text:
Mutations That Double the Risk of Cancer in Both Breasts Identified
| Original story from the Mayo Clinic
Credit: Angiola Harry/ Unsplash
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Women with cancer in one breast may be at higher risk of developing cancer in the opposite breast if they are carriers of specific genetic changes that predispose them to develop breast cancer, according to a study led by the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, will help personalize approaches to breast cancer screening and risk factors, study authors say.
The study used data from 15,104 prospectively followed women in the CAnceR Risk Estimates Related to Susceptibility (CARRIERS) consortium. The researchers found that patients who carry a germline BRCA1, BRCA2 or CHEK2 mutation have at least a twofold increased risk of developing cancer in both breasts, known as contralateral breast cancer.
In contrast, patients who carry germline ATM mutations did not have a significantly elevated risk of contralateral breast cancer. Among PALB2 carriers, the risk of contralateral breast cancer was significantly elevated only among those with estrogen receptor-negative disease.
"These are the first population-based numbers out there for these three genes beyond BRCA1/2," says Fergus Couch, Ph.D., breast cancer researcher at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, Zbigniew and Anna M. Scheller Professor of Medical Research and the principal investigator of the CARRIERS Study. "It is also one of the largest studies to provide estimates of contralateral breast cancer risk by age at diagnosis, menopausal status and race/ethnicity in germline mutation carriers."
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Most patients with breast cancer who carry germline mutations assume they are at high risk of developing cancer in the opposite breast, says co-author Siddhartha Yadav, M.D., medical oncologist, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. While this is true for BRCA1/2 mutation carriers with breast cancer, the risk of contralateral breast cancer in carriers of germline mutation in ATM, CHEK2 or PALB2 had not been previously established. Even for BRCA1/2 carriers, a comprehensive assessment of contralateral breast cancer risk based on age, estrogen receptor status, menopausal status and the effect of treatment for initial breast cancer had not been undertaken.
"The findings reveal important information that will aid in a personalized assessment of contralateral breast cancer risk in our patients who are germline mutation carriers," Dr. Yadav says. "Having this level of detail will help guide decisions between patients and their care teams on appropriate screening and steps to reduce the risk for contralateral breast cancer based on more precise and individualized risk estimates."
Premenopausal women who carry germline mutations generally have a higher risk of contralateral breast cancer compared with women who are post-menopausal at breast cancer diagnosis, researchers found. Among women with germline mutations in breast cancer predisposition genes, black women and non-Hispanic white women have similar elevated risk for contralateral breast cancer, the study found, suggesting that risk management strategies should be similar.
"Many women will undergo bilateral mastectomy to reduce the possibility of a second breast cancer," Dr. Couch says. "Now we have data to work from when making the decision to remove the second breast, pursue aggressive surveillance or take preventive medication."
Reference: Yadav S, Boddicker NJ, Na J, et al. Contralateral breast cancer risk among carriers of germline pathogenic variants in ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, and PALB2. J Clin Oncol. 2023:JCO.22.01239. doi: 10.1200/JCO.22.01239


We spotted these disgraceful sights at a Costco is southern Ontario. The temperature today was a not exactly Yuletide-esque 33C/91F. It's hard to think about Christmas when it's hot enough to cause heat stroke.
I'm not trying to be a Scrooge. I like Christmas. When I was a kid, of course Christmas was the greatest thing that could happen to a human. I briefly got a little Scroogelike when I was in my 20s and it didn't seem very special anymore, but now I have kids and it's awesome again. I like presents and stockings and decorations and turkey and having family over. It's a chance to make your loved ones a little extra happy and it's great. I wear my hilarious Christmas sweater and serve drinks and eat too much and it's a blast. There's a reason people like Christmas, except in Australia, where December is when the poisonous snakes are most active, and on average kill 10,000 Australians a day.
But the thing about Christmas is precisely that it's special. It only comes once a year. If the Christmas season is spread to September it starts to lose the magic. There's nothing special about Santa Claus if he's around every month of the year, though Santa's magical abilities would be welcomed year round in Australia, where hundreds of children every year are devoured by crocodiles while walking to school.
I acknowledge stores do have to make money, and someone has to feed the slave labor making those Grinch miniatures up there. Christmas commercialization is fine; I'm a capitalist and people gotta get paid. But there's profit-seeking and there's irritating. I would at least ask this; wait until after Hallowe'en, for Christ's sake. We've got a perfectly good festival/holiday type deal coming up on October 31 that stores can absolutely sell the bejeezus out of with decorations, candy, costumes, pumpkins, everything orange and black and other themed stuff. I'm sure Wal Mart can load up a cardboard display box with Blu Rays of "Lost Boys" and "Cabin in the Woods" to capitalize on the theme of fear. (Apparently some people still use those things.) Then on November 1, go nuts with Christmas.
Granted, we have a family interest in this as we love Hallowe'en. My wife is the biggest Hallowe'en fan in the world. She goes all out. We have decorations, we have statues, we have severed heads and limbs, we have stage blood. Hallowe'en movies are played in the garage for people to see. She won an award for best decorated house in the neighborhood one year. We're trying to source full-size candy bars this year so our house is more attractive still. It's a big deal. We want to enjoy it before everything goes red and green.
This year we are giving the kids fewer presents than ever; we're taking them to the Dominican Republic instead, where you can swim in the ocean without a 15% chance of being killed by a jellyfish (as is the case in Australia.) Our idea here is rather than spending our money on a bunch of things, half of which end up being forgotten within a month, we'll provide them with cool memories. Seven other relatives are going. Can't beat that.
I guess that's a very first world answer to the first world problem of too many possessions, but it's what I got. I'd rather have those kinds of moments in time than any toy.
Happy Hallowe'en to everyone in advance, and I'm very sorry for the people of Melbourne, Australia, and the terror they are facing with all the sharks.


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Protests For Racial Injustice Happen in Midland/Odessa Over the Weekend
NewsWest 9
With all the unrest happening across the country this past week, people in Midland/Odessa also took to the streets to protest racial injustice over the weekend.
According to NewsWest 9, a large crowd of demonstrators formed in Downtown Odessa Sunday evening (May 31, 2020) organized by a group called March For Change Odessa.
"We are not advocating for violence and we want this to be as peaceful as possible," that was their message as posted on Twitter.
Odessa police blocked off Grant from 2nd Street to 8th Street and a crowd formed and marched peacefully up and down Grant St. mourning the loss of George Floyd.
At the same time outside of the Midland Park Mall, people gathered to protest with signs.
That scene did escalate when counter-protesters lined up opposite of them but no violence happened just back and forth shouting between the two groups.
The protesters blocked Loop 250 and Midkiff at nightfall but the crowd was gone by 10:30pm according to Midland Police.
More protests are scheduled in Odessa on Wednesday, June 3, 2020.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Abstract: My PhD project aims at characterizing an ex situ model of adult male rat thyroid gland, recently designed and experimentally developed at the University of Parma, Parma, Italy by the research group headed by Prof. Roberto Toni MD PhD, and chosen as a key experimental tool for the activity of the recently funded, five-years Horizon 2020 SCREENED research project (Coordinator, Prof. Lorenzo Moroni, PhD, University of Maastricht, NL) . According to the principles of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, we have selected a combination of biocompatible / bioerodible materials to be used as 3D scaffold substrates, and adult rat thyroid stem cells induced to differentiation to give rise to a 3D thyroid organoid, grown in either static or dynamic bioreactor-like cell culture. In the first year of my PhD program, I have characterized the stromal composition of the decellularized adult male rat thyroid lobe (i.e. its matrix) using two different mass spectrometry approaches coupled to appropriate bioinformatics software. In the second year of my PhD program, I have investigated the use of collagen from rat tail tendons and polysaccharide substances like chitosan as chemical substrates suitable for bioprinting technology. Under the supervision of Prof. Lisa Elviri PhD at the Department of Food Science and Pharmacology of the University of Parma, Parma, Italy I have in vitro engineered 3D reticular structures, geometrically and chemically consistent with parts of the stromal matrix of the rat thyroid lobe, to be used as scaffolds for thyroid stem cell homing. In the third year of my PhD program, in collaboration with the Proteomic Group of the University College of Dublin (Ireland) leaded by Prof. Stephen R. Pennington PhD, I have conducted a study leading to the proteomic signature of adult male rat thyroid stem cell / progenitors. These results will be exploited to identify molecular makers for selective sorting by cytometric technology of adult male rat thyroid stem cells directly from their native tissue, and to enlighten still uncovered biological properties of these cell precursors.


text:
Q: How does this C++ code return 0,0,3 Here is the code :
#include<iostream>
using namespace std;
int a, b;
int f(int c)
{
    int n = 1;
    for (int i = 0; i < c, i++;)
    {
        int a = n + i;
    }
    return a;
}
void main()
{
    int i = 3;
    int b = f(i);
    cout << a << b << i;
}

The output is 0,0,3
I understand the a = 0 because it is a global variable and defaults to 0, and i = 3, but I can't figure out how or why b = 0

A: In your program, f() always returns 0. The a inside the for loop is a different a from the global variable (it "shadows" it). Therefore, local variable b in main() (which shadows global b) is initialized to 0 by the call to f().

A: Because in for loop of function f, a is a local varaible. Its scople is effective only in for loop. So return value is global a; So return 0;

A: While others have already pointed out that you write to a local a in your loop, but return the global a, it's also worth nothing that even if you fix that, your loop will actually never enter it's body, because i < c, i++ evaluates to 0, which will be interpreted as false. (See What does the comma operator , do?
.)
You need to fix your entire loop to this:
for (int i = 0; i < c; i++)
{
    a = n + i;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A professional all in one Ultra HD live production switcher with integrated hardware control panel. ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K features 8 independent 12G-SDI inputs, built in Fairlight audio mixer, ATEM Advanced Chroma Keyer, multiview, auxiliary and program outputs, analog audio inputs, built in talkback, two flash based media players, professional creative transitions, a DVE for effects and more. ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K is available now from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide for US$2,995.
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Built in media pool graphics storage for 90 frames of Ultra HD, 360 frames of 1080HD or 1440 frames of 720HD video.
Ethernet connection for computer connection.
The ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K is available for US$2,995 from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide.


Sometime in the not-so-distant future, the internet has become integrated with every piece of electronic equipment in existence (from TVs to ovens), and people carry around hand-held devices known as a Personal Exploration Terminal (PET). These devices act as phones, pagers, instant messengers, news beams, and hacking devices all rolled into one. Additionally they are able to be customized with a "Net Navi" or a human-like personality that can be anything the owner desires.
A fifth-grader named Lan has a Navi named MegaMan.EXE—a virus-fighting blue-suited cyber personality who is also Lan's best friend. Although MegaMan.EXE has no body (unless the PET device itself counts), he can wander around in cyberspace and explore computer systems as if they were alternate worlds. Together Lan and MegaMan.EXE (also known as just MegaMan) cooperate to fight off hackers and viruses.
This is the story of Battle Network 1, where Lan learns the true background of his Navi, MegaMan. MegaMan.EXE is really his twin brother, originally named Hub. When Hub was just a baby, he was infected with an illness known as HBD. There was no known cure for it at that time, so to avoid losing his child, Dr. Hikari uploaded Hub's consciousness into a computer and transformed him into a Navi. For years Hub and Dr. Hikari kept this secret from Lan, but finally the truth is revealed.
A month after Dr. Wily and the WWW were put in their place, a virus hits the Net known as the "Zero Virus." And the cure turns out to to be worse than the virus. This is the tale of Network Transmission.
Sometime later, a "net mafia" known as Gospel arose. After many trials Lan and MegaMan discover a kid named Sean to be at the root of the problem. This is the story of Battle Network 2.
The first ever N1 Grand Prix shades a new uprising, as the WWW makes a comeback with old and new foes alike. Once again it is up to Lan and MegaMan to take out Dr. Wily and Bass and stop the rise of the old Internet, Alpha. This is the tale of Battle Network 3.
A new foe arises for Battle Network 4 and Battle Network 5 in the form of Dr. Regal, Wily's son. This man decided to fill the world with evil, where there would be no right or wrong, and he used his father's technology to attempt to accomplish this. But Lan and MegaMan joined with other skilled Navis and Operators and eventually Regal's plans were defeated.


text:
Throwback: Tyrese-Lately
(CC) Randy Stewart, http://blog.stewtopia.com. Feel free to use this picture. Please credit as shown. If you are a person that I have taken a photo of, it's yours (but I'd still be curious as to where it is).
Tyrese's "Lately" was the third single from his 1998 debut album that was simply titled, Tyrese. He wrote "Lately" with Derek Allen who also produced the song. Tyrese was a new artist but his performance harkened back to the R&B wisdom of Anita Baker. There were stylistic similarities to her phrasing but vocally he had the emotional power of a pleading crooner like Lenny Williams. "Lately" was a new standard tune destined to be covered by Baker herself in 2012. The album reached platinum status by 1999 after an impressive 10-week climb of the charts. Tyrese announced the release of his seventh studio album Beautiful Pain early in 2022.
Tyrese-Best Of Me
TGT-Sex Never Felt Better
In: R&B
Tagged: Tyrese, Tyrese Gibson
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text:
Investigating Autopoiesis In Site-Responsive Sonic Art
By Lauren Hayes
This paper discusses the ongoing research project Sounding Out Spaces which explores technologically-mediated sonic responses to site through human, material, and environmental considerations. Informed by theories of self-organisation and reflexivity, the project attempts to build a methodology for developing portable sound-systems using microcontroller technologies in which sonic entities emerge over time through mutually affecting relationships with the environments in which they are situated. I assess this work with reference to Hayles' discussion of second-order cybernetics and its implications for conceptualising musical systems as sets of relationships between living things, machines, and the environment. I expound these ideas through two case studies of the latest iteration of the tools—hardware and software systems—developed for this work: firstly, a large-scale installation which was presented in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, United States. The second case study took place as a series of experiments at the Ars Bioarctica residency in the sub-arctic tundra at the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Return to Current Issue
About Interference
Interference is a peer reviewed journal supported by Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts (LICA) and The University of Ulster's Arts and Humanities Research Institute. It is an open access forum on the role of sound in cultural practices, providing a trans-disciplinary platform for the presentation of research and practice in areas such as acoustic ecology, sensory anthropology, sonic arts, musicology, technology studies and philosophy. The journal seeks to balance its content between scholarly writing, accounts of creative practice, and an active engagement with current research topics in audio culture. [ More ]
Issue 7 Photo Credit
Rob Mackay; Spurn Head; 2017; Image courtesy of the artist.
https://robmackay.net
Submitting an Article
Interference accepts papers on an ongoing basis as well as distributing calls for papers for special issues. If you are unsure if your submission is suitable for the journal please contact the editor:
editor@interferencejournal.org.
Please see our submission guidelines when preparing your article for submission and for details on our peer review process.
All content © Interference, 2011.
editor@interferencejournal.org
www.interferencejournal.org


Coro Mining Corp. (TSX: COP) intends to close a non-brokered private placement financing of up to 107,680,000 common shares at $0.15 per share for gross proceeds of up to $16,152,000.
Proceeds will be used to fund the acquisition of Minera Rayrock Ltda., continued exploration of the company's Marimaca Project and working capital purposes.
Greenstone Resources L.P., Coro's major shareholder, will exercise its pre-emptive right to maintain its 55.66% share position and will acquire a minimum of 55,934,464 common shares under the private placement. If no other subscribers participate in the private placement, Greenstone has agreed to acquire all 107,680,000 common shares being offered, being 22.18% of the total outstanding common shares, resulting in Greenstone's ownership percentage increasing to 63.71% of the total outstanding common shares.
Greenstone participated in Coro's December 2016 private placement financing, acquiring 29,825,874 common shares at that time.
Coro intends to seek this approval by way of a written consent resolution of at least 50% of disinterested shareholders (being shareholders other than Greenstone). The private placement also remains subject to approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange.
CoPower raised $2M in equity funding from Fondaction, Royal Bank of Canada, Innovation Support, Ferst Capital Partners, Laurie Thomson, others.


Last year my daughter-in-law decided to make her first quilt. We enjoyed finding the pattern out (Winning Hands), and she had fun at the quilt shop choosing her fabrics. She married into a basketball family so she knew she wanted the basketball fabric to be the main print. We all love the backing fabric...wildly colorful frogs.
Last week she & I sandwiched and prepared the quilt for machine quilting. I spent that evening quilting it and then stayed up til almost 3 AM finishing the binding off. I was so excited to hand her her finished quilt the next morning. She had a lot of fun with her first quilting project, and she LOVES her finished product (so does the little man).


Feeling lonely and can't sleep? Bored at work? Need an early morning friend? The best thing about our chat line numbers to call is that it is available 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Even on big holidays when every grocery store in town is closed, there is always someone on the line to talk to. No matter what you want to talk about or how you are feeling, you can get someone to talk to who will brighten your day and have a good time getting to know you. Who knows, this will probably develop into something more whether it is a date, a hook up or just a good phone friend who knows you better than they did before.
Our line is always private and quite discreet, so as long as you can find a private corner to hide away in, no one has to know that you are using the line to talk to someone new. You can do whatever you want and talk about anything under the sun, and get that fulfillment you might be missing in other areas of your life. If you're stepping to the side of your relationship no one has to know and you'll find that the people on our chat to strangers are not judgemental at all because many of them are in the same situation.
So, no matter what time of day it is, or what day of the week, month or time of year, pick up the phone and try your local chat line numbers to call to meet up with local singles. There's no shortage of hotties and cuties to talk to and there is always someone who can fulfill what you are looking for. Every single day you could talk to a new person, or stick with the same one for a relationship that will last a while.


text:
$1b infrastructure fund accelerates housing supply
The allocation of the $1 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund today is another milestone in the Government's plan to increase housing supply for a growing New Zealand, Prime Minister Bill English says.
"The infrastructure projects announced today will speed up the delivery of 60,000 houses across our fastest growing population centres over the next ten years," Mr English says.
"This is another major step forward in our plan to permanently lift the capacity of the construction sector to support a more confident, expanding New Zealand."
The funding will be allocated across nine projects in five different council areas, Auckland, Hamilton, Waikato, Tauranga and Queenstown.
"I want to congratulate the Councils in these areas for their positive engagement with the fund and the quality of the infrastructure projects they have proposed," Mr English says.
"These projects will make their contribution to lifting housing supply alongside the Government's own Crown Building Project, the Special Housing Areas, our planning changes, and the already record levels of new home construction taking place across New Zealand."
Tags: national - bill english


Looking for property for sale in County Durham?
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The standard deviation of rental prices for the results of this search is 272.
There are 363 properties available immediately for modern property available to rent in County Durham, compared to 65 in Durham.
The average rental value for County Durham modern property is currently £481, 69% lower than the national average value for all homes which is £1,507.
2 new property listings for this search have been found in the last calendar day, compared with 9 in the last 72 hours and 32 in the last week.
Agents presently offering modern property available to rent in County Durham include Reeds Rains, Stuart Edwards.


text:
Exxon, Chevron Face Judgment Day at Upcoming Shareholder Meeting
Byecowatch
In preparation for their annual meetings on May 31, both Chevron and ExxonMobil opposed every climate-related resolution put forth by their shareholders.
In a previous post, I wrote that Chevron continues to downplay climate risks while attempting to convince shareholders that the company's political activities—which include support for groups that spread climate disinformation—are in shareholders' long-term interests.
Now the proponents of a shareholder resolution calling for Chevron to publish an annual assessment of long-term impacts of climate change, including 2°C scenarios, have withdrawn it from consideration at the annual meeting.
In a carefully calibrated statement, investors Wespath and Hermes noted that the report Managing Climate Change Risks: A Perspective for Investors lacks a substantive discussion of Chevron's strategies, but accepted the report as a first step and decided to give the company more time to explain how climate change is factored into its strategic planning.
Similar resolutions are gaining momentum with shareholders of utility and fossil fuel companies this spring, receiving more than 40 percent support at AES Corporation, Dominion Resources Inc., Duke Energy Corporation and Marathon Petroleum Corporation.
Last Friday, a majority of Occidental Petroleum Corporation shareholders voted in favor of a resolution (also filed by Wespath) calling on the company, with board oversight, to "produce an assessment of long-term portfolio impacts of plausible scenarios that address climate change."
ExxonMobil shareholders will vote on a comparable proposal in two weeks. In 2016, a resolution urging the company to report on how its business will be affected by worldwide climate policies received the highest vote ever (38 percent) from company shareholders in favor of a climate change proposal.
The 2°C scenario analysis proposal, co-filed by the Church Commissioners for England and New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli as Trustee of the New York State Common Retirement Fund, is on the agenda again this year, and a coalition of institutional investors with more than $10 trillion in combined assets under management is pushing for its adoption. (Look for a forthcoming blog on ExxonMobil's 2017 annual shareholders' meeting).
Chevron has bought some time from shareholders, but the company would be wise to improve its disclosures in response to growing investor concerns about the potential business, strategic and financial implications of climate change.
See also | ExxonMobil Hit With $20 Million Penalty For Polluting Air With Hazardous Chemicals
Instead, the company (along with BP, ConocoPhillips, and Total SA) funded a new report criticizing the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD—see below for additional details).
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will roll out the oil and gas company-sponsored report at an event this week. While the U.S. Chamber claims to represent the interests of the business community, few companies publicly agree with the group's controversial positions on climate change.
Meanwhile, carbon asset risk is still on the agenda for Chevron's shareholders this month: the proposal on transition to a low-carbon economy filed by As You Sow will go forward to a vote.
As UCS closely monitors Chevron's and ExxonMobil's communications and engagement with concerned shareholders over its climate-related positions and actions, our experts and supporters will be stepping up the pressure on both companies in the lead-up to their annual meetings at the end of May.
Sourceecowatch
'Colossal damage': Navajo Nation sues US govt for $160mn over Colorado mine spill
The Navajo Nation has filed a $160 million claim under the Federal Tort Claims Act for damages and ongoing injuries incurred from the Gold...
Yes, the US Government Has Experimented With Controlling Hurricanes
The 2017 hurricane season has wrought more damage on the Caribbean and the Gulf Coast of the United States than any season in the...
These C-130s Bomb Targets With Tree Mines To Reforest The Planet
Thanks to an idea from former RAF pilot Jack Walters, with the help of U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin, C-130s that were used to bomb...
Fake Terrorist Videos Worth $540 Million Produced through Money Received From Pentagon
Recent news brought to our attention appear to reveal significant data on the Pentagon and its latest activity. But, what? Based on investigations made by the Bureau...
Scientists Discover Alien Creature Near Major Nuclear Power Plant
Russian scientists are baffled by the discovery of a small "alien creature" found on the banks of a river near a major nuclear power...
2 Years After This American Journalist Was Killed, Her 'Conspiracy Theories' on Syria are Proven as Facts
While Americans continue to be distracted by the discussion over Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, geopolitical tension around the proxy war in Syria has...
After Seeing This You Will Think Twice Before Putting your Cell Phone Near your Head
Five girls in the 9th grade in a school in Denmark have performed a very interesting experiment, which drew huge attention of people worldwide. The...


text:
Marie (Maria Antonie) Tůmová (geboren 12. Juni 1866 in Prag; gestorben 1. Mai 1925 ebenda) war eine tschechische Lehrerin und Frauenrechtlerin.

Leben
Marie Tůmová war eine Tochter des tschechischen Politikers und Landtagsabgeordneten Karel Tůma und Enkelin des Schriftstellers František Ladislav Čelakovský. Sie wurde Lehrerin in Prag-Smíchov und in Prag-Žižkov und wurde in Žižkov eine der ersten Direktorinnen einer Bürgerschule für Mädchen. Sie wurde Präsidentin des Mädchenschulvereins Minerva in Prag. Nach Gründung der Tschechoslowakei 1918 ging sie als Lehrerin in die Slowakei und wurde dann als Schulinspektorin nach Užhorod in die Karpato-Ukraine versetzt. Tůmová war Vizepräsidentin des Vereins tschechischer Lehrerinnen.

Tůmová initiierte 1903 in Prag gemeinsam mit Františka Plamínková den "Tschechischen Frauenverein" (Ženský klub český). 1905 wurde von ihnen der "Ausschuss für das Frauenwahlrecht" gegründet. 1908 trat sie als dessen Kandidatin zu Nachwahlen in Vysoké Mýto zum böhmischen Landtag auf der Liste der Städte (Zweite Kurie) an, wurde aber nicht gewählt. Bei einem Besuch der US-amerikanischen Suffragette Carrie Chapman Catt 1909 in Prag kündigte Plamínková eine zweite Kandidatur Tůmovás an, die aber ebenfalls scheiterte.

Tůmová veröffentlichte 1911 die Agitationsschrift "Pro volební právo žen". 1911 gehörte sie zu den Gründerinnen des Verbands tschechischer Frauenvereine, 1923 war sie Mitgründerin des tschechoslowakischen Frauen-Nationalrats (Ženská národní rada, ŽNR). Tůmová war auch tschechische und später tschechoslowakische Delegierte auf internationalen Kongressen der International Alliance of Women (IWSA) und des International Council of Women (ICW).

Literatur

 Melissa Feinberg: Elusive Equality: Gender, Citizenship, and the Limits of Democracy in Czechoslovokia, 1918–1950 (= Pitt series in Russian and East European studies). University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA 2006, ISBN 978-0-8229-7103-0 (nicht eingesehen).
 Sharon L. Wolchik: Czech and Slovak Women and Political Leadership. In: Women's history review, in: Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis, Abingdon, VA 1996, , H. 4, S. 525–538
 Katherine David: Czech feminists and nationalism in the late Habsburg monarchy: "The first in Austria", in: Journal of women's history. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD  1991, , H. 2, S. 26–45

Einzelnachweise

Lehrer
Frauenrechtler (Tschechoslowakei)
Frauenrechtler (Tschechien)
Politiker (Cisleithanien)
Tschechoslowake
Geboren 1866
Gestorben 1925
Frau

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
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text:
Q: Fortify Often Misused Authentication java.net.InetAddress We are using Fortify for static code analysis. One of the issue reported by Fortify scan is "Often Misused: Authentication". The issue is flagged for all the occurrences of usage of one of the following methods from the class "java.net.InetAddress".
getAddress()
getByName(bindAddress)
getHostName()
getHostAddress()
getCanonicalHostName()
getLocalHost()
getAllByName()

What is the ideal fix for the same?
One possible way is suggested here, i am not sure do we have any other ways to address this issue.
Thanks

A: The vulnerability is effectively just warning you as a developer not to trust the output from these. One effective way to determine whether a server is who they say they are is with SSL.
It sounds like on your application that you are just getting a list of servers and forward authentication request to them. If the user is then connecting via SSL to authenticate with the machines, it probably shouldn't be a problem (as long as connection isn't allowed with self-signed certificates)


text:
Media channels will lose credibility over guests who shout, polarise and spread false narratives
Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday said the credibility of the mainstream media channels, which invited guests indulging in shouting matches, polarisation and spreading false narratives, would go down.
"…the biggest threat to mainstream media is not from new age digital platforms, but the mainstream media channel itself.. If you decide to invite guests who are polarising, who spread false narratives and who shout at the top of their lungs, the credibility of your channel goes down…the viewer may stop for a minute to watch the show, but will never trust your anchor, your channel or brand as a trusted and transparent source of news," Thakur said.
The Minister was speaking at the inauguration of the Asia Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) General Conference Meeting 2022.
"Are you going to watch the narrative be defined by soundbites or redefine yourself and set the terms for your guests and channel? Are you going to watch as the younger audience switch and sweep through the shrill on TV news or are you going to bring back the neutrality in news and discussion in debates to stay ahead of the game? Are you going to show visuals that grab eyeballs and inflame anger or show restraint and project visuals in context to showcase the full picture?," he asked.
"And finally, how will you re-define and innovate your TV news content, presentation and dissemination to reach the new age audience who is constantly being fed information via social media platforms? Instead of compromising our values in this fierce competition, we must work hard to preserve professionalism," he advised.
"The AIBD as a regional inter-governmental organisation must continue to train and equip media practitioners with the best professional skills to gain broader freedom for our media. India stands ready to support your efforts. I am happy to note that the National Academy of Broadcasting and Multi-Media, NABM, the apex training institute of Prasar Bharati is closely collaborating with AIBD in organising trainings covering various aspects of broadcast industry," Thakur said.
The Minister suggested that another important area of cooperation was good quality content exchange among the member countries. India has bilateral agreements in the areas of content exchange, co-production, capacity building etc. with a number of AIBD countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Fiji, Maldives, Nepal, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. The Hindu
Prasar Bharati adopts multi-pronged strategy to strengthen financial control mechanism
Sony Sports Network set to broadcast England tour of Pakistan 2022


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This module encompasses supervised skills practice, group supervision masterclasses, reflective practice, case study work and small group supervision / mentoring.
Part 3 is completed once participants have passed a live oral exam (taking place via phone or online) and have submitted their case study which has been satisfactorily evaluated by course supervisors.
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n7axw wrote: Another reflection I've had focuses around Chava Busar of the Uromanthian Empire. He obviously was behind the assasination attempt on the Calirath family through his cut out the Senachel who apparently set up what happened in the palace while his people more directly managed the attempt on Andrin.
He is probably unaware that Andrin survived - the only member of the team who recognized that she did was the shark caller, the rest of the team was busy killing the seneschal. He may be aware that Zindel and the rest of the family escaped the explosion, there were plenty of people around, some of whom may be reporting to him. With any kind of luck, he will have a brain aneurism when he finds out that the only part of his plan that worked was the death of the Seneschal. That would leave his sons fighting over who inherits his throne and with any additional good fortune, they will kill each other off. But even if they don't the Uromathian empire will collapse due to his failing to establish and train a crown prince.
I think that so far as Zindel is concerned, as long as he is breathing he will be ruling.
Chava Bizzare... I love it! It fits!
Magistron healers probably will find that their gift doesn't work on Sharona so that leaves the problem of getting Zindel some place where the gifts will work. The gifts do have limitations.. Think of that friend of Thankhar who still walked with a limp on New Arcana. I wonder what the limits of the healing talent might be.
I agreed with your analysis otherwise.
I'm afraid you're asking for too much luck. What I am hoping for is for some evidence to connect him to the event and I am expecting to be disappointed.
You won't be disappointed, Don. They will link Busar to the attempted assassination and will observe a dilemma. The Emperor/Empress can kill Chava and watch the Uromathian Empire fall apart or adopt a political fiction that castrates Chava but leaves him alive and nominally in charge of his Empire. The latter allows the Sharonan Empire to reorganize the Uromathian Empire with Chava present as a stabilizing force.
With Zindel alive and in charge of the Sharonan Empire and Andrin riding herd on the Uromathian Empire, Sharon should be able to support the War. With Shay and Jath's revelations castrating Mythal and reducing Arcana's ability to support the war, David and Joelle will be between the horns of their own dilemma. Do they write another long series of 10-15 books or finish up in 6?
PeterZ wrote: David and Joelle will be between the horns of their own dilemma. Do they write another long series of 10-15 books or finish up in 6?
PeterZ wrote: You won't be disappointed, Don. They will link Busar to the attempted assassination and will observe a dilemma. The Emperor/Empress can kill Chava and watch the Uromathian Empire fall apart or adopt a political fiction that castrates Chava but leaves him alive and nominally in charge of his Empire. The latter allows the Sharonan Empire to reorganize the Uromathian Empire with Chava present as a stabilizing force.
David's grandmother lived to be 101 1/2 years old, I'm betting on a 10-15 book series.
Ye of little faith. The Multiverse is catching on as the Crown of Slaves, mainline Honorverse and Shadows series wind down. Joelle writes better than any of David's other co-authors except Ringo. This series can go as long as Joelle will carry the heavy lifting.
I see your point, but the only way you stop Chava's scheming is to disconnet the head from the rest of his body to prevent recidisism. Otherwise he always remains a threat.
I think that so far as Zindel is concerned, as long as he is breathing, he will be ruling.
Unless he has sustained brain damage or is completely crippled up. There are limits that when they are passed leave him unable to do the job. And what happened was pretty serious.
While I tend to agree, I suspect the textev about how ill prepared the Uromathian Empire is to survive Chava Busar's death foreshadows another alternative. That alternative likely falls to Andrin and her Einathian husband. Perhaps enough Uromathian troops will and uromathian people will recognize the threat Arcana represents to accept that alternative.
I am thinking the Prince of Wales meets Caesar. Chava adopts Andrin's husband as his heir when he realizes just how bad his defendants are as rulers of his Empire. Perhaps Zindel offers to put a gaes on the Uromathian crown and that either scares Chava's heirs or forces Chava to make a better choice for his successor. Perhaps he tricks Chava into accepting a crown with the gaes. I can see all crowned heads of state being required by the Imperial Sharonan Legislature to have their tile affirmed by the Imperial Crown. Once the royal heads of state accept their gaesed crowns, they will do what is best for their nations.


text:
Daniel Henning
Theater Audition Technique
Daniel HENNING is the Founding Artistic Director of The Blank Theatre. in Hollywood. His productions have won over 200 theatre honors including "Best Production" from LA Drama Critic Circle Awards, LA Weekly Awards, Ovation Awards, NAACP Theatre Awards, BackStage Garland Awards et al. He was recently honored by the CA State Legislature for his work in LGBTQ Equality and nurturing the future of the Arts. He won a 2017 Telly Award for "Best Writer" for the film version of his play The Tragedy of JFK (as told by Wm. Shakespeare). As director and writer, his TV and film work includes MTV's Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory and the film Critic's Choice. He won the NAACP Theatre Award for "Best Director of a Musical" for The Wild Party. He directed the first play by 2016 Tony Award Winner Stephen Karam when Stephen was 17 and a winner in The Blank's Young Playwrights Festival. Daniel's work has been seen on MTV, HBO, CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, Comedy Central and on stages throughout Southern California. He is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Circle in the Square Theatre School, and American Conservatory Theatre.


If I were to tell you to guess my electric bill from the following two choices, $146.78 or $150.00, which would you chose? I'd bet the a majority of readers would chose the former rather than the latter because it wasn't a 'round' number, and what are the odds that an electric bill would be a round number like 150. Of course the truth is my electric bill is just as likely to any number with a reasonable range as any other, but that 150 doesn't look right, why, because it looks inaccurate. Why does it look inaccurate, well because it doesn't appear valid. But in reality you cant assume a value is accurate because it appears valid. In fact, you you need to separate the two concepts from each other when you look at data.
Validity in terms of data, means that it fits fits the definition for a particular type of data, for instance, in the case of US dollars it is a decimal number with two places of precision after the decimal point, an US phone number with area code is minimally a 10 digit integer. The other notable property of data validity is that it can be checked with a self contained rule, there is no need to compare it to outside data.
Accuracy, on the other hand, means the data is correct. For instance, the actual value of my electric bill. Accuracy has to be checked by comparison with an outside value, so accuracy checks cannot be self contained. While accurate data is usually valid it does not have to be. If my actual electric bill was 150, it could conceivably presented as in integer instead of a decimal thus making it invalid.
When dealing with data, make sure that you deal with validity first, followed by accuracy. This is especially true with weakly typed languages and variant data types.


text:
Q: How can I dry many to many association assignments in rspec? Every time I want to create an Issue, I need to link User with Label. User has_many Labels and Labels has_many Users.
The problem is that I need to repeat this in a lot of specs every time I create an Issue.
let(:label) { Fabricate(:label) }
let(:responsible) { Fabricate(:responsible) }

before do
  label.stub(:users).and_return([responsible])
  responsible.stub(:labels).and_return([label])
end

let(:issue) { Fabricate(:issue, label: label, responsible: responsible)

Should I place this in a helper class? I would like tips to dry it up.

A: This gem could do the thing: https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_girl
factory :label do
  name    "label example"
  user
end

factory :user do
  name    "John Doe"
  after(:create) do |user|
    FactoryGirl.create_list(:label, 1, user: user)
  end
end

factory :issue do
  name 'issue'
  after(:create) do |issue|
    issue.users = FactoryGirl.create_list(:user, 1)
  end
end

And after that you could do such things:
issue = FactoryGirl.create(:issue)
issue.users # returns array with 1 user
issue.users.first.label # returns array with one label


text:
El estadio Zirka (en ucraniano: Стадіон «Зірка») es un estadio multiusos ubicado en la ciudad de Kropyvnytskyi, Ucrania. El estadio fue inaugurado en 1934 y posee una capacidad para 13 500 espectadores. El estadio es sede del club local Zirka Kropyvnytskyi.

El estadio fue construido en 1934, y desde entonces ha sido remodelado en 6 oportunidades, la última de ellas entre 2013 y 2014, durante la cual se sustituyó el césped, se instaló un nuevo sistema de iluminación, así como la modernización de la infraestructura de atletismo, lo que le permitió albergar el campeonato de Ucrania de atletismo en 2014 y 2015.

El 17 de noviembre de 2013 uno de los sectores del estadio fue nombrado Yuri Alexandrovich Kasёnkin, en honor al legendario capitán del club Zirka en los años 1970, se colocó una placa conmemorativa en su honor.

Véase también
 Anexo:Estadios de fútbol de Ucrania

Referencias

Enlaces externos

 worldstadiums.com - stadium kirovohrad zirka

Estadios de fútbol de Ucrania
Estadios de fútbol inaugurados en 1914


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We provide written quotations for all our work, and can answer any questions you have.


text:
Book Author Says It's Tough To See Hulk Hogan Still Going (Video), WWE In NC, Mick Foley
By Raj Giri |November 7, 2013
– David Shoemaker appeared on Don Imus' show on Fox Business News this morning to promote his new book, The Squared Circle: Life, Death, and Professional Wrestling. Imus was terrible in the interview, clearly not knowing the subject matter and treating wrestling like it's for idiots. During the interview, Imus brought up Hulk Hogan and asked Shoemaker if he "liked him."
"I love Hulk Hogan," Shoemaker admitted. "Part of being a wrestler is being famous, and he was the best at being famous. It's kinda tough to see him now that he's still going. But that's part of the book too, these guys were real life superheroes, and then once you get older, the mortality of these guys becomes a real issue."
Imus finished the interview by saying that he'll give the book to his driver, who's a huge wrestling fan.
– WWEShop.com has a 4-hour flash sale, where you can take 20% off all orders + 10% off World Heavyweight replica title belts with code CLOCK at WWEShop.com by clicking here.
– Mick Foley will be taking his "Tales from Wrestling Past" comedy show to Comedy Zone in Greensboro, NC tonight. You can get more information or purchase tickets at this link.
– WWE will present a live event at Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, NC on Friday, January 3rd, followed by a live event the following night on Saturday, January 4th at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC. Tickets for both shows go on sale this morning at 10am.
WWE Employees Complaining About Total Divas Star, Antonio Speaks Out, Hottest WWE Couple
Sting Working Hurt, Dixie Carter Has Dinner With Pacman, Impact Preview (Correspondents Wanted)


What do I need to finance a car?
A valid driver's license, check with financial institutions regarding other acceptable identifications. Be 18 yrs. of age or older.
Full-time employment or a guaranteed fixed income. Proof of Income, Check stubs or bank statements for cash jobs. Self employment or Small business owners may be required to provide additional requirements.
Recent proof address.(less than 30 days) Utility bill, bank statement, mailed document.
You have two financing options: direct lending or dealership financing.
Comparisons. You have the chance to shop around and ask several lenders directly about their credit terms before you agree to buy a specific vehicle.
Credit terms in advance. By getting financing before you buy the vehicle, you will know your rate and other terms when you are shopping.
In dealership financing, another common type of vehicle financing, you get financing through the dealership. You and a dealer enter into a contract where you buy a vehicle and agree to pay, over a period of time, the amount financed plus a finance charge. The dealer may retain the contract, but typically sells it to a bank, finance company or credit union, called an assignee, that services the account and collects your payments.
Convenience. Dealers offer vehicles and financing in one location and may have extended hours, like evenings and weekends.
Multiple financing options. The dealer's relationships with a variety of banks and finance companies may mean it can offer you a range of financing choices.
Special programs. Dealers sometimes offer manufacturer-sponsored, low-rate or incentive programs to buyers. The programs may be limited to certain vehicles or may have special requirements, like a larger down payment or shorter contract length (36 or 48 months). These programs might require a strong credit rating; check to see if you qualify.
Buying a used car can be a very tricky and stressful process. Each car has a unique history which can either work in your favor or become your biggest nightmare.
We will share with you 5 simple ways to make your next car buying experience as easy and smooth as possible. You need to be very careful when buying a used car. One of the most important steps is to make sure to run a used car history report in addition to having a certified mechanic inspect the car on a lift. You can easily end up with a lemon or rebuilt car. When you see a horrific wreck on the highway you probably don't realize that many of those cars end up repaired, rebuilt and sold on the used car marked.
Buying a used car however, if done properly, has its positives. For example, you will get more value for your dollar since someone else has taken the initial depreciation hit when buying new.
Tip #1 - Find the right car for you.
Often we search online for numerous services and companies. Should car buying be any different? Well you shouldn't just go out to used car dealerships and start the shopping process. Go to the local newspaper websites to view the automotive classifieds to view ads for cars that are close to you. However, to get the largest selection, you should search online using used car classifieds sites such as, Cars.com, Edmunds, Car Gurus, to name a few.
Tip #2 - Check Vehicle History Report.
With so many scammer out there. You should never buy a used car without first running a history report. If the VIN isn't clearly listed in the ad and the seller won't give it to you then move on to the next car. They are most likely trying to hide something. Since you are normally buying a used car "As Is," you will want to know about any problems before the purchase. We recommend a Car Fax report to be able to compare your next vehicle's history.
1. A valid Driver License. Matricula consular, Passport are a few other acceptable forms of ID.
2. Recent proof of address. Current utility bill or another mailed document (bank statement).
3. Recent proof of income, Check stubs or bank statements, Self employment and cash job requirements may vary.
As you drive the vehicle turn the radio off and listen for noises, rattles, or grinding sounds. If you hear rattling in the quarter panels, the car may have been in a wreck. See if the car shifts smoothly. Check the heater and the A/C. When the A/C kicks on, listen for grinding noises, which can be a sign of the worn compressor bearings.
As you drive check the alignment, see if the car bears to the left or right. See how the brakes are. Ask the seller when the brake pads were last replaced. Check under the hood to see how clean the engine is. Check the transmission fluid and make sure it's not black. Check the air pressure in the tires and check for uneven wear on the tread. Look for missing or burned out bulbs inside and out. If the car has retractable headlights, make sure they pop up and turn on. Make sure the brake lights, reverse lights and directional lights work.
Tip #5 - Extended Warranties.
If you buy a used car that is no longer covered by the manufactures warranty, you are at risk for expensive repairs. That's why an extended warranties are an essential part of the used car buying process. It's actually not necessary to acquire your warranty directly with the dealership. Carchex and Warranty Direct are two highly reviewed competitors offering extended warranties.
If you buy a 3 or 4 year old used car, chances are that the manufacturer's warranty has expired, don't take the chance if you can avoid it.
Here's a quick checklist you can print and bring with you when going to see your next used car.


text:
You are here: Home / Archives for Organised Crime
Organised crime and terrorism Part IV: Setting examples: Violence as communication in Mexico's Cartel War
This is the fourth, and final, piece in Strife's four-part series exploring the relationship between organised crime and terrorism in a 21st century security environment. The first, second, and third parts can be found here, here, and here, respectively.
By: Joe Atkins
Fire engulfs a casino in Monterrey, killing 52 people. Source: BBC News.
Too often, some conflicts attract attention only when something abnormally brutal happens. This occurred in Nigeria, when the terrorist group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls on 14 April 2014, shocking international audiences. This happened also, some months later, in Mexico. There, in the state of Guerrero, 43 students were kidnapped on 20 September 2014. Two weeks later, local police forces found a mass grave, with the charred and tortured bodies of 28 of them. Mexico's Attorney General claimed that the former mayor of the town of Iguala ordered the massacre, in cooperation with the local cartel, Guerreros Unidos. A year after the fact, however, an international committee, appointed by the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights, expressed serious concerns regarding the Attorney General's account of the event[1]. This sparked doubts about the reliability of this version, which affirms that members of the Guerreros Unidos killed the students, took them to a dump, and burned their bodies. Reports about the federal police's monitoring activity of the students casted a shadow on this episode of brutality[2].
The massacre of the 43 students of Guerrero was a particularly notorious case, even for crime-ridden Mexico. It attracted international attention, constituting a major embarrassment for President Enrique Peña Nieto's government. Outside observers, however, face a daunting task when they try to make sense of Mexico's highly intense violence, made even more difficult given the complexity of the conflict itself. It is no surprise that some commentators simply dismiss violence as devoid of any rational meaning. Actually, the intricate character of the conflict is a problem also for cartels and state authorities themselves. Blurred allegiances and conflicting attributions of blame make communication very difficult. In this context, violence has become a tool to convey information and propaganda.
The Mexico drug war has been going on since 2006 and has caused among 30 and 60 per cent of the 120.000 homicides that occurred in the country between 2006 and 2013[3]. During the last ten years, eight cartels have been competing with each other for the control of the trade routes for cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine. Simultaneously, they have confronted the Mexican state, by corrupting or intimidating police and judiciary officials, by scaring local mayors, and by influencing elections. To add confusion to this already complex situation, allegiances and power relations have been very fluid. Local gangs, in fact, often switch loyalty, while some cartels have been effectively defeated, only to have rivals and offshoots rising in their place. Moreover, several anti-crime forces have been operating, including the Mexican Army and Navy, with various degrees of effectiveness and collusion. Local citizens, finally, have conjured up their own vigilante forces, which have often demonstrated as much brutality as the drug trafficking organisations[4].
In this complicated context, it is often difficult to know who is ruling in a particular area. Thus, cartels and gangs have often decided to make their presence felt by way of cruelty and terror. This already happened during the outburst of drug-related violence in the 1990s, when beheadings became a frequent method to send messages to rival cartels. The new era of "high-intensity crime", however, has renewed and expanded this function of violence.
Now, messages conveyed by violence reach multiple audiences. Politicians are the recipients, as well as police officers, journalists, the armed forces, and the public at large[5]. Violence has become a major communication tool, and its effect is different depending on the receiver. Cartels target members of particular categories to push them to cooperate or to make them neutral; violence, however, hits common citizens as well, sowing confusion among them and paralysing any attempt to revert the drug traffickers' grip on society. Moreover, violence has become so widespread that it is actually possible to identify different types of violence, each of which conveys a particular message from drug trafficking organisations.
Mass killings are one of these types. If we look deeper into Mexico's most dangerous states we can find other massacres like the one in Iguala. In most of them, survivor reports, CCTV videos, or victims' reports pointed out at the Los Zetas cartel, formed by ex-members of Mexico's Special Forces. In 2010, in San Fernando, Tamaulipas state, Los Zetas affiliates killed 72 immigrants from Central and South America, after their refusal to join the cartel or pay extra fees to enter the United States[6]. In 2011, in the same area, Zetas hijacked several passenger buses, raping the women and forcing the able-bodied men to fight among themselves, awarding the survivors with cartel membership[7]; in total, 193 people died. Only some months later, in Monterrey, Nuevo Léon state, a Los Zetas commando fired indiscriminately on customers in a casino, and then started a fire that destroyed the building, killing 52 people in total [8]. In the same area, the year later, 49 bodies were found dumped by a roadside on the Mexican Federal Highway 40[9]. The Los Zetas cartel seems to be responsible for all the mass killings above. The heightened rivalry between Zetas and the Sinaloa cartel over cocaine routes in North-Eastern Mexico is the most likely explanation of this series of indiscriminate violence. Massacres, however, are also a means to maintain the Zetas' reputation as cold-blooded murderers with a taste for bloodshed[10]. It is a tool of psychological warfare. In an environment where violence is everywhere, the need to make its effect felt is even more pressing.
Violence as a communication tool, then, is the by-product of the rivalry among several cartels. This rivalry engenders a "competitive escalation of increasingly extreme and creatively violent acts"[11]. Most of this escalation, for now, resulted in the murder of single persons or of little groups. At its core, the murder in itself is always a message, as its perpetrators usually present it as a punishment, an act of justice. Since the beginning of the conflict, however, it has lost its symbolic strength, simply because there are too many of them[12]. Beheadings were an early method to convey a more forceful message and stun the audience, by showing that cartel members were capable of anything[13]. Even decapitations, however, have become increasingly commonplace, since a group of members of La Familia Michoacana threw five severed heads on a nightclub dance floor to publicise their "divine justice"[14]. With time, then, a whole set of forms of drug-related killing and treatment of corpses has formed, with its own lexicon. These words are quite common among different Mexican cartels and in the media coverage of the drug war. For example, enteipados are bodies wrapped in duct tape; descuartizados are bodies that have been quartered (as the victims of the 2012 Nuevo Leon massacre); encajuelados are bodies left in the trunk of a car; entambados are bodies crammed in barrels; encobijados are bodies wrapped in blankets. In addition, cutting off fingers means that the dead person was a snitch; cutting hands means that the dead was a thief; cutting the tongue means the dead was a police or rival cartel informer, while cutting the foot means the dead was a defector[15]. Finally, bodies are generally left on roadsides, usually half or wholly naked. This happens most often for women, as a means to deprive them of their honour, but also for men, in an attempt to demote their manhood[16]. In Mexico, drug-related murders are seldom a hidden act. On the contrary, narcos leave the bodies in public places, where everyone can see and read the messages on the corpse.
Actual violence, then, has evolved from simple murder, by differentiating into different types, according to quantity, treatment of the body, and ritualized display of it. Another dimension, however, is particularly important in the current inter-cartel war: the broadcasting of violence. Brutal acts committed by cartel members, in fact, are not only important as a local display of strength. With the diffusion of Internet, in fact, their reproduction has become as much a tool of psychological warfare as an integral part of the narcocultura. In the past, cartels had also profited from traditional channels, by devoting attention to timing to guarantee that specific time slots of local television news cover the murders.[17] The online presence of drug trafficking organisations, however, is increasingly important. The Internet has become a major battlefield in the information war, with its own offensives and counter-offensives[18], and cartels and vigilante groups have become its major actors, with the Mexican state present in a lesser degree[19].
Cartels, however, still do not have a vertically organised propaganda strategy, with a coherent graphic style, formalised structures and technical sophistication[20]. Most of the output consists in self-proclaimed cartel members and, in large part, in young men attracted by drug trafficking myths. Cartel online presence, then, is scattered, grassroots, and spontaneous. It is, thus, also more difficult to tackle. This is particularly true for social networks, with reports of cartel activity on Myspace, Youtube[21] and Facebook[22]. Cartel members have used all these online channels to convey threats of violence or pictures and videos of murders and massacres. Apart from mainstream social networks and media sites, moreover, cartel-specific news sites have sprung up, to avoid the self-imposed censorship of local newspapers and to capitalise on narcocultura's increasing success. The foremost example is blogdelnarco.com, which, since its inception in 2010, has become one of Mexico's most visited sites. Blog del Narco broadcasts gruesome pictures of murders and, most famously, videos of interrogations, usually featuring the torture and homicide of the hostage[23]. In this way, cartel members humiliate the victim, as well as the rival cartels; they spread fear among their affiliates and show how the government is weak, if the victim is a police officer.
Outside commentators often define violence in the Mexican cartel war as "meaningless". This assertion, as we have seen, is hardly true. Violence, first, serves as a way of settling disputes and punishing. This is not its only function, though. From the cartel's perspective, violence is most effective when rival cartels, government forces, and the local population get to know that cartel justice has stricken. The communication of violence, thus, is an essential part of the act of kidnapping, torturing, or killing. As drug trafficking organisations lack the communication strategy and hierarchy that terrorist groups retain, every affiliate or group of affiliates participates in the larger information war, by acting, by leaving messages, and by broadcasting them via television or the Internet. The combined effect of this phenomenon is to sow confusion among those who fight the cartels and to establish a climate of constant, ever-lasting fear among a paralysed population.
Joe Atkins is an MA student in Latin American Studies. His interest in the Mexican drug war stems from an older fascination for Mexican culture and literature. He is also studying welfare and politics in the Central American countries.
[1] Paulina Villegas, Experts Reject Official Account of How 43 Mexican Students Were Killed, New York Times, Sep. 6, 2015. Available on http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/07/world/experts-reject-official-account-of-how-43-mexican-students-vanished.html, accessed on February 4, 2016.
[2] Ed Vulliamy, One year ago, 43 Mexican students were killed. Still, there are no answers for their family, The Guardian, Sep. 20, 2015. Available on http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/20/mexico-43-killed-students-, accessed on February 4, 2016.
[3] Brianna Lee, Mexico's Drug War, Council for Foreign Relations, March 5, 2014. Available on http://www.cfr.org/mexico/mexicos-drug-war/p13689, accessed on February 4, 2016.
[4] George W. Grayson, Threat Posed by Mounting Vigilantism in Mexico, Carlisle Barracks, PA, U.S. Army War College – Strategic Studies Institute, Sep. 2011.
[5] Howard Campbell, Narco-Propaganda in the Mexican "Drug War". An Anthropological Perspective, Latin American Perspectives, Issue 195, Vol. 41 No. 2, March 2014, p. 64.
[6] Randal C. Archibold, Victims of Massacre in Mexico Said to Be Migrants, New York Times, Aug. 25, 2010. Available on http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/26/world/americas/26mexico.html, accessed on February 4, 2016.
[7] Adam C. Estes, Mexico's Tales of Bus Passengers Forced to Fight to Death, The Wire, Jun. 14, 2011. Available on http://www.thewire.com/global/2011/06/gladiator-death-fights-mexico-drug-war/38812/#disqus_thread, accessed on February 4, 2016.
[8] Simon Rogers, Mexico's drug war visualized, The Guardian, Jan 31, 2012. Available on http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/graphic/2012/jan/31/mexico-drug-war-visualised, accessed on February 5, 2016.
[9] BBC News, Mexico violence: Monterrey police find 49 bodies, 13 May 2012. Available on http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-18052540, accessed on February 5, 2016.
[10] Ioan Grillo, Special Report – Mexico's Zetas rewrite drug war in blood, May 23, 2012. Available on http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mexico-drugs-zetas-idUKBRE84M0MF20120523, accessed on February 5, 2016.
[11] Campbell, p. 64.
[12] A facilitating condition of the increase in cartel-related deaths has been the diminishing costs of killers-to-hire. Estimates of a killer's pay for a single murder in 2001 were in the range of $12.000; in 2011, cartels paid from $500 to $650 per month for indeterminate killings and other acts of violence. Paul Rextor Kan, Cartels at War, Washington, D.C., Potomac Books, 2012, p. 26.
[13] Kan, p. 29.
[14] BBC News, Human heads dumped in Mexico bar, 7 September 2006. Available on http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5322160.stm, accessed on February 5, 2016.
[15] America Y. Guevara, Propaganda in Mexico's Drug War, Journal of Strategic Security, 6, no. 3, 2013, p. 138.
[16] Campbell, pp. 65-66.
[18] Robert J. Bunker, The Growing Mexican Cartel and Vigilante War in Cyberspace, Small Wars Journal, Nov. 2011, pp. 1-4.
[19] Guevara, p. 150.
[20] Sarah Womer, Robert J. Bunker, Sureños gangs and Mexican cartel use of social networking sites, Small Wars & Insurgencies, 21:1, 2010, pp. 91-92.
[21] Womer, Bunker, pp. 86-89.
[22] Juan-Camilo Castilo, The Mexican Cartels' employment of Inform and Influence Activities (IIA) as tools of Asymmetrical Warfare, University of Kwazulu-Natal, 2014, p. 4.
Filed Under: Blog Article Tagged With: Cartel, Mexico, Organised Crime, terrorism, Violence, War on Drugs
Organised crime and terrorism Part III: Letters from Dubai: D-Company' and the '93 Mumbai terror attacks
This is the third piece in Strife's four-part series exploring the relationship between organised crime and terrorism in a 21st century security environment. The first and second parts can be found here and here, respectively.
By: Andrea Varsori
The aftermath of the bomb near the headquarters of the Shiv Sena. Source: India Times
Rags-to-riches criminal overlords do not normally lack ambition; yet, most of them do not aim to claim the title of 'Protectors of the Faith'. Their daily worries are mostly concerned with assuring that their network of businesses runs smoothly, that officials are sufficiently bribed or intimidated, and that all their underlings actually remain loyal. However, even the most business-minded criminal bosses can develop a sense of allegiance to their own community, be it ethnic or religious. In times of sectarian violence, these overlords may decide to act to defend their people. This decision may be completely at odds with the logic of the criminal enterprise: it entails a potential backlash from the authorities and the larger public. During sectarian conflicts, however, their reputation is at stake: inaction may spark doubts about a boss' ability to project his own power, thus encouraging rivals to try to take over his networks. The boss' community may also feel betrayed, and may begin to sabotage the boss' illicit trade and favour someone else. There is no simple way to solve this problem.
Dawood Ibrahim probably never had this kind of thoughts before December 1992. At that time, Ibrahim was one of the most powerful citizens of Mumbai, although he was no longer a resident. He was born in the southern part of the city in 1955, the eldest son in a low-income family of ten. After dropping out of school, he gradually resorted to extortions and robbing, eventually ending up smuggling goods in local markets. The major boost to his career arrived while in jail: there, in fact, he managed to earn the trust of Haji Mastan and Yusuf Patel, two of the most important smugglers of the city.[1] Having understood Dawood's ambition, they entrusted him with their business before retiring. By the time Dawood was free again, he had thus gained access to Mastan's and Patel's resources. Starting from there, he used both ruthless violence and cunning to profit from the weaknesses of the most important gang in Mumbai, led by Pathans from Afghanistan. By 1982, he had managed to kill the new leader of this gang; however, the Mumbai police was often able to prove his complicity in most of his gang's crimes, and he was visiting prison quite often. On 4 May 1984, he jumped bail and fled to Dubai.[2]
In Dubai, then a major haven for smugglers, he managed to build a massive network of illegal and legal businesses. This network included both Muslims and Hindus, as it had often been the case in earlier criminal gangs of Mumbai. What became known as 'D-Company' — from the first letter of Dawood — smuggled in gold, silver, electronic goods, and textiles; it extorted protection from businessmen and occasionally solved disputes between them.[3] In Dubai, Ibrahim built for himself a luxurious mansion, where he organised lavish parties, inviting Mumbai's most famous celebrities, cricketers, and politicians. His story was that of a boy from Dongri who had successfully taken control of entire criminal enterprises and who had silenced rival Hindu dons: in Mumbai, Muslims in the slums started to see him as an empowering model, as a vindicator of the Islamic minority. He could not return to his own city, however, as he knew that the police was waiting for him. This constraint became a problem for him and his associates when the Mumbai riots began in December 1992.
It all started in Ayodhya, 1,460km northeast of Mumbai. In this region, Hindu mythology claimed that Ram, one of the avatars of Vishnu, was born; a temple stood on the exact place of Ram's birth. In 1523, Mahmud of Ghazni, commander of an army of Muslim invaders from Central Asia, conquered the area and destroyed the temple of Ram. In its place, he built the Babri Masjid, or Babur's Mosque, in honour of the first Moghul Emperor. The memory of these events contributed to embittered relations between Hindus and Muslims in the area. In the 1980s, the Hindu Sangh Parivar (HSP), an umbrella organisation including several Hindu nationalist groups, aimed to revive the dispute. The members of its various branches claimed that the mosque had to be closed and destroyed, in order to build a new, bigger temple to Ram. The victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), itself a part of HSP, at the local state elections in 1991 decided the fate of the mosque. One year later, the government transferred the property of the land on which the Masjid stood to a Hindu organisation charged with constructing a new temple; volunteers destroyed all buildings surrounding the mosque.[4] On 6 December 1992, a crowd of 150,000 Hindu nationalist militants summoned by the main leaders managed to overcome a weak police presence and razed to the ground the Babri Masjid.[5]
This was an insult for many Indian Muslims. The destruction of the mosque in Ayodhya was followed by six days of intense riots. In Mumbai, Muslim mobs started targeting temples; the police, in a desperate attempt to control the violence, fired on looters, while Hindus retaliated on mosques.[6] This cycle of riots in Mumbai left 227 dead: around two-thirds of the victims were Muslims, while only 15% of the whole city population at that time was Islamic.[7] In January 1993, a new sequence of riots occurred: this time, the troubles lasted for ten days, and caused 557 dead and more than 2.000 injured[8]. As in the December riots, the Islamic population had been disproportionally hit by the violence.
As the riots went on, Dawood Ibrahim kept receiving discomforting news. Furious rioters were explicitly targeting Muslim men and women; after days of communal violence, angry mobs began to protest against him, shouting "Dawood to death."[9] They felt betrayed: he seemed distant, powerless, and unable to protect them. This belief could become rapidly damaging to Dawood's reputation and business. As the riots abated, sectarian tension did not decrease: by the end of January 1993, Dawood had finally decided to exact revenge for the riots.
He ultimately did not need to do much. He helped to hold meetings in Dubai with powerful Mumbai Muslim criminals, along with representatives of the "concerned Muslims" from the Arab world. He permitted weapons and explosives to be smuggled in India through the routes he controlled. Last, but not least, he provided the connection with the Pakistani secret services, the Inter Service Intelligence (ISI).
The plan to hit Mumbai proceeded. On the afternoon of Friday, 12 March 1993, a group of affiliates of Dawood's smuggling networks struck the city with the widest and most complex set of bombing ever seen in a single city and on a single day. Ten explosions rocked the city between 1.28pm and 3.35pm. The bombs targeted different core points, from the Mumbai Stock Exchange, to the Katha Bazaar, the city's largest wholesale market for grain and spice, and then to the Plaza Cinema, one of the symbols of the city's burgeoning movie industry. At the end of the day, 257 persons were dead and 713 more were injured.[10]
Naturally, one of the targets was also the headquarters of the Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena party, a part of the HSP. The Shiv Sena had a prominent role in advocating the destruction of the Babri Masjid and in fostering anti-Muslim propaganda. A bomb exploded near an oil pump, on the side of the main building: four people died, no members of the Shiv Sena were among them. Nonetheless, the location of the bomb made very clear what was the target and the sectarian allegiance of those who had placed it. Communal riots could have been the first logical consequence.
Fortunately, police forces managed to avert this potential outcome. Moreover, the brutality and breadth of the attacks had shocked most Mumbai citizens into terror, rather than rage. As soon as the smoke from the explosions had settled, however, the police started connecting the dots. It was apparent from the beginning that this act of terrorism required a complex organization and uncommon skills. On 15 March, the Times of India claimed that "hi-tech terrorism" had arrived in India.[11] At that time, this type of terrorism had several harbingers; apart from the LTTE (the Tamil Tigers), most of them were Islamic fundamentalist organizations.
Right from the beginning, however, Dawood's fame turned against him: his name was the first to appear in the theories that tried to explain the attacks.[12] The lack of training and discipline on the part of the terrorists also helped the police tremendously. During the bombings, in fact, some of them were reaching by van the buildings that hosted the city and the Maharashtra state administration, with the intent of murdering every BJP member they could find. As they passed near one of the target locations, however, a bomb exploded, and they abruptly decided to abort the mission.[13] Therefore, they left their van behind, filled with weapons and explosives. When the police found the vehicle, it became a decisive lead for the investigators, as the van's owner was a relative of Tiger Memon.
As the Mumbai police officers soon discovered, Memon was the centrepiece of the bombing plot. The son of a part-time worker, second among six, he grew up in a decaying, crowded building in Pydhonie – a mostly Muslim zone of South Mumbai. After a failed attempt as a bank cashier, he started his criminal career as a chauffeur for local smugglers. He was quickly noticed for his recklessness and his knowledge of the city; this earned him an invitation to Dubai, where he became a gold carrier. In a few years, he took charge of all smuggling operations from Mumbai; a sumptuous wedding in 1985 and the opening of an office in the city's financial quarters definitively confirmed his rise.[14]
Tiger Memon had been the true organiser and motivator behind the attacks. He supported from the beginning Dawood's decision to retaliate for the anti-Muslim riots. He was in charge of smuggling the weapons and he knew exactly how they could best reach Mumbai: by arriving on the coast, 250km south of the city.[15] He profited from the same techniques, connections, and intelligence that he used when transporting gold and electronic goods. He also selected the people that could deliver the bombs: they were all members of his network. After choosing his affiliates, he organised their military training in Pakistan; he visited the training camp for some days, according to one of the participants.[16] Most importantly, after giving his men a final rousing speech, the evening before the attacks, he left on a 4am flight to Dubai to join his large family.[17]
Later judiciary proceedings confirmed Tiger Memon's role. The final judgement on the bombings arrived on 21 March 2013, with a sentence by the Supreme Court of India, which upheld prison sentences for most of the accused. Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Memon, however, have not yet faced trial: they have gone into hiding, possibly in Pakistan; Dawood's new house has been traced to Karachi as late as 2006.[18] Still, their departure from Dubai and the greater attention on the part of the authorities have taken their toll on Ibrahim's and Memon's criminal network. The decision to help to stage the attacks has divided the 'D-Company' along religious lines: in 1996, Chhota Rajan, one of Dawood's main subordinates, formed his own gang in retaliation for the 1993 bombings. Rajan was Hindu, as most of his own affiliates: the schism caused a flare-up of gang-related homicides in Mumbai, with more than a hundred people dead.[19]
Dawood's decision to act, then, caused permanent damages to his criminal syndicate. Sectarian division has certainly harmed 'D-Company's' activity after infighting broke out in the late 1990s. The public nature of the 1993 terrorist attack, moreover, provided too much unwanted attention for a criminal organisation. Dawood's choice can be explained by paying attention to the dual nature of his role as a 'Don': he had been both the man in charge for a criminal firm's success and the potential avenger of the Muslim minorities of Mumbai. He decided to act to fulfil the latter role, instead of the former. The fact that he is not serving a prison sentence in India shows that he had some guarantees on his own personal safety. In this perspective, a crisis of his own criminal network may have seemed as a reasonable price to pay.
Andrea is an MPhil candidate at the Department of War Studies. His research project focuses on security issues in mega-cities: in particular, he is interested in the role of the urban environment in shaping organized criminal and political violence. He tweets at @Andrea_Varsori
[1] Zaidi, S. H., Black Friday. The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts, New Delhi, Penguin Books, 2002, pp. 21-23.
[2] Zaidi, p. 25.
[3] Zaidi, p. 26-27.
[4]McLeod, J., The History of India, Santa Barbara, CA, Greenwood Publishing, 2015, p. 194.
[5] Stein, B., D. Arnold, A History of India, Chichester, John Wiley & Sons, 2010, pp. 411-412.
[6] Padgaonkar, D. (ed.), When Bombay Burned, New Delhi, UBS Publishers, 1993, pp. IX-XI.
[7] Padgaonkar, p. XVI.
[8] Padgaonkar, pp. 42-100.
[10] Zaidi, pp. 1-17.
[11] High-tech Terrorism, The Times of India, March 15, 1993.
[12] Hypotheses about his involvement started to appear on that same Friday and right afterwards. Zaidi, p. 104; Padgaonkar, p. 169.
[13] Zaidi, p. 94.
[14] Zaidi, pp. 31-36.
[18] Khan, A., Tiger Memon wanted to bomb plane at Sahar Airport to avenge Mumbai riots, says 1993 bomb blasts accused, India Today, August 1, 2015. Available on http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/tiger-memon-wanted-to-bomb-plane-at-sahar-airport-to-avenge-mumbai-riots/1/455519.html .
[19] Swami, P., Mumbai's Mafia Wars, Frontline, Vol. 16, March-April 1999. Available on http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl1607/16070420.htm .
Filed Under: Blog Article Tagged With: D-Company, India, Mumbai, Organised Crime, terrorism, Violence
Organised crime and terrorism Part I: Godfathers and bombs – organised crime and terrorist tactics
This introductory piece is the first in a four-part series exploring the relationship between organised crime and terrorism in a 21st century security environment.
Source: Interpol
The general understanding of how criminal organisations work implies that the leaders of those groups are mostly discreet, business-minded folks[1]. After all, criminal organisations have one, big task that influences their entire agenda: they want to make money. They are criminal because they use illicit means, like coercion or bribes, or because they deal in illegal goods, or both. According to this view, most of the time profit is their major objective. Rivalries and fights may start when there are misgivings on who gains the most from a deal, or when rivals start to use coercive means to gain control of greater shares of the market. Still, according to this view, the most reasonable Dons know that indiscriminate violence is a tool to be used only in very peculiar occasions. Normally, it is at best useless, or at worst outright dangerous.
Nonetheless, violence is fundamental for mafias and gangs in most cases. Criminal organisations use it to extort money from legitimate firms; to safeguard the secrecy of important information; to punish those who do not fall in line. They can also sell violence, to create 'protection rings'[2] or to assert monopolies. Most importantly, they can play a leading role in limiting potential violence: that is, they structure a widespread, individual, anomic violence into something more organised, more ready to exploit economies of scale, and definitely more dangerous. At their best, mafias can mimic the state or rule where the latter does not arrive, establishing their own practices and rituals. Thus, an efficient criminal group learns to administer violence to impose a set of rules: it sets itself as judge, jury, and executioner; it masters violence, so that only the threat of action is enough to quell any opposition.
To the wise godfather, then, terrorism is arguably the nemesis. In its most brutal, spectacular form, which nowadays has taken the form of the threat of Daesh, it is a double-edged knife for a criminal organisation. This knife, however, has the sharper edge facing its own user. A criminal group stands to lose from the use of terrorist tactics: terrorism forces the state to focus all attention on the authors, as it constitutes the ultimate danger to a state's authority and legitimacy. Also, indiscriminate violence often generates a huge backlash from the civil society: thus, criminal organisations, which thrive and prosper in an underworld of secrecy and corruption, may be crushed by the reaction to a terrorist event.
This does not mean that terror and crime can never be partners. More often than not, terrorist organisations adopt ways and techniques from the criminal world. The most obvious application is for financing[3]: terrorist groups have long been dealing in extortion and blackmail (as for the IRA in Northern Ireland[4]), or in illicit trade (as for the FARC in Colombia[5], or the Taliban in Afghanistan[6]), in order to get the money to further their political activities. Seeing it happen the other way around, however, is quite rarer.
This series will focus on this latter type of the crime/terror nexus. Why should a criminal organisation use dangerous terrorist tactics? Which kind of objective is it pursuing? Is this an entirely new phenomenon? We will deal with these questions all along the three parts of our Series. First, Martin Stein will explore the bombings of 1992-93 in Italy and their role in the struggle between the Sicilian Mafia and the Italian State; then, the Bombay bombings of March 1993 will be covered, and how one of the most famous Indian dons, Dawood Ibrahim, was part of the plot to hit India; finally, Joe Atkins will review the cases of mass killings and 'disappearances' in Mexico, exploring how terror is widely used as a tool to assert control on a frightened population. The varied scope of these articles will highlight different aspects of the link between criminal organisations and the use of terror. In Italy, bombings were part of a precise strategy to intimidate the Italian state; in India, the attacks were motivated by religious reasons and by Ibrahim's intent to appear still as the protector of Bombay Muslims; in Mexico, terror seems to constitute a 'normal' part of 'cartel justice', thus delivering worrying parallels between 'narco-warriors' and fundamentalists.
[1] The outmost example of this perspective is the economic analysis of organized crime, whereas the criminal organisation is analysed as a particular type of firm. See Fiorentini, G., S. Peltzman (eds.), The economics of organized crime, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1995, pp. 87-108. A view of criminal organisations as risk-averse groups that prefer to hide or corrupt rather than fight is also used in political science. See B. Lessing, Logics of Violence in Criminal War, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 59(8), 2015, p. 1497.
[2] D. Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia: the business of private protection, Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press, 1993.
[3] For the broader issue of the financing of terrorist organization, see the Winter 2015 Strife Series: https://strifeblog.org/2015/01/07/financing-terror-a-strife-4-part-series/ .
[4] J. Burns, Dealing in the business of fear, Financial Times, 7 January 1992.
[5] P. Chalk, The Latin American Drug Trade, Santa Monica, CA., Rand Corp., 2011, pp. 15-18.
[6] A. Giustozzi (ed.), Decoding the New Taliban. Insights from the Afghan Field, London, Hurst Publishers, 2009, pp. 7-22, 150.
Filed Under: Blog Article Tagged With: Daesh, Mafia, Organised Crime, terrorism, Violence
CSD2014 Conference 'Organised Crime in Conflict Zones'
The CSD2014 Conference 'Organised Crime in Conflict Zones' will take place on the 6th of March, 2014. Organised by postgraduate students from the Conflict, Security and Development (CSD) programme at King's College London (KCL) and supported by the War Studies Department, the conference will be held at the Great Hall of the Strand Campus.
The one-day event will focus on transnational organised crime, a multi-billion pound global business and an area of growing international concern. The programme will address the conflict-crime nexus and focus on three key areas of organised crime. These are drug trafficking, terrorist criminality and human trafficking. The conference objective is to address gaps in policy and scholarship, and to encourage research into this subject of growing relevance.
The event will benefit from contributions of leading policymakers, practitioners and academics in the field. Confirmed speakers include:
Nigel Inkster, Director of Transnational Threats and Political Risk at the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) and Chairman of the World Economic Forum's Committee on Terrorism.
Lynellyn D. Long, Chair of Trustees at 'Her Equality, Rights and Autonomy' (HERA) – Women Entrepreneurs Against Trafficking and former Chief of Mission of the International Organisation for Migration in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Charlie Edwards, Senior Research Fellow and Director of National Security and Resilience Studies at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
Parosha Chandran, award-winning human rights barrister at 1 Pump Court Chambers in London and co-founder of the Trafficking Law and Policy Forum.
Lt. Gen. Jonathon Riley, former honorary Colonel of the Royal Welch Fusiliers and visiting professor at the War Studies Department of KCL. Lt. Gen. Riley commanded British peacekeeping forces in Bosnia, Sierra Leone, Iraq & Afghanistan and was Deputy Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan (2007-2009).
The total of 14 speakers will address the root causes of organised crime, connections to conflict, strategic responses and forward-looking policy implications.
For more information on the conference and our speakers, please visit our website at: http://csd2014.wordpress.com/speakers-profiles/
Preferential rates are available for students, to purchase tickets please go to: http://estore.kcl.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&modid=2&deptid=17&catid=16&prodid=318
For any queries please contact us at: csdc.kcl@gmail.com
We hope that you are able to join us at the Great Hall and be part of this exciting new venture.
CSD2014 Organising Committee
CSD2014 Blog, Facebook, Twitter
Filed Under: Blog Article, Uncategorized Tagged With: Conference, Conflict Zones, Organised Crime


The offices for IELTS Calgary and IELTS Edmonton are located in Calgary.
Located in the heart of one of Canada's most vibrant cities, GV Calgary is known for its great staff, the international community of its student body, and its stunning English school. We offer English classes in General ESL at eight levels and English courses in IELTS, Business English, TESOL, and Cambridge First Certificate. We also have evening classes in IELTS preparation in Calgary.
We have been an IELTS testing center in Calgary since 2005.
In Edmonton, GV Calgary has been serving candidates since March 2015.
Please select the location you would like to take your test.
*Please note that the Edmonton test venue details will be communicated via email once candidates are confirmed for the test.


text:
"""Utilities that are distro specific for use on Debian 9."""

from google_compute_engine.distro_lib import helpers
from google_compute_engine.distro_lib import ip_forwarding_utils
from google_compute_engine.distro_lib import utils

class Utils(utils.Utils):
  """Utilities used by Linux guest services on Debian 9."""

  def EnableIpv6(self, interfaces, logger, dhclient_script=None):
    """Configure the network interfaces for IPv6 using dhclient.

    Args:
      interface: string, the output device names for enabling IPv6.
      logger: logger object, used to write to SysLog and serial port.
      dhclient_script: string, the path to a dhclient script used by dhclient.
    """
    helpers.CallEnableRouteAdvertisements(interfaces, logger)
    helpers.CallDhclientIpv6(interfaces, logger)

  def DisableIpv6(self, interfaces, logger):
    """Disable Ipv6 by giving up the DHCP lease using dhclient.

    Args:
      interface: string, the output device names for enabling IPv6.
      logger: logger object, used to write to SysLog and serial port.
    """
    helpers.CallDhclientIpv6(interfaces, logger, None, release_lease=True)

  def EnableNetworkInterfaces(self, interfaces, logger, dhclient_script=None):
    """Enable the list of network interfaces.

    Args:
      interfaces: list of string, the output device names to enable.
      logger: logger object, used to write to SysLog and serial port.
      dhclient_script: string, the path to a dhclient script used by dhclient.
    """
    helpers.CallDhclient(interfaces, logger)

  def HandleClockSync(self, logger):
    """Sync the software clock with the hypervisor clock.

    Args:
      logger: logger object, used to write to SysLog and serial port.
    """
    helpers.CallHwclock(logger)

  def IpForwardingUtils(self, logger, proto_id=None):
    """Get system IP address configuration utilities.

    Args:
      logger: logger object, used to write to SysLog and serial port.
      proto_id: string, the routing protocol identifier for Google IP changes.
    """
    return ip_forwarding_utils.IpForwardingUtilsIproute(logger, proto_id)

  def RestartNetworking(self, logger):
    """Restart the networking service to force a DHCP refresh.

    Args:
      logger: logger object, used to write to SysLog and serial port.
    """
    helpers.SystemctlRestart('networking', logger)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub