For the Fall 2016 Yale Film Colloquium film series, we planned a series of films on the theme of transportation in cinema, including the films Speed, Closely Watched Trains, Luna Papa, Meek's Cutoff, Christopher Strong, and Thelma and Louise. I wrote the program notes for Meek's Cutoff, the fourth film in the series on November 7th, which I thought I would share here as well.
Meek's Cutoff, the 2010 western directed by Kelly Reichardt, counters the relentless speed which began our Start Your Engines: Transportation in Cinema series with a style of filmmaking prioritizing the slowness, the silence, and the uncertainty in a form of transportation that cinema has memorialized as a dynamic and triumphant movement westward. While John Ford's Stagecoach gave us the thrill and terror of the encounter with the "Wild West" through a chase and a gunfight canonized in film history forever, Reichardt's approach to a group of unlucky travelers on the Oregon Trail divests the West of bursts of adrenaline in favor of a long, increasing tension, a tension which maintains the irreconcilable ambiguity of western settlement and the modernizing impulse which underlies cinema's own fixation on the machines of transportation and the mechanics of speed.
The genre of the western, eternally returning in new forms throughout film history and in national cinemas around the world, centers on the struggle of modernity to spread to the places and the people whose exclusion from the realm of civilized society is what gave civilization its definition and its power. This negotiation has never been straightforward; even the most stereotypical cowboys versus Indians style of western has embedded in it a love of wildness, a celebration of freedom despite the inevitable filmic conclusion of civilization's victory over its alternatives. The balance between "primitive" freedom and "civilized" control is the contradiction at the center of the hero of the classical western, a masculine figure whose position on the fringes of the society he upholds makes safe the contradiction we suspect lurks at the heart of every attempt at defining the self, the present, and the nation which relies on the clear exteriorization of all that is other.
In Meek's Cutoff, Reichardt counters the traditional dichotomies propelling the western genre with a vision of western movement which prioritizes everyday labor, decisions, and anxiety. In the space of the trail, neither civilization nor natural landscape can be fully beautified: the attempts at settled culture the travelers repeat are inevitably dwarfed by a vast unsettled space, promising no water or life for miles, completely unknown. During the day, their faces are always hidden under brimmed hats or bonnets or otherwise shadowed, divided sharply from the brightness and expanse of the landscape which menaces them with heat and thirst; during night scenes, they are obscured in a darkness so complete you will be happy see this film on a big screen in a darkened theater (believe me.) They can trust neither their hired guide, Meek, whose arrogance suggests the rugged masculine individuality deified in western conquest, nor the Native American they find and capture, who has every reason to prefer to lead them into a trap. Centering the narrative on the women travelers, who must sit and listen while their husbands discuss life-and-death decisions, Meek's Cutoff offers no heroic figure in the classical sense; instead, Emily Tetherow, played by Michelle Williams, emerges as the central figure of a collective, a woman who learns to make choices with no narrative guarantee of a settled conclusion.
Most noticeably, the film's pace is slow to the point of being anticinematic, working against the teleological logic of the western, the film, and modernity itself, which pushes narratives and progress forward on the rapidly spinning wheels of cause and effect as they clatter through firefights and love affairs to arrive safely in a settled town. Film developed for global consumption a form of time which was chopped into pieces, occurring simultaneously, based on visual logics which, at some point, we spectators must have learned to understand, because they are utterly different from how we experience everyday time. Filmic time was, perhaps, a later, mechanized offshoot of the time of modernity, which transformed and often dominated understandings of time by conquered and colonized people as Western European powers expanded in power and influence. By slowing and stretching the filmic time, Meek's Cutoff works against America's own favorite narrative of modern progress, that of the western, with a story that returns to the west its unsettled time, a time with no promise of ending.
Beyond these concerns of genre and time, Meek's Cutoff expressed for me something which I often have trouble describing to people I've met in adulthood. I didn't grow up in the American West, but in the landscape of Meek's Cutoff I can feel something that reminds me of the countryside where I did grow up, a space where silence is so complete every conversation feels like an intrusion, where the sky dominates the visual field down to an endless stretch of unreadable alien land, and where we'd walk for miles in boredom and communion, remarking only on the land and the work. While contemporary Pennsylvania farmland lacks the sense of jeopardy of the Oregon Trail in 1845, that landscape remained within me as a source of silence and of dread even as I escaped to the overbuilt coasts. Sometimes, in the middle of an action movie fight scene, when the average shot lengths are dangerously approaching the milliseconds, I think about that space. Watching Meek's Cutoff, I wonder if, underneath the current speed of cinema and its rebellious media children, is a fear of that space which cannot be framed and that time which cannot be cut.


text:
1Cast
4.1Ratings
4.2Critical reception
4.3Awards
Des (TV series)
British TV series
British TV series or program
Killing for Company by Brian Masters[1]
Luke Neal (episodes 1, 2)
Kelly Jones (episode 3)[1]
Lewis Arnold
Daniel Mays
Jason Watkins
Theme music composer
Sarah Warne
David Meanti
Sacha Szwarc
Original network
2:1 1080i
Surround sound 5.1
14 September (2020-09-14) –
16 September 2020 (2020-09-16)
Des is a British three-part television drama miniseries,[2] based on the 1983 arrest of Scottish serial killer Dennis Nilsen,[3] after the discovery of human remains causing the blockage of a drain near his home.[1] The series premiered on 14 September 2020.[4]
Cast[edit]
David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen, serial killer
Daniel Mays as Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay
Jason Watkins as biographer Brian Masters
Ron Cook as DSI Geoff Chambers
Barry Ward as DI Steve McCusker
Doc Brown as DC Brian Lodge (Credited as Ben Bailey)
Ross Anderson as Douglas Stewart, one of the attempted murder victims
Laurie Kynaston as Carl Stottor, one of the attempted murder victims
Jamie Parker as Allan Green QC, trial prosecution counsel
Pip Torrens as Ivan Lawrence QC, trial defence counsel
Ken Bones as Justice David Croom-Johnson, trial judge
Bronagh Waugh as Charlotte Proctor
Ibinabo Jack as Lesley Mead
Directed by [1]
Written by [1]
Original air date [4]
UK viewers
Episode 1 Lewis Arnold Luke Neal 14 September 2020 (2020-09-14) 11.95
Episode 3 Lewis Arnold Kelly Jones 16 September 2020 (2020-09-16) 10.93
In November 2019, production began on Des,[1] starring David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen.[5]
The drama is the ninth in a sequence of ITV miniseries featuring notorious British murder cases of the past two centuries, following on from This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper (2000), Shipman (2002), A Is for Acid (2002), The Brides in the Bath (2003), See No Evil: The Moors Murders (2006), Appropriate Adult (2011), Dark Angel (2016), In Plain Sight (2016). The next in the sequence is The Pembrokeshire Murders (2021).
Ratings[edit]
The premiere episode was watched live by 5.4 million viewers on ITV, a benchmark previously hit in 2019 with Cleaning Up. The peak was 5.9 and nearly a third of all viewers were watching it at the time of its airing.[6]
The series was well received by critics and described as a "sensitive, finely worked drama showing the unrelentingly bleak reality of the monstrous narcissist".[7] Tennant's performance was considered "one of his best in an impeccable career".[8]
Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 89%. The website's critics consensus reads, "Des is a smartly scripted, sufficiently eerie true crime drama anchored by a chilling performance from David Tennant."[9]
Awards[edit]
In 2021, David Tennant won the International Emmy Award for Best Actor, at the 49th International Emmy Awards, for his role in the show.
^ a b c d e f "ITV commissions three part drama, Des - with David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen". ITV Press Center. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
^ "David Tennant says TV drama Des 'does not celebrate' killer Dennis Nilsen". BBC News. 13 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
^ "David Tennant stars as Dennis Nilson in gripping first-look trailer for ITV drama Des". Radio Times. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
^ a b Cremona, Patrick (11 September 2020). "When is Des on ITV? When David Tennant's true crime drama starts". Radio Times. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
^ Wilson, Benji (28 August 2020). "How David Tennant transformed himself into serial killer Dennis Nilsen". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
^ Warner, Sam (15 September 2020). "David Tennant's Des has broken a ratings record for ITV". Digital Spy. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
^ Mangan, Lucy (14 September 2020). "Des review – David Tennant excels as a perfectly ordinary serial killer". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
^ Ling, Thomas (14 September 2020). "Des review: David Tennant is superb in ITV series with killer flaw". Radio Times. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
^ "Des". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
Des at IMDb
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Des_(TV_series)&oldid=1123298170"
2020 British television series debuts
2020 British television series endings
2020s British crime drama television series
2020s British LGBT-related drama television series
2020s British police procedural television series
2020s British television miniseries
Cultural depictions of British men
Cultural depictions of male serial killers
English-language television shows
ITV crime dramas
ITV miniseries
Television series about serial killers
Television series by All3Media
Television series set in 1983
Television series set in the 1970s
Television shows set in London
True crime television series
Use dmy dates from February 2020
IMDb ID same as Wikidata

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Brain Scans May Predict Optimal Mental Health Treatments
Imaging technologies could find the best treatments for depression and addiction—and could even reshape education
By John Gabrieli on March 1, 2018
Credit: Amy Martin
There is a dearth of effective treatments for mental illnesses. The drugs and talk therapies available today tend to help some people but not others. Medical professionals need better ways to tailor treatments to individual patients.
Brain scans show promise in predicting who will benefit from a given therapy. Differences in neural activity may one day tell clinicians which depression treatment will be most effective for an individual or which abstinent alcoholics will relapse.
The same kind of diagnostic techniques could help educators and students. One type of magnetic resonance imaging, for instance, has already predicted better than standard testing which dyslexic children would make progress in reading.
Every day people with common mental health difficulties receive prescriptions for therapies that will not help them. Finding treatments that work for these patients entails an arduous process of trial and error. Each failed therapy risks leaving a patient despondent about whether anything will ever help.
Depression illustrates poignantly what can go wrong. By most measures, half to two thirds of patients diagnosed with depression will fail to benefit from any particular treatment. Research protocols for depression consist of clinical trials that typically evaluate the general effectiveness of a drug or behavioral therapy based on the average benefit for a patient. They overlook, however, the wide range of individual patient outcomes, ranging from full recovery to no benefit at all. The largest and longest evaluation of drug treatment for depression, a National Institutes of Health study of thousands of patients at multiple U.S. health care institutions called STAR*D, illustrates what can happen. Every patient in the study received an initial drug, and about a third showed major improvements. Only about a quarter of those who failed to respond to the first drug benefited from the second. After a third and fourth prescription for other drugs, 70 percent of patients demonstrated substantial progress. But most had to experience one or more treatment failures before finding a drug that worked.
Failed treatments not only prolong distress, they also discourage patients from seeking help. Participants in STAR*D knew they had possible access to other treatments in the next phase of the study, but even so many gave up. A substantial number of patients dropped out of the study after an initial failed pharmaceutical treatment, about 30 percent after a second therapy and about 42 percent following a third. (Behavioral treatment of depression using the form of talk therapy known as cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, also yields a strong benefit for about half of patients.)
Explanations for the difficulties psychiatrists face relate to the imprecisions and economic imperatives of drug development. Two people diagnosed with the same mental health disorder can respond in wholly different ways to the same drug treatment because of the current inability to assess who will respond to which treatment. Yet pharmaceutical companies typically aim for the largest possible market rather than tailoring treatment to smaller patient groups that exhibit a specific form of depression or another psychiatric disorder. Drug developers also lack the tools to implement a more precise approach. Diagnostic techniques to predict whether a person will profit from a given treatment are not part of routine medical practice.
In recent years various brain-imaging techniques, combined with sophisticated algorithms that analyze neural activity, have started to reveal brain differences among people that predict whether a given drug or talk therapy will lift a patient out of a depression or relieve severe social anxiety. Early versions of these diagnostic techniques have also shown promise in determining whether an alcoholic might relapse—and they have even begun to identify whether a student will face educational difficulties in reading and mathematics.
Brain scans to tailor treatments embody a new form of personalized medicine, an approach that often relies on customizing therapies based on an individual's genetics. Undoubtedly, genes can predispose a person to mental illness. For any one individual, though, only a weak relation exists between a given gene and common psychiatric disorders. Experience also plays a pivotal role in determining which genes become activated in the brain. Although imaging has many limitations, it approximates what is happening in the brain through the combination of genes and experience. At the moment, it can forecast the prospects for a treatment with greater precision than genetics alone. As these techniques are refined, however, the melding of brain and genetic measures may one day offer still more accurate predictions.
Will it Work?
A study that my group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology performed in collaboration with clinician-scientists at Boston University and Massachusetts General Hospital demonstrates the prospects for predicting whether a treatment might work. Together we studied how patients with social anxiety disorder responded to CBT. Social anxiety, characterized by an intense fear of interacting with others, remains one of the most common psychiatric conditions in the U.S. Its severe form is often so disabling that the affected person cannot hold a job. In our study, all patients received behavioral therapy. We wanted to find out whether brain measurements taken before treatment could predict who would benefit substantially from CBT.
Patients viewed faces with either neutral or negative (angry) emotional expressions while we recorded responses using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a type of scan that measures changes in brain blood flow. We also asked a series of questions to quantify the severity of their anxieties. Patients with greater responses to angry faces in regions at the back of the brain, which processes faces and other visual objects, were more likely to benefit from CBT. Using such a brain measure more than tripled the accuracy of predicting which individuals would benefit from CBT compared with results from a conventional severity rating derived from questionnaires.
Another approach we used to assess the effectiveness of CBT combined two techniques. One, known as diffusion tensor imaging, evaluates how well connections established by fiber tracts, or white matter, enable different brain regions to communicate with one another. White matter consists of bundles of long, protruding extensions from neurons called axons that are covered in a whitish, fatty material known as myelin.
The second technique gauges what brain connections link together when a person lies at rest inside the MRI machine. With these data, researchers concocted a map of brain networks. From it, the team created a diagnostic measure, a biomarker, that produced a fivefold improvement in predicting which patients would benefit from CBT. Other studies, such as those by Greg Siegle of the University of Pittsburgh, have confirmed that a similar strategy seems effective in determining how patients with depression respond to CBT.
Credit: Falconieri Visuals (brain), Graphic by Jen Christiansen; Source: "Neural Predictors of Individual Differences in Response to Math Tutoring in Primary-Grade School Children," by Kaustubh Supekar et al., in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, Vol. 110, No. 20; May 14, 2013
Predicting the response to a drug for a psychiatric disorder can combine imaging with more conventional types of psychological tests. Andrea N. Goldstein-Piekarski of Stanford University and her colleagues examined responses to antidepressant medications. They interviewed patients about early life stress and then used fMRI to assess activity in the amygdala, a brain structure that processes emotions. In the scanner, patients looked at images of a series of happy facial expressions. Combining information about a person's early life stress and his or her amygdala's responses to faces hinted at whether that individual would benefit from antidepressant medications. The Siegle and Goldstein-Piekarski studies did not compare talk therapy with medication. But Helen Mayberg of Emory University has shown that brain imaging can also reveal whether an individual with depression is more likely to be helped by talk therapy versus a medication.
Predicting Relapse
Treatments for alcoholism, drug addiction, smoking and obesity share the aim of having users abstain or pare back their use of drugs, tobacco or food. Here, too, imaging techniques may play a role in predicting who will relapse into addictive habits. Half of patients treated for alcohol abuse go back to drinking within a year of treatment, and similar reversion rates occur for stimulants such as cocaine.
There is little scientific evidence for determining the length and duration of programs such as a 28-day in-patient rehabilitation at a treatment facility. Research has yet to show whether a shorter or longer course of therapy would prove more effective. Ideally, studies could ascertain if a given patient will relapse in six months or a year, allowing program length to be tailored to an individual's needs.
Imaging studies that make predictions of the outcome for alcohol and drug dependency and obesity are not as common as those looking at depression. Still, a number suggest that brain measures might foresee who will succeed in abstaining after treatment has ended. A study at the University of California, San Diego, found that brain imaging performed at the end of treatment for methamphetamine abuse predicted which patients would relapse during the following 12 months.
In an obesity-prevention study using MRI imaging at the University of Alabama, investigators discovered that reward areas of the brain that direct attention to food—the nucleus accumbens, the anterior cingulate and the insula—became active in a group of 25 obese and overweight individuals who looked at images of high-calorie fare before entering a 12-week weight-loss counseling program. Greater activation in these areas predicted who would have the most difficulty in shedding pounds once the program was over. Participants who went into the scanner afterward and who showed high activation of the insula and other attention and reward processing areas had more difficulty in sticking with the regimen nine months later.
Brain imaging may even help formulate the types of messages that health professionals use to encourage patients to adopt healthy behaviors. Emily Falk, then at the University of California, Los Angeles, and her colleagues asked those in their study to learn the proper technique for using sunscreen to prevent sunburn and skin cancers. Researchers recorded fMRI responses as participants watched slides that prescribed preventive measures. Participants then described their attitudes toward sunscreen use and their intentions to use it after receiving a supply of sun-protective towelettes. A week later the group received e-mails asking whether they had actually applied the lotion. Individuals who had logged greater activity during the viewing session in one brain area, the medial prefrontal cortex, which regulates beliefs and a sense of self, ended up using more sunscreen. Brain scans provided an objective measure of the program's effectiveness, extending beyond an individual's subjective evaluation of whether the health information helped.
Observation of brain activity may also assist in discovering the best approach to dissuade people from continuing to smoke. A 2010 paper in Biological Psychiatry from Harvard Medical School found that among 21 women, a high response to smoking-related pictures in two brain regions—the insula and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex—forecast an inability to quit.
Better Learners
Children's education might benefit as well from brain imaging to predict difficulties in learning to read (dyslexia) or do math (dyscalculia). Teachers and parents try to help, but education operates largely on the model of waiting to fail. Students receive some guidance from teachers until they reach a point when they become discouraged, and then learning tends to break down.
What if instructional support did not merely react to failures but could anticipate specific forms of teaching that could be adapted to the needs of individual students? Some recent findings indicate that brain imaging can help predict students' future performance. Brain assessments, in fact, can sometimes outperform conventional educational and psychological measures at foreseeing how well a student will do in the classroom.
Among children with dyslexia, individuals vary greatly in their ability to compensate for reading difficulties by devising their own strategies that let them catch up to their classmates. Fumiko Hoeft, now at the University of California, San Francisco, and I measured brain fMRI responses to printed words in children with dyslexia around 14 years of age who also received extensive psychological testing. Then we examined the same children again 30 months later to see how much they might have improved in reading. About half the children exhibited substantial gains.
None of the standard educational testing measures correlated with future reading progress, but the brain scans combined with an analytical technique could make such predictions. Pattern-classification analysis, which delves into the complex data from fMRI brain scans using "big data" machine-learning algorithms, yielded more than 90 percent accuracy in characterizing whether a dyslexic child's reading would improve or continue to flounder two years after the images were captured. Other researchers have reported that electrical responses on the scalp (evoked response potentials) in young, preliterate children also predicted reading skills. Knowing what lies ahead may allow interventions prior to encountering reading difficulties, a strategy that spares children the sense of failure evoked by early struggles.
Math teaching may also profit. A study conducted by Vinod Menon of Stanford found that brain anatomy could identify whether a third grade student had more of a chance of benefiting from a math-tutoring program that encouraged students to shift from counting to arithmetic fact retrieval (memorizing 2 + 3 = 5, for instance) as a basis for arithmetic problem solving. Conventional behavioral tests of math abilities or IQ failed to predict which student would not be helped by the program, but brain measures succeeded. In particular, the size of the right hippocampus, an area associated with memory, correlated with how much a student would progress.
These studies hold promise of laying the basis for a neuroscience-based methodology of personalized learning. If this research can eventually identify the best instructional approach for a student, educators could avoid the failures that occur later in childhood or adolescence when learning difficulties become more difficult to correct.
Wanted: Better Predictions
If brain measures show such promise for predicting whether an individual will respond to a mental health treatment or schooling, why are these methods not already in use? Several challenges linger before these techniques enter clinics and schools. First, the predictions need additional statistical rigor. In the studies so far, models have linked brain activity to already known outcomes, such as how much an individual benefited from a treatment. In that sense, they might be called postdiction rather than prediction. New studies must now ascertain whether these findings routinely make accurate forecasts.
For the prediction sciences to move forward in mental health and education, the research community must begin to design studies that compare results for two independent groups. A mathematical model from one group can be tested on the other to validate the model.
One intriguing approach known as leave-one-out cross-validation excludes an individual from the overall evaluation of the results of the group under analysis. Researchers create a model from other individuals in the study to predict a particular health or educational outcome. The model then goes on to forecast a result for the left-out individual. The entire process repeats for each study participant with the goal of creating a model that better guides selection of each new patient's treatment. Only a handful of studies have achieved such a high standard to date, but this level of rigor must be met for the practical use of brain imaging as a prediction technique.
Another barrier relates to the cost and availability of MRI brain imaging. Any economic calculation must balance the price for the procedure, which is often about $500 to $1,000 per hour, against the prospect of having to pay for physician and hospital visits, lost work productivity and special education resources to support students falling behind. In some cases, other technologies might substitute for MRI, even while borrowing knowledge gleaned from the more expensive technique. Electroencephalography, which measures the brain's electrical activity, might, for instance, be adapted to take the place of MRI in some types of testing.
The promise and potential controversy surrounding MRI for clinical use show up in two recent studies. One by Joseph Piven of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill used fMRI to image 59 infants who were six months old to detect a heightened risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The defining social and communication difficulties of autism rarely emerge at birth but typically only, with careful evaluation, at two years of age. Imaging studies of brain network activity at six months predicted correctly nine of the 11 infants who would be diagnosed with ASD some 18 months later. And the measurements also established that the other 48 would not be so classified. This kind of prediction could one day both calm the worries of parents whose infants will not progress to ASD and assist in devising early interventions to aid children at high risk.
Another prediction study attempted to build on evidence that impulsivity appears as a major risk factor for recidivism. A measure of brain activity for self-control could potentially help address the limited accuracy of expert advice in making decisions about bail, sentencing and parole. Kent Kiehl, a professor of psychology, neuroscience and law at the University of New Mexico, examined brain activity during an impulse-control task in 96 male offenders before their release from prison and then followed these men over a period of several years. The offenders performed a task during brain imaging intended to make impulse control difficult. They had to press a button as the character "X" appeared repeatedly on a computer screen. At the same time, they had to resist the temptation to press the button in the rare instances that the letter "K" appeared, thereby creating two conflicting impulses, depending on what was displayed on the screen.
The lab task helped to predict what happened to the men after their release from prison. The likelihood that a former inmate would face another arrest over a four-year period doubled if the offender had diminished activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region involved with cognitive control and resolving conflicting impulses. Brain scanning helped to better forecast future rearrest than conventional measures alone, such as scores on a psychopathy checklist, age or lifetime substance abuse. An unpublished reanalysis of the data by Russ Poldrack, now at Stanford, suggests that the strength of this prediction lessens considerably when applying these results to prison populations other than the one surveyed (a suggestion partially countered by Kiehl and his colleagues).
All these studies raise a set of critical issues. How accurate should a prediction be to improve mental health treatments and educational practices? As a corollary, how can predictions made from brain scans help people rather than curtail their educational or employment opportunities? If we could better project future mental health or learning difficulties or even criminal activities, how would we, as a society, ensure that such predictions do not justify punitive policies and instead promote individual well-being? Ironically, the better prediction becomes over time, the more pressing the need emerges for an ethical framework to use such knowledge wisely.
This article was originally published with the title "A Look Within" in Scientific American 318, 3, 54-59 (March 2018)
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0318-54
Dyslexia: A New Synergy between Education and Cognitive Neuroscience. John D. E. Gabrieli in Science, Vol. 325, pages 280–283; July 17, 2009.
Toward Clinically Useful Neuroimaging in Depression Treatment: Prognostic Utility of Subgenual Cingulate Activity for Determining Depression Outcome in Cognitive Therapy across Studies, Scanners, and Patient Characteristics. Greg J. Siegle et al. in Archives of General Psychiatry, Vol. 69, No. 9, pages 913–924; September 2012.
Prediction as a Humanitarian and Pragmatic Contribution from Human Cognitive Neuroscience. John D. E. Gabrieli et al. in Neuron, Vol. 85, No. 1, pages 11–26; January 7, 2015.
How to Build a Better Learner. Gary Stix; August 2011.
John Gabrieli is director of the Athinoula A. Martinos Imaging Center at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also holds the Grover Hermann Professorship at the Harvard-M.I.T. Program of Health Sciences and Technology. Credit: Nick Higgins
Recent Articles by John Gabrieli
Idle Minds and What They May Say about Intelligence
[missing "en." translation]
How to Build a Better Learner
Gary Stix
Scientific American Volume 318, Issue 3
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text:
Q: Is there a simple way to perform the opposite of intersection on two lists? By "opposite of intersection" I mean that if I have two lists like so:
list1 = {1,2,4,7,9}; list2 = {1,4,9,10,11}

And then we do the "Reverse Intersection" on these two lists of integers to output:
ReverseIntersection[list1, list2] = {2,7,10,11}

Thanks!

A: There is probably a build-in command for this, but with over 6,000 commands, hard to search now. But you could try
inter=Intersection[list1,list2];
Complement[Union[list1,list2],inter]

A: A Small Code for Arbitrary Number of Sets
As @Nasser pointed out, the simplest answer is
inter=Intersection[list1,list2];
Complement[Union[list1,list2],inter]

However, one can generalize the situation to an arbitrary number of lists. For that, I wrote the following small code:
selector[lists_, selection_] := Module[{mid},
    mid = Pick[lists,selection, 1];
    Complement[
         If[Length[mid] == 1, Flatten[mid], Intersection @@ mid], ##
    ]&[Sequence @@ Pick[lists, selection, 0]]
];

which basically gives any conbination of intersection and complement for arbitrary number of sets.
It works as follows: One combines all sets into a matrix of the form $\{list1, list2, list3, \dots, listN\}$. Then, selector[$\{list1, list2, list3, \dots, listN\}$,$\{i1,i2,i3,\dots,iN\}$] gives the set whose elements are in the sets for which $i=1$ AND not in the sets for which $i=0$.
For example, let us consider
\begin{align}
lis1=&\{a, b, c\}\\list2=&\{b, c, d\}\\ list3=&\{c, e\}
\end{align}
and define
lists = {{a, b, c}, {b, c, d}, {c, e}};

We see that
selector[lists, {1, 1, 1}]

{c}

which indicates $c$ is the element of all lists. Likewise
selector[lists, {1, 1, 0}]

{b}

indicating that $b$ is the only element present in both first and second list and not present in third list.
We can generate all such possibilities with Tuples:
Tuples[{0, 1}, 3]

{{0, 0, 0}, {0, 0, 1}, {0, 1, 0}, {0, 1, 1}, {1, 0, 0}, {1, 0, 1}, {1,
     1, 0}, {1, 1, 1}}

First one is the empty set; if we consider selector for rest of the possibilities, we get:
selector[lists, #] & /@ Rest[Tuples[{0, 1}, 3]]

{{e}, {d}, {}, {a}, {}, {b}, {c}}

We see that we get each and every term only once: selector creates the mutually exclusive cases as expected. The union of these give the universal set.
Question at Hand
We can find distinct sets for the case of original question as we did above:
selector[{{1, 2, 4, 7, 9}, {1, 4, 9, 10, 11}}, #] & /@ Rest[Tuples[{0, 1}, 2]]

{{10, 11}, {2, 7}, {1, 4, 9}}

As we are interested in the union of exclusive complements, we want the union of the cases $\{1,0\}$ and $\{0,1\}$, hence
selector[{{1, 2, 4, 7, 9}, {1, 4, 9, 10, 11}}, #] & /@ {{1, 0}, {0,1}} // Flatten

{2, 7, 10, 11}

Of course, for this question, this method is just an overkill!
A More Complicated Example
As an example, let us consider the following:
mul2 = Table[2 i, {i, 25}];
mul3 = Table[3 i, {i, 16}];
mul4 = Table[4 i, {i, 12}];
mul5 = Table[5 i, {i, 10}];
mul6 = Table[6 i, {i, 8}];
selector[{mul2, mul3, mul4, mul5, mul6}, #] & /@ Rest[Tuples[{0, 1}, 5]]

where $mul2$ are multiples of $2$ below 50, $mul3$ are multiples of $3$ below 50, and so forth. When we run this, we get

{{}, {5, 25, 35}, {}, {}, {}, {}, {}, {3, 9, 21, 27, 33, 39}, {}, {15,
     45}, {}, {}, {}, {}, {}, {2, 14, 22, 26, 34, 38, 46}, {}, {10,
    50}, {}, {4, 8, 16, 28, 32, 44}, {}, {20, 40}, {}, {}, {6, 18,
    42}, {}, {30}, {}, {12, 24, 36, 48}, {}, {}}

which gives us the partitions of numbers below 50 with respect to their divisibility for $2,3,4,5,6$.

A: Exploiting the commutativity of the symmetric difference, Nasser's answer can be generalized to more than two sets by this:
symmetricDifference[list1_List, list2_List] :=
  Complement[Union[list1, list2], Intersection[list1, list2]];

symmetricDifference[a___List, list1_List, list2_List, b___List] :=
  symmetricDifference[a, symmetricDifference[list1, list2], b];

A second generalization can be obtained by observing that the symmetric difference of several lists contains only those elements that appear only an odd number of times in the lists. We can use Tally for counting like this:
symmetricDifference2[lists__List] :=
 Pick[#1, OddQ[#2]] & @@ Transpose[Tally[Sort[Join[lists]]]]

A quick comparison of these two methods:
m = 1000;
n = 500;
lists = Table[RandomSample[Range[1, m], n], {20}];

a = symmetricDifference @@ lists; // RepeatedTiming // First
b = symmetricDifference2 @@ lists; // RepeatedTiming // First

a == b

0.0015
0.000671
True

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Minister of Finance to reveal three-year plan for budget cuts
Detailed plans to cut spending and increase taxes over the next three years are to be announced by the government this autumn.
The decision to announce the multi-year programme is designed to show the markets how Ireland will reduce its deficit and to give certainty to consumers about what lies ahead.
The move by Michael Noonan, The Minister for Finance, to include the details in the pre-budget outlook document – probably in October – would provide clarity about what will happen, according to senior sources.
It will also be seen as a measure to bolster confidence in the country's determination to deliver on its pledges under the EU/ IMF bailout.
While the precise level of detail to be included in the three-year programme remains to be finalised, it will include a new spending plan to emerge after the comprehensive spending review in all areas, now nearing completion.
The government also hopes that details of its tax strategy, while sure to provoke controversy, will give consumers a clear view of what they will face and thus help restore some level of confidence.
Final projections for 2012, to be completed in the early autumn, will show the exact outlook for 2012.The existing plan is for €3.6 billion in spending cuts and tax increases next year.
But the government is not ruling out the need for an increased adjustment of up to €4 billion, if this is required to reduce the 2012 budget deficit to 8.6 per cent, the level promised in the EU/IMF programme.
Sources said a clearer picture on the level of adjustment required in next year's budget would come when full-year figures for growth rates, taxes, job creation and unemployment had been evaluated in November.
This weekend, the government's projected adjustment of €3.6 billion was described as ''the working target'' by junior minister Brian Hayes.
But he warned that ''this may go up because the bigger question is getting the deficit down to 8.6 per cent''. Fears of a global double-dip recession have raised serious concerns about Ireland's tentative return to growth on the basis that export growth is driven primarily by foreign direct investment, particularly from the US companies.
''In the second half of the year there are ominous signs on the world economic stage in relation to the entire question of national debt and where economies are going," the minister said. ''Our task is to navigate our way through this as a small, open economy. If the world economy takes a hit, we take a hit."
The government's strategy would see the bulk of adjustments in the public expenditure rather than in taxation, but household and other charges will form part of the budget.
The public expenditure savings to be introduced by Brendan Howlin, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, were described as ''critical in financing the budget for next year'', according to Hayes.
All departments have been participating in a detailed review of all their spending programmes, and reforms and money-saving measures are to be finalised in the weeks ahead in final negotiations between the departments and the Department of Finance
Source Sunday Business Post
By McCarthy Accountants|2011-08-22T11:32:20+00:00August 22nd, 2011|News|0 Comments


Rush's 'Closer To The Heart' Is Covered On A Harp Guitar, & You Won't Believe How Incredible It Sounds!
Geddy Lee would be proud!
It's amazing the sound Rush can make with 3 players, and 3 instruments. It seems nearly impossible that so much complex sound comes from only 3 guys, but they've proved us all wrong for the past 40 years! Now, imagine if Rush was just only one person, playing one instrument.
This concept is basically what YouTuber Jamie Dupuis brought to life when he covered the band's classic hit "Closer to the Heart" on harp guitar. If you've been following this page for a while, you have to be familiar with Jamie. He's a master of covering various classic rock songs on his unique instrument called the harp guitar. Jamie has the ability to cover both the guitar and bass parts at the same time, and makes it sound magnificent every time. This isn't his first Rush song, so he has experience channeling Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson before!
Fun Fact: Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson says this is the ultimate Rush song. This is about people who run governments, and how they should be responsible for initiating harmony among themselves, just as blue collar workers do.


text:
Alessandra Biaggi
Chair of Committee on Ethics and Internal Governance
( D, WF ) 34th Senate District
Requires commissioner of education to promulgate rules and regulations to ensure that no public school uses a race based mascot, name, or logo
In Committee
On Floor Calendar
Passed Assembly
Delivered to Governor
Signed/Vetoed by Governor
In Senate Committee Education Committee
Relates to local wellness policies
Enacts the "Lydia Soto law"
In Senate Committee Health Committee
Relates to prohibiting symbols of hate on state property
Relates to prohibiting the release of certain balloons
In Senate Committee Environmental Conservation Committee
Grants the legislature to have an equal role with the governor in the budget process
In Senate Committee Judiciary Committee
Deems a person who engages in sexual conduct during the period of their probation with his or her supervising probation officer as being incapable of consent
In Senate Committee Codes Committee
Relates to gender balance in public authorities, industrial development agencies and local development corporations
In Senate Committee Corporations, Authorities And Commissions Committee
Provides for the admissibility of a victim's outcry and disclosures in cases of sexual abuse
Establishes a personal income tax deduction for the interest paid on student loans by certain taxpayers
In Senate Committee Budget And Revenue Committee
Provides for minimum wage requirements for miscellaneous industry workers
In Senate Committee Labor Committee
Relates to eligibility for appointment as a police officer
In Senate Committee Civil Service And Pensions Committee
View All Bills
Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim January 11, 2020, as Wear Blue Day in the State of New York
Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim October 11-17, 2020, as Aging in Place Awareness Week in the State of New York
Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim February 2020, as Cancer Prevention Month in the State of New York
Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim April 2020, as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in the State of New York
Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim June 2020, as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month in the State of New York
Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim February 2020, as Heart Disease Awareness Month in the State of New York
Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim October 10, 2020, as Mental Health Day in the State of New York
Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim March 1, 2020, as Self-Injury Awareness Day in the State of New York
Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim April 20-24, 2020, as Public School Volunteer Week in the State of New York
Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim April 2020, as Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month in the State of New York
Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim January 2020, as Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the State of New York
Congratulating the United States Women's National Soccer Team upon the occasion of capturing the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup on July 7, 2019
View All Resolutions
Emergency Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Constituent Resource
Sign Up for Our Weekly Newsletter: The Latest from D34
Senator Biaggi's COVID-19 Update!
Letters in Response to COVID
Follow Alessandra Biaggi


text:
2008/12/08 Nampa, ID
Nine Inch Nails played at the Idaho Center in Nampa, Idaho, on December 8, 2008 as part of the Lights In The Sky Tour. The Bug was the opening act.
2 Lineup
3 Setlist
4 Bootlegs
The road crew had arrived late at this show because of bad weather. As a result, they were unable to set up the tour's spectacular lights and video production and Nine Inch Nails played a more stripped-down, less-choreographed performance with a very different setlist.
Alessandro Cortini: Keyboards, programming, guitar, backing vocals
Robin Finck: Guitar, backing vocals
Josh Freese: Drums
Justin Meldal-Johnsen: Bass, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Trent Reznor: Vocals, guitar, keyboards
"Pinion"
"Terrible Lie"
"1,000,000"
"Letting You"
"March Of The Pigs"
"Piggy"
"The Frail"
"The Wretched"
"Survivlaism"
"Reptile"
"Closer"
"Discipline"
"The Beginning Of The End"
"31 Ghosts IV"
"Wish"
"Head Down"
"Gave Up"
"The Line Begins To Blur"
"God Given"
"Hurt"
"Starfuckers, Inc."
"The Hand That Feeds"
"Head Like A Hole"
ETS Tour Journal
Retrieved from "https://www.nin.wiki/index.php?title=2008/12/08_Nampa,_ID&oldid=50627"


About 10 years ago, we could not even imagine that we would be able to buy the goods we needed without leaving home. But, now it has become a reality. The CMT is an internal token of a decentralized site for selling goods online. Buy CMT token and become a part of the investment community. The CyberMiles project is based on the Ethereum cryptocurrency. With the help of CyberMiles, each user will be able to sell their own products, creating a personal trading platform on top of CyberMiles. CMT token price in usd is growing on the wave of the popularity of the project.
CMT token stock market is developing faster than planned by the developers. Technically, the CyberMiles team did not use any new products, so it will be as simple as possible, but at the same time, it will be safe and convenient to use. CMT token wallet is allows you to make protected transactions. A feature of CyberMiles is a team, which has the experience of creating similar marketplaces. Prior to that, CyberMiles team members were developing an online platform 5miles, which now has about 10 million users, bringing about $ 3 billion in turnover per year. Learn how to buy CMT token and join a large community. You can use themed services to learn CMT token price live. This is a very impressive performance. In fact, in the implementation of CyberMiles, developers will use their experience, acquired in 5miles, which is expensive and draws good prospects for CyberMiles.


text:
HOT SHEET
POLITICAL CONNECTIONS
YESTERYEAR: Mock convention held to crack open Colorado's Constitution
Rachael WrightJuly 6, 20177min363
Thirty Years Ago This Week in The Colorado Statesman: An advisory board, which consisted of four dozen office holders, journalists, business leaders, as well as the governor and chairmen of both the state Democratic and Republican Parties, proposed a model constitutional convention to be held in Denver.
YESTERYEAR: Webb wins Denver auditor, has 'no ambitions for mayor'
Rachael WrightJune 29, 20179min343
Thirty Years Ago This Week in The Colorado Statesman: A former state legislator from Denver and cabinet member for Gov. Richard Lamm reigned supreme in a key race in the city and county of Denver. Wellington Webb defeated his opponent, Bill Schroeder, in the Denver auditor's race.
YESTERYEAR: World leaders descend on Denver for G-7; health care forum exposes tragedies
Twenty Years Ago This Week in The Colorado Statesman: Little old Colorado was plunged into the deep end of international politics when Denver hosted eight world leaders from the Group of Seven. Denver rolled out the carpet for national leaders from the USA, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Russia and the United Kingdom, and on the agenda for discussion were a host of heavy-weight issues including
YESTERYEAR: Romer takes on Union of Taxpayers' chief over TABOR refunds
Thirty Years Ago this Week in The Colorado Statesman … On election night, 1987, incumbent Mayor Federico Peña went on to capture 79,674 votes for 51 percent of the total vote compared to challenger Don Bain's 49 percent. The highlight (or lowlight) of the evening, was Peña's sweltering downtown headquarters where 1,000 people crammed into […]
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YESTERYEAR: GOP reviles Ritter signed construction defects legislation
Rachael WrightJune 8, 20178min326
Thirty Years Ago this Week in The Colorado Statesman … Elie Wiesel and Emil Hecht received honorary degrees in Humane Letters from the University of Denver at "A Triumph of Conscience" dinner which was attended by 1,400 distinguished eventgoers. Dr. Dwight Smith, Chancellor of the University of Denver, said the honors were bestowed on "two whose contributions to the welfare of humanity surpass our ability to ...
YESTERYEAR: Legislator's party flip infuriates local union
Thirty Years Ago this Week in the Colorado Statesman … State Rep. Faye Fleming, D-Th0rnton, switched her party affiliation from Democratic to Republican Feb. 14, 1987, only six weeks after she took office. One of her campaign contributors, United Steel Workers Local 8031, threatened to sue her for misrepresentation. The influential union also took to the streets contacting her constituents. A signature drive operation for Fleming's recall had already been on the ground since March.
YESTERYEAR: Astronaut turned would-be Colorado congressman memorialized
Rachael WrightMay 25, 20176min572
Twenty Years Ago this Week in The Colorado Statesman … A statue of Jack Swigert, Apollo 13 astronaut, was unveiled in Washington D.C., memorializing the fallen Coloradan in Statuary Hall. Swigert died from cancer in 1982 just days before he was to be sworn in as Colorado's first elected Congressman from the newly created 6th Congressional District.
YESTERYEAR: Nicholson draws fire from pro-lifers
Twenty Years Ago this Week in The Colorado Statesman … Republican National Committee Chairman Jim Nicholson came under fire by an unlikely group of pro-life Republicans who compared his actions to those of Adolf Hitler. Nicholson, who considered himself pro-life ...
YESTERYEAR: Ritter, Caldara face off over School Finance Act
Twenty Years Ago This Week in the Colorado Statesman … A new welfare law was finally agreed upon and the Legislature narrowly averted a special session. "That's the art of compromise," Gov. Roy Romer said. He said he would sign the latest version of the state's welfare reform law that had successfully met the requirements of new federal laws while passing muster on both sides of the Legislature's aisle.
YESTERYEAR: Broncos stadium project debated, Hickenlooper again wins mayor
Rachael WrightMay 4, 20176min459
Twenty Years Ago This Week in The Colorado Statesman … The issue of a new stadium for the Denver Broncos turned two bill sponsors against one another when Rep. Vickie Agler, R-Littleton, House co-sponsor of SB 97-230 — a bill that allowed for consideration of a re-fit of Mile High Stadium — accepted an amendment that Senate sponsor Mike Coffman, R-Aurora, didn't approve of.


The Bianchi type III dark energy models with constant deceleration parameter are investigated. The equation of state parameter $\omega$ is found to be time dependent and its existing range for this model is consistent with the recent observations of SN Ia data, SN Ia data (with CMBR anisotropy) and galaxy clustering statistics. The physical aspect of the dark energy models are discussed.


Just Us Kids offers a morning preschool option for families in the Greater Lafayette area.
Our morning preschool is geared to families of children who may want or need additional social interaction and preparedness before entering kindergarten.
The morning preschool follows the West Lafayette School calendar for all breaks.
Children should wear closed-toed shoes for gross motor play.


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Professional Presence: How Does Your Personal Brand Impact Your Success?
Your employees' professional presence directly impacts your company's success. This comprehensive seminar will teach your employees to strategically shape their professional presence with a winning personal brand! Employees will learn what their image says to the world, and how to use their Appearance, Behavior, and Communication to create the consistent impression that will build success.
Strategically enhance your employees' personal brand and your company's success! This "light" version of the Professional Presence seminar focuses on appearance and nonverbal communication, and is a great way for employees to learn the basics of personal branding when time is tight. Motivate employees to elevate their brand, strengthen their confidence and credibility, and maximize their success with these easy-to-apply lessons.
Solid business manners can mean the difference between landing and losing a deal. Give employees the knowledge and confidence to improve their business interactions, leading to more persuasive business meetings, one-on-one conversations, and sales activities. Employees learn how to curb awkward introductions and weak handshakes, how to communicate effectively, how to politely manage their smartphones and tablets, and much more.
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Do you have an employee who could really go places if only their image matched their potential? A "not quite right" personal image can impede even a high-potential employee's professional growth. Show confidence in your employees and make the most of your human resources: sponsor them through a personalized image program that will deliver their best impression every time!
Build a seminar tailored to meet your company's needs and goals. Contact me to get started!


text:
Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas Release Date Announced
Smruti Kishore
Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, a Sunny Deol directorial, has a new release date. Marking the debut of Sunny Deol's son, Karan Deol, the movie is going to release on 20th September this year.
This movie also marks the entrance of a new face, Sahher Bambba. While Karan is all set to play the male lead in the film, Sahher is going to play the female lead.
The wait may have become longer but it will be worth it! #PalPalDilKePaas will now release on 20th September #KaranDeol #SahherBambba @ZeeStudios_ @SunnySuperSound pic.twitter.com/ad4P8Ybig2
— Sunny Deol (@iamsunnydeol) June 18, 2019
Initially scheduled to release on 19th July, Sunny Deol postponed the release of the film because of his political commitments. The film will now not have a solo release date and will clash with Sonam Kapoor's The Zoya Factor.
A source working on the film said in a statement, "Ever since his victory in Gurdaspur last month, Sunny has been busy taking stock of the situation and planning various measures that need to be implemented in the city. Knowing the important role that a debut vehicle plays in an actor's career all too well, Sunny doesn't want to give divided attention to Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas. So, he thought it best to push the love story by two months."
A romantic movie shot extensively in Manali and Mumbai, Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas will be presented by Dharmendra and is produced by Zee Studios.
Stay tuned for more updates.
Related Topics:featuredKaran Deol's debut film Pal Pal Dil Ke PaasMango BollywoodMP Sunny Deol postpones son Karan's Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas ReleasePal Pal Dil Ke Paas movie release DATEPal Pal Dil Ke Paas release datePal Pal Dil Ke Paas Release Date AnnouncedSunny Deol Son Karan Hindi MovieSunny Deol's son Karan's debut film
Kajal Aggarwal's Birthday – Lesser Known Facts About The Actress
15 Years Of Lakshya – Bollywood Movies About War
Priyanka Chopra Jonas Stars In New Jonas Brothers Song What A Man Gotta Do
Imran Khan 37th Birthday- Unknown Facts About The Actor
Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior Vs Chhapaak First Day Collections
Sampath Pavan
Imran Khan is not your regular Bollywood celebrity. The Shy actor prefers to remain out of the limelight when he is not working on a film. Imran Khan may not have been on the news in recent times, but the actor has worked on several hits like Jaane Tu..Ya Jaane Na, I hate Luv Stories, Delhi Belly and Mere Brother Ki Dulhan.
Let us have a look at some of the unknown facts about this quiet actor, on his Thirty Seventh birthday.
1. He is actually named Imran Pal. He adopted his mother's surname to honor her for raising him alone after her separation from her husband.
2. He directed a short film named Mission Mars: Keep Walking India, which Is about the Indian Mars Mission Mangalyaan.
3. He filed a Public Interest Litigation in court against the Maharashtra State Government when they wanted to raise the legal age of drinking to 25. Imran was of the opinion that it was unfair to wait till 25 years for one to express their freedom of choice.
4. Imran Khan along with his wife Avantika Malik purchased a four acre plot of land which they converted to an animal shelter where staff and veterinary doctors can attend to the rescued animals.
5. Imran Khan has been labeled as a gay icon by Bombay Dost, which is India's first legal gay magazine in 2011 when he was one of the most popular celebrities..
6. Imran Khan is a good Samaritan and is known to support causes in which he believes . He supports People For Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) ,and collaborated with All India Bakchod to do a satirical video when the ruling Government criminalised gay sex.
The actor currently has no projects that he is working on right now. He is devoted to supporting the causes which he believes .
Here's wishing Imran Khan a Happy Birthday!
The movie '83 stars Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev, the iconic former Indian Cricket Team Captain. As the movie inches closer to its release in April, Ranveer is slowly revealing the character posters of the Indian Cricket Team in '83.
The movie follows the journey of Kapil Dev and his heroics in the historic Cricket World Cup in the year of 1983. Ranveer Singh is a well known method actor and he is leaving no stone unturned in acing the looks, mannerisms and gameplay of Kapil Dev. He even took training lessons from the legend himself for the sake of authenticity.
The poster of the character of former Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar, who is also known as the 'Little Master,' was revealed by Ranveer Singh on his official Twitter handle. Tahir Raj Bhasin will play the role of Sunil Gavaskar in '83.
TAHIR RAJ BHASIN as The Little Master SUNIL GAVASKAR 🏏🏆#ThisIs83 @TahirRajBhasin @kabirkhankk @deepikapadukone @Shibasishsarkar @madmantena #SajidNadiadwala @vishinduri @RelianceEnt @FuhSePhantom @NGEMovies @vibri_media @ZeeMusicCompany @PicturesPVR @83thefilm pic.twitter.com/5Ac29OzsHZ
— Ranveer Singh (@RanveerOfficial) January 11, 2020
The poster portrays Tahir Raj Bhasin acing the iconic straight drive posture of Sunil Gavaskar.
Ranveer Singh earlier released the poster of himself as Kapil Dev last year, which showed the actor acing the iconic look of Kapil Dev.
On my special day, here's presenting THE HARYANA HURRICANE 🌪KAPIL DEV 🏏🏆@83thefilm @kabirkhankk @deepikapadukone @madmantena @Shibasishsarkar @vishinduri @RelianceEnt @FuhSePhantom @NGEMovies pic.twitter.com/HqaP07GJEQ
— Ranveer Singh (@RanveerOfficial) July 6, 2019
Hrithik Roshan 46th Birthday – Two Best Films Of The Actor
Hrithik Roshan is one of the biggest Bollywood actors who has essayed multiple characters in his two decade acting career. From an innovative international criminal to a quadriplegic magician to a blind man, he has done it all. The actor has also been named as the World's Most Handsome Man.
Hrithik Roshan turns 46 today. On this occasion let us take a look at two films in which he acted .
Two Best Films of Hritik Roshan
1. Kaho Na Pyaar Hai (2000)
While Hrithik also performed as a child artist before, he got his first major break as the male protagonist in the film Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, which was directed by his father Rakesh Roshan. The film went on to become a huge commercial success. Hrithik Roshan essayed a dual role as Rohit and Raj. The movie follows the story of how Rohit falls in love with Sonia (Ameesha Patel) but is later killed by Sonia's father when he witnesses Sonia's father killing the Police Commissioner for finding out about his illegal activities. A heartbroken Sonia goes to Australia where she meets Raj who is a doppelganger of Rohit. The rest of the story is about how Raj finally exposes Sonia's father and ends up with Sonia. The movie was such a huge hit that it went on to win 92 awards in numerous ceremonies and categories. This was a record that was inducted into the Guinness Book Of World Records 2002. Hrithik also won the awards for The Best Actor and The Best Debut Actor at the Filmfare Awards.
2. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)
In Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Hrithik played the role of Arjun, a financial broker who is a workaholic. The movie is about three friends Kabir (Abhay Deol,) Imran (Farhan Akhtar) and Arjun who take a three week road trip in Spain due to a long standing pact. Hrithik was spot on in essaying the role of an uptight financial broker who is reluctant to put his work aside during the road trip. The rest of the film is about how Arjun slowly lets his guard down and begins to enjoy life and in the process renews his friendships with Imran and Kabir. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara became a huge hit and went on to become a cult classic.
Hrithik Roshan has had a strong year in 2019 with the film War, which broke box office records for collections and was the highest grossing film of 2019. The handsome actor no doubt has many more films to offer and is currently working on Krissh 4.
Here's wishing the handsome actor Hrithik Roshan a very happy birthday!
Farhan Akhtar 46th Birthday – Best Films Of The Actor
Farhan Akhtar is an eminent Bollywood celebrity who is the perfect jack of all trades. He is an actor, a singer, a director and a producer. He made his mark in all these professions and won national awards for the films he directed, produced and in which he acted. He also made films and acted in films which went on to become cult classics in Indian cinema, like Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya, Rock On!! and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.
As Farhan Akhtar turns 46 today, let us have a look at some of the best films in which he acted.
1. Rock On!! (2008)
Farhan made his acting debut with this movie which went on to become one of the major hits of that year. Farhan Akhtar played the role of a singer in a band. The movie is the story of the band, Magik, which aims to get an album contract with Channel V. The movie shows how the band members do get the contract, but later become disgruntled with each other and part ways. Years later, the band members, who have now settled in other professions, end up reuniting and enter another contest hosted by Channel V. The movie went on to win multiple awards and Farhan Akhtar also lent his voice for five of the film's songs. The songs Rock On!!, Socha Hai and Pichle Saat Dinon Mein became a must have on every Indian playlist.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a feel good film about three friends, played by Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar. The story is about how the three friends reunite after a long time and go to Spain for a three week road trip. The movie shows how the three friends resolve their past disagreements, confront their worst fears and end up coming out stronger together. The film was a massive hit, attained a cult status and went on to bag multiple awards. Farhan Akhtar also lent his voice in the fim for the song Senorita and the recitation of the poem Toh Zinda Ho Tum.
3. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013)
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is a biopic about Milkha Singh, India's best track and field athlete, who is known as 'The Flying Sikh.' Farhan Akhtar donned the role of the lead as Milkha Singh. The film showed the life of Milkha Singh from how he was displaced during the Partition of India, how he subsequently joined the Indian Army, picked up the track and field sport and went on to win accolades for the Nation. Farhan's dedication to the role and the effort he put in to look and resemble Milkha Singh won him widespread praise and he went on to win the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.
4. The Sky Is Pink (2019)
Farhan Akhtar's most recent movie was The Sky In Pink, a biographical drama about a couple whose daughter has severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID.) The movie is narrated from the perspective of the daughter and shows the love story of her parents over twenty five years. Farhan Akhtar played the role of the father and Priyanka Chopra played the role of the mother. The film received critical acclaim and won a standing ovation from the audience post its screening at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.
Farhan Akhtar is currently producing a sports drama, Toofan, which is about a national level boxer. Farhan Akhtar is learning boxing to essay the lead role as well in this film. Toofan is slated to release on October 2nd, 2020.
Here's wishing the multi talented personality, Farhan Akhtar, a very happy birthday.
Irrfan Khan 53rd Birthday – Angrezi Medium First Look Unveiled
Irrfan Khan is a notable actor who is highly regarded for his acting skills and has acted in both Bollywood and Hollywood films. The versatile actor turns 53 years old today and has many critically acclaimed performances to his name.
Some of his well known films include Salaam Bombay!, Haasil, Life In A… Metro, Slumdog Millionaire, Paan Singh Tomar, for which he won a National Film Award for Best Actor, The Lunchbox and Hindi Medium.
Recently, the actor successfully battled cancer and took a break from acting. He is all set to return to the silver screen with his next film, Angrezi Medium. After the success of Hindi Medium, the makers said there is a scope for a sequel. However, Angrezi Medium is not a sequel but instead a spin off of Hindi Medium.
The production company behind the movie, Maddock Films, released the first look of Irrfan Khan from Angrezi Medium on social media platform Instagram while wishing the actor a happy birthday. The post read, "#happybirthday to one of our finest @irrfan. As his birthday treat to all of you we will be giving you #AngreziMedium in March 2020. This isn't the cherry on the top,it's the cherry, the icing, the entire cake😊!! Love n Light (sic.)"
#happybirthday to one of our finest @irrfan. As his birthday treat to all of you we will be giving you #AngreziMedium in March 2020. This isn't the cherry on the top,it's the cherry, the icing, the entire cake😊!! Love n Light. @homster #dineshvijan #kareenakapoorkhan #dimplekapadia @radhikamadan @deepakdobriyal1 @officialjiostudios
A post shared by Maddock Films (@maddockfilms) on Jan 6, 2020 at 9:16pm PST
Angrezi Medium is set to be released on March 20th, 2020.
Here's wishing one of India's best actors, Irrfan Khan, a very happy birthday and a long life ahead.
Read abour Irrfan Khan's best films here: Irrfan Khan's Birthday – Looking At The Actor's Best Performances
Aadya And Sitara Interview Superstar Mahesh Babu
Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali – Salman Khan Announces His Next Project
Saif Ali Khan Starrer Jawaani Jaaneman Trailer Released
Deepika Padukone Joins Students At JNU Protests
Shikara – Trailer Of Vidhu Vinod Chopra Directorial Return Released
Malang Trailer Unleashed
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text:
Juan Carlos Moragues Ferrer, né le  à Gandía, est un homme politique espagnol membre du Parti populaire (PP).

Il est délégué du gouvernement dans la Communauté valencienne entre  et .

Biographie

Formation et vie professionnelle
Étudiant de l'université de Valence, il est titulaire d'une licence en sciences économiques et entrepreneuriales et d'une licence en droit. Il est fonctionnaire du corps supérieur des inspecteurs des finances de l'État depuis 2002.

Conseiller au gouvernement régional
Le , il est nommé conseiller aux Finances et à l'Administration publique par Alberto Fabra. Il quitte son poste le  après l'arrivée au pouvoir des socialistes. Il est élu député au Parlement valencien lors des élections régionales de 2015 pour la circonscription de Valence. Il démissionne un mois plus tard.

Délégué du gouvernement
Le , il est nommé délégué du gouvernement dans la Communauté valencienne par le président du gouvernement Mariano Rajoy.

Notes et références

Voir aussi

Articles connexes
 Communauté valencienne
 Délégation du gouvernement (Espagne)

Lien externe
 Fiche biographique sur le site de transparence du gouvernement.

Personnalité politique espagnole du XXe siècle
Personnalité du Parti populaire (Espagne)
Député de la IXe législature du Parlement valencien
Délégué du gouvernement dans la Communauté valencienne
Naissance en septembre 1969

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Specflow setup to Share Hooks and Step Definitions Across VS Projects Currently working on a series of projects that are contained within one solution in VS2017. Each project is a specflow project, within one solution. I would like to setup the Hooks.cs file such that it's valid for any test within the entire solution, not just the project. I'd also like to make step definitions from one project available to the other projects as a base or utility step definition.
How would I go about structuring specflow to make this possible?

A: You can use steps and hooks from different assemblies.
You can add in the configuration a list of additional step assemblies like this:
<specFlow>
  <stepAssemblies>
    <stepAssembly assembly="MySharedBindings" />
  </stepAssemblies>
</specFlow>

The documentation is here: https://specflow.org/documentation/Use-Bindings-from-External-Assemblies/
But there are some known problems with it:

*

*IntelliSense and Syntax Highlighting has some problems (https://github.com/techtalk/SpecFlow/issues/838)

*Hooks could be registered double (https://github.com/techtalk/SpecFlow/issues/1004)


text:
Q: Supplying "Class" type as a parameter to a method in Scala I am exploring Scala by rewriting some of my Java code with it. In one of the Java method, I need to pass a class type as a parameter:
public void setType(Class<T> type)

In Java, I could do it by:
someobj.setType( MyClass.class )

But in Scala, I can't seem to call "MyClass.class". I am wondering how I can pass the parameter in Scala?

A: You're after classOf[MyClass].

A: scala> case class MyClass()
defined class MyClass

scala> def setType[T](t:Class[T]) = println(t)
setType: [T](t: Class[T])Unit

scala> setType(classOf[MyClass])
class $line23.$read$$iw$$iw$MyClass

Philippe correctly points out that the OP needs to call a Java method from Scala. In that case, more info about the java class is needed to determine intent, but something like this:
Java:
public class JavaClass<T> {
    public void setType(Class<T> type) {
        System.out.println(type);
    }
}

Scala:
class MyClass()
object classtest {
  val someobj = new JavaClass[MyClass]     //> someobj  : JavaClass[MyClass] = JavaClass@6d4c1103
  someobj.setType(classOf[MyClass])               //> class MyClass
}

A: There's one more way to do so if you just need to pass class type and use it to model data or /create new instances.
def doSomeThing[T](id: UUID, time: Date): List[T] = {
// do anything with T, it's a reference to class definition not an instance
  List(T(id, time), T(id, new Date(time.getTime + 900 * 1000))
}
case class SomeClassA(id: UUID, time: Date)
case class SomeClassB(id: UUID, time: Date)
class NonCaseClass(p1: UUID, p2: Date)

doSomeThing[SomeClassA]()
doSomeThing[SomeClassB]()
doSomeThing[NonCaseClass]()

I have made this code little complex, here's the wrapper only example:
def doSomeThing[T]() = {
// do anything with T, it's a reference to class definition not an instance
}
case class SomeClassA(id: UUID, time: Date)

doSomeThing[SomeClassA]()


We're excited to announce new mobile features designed to streamline your workflow: PDF document creator, drag and drop for email attachments, and our integration with iOS Messages.
Our new mobile scanning feature makes digitizing physical documents easy. This tool isn't limited to turning paper into PDFs, it can also document content directly from the whiteboard in your next meeting onto your phone.
Simply enter your go-to shared folder, select New > Create New Document, then snap away. Our app automatically flattens those unavoidable angles to make the new document legible. Easily share the new PDF with your team.
How we used it to document.
How to document smarter with Document Creation.
Sharing content via links provides efficiency with audit reporting, notifications, expiration settings, etc; and it just got better. Upload files as links from directly within your Messages app using our latest integration.
In response to iOS' new split screen view and support for drag and drop (available for iPad only), we've added the ability to send attachments by dragging Egnyte files directly into your email. While in split-view, simply long tap on your Egnyte file and drag it into the iOS Mail app.
Our goal is to streamline workflows and empower productivity. As a sneak peak, we're working on OCR (optical character recognition) so the documents you've created will contain properly archived metadata. This means you'll have a copy of your document safely stored in Egnyte that can be easily found using Egnyte's search tool.
Enjoy our brand new iOS app. Available for download today!


text:
U P D A T E D :
Iraq War Truth
9-11 Truth
The Matrix Hides Electoral Fraud
Watch the Labels the Media Uses
The Media Matrix Hides a Party
When Morpheus Comes
Examining the London Bombings
UPDATED MATRIX
NEWS REVIEW:
The 'I' Word
Democrats Better 'Republicans' Than the Politicians in the GOP
We're All Paranoid
More Evidence of Vote Corruption
When Media Dogs Don't Bark
ORIGINAL MATRIX
F E A T U R E S :
Behind the Veil of the Bush & Clinton Years
Entering the Era of Deep Politics
Liberating the Mind, Leaving the Matrix
The Military: An Interview with Stan Goff
Geopolitics: It's Now or Never for Washington
Finance: I Want the Earth, Plus 5%
Book Review: Confessions of An Economic Hit Man
Poem: The Four Horsemen of the Average Fixed Cost
M A T R I X
Congressman (R) Asks If It Was All a Big Mistake
Congressman (D) Calls For Real 9-11 Hearings
L.A. Times: Is Al Qaeda Fake?
Miami Herald: 'Dean Scream' Was Fraud
Former CIA Condemns New 'Attack Matrix'
Together, We Moved Three Mountains
Media Whites Out Vote Fraud
New Poll Finds Bush Ideas Already Out of Step (Supposedly We Just Reelected Him)
A Large Corporation Errs, Reveals Its Control
By Norman Solomon
The recent decision by General Motors to pull its advertising from the Los Angeles Times has not gone over very well.
"Blame the press," scoffed Daily Variety in mid-April, after several days of publicity about the automaker's move. "That's the latest coping mechanism for General Motors, whose slumping share price and falling profits have generated a wave of negative media coverage... GM isn't the first Fortune 500 company to retaliate against a newspaper's editorial coverage by taking a punch at its ad division. But most companies understand the tactic just doesn't work; it only generates more bad coverage."
The ad-yanking gambit is likely to backfire.
In the Motor City, the Detroit News business writer Daniel Howes told readers that the monetary slap at the L.A. Times exposes "GM's thinning corporate skin." Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam had this to say: "On the one hand, the decision, which may affect up to $20 million in ad spending, sends a powerful message to the Times. On the other hand, it sends a powerful message to the country about the idiots who are running GM."
Drawing more attention to GM's financial woes, the ad-yanking gambit is likely to backfire. But news outlets are far from immune to advertiser pressure.
By coincidence, the conflict between General Motors and the L.A. Times went public just as a new report highlighted the media clout of advertisers and other powerful interests in business and government. The media watch group FAIR (where I'm an associate) released the results of its fifth annual "Fear & Favor" report on "how power shapes the news."
The FAIR report, by Peter Hart and Julie Hollar, provides context with sobering information: "A survey of media workers by four industry labor unions found respondents concerned about `pressure from advertisers trying to shape coverage' as well as `outside control of editorial policy.' In May [2004], the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press released a survey of media professionals that found reporters concerned about how bottom-line pressures were affecting news quality and integrity. In their summary ... Bill Kovach, Tom Rosensteil and Amy Mitchell wrote that journalists `report more cases of advertisers and owners breaching the independence of the newsroom."'
Among the examples in the new "Fear & Favor" report are these gems:
Last July, "when furniture giant Ikea opened a new store in New Haven, Conn., the New Haven Register cranked out 12 Ikea stories in eight straight days -- accompanied by at least 17 photographs and a sidebar on product information -- with headlines such as `Ikea's Focus on Child Labor Issues Reflects Ethic of Social Responsibility' and `Ikea Employees Take Pride in Level of Responsibility Company Affords Them.' ... The back-scratching reached its apex the day of the grand opening, when the Register heralded the arrival of Ikea and fellow super-store Wal-Mart and remarked upon Ikea's `astonishingly low prices -- a coffee table for $99, a flowing watering can for $1.99, a woven rocking chair, $59.' Sound like an ad? It was the Register's lead editorial."
In January 2004, Boston Herald readers "could easily have mistaken the paper's front-page ad for news. When discount airline JetBlue launched several new flight services out of Boston's Logan Airport, Bostonians who picked up a free promotional Herald that day found that every item on the front page was devoted exclusively to the airline, including the lead headline, `JetBlue Arrives, Promises a Free TV to All Who Fly,' and teasers like `Flight Attendant Gives Passenger Entire Can of Soda.' After the front page, the paper resumed its actual news content -- but nowhere did the Herald indicate that its front page was in fact a paid advertisement, and the 20,000 recipients of the promo paper missed out on the actual front-page news of the day."
When a TV station in Kirksville, Mo., "ran a news report that quoted a company that didn't advertise on the station rather than a competitor that did, the angry advertiser pulled its ads from the station. KTVO vice president and general manager Crystal Amini-Rad quickly apologized to the sales staff in a memo that also required news reporters to `have access to an active advertiser list ... of sources which you can tap into' for expert opinion and industry comment -- and told reporters that they `should always go' to station advertisers first on any story."
In Silver City, N.M., when KNFT Radio "brought on progressive host Kyle Johnson as an alternative to the seven hours of Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage and Bill O'Reilly the station aired every weekday, KNFT's advertisers boycotted the show. The station made Johnson raise the cash to pay for his airtime, and his listeners anted up. But the advertisers threatened to boycott the entire station if Johnson stayed on; faced with the prospect of a nearly $10,000-a-month loss, the station manager reluctantly gave the progressive host the boot."
Such incidents are low profile, in contrast to the recent General Motors move against the Los Angeles Times. But the most insidious instances of advertiser pressure are the ones we never hear about -- implemented with winks and nods or the simple tacit understanding that the media business is, after all, a business. In the mysterious case of why mainstream news outlets aren't more aggressive in challenging corporate power large and small, Sherlock Holmes would probably conclude that the most profound clues are to be found when the media dogs don't bark.
We hear the least about the most pervasive media filtration -- when thoughts go nowhere because journalists have been made to understand the limits of their profession in the present day. Advertising is part of the corporatized atmosphere that sucks the oxygen out of the newsrooms. The sound of an idea being smothered in its crib doesn't rise to the decibels of a bark or even a whimper. And media consumers don't know what they're missing.
Norman Solomon's latest book, War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death, will be published in early summer. His columns and other writings can be found at: www.normansolomon.com.
This article was originally published at Truthout.org.
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Black, William Henry. Catalogi Codicum Manuscriptorum Bibliothecae Bodleianae…Pars X, A…Catalogue of the Manuscripts bequeathed…by Elias Ashmole. Oxford: Clarendon, 1845: 1435.
Robbins, Rossell Hope. "Popular Prayers in Middle English Verse." Modern Philology 36 (1939): 337-50: 339.


text:
Illustration by André Chiavassa/TBR
Why is the Brazilian government pushing public sector reform during a historic crisis?
What you need to know about Jair Bolsonaro's administrative reform
Gustavo Ribeiro
13.Sep.2020 09:54 BRT
The Brazilian government presented its plan to reform Brazil's civil service. And while it left much to be desired — as it doesn't affect current servants and keeps intact most of the privileges granted to Congress and judges — the plan could potentially change public service in Brazil, not only at the federal level, but also for states and municipalities. And if passed it would grant more powers to the president.
Brazil spends 13% of its GDP on the salaries and pensions of public servants, the 15th-most among the 142 countries analyzed by the World Bank. A reform has been talked about for decades, and now it is finally set to be debated in Congress. But will it pass? And, more importantly, if it does, which elements will be preserved?
Last week, The Brazilian Report launched a special series on the reform, explaining its main points, how hard it will be to approve it in Congress, and the impacts on many industries that depend on the current structure of the Brazilian state. Through our content partnership, LABS is republishing this first installment, in which we highlight the key points of the reform presented by President Jair Bolsonaro.
READ ALSO: Why emergency basic income programs are so necessary in Latin America
What you need to know about the government's administrative reform
The administration was expected to present its reform late last year, but President Jair Bolsonaro decided against it, due to fears that the strong civil servant lobby would launch militant protest actions similar to those happening at the time in Chile. And as we dissected the proposal, we noticed many points could spark mass anger among public servants.
Job stability for civil servants
One of the key points in the government's reform is to end the undisputed job stability of public servants — making it easier for them to be dismissed.
Today, any civil servant is granted ironclad job security after three years of service. While the 1988 Constitution mandated periodic performance evaluations — these were never enforced. Only a court order or strict disciplinary process can remove public servants from their posts. Since 2003, just over 7,500 servants have lost their job — mainly due to accusations of corruption.
In many cases — especially for judges — the worst punishment is compulsory retirement (but even so, the servant keeps all their pension benefits). That will no longer be allowed.
READ ALSO: Latin America should devise a "digital staples basket" to bridge social gaps
Now, evaluations come to the forefront — and all servants will undergo a trial period (one year in most cases and two in strategic positions) after which they can be dismissed if showing a subpar performance.
Only "typical careers of state" would be entitled to this benefit, and only after a three-year probationary period. Congress is supposed to determine which categories fit the description, but it is safe to assume that law enforcement, tax auditors, and diplomats will be granted this special status.
Private contractors
Another point that might ruffle many feathers is allowing public administrations at all levels to sign "cooperation instruments" with public and private institutions to execute public services. And that allows private contractors to be employed under specific conditions to be determined by lawmakers. Only in activities performed by "typical careers of state" would the use of private workers be off-limits.
"Obsolete" workers
According to the government's proposal, the Executive branch on all levels — federal, state, municipal — can fire civil servants whose job attributions "have become obsolete." That point will be highly contested by public sector unions, as it could impact thousands of workers.
However, there is an additional interpretation of this rule which could be even more contested. If a job is performed by private contractors — as established in the previous item — then administrations could declare a certain position as "obsolete" and scrap it altogether.
READ ALSO: Brazil's fiscal fragility stokes funding fears, despite record low interest rates
The proposal overhauls all the benefits public servants enjoy — although changes will only go for future servants. Here are the main points:
Perhaps the biggest change is lifting the possibility of automatic promotion for time of service. The reform also ends the possibility of retroactive salary bumps;
Public servants will no longer be able to take vacation of over 30 days within a year;
A high-ranked servant under leave of absence for any reason outside of health issues will no longer be able to receive compensation in line with their position;
Public servants will no longer be able to accumulate multiple paying jobs, with the exception of teachers.
Enhanced presidential powers
Under the argument of reducing red tape, the administrative reform proposal gives enhanced powers to the president, who would be able to enact changes to public service as long as they don't raise public spending. This includes creating, merging, transforming, or extinguishing ministries and other institutions in the Executive branch.
The head of state would also be allowed to slash positions, reshuffle vacancies (the president could transfer vacancies to hire people in other ministries) , and reorganize job descriptions.
Every reform has some aspect that seems like pushing too far — usually meant only to work as a bargaining chip. Something the government knows won't pass, and would be dropped as a token of the government's goodwill in a negotiation table with parties.
READ ALSO: Brazilian economy outshines Mexico's after surprise role reversal
The government's strategy seems to be focused on administrative reform, as it seems highly unlikely that Congress would waive its prerogative to approve or bring down presidential acts that reshape the government's structure. Especially in a moment when tensions between the government and Congress are so high — to the point that House Speaker Rodrigo Maia declared that he no longer speaks to Economy Minister Paulo Guedes.
The Covid-19 crisis has made the Bolsonaro administration aware of the need to enhance public spending on welfare programs. But to avoid ballooning the deficit, major cuts will have to be made — setting the stage for the administration to push reforms that have been promised since 2018.
As the old political adage goes: one must never let a good crisis go to waste.
This article was originally published on The Brazilian Report, a website that explains Brazilian politics and economics to foreign audiences.
Brazil, Business, Economy, Jair Bolsonaro, Regulation
Gustavo Ribeiro An award-winning journalist, Gustavo has extensive experience covering Brazillian politics and international affairs. He has been featured across Brazilian and French media outlets and founded The Brazilian Report in 2017. He holds a master's degree in Political Science and Latin American studies from Panthéon-Sorbonne University in Paris.


Creative thinking techniques are to innovation what two espressos are to waking up. They help, but you don't necessarily want to depend on them. BELIEVE IT or not, it's actually possible to start your day without coffee! You could, for example, get enough rest. Or, hold the sugar, exercise! In the same way, it's possible to be a creative superstar at work without ever using a creative thinking technique. How? By adding one or more of the following CREATIVE PICK-ME-UPS to your daily routine. They're simple. They're fun. And they may just be the spark you need to unlock your inner genius.
Review the checked items and circle the ones you'd be willing to try.
Pick ONE and tell someone why you think it would work.
Turn on the radio at random intervals and listen for a "message"
Ask "What's the worst thing that could happen?"
Imagine you already knew the answer. What would it be?
Ask stupid questions. Then ask some more.
Look for alternative solutions. Don't accept the first "right idea"
Ask "How can I accomplish my goal in half the time?"


I would love to share this experience…Sat. May 1st I officially started my Bachelor degree in the SPICA-Way of Light University of Divinity. Sun. May 2nd one of my clients died who had been dealing with cancer…a bit of a surprise actually. Mon. May 3rd Iwas asked by the daughter of the deceased to officiate her Memorial Service that Sat. May 8th.
I felt deeply honored and a bit nervous at the same time since I've never done that form of service before. Well the family was so pleased how everything went during the Service that they have now asked me to do the second scheduled Memorial Service in Carlsbad, CA. May 29th. When I enrolled in the University I never imagined how quickly things would manifest for me…sort of feels like I have taken one level of my practicum, officiating the Memorial Service before having taken a class from the curriculum. Thank you Womanspirit for this Sacred Experience of Service.
I just wanted to remind you that this month is the only month we have SPICA services one week later than usual. I am traveling this weekend to teach in TX.
We will have our service on May 30th and begin with Reiki at 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. If any of you would like to be in Service as a Reiki practitioner, please let me know.
Our Inspirational Service will start at 9:30. We will be under the influence of Hawthorn Moon and the discovery of Choices in Life, the Playground of the mind, and the vibrant treasure chest to be open to uncover Source Gifts. And, whatever more WomanSpirit will direct!
Come and be with us May 30th at Myztic Isle Bookstore. Bring a Friend, we welcome all.
Each New Moon is another reflection of the Divine Feminine Expression. She is flowing with energy that births, supports, and produces activities that move through our unconscious and merge into action in our life.
May 13 at 6:04:23 pm PDT, the Moon joins the Sun at 23 degrees 9 minutes of Taurus. A new moon phase begins with the Sabian Message of: "A Mounted Indian with Scalp Locks." Sounds macabre. Yet, it carries a significant message of "achievement." This achievement is reflecting power, strength, and accomplishment. Since the Indian can show the "locks," there is the reality of revealing the manifest is in hand. Therefore, when you set your intentions for the New Moon, remember, you are setting in the power to achieve your desires and at such a level, that you will reveal your accomplishments, not just speak about them. You will have them in hand! It will take your empowered state of being, your strength to overcome adversity, and your willingness to stay the course to accomplish your goals. The Sun and Moon in Taurus give you that stability.
Yesterday, Mercury stood stationary, no longer to be seen in a retrograde motion. Mercury will now travel back over the field of energy used in the retrograde process. It will take Mercury until May 28th to get back to the point it turned retrograde. That means you will be going over all you experienced, what it means to you, and what you have learned through this last event. This is a "shadow" of the Mercury retrograde event, so the Light of Mental Freedom does not fully come to you until May 28th. Move through your review with the knowing that you are taking in the wisdom of lessons learned, the understanding of events in your life, and the ability to change what does not work. Soon all levels of communication will feel like they are back to normal. Computers that may have gone down will not be fixed and ready to go. Drivers will come back to Earth and drive with a bit more focus and care.
Most certainly, this new moon will anchor the sense of well being, delight in putting your hands in the soil and tilling your gardens, and getting into the fresh air and sharing with others the creative flow of life. By Friday, a Void of Course will occur with the moon at 5:26 am. Not long after, 6:18 am PDT, the Moon shifts in to Gemini and the Hawthorn phase begins…calling in the power of making choices that will support your desired accomplishments.
This is a dynamic month of energy exchanging from the Galactic Center, through our Worldly Aura and merging with our Personal Consciousness. Be sure to read the Moon Mother Musing on the Monthly page of this website and discover what more can be expected throughout this lunar month.
Pray from your Feeling Nature!
Ever wonder how to get your prayer answered? It is simple…pray with feeling that is actualized throughout your whole being. When you pray from your head-thinking, your prayers remain in the ethers. Pray with deep feelings and sacred honor, and your prayers will be answered in such Divine Ways that you are Awe-Struck with a sacred attitude!
Today is a Day of World-Wide Prayer. May everyone Pray for Peace, Love and Harmony…..and Know, from your heart you are creating!
May 9th is Gathering Day at Myztic Isle. A SPICA – Way of Light Teacher, Barbara Hightower, will share the Wisdom of Hawthorn. Flowing with the lunar cycles, Barbara brings creative ideas for blending and using the Messages of WomanSpirit recognized in the Faces of the Moon Mothers. The Divine Feminine Principle is revealed once again. The Foundation of SPICA – Way of Light's philosophy is grasped through the lunar cycles.
Please come and enjoy the creative fun and inspiration to set the tone of your next lunar cycle. It begins at 10:00 a.m.
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