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Q: Solve for $n$, where $n$ is a positive integer I have
$$ {n \choose 2} = 21 $$
and as the title mentions I have to solve for $n$, but so far all I have managed to get to is
$$n^2 -n =42 $$
and from there I'm completely lost. Any hints would be greatly appreciated.

A: Note that $$n^2-n=42\iff n^2-n-42=0\iff (n-7)(n+6)=0$$
and that $n\ge 2$.

A: Hint : $n^2 - n - 42 = (n-7)(n+6)$

A: $$n^2-n=(n-1)n.$$
You need to find two consecutive integers with product $42$.
Check among $2,6,12,20,30,42,56,72,90...$.
Hint: the nearest perfect squares are $6^2=36$ and $7^2=49$.

A: Another approach, if you know the formula for the sum of the first $n-1$ integers, which is
$$
\sum_{k=1}^{n-1}k=\binom{n}{2}
$$
We can check at each step until: $1+2+3+4+5+6=21$, and we get $n=7$.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Once a rather bookish young man with a limp and a stammer, a man who spent most of his time trying to stay away from the danger and risk of the line of ascension, Claudius seemed an unlikely candidate for Emperor. Yet, on the death of Caligula, Claudius finds himself next in line for the throne, and must stay alive as well as keep control. Drawing on the histories of Plutarch, Suetonius, and Tacitus, noted historian and classicist Robert Graves tells the story of the much-maligned Emperor Claudius with both skill and compassion. Weaving important themes throughout about the nature of freedom and safety possible in a monarchy, Graves' Claudius is both more effective and more tragic than history typically remembers him. A bestselling novel and one of Graves' most successful, I, Claudius has been adapted to television, film, theatre, and audio.
hoopla:MWT12314686|eBook|eBook||English|RosettaBooks,|2014.|1 online resource, ils:.b10414435|Book|Books|Vintage international ed.|English|Vintage Books,|1989, c1961.|x, 468 p. ; 21 cm.


text:
Nick Lachey & Lindt Chocolates Raise Awareness For Autism
Published: April 4, 2014, 5 p.m.
Nick Lachey recently joined premium chocolatier, Lindt USA, to launch the fifth Lindt GOLD BUNNY Celebrity Auction and help raise awareness for autism, a cause close to his family. Lachey, who is sharing his personal connection to autism, joins the exclusive line-up of nearly 100 celebrities participating in this year's auction by donating autographs. One hundred percent of proceeds from the celebrity-signed Lindt GOLD BUNNY figures will benefit the world's leading autism research and advocacy organization, Autism Speaks. This year, Lindt will make a matching donation. Now through April 14, fans can bid on celebrity-signed porcelain Lindt GOLD BUNNY figures – from Kelly Clarkson to Sarah Jessica Parker, Tom Brady and Seth Meyers– and give back this Easter.
"It's an honor to help launch this year's Lindt GOLD BUNNY Celebrity Auction and support a cause very close to my family," said Lachey. "My younger brother, Zac, was diagnosed with autism as a child, and we're continuously inspired by his perseverance and strength. Autism affects so many families, and Lindt is offering simple ways to get involved this Easter and help give back."
Ninety-three influencers in the entertainment, food, music, lifestyle and sports industries have lent their signatures to the cause. Among the autographed Lindt GOLD BUNNY figures are signatures from: Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Celine Dion, Donald Trump, Eva Longoria and more...
"We're thrilled to work with Nick Lachey to launch this year's Lindt GOLD BUNNY Celebrity Auction in support of Autism Speaks," said Thomas Linemayr, president and CEO of Lindt USA. "We're touched by Nick's personal connection to autism and inspired by his involvement. Through a variety of activities both in-store and online this Easter season, Lindt is looking forward to raising much needed funds and awareness for the autism cause."
In addition to the Celebrity Auction, Lindt is again donating 10 cents from each Lindt GOLD BUNNY, the only bunny that gives back, purchased in the U.S., through April 20, 2014. Consumers can also join Lindt on its Facebook page, through April 15, 2014, to play the "Build a Better Easter Basket with Lindt GOLD BUNNY" game to trigger varying levels of donations to Autism Speaks and win additional prizes.
Since 2009, Lindt has helped raise more than half a million dollars for Autism Speaks. Through multiple in-store and online activations this Easter season, Lindt anticipates the total donation to Autism Speaks to exceed $700,000.
For more information about the Lindt GOLD BUNNY Celebrity Auction and Easter program, visit LindtGOLDBUNNYAuction.com. For other news from Lindt, visit www.LindtUSA.com/goldbunny, "like" the company's Facebook page or follow Lindt on Twitter. For more information about Autism Speaks, visit www.AutismSpeaks.org.
Beverly Hills Celebrates Its 100th Birthday
Cesar Millan & Scooby-Doo Join Forces With North Shore Animal League America To Save Lives
Dos Equis Celebrates Cinco de Mayo From April To May With "Dos de Mayo"
Making "The Muppets Most Wanted" For Everyone
COL*COA (City of Lights, City of Angels) French Film Festival Celebrates 18 Glorious Years With A Big Bang
Chideo Combines Video, Celebrity & Charity
Remembering Lou Gehrig's Words 75 Years Ago
Stars Curate "The World's Greatest Sports Coupes" Exhibit At The Petersen Automotive Museum

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
THEY SAID ABOUT THE BOOK
THE SWEDISH DREAM – EXCERPTS
ANGER – excerpt from the novel "The Swedish Dream"
" Konstantinos, who just got out of the prison for tax evasion was inclining towards more radical solutions.
He wanted to use a significant fee and find someone who would make Lidija an invalid and teach her not to posting pictures of decent people around, more specifically his brother.
He made several similar suggestions, but Christos refused. He plotted a vengeance that would hurt Lidija the most. Much harder than beating. Constantinos accused him of being too soft, and eventually settled for puncturing the tires on Lidija´s car.
He made a habit of it, and in upcoming period ventilated out his anger towards her on her tires. However, Christos operated differently.
And his plan would turn out to be much more efficient. One morning the police officers showed up on Lidija´s doorstep and asked her to come with them. While she turned the key in the lock, she had a feeling of doing so for the last time.
As soon as they entered the vehicle, one of them called someone…
Lidija after the Psarros brothers abuse, Christos and Konstantinos.
nemanja2020-07-08T11:36:10+00:00May 12th, 2015|ŠVEDSKI SAN ODLOMCI|
Lidija Manfredi, TV Happy, 27. 08. 2020.
Hold on, Lidija, hold on – excerpt from the novel "The Swedish Dream"
Father – excerpt from the novel "The Swedish Dream"
Österåker – excerpt from the novel "The Swedish Dream"
My first promocion for the book The Swedish Dream, 17. 09. 2020.
© Copyright 2020 - | lidijamanfredi | All Rights Reserved | Powered by Upgrade


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Strona główna / Forum Towarzystwa Genalogiczno Heraldycznego w Poznaniu / Genealogia i Heraldyka / Poszukuję materiałów
1 2 3 4 5 6 Dalej »
/ The Downside Risk of Maplestory 2 Controller
The Downside Risk of Maplestory 2 Controller
missfamily
Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for Maplestory 2 Controller
You might have to go through a test to certify that you've mastered first job proficiencies. Bear in mind that you may always request assistance. Skills are various, unique abilities that may be learnt and mastered by every character.
After all, what's the point in trying if I'll just lose out to somebody who isn't. Whichever profession you play, it'll be fun to learn more about the profession constantly. In most instances the class specific kind you would like to make can be earned in the town the work class starts in.
Employing world events in place of conventional questing is an intriguing approach for an MMORPG that provides the game world a feeling of life and immediacy. The next thing to do is to add points. For explorer jobs, you can pick a split path to specialise on 1 of the two or three jobs in the exact same category.
Introducing Maplestory 2 Controller
The attack animations, particularly for the bosses should be commended. When you select a character then you are able to fight with enemies. Under exactly the same conditions, the ice attribute attack is much like the fire attribute attack.
So, it is a small boring at earlier levels. Ensure you're properly geared up and in the appropriate level range for what you're attempting to defeat! Nevertheless, there are in fact very couple of situations exactly where you are able to move the position for 30 seconds.
To begin with, there's not really any differentiation between damage dealers or supportive figures only because they all could be performed to control damage or offer some support for those teammates. Every one of the parts have their own unusual abilities. Although it isn't higher damage, it's not comparable to Priest.
There are several ways that you are able to play Maplestory 2. While there are numerous objectives, most of them are going to ask you to do pretty much the very same things as in another area. MapleStory 2 has a broad array of instruments, which range from guitars to pianos to harps and more, you may play for the advantage of others.
Specific instructions are available below. The position and the tasks that everyone should be accountable for in advance, so long as the communication is good, and after that attempt to practice several times, it isn't difficult to pass. At the exact same time, the output is not going to be lower than other equipment in the identical Equipment, that's the benefit of Knight.
You may also craft if you want (you don't need to), but you will likely wish to because it's possible to craft consumables that improve your gathering and crafting. The method necessary to collect the necessary materials might be different between different procedures of item creation. The equipment is the initial alternative for intelligence.
If You Read Nothing Else Today, Read This Report on maple 2 mesos Controller
Outside of the primary game, there's just so much to do. It allows you to select your character from any of the three main race types. If you discover you're not playing a specific game anymore, don't just throw it away.
There are lots of fun virtual worlds like Moshi Monsters where you're able to look after a digital pet or simply experience a distinctive digital world. Once you create your character, you can want to fill up the remainder of your character slots available to you in order to reserve the names. You must strengthen your skills to trigger Retaliation to improve your output.
With the market being largely dominated by two or three big games it's an undeniable actuality which we're going to see more Battle Royale games close in 2019, we just need to wait and see which ones it's going to be. Though some would say there are more better, more popular possibilities, La Tale can still provide a couple of hours of fairly fun gameplay. Prestige Perks which can be obtained via leveling up were added.
Whenever the previous wave appears. It's comparable to MapleStory with respect to the feature to adopt job-based characters with distinctive capabilities. It is not difficult to operate and the output is comparatively low, but it's not dexterous.
Your present level, HP, MP and EXP can be seen at the base of the screen while in-game. At higher levels, it may take as much as a month in front of a player can level once, based on how frequently the user plays. If you don't wish to always press the button, you may use the character-combination button to set this up.
In case the talent points are sufficient, it is in fact sensible to fill up. The NPC you speak to will probably be the exact same for any product that's created for the specific set or event linked to the equipment. While there might not be lots of customization possibilities readily available, it's still true that you have an unbelievable range of classes to pick yours from.
World of Warcraft employs a repair system to serve as a dynamic money sink. Purchasing a MapleStory two account is easy!
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text:
You are here: Home | Exhibitor search | Hunting rifle
A product from: Hausmann & Co GmbH
Hausmann exclusivity: side lever hunting rifle
Our side lever hunting rifle is the first weapon in our side lever family manufactured exclusively on our premises.
With the newly designed side lever lock, the release lever can be dispensed with as with an ordinary hunting rifle. The advantage: an extremely round, and above all lightweight design is achieved.
Since the vertical key shaft is eliminated, and the firing pin thereby lies exactly on the bore axis, a very smooth spring clip can be installed into the manual cocking system. The extremely slim system ends in a very elegant and shapely side lever that takes over the task of the key usually placed on top.
Because attention now no longer needs to be paid to key access, the rifle scope can be mounted very low, enabling a very fast and ergonomic attack.
A fine nutwood mounting tailored to the customer is being made.
All these innovative advantages make the side lever hunting rifle from Hausmann & Co a light, elegant weapon that hunters prize for its timeless charm.
Hausmann & Co GmbH views 'the weapon as artwork'. Extraordinarily exclusive hunting weapons are crafted in Ferlach with exacting manual labour. The customer stands at the very focus. The weapon is jointly planned.
'Our weapons generally don't distinguish themselves through slimmer and more elegant design, but arise from the customer's personal wishes and conceptions. Here we commit ourselves to the details most meticulously,' emphasizes Christian Hausmann, who co-founded Hausmann & Co GmbH with Georg Heim and Florian Mutenthaler. For many years a passion for the manual production of luxury weapons has bonded the trio, two gunsmiths and an engraver. Since 2011 they've been creating exclusive hunting weapons under the manufacturing business's common roof in Ferlach.
It takes an average of six hundred working hours to create a Hausmann gun. Hausmann & Co is paying particular attention to the new theme guns: Superior Guns. The first model is called 'Leopard's Journey'. It's a slim, elegant double-barrelled rifle of the extra class with elaborately hidden side-lock construction. Much effort has been expended to keep the screws concealed on both sides. This provides ample space for impressive engravings, which in turn provides customers with maximum individuality and exclusivity.
Hausmann & Co GmbH


The amount of data that is available has grown exponentially over the last few years. This demands visualization tools that can handle these large amount of data, and at the same time provide a way for the user to navigate the data interactively.
The goal of vispy is to create the foundations for the *next-generation* interactive visualization software in Python. This is, admittedly, a quite difficult and ambitious goal that could take years. This is one of the reasons why Vispy is split into several "layers", where the lowest layer represent a rather direct API to OpenGL, whereas the higher layers provide simpler and intuitive interfaces to perform a variety of visualization tasks.
Vispy uses OpenGL to leverage the power of the GPU. Custom shaders are used to create publication-quality graphics. We use the ES 2.0 implementation/subset of OpenGL, which enables us to create graphics in the browser and to target mobile devices.
In this talk we will talk about the core ideas of vispy as well as the structure of the package. We will demonstrate the current status and expand on the future and the things that are currently in development.


text:
Spjutstorps församling var en församling i Lunds stift och i Tomelilla kommun. Församlingen uppgick 2002 i Brösarp-Tranås församling.

Administrativ historik
Församlingen har medeltida ursprung.

Församlingen var till 1940 annexförsamling i pastoratet Tryde och Spjutstorp som från 1926 även omfattade Tomelilla församling. Från 1940 till 1962 var församlingen annexförsamling i pastoratet Tomelilla, Tryde och Spjutstorp. Från 1962 till 1992 var den annexförsamling i pastoratet Tranås, Onslunda och Spjutstorp, från 1992 till 2002 annexförsamling i pastoratett Brösarp, Tranås, Onslunda, Spjutstorp, Andrarum, Eljaröd och Fågeltofta. Församlingen uppgick 2002 i Brösarp-Tranås församling.

Kyrkor

Spjutstorps kyrka

Se även
Spjutstorps socken

Källor

Indelningar i Tomelilla kommun
Historiska församlingar i Lunds stift

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Bianca Melania knew the answer in her heart. The flirt with her talent scout could offer her a new life, based on success, fame and money.
She wanted to stay with Teo, her true love. In that relation, Bianca Melania was free to express herself.
When they play together the "Quattro stagioni" by Vivaldi, their feelings follow the rhythm; during the spring their lives was enthusiastic; during the slowly of summer their body and thoughts were in peace.
During autumn and winter they were the help to each other to be over bad time.
"I won't go back to him". Bianca Melania said to herself these words. She was coming out from a strange period. She wanted to react and to be ready to live a better life. "I will be able to go on. I'll try with all my strength".
Teo was waiting for her, out in his black car. She didn't tell him nothing about her relation with Marcello. It was a secret in her mind. It was her past, an experience.
that means if someone loves you, this love has a power so strong that you must return it.
Bianca and Melania, two different aspect of the same reality, two kind of personality, two lives, two loves.
But also one only woman, grown up in a few months more than in her 35 years.


For some subjects, you need to give us an early estimate of the number of students you'll be entering, so we can make sure you have everything you need before exams start.
For some subjects, we need to send you exam materials before the exam period starts. We dispatch these materials before we have the final entries data, so we ask you to estimate your entries so we know how much you'll need.
We also use estimated entries to assign visiting examiners or moderators to your school or college, where needed.
The subjects we need estimated entries for change each exam series. Check the list of subjects included in the relevant early entry form in the table below.
We need estimated entries for all subjects with exams where materials are needed in advance.
It's free to submit estimated entries and they are completely provisional – they don't commit your school or college in any way.
fill in and return an early entry information form (included above – there's one form per exam series).
You don't need to tell us about minor adjustments to estimated entries after you've submitted them.
You only need to send us intention to enter information for the Certificate in Personal and Social Education (5800). Please see the specification administration page for further information.


text:
export function quotePropertyName(name: string): string {
  // TODO We should escape reserved words, and there are many more safe
  // characters than are included in this RegExp.
  // See https://mathiasbynens.be/notes/javascript-identifiers-es6
  const safe = name.match(/^[_$a-zA-Z][_$a-zA-Z0-9]*$/);
  return safe ? name : JSON.stringify(name);
}

const indentSpaces = 2;

export function indent(depth: number): string {
  return ' '.repeat(depth * indentSpaces);
}

export function formatComment(comment: string, depth: number): string {
  // Make sure we don't end our comment early by printing out the `*/` end
  // comment sequence if it is contained in the comment. Escape it as `*\/`
  // instead. One way this sequence could get here is if an HTML comment
  // embedded a JavaScript style block comment.
  comment = comment.replace(/\*\//g, '*\\/');

  // Indent the comment one space so that it doesn't touch the `*` we add next,
  // but only if there is a character there. If we also indented blank lines by
  // one space, then they would have an unneccessary space after the `*`.
  comment = comment.replace(/^(.)/gm, ' $1');

  // Indent to the given level and add the `*` character.
  const i = indent(depth);
  comment = comment.replace(/^/gm, `${i} *`);

  return `${i}/**\n${comment}\n${i} */\n`;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: pandas rounding, is this a bug? is this a bug? When I am rounding at 4 decimal, it actually returns different result.
import pandas as pd
pd.set_option('precision', 10)

pd.DataFrame([[1.446450001],[1.44645]]).round(4)

result
    0
0   1.4465
1   1.4464

A: It's not a bug - rather, it's an undocumented quirk.
DataFrame.round uses numpy.around under the hood, which:

For values exactly halfway between rounded decimal values, Numpy rounds to the nearest even value. Thus 1.5 and 2.5 round to 2.0, -0.5 and 0.5 round to 0.0, etc.

http://docs.scipy.org/doc/numpy-1.10.1/reference/generated/numpy.around.html
More readings @ Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rounding#Round_half_to_even

A: There are two different rounding strategies

*

*The first rounds like you may have learned it in school, values at the exact half of an interval (ending with 5) are rounded upwards

*The second rounds to the next even number
The first strategy has the side effect, that your in the mean have a positive bias, because the center is always tuned higher. This is fixed by the second strategy with the arbitrary decision to round to the next even value.
Pandas chose to use numpy.around which implements the second strategy.

A: You can do normal rounding in pandas or python with the following function:
import numpy

def round_normal(n, decimals):
    # multiply the decimal by 10 to the number of decimals you want to round to
    multiplicand = 10 ** decimals

    # add 0.5 so that taking the floor will get you the right number when you
    # divide by the multiplicand

    # e.g. 3.0449 to 2.d.p -> 304.49 + 0.5 = 304.59 -> floor(304.59) / 100 = 3.04
    # e.g. 3.045 to 2.d.p -> 304.5 + 0.5 = 305 -> floor(305) / 100 = 3.05
    rounded_n = numpy.floor(n * multiplicand + 0.5) / multiplicand
    return rounded_n


text:
Tag Archives: Altan
Artist Profiles: Mark Kelly
September 2, 2018 Angel Romero	Leave a comment
Mark Kelly's earliest musical inspiration were rock and jazz. Born and raised in Dublin, his mother was a jazz singer. All members of the band listen widely to other musics, in Mark's case, Steely Dan, rhythm and blues and country in particular, but Mark brings more of those subtle and sometimes adventurous influences from other traditions to his actual work on guitar arrangements for Altan.
It was the O'Brien family of Coolock whom Mark met on holidays in 1975 in the Connemara Gaeltacht of Tir an Fhia who first sparked Mark's interest in Irish traditional music, from which he was led to the challenges of bringing what he already knew to creating new arrangements for the old music.
* Horse with a Heart (Green Linnet 1095, 1992)
* The Red Crow (Green Linnet 1109, 1992)
* Harvest Storm (Green Linnet 1117, 1992)
* Island Angel (Green Linnet 1137, 1993)
* The First Ten Years, 1986-1895 (Green Linnet 1153, 1995)
* Blackwater (Virgin 41381, 1996)
* The Best of Altan (Green Linnet 1177, 1997)
* Another Sky (Narada 48838, 2000)
* The Blue Idol (Narada 11955, 2002)
* The Best of Altan – The Songs (Virgin, 2003)
* Local Ground (Narada, 2005)
* Altan: 25th Anniversary Celebration (Compass Records, 2010)
* Gleann Nimhe – The Poison Glen (Compass Records, 2012)
* The Widening Gyre (Compass Records, 2015)
* The Gap of Dreams (Compass Records, 2018)
AltanIrelandIrish folk musicMark Kelly
Artist Profiles: Dermot Byrne
August 28, 2018 Angel Romero	Leave a comment
Dermot Byrne in 2010 – Photo by Angel Romero
Dermot Byrne, a native of Donegal, guested on two Altan albums, The Red Crow and Island Angel before joining the band in 1994. Dermot had music from his father, Tomas O Beirn), from the Gaeltacht area of Teileann, and heard all the great Donegal fiddlers, the Doherty's, Cassidy', and Byrne's from his infancy. With this start, Dermot was a renowned accordion player before he reached his teens.
He has played and recorded with many great musicians including Seamus and Manus McGuire, Frankie Gavin and Pierre Schrye, and he also has his own solo recording, Dermot Byrne.
accordionAltanDermot ByrneIrelandIrish folk music
Artist Profiles: Ciarán Curran
Ciarán Curran
Ciarán Curran is a native of Kinawley, Co. Fermanagh, an area rich in music and song, and brings his strong family musical tradition to bear on an instrument relatively new to Irish traditional music, the bouzouki. Ciaran's uncle, Ned Curran is a great fiddle player and has given the band unusual tunes.
Ciaran was introduced to a lot of traditional music and musicians by his friend Cathal McConnell (flute player with The Boys of the Lough) from whom he also learned many tunes. Another friend of his, fiddle player Ben Lennon from Co. Leitrim taught him much about the rhythms involved in traditional music. Ciaran has worked with Co. Antrim singer Len Graham, with fiddle players Ben Lennon and Seamus Quinn and with singer Gabriel McArdle. He is a member of Altan.
AltanbouzoukiCiarán CurranIrelandIrish folk music
Music for St. Patrick's Day 2018
March 15, 2018 TJ Nelson	Leave a comment
St. Patrick's Day. How exactly did the Catholic patron saint feast day of the the people of Ireland, a relatively small island in the North Atlantic, evolve into a worldwide celebration? With festivities and parades in communities large and small that traverse from United States to Australia from Germany to Argentina from Japan to South Africa, the logical answer of course is the ability of the Irish to pick up and move to wherever the road takes them with all the mitigating factors of migration mixed in like famine, disease and oppression. By why this extravaganza of green? Some might point to mass marketing with promises of barrels of beer, a good time party and a lively parade in those dark days that mark the lull between Christmas and the genuine start of spring. The spread of St. Patrick's Day by way of the cross pollination of culture seem so reasonable, so rational, so plausible.
But the Irish in me wants it to be us. The Irish in me wants it to be our storytelling, our music, our dance. Yes, the Irish in me wants it to be the utter surety that "if you knew us, you'd like us," which I'm not sure if it makes us charmingly likable or just a wee bit obnoxious. Those not quite spring days of March seem a good time for us heathens in the Northern Hemisphere to settle in with a pint against the backdrop of a sweet tune and listen to someone's Da tell a story that couldn't possibly be true, but then again it just might. See, I have no doubt that there's a Irishman out there, right now, that's looking at a lovely woman and saying, "Ah, Mo stoirín, you remind me of a girl …" before weaving a fantastical tale. Perhaps that's the real lure of St. Patrick's Day.
To lure you in further let's find some music for your St. Patrick's Day and there is indeed some fine music this year to tempt you.
Celtic Thunder – Celtic Thunder X
There's the standard St. Patrick's Day fare of Celtic Thunder's Celtic Thunder X with tracks like "Sons of Light," "Toora Loora Lay" and "The Wild Rover." While a little overblown and a bit more commercial pop than I personally prefer, their version of "Lannigans Ball" is lively.
Celtic Woman – Homecoming – Live From Ireland
The late 2017 releases of Voice of the Celts and The Voice Within by Dulaman follow along the same vein, but "Dulaman," "On Raglan Road," "Sally Brown," "The Sally Gardens" and Na Ceannabhain Bhana" are worth a listen. Also, Celtic Woman has put out Homecoming – Live From Ireland for Susan McFadden, Mairead Carlin, Eabha McMahon and Tara McNeil fans.
Linn Records has put out Celtic Experience Vol 1: Haunting Themes from Scotland & Ireland by Scottish harpist and composer William Jackson for your listening pleasure. "My Laggan Love," "Ca The Yowes," "The Rocky Road" and "The Raggle Taggle Gypsies" are charming.
Altan – The Gap of Dreams
The Gap of Dreams by Altan is certain to set your Celtic heart all aflutter. The stunning bright and beautiful recording is full of the goodness of Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh's vocals and fiddle, Ciaran Curran's bouzouki, Daithi Sproule's guitar and vocals, Mark Kelly's guitar and vocals and Martin Tourish's piano accordion. They threw in Tommy McLaughlin on keyboards just for kicks. On The Gap of Dreams fans get a dose of "The Gap of Dreams/Nia's Jig/The Beekeeper," "The Month of January," "Nion a' Bhaoigheallaigh" and "The Tullaghan Lasses/The Cameronian/The Pigeon on the Gate," as well as "Cumha an Oileain" and the sweetly simple Mark Kelly composition "Port Alex."
Maeve Mackinnon – Stri
Equally delicious is the third offering Stri by Gaelic singer Maeve Mackinnon. Fans will want to check out this for tracks like "Iomaraibh Eutrom," "Roisin Dubh," "Dh'fhalbh Mo Run air an Aiseig" and "O Mo Cheist am Fear Ban."
Eric Ryan-Johnson – From Within
Fiddle fans will want to check out From Within by fiddler Eric Ryan-Johnson. This artist self release is packed with goodies like "Jigs: The Beginning/A Boy & His Dad/The Yelping Dog," "Air: The Farmer of Florence," "Reel: The Morning Cup," "Air: February 23" and "Reels: The End Is Near/ Bound to Break." And if that wasn't enough sweet Celtic fiddle goodness for you, he's also got The Wonderful Day on tap with treats like "Hornpipes: The Wonderful Day/The Bee's Wings," "Jigs: Knights of St. Patrick/Hast to the Wedding/Father O'Flynn's," "Air: Melody for Meredith Keefe," "Reels: Bag of Potatoes/Blacksmith's Reel/Castle Kelly" and "Reel: Coffin Ships."
There's Celtic Crumble's Echos of Ireland with tracks like "Carry Me Home," "The Rocky Road to Dublin," "The Twins of Ballina" and title track "Echos of Ireland" to tempt fans.
Discover Celtic Music
Perhaps, a mixed bag of tricks will tickle your fancy. Well, then you might want to try out ARC music's Discover Celtic Music. There are some real treats here with Aryeh Frankfurter's "The Morning Dew," Golden Bough's "The Wren Boys/Gavin's Hornpipe/Honeysuckle," Noel Mclourghlin's "The Hills of Connemara" and Mary Ann Kennedy's "Air Leathad Sleibhe." There's also Gwyneth Glyn's "Cwlwm," Yvon Etienne's "Si j'ai le courage," Os Rosales's "Muineira a Gatuxa" and Sian James's "Mwynen merch." Good stuff.
Damien O'Kane – Avenging and Bright
Pure Records has released Avenging and Bright by Damien O'Kane. Don't let the goofy cover photo of Mr. O'Kane scare you off because this Northern Ireland singer and musician goes down silky smooth like the perfect pint on offerings like "Boston City," title track "Avenging and Bright," "All Among the Barley," January Man," and "Dancing in Puddles." Mr. O'Kane's vocal against piano, guitar and tenor guitar makes for some fine contemporary fare.
Danny Diamond – Elbow Room
Perhaps one of my favorites has to be the Danny Diamond's Elbow Room. This fiddler extraordinaire has played previously with Slow Moving Clouds and Morga, but on Elbow Room Mr. Diamond wows listeners simply by the shape and breadth of his own solo fiddler's soul. Whether you're a newbie listener or a seasoned Irish fiddle devotee, it's easy to fall under the spell Mr. Diamond weaves on tracks like "Maureen from Gibberland," "The Pinch of Snuff," "Watching the Evening Grow," "The Blackbird" and "Johnny Cope." This is truly a fiddler's delight.
The String Sisters – Between Wind and Water
The String Sisters have out Between Wind and Water. Irish vocalist and fiddler Mairead Ne Mhaonaigh, Norwegian Hardanger fiddler Annbjorg Lien, the American fiddler Liz Knowles, Shetland fiddler Catriona MacDonald, the American fiddler Liz Carroll and Swedish fiddler and vocalist Emma Hardelin have turned out some fine tunes on Between Wind and Water with jaunty tracks like "The Crow's Visit," "Hjaltland" and "Late Night in Forde." Fans get morsels of sweetness like "Wind and Rain," "Det bor I mina tankar" and "Mo Nion O."
Theresa Kavanagh – An Choill Uaigneach
Another stunning fiddle recording is An Choill Uaigneach by Theresa Kavanagh. Hailing from Donegal, Ms. Kavanagh dazzles listener with the bright wildness of the fiddle on such tracks as "The Wild Swans of Coole/The Abandoned Meadow," "Jocelyn's/Grainne's Jig" and "The Sword of Light/Secrets of the Willow," and title track "An Choill Uaigneach" or "The Lonesome Forest" is elegant.
Plantec – Live at the Festival Interceltique Lorient
For Celtic fans looking for a little something off the beaten path might want to check out Plantec's Live at the Festival Interceltique Lorient. These Breton Celtic rockers dole out a ferocious performance on this recording. Full of Breton bombard, guitar and synthesizer and programming, this is a definitive kick in the pants to any sweet version of "Danny Boy." Recorded at the 2017 Lorient Inter Celtique Festival, Plantec's Odran and Yannick Plantec and Gabriel Djibril kick some Celtic rock ass with tracks like "Croissant de letiez," "Speedwell," "Koun" and "Feulz."
Alan Simon – Excalibur IV The Dark Age of the Dragon
Another off the beaten path choice might be Celtic Rock Opera series recording "Excalibur IV The Dark Age of the Dragon" with music, lyrics and concept by Alan Simon. If you need a backing soundtrack for your noble quest down the highway or to the grocery store, well, here's your music. Recorded with the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Prague, this recording rocks out with electric guitars, drums and keyboards, as well as mandolins, Celtic harps and big bold vocals. It features Moya Brennan (Clannad), John Helliwell (Supertramp), Martin Barre (Jethro Tull), Michael Sadler (Saga),and Bernie Shaw (Uriah Heep).
Brona McVittie – We Are the Wildlife
Brona McVittie's We Are the Wildlife is a lovely contemporary Celtic folk collection. Her sweet vocals on "Where the Angels Wake You," "The Flower of Magherally" and "Molly Brannigan" are intimate and mesmerizing. Add in Myles Cochran on "The Vast and Vague Extravagance That Lies at the Bottom of the Celtic Heart" and you definitely have a winner.
Aine Minogue – In the Name of Stillness Celtic Meditation Music
If atmospheric and ethereal is what you are looking for you might want to check out the Irish harpist Aine Minogue's In the Name of Stillness Celtic Meditation Music. Ms. Minogue set us a serene loveliness from opening track "In the Name of Stillness" and through tracks like "Home of Belonging," "In the Name of Solitude" and "Quiet Absence."
Mary Ann Kennedy – An Dan: Gaelic Songs for a Modern World
Mary Ann Kennedy has An Dan: Gaelic Songs for a Modern World out on the ARC label. The Scottish singer has tracks like "Seinn, Horo, Seinn," "Sith na Coille," "Iain Againn Fhin" and "Air Leathad Sleibhe" on tap for listeners.
John McSherry – The Seven Suns
If Ulileann pipes, bouzouki, bodran, fiddle, flute and cello are on your wish list for the season, then you might want to take a listen to John McSherry's The Seven Suns. A 2016 release that some how passed us by is bold and infectiously delightful. With tracks like "Dance of the Siog," "The Atlantean," "Sunrise at Bealtaine," "The Golden Mean" and "The Cloghogle," Mr. McSherry, along with fellow musicians Sean Og Graham, Niamh Dunne, Michael McGoldrick and Sean Warren, will have you and yours feting until the wee hours.
Doolin' – Doolin
Another 2016 out on the Compass Records label that somehow also passed us by that is well worth a listen is Doolin' by the band of the same name. Doolin' is a fine time and rollicking good fun with tracks like "Mary's Jigs," "Sailing Across the Ocean," "The Road to Gleanntan," "Wind Her Up" and "The Galway Girl."
John Duhan – The Irishman's Finest Collection
There's also The Irishman's Finest Collection by John Duhan. Starting out his career at the age of 15 as the front man for Limrick's 1960s rock group Granny Intentions, Mr. Duhan would later turn to his own writing and solo recordings like The Voyage, Just Another Town and To the Light, as well as having some of his songs recording by heavyweights such as Christy Moore, The Dubliners and Mary Black. On The Irishman's Finest Collection, Mr. Duhan lays bare the Irish soul by way of tracks like "Just Another Town," "The Voyage," "All I Need" and "The River Returning."
The Gloaming – The Gloaming Live
Should musicians like Irla O Lionaird, Caoimhin O Raghallaigh, Dennis Cahill, Martin Hayes and Thomas Bartlett mean anything to you then you should drop whatever bit of nonsense you are doing and run around in a circle of delight. A bit of girlish screaming and arm waving wouldn't go amiss either. If you hadn't guessed these five musicians have out on the Real World label The Gloaming Live at the NCH . And let me say this recording is lovely, lovely and even more lovely. Be prepared to be entranced by the opening fiddle lines of "The Booley House," through the sweet charms of Iarla O Lionaird's vocals on "Cucanandy" and "The Sailor's Bonnet" to the very Celtic magic of "The Pilgrim's Song" and "The Rolling Wave" and all the way to the very end of "Fainleog." You want this CD. You need it. Your very connection to all that expresses the sweetly joyful sorrowful Celtic soul depends on it.
Recorded at Dublin, Ireland's National Concert Hall, The Gloaming Live at NCH is breathtakingly good, so good it's hard not to feel a little giddy over this elegant work of voice, piano, Hardanger d'Amore, guitar and fiddle. You don't even need to think about, just get it.
Finally, let me say that in regards to St. Patrick's Day that I'm glad to know that we Irish aren't hoarders of the holiday. There's enough Irish to go around. That frothy pint doesn't care a whit if you are saint or sinner. The fiddle tune doesn't care if your are ferocious or feckless. You could be fool or faerie folk and you would still be welcome for what the Irish call comhaltacht – fellowship. So, settle in and listen to some good music and maybe somebody's Da will tell you a story.
Headline photo: The Gloaming
Aine MinogueAlan SimonAltanCeltic musicCeltic ThunderCeltic WomanfeaturedIrish folk musicJohn DuhanJohn McSherryMaeve MackinnonMary Ann KennedyPlantecThe GloamingThe String SistersTheresa Kavanagh
Artist Profiles: Altan
January 6, 2017 Angel Romero	Leave a comment
Altan in 2010 – Photo by Angel Romero
Irish traditional band Altan has had a tremendous effect on audiences and music lovers throughout the world. With their beautifully crafted award-winning recordings, ranging dynamically from the most tender old Irish songs all the way to vibrant reels and jigs, Altan have taken Irish music to some of the best concert halls and festivals throughout the world.
During all this time, there has been the resolute commitment of the band to delivering the beauty of traditional music, particularly that of the Donegal fiddlers and singers, to a wide-range of audiences.
Altan have always believed that Irish traditional music is modern-day music. "Ireland isn't known for its opera or classical music. What we are known for is our traditional music, our language, our culture. That's what we can give the world," says acclaimed fiddler and lead vocalist Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh.
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh in 2010 – Photo by Angel Romero
The roots of the band begin with the music and fun of gatherings and sessions in kitchens and pubs in Donegal where masterful music was heard in an environment of appreciation and intimacy; this is the foundation of the band.
The real essence of the band was the music and personality of band founders, Belfast flute-player, Frankie Kennedy, and Gweedore singer and fiddler, Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh.
As soon as anyone met them and heard their unique music in the early 1980s, whether in a large noisy festival session, or in the small traditional clubs of Dublin and Belfast, it was immediately clear there was synergy at work.
Mairead and Frankie played a mix of old Donegal fiddle music and rare Northern flute tunes. Steadily, the duo grew organically into a band in the mid-1980s. They chose the name Altan, which is a deep and mysterious lake behind Errigal Mountain in Donegal.
Altan was committed to musical excellence and good-natured fun. The band members were some of the best players in the contemporary folk music scene. Altan has always been a band featuring virtuoso musicians. One of the first was bouzouki-player, Ciaran Curran from Co. Fermanagh, a well-respected session and festival musician, nephew of fiddler, Ned Curran. Like all accompanists of the time, Ciaran had created his own style on the bouzouki, and his playing is an essential part of the Altan sound.
Ciaran Curran – Photo by Angel Romero
With the inclusion of guitarist Mark Kelly in the mid-1980s Altan truly became a band. Mark had played other musical styles, and from the very beginning he showed a talent for stylishly incorporating fresh rhythms and chordings to the band's arrangements. Mark and Ciaran appeared on the 1987 album "Altan", which, even though not officially a band album, unveiled the Altan's studio sound.
Mark Kelly – Photo by Angel Romero
The increasing amount of live performances in 1984 and 1985 led Frankie and Mairead to quit their teaching jobs and go professional. Especially influential were short trips to the United States in those years when Altan played concerts in New York, Minnesota, Madison, Portland and Seattle with Derry guitarist, Daithi Sproule, a Minnesota resident, and like Ciaran and Mark, an old friend.
Daithi was one of the first musicians to adapt the guitar to old Gaelic songs (many of which he learned in the Gaeltacht of Rannafast, just a few miles from Mairead's home in Gweedore). These US concerts, played in clubs and sometimes in noisy Irish pubs, where people were expecting a very different sort of music, convinced Frankie and Mairead that no-compromise traditional music played with passion and vitality could win over any audience anywhere.
In subsequent years, Altan recorded albums for American independent record label Green Linnet, all of which won praises and awards and appeared in the Billboard charts. Alytan's collaborators on these albums were first-rate: Donal Lunny, Brian Masterson and Steve Cooney in particular made oustanding contributions over the years.
Another friend played with Altan for several years, fiddle maestro Paul O'Shaughnessey, a stunning player with a deep knowledge of Donegal music. The two-fiddle sound became popular, so as Altan toured more and more widely, Paul had to leave due to pressure of work. His place was taken by another great young Donegal fiddler, Ciaran Tourish, a musician with a special love for the weaving of spontaneous harmony and counterpoint around the melodies of the other lead players.
Ciaran Tourish – Photo by Angel Romero
A final element was added to Altan's sound in the early 1990s. It was another old friend, accordion-player Dermot Byrne, another Donegal musician, who grew up listening to an older generation of Donegal fiddlers, the Doherty's, the Byrne's and the Cassidy's.
Dermot Byrne – Photo by Angel Romero
Sadly, in the early 1990s Altan suffered a devastating blow, when band leader and manager, Frankie Kennedy, at the height of his career as a brilliant and innovative flute-player and just when his and Mairead's musical dreams were being realized, was diagnosed with cancer.
Through a long illness, Altan, at Frankie's insistence, continued to tour and perform with Frankie's participation whenever possible. Frankie died on September 19, 1994. He continues to be a presence and inspiration in Altan's life and music.
In 1996 Altan was signed to Virgin Records, the first Irish band of their kind to be signed by a major label. Altan achieved gold and platinum albums in Ireland and toured larger venues, throughout the globe, with tours in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Europe as well as regular successful U.S. tours.
In recent years Altan has experimented with traditional music, using orchestral arrangements of its most popular pieces. The arrangements have been scored by the highly respected arranger Fiachra Trench and performed with the Ulster Orchestra, The RTÉ Concert Orchestra, and the Royal Scottish Opera Orchestra.
In March of 2010 Altan released Altan: 25th Anniversary Celebration album with the RTE Concert Orchestra, and embarked on an international tour.
In 2012, Altan released Gleann Nimhe – The Poison Glen inspired by a region around Dún Lúiche, in County Donegal, made of deep glens and lakes. The album featured Martin Tourish who would later replace Dermot Byrne.
The Widening Gyre, released in 2015, was recorded in Nashville and explored the influence of Appalachian music on Irish music.
The Band in 2013-2016
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh – lead vocals, fiddle
Ciaran Tourish – fiddle, tin whistle, backing vocals
Mark Kelly – guitars, bouzouki, backing vocals
Ciaran Curran – bouzouki, mandolin
Dáithí Sproule – guitar, vocals
Martin Tourish – accordion
In 2018, Altan released The Gap of Dreams. The album was recorded at Attica Studios in the townland of Termon in northern County Donegal, produced by Michael Kenney and Tommy McLaughlin. The album title, The Gap of Dreams, is borrowed from a poem by Francis Carlin, "The Ballad of Douglas Bridge," in which he writes: "The Gap of Dreams is never shut," referring to the gap between this world and the Otherworld. The Otherworld has always wielded a large influence on the fiddling tradition of County Donegal and has served as inspiration for song, music, and folklore.
* Altan (Green Linnet, 1987)
Website www.altan.ie
AltanCeltic musicDonegal fiddle musicfiddleFrankie KennedyIrelandIrish musicMairéad Ní Mhaonaigh
Scottish Fiddle and Song, Solas and Altan Highlights of Celtic Connections 2008 on Sunday, January 20
January 19, 2008 World Music Central News Department
Sunday's program for Celtic Connections 2008 includes Irish Celtic stars Altan, renowned American group Solas, Songs of Scotland, fiddler Gavin Marwick and numerous workshops.
Women's Samba
Sun 20 January, 11am
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall
This is definitely the way to start a Sunday morning-a wonderful, releasing, therapeutic class of samba drumming. Big Groove will lead a workshop especially for women to build confidence and have fun exploring samba rhythms. Energizing, invigorating and empowering- loads better than staying home and washing your hair!
come&try
Gaelic Song
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Buchanan Suite
Gold medal winner and Young Trad Tour finalist Darren Maclean is a lovely singer from Skye.
Darren will share his songs and enthusiasm for Gaelic singing with students in this come&try session. No knowledge of Gaelic is necessary.
Traditional Scots Song
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Lomond Foyer
Having found your own voice, come and learn some songs with Maureen Jelks. Originally from Dundee, Maureen is one of Scotland's foremost singers in the tradition. This is a great workshop for those who love to sing but have little or no technical training. Maureen will encourage you to find your own harmonies and develop the confidence to sing with your own voice.
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Clyde Foyer
The Lanarkshire Guitar and Mandolin Association are on a mission to get everyone in Scotland to play the mandolin. They will bring loads of instruments and boundless energy and enthusiasm -it's absolutely infectious! Come and have a go! It's great fun and you might just reveal the Captain Correlli within you!
New Voices Series
Gavin Marwick
Sun 20 January, 1pm
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Strathclyde Suite
Few fiddlers can have had their fingers in more musical pies than Edinburgh-born Gavin Marwick. A past or present member of Iron Horse, Burach, Cantrip, Ceilidh Minogue, the Unusual Suspects and Bellevue Rendezvous, among others, he has also worked extensively in theatre and broadcasting.
Equally renowned as a performer and composer, he has played probably thousands of gigs and festivals around the world, travels which serve as the underlying theme for Journeyman, a newly arranged selection of Marwick's tunes from the past two decades, for which he's joined by longtime pals Fraser Fifield (sax/whistles), Gregor Lowrey (accordion), Ruth Morris (nyckelharpa), Cameron Robson (bouzouki/guitar) and Bob Turner (piano).
Sponsored by Sunday Herald
Improvers Fiddle
Sun 20 January, 1:30pm
The strathspey is a melodic and rhythmic tune distinctive to Scottish music and Lori Watson, fine Borders fiddler and tutor at Glasgow Fiddle Workshop will introduce her students to playing strathspey tunes and techniques.
Big Ballad
Do you want to explore the Big Ballad and discover why this style and subject matter is so important to the rich tapestry that is Scottish song? Gordeanna McCulloch and Anne Neilson are two of Scotland's finest singers and wonderful exponents of the ballad genre. They will lead this workshop featuring the big narrative ballads of Scotland. Learn something about the background to these fascinating songs, learn about the people behind them and the ways in which their stories unfold. These are the soaps of yesteryear and yet their stories are as contemporary as we are. You are welcome to bring personal recording equipment.
Beginners Mandolin
So you're a convert and you want to learn more. Well here's your opportunity to extend your skills on this delectable wee instrument. The Lanarkshire Guitar and Mandolin Association will provide instruments and expert tuition. Fiddle players and guitar players will also find this workshop enhances their skills to complement their playing.
Danny Kyle's Open Stage hosted by Gibb Todd
Hosted by Danny Kyle's good friends Gibb Todd and Liz Clark, the Open Stage is a chance to see new musical talent as they try to win a coveted support slot at next year's festival – and all absolutely free!
In partnership with the Evening Times
Two Tall Girls: Sophie Bancroft & Christine Hanson
City Halls, Recital Room
The statuesque pair in question are jazz/folk singer-songwriter Sophie Bancroft and Canadian-born cellist Christine Hanson, whose new duo partnership was premiered with three sellout shows at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe.
Altan & The Brendan Voyage featuring Liam O'Flynn with The Orchestra of Scottish Opera conducted by David Brophy
£20, £18
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Main Auditorium
The first major work to integrate traditional music with classical orchestra, Shaun Davey's 'The Brendan Voyage' (1980) receives its long-awaited Celtic Connections premiere, featuring its distinguished original soloist, Liam O'Flynn, on uilleann pipes, with the Orchestra of Scottish Opera and will be conducted by David Brophy.
A landmark in the development of Irish music, the piece was inspired by historian Tim Severin's 1976 recreation of St Brendan's legendary crossing from Kerry to Newfoundland in a traditional leather-hulled boat.
The 50-member orchestra returns in the second half to accompany Ireland's top traditional band, Altan, for a reprise of their successful shows in Dublin and Galway last September with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, featuring arrangements of songs and tunes from their 20-year back catalogue by leading Irish composer Fiachra Trench.
Founded in 1980, the highly-regarded Orchestra of Scottish Opera, well known to Celtic Connections audiences from previous festival collaborations, is increasingly in demand as a concert ensemble, staging its own regular performances in Glasgow since 2004.
Julie Fowlis with Chris Wood
A double-bill encounter between two outstanding contemporary exponents of their respective traditions, both credited with reinterpreting this heritage for a new generation to discover.
The release of Julie Fowlis's second album Cuilidh, in March 2007, was an early high point in a whirlwind year for the North Uist-born singer, gaining unprecedented media attention for a Gaelic artist. A hectic festival schedule included appearances at Glastonbury, Tönder, the Outsider and Runrig's Beat the Drum, with Fowlis also performing memorably on Jools Holland's Later.
She's accompanied tonight by Eamon Doorley (bouzouki), Tony Byrne (guitar), Duncan Chisholm (fiddle), Ewen Vernal (bass) and Martin O'Neill (bodhrán).
Lauded by musical luminaries as diverse as Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin and Laurie Anderson, the singer, fiddler and guitarist Chris Wood creates masterly new versions of venerable English songs alongside his own, equally eloquent compositions, often earning comparisons to Richard Thompson. His second solo album, 2005's The Lark Ascending, has been widely hailed as a contemporary classic. Chris will be joined on-stage by well-known Scottish singer-songwriter Karine Polwart.
The Pearlfishers with Finniston
The Classic Grand
Recently celebrated in a one-hour Radio Scotland feature, The Pearlfishers have been part of Scotland's alternative cultural landscape for a good two decades now, their ever-shifting personnel and intermittent recorded output threaded together by the 60s-steeped vision of singer-songwriter David Scott.
Marking the end of their latest hiatus, 2007's Up With the Larks is another idiosyncratic gem, chock-full of the lush vocal harmonies, vibrant guitars and vivid lyrical imagery that have long been the Pearlfishers' trademarks.
Finniston's recently released debut album Organised for Hi Fi showcases their truly interesting and sublime take on modern guitar pop sound. As a group which originally started as a brother and sister duo, there is an open honesty to their song writing.
Harp Heaven
Sponsored by The Clarsach Society
Almost certainly the first time that twelve top Celtic harpists have shared the same stage, tonight's specially-created performance will no doubt include a wealth of heavenly sounds – together with a liberal dose of musical devilment.
The harp is currently enjoying a particularly exciting renaissance in Scotland, as reflected here in the diverse styles of Corrina Hewat, Mary MacMaster, Patsy Seddon, Catriona McKay, Maeve Gilchrist, Ailie Robertson, Fraya Thomsen, Gillian Fleetwood and Rachel Hair. Joining them from Ireland are Cormac DeBarra and Laoise Kelly, with Germany's Jochen Vogel completing the line-up, for a programme that will range from solo spots to the full dozen-strong ensemble.
www.clarsachsociety.co.uk
Tayside Tae Tennessee
St Andrew's in the Square
Singer-songwriter and fiddler Laura McGhee is joined by US roots and blues stars including Jim Lauderdale and Josh White, Jr., to explore the links between Scottish and Americana music.
Songs of Scotland
Political Songs hosted by Doris Rougvie
Over the last two years the Songs of Scotland series has looked at different regions of Scotland and the songs that have emerged from these areas.
For the 2008 festival the series looks at different themes that occur in Scots song, mixing Gaelic and Scots, and how they have inspired songwriters and singers throughout generations.
Each of the ten themes will showcase a selection of songs, so each night will see the audience taken on a journey of discovery through different languages, dialects and stories, all linked with one common theme.
Solas with Antje Duvekot
Old Fruitmarket
Even before they'd released an album, the Boston Herald called Solas 'the first truly great Irish band to arise from America'. Following their triumphant Reunion CD and performances, celebrating their tenth anniversary in 2006 with a full complement of past and present members, few would tend to disagree.
Combining their love of Irish tradition with jazz-inspired improvisational flair and an array of global influences, Solas currently feature multi-instrumentalist Seamus Egan and his co-founder Winifred Horan on fiddle, with Mick McAuley (accordions/whistles) and Eamon McElholm (guitar/keyboards).
Solas also had a hand in the buzz that's fast developing around German-born, Boston-based singer-songwriter Antje Duvekot, covering one of her songs on their Edge of Silence album, before Egan produced her acclaimed 2006 release 'Big Dream Boulevard'. Championed by cult urban troubadour Ellis Paul as 'the next great American folk singer-songwriter', Duvekot's captivating voice and poetic lyrics have drawn comparisons to Patty Griffin, Suzanne Vega and Dar Williams.
Celtic Connections Festival Club hosted by Gibb Todd
Sun 20 January, 10:30pm
The late night club ensures there is even more music to enjoy after all the gigs are over. Join local and international artists as they make special unbilled appearances or join in one of many sessions happening in the bars.
With food and drink in plentiful supply you can happily keep going into the early hours of the morning whilst witnessing some of the best musical collaborations of the festival.
Master of ceremonies, Gibb Todd returns to present each act on stage and Doris Rougvie hosts The House of Song in a peaceful oasis away from the main stage.
The 15th Celtic Connections festival takes place over 19 days in January and February in 14 venues across Glasgow, Celtic Connections is the UK's premier Celtic music festival, with over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops.
Tickets can be booked:
In person Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
2 Sauchiehall Street
Glasgow, G2 3NY
City Halls and Old Fruitmarket
Candleriggs
Glasgow, G1 1NQ
By phone 0141 353 8000
Online www.celticconnections.com
For further information check www.celticconnections.com.
AltanCeltic ConnectionsSolas
Celtic Fusion Has Begun
August 7, 2003 Angel Romero
Down, Northern Ireland – The annual Celtic Fusion International Music Festival began today and will run until August 10.
This year there was a special opener, Celtic Ceili with Pipes in Ballynahinch on Thursday 7 August, featuring Robert Watt, world champion piper and friends. Michael McGoldrick and Band in concert on Friday 8 August in Castlewellan.
On Saturday 9 August, the Main Festival Stage in Castlewellan Forest Park will play host to a number of highly regarded and talented international musicians including:
· La Bottine Souriante (Quebec, Canada)
· Altan (Ireland)
· Dougie MacLean (Scotland)
· Sharon Shannon (Ireland)
· Shooglenifty (Scotland).
Danu live in concert on Sunday 10 August in Newcastle.
Ticket prices for the main festival stage performance on Saturday 9 August in Castlewellan Forest Park are £20.00 (Under five's go free). A limited number of family tickets will be available for this main event at a special price of £50.00 for two adults and three children.
Tickets are £10 each for the Michael McGoldrick and Band concert on Friday 8 August and for Danu on Sunday 10 August.
Tickets for the festival will be going on sale May 8th from Ticketmaster and usual outlets.
AltanShooglenifty
Celtic Fusion Festival in Northern Ireland
May 6, 2003 Angel Romero
Down, Northern Ireland – The annual Celtic Fusion International Music Festival will be taking place August 7-10, 2003.
This year there will be a special opener, Celtic Ceili with Pipes in Ballynahinch on Thursday 7 August, featuring Robert Watt, world champion piper and friends. Michael McGoldrick and Band in concert on Friday 8 August in Castlewellan. On Saturday 9 August, the Main Festival Stage in Castlewellan Forest Park will play host to a number of highly regarded and talented international musicians including:
Tickets for the festival will be going on sale May 8th from Ticketmaster and usual outlets. See website for details: celticfusion.co.uk


text:
ERS Medical officially opened its Campbell Road site in Stoke-on-Trent on 17th September, with Jo Gideon MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, as the honorary guest. Adding to our widespread national coverage, this site further expands ERS Medical's presence in the West Midlands, servicing a non-emergency patient transport contract for Staffordshire CCGs and a high-dependency and non-emergency patient transport contract for University Hospitals North Midlands NHS Trust, respectively.
The site's formal opening was conducted by Jo Gideon MP who was given a behind the scenes tour of the Campbell Road site and shown the vehicles being used to transport patients. Jo also got an opportunity to talk to ERS Medical colleagues and learn more about the service being provided for the contracted regions.
She said, "It is great to get to know ERS Medical who will be providing a non-emergency transport service to many people in Stoke-on-Trent Central. By bringing their service to our region, they have also helped protect around 200 jobs while creating further employment opportunities in the patient transport sector. It's important to have specialist providers like this who are progressive in supporting our NHS with the service they deliver. I've enjoyed finding out more about ERS, looking at their vehicles and meeting their team. It is my great pleasure to welcome them to the region and officially open their new site."
Andrew Pooley, ERS Medical's Chief Executive Officer, said: "We were delighted to welcome Jo to our Campbell Road site for the formal opening event. Our new site is home to around 200 colleagues and houses around 50 patient transport vehicles. A lot of work has gone in to regenerate and develop the building, making it specifically suitable to service our contracts in the region. It was our pleasure to share the details of how we work with Jo and give her an insight into our operations."
ERS Medical's Campbell Road site is one of its three new bases in the West Midlands.
ERS Medical wins patient transport contract for University Hospital of North Midlands Trust (UHNM)


text:
Q: Web service with Lisp I'm curious about using Lisp to underpin a modern RESTful web service, but given the many variants and implementations, it's difficult to know where to begin.
I am certain that there are people out there using Lisp for web related applications (just trawling through the questions here on SO shows that) but what I would like to know is are there any Lisp implementations which are more suited to web services than others? (native unicode support for example, inbuilt web-related libraries, performance etc)
I'm not looking for unicode "hacks" or web frameworks. I'm mostly interested in what you get out of the box. I haven't aligned myself with any Lisp derivative or implementation, though I have some minor experience with Common Lisp on CLISP (a generic polynomial calculator as part of an undergraduate computer science course). It would be nice to know if there are particularly good choices for this problem, especially from those people who have actually used Lisp in this way.

A: I know one maybe fits your need: Clack
Clack is a web application environment for Common Lisp inspired by Python's WSGI and Ruby's Rack.
Hope it helps.

A: Racket's standard library contains a web server library.  I've played with it, but felt it wasn't suited to my preferred interactive way of working with a Lisp.  It does have some nice features, like continuation-based flow of control, so it's worth a look.
Speaking from personal experience, Common Lisp is a great choice for web development.  It's what my blog is implemented in.   Hunchentoot is simple and powerful and very Lispy.  Interactive programming is supported as well as can be imagined, and there are plug-ins for things like Websockets (which I haven't needed yet, though).
That said, web programming in Clojure is just as pleasant.  I've implemented a web-based community hub for my family using Clojure and Noir.  Stylewise, Noir is very similar to a combination of Hunchentoot and cl-who.  As a bonus, access to Java libraries can be extremely useful.  (In my case, implementing OpenID login support, which would have been difficult with Common Lisp, was a breeze with Clojure.)  Because of this, if your application needs to interact with third-party web services or data formats, I suggest taking a good and long look at Clojure.
REST interfaces are easy to do in Hunchentoot/Noir-style web frameworks, too.  I can't judge Racket's web server in this regard, as I am not familiar enough with it.


(CNN) Few rock bands can sell out 10 shows, in one month, in the same city.
But for Mandarin-language rock band Mayday, it's typical. The Taiwanese five-piece — dubbed the "Asian Beatles" by the music press — packed the Hong Kong Coliseum with 10,000 screaming fans for their near consecutive ten night run.
"We've known them half our lives," said Crystal Wu, 26, who traveled with three friends from mainland China for the show, to see the band for the sixth time, after previously catching them at sold out London and Los Angeles shows. "We relate to their spirit," she added.


Police have arrested two more people following the termination of a year-long investigation into the activities of the Comanchero Motorcycle Gang.
Police carried out search warrants at ten properties throughout the Auckland region last Thursday, and a further two search warrants were executed on Monday.
About $4 million worth of assets were seized and nine people, including a New Zealand national living in Sydney, have since been arrested.
Yesterday, another person was arrested as part of Operation Nova, which has targeted senior members of the Comanchero gang, as well as a number of professionals who allegedly aided them.
A 40-year-old man was charged with money laundering and possession of a Class A drug for supply.
He appeared in the Auckland District Court yesterday.
This morning, Police arrested a patched Comanchero member.
The 34-year-old man will appear in the Auckland District Court today on drugs and money laundering charges.
The investigation is ongoing and Police cannot rule out further charges or arrests.
National Organised Crime Group's Detective Inspector Paul Newman says Police are committed to ensuring organised crime groups do not flourish in this country.
As the matter is now before the courts, Police are not in a position to comment further.


LOL you have much nicer blog readers than those on FB about your tea bag holders. I think a pillow from those Big Buck t-shirts would be so cute. Or how about a simple lap quilt with that in the middle?
pulled some greens last night!


text:
Q: Javascript Array splice removes data but does not reset index I have an array of objects.
It had 3 objects

I then deleted them one by one using
arr.splice(0,1)
which I repeated 3 times.
I then added a new object to the (what is supposed to be an empty array)
and printed out the ENTIRE array in console.

As you can see, it IS the only object in the array, but instead of starting with index 0, it starts with index 3.
Also, the indexes for 0,1,2 are not there, they are not "null"  or anything like it. their gone.
What's going on?
This is the actual code for removal. I invoke it 3 times.
this.removeSelected = function () {

        //Remove from array
        //I have verified that selFramePos=0 many times.
        f.splice(selFramePos, 1);
}

This object that I keep in each array slot(Just a bunch of data, nothing special):
  Data = {
        normal : normData,
        imageUrl: selfDefaults.viewport.src,
        topLeftX: norm(cf.paper.width, vpo.cx, vpw),
        topLeftY: norm(cf.paper.width, vpo.cy, vpw),
        width: norm(cf.paper.width, vpo.width, vpw),
        height: norm(cf.paper.width, vpo.height, vpw),
        rotation: selfRotator.getRotation().rotation,
        cropping:
        {
            shape: selfSelector.getSelection().shape,
            tlx: mathUtils.normalize(cf.paper.width, selfSelector.getSelection().left, vpw),
            tly: mathUtils.normalize(cf.paper.width, selfSelector.getSelection().top, vpw),
            w: mathUtils.normalize(cf.paper.width, selfSelector.getSelection().width, vpw),
            h: mathUtils.normalize(cf.paper.width, selfSelector.getSelection().height, vpw),
            color: selfSelector.getSelection().color,
            opacity: selfSelector.getSelection().opacity
        },
        filters: null,
        transition:
{
    type: 'dissolve',
    time: 500
},
        requireUserInput: true
    }

My problem was that I kept creating new array slots with an increasing index number like so:
        var i=0
        function add2Array () {
        arr[i]='something'
        i++
        }

So every time I called the function, it created a 'unique id' of sort instead of working with indexes and positions.
I fixed it by removing i and just using 'push' instead of arbitrarily increasing indexes.

A:
then I added a new object to the (what is supposed to be an empty) array

But not incorporating its new length, it seems. Use push to add the item and this will be done automatically.

A: JavaScript does not have arrays the way they are implemented in most other languages.
The docs state:

Arrays are list-like objects whose prototype has methods to perform
  traversal and mutation operations.

ar[i] notation merely refers to property i of object ar that could be numeric.
The following is perfectly legal in JavaScript:
var ar={};
ar[1] = 1;
ar[3] = 2;

We still call it an array. But it does not have to have contiguous indices. What should be noted, that length property of such array will be 3 (the largest value of its index).
So the most logical way to think about JS arrays as special objects (see the quote from docs above) with numeric properties.


text:
Q: Comparing multiple arrays to find their similarity in C I am a beginner at C and I'm trying to figure out a solution to compare multiple arrays and find their similarity in percent, depending on which elements are the same.
For example, we have the following struct called Library, filled with Articles:
typedef struct
{
  int articleId;
  int count;
  int bibliography[3];
} Article;

typedef struct
{
  Article **articles;
  int count;
  int allocated;
} Library;

An example of what a filled Library would look like would be the following:
articleId   bibliography
000         [222,111]
111         [333,222]
222         [111]
333         [222,111]

My goal is to find the similarity between all the articles and their bibliography, regardless of the order they are in. In other words, which articles have cited the same articles?
What I mean by similarity: When comparing two arrays, we check the number of integers that have an equal integer in the other array. We then take this number and divide it by the length of the larger array and receive our similarity.
For example, 000 and 333 would be 100% similar, 222 and 333 would be 50% similar, 111 and 222 0% similar, and so on.
I am especially having trouble since the arrays all have different lengths. Does anyone have any ideas? My approach would include nested for loops, but I am not sure if that is the right direction.
My attempt to construct the algorithm in my code:
    double citationSimilarity (Library *lib)
{
    int currentCitation[3];
    int comparingCitation[3];
    int[] similarityResults;

    int similar = 0; //amount of similar citations
    double similarity = 0;
    int total = 0; //highest total amount of citations

    for(int i = 0; i < lib->count; i ++){
      for(int j = 1; j < lib->count; j ++){
              similar = 0;
      similarity = 0;
        for(int k = 0; k < lib->articles[i]->count; k ++){
          for(int l = 0; l < lib->articles[j]->count; l ++){
            currentCitation[k] = lib->articles[i]->bibliography[k];
            comparingCitation[l] = lib->articles[j]->bibliography[l];
            if(lib->articles[i]->articleId != lib->articles[j]->articleId){
            if(currentCitation[k] == comparingCitation[l]){
                similar++;
                if(similar != 0){
                    similarity = (double)similar / (double)getLargerBibliography(lib->articles[j]->count, lib->articles[i]->count);
                }
              printf ("Great success! %d and %d have the similarity %lf \n",lib->articles[i]->articleId, lib->articles[j]->articleId, similarity);
            }
            }
          }
        }
      }
   }
}

int getLargerBibliography (int bib_a, int bib_b)
{

int max;
int min;

  if (bib_a >= bib_b)
  {
    max = bib_a;
    min = bib_b;
  }
  else
  {
    max = bib_b;
    min = bib_a;
  }

  return max;

}

A: Comparing two arrays using a merge

*

*Sort the elements of the first array (called array1 henceforth).

*Sort the elements of the second array (called array2 henceforth).

*Set i to 0.

*Set j to 0.

*Set count to 0.

*While i is less than then number of elements in array1, andwhile j is less than the number of elements in array2,

*

*If array1[i] is less than array2[j],

*

*Increment i.

*Else,

*

*If array1[i] is greater than array2[j],

*

*Increment j.

*Else,

*

*Increment count.

*Increment i.

*Increment j.

*Find the largest of the length of array1 and the length of array2.

*Divide count by the largest of the two array lengths.

This supports repeated elements in the arrays.
The complexity varies by the sorting algorithm used. With a generic sorting algorithm, comparing each pair takes O(1) additional memory, and O(N log N) time. But O(N) sorting can be achieved if the values are truly integers, at the cost of some memory. Either way, the sorting only needs to be performed once per array, not once each time it's compared, so the sorting cost is amortized.

Comparing two arrays using set difference
This is an O(N) memory and O(N) time solution that works even for non-integer keys. Each pass of the loop is more expensive, so it would probably take a large N to get any gain.

*

*Create a set. (An associative array could be used.)

*For each value in one of the arrays,

*

*Add it to the set.(If using an associative array, use the value as the key, and use anything for the value.)

*For each value in the other array,

*

*If the value is in the previously-created set,

*

*Add one to the count.

*Find the length of the first array.

*Find the length of the second array.

*Find the largest of the two array lengths.

*Divide the count by the largest of the two array lengths.

Since it doesn't destroy the set, you can create for each array up front and reuse it when comparing different pairs of arrays!
This doesn't support repeated elements, but it can be adapted quite simply.


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text:
Afghanistan USA & Pakistan- Endgame
"There is broad thinking that the US cannot afford to walk away like they've done twice" — Riaz Mohammad Khan
Pakistan is an important ally for the US in this region but the relationship is periodically fractured and mired in distrust. How has this changed for the worse?
This downturn in relations needs to be arrested. Here basically the government has asked parliament to review relations because this has become an emotive issue and Pakistan is close to an election. After the Salala incident last year, the government said that all stakeholders should share responsibility for whatever policy is chalked out.
Any sensible ruling government would want normal relations with the US. It is not about receiving aid but we need American goodwill, especially when it comes to trade and economic matters. There are specific issues precipitated by events in 2011, the Raymond Davis case, Osama bin Laden and Salala. Some of these should have been anticipated and prevented like in the Davis case when CIA contractors were given visas and allowed to enter the country in large numbers. There was already the experience of Blackwater in Iraq in 2006. If CIA contractors were given visas by the foreign office, then this kind of incident was bound to happen because the Americans don't always understand local culture. Where the OBL issue is concerned, the Americans also overreached in many ways and there was need for better sensitivity on their part. Then if you look at the history of drone attacks, these strikes escalated in 2010 compared to 2007-08. There was pressure from Pakistan that these strikes should be coordinated.
Drone attacks escalated with the Obama government despite Pakistan's objections. Also intelligence sharing between both
governments also continues.
The first drone attack targeted Nek Mohammad in 2004 in South Waziristan and he was more of a nuisance for us than the Americans. In 2010 these strikes escalated. There is controversy that a large number of people have been killed and very few were targets and so the net result was anger that feeds militancy rather than helping the situation.
After the recent parliamentary review on relations between the US and Pakistan, will drone attacks increase?
There has been a considerable reduction and I don't think there will be another escalation. We have every right to ask the US not to fly drones over Pakistani territory and that they respect our sovereignty. However, that also calls for certain responsibility on our part. That Pakistani territory must not be used for militant activities and if Pakistan fails to exercise that responsibility then we should expect an escalation of drone strikes or other forms of retaliation.
How vital will Pakistan remain to US interests in the region after the drawdown begins in Afghanistan? In the future, how will cross-border militancy be reduced at a time when Nato and Afghan forces end joint-operations?
There is talk of a counterterrorism force based in Afghanistan on special bases but there's a question mark about the Status of Force Agreement that will not be negotiated this year. These kinds of issues will be negotiated in 2013 because there is an election next year. So far there is no final agreement on how many US forces will stay back after 2014. There have been negotiations about night raids and Afghan prisons to be handed over to the government. What we expect next month at the Nato summit is firm commitment on funding Afghan security. So far there is indication that the US will certainly continue with substantial aid assistance. And we know the Afghan economy today is sustained by a war economy. There is broad thinking that the US cannot afford to walk away like they've done twice. The consequence of the first was 9/11 and of the second, the revival of the Taliban insurgency after the US was distracted with Iraq.
What scenario do you see for a post-Karzai term?
Let's not talk about the politics of the region because there are surprises. We are not talking about settled democratic institutions but conflict situations, fluid situations. So for anyone to give an answer to what could happen during the post-Karzai transition is difficult. Even if Karzai remained, my guess would be that economic assistance will continue.
In, Afghanistan and Pakistan: Conflict, Extremism, and Resistance to Modernity, you explain that backing the Afghan Taliban is not a viable option because it would threaten Pakistan's internal security. How can we counter growing extremism and an overtly religious narrative in Pakistan?
If we talk about the local extremists, obscurantists, we have to deal with it as a society, as a country, as a people. And my thesis says there is an intellectual crisis. Today you will find educated people sympathising with the Taliban's worldview and praising them.
Is this a new phenomenon?
This kind of religious extremism has grown over a period of years. This crisis of thought and confusion is not just restricted to the Taliban and their sympathizers. Take the example of how madrassas have gained support. I have seen educated and progressive people who believe these are the best charitable institutions. Now the confusion in this kind of thinking, as I see it, is that you leave two and a half million of the country's young people and children to these institutions and have no concept of what they study, how useful they will become as citizens after their studies and what they will adopt as professions if at all. Are they getting vocational training, studying the sciences and can they get into colleges after? Can they opt to become doctors, engineers after a madrassah education? Those who say that these are the best institutions are confused about contemporary challenges to a modern society. This pattern of thought has become more pronounced in society today permeating into public discourse on policy and politics.
Should Pakistan play a role in the Afghan reconciliation process, especially when it's about bringing certain factions of the Taliban's older leadership to negotiate?
Reconciliation itself is validation of Pakistan's position on the Taliban which it took at the time of the first Bonn process. At the time Pakistan suggested to the Americans that they bring the Taliban into the fold because they were part of the political landscape. Then the US had grouped the Taliban together with al Qaeda under one militant umbrella organisation. Once the Americans turned around on their policy, it was a validation of Pakistan's position. They could afford to change their position as a superpower. There are others who have a role apart from the Afghans when negotiations happen: the US as the occupying force and Pakistan due to its peculiar geographic position. Pakistan must not thrust its position and demand a seat on the table but play a positive role to persuade the Taliban. We have never been able to convince the Afghans in the past even when they were eating out of our hands because of our 'soft' culture. My book brings out this point about the mujahedeen before the Taliban that Pakistan failed to convince.
How important are the Haqqani's to Pakistan as strategic assets?
It is not that Pakistan gives sanctuary because then we would consider them assets. I have strongly contested this point. They are not assets because they cannot go into Kabul as part of a future set-up. If you look at the history of the Haqqani's, they are part of the Zarghan tribe in North Waziristan, Khost, Paktia and Paktika. They are the strongest tribe with influence. Now, how do you tackle this situation as Pakistan? It's a historically embedded situation that you can't take head-on because your own countrymen will say that Pakistan is fighting someone else's war against its own people. You see the complexity. It is important to recognise this because in Swat it was not until public opinion turned against the Pakistani Taliban that the army went in and two million people were displaced. But that is a separate theatre.
On reconciliation with the Taliban I don't feel the Americans are clear. They called off the Qatar process and they now feel that the Afghans should work it out themselves. They are also trying to weaken the Taliban in many other ways. They are spending about $10 billion per month only on the army which will be reduced.
What choices do the Americans have?
Things are changing in Afghanistan. The Taliban will not return. Mullah Omar won't go back to capture Kabul. There is economic vibrancy in the country. The old Taliban leadership might want to reconcile and are trying to go back and Gulbadin Hekmatyar is trying to negotiate a position. But local influences should be accommodated and that is a process that the Afghans will determine. It's not something that the Americans or Pakistan can determine.
Should Pakistan know better than to demand a role in the endgame given its own internal crisis?
If anyone is looking for a neat cut off, that won't happen. The best solution is that the violence decreases. It's an amorphous situation and a neat strategic plan would be simply academic. In that overall view, Pakistan should look out for two variables.
We must hold back because if we are pro-active, it is will create problems within Afghanistan and we should not interfere and sponsor any groups. Secondly, we must have confidence that the nature of Pak-Afghan relations is such that Pakistan has an indispensable importance for Afghanistan and in a reverse way that holds true for Afghanistan. Turmoil in Afghanistan would impact Pakistan and vice versa.
How do Afghanistan's historic regional neighbours react to this situation?
Central Asia is concerned about northern Afghanistan, which is quite stable because of the warlords. There is no factionalism, and as long as there's no violence, then it's an acceptable situation. The sensible thing would be to let the Afghan's deal with their problems. They are past masters at playing with outside influences and if these are reduced then they are pragmatic enough to progress.
Does Pakistan's objection to Indian economic influence make sense?
Pakistan cannot and must not object to India giving assistance. When it comes to other areas such as training the forces, then there are many questions: if they are trained by India then one questions the overall mind-set of these troops. Why shouldn't Turkey train the army or Nato continue training the Afghan forces. The Afghan government should be sensitive to this aspect and Pakistan should have no reservation on the economic and reconstruction aspects.
After the recent Kabul attacks, would you say the Afghan national forces are capable of taking control of security post-2014?
What has emerged from these attacks is that the national army was able to cope with it in a city like Kabul with minimum casualties within a sufficient time period. If we were to go by that then I think such incidents should be a source of confidence to the new army. In this transition period, one of the more important aspects is whether the army is ready to control such incidents. If you look at the entirety of the country, the warlords keep their own areas somewhat protected in a situation of calm even though they keep the central authority at bay. What is left is basically Kabul and the southern provinces. The situation is now transiting towards the containment of violence and if there is success, then we might see the curtailing of a 30-year-old conflict.
The interviewer is a staffer at the monthly Herald
http://dawn.com/2012/05/27/interview-there-is-broad-thinking-that-the-us-cannot-afford-to-walk-away-like-theyve-done-twice-riaz-mohammad-khan/
Please visit: http://aftabkhan.blog.com
Labels: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Terrorism, USA
Imran Khan at PTI Jalsa Liaqat Bagh Rawalpindi- 27...
What is stopping oppressed Pakistanis to migrate: ...
New Provinces in Pakistan: Why Exceptions?
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بے کسی حد سے جب گزر جائے. Extreme Helplessness


text:
Sun shines on Morris Plains parade
William Westhoven
@WWesthoven
MORRIS PLAINS – Mother Nature abided by Mayor Frank Druetzler's declaration that "It never rains in Morris Plains," presenting clear blue skies on Saturday for the 29th annual Morris Plains Memorial Day Parade.
One of the largest and most popular Memorial Day Weekend events in Morris County, this year's parade featured 90 participating groups ranging from mainstays such as the local VFW Post 3401 Color Guard and Ladies Auxilliary, the Morris Minute Men (showing off their new emergency-service apparatus) and the Morristown High School Marching Colonials (sporting new uniforms).
New attractions included Clydesdale horses and a replica 1960s Batmobile, with a special-guest "Robin" riding shotgun — Joey Clayton, a second-grader from Rockaway Township whose father is a recruiter at Picatinny Arsenal.
"He was diagnosed back in December with an inoperable brain tumor, and most of his treatments are here in Morristown at the (Valerie Fund Children's Center)," said Joey's proud dad, Marine Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Clayton, who was deployed along Speedwell Avenue, near the borough train station, waiting for his son to motor by.
Clayton knew about the ride for a month, but did not tell Joey until the morning of the parade.
"He was so excited," Clayton said. "His favorite hero as a younger kid was Batman. He would rather have been the Batman, but he's happy to be Robin, and having people wave and take pictures of him."
The borough's big day began at Robert's Garden with a solemn ceremony that began with the National Anthem played by the Morris Plains Borough School Band. Speakers included Druetzler, dressed in his traditional Uncle Sam suit, and Rev. Paul Olsson, who gave the invocation.
Art Grant, a Vietnam veteran and past commander of Post 3401, spoke of the true meaning of the holiday, which parade organizers said they cherish in the borough as an opportunity to teach children of the sacrifices made by generations past.
"It's the unofficial start of summer," Grant said. "It's a great time to buy a car. Furniture sales seem to abound all over the place. How about men's and women's apparel at stores? After all, it's Memorial Day. Well that's true. But they sort-of miss the point, don't they? Memorial Day is a day in which we honor fallen heroes. The sons and daughters of our country who left, but never returned. The sons and the daughters whose resting place in some cases is known only to God."
Following the ceremony, the parade began, marching south on Mountain Way and turning east on Rosedale Avenue before taking a hard left on Speedwell Avenue into the center of town.
While thousands of spectators crowded the Speedwell sidewalks, some neighborhood folks along the parade route stayed home and enjoyed the festivities from their yard. They included Danielle Mendoza, whose home at the corner of Mountain and Glenbrook provided the perfect vantage point for their 30-odd guests.
"We will grill later," Mendoza said as the parade began its march around 9:30 a.m. "But right now, we're having bagels and Bloody Marys, the kids are playing and we're having a good time."
Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-428-6627; wwesthoven@GannettNJ.com.