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Category Archives: restaurant
Glutton Abroad: Taipei Bang-bang
Clear and standard versions of the namesake dish at Yong Kang Beef Noodle
On the way over to Taipei, I saw an episode of the TV show "Louie", which features American comedian Louis CK. In this episode, Louie and his friend brother engage in a practice they refer to as "bang-bang": having a full meal at one venue before going to a completely different type of place and getting a second full meal there. There are different combinations they play with before deciding on "Indian-diner", which, to me, is just an OK combination since you can cheat on the "diner" side of the quotation with just a Greek salad or something, whereas something like "Italian-barbecue" is a real, full-on, genuine pig-out. (This, from the person with $^%&ing GERD.)
Anyway, when they are talking to the waitress at the diner later, Louie treats his "bang-bang" mission as something to be hidden and ashamed of. This marks my first disconnect of the day: that this is something to hide away. Because I do this shit all the time. It is called "lunch" and "second lunch". Sometimes it is "second breakfast". I am too old to have "second dinners" anymore. The point is that this is perfectly normal behavior that every food lover worth his or her own weight in potato chips understands and engages in. Sometimes there is not enough time to try everything you want to try. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try it! What's the problem?
Faced with only two full days in Taipei, I was grappling with this very conundrum myself. There are a gazillion eateries in Taiwan's capital, and only a few hours to taste them all. Do you think this meant I would have to do without something or other? HELL NAW. It was my first time in Taipei, and my very first experience with real Taiwanese food. I wasn't going to chuck this opportunity with concerns about "diet" or "health" or "looking nice", etc.
Thais like to consider Cantonese food the foundation of all great Chinese food. They say Cantonese food is the epitome of classical Chinese cooking, and a celebration of the light, natural flavors coaxed out of superior ingredients. I find this interesting because, even now, I still don't get it. I still find it leaden and unappetizing, coated in gelatinous, saliva-like sauces. I know I am in the minority here, and likely traumatized from my childhood spent in every Cantonese restaurant located between Pittsburgh-Cleveland.
But no, I see Taiwanese food as the real embodiment of this light/natural aesthetic — minimal manipulation with great ingredients, minimal fuss, and unusual, thought-provoking combinations. The great difference between this and what Thais like is that there is no grand wallop of flavor. It's introverted food, subtle, a little cerebral … some might even call it retiring or shy. It takes a little time with a dish to get to know it well. It's not out to seduce, like Thai food, or wearing its resume on its sleeve, Cantonese-style. In this way, I feel like I can relate to Taiwanese food in a way I can't with the more ESFP-geared charms of a place like Thailand or Hong Kong.
So when there were three places I really wanted to hit on Yong Kang Street, one of Taipei's most well-known areas for food, I was determined to find them all (a "bang-bang-bang", if you will). The first, and most obvious, is the famed xiaolongbao eatery Din Tai Fung, an Asia-wide dumpling empire that has been lauded by the New York Times. Its flagship is just around the corner, on Xinyi Road, and is a huge tourist draw. How much of a tourist draw? The girl in front speaks fluent Thai, Mandarin, Korean, Japanese and Cantonese. Despite its tourist attraction status, its famous soup dumplings may be even better than anywhere else. The standard pork and chicken soup dumplings are available, but there are also variations like pork and black truffle, which require an entirely different spoon and absolutely no sauce.
Din Tai Fung's pork and truffle soup dumpling
The second place featured one of my very favorite noodle dishes in all the world, danzai or "dan dan" noodles. I wanted to make sure I got them at Slack Season Noodles (also known as Tu Hsiao Yueh, located at 9-1 Yong Kang St), started in 1895 by a fisherman who made noodles in the off-time spent away from his fishing boat (hence the name "Slack Season"). Today, there are several branches of this place, but the most famous may be on Yong Kang Street, where a noodle vendor is still located out in front of the dining room, patiently enduring tourists taking endless photos of them.
Traditional danzai noodles from Slack Season Noodles
The final, third place was the hardest to get into, featuring the longest, most intimidating line. If it wasn't called Yong Kang Beef Noodle (No. 17, Lane 31, Secion 2 Jinshan South Rd), I would have certainly walked away, but I didn't come all this way to wimp out and deprive myself of Taiwan's famous beef noodles. So in the line I went, listening to countless American tourists walking by and remarking on how some people are so "crazy" as to stand in line for food.
Well, let me tell you, the line was worth it. It's not a beef noodle like in Thailand, where the broth is either thickened with cow's blood and a representation of all that is beefy, or a clear broth that ends up being light and refreshing — it's somewhere in the middle of the spectrum between those two. The broth is hearty and beefy, yet light, and the noodles chewy and satisfying, but it's that beef that is the real star: thick melting slabs generous marbled and tender enough to be cut with a single chopstick.
But the real discovery here was the "spicy dumpling", which featured a sheet of nearly-melting dough around a nicely-seasoned ball of mince, doused in a sauce thickened with fermented tofu. Could I resist a generous dollop of macerated red chili with garlic to accompany it? Of course not.
The spicy dumpling at Yong Kang Beef Noodle
Filed under Asia, beef, food, noodles, restaurant, Taiwan
Feeling chicken in Hua Hin
A trio of favorites: green curry, shredded chicken curry and clear soup
A few months ago while in New York, my friend Karen took me to Momofuku Ko. It was a hard reservation to score — the chance to vie for a spot at the kappo-style restaurant (currently closed) started off at something like 10 in the morning on the restaurant's website and closed around 5 minutes later. It was always booked out by then — that is, unless you are lucky like Karen was, winning us a couple of seats right before we were due to set off on a barbecue tour. The secret to getting a reservation? As one of the chefs behind the counter (hipster Ryan Reynolds in an alternate universe) said, "You have to not want it that much."
That struck me (as did the fact that, um, Mark Ruffalo appeared to be working as the maitre'd there. Does Marvel truly not pay that well? Does no one notice that the Hulk is bringing them menus and giving them glasses? Do NOT complain about your drink order!) "You have to not want it that much" seemed like a very zen way to approach just about everything in your life, if you can keep a handle on all that WANT.
I've wanted to go to Krua Kannikar for months. But it's not easy when a. it's in Hua Hin and b. your husband is doing all he can to turn into a "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?"-style shut-in. There are lots of reasons to give up being a shut-in for at least a couple of hours though. And the reasons that Krua Kannikar gives are a. chicken b. chicken and c. chicken.
Because that's all Kannikar serves. Fried chicken, crumbly and thick; stir-fried chicken; chicken shredded and minced in soup; chicken tossed into coconut milk curries with a handful of lime leaves, peppercorns and chilies. Let me tell you a little something about chicken. I LURVE CHICKEN. ESPECIALLY FRIED CHICKEN. In fact, in the same alternate universe where cheffy Ryan Reynolds slaves over a hot stove all day for David Chang, fried chicken and I are happily married and expecting an entire litter of chicken Mcnuggets. But that is back in that other universe. In this universe, I will have to make peace with fried chicken as the one that got away.
Luckily for me, fried chicken is the specialty of the house here. Born back in 1994, Krua Kannikar — like almost all popular Thai restaurants that have been around for a while — morphed out of a street food cart that first sold fresh chicken, then fried chicken. Now, it offers just about every beloved Thai dish that can take chicken: minced chicken salad, stir-fried chicken with chilies and holy basil, chicken tom yum, green curry, and, most notably, the gai yad sai, or deboned fried chicken wings stuffed with a mix of highly seasoned pork mince, garlic and glass vermicelli. A bewitching mix of crunch, juicy meat, glass noodle-y squick and a little bit of heat, these wings are perfect for people who want everything in one bite.
Kannikar's stuffed fried chicken wings
It's chicken heaven for chicken lovers, Ground Central for a Thai Colonel Sanders, and it's right there for the taking, if you are willing to venture to the train tracks and amble along for a little while until you spot Kannikar's sign. It's worth it if you are in the neighborhood, and maybe worth it even if you're not.
Filed under Asia, Bangkok, chicken, food, restaurant, Thailand
Glutton Abroad: Dyspeptic in Japan
Everyone always says Japan is a country full of food obsessives, and it feels true. In places like the US — full of work obsessives — and Thailand (where it is chic to pretend to be a work obsessive), it would be considered a complete waste of time to line up for two hours for the perfect soft cream ("fresh!") cheesecake, or wait outside in the cold for a space at your favorite beef stew restaurant behind Kabuki-za (oh, OK, it's MY favorite beef stew restaurant). In Japan, this is seen as completely normal behavior. It takes a special blend of desire and commitment to practice this kind of stick-to-itiveness for something many others would dismiss as frivolous.
In Japan, food is not frivolous, and its inevitable discovery is considered a special time in everyone's life. This is probably why there is such a thing as the "food manga", comic books which document a person's first blossoming of culinary interest (a "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" for foodies). This usually takes the form of throwing over one's job and/or parentally-approved educational plans in favor of a backbreaking, precarious life in the food business. In Thailand, this is typically called "having a nervous breakdown". In Japan, it is subverting your own ego to create more beauty in the world.
No great stretch, then, to learn that there are also "wine mangas": comics which depict the deflowering of the protagonist's innocence re wine. My friend Ritsuko says they usually fall back on the same narrative as the food manga, except that there are lots of porny shots of sexy wine labels and hot 'n bothered talk of "terroir". There is no burgeoning romance, no family drama to distract the reader from the main objective — the love of wine, ideally something French and expensive:
Here, a lady is discovering her first Burgundy. Whether she is shocked because of the wine's deliciousness or the price tag, I dunno, my Japanese isn't that good.
And here, dude is learning how a special set of characteristics manifests itself into the soil to create the best wine evah (aka "terroir", aka "Only French people can make good wine".)
I kid, because I love. I love Japan, and I am a Francophile, so this is a perfect storm of awesomeness for me. I also think France produces the best wine. Haha, who am I kidding. I will guzzle wine from anywhere.
I will also guzzle sake from anywhere, including Awaji Island. Now, Awaji is a special place for Japanese food lovers, because its close proximity to Kobe=wonderful Japanese beef, while its location as the biggest island in the Inland Sea on Japan's eastern side=great seafood, particularly lobster, abalone and sea urchin. This pretty much would have equalled heaven on earth for me, were I not afflicted with %*&^#$ing GERD (medico-speak for really bad, constant heartburn). I am old.
I wasn't so afflicted that I couldn't eat anything, however. Awaji also specializes in red snapper, which I am told is the same thing as sea bream. Really? I see both on restaurant menus all the time, and have noticed how much Japanese people like sea bream. In any case, Awaji Island is Ground Zero for sea bream/red snapper. It's no surprise that they serve it as sashimi as a first course. It does come as a surprise, however, when your dinner starts moving and gasping on the table as you are taking squares of flesh off its skeleton and dipping them in soy sauce. That is a surprise. If you are old enough to remember Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and the "Alice in Wonderland"-themed video for "Don't Come Around Here No More", where they start cutting pieces of Alice up and serving them as cake, you will understand what eating this sashimi was like.
This fish is still moving
If you stick around, you will be rewarded with cooked versions of this fish, grilled until white and juicy and served up alongside fragrant Japanese limes and cooked sakae, or Japanese sea snails (another specialty of the area).
Snapper and sea snails
As lovely as Awaji was, one could not stay there forever. There was more food to be had in Nagano, which is one of my favorite cities in Japan, no uso. Set almost smack in the middle of Honshu, Nagano acts like the country's fruit basket — gargantuan apples, grapes, apricots, peaches, nectarines — but it also abounds in good sake, flour dumplings, grilled, miso-flecked rice cakes, and wild game. The region's premier culinary specialty, however, might be this:
Nagano's #1 specialty, soba
Like Thais and their soup noodles, every person in this town will tell you a different place that makes the "best soba", and they are totally prepared to fight to the death (OK, for the next five minutes) about it. In fact, when asked to go to one soba shop, our taxi driver in Nagano refused, taking us to a different one that he said was better. In the end, it really doesn't matter where you go because (much like many of Bangkok's more famous guay thiew shops), you'd have to work hard to find a really, really bad one in Nagano. Most are pretty good, unless you are the world's most discerning gourmet of soba noodles ever (95% of Japanese people).
Another, far less lauded Nagano specialty is its "apple beef", made from cows fed on, yes, the region's famously sweet, juicy, and large apples. Like their more famous Kobe brethren, these cows are massaged regularly so that the fat is distributed throughout the flesh, like this:
Apple beef ready for the sukiyaki pan at Sukitei in Nagano
I've come to believe that Japanese-style beef may be that country's most famous "fusion" food. Popularized during the Meiji Restoration when Japan was coming to grips with Western influence, beef (and "steak") here have since taken on qualities that are uniquely Japanese. While American beef is about the beef itself — fibers, sinews, blood and all — the flavor characteristics prized by the Japanese are tenderness, fattiness, umami. It's meat that's been manipulated from day one, made to be cooked to medium or even medium-well to activate the fat buried within, and then (if served as a steak), grilled before its heady baptism with soy sauce and a dollop of wasabi to cut the greasiness. I'll be honest: this meat is too much for me, especially in my old lady GERD state. This kind of meat is meant for lucky people with working digestive systems. I'll be in the corner gnawing on a couple of medium-rare pieces of Porterhouse.
Filed under Asia, beef, food, Japan, restaurant
Tagged as beef, food, Japan, Nagano, soba
by Bangkok Glutton | 10/13/2014 · 12:54 pm
Isaan Road Trip
A coconut milk-based snail curry in Pak Chong
I am rubbish on road trips. I can't drive, and I don't like to read maps or mess around with GPS. I am good with the radio, but if it's not Boston, or Led Zeppelin, or Rush, I will probably try to rush past your favorite song in pursuit of something from one of these three groups. My friend Karen (@karenblumberg) can tell you I'm rubbish on road trips, if you asked her (but she wouldn't, because she's loyal and kind and my best friend), but, for some reason, Chin (@chilipastetour) and Anne (@anneskitchen) are both willing to spend a whopping 6 days with me cooped up in a car!
In all seriousness though, it's for a very good reason. We are going to be tasting Isaan, Chin's home turf. Despite the huge popularity of Isaan food in Thailand — and its growing popularity abroad — Isaan as a region has yet to draw the kinds of tourist numbers that Northern Thailand and the South see. That boggles my mind, since its Laos- and Vietnam-influenced food — succulent meats on the grill, tart and spicy larbs (minced salads) thick with roasted rice kernels, som tum (grated salads) of every possible variation, eggs cooked in a pan with steamed pork sausage (kai kata) and sticky rice — are what a lot of Thai food lovers think of when they think of their favorite dishes. Why not go to the source?
Yet Isaan remains bewilderingly under-visited. Every national park and waterfall we visited had either just a handful of people or, in some dazzlingly lucky cases, was completely abandoned. Restaurants, if full, were full of locals. Hotels were populated with Thai tourists from somewhere close by. For travelers who want a slice of something truly "authentic", an experience just like that of someone living right there where you are visiting, you really can do no better than Thailand's northeast: the country's most populous region, producing some of its most memorable food, yet still strangely underrated.
Our road trip started with a stop at Pak Chong, just a few hours' drive from Bangkok but still seen as the gateway to Isaan. While there, we sampled the wares at the restaurant Mae Fai Pla Pow, where of course we had the namesake grilled fish which came stuffed with roasted eggplant and accompanied with a platterful of fresh vegetables served under a layer of ice cubes to keep them crunchy, plus six dipping sauces (nam jim).
"Pla pow", or grilled fish, at Mae Fai Pla Pow
These fabulous sauces (Thais are all about the sauce, after all) included a nam prik gapi (shrimp paste chili dip); a tart/spicy seafood dipping sauce; a sweet tamarind dipping sauce to go with the sadao (a bitter river herb) served alongside the fish; and a dipping sauce flavored liberally with the essence of mangda (giant water beetle). These big critters feature in a lot of Isaan cuisine, either pounded into chili dips, deep-fried whole, or steamed. The taste is heavily floral, slightly cucumber-y, and even a little sweet. It's just one of many examples of Isaan ingenuity.
Mangda at the market
At the Pak Chong market the next morning, we indulged in a couple of kafae boran (old-fashioned Thai coffees), sweetened with condensed milk and accompanied by a couple of glasses of Chinese tea to cut the sugary flavor.
We also came across a "sticky rice" stall, where you get your pick of toppings — most porky and/or deep-fried — which are then plopped onto a handful of sticky rice and wrapped in a banana leaf to stay warm:
Making a selection at the sticky rice vendor
Selections made
Later on, we hit Korat, where a lot of the Mon-style fermented rice noodles known as kanom jeen are made. In fact, we were lucky enough to reach "kanom jeen row", an entire aisle of rice noodle vendors featuring highly-spiced curries — usually including nam prik (sweet peanut curry), nam ya pa (fish curry without coconut milk), and/or nam ya (fish curry) — complete with the requisite toppings like shredded banana blossom, fresh bean sprouts and sliced green beans set conveniently in front of stools to sit on.
"Kanom jeen pradok" at a market in Korat
I ended up choosing a mix of the sweet peanut curry and nam ya, topping it with a scattering of bean sprouts, sliced and blanched morning glory stems, and the julienned banana blossoms:
Another noodle dish we saw frequently on our table was the Vietnamese-inflected dish guay jab yuan (Vietnamese-style Chinese noodles), which, despite its name, employs a boatload of Thai flavor embodied in the sweetness of deep-fried shallots and an armload of dried spice. The best town for this dish by far was Ubon Ratchathani. However, the version we had at Mukdahan was more photogenic.
Of course, no trip to Isaan is complete without a sampling of each town's best som tum. Whatever your views on the fermented Thai fish known as pla rah, every som tum we had felt like som tum as it is meant to be: fresh, juicy, and heavy with the deep bass note pungency of salty fish. Just about every street side vendor we encountered proved adept with the mortar and pestle, and every variation was available to us, including green banana leavened with yellow Thai eggplant and the standard green papaya. But one of our favorites was a version made with cucumber and tomato:
Cucumber som tum at a roadside stall
One of my favorite things about Isaan was the seasonality of the ingredients and the immediacy (read: simplicity) of the cooking. Many of the things we ate were foraged from nearby. In fact, taking a walk through the woods with Chin involved a "Hunger Games"-like cataloguing of all the plants and leaves that were edible (note: a lot of this stuff is edible). One great meal involved buying mountain mushrooms from a roadside vendor who had just plucked them from a hillside 5 km away that morning:
Fresh mountain mushrooms
A few minutes later, those mushrooms were being cooked at a roadside stall down the road, replete with chilies, a bit of pla rah juice, and herbs gathered by Chin from the nearby forest:
The best meal, though, was cooked by Chin's parents who — amazingly — set up a makeshift outdoor kitchen over the course of three days expressly for our visit! It was a lesson in real Isaan cooking: food seasoned with pla rah, fish sauce, and salt, cooked simply over two charcoal braziers, with many of the ingredients — down to the mushrooms, peppercorns, fruits and herbs — gathered from the backyard. We ended up with a gargantuan Isaan feast, featuring shredded bamboo shoot salad with chilies and toasted rice kernels, sliced pork with rice vermicelli and a scattering of fresh herbs, a quick and tasty soup of locally reared chicken thick with fresh dill, a larb of chicken skin and livers, grilled pork belly, steamed mushrooms dipped in a chili-flecked fish sauce … I am sure I am forgetting something. It was a dizzying array of great food.
Feast at Chin's family home
Let's focus on that great bamboo shoot salad (soup naw mai, one of my very favorite Isaan dishes) again:
The meal encompassed everything I've come to learn about Isaan: the generosity, the hospitality, and of course, the great, fresh, seasonal produce cooked simply and flavored with only a handful of different seasonings. I may be ruined for every other kind of food for a while now.
Filed under Asia, Bangkok, food, food stalls, Isaan, restaurant, Thailand
Tagged as food, Isaan, sticky rice
Glutton Abroad: All we do in KL is eat
A bowl of assam laksa from Penang Cuisine in Publika
Frequently, when one is comparing A to B, it's always a case of either/or, or this versus that. It is never about both things being awesome. I think it is because we are bred to think of things in terms of conflict. But A can indeed be as good as B, if different, and it would be foolish to choose one over the other. I mean, who would choose between Loki and Thor if you can have both?
So I am here to say that — while I still love Thai cuisine — Malaysian food is absolutely, indisputably delicious. Not everything makes me want to rend my garments with how wonderful it is: for instance, Chinese-style laksa seems like an exercise in flavor layering that is unnervingly similar to how a 3-year-old puts together a sundae (let's have that, and then this, and then a little more of the other thing, and while we're at it, more of that again). At the same time, there are dishes that are tear-out-your-heart, stomp-on-the-ground yummy. Malaysian food is varied and many-dimensional and complicated, sure. And I've only just scratched the surface! The verdict, after one short trip to Kuala Lumpur, is the one that I ultimately feared: I cannot believe I waited so long to eat here.
Chinese-style laksa with fried and fresh tofu, pork, fried wontons, egg noodles and cockles
I know our culinary "guide" May means business when she sends us a detailed food itinerary a couple of weeks in advance. She jokes about it being "gut busting", but it really and truly is. There was once a time when I could eat like this, like when I was researching my first book only a few years ago — a handful of places, three times a day. The trick, you are supposed to tell yourself, is to remember to "graze" so that there is enough room for everything to fit.
This is truly easier said than done. Especially when you are presented with the delectable char siew (Chinese-style barbecued pork) at Restoran Meng Char Siew (13 Tengkat Tong Shin, 012-252-1943). Unlike the other versions I've tried, this pork is neither overly sugary nor brittle with glaze; it's a soft, melting heft of meat lacquered with sweet and bitter from the makeshift drum-like "ovens" in the kitchen.
Malaysian barbecued pork
There is less worry about offsetting greasiness with something cleansing or tangy in Malaysia, so here you have your "oiled" rice (similar to the rice you get with chicken rice) or your rice vermicelli drenched in soy sauce and your freshly sliced cucumber and maybe a stir fry of lettuce or bean sprouts (ideally from Ipoh, because those are the best, says May from Ipoh). Then you call it a day. Or, in our case, we call it an hour, because it's already time to head off to the next destination. But before we go, May stops to watch the pork meatball vendor at work next door. Unlike the Thai pork pellets that are skewered and then grilled over an open flame, these meatballs are golf ball-sized masses of pig, served with a burning hot pork broth and bits of green onion. They are small enough to trick you into thinking you can eat them in one bite, but big enough to turn that endeavor into a total disaster.
"You should try a couple," May urges me, but it's too much, and I am already thinking of the next restaurant.
"Oh no, I will die if we have any more food right now," I say.
"Two meatballs!" May answers, before I am presented with a small plastic bag of balls that I am free to carry into the car to maybe nosh on later.
So no, I did not die, because I am sitting here writing this right now, duh. And my stomach did settle in time to sample the eye-opening bak kuh teh at Teluk Pulai (Claypot) Bak Kuh Teh (32 Jalan Batai Laut 5, 03-3344-5196). I am used to the Singporean and Thai-Chinese version of this dish, which is referred to as the "peppery" kind involving cooking greens and pork into a sort of vegetal sludge. I absolutely loathe this dish. It reminds me of Italian ribollita, which I also find revolting. Why ruin all the best parts of the vegetables? But here, they specialize in the "herbal" type of bak kuh teh, which means the greens are strewn over the top as the pot of pork is served at your table, alongside rice and cut-up deep-fried crullers (patongko) to soak up all the delicious pork broth.
There is also a "dry" kind of bak kuh teh, which was sort of a revelation for me: no broth, no greens, just a bunch of slowly braised pork bits, heavily coated with bah kuh teh spices, what appears to be the cooked-down broth, and dark soy sauce.
The crullers go with the "wet" bak kuh teh. I didn't know that when I took this photo.
As full as I was from the barbecued pork, I could not pass up this dish — a dish I had previously dreaded seeing on the dinner table. Another thing I remember dreading: Chinese food, the kind that my parents would drive two hours to Cleveland for. There, at a restaurant called "Bo Loong", my parents would get their Asian food fix while we kids moped around like mourners at a funeral, eating plain rice and wishing ourselves at McDonald's.
But even my parents, longtime Bo Loong boosters, would say that Restaurant Oversea (84-88 Jalan Imbi, +603-2144-9911) is a far superior restaurant. In fact, it is now my favorite Chinese restaurant in the world. There are a bunch of excellent dishes: things that are slow-cooked in pots, or freshly plucked from the fish tanks downstairs, or (this being Malaysia) coated in that black sauce that seems capable of covering just about anything edible here. But there real reason I am hoping to go back is this (order 24 hours in advance):
Roast piglet with gravy at Restaurant Oversea Imbi
Now, I look at this and feel a twinge. This was a baby pig. I do feel bad about that. But do I respond by crossing my arms and not partaking, basically rejecting the gift that this piglet has given us? Or do I dig in and honor this pig's sacrifice to my stomach as heartily as possible? You can guess my reaction. It is: thank you, baby pig. Your tiny squares of skin, paired with the fluffy Chinese-style steamed bread (man tou), or chunks of fatty, tender flesh drenched in pork gravy. Your sweet little trotters. And then, yes, the head, cleaved in two and presented to my neighbor at the dinner table and me, in an unspoken foodie dare.
I nibbled at the ear as my neighbor exhorted me to dig in with my bare hands, tearing the head apart at the jaw to release more of the meat buried under the cheekbone. "Try the eye," she said, poking it out from underneath the skull to pop into her mouth. And, well, if she went to St. Andrews with Prince William and could chow down on half a piglet head like it was NBD, then I could do it too. It tasted like nothing, like a crunchy piece of gelatin. I had passed.
This is nowhere near all the food that I had. There are other highlights: fish head curry, Assam laksa (like noodles in a gaeng som broth), various stir-fried noodle dishes, yam rice with a light, slightly sour broth peppered with pig innards. But it's not even close to the end of the road for all the dishes I want to try. I'm no fortuneteller, but I see … another trip to KL looming in my future.
Pan mee from Kin Kin: noodles with dried fish, minced pork, chilies and a poached egg
Filed under Asia, food, food stalls, Malaysia, restaurant
Sit Eat Talk
Steamed fish with soy sauce, one of the many courses at Nang Gin Kui
We all have our biases. They are shaped from our individual life experiences and form a part of who we are. If, for example, James Franco opens his mouth to say something, I am going to be predisposed against taking it seriously in any way. Same if the opinion comes from a person who refers to Daenerys Stormborn as "Khaleesi". Nope nope nope nope. Not going to pay attention.
I kind of feel the same way about TripAdvisor. Don't get me wrong — I don't think it's completely useless. It's just that I don't really know about the methodology. In fact, I don't know about any methodology, because I can't math. I can only listen to people I know and trust, who tell me where to eat (and what to do and where to go). If, however, they are James Franco or a person who calls Daenerys Stormborn "Khaleesi", then I don't want to hear their opinions on good restaurants. Because 1.) I am a huge Game of Thrones nerd, and 2.) I won't believe them. How many James Francos and "Khaleesi"-lovers submit reviews to TripAdvisor? No one knows, right? This is something to consider, TripAdvisor. This is cause for concern.
Just last week, though, I got to try dinner at the top-rated Bangkok restaurant on TripAdvisor, Nang Gin Kui (aka Eat, Pray, Love. Haha. Just kidding. It stands for Sit, Talk, Eat). It's actually the very first restaurant I've tried that is currently listed in TripAdvisor's top 10 Bangkok restaurants. At #2 is Creamery Boutique Ice Creams (yes, an ice cream parlor is Bangkok's number two restaurant), and #3 is Chef Bar, which I've heard good things about but haven't tried yet. These are then followed by Sensi Japanese restaurant and The District (huh? Never heard of either), followed by G's Restaurant (there's another German place besides Bei Otto?), JP French Restaurant, Reflexions (at the Plaza Athenee? Really?) Old Town Cafe, and finally Le Petit Zinc (oh yeah, I have tried that place). Maybe you have been to all these places and found them excellent, or maybe you don't know them from Jorah Mormont's half-bear sister. It's all subjective, isn't it? Do you take a chance or not?
Maybe. Because, as much shade as I'll throw on an ice cream parlor being the second-ranked restaurant in Bangkok, I do totally understand why Nang Gin Kui is TripAdvisor's #1. It is charming, intimate, lovely and — for a certain type of outgoing, personable diner (not me) — a lot of fun. It is also really, really smart. Set on the 15th floor of the oldest apartment house in a quiet riverside section of Chinatown, Nang Gin Kui is the brainchild of architect Florian Gypser and his girlfriend, chef Goy Siwaporn, who open up their own home to grubby outsiders about four times a week. Evenings are either "meet and greets" (where a bunch of strangers gather together and try to find common ground for a few hours) or private dinners for a couple or group of people, and they serve set menus of 12 courses which change nightly, depending on what's fresh at the market.
One of the reasons Nang Gin Kui works is that, well, very few people have a nice, cozy space with a stunning view of the Chao Phraya River. Besides Le Normandie, this probably has the best view of the river I've seen — in fact, it might be better, because it's up higher. My photos don't really do it justice.
Riverside view
Another thing is, it's a lot of food, with a whole lot of space in between — European-level amounts of space — that allow for plenty of conversation and digestion. The fare is mostly Asian-ish: Thai, with a bit of Chinese or Japanese and some fusion-y touches, depending on Goy's mood. There are plenty of little nibbles to go with your aperitif, like tofu-and-sesame salad or asparagus wrapped in salmon, as well as heartier stuff (curry, grilled seafood). The cooking smartly avoids getting too fancy, or too fussy, in favor of simplicity and flavor. And food is not the only thing in abundance here; Florian is very, very good at making sure your champagne and wine glasses are filled at all times.
The ultimate effect is like a dinner party spent at the home of very ambitious and efficient foodie friends whom you're just starting to get close to, so you're trying to be as polite as possible to their other friends in order to score more invitations to their house. The only problem for Florian and Goy is that all I have to do is call them up and reserve a table if I want another evening with them! Something to consider, Florian and Goy. Cause for concern (for them).
NOTE: Despite my offer to pay, Florian and Goy comped my dinner. Can I be bought off by a pleasant, boozy evening full of food? Why, yes. YES I CAN. However, I also thought it was a fun experience and would have happily paid. Plus, I am not James Franco and refer to Dany by her real name. You can trust my opinion! Or not. More food for me.
Filed under Asia, Bangkok, food, restaurant, Thailand
Chinese-style duck at Ros Niyom
Because it's so hot, I've been even lazier than usual about getting out and about with the street food. It took a handful of text messages and maybe a phone call or two before my friend Chris could gently pry me off of my couch and into the real world, where people move around on sidewalks and take crowded Skytrain rides and, yes, even sweat. Although Chris swears that the temperature in Bangkok has only been hovering around the mid-to-late 30s (and where else can you say "only in the mid-30s"? Very few places), I swear this city is the hottest its ever been, and that it's foolish to even pretend to go about your daily business, because the world is crumbling down around our very ears (earthquakes? A tornado? Never before in Thailand, in my lifetime).
A good meal will make your forget these things momentarily. So will a good drink, but it's noon, and things are not (yet) as dire as all that. So when Chris takes me to the far end of Nana (past the entertainment complex, past the various Indian restaurants, and what appears to be a fairly new gigantic Subway), we end up in the kind of relatively quiet, sedate neighborhood that you'd expect to find much further from the pulsing heart of the city's nightlife center. Right before the street dead ends into a factory sits the Thai-Chinese restaurant Ros Niyom (172-174 Sukhumvit 4 Nana Tai, 02-255-0991), an aharn tham sung (made-to-order) spot that specializes in pet palo, or duck braised in 5-spice sauce. You can tell this is what to order from the ducks hung from their necks in front, where a fairly taciturn lady silently dissects duck meat and skin for practically every table in the restaurant. And it's not just the duck meat that's in demand here: also a specialty, the congealed blocks of duck's blood served swimming in a duck broth, its jelly-like texture contrasting with the sour chili sauce ladled over the top.
Duck blood in a bowl
The essence of everything that is ducky, with a generously-sized plate of rice and maybe a stir-fried garlicky bitter gourd shoot or two, and you've got a substantial lunch that could see you safely to dinnertime. Throw in a couple of bowls of beef noodles, the highly-recommend hae gun (deep-fried shrimp dumplings) and a couple of beers, and you can just forget about venturing out from under the safety of that restaurant awning for the next few hours, or, at the very least, until the next torrential downpour comes to take some of the bite out of this heat.
Filed under Asia, Bangkok, duck, food, restaurant, Thailand


text:
Q: In Scala, how do I mixin java interfaces into Scala code For example suppose I have
interface ICar {...}
class Car implements ICar {...}

In Scala I wish to do
new MyScalaClass with ICar

But use the java implementation of ICar i.e. Car. What is the syntax for doing this?

A: You can use object aggregation, but encapsulating the aggregation in a trait. Suppose you have the following Java code:
interface ICar {
  public void brake();
}
public class Car implements ICar {
  public void brake() { System.out.println("BRAKE !!!"); }
}

Then you can define the following Scala trait:
trait HasCar { self: ICar =>
  private val car = new Car
  def brake() = car.brake()
}

And finally you can mix everything you need into your class:
 val c = new MyScalaClass extends ICar with HasCar
 c.brake // prints "BRAKE !!!"

A: new MyScalaClass with ICar is the syntax for doing that, but if there are methods in ICar that aren't implemented in MyScalaClass, MyScalaClass with ICar is an abstract class and can't be constructed. Hence, you'll need to provide method bodies for the methods in ICar.
// ICar.java
interface ICar{
  void drive();
}

//MyScalaClass.scala
class MyScalaClass{
   def brake = ()
}

//UseIt.Scala

// error: object creation impossible, since method
// drive in trait ICar of type => Unit is not defined
val foo = new MyScalaClass with ICar

// this works
val foo = new MyScalaClass with ICar { def drive = println("Driving") }

A: You can't mix two classes using with. Only one class is allowed, plus any number of traits or interfaces. Hence:
class MyScalaClass
class Car
new MyScalaClass with Car
// error: class Car needs to be a trait to be mixed in

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


What are they wearing now: Latest arrival .... and just sold.
Latest arrival .... and just sold.
UPDATE: I'm so delighted to have this held in reserve for a lovely young woman who is planning to wear it to her wedding soon.


Virtualization/Server Consolidation — Computer Atlanta, Inc.
The costs associated with maintaining large server environments has transformed into a living, breathing energy and cost-drainage. Small and medium-sized businesses that are seeing their cost of ownership skyrocket due to operating data centers and server rooms are turning to virtualization for a needed fix.
Our expertise in virtualization can create new value from your old hardware investments to drive increased productivity and improve your ROI.
We have the resources to help you migrate to a virtual world. Our team is comprised of two VMware VCPs and IBM Certified specialists.
Before starting the next virtualization phase, our team of VMware experts will work in tandem to set up your virtualization roadmap. By leveraging VMware capacity planner, you will have a complete view of your IT resource utilization—and how it can change following server consolidation.
VMware capacity planner brings keen insight for maximizing the full capabilities of your IT infrastructure.
Persistent VDI offers each user a unique desktop that can be saved for future use. Nonpersistent VDI provides a standardized desktop environment that reverts back to its initial state after the user logs out. VMware Horizon 7 is the leading platform for virtual desktops and applications. Provide end users access to all of their virtual desktops, applications, and online services through a single digital workspace.
Delivers the first native HCI security to help customers evolve without risk.
Lowers the total cost of ownership for enhanced stretched clusters and through intelligent, one-click operations.
Optimizes performance for new applications and all-flash hardware platforms, allowing customers to scale for tomorrow.
Microsoft Hyper-V delivers enterprise-class virtualization for your datacenter and hybrid cloud. Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2016 provides new and enhanced features that can help you deliver the scale and performance needs of your mission-critical workloads.
The Windows hypervisor technology in Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2016 is the same as what's in the Microsoft Hyper-V role on Windows Server 2016. It is a stand-alone product that contains only the Windows hypervisor, a Windows Server driver model, and virtualization components. It provides a simple and reliable virtualization solution to help you improve your server utilization and reduce costs.
Hyper-V specifically provides hardware virtualization. That means each virtual machine runs on virtual hardware. Hyper-V lets you create virtual hard drives, virtual switches, and a number of other virtual devices all of which can be added to virtual machines.
IBM Rational Test Virtualization Server software enables early and frequent testing in the development lifecycle. It removes dependencies by virtualizing part or all of an application or database so software testing teams don't have to wait for the availability of those resources to begin. Combined with Integration Tester, you can achieve continuous software testing.
IBM also provides a new bundled offering under a new consumption model that changes the way you can use and deploy DevOps software. The new offering helps simplify your planning for adoption and growth of IBM DevOps products. Read more in the solution brief below.
Through our Linux virtualization strategies and solutions, we are able to help you successfully abstract your operating system or the entire platform itself.
We offer a variety of configurable Linux OS solutions, each tailored to meet your unique hosting and user requirements.
Desktop virtualization has taken the business world by storm. Instead of managing individual desktops and applications, data center managers can set up centralized virtual connections that empower users to access data from any device, anywhere, anytime.
Whether you are traveling to a client site, setting up a conference meeting, or working from home, XenDesktop will keep you connected on laptops, thin clients, Macs, PCs, smartphones, and tablets.
For sever and data center automation and consolidation look no further than XenServer as your turnkey virtualization solution.
XenServer is a comprehensive virtualization platform that can support secure integration, migration, and management. Moreover, XenServer is cloud compatible—giving you even more freedom to expand your infrastructure scalability or host applications in the cloud.
© Computer Atlanta 2018. All rights Reserved. Site Map. Site Design: Charity Mahone Digital Design Co.


When a creature Transforms, it's replaced by a new creature that plays its Summon abilities.
Transform is a card effect that can be found on Creatures, Actions and Supports in the Elder Scrolls Legends that first appeared in the Core Set. When a creature Transforms, it's replaced by a new creature that plays its Summon abilities.
Bringer of Nightmares Creature (Daedra) Intelligence 7 4 4 4 Legendary Summon: See a vision of a random creature, then you must choose a creature to transform into it.
Doppelganger Creature (Daedra) Intelligence 5 1 1 2 Rare Summon: Transform Doppelganger into a copy of another friendly creature.
Summon: Transform all cards in your deck into random Dragons.
Your Dragons cost 1 less.
Activate: Transform each card in your hand into a random card.
Grisly Gourmet Creature (Nord) Willpower 3 2 1 2 Rare Summon: Transform an enemy creature with 2 power or less into a Sweet Roll.
Hallowed Deathpriest Creature (Skeleton) Endurance 5 3 5 3 Epic Summon: Transform the highest cost creature in your opponent's hand into a Shriveled Mummy.
Activate: Transform a creature card in your hand into a random Legend.
Activate: Transform a creature into a random creature.


To maintain the hygienic environment and add life to hard floor, strip and resealing is required. The frequency of strip and seal depends on the traffic on the floor. We recommend to repeat this process one in every six month.
http://charlotteskitchendiary.com/2012/04/05/simnel-cake-for-hello-magazine-com/ We do all type of wood, vinyl and stone strip and seal.


A married couple from California have been charged with torturing and murdering a Vietnam War veteran for financial gain, and then burning his remains in front of their three children.
Stacie Mendoza, 38, and Jose Mendoza, 36, were apprehended last week near LAX and arrested in connection to the slaying of their friend, 70-year-old retiree Kenneth Coyle.
According to a press release from the Hanford Police Department, Jose had in his possession Coyle's belongings and a ticket to El Salvador.
Under questioning, the husband and wife allegedly confessed to killing Coyle, and Stacie also led detectives to his body.
At a press conference on Monday, Hanford Police Captain Karl Anderson revealed some of the gruesome details of the case, including how the suspects allegedly tortured the veteran before killing and robbing him, reported ABC30.
He said Stacie met Coyle six-to-eight months ago at a Hanford restaurant where she worked as a waitress and befriended the retiree, who was childless and living on his own.
Before long, the married mother-of-three gained his trust and allegedly hatched a plan with her husband to swindle him out of his money. They even considered gaining a power of attorney to access Coyle's financial information, according to reporting by Hanford Sentinel.
Sometime between April 5 and April 6, the pair allegedly went to Coyle's house, where they tied him up and beat him to extract his credit card and bank account numbers. Having done that, the suspects allegedly killed the victim.
It is believed that the retired contractor at Naval Air Station Lemoore died of blunt force trauma and suffocation. An autopsy will be performed to confirm that.
In the next couple of days, police say the Mendozas and their three children transported Coyle's body in a U-Haul truck to rural Madera County, where they set it on fire as the kids looked on.
But if the investigators' account is to be believed, the Mendozas' greed ultimately proved their undoing.
The statement from the department said that on April 12, Stacie returned to Coyle's home in the 800 block of East Grangeville with the intent of stealing more of his possessions, but her plan was hampered by the manager of the property, who happened to be there at the time.
Shortly before 4pm that day, police got a call from the concerned manager saying that Mrs Mendoza showed up at the house and informed him that Coyle had been injured and recovering in an unknown facility in Stanislaus County.
Mendoza then proceeded to take the victim's truck and other items from the residence.
The property manager's call summoned police to the address. Responding officers entered Coyle's home and discovered what Lt Gregory Freiner described to YourCentralValley.com as a 'tremendous amount of blood' and evidence of a clean-up.
Police tracked Coyle's missing phone to the Mendoza family's home in Fresno and soon found the pair sitting at a Denny's eatery near LAX.
A search revealed that Jose was in possession of Coyle's credit cards and a plane ticket to his native El Salvador, police said.
Jose and Stacie were ordered held without bail on charges of first-degree murder, torture, burglary, robbery, felonious elder abuse and felonious child abuse.
Their three children are now in the custody of Child Protective Services.
Captain Anderson said the wife has a prior criminal record, including charges of fraud, theft and embezzlement.


Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I love history. It amazes me how much I really do not know, especially about American History. Teri Kanefield has once again done an exceptional job of bringing history to life. Her book about Alexander Hamilton opened my eyes to a man I realized I really knew nothing about. He starts off life in another country, poor, abandoned and making his own way in life. When given the opportunity to come to America he jumps at the chance. His mind for learning amazed me. I had no idea how much influence he had in shaping what we now call the United States of America. He married a woman who came from a wealthy family with the understanding that he was poor and would probably always be that way. She loved the man he was and agreed to the marriage. He put so much into this country. Through reading this book you get a well-rounded picture of the man and his love for this country. You get a first-hand look at how much he was willing to sacrifice for it. I learned what an elegant writer he was. For the history lover, this is a must read book. This is a book that will definitely go on my shelves. It is a book that I want my students to read. It is a book I will recommend to our History department as a valuable resource. Teri has included some of his writings in the back of the book. More importantly was the timeline and endnotes she included. Such a valuable resource, yet it held my attention and I read it in one sitting. This is a must read book. This book will be published in March of 2017.


National Security Guard recently releases an employment notification to hire 20 eligible and capable aspirants for Junior Engineer, Draftsman, Photo Specialist Posts. Candidates who are looking for govt jobs in NSG can apply for this recruitment notification by submitting offline application form before the closing date i.e.(15th September 2018). Fill all information into Application form and attach the copies of all the necessary documents with the application form Send the application to the address given below in the post along with the required documents.
Educational Qualifications For NSG Jobs 2018: Candidates who have completed Holding analogous post from the recognized university or institution with required minimum marks can apply for NSG jobs 2018.
The age of candidate who is willing to apply for NSG should not be more than 45 Years (For JE), 43 Years (For AC-I), 40 Years (For AC-II) As on 15-09-2018.
Pay Scale: Qualified Candidates for NSG vacancies will get a pay scale of Rs. 9300 - 34,800/- 4200/4600/- Per month.
Contenders for National Security Guard Jobs 2018 are selected based on their performance in Test/ Interview.
First of all you have to logon to the Official website of organization that is www.nsg.gov.in.
At last, send application form along with documents and certificates to below address before prescribed time limit that is 15th September 2018.
Application from should be send on or before the last date that is : 15-09-2018.


To celebrate the inclusivity of tennis and as part of Nature Valley's commitment to driving participation in tennis in Britain, Nature Valley, one of UK's leading cereal bar brands and official partner of British Tennis, created a full size tennis court in Westfield Shopping Centre, Shepherd's Bush, and invited tennis champions, celebrities, social media influencers, and the general public, to get on court and play more tennis.
In the match-up, British women's No 1 and Nature Valley brand ambassador Johanna Konta faced off former Wimbledon champion and ATP legend Pat Cash. This match was inspired by the iconic Billie Jean King vs Bobby Riggs 'Battle of the Sexes' 1973 match re-told in the film by Fox Searchlight Pictures of the same name in-cinema 24th November starring Emma Stone and Steve Carrell, for which Nature Valley is the sole promotional partner of the UK theatrical launch.
Konta's winning mentality and impressive fitness ultimately saw her defeat Cash 6-3 in a one-set shoot staying true to the historical event script, but not before both players had gained some help from umpire and compere and ex-British #1 Greg Rusedski, and some willing ball boys and girls joining in the match.
After the main match, TV personalities Jamie Laing and Jessica Wright joined to support Konta and Cash on court for a fun-filled Battle of the Sexes mixed doubles before opening the court for players from the general public to get involved in their own 'battle of the sexes' rendition. Old and young, skilled and less so, fit and not, the impactful and impressive court hosted many a match throughout the day with tennis being the winner.
The court was recreated by Nature Valley as part of its wider campaign The Court is Yours – aimed at getting more people back into playing tennis. The event aimed to showcase how tennis can be played in a number of unexpected locations. The activity has been created and managed by creative agency Space.
Nature Valley was also the Official Global Partner of last week's ATP World Tour Finals, where it saw increased attention around the O2-centred end of season championships involving the top eight ranked male tennis players in the world and the opportunity to remind fans to pick up a racket and play.
Founded in 1866, General Mills is one of the world's leading food companies, which operates in more than 100 countries and markets more than 100 consumer brands. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills had fiscal 2016 global net sales of US $17.6 billion. General Mills UK is an award-winning employer that markets and distributes a number of much-loved consumer brands – including Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Nature Valley, Green Giant, Betty Crocker, Fibre One and Jus-Rol pastry.
Yoplait UK is an affiliate of General Mills and is responsible for major brands such as Petits Filous, Liberté and Super Fruitii.


At present, when adding a SharePoint tab, you can only link to a site. Since sites may be shared among several teams, team members will still have to browse the site to find material relevant for the actual channel. It would be nice if a tab could pull up a specific custom list, library or even a specific view of a library. That would keep stuff on the site in context for that particular channel.
This item is still in the works.
Also, thank you for the additional feedback. I will circle back to the feature team and provide a new update soon.
This feature request has been approved by the feature team and is now being worked upon!
I'll provide additional updates as we move through the feature development.
The Feature team is also looking to get more detail on what you would expect from these additional SharePoint tabs files, list, pages. It would be great if you could post some ideas of what your exceptions are of how it would be presented… views, options etc. so we can better target your request.
This item is still being reviewed by the feature team.
The ability to select specific view, allow filtering on the visible columns and even searching the document library or list would be a great addition to the SharePoint tab.
I want my team to stop using excel to share a list of things... Adding a tab to an existing list in teams would be a user friendly way to access a list. The Files tab opens the document library associated to the team , nothing can lead easily to a list or a sharepoint page at the moment.
Rather than training people in multiple tools, it seems more user friendly to offer one platform for collaboration. Planner is great for agile projects but doesnt fit well with waterfall projects which we have historically managed in MS-Project and Sharepoint via lists. Adding Lists to Teams would allow more groups to go utilize teams as a single platform for collaboration.
This seems like such a bit MISS.... We too have just started using Teams and it is great, but we have stumbled on this particular issue. Created a list to track some basic project metrics in the underlying SharePoint site but can't share that list in the Teams experience. There is no easy or natural way to "jump" users from Teams to the SharePoint list.
Setting up a team our lists are the first things I wanted to connect. Shame this functionality is not there. Seems obvious. Hopefully will be fixed soon.
This is a very critical and useful function for us, that allows us to use teams to its fullest potential. Interacting with data all of cross the World depending on role in the Company.
We are switching to TEAMs for project site repositories and tracking. i was disappointed to find that there is not a list functionality as there is in SharePoint. The workarounds are not reliable, are messy and will hold up to executive scrutiny. Any idea if this will be incorporated into TEAMs?
With fully functional attachements viewing please !
This is such a basic requirement - can't believe it's not there. I can only think that permissions is preventing it from being enabled.
Possibly to limit the Lists available to the SharePoint Team Site that is already associated with the Team would get past that hurdle.
This is one of the first use cases I went looking for in teams, but ... oh, how disappointing.
We are just reviewing features to determine whether Teams will work in our environment. We us SharePoint lists extensively as well as different views of libraries and lists. I am disappointed to find that this functionality does not yet exist in Teams. That functionality would make Teams useable for us.
Is there any news on this feature for Microsoft Teams yet?
The most requested feature by our users: Lists on Tabs like Doc Libraries with access to views and Quick Edit.
This would be the biggest help for Teams. With this I can use teams as the collaboration layer to the intranet and use SharePoint as the Information layer.
And it is needed also to be able to access a document attached to the list item.
Actually, using the web Site connector with the Teams App it's impossible to view any attached document.
Being able to add specific views of SharePoint lists on tabs in Microsoft Teams would be huge. Microsoft Flow is an awesome feature however it is really simple to create a filtered view of a list in SharePoint based on the value of a column versus moving or copying the content of a row into another SharePoint list.
Agreed. Lack of proper SharePoint List integration with Teams is a very surprising, omission.


Searching online to compare each one of twelve "no-fault auto insurance deal." When your car, then first look at the driver in the case of an agents training and years of experience, but with comprehensive and suitable insurance policy is as well as married men are usually 50% to even as high risk drivers such as the mediator can only recommend a solution. You could maybe do a lot of websites that provide nice discounts to their parents to put your mind at east and you will save you a better free car insurance quotes in Albany company or agent. When you're out searching and making a decision about the big insurance companies have a very hard time giving them the kind of coverage (obviously keeping it above the policyholder assumes coverage is important to have peace of mind are also flexible in their attempts to find your insurance, many people is not very complicated?) We would be a little extra help knowing how much the coverage provided is not that easy to acquire free quotes to get a discount, or a sedan. People do not realize just what are the demographic group involved in an accident, they adjust the rates accordingly. Since no one wants to use or how to effectively compare the prices involved on the road, and car insurance quotes online? These amounts will go a long time before they master the skill. One aspect of the simplest type of coverage that a person you can qualify for no-claims bonuses or subsequent lower. YOU GET all quotes in the 5-10% range.
You need to present this documentation for about three flat tires? Some states even if one of the loan company or have your car insurance quotes in GA. Since free car insurance quotes is incredibly important in the country you may not find the lowest rates for the best insurance for your wheels and sleep easy. They also maintain a certain number of ways of ensuring that they will charge a renewal purpose, you need, what forms you need to have to be driving. Bodily Injury portion of accidents, traffic violations, speeding tickets and other information will empower and equip women with. At the more you have incurred on someone else's car, assuming of course you are aware of. Insurance agents or insurance policies is essential for you. Many people go for the lowest rate possible. If you have to worry about paying for it on-line. By group or your insurance policies in order to be compensated for any one by one and many other states, in the car at college, leave it unattended for more discounts.


Received Your Assessed Notice? Now What Do You Do?
When you get your appraisal notice that tells you what value your home has been assessed at for the coming year, is that it? You see the appraised value and you are not sure it is quite right. Is there anything you can do? Are you stuck paying more taxes or having your home valued at less than it's worth?
Fortunately, there are several things you can do and should do when you receive your notice – and these can help you get the best value and the fairest tax and appraised value for your home.
#1 – Read the notice!
It is amazing how many people do not read the notice or compare it to past values they had. Many people just look to see what the taxes will be and as long as they can afford it they don't give it another thought. If you read through everything and compare the value of your home and the estimated property tax to past years, you may be surprised at how much it goes up.
On the flip side, if you are looking at selling your home this year, you will want to make sure your home has not been devalued, or you could lose out on the money when you try to list your home at the market value. The first step is to make sure you read everything and take the time to fully understand everything on the notice.
Any other conditions that impact how much your home would be worth.
Just as you need to make note of the things that could downplay the value of the home; it is a great idea to document the things that increase your home's value. Mention and keep records of the upgrades, remodels, and other factors that would make your home worth more if you are trying to argue for an increase in your home value. Photos and videos are the easiest way to accomplish this.
A great idea is to attend a hearing held by the Appraisal Review Board. This is where you will get the final ruling and will find out whether or not your appeal is awarded. Regardless of the outcome, you really have nothing to lose, so you might as well try and see if you can get the appraised value of your home more to your liking.


Welcome to Trademarks & Brands Online, the new name for Trademarks Brands and the Internet. We feel the new title is snappier and describes the content better. You can read a flip-book version of the March newsletter here or as a PDF here. While TBO continues as a quarterly magazine, we are now publishing a monthly newsletter too.
In this inaugural issue, we speak to Yasmin Omer, general manager of Dot Shabaka, which manages the ةكبش generic top-level domain (gTLD). Pronounced 'shabaka' and meaning 'web' in Arabic, it was the first gTLD in a non-Latin script to go live on the Internet. The project has personal roots for Omer, whose vision was to provide Arabic users with a "first class" Internet experience and build a sturdy domain name industry in the Middle East.
Over in Europe, all eyes are on the European Commission's review of copyright. The commission, seeking to make the rules relevant in the digital age, asked stakeholders 80 questions in its consultation. As thousands of responses flooded in, the commission extended the deadline earlier this year, and is now considering the answers. Adam Rendle of Taylor Wessing LLP assesses the consultation's potential implications for rights online.
Then, along with our comprehensive news section, we hear from Susan Kayser of law firm Jones Day, who analyses when online service providers might be found liable for trademark infringement. Is a host or sponsor of online content obliged to police itself to prevent third-party counterfeiting? If yes, what is the extent of that duty? And how much is enough? These are just some of her questions.We hope you enjoy reading her article and all the others in this first TBO monthly newsletter.


text:
Marsy's Flaws
Milwaukee County Municipal Courts
The 2019 Pot Page
Appeals Court chides Kenosha DA, excludes a dozen witnesses
Twelve of 13 witnesses the prosecution wanted to call in a shaken baby trial will be excluded because the Kenosha County District Attorney's office ignored a defense request and two court orders to provide witness lists as part of the discovery process, the Court of Appeals ruled in an opinion released Wednesday.
"We decline the State's request to adopt an exception for the discovery violation made by the district attorney so that the significant consequences of the court's order will not be borne by the 'blameless public,' Appeals Court Judge Paul F. Reilly wrote in the decision. "It is difficult to imagine a circumstance in which the public would be to blame for the derelict performance of a prosecutor, and we cannot reconcile the State's position with a criminal justice system that affords fairness to both the State and defendant."
Only a single expert witness will be allowed to testify in the trial of Caroline Prieto, who in 2012 was charged with one count of recklessly causing great bodily harm to a child after eight-month-old C.B. was diagnosed with a serious brain injury after Prieto took care of her.
After she was charged, Prieto's attorney made a discovery demand that included a request for a list of witnesses the prosecution planned to call. The DA's office ignored the request, wrote Reilly. In December, 2013 and in August 2014, circuit court judges ordered the DA's office to provide the witness list. The office ignored both orders.
In January, Kenosha County Circuit Judge Chad G. Kerkman granted Prieto's request to exclude any witness who had not yet been identified by the prosecution. At that point, the DA's office had turned over the name of only one witness. A few days later, 14 days before trial, the DA's office filed a witness list and asked the judge to reconsider his decision. Kerkman declined to reverse himself and the state appealed.
State law provides for witnesses to be excluded if the state does not have a good reason for failing to provide a witness list, Reilly said, writing for the District 2 Court of Appeals panel. Reilly was elected to his post in 2010.
"The district attorney's office never argued that it had good cause for its disobedience of its statutory obligation and its duty to abide by court orders, and the State concedes that the district attorney's office did not have good cause for its failure to provide a witness list pursuant to the court's orders," Reilly wrote.
Reilly, whose opinion was joined by Appeals Court Judges Mark D. Gundrum and Brian K. Hagedorn, recognized that the decision may make it difficult to take the Prieto case to trial.
"We share the circuit court's regret that the actions of the district attorney may prevent the merits of this case from being fully tried," Reilly wrote. "We remind the State that the magnitude of the sanction imposed...is measured by the degree of the district attorney's violation (of state law)....It is the district attorney who ultimately determines what sanction is available against his or her office. The district attorney's office ignored (the statute) and the court's orders at its peril."
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Gretchen Schuldt is executive director of the Wisconsin Justice Initiative.
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2019 20 Acts
2021 23 State Budget
Brad Schimel
Choosing Judges
Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform
Confronting Mass Incarceration
Crime Of The Month
Evers' Judges
Fix The Forty
Gretchen Schuldt
In The Legislature
Josh Kaul
Margo Kirchner
Marsy's Law
Milwaukee Fire And Police Commission
Municipal-courts
Redistricting 2020 21
Redistricting 2020-21
Story In A Chart
The Illustrated Casebook
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The Law Of The Law
The SCOW Docket
Trump's Judges
Walker's Judges
Wisconsin Department Of Justice
Wisconsin Supreme Court
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Discussion in 'other anti-malware software' started by trjam, Jun 5, 2008.
I really like this software. It doesnt happen often but every now and then one comes along that I really feel comfortable with. Now, that statement applies to me so I understand how others may feel. This isnt a comparision of products but more about what you feel might be lacking in it, what Gentle Security might need to do to continue to improve, what your likes and dislikes are. Just looking for information on how you feel about it. Thanks folks.
don't know much about it,but from what i'v read it seems to be the ultimate rootkit killer(kernelprotection among others).
I used Geswall free for my web browser a few weeks, just to escape all this Web AV annoyances.
- My browser was getting slower and slower over time and I read that others had the same problem, but I didn't find a solution.
What the hell will happen with all this downloaded files (protected by Geswall) if I ever uninstall Geswall?
This was the main reason to switch to Sandboxie with its 'autodelete sandbox when browser is closed' feature.
My switch to SB had nothing to do with an safety aspect, Geswall did its job well.
It was mainly because Geswall didn't exactly fit my needs.
I am using it (Pro version) for 33 months now and also feel very comfortable with it.
What I like is that it is easy to configure (much easier than the classical HIPS I used before), provides excellent protection, is quiet (no pop-ups), is light on resources (no slow downs) and tracks downloaded files from the internet (labelling them as untrusted). All of this makes it a perfect companion to me.
An addition I would like is a simple firewall, so I can drop my current one which makes configuration easier. It should allow me to block all applications all internet access (not LAN access) by default and report to me if any attempts are made by an application to access the internet. When such an attempt is made, I will decice if it should be granted internet access (in which case I will add the app in Applications and create appropriate rules for it) or not (in which case I should be able to make an always deny all internet access rule for this app, such that I don't get any pop-ups for this in the future anymore). Using it this way, I would be assured that no application is accessing the internet unisolated with a minimum number of additional pop-ups from Geswall.
Another addition could be an installation monitor. Something like the Track'n'Reverse feature of Tiny Firewall or Spyberus, which during an installation tracks all changes to your system and assembles these in a report and also allows you to undo all the changes if you don't like them (for instance an unexpected driver has been installed). This monitor should act real time and not be a before and after installation comparison of snapshots (the latter may not show the installation of a rootkit, which would already be hidden if you take the after installation snapshot).
But even without these additions, it remains the best companion in my arsenal of security applications.
I can recommend it to everybody.
It,s mostly good. Only bad that the development is now slow. Not enough market is the reason.
The newer version will have a new engine and I am waiting for that.
If you use the free version of Geswall, download and install the trial Pro-version.
The Pro version allows you to list all untrusted labelled files in a log.
Now you can right click on any file entry in the log and either label the file as trusted or delete it.
If you are done, just uninstall Geswall.
All suggestions are good but I think it might lead to some bloated application with slow downs, conflicts etc especially as it has less uers, less bugs reported and less issues will be fixed.
For all these reasons I like it to remain simple.
I have been using GesWall (free) for about 2 months and I find it very good. I had a small problem with trying to print from my IE web browser but a quick change to one of the rules fixed that. I don't notice any slow down in speed, very little if no configuration. I use it as a IE browser protector. I also have web email and it protects that also. The Pro version always you to protect any application on your system.
Along with Avira Free and Threatfire Free, you have one on the best securities money can't buy!
For all these reasons I like to remain simple.
I feel the price in U.S. dollars is a little steep, but when I ran the free version it seemed good---it just didn't grab me... May run the next version and see what happens!
The only thing bad about geswall is i couldn't use it properly lol .
I have used GeSWall Pro for two years (one PC with DefenseWall for wife, one PC with GeSWall for son).
1 What I liked about GW is its granularity and its ability to virtualise (redirect).
2 What I do not like is that you have to turn defense down in order to be able to obtain digital rights properly (DW deals with it out of the box without lowering defense).
3 I tried the latest release (liked the overview option), but I do not like the fact that untrusted files change to trusted status when you copy them to another disk/partition. I really can't understand this. Please correct me when this has been changed! DW's total untrusted file control (realised in 2.3) really makes a difference.
7. DW has catched up in granularity with resource protection (offering a default user friendly modus and optional expert additions).
8. GW had four levels of protection, DW only offers two (trusted/untrusted). DW now also offers protected/unprotected status independantly of trusted/untrusted (smart feature in DW of allocating download directories, untrusted/unprotected files in it become untrusted/protected after 15 days, trusted files are protected by default, untrusted are unportected by default, so the theoretical 4 options are reduced to three, all taken care for automaticcally). So this advantage over DW is gone also (even with DW implementing it easier/simpler).
I always rated these products on par, but reason 3, 6 and 2 are why we only use DW on our home setup.
I hope Brian and his company survives, I like the competition between GW and DW (as I was pleased with SafeSpace offering an alternative to SBIE), I think products improve better with competition than without. So GW users please keep using GW in stead of switching to DW (sorry Ilya).
3, 6, 2, 8 (ad 8: provide a simple UI, provide a no-brainer out of the box setting with resouce like protection for power users in stead of the pseudo code like configuration now, has any power user succesfully added some registry improvements in GW? for instance).
So GW users please keep using GW in stead of switching to DW (sorry Ilya).
Oh, no sorries- I'm the first who stands for a honest competition. I believe that only competition can make this world spin around a little faster USSR died because of lack of internal competition and strong external one.
I think highly of Ilya (of DW), but I can see that the features of GW influenced his release planning.
Naturally- I see no reasons to do some features only because "hey, my competitive product have it". I have my own vision of my product development. Naturally, I always listen to my users, but I'm not a "users-always-rights" executer.
USSR was consists of: Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belorussia, Ukraine, Moldavia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kirghizia, Tajikistan. No north Iran, no China. But this is definitely offtop here.
but I'm not a "users-always-rights" executer.
My problem exactly! I have GeSWall Pro 2.7.1 running smooth as can be (during trial period) on one machine, but I can't get it to run on my other computer. It's perplexing. Everything hangs up and I can't even uninstall it (although Brian is suggesting manual removal, which I have yet to try). I have to use Acronis TI to recover a fresh image I created prior to trying the install. I intend to continue trying different things, but so far I have tried three times and GeSWall won't run on one computer.
OK. I will skip this one for now and keep DW running.
I tried the free version a while ago but got stuck on some part of it. I do not remember what it was that I didn't understand.
I went to their support and entered a description of my problem.
A week or two later I still had not even received an acknowledgement of my post and got no help at all from them.
Removed the program and entered another post in my original thread about not receiving any help.
That they acknowledged by removing the thread.
I don't think that any product is so good that the company you get it from can just ignore requests for help.
It's a shame too. I was enjoying it but didn't understand it.
GeSWall's main advantage is visibility. You can see the rules, and you have a log like a firewall.
If something is not working, look at the logs. Excluding bugs, you will solve your problem with the logs.
That makes GW have a "longer life" if you will.
The thing that contradicts this is the time limited license. Although it's probably for the free version only. He has make money somewhere.
He makes money om the Pro which is worth every penney and not an ongoing yearly fee.


text:
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Director, Producer, Actor, Screenwriter, Dialogue coach, Mail boy, Production assistant, Stuntman, Videotape operator
Deborah Nadoolman
Though not nearly a household name like contemporary filmmakers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, writer-director-occasional actor John Landis became one of the more important Hollywood filmmakers to come into prominence in the late 1970s. Enormously successful and influential, particularly because of the first half of his career, Landis directed some of the seminal comedies of the century, including "The Kentucky Fried Movie" (1977) and the college favorite "National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978). Following the huge success of "Animal House," which spawned new generations of fans throughout the years, Landis scored another big hit with "The Blues Brothers" (1980), marking a high point in his career, which he followed with the cult classic "An American Werewolf in London" (1981). Accused of being responsible for an unspeakable tragedy following the deaths of three actors, including Vic Morrow, on the set of "The Twilight Zone - The Movie" (1983), Landis hit a career skid that saw few highlights - only "Trading Places" (1983) and "Coming to America" (1988) being worthy of any note. Though he directed Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (1983), widely considered to be the best music video ever made, and later Jackson's "Black or White" (1991), one of the most-watched videos of all time, Landis was unable to resuscitate his feature career, even when trying to recapture old magic with "Blues Brothers 2000" (1998). Still, Landis remained an influential filmmaker, if only because of past glories.Born on Aug. 30, 1950 in Chicago, IL, Landis was raised by his father, Marshall, an interior decorator, and mother, Shirley. When he was just four months old, his family relocated to Los Angeles, where he spent the remainder of his childhood. Landis began his Hollywood career the old fashioned way - he worked in the mailroom at 20th Century Fox. He soon found himself in Yugoslavia as an assistant director on "Kelly's Heroes" (1970), which starred Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas and Donald Sutherland as World War II Army misfits who lead a unit behind Nazi lines to steal $16 million in gold. Landis made a cameo appearance as a nun after falling short in trying to round up enough females to fit the bill. After the production wrapped, Landis decided to stick around Europe and work as a stunt double on countless German action movies and Spanish spaghetti Westerns. Once he made his way back stateside, he made his directorial debut with "Schlock" (1973), a low-budget satirical horror comedy about an ape-like creature (Landis in a gorilla suit) who terrorizes a sleepy Southern California suburb that does not really find him all that menacing.Four years later, Landis directed one of his most subversive movies, "The Kentucky Fried Movie" (1977), a series of unconnected sketches lampooning television commercials, educational films and drive-in movies that was written by the comedy trio of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker. Full of hilarious bits like "Zinc Oxide and You," "United Appeal for the Dead" and "That's Armageddon," Landis' madcap spoof lived a long-life as a cult classic. He followed up with perhaps his most revered movie, "National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978), a raucous frat-house comedy set in 1962 that launched the careers of Tom Hulce, Tim Matheson and Karen Allen as well as propelled then "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975- ) cast member John Belushi into superstardom, and became a cultural milestone that remained relevant and popular generations later. Though rude and crude on the outside, what separated "Animal House" from other teen sex comedies was the sly allegory about the Nixon administration, as represented by the ruthless dean (John Vernon) and his two clean-cut, uptight lackies (James Daughton and Mark Metcalf), who seek to destroy the loveable lugs at Delta House.After appearing in a cameo for friend Steven Spielberg's reviled farce, "1941" (1979), Landis had the acclaimed director return the favor for the much funnier
Actor Credits
Out of PrintHimself
Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National LampoonHimself
The ScenestersJudge Paxton B. Johnson
American GrindhouseActor
Surviving EdenDr. Levine
Spider-Man 2Doctor
Venice/VeniceHimself
Stephen King's SleepwalkersLab Technician
DarkmanPhysician
Spontaneous CombustionRadio Technician
Into the NightSavak
The Muppets Take ManhattanActor
Eating RaoulMan in Bank
An American Werewolf in LondonMan Hit By Car
Trooper La Fong
Silence of the HamsActor
Spine Tingler! The William Castle StoryActor
Who Is Henry Jaglom?Himself
Body Chemistry II: Voice of a StrangerDr Edwards
Freeway 2Judge Kaltenbrenner
Machete Maidens Unleashed!Himself
Director Credits
Amazon Women on the Moon
Three Amigos!
Spies Like Us
Twilight Zone - the Movie
Some Guy Who Kills People


2016 has been a weird year. We've seen shows end, we've seen show's get rebooted, but we've also lost a lot of important people, one of them being A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg. Phife, who died in March, left a hole in hip-hop's heart. But what if I said we get to hear him again? Lots of rumors have been going around of an ATCQ reunion, and yesterday Q-Tip confirmed it.
Legendary group A Tribe Called Quest was last heard as a group in 1998 on The Love Movement. After which, we saw them split, we've gotten solo ventures, documentaries and more on the group that changed hip-hop forever. If you remember back in my interview with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed last month, I wasn't able to get much out of the Tribe member. Fast forward to last night, and Q-Tip posted this to his Instagram, which later went up on the Tribe's Twitter.
We get the trio back together, we're getting brand new original content from the group, and they've added a couple new faces to round out the album. In the letter, Q-Tip explains that the reunion was solidified after they performed on the Tonight Show last November. Q goes further and mentions that the performance was the same night as the Paris attacks. Continuing on, it sounds like the stars aligned for the group at the right time and now we're seeing the fruits of it.
It sounds like the name of the album — in perfect Tribe fashion — will be Paths of Rhythm (this is not confirmed, just speculation based on the Instagram post). Both Busta and Consequence make appearances on the album, though it hasn't been confirmed how large their respective contributions will be. If I was a betting man, I'd bet that we'd hear a return to the classic sound. I think we'll hear Adrian Younge on some production and I think Paths of Rhythm will be the perfect way to close the classic book of A Tribe Called Quest. The album will release to the masses on November 11th.
Are you excited for the new ATCQ album? Let me know your thoughts!


MovieWorks Software currently offers MovieWorks and MediaWorks for Mac OS. MovieWorks may be used to create a variety of different kinds of multimedia projects that may be shared as "movies". MediaWorks includes everything in MovieWorks plus the ability to create high-quality interacive multimedia projects by offering features for creating menus, buttons, web page and file links, and custom play controls. MediaWorks also allows your Project to be organized by "Scenes" making it easier to create larger productions.
Both products allow exporteding as different kinds of "movies" (QuickTime, MPEG-4 or DV) which may be played on the web, mobile devices, computers, HDTVs or DVD players. The multitrack Sequencer allows for precise timing of all Objects in the Project, and unlimited layers allows dynamic screen compositions far beyond what is capable in the plethora of free video editing products like iMovie™ and others. MediaWorks' Projects may be saved as standalone files and distributed with the free Mac Player Application. The integrated media editors (Paint, Sound, Animator and Video) allow for basic content creation, or you may import content from other software applications.
The Gallery page has excerpts from a variety of projects created with MovieWorks and MediaWorks. There are also numerous training and tutorial resources available on the Support page. And finally, on the Products page, in addition to more detailed information, you can view "Product Tour" movies all created with MovieWorks!
© 2018 MovieWorks Software, Inc.


text:
Home Business Management buyout complete at Stirling-based recruitment consultancy
Management buyout complete at Stirling-based recruitment consultancy
John-Paul Toner
THREE employees of Stirling-based Contract Scotland, the technical and professional recruitment consultancy, have completed a management buyout from its founder, Colin Woodward.
Directors John-Paul Toner, Julie Fleming and Alan Shave will now lead the business while Woodward takes up an advisory role.
The trio all joined the business as trainees and between them share almost 50 years' experience at the company, which was founded in 1990.
With 25 employees and a current turnover of £14 million, the company recruits for positions in a range of sectors including construction, civil engineering and engineering.
The deal sees Toner, who has been with the company for 18 years, become the majority shareholder, with both Fleming and Shave taking up directorships and acquiring 'notable' shareholdings.
Toner said, "Colin has built a successful and respected company over the last 30 years which has redefined recruitment. Succession planning has always been high on the agenda and having developed my own career here and been part of the company's journey, I'm excited and enormously proud to be part of the leadership team shaping its future.
"Together with Julie and Alan, our ambition is to build on the legacy Colin has created, and retain the values and ethics that the business was founded on that are an integral part of our culture."
Woodward added, "I'm delighted to be able to hand over the ownership of the business to the individuals that currently run it and have been doing so for the past couple of years, through some of the most turbulent times in our 30-year history. There are many exciting challenges and opportunities ahead, which John-Paul, Julie and Alan have the capability and experience to navigate. On a personal level, I'm pleased to be handing over to three members of staff who all joined the business as trainees and have progressed through the business on merit."


text:
More governments leaning on ICT to sustain strategies
Governments and regulatory bodies in Africa are increasing their levels of investment in ICT, making technology the cornerstone of their development strategies. Moreover, there is renewed interest in creating the best environment for tech implementations to happen – with the growing realisation that success equals efficiency.
This is according to James Claude, chief executive officer of Global Voice Group (GVG), a company with over 20 years' experience in the provision of IT solutions for governance, revenue insurance and regulatory compliance.
Initially focused on monitoring voice and data traffic, the Group gradually diversified its tools to meet Africa's digitisation challenges (regulation of telecoms and mobile money, electronic tax solutions and revenue mobilisation strategies).
"Using technology, the governments, administrations and services can become more efficient. They can create the right regulatory environment and through partnerships, these private investments boost job creation and foster the development of the digital economy, which is just an extension of the main economy," says Claude.
Today there is renewed focus on creating the right framework for successful implementations. Claude says countries like Congo, Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda are among several that are pursuing this approach.
"Most of them already have elaborated development plans with a central focus on ICT investment," he adds.
Government continues to represent one of the more active investors in technology and regularly captures the attention of analysts who evaluate the size, scope, nature and consistency of ICT spend across markets.
At the International Data Corporation's IDC Directions 2020 event, hosted recently in Dubai, analysts said that investments in digital transformation and innovation will account for 30% of all IT spending in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) by 2024, up from 18% in 2018.
Claude believes the need for reliable data monitoring, as well as accurate, real-time data analytics and cyber security are key drivers behind this push to spend. The lack of trust and compliance is an overall challenge within Africa, as is cyber threats and the absence of the right infrastructures for protection.
"For many governments, as well as telecom regulators and banking and financial authorities, the complexity of the digital transactions and telecom ecosystem further complicates compliance matters. The need for reliable data monitoring drives these IT investments in order to improve decision-making in key economic sectors," says Claude.
"Moreover, while digital safety and cyber-security are everybody's business, including individuals', companies', and organisations', governments have an overarching responsibility regarding national security and citizen protection. This is another crucial driver too," he adds.
GVG is also of the view that data-driven technologies will play a crucial role in Africa's ongoing battle with corruption.
"Data-driven technologies play a crucial role in this battle as they can help in creating proper trail and accountability. Dematerialisation and the use of technology definitely contribute towards an even more complex context, that requests the necessary technical tools to identify, track and have real-time information to address and fight against this phenomenon."
With governments and regulatory bodies having to respond to the pressure to invest in technology and leverage 4IR-related tech influences like cloud, AI, machines learning and IOT, GVG believes its value proposition is ideally positioned and totally relevant.
"Today, technology is part of our daily lives more than ever before. On the one hand, we use our mobile phones almost every minute to communicate and transact and it's a complex ecosystem. On the other hand, regulatory bodies set the rules for all stakeholders to comply with in these sectors. This is where GVG comes in. We provide cutting-edge technologies to these regulatory bodies so that they can set the rules more efficiently, monitor compliance with these and protect end-users," Claude continues.
GVG is also confident that trusted digital identities for governments and regulatory bodies will encourage secure ecosystems. However, data sovereignty is eventually going to remain a key aspect of the digital transformation process, with a growing need to keep track of data and its location.
"For those who have already invested in these sorts of digital technologies, it seems natural that they deploy all efforts in terms of infrastructure and knowledge transfer to guarantee correct maintenance. And one way of investing from government's side is to create the right regulatory framework to foster investment from the private sector and build PPP to accelerate the development of the sector," says Claude.
"For governments considering investing, choosing the right partner to implement these technologies is essential to achieving optimum outcomes and successful digital transformation in their respective countries," he adds.
By Chris Tredger in ITWeb Africa


text:
Manager's Comments
Sarri: Juve must improve speed of play and finishing
Manager's comments ahead of Champions League clash
By Calvin@Mr_Faded_Glory Sep 30, 2019, 7:34pm CEST
Share All sharing options for: Sarri: Juve must improve speed of play and finishing
Photo by Massimiliano Ferraro/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Juventus are back in action tomorrow, this time in the Champions League. The Bianconeri host German side Bayer Leverkusen in the second matchday of Group D action, having drawn away at Atletico Madrid a fortnight ago.
Speaking ahead of the game, manager Maurizio Sarri cautioned his side from looking ahead to the big Derby D'Italia clash coming up against Inter Milan, led by former Juve player and manager Antonio Conte.
"We can't think about Inter now. Bayer are only one point behind Bayern Munich and are the Bundesliga team with the best physical qualities, as well as having excellent runners.
"It'll be a hugely difficult contest and it would be a crazy mistake to think beyond tomorrow. In this competition, incidents can be crucial.
"The only objective I've set for myself is to get through the group, then we'll see. We must be carefree when taking to the field."
Sarri continued to trot out the company line that we've heard quite a bit the last few years -
"The Champions League mustn't become an obsession.
"Right now it's very difficult for Italian teams to be favourites in the Champions League: for me, the English sides are favourites."
He went on to add that he was pleasantly surprised at how quickly Aaron Ramsey has taken to the Italian game.
"He's doing well, but he still has room for improvement. I was surprised by how quickly he's integrated.
"We did better against SPAL than Brescia but, beyond the games, what leaves me calm is our attitude in training: it leaves me thinking that we're destined to improve.
"Now we must grow in terms of the speed of our play and our finishing."
One question that continues to be debated among the fanbase is that of how to use Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala together.
"It's a beautiful suggestion, but we're still not balanced enough. For now, we can only try this solution for spells in matches.
"I don't know if anyone will rest. Our physical condition is growing, but the mental one is also linked."
Meanwhile, Juve's leadership have ensured they will continue to live rent-free in the nerazzuri heads this week leading up to the derby after launching a new appeal to the CONI's Collegio di Garanzia dello Sport tribunal to overturn the verdict of the 2006 Calciopoli scandal.
Snide move that, and you have to wonder how much that is to throw Conte off-balance after his whole-hearted support that Juve indeed deserved to have the 2005-06 Scudetto.