text:
The Nigerian Movie Industry (Nollywood) – The Origin (History)
Here is an abridged version (yet richly enlightening) from one of the articles i wrote concerning this subject matter.
Film exhibition began to thrive during the Colonial era, with Glover Memorial Hall playing host to a range of memorable films viewed by "potential Nigerians", in August 1903. However, the non-availability of proper records reflecting the title of the debut film exhibited has created a lapse in the precedent stock. Notwithstanding the lacuna, the way had been paved for the exhibition of more foreign films at the Hall and other designated venues.
The emotionally traumatizing "Master – Servant" relationship, evident in the constant assaults, batteries, intimidation, segregation, victimization, carried out by the Colonial masters on the colonized, with darkened clouds of resentment, vengeance, thirst for freedom, giving way to splattering drops of such thoughts, instinctively projected through the colonized intermittent in-subordinate actions, began to spread amongst the blacks. The British knew they had to thread with caution if they still wanted to play "god" in their lives when films such as Tales of Manhattan, Trailer horn, Tarzan series began to stir up a revolution in the hearts of Blacks across the globe.
Aware of the lethal power of insurgency which could be unleashed through the Film medium, the British out of fear for their lives and possible loss of the Queen's sovereignty took the bull by the horn, and swiftly created a Colonial Film Censors Board (FCB) in 1933 to censor and classify films before they were released for visual consumption by the public. Following the establishment of the board, Films such as "The primitive, primitive man, Dixie, Buffalo Bill, The Keys of the Kingdom, Sleepy Town Girl were tagged 'suitable' to be watched, while Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Clive of India, The Isle of Forgotten Sins, House of Frankenstein were considered unsuitable for viewing.
The Censor's body underwent a transformation process into the Federal Board of Film Censors (FBFC) from the aforementioned, and the laws from which the transformed body derived its powers ranged from the 1948 Cinematograph Laws of Nigeria, the Cinematograph Laws of 1963, to the 1963/64 Cinematograph Law and Regulations. The present National Film and Video Censors Board came into existence by virtue of decree, now Act 85 of 1993. The advent of Nigeria's Independence (1960) and the Republican status (1963), heralded the dawn of a new era in all sectors.
"The Yoruba Travelling Theatre Group" of the 60's and 70's can be referred to as the "Fountain Head" of movie productions in Nigeria. The veterans with great Theatrical skills and great performances took their works beyond the stage, and dove into the sea of film productions using the Celluloid format. Notable film makers on the Roll call of Honour during the Celluloid boom era of the 70's include Ola Balogun, Eddie Ugbomah, late Herbert Ogunde, Adeyemi Afolayan a.k.a Ade Love (father of Kunle Afolayan of the Irapada fame), Ladi Ladebo, Moses Adejumo, Adebayo Salami and Afolabi Adesanya.
The list of documented films produced during the 70's era and transcending somewhat into the 80's is simply astonishing and goes to show that the Movie Industry has been around much longer, contrary to the '1992 belief syndrome' most have been injected with. Such works include Kongi Harvest (1971), Alpha (1972), Bull Frog in the Sun (1974), Amadi (1975), Ajani Ogun (1975), Muzik Man (1976), Bisi, Daughter of the River (1977), Ija Ominira (1978), Aiye (1979), Kadara (1980), Jaiyesimi (1980) Efunsetan Aniwura (1981), Cry Freedom (1981),Ija Orogun (1982) Owo L'Agba (1982)
The cost of producing films in that era was financially back breaking, with Nigerians further frustrating the efforts of the filmmakers by opting to watch films of occidental and oriental origin at the Cinemas and Exhibition centres, rather than the locally produced ones. The Cowboy films were exhilarating to watch while the Chinese films paraded amongst others, the Legendary "Bruce Lee" in (Lo Wei's, The Big Boss (1971), Fist of Fury (1972), Way of the Dragon (1972), Enter the Dragon (1973), The Game of Death released in 1978) who exhibited Martial Arts dexterity, obviously a fighting technique alien, yet fascinating to us at that time.
Indian films in the late 60's and well into the 70's paraded renowned names like Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra Singh Deol, Mumtaz, Amitabh Bachchan, Anil kapoor, Hema Malini, and produced hits such as "Bobby", "Sholay", "Kabhi Kabhi", "Dharamveer", "Amar Akbar Anthony". Their stars displayed great acting skills against the backdrop of love themes, and ear pleasing songs coupled with synchronized dance steps, produced with sound and special effects, though incomparable with what obtains today bought over the indigenes loyalty for their movies.
Thus, the Movie Founding Fathers began to face the challenges of recouping their investments, which gradually became virtually an impossible task, an anthem they constantly rendered much to the discomfort of potential financers. They counted their losses and licked their wounds sustained in the financial battle with every film they released. The deluge of VCRS in the 80's created a paradigm shift from the Cine to the VHS format, which made productions easier, faster and cheaper by a milestone in comparison to the former. Cinema houses and other Exhibition centres were finally shut down and the Baton of Cine film making slipped from the hands of the Founding founders as they attempted to hand over the movie baton to the next generation within the stipulated Baton Exchange Zone. The dream of becoming a re-nowned Movie Industry was shattered when the flow of the Film Relay cycle was broken.
Home Videos were produced which served as an alternative to the cinemas, and the name naturally stems from the fact that you could seat within the comfort of your home and watch the movies produced in the VHS format via your VCR. Film Makers capitalized on the gains of the Home Video concept offered, and began producing movies using the Yoruba language as the means of communication. However, the year "1992" has overtime been widely accepted as the triggering period of Home Video productions, with Ken Nnebue's "Living in Bondage" said to be the first movie made for commercial purposes using the Igbo/English language.
The movie no doubt struck the "Movie Well", which invoked a mass exodus of people from other spheres into the art of movie productions, having seen the opportunities that lay in the Gold mine region. Thus, did the Home Video Industry tagged "Nollywood" emerge.
The fact that "Living in Bondage" was ascribed with the honour of being the first movie made for commercial purposes and the one upon which the Home Video revolution was allegedly founded on, culminating into Nollywood, didn't go unchallenged. Late Alade Aromire before his death, ignited a controversial fire, insisting that his and not Ken's movie ought to have been conferred with such an honour. When confronted by a reporter on the issue he'd stated that Ken had produced over 40 Yoruba movies, and had started with "Aje N'yami".
There had been a flourishing movie industry before he came on board, so ken couldn't have started it.
The confusion stems from the Censors board of the day, whose hands were amputated by the Law it drew its powers from, (1963/64 Cinematograph Law and Regulations). The powers conferred on it to regulate the Industry did not extend to "Home Video". The present National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) did not exist till 1994. On this raging issue, Late Alade Armoire produced movies such as Ekun, Omije (pts 1-3), Obirin Asiko, Ayo ni o, Adun, Orire which were released to the public between 1985 and 1991.
Ken Nnebue still insists that his movie "Living in Bondage" was the first Home Video movie made for commercial purposes. His stand on the matter is rather shaky, having prior to the production of Living in Bondage sponsored commercial movies in Yoruba language such as Ina Ote, Aje N'iyami and others. Let's not forget the barrage of Yoruba TV dramas that were mass produced on VHS tapes and sold to the public before 1992. One can't fail to mention the legendary Eddie Ugbomah's movie "The Great Attempt" (1989), which would have made history as the 1st Nigerian cine movie in the video tape format to have been censored by the defunct Federal Board of Film Censors (FBFC) based on a "special concession" granted him officially by the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture at that time.
Unfortunately the strong contents projected in the movie were considered unsuitable for public viewing by the Board, hence the movie was never released. Tunde Alabi -Hundeyin's "Iyawo Alhaji" is officially on record as the first commercial (direct to exhibition hall) video film to be censored and classified by the NFVCB in 1994 at the National Theatre, (Cinema Hall) Iganmu. Despite the controversial fire raised, the global publicity given to "Living in Bondage" over the years invariably imputed the movie into our memory banks as the flag bearer of the Home Video revolution of all times. People, irrespective of Nationality, race, gender, and tribe are confronted with challenges on a daily basis. Some of these problems are of a global nature, while others are peculiar to various societies. Movies offer people the opportunity of telling their own stories, free from alien interference.
Nigerian movie producers leveraged on this and produced movies projecting our lifestyle, culture, local fashion, burning issues, problems plaguing our society, irrespective of the choking stench of tribalism perceived in all sectors. Movies were made for the viewing pleasure of Nigerians initially, (before the mass exportation craze), with messages to inspire, motivate, reprove, and correct anomalies especially in the Political, Social systems, to eschew violence and all forms of evil.
The tactical use of the English language as the communication tool, marketing strategies and execution through the use of trailers via T.V, Posters (now banned in Lagos State), recorded a boost in sales, and expanded the viewership base beyond the shores of our Nation to countries such as Ghana, Togo, South Africa, Kenya, U.S.A and even the U.K.. Unfortunately, the movies churned out at an alarming rate were technically deficient in key areas considered as germane in the production process.
The popular "shoe string budget" tag has become synonymous with the Industry's antecedent of making movies on extremely low budgets compared to other movie bodies in other countries, ($10- $15,000 initially), but currently stretches to $25,000, with a microscopic number of producers further stretching the seemingly financial limit to N 7,10,20 Million and more. The movies were and are still shot dominantly between 10-12 days, via Beta cam (now HDV cameras), were produced in the VHS format (now VCD & DVD), replicated in mass and sold by the Marketers who also doubled as Distributors.
Over a thousand movies were being churned out yearly by producers and utterly amazed by the staggering statistical data of movie productions, the International movie spotlight was shone on the Multi Million naira Industry "Nollywood". The Industry's net worth as at 2008 stood between an estimated $250 and $300 Million dollars. It is worthy of note that a Global cinema survey, conducted in 2006 by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) and released sometime in May 2009, ranked Nollywood as the second largest producing movie body in the world behind Bollywood and ahead of Hollywood based on the numerical data of the movies produced.
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There is of course the issue of the directional behavior. First of all, because the speaker is a dipole above bass frequencies, one can set it up so it is in effect sending no acoustic signal to the nearer sidewall's first reflection point. Nothing is bouncing off the sidewall to give an early reflection. (The first reflection off the far sidewall will be set to arrive behind the listener with natural positioning.) The effect of this is that it is a long time before any reflection at all arrives at the listening position. The fact that the panel becomes more directional in the higher frequencies makes this effect all the stronger. The Sanders gives the impression of an RFZ room (reflection-free zone) without the need for building one!
In short, the sound from the panel interacts with the room about as little as possible. Of course, reflections off the backwall arrive eventually, but with proper placement, this is delayed long enough as to not disturb imaging nor color the sound. As Peter Walker once explained the idea of dipole electrostatics, there is time for the brain to "sort things out" before any reflections arrive. One can get something of the resulting effect of being immersed in the recorded soundfield from box speakers by sitting really close to them, supposing they remain coherent enough at close range. But here with the Sanders, the effect of immersion remains at normal listening distances. The "sound of real music in real space" depends on giving the ear/brain time, as Walker said, to "sort things out" before there are any secondary arrivals. And here you have the time, indeed.
One can also use the dbx box to adjust the response to taste as it were and also to tweak away any residual room effects that strike you as colorations. These will be minimal, given how the speaker works, but still, you might want to do something. Control of your own life is good! There is a recommended target curve, which pulls the bass up a bit relative to nominally flat (steady-state RTA flat). I too would recommend this for reasons explained in part here (regonaudio.com/Records%20and%20Reality.html). Also if you want, you can lift the response slightly in the lower part of the midrange, just above the crossover, to give the effect that a box speaker would have of filling in that region a bit more in the room sound than a pure dipole does, thus mimicking the box speaker room sound a little. Personally I was happy with the direct panel sound as such, with room-corrected lows following the "target curve." But you have a lot of room for adjustment using the crossover box, which offers parametric EQ options.
Electrostatic/box woofer hybrid speakers have become reasonably common. And quite a few of them have some sort of built-in bass-correction system. But the Sanders 10e's have an advantage over the other ones which have curved panels. I know it is unconventional in audio reviewing to have really definite opinions about general types of speakers. "Circumstances alter cases" could well be the motto of audio reviewing. But in this case, I need, like Marc Antony, to be "a plain, blunt man" and say what I have found to be true. In experience, curved panel speakers do not image correctly. My guess is that this is because curved panels generate a time smear which does not diminish with distance, whereas as listening distance increases, all points of a flat panel approach having the same distance to the listener.
This is basic geometry. If you are 100 inches from the center of a 12-inch-wide flat panel and straight out from the panel, the distance to the edge of the panel is the square root of 10,000 + 36 = 100.18. So you are only 0.18 inches farther away from the edge than from the center. At 200 inches, the difference would be 0.09 inches. But if the panel itself curved so that the edge was say 0.5 inches back of the center, then even at large distances the 0.5 inch difference would persist. Curved panel means time smear that does not go away with distance, though the audible effect of such theoretical considerations is always debatable.
But whether this is the reason or not, to my ears curved panels do not generate precise images. One might interpret this lack of precision as "dimensionality," but to my mind it is really smear. Stereo imaging is a real thing. It ought to be as precise as the material allows. The speakers ought not to smear it at all. But I admit that taste varies here. Some people really like recordings made with widely spaced microphones, which have blurred images by nature!
Psychologically, imaging precision leads to an enhanced sense of resolution. Listen to some choral material on the Sanders. Because individual voices are precisely located in space, the sense of hearing them separated from each other is more natural and precise and convincing than a speaker with blurry imaging would provide. Electrostatic panels have a lot of resolution in the sense of having a pure sound with little secondary noise added. But this effect too is more convincing with the flat panels, or so I have found.
Now one has to have a certain listening distance for all this to happen. Up really close, one hears to some extent the panels as distributed radiators rather than as point or line sources. But this effect goes away at normal listening distances and, since the speakers bounce so little sound off the sidewalls in early reflection, one does not need to sit really close, as one does need to do with box speakers of wide pattern—if one wants to get the sidewalls out of the sonic picture.


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text:
Testing trait_exists() inside a namespace
--FILE--
<?php

namespace foo;

trait IFoo { }

trait ITest { }

var_dump(trait_exists('IFoo'));
var_dump(trait_exists('foo\\IFoo'));
var_dump(trait_exists('FOO\\ITEST'));

?>
--EXPECT--
bool(false)
bool(true)
bool(true)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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text:
EA thinks their games are too hard
By Kimo Linder-Fattah
Feb 8, 2015 23:49 EST
During the DICE Summit in Las Vegas, EA's chief creative officer Richard Hilleman spoke about how video games today often are quite hard to learn for new players, Hilleman stated that "Our games are actually still too hard to learn," This was in response to a statement from interviewer Pete Holmes who said that he would prefer that controller layouts and button mappings would stay the same in future installments of established series and even across franchises.
EA Executive: "Our games are actually still too hard to learn"
As mentioned, during the DICE summit, Richard Hilleman talked about how "hard our games are to learn", according to Hilleman "The average player probably spends two hours to learn how to play the most basic game,". Which for me sounds like a lot longer than a normal gamer would spend on learning the controls and the basic gameplay, seeing as most of todays games are pretty similar to each other. Actually 2 hours seems way longer than what a normal gamer would spend on grasping the basic concept and controls of a game.
"And asking for two hours of somebody's time, --most of our customers, between their normal family lives... to find two contiguous hours to concentrate on learning how to play a video game is a big ask"
Partially I guess he is right, people with jobs and families don't always have 2 straight hours to spare, but then again, I highly doubt that a regular gamer would require 2 whole hours on average, to grasp the basics of the game. If Hilleman thinks it's an issue, well why don't he talk to the studios so they can start looking over the tutorials then? And in this day and age where we have games such as Ryse Son of Rome, which essentially is a movie with quick-time events, I'm not quite sure how you could possibly call games 'hard' these day's.
There are of course exceptions, and we have seen a slight increase in the past few years of 'hardcore' games, such as Dark Souls as well as smaller rouge-likes, that have started to pop up. If it's a game that's actually hard to learn then sure, you are right, but if it's a run of the mill AAA-title then it's probably not that hard to learn. It might be hard to master , but probably not that hard to learn. All in all I believe that you can't just say 'our games are too hard to learn', and I'll leave you with this magnificent video.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pyn0eT97KI]
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 Will Be Revealed Before E3 2022; Might Release This Year – Rumor
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
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Ayesha H is fun with a fondness for being collared. We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her on an amazing shoot and just felt the need to share her sophisticated sexiness which hosts an amazing tattoo down her rib. Let us know in the comments what you think of her. Photographer: Erin Elizabeth Kelly. Model: Ayesha H at Mode London.
Simon Gentry is a fashion photographer originally from Britain, now based in New York. His vivid style has seen him travel the world and even grace this very site in a shoot that featured Hattie Watson, who we were lucky enough to interview . The work we've selected today features the alternative model Bridget Blonde . To see some more of Simon Gentry's portfolio, check out his website here.


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The mayor of Las Piñas () is the head of the executive branch of Las Piñas government. The mayor holds office at the Las Piñas City Hall.

Like all local government heads in the Philippines, the mayor is elected via popular vote, and may not be elected for a fourth consecutive term (although the former mayor may return to office after an interval of one term). In case of death, resignation or incapacity, the vice mayor becomes the mayor.

List

 Served in acting capacity.

Las Piñas
Las Piñas
Politics of Las Piñas

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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The government has suspended a controversial treatment for women thanks to a weekly newspaper journalist's campaign.
Kath Sansom, who works for the Cambs Times, has been trying for four years to ban an operation which left her a "physical wreck".
Kath, pictured, launched her Sling The Mesh drive after she underwent an operation to have what is known as a TVT mesh sling for bladder problems, following childbirth.
Just days after launching a safety review, the government has now announced the operation will be stopped immediately in hospitals across England.
Baroness Julia Cumberlege, chair of the review, has advised the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England that the procedure should not be used until a set of conditions to mitigate the risks of injury are met by March 2019.
Kath told the Times: "This is incredible news and vindication for more than 6,100 members of Sling The Mesh who have been maimed by this operation and then ignored, some for years.
"It is testament to people power. Our members have written, emailed, attended Parliament and lobbied to get this result.
"We now hope Baroness Cumberlege adds rectopexy mesh to the suspension. This is used when patients suffer a rectal prolapse.
Good for you Kath! What you did takes guts.


text:
Why do States decide for or against Humanitarian Interventions? Explaining the Intervention in Libya and the Nonintervention in Syria
by Björn Kraußer (Author)
Bachelor Thesis 2015 44 Pages
Politics - International Politics - Topic: Peace and Conflict Studies, Security
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A. Introduction
B. Why do states decide for or against humanitarian interventions?
I. Theoretical Foundations and Definitions
1. Neorealism
2. Institutionalism
3. Liberalism
4. Social Constructivism
5. Definition of a Humanitarian Intervention
II. Theoretical Assessment of Humanitarian Interventions
1. Neorealism: Material Gains and National Security
2. Institutionalism: Cooperation through Institutions
3. Liberalism: Interest Groups and Public Opinion
4. Social Constructivism: Norms and Images
5. Summary of Theoretical Motivators
III. Case Study
1. Short History of the Cases
a. Libya
b. Syria
2. Case Study: Material Gains and National Security
3. Case Study: Cooperation through Institutions
4. Case Study: Interest Groups and Public Opinion
5. Case Study: Norms and Images
6. Case Study: Conclusion
C. Conclusion
This paper examines the reasons states have when deciding for or against their engagement in a humanitarian intervention. It uses the theories of Neorealism, Institutionalism, Liberalism and Social Constructivism to identify possible motivations influencing the decision about such an engagement. These motivations are then applied in a case study that compares the 2011 intervention in Libya to the nonintervention in Syria following the events of the Arab Spring, in order to explain intervention and nonintervention in two similar cases.
The concept of a humanitarian intervention is a fairly new concept in the context of international politics. While interventions are a fairly common occurrence in history, recently they became increasingly less accepted as an instrument of foreign policy. The concept of the invulnerability of the sovereignty of the state was especially strong during the last decades in the Cold War. There was no morally acceptable reason for any state to interfere in the politics of any other state. This had only changed recently, when sovereignty was rethought as a concept that not only included certain rights for the state, but also included responsibilities. This also meant that if any state would fail to meet these responsibilities, the other states in the international community would have the responsibility to intervene for humanitarian reasons.
The last two decades have seen many smaller or larger humanitarian crises, most noteworthy among them the events that unfolded in Libya and Syria in the wake of the Arab Spring. In both countries initially peaceful protest resulted in violent opposition against local regimes that led to prolonged fighting, causing many deaths and caused incredible suffering for the population of these states. In both conflicts the number of civilian deaths and displaced persons rose quickly. Although the situations seem to be similarly dire, a humanitarian intervention has only happened in Libya so far and while such an intervention has been discussed for Syria it seems unlikely that a humanitarian intervention is going to happen there in the nearer future.
There has been a debate among the scholars of International Relations whether humanitarian interventions actually exist and under what conditions they are likely to happen. There are two intentions for this paper. First I want to outline possible motives states could have, when they decide for or against their participation in such a humanitarian intervention. Second I want to test these theoretical motives in a case study, in order to demonstrate how these theoretical motives could play out in a practical case.
A first part of this paper will thus introduce to the topic by outlining a few of the theoretical foundations, which we need in order to be able to discuss the topic. The first part will present the theories of international relations that will be used later on, but these theories will not yet be applied to the case of a humanitarian intervention. This part of the paper will also introduce the reader to the concept of a humanitarian intervention, by giving a short presentation of the history of the idea of a humanitarian intervention, while also giving a robust overview of the ideas that hide behind the concept of a humanitarian intervention.
In a second part this paper intends to apply the theories presented in the first part to the special case of a humanitarian intervention. The goal of the second part is to work out how each of these theories would explain the occurrence of humanitarian interventions and on what factors states would base their decision for or against such an intervention. At the end of the second part this paper will reach a first conclusion when it will be able to present a small list of motives states could have in their decision for or against a humanitarian intervention. This list of factors will then be used in the third part.
The third part of this paper then contains a comparative case study. As mentioned before Libya and Syria after the Arab Spring seem to be comparable cases for states that were a valid target for a humanitarian intervention, but the humanitarian intervention did only happen in one of these states. I am going to take the motives for participating in a humanitarian intervention, and will apply them to this case in order to show why a humanitarian intervention did happen in Libya, but has not yet happened in Syria.
So in conclusion I hope to be able to compile a valid list of reasons states could have for deciding for or against humanitarian interventions, while also being able to explain why a humanitarian intervention did happen in Libya, but not in Syria.
A first chapter will give a short overview over the theories used in this paper, and introduce the concept of a humanitarian intervention. In a second chapter I will apply these theories to the case of a humanitarian intervention and try to extract certain variables from the theories that influence the decision for or against such an intervention. A last and third chapter will contain a case study on Syria and Libya after the Arabic Spring, in which I will try to find out if any of the previously identified variables have played a role in causing the difference between the intervention in Libya and the nonintervention in Syria.
In order to identify possible factors, that could influence a state when making a decision for or against a humanitarian intervention I would like to take four theories of International Relations, and to apply them to the special case of a humanitarian intervention. I have selected the theories of Neorealism, Liberalism, Institutionalism and Constructivism. I have selected these four theories, since they are the four most prevalent theories about International Relations and are also fairly different from each other. Since each of these four theories focuses on a different aspect of international politics, together they should also be able to deliver a fairly diverse set of possible factors for influencing the decision for or against a humanitarian intervention. This diverse set of factors can then be checked in the case study later on to identify which factors have played a role in the decisions in Libya and Syria during the Arabic Spring.
In addition the first chapter will define the concept of a humanitarian intervention. This is necessary, since a humanitarian intervention differs significantly from a regular intervention, and I would like to make sure the two concepts are not confused.
Any presentation of Neorealism has to begin by outlining the assumptions Neorealists make about the structure of the international system. This is especially important for this theory, since all of its assumptions are made on the grounds of the proposed anarchic structure of the international system and a concept of states as rational actors that only differ in their capabilities, but not their intentions. Waltz concludes thus that "International structures are defined, first, by the ordering principle of the system,[...] anarchy, and second, by the distribution of capabilities across units" (Waltz, 1990, p. 29). It should also be mentioned that units in this context only includes states, since Neorealism does not perceive International Organizations, NGO's or any other actor as having a major effect on the order of the international system. "International organizations do exist, and in evergrowing numbers. Supranational agents able to act effectively, however, either themselves acquire some of the attributes and capabilities of states,[...], or they soon reveal their inability to act in important ways except with the support, or at least the acquiescence, of the principal states concerned with the matters at hand." (Waltz, 1990, p. 88). This means that any international organization that differs from a state does not influence the international order, except with the approval of the states.
Anarchy in the international system means that there is no central governing authority, which could regulate interstate interactions or sanction states for certain behavior. This means that states can not be forced to cooperate with each other, and that any state can only rely on itself in order to secure its goals and survival. "States have to do whatever they think necessary for their own preservation, since no one can be relied on to do it for them." (Waltz, 2010, p. 109). According to Neorealism any state's main goal is its own survival, and it will not subordinate this interest to any other interests, be they domestic or foreign. "The international interest must be served; and if that means anything at all, it means that national interests are subordinate to it." (Waltz, 2010, p. 109). It should be noted that states also can not just increase their capabilities, but also have to consider the relative gains of capabilities that other states could gain out of any cooperation. Any state's aim would always be to gain more capabilities than any other state.
So how do states secure their own survival in such an anarchic international order? According to Neorealism this happens through two mechanisms: internal and external balancing. Internal balancing means that states increase their own capabilities, so that they gain power in relation to the other states, thereby making it easier to guarantee for their own survival. External balancing means that states will enter into alliances to counter the power of more powerful individual states or stronger alliances.
To sum it up we can state that the main point of Neorealism is the anarchic world order and within the world order the distribution of capabilities. Any state's main goal would be to make relative gains in capabilities when compared to the other states in the international system.
Institutionalism as a theory was an answer to the theory of Neorealism, by trying to work out how states could cooperate in the anarchic world order described by Neorealist theory. One of the main authors for this theory is Robert Keohane. His main argument, which separates Institutionalism from Neorealism is that states do not just value relative gains, but also value absolute gains. This means that states under Institutionalist assumptions could also cooperate, when one state has higher relative gains than the other state. Another of his assumptions is that international politics is in fact not a zero-sum game, which means than one state's gain is not automatically a loss for another state, thereby making cooperation for mutual profit possible. Keohane states that "relative gains are unlikely to have much impact on cooperation if the potential absolute gains from cooperation are substantial, or in any context involving more than two states." (Keohane, 1995, p. 44).
The theory then puts a special focus on international organizations, as they can allow cooperation by allowing states to better coordinate their cooperation and to guard themselves against the other state cheating. "Unless some coordinating mechanism exists, states may fail to capture the potential gains from cooperation […] In complex situations involving many states, international institutions can step in to provide 'constructed focal points' that make particular cooperative outcomes prominent" (Keohane, 1995, p. 45).
So how can a state's behavior be determined under Institutionalist assumptions? Institutionalism does not differ from Neorealism so much here, since it "agrees that the distribution of power and wealth in the international system exerts a strong influence on state behavior" (Hasenclever, Mayer, Rittberger, 1997, p. 29). Keohane also accepts the Neorealist assumption that "states […] behave as rational egoists who only act to further their own interests" (Hasenclever, Mayer, Rittberger, 1997, p. 29), the main difference being that there is no clear preference for a certain area of politics, as there is on security for Neorealism, while Institutionalism states that "no longer can all issues be subordinated to military security" (Keohane, Nye, 2001, p. 23).
In summary we can say that states can have many reasons for their actions under the assumptions of Institutionalism. The theory's relevant point for us is how states achieve cooperation according to the theory. While cooperation is possible it can also be difficult to achieve, even when states interests seem to align. The theory here puts a big focus on the work of international organizations, which are seen as the main way states achieve cooperation in international politics, since they allow states to guard themselves against the risks of defection from cooperation, and allow them to coordinate their cooperation, which makes cooperation more feasible and attractive at them same time.
Liberalism centers on the assumption that domestic politics do in fact play a role in international politics. As Moravcsik puts it: ""Liberal IR theory elaborates the insight that state-society relations […] have a fundamental impact on state behavior in world politics. Societal ideas, interests and institutions influence state behavior by shaping state preferences" (Moravcsik, 1997, p. 513). This means that according to Liberalism we have to look at what is inside a state in order to be able to explain its outwards behavior.
There are three basic assumptions of Liberal theory that should be mentioned here in order to give a good overview over Liberalism. The first assumption is the primacy of social actors. This means that for Liberalism "the fundamental actors in international politics are individuals and private groups who are on the average rational and risk-averse and who organize exchange and collective action to promote differentiated interests under constraints imposed by material scarcity, conflicting values, and variations in societal influence" (Moravcsik, 1997, p. 516). Liberalism holds that the interests of the individuals and groups in a state determine the politics carried out by that state, and that these individuals and groups try to advance their own interests through the politics of the state.
A second basic assumption is thus that the role of the state is diminished to what has often been called a "'transmission belt' "(Moravcsik, 1997, p. 518). This means that the state only transmits the "preferences and social power of individuals and groups […] into state policy" (Moravcsik, 1997, p. 518). It has to be noted that this does not mean that all interests of individuals or groups will get represented equally or represented at all by a state. As Moravcsik says: "Every government represents some individuals and groups more fully than others" (Moravcsik, 1997, p. 518). This means not only is it important to identify the interests of all relevant social actors in the state in order to understand state policy, but also to identify if they are able to transmit their interests into state policy effectively.
A third important assumption is that "the configuration of interdependent state preferences determines state behavior" (Moravcsik, 1997, p. 520). This means that while each state tries to achieve the realization of its own preferences, each other state is also trying to achieve the realization of their own preferences. This means that states have to adapt their behavior to the behavior of other states, especially so whenever interdependencies between two states exist. But contrary to Neorealism state preferences do not have to be conflictive by default, but can also converge under many circumstances, thus allowing for cooperation.
To sum it up I would say that the main points of Liberalism important for this paper are that a state's behavior is defined by the interests of domestic groups and individuals, and that any state's main goal in international polices would be to realize as many of these interests that its domestic actors have transmitted into its policy.
Social Constructivism is the last theory that will be used in this paper. One of the main representatives of Social Constructivism is Alexander Wendt, who made the theory widely popular with his paper "Anarchy is what states make of it".
Social Constructivism focuses on the importance of identities and norms for international politics, and marks a renunciation of theoretical frameworks being based on rational choice approaches, since these have usually ignored norms and identities, as they are difficult to quantify and use in such theories. So what does Social Constructivism say about the reasons states have for their actions in the international system? Wendt puts it this way: "It is collective meanings that constitute the structures which organize our actions" (Wendt, 1992, p. 397). Social Constructionist thus has the view that international politics are socially constructed by the states participating in these international politics.
The two basic beliefs of Social Constructivism can be summarized this way: "that the structures of human association are determined primarily by shared ideas rather than material forces, and [...] that the identities and interests of purposive actors are constructed by these shared ideas rather than given by nature." (Wendt, 1999, p. 1). This means that states can interpret seemingly similar situations differently depending on norms and identities involved. States can attach different meanings to things and can thus act differently. An example used by Wendt was that British missiles, though equally powerful, were a lot less threatening to the U.S than Soviet missiles. This is the case because Britain has vastly different identity than the Soviet Union and is therefore judged differently. "This does not mean that material power and interests are unimportant, but rather that their meaning and effects depend on the social structure of the system" (Wendt, 1999, p. 20). Identities and the understanding of others identities are mainly shaped by interaction between the states. "'The parameters of social organization themselves are reproduced only in and through the orientations and practices of members engaged in social interactions over time' "(Wendt, 1992, p. 406).
To sum it up I would say that the main point of the theory of Social Constructivism is that a state's actions are not so much caused by the actions of other states, but by the state's interpretation of these actions, and what image it has of the other states involved. It also is important to notice that according to the theory states also pay attention to norms and ideas when making decisions.
Before we start with the analysis of the selected theories we need to add a definition of a humanitarian intervention, so that the object of study for this paper is clearly defined, and unnecessary confusions are avoided.
An intervention is defined as "activity undertaken by a state, a group within a state, a group within a state, a group of states or an international organization which interferes coercively in the domestic affairs of another state" (Vincent, 1974, p.13). This means that an intervention constitutes the deliberate violation of international law, and the sovereignty of one state by another state, and is usually hard to justify morally.
The concept of a humanitarian intervention is relatively new, since it only started to appear in the 1990s. A broad understanding of a humanitarian intervention is one as "coercive action by states involving the use of armed force in another state, with or without the authorization from the United Nations Security Council, for the purpose of preventing or putting to a halt gross and massive violations of human rights or international humanitarian law" (Ryter, 2003, p.5). A humanitarian intervention is thus action carried out against a state, be it military interventions or sanctions that are aimed to force this state to stop human rights violations. A first thing to note here is that a humanitarian intervention is still a violation of a state's sovereignty, just as a regular intervention would be.
There of course needs to be some way to justify such a gross violation of the sovereignty of another state. A major step towards legitimate humanitarian interventions and away from the concept of absolute sovereignty of the state was Rome Statute by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which "marks an[...] important cornerstone in the evolution of the UN system from a purely Westphalian model to a system where the sovereignty of the state is dependent on its internal governance" (Krieg, 2013, p. 16). For the first time a "clear statement in favour of the precedence of individual rights over the rights of states" (Krieg, 2013, p. 17) was made. This means that the absolute sovereignty of the state had to be questioned, when a state was unable to guarantee the individual rights of its citizens, or was violating these rights itself. "If states fail to do justice to their responsibility to protect its people, the international community has to take over the role of the state and guarantee the protection of human beings" (Krieg, 2013, p. 17).
The biggest step towards the legitimacy of humanitarian interventions is the principle "Responsibility to Protect (R2P)" formulated by the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS) in 2001. The report states that "State sovereignty implies responsibilities and the primary responsibility for the protection of its people lies within the state itself [and that] where a population is suffering serious harm, as a result of internal was, insurgency, repression or state failure, and the state in question is unwilling or unable to halt or avert it, the principle of non-intervention yields to the international responsibility to protect" (ICISS, 2001, p. XI) This confirms the international community's right to intervene to end gross violations of the human rights in other states.
In order to be considered humanitarian an intervention also has to adhere to certain principles that ensure the intervention is indeed for humanitarian purposes and the protection of the people. On the aforementioned report the ICISS has also made a list of these principles that need to be adhered to. The first principle is the Just Cause Threshold, which means that in order for humanitarian intervention to be justified there needs to be "large loss of life[...] which is the product either of deliberate state action, or state neglect or inability to act, or a failed state situation or large scale 'ethnic cleansing' "(ICISS, 2001, p. XII).
Additionally there are Precautionary Principles for the intervening parties: Right Intention means that "the primary purpose of the intervention […] must be to halt or avert human suffering" (ICISS, 2001, p. XII). It is also stated that a humanitarian intervention has to remain the Last Resort, only to be used "when every non-military option […] has been explored" (ICISS, 2001, p. XII). The intervention also has to be carried out with Proportional Means, meaning that "the scale, duration and intensity of the planned intervention should be the minimum necessary to secure the defined human protection objective" (ICISS, 2001, p. XII). There should also be Reasonable Prospects "of success in halting or averting the suffering […] with the consequences of action not likely to be worse than the consequences of inaction" (ICISS, 2001, p. XII).
There is also a passage dealing with the question of who has the authority to carry out humanitarian interventions. The paper states that the best authority for such action is the United Nations Security Council, but that in situations where the security council is unable to act states can also chose to take action (after: ICISS, 2001, p. XII).
The second part of this paper uses the theories introduced before and applies them to the special case of a humanitarian intervention. The goal is to use the theories to find factors that could make a state decide for or against participation in or initiation of a human intervention. This part is necessary in order to find the factors that can help us find the difference in the situations in Libya and Syria in the third part of this paper. I hope that at the conclusion of this chapter I will be able to come up with a fairly complete set of possible motives for a state's decision related to humanitarian interventions.
From the first chapter we can recall that the main points of Neorealism are the anarchic world order and within the world order the distribution of capabilities. Any state's main goal would be to make relative gains in capabilities, when compared to the other states in the international system.
The first thing we have to talk about when applying Neorealism to the case of humanitarian interventions is the strong focus Neorealism puts on a state's self-interest. As I have outlined earlier the purpose of any humanitarian intervention always has to be to protect human rights, and end human suffering. Under no circumstance is it permissible for any state to intervene on behalf of its own national interests during a humanitarian intervention. Under the assumptions of Neorealism we probably would have to argue that this is a condition that will always be impossible to meet during any intervention. The only thing states are interested in is to increase their own security, while keeping other states from similarity gaining in capabilities. Under Neorealist assumptions no state should be willing to expend all the resources necessary to carry out a humanitarian intervention in another state. Any humanitarian intervention requires per definition military and other resources to be used, which results in a loss of capabilities for any state participating, since military resources if not lost during the intervention are at least bound for a certain amount of time. So while a humanitarian intervention is costly it also does not promise to yield any gains for the intervening states, since they should not be intervening to serve their own interests. As states are also very concerned about their capabilities relative to those of other states any state participating in such a humanitarian intervention would experience a relative loss of capabilities and power compared to any state that is not participating.
International organizations, such as the UN, are also not a valid actor to carry out such humanitarian interventions under Neorealist assumptions, since, as we have already discussed, they can only act "with the support, or at least the acquiescence, of the principal states concerned with the matters at hand." (Waltz, 1990, p. 88). This means that any humanitarian intervention formally conducted by such international organizations, for Neorealism, would actually have to be conducted by the states with interests in such an interventions.
Thus far we can record the following: For Neorealism states are the only valid actors that can actually conduct a humanitarian intervention. Any participation of international organizations would be a smoke screen by the states actually conducting the intervention. Second we can also state that these states that would carry out such a humanitarian intervention also have absolutely no interest in doing so. Protecting human rights and ending human suffering are no valid motivations for a state to engage in military conflict of any kind, since the result of such a humanitarian intervention can only be losses for the intervening state, and no gains of any kind can be expected by the state. So Neorealists would probably argue that any humanitarian intervention is actually just a regular intervention, and that the intervening states are expecting some gains through their intervention.
So the next question to be asked is why states would engage in interventions in another state according to Neorealism. As Morgenthau puts it: "Intervene we must where our national interest requires it and where our power gives us a chance to succeed. The choice of these occasions will be determined not by sweeping ideological commitments nor by blind reliance upon [...] power but by a careful calculation of the interests involved and the power available" (Morgenthau, 1967). So how can an intervention serve the national interest of the intervening countries? Earlier we have explained how states engage in internal balancing (expanding their capabilities) and external balancing (maintaining a balance of power) in order to try to maintain their own security. I would argue that an intervention can be part of both of these ways of balancing.
A first reason for an intervention could be that the intervening state hopes to increase or secure its own capabilities, for example by securing sources of valuable resources or expanding it's own territory at the expense of the other state. These gains should also promise to be larger than the capabilities that could be lost in the intervention. A second reason for an intervention could be that the intervening state sees the intervention as necessary for maintaining its own national security. This could be the case when it expects the situation in the other state to destabilize the region, or to cause massive amounts of refugees. Another example would be a case, in which a government in the other state is threatening or planning to leave an existing alliance with the intervening state.
So in conclusion we should look out for the following factors when trying to explain the occurrence or non-occurrence of an intervention with Neorealism. Either the intervening state can expect some gains greater than its expenses from conducting the intervention or the state that would be the target of the intervention is in a situation of any kind that poses a significant risk to the national security of the state that would conduct the intervention.
ISBN (Book)
Institution / College
LMU Munich
humanitarian intervention syria lybia reasons neorealism institutionalism liberalism social constructivism nonintervention intervention
Björn Kraußer (Author)
5 titles published
A Poggean Approach to Mass Atrocities. Political Will for Humanitarian Intervention and the Responsibility to Protect
Humanitarian intervention in Kosovo and Tajikistan. The role of the media
New Revolutions: A Revolutionary Change of Conventional Revolutions
Obstacles to a common European Foreign Policy. A Case Study on the 2011 Intervention in Libya
Cervical Cancer Mortality Rates and the Dialectics of International Humanitarian Intervention with a focus on Nigeria
The Creation of a Precedence in Humanitarian Affairs through the Blend of International Legalization and World Politics
Right of humanitarian intervention. Interplay between morality, law and politics
German Policy towards Intervention in Libya
The ethical dilemma of non-forcible Humanitarian Interventions
Was the NATO intervention in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia bound by International Humanitarian Law?
The Probabilty of Humanitarian Intervention as Framework for Human Security
Selling Intervention
Asymmetric Warfare. A Challenge for International Humanitarian Law?
Humanitarian Intervention: "Why do states intervene in some humanitarian crises and not others?"
Neorealism and Greening in NATO
The U.S. Supreme Court and the Liberal Constitution in the National-Security State
The European Union and the dream of a common foreign policy based on the present Libya intervention
Humanitarian Intervention
Der Konflikt zwischen Europäischer Union und den USA während den Verhandlungen über das Kyoto-Protokoll aus Sicht des rationalistischen Institutionalismus
Can sectarianism explain the conflict in Syria?


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Food Allergy Awareness Week
Home / Resources / Managing Health & Safety / Food safety / Food Allergy Awareness Week
Paul Logan
A food that is safe for most people to eat may be hazardous to others because of a food allergy.
A food allergy is a response by the immune system to a food that is considered a threat. Reactions vary from a rash or hives to diarrhoea and vomiting or anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is serious because it can lead to anaphylactic shock (often fatal). In the UK, at least 10 people die from an allergic reaction to food each year.
There are 14 foods that have been identified as the most common allergens being responsible for 90% of allergies in the EU.
Businesses need to tell customers if any food products they sell or provide contain any of the main 14 allergens as an ingredient.
What's the danger?
The 14 allergens are:
Peanuts, also called groundnuts and monkey nuts, are found in many foods, including sauces (e.g. satay sauce), curries, cakes, biscuits and desserts. They are common in Thai and Indonesian dishes. Watch out for peanut flour and groundnut oil too.
People with nut allergy can react to many types of nut, including walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, pistachios, cashews, pecans, macadamia nut and Queensland nut. Nuts are found in many foods, including sauces, desserts, crackers, bread, and ice cream. Watch out for nut oils, praline (which includes hazelnut), marzipan (which includes almond) and ground almonds too.
Eggs are used in many foods including cakes, mousses, sauces, pasta and quiche. Sometimes egg is used to bind meat products, such as burgers. Watch out for dressings containing mayonnaise (which may contain raw egg) and dishes brushed with egg as well as lecithin E322 (if made from egg).
People who are allergic to fish need to avoid all species of fish. Some types of fish, especially anchovies, are used in salad dressings, sauces, relishes, Worcester sauce and on pizzas. Fish sauce is commonly used in Thai dishes.
People who are allergic to crustaceans need to avoid all types, including crabs, lobster, prawns and scampi. Watch out for shrimp paste used in Thai curries or salads.
This includes mussels, oysters, land snails, squid and whelks. It is often found in oyster sauce in Chinese and Thai dishes or as an ingredient in fish stews.
People with milk allergy need to avoid foods containing milk, yoghurt, cream, cheese, butter and other milk products from cows, sheep, goats and other related mammals. Watch out for dishes glazed with milk and ready-made products containing milk powder, or other milk ingredients (casein, whey powder).(People with lactose intolerance need to avoid lactose, the sugar found in milk. They also need to avoid food containing milk and milk products from cows and other related mammals).
Soya comes in different forms, for example, tofu (or bean curd), soya flour, lecithin E322 (if made from soya) and textured soya protein. It is found in many foods, including ice cream, sauces, desserts, meat products, miso paste, (a traditional Japanese Seasoning), and vegetarian products such as 'veggie burgers'.
Cereals containing gluten
This includes wheat, (such as spelt and Khorasan wheat/Kamut), rye, barley and oats. These are found in many foods containing flour, such as bread, pasta, cakes, pastries, meat products, batter, breadcrumbs and in some foods that you might not expect, such as stock cubes, gravy granules and spice mixes. Also watch out for soups and sauces thickened with flour and foods that are dusted with flour before cooking. Flours made from other foods such as maize, rice millet, chickpea or buckwheat naturally do not contain gluten. However, due to the milling process they may be contaminated with cereals containing gluten.
There are a number of different reactions to wheat/gluten, which people may suffer. Coeliac disease is a lifelong intolerance to gliaden, part of the gluten proteins that are found in the grain of wheat, rye and barley. People may also suffer from an immediate type allergy to wheat, (a reaction to one or more of the proteins found in the wheat grain); delayed allergy reactions to wheat or a wheat (gluten) intolerance.
Sesame seeds are often used on bread and breadsticks. Sesame paste (tahini) is used in some Greek and Turkish dishes, including hummus. Watch out for sesame oil used for cooking or in dressings.
This includes celery stalks, leaves and seeds and celeriac. As well as being served as a vegetable, celery and celeriac are sometimes used as an ingredient in stock cubes, salads and soups or in some meat products. Also watch out for celery salt, which is used as a seasoning in lots of foods, such as soups and meat products, and celery seeds, which are used as a spice.
People who are allergic to mustard will react to any food that comes from the mustard plant, including liquid mustard, mustard powder, the leaves, seeds and flowers, and sprouted mustard seeds. Mustard is often used in salad dressings, marinades, soups, sauces, spice mixes, curries, seeded breads and meat products.
This includes lupin seeds and lupin which may be used to make flour, which may be used in baked products such as bread, pastry and pasta. The major allergens in Lupin are also found in peanuts, so people who are allergic to peanuts could react to Lupin. People with peanut allergy should avoid foods containing Lupin.
Sulphur dioxide and Sulphites
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (E220-E228) are used as preservatives in a wide range of foods, particularly meat products such as sausages, soft drinks, dried fruit and vegetables. Sulphur dioxide is also found in wine and beer. For some people with asthma, sulphur dioxide can trigger an asthmatic response.
This applies also to the additives, processing aids and any other substances which are present in the final product. For example, sulphites, which are often used to preserve dried fruit, might still be present after the fruit is used to make chutney. If this is the case, you need to declare them.
Attention must be paid to hidden ingredients and labels must present the allergens in bold.
Food handlers must also be trained in allergen hazards and controls which include:
preventing cross-contamination
separate storage
information about products and ingredients
Food handlers should also know the signs of anaphylaxis and the action to take if someone suffers a severe allergic reaction.
Pre-packed and non-prepacked foods
Different rules apply to pre-packed and non-prepacked foods.
Pre-packed refers to any food put into packaging before being placed on sale. Food is pre-packed when it:
is either fully or partly enclosed by the packaging
cannot be altered without opening or changing the packaging
is ready for sale
Pre-packed food must have an ingredients list. Allergenic ingredients must be emphasised in some way every time they appear in the ingredients list.
Pre-packed for direct sale
Foods pre-packed for direct sale are foods prepared on the premises where they are sold. For these products, allergen information can be provided in the same way as for non-prepacked (loose) foods.
This does not apply to food products made for sale at retail outlets in other locations.
Non-prepacked (loose) foods
Non-prepacked (loose) foods include:
foods sold loose in retail outlets, for example cold meats or cheeses sold from delicatessen counter, bread sold in bakery shops, meat sold at butchers, pick and mix confectionery
foods which are not sold pre-packed, such as meals served in a restaurant and food from a takeaway
If you provide non-prepacked foods, you will have to supply allergen information for every item that contains any of the 14 allergens.
If you are concerned about allergies in your workplace, or have a health & safety issue you'd like further support on, speak to a Croner expert on 01455 858 132.
Paul Logan is an experienced Health and Safety Consultant, having been with Croner for 17 years. He started his career in enforcement with an Environmental Health department before moving to the food Industry as the Group Health & Safety Manager with a large meat processing company.


It had seemed to me a fact of the most obvious kind that we are fundamentally related to the world as subjects perceiving objects. I've made sweeping epistemic and ontological decisions based on this assumption and on account of its seeming so obvious I never stopped to question it. I am me, this is this – end of story. When I began to take philosophy more seriously I found myself drawn to subjectivist or sceptical positions on account of this veil of perception which I believed occluded me to the proper nature of the things I encountered.
When I began to come across non-representationalist accounts of what had typically been known to me as "mental" phenomena, of course I was interested. This was a claim which was so fundamentally alien to me that I just had to have a peek… The idea is that we are not first and foremost thinking subjects related to objects by means of mental representations, but are rather beings with a way of unthinkingly engaging with a world in which we are wholly absorbed. The representationalist picture wanted to demonstrate how one's world was revealed to them by the medium of "internal" representations, however what philosophers have noticed is that most of our dealings are in fact non-representational. Walking, for instance, or our use of language or equipment – all pass over us transparently, without our explicit awareness. Even our awareness of ourselves is rendered transparent in the midst of what Heidegger calls "coping" (Drefyus, 1991).
Our most primary mode of engagement with the world is not through a canvas of conscious deliberation, calculation, belief, desire, and ultimately action. We can, and more often than not do, engage with the world unthinkingly. It was recently discovered that the brain plays a much more insignificant role in movement than was previously thought, that the spinal column and legs control movement themselves, while the brain simply sets up the nervous system to anticipate movement (sounds hauntingly like Merleau-Ponty, no?) So the act of conscious volition is not even neurologically grounded in the case of movement - it simply takes place in the body, responding to its environment accordingly, devoid of representation or any feeling of acting.
Heidegger separates two modes of dealing with things, the practical (zuhandenheit) and the theoretical (vorhandenheit). The practical mode of being involves engaged participation: one understands a piece of equipment through using it, through its having a purpose corresponding to a possibility of one's being, e.g. the hammer is something "with-which" you hammer nails, "in-order-to" build the house, "for-the-sake-of" being a carpenter (King, 2001). The theoretical way of looking at things, however, involves detached inspection – when all using and producing, etc., has ceased and all that remains is understanding things in their "outward appearance" (Heidegger, 2010).
(1) The first example involves a chair. One could be told "this is a chair" and shown an image. The factual data gleaned from this "merely looking" at the image would allow one to point out things which have similar objective properties and say "that is a chair". However, this is not sufficient for properly understanding what a chair is. If you had one who was from a culture unfamiliar to seating, they could reproduce the expression "chair" whenever they saw something with the same properties, but they could not know what a chair was without knowing what it is for. This understanding cannot be given over by objective, factual, representational, knowledge. One must come to understand the chair as an object of use with a purpose by engaging with it.
(2) The second example involves a broken radio. If we were to say to someone "if it is not making sound, it is broken" it would be a simple enough test for them to check if it was broken, right? So they approach the radio, fiddle around with it for a bit, try turning it on and no sound comes out. It's broken, there – easier than we would have expected. But try doing this without world. By having a world in which things make sense, expressions like "broken" come to have significance – how? Only on the basis of an item's being for something can it fail to do what it is supposed to do. And only by being so constituted as to reach out to things in this practical manner can we understand something's not doing what it's supposed to do. Our engagement, our being tangled up in things, is what is required for understanding.
The mistaken assumption is that one can simply program understanding of brokenness into a computer by giving it some list of data through which it is said to know when something is broken. However, because no previous understanding of brokenness stands with the machine, we're left with a merely behavioural mimicry. The machine was never reaching out to the radio on the basis of a purposive aspect, and so cannot possibly grasp how something can be broken, a notion which is from top to bottom couched in purposiveness You can look at the objective properties of a broken radio all you like, "rectangular", "weighs 2 pounds", "silver", "produces no sound", but without the background of world it's just a list of facts stripped of their significance.
So when we come to have explicit mental representations like "this is broken" or "that is a chair" we can only do so on the basis of a non-cognitive, non-representational background understanding of how things fit together in the world. We cannot hope to gain an understanding of expressions like "this is broken" or "that is a chair" without engaging with them, and being tangled up with them in this inter-referential world through which things come to have meaning.
Drefyus, H. (1991). Being-in-the-World. MIT Press.


text:
Beautiful Sundara: Indian-Inspired Food Hits the Beach Crowd
Adam Lowe and Nick Leibman, two of the new Indian restaurant Sundara's four partners are a little self-conscious about what they do. After all, as Lowe jokes, "What are two white guys doing starting an Indian restaurant?" But, they--and their partners Chris Geremia and Andrea Horning--have done just that.
Sundara--which means "beautiful" in Sanskrit--is a pop-up restaurant located evenings at the Pt. Loma Beach Cafe on Sunset Cliffs. Opened since late June, the menu is essentially modeled on British curry houses.
"I can't claim a vast knowledge of regional Indian food," says Lowe, the restaurant's chef, who is trained as an engineer but also has his MBA from USD. "Our menu is very specific and meshes with curry houses found in Britain, New Zealand, and Australia."
Lowe got the idea to open an Indian restaurant several years ago after moving to Ocean Beach. "I had fallen in love with Indian food and couldn't believe there were no Indian restaurants here. I mean this is a hippie, vegetarian community."
Realizing he had no desire for a traditional 9 to 5 gig, he had been searching around for entrepreneurial ideas. When he made the connection with Indian food, he felt he had his calling--but he'd never worked in a restaurant. So, he got a job as a runner at Bombay to learn the business.
"The restaurant had its issues, but it was a great experience. I learned about operations and learned about what's popular on Indian menus." He also spent time working at Pizza Nova, a place he calls "a shining example of how restaurants should be run--smooth, orderly, and clean." And, he worked for Hanis Cavin at Kensington Grill. Cavin, he says, has been hugely supportive of the restaurant idea, even walking him through Pt. Loma Beach Cafe and advising him, "Dude, go for it."
All the while Lowe was working at the restaurants, he says in his off time he was making curries in his tiny apartment kitchen. "My main source for recipes and inspiration was Madjur Jaffrey, he acknowledges. "But I used a lot of cookbooks and adapted recipes. At the end of the day, it's just trial, trial, and trial--redoing, taking bits and pieces from different recipes until you get it right."
He also studied restaurant menus online, learning what the common items were so he could focus his menu. Eventually, he and his partners pulled together the money needed to launch the business, which opened June 27.
Tikka Masala, not surprisingly, is the most popular item on the menu. But while the menu is small, Sundara offers just enough variety for diners to feel they have choices--without being overwhelmed.
There are three curries. The Tikka Masala is a traditional tomato-based curry infused with lemon, ginger, and other herbs and spices. The Vindaloo is a richly spiced red chili and garlic stew.
Chicken vindaloo with sesame naan
And the Saag is a luscious spinach and onion curry, served with paneer, cubes of firm Indian cow's milk cheese. All of the curries have the options of being made with either mixed vegetables, chicken, or paneer.
Saag with chunks of paneer
Sundara also offers two vegetarian curries--Channa Masala, a spiced garbanzo bean stew, and the lentil-based Dal Makhani. And, of course, there is Tandoori chicken, three skinless chicken legs per order that have been marinated for 24 hours in lemon, herbs, and yogurt, then roasted in their clay tandoori oven. Yes, they have one.
You can also enjoy housemade naan--either plain or with garlic and cilantro or sesame. And there are a few appetizers--papadum, crisp toasted lentil crackers, a tart raita with yogurt, cucumber, and spices; and both tamarind and mint chutney (see recipe below).
Crispy papadum with raita and chutneys
The prices are very reasonable. The highest priced menu items are the curries, which top out at $8.50. With these you get a serving of basmati rice.
Of course, what it comes down to are the flavors. This is pure Indian comfort food. Lowe and Horning, who cooks with him, create rich, spicy dishes that have powerful flavor profiles. Most satisfying is that the dishes with chicken--using white meat--are wonderfully tender, thanks to a 24-hour marinade in yogurt that tenderizes the flesh. What also helps is that each dish is plated--even while using solid take-out containers--with visual appeal. Lowe acknowledges that he had given this a lot of thought.
"Most stews look horrible on a plate. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make a good presentation and came up with spreading the basmati rice on both sides of the container and settling the curry in between, then adding simple garnishes to the rice."
It works. In fact, the whole operation works. Most of the food is prepped off-site in a rented kitchen space, then brought over nightly and made to order at the restaurant. The clay oven is outside in the back and it's a kick to watch the naan baked in less than a minute and pulled out hot and steaming.
Naan cooking in the clay oven
Pulling the garlic mint naan from the clay oven
Liebman runs the front of the house as well as the business end and Jeremiah, says Lowe, is the glue that holds the operation together, whether it's helping with prep or anything else that needs to get down. The result is a well-run restaurant that attends to customer needs and serves delicious, Indian-inspired food.
Here's Lowe's recipe for his spicy mint chutney.
Spicy Mint Chutney
from Sundara
Makes about 24 ounces
1 bunch mint, leaves only
2 bunches cilantro, leaves and stems
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 fresh serrano chilies
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon toasted and ground cumin
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until you get the desired consistency.
Tip: It works best to add the yogurt last, as the weight on top of the leaves makes for easier blending. These quantities fill a large processor bowl, so you may want to cut the recipe in half.
Sundara is located at 1424 Sunset Cliffs Blvd. It's open every evening but Tuesday from 5 to 10 p.m. Eat in, take-out, and delivery available.
Posted by carondg at 8:59 AM
Labels: chutney, curry, Hanis Cavin, naan, Ocean Beach, papadum, raita, saag, Spicy Mint Chutney, Sundara, Sunset Cliffs, tandoori, tikka masala, vindaloo
Arina George October 4, 2012 at 6:10 AM
Wow ! the recipe looks delicious. Thanks for sharing this easy-looking recipe. I MIGHT try it sometime soon.
Gayle Falkenthal October 18, 2012 at 9:27 AM
Reading this in the morning without eaten just yet, I'm wondering how Vindaloo curry would taste for breakfast. I think delicious! Alas, I can't rush down to Ocean Beach at this hour so I'll make a point of checking Sundara out at a more traditional hour. Thank you Caron!
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Apple has completely revamped its Apple TV app, with a brand new interface and the inclusion of a host of Channels from some of the globe's most illustrious content providers.
The new version of the app, which will also see integration with the new Apple TV Plus service, is designed to ensure viewers can access their content on demand, ad-free with offline downloads available.
Apple says the new app is coming in May and will mean the end of bouncing from app to app to access content. The likes of Hulu, HBO, Showtime, CBS All Access, Britbox, Comedy Central Starz and many more are part of the new Channels service, with subscribers able to use their existing platforms.
During its keynote address Apple revealed how users can skip intros, add programs to 'Up Next' queues. There'll also be a new For You section. If you're watching sports through a channel like ESPN+ then the thumbnails will also show you the current score, enabling viewers to dive into ongoing games when it looks like there may be a big finish.
Apple is yet to reveal the pricing for these individual channels, so it may be that the available on demand subscriptions will be priced precisely as they currently are. However, Family Sharing means that subscribers can share the content with family members.
Apple is also bringing iTunes Movies to the TV app, making it easy for viewers to buy, rent and watch their favourite flicks from under one roof.
There'll still be some app switching though because Apple hasn't shored up a full house, because Netflix isn't on board and will not be integrated with the Apple TV platform.
However, over 150 apps are in, and cord-cutting services offering live TV – such as PlayStation Vue and DirecTV Now – will integrated within the service later this year.
The brand new version of the app is rolling out for Apple TV, iPhone and iPad now, while it will arrive on third-party smart TVs from Samsung, Sony, LG and Vizio. Apple is also promising a roll-out on Roku and Fire TV devices. It'll also be available on the Mac for the first time, later this year.
Will you be subscribing to Apple TV Plus? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.


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Social workers in Oregon are licensed mental health professionals who work in a variety of settings from schools and social service agencies to hospitals and hospice facilities. The board was created to ensure that individuals serving the public as social workers have the education and skills to do the job safely, effectively and efficiently. Currently, there are over 6,000 licensed social workers in Oregon.
The board has seven members, four who are social workers and three who represent the public. The board has its office in Salem and has six staff members. Board meetings are held monthly in Salem and are open to the public.
The board was created in 1979 to set policy and adopt rules for social workers. Currently, the board offers four license types: Registered Baccalaureate Social Worker (RBSW), Licensed Master's Social Worker (LMSW), Clinical Social Work Associate (CSWA) and Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).


text:
Ira Breskin
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Errata & Addenda
p. 13: Accidents such as the grounding of the Exxon Valdez in Alaska in 1989 and the Costa Concordia in Italy in 2012 resulted in extensive pollution, and recognition that accidents can have severe economic and regulatory-related consequences.
p. 31: IACS Member chart: Remove International Register of Shipping; It is not an IACS member.
p. 40: MARAD also monitors the Capital Construction Fund (CCF) program; vessel owners can defer paying federal income tax on earnings to be used to purchase or finance US-flagged cargo vessels
Under a recent Maritime Administration interpretation, owners and operators of container and Ropax vessels (RoRo ships also carrying passengers) can seek CCF funds; earlier only pure RoRos were eligible for expanded CCF funding.
p. 46: Military Sealift Command owns and operates a fleet of about 120 US-flagged ships crewed by US civilian mariners.
p. 49: Credit goes to ships carrying armed guards and increasing patrols by naval forces from European Union countries as well as others.
p. 126: Nine double-ended State Island ferries typically transport about 22.7 million riders per year (65,000 per day) across upper New York harbor.
p. 129: Norwegian Cruise Line purchased SS Norway in 1979, and had it converted to a cruise ship (featuring new auxiliary power units), keeping it in service until 2003.
p. 138: There were 32 fatalities resulting from the Costa Concordia casualty.
p. 151: Jean-Paul Rodrique, a geography professor at Hofstra University.
p. 162: "Salties'" cargo accounts for about five percent of Great Lakes/St Lawrence Seaway total tonnage.
– An electronic barrier constructed on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, about 35 miles from Lake Michigan, has successfully repelled this aggressive species.
p. 164: Jones Act vessels must be used to service offshore wind production equipment.
p. 179: Non-Governmental Organizations.
p. 184: Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI)
p. 267: CenterPoint Properties of Oak Brook, IL owns and operates a number of port-related operations. Most prominent is a 6,500-acre property located in Joliet, IL, southwest of Chicago. It is billed as the largest inland port in the US.
Centerpoint is a joint venture between the California Public Employees Retirement System and LaSalle Investment Management.
p. 268: Demurrage surcharges are imposed by marine terminals on shippers or consignees for their failure to make timely pick-up of import containers.
p. 274: N4, Navis' latest offering,
p. 290: Gerhardt Muller
p. 311: In this case, railcars loaded with coal were hoisted by an overhead gantry crane-like cradle device over the ship's rail and lowered through an open hatch onto a parallel railroad track affixed to an internal deck of a Sea Train vessel.
p. 325: The major alliances are 2M: Maersk (including Hamburg Sud) and Mediterranean; Ocean Alliance: Cosco Group (including China Shipping), CMA CGM (including NOL), Evergreen and OOCL; THE ALLIANCE: Hapag Lloyd (including UASC), K-Line/MOL/NYK (to form ONE) and Yang Ming.
p. 326: An NVOCC, an Ocean Transport Intermediary (OTI), has the rights and obligations of a carrier and must file tariffs that are "published" by the FMC.
-Beginning in 2011, NVOCCs were no longer required to file negotiated rate arrangements, or shipper-specific discounts, with the FMC.
p. 390: Valemax newbuilds range in price from $120 million to $133 million each.
Ira Breskin is a journalist, lecturer, and editor, focusing on maritime-related subjects. He is the author of The Business of...
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jMERP framework is a set of Java objects designed to represent the objects and rules of MERP. This project is not an attempt to generate any kind of robust MERP application, but instead serve as a starting layer for any other interested Java developers.
Granted, this removes a lot of the end user appeal of such an application. Don't worry! I'm developing "reference" applications along with the framework to demonstrate how to use it and these applications should be perfectly usable to anyone interested in getting actual use out of this.
The Merp Character Generation Wizard - This is the standard piece of creation I do with MERP. This allows one to work through the character creation process and generate a character.
The Merp Random Character Generator - Just one click and you've got a complete random character created according to the Merp rules!
Roll your statistics using my award winning statistics rolling system! You'll have Minimums at least 360 points with the ability move around stats and adjust where the points end up.
Don't like my system? All the configuration is held in an XML file. Just dig into it and change the values to fit the system you like.
Spend background points the way you're used! Jump around to the different places you can spend them while getting a full view of your character to so far.
Background points follow the rules as dictated in the book, even following the race specific options that are often over-looked by the GMs.
Body development is rolled for you! Base Spell OB is smart enough to know you can't have ranks in it. All of the bonuses are totalled for you. It pays attention to racial bonuses, item bonus, special bonus, everything that you don't want to worry about.