text:
'use strict';

var _react = require('react');

var _react2 = _interopRequireDefault(_react);

var _reactTestRenderer = require('react-test-renderer');

var _reactTestRenderer2 = _interopRequireDefault(_reactTestRenderer);

require('jest-styled-components');

var _Button = require('./Button');

var _Button2 = _interopRequireDefault(_Button);

function _interopRequireDefault(obj) { return obj && obj.__esModule ? obj : { default: obj }; }

describe('Button Component', function () {
	var itRendersTree = function itRendersTree(tree) {
		return expect(_reactTestRenderer2.default.create(tree).toJSON()).toMatchSnapshot();
	};
	test('it renders', function () {
		itRendersTree(_react2.default.createElement(_Button2.default, null));
	});
	test('it renders children', function () {
		itRendersTree(_react2.default.createElement(
			_Button2.default,
			null,
			'Button Children'
		));
	});
	test('it renders html tagName', function () {
		itRendersTree(_react2.default.createElement(_Button2.default, { tag: 'span' }));
	});
	test('it renders busy', function () {
		itRendersTree(_react2.default.createElement(_Button2.default, { busy: true }));
	});
	test('it renders disabled', function () {
		itRendersTree(_react2.default.createElement(_Button2.default, { disabled: true }));
	});
	test('it renders primary', function () {
		itRendersTree(_react2.default.createElement(_Button2.default, { primary: true }));
	});
	test('it renders secondary', function () {
		itRendersTree(_react2.default.createElement(_Button2.default, { secondary: true }));
	});
	test('it renders alt', function () {
		itRendersTree(_react2.default.createElement(_Button2.default, { alt: true }));
	});
	test('it renders link', function () {
		itRendersTree(_react2.default.createElement(_Button2.default, { link: true }));
	});
	test('it renders caution', function () {
		itRendersTree(_react2.default.createElement(_Button2.default, { caution: true }));
	});
	test('it renders className', function () {
		itRendersTree(_react2.default.createElement(_Button2.default, { className: 'test classnames' }));
	});
	test('it renders pimary && secondary', function () {
		itRendersTree(_react2.default.createElement(_Button2.default, { primary: true, secondary: true }));
	});
	test('it renders primary && alt', function () {
		itRendersTree(_react2.default.createElement(_Button2.default, { primary: true, alt: true }));
	});
});


it occurred to me today what is so cool about grassroot movements. the cool thing is you are dealing with the principals. people in charge of everything. they can change a light bulb or the direction of a company in the same breathe. things get done quicker and you feel more a part of what is happening. your input is important and makes a difference. you can see things happening as you speak so to speak. it is actions-speak-louder-than-words in the flesh. unlike a big company that is 46 menu options and continents away from a real voice and all you end up saying is 'what did you say'? yea grassroots is the place to be if you want to make a difference and get something done. very empowering. Fun for a change.


Flash Cartoons & Flash Animations Video Clips, Youtube Channel: "Madness Aggregation", Flash Animation!
Description : Madness Combat 9: Aggregation. I strongly urge you to go medium or low detail in order to get optimal frame rate.


text:
Home › UTOPIA | A NOWHERE LAND
The theme "Utopia" can be seen as an introspection of our own inner images. Already in 1516, Thomas More wrote the book "Utopia" about a fictional society, but we can also recount the utopian idea in the film and fairytale world, as in "The Wizard of Oz" that makes us feel a golden way forward.
Free church brochures offer us colorful pictures of the promised paradise. The Green Wave strives for a utopian world order, but a more dystopic image of the future is also soaring.
We curated an Open call where international artists and photographers are welcome to apply with a personal body of works. We produced essays and online portfolio from each photographer exhibition but this year online only.
Teman "Utopia" kan ses som en introspektion av våra egna fantasi, våra inre bilder. Redan 1516 skrev Thomas More boken "Utopia" om ett fiktivt samhälle men vi kan även återkoppla den utopiska idéen i film och sagovärlden, som i "The Wizard of Oz" som låter oss uppleva en gyllene väg framåt.
Frikyrkliga broschyrer erbjuder oss färglagda bilder om det utlovade paradiset. Gröna vågen strävar efter en utopisk världsordning men en mer dystopisk bild av framtiden hägrar också.
Vi kurerar en "open call" där internationella konstnärer och fotografer sökte med egna verk. Som tidigare år producerar vi essäer och fotografier portfolio från varje fotograf och/eller utställning fast i år endast på webben.
+ Christopher Kul-Want | Utopia and the image of imagination
+ Ulrich Gehmann, Michael Johansson & Andi Siess | Ideal spaces
Visual comment by Arseniy Neskhodimov (Ru) [1:15]
Introduction to the theme by Michel Thomas [2:15]
Preview on some of the artists work presented in the Biennal
// test 3D room.
Text by Christopher Kul-Want on Utopia and the image of imagination for Malmö Fotobiennal 2021
UTOPIA AND THE IMAGE OF IMAGINATION
Utopia and the image of imagination (resumé)
Read the full version here
by Christopher Kul-Want
We live in a period when it is widely proclaimed that there will be no future; Capital continues to dominate the world order with invidious consequences as ecological catastrophe looms and nationalist tendencies prevail once again. Powerless to arrest the slide towards imminent global disaster, the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek observes that for humanity today, 'it is easier to imagine the end of life on Earth than it is to imagine the end of Capitalism.'
It would seem to follow from this ominous presentiment that the idea of utopia, especially in the manner originally conceived of by Thomas More of a blissfully happy society living in harmony with Nature, is utterly incongruous for our own apocalyptic times. And yet, if we look back at the period of the 1930's when the world also faced crisis point – the rise of Fascism, the Holocaust and the Second World War – we find that two of the great political thinkers of the time, Ernst Bloch (1885-1997) and Walter Benjamin (1892-1940), both of whom were Jews and were all too aware of the Holocaust's impact upon their people, wrote extensively about utopia. How, it might be asked, did these realists conceive of utopia in a manner that was credible both politically and philosophically, and in a way that was not idealistic or naive? And, how can their writings on this subject still be inspirational for us today?
The word utopia was first coined in the English language by Thomas More as the title for his eponymous book of 1516. In fact, the word is composed from two words in Greek, the prefix ou is a term of negation that means non, while topos denotes a place or site. So, literally speaking, utopia means no-place, nowhere, or elsewhere. While More may have considered the island that was his utopian nowhere as a site of desire, an ideal which society was yet to reach, Ernst Bloch and Walter Benjamin were more discerning in thinking through the implications that utopia means, literally, nowhere. They recognized that utopia/nowhere signals a limit to understanding, and that this limit needs to be acknowledged if utopian hope is to be kept alive. Bloch's and Benjamin's writings, therefore, do not describe their vision of what an utopian society looks like since such visions of utopia always reflect the values and prejudices of their authors (More's Utopia, for instance, is firmly patriarchal). Imposing a blueprint upon utopia closes down its possibilities and contradicts the potential for its realization.
In the hope of keeping the utopian desire, and the freedom that it represents, alive and open towards its own future possibility, Bloch and Benjamin turned to an analysis of the contradictions and conflictual tensions within Capitalism and the unresolved symptoms in social experience that reflect these conflicts. They believed that understanding these symptoms could reveal the underlying desire within the collective unconscious of society for utopia, a desire that, ultimately, amounts to a rejection of Capitalism as the root cause of alienation, repression and global disaster.
One of the principal symptoms in social experience that Bloch and Benjamin identified in relation to utopian hope is the experience of boredom, however paradoxical this may initially seem,
'Boredom is the dream bird that hatches the egg of experience.'
'We are bored when we don't know what we are waiting for. That we do know, or think we know, is nearly always the expression of our superficiality or inattention. Boredom is the threshold to great deeds.' Walter Benjamin.
Both Bloch and Benjamin understood that consumerism is based upon an underlying anxiety to relieve boredom and to drive time away; such is the purpose, for instance, of what is known today as 'retail therapy', but also all forms of consumerist distraction. Equally though, these writers understood that a certain kind of boredom – what they called 'profound boredom' – when it is not displaced into consumerism and distraction can be an experience of forgetfulness, of time lost and of an indeterminacy that defies the measured and counted time of Capitalist ideology. In this respect, boredom marks a limit to understanding, precisely because it cannot be defined – in the same way that unconscious desire cannot be defined, for if it were so it would be absorbed into Capital for the purposes of profit. In other words, the kind of profound boredom that Bloch and Benjamin value is akin to dreams, it is a kind of day-dream, albeit one that is not relatable. Thus, Benjamin writes about boredom as the trace of the dream for utopia, its outter appearance,
'Boredom is a warm gray fabric lined on the inside with the most lustrous and colorful of silks. In this fabric we wrap ourselves when we dream. We are at home then in the arabesques of its lining. But the sleeper looks bored and gray within his sheath. And when he lays awake and wants to tell of what he dreamed, he communicates by and large only this boredom. For who would be able at one stroke to turn the lining of time to the outside?'
In what form does such an experience of 'profound boredom' occur today? That is, the kind of boredom that is not simply about displaced anxiety, the desire to coerce time, but rather the experience of boredom that involves a sense of the loss of self and of rational time? One of the many circumstances in which such boredom seems to occur, and which is a widespread experience today, is on long motorway journeys. Sometimes the driver or passenger discovers after a certain time of passing that she cannot remember part of the preceding journey as well as her own thoughts during it. In these circumstances memory becomes opaque and foggy ('gray'), time has passed yet it cannot be quantified.
Significantly, certain contemporary artists, such as Julian Opie and Fiona Tan, allude to this type of experience of boredom as part of their wider interest in utopia (Tan's recent project of 2018 is entitled Elsewhere). Opie's extended series of images of three lane motorways entitled variously, Imagine you are driving; I dreamt I was Driving my Car; Night Motorway (print form as well as endless computer film) (1998 – 2017), convey a sense of abstracted monotony that is utterly empty, as if the driver or passenger is absent both from others and herself. Like Opie's images, Tan's films of streaming night-traffic on five and six lane motorways in Los Angeles (Vertical Red, Vertical White and Vertical Wide)induce an abstracted affect. For the viewer, staring over a period of time at the car head and tail lights as, going nowhere, they climb up and descend Tan's plasma screens is akin to the vacant pleasure of staring into a fire or at the flowing water of a river.
To be emptied of content and of meaningful purpose is, paradoxically, a profound experience; boredom's vacuity is not necessarily always superficial or escapist. Rather, it is an impulse within us that opens up the mind to – we know not where, to nowhere. Nowhere in this instance being, not the definitive image of a future time to come in the tradition of More's Utopia, but rather the trace of an undefinable time: the time of the unconscious. As Bloch writes, 'The fact that we can…sail into dreams, that daydreams, often of a completely uncovered kind, are possible, indicates the great space of the still open, still uncertain life in man.'
Christopher Kul-Want
Ref: See for example, Ernst Bloch, The Spirit of Utopia (1916)and his three volume work The Principle of Hope (1954-1959); Walter Benjamin's utopianism, articulated in terms of a combination of both Communist sympathies and Jewish Messianism, permeates his entire work.
Ref: 'The Storyteller, Observations on the Works of Nikolai Leskov'.1936. Walter Benjamin, Selected Writings, Volume 3, 1935-1938, translated by Edmund Jephcott, Howard Eiland, and Others, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London, England: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2006, p. 149.
The Arcades Project [1927-40], translated by Howard Eiland and Kevin McLaughlin, Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: The Belknapp Press of Harvard University Press, 1999, p. 105.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The draw for the 2019 National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain took place this weekend at the Butlins Mineworkers Championship.
4BR Editor Iwan Fox and Alex Parker, the Development Officer for Brass Bands England made the draw with young members of the Whitwell Band, who competed in the Fourth Section.
30 bands will compete in the four sections at Warwick School on March 30th.


Sri Lanka provides free primary and secondary education through a network of around 10,000 schools. The Sri Lankan Ministry of Education is charged with developing and implementing education policy at the national level. Each of the country's nine provinces also has a Ministry of Education, headed by a Minister of Provincial Education. Provinces are further divided into zones which are headed by a Zonal Director of Education. The Ministry of Higher Education is responsible for the development and implementation of policy and funding for the country's higher education sector. It also helps to procure foreign scholarships for Sri Lankan students to study overseas. The Department of Examinations is tasked with maintaining an efficient and effective examination system in Sri Lanka.
The Ministry of Finance and Planning has established a ten-year development framework (2010-20) in which to realise the Mahinda Chinthana vision for Sri Lanka – that growth in GDP alone will not bring economic prosperity to the people. The current medium-term development plan, published in 2010 and spanning the period 2010-16, came out of a broad stakeholder consultation process, including ministries, agencies, trade chambers, civil society organisations and trade unions. Among the key goals of the medium-term national development policy is universal secondary education.
The tsunami of December 2004 and its aftermath affected over 350,000 children and around 650 schools, and rehabilitation and modernisation programmes were vigorously pursued. The Sri Lankan government, donor organisations and the international community have worked together to restore education facilities and to address the enduring psychological effects of the disaster.
In 1980 Sri Lanka hosted the Eighth Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in Colombo. Commonwealth education ministers meet every three years to discuss issues of mutual concern and interest.


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Isle of Man Goverment Offices
Isle of Man Government Offices (01624 685685)
The Isle of Man Government offices are located on Bucks Road, Douglas, IM1 3PN.
You can call in at the public counters, telephone the central switchboard on 685685, or email Departments and Offices, or access the Government website which has a wealth of information.
The Isle of Man Government is committed to making its services and information as accessible as possible and inclusive to all.
Laxey Wheel
Laxey Wheel in the Isle of Man is a product of the Victorian Industrial Age that shaped the North West of England. The Laxey Wheel (also known as Lady Isabella) is the largest working water wheel in the world, built in the village and designed by Robert Casement. It has a 72 foot 6 inch diameter and 6 feet wide, it revolves at approximately three revolutions per minute, and is well worth a closer look.
If you are brave enough you can climb the winding steps to the top of the Lady Isabella and survey the wondrous surrounding views across the countryside and to the sea. There are walks and picnic areas along the river.
Laxey Wheel website link
Manx Crosses
Since the 6th century AD carved stone crosses have been used as grave markers and memorial stones. There are many examples in the churches and churchyards around the Island.
Norse Crosses can be found in Maughold, Lonan, Andreas, Bride, Malew, Marown, Jurby and Old Kirk Braddan. The Celtic design Crosses can be found in Kirk Maughold shelter.
You find an illustrated database of all 200 of the crosses at the Manx Museum.
Take a trip around the island and see how many you can find!
Milntown Estate & Gardens
Historic Milntown - Lezayre, Ramsey, Isle of Man Im7 2AB. The island's most glorious garden.
Milntown is on the A3 going west from Ramsey along the TT course. Go past the schools on your left, and 200 yards on the left is the entrance (clearly marked).
Open daily - March - October (except Tuesdays) 10:00am - 5:00pm
Free car parking, Formal Gardens, Woodland Walks, House Tours on selected days. Disabled access and mobility scooters available.
From April - September there are guided tours of the house on Wednesday & Saturday afternoons.
The interior has fine plasterwork and large elegant rooms which look out on to the lawns surrounding the house. The older part of the house still contains many features dating from the 17th century. Contact enquiries line on 01624 812321 ti book for the House Tours.
Sir Clive Edwards left the contents of Milntown house in trust along with the estate, and this includes fine collections of paintings, furniture, ceramics and silver which Sir Clive and Lady Edwards brought from their previous home, Hendrefoilan, in Swansea. The Library houses a large collection of books and there is an important collection of vintage cars and motor cycles which can be viewed (by arrangement). These can be seen at special events on the island as all are roadworthy.
In the conservatory there is a licensed Restaurant - run by Jennifer Munro and Simon Child. The menu features a wide range of delicious home cooked seasonal dishes, and produce sourced locally, some of which will be from Miltown's own gardens.
Weddings and special functions can be catered for all year round.
Tel: 818091 or email: enquiries@milntown.org
Milntown Gardens - there are 15 acres of woodlands and gardens to explore, along with a kitchen garden.
Email: milntown@manx.net
For information: Milntown website link
Niarbyl Visitor Centre & Cafe
Niarbyl Visitor Centre, is in the west of the Island, and is one of the most important geological sites in the Isle of Man.
Niarbyl offers spectacular views of the hills and on a clear day you can see over to Ireland.
Those of you who remember the film Waking Ned, the cottages used were here at Niarbyl, also take a walk along the coastal footpath which leads to an 8th Century chapel and secluded beach.
Down at the beach the sea here is the home to basking sharks, dolphins and seals, and a wonderful place to relax and spot the wildlife. Or to get up close and personal if you like to kayak.
Niarbyl Cafe offers a wide range of refreshments and has panoramic views of the bay, plus lots of helpful information which details the history of the area.
Peel Castle
The magnificent Peel Castle occupies the important site of St Patrick's isle at Peel which is connected to the town by causeway. It was built in the 11th Century by Vikings, and the 'Moddey Dhoo' (or black dog ghost) is said to still haunt the castle to this day.
Follow in the footsteps of Christian missionaries, kings and viking warriors and learn more about them with the hand held audio phone which will help guide you around the site with interesting facts.
Peel Castle Admission Charges
Adult: £4.50
Child (under 18): £2.25
Family (2 adults, 2 children): £11
Groups (15 adults, pre-booked): £3.60
Groups (15 adults, un-booked): £4
FREE: Holders of a valid 5 Site Pass, 10 Day Heritage Explorer Pass, ACE Card holders and reciprocal agreement members.
Point of Ayre
From the Norse word Eyrr - Point of Ayre is interpreted as gravel bank.
As the northern most point of the island and the considerable difference between high and low water the Point of Ayre provides excellent fishing from the beach. Many visitors are attracted by the beautiful carpet of gorse and heather which surrounds the lighthouse and merges with sand dunes stretching to the south-west, providing cover for rare wild flowers and forming part of a Manx National Nature Reserve. A wide variety of land and sea birds visit the area throughout the year, as do a number of grey seals.
The Point of Ayre lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse on the Isle of Man. It was designed and built by Robert Stevenson, grandfather of prolific writer and novelist Robert Louis Stevenson and first lit in 1818.
Rushen Abbey
Imagine traveling back to 1134 to the time of the Monks of the Sauvignac Order to a place so special it was gifted by King Olaf I for use as a Monastery. Through time the Abbey has had a number of uses and was popular in the first half of the last century for strawberry teas and tea dances. Today, the Abbey's remains are just as enchanting, with tranquil gardens and stories for visitors of all ages to enjoy. With such stunning surrounding, why not treat yourself to afternoon tea, a meal or refreshments in the neighbouring Abbey Restaurant. There is also an archeological dig especially for children to uncover old artifacts.
Located just outside Ballasalla on Mill Road. Offering free car parking.
Opening Hours - 10am - 5pm (see website for high & low season times)
Admission is by ticket or Group Permit which provides entry to the entire Rushen Abbey site, including the Abbey, The Abbey Gardens and Interpretive Centre (have a go at building your own archway - with foam blocks) and ride on a sheep!
Timing your visit
A typical visit lasts between 1 to 1½ hours.
St John's Arboretum
Open All year round with ample parking for the St Johns Arboretum which is situated near Tynwald Hill and Church.
The Arboretum was created to mark the Millennium Anniversary of Tynwald (Isle of Man Parliament). The grounds were planted with trees from the 17 Manx Parishes. Wooden signs are engraved with each parish name and mark gatherings of trees, bushes and flower beds.
There are paved walkways, a duck pond and an enclosed children's playground.


text:
Buzz Patrol Bollywood Hollywood South Indian Movies Box Office Photos Videos Movie Reviews
Ahead of Dabangg 3 release, Salman Khan reveals Chulbul Pandey was originally a negative character
Salman Khan has revealed that Dabangg originally was suppose to be a 'very dark film' and that Randeep Hooda and Arbaaz Khan had been approached before him.
Press Trust of India December 16, 2019 10:26:14 IST
Superstar Salman Khan has revealed that Dabangg was originally a dark film with its lead character Chulbul Pandey being "out and out negative."
Directed by Abhinav Kashyap, the 2010 film featured Salman as Pandey, a fearless yet corrupt police officer with unorthodox working methods. It received critical acclaim and was a blockbuster upon its release.
Salman Khan in Dabangg 3. YouTube
In a group interview, Salman revealed that before him, actor Randeep Hooda and his brother Arbaaz Khan were approached for the project.
"It was a very dark film, small film to be made under Rs 2 crore. At that point of time, it had Randeep Hooda and Arbaaz. So Arbaaz said he has been approached for this and it's a good one so just hear it.
"Then six-eight months passed before I finally heard it. I think UTV was supposed to do it. I liked the feel of the film but Chulbul was out and out negative."
Salman said he then suggested changes to Arbaaz and Abhinav incorporated them.
"That film didn't have any action, certainly not at this scale. There were no songs and we never get to know who killed the mother. We started working on it and Abhinav agreed to all those changes. He did a very good job with the first one."
Salman said after the film became a success, they asked Abhinav to make a sequel but he was not so inclined.
"We asked him to do the second one but for whatever reasons he said he didn't want do it, that we didn't let him make his film."
Dabangg marked Arbaaz's foray into production. It's third installment, Dabangg 3 is now scheduled to release on 20 December
Arbaaz Khan
Buzz Patrol
Buzzpatrol
Chulbul Pandey
BBC releases docuseries on Jiah Khan's death, available to watch only in UK
The first episode of the documentary, titled Death in Bollywood, was debuted on 11 January on BBC.
Bigg Boss 14 contestant Jasmin Bhasin on eviction from reality show, finding an ally in Aly Goni
"I wasn't expecting my eviction, I wanted to win the show but I am grateful to my fans who got me till this stage in the game," says Jasmin Bhasin
Bigg Boss 14: Jasmin Bhasin's eviction announced on Weekend Ka Vaar episode
Rubina Dilaik, Abhinav Shukla, Jasmin Bhasin, and Aly Goni were nominated for eliminations this week by Bigg Boss.
Salman Khan's Radhe to have theatrical release on Eid, confirms actor
Directed by Prabhudeva, Radhe was scheduled to release last year on Eid before it got pushed due to the coronavirus-induced theatre shutdown
Bigg Boss 14 new promo: Eijaz Khan makes a sudden exit reportedly due to prior work commitments
Former Bigg Boss contestant Devoleena Bhattacharjee will reportedly enter the house as a proxy for Eijaz Khan.
Banita Sandhu tests positive for COVID-19 in Kolkata, admitted to private hospital
Banita Sandhu, who tested positive for COVID-19, was admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata after she refused to be treated at a government facility.
BMC files FIR against Sonu Sood for converting Mumbai residential building into hotel; actor denies allegation
Sonu Sood has denied allegations of unauthorised development, saying that he has taken approval from the BMC and was only waiting for clearance from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority.
Complaint filed against Mahesh Manjrekar in Pune for allegedly slapping a man
The incident took place on Friday night near Yavat village on Pune-Solapur highway following which police registered a non-cognisable offence against Manjrekar, an official from Yavat police station said.


This post is the first in a series focusing on the process of starting an Escape Room Business.
I remember it like it was yesterday. The excitement of doing our first escape room. Even though we didn't escape we were so excited by the concept that we were hooked instantly. After a doing handful of escape rooms my family and I decided that we would open our own Escape Room business. We thought that our area desperately needed entertainment alternatives besides movies and a bowling alley. Let's just say this, we weren't wrong.
Our first escape room experience October 3rd, 2015.
We had the desire and we had the passion, what we didn't have was knowledge. We had never been serious business owners previous to deciding to open Cracked it! Escape Games in our hometown of Jacksonville, North Carolina. We took our idea of opening our own escape room and in roughly 45 days went from nonexisting to forming a company and opening our doors to the public on January 7th of 2016. We are coming up on our 1st year anniversary of being open to the public and we have learned a ton over the last year.
The purpose of this series of posts is to give you, the possible future Escape Room owner, some things to think about before rushing head-long into opening your own business. I also hope to point you in the direction of resources that have been invaluable during our startup phase. As we enter our second year of operation we still have an incredible amount to learn.
Many people would think that we rushed into opening a business with no real business experience, in an industry with no real track record. Let's say this, they weren't wrong.
One of the greatest resources we have available to us is our Small Business Center Network available at our local community college. We have formed a great relationship with the staff and regularly attend FREE seminars to help us grow as business owners and entrepreneurs.
We received our keys on November 14, 2015 opened to the public January 7, 2016.
Most people who want to get into the escape room business have never owned a business previously and just don't know where to start. Before risking everything, your family, your personal savings, and your sanity while opening an Escape Room business take a personal inventory and see if being a business owner is for you. Ask yourself these questions.
Do I have the ability to set goals and plans to reach those goals?
Do I have the capability to prioritize?
Do I have a strong and positive attitude?
Do I have the energy and passion for my goals?
Do I have good moral strength and character?
Do I take the initiative?
Do I have good reasoning skills?
Am I able to make independent decisions?
Do I have strong leadership skills?
Do I use time wisely and efficiently?
Do I have the ability to work with others who may not share your beliefs?
Am I eager and always willing to learn?
Do I have the ability to change and adapt?
Do I have a need to satisfy others?
Am I Motivated to seek information?
Do I have a creative mindset?
Am I being persistent and proactive in a professional manner?
Am I informed and updated on industry events and trends?
Am I a good financial manager?
Do I have the aility to motivate others?
Do I have a willingness to recognize contributions of others?
Am I fearful of failure?
Do I view failure as an opportunity to improve and learn?
Before you decide to take the leap and start your own business have an honest conversation with yourself and see if you have what it takes to not only open your own business, but to sustain it through its growth phases and the long term.
When a new article is posted.


This guest post was contributed by Mike Dane, who is PR Manager of TruConversion.
So you've burned midnight oil building up your ecommerce website in the hopes of luring more and more buyers. You've spent many sleepless nights ensuring that everything in your ecommerce store right from your landing page to your product descriptions speak to your target audience and resonate with them in the best way possible. You've even been able to drive a torrent of traffic to your site.
But have you been able to attract sales in proportion to the efforts you've made? If you're nodding your head in a NO, it might be time to optimize your checkout process.
Well for starters, the checkout process is the last roadblock before you turn strangers to your site into paying customers. But an unoptimized checkout process can discourage buyers from finishing their orders and make them abandon their shopping carts.
High shopping cart abandonment rate could be really annoying, especially when you've invested a lot of efforts, time and resources building your ecommerce store and ensuring finest products at the most competitive prices possible.
A study by Baymard Institute reports that 68% of all shopping carts are abandoned. This could mean that nearly 7 out of 10 buyers chose to abandon shopping carts. And with each buyer who abandons the shopping cart, you lose out on a sizeable amount of money.
Approximately $4 trillion worth of merchandise are abandoned in online shopping carts, reveals a report by Business Insider.
Clearly, shopping cart abandonment is a big problem. But a large majority of ecommerce businesses don't understand why buyers abandon their shopping carts. Without discovering why people are leaving their shopping carts, you can't implement a fix and convert better.
You'd be pretty shocked, right?
But what if we told you that 63% of these abandoned carts are recoverable!
So, how would you get more and more buyers easily go through your checkout process and complete their purchases? The answer is simple! You'll need to optimize the checkout experience in order to motivate your buyers to finish their order. Don't forget your checkout process is where the real money is at.
Though different experts suggest different checkout page design tips, at the core of it, everything boils down to seamlessly combining four elements – Design, Functionality, Security and Usability.
Don't forget to take the proper steps and use the right A/B testing protocols to understand what's working and what's not working with your checkout process to fight cart abandonments and increase conversions in your checkout.
Now that you know why and what you must optimize in your checkout process, we're sure you must be curious to know how to optimize your checkout flow to make it speedy and easy for buyers. Isn't it? Don't worry, we've got your covered!
So if you're looking for the recipe of the perfect checkout process, simply skim through the infographic below and try putting these easy tips into practice.
Building a great checkout page demands using the right metrics. This new ebook can help marketers determine the right metrics for all of their tactics: Download "The Sophisticated Marketer's Crash Course in Metrics and Analytics" today!


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The Foundations discussions
There continues to be an active discussion over Mikeal Rogers's essay about Apache and git, which I wrote about a few days ago.
Here's (some of) what's been going on:
Simon Phipps wrote a widely read essay in Computerworld UK about the notion of an open source foundation, as separate from the open source infrastructure, and relates the story of a project which suffered greatly because it hadn't established itself with the support of a larger entity:
the global library community embraced Koha and made it grow to significant richness. When the time came, the original developers were delighted to join a US company that was keen to invest in - and profit from - Koha. Everything was good until the point when that company decided that, to maximise their profit, they needed to exert more control over the activities of the community.
A detailed article at the Linux Weekly News website provides much more of the details of this story. Phipps's point is that part of these problems arose because the developers of the project didn't engage in the open discussion of the long term management of the project that would have occurred had they hosted their project at one of the established Open Source foundations such as Apache or the Software Freedom Conservancy.
Stephen O'Grady also wrote an essay on the difference between foundations and infrastructure acknowledging that "foundations who reject decentralized version control systems will fall behind", but further asserting that:
GitHub is a center of gravity with respect to development, but it is by design intensely non-prescriptive and inclusive, and thus home to projects of varying degrees of quality, maturity and seriousness.
[ ... ] GitHub, in other words, disavows responsibility for the projects hosted on the site. Foundations, conversely, explicitly assume it, hence their typically strict IP policies. These exclusive models offer a filter to volume inclusive models such as GitHub's.
[ ... ] If you're choosing between one project of indeterminate pedigree hosted at GitHub and an equivalent maintained by a foundation like Apache, the brand is likely to be a feature.
Mikeal Rogers, whose original essay kicked off the entire discussion, has since followed up with some subsequent thoughts about foundations and institutions:
Simon believes it is the job of an institution (in this case a foundation) to protect members from each other and from the outside world. In the case of legal liabilities this makes perfect sense. In the case of community participation this view has become detrimental.
If you believe, as I do, that we have undertaken a cultural shift in open source then you must re-examine the need for institutional governance of collaboration. If the values we once looked to institutions like Apache to enforce are now enforced within the culture by social contract then there is no need for an institution to be the arbiter of collaboration between members.
Ben Collins-Sussman, a longtime Apache member, chimes in with his thoughts on the value of the Apache Foundation, pointing to the explicit codification of "community":
the ASF requires that each community have a set of stewards ("committers"), which they call a "project management committee"; that communities use consensus-based discussions to resolve disputes; that they use a standardized voting system to resolve questions when discussion fails; that certain standards of humility and respect are used between members of a project, and so on. These cultural traditions are fantastic, and are the reason the ASF provides true long-term sustainability to open source projects.
Jim Jagielski, another longtime Apache member, adds his thoughts, observing that it is important to not get caught up in statistics about popularity, adoption rate, etc., but to concentrate on communities, culture, and communication aspects:
The ASF doesn't exist to be a "leader"; it doesn't exist to be a "voice of Open Source"; it doesn't exist to be cool, or hip, or the "place to be" or any of that.
[ ... ]
It exists to help build communities around those codebases, based on collaboration and consensus-based development, that are self-sustaining; communities that are a "success" measured by health and activity, not just mere numbers.
Ceki Gulcu (poorly transliterated by me, sorry), a longtime Open Source Java developer, observes that what one person sees as consensus and meritocratic collaboration, another might see as endless discussion and fruitless debate:
Apache projects cannot designate a formal project leader. Every committer has strictly equal rights independent of past or future contributions. This is intended to foster consensus building and collaboration ensuring projects' long term sustainability. Worthy goals indeed! However, one should not confuse intent with outcome. I should also observe that committer equality contradicts the notion of meritocracy which Apache misrepresents itself as.
As I have argued in the past, the lack of fair conflict resolution or timely decision making mechanisms constitute favorable terrain for endless arguments.
It seems to be a fairly fundamental debate: some believe that the open source foundations provide substantial benefit, others feel that they reflect a time that no longer exists, and are no longer necessary.
Overall, it's been a fascinating discussion, with lots of viewpoints from lots of different perspectives.
I'll continue to be interested to follow the debate.
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It's Alaska, so having a Cub in your yard is not that unusual. The airplane sort of Cub, of course.
Here's one on landing, and just in case you were wondering, this is FUN!
This little bird loves to fly, and can just about lift off in a stiff breeze.
This 1946 Piper J3 Cub had to come out of the water for an annual inspection recently, and Nick needed a tiedown system to secure the aircraft. He lives on an island, so he had to use locally available weights with attachment points for ropes. Sometimes you just have to improvise.
What do you think? Did Nick find the greatest tiedowns?
Out of the mist a de Havilland Beaver shimmers into view, landing lights flashing.
For those awaiting passengers and mail the rumble of this great, vintage aircraft is sweet music.
The ground crew in this small berg is usually one person. She checks in passengers, handles freight, runs the four-wheeler up and down the dock, and catches the plane as it lands at the float. In all kinds of weather. Well, almost.
She doesn't get to meet the planes in dense fog. If the pilots can't see then the planes don't fly.
Some days the mail and freight are stacked up. Right now it is the season for lots of packages so the planes can arrive pretty full.
By the time the mail gets here it has had truck rides, sometimes a boat ride, a couple of plane rides, and many transfers. Oh, and it gets to ride in a cart pulled by a four-wheeler.
People and packages are transferred as fast as safely possible, and the planes are on their way again.
The pilot pours the power to it and propeller tip vortices spiral over the fuselage.
Then they are off into the wild....yellow....yonder. Hey, its winter. Dawn comes late and the sun angle is low. It makes for some pretty mornings and afternoons on these short days.
The pilots have more towns to take care of and a schedule to keep. They know that we are depending on them.
Here's wishing that all of your goodies arrive on time, and that you have the warmth of a happy season!
A bird and my truck met suddenly with a sickening thump a few nights ago. We were in town, going about fifteen miles per hour, but still, it was a big thump for a little bird. I couldn't imagine that those hollow, delicate bird bones would have stood up to the impact. Then there was the weirdest sound; a small, muted, "thump-thump, thump-thump." I got the truck stopped, got a dying flashlight out, and was ready to rescue a bird from between the bed of the pickup truck and the slide-in camper.
My sweetheart pointed out that I was way off, though. I looked up to where he indicated and saw that the bird was firmly wedged between the top of the pickup truck cab and the cab-over on the camper. One wing stuck out just enough to flutter, but it was just moving a little. In the dark I just barely saw that it had some barred wing markings, and the only bird that came to mind was a varied thrush.
We found a cloth bag in the truck and pulled on gloves. I gently pulled the bird out from where it was trapped, discovering in the process that it was a small owl! I know, night time; I should have thought of owl right away. They are not common here, though. Even the bird books note them as rare. We temporarily put the bird in the cloth bag.
We got out a large plastic tote and transferred the bird into it. The owl was dazed and wasn't really struggling, and that worried us. I started making phone calls to find out if there was a raptor center on Prince of Wales Island. Nope. Nearest one is in Sitka, 140 air miles away on Baranof Island.
Operation Owl Medivac was on.
I was pretty impressed that Jen answered the Alaska Raptor Center on-call phone at 9:30p.m.! She gave me instructions: no food or water, and a quiet, dark place. She would call in the morning with flight information to send the bird to Sitka. Owls don't get Lear Jet medivac service at any hour of the day or night like people do.
I put a towel into the tote for the owl to ignore. It may not have been moving around, but it seemed to be letting us know it's feelings on the whole thing. I have now been subjected to the owl stink-eye. Oh, they are good at it! Guilt and remorse coursed through my veins. I apologized. I told the little owl that I didn't blame it for giving me that look. I would have given me that look. Slammed into, squished, yarded out and bagged, and then incarcerated in a Rubbermaid tote with hardware cloth (wire mesh) over it! How could I let the little guy know that I'd try to make it okay?
We installed the owl in a warm part of the boat, and then looked in the book and decided that it was a screech owl. It didn't screech. It stood still and did not make a sound. It stared up at me from the institutional containment of the tote. It stared me down to dirt level. I slithered away, weakly wishing a night of rest and recovery to a nocturnal animal.
You have seen this look. This is the mad-accusing-disgusted look of a cat that knows it is either going to the bathtub or to the vet.
In the morning Jen called and said to take the owl to Harris Air. We don't have a small pet carrier, so she gave instructions about using the right sized box, and making sure that there were enough air holes in it. She also said to put some shredded paper in the box to give the bird something to brace against in the jostling of travel.
I set to work drilling holes in a cardboard box, and marking it, "LIVE ANIMAL, Handle with Love." Before putting the owl in, of course.
I donned leather gloves – so glad I did – and carefully lifted the bird out of the tote. It tried to bite me! Yeah!! I've never been so happy to have a critter try to bite me! The scrappy little owl might just be okay.
"You go right on ahead and chew the heck out of that leather glove, buddy!" Wait. My fingers are in there. Okay, down into the box.
We drove the boxed owl thrty-five miles to the Klawock Airport, and placed it into the caring hands of Harris Air. I hot linked to their website because they provide this service for FREE. No hassles. They loaded the injured raptor into their twin engine Piper Chieftain to whisk it to Sitka.
As the plane taxied out onto the runway I worried that the little screech owl would be overwhelmed by the whole ordeal.
As the plane took off I felt a hollowness set in. My temporary charge was gone. My injured patient was sent to professional care. I missed the little guy.
A half-pound owl is being medivaced to Sitka in this plane. There are people passengers on board, too.
He never smiled, he tried to bite me, he never even said anything. So silly, but I really missed him.
My wonderful husband put his finger smack-dab on it: Empty Nest Syndrome.
Now we wait to hear if the owl will be okay. The Alaska Raptor Center in Sitka will call, and I will update you.
Big thanks and kudos to Harris Air and the Alaska Raptor Center!
More Alaskan Critters and birds HERE!
Dislcosure: I have not received any consideration, monetary or otherwise, from any organization or business mentioned in this post. Zero, zip, zilch. Just so happy with good things that they do.


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in The Vampire Diaries, TV Review
The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Episode 8 – TV Review
Although, the new twist in this episode is enough to make you wanna jump.
As long as Katherine is around, I will be featuring her at the top of the posts.
But anyone who would object to that has something seriously wrong with them, and is probably an Elena fan.
And they are barely worth treating like human beings, anyway.
TL;DR Jesse has been turned into a cannibalistic vampire; Bonnie struggles with the realities of being the anchor; Katherine snips that Traveller soul out of Matt; and she helps Stefan work on his PTSD.
Because she's just that good.
Most of the action takes place at the college. The girls are celebrating Bonnie's resurrection with a party. Doctor Evil's experiments on Jesse take a turn for the out-of-control, and Jesse breaks free. The girls try to help him deal with being a vampire, while Damon interrogates Doctor Evil about Augustine. He eventually admits Jesse has been engineered to only feed on vampires, and when he attacks Damon, Elena stakes the shit out of him. Caroline (and Caroline's lust) are upset. Damon also discovers that Augustine is the same organisation who apparently experimented on him 60 years ago and Doctor Evil captures him and locks him up. Because hey, Silas is gone, so we need a new distraction. Meanwhile back in Mystic Falls, Katherine binge drinks to block out her worry of mortality. She is invigorated by Matt's little Traveller-on-board situation, and ropes in Stefan and Nadia to help her extract him. By killing him (Matt is fine, though). Nadia is upset. Katherine also helps Stefan with his crippling PTSD, and he returns the favour by saving her from a suicide attempt.
Because a life without everlasting beauty is not a life worth living. You can take that message home with you, kids. I know I have.
I was actually pretty okay with most of the stuff this episode doles out. Even Katherine's sudden helpfulness (her pervasive self-interest kinda drowns it out).
But then that absolute fucking bullshit with Damon comes in like a wrecking ball and buggers everything up. Oh, really? You were experimented on horribly and it's one of the most traumatic experiences of your life and you are literally in mortal fear of it?
Huh, I guess that's why it's been such an important part of your character for 4 and a bit seasons.
I was ready for the new plot leap, now that Silas and Qetsiyah are out of the way, but I didn't expect anything this tenuous.
Also, the way it comes about is Damon reads a string of numbers on an Augustine blood bag, and is like "This bag has numbers on it. When I was experimented on, I was given a number. Numbers one place = numbers relevant to me. Holy shit!" Get the fuck out.
Elena is not great in a crisis. Jesse is attacking and feeding on Damon. Instead of, I don't know, snapping his neck or something, she stakes him through the heart. She could have even staked him anywhere else. But nuh, straight for the killshot. Caroline is understandably unhappy about it.
Caroline isn't without her fuckheadery, though. She somehow finds a way to blame the entire situation on Damon, continuing her endless anti-Damon crusade. Something something if Elena hadn't needed to save Damon, she wouldn't have had to kill Jesse, therefore Damon happening to be attacked by Jesse is Damon's fault. No, bitch.
Aaron still isn't doing anything.
One for the commenters: I don't remember exactly, but I think Caroline/Elena/Stefan/anyone might have compelled Jesse at some point over the season so far, yet he doesn't make any mention of regaining those memories. Am I right?
The girls' party is inexplicably rockin', despite them having made no friends (none that are still alive, anyway).
Elena should probably stop flirting with Aaron. Damon's got enough competition from Stefan.
Nadia gets shitty at Katherine for killing her Traveller boyfriend inside Matt. Girl, it's not like you were doing anything about it.
It may be fabulously shallow (and therefore fantastic. You do know me, don't you?), but I can't approve of Katherine's suicide attempt. This world would be poorer without you, baby.
Oh, and I don't know why everybody thinks a cannibalistic vampire is so special. We already had one before. Mikael, anyone?
It's the goddamn Katherine cavalcade this season, and I have no problem with that at all. She gets shitfaced and randomly helps Stefan and Matt because she's too drunk to care. She's the ultimate hero. Elena wishes she could rule it like that.
Her decision to kill herself instead of die from rapidly becoming old and ugly is simply divine. She is what we need to aspire to.
And after Stefan catches her from her jump, and she tearfully admits her predicament, there's some nice little UST going on. Maybe Katherine is the doppelganger that Stefan is meant to be with?
Stefan's PTSD seems more humanised, and less like an arbitrary inconvenience, this episode. Katherine's helping him out is very Lexi-esque, too. And while she's talking him down from one of the attacks, he does almost choke her to death, so their union isn't too flowery.
Katherine plays protective mother when talking down to Nadia's Traveller boyfriend before killing him. Because it really is all about her. Just as it should be.
She reveals her father was a Traveller. That should be relevant soon.
And Mr Traveller headmate reveals that his objective after Silas' execution was to kill Katherine. Who dares give that order?
Best line of the episode surprisingly goes to Bonnie, but only because of who she mentions. She and Jeremy are thinking of a place they can sneak off to to have sex:
Jeremy: "We could always go back to my place?"
Bonnie: "You mean Damon's house? While we're at it, why don't we just have sex in his bathtub? Or maybe Katherine could watch?"
That would play nicely into my Jeremy/Katherine ship.
Second best line goes to Stefan, who is finding the helping Matt thing a bit tedious: "I would much rather be getting drunk right now." All day, every day. Join me.
Aaron and Elena bond over both having dead parents. From Aaron's story, it sounds like his parents were killed by vampires. And I still think he might be resistant to all this compulsion Elena's using on him. He is Doctor Evil's family, and if that dude has enough vervain to rig a security system with it, you'd think he'd slip some to Aaron.
Damon interrogates Doctor Evil by injecting him with various horrifying diseases, with the promise of some lifegiving vampire blood if he tells the truth. Adorable.
Bonnie isn't a witch anymore. But where will we get our Deus Ex Machina now?
Bonnie is getting fucked over by her "all supernatural deaths pass through you" condition of being the anchor. I love it.
She meets one old witch spirit, who I love for 2 reasons: 1) she's fucking delightful; and 2) she's a non-black witch on TVD. It's a miracle. I know The Originals has been playing that card with Sophie, but it's a nice change here, too.
Oh, and Jeremy and Bonnie have sexy sex. Even if Jesse's dying spirit interrupts it briefly.
Say no to cock-blocking, everyone.
Tags: aaron, augustine, campus, caroline, college, damon, dead, diaries, elena, Everything, gregor, Hate, I, ijusthateeverything, jesse, Just, katherine, man, matt, nadia, on, party, PTSD, the, traveller, tvd, vampire, wes
10 responses to "The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Episode 8 – TV Review"
Amadan says : November 22, 2013 at 11:59 pm
elena, with one killshot ruined caroline's sex life and almost jeremy's… she is an hell of a friend (sarcasm)!!
but we still have katherine, i hope immortal very soon some way.
ijusthateeverything says : November 23, 2013 at 7:22 am
Elena isn't the hero we need. Or the one we deserve.
She's terrible, basically.
American Horror Story Season 3 Episode 7 – TV Review | I Just Hate Everything - November 22, 2013
The Originals Season 1 Episode 8 – TV Review | I Just Hate Everything - November 27, 2013
The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Episode 9 – TV Review | I Just Hate Everything - December 7, 2013
The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Episode 10 – TV Review | I Just Hate Everything - December 14, 2013
The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Episode 11 – TV Review | I Just Hate Everything - January 24, 2014
The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Episode 13 – TV Review | I Just Hate Everything - February 7, 2014
The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Episode 14 – TV Review | I Just Hate Everything - February 28, 2014
The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Episode 18 – TV Review | I Just Hate Everything - April 18, 2014


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historychamps
Matu + PreIB History
Matu Philosophy
IB Exams
Paper 1 - Source evaluation - 60 minutes
Move to Global war unit - examines the Axis build up to WW2
Foreign policy of Italy, Germany & Japan 1930-1941
Question 1 - if you want to avoid running out of time at the end, use bullet points to get your ideas down for 1a + b...
Question 1a): worth 3 marks, spend max 5 minutes on.
Understanding historical sources - reading comprehension.
For 3 marks, give at least 3 clear points from the source. Paraphrase from the source - i.e. put things in your own words (you can quote but you don't have to do so, and you should avoid just copying large parts of the source).
How to write the answer?
"The first reason given by the source is ....
The second reason given by the source is ....
The third reason given by the source is .........."
Question 1b): worth 2 marks, spend max 5 minutes on.
Understanding historical sources - political cartoon/image analysis.
For 2 marks, give two clear (and separate) points about the 'message' conveyed in the source, supporting each point with evidence from the source.
If it is a cartoon you are analysing, make sure you choose the key figures/symbols you understand to illustrate any points you make!!
"One message conveyed by the source is that ..........., because the source shows.........
A second message conveyed by the source is that ....... because the source shows..........."
Question 2: worth 4 marks, spend max 10 minutes on.
Source evaluation: OPCVL - see table below....
Evaluate the source explaining who wrote it and why, and what values, or strengths, and limitations, or weaknesses, these provide for a historian studying the given topic by using the content.
Before writing your answer read through the source carefully, paying particular attention to the italicized text above the source informing you wrote it and when. Look carefully at what the source is saying and see if there are any signs of emotional language, etc, that might be useful in your response.
Ideally, you will find multiple clear values and limitations, but it might turn out you find one value and one limitation - don't worry if this happens, it is determined by the sources you are given, Indeed, make sure that you concentrate on giving values and limitations that are specific to the source's content.
Don't use phrases like it is useful as it is a primary source; it is limited as it is a secondary source and the author wasn't there, etc etc!!
The source is valuable because ...........(refer to origin and/or purpose).
The source is also valuable because ......... (refer to content).
The source is limited because ...........(refer to origin and/or purpose).
The source is also limited because ......... (refer to content)."
4 marks given to answers who use origin, purpose + content in either values or limitations in a balanced answer...
Compare and contrast sources by assessing the source content.
For 6 marks, you need to write two paragraphs which first compare, then secondly contrast the two sources, carefully supported by quotes. Make sure that you focus on answering the terms of the question - ie. it might be asking you to compare/contrast in relation to a very specific topic, not just the sources in general.
Ideally you will be able to find two clear points of comparison and two clear points of contrast, but don't worry if you end up having two of one and one of the other - it depends a little on the sources you are given to compare! Write the first paragraph on points of comparison, and the second on points of contrast.
Before writing your answer read through the sources carefully and underline key quotes you plan to use. If needs be, you can use the scrap paper given to jot down briefly what your key points will be - even it is just key words, this might help you when it comes to writing the answer!
Two separate paragraphs:
"Both sources agree that .....
Source C says that ......... and Source D says that ....
The sources also agree that ......
"The sources contrast in ..........
While Source C says .........., Source D says ............."
Question 4: worth 9 marks - at least 25 minutes.
Mini-essay, using a synthesis or blend of all sources and own knowledge!
This is the most challenging question, and the one worth the most marks, which is why you need to allow enough time to produce a decent answer here. Crucial to remember is that you must, must, must use both all the sources and your own detailed and specific knowledge in your answer - if you use only the sources (and no own knowledge), or only own knowledge (and no sources), the maximum you can score is 5 marks. You must use a synthesis of sources and own knowledge to produce a clear response to the question! In this sense, it is just like a full essay: you need to focus on clearly addressing the question, developing a clear argument, and challenging any assumptions in the question if you can.
How to approach this mini-essay?
Spend a couple of minutes re-reading the sources and planning your argument. As this question often asks you how far you agree with a particular statement, I recommend that you might want to draw a quick chart structuring how you are going to use all the sources and include your own knowledge. Obviously, you do not want to spend a lot of time doing this, and how you order it depends on the question given, but it can be a useful planning tool to help you write your answer.
An example is as follows:
'Using both your knowledge and the sources, assess the extent to which the Spanish Civil War was the creation of social and not military considerations.'
Agrees with statement . Disagrees with statement . Both agrees and disagrees
Sources . A, E B, D C
Own knowledge
Franco only starts to lead the Nationalist forces at the last minute etc etc
When it comes to writing your answer, you may include a brief introduction to define the question, but you do not need to do so - it can be a waste of words and time. It is therefore ok to go straight into your first paragraph, which should include a clear point directed at answering the question, which is then supported by QUOTES from the sources ("as Source A states......") and your own detailed knowledge ("from background knowledge I know that .......).
Have a second paragraph which uses sources and own knowledge to present the other side of the argument, according to the same model as above, and don't forget that when discussing different sources and interpretations you can show an awareness of the source evaluation (OPVL) you carried out in Q3 - i.e. "Source B argues that Franco was completely responsible for the conflict, but of course this is written from an Republican perspective..... etc etc". On the other hand, do not let this distract you from the main task of ANSWERING THE QUESTION! If you have time, and the sources allow it, there might be scope for a third paragraph as well, but it depends a little on the particulars of the exam.
When you have finished your main body, write a clear conclusion that offers a balanced response to the essay question. Remember that challenging the question in the conclusion can be about disagreeing with particularly loaded words in the question statement - i.e. "brutal", "overwhelming", "mainly", "to a large extent" etc etc. If you run out of time before you manage to complete your answer to this question - :( - you can try and get your points down in bullet points in the last minute or so to see if you might be capable of getting some credit for your ideas from the examiner.


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Personnalités
 Norodom Bopha Devi (1943-2019), princesse cambodgienne, ministre, directrice de ballet ;
 Yorm Bopha (née vers 1983), militante cambodgienne des droits fonciers.

Fiction
 Bopha !, film américain réalisé par Morgan Freeman, sorti en 1993.

Autre
 Typhon Bopha, cyclone tropical en 2011.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


TheThinkingBlog feature a lot of photos and video with Aurora.
ll it takes is for the earth to have an atmosphere and the sun to eject ions at speeds up to 1200 km/second then BAM! You've got some unbelievable mother nature action. Imagine what people must have thought, thousands of years ago, when they saw these streams and swirls of light and color in the evening sky. Watching this spectacular celestial phenomena today, for that matter, is beyond spectacular.