text:
Facundo Nahuel Martín
Michael Löwy: "Marxism forms an enduring, integral part of modern culture"
Löwy discusses the many deaths and afterlives of Marxism, Romantic anti-capitalism, and universalism and Latin American Marxism.
via anticapitalistes.net.
First published in Revista Intersecciones. Translated by Nicolas Allen.
This first question has to do with the crisis of Marxism. Marxism has been written-off as a dead tradition many times over, especially in the 1980s and 90s. Academics and the political class have been happy to pronounce its death, and yet, following the 2008 global economic crisis there seems to have been a "rehabilitation" of Marxist theory. How do you understand this phenomenon?
There is an interesting quote that says: "At last, Marxism is finally dead for all humanity." And the date? 1989? 1921? No, the quote belongs to Benedetto Croce, from 1907. And ten years later we saw the Russian Revolution.
The death of Marxism has been heralded a thousand times throughout history. This will never change. As long as capitalism still exists, there will always be Marxism. Of course, the demise of the USSR was especially conducive to the crisis of Marxism. Many people felt that the USSR was the embodiment of Marxism, and that attitude created the ideal conditions for the bourgeoisie to attempt to rid itself once and for all of the spectre of Marxism, communism, and socialism. But I think they failed in their efforts.
As you have pointed out, the 2008 crisis created an opening. And that opening is where we now find ourselves, with all its ups-and-downs. There are periods where the bourgeoisie attempts to go on the offensive and lay waste to Marxism, and then there are also periods where the problems of capitalism are so evident that the bourgeoisie is forced to say: "The Marx who was a scholar of capitalism and capitalist crises, we find this version of him interesting. But let's not have any of this socialism nonsense." But I think the important thing is to identify the line of continuity. By this I mean, with all the superficial fluctuations in terms of media interest and public opinion, it is important to insist on the uninterrupted history of Marxism as forming an enduring, integral part of modern culture. In one way or another, Marxism keeps returning because it is the only form of critical thought that has managed to understand and explain capitalism — how capitalism works — and why it is so unbearable, so inhumane, and unjust, as well as how to bring the capitalist system to an end and replace it with a more just, rational society. This is why Marxism refuses to disappear.
As for the waxing and waning of public interest, I think we need to take it with a grain of salt. The Croce quote serves as a reminder for why we should not take these pronouncements at face value. We need to recognize that Marxism is simply there, as in the Sartre quote, which I feel still has great relevance today: "Marxism is the intellectual horizon of our epoch." Any attempt to go beyond that horizon inevitably leads backwards to pre-Marxist forms of thought, such as liberalism.
Some have argued that there is a relation between the latest crisis of Marxism — that of the 80s and 90s — and the ascent of post-structuralist theory in the academic world, and with it the crisis of certain universalist ideals associated with modernity. How do you see Marxism in relation to the project of Enlightenment and the project of modernity?
[Sighs]: Alright, so…
A pretty difficult question, I suppose.
It is. I think Marxism is clearly a child of the Enlightenment; it is the radical, revolutionary and self-critical version of that legacy. Marxism as an intellectual tradition is basically conscious of the Enlightenment's own limits. Of course, Marx began from French materialism and German idealism, the two great pillars of Enlightenment thought. But he overcame them dialectically: he recovered what was critical in them and what was useful for his thinking while simultaneously overcoming them. There is thus in Marx a process of dialectical overcoming of very specific Enlightenment traditions. The same can be argued regarding modernity. That is, Marxism is clearly a form of modern thought — it didn't emerge in medieval times, after all — and it could only come into being in the determinate historical moment that we call modernity. But Marxism was founded on a critical vision of actually existing modernity, which is capitalist modernity.
As for postmodernism, I don't believe it ever amounted to anything more than an intellectual fad. Yes, it did attract intellectuals and students, and it was responsible for a number of studies, doctoral dissertations, a whole literature, in fact; but it doesn't have any deep, significant political or cultural import. I see it as a superficial phenomenon. Where the postmodernists did offer some theoretical insights is around the question of so-called "identitarian politics," even if that specific problem preceded and outlived the postmodernists. By "identitarian politics," I am referring to the tendency to negate all universalisms in favour of the self-affirmation of particular identities, be they ethnic, sexual, religious, or national. In point of fact, there are social movements today that we must engage with and whose demands we need to incorporate as our own. They must become part of our revolutionary program, but not without criticizing their limitations and not without asserting the need to articulate their demands within a universalist perspective. And just as importantly, this cannot be an abstract universalism that ignores specific demands; as Hegel would say, this must be a concrete universal that can take into account particularities.
Imagine you were to go to a demonstration for Black Lives Matter in the United States and say: "But the working class struggle is what really matters, since their struggle is truly universal. What you're doing right now is dividing the working class." They would be completely right to send you packing. The workers' struggle for socialism has to embrace the cause of the blacks as a central issue. If universalism fails to take into account these oppressions and legitimate demands, then it's a false universalism. This kind of pseudo-universalism conceals the preservation of discrimination, privileges, and forms of oppression. We must distinguish then between, on the one hand, a legitimate critique of the type of abstract universalism that is represented most obviously by the bourgeoisie —although also by the Left — and a postmodern critique that leads to complete relativism: i.e., "Everyone has their own idea of the truth, of the good, and so on." Even in its most avowedly left-wing versions, Postmodernism eventually reaches an impasse; this is the case with someone like Boaventura de Sousa Santos, a person who I hold in high regard for his critical thought and for his commitment to social struggles. But his theory leads to a dead end, because it asserts an "epistemological plurality," or something to that effect. And then each ethnicity, nation, race, religion, or nation would supposedly have its own way of knowing. And what are we left with? Are these differences all equivalent, or are some better then others? And what if they contradict each other, what is our position? This is where I see the limits of postmodernism most clearly, even in its most left-wing, sophisticated variants.
In your work you have studied the idea of romantic anti-capitalism. One gets the impression that the romantic element tends to accompany a certain experience of modernity, of an unease or discomfort with modernity. Do you see this same experience anywhere in present-day society, in any current anti-capitalist struggles? Where might we find romanticism in contemporary society?
Before answering your question, I want to add one thing about Marx that ties back in with an earlier point I was trying to make. Marx has an interesting quote about romanticism that raises exactly the same issue you have formulated. Marx says: "In earlier periods" — although he never specified which pre-capitalist past he was referring to — "there existed a fuller life because human qualities were not alienated. To wish, as the romantics did, to return to the fullness of the past is absurd and impossible. To settle for the empty present of bourgeoisie society is worse still." Marx's proposal was clearly of a different order: a leap into the future. "But the bourgeoisie is incapable of answering the romantic critique," the critique that longs for the fullness of the past, "that has its own legitimacy," because there did effectively exist a kind of plenitude, "and therefore the romantic critique will accompany bourgeois society until the bourgeoisie is no more."
Marx raises three important issues here. First, romanticism is the idea that in the past there was a fullness of the world. This is fundamental. Second: this idea contains an element of legitimacy; in other words, there was in fact a past fullness of life. But third, we are incapable of returning to this past, and to hope otherwise would be absurd. On that point — the possibility of retreating into the past — the romantics were mistaken. Still, the bourgeoisie is just as incapable of answering for the romantics' concerns, since they represent emptiness itself. As long there is a bourgeoisie and as long as there is capitalism, there will be romanticism. This strikes me as the angle from which to understand romanticism. Now, one thing Marx never addressed in the Grundrisse, and it is the only aspect that I feel could be added to Marx's own thoughts on the subject, is the following: there are different currents within romanticism. Some are more regressive, conservative, reactionary, and truly believe that it is possible to return to the past: to restore the Middle Ages, to return to a state of nature, whatever it might be. Second, there are other currents that are critical of capitalist or bourgeois modernity but still recognize that a return to the past is impossible; for this second current, the future holds no promise either, and thus they adopt a certain fatalism. Society today is wrong and the past was perhaps better, they argue, but being incapable of returning to the past, the only remaining option is to accept the existing state of things. There is a fatalism and resignation underlying this current. Max Weber is a good example of this second romanticism. And then there is a third form of romanticism that does not long for the past, but rather turns to the past as a way of advancing towards the future. This current also exists in the origins of romanticism. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was the founder of 18th century romanticism. And what did Rousseau say? "The man living in a state of nature" — and here Rousseau even mentions the savages of Latin America (the "Caribs") — "was a happy people, there was no private property and there was equality." But what does Rousseau propose? That we return to the forests on all fours, eating grass? Rousseau is clearly advocating for a different vision. In present-day society there is private property, there is no freedom, no equality. We are behind bars, he argues, and man in modern society lives as a prisoner. Rousseau thus imagines a particular kind of democracy (not a communist democracy, mind you), a future democracy in which there is freedom and equality, but this form of democracy will also differ from that of the Caribs. This is what I call "revolutionary romanticism," a revolutionary current that runs constant throughout the last centuries in the form of romanticism. Romanticism has always had these two sides: the conservative, regressive side, and the revolutionary side. This was the case with William Blake and Shelley, in a number of the utopian socialists, and towards the end of the 19th century with William Morris.
In the 20th century we have figures such as Ernst Bloch and Walter Benjamin, and so on.
But returning to Marx: he was clearly not a romantic. He says as much in the Grundrisse: he was much more a man of the Enlightenment than of romanticism; but he did nevertheless draw on the romantic critique of capitalism and of the bourgeoisie. In his Critique of Political Economy, Marx was starting out from the classics — Smith, Ricardo, etc. — but in order to carry out a critique of those figures he relied on Sismondi. Sismondi was a petit-bourgeois thinker who wanted to revert to an artisanal productive model and a small landholding peasant society. This was of course impossible. But Marx says: "Sismondi's critique of the bourgeoisie and of capitalist society are correct: it leads to the destruction of the popular classes, produce poverty, social inequality…" There is a whole paragraph of the Communist Manifesto that speaks of Sismondi and his critique of capital. Marx employs certain elements of the romantic critique, but without the aspiration to return the past. We find this same tendency elsewhere, in the later texts of Marx or Engels that deal with the primitive community, what they call "primitive communism." And in his own texts on the Russian rural commune (which are more important politically than anything else), Marx says: "Perhaps the rural Russian commune — pre-modern, pre-capitalist, with semi-collectivized property — could be the springboard for a socialist rebirth of Russia." So there is a revolutionary romantic current in Marx and Engels, even if they were much more men of modernity and the Enlightenment. And with 20th century Marxism we find a current that I would call "romantic Marxism," that comes from Ernst Bloch, Walter Benjamin, and in Latin America from José Carlos Mariátegui. Mariátegui typifies this romantic Marxist figure. Perhaps even more than the European figures I've mentioned.
To address your question, where is romanticism today? We can find it present in several forms. Romanticism is, for me, a critique of bourgeois society. If it doesn't provide a critique of that form of society, it isn't romanticism. So the reactionaries who speak with nostalgia of a bygone past but also accept capitalism, these are not romantics. Evangelical sects in Latin America are an example of this: they appear to be concerned with the past, with a set of historical religious values that are often regressive and reactionary in nature; but these groups are in fact ultra-capitalist and only think in terms of market values — a theology of prosperity — and their churches are basically just capitalist enterprises. This is not romanticism. Romanticism begins by assuming that the past is a serious reference point and is capable of criticizing bourgeois society and capitalism. Again, this can come in different forms, some more reactionary, others more utopian, progressive, revolutionary, whatever word you choose to use.
I think that Latin America offers the best example of the latter kind of romanticism. I have in mind a particular social movement, a whole cultural movement with its own philosophical, anthropological, cultural, literary, and musical forms, which is Indigenismo. Indigenismo is itself a heterogeneous movement with currents that are more or less critical of capitalism. In its critical variant, Indigenismo lodges a critique of capitalist modernity based on Pre-Columbian indigenous values, their traditions and relation to nature (there is thus an ecological dimension too). And the impact of the movement goes well beyond indigenous communities. For example, take the indigenous struggle in the United States around the Dakota Pipeline conflict, a very significant fight from an ecological perspective, against the reliance on fossil fuels, dirty energy and global warming. Their struggle attracted all types of people: youth, women, environmentalists, trade unionists, and leftists. Those people were galvanized by their admiration for the indigenous peoples, their relation to nature, their culture, their communal form of interacting, and their spirituality. If you read Naomi Klein's book, This Changes Everything, you can read about this phenomenon. She's not herself indigenous, she's a Canadian Jew. But you can see the identification with the indigenous peoples. This would be one example of a form of progressive romanticism that is active today in the Americas.
One last question, following on the previous one. The accusation is often levelled against Marxism that it is a modernizing ideology, a Eurocentric philosophy, and a philosophy based on the exploitation of nature. How do you respond to these claims?
It's true, throughout the 20th century there have existed interpretations of Marxism — often times the dominant interpretation — that construed Marx's writings in those terms, as a theory of modernization that only sought to be more efficient and rational than capitalism; as a mode of production meant to develop productive forces beyond the limits of capitalism. There was of course a great deal of that in the Soviet Union: "Let's produce more steel than the Americans," things of that nature. So it is true on the one hand that one prevailing version of Marxism — a Stalinist and social democratic variant, primarily — maintained this attitude, the attitude that Marxism is first and foremost a theory of industrial modernization, a more social form of capitalism; or for others, a non-capitalist social form that still worships at the altar of the unlimited development of productive forces. Of course my own feeling is that we need to break away from this tendency, to recover another current of Marxism that offered an alternative interpretation that, without rejecting outright the achievements of modernity, was coloured by the romantic streak that we have been discussing.
Take, for example, José Carlos Mariátegui. Mariátegui is a very important figure for those of us in Latin America, and in fact beyond the region as well. Mariátegui spoke of an "Incan communism," and at the time of his writing he received a great deal of criticism for this idea. He was labelled a "romantic" and a "populist" for his ideas. But prior to the arrival of the Spanish, there did in fact exist a type of agrarian "primitive communism", commonly associated with the Incan empire. But the communist element was not just the empire itself, whose structure was largely authoritarian; it was also present in its social base, in what is called the "ayllu." This dimension is especially important for us as modern communists, because it means that the message of modern communists can be spread to indigenous communities, to the peasants, and so on. This is an extremely suggestive idea. Mariátegui obviously was not urging for the restoration of the Incan empire, as some indigenistas do in fact advocate. Mariátegui even has a passage in one of his essays where he writes: "What is the difference between Incan communism and modern communism? Incan communism was completely authoritarian, a system in which there was no individual liberty. We want a modern communism that incorporates the modern achievements of individual liberty, freedom of conscience, freedom of assembly, etc." So Mariátegui's is a dialectical vision. He did not reject modernity, but he did remain firm in the idea that the past could serve as a reference point and source of inspiration for revolutionary struggles seeking to build communism in Latin America.
I consider myself a 21st-century follower of Mariátegui. I think now more than ever that Mariátegui is an important source for us in Latin America, and that it is important to read him today and find new inspiration. Naturally, a great deal has changed since the 1930s, but then again the idea was never to copy the Peruvian intellectual's ideas. Mariátegui is an inspiration throughout Latin America, and yet, we still tend to undervalue him. The Left is accustomed to reading Marx, Lenin, Trotsky, maybe even Mao, but Mariátegui is read less and less, even if he is more fundamental now than ever. What's more, I think as an intellectual figure he's of equal importance and quality — from a philosophical and theoretical perspective — as his European contemporaries: the young Gramsci, the young Bloch, the young Benjamin, the young Lukács, they all share a lot in common. I would put him in that pantheon of great 20th century heterodox Marxist thinkers. It's time to add Mariátegui to that list.


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text:
import os
import yaml
from fabric.api import task, run, sudo, put, task, \
        parallel, execute, env
from cuisine import file_exists, file_write, file_append, \
        text_strip_margin, mode_sudo, file_update, ssh_keygen, \
        ssh_authorize, dir_ensure

@task
def status():
    """ Check the status """
    # Read cofiguration file to cfg
    cfg_dir = os.path.dirname(__file__).replace('fabfile','ymlfile')
    cfg_file = cfg_dir + '/hadoop.yml'
    f = open(cfg_file)
    cfg = yaml.safe_load(f)
    f.close()

    # Set ssh user and have ssh not check .ssh/known_hosts
    env.user = cfg['admin_user']
    env.disable_known_hosts = True

    # Set hosts
    hosts = []
    for host in cfg['hosts']:
        hosts.append(cfg['hosts'][host]['ipaddr'])

    # Execute check_status on the hosts.
    execute(check_status, hosts=hosts)

def check_status():

    sudo('jps', user='hdfs')

@task
def install():
    """ Install Hadoop Cluster """
    cfg_dir = os.path.dirname(__file__).replace('fabfile','ymlfile')
    cfg_file = cfg_dir + '/hadoop.yml'
    f = open(cfg_file)
    cfg = yaml.safe_load(f)
    f.close()

    env.user = cfg['admin_user']
    env.disable_known_hosts = True

    hosts = []
    for host in cfg['hosts']:
        hosts.append(cfg['hosts'][host]['ipaddr'])

    execute(pkg_install,hosts=hosts)
    execute(update_etc_hosts,cfg_hosts=cfg['hosts'],hosts=hosts)
    execute(update_roles,cfg_hosts=cfg['hosts'],hosts=hosts)
    sites = ['core-site',
             'hdfs-site',
             'mapred-site']
    for site in sites:
        execute(update_config,cfg_name=site,cfg_list=cfg[site],hosts=hosts)
    execute(update_env_sh,hosts=hosts)
    admin_node = cfg['admin_node']
    admin_node_ip = cfg['hosts'][admin_node]['ipaddr']
    output = execute(create_hdfs_sshkey,hosts=[admin_node_ip])
    key = output[admin_node_ip]
    execute(update_authorized_keys,key=key,hosts=hosts)
    execute(update_dir,cfg['update_dir_list'],hosts=hosts)

@parallel
def update_dir(update_dir_list):

    with mode_sudo():
        for dir in update_dir_list:
            owner = update_dir_list[dir]['owner']
            mode = update_dir_list[dir]['mode']
            dir_ensure(dir, mode=mode, owner=owner)

@parallel
def update_authorized_keys(key):
    with mode_sudo():
        ssh_authorize(user='hdfs',key=key)

def create_hdfs_sshkey():
    with mode_sudo():
        ssh_keygen(user='hdfs',keytype='rsa')
        key = sudo('cat /usr/lib/hadoop/.ssh/id_rsa.pub')
    return key

@parallel
def update_env_sh():
    """ Update /usr/lib/hadoop/conf/hadoop-env.sh """
    file = '/usr/lib/hadoop/conf/hadoop-env.sh'
    with mode_sudo():
        file_update(file, _update_env_sh_like_this)

def _update_env_sh_like_this(text):
    res = []
    for line in text.split('\n'):
        if line.strip().startswith("# export JAVA_HOME"):
            res.append("export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-7-oracle")
        else:
            res.append(line)
    return '\n'.join(res) + '\n'

@parallel
def update_config(cfg_name, cfg_list):
    """ Update xml files """

    lines = []
    header = text_strip_margin(
            """
            |<?xml version="1.0"?>
            |<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="configuration.xsl"?>
            |
            |<!-- Put site-specific property overrides in this file. -->
            |
            |<configuration>
            |""")
    lines.append(header)

    for entry in cfg_list:
        property = text_strip_margin(
                """
                |  <property>
                |    <name>{0}</name>
                |    <value>{1}</value>
                |  </property>
                |""".format(entry, cfg_list[entry]))
        lines.append(property)

    footer = '</configuration>\n'
    lines.append(footer)

    file = '/usr/lib/hadoop/conf/' + cfg_name + '.xml'
    text = '\n'.join(lines) + '\n'
    file_write(file, text, sudo=True)

@parallel
def update_etc_hosts(cfg_hosts):
    """Update /etc/hosts """

    file = '/etc/hosts'
    lines = []
    lines.append("127.0.0.1 localhost")
    for host in cfg_hosts:
        lines.append("{0} {1}".format(cfg_hosts[host]['ipaddr'], host))
    text = '\n'.join(lines) + '\n'
    file_write(file, text, sudo=True)

@parallel
def update_roles(cfg_hosts):
    """ Update /usr/lib/hadoop/conf/[masters/slaves] """

    dir = '/usr/lib/hadoop/conf/'
    masters = []
    slaves = []
    for host in cfg_hosts:
        if cfg_hosts[host]['group'] == 'masters':
            masters.append(host)
        elif cfg_hosts[host]['group'] == 'slaves':
            slaves.append(host)
    # Update masters
    file = dir + 'masters'
    text = '\n'.join(masters) + '\n'
    file_write(file, text, sudo=True)
    # Update slaves
    file = dir + 'slaves'
    text = '\n'.join(slaves) + '\n'
    file_write(file, text, sudo=True)

@parallel
def pkg_install():
    ''':hostname - Install Hadoop Master'''
    file_name = '/usr/lib/jvm/java-7-oracle'
    if not file_exists(file_name):
        sudo('add-apt-repository -y ppa:webupd8team/java')
        sudo('add-apt-repository -y ppa:hadoop-ubuntu/stable')
        sudo('apt-get update && sudo apt-get -y upgrade')
        sudo('echo debconf shared/accepted-oracle-license-v1-1 select true | sudo debconf-set-selections')
        sudo('echo debconf shared/accepted-oracle-license-v1-1 seen true | sudo debconf-set-selections')
        sudo('apt-get -y install oracle-java7-installer')
        sudo('apt-get -y install hadoop')
    else:
        print '{0} exists. Oracle Java is already installed.'.format(file_name)

@task
@parallel
def check_online():

    yml_path = __file__.replace('fabfile','ymlfile').rstrip(r'\py|\pyc') + 'yml'
    f = open(yml_path)
    cfg = yaml.safe_load(f)
    f.close()

    env.user = cfg['admin_user']
    env.disable_known_hosts = True

    hosts = []
    for host in cfg['hosts']:
        hosts.append(cfg['hosts'][host]['ipaddr'])

    execute(hello,hosts=hosts)

@parallel
def hello():

    run('hostname && id && echo hello')

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Chronic pain alters sensory responses and carries a strong emotional component. Persistent pain can heighten pain experiences, resulting in hyperalgesia and allodynia. Further, patients suffering from chronic pain are more prone to experience a range of affective disorders including depression, sleep dysregulation, panic disorders, anxiety abnormalities and stress-related disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Hence while pain serves a protective function to prevent additional physiological harm by driving behavioral and cognitive responses, chronic or persistent pain can lead to maladaptive nociceptive responses and exacerbate psychopathologies. Among brain regions, the amygdala is centrally situated to integrate the many descending and ascending signals to modulate the sensory and emotional components of pain. The amygdala is well studied for its role in fear and stress-related behavioral processes. The central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), and in particular the lateral capsular subdivision of the CeA (CeLC), receives prominent ascending pain neurotransmission via the spino- parabrachioamygdaloid tract. In this pathway, peripheral nociceptive signals carried via primary sensory Aδ- and C-fibers terminate in the dorsal horn where second order neurons send projections via the spino-parabrachial pathway to the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBn). Thus, the LPBn collects cutaneous (mechanical and thermal), deep (muscular and articular) and visceral nociceptive signals and relays the information in a highly organized manner principally to the CeLC for nociceptive processing. In pain, the CeA and the LPBn-CeLC projections have been shown to undergo plasticity in the forms of enhanced synaptic transmission and alterations in neurotransmitter and receptor expression. Accordingly, the neurocircuit intersections in the CeA can modulate the sensory and emotional responses to pain. Yet despite these associations, the mediators and mechanisms underlying the emotional consequences of pain are poorly understood.
Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a neural and endocrine pleiotropic peptide important in the development and homeostatic regulation of many physiological systems. Recently, the expression of PACAP and its cognate PAC1 receptor has been shown to be upregulated in specific limbic regions by chronic stress. PACAP infusions into several limbic regions is anxiogenic, and altered blood PACAP levels and PAC1 receptor polymorphism have been associated with PTSD and other stress-related disorders. Here, we establish that CeLC PACAP originates from the LPBn as part of the spino-parabrachoamygdaloid pathway. Chronic pain enhanced PACAP expression along LPBn-CeLC projections, indicating it may be a component of pain- related plasticity. CeA PACAP signaling was sufficient to induce nociceptive hypersensitivity and anxiety-like behaviors. In a chronic neuropathic pain model, CeA PACAP signaling was found to contribute to heightened anxiety-like behaviors and nociceptive responses. Further, we characterized one prominent intracellular signaling mechanism through which CeA PACAP signaling influences these behaviors.
In these experiments we provide evidence that CeA PACAP signaling plays an important role in the emotional components of pain and that alterations in CeA PACAP signaling are part of pain-related plasticity. This work establishes novel molecular mechanisms that underlie the emotional component of pain and may contribute to the development of chronic pain and associated affective disorders.
Missig, Galen, "Amygdala PACAP as a mediator of the emotional components of pain" (2015). Graduate College Dissertations and Theses. 467.


text:
package net.dempsy.router.group;

import static net.dempsy.util.Functional.chain;
import static net.dempsy.utils.test.ConditionPoll.poll;
import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull;
import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;

import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.HashSet;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.Set;
import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
import java.util.function.Consumer;
import java.util.function.Supplier;
import java.util.stream.Collectors;

import org.junit.Test;
import org.slf4j.Logger;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;

import net.dempsy.Infrastructure;
import net.dempsy.Manager;
import net.dempsy.cluster.ClusterInfoException;
import net.dempsy.cluster.ClusterInfoSession;
import net.dempsy.cluster.ClusterInfoSessionFactory;
import net.dempsy.config.ClusterId;
import net.dempsy.messages.KeyedMessageWithType;
import net.dempsy.router.BaseRouterTestWithSession;
import net.dempsy.router.RoutingInboundManager;
import net.dempsy.router.RoutingStrategy;
import net.dempsy.router.RoutingStrategy.ContainerAddress;
import net.dempsy.router.RoutingStrategyManager;
import net.dempsy.router.group.intern.GroupDetails;
import net.dempsy.router.shardutils.Utils;
import net.dempsy.router.shardutils.Utils.ShardAssignment;
import net.dempsy.transport.NodeAddress;
import net.dempsy.util.TestInfrastructure;

public class TestGroupRoutingStrategy extends BaseRouterTestWithSession {
    static final Logger LOGGER = LoggerFactory.getLogger(TestGroupRoutingStrategy.class);

    public TestGroupRoutingStrategy(final Supplier<ClusterInfoSessionFactory> factory, final String disruptorName,
            final Consumer<ClusterInfoSession> disruptor) {
        super(LOGGER, factory.get(), disruptor);
    }

    @Test
    public void testInboundSimpleHappyPathRegister() throws Exception {
        final int numShardsToExpect = Integer.parseInt(Utils.DEFAULT_TOTAL_SHARDS);
        final RoutingInboundManager manager = new RoutingInboundManager();
        try (final RoutingStrategy.Inbound ib = manager
                .getAssociatedInstance(ClusterGroupInbound.class.getPackage().getName() + ":testInboundSimpleHappyPathRegister");) {
            final Utils<Object> msutils = new Utils<>(infra, "testInboundSimpleHappyPathRegister", new Object());

            assertNotNull(ib);
            assertTrue(ClusterGroupInbound.Proxy.class.isAssignableFrom(ib.getClass()));

            ib.setContainerDetails(new ClusterId("test", "test"), new ContainerAddress(new DummyNodeAddress("testInboundSimpleHappyPathRegister"), 0),
                    (l, m) -> {});
            ib.start(infra);

            assertTrue(waitForShards(session, msutils, numShardsToExpect));
        }
    }

    private static class MutableInt {
        public int val;
    }

    private static void checkForShardDistribution(final ClusterInfoSession session, final Utils<GroupDetails> utils, final int numShardsToExpect,
            final int numNodes) throws InterruptedException {
        final MutableInt iters = new MutableInt();
        assertTrue(poll(o -> {
            try {
                iters.val++;
                final boolean showLog = LOGGER.isTraceEnabled() && (iters.val % 100 == 0);
                final List<ShardAssignment<?>> sas = getShardAssignments(utils);
                final Set<Integer> shards = getCurrentShards(sas);
                if (shards.size() != numShardsToExpect) {
                    if (showLog)
                        LOGGER.trace("Not all shards available. Expecting {} but got {}", numShardsToExpect, shards.size());
                    return false;
                }
                final Map<NodeAddress, AtomicInteger> counts = new HashMap<>();
                for (final ShardAssignment<?> sa : sas) {
                    final GroupDetails cur = (GroupDetails) sa.addr;
                    AtomicInteger count = counts.get(cur.node);
                    if (count == null) {
                        count = new AtomicInteger(0);
                        counts.put(cur.node, count);
                    }
                    count.addAndGet(sa.shards.length);
                }

                if (counts.size() != numNodes) {
                    if (showLog)
                        LOGGER.trace("Not all nodes registered. {} out of {}", counts.size(), numNodes);
                    return false;
                }
                for (final Map.Entry<NodeAddress, AtomicInteger> entry : counts.entrySet()) {
                    if (Math.abs(entry.getValue().get() - (numShardsToExpect / numNodes)) > 1) {
                        if (showLog)
                            LOGGER.trace("Counts for {} is below what's expected. {} is not 1 away from " + (numShardsToExpect / numNodes) + ")",
                                    entry.getKey(), entry.getValue());
                        return false;
                    }
                }
                return true;
            } catch (final ClusterInfoException cie) {
                return false;
            }
        }));

    }

    @Test
    public void testInboundDoubleHappyPathRegister() throws Exception {
        final int numShardsToExpect = Integer.parseInt(Utils.DEFAULT_TOTAL_SHARDS);

        final String groupName = "testInboundDoubleHappyPathRegister";
        try (final RoutingStrategy.Inbound ib1 = new RoutingInboundManager()
                .getAssociatedInstance(ClusterGroupInbound.class.getPackage().getName() + ":" + groupName);
                final RoutingStrategy.Inbound ib2 = new RoutingInboundManager()
                        .getAssociatedInstance(ClusterGroupInbound.class.getPackage().getName() + ":" + groupName);) {
            final ClusterId clusterId = new ClusterId("test", "test");
            final NodeAddress node1Addr = new DummyNodeAddress("node1");
            final GroupDetails gd1 = new GroupDetails(groupName, node1Addr);
            final ContainerAddress node1Ca = new ContainerAddress(node1Addr, 0);
            final Utils<GroupDetails> utils = new Utils<>(infra, groupName, gd1);

            ib1.setContainerDetails(clusterId, node1Ca, (l, m) -> {});
            ib1.start(infra);

            final NodeAddress node2Addr = new DummyNodeAddress("node2");
            final ContainerAddress node2Ca = new ContainerAddress(node2Addr, 0);

            ib2.setContainerDetails(clusterId, node2Ca, (l, m) -> {});
            try (final ClusterInfoSession session2 = sessFact.createSession();) {
                ib2.start(new TestInfrastructure(session2, infra.getScheduler()));

                assertTrue(waitForShards(session, utils, numShardsToExpect));

                // if this worked right then numShardsToExpect/2 should be owned by each ... eventually.
                checkForShardDistribution(session, utils, numShardsToExpect, 2);

                // disrupt the session. This should cause a reshuffle but not fail
                disruptor.accept(session2);

                // everything should settle back
                checkForShardDistribution(session, utils, numShardsToExpect, 2);

                // now kill the second session.
                session2.close(); // this will disconnect the second Inbound and so the first should take over

                // see if we now have 1 session and it has all shards
                checkForShardDistribution(session, utils, numShardsToExpect, 1);
            }
        }
    }

    @Test
    public void testInboundResillience() throws Exception {
        final int numShardsToExpect = Integer.parseInt(Utils.DEFAULT_TOTAL_SHARDS);
        final String groupName = "testInboundResillience";
        final Manager<RoutingStrategy.Inbound> manager = new RoutingInboundManager();
        try (final RoutingStrategy.Inbound ib = manager.getAssociatedInstance(ClusterGroupInbound.class.getPackage().getName() + ":" + groupName);) {
            final ClusterId clusterId = super.setTestName("testInboundResillience");
            final NodeAddress na = new DummyNodeAddress("theOnlyNode");
            final ContainerAddress ca = new ContainerAddress(na, 0);
            final GroupDetails gd = new GroupDetails(groupName, na);
            final Infrastructure infra = makeInfra(session, sched);
            final Utils<GroupDetails> msutils = new Utils<>(infra, groupName, gd);

            ib.setContainerDetails(clusterId, ca, (l, m) -> {});
            ib.start(infra);

            checkForShardDistribution(session, msutils, numShardsToExpect, 1);

            disruptor.accept(session);

            checkForShardDistribution(session, msutils, numShardsToExpect, 1);
        }
    }

    @Test
    public void testInboundWithOutbound() throws Exception {
        final int numShardsToExpect = Integer.parseInt(Utils.DEFAULT_TOTAL_SHARDS);
        final String groupName = "testInboundWithOutbound";
        final Manager<RoutingStrategy.Inbound> manager = new RoutingInboundManager();
        try (final RoutingStrategy.Inbound ib = manager.getAssociatedInstance(ClusterGroupInbound.class.getPackage().getName() + ":" + groupName);) {
            final ClusterId cid = setTestName("testInboundWithOutbound");
            final NodeAddress na = new DummyNodeAddress("here");
            final ContainerAddress oca = new ContainerAddress(na, 0);
            final Infrastructure infra = makeInfra(session, sched);
            final GroupDetails ogd = new GroupDetails(groupName, na);
            final Map<String, ContainerAddress> ocaiByCluster = new HashMap<>();
            ocaiByCluster.put(cid.clusterName, oca);
            ogd.fillout(ocaiByCluster);
            final Utils<GroupDetails> msutils = new Utils<>(infra, groupName, ogd);

            ib.setContainerDetails(cid, oca, (l, m) -> {});
            ib.start(infra);

            checkForShardDistribution(session, msutils, numShardsToExpect, 1);

            try (final ClusterInfoSession ses2 = sessFact.createSession();
                    final RoutingStrategyManager obman = chain(new RoutingStrategyManager(), o -> o.start(makeInfra(ses2, sched)));
                    final RoutingStrategy.Factory obf = obman
                            .getAssociatedInstance(ClusterGroupInbound.class.getPackage().getName() + ":" + groupName);) {

                obf.start(makeInfra(ses2, sched));

                assertTrue(poll(o -> obf.isReady()));

                final RoutingStrategy.Router ob = obf.getStrategy(cid);
                assertTrue(poll(o -> obf.isReady()));

                final KeyedMessageWithType km = new KeyedMessageWithType(new Object(), new Object(), "");
                assertTrue(poll(o -> ob.selectDestinationForMessage(km) != null));

                final ContainerAddress ca = ob.selectDestinationForMessage(km);
                assertNotNull(ca);

                assertEquals("here", ((DummyNodeAddress) ca.node).name);

                // now disrupt the session
                session.close();

                // the destination should clear until a new one runs
                // NO: destination will not necessarily clear.
                // poll(o -> ob.selectDestinationForMessage(km) == null);

                final ContainerAddress nca = new ContainerAddress(new DummyNodeAddress("here-again"), 0);
                ogd.fillout(ocaiByCluster);

                try (ClusterInfoSession ses3 = sessFact.createSession();
                        RoutingStrategy.Inbound ib2 = new RoutingInboundManager()
                                .getAssociatedInstance(ClusterGroupInbound.class.getPackage().getName() + ":" + groupName)) {
                    ib2.setContainerDetails(cid, nca, (l, m) -> {});
                    ib2.start(makeInfra(ses3, sched));

                    assertTrue(poll(o -> ob.selectDestinationForMessage(km) != null));
                }
            }
        }
    }

    private static class DummyNodeAddress implements NodeAddress {
        private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
        public final String name;

        @SuppressWarnings("unused")
        private DummyNodeAddress() {
            name = null;
        }

        public DummyNodeAddress(final String name) {
            this.name = name;
        }

        @Override
        public boolean equals(final Object o) {
            return name.equals(((DummyNodeAddress) o).name);
        }

        @Override
        public int hashCode() {
            return name.hashCode();
        }

        @Override
        public String toString() {
            return "DummyNodeAddress[ " + name + " ]";
        }
    }

    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
    private static List<ShardAssignment<?>> getShardAssignments(final Utils<?> utils) throws ClusterInfoException {
        return (List<ShardAssignment<?>>) utils.persistentGetData(utils.shardsAssignedDir, null);
    }

    private static Set<Integer> getCurrentShards(final Utils<?> utils) throws ClusterInfoException {
        return getCurrentShards(getShardAssignments(utils));
    }

    private static Set<Integer> getCurrentShards(final List<ShardAssignment<?>> sas) {
        if (sas == null)
            return new HashSet<>();
        final Set<Integer> shards = sas.stream().map(sa -> Arrays.stream(sa.shards)
                .mapToObj(i -> Integer.valueOf(i)))
                .flatMap(i -> i)
                .collect(Collectors.toSet());
        return shards;
    }

    private static boolean waitForShards(final ClusterInfoSession session, final Utils<?> utils, final int shardCount)
            throws InterruptedException {
        return poll(o -> {
            try {
                return getCurrentShards(utils).size() == shardCount;
            } catch (final ClusterInfoException e) {
                return false;
            }
        });
    }
}


The E-Billing Solutions (EBS) Payment Gateway, the popular payment method from India. For Magento Commerce. Offers instant payment notification.
EBS offers support for all major credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, AMEX, JCB and Diners. Also available are 50+ debit cards, 50+ netbanking options, 5+ cash card options, 8+ EMI options and 30+ IMPS options. Last but not least, EBS also supports PayPal.
EBS, also offers international payments & multi-currency services though Ogone one of Europe's biggest payment provider, Ogone offers over 200 international credit card acquirers and 80 global, alternative and local online payment methods for every card-not-present scenario.
You need a EBS subscription.
EBS is now part of Ingenico, but functions as an independent payment method. When a customer arrives at Magento's checkout, the EBS payment method is made visible. After placing an order, the customer is redirected to EBS' secure hosted payment page. Upon succesful payment the order status is actively updated in the background via Instant Payment Notication.


text:
VI in the Press
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eSports and 5G – can telcos cash in…
Report Overview
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Publisher Venture Insights.
Sector 5G, Media.
The value of the eSports market is growing rapidly with both viewers and the prize money at stake beginning to rival that of traditional sports.
With 5G's ultra-fast data speeds and minimal latencies, there is an opportunity for telcos to carve a piece of this growing market.
eSports could therefore emerge as an important use case as telcos look at extracting a revenue premium from their 5G networks.
eSports or electronic sports commonly refers to multi-player video games played competitively. Fans can watch professional gamers compete or play themselves. Professional level gamers compete in tournaments, which are hosted at arenas or stadiums in front of a live audience. Games are often broadcast live and many more global eSports fans watch these tournaments remotely by streaming them online. Some of the most notable tournaments include League of Legends, The International, Evolution Championship Series and the Intel Extreme Masters. Most major competitions are generally held in South Korea, Europe, USA and China however eSports tournaments are starting to gain traction across the globe.
In the past few years, eSports has seen significant changes from being played in small groups, to occupying world-class stadiums which accommodate tens of thousands of fans, with many more viewers online. The value of the eSports market is growing rapidly with both viewers and the prize money at stake rivalling that of traditional sports.
As the first digitally-native sport, eSports is primarily streamed online and is most popular with younger male audiences. With similar properties to traditional sport, the opportunity to engage with these hard-to-reach millennials is appealing to advertisers, traditional broadcasters and traditional sports teams alike. But while eSports viewership is growing, Australian broadcasters have had limited success which has left the door open for Australian telcos to enter this space. Furthermore, the rise of 5G could alter the eSports landscape with higher data speeds, lower latencies and next gen AR and VR gaming platforms. Venture Insights conducted a mobile consumer survey focused on consumers and their eSports viewing and playing habits. In this report, we look at the results from our survey, why and how 5G could play a role in the rise of eSports, the role that telcos could play and global trends on 5G and eSports.
The appeal of eSports
The audience opportunity
Social Engagement Factor
Complimentary to traditional live sports
Network infrastructure can make or break eSports
5G can complement existing infrastructure
Most frequently used eSports platform in Australia
eSports – frequency of viewership
eSports and 5G
Will 5G help Australian Telcos to tap into the eSports opportunity?
List of charts/tables
Figure 1. Global Revenue and Audience Growth 2016 – 2021
Figure 2. eSports most popular platform for viewing
Figure 3. Daily viewing minutes – eSports
Figure 4. eSports viewership is growing [Q. On average are you:]
Figure 5. eSports viewers willingness to pay a premium for 5G enabled mobile service
Figure 6. eSports viewers that would consider upgrading their mobile plan and smartphone to 5G when it becomes available
Figure 7. eSports viewers that would be willing to pay a premium for a 5G handset
Video Entertainment Market Outlook
Netflix: churn, content release and marketing
The ayes have it: DMGT scoops the i
Prime Video Channels: part of Amazon UK's bigger picture
Champions League senses end of growth cycle
Protected: eSports and 5G – can telcos cash in…
The value of the eSports market is growing rapidly with both viewers and the prize money at stake beginning to rival that of traditional sports. With 5G's ultra-fast data speeds and minimal latencies, there is an opportunity for telcos to carve a piece of this growing market. eSports could therefore emerge as an important use case as telcos look at extracting a revenue premium from their 5G networks. eSports or electronic sports commonly refers to multi-player video games played competitively. Fans can watch professional gamers compete or play themselves. Professional level gamers compete in tournaments, which are hosted at arenas or stadiums in front of a live audience. Games are often broadcast live and many more global eSports fans watch these tournaments remotely by streaming them online. Some of the most notable tournaments include League of Legends, The International, Evolution Championship Series and the Intel Extreme Masters. Most major competitions are generally held in South Korea, Europe, USA and China however eSports tournaments are starting to gain traction across the globe. In the past few years, eSports has seen significant changes from being played in small groups, to occupying world-class stadiums which accommodate tens of thousands of fans, with many more viewers online. The value of the eSports market is growing rapidly with both viewers and the prize money at stake rivalling that of traditional sports. As the first digitally-native sport, eSports is primarily streamed online and is most popular with younger male audiences. With similar properties to traditional sport, the opportunity to engage with these hard-to-reach millennials is appealing to advertisers, traditional broadcasters and traditional sports teams alike. But while eSports viewership is growing, Australian broadcasters have had limited success which has left the door open for Australian telcos to enter this space. Furthermore, the rise of 5G could alter the eSports landscape with higher data speeds, lower latencies and next gen AR and VR gaming platforms. Venture Insights conducted a mobile consumer survey focused on consumers and their eSports viewing and playing habits. In this report, we look at the results from our survey, why and how 5G could play a role in the rise of eSports, the role that telcos could play and global trends on 5G and eSports.
Venture Consulting
Venture Advisory
90 Collins Street
Venture Group
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Posted on July 11, 2018 by mark behnke	in Mark Behnke, News and tagged 4160 tuesdays freeway, a lab on fire and the world is yours, a lab on fire hallucinogenic pearl, bvlgari magnolia sensuel, commodity nectar, diptyque fleur de peau, dsh perfumes shimotsuki, dsh perfumes tsukimi, gucci guilty absolute pour femme, hermes hermessence cardamusc, homenews, jo malone jasmine sambac & marigold, louis vuitton nouveau monde, miu miu l'eau rosee, neela vermeire creations niral, nest wisteria blue, tauer les annees 25.
Before I plunge into the fall releases starting to show up in my mailbox I want to recap the world of perfume for the first half of 2018. Especially here in the Poodlesville HQ of Colognoisseur.
For those who have followed my writing for the over ten years I've been doing reviews I am sure you've tired of my whining about too many spring roses. Guess what? This year I got my wish. I'm not sure what caused the change but even a perfume called Miu Miu L'eau Rosee was not a rose. That one was a very nice lily perfume. I got Bvlgari Magnolia Sensuel. I got Nest Wisteria Blue. I got the neroli of Commodity Nectar. I got the crazy blackberry of Gucci Guilty Absolute Pour Femme. I got Jo Malone Jasmine Sambac and Marigold. Yes, there were plenty of pretty roses, but the spring of 2018 found new perfumed ways of celebrating the season.
One of those ways was the return of the classic ambrette-iris-musk so embodied by Chanel No. 18. There were many of these, most of which I liked. There were two which stood out for taking this classic accord in a modern direction; Diptyque Fleur de Peau and A Lab on Fire Hallucinogenic Pearl. Perfumers Olivier Prescheux and Emilie Coppermann, respectively, found a way to freshen this triad up. In Mme Coppermann's case it was by incorporating the De Laire base Iriseine; which made this one of my favorites of the first half of 2018.
Christine Nagel continued her strong showings for Hermes. If there was a last question left for her it was, "How would she make the Hermessences her own?" She released five in the spring. They were all good, but it was her move towards an "essence de parfums" oil-based formulation where she confirmed her stamp on this collection. Cardamusc is another favorite of 2018, so far.
The independents also thrilled me in the first six months of the year. Dawn Spencer Hurwitz finished her Haiku Series for DSH Perfumes with Tsukimi and Shimotsuki. Among the very best work of hers I have experienced.
Hiram Green Slowdive was a textural marvel as a tobacco accord traverses a viscous mixture of honey and others.
Sarah McCartney's 4160 Tuesdays Freeway is So Cal car culture in search of an exotic sorbet. Sounds odd but it is fabulous.
Andy Tauer provided a contemporary version of the "golden age" in Tauer Les Annees 25.
There were three other perfumes which really caught my attention so far in 2018.
A Lab on Fire And the World is Yours by perfumer Dominique Ropion is perhaps my favorite from the brand ever. The opening bergamot, neroli, and cumin accord is spectacular.
Louis Vuitton Nouveau Monde is the leather perfume which should have Louis Vuitton on its label. I may be a bit let down by the others in this collection, but Nouveau Monde, and perfumer Jacques Cavallier, gives me the leather I wanted.
The leader at the midway point of 2018 is Neela Vermeire Creations Niral. The collaborative energy between creative director Neela Vermeire and perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour has always produced excellent perfume. Niral is better than that. The iris shimmers over a subtle leather accord. I still haven't got enough.
This covers what I was able to write about in the first six months. Just in the next couple of weeks I have some reviews coming which are also among the best of 2018.
Posted on April 7, 2018 by mark behnke	in Mark Behnke, New Perfume Reviews and tagged diptyque fleur de peau, olivier pescheux, reviews.
There has been a refreshing new trend in spring florals this year; it has been more than rose. What has been amusing is several of this year's seasonal releases have found a new choice, the classic ambrette-iris-musk axis upon which to have their perfume roll. The origins of this triad come from Chanel No. 18, for 2018 this has become the inspiration for many. One which takes it in a different direction is Diptyque Fleur de Peau.
It has been interesting to see new perfumes look for ways to make classic accords more transparent. I don't think it works as much as it fails. What sometimes makes a classic accord has something to do with balance. If you're going to re-interpret one you need to make sure you pay attention to that balance. Perfumer Olivier Pescheux takes this tack for Fleur de Peau.
One way to do that is to alter the botanical musk of ambrette with the synthetic musks in the base sandwiching the iris. M. Pescheux seemingly does this by reducing the concentration of the ambrette while adding in some fresher musks to the base. The iris in the heart is also a much opaquer version as well. Because M. Pescheux strikes the right proportions Fleur de Peau succeeds.
The opening reminds me of a fine milled soap as the ambrette is matched with baie rose. The baie rose picks up some of the slack for M. Pescheux backing off the concentration of the ambrette. The iris comes forward and it is a powdery version kept on the lighter side. It never intensifies to the Coty lipstick style of iris; it stays as a lighter dusting of floral. Some rose, again, picks up some of the heft for using a more expansive version of iris. It finally ends with the musks. There are some of the animalic musks but M. Pescheux also blend some of the linen musks in. It provides a cleaner accord without losing the growly musks entirely.
Fleur de Peau has 8-10 hour longevity with average sillage.
Fleur de Peau takes the axis of the past and transforms it into an axis of the spring. I'd much rather ride in this car than most of the other rose perfumes this year. If you're looking for a fresh spring floral Fleur de Peau is worth a spin.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample provided by Diptyque.


text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using MonoMac.Foundation;
using MonoMac.AppKit;

namespace Tomboy
{
	[Register ("InsensitiveTextView")]
	public class InsensitiveTextView : NSTextView
	{
		public InsensitiveTextView (IntPtr handle) : base (handle) {
		}

		[Export ("initWithCoder:")]
		public InsensitiveTextView (NSCoder coder) : base (coder) {
		}

		public override void MouseDown (NSEvent theEvent) {
			Superview.MouseDown (theEvent);
		}

		public override void ScrollWheel (NSEvent theEvent) {
			Superview.ScrollWheel (theEvent);
		}
	}

	public partial class NoteCollectionViewItem : MonoMac.AppKit.NSView{
		bool selected;

		public NoteCollectionViewItem (IntPtr handle) : base (handle) {
			Initialize ();
		}

		[Export ("initWithCoder:")]
		public NoteCollectionViewItem (NSCoder coder) : base (coder) {
			Initialize ();
		}

		void Initialize () {
		}

		public NSTextField TextField {
			get {
				return textField;
			}
		}

		public NSTextView ContentTextView {
			get {
				return contentTextView;
			}
		}

		public bool Selected {
			get {
				return selected;
			}
			set {
				if (value == selected)
					return;
				selected = value;
				NeedsDisplay = true;
				Console.WriteLine ("Selection changed");
			}
		}

		public override void DrawRect (System.Drawing.RectangleF dirtyRect) {
			dirtyRect.Inflate (-1, -1);
			if (selected) {
				var color = NSColor.SelectedControl;
				color.Set ();
				NSGraphics.RectFill (dirtyRect);
			}
		}
	}
}


Both customer and company are interested in choosing the beneficial type of pricing model. Over the broad experience on the market, we've figured out three types of pricing contracts for IT projects. There are time and material pricing, fixed price project and milestone contract. Let's agree that all of the projects differ. Different types of contracts suit different projects. We want to share with you our experience in this article. Keep reading to discover the best pricing model for your project.
You will be surprised, that it's possible to fix the price of the project. Keep reading to figure out how price can be fixed. Fixed price model implies estimation of the particular project and amount of work to be done, based on customer requirements. Depending on the amount of work, the company calculates development hours required to complete all the tasks. So, the project scope is written before the development starts and has strict deadlines.
After the estimation, the company sets the price for the project. This price is fixed and can be paid partially, or one time. A fixed scope may seem inconvenient, but don't worry. Actually, some changes are possible. Although the fixed scope, it may turn out that some vital features are missing. The development company will implement them, but keep in mind, that it'll increase the cost and time of development. Based on the above, let's define fixed price contract pros and cons.
Settled cost. A customer can plan expense. The price is final and unchangeable, that is good for customer wallet. Fixed price project prevents extra fees.
Not flexible. The project scope includes all the features, predefined at the planning stage. Changes are not welcome.
Harsh timeline. The project delivered on time.
Long planning stage. Customer spends up to three weeks on this stage to define all the specific features and amount of work.
Simple management. Project scope negotiated before the development starts. So all the details are included in advance. Development team clearly understands the tasks, so control is simple and takes little time.
Miscommunication. Since the project flow is written beforehand, there is a risk of miscommunication. Some features may turn out to be defined not correctly or even missed. As a result, the customer may receive not what he\she wants.
Expected result. The result is negotiated and put into the scope up front.
Risks. Client risks are minimal, while company risks are high because a customer wouldn't pay for extra development hours in case they're needed.
First of all short-term projects with several essential features.
The next option is MVP (minimum valuable product). If you build MVP application with a limited budget and need basic features at first.
Time limits are one more reason to choose a fixed price contract because it implies fixed time too.
If the project is well-specified in advance and you don't need any changes in scope.
If you've identified your project in four types of projects above, then you're the lucky one! Contact us to figure out the fixed price for your project.
Time and material contract in contrast to a fixed cost contract has a more flexible schedule and budget. Keep reading to find out the top four advantages of time and material contract. Time and material pricing formula implies established payments for development time. Customer pays for actual hours spent on development and for the completed amount of work. A customer and a company negotiate rate per hour.
Payments are usually interval: daily, weekly, monthly, etc. Project timeline and budget are estimated approximately for time and material pricing model. This model is flexible, and changes are welcome, but it's not fixed in time and budget. The customer is fully immersed in the process at all stages because it's an ongoing collaboration throughout all phases of a project. Let's dig into dipper and highlight time and material pricing formula advantages and disadvantages.
Instant beginning. The development stars immediately and customer doesn't need to consider all the details of the project.
Unfixed budget. The budget is approximate, so until the release day customer doesn't know the final cost.
Hourly rates. Customer pays for actual development hours, so avoids overpaying.
Undefined timeline. Deadlines are approximate, and a variety of factors may influence the length of development — a danger to delay the project.
Flexibility. It's not a problem to change the scope with time and materials model. A customer has a chance to adjust the direction of product development, based on feedback from their end users instantly.
Accurate management. Customer saves time in the beginning, but decisions have to be made, but during product development, the customer is involved in a process. Daily routines, such as daily planning, reports, and meetings take a lot of time.
Risks. Company risks are minimal, while customer risks are high because a customer has to pay for extra development hours in case they're required.
Long-term projects. Preparing specifications in advance for them is impossible. They need to be flexible to make changes and add features in the future.
It's not easy to create specs for complex projects too. Something is always will be missing, so it's better to choose a time and materials billing model.
If you have a limited budget but need a long-term or a complex project, then we have a solution for you. Time & materials contract with a cap! It's a subtype of time and materials billing model that includes a budget limit. A customer and a company set budget maximum, so the final cost will not exceed the maximum. It helps to plan expenses more carefully.
Milestone contract includes regular payments for accomplished milestones. Customer and development team set benchmarks together. As a rule, a customer pays, at fixed points, when the required tasks completed. Payment is determined by time spent on development and amount of work. A customer pays for actual work done. Trusted relationships between a customer and a company are preferable, in case of arising disputes.
Charging for a result. Payments are provided for an achieved result. A customer avoids a one-time balloon payment.
Unforeseen budget. The budget is approximate, so until the release day customer doesn't know the final cost.
Results management. A customer approves completed work and progress.
Undefined timeline. Deadlines are approximate, so here comes a danger to delay the project.
Satisfying results. A team is motivated to reach the next milestone and to show excellent results to receive a new payment.
Risks. This type of contract implies medium risks both for a customer and a company. If extra development hours will be required, then it's not a problem to negotiate a reasonable price.
Long-term projects with complex scope, which usually are building gradually.
If it's not your first project with the company and you have trusted relationships, then a milestone contract is a good option.
If the quality above all for you, then milestone billing is what you need. You'll have an opportunity to check if everything is perfect before charging.
The best billing model is the one that meets your expectations. We've prepared for you this simple comparative table of time and materials vs. fixed price vs. milestone contracts. This table will help you to determine what you expect from your project and to choose the best billing model.
Let's sum up. The most common pricing models are fixed price contract, time&materials contract and milestone contract. Each of them has advantages and disadvantages and are suitable for different projects.
A short and simple project = fixed price contract.
Long-term and complex project = time&materials contract\milestone contract.
Flexible and high quality = time&materials contract\milestone contract.
If you have any further questions or want to discuss your project, feel free to contact us.


CURAD A&D ointment is a petrolatum and lanolin-based ointment that has vitamin A & D in it to help soothe, protect and moisturize the skin.
Inactive: corn oil, light mineral oil, vitamin A, palmitate, and vitamin D.
AllegroMedical.com presents The CURAD A and D Ointment. CURAD A&D ointment is a petrolatum and lanolin-based ointment that has vitamin A & D in it to help soothe, protect and moisturize the skin. Active: white petrolatum 93.5%. Inactive: corn oil, light mineral oil, vitamin A, palmitate, and vitamin D.


Electronics Design Group (EDG) is pleased to announce that six of its custom residential electronic installations were named finalists in six different categories for the 2010 Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Mark of Excellence Awards.
The Mark of Excellence awards program, presented by CEA's TechHome Division, recognizes the best in custom home electronics products, services, and installed technology. Each year, manufacturers, distributors, and systems integrators enter to compete in award categories for this coveted honor and are judged by independent experts within the industry.
Electronics Design Group (EDG) is a private company that specializes in the design, integration, and installation of high-end home theater and home automation system technologies for private residences, as well as a provider of complete theater, light control, and automation services for businesses.


text:
Pike, Bishop James Albert | Article about Pike, Bishop James Albert by The Free Dictionary
https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Pike%2c+Bishop+James+Albert
Pike, Bishop James Albert
Pike, Bishop James Albert (1913–1969)
(religion, spiritualism, and occult)
James Albert Pike was born on February 14, 1913, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was the only child of James Albert and Pearl Agatha Pike. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles (1932–1933), University of Southern California (A.B. 1934; LL.B. 1936), and Yale University (J.S.D. 1938). He also studied at Virginia Theological Seminary 1945–1946, General Theological Seminary 1936–1947, Union Theological Seminary (B.D. magna cum laude, 1951).
Pike was raised as a Roman Catholic and lectured at the Catholic University of America Law School in Washington, D.C., from 1939 to 1942. He left the Roman Catholic Church because he disagreed with the Pope's encyclical on birth control. He married Esther Yanovsky in 1942. In 1944, he was ordained as an Episcopal Church priest. He rose from Chaplain to Bishop, and in 1958 became Bishop in the diocese of California. In 1966, he resigned as Bishop to become theologian in residence at the Center for Democratic Institutions, Santa Barbara, California.
Pike was a member of the bar of U.S. Supreme Court and California State. He had a weekly television program from 1957–1960, and wrote a number of books, including The Faith of the Church (1951), Roadblocks to Faith (1954), Doing the Truth (1958), A New Look at Preaching (1961), Teenagers and Sex (1965), and You and the New Morality (1967).
Pike, like some of his relatives and ancestors, had psychic powers. He heard ghosts shuffling footsteps on the floor and stairs of the library when he was dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. He also experienced poltergeist activity in two of the homes in which he lived. A medium—Ethel Myers—was called in to investigate one in Poughkeepsie, New York.
On Friday February 4, 1966, Pike's elder son Jim took his own life in a New York hotel. Jim was twenty-two. He had long experimented with drugs, including marijuana, hashish, LSD, peyote, mescaline, and others. For a few months before his death, Jim spent time with his father and the two became close, sharing an apartment in Cambridge, England, for four and a half months. Pike was especially devastated at the death. Pike had his son's body cremated and the ashes spread over the Pacific Ocean, west of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Within little more than two weeks, still in Cambridge, Pike began to experience hauntings suggesting that his son's spirit might be behind them. There was a recurrence of a 140 degree angle, from two postcards that mysteriously appeared, to books placed on a shelf, to open safety pins, to the hands of a clock (which, after being stopped for many months, suddenly started working). Pike attempted communication with his son through automatic writing, but was unsuccessful. At the suggestion of Canon John Pearce-Higgins, who was an expert on Spiritualism, a séance was arranged with the medium Ena Twigg.
On March 2, 1966, Pike, his secretary Maren Bergrud, and Pearce-Higgins called on Twigg. Using Jim's passport as a psychometric link, the medium said that Jim had been trying to contact his father and was asking for forgiveness for the suicide, which he said was an accident (an overdose of pills). She then relayed that Jim was pleased about his ashes being scattered at the Golden Gate Bridge. He urged his father to continue fighting the church officials who opposed Pike's controversial beliefs.
Ena Twigg went on to say that Jim was accompanied by a German intellectual to whom Pike had dedicated his new book. The book was still at the printer. It was called What Is This Treasure? and was indeed dedicated to Paul Tillich, a liberal theologian and godfather to Jim. Tillich also urged Pike to fight those church officials who wanted to charge him with heresy.
Twelve days later, just before leaving England to return to the United States, Pike again sat with Twigg. This time she went into trance and Jim spoke through her. He prophesied Pike's movements in the near future (which came true) and also told his father to contact the Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship, and a Father William V. Rauscher, an Episcopal priest, when he got back to America. Twigg apaparently herself knew nothing of either Father Rauscher or of the Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship. In the fall of 1967, Pike was again shaken when his secretary Maren Bergrud committed suicide. He tried to contact her through mediums but without success.
Pike agreed to sit for a televised séance on CTV in Toronto, with medium Rev. Arthur Ford. This took place on Sunday, September 3. Allen Spraggett, religion editor of the Toronto Star, had arranged the program and acted as moderator. He first talked with Ford about mediumship and then with Pike, asking if the Bishop had any personal experience of communicating through a trance medium. Ford then put himself into a trance and his spirit guide, Fletcher, came through. Soon Jim, Pike's son, came through and gave evidential details.
On December 20, 1968, Pike married Diane Kennedy, who had taken over Maren Bergrud's position as director of the New Focus Foundation (started by Pike the previous year). Pike left the Church and formed the Foundation for Religious Transition in April 1969. A few months later, Pike and his new wife took a trip to the Holy Land. On September 1, they became lost in the desert. Diane had to leave her husband to go for help and could not locate him again afterward. When Ena Twigg heard of Pike being missing, she had a sitting with her husband Harry and Canon Peace-Higgins. They received a communication from Pike himself, giving directions to where his body could be found. It was found there, on a cliff in the Judaean desert near the Dead Sea, on September 7. Other mediums, including Ford, had tried to reach Pike but only Twigg managed to do so.
Guiley, Rosemary Ellen: The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits. New York: Facts On File, 1992
Pike, Diane Kennedy: Search: The Personal Story of a Wilderness Journey. New York: Doubleday, 1970
Pike, James A. and Diane Kennedy: The Other Side: An Account of My Experiences with Psychic Phenomena.New York: Doubleday, 1968
Twigg, Ena with Ruth Hagy Bro: Ena Twigg: Medium. London: W. H. Allen, 1973
Pike, Bishop James Albert
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However, problems can occur when there is a blockage or impaction of earwax. It can accumulate deep inside the ear canal mainly due to the use of objects, such as bobby pins, Q-tips or cotton swabs, which ultimately push the wax deep inside the ear. People who use ear plugs or hearing aids are also more prone to earwax blockage.
Excessive earwax also may buildup due to a narrowing of the ear canal resulting from some kind of infection or disease of the skin, bones or connective tissue.
It can also happen due to production of a less fluid form of cerumen or overproduction of cerumen due to some trauma or blockage within the ear canal. Deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids, zinc and magnesium can also produce more earwax.
Some of the signs and symptoms of accumulation of excessive earwax are earache, feeling of fullness in the ear, an uncomfortable sensation in the ear, noises in the ear (tinnitus), temporary hearing loss and itching.
You can get help from your family physician or an ear specialist to remove earwax. There are also ear drops and wax removal kits in the market that you can buy.
At the same time, there are many simple natural remedies to unblock and remove hardened earwax from your ears. With any of the home remedies, you may need to repeat them several times depending on the extent of the wax accumulation. However, do not use this remedies if you have a perforated ear drum and get the problem treated by a professional.
Note: Follow the remedies very carefully or else the wax impaction may worsen. If the symptoms persist even after trying the home remedies a few times, make sure you consult your doctor. Do not try to self-treat your condition if you have a hole or a tube in your eardrum.
Here are the top 10 home remedies to remove earwax.
Salt water is the best earwax removal solution that can be used at home. It can soften the wax accumulated inside the ear, making it easy to get rid of.
Mix one teaspoon of salt in one-half cup of warm water until the salt dissolves completely.
Tilt the affected ear up toward the sky. Squeeze the cotton ball to put a few drops of the saline water into the ear.
Stay in the same position for three to five minutes.
Next, tilt your head in the opposite direction to allow the saline water to drain out.
Hydrogen peroxide is another very effective remedy for excess earwax accumulation. Due to its effervescent property, hydrogen peroxide can remove the earwax and debris from the ear canal very easily.
Mix equal parts of hydrogen peroxide (3 percent) and water.
Tilt your head sideways and put a few drops of this solution into the ear.
Leave it for some time, and then tilt your head towards the opposite side to drain out the solution.
To soften earwax and facilitate its removal, you can also use baby oil.
Tilt the affected ear toward the sky and put two to five drops of the baby oil into the ear.
Place a cotton ball at the ear opening to prevent oil from oozing out.
Leave it for several minutes.
Remove the cotton ball and tilt your head the opposite direction to drain out the extra oil.
Instead of baby oil, you can also use mineral oil.
An age-old remedy to remove excess wax from your ear is a vinegar and rubbing alcohol solution.
The mixture will help dissolve the earwax. Plus, the alcohol will serve as a drying agent and evaporate at a low temperature and the vinegar will fight bacteria and fungi, and hence prevent any kind of ear infection.
Tilt the affected ear toward the sky and then squeeze two or three drops of this solution into the ear.
Wait for five minutes and tilt your head to the opposite direction so that gravity can bring out the solution as well as the wax.
This remedy can also be used to treat swimmer's ear.
Flushing your ear with warm water will also help get rid of excess earwax. The gentle force of the water will dislodge the wax, making it easier to remove. Be sure to use only clean and filtered water.
Another simple way to remove excess earwax is olive oil. Olive oil can soften the wax, making it easier to come out of the ear. Also, its antiseptic properties will reduce the risk of ear infection.
Using a dropper, put three or four drops of the warm oil into the affected ear.
Tilt your head sideways and remove the oil and wax with ear buds.
Almond oil can also aid in the removal of ear wax. This oil serves as a lubricant and softener for wax, making it easy for you to clear wax build up in the ear.
Take room temperature almond oil and fill an ear dropper with it.
Tilt the affected ear upwards, and then put five drops of almond oil in the ear with the dropper.
Stay in that positive for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the oil to soak into the hardened wax.
Now place a tissue over the oiled ear and tilt to the other side to drain out the excess oil as well as the wax.
Clean out the ear and wax with a soft cloth.
Baking soda is a natural remedy for excess earwax. A water-based solution that contains 10 percent baking soda can soften hardened wax.
Mix one-fourth teaspoon of baking soda in two teaspoons of water.
Tilt your head and use a dropper to put several drops of this solution in the affected ear.
Wait for 10 minutes and then flush warm water gently into the ear with a rubber-bulb syringe.
Tilt the head toward the opposite direction to drain out the excess solution as well as the dissolved earwax.
Clean your outer ear with a soft cloth.
Another common method for removing hardened earwax is to use glycerin. The lubricating and moisturizing nature of glycerin will help loosen impacted wax.
Tilt your head toward the sky and use a dropper to put three or four drops of glycerin in your ear.
Put a cotton ball at the opening of your ear and leave it for a few hours.
Remove the cotton ball and gently flush warm water in your ear.
Tilt your ear in the opposite direction to drain out the water completely.
Gently dry the outer ear with a towel or a hand-held hair dryer.
One of the most common causes for excessive earwax production is a deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids. So, increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids can help solve the problem of excess wax accumulating inside the ear.
Take a high quality omega-3 supplement. Consult your doctor for the correct dosage.
Also include foods rich in omega-3 like walnuts, cod liver oil, avocados, salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring albacore and ground flaxseed in your diet.
Don't use any pointed objects inside the ears as it can lead to ear infection.
Avoid inserting cotton swabs or ear buds into the ear canal.
Don't use candle earwax remover as it can burn the inside of your ear, leading to more serious issues.
Don't use cold water to drain out the excess earwax as it can cause dizziness.
Don't spray water or any liquid inside the ear with force as it can damage the inner ear and ear drums.
Do not put hot oil in the ears as it can burn the skin inside the ear or ear drum, leading to ear infection.
Don't use Q-tips to remove substantial buildup in the ear as it can actually push earwax deep into the canal.
Do not clean your ears too often or too hard.
Consult a doctor if you are unable to remove the wax with these remedies. Also, visit your doctor if you have symptoms, such as drainage from the ear, acute ear pain, fever and hearing loss, that continue after you clean out the wax buildup.
Thanks a lot for sharing us another home remedies to remove earwax. It could guide us on what to do at home. More power and God bless!


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text:
A Look Into Ukraine's World Famous Petrykivka Paintings
2017/06/24 - 17:34 • Culture, Ukraine
Petrykivka paintings are one of Ukraine's famous cultural landmarks. A new exhibition held in Kyiv shows the secret of this Ukrainian traditional art.
Valentyna Deka's whole life revolves around Petrykivka paintings. Deka even got her family involved in this unique Ukrainian paintings. The ornamental folk art is on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2013.
"Ornaments first appeared on houses walls and then turned into a separate folk art form — the Petrykivka painting. Of course, we have two houses decorated using the Petrykivka style designs," says Deka.
The birthplace of the world famous paintings is the village of Petrykivka.Valentyna is proud to call that same village her home:
"Among the 7,500 people living here, there are 2 painters, 17 award-winning artists, and more than 250 people who are currently learning the Petrykivka style painting."
In the Polish village of Zalipie, dozens of houses have Petrykivka-style designs. The colorful floral ornaments are also considered to be a part of the country's traditional heritage. The ethnographic museum of Tarnów has many of the designs on display.
"The city of Tarnów is not far from the Ukraine border. So, of course, they have very close relations. Poland and Ukraine are two different countries, but we have very similar art. Despite the different traditions, colors, and different patterns — they have similar designs. The art is also connected by the different artists' inspiration, kindness, and sincerity," says Svitlana Pakhlova, Manager of the Project.
A separate part of the exhibition showcases ceramics made by modern artists who have been influenced by Ukrainian traditions.
Tags: culture, petrykivka, Ukraine, Ukrainian culture, Ukrainian traditions
UA TV
UATV is a 24/7 international broadcaster that targets broad audiences around the globe. UATV's main goal is to convey objective, unbiased, relevant and interesting information about Ukraine first hand.
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Use Arrows to move, Space to turn around, 1-7 to stunts.
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Can I offer different languages to different customers?
Currently, the dashboard language option is an account-wide setting. It will apply not only to your administrator level account, but also to your staff accounts, and all of your client accounts. We'll most likely add support for setting different languages for different client users at some point in the near future.