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A Universal Path to Spiritual Democracy
By MUZAFFAR K AWAN
It was the dream of Allama Muhammad Iqbal's philosophical mind, the statesmanship of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, sufferings and displacements of 15 million innocent people and the bloodshed of over a million additional innocents that Pakistan was created in 1947. Pakistan's birth as a new nation came about when the British colonialists, under the chaotic conditions of the Indian subcontinent at the time, liberated two new states: Pakistan and India. The independence of the subcontinent had occurred after about two 200 years of British rule in India and a previous about 700 year history of Muslim sultanates and dynasties having ruled India since the start of 13th century (although earlier Muslim conquests and inroads had occurred into present day Pakistan and Afghanistan during Rajput Hindu kingdoms since the 8th century) that laid the foundations of Pakistan's origin and identity.
The true objective of founding fathers of Pakistan was to incorporate the fundamentals of moral and humanistic principles that were to be at the core of a new pluralistic nation's ideals and ethos. Such ideals were to encompass and accomplish people's life as individuals, their society and their culture as a whole. It was to begin both from their inner and outer commitments, evolving through modes of practice and culmination of a socio-politico-economic system to serve the commons and provide them absolute justice and equality at the doorsteps of every individual whether a believer or not but of an equal citizenship.
Iqbal and Quaid had envisioned Pakistan as a secular and welfare state based on universal humanistic values and virtues. They believed in evolving a progressive and unique democracy in conformity with modernity and spirituality. Spiritual Democracy is a moralistic reconstructive idea of democracy with its enduring placement back to where it belongs in the commons, as an ever-shining example in human welfare at work for the public, their culture and their socio-politico-economic architect. This ideal is bound to become a waive of the future necessitating for individuals and collectives around the world to accomplish ideal civic societies in parallel with spiritualizing democracies.
Pakistan's Nemesis and overarching Concerns for Pakistan and beyond
Pakistan's reality, soon after its creation in August 1947, unfortunately turned into the nemesis of what had been cultivated and envisioned by the founders. A lot had to do with very early start of animosity between Pakistan and its neighbor India over Kashmir dispute in October 1947, a leadership vacuum due to the sad and early demise of Quaid in September 1948 without timely replacement with proper leadership, there was lethargy in constitution making until 1956 and the delayed electoral process that began in 1971 rather than in 1951 when it was due. Pakistan also engaged in ongoing conflicts and four wars with India over the early decades and in 1971 war Pakistan lost half of its territory and 52% of its population becoming a separate nation named as Bangladesh.
Overarching concerns that still remain, following the poor leadership and poor governance of the past and all else that kept going wrong for Pakistan over the seven decades. Even during the period of global progressive democratic trends from the mid to the late 20th century, Pakistan failed to democratize due to the ubiquitous military that has been prohibitive to the consolidation of democracy as seen in Pakistan over the seven decades. Thus far in the early 21st century even if established democracies in the world including the west have been stalling, in Pakistan military's direct control did not end until 2008 when the last Military dictator resigned due to the fear of indictment.
During the last decade, there have been ongoing civilian intra-political party tensions in Pakistan including dharnas. In July 2018 general elections, a newer and third political party PTI (Pakistan–Tehrike-Insaf) won the national elections for the first time. There is a ray of new hope that this political party under the insightful leadership of a budding and popular politician Imran Khan as a new PM will attain Pakistan's envisioned and belated future goals.
The new leadership team is sorting out deeper meanings and real objectives for Pakistan's future from all the negative socio-political praxis and trends that prevailed for a long time in Pakistan. In a genuinely needed future democratic setup the reconstruct of healthy civil military relationship is in the making, for the first time, under Imran Khan and that would mean a long awaited supremacy in decision making of the elected civilian government leadership over the military leadership.
New Dynamic leadership and a New Hope: a 'Naya' Pakistan
Under the new and unique leadership after three quarters of a century since Pakistan's inception, there has arisen for the first time, a golden opportunity for reconstructing poverty and corruption ridden Pakistan into a secular welfare and modern democratic state envisioned by the founders. This new venture and movement by the PM Imran Khan has been termed as a " Naya (new) Pakistan". For Naya Pakistan, Imran Khan's government is determined to undoing all the illegal and large and long term land holdings through proper legislation; collecting land and property taxes based on current market values; speeding up the courts and make them transparent; making meritocratic appointments in government institutions; changing education to a holistic education system so that skill enhancement and character building become its central goal; making peace with Pakistan's neighbors; choosing trade over aid; and letting civilians rule the country rather than soldiers . Furthermore, PTI is to strive for fulfilling the dream to cultivate a promising image of a progressive Pakistan rather than a failing state, a country that would be implementing the universal values and virtues of a common humanistic belief eventually leading to a progressive welfare and democratic state.
PM Imran Khan's own reimagining over the past two decades and wanting to reconstruct Pakistan through a silent revolution in the country. Currently, under his own leadership, country will need a dedicated team of individuals with humanistic and altruistic heroism that will use the true envisioned legacy as a blueprint and apply diligently to work it out as a practical reality for Pakistan's better future.
Pakistan's true futuristic spiritual life was never meant to be and can no longer be the life of religiously sectarianisms and extremism, nor other religious aberrations of any radical groups. The true life of every Pakistani citizen is actually to begin individually when one consciously perceives the importance of it, and begins to realize what spiritual values really are?
The global dimensions of our Sense-of-Self and our collective lives mean that it is of utmost importance for Pakistan today to uncover its own false beliefs and political biases, its culture and privileges, and its unwitting complicity in bureaucratic and institutional oppressions. This, in Pakistan today, is indeed a realistic enterprise for finding firm moral and ethical grounds in a world, that extend far beyond its own horizons, that can spin completely out of human control, holding all ideologies as suspects.
Therefore, in order for Pakistan as a Muslim majority nation to emerge from the prevailing state of chaos and turmoil, it must experience a new and holistic type revolution, one that will refuse to adhere to exclusivist Islamic and politico-socio- economic character. One may call it the individual to collective self-revolution. There is nothing that can better transform humans from the exclusivist religiosity and also materialistic conceptions of existence to a genuine humanistic awareness of life that brings such a revolution from within for each and every one in the nation. Pakistan as a nation is indeed at the verge of such a reconstructive change having just begun under PM Imran Khan.
In the context of all this, PM Imran Khan has envisioned a 'Naya (New) Pakistan' .The concept of reconstructive "Self-hood" of Allama Iqbal is the essence of true reawakening for "Naya Pakistan" with purposeful actions, being continuously nourished following the trials and tribulations and through the virtues of creative empathy, harmony, love and pluralistic unity. The credit of all this reinvigorating transition will certainly go to the new leadership
This purposeful action has just been initiated by the PTI (Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf party) since the general election win in July 2018. Status quo ante is being challenged with determination and has to be eradicated fully over time. Conceptual transparency and true understanding of forefathers' vision will inform implementation with strict criteria and virtuous actions. The vast majority of analysts and critics will continue in their disbelief due to the magnitude of change needed in Pakistan. The older political guards and vested interest groups will go on mounting a campaign to resist the change. They fail to comprehend that the ordinary people especially the youth- as a new generation- have wanted to move on. It is no longer possible to keep recreating the old past. The nation is euphoric and for the first time seeing opportunity and hope for its aspirations being reflected in governance of the state as a 'Naya Pakistan'.
Historical and universal perspective of Spiritual Humanism and Spiritual Democracy
Though the masses of humanity throughout the ages have lived in comparative ignorance of the spiritual realities of life, historically spiritual humanists have appeared the world over in different cultures in different countries during different centuries. They have all shared two main characteristics: certain views and virtues of the human beings and certain principles of effective communication. This should not be surprising as science too became universal, so did inquisitive and constructive ideals of well informed persons searching for knowledge with appropriate scientific methods to discover the same truth, and same principles of communication, regardless of the times in which they had appeared.
There have been prophetic teachings, there have been ancient philosophers, thinkers and unique educators like Buddha (483/400 BC) who in the dark history of mankind, was a beacon of light who sacrificed his kingdom in order to pursue his quest for truth and devoted his life to the enlightenment of his fellow human beings. Confucius (551- 479 BC) was a Chinese educator, editor, politician, and philosopher of Chinese history. His philosophy known as Confucianism emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity.
Past and distant centuries had also brought forth prophets who stood out as dynamic, altruistic and humanistic beings. There is, for instance, the great epic story of prophet Moses (PBUH), whose spiritual genius created a nation out of a slave people and gave them the unique concept of a universal Creator.
Prophet Jesus (PBUH) also was primarily interested in the spiritual liberation of the individuals. He discovered the eternal truth that the Kingdom of God is within human self, thus giving us the golden key to the Love of God and love of neighbor for bringing peace and harmony on earth.
The model and mission of the last prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was socio-political and spiritual one bringing about the ever lasting light to ameliorating the longest darkness not only locally in the Middle East but also ever broadening with universal implications from 7th century to the present time and for the future of all of humanity without straying from sacred traditions of humanistic mutual love, tolerance and co-existence. The covenants and the constitution of Medina state to this day remain the best of examples for the governance and further more, for eliminating the prevailing chaos and conflicts globally. Due to his vast knowledge Allama Iqbal came to the conclusion that the modern era started with the proclamation of the prophet-hood of Muhammad (S.A.W) in the 6th century AD instead of 17th century AD, claimed by most of the western thinkers. According to Iqbal, the prophet of Islam stood between the ancient and the modern world. In so far as the source of his (the prophet's (S.A.W)) revelation is concerned, he belonged to the ancient world; in so far as the spirit of his revelation with its applications to this day is concerned he belonged to the modern world.
During the last two centuries, the triumphal opening chords of similarities between 13th century humanistic philosophy of Rumi and 19th Walt Whitman and 20th century Allama Iqbal were struck:
Walt Whitman (1819-1892) and Allama Iqbal (1877-1938) were two exceptional souls that stand out today as they have occupied themselves with such human spiritual endeavors to comprehend the unity existing between the human soul and the whole of nature. Both of them undoubtedly were inspired profoundly by America's most-read poet Jalāl-ad-Dīn Rumi (1207- 1273) who continues to have a tremendous universal impact on spiritual humanism.
Rumi's philosophy can help us all to focus the light of our attention on Rumi's passionate conviction that 'love is the strongest unifying force, and that this force is present everywhere and in everything. It may even encourage us to study the extraordinary works of Rumi and many others mentioned here that so often open up the hearts of so many around the globe. For Rumi peace was also the natural quest for a whole person's Self, and the human being's inclination to rise from a natural universal humanistic order. In humankind's fight to root out conflict, violence, and wars, Rumi's view of unconditional love may prove to be one of best way to human brotherhood .In this context here, we may particularly consider Iqbal in the 20th century and Whitman in the 19th century both as Rumi in-carnates. Rumi's 13th century starry spiritual breadth and Human warmth rekindled in 19th century America and 20th century Indo-Pak subcontinent.
Iqbal a great poet and philosopher, having been inspired by Jalal uddin Rumi became a conceptual and "Spiritual Father of Pakistan". He was one of the great universal humanist figures in the literary history of the early 20th century East with a mission to reawakening the world to a modern/postmodern renaissance and to bring East and West closer to each other through a synthesis of both cultures and civilizations.
Iqbal's philosophic ideals of the human individual and collective Self development (Khudi), his precise intellectual thought and spiritual practice best reflected his profound insights that permeated with the teachings of Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) example. The historic Medina State model of the Prophet (PBUH) as exemplified in the 7th century was the essence of a pluralistic socio-political culture of spiritual democracy based on universal and spiritual humanism .The Holy Prophet created a wakeful universal and conscious community named as an Umma of Democracy .The Prophet created a link
Between the ancient and the modern world. His message came to the modern and the current times integrating morality, justice and spirituality. Life, according to the Prophet was to be led according to the constructive, transparent and positive trends. The current revival of Islamic thought in socio-political context can certainly be derived from innovative intellect, logic, and wisdom of prophetic model. The US Supreme Court in 1935 proclaimed the Prophet as one of the greatest lawgivers of the world.
The concept of Khudi is a hallmark of Iqbalian philosophy with global applications, while Tawhid, human fraternity and tolerance remain integral components of Iqbalian philosophy with no less applicability. Here, we can compare the Western sense-of-self that is very similar to Iqbalian thought of Khudi (meaning sense-of-self) and remains famously robust to this day in the West for those who study Walt Whitman. It is being talked about even more so today when we are in a desperate need to transform currently declining liberal and corporate democracy to a spiritual one.
Walt Whitman, a Great American philosopher and a poet, more than any other philosopher in the west, represented this ideal sense-of-self better than most others. Also, in the Western cultural context, we have gone through the loss of original spiritual participation with a descent into extreme materialism separating our Souls from our Creator. That is the gift and the curse of Scientific Materialism. Within this paradigm, we have come to believe only in what we can see and hear with our outer senses and we have completely ignored our inner senses. Walt Whitman defended democracy in his Democratic Vistas first published in 'The Galaxy' in December 1867 and May 1868 in two parts of Democracy and Selfhood in the individual and collective perspectives. He recognized the shortcomings of American democratic state even in the 19th century. Whitman was idealistic and wrote more on the future of democracy as an ongoing evolving process necessitating the future renewals for better achievements and better outcomes.
Whitman's basic contention on Democracy was that a democratic awareness was needed to provide the people with prototype models of human character and behavior by educating them for genuinely democratic society for the future. Healthy and true democracy, he believed depends upon the improvement of the character and personality of the common people, and that he as a poet had to help them. Individual Self-hood and individual senses of equality according to Whitman are the two principles on which the successful working of future democracy depended. From the time of America's founding's, there have been consistent visionary messages on spiritualizing democracy as emphasized by Walt Whitman, and by others like Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson, William James and William Everson all being clearly heard to this day with added inspirations from Carl G Jung.
Iqbal and Whitman both poetically expressed the uniqueness of traditions and gave glimpses into matters that are universally humanistic and spiritual. The ability to articulate and highlight commonalities makes poetry an excellent medium for dialogue and reconciliation between different traditions and civilizations. And in a world where differences are the common cause for opposition, wars and even killings, finding ways to dialogue and communication become absolute necessity. Also, the similarities between Iqbal and Whitman certainly show us that Islam and America, despite their differences, do not inevitably have to be at odds. The two poets have pointed out surprising affinities between the spirits/souls of the two different traditions and civilizations.
As a Muslim and a Pakistani American, I have been nurtured by both of these traditions. And there is no conflict ever or clash of civilizations in my soul and in my being and there is no end of history either. While it is impossible to remove age-old traditions from human culture, we can redirect them by redefining their underlying significance and meanings. Spiritual Humanism is natural, and not supernatural. By using a method of scientific inquiry we can define the inspirational, singular spark inherent in all living creatures.
Global Democratic Deficits and Spiritual Democracy
We as human individuals, families and communities, the world over, go on suffering from a lack of connection to each-other, rejecting equality, local and global politico-social strife, alienation from nature and its rhythm, armed conflicts and bureaucratic hegemonies. Numerous communities around the world also continue to face the challenges marked by economic opportunity, equal justice, freedoms, and environmental deterioration when our own survival as a species can be in doubt. Such obstacles for achieving and accomplishing positive societal goals locally as well as internationally are being blocked for peoples everywhere making them suffer from moral confusion, bitter social conflicts, fragmentation of experience and knowledge .In other words, the unifying center no longer can hold.
There is, thus, an urgent need for newer ideas of integrating spiritual resources, unifying moral and social beliefs that are able to affirm the value of cultural pluralism in the process liberating and harmonizing the self and society on a national, regional and universal basis. Such a faith must be comprehensive enough to integrate the technological, economic, social, environmental, moral and behavioral dimensions of experience .It cannot otherwise bring the wholeness and harmony that we all require.
Conventional democracy has had roots in social ideals of ancient Athens and moral visions of Hebrew and Muslim prophetic teachings. Democratic concern as an evolving ideal despite its historic and cyclic decline and rise has steadily grown in influence over the centuries and has kept still its extraordinary transformative power and potential throughout the world and even so over the last two centuries. In short, it is our purpose here and always to stay abreast and explore the global moral, social, environmental and our belief systems' urgent importance for democracy despite the fact that liberal democracy's deficits and flaws have been creeping in with vengeance in recent decades. Many in the East and west have been watchful in raising ongoing voices for reformation, improvements and overhauling of democracy.
Here, I began highlighting some crucial points about a south Asian nation of Pakistan and beyond in the context of the broader democratic shortcomings of the Muslim world since the failures of the MENA (Middle East North Africa) spring, and importantly today we must talk about the western liberal democratic system that continues to decline rapidly. We do know that liberal democracy has never been set in stone and has indeed been regressing undoubtedly and is becoming problematic. We also know that all democracies are ever open to further and ongoing improvements and can still be revived being a versatile political model that we humans have thus far evolved to deal with the serious challenges of governance in modern and post modern world.
There certainly has been this rare but intrinsic capacity for the renewal that opens up democracy to converse with spirituality .We can thus commence injecting spirituality, slowly but surely, into conventional democracy transforming it to a desperately needed spiritual democracy at this point in human history. In my view this will bring about a life-promoting change in doddering democracies around the globe.
Accepting the practical idea of spiritual democracy is the sole answer: realizing the oneness of humanity with the universe and all its forces, helping people feel happiness, peacefulness, and interconnectedness on an individual and collective basis. It can also inspire us to adapt sacred activism through channeling of forces into human compassion, just and equitable heart and conscience, enabling us with tools to begin solving some of the gravest global problems, while uniting people on this planet earth.
Spiritual democracy is to embrace a notion of God in nature, a simple way of saying that we all come from God. Thus Spiritual democracy is the simple recognition of God in each person's nature-a truly democratic notion. As we all come from nature, we are all carrying divinity. Therefore spiritual democracy is the science of God that must become a necessity to begin and end with nature – and this means our inner and outer nature. Spiritual democracy is an idea whose time has come. Allama Iqbal and Walt Whitman are alive today and with us, they are forebears of this change and transformation whose vision has been inspiring many throughout the world and more so with each passing day. Spiritual democracy as envisioned, has been long overdue.
At this point in time, people of the world have a real chance to communicate and organize quicker and en-mass through information technology, which is to play a key part in the broader awareness and uprisings for improvements. Spiritual democracy is meant to bring about a global change by bringing peace in ones own mind and soul aiming to speak out, to challenges, and to expose the evils of extreme materialism, governmental hegemonies and all the extremes as illnesses seen in the human heart and mind for us to overcome.
Holistic Education and cultivation of individual self: A way forward for Democracy and Democratic Citizenship
Whether all educationists are philosophers or not, one thing seems clear – that all philosophers are educationists – directly or indirectly. It may be Farabi, Rumi, Whitman Iqbal, Dewey or Gulen; they all came up with the notion that to bring about any politico-social change at a higher level in human societies worldwide, change in the educational system is fundamental. Allama Iqbal though was a philosopher and a poet, he too touched on the very core of the problems existing in the Muslim societies and the broader world of his time, through his reflection and recommendation upon the changes required in the educational system.
Iqbal's educational philosophy is not only the solution to the problems that existed in his time, but also holds solutions to the prevalent problems of the global societies of today. Here, I very briefly seek to explain the education policy that stems out of Iqbal's education philosophy. For the same purpose, a three-pillar visual diagram has been introduced that will help the readers to grasp the importance given by Iqbal to the cultivation of Self in his education philosophy.
Also, Abu Nasr Mohammad Al-Farabi Al-Farabi (872-950), who was a legendary Muslim Golden era intellectual, philosopher, linguist, and educationist. He dealt with metaphysics keeping in view three basic concepts; Creator, the emanation and beings and the internal structure of beings. He always attempted to understand the intellectual framework of the world and society. He wanted to restore unity and morality in politics seeking guidance from Quran. According to Al- Farabi, education is a process to create ideal society, not unlike John Dewey, by nurturing and preparing individual towards attaining perfection and freedom on broader foundations. For him, education was the acquisition of knowledge, skills, virtues and values for happier human life. Al- Farabi prescribed persuasive and instructional strategies for common people while for those intellectually more curious, he recommends demonstrational methods. Sound character, intellectual competence and demonstration skill are the basic components of his effective teachings. There should be sequence in learning starting with the language, then logic, seven forms of mathematics, natural sciences, human sciences, and jurisprudence and academic theology. The concept of evaluation means the measurement of learning outcomes. Different instruments may be used to test knowledge and intelligence. The capacity for deductive and critical thinking understanding the relationship between parts of information and to arrive at the understanding of the whole.
In the context of spiritual and moral upbringing of a person using the pedagogical methods of Jalāl ad-dīn Rumi (1207-1273) remain very important. The problems as relying on systematic process of educating a person, coherence of information, correct setting of a pedagogical requirement, organization of information through words and conversation, formation and reinforcement of a material by means of question and answer are analyzed from pedagogical point of view. The teachings of Rumi deal with the development of a human person, his perfection and the realization of his self-essence. His views reflect that coherence of the information in education is the foundation of conveying the information clearly, completely, and compactly and relying on certain requirements. He emphasizes the possibility of reaching one's goals by giving the demand an important role, he shows bilateral demand in the organization of the education and he himself brings up his students by frequently organizing in common language with them. Rumi deeply understands the essence of the word and reaches the soul of his reader by the power of word. Moreover, the ways and means of using Rumi's ideas in the process of upbringing a perfect new generation (not unlike Gulen) are identified in his teachings.
Fetullah Gulen (Born: April 27, 1941 (age 77 years), is a great thinker, scholar, educator, poet, writer and philosopher, his ideas on holistic education are based on high qualities of education and a mixture of modern secular education with traditional spiritual values and virtues. First and foremost, and most importantly, the genuine success of our own children and youth at the schools and colleges in Muslim nations and all other nations are the most crucial to the economic health, social welfare, our cohesion as any nation, as well as for the youth's own life enhancement and their fulfillment both as individuals and collectives.
The current education system through out the world has been deteriorating due to inflexible ideas, short sightedness, value free, vocation-oriented and entirely secular learning. Secular educational systems have taught people only to search for new ways to dominate nature and other human beings (Gülen 2003). This has resulted in worsening and imbalancing both between humanity and nature and between human individual and communities. Gülen's teachings carry the assumption that some major global problems like weapons of mass destruction and environmental destruction are created by the scientists who do not take responsibility for the consequences of their work (Agai 2003, 59). To Gülen, harmony between humans and nature and universal understanding between people will only be achieved when "the material and spiritual realms are reconciled" through appropriate child parenting, upbringing and holistic education from early life of children and the younger generations (Gülen 2000).
The true objective of this holistic educational vision according to Gulen is to raise a "Golden Generation," (desperately needed in the world in the 21st century), a generation of ideal universal individuals, who love truth, who integrate spirituality and knowledge, who always work efficiently to benefit the society [Gülen, 1998]. Such a person is "zul-cenaheyn " of Gulen and a ' Shaheen' of Iqbal who possesses two wings," exhibiting a "marriage of mind and heart" [Gülen, 1996b] with a merging of spiritual and ethical values with contemporary science and understanding [Gülen, 2004] this will create a "genuinely enlightened youth" [Gülen, 1996a] who will altruistically be servants to the people. [Gülen, 2000]. In the recent decades Gulen's philosophy of education is being popularized around the globe spanning to over 150 countries of the world. This philosophy culminates into the holistic and spiritual human development. As stated, it begins from parenting, early child development and education not just vocation oriented schooling but much broader education. The world nations must also catch up in the creation of a "golden generation" of youth and "The Great Community" of John Dewey also very briefly discussed below.
In addition to Gulen holistic philosophy of education, John Dewey's ((1859-1952)) attention to experience and reflection, democracy and community, and to environments for learning have been also very important. John Dewey's educational ideas are alive and well today along with Gulen Pedagogic philosophy and their influence on millions of children and youth in the United States and around the world today remains undeniable.
Dewey in his philosophy said that the most important thing about democracy is what comes before voting: the thinking, discussion, and debate. He proposed that freely allowing groups such as local unions, professional organizations, business associations, and schools and colleges should meet regularly to deliberate on public welfare questions. Elected politicians should follow the public lead since only the ordinary citizens knew what was best for them. He further agreed that Americans and masses of other democratic nations' citizens were very often uninformed and easily manipulated by the wealthy and powerful politicians. Thus, he repeated his ideas to make schools emphasize problem solving, thinking skills, and other knowledge necessary for democratic decision making. In addition, he assigned a key role to the media (then mainly newspapers, journals, and books and today's info technology) to pass on accurate facts from the experts to the people. Dewey concluded that the result would be a much better democratic civil society, which he named "The Great Community." Governing the nation, he said, would be everyone's business, not just that of an elite class of experts and politicians. He used the Term for his Pedagogic Philosophy as instrumental and pragmatic ideas as tools or instruments to investigate and solve societal problems and he attempted to find out the best way to educate children for life in a democracy. His concepts included human fulfillment, education as human growth and his faith-based education complemented Dewey's educational vision.
Chinese New Model of Democracy
There are also interesting practical lessons from the Chinese Enlightenment that has been emerging over the past three decades with a practical democratic model of today that has put our Western democracy in the darker shade, as crises and chaos swamping Western liberal democracy today has begun to rapidly reveal. It was instructive for our esteemed new Pakistani PM Imran Khan, who recently visited China since his winning of elections. Also, other Muslim world leadership and the Western leaders must examine closely the "Chinese system of democracy" and ask as to how this system, which has set the current standards for Chinese national development and progress is to measure up. Obviously, this innovative system is certainly creating a significant worldwide awareness and recognition.
China has developed a model of democratic meritocracy that is morally desirable and politically stable, based on Confucius humanistic spiritual philosophy. We can summarize and evaluate the "China model"—meritocracy being at the top, experimentation in the middle, and democracy at the bottom—and with its implications for the rest of the world. Under the leadership of a sober-minded, forward-looking CPC (the Communist Party of China), Chinese-style democracy has never been healthier and China has absolutely no need to import the declining party electoral political systems of the West or of any other countries. The Chinese-style democracy also has the spiritual democratic foundations.
The Constitution of the People's Republic of China states "the multiparty cooperation and political consultation system under the leadership of the one Communist Party of China shall continue to exist and develop for a long time to come. This could again be a lesson currently for Pakistan and the world.
After several hundred years, the Western model of democracy is increasingly showing its aging. It is high time for the profound reflection on the ills of doddering democracies, which have precipitated so many of the world's ills and solving and accomplishing less and less today. Between 1980 and 2000 the cause of democracy experienced only a few setbacks, but since 2000 there have been many more setbacks reaching the financial crisis of 2007-08, while China kept rising. If Western democracy is not to collapse completely it must be revitalized, reappraised and rebooted. This is not only what Pakistan and the Muslim world urgently need to do but also the whole world needs to revitalize conventional democracy.
The CPC has led the Chinese nation to unparalleled growth and staggering achievements, particularly in the reduction of poverty and ending corruption as the new Pakistani PM got very well informed about China's course of action. It may be fairly described as a transformational miracle, bringing prosperity and optimism that were unimaginable merely three decades ago in China. Even Western political thinkers contend that Chinese-style political meritocracy can help to remedy the key flaws of Western electoral democracy. They discuss the advantages and pitfalls of political meritocracy, distinguishing between different ways of combining meritocracy and democracy.
In these critical times of uncertainties, divisive politics and environmental challenges, we can observe that the very foundations of democracy are being eroded globally. In order for all of us to protect, improve and restore the democratic principles needed for any society that stands for dignity and justice for all, I have tried to explore the urgent needs to reaffirm the higher values and spiritual underpinnings of a true and genuinely democratic society. Not only does democracy need to be kept well and alive throughout the world, it must be seriously re-evaluated at this point in time of the twenty-first century to ensure a mindful and inclusive process that works to serve all of us and in every country for the greater good of the humanity as a whole. It is about time to put our universal and collective purpose to work in order to evolve a morally robust democratic system locally and globally that will bring the true leadership to be equipped with an altruistic vision for the future stability of human beings on the planet earth.
I started this writing knowing that, despite the commendable achievements that may have been accomplished by different democratic projects in different parts of the world in the past, the contemporary experiences are teaching us that democracy has been experiencing a crisis of confidence in meeting the needs of numerous peoples around the world. I have thus emphasized that a life-promoting and progressive spiritual democracy is most certainly needed. One that will embody a vision of an inclusive civil society in which all participants, regardless of their identity, will be fully included and given protected space to remain equally human in order to achieve fullest and flourishing life.
Through the use of newer ideas and examples, like the current Chinese experience in meritocracy combined with democratic governance as presented here briefly as a useful lesson for many countries around the globe who could actually customize and design their own Democracies rather than import them from china or elsewhere.
Additionally, morality and spirituality can certainly help secure the Western and Eastern expressions of democracies for consistent betterment. The experiences of many persons, especially those that live at the margins of civil society (especially women, children and others) even in established and evolving democratic countries, attest to governance systems that end up excluding them rather than including them into meaningful participation. Here I conclude with a call for identifying some of the flaws and deficits in liberal democracy and to be mindful to eradicate them as necessary. Also, persons who are disillusioned with the democratic processes that fail to bring about life-promoting and progressive change in their contexts need closer attention. The most urgent need is for a political spirituality that is willing to sacrifice and put into action transformational and altruistic leadership behavior and well informed and educated youth, who will certainly ensure democratic governance that is to meet the felt needs of people everywhere and anywhere in the world.
Pakistan as an example here in the context of democracy since its inception in 1947. Despite a well understood and recognized philosophic vision of Allama Iqbal on Spiritual democracy amongst the scholarly and intellectuals of Pakistan, there has been a lack of comprehension among the politicians. There were no concerted and determined efforts for spiritual democracy ideals to be pursued and consolidated over the seven decades in Pakistan. However, under the new leadership of PM Imran Khan and his own current context of "Naya (new) Pakistan", he has reintroduced insightfully the founders' vision, with firm commitment and staunch belief in spiritual democracy. This is with responsibility and accountability to God Almighty, to the community and every individual human being as an equal citizen, for services to be rendered and promoting the welfare of all irrespective of caste, color, creed, or ethnicity. It remains a heavenly inspired spiritual democracy that is the waive of the future for the entire world in the 21st century.
As also discussed above, the same philosophic vision of spiritual democracy has prevailed in the scholarly and intellectual circles of USA since the middle of 19th century and is ready to lead the same waive of the future. This is all about revisiting a Spiritual Democracy in the pioneering works of Whitman's Democratic Vistas and writings of many others in the USA.
In today's public sphere, anxieties regarding the risks of authoritarianism, autocracy, migration, economic disruption, multiculturalism, globalism, and identity issues, among other problems, go on permeating political and public life as divisions and fears reverberate through media and even during common conversations. The "threat" narratives remain pervasive everywhere in the world, persisting, and often debilitating. Questions linger on regarding where do we go from here. I have thus explored envisioning of spiritual democracy, specifically the cultivation of a democratic spirit of the East and West exploring and comparing similar ideas that inform poetry, teachings and writings for reimagining Walt Whitman's seminal works, Democratic Vistas, and Allama Iqbal's writings. We are to utilize Whitman and Iqbal's works, and related foundational writings of others to set the historical socio-spiritual stage to build on Whitman and Iqbal's vision to reconstruct a universal path, embracing democratic living through love, expression, community, and citizenship.
Muhammad Iqbal
Spiritual Democracy
HOW RELIGIOUS GROUPS POLITICIZED UNDER GOVERNMENT CONTROL IN TURKEY
The traditional dynamics of Turkish State Establishment
MUZAFFAR K AWAN
Muzaffar K Awan MD is a Pakistani-American physician who has lived in the USA for over 40 years. He practices medicine in Allen Park, Detroit Metropolitan area of Michigan. He has had keen interests in the enlightenment thought and practice of moderate Islam, East-West intellectual exchanges and interfaith dialogues. He is an amateur writer and has written numerous articles in International and Pakistani magazines and newspapers.


Bellamy-Fleming Publishing is located in Clay City, Kentucky. Since our offices are in the foothills of Appalachia, we understand it's people. We understand the sterotypes. We also know that our people are some of the most talented, intelligent, and articulate people any where.


text:
Q: Get Webservice Data using PHP Please excuse me if i coun't explan well, i just need some examples, links or whatever you can provide me to learn how this works.
I'm trying to make this webservice work with PHP, also i have this as an example, that works with JS, but this webservice has some restrictions, like "I cannot consume at least has a different origin lenguage consumer".
This si the example.
$.ajax(
   {
       type:"POST",
       contentType:"application/json;charset=utf-8",
       url:"https://somewebsite.com/setsomedata",
       data:"{}",
       dataType:"json",
       async: false,
       success: function(msg) {
          a("#compInter",msg.d.data1);
          a("#ventInter",msg.d.data2);
          a("#compAgencia",msg.d.data3);
          a("#ventAgencia",msg.d.data4);
      },
      error: function(textStatus, errorThrown, errorDetail){
          alert(errorDetail);
      }
   });

So, the problem is that i cannot use Jquery/Javascript to consume this data, because i need to use PHP to make this work.
So, i think i'm really lost in this case, that's why i would like to get some help, anything you can provide to make this work.
i'm trying to do this with PHP but i'm still gettint this error :
[failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 500 Internal Server Error ]
and this is my PHP code:
<?php

$result = json_decode(file_get_contents('https://somewebsite.com/setsomedata'),true);
print_r($result);

?>

Again, thank you so much.

A: You need to use Curl to consume the data provided by that endpoint. file_get_contents works in some cases, but when you need to pass headers, cookies, etc.. you need Curl.
Here's a Curl class and sample how to use it:
$request = new Curl($yourTargetUrlHere, [
                    'proxy' => [],
                    'headers' => [],
                ]);
$curl->go();
$response = $curl->lastRequest['response']['body']);

And here's the Curl class
class Curl {
/** @var _ch Curl Handler Resource */
private $_ch;

/** @var _url Url to call */
private $_url;

/* Last Response. Raw result from curl */
public $lastRequest;

/* Last Request. Formatted */
public $lastResponse;

/* Errores generated */
public $errors = array();

/** @var _params Array containing data for Methods */
private $_params;

private $_cookiesJar = array();

private $_options = array();

/* Hold the number of redirections issued by Location on go() */
private $_redirections = 0;

/* HTTP Response codes. Currently not used, but usefull to have them here
in case we need to check cURL responses */
private $_codes = array(
    100 => 'Continue',
    101 => 'Switching Protocols',
    200 => 'OK',
    201 => 'Created',
    202 => 'Accepted',
    203 => 'Non-Authoritative Information',
    204 => 'No Content',
    205 => 'Reset Content',
    206 => 'Partial Content',
    300 => 'Multiple Choices',
    301 => 'Moved Permanently',
    302 => 'Found',
    303 => 'See Other',
    304 => 'Not Modified',
    305 => 'Use Proxy',
    306 => '(Unused)',
    307 => 'Temporary Redirect',
    400 => 'Bad Request',
    401 => 'Unauthorized',
    402 => 'Payment Required',
    403 => 'Forbidden',
    404 => 'Not Found',
    405 => 'Method Not Allowed',
    406 => 'Not Acceptable',
    407 => 'Proxy Authentication Required',
    408 => 'Request Timeout',
    409 => 'Conflict',
    410 => 'Gone',
    411 => 'Length Required',
    412 => 'Precondition Failed',
    413 => 'Request Entity Too Large',
    414 => 'Request-URI Too Long',
    415 => 'Unsupported Media Type',
    416 => 'Requested Range Not Satisfiable',
    417 => 'Expectation Failed',
    500 => 'Internal Server Error',
    501 => 'Not Implemented',
    502 => 'Bad Gateway',
    503 => 'Service Unavailable',
    504 => 'Gateway Timeout',
    505 => 'HTTP Version Not Supported',
);

public function __construct($url = false, $options = array())
{
    $this->_options = $options;

    return $this->browse($url, $this->_options);
}

public function __destruct()
{
    curl_close($this->_ch);
}

/**
 * Sets cURL options
 */
private function _setOpt($flag, $value)
{
    curl_setopt($this->_ch, $flag, $value);
}

/**
 * Explodes into an array a string of colon separated cookies
 *
 * @param  string $cookies   The cookies to be exploded
 * @param  string $returnKey Return only the value for the specified key
 *
 * @return array           Associative array
 */
private function _explodeCookies($cookies, $returnKey = false)
{
    if (empty($cookies))
        return;

    $newArray = array();
    foreach (explode(';', $cookies) as $value) {
        preg_match_all('/^(.*)=(.*)$/i', $value, $c);
        if (isset($c[1][0])) {
            $newArray[trim($c[1][0])] = $c[2][0];
        }
    }

    if ($returnKey) {
        return isset($newArray[$returnKey]) ? $newArray[$returnKey] : null;
    }

    return $newArray;
}

/**
 * Implodes an array of cookies into a string of cookies
 *
 * @param  array $cookies The cookies to be imploded
 *
 * @return string          The resulting string with the cookies colon separated
 */
private function _implodeCookies($cookies)
{
    $cookieStr = '';
    foreach ((array)$cookies as $key => $value) {
        if ($key) {
            $cookieStr .= $key . '=' . $value . ';';
        }
    }

    return $cookieStr;
}

/**
 * Saves cookies to _cookieJar variable
 */
private function _saveCookies()
{
    $parsedUrl = parse_url($this->_url);

    // Save cookies (always, it doesn't matter if 'session' is true or false)
    preg_match_all('|Set-Cookie: (.*);|U', $this->lastRequest['response']['headers'], $matches);
    if (!empty($matches[1])) {
        $currentCookies                        = $this->_cookiesJar[$parsedUrl['host']];
        $newCookies                            = array_merge((array)$this->_explodeCookies($currentCookies), (array)$this->_explodeCookies(implode(';', $matches[1])));
        $this->_cookiesJar[$parsedUrl['host']] = $this->_implodeCookies($newCookies);
    }
    $_SESSION['curl_cookies'][$parsedUrl['host']] = $this->_cookiesJar[$parsedUrl['host']];
}

/**
 * Merges an array recursively. Used to merge options
 */
private function _mergeRecursive(array $array1, $array2 = null)
{
    $merged = $array1;
    if (is_array($array2)) {
        foreach ($array2 as $key => $val) {
            if (is_array($array2[$key])) {
                $merged[$key] = isset($merged[$key]) && is_array($merged[$key]) ? $this->_mergeRecursive($merged[$key], $array2[$key]) : $array2[$key];
            } else {
                $merged[$key] = $val;
            }
        }
    }

    return $merged;
}

/**
 * Prepares the connection with URL and browsing options
 */
public function browse($url = false, $options = array())
{
    if (count($options)) {
        $this->_options = $this->_mergeRecursive($this->_options, $options);
    }

    $this->_options = $this->_mergeRecursive(array(
        'ua' => 'Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:32.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/32.0',
        'cookies' => '',
        'timeout' => 30,
        'proxy' => array(
            'ip' => '',
            'port' => '',
            'username' => '',
            'password' => '',
        ),
        'ssl' => false,
        'postdata' => array(),
        'session' => true, // should we use cookies set by previous calls?
        'referer' => '',
        'headers' => array(
            'Connection: Keep-Alive',
            'Accept-Language: en-US',
            'X-Cache:',
            'X-Cache-Lookup:',
            // 'Proxy-Authorization:', // can't set this, proxy fails authentication
            // 'Accept-Encoding: gzip', // can't set this, response doesn't get unzipped
            // 'Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded; charset=UTF-8', // can't set this on post
        ),
        'cb' => false, // callback to manipulate the options
    ), $this->_options);

    if (is_callable($this->_options['cb'])) {
        $_fn            = $this->_options['cb'];
        $this->_options = $_fn($this->_options, $this);
    }

    // Init curl
    $this->_ch = curl_init();
    if (!empty($url)) {
        $this->_url = $url;
    }

    if (!empty($this->_url)) {
        // prepare the cookie jar
        $parsedUrl                             = parse_url($this->_url);
        $this->_cookiesJar[$parsedUrl['host']] = !empty($this->_cookiesJar[$parsedUrl['host']]) ? $this->_cookiesJar[$parsedUrl['host']] : '';
        curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_URL, $this->_url);
    }

    curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_USERAGENT, $this->_options['ua']);
    curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);

    // We set this to false, to grab cookies set on the request.
    // Setting to true will cause to follow redirection but the cookies wont be stored.
    // We save cookies, parse Location, and then issue a new request to the new Location
    curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, false);

    curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER, $this->_options['ssl']); // do not verify CA
    curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_VERBOSE, true);
    curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_HEADER, true);
    curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLINFO_HEADER_OUT, true);
    curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_FRESH_CONNECT, false);
    curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_AUTOREFERER, false);
    curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_COOKIESESSION, true);
    curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, $this->_options['timeout']);

    if (!empty($this->_options['referer'])) {
        curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_REFERER, $this->_options['referer']);
    }

    // Prepare proxy
    if (!empty($this->_options['proxy']['ip'])) {
        curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_PROXY, $this->_options['proxy']['ip']);
        curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_PROXYPORT, $this->_options['proxy']['port']);
        curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_PROXYTYPE, 'HTTP');

        if (!empty($this->_options['proxy']['username'])) {
            curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_PROXYUSERPWD, $this->_options['proxy']['username'] . ':' . $this->_options['proxy']['password']);
        }
    }

    // Prepare POST data
    if (!empty($this->_options['postdata'])) {
        $this->setPost($this->_options['postdata']);
    }

    // Prepare cookies and session
    if ($this->_options['session']) {
        @session_start();

        // pull cookies that we might have in session
        if ($this->_url && !empty($_SESSION['curl_cookies'][$parsedUrl['host']])) {
            $this->_cookiesJar[$parsedUrl['host']] = $_SESSION['curl_cookies'][$parsedUrl['host']];
        }
    }

    // Prepare headers
    curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, $this->_options['headers']);

    return $this;
}

/**
 * Sends the request to the specified URL
 */
public function go()
{
    if (isset($this->_params['GET'])) {
        $this->_url .= '?' . $this->_params['GET'];
    }

    // Set cokies and session info here because clearCache() can be called
    // prior sending the request
    $parsedUrl = parse_url($this->_url);
    if (!empty($this->_options['cookies'])) {
        curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_COOKIE, $this->_options['cookies']);
    } elseif ($this->_url && $this->_options['session'] && !empty($this->_cookiesJar[$parsedUrl['host']])) {
        curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_COOKIE, $this->_cookiesJar[$parsedUrl['host']]);
    }

    try {
        $this->lastResponse = curl_exec($this->_ch);
    } catch (Exception $e) {
        $this->errors[] = $e->getMessage();

        return false;
    }

    $headerSent = curl_getinfo($this->_ch, CURLINFO_HEADER_OUT);

    // Get the headers
    $parts = explode("\r\n\r\nHTTP/", $this->lastResponse);
    $parts = (count($parts) > 1 ? 'HTTP/' : '') . array_pop($parts);
    @list($responseHeader, $responseBody) = explode("\r\n\r\n", $parts, 2);

    preg_match_all('/^Location:(.*)$/mi', $this->lastResponse, $matches);
    $location = '';
    if (!empty($matches[1])) {
        $location = trim($matches[1][0]);
    }

    // Put request in the structure
    $this->lastRequest = array(
        'request' => array(
            'headers' => curl_getinfo($this->_ch, CURLINFO_HEADER_OUT),
            'url' => $this->_url,
            'proxy' => !empty($this->_options['proxy']['ip']) ? implode(':', $this->_options['proxy']) : '',
            'body' => !empty($this->_options['postdata']) ? $this->_options['postdata'] : '',
        ),
        'response' => array(
            'headers' => $responseHeader,
            'time' => curl_getinfo($this->_ch, CURLINFO_TOTAL_TIME),
            'location' => $location,
            'info' => curl_getinfo($this->_ch),
            'body' => $responseBody,
        ),
    );
    $this->_saveCookies();

    // Follow new location redirect
    if ($this->_redirections > 10) {
        die('Loop redirection');
    }

    if (!empty($this->lastRequest['response']['location'])) {
        $this->_redirections++;
        $this->browse($this->lastRequest['response']['location'])->go();
    } else {
        $this->_redirections = 0;
    }

    return $this->lastRequest;
}

/**
 * Destroys session and clears cookies.
 */
public function clearCache()
{
    @session_destroy();
    $parsedUrl                             = parse_url($this->_url);
    $this->_cookiesJar[$parsedUrl['host']] = '';
}

/**
 * Sets the POST params to be sent
 */
public function setPost($params)
{
    $this->_params['POST'] = $params;
    curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
    curl_setopt($this->_ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, is_array($this->_params['POST']) ? http_build_query($this->_params['POST']) : $this->_params['POST']);
}

/**
 * Sets the GET params to be sent
 */
public function setGet($params)
{
    $this->_params['GET'] = http_build_query($params);
}

public function getCookie($key)
{
    $parsedUrl = parse_url($this->_url);

    return $this->_explodeCookies($this->_cookiesJar[$parsedUrl['host']], $key);
}

public function debug()
{
    $this->lastRequest['response']['body'] = htmlspecialchars($this->lastRequest['response']['body'], ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8');
    echo '<pre>' . print_r($this->lastRequest, 1) . '</pre>';
    die();
}
}

A: Another way to get around this annoying cross-domain AJAX issue is by using .htaccess file( your Apache server needs to have mod-proxy installed on it).
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^/setsomedata$ https://somewebsite.com/setsomedata [L,P]
I prefer this to using Curl, seems easier to me.

A: For all of you, if you're searching for something similar  you can use try with this solutions that works for me.
    <?php
      $data = array("compraInternet" => " ", "ventaInternet" => " ", "compraAgencia" => " ", "ventaAgencia" => " ");
     $data_string = json_encode($data);
     $ch = curl_init('https://someurl.com/data');
     curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, "POST");
     curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $data_string);
     curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
     curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array(
     'Content-Type: application/json','Content-Length: ' . strlen($data_string)));
     curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 5);
     curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT, 5);
     $result = curl_exec($ch);
     $json=json_decode($result,true);
     echo $json;

     curl_close($ch);
  ?>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
What We're Reading Now
What We're Reading Now: January 14
Michael Noll, Program Director
The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas
The recent film Knives Out has become a hit in large part because it contains something that has been lacking in most crime and detective stories lately: fun. All of the actors—along with the writer, director, and set designer—are clearly taking immense pleasure at the wonderfully ridiculous conceit of the story. If you're looking for a literary version of such a story, check out Sherry Thomas' Lady Sherlock Series. The fourth installment, The Art of Theft, was just released in October, and it contains all of the lightness, joy, and wit of the previous novels, with the addition of a stolen painting and a French chateau where nothing is as it seems.
Thomas takes every opportunity to use the clothes of the time period and the subterfuges of the genre to her advantage. In this passage, Mrs. Holmes (all of Doyle's classic characters are women in this series) engages in some minor identity-shading:
In her daily life, Mrs. Watson was perfectly capable of seeing to her own toilette. But this was not daily life. She was a woman of more than half a century, roused abruptly from a heavy s lumber, her face pillow-creased, her hair askew, and she needed to look her very best since her wedding day. Which, of course, took longer than she expected, as she agonized over a choice of dresses.
"Ma'am, you look good in all of them!" said Polly Banning.
Yes, she knew that. But which one made her appear closest to her twenty-five-year-old self?
Posted in What We're Reading Now
What We're Reading Now:
Becka Oliver, Executive Director
Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas by Stephen Harrigan
I can remember moderating a panel discussion at the LBJ National Historical Park featuring Stephen Harrigan during which he talked about his then current project, a comprehensive history of the state of Texas. That was in February 2015 and, truly, that project – the 925-page Big Wonderful Thing – has been worth the wait. I'm not sure which I admire more – the unbelievably exhaustive research that must have gone into this book or the brilliant and beautiful prose that brings that research and the Lone Star State to life. As Harrigan so eloquently puts it in the Prologue, "Texas has a history that is of consequence not just to itself, and not just to the nations it was once part of or the nation it briefly became. It sits at the core of the American experience, and its wars, its industries, its presidents, its catastrophes, its scientific discoveries have never stopped shaping the world."
The Spectators by Jennifer duBois
When you spend years writing and reading like a writer (mentally analyzing passages and figuring out how you might do something like them in your own work), you can sometimes believe that you've lost the sense of magic that good writing holds. You see the smoke and mirrors, the trap doors, and diversions. And so when the wondrous sense of impossibility of a great passage hits you, the impact is even stronger. You understand the mechanics of good writing, and you still get a thrill from seeing it done at a level inaccessible to you.
That's how I feel about Jennifer duBois' writing, especially her dialogue. For so many of us, we're happy if we can write dialogue that doesn't include some version of "he said, looking at her." But duBois turns those little physical descriptions between lines of dialogue into some of the most enjoyable phrases in a book.
In this passage, Cel, a young woman working for a Jerry Springer-like reality talk show must tell a guest that the episode has been canceled because it would juxtapose uncomfortably with news of a school shooting that day:
"Oh, hey!" Cel says, and the devil-boy looks stricken. "I almost forgot!"
She dashes to her office and returns, triumphant, with a gift bg.
"Here you go!" she says–in someone else's voice, possibly someone else's lifetime. The devil-boy looks cheered, though he really should not; there is nothing good in the bag–just a Mattie M pen and beer cozy and T-shirt, always extra large. Cel cannot imagine anyone wanting it, and after six months with the show, she can imagine a lot of things.
"Thank you," says the devil-boy. According to his bio, he is from suburban Connecticut.
"Sure," says Cel. "So, Sara will be by in a minute and—"
"It's horrible."
"I'm sorry?"
"It's horrible." The devil-boy is still staring into the gift bag, and Cel wonders if he's talking about the beer cozy–or, just possibly, addressing it–but then he looks up at her, eyes shining.
Not the gift bag, then.
"It is," says Cel.
Neena Husid, Leadership Austin Fellow
Girl Paper Stone by Laurie Filipelli
This review begins with a pair of disclaimers. The first owns that the author of Girl Paper Stone, Laurie Filipelli, once hired me for a job I adored. Disclaimer number two should be embarrassing but it's not. Though I've done my time studying, reading, writing and criticizing prose, I'm significantly unschooled in the particularities of poetry. And, I kind of like being a form and function idiot. It allows me to take in verse in the same way my uneducated art eye absorbs gallery and museum displays-objectively, viscerally, ignorantly. For me, page after page of Laurie's book was a dance of ideas and images that moved me in a delirious sway of nostalgia, understanding and surprise that may or may not have been the writer's intent. But who cares? The joy of experiencing word paintings guaranteed to take you both inside of and beyond yourself is sublime and necessary. The smart, clear-eyed poems of Girl Paper Stone evoke a laconic urgency that's both prescriptive and addictive. Long after I completed this little book I kept flipping back through, revisiting drugstore bikinis, claw-bottomed slippers, continents of cupcake stickers and the innards of paper scraps. I just needed more uninterrupted, uneducated time to continue feeling a heart inside a heart and the uncertainty that's uncertain like that.
Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias
A couple of years ago, I was talking with the famous East Texas crime novelist Joe Lansdale about genre and the way it sticks to writers. He has always avoided being pigeonholed and told me, "I write the genre of Joe Lansdale." The same is true for the author Gabino Iglesias, whose work is so astonishingly fresh and new that he's coined a term for it–"barrio noir"–and everyone has said, "Yep, that's exactly what it is." The opening chapter of his new novel, Coyote Songs, is perfect: creepy, off-kilter tone; charged sentences, and a moment that literally made me gasp in shock.
Iglesias starts with something familiar and then veers off in unexpected directions. This scene, with a man teaching his son how to fish, sounds like it could be a setup for a Rio Bravo Old Man and the Sea:
"Así you're gonna be ready for anything, entiendes? El pez caimán es inteligente…very smart. That's why we have to hide the hook. Fishing is lying, and lying to a smart fish is almost impossible. We also have to see him before he sees us. He stays in the water, unmoving, like a log. Igualito que los caimánes. Sometimes you don't see it until it's too late. Most fish are stupid, but not this one. When you go fishing for pez caimán…you have to think of it as going to war with a man, not a fish."
Just a hint: Iglesias uses this scene to take the reader places Hemingway never imagined.
Catherine Gregoire, Administrative Assistant
Black Light: Stories by Kimberly King Parsons
Just as the title entails, Parsons puts her characters under a black light so the reader can see what is so often left in the dark–things that are all too real and frightening to explore. When a writer takes such risks, it's helplessly enthralling. And there's much to be said of her prose: harrowing, ethereal, gives you the good kind of shivers because you feel that as she's dissecting her characters' souls she is, in turn, dissecting your own.
This Is My Body by Cameron Dezen Hammon
This Is My Body is an honest and compelling memoir, an exploration of the author's evolving faith coupled with a candid look at her marriage as she and her husband find themselves growing apart. Cameron is an accomplished musician and songwriter and it shows in her lyrical prose. I was lucky enough to meet her at last month's Texas Book Festival and can confirm that she's the real deal: open and thoughtful with some great insights – on faith, on feminism, on love – to share.
Watershed by Mark Barr
As a first-time congressman, a young LBJ made rural electrification his top priority. He'd grown up without electricity and knew that going from electrified Austin to the dark Hill Country was like traveling to another country and another time. In his debut novel Watershed, Mark Barr plays up the drama caused by the changes that electricity brought. If your house had lights, if your kitchen had an electric stove and refrigerator–if, in other words, your entire world order was upended by a transformation nearly as drastic as moving from The Flintstones to The Jetsons–what would you do? In this passage, one of the main characters, a young mother named Claire whose husband has given her a venereal disease, begins to get a taste for what other transformations might be possible.
Her anger ran like a strong, black current. It puzzled her how easily love rolled over to become something darker, colder. And beyond the sting was the surprise at how easily it all fell away. Everything that she'd worked toward since she was a girl, finding a man to marry, starting a family, making a home, Travis had soiled with his betrayal, leaving her life split open along the seam that had joined her to him. Her sudden freedom was bewildering and a shock, but pleasing as well, though she couldn't quite put a name to the sensation. She knew she'd have to go back to him, for the children's sake, if not her own. But not yet. Let him stew a while more. Let him drive that car around alone for all the town to see. She knew there'd be gossip, but she was beyond caring about that now.
Samantha Babiak, Member Services Manager
How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones
This memoir is a must-read for absolutely everyone. Its visceral, lyrical prose grabs you from the first sentence to the last. Jones weaves his coming (out) of age story with short vignettes that paint a vivid and honest portrait of what it is like to grow up as a gay, Black man in the South.
Jones is a master storyteller. There is so much to learn about craft in terms of narrative structure, language and the possibilities of memoir, but also about trauma, childhood, and family dynamics. I cried, laughed, gasped, and ached reading this. At once healing and heartbreaking, How We Fight For Our Lives is one of my favorite books of the year and I can guarantee, it will be one of yours too.
Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke
I was lucky enough to read Attica Locke's debut novel, Black Water Rising, in manuscript form more than ten years ago. Scenes from that wonderful book – which was set in Houston and went on to be shortlisted for the Orange Prize, not to mention nominated for several other awards – have stayed with me to this day. (Seriously, everyone, read Black Water Rising). And now, all these years later, Heaven, My Home (September 2019, Mulholland Books) reminds me once again why we should all consider ourselves lucky to have Attica Locke writing about Texas. This time, as she did in the Edgar Award winning Bluebird, Bluebird, she takes us to small town East Texas where Texas Ranger Darren Matthews searches for a young boy who's gone missing on Caddo Lake. Before long, he's entangled in a web of false accusations and unreliable witnesses, set against the backdrop of a town still grappling with its past and willing to make any sacrifice for its future. I couldn't put this one down.
Zarzamora by Vincent Cooper
While reading this new poetry collection about the inhabitants of a street named after a fruit, it's impossible not to think of Sandra Cisneros' most famous work. But this San Antonio street is captured in a voice and tone all of Cooper's own. The book weaves together an older narrator and his younger self in dreamlike lines.
Cooper will read from Zarzamora on October 24, 7 p.m., at Malvern Books along with Claudia Delfina Cardona and Laura Villareal. More info here.
Writing to Persuade by Trish Hall
Style books exist in plenitude. But not many invite you into the frenzy of an iconic editorial department while doling out their do's and don't's. Through advice, examples and personal stories-some thrilling and gossip-filled (remember the NYT's Putin op-ed?)-Trish Hall's, Writing to Persuade is a style book with both gravitas and grins. The former editor of the New York Times op-ed page underscores familiar writing rules while pulling some intriguing new rabbits out of her journalistic hat. "Facts aren't magic," Hall warns op-ed writers and no matter how many convincing sentences you craft, people will believe what they believe. Regardless of that frustration, she's firm in her assertion that getting into fights on the page won't win you converts. Writing to Persuade is a fun and telling read: a book authors of any genre can learn from and enjoy.
What We're Reading Now: THE WHICH WAY TREE
The Which Way Tree
by Elizabeth Crook
Published in February 2018 by Little, Brown and Company
Reviewed by Amanda Moore
In the middle of the night on a small farm in rural Texas, a young girl is attacked by a panther outside of her home. Her mother runs to her aid and is tragically killed by the panther in a brutal and vicious manner. Traumatized by the events of that night, Samantha Shreve develops a deep-seated obsession for revenge and uses every opportunity to hunt and kill the wild animal.
The Which Way Tree is a fascinating and captivating tale told primarily from the perspective of Samantha's half-brother, Benjamin Shreve. As a young boy living in the late 1800's, he witnesses the panther attack and other questionable incidents that occur close to his home. Years later and now seventeen years old, Benjamin is asked by a local county judge to give a written account of these incidents.
Benjamin's descriptions of his experiences and the actions of other characters are surprisingly mature and insightful. He demonstrates honesty and integrity in his caretaker role as a brother, but he also experiences the normal fears and concerns of an adolescent. Throughout the novel, he recalls his constant state of distress as he tries to prevent his sister from engaging or provoking the animal that freely roams the countryside. Samantha's obsession overshadows her concerns for her personal safety and that of her family. Readers will undoubtedly recall other literary tales of revenge and obsession including that of an infamous white whale and the captain who pursued it in Herman Melville's Moby Dick.
Through the eyes of the narrator, readers will observe the challenges and hardships of living on the Texas frontier and the unique relationship between a brother and a sister. Benjamin not only tries to protect his sister from a violent individual who crosses their path, but he also tries to care for her well-being even when he disagrees with her choices. It is a well-told story that explores the different emotions of the human experience – fear, compassion, courage and hope.
Amanda Moore is an attorney and writer living in Austin, Texas. She won first place in the Texas Bar Journal 2015 Short Story Contest and was asked to return as a judge in the annual competition for two consecutive years. She has been a member of the Writers' League of Texas since 2014. Amanda is an avid reader and book aficionado.
Interested in writing reviews? Current WLT members are eligible to write reviews and can send an email to kelsey@writersleague.org.
Have a book you'd like us to review? We review books by Texas authors, as well as books that are set in or about Texas. Email kelsey@writersleague.org for instructions on sending a review copy.
What We're Reading Now: THE MIDNIGHT MAN
by David Eric Tomlinson
Published in January 2017 by Gallery Books
Reviewed by K.L. Romo
In his debut novel, The Midnight Man, David Eric Tomlinson weaves basketball, law enforcement, self-realization, and the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building into a tapestry of Oklahoma culture and attitudes. The unexpected intersection of such diverse lives gives us a glimpse of what we can learn from each other if we keep ourselves open to possibilities.
Brothers Cecil and Ben Porter survived a long-ago tragedy that left one paralyzed from the waist down, and the other infected with guilt. Now little brother Ben is a successful real estate developer who can schmooze a meal from a starving man. He's never admitted to anyone that his fortune is the result of some not-so-legal business deals – and Ben's hidden an even bigger secret for most of his life: the truth about his older brother Cecil, who's been his hero ever since he can remember and is never far from his mind.
Becca Porter is in a rut now that her children are grown and gone, and her husband, Ben, is never home. She decides to fill her days as a volunteer at a local social services center, forming a bond with a young Native American boy who's been placed in foster care. As her love for the boy grows stronger, so does her understanding of what she must do. But will Ben be able to accept her decision?
Dean Goodnight is an investigator with the Oklahoma City Public Defender's office, assisting with the defense of an addict who's been accused of the torturous murder of a drug dealer when things went south. Because Dean is Choctaw, like the defendant, he hopes he'll be able to get enough background information from the Choctaw community to save his client's life.
Aura Jefferson is a former collegiate basketball player whose basketball-superstar brother has just been killed. Although she's a nurse and physical therapist, she still plays in the midnight basketball league she founded years earlier to keep kids off the street. Playing basketball helps release her fury.
"It's come undone," is a sentiment often felt by these seemingly unconnected Oklahoma residents, their lives unraveling in ways they aren't sure how to stop until their paths ironically become tangled in a strange synthesis of strength, forgiveness, and devotion.
With a voice and perspective befitting the Southwest, Tomlinson tells the story of very different people growing up in middle-of-nowhere Oklahoma. But their stories soon intersect and merge into a tale of accountability, alternate perspectives, forgiveness, and the need to care for one another. In the end, these diverse individuals learn that their differences of White, Black and Native American only play second fiddle to all they have in common, the individual pieces finally fitting together like a complicated jigsaw puzzle.
K.L. Romo writes about life on the fringe: teetering dangerously on the edge is more interesting than standing safely in the middle. She is passionate about women's issues, loves noisy clocks and fuzzy blankets, but HATES the word normal. Her historical novel, Life Before, is about two women separated by a century who discover they've shared a soul. Web: KLRomo.com or @klromo.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Do you want to be part of an innovative and technology driven business in the field of high-tech recruitment? Are you brave enough to face a challenge to build a complete sales cycle for existing products virtually from scratch? Then join us!
We are looking for a sales and marketing partner /cofounder who would help us build the product strategy and sales solution for existing and emerging online job board/recruitment business. The co-founder will can help us lead the company from the early stages to the enormous vision building an online job portal for booming high-tech areas. If you think you are the partner we are looking for please contact us.
Our vision is huge, we are full of ideas and we are looking for a cofounder and entrepreneur that is willing to do whatever is necessary to make the company succeed. Your responsibilities will include product definition, review and implementation of marketing and sales strategies, driving the full cycles of sales, web and content analysis and much more.


It is smart to use the INTERNAL_IPS variable in case You are developing on a remote server to avoid unwanted access to Your development enviroment!
This will work until Your database is too big. At that point it is much faster to run tests on Postgres for instance.


text:
The Body and Spirit of Kingship (1H6 1-2)
The campaign in France is faltering. Who will lead England after the death of Henry V? That's the problem to be faced in Henry VI Part 1. I suspect that the answer won't come until the end of Part 3, but the question is posed in the very first scene of Part 1, when the late king's brothers and uncles compete to mourn him, in very different registers: his brother Bedford hysterical, his brother Gloucester furious, his uncle Exeter excessively rational, and his uncle Winchester cunning. Cunning may not sound like a style of mourning, but it is a natural one. When a person dies who has been significant to many, his significance is a property suddenly without an owner. Because the property isn't tangible, the bereaved sometimes quarrel over the dead person's material possessions in its stead, and the fight can turn strangely bitter, because it is doomed to be a losing one for all concerned. However valuable the material legacy may be, the spiritual one—the one that really matters—is beginning to vanish, to be lost forever, as the memory of the departed person begins to fade. The squabble for the material legacy can therefore take on a character of grievance—of taking revenge for a mysterious wound.
When the departed is a king, the material things in need of a new owner amount to a kingdom, and the unpossessed spiritual property is kingship. A kingdom is well worth a little cunning, even if, like Winchester, you are cynical about kingship. In the special case of a departed king, however, it may be that the worldly can only be inherited by someone capable of investiture with the spiritual. Not everyone can draw the sword from the stone. As act 1 gives way to act 2, the question is whether anyone can—whether spiritual kingship still exists, now that Henry V is no more. Maybe all that's left is pretending.
"His deeds exceed all speech," Gloucester laments of Henry's passing (1.1.15). The unhappy corollary is that if Henry V can do no more, then speech no longer has a master. Speaking is free to run ahead of doing, and to seem to control it. This is what the French hope they see in Joan of Arc, and what the English fear to. Joan promises to raise the English siege of Orleans, and inspired by her, the French succeed in raising it. Does her prophesy in fact cause the victory?
What the audience sees on stage is not miraculous. A French gunner has figured out which window the English leaders look out of, when they want to spy on the French defenses, and the audience overhears the gunner point the window out to his son (1.4.1-22). Just before the earl of Salisbury, the highest-ranking member of the English military forces, invites his colleagues to look out the same window, the audience sees the boy run across the stage, presumably to alert his father. Salisbury and another are then fatally shot by a cannonade that intercepts the gaze (1.4.70). This isn't magic; it's marksmanship.
Indeed Talbot, left in charge by Salisbury's death, is not persuaded by Joan's claims on the supernatural. After exchanging a few blows with her in battle, he says in a soliloquy that her leadership reminds him of a trick that Hannibal once played on the Romans, frightening them into retreat by driving toward them two thousand oxen with torches tied to their horns:
A witch, by fear, not force, like Hannibal,
Drives back our troops and conquers as she lists:
So bees with smoke and doves with noisome stench
Are from their hives and houses driv'n away. (1.5.21–24)
By his vivid words, Talbot shows that there is poetry in him, too. It's fitting that Talbot should see through Joan, because his power to daunt the French is similar to hers over the English. While he was their prisoner, the French tried to disillusion themselves about him, by exposing him in a marketplace. Reports Talbot:
Here, said they, is the terror of the French,
The scarecrow that affrights our children so. (1.4.42–43)
But even at their mercy, he remained fearful to them. He boasts that
So great fear of my name 'mongst them was spread
That they supposed I could rend bars of steel
And spurn in pieces posts of adamant. (1.4.50–52)
Later we will see an unarmed English soldier scare the French off stage just by shouting Talbot's name, pausing to explain to the audience that "The cry of Talbot serves me for a sword" (2.1.79).
Joan takes credit for raising the siege of Orleans, and Charles, the future king of France, promises to reward her by erecting a pyramid in her honor and carrying her ashes in yearly processionals (1.6.17–31). The compliment is awfully ambiguous. Charles is all but saying that Joan will have to die in order for him to achieve his kingship—in order for him to inherit her aura, which amounts to kingship outside of a royal person. But almost immediately, the audience has cause to wonder about the potency of the urn that Charles is looking forward to. Observing the French celebration of their victory, Talbot decides to retake Orleans by surprise in the middle of the night, and Charles, Joan, and other French leaders have to hop out of the city in their bedclothes. Joan is not very convincing about the failure of her allegedly divine power.
Wherefore is Charles impatient with his friend?
At all times will you have my power alike?
Sleeping or waking must I still prevail,
Or will you blame and lay the fault on me? (2.1.54–57)
The magic has leached from her speech, so much so that the words "and lay the fault on" sound egregiously like metrical filler.
Having turned the tables on the French, Talbot looks forward to creating a shrine for the late-fallen Salisbury similar to the one that Charles hopes to make of Joan (2.2.13–17). In triumph, Talbot's colleague Burgundy dismisses Joan herself as the dauphin's "trull" (2.2.28). The French and English seem to hunting one another in a hall of mirrors, and Burgundy's insult is followed by a sexual solicitation of Talbot from the countess of Auvergne. It is in Talbot's encounter with Auvergne that the nature of kingship begins to come clear.
Talbot seems at first to swallow the countess's lure. Once she has him in her castle, she insults him. She was expecting a Hercules, she says,
Alas, this is a child, a silly dwarf!
It cannot be this weak and writhled shrimp
Should strike such terror to his enemies. (2.3.22–24)
The countess has the doors locked. If she defeats Talbot, he will be shown to have been as much a fake as Joan, fleeing Orleans in her night gown. Talbot keeps his poise, however, and the countess wonders if she has the right man. He answers, riddlingly, that in the most important way she doesn't:
No, no, I am but shadow of myself:
You are deceived, my substance is not here;
For what you see is but the smallest part
And least proportion of humanity. (2.3.50–53)
At her failure to solve the riddle, he sounds a horn, and his soldiers storm in to rescue him. "These are his substance, sinews, arms and strength," Talbot explains of himself, in the third person (2.3.63). Kingship is not in a person, he is saying; it is a relationship to people—to an army, especially. The magic is false and real at once. Words spoken in prophesy or inscribed on tombs have power not in themselves but only as commands or promises do, as a means of mustering the support of others.
Posted on 21 November 2009 Author Caleb CrainCategories Auvergne, Bedford, Gloucester, Henry VI Part 1, Joan of Arc, kingship, Salisbury, Shakespeare, Talbot, Winchester
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Project CARS Official Forum > Other Games > Project CARS > General Discussion > Question about Opponents pitting..
View Full Version : Question about Opponents pitting..
I started a career in endurance with a bmw gt4 car and first race was 15 laps. I have full damage, realistic tire and fuel so I'd have to pit at least once. Problem is none of the AI opponents ever pitted so I lose my place doing so. Is there a way to make pitting mandatory?
You shouldn't have to pit in 15 laps at realistic.


But when prosecutor Autrey James asked Eva Ng if she leased the warehouse to Almena and Nicholas Bouchard on Nov. 10, 2013, she refused to testify, citing her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
Harris' attorney Curtis Briggs asked Ng if any of her actions "led to the deaths of 36 people at the warehouse," and she again refused to answer.
Ng, who was accompanied by a lawyer, also refused to answer Briggs' question if it is true that she knew that people were living in the warehouse, which didn't have a permit for residential use, at the time of the fire.
Almena's lawyer Tony Serra also got no answer from Ng when he asked if it was true that "you knew from the outset that there would be artists living at those premises and you allowed it."
Kai Ng, who was represented by the same lawyer, refused to answer similar questions as well as others.
One of Briggs' questions was whether Kai Ng paid a large sum of money to a public relations office and used his political influence to make sure that the Alameda County District Attorney's Office wouldn't file charges against him.
The third owner of the warehouse is Chor Ng, the mother of Eva and Kai, but defense lawyers have said she fled to China after the fire.
After Eva and Kai Ng left the courtroom of Alameda County Superior Court, Trina Thompson Serra and Briggs said prosecutors should offer them "use immunity," which would allow them to testify at the trial for Almena and Harris without having their testimony used against them.
But James said his office doesn't want to offer the Ngs use immunity because it is still investigating the case and hasn't ruled out the possibility that it might file criminal charges against them at a later date.
However, Serra alleged that prosecutors "are not acting in good faith" and said he thinks they simply don't want the Ngs to testify.
"It's an abuse of discretion not to grant use immunity and these are material witnesses that the defense needs to develop third party culpability," Serra said.
Serra was referring to the defense's contention that the people who are most responsible for the fire are the Ngs and government inspectors who knew about safety issues at the warehouse and didn't do enough to correct them.
Responding to Serra's comments, James said, "There's no nefarious conduct on the part of the people (the prosecutors)."


text:
The Killing Man by Mickey Spillane (1989)
The Killing Man by Mickey Spillane (1989) is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
Hardcover in Very Good (VG) condition. Please see our guide to book conditions for more details.
When you start reading, you smile:
"Some days hang over Manhattan like a huge pair of unseen pincers, slowly squeezing the city until you can hardly breathe. A low growl of thunder echoed up the cavern of Fifth Avenue and I looked up to where the sky started at the seventy-first floor of the Empire State Building. I could smell the rain. It was the kind that hung above the orderly piles of concrete until it was soaked with dust and debris and when it came down it wasn't rain at all, but the sweat of the city."
If you're old enough to recognize the voice, you know that the "I" is Mike Hammer; and you guess, rightly, that since the verbal skills are back, so are the skills in love and detection. If you're too young to know Hammer from anything but the television series, you realize you're in for a treat - and what a special treat it is! For from the moment that Hammer walks into his office to find his beloved secretary, Velda, knocked unconscious and a strange man brutally murdered, occupying the office chair, you're in for one of the fasted-paced, sexiest, most brilliantly plotted adventures the great detective has ever encountered, a tale that leads from the discovery of a mysterious toolbox through involvement with a drug ring, two smashingly beautiful women and the CIA, to a last-page showdown with the villain that could only come from the mind of Mickey Spillane.
In a 'Time' magazine survey done in 1968 of best-selling books published in this century, seven of the top twenty-five were by Mickey Spillane. 'The Killing Man' demonstrates why.
In 1947, Spillane introduced the world to Mike Hammer in his first book, 'I, the Jury'. 'The Killing Man' is the twelfth Mike Hammer novel and the first since 1970. Spillane, who has been described as "the most widely read writer in the history of all mankind", has written a total of twenty-four books, with total worldwide sales in excess of 130 million.


An American advertising watchdog has sent letters to supermodel Naomi Campbell, actresses Lindsay Lohan and Vanessa Hudgens and other celebrities asking whether they have paid deals to endorse products on the photo-sharing app Instagram.
The letters sent by the US Federal Trade Commission to 21 people with large Instagram followings represent an escalation of the agency's interest in so-called social media "influencers".
Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, has seen a sharp increase in recent years in promotions of products and services by famous people, often without disclosures of whether there was an endorsement deal.
Celebrities have talked up clothing brands, food, alcohol and a wide array of other items.
The letters demand responses to the FTC by September 30 on whether the celebrities had any "material connection" to marketers whose wares they promoted on the app. The letters were sent last week.
Representatives for Campbell, Lohan and Hudgens could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday. The FTC declined to comment.
Reuters obtained copies of the letters after filing a Freedom of Information Act request with the government.
In May, the agency released dozens of letters it had sent to companies and stars giving them notice that they must tell fans about compensation for promotions on social media.
Those are known within the agency as educational letters, whereas the recent ones are known as warning letters. For repeat offenders, the FTC could seek to impose fines.
In Campbell's case, the FTC said an Instagram post of hers that showed three suitcases made by Globe-Trotter had "recently come to our attention". The post had no disclosure about compensation, according to the letter.
If Campbell had a marketing deal, then she should tell the FTC what actions she is or will be taking to ensure disclosure, the letter says.
Instagram has tried to make it easier for people to label posts as paid promotions. In June, it said it would begin allowing people who are posting a picture to add a "paid partnership with" label that would appear above the picture.


text:
package com.winsun.fruitmix.component;

import android.app.Activity;
import android.support.design.widget.TabLayout;
import android.support.v4.view.ViewPager;
import android.util.Log;
import android.view.LayoutInflater;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.ImageView;

import com.winsun.fruitmix.R;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Iterator;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;

/**
 * Created by Administrator on 2016/4/19.
 */
public class NavPageBar {

    TabLayout tabLayout;
    ViewPager viewPager;

    ArrayList<Map<String, String>> itemList;

    OnTabChangedListener onTabChangedListener;

    List<OnTabChangedListener> onTabChangedListenerList;

    public void init() {
        Map<String, String> itemMap;

        itemList=new ArrayList<Map<String, String>>();

        itemMap=new HashMap<String, String>();
        itemMap.put("name", "share");
        itemMap.put("img", ""+R.drawable.share);
        itemMap.put("active_img", "" + R.drawable.share_select);
        itemList.add(itemMap);

        itemMap=new HashMap<String, String>();
        itemMap.put("name", "photo");
        itemMap.put("img", ""+R.drawable.photo);
        itemMap.put("active_img", ""+R.drawable.photo_select);
        itemList.add(itemMap);

        itemMap=new HashMap<String, String>();
        itemMap.put("name", "album");
        itemMap.put("img", "" + R.drawable.photo_album);
        itemMap.put("active_img", "" + R.drawable.photo_album_select);
        itemList.add(itemMap);

    }

    public NavPageBar(TabLayout tabLayout_, ViewPager viewPager_) {

        init();

        tabLayout=tabLayout_;
        viewPager=viewPager_;

        tabLayout.setupWithViewPager(viewPager);
        tabLayout.setTabMode(TabLayout.MODE_FIXED);

        for (int i = 0; i < tabLayout.getTabCount(); i++) {
            TabLayout.Tab tab = tabLayout.getTabAt(i);
            if (tab != null) {
                tab.setCustomView(getTabView(i));
            }
        }

        tabLayout.setOnTabSelectedListener(new TabLayout.OnTabSelectedListener() {
            @Override
            public void onTabSelected(TabLayout.Tab tab) {
                ImageView iv;
                int currentPos;

                currentPos = tabLayout.getSelectedTabPosition();
                Log.d("winsun", "aaa " + currentPos);
                for (int i = 0; i < tabLayout.getTabCount(); i++) {
                    iv = (ImageView) (tabLayout.getTabAt(i).getCustomView().findViewById(R.id.imageView));
                    if (i == currentPos)
                        iv.setImageResource(Integer.parseInt(itemList.get(i).get("active_img")));
                    else iv.setImageResource(Integer.parseInt(itemList.get(i).get("img")));
                }

                viewPager.setCurrentItem(currentPos);

                if(onTabChangedListenerList != null){
                    Iterator<OnTabChangedListener> iterator = onTabChangedListenerList.iterator();
                    while (iterator.hasNext()){
                        onTabChangedListener  = iterator.next();
                        onTabChangedListener.onTabChanged(currentPos);
                    }
                }

            }

            @Override
            public void onTabUnselected(TabLayout.Tab tab) {

            }

            @Override
            public void onTabReselected(TabLayout.Tab tab) {

            }
        });

    }

    public View getTabView(int position) {
        View v = LayoutInflater.from(tabLayout.getContext()).inflate(R.layout.nav_tab_item, null);
        ImageView img = (ImageView) v.findViewById(R.id.imageView);
        //Log.d("winsun", img);
        img.setImageResource(Integer.parseInt(itemList.get(position).get("img")));
        return v;
    }

    public interface OnPageChangedListener {
        public abstract void onPageChanged(String pageName);
    }

    public static final int TAB_ALBUM = 2;

    public interface OnTabChangedListener {
        void onTabChanged(int tabNum);
    }

    public void registerOnTabChangedListener(OnTabChangedListener listener){
        if(onTabChangedListenerList == null){
            onTabChangedListenerList = new ArrayList<>();
        }
        onTabChangedListenerList.add(listener);
    }

    public void unregisterOnTabChangedListener(OnTabChangedListener listener){
        if(onTabChangedListenerList != null){
            onTabChangedListenerList.remove(listener);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub