text:
Why America Should Fear a Russia‐China Alliance
This article appeared on National Interest (Online) on September 9, 2020.
The United States is the world's strongest nation. It has the largest, most productive economy. America's military is peerless. The United States also enjoys unmatched "soft power," with a globe‐spanning culture and appealing values.
Nevertheless, the Trump administration's attempt to run the world from Washington, treating allied states as vassals, has faltered. America's most desperate adversaries, including Venezuela, Iran, North Korea, and Syria, have rebuffed U.S. pressure. And when pressed by the United States for support against Tehran European governments sided with the latter.
Perhaps most ominous are the growing if still limited ties between China and Russia. Tension between the two nations is real but antipathy to Washington binds them together. Although some analysts dismiss the importance and sustainability of the relationship, Thomas Joscelyn of the Foundation for Defense of Democracy contended: "the Xi‐Putin partnership is arguably the most dangerous relationship on the planet today."
There was nothing inevitable about cooperation between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Russian Federation. Relations between the Soviet Union and PRC sometimes were anything but friendly. Ideological differences joined nationalistic passions in 1956 after Nikita Khrushchev made his famous denunciation of Joseph Stalin. Bilateral relations rapidly deteriorated: in 1969 the two governments fought an undeclared border war for several months.
American policymakers need to recognize that Russia has separate interests that it will pursue irrespective of Washington's wishes.
This environment invited Richard Nixon to transform U.S. relations with China three years later. After Mao's death in 1976 bilateral ties substantially expanded, as economic reforms advanced by the new Chinese leader, Deng Xiaoping, turned the PRC into an important trading partner.
Moscow attempted to ease the breach exploited by the United States and relations eventually normalized. When the Cold War ended there was no reason to expect Washington to end up at odds with both countries. But after the West launched its economic war on Russia a few years ago Beijing and Moscow took their relationship to a higher level, though not into a formal alliance, which remains unlikely. Observed Alexander Gabuev of Carnegie Moscow Center: "China and Russia's budding relationship is still primarily transactional."
However, the two governments continue to draw closer. Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin have met more than thirty times. Last month Xi called on the two countries to "oppose hegemony and unilateralism," obviously directed against you know who. Noted historian Matthew Dal Santo, "Russia and China are closer today than at any point since the Sino‐Soviet split that Nixon's China policy seized advantage of."
Both Beijing and Moscow are awful regimes. But the United States (and to a lesser degree European) hubris encouraged them to become confidantes. Now, even advocates of unbridled American primacy have grown nervous about the world's second‐most powerful economy and its second‐most powerful military working together.
China poses a greater challenge though. Economic connections and other connections between America and the PRC are great, but the tension between a rising and an existing power reflects the so‐called Thucydides Trap, captured by Thucydides' classic history of the Peloponnesian War. Even if the United States and China avoid conflict, their ambitions will continue to clash. Washington should adopt reasonable accommodations rather than reflexively resist Chinese objectives while maximizing international support for America's position and minimizing backing for the PRC.
In pursuing the latter Washington should begin with Russia. Moscow's substantial weaknesses make the condominium with China particularly important but also most uncomfortable. Moreover, America's and Europe's estrangement from the Russian Federation makes little sense. Despite hysterical fearmongering by those who see Moscow as an enemy, Russia poses minimal threat to America and almost as little danger to Europe.
Indeed, in his early years, President Vladimir Putin evinced little hostility toward the West. His shift reflected a changed sense of threat, which was an outgrowth of the aggressive United States, and to a lesser degree, European policies. (That does not, of course, excuse his domestic repressions and foreign depredations.)
Russia's response was wrong but did not threaten any member of NATO. In fact, Putin's objectives were rather modest, a one‐off strike largely designed to preserve the base for the Black Sea fleet and prevent Kiev's membership in the transatlantic alliance. American policymakers should consider how they would have reacted had the Soviet Union helped overthrow Mexico's elected pro‐American leader, set forth its list of approved government officials, pushed to shift trade away from the United States to Soviet clients in South America, and invited the new government to join the Warsaw Pact. Washington would have been overcome by mass hysteria and war fever.
Russia is no more threatening today. It has recovered from its nadir but it is still no match for America. Today Moscow is a great power akin to pre‐1914 Imperial Russia, which insisted on international respect for its borders and interests. Moscow's nuclear arsenal provides a powerful deterrent, but Russia is in no position to force its will on the United States. Grappling for influence in countries such as Syria is standard great power politics—and there Moscow has much greater, historically rooted interests than America. The chief flashpoint is Washington's insistence that it is entitled to essentially impose the Monroe Doctrine on Europe, with the unlimited right to intervene militarily in Russia's neighborhood. It should surprise no one that Putin refuses to surrender his foreign policy to America.
Additionally, the Europeans, whatever their rhetoric may be, don't have much reason to fear Moscow. The continent vastly outdistances Russia with eleven times the economic strength and three times the population. Countries that refuse to spend much on their militaries do not fear invasion, irrespective of their rhetoric. Even Poland and the Baltics barely break that barrier. If they really feared invasion, then they would develop serious territorial defenses to make aggression too costly for Moscow to contemplate.
Of course, critics of a Russo‐rapprochement have assembled a long list of particular offenses and impossible demands. For instance, they point out, Putin is an authoritarian—of which the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny is but the latest evidence. However, Washington long has embraced its favorite dictators throughout South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Remember Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who slices and dices his critics?
There are angry charges of Russian interference in America's elections—yet the U.S. interfered in more than eighty foreign elections between 1945 and 2000. American policymakers also are shocked, shocked that Moscow promotes its interests in Syria, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Cuba, and elsewhere, just like Washington pushes its agenda in the Balkans, Central and Eastern Europe, Mideast, and elsewhere, all closer to Russia than America.
The former wrongly backed war against Ukraine and for Syria's Assad regime, critics note; the United States launched or supported illegal military action against Iraq, Serbia, Libya, Syria, and Yemen. Moscow may have paid bounties to kill Americans in Afghanistan. In practice, this is little different than Washington providing lethal military aid to Ukraine, for use to kill Russian soldiers and ethnic Russian insurgents. (It is also like America's long‐ago assistance to the Afghan Mujahedeen, which killed thousands of Soviet military personnel.)
America's mistakes and misdeeds do not justify Moscow's far worse behavior, but Russia is no outlier in the international system and its illicit behavior is negotiable. Or, at least, it would be if the United States deigned to talk about such issues. America current policy of insisting that Moscow drop its policies because it doesn't like them has failed. Why, for instance, should Russia abandon an ally of decades, Syria, because Washington seemingly expects to dominate every nation in the Middle East? And Moscow, whether the government is led by Putin or someone else, is likely to surrender Crimea only after America returns Texas to Mexico. Thomas Graham, who handled Russia for the National Security Council under President George W. Bush, has noted that "Other than the Russians capitulating, I have no idea what the administration is trying to achieve concerning Russia."
Washington should take a different path. Top American leaders should sit down with Russian policymakers and look for compromises that both sides can live with. Admittedly, as Australian Member of the House of Representatives Dave Sharma observed, "the statecraft required is not easy, and the realpolitik underpinning it might be hard to stomach."
Nevertheless, support for the idea is growing. Henry Kissinger, architect of the breakthrough with China, reportedly urged Trump administration officials to do the same with Moscow today. When asked about the possibility Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, hardly a diplomat's diplomat, responded: "I do think there's that opportunity." Elbridge Colby, a principal at the Marathon Initiative and former Pentagon official, opined: "Our goal should be to ensure a lot of space between China and Russia."
Moreover, a group of distinguished foreign policy analysts recently used Politico as an outlet to call for a renewed effort to negotiate with Russia, writing that "Our strategic posture should be that which served us well during the Cold War: a balanced commitment to deterrence and détente. Thus, while maintaining our defense, we should also engage Russia in a serious and sustained strategic dialogue that addresses the deeper sources of mistrust and hostility and at the same time focuses on the large and urgent security challenges facing both countries."
What kind of compromise would be acceptable? There are many possibilities. For instance, America could announce the end of NATO expansion, which increases America's obligations far more than its resources, and military assistance to Kiev. In return, Russia could halt support for ethnic Russian separatists in the Donbass and guarantee free Ukrainian maritime access. Ukraine could follow through on the Minsk Protocol, approving constitutional guarantees for greater regional autonomy.
On Crimea, the United States and Europe could accept annexation de facto but not jure. If Russia wants official recognition, then it could hold an internationally monitored referendum. Indeed, Washington's demand that Crimea be returned without a vote would be unfair to Crimeans. America should not barter its future as if it were a commodity. Irrespective of the past, their consent should determine their future.
Washington and Moscow should agree to mutual disarmament when it comes to electoral interference, including partisan involvement packaged as "democracy promotion," an American favorite. The West could drop complaints over South Ossetia and Abkhazia—in which indigenous nationalism goes back centuries—and the United States could stop augmenting its financial contributions and troop deployments to Europe if Moscow dropped threatening and hostile actions, from cyberattacks against America and Europe to military maneuvers. Russia could end support of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro and intervention in Libya if Washington stopped trying to push Russia out of Syria and overthrow the Assad government.
On other issues of disagreement, the two governments could either engage in traditional horse‐trading or agree to disagree. Washington's determination to stand on dubious, and often hypocritical, principle guarantees prolonged, and perhaps eternal, Russian hostility. America's only benefit is the satisfaction of infusing U.S. foreign policy with an abnormally noxious concentration of sanctimony.
Unfortunately, perennial hawks seem horrified by the idea of revived détente. They prefer permanent confrontation, forever growing military outlays, an ever‐expanding NATO alliance, and constantly increasing sanctions. Yet their inflated threat claims inadvertently demonstrate the need for a dramatic change in policy. For instance, John Rood, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, argued: "in many ways, Russia's the larger near term threat [compared to China] because of the overwhelming lethality of its nuclear arsenal and also because of some of the behavior that the Russian government has exhibited." His claim is exaggerated—Moscow would fight the United States only if forced to—but, if true, it illustrates why Washington should engage Moscow and seek to moderate its behavior.
Matthew Kroenig of the Atlantic Council contended that "Putin cannot be trusted to abide by arms control agreements or cease‐fires in eastern Ukraine." The Russian leader doesn't need to be trusted when his actions can be monitored. Anyway, lack of trustworthiness is not a problem just for Russia: U.S. officials misled—and possibly lied to—the Soviet and Russian governments about expanding NATO after the collapse of the Soviet empire. Washington did not live up to its implicit commitments to Libya's Muammar el‐Qaddafi. Donald Trump trashed the Obama administration's agreement with Iran. The president's critics were agog that he removed American troops stationed with Syrian Kurds.
Perhaps reflecting such behavior, Vasily Kashin at Moscow's Higher School of Economics wrote: "First, there is no trust between Moscow and Washington and, second, Russia believes U.S domestic politics is too chaotic and extremist to make any deal‐making or subtle maneuvers very likely." However, little subtlety would be necessary to propose broad reciprocal actions, especially if tied to rolling back of one or more sanctions. Moscow could decide whether to accept the invitation.
Former NATO ambassador Kurt Volker claimed the failure of "multiple attempts by U.S. administrations to work together" with Russia. He complained that "The fundamental fallacy in such an argument is to believe that U.S. policies drive Putin's actions. They don't." For Volker "working together" must mean Moscow subordinating itself to Washington's demands. His "America as Vestal Virgin" thesis is unsustainable.
As Mark N. Katz of George Mason University pointed out, even before Putin's rise "Russians became frustrated with how the weak state of the armed forces serve (in their view) to encourage the United States and the West to undertake military actions." Katz cited NATO expansion, attacks on Serbia, the Iraq War and multiple color revolutions. "It was in response to this U.S. tendency to act unilaterally in ways to which Moscow objected that Putin implemented a military strategy aimed at thwarting U.S. unilateralism as well as building up Russia's own ability to act unilaterally."
A long list of the usual hawkish foreign policy suspects wrote in Politico to ask what possible "acceptable resolutions" were possible to resolve U.S.-Russian differences? In horror they cited ideas like leaving Georgia and Russia out of NATO, accepting Russian control of Crimea, and ignoring Moscow's human‐rights violations, and concluded that "any 'rethink' involving such trade‐offs is not worth pursuing."
This argument reflects the madness afflicting the bipartisan War Party in Washington. Foreign policy has become a tool for micro‐managing the globe, not ensuring the safety of the American people. Adding countries in conflict with Russia to the transatlantic alliance is dangerous and goes against U.S. interests. Moscow will not surrender Crimea absent defeat in a full‐scale war, irrespective of America's demands.
Washington ostentatiously, even cheerfully, ignores grievous human rights violations in many nations—Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Turkey, and the Central Asian states, to start. The militaristic policies lauded by the hawkish Greek Chorus, such as providing lethal aid to Ukraine, enhancing U.S. military presence in the Baltics and Poland, and maintaining sanctions, have not acted as an "incentive for Putin to change," as claimed, but instead have assured Russia's continuing hostility and determination to retaliate.
Although Kroenig acknowledged that the Russo‐Chinese entente "is worrying," he contended that Russia "does not want to be openly antagonistic" toward the PRC and "does not bring much to the table." Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, observed: "I just don't see Russia as currently oriented playing a role" in containing the PRC. And although she took an approach from a different direction, Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Minister, has assured the public that the United States would not succeed in attempting "to provoke a public clash between Russia and China."
That said, Washington's objective should not be to make Russia an American ally, but to prevent it from becoming a Chinese one. As Dal Santo has observed: "balancing China alone is far more realistic than balancing China and Russia together." Even benevolent neutrality, leavened with a greater willingness to challenge the PRC when Moscow's interests are at risk, would be good for the West.
Perhaps the most bizarre hyperventilation over proposals to shift U.S. policy came from James Gilmore, a neither memorable nor successful presidential candidate now serving as U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co‐Operation in Europe. He called the putative reformers' article a "shameful document" and said their arguments were "the Russian message that we see here in Vienna." He insisted: "We have a right to hold Russia up to the proper standards of conduct of international relations and foreign policy."
Alas, that argument suffers coming from someone officially representing a nation that routinely engages in aggressive wars, attempts to overthrow foreign governments, and supports nations that flagrantly violate international law and human rights. The question is: would a deal with Moscow increase the likelihood that it holds to "the proper standards of conduct of international relations and foreign policy"? The current policy toward Russia manifestly has failed to chasten Moscow. It is time to try a different approach.
Finally, some critics might be inclined to try to outwait Putin. However, his successor is likely to adopt a similar nationalist approach. Unfortunately, liberalism is a dead force in Russia. "Even if Putin's eventual successor is more democratically inclined, it does not follow that Russia will embrace a worldview more favorable to the United States. The disagreement cuts to the heart of national identity and purpose," according to Thomas Graham, Jr., and Matthew Rojansky, of the Council on Foreign Relations and Woodrow Wilson Center. The reformers writing for Politico similarly observed: "the reality is that Russia, under Vladimir Putin, operates within a strategic framework deeply rooted in nationalist traditions that resonate with elites and the public alike. An eventual successor, even one more democratically inclined, will likely operate within this same framework." Indeed, the much‐feted Alexei Navalny appears to be a hardline nationalist who opposes Putin's misrule, not ideology.
Even among those who prefer better relations between Washington and Moscow, there is skepticism that they are attainable. For instance, Lyle Goldstein of the U.S. Naval War College has argued that "China and Russia have a very similar worldview right now and they're supporting each other pretty strongly. I don't see a lot of cracks." Meanwhile, analysts Andrea Kendall‐Taylor, David Shullman, and Dan McCormick doubted "efforts to lure Russia away from China would be successful … because Putin views the United States and not Beijing as a threat to his hold on power." Katz suggested that "Putin, it appears, may actually prefer a state of hostility with the United States and the West, given his fears that friendly relations are more likely to undermine him."
Although powerful forces are pushing China and Russia together, differences between them are real. The PRC has used its greater economic strength to win influence in Central Asia, once part of the Soviet Union. Moreover, Imperial China lost territory to Imperial Russia, including Vladivostok, which some Chinese imagine recovering. Moscow is likely to be increasingly dissatisfied playing number two to Beijing, which seems inevitable as the economic gap between them grows.
Nevertheless, punitive allied actions are inflaming the two governments' current hostility toward and fear of America. The United States should work to eliminate or moderate factors pushing them together. There is no guarantee of success, but Washington should play the long game.
Foreign policy is the art of the possible, distinguishing between reality and fantasy. American policymakers need to recognize that Russia has separate interests that it will pursue irrespective of Washington's wishes. Despite near‐hysteria among U.S. policymakers who cannot understand foreign rejection of American hegemony, most contested issues—such as Syria and Crimea—are not particularly important, let alone vital, to the United States. In any case, Russia has repeatedly demonstrated that it will not surrender to Washington.
The United States and Europe should seek a civil, cooperative relationship with Russia. Doing so would be the best way to counter today's informal alliance between Moscow and Beijing. But that requires America to compromise on its own outsize geopolitical ambitions. This approach would do far more to enhance American security than launching another Cold War.
Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. A former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan, he is author of Foreign Follies: America's New Global Empire.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Very interesting discussion.Anyway our phosphate remover all contain iron oxide and aluminium oxide.So I think it should work.
Only question is the grade of iron or aluminium oxide use.
Is there high grade steel wool available?
Maybe someone in this field can advise.
can i know what does FR stand for and how does it work to contol po4?
But steel wool commonly sold might have chromium/molybdenum mixed in as in CrMo steel, but then it might be just normal steel. But i'm sure there is at least some chromium in it, to give some corrosion resistance, which MIGHT leech into the water.
Could be true but chromium will react with oxygen to form chromium oxide which is the protective layer of stainless steel. Chromium oxide will not corrode under seawater.
has another try out this steel wool method yet?
where to buy the steel wool?


Used trucks for sale in Thornhill can be found at our Pfaff Audi Vaughan dealership. If you are looking for a used truck, we recommend that you check out our website or contact an Audi representative at our dealership today. Pfaff Audi Vaughan is home to some very high quality new and pre-owned vehicles, and we are confident that you will be able to find the used truck that you are looking for with us. We don't just sell Audi vehicles at our dealership either. When looking for used trucks for sale, our customers can take advantage of our representatives to find one that suits their needs, wants, and desires. Read on for more information about how to find used trucks for sale in the Thornhill area at Pfaff Audi Vaughan.
Looking for a used truck? Have you exhausted you search at other dealerships who don't have exactly what you are looking for? Many of our customers don't know this, but you can find used trucks for sale if you go to our website at www.pfaffaudi.com. This 2012 Ford F-150 is available at our Pfaff Audi Vaughan dealership, and you can take this truck for a test drive at your earliest convenience.
If you are looking for a used truck for sale in the Thornhill area, like this 2012 Ford F-150, but the truck sells before you have time to take it for a test drive, NO WORRIES! Our representatives at Pfaff Audi Vaughan will do our best to find you a used truck just like it at our other Pfaff Audi dealerships. For more information about used trucks for sale in the Thornhill area, please feel free to continue browsing through our website. Click here to find our contact numbers or to fill out our contact form.


The temperature was 41 degrees and it was cloudy.
The Sixth Precinct is located at on McGraw Street in Detroit. It was built on 19 June 1930 to replace the Vinewood Facility according to Nailed: Pleading the 6th. It opened up in 1931. This site serviced the northern Springswell Twp (AKA Delray) and Dearborn area.
In 1815 there was a treaty with the Wyandot and other native tribes to obtain the land as Michigan Territory in exchange for Peace. There is no evidence that the sixth precinct is on any sacred land at this time.
There is not a lot of info on the history of the site but we know it was active between the 1930's to 1999. The city of Detroit put it up for sale in 2007. The 1930's was the time of Prohibition. The Former Tiger Stadium was built not too far away in 1938, so this area was very busy with activity. The population in the 1930's was over 23,000 residents.
This precinct played a big part in the 1967 riot that took place in Detroit that year. The owner also told us of several police officers that had committed suicide in the building.
Currently the "new" or current Sixth Precinct is located on Warwick Street.
The site has recently been purchased by a computer company to make into a data storage facility and possibly a Detroit Police Museum. There is a call to help get the building restored. Click here for the Facebook page.
Previous teams have been in the site and have captured anomalies and EVPs. It appears to be an active site but we are not sure who is actively occupying the Sixth Precinct.
Digital Records, SP-11 Spirit Box, Geobox, EMF meters.
Megan and Ryan arrived at the McGraw Police Station on McGraw in Detroit at 9:15 PM. The paranormal event hosted by DPX.
The investigation began at 9:30 PM with about 14 people splitting up into three groups. Each group was to spend about a half hour in the basement, main floor and second floor. Before splitting up into groups the owner gave a short history of the police station.
Megan and Ryan were in the group that began in the basement. The basement housed the evidence room, shooting range and a few other rooms that would be in a police station. The shooting range is one of the places that several police officers committed suicide. During our investigation in the basement nothing immediately stood out. Listening to recordings and watching video may give us some evidence.
Our next destination was the main floor. The main floor is where offices and holding cells were located. Again there was no immediate proof, however, one of the Detroit Paranormal Expedition investigators had a device that used the same technology as the Kinect. The screen shows stick figures when a human walks in front of it, we witnessed a stick figure on the screen although there wasn't a corporeal body in front of the camera.
We also spent time in the "drunk tank", which was an over-sized cell. However, after listening to a spirit box for several minutes we didn't readily hear anything… perhaps when we listen to our recordings we'll hear something. After the drunk tank we each got to spend individual time in the cells, again perhaps we'll hear something on our recordings.
Our last destination was the second floor. This floor in later years was where the gang squad was located, however, in the beginning it was a gymnasium. We began our session on the second floor by listening to a spirit box. Several questions were asked but when the question "Can you say the name of someone in this room?" was asked the name Todd came out. Todd is one of the founding members of Detroit Paranormal Expeditions and he was in the room.
One thing Ryan would like to mention is that in all of the sessions with the Geobox he kept hearing what sounded like a door slamming or a gavel being hammered down on a desk.


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/ Silman's Chess Odyssey
Silman's Chess Odyssey
Cracked Grandmaster Tales, Legendary Players, and Instruction and Musings
Jeremy Silman
From the bestselling author of How to Reassess Your Chess and Silman's Complete Endgame Course comes a new book. Part instructional, part history, and part memoir, International Master Jeremy Silman pays homage to the game he loves. Chess is a strategic battle, a struggle for power and dominance. It can become an obsession, or can simply be a game to be enjoyed. When played at its highest level it is an art form.
In Chess Odyssey Silman touches on all these aspects of the game. Starting on the light side with behind-the-scenes tales of tournament life, Silman's Chess Odyssey then takes a serious turn to history, and profiles the life and careers of eleven legendary players (Adolf Anderssen, Ignatz Kolisch, Johannes Zukertort, Siegbert Tarrasch, Wilhelm Steinitz, Emanuel Lasker, Frank Marshall, Rudolf Spielmann, Alexander Alekhine, Salo Flohr, Efim Geller) including over 275 games with diagrams and analysis.
In the third part of this 540 page tome Silman, writes of criminals who were also talented chess players, discusses an odd series of game at a historic interzonal tournament, and memorializes some friends.
Known as one of the premiere instructional chess writers and teachers, part four concentrates on just that and includes a smattering of material on openings, imbalances, tactics, chess psychology, and FAQ.
Illustrated thoughout with black & white photographs.
Jeremy Silman is an International Master and a world-class teacher, writer, and player who has won the American Open, the National Open, and the U.S. Open. Considered by many to be the game's preeminent instructive writer, he is the author of over thirty-seven books, including How to Reassess your Chess, Silman's Complete Endgame Course, The Amateur's Mind, The Complete Book of Chess Strategy, and The Reassess Your Chess Workbook.
Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan, four-time U.S. Chess Champion:
"I've long given up on favorite titles—now I think in terms of favorite chess authors: Bronstein, Fischer, Larsen, Nunn, Silman and Tal are my top six. Clear. From which, Silman gets first on my entertainment scale. Jeremy delivers unvarnished first-hand stories featuring great dollops of hilarity. If there is a chance for Jeremy to stick a foot into own mouth, he will choose both feet! I love it! And so will you! J's Chess Odyssey is yet another marvelous insight into the wonderful world of chess."
International Master John Watson:
"Chess Odyssey is a kaleidoscope of entertaining chess characters and stories. Silman gives us everything from historical drama and outrageous tales to classic games and loads of instructive tips ranging from psychology to strategy to tactics. A great read!"
International Master Anthony Saidy:
"As an old sidekick of Jeremy's, I know that he is as entertaining in person as in his writings on chess, which made him a best-seller. Here is history and instruction with the unique Silman slant. Chess should not be a dry study. Smile while you learn."
Silman-James Press
How to Reassess your Chess - 4th Edition
Silman's Complete Endgame Course
Timman's Titans
Timman's Triumphs
Devoted to Chess
The Complete Book of Chess Strategy
The Reassess Your Chess: Workbook
The Amateur's Mind


This is a review of a 4 way split album between A' Repit, Inferen, Malauriu and Vultur called "Teschi Ossa Morte" which will be released in March as a joint effort between Black Tears, The Triad Rec, Southern Hell Records, Ira Aeterna, Masked Dead Records, Nebelkorps and The Last Step and we will start off the review with A' Repit who return with their epic and atmospheric style of black metal.
Their side of the split starts out with grim black metal screams before adding in some heavy riffing while the solos and leads are done in a very melodic style. All of the musical instruments on their side of the recording have a very powerful sound to them along with some clean vocals also being used briefly.
At times the music gets very atmospheric sounding and when the music speeds up a decent amount of blast beats can also be heard. Acoustic guitars and flutes are also added on the second track. The production sounds very professional while the lyrics are written in Italian and cover History, Alpine Traditions and Legends.
In my opinion this is another great sounding from A' Repit and if you are a fan of epic and atmospheric black metal, you should check out their side of the split. RECOMMENDED TRACK "Ventre di lupo".
Next up is Inferen who return with their traditional style of black metal.
Their side of the split starts out with a very heavy and melodic sound while the faster sections of the music also brings in a great amount of tremolo picking and blast beats which also gives the music more of a raw feeling. Vocals are mostly dark and grim sounding black metal screams.
Throughout their side of the recording you can also hear a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts. All of the musical instruments on their side of the recording have a very powerful sound to them as well as both of their tracks being very long and epic in length. The production sounds very raw and heavy while the lyrics are written in Italian and cover Apocalypse, Darkness, Evil, Visions and Doom Themes.
In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Inferen and if you are a fan of traditional black metal, you should check out their side of the split. RECOMMENDED TRACK "Volti di pietra".
Next up is Malauriu who return with their raw and old school style of black metal.
Their side of the split starts out with a very fast and raw sound which also uses a great amount of tremolo picking and blast beats. Vocals bring in a mixture of high pitched black metal screams and demonic growls along with the music being very heavily rooted in the mid 90's.
At times the music also adds in a touch of war metal while the songs also add in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts as well as some synths also being added onto the second track briefly before returning back to a heavier style. The production sounds very raw and heavy while the lyrics cover death and human misery themes.
In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Malauri and if you are a fan of fast, raw and aggressive black metal, you should check out their side of the split. RECOMMENDED TRACK "Narcotic Cult.
Closing this split is Vultur a band that plays an occult form of black metal.
Their side of the split starts out with a very fast and raw sound which also uses a great amount of tremolo piking and blast beats. Their track is very long and epic in length along with the music also being very heavily rooted in the 90's style as well as the solos and leads being done in a very melodic style.
Vocals are mostly angry sounding yet high pitched black metal screams while their song also brings in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts as well as all of the musical instruments having a very powerful sound to them and towards the end ritualistic soundscapes can also be heard briefly. The production sounds very raw and heavy while the lyrics are written in Italian and cover Sardinian Occultism themes.
In my opinion Vultur are a very great sounding fast, raw and melodic occult black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out their side of t he split.
In conclusion I feel this is a very great sounding split and I would recommend it to all fans of Italian black metal. 8 out of 10.


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Q: Converting Html to pdf using Rotativa in MVC Iam developing a project in MVC4. I want to generate a report on pdf. Iam using Rotativa to generate pdf report, so for it is working fine for local system
When i deployed in IIS it is not working and showing an error 'The directory name is invalid'.

Please suggest me the solution

A: I didn't use Rotativa. I can't see the stack trace screenshot image ( due to restirictions of my company. ) But if it says "the directory name is invalid" and it says that only on ISS hosting then consider to use Server.MapPath function... Look Rotativa library usage if you can set the root of paths. Like; rotativalib.Settings.RootDirectory.Set = Server.MapPath("~/pdfFiles/"); etc. etc...
For more information: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.web.httpserverutility.mappath(v=vs.110).aspx

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
17 Home Remedies for Poison Ivy
by Editors of Consumer Guide
A rash from poison ivy, oak, or sumac, is an allergic reaction to the oil, or sap, from inside the plant.
Contact with poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac often goes hand-in-hand with camping and other outdoor activities. Outdoor enthusiasts by the tentful have had to cut trips short after an unfortunate encounter with one of this threesome.
The problem stems from the plant's colorless oil called urushiol. Whenever one of these plants is cut, crushed, stepped on, sat on, grabbed, rolled on, kicked, or disturbed, the oil is released. It oozes from any cut or crushed part of the leaves or stem, so just brushing a plant may not elicit a reaction. Oil content in the plants runs highest in the spring and summer, but cases are reported even in the dead of winter.
Once on the victim, the toxic oil penetrates the skin and a rash appears within 12 to 48 hours after exposure. This is a true allergic reaction to compounds in the urushiol. The rash starts as small bumps and progresses into enlarged, itchy blisters. No body part is immune to the oil, although areas most often irritated are the face, arms, hands, legs, and genitals.
Poison ivy, oak and sumac are uncomfortable plants to come into contact with, but there are ways to calm the itchy rash that they can cause. In fact, a number of simple home remedies exist. In this article, we'll discuss 17 ways to prevent getting a rash from poison ivy, oak or sumac and how to treat such a rash, using medicines and common household items, if one should occur. But first, let's take a look at what these plants are and where they are.
Poison ivy, oak, and sumac are hardy weeds that can be found throughout the United States, except in Hawaii, Alaska, and some desert areas of Nevada. Poison ivy is found east of the Rockies, poison oak grows in the West and Southwest, and poison sumac thrives east of the Mississippi River. All three produce similar reactions, and if you're allergic to one, you'll probably react to the others as well.
Cases of poison ivy, oak, and sumac affect 10 to 50 million people in the United States each year. In fact, these plants constitute the single most common cause of allergic reactions. A lucky 10 to 15 percent of Americans don't react to these plants, but another 10 to 15 percent are quite sensitive to them. The rest of us fall somewhere in between, with varying levels of sensitivity.
What muddies the waters is that a person's sensitivity can change over time, even from season to season. You could be quite sensitive to poison ivy as a child but seem immune to the weed as an adult. Or you may not have your first bad reaction to one of these poisonous plants until late in life, though sensitivity tends to decline with age.
Your level of sensitivity determines how bad a reaction you'll have. Once the oil touches the skin, it starts to penetrate in minutes. Within 12 to 48 hours, the red, itchy rash appears, followed by blisters that may weep and later get crusty. The area usually heals in about ten days. Among the very sensitive population, affected areas of skin will quickly swell up, the rash can be severe and painful, and the reaction may take up to three weeks to clear if left untreated. If you are highly sensitive to these plants, see a doctor as soon as you come in contact with one.
Even for people who are only mildly sensitive, a rash from poison ivy, oak, or sumac is no fun. The itching can drive you absolutely crazy. You try to ignore it, but you can't. All you want to do is scratch like a maniac. It's almost enough to make you want to give up going outside ever again.
Fortunately, you don't have to. You simply need to know how to take steps to avoid these foes and what to do to get relief if your preventive steps fail. There are a number of home remedies that can help ease the discomfort of plant-induced itching. See the next section for some tips to prevent the problem in the first place.
For more information about allergies and skin ailments and how to treat them, try the following links:
To see our home remedies for food poisoning, go to our Home Remedies for Food Poisoning page.
If you want to learn more about allergies, try the How Allergies Work page.
Dealing with a more heated skin situation? Read our Home Remedies for Sunburn article.
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(1) In general.—An employee of a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee or personal services contractor may not be discharged, demoted, or otherwise discriminated against as a reprisal for disclosing to a person or body described in paragraph (2) information that the employee reasonably believes is evidence of gross mismanagement of a Federal contract or grant, a gross waste of Federal funds, an abuse of authority relating to a Federal contract or grant, a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, or a violation of law, rule, or regulation related to a Federal contract (including the competition for or negotiation of a contract) or grant.
(1) Submission of complaint.—A person who believes that the person has been subjected to a reprisal prohibited by subsection (a) may submit a complaint to the Inspector General of the executive agency involved. Unless the Inspector General determines that the complaint is frivolous, fails to allege a violation of the prohibition in subsection (a), or has previously been addressed in another Federal or State judicial or administrative proceeding initiated by the complainant, the Inspector General shall investigate the complaint and, upon completion of such investigation, submit a report of the findings of the investigation to the person, the contractor or grantee concerned, and the head of the agency.
(A) Determination or submission of report on findings.—Except as provided under subparagraph (B), the Inspector General shall make a determination that a complaint is frivolous, fails to allege a violation of the prohibition in subsection (a), or has previously been addressed in another Federal or State judicial or administrative proceeding initiated by the complainant or submit a report under paragraph (1) within 180 days after receiving the complaint.
(B) Extension of time.—If the Inspector General is unable to complete an investigation in time to submit a report within the 180-day period specified in subparagraph (A) and the person submitting the complaint agrees to an extension of time, the Inspector General shall submit a report under paragraph (1) within such additional period of time, up to 180 days, as shall be agreed upon between the Inspector General and the person submitting the complaint.
(4) Time limitation.—A complaint may not be brought under this subsection more than three years after the date on which the alleged reprisal took place.
(C) Order the contractor or grantee to pay the complainant an amount equal to the aggregate amount of all costs and expenses (including attorneys' fees and expert witnesses' fees) that were reasonably incurred by the complainant for, or in connection with, bringing the complaint regarding the reprisal, as determined by the head of the executive agency.
(2) Exhaustion of remedies.—If the head of an executive agency issues an order denying relief under paragraph (1) or has not issued an order within 210 days after the submission of a complaint under subsection (b), or in the case of an extension of time under paragraph (b)(2)(B), not later than 30 days after the expiration of the extension of time, and there is no showing that such delay is due to the bad faith of the complainant, the complainant shall be deemed to have exhausted all administrative remedies with respect to the complaint, and the complainant may bring a de novo action at law or equity against the contractor or grantee to seek compensatory damages and other relief available under this section in the appropriate district court of the United States, which shall have jurisdiction over such an action without regard to the amount in controversy. Such an action shall, at the request of either party to the action, be tried by the court with a jury. An action under this paragraph may not be brought more than two years after the date on which remedies are deemed to have been exhausted.
(3) Admissibility of evidence.—An Inspector General determination and an agency head order denying relief under paragraph (2) shall be admissible in evidence in any de novo action at law or equity brought pursuant to this subsection.
(4) Enforcement of orders.—Whenever a person fails to comply with an order issued under paragraph (1), the head of the executive agency concerned shall file an action for enforcement of such order in the United States district court for a district in which the reprisal was found to have occurred. In any action brought under this paragraph, the court may grant appropriate relief, including injunctive relief, compensatory and exemplary damages, and attorney fees and costs. The person upon whose behalf an order was issued may also file such an action or join in an action filed by the head of the executive agency.
(5) Judicial review.—Any person adversely affected or aggrieved by an order issued under paragraph (1) may obtain review of the order's conformance with this subsection, and any regulations issued to carry out this section, in the United States court of appeals for a circuit in which the reprisal is alleged in the order to have occurred. No petition seeking such review may be filed more than 60 days after issuance of the order by the head of the executive agency. Review shall conform to chapter 7 of title 5. Filing such an appeal shall not act to stay the enforcement of the order of the head of an executive agency, unless a stay is specifically entered by the court.
(6) Burdens of proof.—The legal burdens of proof specified in section 1221(e) of title 5 shall be controlling for the purposes of any investigation conducted by an Inspector General, decision by the head of an executive agency, or judicial or administrative proceeding to determine whether discrimination prohibited under this section has occurred.
(7) Rights and remedies not waivable.—The rights and remedies provided for in this section may not be waived by any agreement, policy, form, or condition of employment.
(d) Notification of Employees.—The head of each executive agency shall ensure that contractors, subcontractors, and grantees of the agency inform their employees in writing of the rights and remedies provided under this section, in the predominant native language of the workforce.
(e) Construction.—Nothing in this section may be construed to authorize the discharge of, demotion of, or discrimination against an employee for a disclosure other than a disclosure protected by subsection (a) or to modify or derogate from a right or remedy otherwise available to the employee.
(f) Exceptions.—(1) This section shall not apply to any element of the intelligence community, as defined in section 3(4) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 401a(4)).
(h) Construction.—Nothing in this section, or the amendments made by this section,1 shall be construed to provide any rights to disclose classified information not otherwise provided by law.
The Inspector General Act of 1978, referred to in subsec. (g)(2), is Pub. L. 95–452, Oct. 12, 1978, 92 Stat. 1101, which is set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.
2016—Pub. L. 114–261, §1(a)(3)(A)(i), substituted "Enhancement" for "Pilot program for enhancement" in section catchline.
2013—Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 113–66 inserted "that is 180 days after the date" before "the enactment".
"(2) Revision of federal acquisition regulation.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal Acquisition Regulation shall be revised to implement the requirements arising under the amendments made by this section [enacting this section and amending sections 4310 and 4705 of this title].
"(3) Inclusion of contract clause in contracts awarded before effective date.—At the time of any major modification to a contract that was awarded before the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Jan. 2, 2013], the head of the contracting agency shall make best efforts to include in the contract a contract clause providing for the applicability of the amendments made by this section to the contract."


21/03/2013 - OECD Chief Economist Pier Carlo Padoan will present the near-term prospects for the G7 economies on 28 March 2013 at 11:00 a.m. (Paris Time).
The Interim Economic Assessment helps evaluate the extent to which projections and analysis from the OECD's November 2012 Economic Outlook are still on track.
The Interim Economic Assessment will be freely accessible in pdf format (in English and French) on the OECD's web site at www.oecd.org/eco/outlook/economicoutlook.htm from 11:00 a.m. You are invited to include this Internet link in reports on the Assessment.
The news conference will take place in English, with French interpretation, at the OECD Conference Centre, 2 rue André Pascal, Paris 16ème.
To register, journalists should contact the OECD Media Division (+33 1 4524 9700, or e-mail: media.registration@oecd.org).
Requests to receive the Interim Economic Assessment under embargo by e-mail ahead of release time, or to obtain a password to access the website, should be sent by e-mail to embargo@oecd.org. Journalists requesting an electronic version in advance of the release time agree to respect OECD embargo conditions.


Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco in Spanish) is a newly developed tourist resort in the Mexican state of Sonora. Due to its proximity to the US border, it has become the preferred beach retreat for thousands of Mexicans and international travelers because of its beautiful beaches and mild, sunny climate.
Rocky Point (called Puerto Penasco in Spanish) is a newly developed tourist resort in the state of Sonora. Due to its proximity to the US border, around 65 miles away, Rocky Point is rapidly becoming the preferred beach retreat for thousands of Mexicans and international travelers who are attracted to the area because of its beautiful beaches and almost year-round mild, sunny climate.
Rocky Point is an excellent destination for people who seek an exciting, adventurous vacation and also for those who prefer a tranquil, relaxing place to rest and relax. Expansive clean beaches, sunshine for almost the entire year, an average temperature of 68 F, and an ever-growing list of lodging options make it an attractive choice for travelers of all budgets.
Rocky Point's skyline is dominated by an abundance of villas, condos and vacation rentals, but there are also plenty of ocean view hotels, motels, and private residences. All in all, Rocky Point offers everything you would expect from a world-class beach destination, including golf courses, large resorts, and restaurants...all with that special Mexican touch.
Because of its burgeoning growth and over 60 miles of coastline, Rocky Point has become a paradise for investors and real estate agents. The local building industry is constantly on the rise, and it is common to see complexes, towers and new developments under construction. The supply and demand of condos, villas and hotel rooms keeps increasing as more people become aware of this new vacation paradise.
The origins, of what is now a paradise for vacationers, date back to 1927, when Rocky Point was just a small fishing village. It consisted of just a few anglers from the nearby towns, who found in the surrounding waters an extraordinary abundance of marine species.
By 1929 the area was already known as "Punta de Piedra" or "Punta Penasco", (Spanish for Rocky End), because of the rock formations that stand out from its beaches. Finally, in 1952 Rocky Point became an official municipality. With a buoyant fishing and tourist industry, Rocky Point is becoming a very popular option for vacationing, resting, and enjoying water activities like sport fishing, diving and many others.
Thanks to its convenient location near the US, along with its gorgeous beaches, hectic nightlife and affordable lodging, Rocky Point has progressively become a favorite destination for thousands of university students from Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico and many other southern American states.
Likewise, Rocky Point is an attractive beach destination for an increasing number or retirees and senior travelers, who normally spend extended vacations enjoying the private villas, condos and ocean side resorts.
In recent years, business travelers have also begun to see Rocky Point as a convenient gathering point, as it features a growing variety of hotels, accessible rates, and excellent meeting and event facilities, most of them located inside the hotels.
So, whether it is for business or a fabulous vacation, accompanied or by yourself, visit Rocky Point and enjoy this ever-changing destination!


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Made in Hong-Kong (DVD)
Made in Hong-Kong
Fruit Chan (director)
MK2 découverte
Speelfilms, Thrillers (film)
Made in Hong-Kong / un film de fruit Chan
Fruit Chan
[Paris]:: MK2, 2002
Chinees gesproken Ondertiteling : Frans
About Fruit Chan
Fruit Chan Gor (Chinese: 陳果; born 15 April 1959) is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker who is best known for his style of film reflecting the everyday life of Hong Kong people. He is well known for using amateur actors (such as Sam Lee in Made in Hong Kong, Wong Yau-Nam in Hollywood Hong Kong) in his films. He became a household name after the success of the 1997 film Made in Hong Kong, which earned many local and international awards.
Chan was born in Guangdong, China. Growing up, he watched a lot of films from Communist countries.
He and his family moved to Hong Kong in July 1971. His family was poor and Chan worked in an electronics factory while finishing Forms 1 to 3 at night school. He later got a job as a projectionist in Jordan, Hong Kong, whe…Read more on Wikipedia
Work of Fruit Chan in the library


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Front Matter Australia's First V.C. To Destroy a Zeppelin Epic of 'L' Battery Corporal Holmes at Le Cateau Captain F. O. Grenfell Private George Wilson Corporal Dobson A Rescue in a Death-Zone Drummer who Took Command Lieutenant Martine Leake Bandsman Rendle Sergeant O'Leary Ten Heroes of Neuve Chapelle Our Canadian V.C. Heroes The Two Heroes of Hill60 Hero of the Second Ypres Lance-Corporal Keyworth Bravest Rescue of the War Naval Officers at Dardanelles Some Indian V.C. Heroes Trooper Hero with a Shovel Heroes of the Battle of Loos
Heroes of the Great War - G. A. Leask
Some Indian V C. Heroes
The noble and spontaneous response of every part of Britain's far-flung Empire during the great conflict has been the subject of admiration and wonder. We have seen how splendidly Australia, New Zealand, and Canada answered the call to service, and how these dominions sent many thousands of brave troops to fight for the Motherland. India, the great Asiatic Dependency, also gave most generous help. Prince and peasant vied with each other in contributing not only money but personal service in order to assure victory for the Empire to which they are so proud to belong.
The military assistance of India has been no small thing. The exact number of troops she has dispatched to the various battle areas cannot yet be stated, but it is known that the Native Army consists of 2,751 officers and 101,085 other ranks. There are also 35,700 reservists, while, in addition, many rulers of the Native States placed their military forces at the Empire's disposal. To enumerate all the large financial and personal assistance given by India, the hospital ships, equipped and maintained by natives of all ranks, and the other valuable contributions from the same sources, cannot be attempted here. It must suffice to say that these efforts demonstrated the firm determination of all classes and creeds to take their share in fulfilling all the positive duties of Empire citizenship.
The fighting races of India—Sikhs, Pathans, Gurkhas, Jats, Mahrattas, and Rajputs have fought in the trenches side by side with their fellow-citizens from other parts of the Empire. In Gallipoli, as well as in France, the hardy Gurkhas distinguished themselves by their amazing fearlessness, and many stories are told of how these plucky little men, creeping silently out of their trenches by night, with their famous kukri knives in their mouths, have crawled up to the German trenches, and then, with blood-curdling yells, hurled themselves on the foe. The superb Indian cavalry—some of the finest horsemen in the world—was also in France, and it was confidently expected that they would ride through the vaunted German Uhlans when the fighting again took place in open country. The trench warfare, however, did not give the opportunities for which they yearned, ere in December 1915 it was announced that the Indian troops had left the Western Front for 'another field of action.'
The following striking tribute by one of our soldiers to the courage of the Indian troops is worth recording:
"Everybody is wild about the Indians, and the way they behave themselves under fire is marvellous. One day we were close to them when their infantry received its baptism of fire. When they got the order to advance, you never saw men more pleased in all your life. They went forward with a rush like a football team charging their opponents. They got to grips with the Germans in double-quick time, and the howl of joy that went up told us that these chaps felt that they were paying the Germans back in full for the peppering they had got whilst waiting for orders."
He goes on to say that the Indians are very proud of being selected to fight with the British, and behave with amazing coolness under shell-fire. "They make light of wounds, and I have known cases where men have fought for days with wounds that might have excused any man dropping out."
This is the first war in which it has been possible for a native to win the Victoria Cross. This honour was one of the boons granted by the King-Emperor to his Indian subjects at the Delhi Durbar of 1912, and already several brave Indian soldiers have won the coveted reward.
The first native soldier to gain the V.C. was Sepoy Khudadad, 129th Duke of Connaught's Own Baluchis. He is one of the heroes of the famous first battle of Ypres. On October 31, 1914, the Germans made a determined attempt to break our line at Hollebeke, and the Indians had 'to go through it.'
One of two machine-guns had been put out of action by a shell. The position became serious, for the Baluchis were holding a weak part of our line. Sepoy Khudadad realized the danger, and although he himself was wounded he stuck to his post at the second gun. Something told this hero from the sunlit land of the East that on that day his King-Emperor demanded his services to the last drop of his blood. With true Oriental determination and grim courage he continued to work the gun, although shells fell around him and he was struck by splinters. In the end Khudadad was able to hold up the advancing Germans, and he thus saved his particular portion of the line.
The second Indian V.C. hero of the first year of the war was also one of the bravest. Naik Darwan Sing Negi, 1st Battalion 39th Garhwal Rifles, gained his reward for great gallantry on the night of November 23-24, 1914, near Festubert.
"The 1st Battalion 39th Garhwalis," says a writer, "are recruited from that portion of the Himalayas lying within territory immediately west of Nepal, known as Garhwal; and Naik, like most of the sturdy recruits drawn from this neighbourhood, spent his boyhood herding his father's sheep and goats on the bleak uplands and glacier valleys, often alone for weeks on end." One would like to know more of the romantic life-story of this hero, but it is difficult to get these silent men to speak about themselves. They prefer to let their deeds speak.
One of the fiercest battles of the war took place around Festubert in the La Bassée district. On November 23rd the Germans made a determined attack upon some trenches near Festubert, held by the Indian corps. A counter-attack was organized during the night of the 23rd-24th, as our men were very hard pressed. In this great onslaught the 39th Garhwal Rifles, all hardy warriors like Darwan Sing Negi from the northern hills, took a leading part. They leapt over the parapet with fixed bayonets, their faces set and grim. With irresistible dash they advanced to the captured trenches and drove the enemy off with terrible loss.
NAIK DARWAN SING NEGI CLEARING THE TRENCH.
Darwan Sing Negi received two severe wounds in the head and in the arm, but refused to give in. He led the way round each successive traverse, and we can imagine the terror he inspired in the hearts of the Germans when they saw this tall, fierce Indian hero, with white turban gleaming in the darkness, his eyes afire, advancing upon them with the bayonet. Although fired at by bombs and rifles at the closest range, nothing could daunt this fearless fighter. With lightning rapidity his bayonet flashed in the air, and German after German fell to the ground. By his splendid courage and powerful arm he practically cleared the trench himself and so saved a serious situation. The fighting went on all next day, but the heroic deed of Darwan Sing Negi on the previous night had averted the worst of the danger. He was decorated by the King just before his Majesty left France on December 5, 1914.
During the year 1915 three more Indians were awarded the Victoria Cross. One, Gobar Sing Negi, won his at the famous battle of Neuve Chapelle, and the account of his great exploit will be found in the chapter which describes the V.C.s of this engagement.
The next month, April, saw the winning of another V.C. by a gallant Indian officer, whose heroic feat is now described. He was Jemadar Mir Dast, of the 55th (Coke's) Rifles. It is interesting to note that at the time he won his distinction, Mir Dast was attached to the 57th (Wilde's) Rifles. Both the 55th and 57th Rifles are attached to the Indian Frontier Force, which preserves our great Eastern Dependency from attack by turbulent tribes.
The jemadar—a native officer ranking next below a subadar, and corresponding to our lieutenant—had already distinguished himself before coming to Europe to fight for his King-Emperor. He possesses the coveted Indian Order of Merit for gallant services on the Indian frontier while acting as guardian of our northern boundary.
During both battles of Ypres our Indians fought magnificently. At the second battle, when Mir Dast won his V.C., they had their first experience of German asphyxiating gases.
After the enemy's poison-gas attack had made a temporary dent in our line in the Ypres area, Sir John French ordered the Lahore Division of the Indian Corps, to which Mir Dast's regiment was attached, to be moved up and placed at the disposal of the Second Army.
A few days later this corps, supported by British cavalry, were pushed up into the front firing-line. The time had come for the British to assume the offensive. Fighting with the French on one of their wings, the Indians were successful in pushing the enemy back some little distance toward the north. Again the Germans let loose their poison gas, and rendered further advance impossible. Such was the position on April 26th.
The Indians fought with grim determination during their last attempt to carry the German positions. A formidable series of trenches had to be assaulted in order to dislodge the enemy and so relieve the pressure on the rest of the line. Jemadar Mir Dast got his men ready, and was awaiting the order to advance. It had not been found practicable in the limited time to reconnoitre the ground in a satisfactory manner.
Our Indian troops knew that the Germans were strongly entrenched on the opposite ridge. When the order was given to dash from the trenches, Mir Dast found himself detailed off to remain with his platoon in reserve. The others, advancing by short rushes, reached the crest of the first slope without a check, although a number fell by shell-fire. On reaching the crest, however, the line came under a terrific machine-gun and rifle-fire. Whole swathes of men fell as if a scythe had been drawn across their legs. In spite of this, the line pressed on.
Then came the dramatic and awful sequel. The Germans suddenly released their gas. Although the French Colonials were the chief sufferers, our Indian troops were affected by it. The poor fellows were totally unprovided with any form of protection against this devilish device, and were falling fast, being, at the same time, under a hail of machine-gun fire. No troops could have withstood the terrible conditions, and the line was forced to give way.
Jemadar Mir Dast, from his trench, had seen the oncoming poison cloud, and noticed the retirement of a part of our line. He had one of two alternatives presented to him. Either he must retire in conformity with the rest of the troops, or endeavour to get his men to stand firm and resist the inevitable German attack under cover of their poison cloud. Mir Dast decided to remain.
Under cover of dense volumes of gas and a ceaseless point-blank fire the Germans approached nearer and nearer. Undaunted in the trying ordeal, Mir Dast remained firm, and collected all the men available, among whom were many who were slowly recovering from the effects of the gas. So many British officers had been killed that there was no one left to lead but himself. He therefore assumed command of the forces he had collected, and kept the men together until ordered to retire, all the while holding up the oncoming Germans with rifle-fire.
After dusk Mir Dast left the trench with his small force. During this retirement he picked up many men who were in the successive lines of trenches by which he passed, and brought them to safety.
Throughout the attack the resolute and gallant conduct of Mir Dast was beyond praise. As the little band wended their way to the rear he encouraged each man individually by his cheery words and courageous example. He saw an officer lying wounded, and at great risk went and brought him to cover. A few yards farther on he made out the writhing figure of a gassed Indian officer. In spite of a hot rifle-fire the intrepid jemadar made for him, and, with assistance, got the suffering officer out of the zone of fire. Then a second British officer was observed. The jemadar, heedless of the risks he ran, and knowing every minute was precious if he himself was to escape the fire and gas, stopped once again to perform his heroic work of rescue.
In this way during the retirement the gallant Indian soldier brought in no less than eight wounded British and Indian officers. He was exposed in doing so to a very heavy fire, and was himself slightly wounded. Had he not shown such conspicuous bravery these eight men would have died on the field. Mir Dast not only received bullet wounds, but was rendered very weak through the effects of the German poison gas.
The gallantry of Mir Dast, as well as the behaviour of the whole division at the second battle of Ypres, added yet another brilliant page to the record of our gallant Indian army.
The jemadar, when well enough to be moved, was sent to England, and while being nursed back to health at the Indian Hospital at the Brighton Royal Pavilion, he received from the hands of the King-Emperor the V.C. he had so deservedly won.
He was much affected by the King's kind and generous remarks, and said afterward that it was the proudest day of his life. "What did I do?—nothing, only my duty; and to think that the great King-Emperor should shake me by the hand and praise me! I am his child."
On the following day Mir Dast wrote home to India an account of his never-to-be-forgotten interview with his Emperor. "This is a great and good Government," he wrote to his regimental friends at home. "Service under the Government is very good. I have been given the Victoria Cross. You come, too, and you may get it."
It was on the occasion of this visit to his wounded Indians that King George made his spirited speech of thanks for their devotion and heroism, and delighted all the wounded, who gave ringing cheers for the head and symbol of the great Indian Dependency of which they had proved themselves such loyal and valiant children.
The last Indian hero selected for notice here is Rifleman Kulbir Thapa, 2nd Battalion 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles, who gained the distinction at the famous battle of Loos. His regiment was engaged in operations against the German trenches south of Manquissart. Kulbir Thapa was wounded in the attack, yet showed the most conspicuous bravery.
After he had reached the German first-line trenches he noticed a badly wounded soldier of the 2nd Leicestershire Regiment lying on the ground. He at once sat down beside him, and in so doing risked his life, for the Germans were counter-attacking in order to regain their lost trenches. From their second-line trench came a steady stream of machine-gun and rifle bullets, which narrowly escaped hitting the intrepid rifleman. The brave British soldier realized the danger his Indian comrade was incurring for his sake, and repeatedly urged him to save himself. Kulbir Thapa stoutly refused, and remained with the wounded man all day and night.
On the early morning of September 26th the brave Indian decided to make an attempt to save the British soldier. It was misty weather, and this was of great help. Thapa lifted the wounded man and cautiously made his way under the barbed-wire entanglements in front of the German trench. To reach the British lines then was not possible, as he would have had to traverse open ground, and would in all probability have been shot. Noticing a little hole near by, he made for it, and placed the wounded man there in comparative safety. Then he went back to the German lines and daringly brought away two wounded Gurkhas, one after the other, enabling each to reach the British lines.
After seeing his countrymen safe he decided to return and complete the rescue of the Leicestershire soldier whom he had left in the hole. To do this he had to take very great risks. By this time it was broad daylight, and the mist had completely vanished. Kulbir Thapa, however, was not the man to fear the deadly bullet, and he showed an utter contempt for the missiles which were directed at him from various points. He succeeded in reaching the wounded man, stooped and lifted him in his arms. Thus he braved the enemy's fire and staggered back with his burden to the British trenches, to receive the warmest congratulations for one of the most heroic rescues of the war.
From what has been said it will be seen that in daring, resource, and self-sacrifice the gallant Indian troops proved themselves fit comrades of their brothers from other parts of the glorious British Empire.


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Five Things Nobody Tells You about Butterfly Gardening
by Stacey Hirvela January 20, 2020
Once upon a time, people gardened mostly for themselves - because they liked the colors, and the flowers, and because landscaping makes a house look nice. In the last several years, however, people are increasingly finding other reasons to garden, and other rewards from planting. Butterfly gardens are the perfect example, but a becoming a gardener who gardens for butterflies may take some shifts in the way that you think about what a garden should look like. These five truths about butterfly gardening may surprise you - but trust us, they are part of the fun of the voyage of discovery!
1. Holes in your leaves are normal - and good!
It's natural to feel a little panicked when you walk out to the garden and find that one of your plants is all of the sudden riddled with holes. But take a deep breath and look closer: it's very likely that the holes are being made by caterpillars. Caterpillars are, of course, the larval or "baby" stage of a butterfly's life cycle, and they are voracious consumers of foliage as they bulk up in preparation for their transformation from the earth to the sky. You may not be able to see any caterpillars right away, but still, do not spray anything - even an organic or non-toxic pesticide.
Even if you aren't gardening for butterflies, or you discover that the holes in the leaves were made from a different insect, there's still no need to spray. Plants and insects go together like, well, peanut butter and chocolate, and a plant will typically not be harmed long-term by a little insect feeding. In fact, insects in your garden are a good indicator that it's a healthy space for all sorts of life.
2. Sun is crucial
Butterflies are cold-blooded animals and need to stay warm to keep up their metabolism. As such, they are far more likely to visit - and be active in - sunny gardens that get at least six hours of bright sun a day. Fortunately, all of the plants that are beneficial to pollinators need full sun, too.
Only have part shade? Don't panic! You can still grow a butterfly garden. You may not get quite as many visiting pollinators as a garden in full sun, but you can still have a garden that benefits birds and insects.
3. Keep it messy
To attract birds and butterflies, your garden should mimic nature in some ways. And one of those is to keep things a bit untidy. This doesn't mean letting the weeds take over or a bunch of muddled, unkempt plants, but it does mean that you should not be in a big rush to "clean up" the garden when the season is over. Leaving the stems and spent flowers and foliage provides crucial shelter for overwintering insects of all types, and the seedheads of many perennials, like echinacea, black-eyed Susan, and agastache sustain non-migrating birds. Wait until spring to cut back your perennials, and even then, if possible, leave the trimmings in a pile until temperatures have been over 50°F for at least a week to let any sleepy insects wake up and find a new home.
4. Keep away from bird feeders
People who care about gardening for butterflies are likely already the kind that care about nature, so are quite likely to have bird feeders and the like in their yards. Do note that birds are natural predators of butterflies and caterpillars, however, so take care that you're not simply creating an all-you-can-eat buffet for birds while you try to welcome insects.
If there's one non-plant element you could add to your garden to make it super-friendly to pollinators, it would be water. Believe it or not, insects need to drink, too! You needn't install any kind of fancy, expensive fountain - a simple rock with a little depression in it, or a bird bath with rocks in it for insects to land on, or even leaving some bare ground to accumulate puddles after watering or a rain fall will do the trick.
What do you wish someone had told you about becoming a butterfly gardener?
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Militarism Is Fascism
Vadim F. Lurie
An endless stream of Muscovites and out-of-town visitors headed to the concert marking the anniversary of Crimea's "annexation." And only the lonely voice of a man, heard by a few and jotted on a piece of paper on Tverskaya, quietly resisted the general hysteria.
Photograph by Vadim F. Lurie. Thanks for his kind permission to reproduce it here and translate his annotation. Translated by the Russian Reader
By hecksinductionhourin antifascism, nationalism, photographs, putinism, war and peace, zeitgeist March 18, 2018 72 WordsLeave a comment
"We Are Racing into a Huge Pit": The Small-Town Russian Businessman Who Publicly Opposed Putin
All that is left of the anti-Putin leaflets posted by Nikolai Korshunov
"We Are Racing into a Huge Pit": The Businessman Who Spoke Out against Putin
Аlexander Valiyev
Radio Svoboda
In the town of Verkhny Ufaley, Chelyabinsk Region, police have torn down posters cataloguing the "brilliant" outcome of Putin's reign from the outside walls of several shops. The posters were hung there by a local businessman, who has already had occasion to fight the authorities in this way.
Nikolai Korshunov owns six small shop in this company town 120 kilometers from Chelyabinsk. Police paid visits to Korshunov's shops on the eve of Fatherland Defenders Day, February 23. The businessman told Radio Svoboda what happened.
Nikolai Korshunov (middle) with his son and another relative at the Voters Strike, Moscow, January 28, 2018. Photo courtesy of Nikolai Korshunov and Radio Svoboda
Nikolai Korshunov: I am very active civically. I always serve as an elections monitor during elections. I own six small shops. We sell the basics: bread, milk, etc. The stores are my venue for voicing my opinion about current events. This takes the shape of handmade posters, information leaflets.
My argument is that, since the stores are my property, I have the right to post any information whatsoever in them. The Constitution gives me that right. But I have run into opposition from law enforcement and the city hall in our town. It also happened before the 2016 Duma elections, in which Verkhny Ufaley famously voted only four of the twenty United Russia candidates into the local parliament. People read my posters very carefully. Naturally, they regard anything that is not propaganda as out of the ordinary. It is interesting because if they, say, live in one part of town and the neighborhood dairy plant has shut down, they still remember that, but if, say, a timber plant or infant feeding center has ben closed on the other side of town, they might not have heard about it at all, because it does not affect them. But when they read the entire list, they think to themselves, "What a lot of things have happened in our town over this time." Even since the 2016 Duma elections there have been colossal changes for the worse in Verkhny Ufaley: total poverty, unemployment, and hopelessness.
An excerpt from one of Korshunov's information leaflets. It lists by name the Verkhny Ufaley plants, companies, businesses, and services that have closed during Putin's eighteen-year reign. Photo courtesy of Nikolai Korshunov and Radio Svoboda
Radio Svoboda: What was on the the posters?
I have lived in Verkhny Ufaley for a very long time. I was born and raised here. In the run-up to the presidential election I decided to make a list of things that have changed in our town during the eighteen years of Putin's administration. What businesses and factories have closed? The town's main employer, the Ufaley Nickel Plant closed [in December 2017]. The Metalworker Factory closed. The open hearth and wheel spring shops closed. Then all hell broke loose: the sausage plant, the dairy, the furniture factory, etc., closed. There are thirty-four items on the list, including the children's hospital and the railroad's inpatient clinic. Then there are the plants that are barely hanging on. I wrote about them, too, for example, the metallurgical plant where five thousand people once worked. Now it employs a maximum of five hundred to seven hundred people.
Do you think people have suddenly forgotten about what has been happening in town?
Of course they know, but it is just another reminder, a way of saying, Hey, guys, you say that Vladimir Putin has raised the country from its knees, but I don't think that is the case. I think we are racing into a huge pit at enormous speed. I cannot answer for the entire country, but as a resident of a small industrial town, I see what has been shut down, what has been destroyed, what has been dismantled, what has been pilfered. When you go and vote, people, think a bit before making your choice.
The continuation of Korshunov's list. Photo courtesy of Nikolai Korshunov and Radio Svoboda
How many votes do you think Putin will pick up in Verkhny Ufaley?
He will win for one simple reason. Our town is small: everyone knows everything about everyone else, and everyone tells everyone else about everything. I will give you an example. At the employment office—our town has terrible unemployment, by the way, because everything has shut down—the boss gathers his underlings and says, "God forbid you don't go and vote. If you don't, I won't pay you bonuses." This is more or less what goes throughout state sector. So a huge number of people, maybe even dissenters, will naturally go out and vote in order to keep their miserable jobs at places like the employment office. No one will buck against the bosses. So, Putin will definitely win. Because he has the administrative resource behind him, and huge numbers of people are incapable of thinking.
The administrative resource can compel people to turn out for an election, but people go into the voting booths alone.
They have their tricks. They can ask people to photograph their filled-out ballot paper on their telephones and send them the photos. We have been through it before. It happend during the 2016 Duma elections, and during the 2012 presidential election, when I was a polling station monitor. It's all elementary. It's not a problem at all. But most people have, of course, been hypnotized by television. They cannot reason, think or compare facts. When it comes to them, what the TV says definitely goes, although it is flagrant, mendacious, aggressive propaganda.
I am sure people have asked you, "If not Putin, then who?" People do not see an alternative. How do you counter them?
The wall of one of Korshunov's shops looked like this after a visit from the local police. Photo courtesy of Nikolai Korshunov and Radio Svoboda
There is no alternative for one reason and one reason alone: all of politics has been purged by the administrative resource. Anyone who could compete against Putin would never be allowed to run in honest, alternative elections under any circumstances. That's why there is no alternative. Putin's only "opponents" are people who have definitely been appointed to the role. They stand for nothing and no one, and compared with them Putin looks like a superhero. On top of everything is the propaganda and hypnosis that reinforces the message that Putin is the most respected politician in the world, and we are the world's mightiest country.
Do people in Verkhny Ufaley know about Alexei Navalny, his exposés, and his call to boycott the presidential election?
Most of them don't know, of course. A particular segment knows, young people mainly, of course, because Navalny has access only to the internet, to YouTube, which is largely viewed by young people, by schoolchildren and university students. Elderly people know nothing about Navalny, naturally. They know only what the propagandists on TV tell them: that Navalny is an out-and-out thief, scoundrel, and so on.
What about middle-aged people?
Middle-aged people are probably more thoughtful, but not so very thoughtful at the end of the day. Our town is basically a village. We live in a kind of swamp. Middle-aged people are averse to risks. They work somewhere in the state sector, earn ten thousand rubles a month [approx. 142 euros], and are up to their necks in debt. When they sit around chatting in the kitchen, they support Navalny, of course. But they cannot voice their opinions actively, because they would be fired from their jobs in two seconds flat. People primarily think about themselves. Their political views come second.
A photograph of all thirty-four factory and other closures in Verkhny Ufaley during the Putin years, along with the message, "Think hard! What will become of the town between March 18, 2018, and March 2024? || March 18: Not an election, but a fraud. Don't let yourself be fooled. Don't go [and vote]. The Voters Strike." Photo courtesy of Nikolai Korshunov and Radio Svoboda
How have the authorities reacted to your protests?
Our mayor is also secretary of the local United Russia party branch. During the 2016 election campaign, I hung up leaflets in my shops saying United Russia was the party of crooks and thieves. The United Russians came running and blatantly tore down the posters. Many locals approached me afterwards and said, well done, I had done the right thing, because the United Russians were high-handed, arrogant, and had lost all sense of measure. During this campaign, they have reacted differently. First, they sent young women who work in lowly positions at city hall to photograph the leaflets in my shops. Then city hall put pressure on the police, who showed up on the eve of Fatherland Defenders Day, February 23. The leaflet had been up for around two weeks by then, and from time to time I had added information to them. They showed up when I was not there and tore down everything. In one shop, they tore down a big piece of fiberglass along with the posters. There were five or six of them. They intimidated the cashiers. They took statements from them and drove away. That happened in five shops. They showed up at the sixth shop the next day. There, however, the cashier is a serious woman. She did not let them tear down the posters and called me. I arrived, and we hashed things out with them for two and a half hours. There were two neighborhood beat cops and an investigator. They were unable to tell me what laws I could have violated. I imagine they are quite unfamiliar with the Administrative Offenses Code. From time to time they would call the dispatch center for instructions. I know there is nothing illegal about my actions. Nothing will come of it, just like last time.
There was no pressure on you after the Duma elections? You were not tormented with surprise inspections of your shops?
No, there was nothing of the sort. I was written up for an administrative violation, but apparently the magistrates told the police there was no law covering leaflets. So nothing came of it, nor was any pressure put on me.
Are you planning to file a complaint against the police?
I did not complain last time, and I will not complain this time, either. It is a waste of time. There is honor among thieves.
Will you put the leaflets back up?
Yes, definitely, they are already up in some shops.
What are your plans for March 18? Will you vote?
I completely agree with Alexei Navalny. I'm going to boycott the vote. I even traveled to Moscow on January 28 for the Voters Strike. But I will definitely go to some polling station or another on election day to help prevent vote rigging.
Translated by the Russian Reader. Thanks to Comrade Uvarova for the heads-up
By hecksinductionhourin politics, protest, putinism, regime, regions, rights, society March 18, 2018 1,827 WordsLeave a comment


How can I access the Library's restricted resources from home?
I'm not currently affiliated with Andrews University, can I pay a fee and gain access to the Library's restricted resources?
What do I need to check out Library material?
Where are the professors' reserve readings?
Where can I find computers for word processing?
I live in the community; can I use the James White Library?
What services are offered to alumni of Andrews University?
Is there a place in the library where I can print a large poster or photo?
Remote access to electronic resources marked with next to them on the Library's web site is restricted to Andrews University students and personnel. When accessing these resources from home or work, users will be asked to enter their Andrews University usernames and passwords (the same ones used for accessing AU email accounts and web registration). See Access to Databases by Andrews University Students for more information.
Members of the community and alumni are welcome to use James White Library's restricted electronic subscription resources (designated on the Library's web site by ) when visiting the library building. However, remote access to these resources from off campus is not possible.
How long can I borrow a book or a journal?
Undergraduate students, AU staff, and community patrons may borrow books for three weeks. Masters students may have books on extended loan for three months. Doctoral students and faculty may have books on extended loan for six months. Books on reserve will have shorter loan periods determined by the professor who put them on reserve.
Most patrons may check out bound journals for one day, however faculty and doctoral students may check them out for up to three days.
The James White Library provides photocopiers for public use. These copiers are located in the Reference Room and Seminary Reference Room (main floor), Periodicals Room (lower floor), and the top floor hallway. Black/white and color are available. B/W are 10 cents per page. Color 25 cents per page.
There is a scanner/copier for public use located in front of the Reference Desk on the main floor. The scans can be emailed only to an Andrews University email address. There is no charge for the scaning funciton.
The Multimedia Center on the Library's top floor also has a scanner (BookScan) which may be used by permission. It has a flat bed scanner for books and journals and a scanner for cut sheets. The cut sheet scanner can scan both sides at the same time. Scanned material can be saved to a USB drive or emailed to any valid email address. Saved files can be in PDF, jpg, or tiff formats. There is no charge. Ask the Multimedia staff for more information.
For Andrews University students and personnel, a valid AU ID card is required for checking out library materials. For those unaffiliated with Andrews University, a community patron card is required. Residents of Berrien County may also check out designated items by obtaining an Infopass from their local library.
Books and hard copies of articles placed on reserve are held at the Circulation Desk in the main lobby. Books or articles on electronic reserve are available online (see Course Reserves). Videos and other audiovisual materials on reserve are in the Multimedia Center on the Library's top floor.
Rooms 380 and 381 are available for group study. Each room has seating for four. These rooms must be reserved ahead of time at the Circulation Desk.
Room 305 (in the Media Center) has seating for six. It can also be used as a conference room. Check with the Media Center desk for availability.
The Media Center itself is available as a study area. Seating can be rearranged to facilitate discussion. A whiteboard is also available.
Room 133 is available for group study. Make reservervations ahead of time at the Circulation Desk.
The lunch room is available for group study. No reservation needed.
The Library provides computers with word processing capability and other software on all floors of the library. Andrews University provides computer labs for its students in Bell Hall. In addition, some academic departments have computer labs for their students.
The Library welcomes visits from members of the community. Members of the community may use materials and databases free of charge on site. Community patron cards (valid for one year) may be purchased at the Circulation Desk for $35 and are required to check out materials. Please note that some Library services are restricted to Andrews University students and personnel only.
The Media Center has a Large Format Printer (LFP) for use by anyone. It can print posters as wide as 42" and as long as needed. Typically, most posters are about 36" x 48". Some are smaller and a few are larger. There are several paper types available. Fees depend upon the size of the poster and type of paper used. For more information see the Media Center Prints page.


I was invited to give a guest lecture today to the Furman University Big Data: Mining and Analytics (CSC272). Special thanks to Dr. Kevin Treu, department chair of Furman's Computer Science program for the invite. We had a great time diving into the many different kinds of data mining and analytics used by search and recommendations to learn from users and turn that learning into actionable intelligence to drive more and more relevant search experiences. Slides from the presentation are available below.
This entry was posted on Friday, December 1st, 2017 at 11:59 pm	and is filed under Presentations.


The leverage of having a maximized backyard has been one of the most convenient thing any person could have. You don't need to go far places to enjoy your weekend or weekday's night. Friends and family can come visit and enjoy their time with you without having to spend hours on the road because all the fun you could think of can be done right at your backyard. Think of having a barbeque party or a sleepover at a friend's house and making use of the swimming pool and be relaxed with the view from home. Sounds fantastic right? You won't need to worry about parking lots and traffic because you conveniently just sit at home on your pajama and still able to enjoy night life minus the loud noises of bars and party people. Fun does n't have to be just about beers, cheers and loud music sometimes it's just simply exchanging laughs with friends and family talking about all that has kept you guys busy for the days that passed. Upon realizing what has always been within your reach, let's make the most of it. Start now in making the necessary clean-up and trimming on your backyard. Have the pool cleaned and get everything ready for the day and night party at your home. Tell friends and family members of this gathering. Enjoy and have a blast of fun!


We all want to protect our pets from potentially fatal infectious diseases, but reports of side effects after vaccination have made veterinarians realize that vaccination is not always the harmless procedure we once thought it was. Still, these reactions are relatively rare.
Meanwhile, vaccinations are vital--and in some cases, required by law--to keep pets from becoming health risks to humans and other animals, should they contract diseases such as distemper or rabies.
So the question becomes: How can we safeguard our pets and still reduce their chances of getting sick from side effects?
Rabies: A deadly viral disease of the nervous system that can be transmitted to people. This vaccine is needed by all cats 12 weeks of age and older. One vaccine is given in kittenhood, then 1 year later, then at 3-year intervals.
Feline panleukopenia: A deadly viral gastrointestinal disease. It's given in the same vaccine as rhinotracheitis and calicivirus (respiratory viruses). All cats need this vaccination one to three times in kittenhood starting at 6 weeks of age until 12 weeks.
Rabies: A deadly viral disease of the nervous system that can be transmitted to people. The vaccine is needed by all dogs 12 weeks of age and older. One vaccine is given in puppyhood, then 1 year later, then again at 3-year intervals.
Canine distemper: A usually fatal respiratory and neurologic virus. The latest research suggests that the puppy vaccine series (which usually includes adenovirus, parainfluenza, and parvo) may last the life of the animal.
Puppies should be given two or three vaccines between 6 and 15 weeks, a booster at 1 year, and then every 3 years. Puppies older than 15 weeks need only one vaccine, a booster at 1 year, and then every 3 years. Adult dogs (1 year and older) need only one vaccine and then every 3 years.Canine adenovirus type 2: Hepatitis is a viral disease that causes liver damage. Research suggests that the puppy series (see canine distemper) may protect for life. This is given in combination with distemper, parainfluenza, and parvo. Vaccinate as for distemper.[pagebreak]Canine parainfluenza: A virus that contributes to kennel cough. Although it is uncertain how long the protection lasts (it's part of most combination vaccines), the same protocol for distemper and adenovirus is suggested.
Canine parvovirus: A deadly viral gastrointestinal disease that primarily affects puppies. Recent research has shown that a "high titer, low passage" (a strong vaccine that induces a superstrong immune response) puppy series of vaccines may give protection for life. These vaccines should be started at 6 weeks and given every 3 weeks until 15 weeks old. They are part of the puppy series.
The same schedule for distemper and adenovirus is suggested for high titer, low passage. Other vaccines may require a different schedule. Parvovirus in adult dogs is mild.
The non-core vaccines for dogs are leptospirosis (a rare bacterial disease), bordetella bronchiseptica (a respiratory disease), corona virus (a viral gastrointestinal disease of very young puppies), Lyme disease (a bacterial disease transmitted by the bite of a tick), and giardia. As with feline vaccinations, desirability, frequency, and age for the non-core vaccines will vary.
As we gain more knowledge about how long different vaccines last, and as vaccines continue to improve, you can expect vaccination recommendations to change. New methods of vaccination are also now under development. One company is focusing on developing oral vaccines for dogs and cats.
Oral rabies vaccines are now being used on wildlife. Genetically engineered vaccines are being developed not only for viruses but also for noninfectious diseases such as cancers and diabetes. These vaccines produce fewer side effects and are more efficacious.
Are Vaccines Making Your Pet Sick?
Are Annual Pet Vaccines Necessary?
Is Your Belly Hurting Your Bones?