Scully, a 39-year-old public relations worker who was near the front of the queue at the imposing edifice on Fifth Avenue, next to Central Park.
"It's a really important moment for the city and everything kind of comes back to life," she told AFP, "...so of course I'm here."
New York, she added, is "the best city in the world, and we're here. We're not going anywhere. It's going to come back better than ever."
Along with the hundreds of others patiently lined up, the Canadian-born Scully cheerfully went along with the museum's new virus protocol: mask-wearing required, temperatures taken, timed ticketing, and one-way foot traffic past museum treasures from the Temple of Dendur and other Egyptian artifacts to Contemporary art, in one of the world's most visited museums.
'A first step'
A sense of joy pervaded the crowd: Chris Martinetti, a 34-year-old who had come from the borough of Queens with his wife, said the museum -- where the two first met five years ago -- was "our favorite place to go."
Tracy-Ann Samuel, who had come from neighboring Connecticut with daughters aged four and nine, said she couldn't wait to again be "surrounded by beautiful art."
"It means that there is some semblance of normalcy," Samuel said. "The Met has been a part of New York history for over 150 years... So this is a big first step."
Met officials had been champing at the bit for weeks, unable to do anything but watch as their European counterparts, like the Louvre, began reopening.
After New York registered more than 23,600 deaths, authorities here became a model of caution in dealing with the pandemic. Only this week have museums been authorized to reopen -- as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) did on Thursday -- and only while limiting visitors to 25 percent the usual capacity.
Officials at the Met did use the hiatus profitably, studying the lessons, protocols and practices of counterpart museums. They say they are not overly worried about the prospect of a second wave of virus infections.
All migrants moved off stranded Banksy rescue boat
"We're all learning from each other all the time," Met president Daniel Weiss told AFP. "We're hearing what others' experiences are. And we know that doing this safely is actually not that hard."
'More inclusive'
They have also had the time to adapt to the vast movement against racial injustice and social inequality sweeping the US since the death in May of George Floyd in Minneapolis: one new exhibit is dedicated to African American artist Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), reflecting a "more inclusive" museum, Weiss said.
For an institution even more dependent than its European counterparts on ticket sales, and which had expected to stage a pomp-filled celebration of its 150th anniversary in April, the financial blow has been huge: an estimated $150 million lost in an 18 month stretch, he said.
Without the usual steady flow of tourists arriving daily, the museum has had to trim expenses and lay off some 20 percent of its pre-pandemic workforce of 2,000.
And the new limit on visitors -- 7,000 to 10,000 were expected this Saturday, down sharply from the 30,000 to 40,000 on a "normal" Saturday -- could last for months.
But the Met will survive because "we are a strong and generally well-funded museum," Weiss said, adding that he is more concerned about the fate of smaller and more vulnerable museums.
And while certain residents see a dark future for New York, saying the exodus of thousands of well-to-do residents or the abandonment by some in the business district are signs the city is "done," Weiss exudes nothing but confidence in New York's ability to bounce back.
From the attacks of September 11, 2001 to the financial crisis of 2008 and the destruction in 2012 of Superstorm Sandy, "it's been through many things," he said.
"I think everyone wants the tourists back. It adds to the vitality of the city," Weiss said.
"So when that happens, we'll be ready for them."
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The List Love
For the love of top 10 lists
History / Technology
10 Television History Facts You Should Know
by The List Love · December 3, 2014
John Logie Baird made technological history when the first transmission of a human face was seen on television on 30th October, 1925. Since then, the world has fallen in love with TV, and this invention inspired multiple technologies that now define modern life.
Many people, however, know very little about TV history, which is why The List Love is taking a look back with 10 television history facts you should know.
1. The Human Face
The human face that was first aired on Baird's TV screen was his office boy, William Taynton, who the inventor paid two shillings and a sixpence per week to simply sit in front of the hot TV transmitter.
2. Stooky Bill
Before using a real person, Baird used a ventriloquist's dummy to sit in front of the transmitter, which he called Stooky Bill.
3. The Inventors
John Logie Baird is the brains behind the television, but many people had experimented with TV before he did. Baird, however, was the first person to create live pictures. In fact, numerous inventors helped design the TV system we know and love today, including Leon Theremin and Philo Farnsworth.
4. Black and White Static Transmission
The first black and white transmission was created by the famous German inventor Paul Nipkow's electric telescope in 1884.
5. The Word and its Abbreviation
The word "television" entered the English language in 1907, and was coined by the Russian scientist, Constantin Perskyi. The abbreviation "TV" was not introduced until 1948.
6. TV Transmissions
The first TV transmission was produced in America in 1928, followed by the first BBC transmission in the UK in 1930.
7. The Remote Control
The first TV remote control was created in 1950 by Zenith, and was connected to a television by a wire. It wasn't until 1955 that the wireless TV remote control was born.
8. Colour TV
The UK aired the first colour pictures on BBC2 during Wimbledon in 1967. A year later, almost every programme on the channel was made in colour. Six months after that, colour TV hit BBC1, and by 1969 both the BBC and ITV were regularly broadcasting in colour.
America, however, received colour TV a lot earlier, as the first coloured pictures were aired for the 1954 Tournament of the Roses Parade; however, most programmes were black and white until 1955.
Australia received colour images during the live coverage of the Pakenham races on 15th June, 1967. Canada also had two things to celebrate on 1st July, 1966, as this was the day they received colour TV and entered their 100th year as a nation. Have we not mentioned your country? Find out when they received colour TV here.
9. The VCR
The Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) was a revelation when it was launched for consumers in 1963 in the UK, allowing viewers to record their favourite TV shows for the very first time. The videos could record up to 20 minutes of TV, but it took another decade for the technology to become a global success.
10. Iceland
Until 1987, Iceland did not receive any TV broadcasts on Thursdays.
Do you love technology facts? You're in luck as you'll find 10 more of them here. Don't forget to like The List Love on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date with our top 10 lists.
The List Love is the home of high quality top 10 lists on everything from movies and TV to history and science. We offer interesting, entertaining posts to broaden your mind and smile.
Follow us today on Facebook and Twitter for more amazing listicles!
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Tags: HistoryJohn Logie Bairdtelevision historyTV
The List Love is the home of high quality top 10 lists on everything from movies and TV to history and science. We offer interesting, entertaining posts to broaden your mind and smile. Follow us today on Facebook and Twitter for more amazing listicles!
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Home Events Calendar
Completed events
January February March April May June July August September October November December 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
Wednesday 19 January 2022 - Thursday 27 January 2022
Performance and Uncertainty in Qualitative Chemical Analysis :: Other Events
Wednesday 04 May 2022 01:00pm - 04:00pm
Eurachem-EUROLAB Discussion Forum on the Validity/Validation of Sampling Procedures :: Webinars
Monday 16 May 2022 - Wednesday 18 May 2022
Quality Assurance Challenges of Measurements from Field to Laboratory :: Workshops
Thursday 19 May 2022 - Friday 20 May 2022
Eurachem General Assembly 2022 :: General Assembly
Tuesday 25 October 2022 - Wednesday 26 October 2022 11:00am - 03:00pm
Measurement uncertainty evaluation based on in-house validation data :: Webinars
Tuesday 15 November 2022 01:00pm - 05:00pm
Trends & challenges for Non-Targeted Methods - What, How and Who? :: Webinars


The Neorest toilets represent the pinnacle of bathroom technology from Japan. TOTO is the pioneer in producing fully automatic toilets for over 10 years and each year's research and know-how combine into this ultimate toilet. The sublime form hides a plethora of cleansing features that pampers the user; hands-free automated seat & cover, heated seat, rear cleansing, bidet, automatic 6/4.5L dual flush, wireless remote control, dryer, deodorizer are just some of the user friendly features of the Neorest.


Residents of a village in southern Chin State have petitioned the state's chief minister to remove a Buddhist pagoda that was built late last year, reports the Khonumthong news agency. In a letter addressed to Chin State Chief Minister U Hung Ngai, the residents of Simi said that their objection to the pagoda was not based on religious grounds. "It's not a fight over religious matters," the letter states, explaining that the problem is the location of the pagoda in a residential area. The pagoda was built by U Ki Kui Sei, Simi sub-township general administrator, in December 2013. Most ethnic Chin are Christians.


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Samsung makes critical decision on Galaxy Note7 due to reports of explosions
VICTORIA HO Sep 2, 2016
That sexy new Galaxy Note 7 you stood in line for will have to go back to Samsung, unfortunately, amid reports of devices catching fire while charging. The technology giant is planning a global recall of its latest flagship phablet and has confirmed it is aware of at least 35 incidents with handsets.
On Friday, Samsung released a statement saying it was halting further shipments while it carried out additional tests on the hardware.
The recall comes as the company was due for a glitzy launch of the phone on Friday in countries including the UK.
Users in India, who had pre-ordered the handset, received text messages earlier in the day, saying that their phone shipments would be delayed.
The Note 7's hardware issues are most likely related to battery issues. Rechargeable batteries are the chief cause of explosions and overheating issues in a variety of devices, from smartphones to hoverboards.
The battery in the Note 7 is made by Samsung SDI, its battery arm.
Word started going around that the phone's batteries were faulty after a user named Ariel Gonzalez uploaded a video to YouTube earlier this week claiming that his phone caught fire after he unplugged it from the charger supplied with the handset.
Samsung's Facebook page in Singapore has been inundated with hysterical complaints demanding an explanation for the recall. Some users have also noted that battery life on their new Note 7 has not been lasting long and some are saying their devices get noticeably warmer to the touch while charging.
It will take two weeks to replace devices that have already gone out, Samsung said, but it's unclear if the two-week period applies globally.
Twitter test gives you the power to quiet reply guys
Facebook has no plans to launch its crypto wallet in India
Apple took action to fix Zoom flaw, which proves how serious it was
©2005-2019 Mashable, Inc.


When news spread this past July that the "world's oldest Twitter user," 104-year-old Ivy Bean of Branford, England, passed away, it was a mass media awakening for those who've underestimated their elders. Despite living in a care home, Bean had amassed 57,000 followers at the time of her death. She was a legitimate star.
The message was that social media—once considered our youth's most generationally segregating activity—had been embraced by savvy older adults. It seemed like on cue, stories of people ignoring Facebook friend requests from aunts and uncles and grandparents became commonplace.
The numbers back up what Bean's unexpected fame implies: People of all ages love connecting online. You've probably heard those towering statistics; that at more than 500 million active users, Facebook would be the third most populous country, or that Twitter recently logged its 20 billionth message—also known as a "tweet." Seniors housing providers, pay careful attention: Between April 2009 and May 2010, social networking use among Internet users aged 50-64 grew by 88%. Nearly half of all people in that age group who go online participate in social media, and 26% of those 65 and older are active users as well.
Your current residents and your future residents have become the fastest growing user base in online networking. What are you doing to keep pace?
This was a question addressed by Redstone Highlands Senior Living Communities, a Christian, nonprofit continuing care retirement community provider with four locations outside of Pittsburgh. Through a carefully researched social media program, the communitites have given themselves much needed public awareness, says Barb Hall Christner, Redstone's director of fund development. "You have a huge audience, whether it's local or abroad, because you can reach so many individuals," she says.
Of particular interest to Redstone was how it could promote fund-raising initiatives with social media. All it takes is one person with many followers to make a community's request for aid go viral. "A perfect example we were given was of an organization that had tweeted, 'We need funds or we are going to be in jeopardy of closing,'" Christner says. "A celebrity was able to help them out by retweeting that message to her own followers, hitting thousands of fans, and the organization met its goal overnight." Looking to achieve similar success, Redstone endorses its "Redstone for 30" initiative, which seeks to raise $30,000 in benevolent care funds for the provider's 30th anniversary, on Twitter. While Christner says Redstone is being realistic in the number of donations it expects to receive from social media ventures, the "visibility" that comes with a larger Web presence is worth the effort.
Upon visiting Redstone's Facebook fan page, families and potential residents get a glimpse of what life is like at its communities. In terms of updating the page with content, Christner assures that it's been a mix between impulse and preparation. Redstone reviews what events are planned across each campus and then schedules the activities departments to take pictures. "Camera and photo releases are kept on hand," Christner says. Those pictures are then posted on Facebook and cross-promoted via Twitter with descriptive text. YouTube videos or other promotional items are also occasionally hosted.
If you want the best interesting game play the online latest most amazing game free robux for he players get free online have the fun fun forever so share the site with your friends thanks.


Featuring some of the world's champion waterskiers.
Death defying jumps and razor precise slalom skiing against the backdrop of a top notch soundtrack in HD.
Produced and directed by Brad Priekulis, "Gifted" features extreme water skiiing by Freddie Krueger, WillyAsher, Ryan Fitts, Karina Nowlan, Thomas Moore, Billy Suzy, Tom Asher, Damian Sharman, Trent Finlayson, Ian Trapp and many more.
We call them "Gifted." Gifted takes you behind the scenes of today's best waterskiers, shot completely in High Definition in some of the best locations in the world.
Get to know these amazing athletes as they train, compete and live out their dreams as pro skiers. Set to an explosive soundtrack, this film takes you places you never thought you would go.
Gifted is the film you can watch over and over again to get fired up for your next set!


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US Warns France in Struggle Over Iraq
The UN draft resolution on Iraq tabled yesterday by Britain, the US and Spain is far milder than the document Washington originally had in mind, reflecting entrenched security council opposition. But it still spells war.
The line that counts comes almost at the end, in "operational paragraph" number one. In that single-line clause, the security council "decides that Iraq has failed to take the final opportunity afforded to it" in the last resolution, 1441, passed in November, which had threatened Iraq with "serious consequences" for non-compliance.
The British believe that by referring back to 1441, which was passed unanimously, it will be harder for the security council to reject the draft. "People will have to ask themselves questions about what they are voting against, because it will not just be against the UN and Iraq, but it will be against the legality of something they have already agreed."
The Bush administration, which was only reluctantly persuaded of the need for another resolution early in the new year, wanted the draft to be more explicit in drawing the obvious conclusion - that Iraq was once more in "material breach" and would now face the "serious consequences".
Washington considered going even further, demanding the security council approve the use of "all necessary means" to enforce its will. That was before the unexpectedly positive report issued on February 14 by Hans Blix, the chief UN inspector, who emphasised the improvement in Iraq's cooperation and called into question some of the US evidence against Iraq.
It was also before the vigorous appeals for more time for inspections from 12 of the 15 members of the security council, led by France. The US needed nine votes and no vetoes. The US secretary of state, Colin Powell, ditched tentative plans to table a tough resolution immediately, realising it had to be toned down.
"The Americans' original language was quite tough on requiring the words 'material breach' and so on," said a British official. "We said you simply have to refer back to resolution 1441, otherwise you're simply not going to get the nine votes."
For several days the British had been suggesting a draft resolution that would restate the requirement of 1441 that Iraq offer full cooperation. London also raised the possibility of laying down a final deadline of anything from 48 hours to a month.
However, the February 14 setback for the US and its security council allies was so painful that US officials suggested that they might abandon the pursuit of a further resolution and just go to war with a "coalition of the willing". Mr Powell went back to Washington to consult President Bush and the White House national security staff.
Before he did, he conferred with Jack Straw at a hasty meeting in New York, in which the foreign secretary stressed the importance of a resolution to gaining popular support for war. Back in Washington on Saturday, the Bush team agreed to gamble on a resolution. After all, its military deployments were weeks behind schedule and would only reach peak readiness by mid-March.
At the same time, the White House floated a new idea, telling journalists that a draft resolution might include three tests of Iraqi intentions. Baghdad would be given an ultimatum of a few weeks to provide unfettered interviews with its scientists, destroy its Samoud missiles, and allow overflights by spy planes. However, the idea of benchmarks faded last week, as heated negotiations continued between Washington and London.
A US official said: "In the end it was felt that you don't need additional benchmarks when you've already given them in 1441. It reflects the fact that 1441 was a final opportunity. There can't be a final opportunity after a final opportunity."
The final draft principally reflects the original British suggestion, restating 1441 and 16 prior resolutions on disarming Iraq, and recalling the observation made in 1441 that Baghdad was already in material breach. It echoes the language of 1441 by noting that Iraq made "false statements" on the declaration on weapons programmes it presented to the UN in December, and had "failed to comply with and cooperate fully" with UN weapons inspections.
It recognises the threat that Iraq's non-compliance with resolutions on weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles poses to international peace and security. Instead of issuing an explicit ultimatum, the US and Britain decided to suggest an "implicit" deadline with informal remarks suggesting there were two weeks to go before a vote.
More Articles on US Arm-Twisting
More Articles on the Threat of US War Against Iraq
More Articles on Weapons Inspections
More Information on Iraq


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Władysław Podkowiński (4 de fevereiro de 1866 – 5 de janeiro de 1895) foi um pintor e ilustrador polonês associado à Jovem Polônia.

Nascido em Varsóvia, iniciou seus estudos artísticos na academia de pintura de Wojciech Gerson. Em 1885, junto ao seu amigo Józef Pankiewicz, foi estudar na Academia Imperial de Artes de São Petersburgo.

Depois de uma viagem a Paris, novamente com Pankiewicz, este último ficou embevecido e influenciado pelos pintores  Impressionistas e suas obras, sobretudo por Claude Monet.

Seu quadro mais famoso, Szał uniesień (O frenesi das exultações), em tamanho natural (275 × 310 cm), causou um grande escândalo ao ser exposto em 1894 e pouco mais de um mês depois Podkowinski o destruiu com uma faca. Foi restaurado após sua morte.

Faleceu aos 28 anos por causa de  tuberculose, em Varsóvia.

Obras selecionadas

Ligações externas
 Jerzy Madeyski, "Władysław Podkowiński" (em polonês)

Pintores da Polónia

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Centuries ago, Jordan had camel caravans on the legendary King's Highway transporting frankincense in exchange for spices. From the Nabataean tradesmen to Roman legionnaires to Muslim armies to zealous Crusaders, they have all passed through the land, as have Indiana Jones and Lawrance's of Arabia. The former have left a string of amazing monuments, like the Roman amphitheaters, crusader castles and Christian mosaics, and more. From the first ahlan wa sahlan, the Jordian Welcome, replica watches its easy to see why everyone kept coming back!
Be it the incredible Petra, Wadi Rum or the Dead Sea or the occasional glittering oasis, it's a beautiful place that can be enjoyed in any budget. What are you waiting for?
At Panache, we craft travel experiences that will go beyond the usual itineraries. Enjoy Jordan the way it's meant to be! Talk to us to get your bespoke travel plan. Experience Jordan, your way.
Take the route of crusaders, kings, Romans and Sultans. Take the journey that made Lawrence of Arabia famous! Explore to your heart's content the ruins like Indiana Jones. As you take the journey taken a million times before you, we, at Panache, ensure that it's unrivaled with a Panache twist. Check out exclusive Jordanian experiences that come with a Dash of Panache!
It's a re-enactment of the Roman army, gladiators and chariot racing performances in a Roman setting. It's a great spectacle to watch, and Caesar would have been proud!
The wines in Jordan go back many thousand years. It's believed that the wine served at the Last supper was Jordanian. Omar Zumot is a pioneer who produces the finest wines of the region. The vineyards are in Madaba near the historical St George Church, ad is available for a classy tasting session.


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Angelina Jolie Hints That She Could Run for President in 2020
"If you asked me 20 years ago, I would've laughed."
(Image credit: Paul Morigi)
Another day, another potential celebrity bid for president. Angelina Jolie has indicated that a move into U.S. politics may be in her future, including a possible run for President of the United States.
The Oscar-winning actor and director, as well as special envoy to the UN Refugee Agency. opened up about her political future in an interview with BBC's Justin Webb for Today (opens in new tab), where she touched on issues including sexual violence, social media, US politics and the global refugee crisis.
Jolie was asked if there was any potential for a future presidential run, and here's what she said: "If you asked me 20 years ago, I would've laughed...I always say I'll go where I'm needed, I don't know if I'm fit for politics…but then I've also joked that I don't know if I have a skeleton left in my closet.
"So I'm pretty open and out there," she added. "I can take a lot on the chin so that's good. But I honestly will do whatever I think can really make change. I'm also able to work with governments and I'm also able to work with militaries, and so I sit in a very interesting place of being able to get a lot done."
So...not no, then?
Then, Webb put out there that Jolie could be on the shortlist of the 30 to 40 Democrats running for the party's presidential nomination in 2020, and Jolie thanked him for his insight.
Meanwhile, the Oprah For President flags were being waved high and proud after the Golden Globes last January, and now it seems every celebrity with an interest in politics is being asked if they'd want to be president. One celebrity president, now everyone wants to do it!
For more celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.
SUBSCRIBE HERE (opens in new tab)
Amanda Mitchell is a writer and podcaster with bylines at Marie Claire, OprahMag, Allure, Byrdie, Stylecaster, Bon Appetit, and more. Her work exists at the apex of beauty, pop culture, and absurdity. A human Funfetti cake, she watches too much television, and her favorite season is awards season. You can read more of her work at amandaelizabethmitchell.com or follow her on Instagram and Twitter @lochnessmanda.
Prince Harry Could "Make Some Form of Reconciliation" with the Royal Family for the Coronation, Expert Says
…but it would still be "extremely difficult."
By Rachel Burchfield
King Charles Brings in Archbishop of Canterbury to Broker Peace Deal Between Prince William and Prince Harry
The King wants Harry at the Coronation; William is apparently less enthused.
35 Ways Women Still Aren't Equal to Men
If anyone tries to tell you otherwise, show them these statistics.
By Brooke Knappenberger
How New York's First Female Governor Plans to Fight for Women If Reelected
Kathy Hochul twice came to power because men resigned amid sexual harassment scandals. Here, how she's leading differently.
By Emily Tisch Sussman
Why the 2022 Midterm Elections Are So Critical
As we blaze through a highly charged midterm election season, Swing Left Executive Director Yasmin Radjy highlights rising stars who are fighting for women's rights.
By Tanya Benedicto Klich
Tammy Duckworth: 'I'm Mad as Hell' About the Lack of Federal Action on Gun Safety
The Illinois Senator won't let the memory of the Highland Park shooting just fade away.
By Sen. Tammy Duckworth
Roe Is Gone. We Have to Keep Fighting.
Democracy always offers a path forward even when we feel thrust into the past.
By Beth Silvers and Sarah Stewart Holland, hosts of Pantsuit Politics Podcast
The Supreme Court's Mississippi Abortion Rights Case: What to Know
The case could threaten Roe v. Wade.
By Megan DiTrolio
Sex Trafficking Victims Are Being Punished. A New Law Could Change That.
Victims of sexual abuse are quietly criminalized. Sara's Law protects kids that fight back.
By Dr. Devin J. Buckley and Erin Regan
My Family and I Live in Navajo Nation. We Don't Have Access to Clean Running Water
"They say that the United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Why are citizens still living with no access to clean water?"
By Amanda L. As Told To Rachel Epstein


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Destin Commons Jolly Jubilee, Destin, FL
The first annual Jolly Jubilee combines holiday cheer with shopping at the Destin Commons outdoor shopping center. Combine the adventure of browsing several name brand stores with the calming and…
The first annual Jolly Jubilee combines holiday cheer with shopping at the Destin Commons outdoor…
Miles Antique Mall, Pensacola, FL
Miles' 65,000-square-foot show room is one of the most striking in the state. Showcasing antiques from over 700 vendors local to the area, you'll find the perfect gift for a friend or a…
Miles' 65,000-square-foot show room is one of the most striking in the state. Showcasing…
Best Things In & Around Crestview, FL
Miles' 65,000-square-foot show room is one of the most striking in the state. Showcasing antiques from over 700 vendors local to the area, you'll find the perfect gift for a friend or a… Read More
The Possum Monument, Wausau, FL
If you have not guessed, this is the self-proclaimed "possum capital of the world" in Washington County. The monument came about because they claim in hard times, the only meat to be found in this… Read More
Events around Crestview, FL
Winter Guest Fest
Destin Fort Walton Beach Convention Center Fort Walton Beach, FL
6th Annual Palate and Palette Wine Dinner and Live Painting
Funk You
Downtown Music Hall Fort Walton Beach, FL
Slammedenuff Destin Car Show!
Sparks In The Park Car, Truck and Bike Show
Mullet Festival Grounds Niceville, FL
Find it Fast Near Crestview
Baker Block Museum
1307 Georgia Avenue, Baker, FL
Located in Baker, Florida, the Baker Block Museum was completed and opened to the public in July 1996. The building was once the old General Store ... Read More
Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge Zoological Park
5262 Deer Springs Drive, Crestview, FL
The ECWR Zoological Park was established in 2013 by the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the education, co... Read More
Niceville Skate Park Youth Center
200 Campbell Drive, Niceville, FL
Panhandle Opry
657 Deshazo Road, Crestview, FL
The Panhandle Opry is in Mossy Head, Florida. We're a small community about 60 miles east of Pensacola and 125 miles west of Tallahassee. Panhandle... Read More
Air Force Armament Museum
100 Museum Drive, Eglin AFB, FL
The Air Force Armament Museum is located near Eglin Air Force Base's main gate and is the only facility in the U.S. dedicated to the display of Air... Read More
Blackwater River State Park
7720 Deaton Bridge Road, Holt, FL
Blackwater River boasts an incredible array of activities for the outdoor enthusiast, many centered around the park's namesake waterway.Despi... Read More
Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park
1010 Miracle Strip Parkway SE, Fort Walton Beach, FL
History: Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park has entertained millions since its inception in 1955. In the early 1950's J.B. "Brandy" Siebenaler, a... Read More
Seablasters
60G Harbor Blvd, Destin, FL
Climb aboard Destin's ORIGINAL Sea Blaster for a fun and exciting cruise with Capt. Larry, searching the Emerald Green waters of the Gulf of Mexico... Read More
Destin Marathon and Half Marathon
10 Harbor Boulevard, Destin, FL
This is the race that over 600 runners built through the first successful marathon crowdfunding campaign in history, culminating in a race with ove... Read More
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Escape the urban bustle at Cupsogue Beach County Park and Sam's Point Preserve. You'll explore the less-touristy side of things at Bushkill Falls and Cornelia & Florence Bridge Nature Preserve. Change things up with these side-trips from New York City: Belmont Lake State Park (in North Babylon), Stokes State Forest (in Branchville) and Ice Caves and Verkeerderkill Falls Trail Hike (in Cragsmoor). There's lots more to do: contemplate the waterfront views at Upper Delaware River, go for a walk through Central Park, identify plant and animal life at Black Creek Preserve, and kick back and relax at 8th Ave Jetty.
To find more things to do, other places to visit, photos, and other tourist information, read our New York City trip itinerary tool .
If you are flying in from Ukraine, the closest major airports are La Guardia Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and John F Kennedy International Airport. In June, plan for daily highs up to 31°C, and evening lows to 21°C. Wrap up your sightseeing on the 11th (Tue) to allow time to travel back home.


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Ocana est une commune française située dans la circonscription départementale de la Corse-du-Sud et le territoire de la collectivité de Corse. Elle appartient à l'ancienne piève de Cauro.

Géographie

Urbanisme

Typologie
Ocana est une commune rurale, car elle fait partie des communes peu ou très peu denses, au sens de la grille communale de densité de l'Insee.

Par ailleurs la commune fait partie de l'aire d'attraction d'Ajaccio, dont elle est une commune de la couronne. Cette aire, qui regroupe , est catégorisée dans les aires de  à moins de .

Occupation des sols

L'occupation des sols de la commune, telle qu'elle ressort de la base de données européenne d'occupation biophysique des sols Corine Land Cover (CLC), est marquée par l'importance des forêts et milieux semi-naturels (84,9 % en 2018), une proportion identique à celle de 1990 (84,5 %). La répartition détaillée en 2018 est la suivante :
milieux à végétation arbustive et/ou herbacée (57,6 %), forêts (17,2 %), zones agricoles hétérogènes (14,8 %), espaces ouverts, sans ou avec peu de végétation (10,1 %), terres arables (0,3 %).

L'IGN met par ailleurs à disposition un outil en ligne permettant de comparer l'évolution dans le temps de l'occupation des sols de la commune (ou de territoires à des échelles différentes). Plusieurs époques sont accessibles sous forme de cartes ou photos aériennes : la carte de Cassini (), la carte d'état-major (1820-1866) et la période actuelle (1950 à aujourd'hui).

Histoire

Politique et administration

Démographie

Lieux et monuments

 Église Saint-Michel d'Ocana.

Personnalités liées à la commune
 Ange-Marie Miniconi y naquit le . Il fut le commandant Jean-Marie qui organisa la résistance à Cannes durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale.

Notes

Références

Articles connexes
 Liste des communes de la Corse-du-Sud

Liens externes

Commune en Corse-du-Sud
Aire urbaine d'Ajaccio


The Philippine flag flew proud at the Fuji International Speedway as a Filipino finished first in his class and fifth overall at the Mazda Fan Endurance Race at the Fuji International Speedway.
Joey Almeda, a six-time endurance racing champion represented the country in the multinational "Team ASIA Roadster" team. He was partnered with Thai Driver Silapa "Sint" Teeraniti and All Japan Gymkhana Champion and the first-ever Global MX-5 Cup Japan Champion Tetsuya Yamano.
Managed by no less than the fourth-generation MX-5 program manager and key figure in Mazda's 1991 Le Mans win, Nobuhiro Yamamoto, the #54 MX-5 Type S prepared by Do Engineering fought for the overall win only to have their chance derailed due to a Safety Car incident two laps before the finish.
A highlight of the "Be A Driver Experience" brand experience event, the Mazda Fan Endurance Race is a 2-hour 30-minute endurance race that features both past and present production cars. In a unique twist, it's not about being the fastest car. Everyone starts with a full tank of gas, but since there's no refueling allowed, it means drivers will have to balance outright speed and fuel consumption throughout the race.
Using telemetry data from the Japanese Media Endurance Race at the Tsukuba Circuit, Yamamoto-san devised a game plan for the race. He surmised that every driver had to stick to a target time of 2 minutes 20 seconds per lap while making sure that the fuel consumption goes no lower than 6.5 km/L.
With just three laps of practice for each driver, Almeda had to use his racing experience in order to just get acquainted with the tricky Fuji International Speedway.
Yamano managed to qualify the team in pole position thanks to a blistering lap time while Teeraniti was chosen to start the endurance stint for the team. Team ASIA Roadster lost a couple of places at the start, his clean stint served as a solid foundation which everyone built atop of.
Almeda was next and while he lost a considerable amount of time during the driver change, he managed to gain a couple of places. During his 50-minute stint, he managed to overtake 4 other cars in a series of corners and even set the team's fastest lap at 2 minutes 13.703 seconds around the 4.563-kilometer circuit.
The last part of the race was finished by Yamano who hammered in consistent lap times and was almost assured of an overall win if not for a Safety Car period two laps before the finish. The perfectly executed strategy meant the team only had less than 1 liter of fuel left by the end of the race.
Almeda, one of the founders of the Philippine-based Miata Cup was visibility ecstatic at this once in a lifetime chance to race at the Fuji International Speedway. His participation and strong finish at the race validates the racing talent that the Philippines has. This sentiment is shared by Yamamoto who would want more drivers from outside Japan to race at the Mazda Fan Endurance Race.
Top Photo by Mikko David.


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Home Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Health
How monkeypox transmits from person to person, and how to prevent infection
Andrea Michelson, Hilary Brueck, and Catherine Schuster-Bruce
There are many types of poxvirus including monkeypox, smallpox, and chickenpox.
Roger Harris/Science Photo Library via Getty Images
Monkeypox has been confirmed in 81 countries where it wasn't typically found, including the US.
An unusual monkeypox outbreak started in May — particularly among men who have sex with men.
Experts think the virus is mostly spreading through direct or intimate contact.
Monkeypox has been confirmed in 81 countries where it wasn't typically found, as part of an unusual outbreak that started in May — particularly among men who have sex with men.
In parts of west and central Africa where the monkeypox virus is endemic, humans are most often exposed through contact with wild animals: either via bites and scratches, or during the preparation of bush meat.
Cases of monkeypox have been reported in the US and Europe before, historically in connection with travel to Africa or contact with imported animals.
However, since May there were 26,864 confirmed monkeypox cases and the vast majority were reported in countries where monkeypox wasn't endemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On July 23, the World Health Organization declared the 2022 outbreak was a global emergency — meaning an "extraordinary event" requiring a more robust global response.
On Thursday, the US federal government said monkeypox was a national public health emergency, which enables faster access to treatment and testing in the country. Since the first case of monkeypox was confirmed in the US in mid-May, there have been 7,102 reported cases in the US, mostly in New York, CDC data shows.
Monkeypox lesions are very infectious
Human-to-human monkeypox transmission can occur through prolonged face-to-face, skin-to-skin, mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-skin contact, according to the WHO.
Once monkeypox gets into humans, the virus causes flu-like symptoms including fever, aches, and exhaustion, as well as a red rash that turns into pus-filled boils.
"You have lesion material — pus, scabs — all those legions are chock full of a ton of virus, and that virus is extraordinarily stable," CDC epidemiologist Andrea McCollum told Insider. "The virus is a double-stranded DNA virus, which by nature, it's really hearty."
As the boils burst and crust over, the infection can spread through direct contact with the lesions. The scabs it creates are very, very infectious, and can even be transmitted on a blanket or bed sheet through direct contact or inhaling infectious skin flakes.
As it stands, people are considered no longer contagious when all skin lesions have fully healed and new skin has appeared underneath, but we are still learning exactly how long people with monkeypox remain infectious for.
It is not clear if people without symptoms can spread the disease.
Getting intimate counts as close contact
Direct contact includes intimate contact such as hugging, kissing, touching contaminated sex toys and massage, according to the CDC. Sexual orientation has nothing to do with it.
Genetic material from the monkeypox virus has been detected in semen, but we don't yet know if the virus can spread through semen, vaginal fluids, breastmilk or blood, according to the WHO.
Sharing air with an infected person may pose a risk
The virus can spread via large, exhaled droplets — like the spray of a cough or sneeze. The droplets that may carry monkeypox are much bigger than, for example, coronavirus particles, which are tiny, airborne, and can float around in the air. Monkeypox can't travel as far.
Transmission by droplet is most likely to affect close contacts of infected people, like household members and healthcare workers. According to the WHO, the longest documented chain of monkeypox transmission was six successive person-to-person infections.
However, we don't know exactly how monkeypox travels through air, and studies are underway to learn more.
Pregnant people can spread the virus to fetus
According to the WHO, pregnant people infected with monkeypox can pass the virus to the fetus, either after birth or through skin-to-skin contact.
Simple ways to prevent infection
Clinicians treating patients often wear gowns, gloves, eye protection, and face masks, but the disease is not so transmissible that people need to be in all-encompassing hazmat suits around infected patients.
"It's not like Ebola where you have wards full of patients," McCollum said. "You may see a few."
At home, the CDC recommends avoiding skin-to-skin contact with anyone with a monkeypox rash, as well as any items that an infected person has used.
Fortunately, monkeypox can be scoured off surfaces easily with bleach. The CDC also recommends regular hand-washing with soap and water, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially before eating and after toileting.
Until more is known about its spread through bodily fluids, the WHO recommends that people with monkeypox use condoms as a precaution for 12 weeks after they have fully recovered.
"It's a serious disease, and something to steer clear of and try to prevent," Jimmy Whitworth, an infectious disease expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told Insider.
NOW WATCH: Patients who contracted monkeypox share stories of their ordeals
Monkeypox CDC Infectious disease


We are pleased to announce that the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association will be awarding the La Luz Award, the organization's highest honor, to Marcos G. Ronquillo, of Fishman Jackson Ronquillo, PLLC. The La Luz Award will be presented at the 11th Annual Event: Noche de Luz celebration on Saturday, October 15th at the Perot Museum.
Mr. Ronquillo has over 35 years of trial experience representing governmental agencies such as the Dallas Independent School District and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as well as Fortune 500 Companies in high-profile controversies where public policy and social concerns collide in the courtroom.
He is a past recipient of the State Bar of Texas Presidents' Special Citation Award and Outstanding Lawyer of the Year Award from the Texas Mexican Bar Association. From 2013 to 2016 he was selected to the list of the Best Lawyers in America.
Mr. Ronquillo has been awarded the national Spirit of Excellence Award by the American Bar Association, National Commission on Minority Lawyers. He has been recognized nationally as an outstanding lawyer by the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Dallas Business Journal, Ernst & Young, Texas Diversity Council and Texas Lawyer. He has also been honored by Texas Monthly and Super Lawyer magazines and listed as a Texas "Super Lawyer" from 2003 through 2016. In addition, Super Lawyers has named him to the list of the top 100 lawyers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
He is the former President of the Dallas Mexican American Bar Association, former Chairman of the Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, former member of the Board of Advisors of George Washington University Law School, and the former National Chairman of the University of Notre Dame Hispanic Alumni Association.
He has served on numerous boards and commissions including the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority (DART), Children's Medical Center and JPMorgan Chase to name a few. He formerly served on the Board of the United States/Mexico Bi-National Chamber of Commerce and currently serves on the Smithsonian National Latino Center Advisory Board and New America Alliance national Board of Directors.
La Luz is presented to an individual who has made significant contributions to the Dallas legal community by serving as a trailblazer in helping light the way for the success of the Hispanic community through his or her legal-related contributions. The award recipient must demonstrate inspirational leadership, courage, integrity, and a commitment to lending a helping hand to others in the legal community. The recipient is selected based on her/his leadership affecting the Hispanic legal community, significant contributions to the legal profession, courage and integrity, and commitment to the success of individuals in the Hispanic community in general.


text:
LawnChair Theatre
"Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing."
Welcome to LawnChair Theatre.
What began in 2006 as a Port Chester summer youth theatre project has evolved into much more. LawnChair is a true community theatre, an organization in which the community is as important as the theatre. Over the past 15 years, our project became a mission.
We believe in theatre's power to shine a light on our common humanity, to raise the level of empathy in our world. We feature multi-generational casts and blend professionally trained and amateur performers. Our goal is to contemporize Shakespeare, and other classic playwrights and authors, without rewriting them.
We love this company, the work, the play, and, especially, the people. We love our audiences, and we're grateful for our supporters and sponsors.
We hope you will join us, whether as artist, crew, audience, or sponsor. Thanks for checking us out.
Peter Green (he/him)
Co-Founder & Artistic Director
Summer with LawnChair Theatre is a great adventure, a traveling circus.
I don't remember exactly what inspired us to go on the road in the first place, but it's now part of the DNA of our company.
We rehearse, plan, build our sets and costumes outdoors. It's a beautiful way to spend summer evenings. Then, one midsummer's night, we carefully pack up a rental truck and hit the road.
It goes like this. We arrive at a park, unload the truck, assemble the set, sound, lights, wardrobe tents and "house". The actors get ready, then perform for the local audience at sunset. After the show, in the dark, we re-pack the truck. Every company member participates in load-out. We head to a local watering hole to celebrate. Then we do it again, seven times in two weeks. Each performance is unique to its location. Each location presents us with a set of creative challenges and opportunities.
The effort it takes to make this happen every summer is huge and hugely rewarding. It also makes for a great community.
We hope you will join ours.
Carin Zakes (she/her)
Co-Founder & Executive Producer
Meet some of the people working behind the scenes to make LawnChair happen every year!
Founders & Executive Producers
Peter is an early graduate of SUNY Purchase's BFA Acting program. His NYC theatre credits include The Medicine Show Theatre Ensemble, The Manhattan Punchline Theatre and Playwrights Horizons. Peter has been acting, directing, and teaching in Westchester and Fairfield Counties since 1997.
Carin Zakes
Carin was a founding faculty member and director at the famed Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Camp. She has directed Off-Broadway. Since 1998, Carin has directed dozens of plays and musicals, working in community theatres in Westchester and Fairfield County.
Richy Glassberg
Julie Thaxter-Gourlay
Nova Hall
Jamie Jensen
Katy Keohane
Rachel Schulte
Ann Peterson
Amy Simmons
Larry Reina
Quint Spitzer
Anthony Tedesco
Mario Fuentes
Mat Young


text:
Q: Trying to Get mean from an object column (Pandas-Python) But getting TypeError: can only concatenate str (not "float") to str I am working with the StackOverflow developer survey 2020. There's a column 'YearsCode'. For how many years you have been coding? The data type of this column is  'object'. I am trying to find the mean value from this column. I have tried following steps but found an error--
df['YearsCode'].unique() # here I found 'less than 1 year', 'more than 50 years'.
df['YearsCode'].replace('Less than 1 year',0,inplace = True)
df['YearsCode'].replace('More than 50 years',51,inplace = True)
df['YearsCode'].astype(float)
# to avoid nan values we will use skipna
df['YearsCode'].mean(skipna=False)
# returns---TypeError: can only concatenate str (not "float") to str
#if I make NaN values to 0, by mean will not be right

A: Your df['YearsCode'].astype(float) statement has not effect, since it wasn't done "inplace". It returns a series, but doesn't change the original values of df['YearsCode']
Try:
df['YearsCode'] = df['YearsCode'].astype(float)
df['YearsCode'].mean(skipna=False)

or simply:
df['YearsCode'].astype(float).mean(skipna=False)

On the first time, I replaced the original "YearsCode" column with the float type "YearsCode". On the second time, I calculated the .mean() directly over float type "YearsCode".

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Bruno Wolke, ciclista su strada tedesco
 Rudolf Wolke,  ciclista su strada tedesco

Altri progetti


text:
Bowalley Road
Ruminations of an Old New Zealander
Chris Trotter
Chris Trotter has spent most of his adult life either engaging in or writing about politics. He was the founding editor of The New Zealand Political Review (1992-2005) and in 2007 authored No Left Turn, a political history of New Zealand. Living in Auckland with his wife and daughter, Chris describes himself as an "Old New Zealander" – i.e. someone who remembers what the country was like before Rogernomics. He has created this blog as an archive for his published work and an outlet for his more elegiac musings. It takes its name from Bowalley Road, which runs past the North Otago farm where he spent the first nine years of his life. Enjoy.
Bowalley Road Rules
The blogosphere tends to be a very noisy, and all-too-often a very abusive, place. I intend Bowalley Road to be a much quieter, and certainly a more respectful, place.
So, if you wish your comments to survive the moderation process, you will have to follow the Bowalley Road Rules.
These are based on two very simple principles:
Courtesy and Respect.
Comments which are defamatory, vituperative, snide or hurtful will be removed, and the commentators responsible permanently banned.
Anonymous comments will not be published. Real names are preferred. If this is not possible, however, commentators are asked to use a consistent pseudonym.
Comments which are thoughtful, witty, creative and stimulating will be most welcome, becoming a permanent part of the Bowalley Road discourse.
However, I do add this warning. If the blog seems in danger of being over-run by the usual far-Right suspects, I reserve the right to simply disable the Comments function, and will keep it that way until the perpetrators find somewhere more appropriate to vent their collective spleen.
Authoritarian Friends, Democratic Enemies.
A Bi-Partisan Commitment To X-ing "P".
A Bloody Great Political Story (From A Parallel Un...
The Message From Messenger Park.
The Second (And Final?) Crucifixion Of Winston Pet...
Democracy "A Bit Bonkers" - Thoughts Inspired By L...
When World's Collide.
Could There Be Method In Massey University's Madness?
Not So Much "OK Boomer" As "OK Ruling Class".
Chosen To Rule? What Sort Of Christian Is Chris Lu...
Has Shane Jones Just Saved NZ First?
Too Late To Change Capitalism's Flightpath?
Global Protests Rage On: But Slogans Are Not Plans.
Gainful Employment: A Cautionary Tale.
On The Rebound.
A Communist At Large
A Phuulish Fellow
Adam Curtis Blog
Bassett, Brash and Hide
Bat, Bean, Beam
Bryan Gould
CodePink
Interest.co.nz
Jacobin | Reason in Revolt
Kiwiblog
Kiwipolitico
Lindsay Mitchell
Nonsite
Pacific Outlier
Radio New Zealand News Headlines
Reading the Maps
The BFD
The Daily Blog
The Spinoff
The Standard 2.02
Winnipegland
Democracy "A Bit Bonkers" - Thoughts Inspired By Lizzie Marvelly's Latest Column.
Didn't See It Coming: NZ Herald columnist Lizzie Marvelly's latest column merits serious scrutiny because such a clear example of anti-democratic thinking is encountered only rarely on the pages of the daily press. Which is not to say that the elitism which lies at the heart of such social disparagement goes unnoticed by the people who are its principal targets. Just as Hillary Clinton's description of Trump's supporters as "deplorables" only strengthened her opponent's hand, the "progressives" all-to-obvious disdain for the competence of ordinary people will inevitably rebound to the Right's electoral advantage.
THE EXPRESSIONS of stunned horror that greeted the news that Donald Trump had won the 2016 Presidential Election spoke volumes. Almost none of the people gathered to celebrate the election of the USA's first female president believed a Trump victory was even remotely possible. On display that fateful November night was a lethal mixture of social isolation and social ignorance. The shocked and horrified young Democrats who turned their grief-stricken faces from the television screens clearly knew next to nothing about the America that had just dashed their hopes.
In New Zealand, the world's most "woke" country, the risk of something very similar to Trump's upset 2016 victory grows stronger by the day. The 2020 General Election may deliver New Zealanders their first one-term government in 45 years. If that is the outcome, then it will likely be produced by exactly the same combination of forces that toppled the Kirk-Rowling Labour Government in 1975. An angry cocktail of resentments and denials; of ordinary people feeling abandoned by the decision-makers; of core values and cherished traditions perceived as being under threat. A dark tsunami of voter anger: barely perceptible in its approach, but rearing-up to terrifying heights as, finally, it comes ashore.
And, of course, like Hillary supporters, the partisans of Labour and Green haven't a clue. They just don't see it: the anger and resentment; the alienation and bewilderment. Or, if they do, they simply don't rate it. In the eyes of the decision-makers and their opinion-former allies, "ordinary people" simply aren't up to it.
Consider the latest contribution from NZ Herald columnist Lizzie Marvelly. The fact that New Zealand's District Health Boards contain a majority of elected members strikes her as a serious design fault. "Democratic elections for District Health Boards have always seemed bizarre to me", she writes. "Though it's important to listen to the views of the community when designing services to serve them, the idea that anyone, regardless of their experience, qualifications and skill set (or lack thereof) could be elected to a position where they are tasked with effectively running the health system in their region seems a bit bonkers."
In these two chilling sentences, we can identify all the ingredients of the looming political disaster. Of these, it is Marvelly's careless disdain for the capabilities of her fellow citizens that is the most telling. That such people might possess insights and understandings of which the "experts" she so clearly prefers are entirely innocent, does not appear to have occurred to her. Neither, apparently, has the thought that democracy itself is predicated on the notion that the views of ordinary people, as expressed through the ballot-box, constitute the beating heart of political sovereignty.
No, "government of the people, by the people, for the people" cuts little ice with Marvelly. The word she offers up in preference to "government" is "governance": something best left to professionals.
"Making a difference in an organisational setting, providing quality services for clients and ensuring at the very least that the bills are paid and the doors stay open, is a challenge that requires good governance," opines Marvelly. Such work, she goes on to say, with all the breathless confidence of the recent convert, must be "conducted by directors who have the right mix of skills, experience and foresight to plan for worst and best case scenarios, pivot quickly when things aren't quite right, and steer an organisation through times of both trouble and success."
That working-class mums and dads, struggling to make their meagre wages stretch to housing, feeding and clothing their families might also have the skills, experience and foresight to plan for both the best and the worst, pivot quickly when things go wrong, and so steer themselves and their loved ones through good times and bad, is apparently an idea that has never crossed her mind.
Which is why, presumably, she felt compelled to suggest that "at least half of each health board around the country should be appointed experts, or even better, 60 percent." With astonishing condescension, all the more objectionable for being unconscious, Marvelly concludes: "Retaining a minority of elected board members would allow DHBs to stay connected with their local communities, without giving the balance of power to people who may not have the skills to wield it properly."
I have quoted Marvelly at some length because such a clear example of anti-democratic thinking is encountered only rarely on the pages of the daily press. Which is not to say that the elitism which lies at the heart of such social disparagement goes unnoticed by the people who are its principal targets. Just as Hillary Clinton's description of Trump's supporters as "deplorables" only strengthened her opponent's hand, the "progressives" all-to-obvious disdain for the competence of ordinary people will inevitably rebound to the Right's electoral advantage.
The thousands of West Coasters who gathered in Greymouth last weekend to demonstrate their opposition to the Coalition Government's policies will no doubt be dismissed as feral rednecks. Even worse epithets will be reserved for the 200+ women who attended the Speak Up For Women conference hosted by David Seymour in the Beehive's banqueting hall. Sticks and stones. The Act Party leader's gesture, prompted by the failure of Massey University to defend the free speech rights of radical feminists, has significantly boosted Act's chances of adding two – maybe three – new members to its parliamentary caucus.
There was a time when progressives and conservatives could both agree that 2+2=4. As next year's election draws near, however, the confidence that there are still some propositions to which all politicians can sign-up – such as freedom of speech – diminishes. When young newspaper columnists openly disparage the notion that ordinary people can be trusted with the reins of government; when the same "experts" who led the world into its current condition are held up as the only persons capable of leading it out; then those still capable of grasping basic political arithmetic should not expect next year's election to have a happy ending.
So long as ordinary people retain the right to vote; so long will pissing them off remain the very worst political strategy.
This essay was originally posted on The Daily Blog of Tuesday, 19 November 2019.
Posted by Chris Trotter at 09:45
Labels: 1975 General Election, 2020 General Election, democracy, Hillary Clinton, Lizzie Marvelly, New Zealand society and culture, President Donald Trump
Nick R said...
The argument that we should abolish DHBs isn't necessarily undemocratic or anti-democratic. Fundamentally, it has always seemed to me that the purpose of elected DHBs is to shield the Government of the day from the impact of their decisions. The public health system is above all an exercise in rationing and DHBs have no say at all in how much resource they have to allocate. In fact, they seem to have little power to make decisions at all when it comes to the actual delivery of healthcare. All they are required to do is absorb blame. So arguably, abolishing them would not constitute any lessening of democratic oversight of the health system. Rather, it would acknowledge that the elected Boards do not perform any meaningful role in the first place, and that democratic oversight is the function of central Government.
The alternative is to give elected DHBs real autonomy over their budgets. But I can't seen any Labour or National Government every agreeing to do that.
Guerilla Surgeon said...
"of core values and cherished traditions perceived as being under threat."
Well, as Winston Churchill once said about another institution that was worried about its traditions disappearing – "What are these traditions? Rum, sodomy, and the lash." Although to be fair my dad was very grateful for the rum between 1941 and 1946. Seems to me a bit disingenuous to quote people's cherished traditions and core values if you don't actually specify what they are. Because some of them aren't worth keeping.
"That working-class mums and dads, struggling to make their meagre wages stretch to housing, feeding and clothing their families might also have the skills, experience and foresight to plan for both the best and the worst, pivot quickly when things go wrong, and so steer themselves and their loved ones through good times and bad, is apparently an idea that has never crossed her mind."
Rarely has a truer word being spoken, the idea that the working poor or the unemployed are inherently feckless is a middle-class myth. But having said that, how many of them will be putting themselves up for the boards of DHB's? Most of them will be from the same class as the bureaucrats who would be put in their place if the elections for board members weren't held. I taught for a long time in low decile schools. The number of working-class parents on school boards in my experience was about one in five if that. Most of them were professionals of one sort or another. However they were professionals who had their kids at low decile schools so they did have some idea of the problems. And God bless and they usually did their best. But they weren't working class.
BlisteringAttack said...
Whoever it was, presumably a bright-spark mellennial whizz-kid, who told Hilary Clinton 'Don't worry about the Rust-Belt; we've got it covered and in the bag' should have been dragged out of his/her bed, stood in front of a wall, and shot at dawn.
"purpose of elected DHBs is to shield the Government of the day from the impact of their decisions."
Yup. Governments have been keeping themselves at one remove from their responsibilities since Roger Douglas. And yet conservatives are supposed to believe in individual responsibility. I'll believe that when a minister actually resigns over some fault in his or her department. Something that hasn't happened very often in New Zealand I feel.
Mike Grimshaw said...
In many ways the appeal is for government by 'woke' technocrats or for a type of enlightened managerialism - both of which are fictions.
What we have is the argument for efficiency over democracy- which has echoes of 'making the trains run on time'. Democracy is messy and means those those i may not like or may not agree with have an equal say to me. However that is also the basis of society - that is, society is composed of those not like me and i might not like- and they might not like me either. But we work out how to get along and how to get things done in the interest of society.
The other option is the retreat into community, which is composed of people like me, but not those i don't like or are not like me. Remember, Thatcher said, in effect, there is no such thing as society. In many ways she was right, society is not a thing, but it is an ongoing project. What we have sought to replace society with is the retreat into communities of interest- and it depends what community you are in as to what you get or can access. Community is inherently anti-democratic and often claims in-built power structures that override democratic aims and values.
I think you have nailed it again. The current government attitude does nothing for the Waitakere man (and his partner). They are the ones being alienated by the wokeness and special interest pandering. Same problem as for the northern England over Brexit or the flyover states for Trump's election.
If that middle class suburbia group votes big time for National, they will never come back. Labour will be reduced to a rump lobby group.
Trev1 said...
Yes Chris, the tsunami is coming. The combination of smug elitism, contempt for ordinary New Zealanders and sly corruption that is the Coalition has sickened many to the stomach. Deliverance is just around the corner. I suspect Act and the New Conservatives will be game changers.
There is an interesting comment in todays Guido Fawlkes about politics in the UK that sums up why Labour in NZ is losing suburbia
"The truth is workers – by which Guido means people who get up every morning and go to work, not some idealised worker as imagined by middle-class Islington Marxists – do not appreciate anti-social neighbours who keep them awake all night after spending their unemployment benefits on drink and drugs. Actual decent working-class Labour voters detest those types, polling shows that they resent the anti-social freeloaders more than any other demographic. New Labour understood this which is why they were tough on anti-social behaviour."
I think Lizzie's article confuses governance and management (and also operations). I can accept that management requires experts (and certainly an organisation's operations must be done by experts in the various fields, whether that is brain surgeon or the teaboy having expertise in making tea). But governance is about setting goals and policies, appointing a CEO and monitoring the CEO's performance against those goals and policies. People can get better at doing these things, but the idea is that citizens or shareholders elect people who express their values (even that is just "get the dividend up" or "defend us from the looming foreign invasion") and a well-managed organisation should not require them to have particular expertise in technical matters.
Why can't you just shut up and do what a failed pop singer tell you?
petes new write said...
The failure and electoral defeat of the Kiek/ Rowling govt was precipitated by the death of Norman kirk, the Middle East oil crisis and the political smarts
of Robert Muldoon.
I sense that Middle New Zealand, which still exists - especially outside the CBDs and genteel suburbs of the main cities, feels under attack from this three headed hydra of a coalition. It began in earnest after an itinerant foreigner allegedly perpetrated the terrible events of 15 March. A cabal of "liberal" academics immediately queued up to label Kiwi males of European extraction as "white supremacists". Parliament was given over on live television to a recitation of the Islamic prayer for the dead (after Christian prayer, at least in English, had been banned by the Speaker). The relevant Koranic text also happens to include an exhortation to jihad. Alongside that a ban on semi-automatic firearms was announced despite the fact that these firearms while favoured by hunters are rarely used in crimes in New Zealand and when they are it is mostly by readily identifiable gangs who are unlikely to ever willingly surrender their weapons. On the heels of the firearms ban came the calls to ban the core democratic right of free speech and to criminalize "Islmophobia" - how can you make being afraid of something a crime? Many also feel great sympathy for the farming community who have been pummeled by the coalition and even called "rednecks" by one of its senior ministers. There is much more to recount but I will leave it there for the meantime. But even as we scribble these thoughts the Prime Minister shies away from addressing the important questions around her coalition partner's and Deputy Prime Minister's campaign funding and seems to prefer to chill out and pose for PR photos with overseas celebrities whose expenses are being met by the taxpayer. Is this government disintegrating and there's nobody home?
David George said...
The handling of the UK's leave decision is a classic example of contempt for the people, for democracy.
Brendon let's rip: Neoliberalism's useful idiots.
"These are lefties for neoliberalism. Whether it's Owen Jones acting as Labour's unpaid media spokesman or Ash 'I'm literally a communist' Sarkar beating the streets for Labour votes – these increasingly ridiculous people are campaigning for a party whose policy is to overthrow a strongly working-class revolt against neoliberalism and to keep the UK beholden to Brussels' rotten capitalistic rules. Revolutionaries? They're counter-revolutionaries. Socialists? They're capitalism's useful idiots. Pro working-class? They are overthrowing millions of working-class votes and trying to ensure that the British working classes, and the rest of the UK, remain subservient to ruthless EU neoliberalism. These people claim they want to overthrow capitalism and yet as soon as millions of ordinary Brits demand a break from the globalist EU they're weeping into their almond-milk macchiatos. 'Is this fascism?!', they cry when the people of Britain raise their voices against EU neoliberalism, bourgeois buffoons that they are.
The only red in Corbyn's Labour Party is its idiotic devotion to an EU neoliberalism that is red in tooth and claw."
https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/11/20/neoliberalisms-useful-idiots/
Great essay Chris, I think you're right - sorry, I mean correct.
Never mind the left/right poles, this "we know what's best" thinking exemplified by Lizzie, rife among an arrogant and out of touch urban elite is the real frontline. No doubt she envisions a future with her and her cronies calling the shots, dispensing "governance", a perfect utopia if only "we" hold the reins of power. What could possibly go wrong?
Hillary's deplorables speech that cost her the election, the searing contempt for the leave voters in the UK and, closer to home, Marama and Golriz's racist dog whistling "colonists" are recent examples.
The arrogance of belief and the foolishness of ideology.
Farewell, happy fields
Where joy forever dwells: hail horrors, hail
Infernal world, and thou profoundest hell
Receive thy new possessor: one who brings
A mind not to be changed by place or time.
The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven."
(Milton, Paradise Lost)
Neil Keating said...
On the issue of public service executives' and politicians' power, see 'A largely unnoticed power grab' by academic Simon Chapple, published November 20 on newsroom.co.nz
It pays to remind ourselves (looking at you Lizzie) why we have democracy at all, sometimes the things that are the most valuable are only appreciated when they're lost. You don't know what you've got till it's gone etc.
The governing need to be (at least a little) in fear of the governed; accountable and answerable to the people. It may not necessarily be the most efficient but the alternative? Power corrupts; human nature tends to make the governing regard the governed as beneath them, subservient; their interests irrelevant. A very short step away from tyranny IOW.
We see that, in the amalgamation of councils (done in the name of a never arriving efficiency) and the associated creation of a sprawling and unaccountable bureaucracy largely insulated from the concerns of the people or even their elected representatives. The extreme manifestation of that is the EU, the vote (and interests) of the individual, group or nation are diluted to irrelevance.
BTW, the Labour plan to install a state owned broadband network in the UK is illegal under EU rules. The people can't even get to decide on public ownership of a public utility. Let that sink in.
Well Trevor, I'm at a bit of a loss to know where to start in your completely unfactual and emotional rave.
I think I'll start with the semiautomatic thing. They are not in fact favoured by hunters. As a hunter of more than 40 years, I have never owned one of the things. At least not one of the type that was used in the Christchurch shooting. They might at one time have been favoured by deer cullers and today quite possibly pest controllers, but not by hunters. .223 is not a proper calibre to ethically hunt red deer at the very least.
And funnily enough, try as I might I cannot actually find any reference to a call for jihad – which has a number of meanings in actual fact, you are obviously ignorant of this – in any of the Muslim prayers for the dead. But perhaps you meant it was found somewhere else? It's not exactly clear. Perhaps you could provide a link?
Thank God you didn't go on, I don't really have enough time for this today. :)
"The only red in Corbyn's Labour Party is its idiotic devotion to an EU neoliberalism that is red in tooth and claw."
https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/11/20/neoliberalisms-useful-idiots/"
Be nice if you could check your links before you post them Dave, just to make sure they work. Anyway I'm not sure I'd take as gospel anything written by a magazine that is funded in part by the Koch brothers (whoops, forgot one was dead – brother then.)
Anyway, the brexit vote was narrowly lost simply because a lot of people had got a clue what they were voting for, they were consistently lied to by people like Farage and others who've been busy preparing themselves and their businesses for brexit by arranging for European citizenship and shifting their headquarters to furrin parts. The lies were blatant pants on fire stuff. Like spending £350 million a year on the NHS.
I think it's time for another referendum with a little bit more honest campaigning, and the release of the study showing the effects of brexit on Britain which will almost certainly be dire. Let's face it, if they were going to be dire they would have published it by now.
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Mister Jacob R. Mogg, Mister Jacob R. Mogg
Emerging half-baked from Somerset fog.
Even your critics would say it's a feat
To pretend it's a battle — you against the elite!
'Let's jump off this cliff – it'll be fun! A right laugh!'
urged all the people (well, I mean just over half
of those who had bothered to speak up at all).
I peered down at the rocks; it was a long way to fall.
I said, 'This cliff's more than three hundred feet high
and my doctor tells me if I jump I will die.'
'Cliff-jumping's fine!' they said. 'Don't trust doctors, trust us!
We read all about it on the side of a bus.'
Worried, I met up with my local MP.
I shared my concerns. He was forced to agree:
'Why the rocks below would smash you to bits!
Where did you get this idea of jumping off cliffs?'
'It was the will of some of the people,' I said
and his expression changed to another instead.
'I think,' he revised, 'you're being melodramatic.
The problem is you. You're undemocratic.'
On the clifftop, we waited. In silence we stood.
Then a voice: 'Remind me, why is cliff-jumping good?'
But we looked down at our shoes, baffled and stumped.
Then, out of embarrassment, we held hands and jumped.
Tom Hunter said...
One of the key things that is being missed here by both Chris Trotter and Guerilla Surgeon, is that this technocratic governance approach is a direct result of the ever-increasing growth of government, which is both the objective and a side-effect of the Left's approach to running a nation, with ever more rules, regulations, and institutions being created every day.
Government is always "doing something" and when it's not, that's a problem for the Left.
In other times, and under attack from the Far Left, this result was also called The Administrative State, run by The Adminstrative Class, the other meat-in-the-sandwich group of people sitting between the Toliers and the Rich. I've read critiques that really went after The Middle Class as being the great betrayer of the Left; enabled and pandered to by Centre-Left parties.
And that Middle Class incresingly consists of technocrats and managers - and they love Big Government.
"One of the key things that is being missed here by both Chris Trotter and Guerilla Surgeon, is that this technocratic governance approach is a direct result of the ever-increasing growth of government, which is both the objective and a side-effect of the Left's approach to running a nation, with ever more rules, regulations, and institutions being created every day."
One of the key things missed here by Tom Hunter in a for once understandable comment, is that every government since 1984 has at least paid lip service to smaller and smaller governments. Privatising, and putting the government at one remove from things like DHB's. Alongside that removing rules and regulations which supposedly "hamper" businesses. But which conveniently when gone, allow businesses to plunder public property. So I'm calling Bullshit on this.
Dear Guerilla Surgeon, Surah Al Baqarah vs 216 refers.
Sumner Muzza said...
You mean presented with the Congressional Medal??
rouppe said...
I wonder whether we've forgotten why DHB's were formed. My recollection - which might be wrong - is that different regions had different health problems. Diabetes in one, cancer another for example.
The idea of a dhb was to allow for directing resources at the problems they face. Much like school boards are supposed to be able to focus on the problems of their school rather than the averaged problems of education.
It is possible that DHB's are still trying to fund all services, when they should be defunding some to direct resources at others. Maybe that is why all the DHB's are over budget. Because of under prioritisation
Surah Al Baqarah vs 216 refers. Interesting, as far as I can see it as nothing of the sort.
"Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not."
Can't see it myself. And it is explained by actual scholars.
"Qur'anic scholars have commented on the historical context of this verse, as well as the overall context of this verse, in which fighting is only ordained in conditions of persecution. Consequently, Muslims are required to defend themselves from oppression to establish justice."
You could just as easily explain this in terms of "jihad".
"A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace."
Or this.
"You are my hammer and weapon of war: with you I break nations in pieces; with you I destroy kingdoms."
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword."
Funny how people in the Christian tradition are so quick to ascribe evil intentions to Islamic quotations while ignoring the Bible. Perhaps you should speak to Brendan about theological qualifications.
every government since 1984 has at least paid lip service to smaller and smaller governments. Privatising, and putting the government at one remove from things like DHB's. Alongside that removing rules and regulations which supposedly "hamper" businesses. But which conveniently when gone, allow businesses to plunder public property. So I'm calling Bullshit on this.
If there was anything coherent about that rant then it might have strengthened calling it Bullshit. You were once a teacher? It explains a lot.
Anyway, your Marxist dialetic thinking means that you're only talking of smaller government in terms of GDP, which privatisation helped to reduce.
In terms of rules and regulations it's getting to be as bad as it was in the 1970's, albeit with different topics. No more need to travel to Wellington or have an office there from which to beg, grovel and lobby givernment for little favours on tarriffs and import licenses and god knows what else. Getting rid of that was to lift a great burden.
But the Command and Control Left never sleep and their effect is like that of Atherosclerosis on a human body. Which is to say that after thirty years we're back in a world where almost every aspect of doing business is accompanied by forms and reports and dealing with bureaucrats at all levels of government and asking them for permission to do things - which is why we have so many highly paid "Public Servants" now.
The funny thing is that teachers I know who have recently retired complain about this as much as private sector folk. It's a societal disease and to be fair, the so-called "Right" of the National Party are as much to blame. Less because of pushing than failing to push back.
I can only assume that you are long-retired, otherwise you'd know this and would not write anything so stupid as to deny such goverment "growth".
Ah Tom, I see I have pushed you into something approaching coherence. Apart from Marxist dialectic thinking, which whatever it is I don't do. Is it possibly related to that other myth "cultural Marxism"? However you do make a point about regulation in teaching. So maybe it is the same everywhere else. But even so they were all brought in by neoliberal governments. Partly because we've had nothing else since 1984.
Damien Grover said...
I agree with Lizzie Marvelly that it's crazy that I get to decide who's going to be elected to the DHB. I get my voting papers, I've got no idea who any of the candidates are, I don't care who they are, and I've got no idea what the DHB job is. And yet - somehow - I've got as much power as the next guy - who might be an expert on the issue of health care - to decide who gets on the board. I could just as easily cast a vote for a complete nut job and then have no idea what I've done. The current process is pretty much almost completely random. And I reckon I'm not the only potential voter out there who just has no clue about the DHB stuff. Why would we put health care - which is presumably largely an administrative function?? - in to the randomiser of a completely low profile corner of the local electorate process. Low numbers vote for the mayoralty. I suspect even lower numbers vote for the DHBs. Why not make it just a division of the department of health or whatever that's called, and at least we could have people who know what they are doing doing the DHB jobs.
John Hurley said...
HRC agrees with Land of Long White Cloud. Institutionalised Activism
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The most appropriate agency to deal with such complaints is the Media Council. The Council receives complaints about newspapers, magazines, periodicals, and on-line content from the main broadcasters in Aotearoa New Zealand. Details of the Council's complaints process are available on its website http://www.mediacouncil.org.nz/
You may wish to view our website www.hrc.co.nz for information about the types of complaints that the Commission can deal with. We do not consider that your concerns come within the scope of the Human Rights Act 1993 and so we will not be progressing your complaint through our dispute resolution process, which involves offering mediation to the parties when a complaint of unlawful discrimination has been made.
If you disagree with our view, and believe that your complaint constitutes unlawful discrimination of a type prohibited by the Human Rights Act 1993, then you have the right to complain to the independent Human Rights Review Tribunal, either directly or by seeking representation from the Office of Human Rights Proceedings. Contact details for the Tribunal are 09-3758623 , and for the OHRP are 04-4626660.
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"There are 5 million of us"; "we are diverse". Only Nazis and losers think the New New Zealand isnt a vast improvement?