Pediatricians recommend that infants spend a minimum of 30 minutes per day in "tummy time" positions, starting as early as the first several days of life. Research shows that tummy time lays the foundation for developing motor and sensory skills, musculoskeletal strength and flexibility, eye coordination, feeding skills, optimal digestive function and proprioceptive/postural awareness. Unfortunately, most babies do not get nearly the amount of tummy time that they need for optimal health and development. Parents often say that they are confused about how to "do" tummy time, and that their baby hates it.
TummyTime!™ skills were developed by an occupational therapist (Michelle Emanuel, OTR/L) to help parents and babies feel comfortable and confident with tummy time. TummyTime!™ classes are relaxed and light-hearted, the emphasis is on enjoying the process rather than focusing on an outcome. The instructor leads parents/babies through a series of gentle movements that scaffold the way toward enabling babies to lie on their bellies. Babies move at their own pace, in accordance with their developmental ability, so that they feel safe exploring new movement. Parents learn how to keep the process fresh by incorporating massage, reflexology and baby yoga into various tummy time routines. Ample time is provided for parents to ask questions and for the instructor to give individualized instruction. Parents and babies leave class with simple, practical exercises that they can use every day at home.
TummyTime!™ classes are typically 45 minutes long, which is enough time for babies to learn new skills without becoming overwhelmed. Class size is kept small (6-8 babies), so that the atmosphere remains calm and the teacher can attend to individuals' needs. Offering separate classes for 0-4 month olds, and 4-8 month olds allows the teacher to address the specific developmental stages associated with each age group.
After teaching TummyTime! ™ skills to hundreds of families (in classes and private sessions), I can answer this with an unequivocal "YES!" I am consistently amazed by how quickly babies and parents respond to the concepts and exercises. TummyTime!™ provides a framework for families to immediately incorporate more tummy time into their daily routine. While this is beneficial to all babies, it is especially important for those who suffer from breastfeeding issues, colic, reflux, nervous system dysregulation, torticollis, tongue tie, plagiocephaly or motor skill delays.
For a current listing of TummyTime! ™ group classes, go to www.lumayoga.com. I also offer private sessions for families who are not able to attend class, or who wish to receive more specific, in-depth instruction.


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E.U. Election Results: A First Analysis
The dust has settled, and final votes are in.
First off, the good news: Election participation was over 50 percent, the highest in over 20 years, and the much-feared landslide victory of far-right and Eurosceptic parties has been, at least in part, avoided. Only Great Britain, France and Italy saw them take the lead. Young people, especially, overwhelmingly voted for pro-European parties.
Overall, there was no clear winner, no comprehensive E.U. picture for the total of 751 seats in the European Parliament: Germany, Austria and Greece saw Christian democratic parties in the lead. Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Sweden saw the resurgence of social democratic parties. National-conservatives won elections in Belgium and Poland, and liberal parties won Estonia, the Czech Republic and Denmark. The Greens were able to gain significantly overall and increase their seats in the European Parliament to 69, as did the liberal parties.
At the same time, the Christian-democratic and socialist center lost a combined 80 seats. The consequent loss of the overall combined majority of their respective political groups, the European People's party (EPP) and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), in the European Parliament is historic and will make the obligatory approval by vote in the European Parliament of either one of their commission presidential candidates, Weber or Timmermans, that much more difficult. This makes the stronger Greens and Liberals the kingmakers in the upcoming path to staff not only the office of commission president, but also other top E.U. institutional posts, such as foreign affairs high commissioner, parliament president and individual commissioner posts.
The new big coalition of far-right national parties, such as France's Rassemblement National or Germany's AfD, which had already been proclaimed during the election campaign, could make them the third-strongest group inside the European parliament, with up to 112 seats. If the existing conservative and Eurosceptic party ECR were to join, the new power group could reach up to 171 seats, thereby overtaking the EPP and S&D, which would be a serious game-changer. Fortunately, this is highly unlikely to happen.
When it comes to Jewish topics, both Timmermans and Weber would be good candidates and proven partners for the commission's top job. Weber has been strongly dedicated to the fight against anti-Semitism as EPP group leader, even launching his current election campaign in Auschwitz to emphasize his commitment and historical responsibility to Holocaust remembrance and combatting anti-Semitism. Timmermans himself was responsible, as first vice president of the European Commission, for creating the crucial position of the E.U.'s Anti-Semitism Coordinator Katharina von Schnurbein, who was appointed by and reports directly to him.
But both might not make it, despite representing the two biggest political groups in the parliament, due to the lack of a combined majority. The current European commissioner for competition, the Danish Margrethe Vestager, who was also the lead candidate for the Liberals, has already started to strongly lobby and negotiate herself.
The impact on foreign policy, especially in regards to Israel and the Middle East peace process, but also Iran and the nuclear deal, is tough to predict at this point as well. There was overall strong support for Israel from right-wing conservative parties during the last mandate, and an often very critical, sometimes highly problematic position from Liberals and left-wing parties, including Greens.
The growth on both sides of the political spectrum could mean a further polarization on this subject matter. The Green Party, for example, has been pushing some troubling pro-BDS rhetoric and events during the last years. The only voices of reason within the group were often the group's German members, who prevented these topics from tilting even further into one-sided bashing. The doubling in size of German members in the Green group gives way to hope that increased German representation will further affect the group's Middle East agenda in a positive way down the road.
But ultimately, this is just the beginning of months-long backroom castings and negotiations between heads of states for the top E.U. jobs. Their predecessors will be officially replaced only at the end of October at the earliest.
Until then, we will see significant change in the political group landscape, with the Liberal Group ALDE being joined by Macron's En Marche, and the far-right groups forming their new coalition. The question is whether the Hungarian Fidesz party will stay in the EPP group, or if the U.K.'s Eurosceptic UKIP party will be joining the new right-wing coalition. Both parties were the election winners in their respective countries, and their decisions about which groups to join could further significantly alter the outcome and fragile power balance.
All of this will further impact the distribution of not only the top commission jobs, but also the parliament president and relevant committee chairs, who can heavily steer the agenda-setting and legislation themselves.
Benjamin Nägele was named director of E.U. affairs for B'nai B'rith International in 2015. In this capacity he focuses on promoting EU-Israel relations and advocates for Jewish causes at the European institutions in Brussels. He previously worked as an EU affairs officer for B'nai B'rith International and as a policy advisor at the European Parliament. Click here to read more of his work.
Anti-Semitism and the EU Parliamentary Elections
The upcoming European Parliament elections will be crucial.
Amidst the chaos and confusion of Brexit, the established political parties, such as the center-right European People's Party (EPP) and the center-left Socialists & Democrats (S&D), are predicted to lose a significant amount of seats and, with them, their combined majority in Parliament.
Years after the so--called migration crisis, the established parties have still not found an answer to rising far-right, populist and anti-European movements that have significantly grown among almost all EU member states, taking the lead in polls in at least three: Italy, Poland and France.
This trend will have significant impact on the new European Parliament, which is being elected from May 23rd to May 26th across Europe and will have its constituent session in July of this year.
In addition to S&D and EPP losing their combined majority, far-right and nationalistic groups are predicted to double their seats yet again. It was just announced that some of these groups are planning to form a new coalition with parties ranging from the German Alternative for Germany to the Danish People's Party to the Italian 5 Star Movement that will significantly increase their influence in the EU Parliament.
To make matters worse, the biggest group, EPP, is shrinking further, having just suspended Victor Orban's Hungarian Fidesz party due to its anti-European and anti-Semitic campaigns, which might also put into jeopardy the nomination of Spitzenkandidat Manfred Weber as new commission president.
With the election campaigns just starting, politicians from centrist parties are calling for a doomsday vote, hysterically reiterating the importance of this vote as the year of destiny that will make or break the European Union. But one cannot ignore the strange feeling of having seen and heard all of this before:
The slogans and warnings were the same in 2014 during the last elections, when the campaign promises from the various parties were almost identical to the current ones.
The only thing that seems to have changed, besides the increased urgency of the surge in right-wing populist movements, is the fact that the political groups in the EU Parliament spent yet another five years unable or unwilling to address the urgent issues and present a proper alternative to rising populism, nationalism and, with it, also the terrifying rise of anti-Semitism across Europe.
It might look as if the EU has done quite a lot in the time between the 2014 elections and today, including creating the position of a special coordinator on combatting anti-Semitism, implementing a code of conduct with IT companies to tackle hate speech and anti-Semitism online, adopting an EU Parliament Anti-Semitism Resolution in 2017 and Council Declaration in 2018 and making combatting anti-Semitism a priority in the last two EU Council presidencies of Austria and Romania.
But despite all of these efforts, the phenomenon of anti-Semitism has nevertheless escalated across Europe. The 2018 EU's Fundamental Rights Agency Report on Anti-Semitism is the undeniable proof for this devastating failure.
The fear is that this further shift to the right after the elections will also significantly threaten the already too-little and too-ineffective efforts against anti-Semitism on the EU level and in its member states.
The political power shift will have direct implications for the European Parliament committee chairs and the Parliament president and vice-presidents as well as the nomination and confirmation of EU commissioners.
Imagine what will happen if the relevant European Parliament committee for fundamental rights and combatting anti-Semitism, the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home affairs committee (LIBE), is chaired by a far-right nationalist member of parliament. Imagine having a xenophobic, populist justice commissioner a few months from now.
This is not doom-mongering, but is unfortunately a possible scenario that already exists in EU member states such as Austria, where all ministries relevant to Jewish issues are in the hands of the populist far-right FPÖ, a party with which the Israelite Community of Vienna rightfully refuses to engage.
And to complicate matters even further, the European heads of state have just decided in a special council meeting in Brussels that the U.K. will get yet another extension until Oct. 31, 2019, to sort out the messy Brexit negotiation gridlock, including full membership rights and obligations that will make them participate in the EU elections as well as negotiations for the upcoming EU budget and composition of the new EU commission should they be unable to leave beforehand by agreeing to the existing deal.
There is still so much to do to even slow down the ugly resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe. The last thing anyone needs is yet another deterioration of the political status quo in the EU that will make the fight against anti-Semitism even more difficult and might lock down the EU institutions altogether, thereby making them unable to protect what they were established to do: protecting and promoting the European values of fundamental rights for each and every one of its citizens.
The Alternative for Germany AfD and Holocaust Remembrance
"We have a glorious history and one, my dear friends that lasted a lot longer than those damn 12 years…yes, we plead guilty to our responsibility for the 12 years. But, dear friends, Hitler and the Nazis are just a speck of bird poop in over one thousand years of successful German history," Alexander Gauland, leader of the German right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD), said during his party's youth congress a few weeks ago.
Is this just a misunderstanding and quote taken out of context, as claimed by Gauland himself, or another consciously and carefully coded provocation?
The outcry among German media, politicians and Jewish communities was large, also because Gauland is a repeat offender, in line with many of his party colleagues, and has engaged in such belittling of the Holocaust and German Nazi past multiple times before. Among other things, he has claimed that, "We have the right to be proud of the achievements of German soldiers in the two world wars" and "the right, to not only taking back our homeland, but also our past…which does not relate to our identity nowadays anymore."
Gauland and his party colleagues are engaging in the latter. It is a form of brinksmanship — a conscious strategy to corrode and alter our perception and position toward the Nazi genocide, and the 60 million people that died during the World War II era through calculated provocations. The aim is to gradually shift society's off-limit taboo of belittling or even denying our historic responsibility in order to ultimately rewrite history, thereby reshaping German identity and national pride.
The aggressive and provocative rhetoric might be a rather new phenomenon, but the receptiveness among German voters — which amounts to a staggering 16 percent for the AfD according to recent polls — is pointing to a deeply rooted issue within German society: A long existing resentment and frustration towards the unbearable shame over the German crimes against humanity and the preposterous urge to finally be liberated from this overwhelming burden of history.
That is what Gauland is propagating with his provocative remarks. The urge to brush off the darkest time of history like bird poop.
A lack of German identity and a confused sense of nationality and belonging have been exacerbated by fear of the unknown and foreign that the turmoil resulting from the refugee crisis starting 2015 has created, and that, according to AfD's far-right voices, will undermine the country's democratic values, prosperity and security.
The AfD rhetoric is a direct reaction to these developments, fueling dangerous stereotypes and contributing to the new aggressive political climate.
Whether we like it or not, the AfD is a democratically elected political party, acting within the limits and by the rules of our constitution, at least until proven otherwise; the platform and space for it is being provided by our society at large and, since the last election, also by the German Bundestag, hosting 92 AfD Members as its third largest group, representing almost 6 million voters.
We must not continue the mistake of discounting all of them as a bunch of protest voters and Nazi ideologists. This would only be adding further fuel to the fire and play into their distorted victim self-perception.
Fighting right-wing tendencies that were deemed obsolete will demand an exhaustive reiterated reprocessing of our past and the identity built on that history.
The refusal until now of the mainstream political parties and a majority of German society to adequately confront our national past through drawing sustainable and inclusive lessons from it, has ultimately led to the vacuum that was filled by the AfD and their climate of hate. Instead of facilitating meaningful reflection, German Holocaust commemoration has solidified into annual rituals that silence the conscience without eliciting substantive change.
Yes, speeches such as Gauland's are unbearable, especially for the Jewish communities in Germany, but at the same time provide a chance to reestablish basic societal norms and redefine the fundamental values that our democracy and society at large are built on and that we have mistakenly taken for granted.
We must address the fears and issues of AfD voters and provide better and, most importantly, constructive alternatives to the right-wing propaganda, conspiracy myths and Holocaust trivializing that are fueling racist and anti-Semitic hate speech in our society.
Refusing to address the underlying issues and only reacting to these trends with affected indignation does not solve the problem. But at the same time we must draw a clear line. Everyone has the right to one's own opinion, but nobody has the right to deny or distort facts. Whoever is doing this is discouraging any foundation for discussion and debate, and has rightfully disqualified himself from the debate.
Especially the Jewish communities must not make the mistake of falling for the deceptive propaganda, that the fight against immigration and Islam, as well as the Islamization of our society, is the best protection for Jewish life in Germany. We must publicly denounce the instrumentalization of Jewish communities for anti-Muslim racism, parts of the AfD have tried to do.
Holocaust Remembrance and combating any form of discrimination and xenophobia is a responsibility of both the state institutions and civil society.
Already 10 years ago, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in her B'nai B'rith gold medal recipient speech, what holds even truer in today's political climate:
"Whoever is not standing up against Anti-Semitism and extremism, is losing not only his own freedom but jeopardizes the freedom of others. If education is not being perceived as the promotion of an inner conduct, then education fails its aim. Education doesn't mean only a collection of historic facts, but the existence of a conscience based on it."
Such a conduct must be reestablished from generation to generation.
Every generation afresh has the responsibility to defend its values time and again, which are founded on and drawn from a meaningful commemoration of the past. Whenever we believe that these values can be taken for granted and have become common knowledge, we will grow weak; our democracy will become an empty shell that can be subverted by radical tendencies.
Education is the commemoration of our past, but equally as important, the development of our common future.
The quintessence of meaningful Holocaust commemoration lies in an old Jewish proverb, that was also quoted by then German President Richard von Weizsäcker in his groundbreaking speech 1985 on the 40th anniversary of the end of the War World II, and that defines German Holocaust commemoration and responsibility still today: "Seeking to forget makes exile all the longer; the secret of redemption lies in remembrance."
Germany, the Holocaust and the Rise of Anti-Semitism
I am German, I am Jewish, my Grandmother is a Schindler survivor.
Her fate living through the Holocaust has led me to my academic and professional career and is the driving motivation behind my work combating anti-Semitism and advocating for Holocaust remembrance in Europe as director of EU Affairs for B'nai B'rith International.
Jewish life has re-established itself among German society, but so has anti-Semitism, leaving German Jews more vulnerable and disillusioned than at any point since the Holocaust.
We should be proud and thankful about, as German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier rightfully called it the "undeserved present of having Jewish communities and culture among its midst despite the unbearable past." But we should also feel ashamed about the undeniable fact that our society is unable to provide emotional and physical safety for its own Jewish citizens, about the despicable necessity for 24/7 police protection of Jewish kindergartens, schools and synagogues in Germany.
This has to be assessed as a devastating failure in the context of Germany's historic responsibility of preventing anti-Semitism from ever spreading again.
Wehret den Anfängen - resist the beginnings, because "Never Again" means to prevent repeating our mistakes of the past. Not comprehending and implementing the actual message has turned the very essence of what Holocaust commemoration comprises to an emotive overused term with the rise of anti-Semitism as a direct consequence.
A commemorative culture is obsolete without raising sensitivity toward the actual symptoms that led to it in the first place and that needs to be used to establish guidelines to shape our future:
First we have to lay to rest the belief that this could never happen again, and accept the shameful reality that hate, discrimination and anti-Semitism once again has snuck its way into mainstream society, even into politics.
Udo Voigt, member of the neo-Nazi party NPD won a seat in 2014 and is currently representing Germany in the European Parliament, and the recent national elections saw the far-right Alternative for Germany, AfD win 92 seats to become the third largest political group in the Bundestag.
Along with it goes what already is happening in other European countries, pushed by their right-wing populist governments and parties: A re-narration of history through increasing denial of the past and connection to the crimes committed during the Holocaust.
In Hungary statues of Nazi collaborators are erected, Poland is adopting laws that criminalize any mentioning of Polish complicity to the Nazi genocide and now the last taboo of German society has been broken by members of the AfD.
At the forefront is the prominent AfD member Björn Höcke, who infamously called the Holocaust memorial in Berlin, that pays tribute to the 6 million murdered Jews in Europe, a "memorial of shame." Or party leader Alexander Gauland, who proclaimed that Germans should "be proud of what {their} soldiers achieved in two world wars." German police recorded 1,453 anti-Semitic incidents in 2017, among them 32 violent disorders and 160 malicious damages.
An overwhelming 90 percent are still registered as far-right motivated, only 25 incidents are considered religiously motivated anti-Semitism mostly from Muslim extremists and one single incident is believed to be left-wing motivated.
It is crucial to note that the dark figures (estimated numbers of unknown cases) are likely much higher, due to lack of reporting and comprehensive surveys but especially, because the escalation of anti-Semitically motivated incidents is so often wrongly labeled or not even registered as such at all.
In every case lacking a caught perpetrator, anti-Semitic incidences are automatically registered as right wing motivated. The figures therefore fail to recognize far-left anti-Semitism in all its forms but also the often violent escalation of imported Islamic anti-Semitism that is acted out completely detached from the Holocaust, and without any reference to Germany's historic guilt or its special connection to the Jewish state of Israel and its security as a raison d'état
Mainstream society, the judicial system, politicians and police often lack the sheer understanding of and education about anti-Semitism and its mutations.
Blatantly obvious anti-Semitic incidents such as the arson attack on the Wuppertal Synagogue in 2014 are not even recognized as such and consequently don't end up in these official statistics, therefore leaving the Jewish community traumatized and in shock twice. First through the attack itself and inability of German authorities to neither prevent nor protect, and then again through the incomprehensible inability of a judge to connect the painfully obvious dots.
Equating the policies of the Israeli government with German Jews, holding them responsible for a conflict thousands of miles away and consequently attacking a Jewish community in Germany by throwing a firebomb on a synagogue, equals anti-Semitism in its purest form. There must not be any discussion or room for interpretation.
Because of instances such as the Wuppertal Synagogue arson attack, organizations combating anti-Semitism don't have the luxury of raising awareness once a year; we have to deal with the hostile reality and its impact on Jewish communities every day.
I believe it is crucial to understand and acknowledge that anti-Semitism is not an extremist ideology, but a worrisome mainstream phenomenon that can be found in the midst of German society among all demographics and ages, in class rooms, rap music, football stadiums, among academics, media and online social networks.
The younger generation shall not feel ashamed or personally responsible for what happened. But it has an undeniable responsibility that grows out of Germany's historical burden and does not vanish over time. And that is the obligation to protect and cherish Jewish life and culture in German society and not only combat, but eradicate any anti-Semitic tendencies.
I believe that the underlying issue with German Holocaust commemoration lies in its discrepancy between the mutual omnipresent condemnation of the Holocaust and lack of actually addressing the cause of hate and evil in any way.
This discrepancy then serves as the breeding ground for a dichotomy in German society – that ubiquitous historic responsibility and guilt is able to exist in parallel to rising anti-Semitism.
Holocaust commemoration needs to serve as the foundation on which to build strategies to combat the virus.
If this foundation is an empty shell, motivated by guilt and forced societal obligation rather then individual willingness to ask the crucial questions of how and why, and consequently draw the painful lessons by learning from the past, the commemoration day becomes meaningless; and so is any politician's repetitive reminder of "Never Again," their many references to the historic responsibility and the emphasis on this apparent Judeo-Christian heritage.
But besides the moral impediment that grows out of Germany's historic responsibility, it should be in everyone's self interest to address anti-Semitism.
Such discrimination does not stop with the Jews – it corrupts and corrodes the very core of our democratic society as a whole. Eradicating anti-Semitism should be an imperative in the name of modern civilized society.
One should not speak out against anti-Semitism because of a moral obligation to be a philo-Semite or friend of Israel, but for the simple reason alone that a fellow citizen and human being is harassed or attacked.
Jewish rights are human rights, and hate against Jews is hate against humanity.
This might sound overly simplistic, emotive and obvious, but is nevertheless not being implemented in our approach to tackling the issue, or in developing strategies to combat it.
Instead ant-Semitism has become so powerful that it outgrew the Jews and can function even without a single Jew actually being present.
Commemoration of the Holocaust needs to serve as a guideline and toolkit that works not only in the context of historic guilt. Remembrance, based on guilt alone, can become overwhelming and might even backfire to the extent of paralyzing individuals, national identity and society as a whole.
Nazi Germany did not invent anti-Semitism, but it did invent the Final Solution, that culminated in the industrial murdering of 6 million Jews.
It is essential to focus on underlying structures, the root causes of the Holocaust and analyze accountability for the horrors of the past, while directly addressing current anti-Semitic sentiments in all layers of society and politics. This needs to happen in close cooperation with Jewish communities themselves but also by building coalitions between special coordinators inside government institutions, civil society and other minority groups that are discriminated against.
"We do not want to preserve our dismay, but draw lessons, that can provide guidance also for future generations," then German President Roman Herzog urged while establishing the official commemoration day in 1996.
Holocaust remembrance is a responsibility and obligation of German society as a whole. But so is the engagement in combating anti-Semitism, as emphasized by the German government's recent anti-Semitism resolution that was adopted with large majority. The resolution reads in part:
"The German Bundestag is grateful, that Jewish life and culture exists after the national-socialist dictatorship and despite the Holocaust. Its existence is an enrichment to our society and, in light of our history, a special declaration of trust toward our democracy and state of law, that we want to live up to and have to be committed to forever."
We must not destroy this trust, and cannot leave German Jewry alone in combating the re-emergence of mainstream anti-Semitism. We should protect and cherish Jewish life in Germany with everything we have, not only due to the moral obligation based on Holocaust commemoration or guilt, but because it elevates our democratic society, our dignity, common values and human rights as a whole.
Judge Rules Wuppertal Synagogue Firebombing Was Not Anti-Semitic, So What Happened?
By B'nai B'rith International
Director EU Affairs Benjamin Näegele
A regional court in Wuppertal, Germany this month delivered suspended sentences of up to two years or less to three Palestinian men who firebombed a synagogue in 2014.
The decision affirmed a lower court ruling in a highly controversial case that has triggered anger and dismay not only among Wuppertal's 2,000-member Jewish population, but throughout European Jewry.
What had happened?
During the heights of the Israeli military operation Protecting Edge into Gaza in the summer of 2014, Jews in Germany experienced a new wave of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic hate speech and attacks. Almost every major German city saw protests against Israel, with mostly Arab protestors openly displaying and shouting anti-Semitic slurs and comparisons between the State of Israel and Nazi Germany.
On July 29, 2014 three Palestinians, according to their own testimony, highly intoxicated, filled six bottles with petrol and threw them against the synagogue in Wuppertal. One of the perpetrators was arrested on sight while filming the arriving firefighters and commentating in Arabic.
The district court of Wuppertal sentenced the three young men to suspended sentences for up to two years, largely due to the fact that they did not have a previous criminal record, the marginal damage at the synagogue and the fact that they were apologetic and covered for the caused damage.
More surprising than the verdict and mild punishment itself was the opinion given by the court: The judge ruled and sentenced the accused only for arson, believing the defendants claim that they did not have anything against Jews and just wanted to raise awareness of the war in Gaza, therefore ruling out any anti-Semitic motivation due to lack of evidence.
Unlike many European Union member-states, Germany does not explicitly punish hate crimes as such. But it does allow for hate motivation to be taken into account in assessing sentences.
Following the ruling, an outcry went through the media and Jewish communities, especially the small community of Wuppertal. Most of them of Russian origin, they had escaped persecution and discrimination in the former Soviet Union and came to Germany in the '80s and '90s in the hope of a better life, now left in shock and traumatized.
The state of Germany and its police and judiciary had, as in many other cases over the summer and during anti-Israel demonstrations, abandoned their obligation to prevent or at least prosecute obvious anti-Semitic attacks and slander.
Once again shouts such as "Jews to the Gas" or "Kill the Jews" could be heard in the streets of major cities, without the police that accompanied the protestors making any attempt of holding the shouters responsible or stopping and prosecuting them.
But what's even more worrisome and troubling than the misguided and flawed court ruling of 2015 is the confirmation, in second instance, by the higher district court and Judge Thomas Bittner, who ruled on an appeal on points of law by the prosecution. The court only slightly increased the sentence, again on parole, but followed the reasoning of the previous court decision:
"The attack on the Wuppertal synagogue cannot be defined as anti-Semitic, there is simply no proof for an anti-Semitic motivation," states the official court ruling.
"Can there be a clearer indication for anti-Semitism than trying to burn down a synagogue?" rightfully asks Leonid Goldberg, the Jewish Community leader in Wuppertal, in an interview with German magazine Spiegel.
This was not an Israeli embassy, but a house of God, used by Jewish German citizens, not Israelis, to practice their faith. If one were to make up a textbook definition of anti-Zionism becoming anti-Semitic, this would be it.
The judge also missed out on the opportunity to respond to the summation of the prosecutor Kiskel, in which he stated that the attack was obviously anti-Semitic.
The now legally binding and confirmed regional court decision is a final confirmation of a clear case of German jurisprudence' surrender towards anti-Semitic hate crimes motivated by a distain for the state of Israel.
A devastating and shocking signal to German Jews, not only due to the fact that a German synagogue was in flames once again (the original Wuppertal had been burned down during the infamous Kristallnacht) but for the incomprehensible court decision that refused to make the shockingly obvious connection between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.
But this case just makes the real underlying problem obvious once again:
The lack of a working definition on anti-Semitism that encompasses all forms of old and new anti-Semitism, including forms of anti-Zionism, that can be used as a guideline and tool.
Another failed attempt to adopt such a definition had just been made by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) during its annual conference in Hamburg in December of 2016 (decisions are made unanimously, and out of the 57 member states only one, Russia, opposed the adoption).
Germany itself as rotating chair of the OSCE had prioritized and lobbied for the adoption of an anti-Semitism definition. The same definition which the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) had adopted already earlier this year, and which includes, among others, two paragraphs that would have helped the judge in Wuppertal to not make such a terrible mistake:
Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.
Criminal acts are anti-Semitic when the targets of attacks, whether they are people or property—such as buildings, schools, places of worship and cemeteries—are selected because they are, or are perceived to be, Jewish or linked to Jews.
Without such a definition, we are left with individual interpretations by overwhelmed members of politics, police and the judicial system, but also by the general public and media, that do not have the knowledge or sensitivity to make a judgment in this area. Worst case, it could end up resulting in such a flawed judgment that denies the anti-Semitic motivation behind a firebomb attack on a Jewish synagogue.
To be fair, the appeal on points of law was in regards to the length of the sentence, and not regarding a re-evaluation of the motivation behind the attack. The court in Wuppertal also did not, as claimed by the Jerusalem Post and other media articles, claim that the attack was a justified criticism of Israel, the contrary was the case: Judge Bittner recognized the heavy traumatization of the Jewish community and made clear that this was no juvenile prank but a serious crime.
He nevertheless did not follow the prosecutors demand for a sentence without parole. What the new appeal ruling also failed to do, despite getting a second chance to correct the terrible mistake of its predecessor, was point out the obvious anti-Semitic character of the attack and thereby send an urgently-needed, strong message to the Jewish community that the German judicial system is able to recognize and prosecute anti-Semitic incidents against its Jewish population.
Not once did Judge Bittner mention the word anti-Semitic in his ruling.
This case is another instance that proves and drives B'nai B'rith's work and engagement in pushing for an official definition on anti-Semitism to better protect our Jewish communities and prevent such attacks from not being labeled for what it really is: another shameful anti-Semitic attack on a Jewish community in Europe.
Benjamin Nägele was named director of E.U. affairs for B'nai B'rith International in 2015. In this capacity he focuses on promoting EU-Israel relations and advocates for Jewish causes at the European institutions in Brussels. He previously worked as an EU affairs officer for B'nai B'rith International and as a policy advisor at the European Parliament. Click here to read more of his work.
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The King is dead - long live the DEAD KING! King Valen Brand was a just ruler and a great warrior until he was killed in battle by the necromancer Korrus Null and resurrected as one of the walking dead. Now he's considered an abomination in his own realm, an outcast with only one purpose: to restore his lost soul... The quest continues as Valen has reached the treacherous sea that acts as a border to Korrus Null's deadly kingdom, Wraithendal. But when one of his companions is abducted by a seedy guild of thieves and murderers, will Valen even make it to the boat alive? Don't miss this visceral new ongoing series from fan-favorite writer Michael Alan Nelson (28 DAYS LATER, ROBERT E. HOWARD'S HAWKS OF OUTREMER) and rising star DEADPOOL artist Matteo Scalera!


The enormously and naturally beautiful Grandpa's Farm House is set in the midst of Munnar. It has four enormous rooms to explore. It is 15 km away from Munnar Town and 130 km away from Cochin Airport. It has panoramic view of the tea gardens and waterfalls from the rooms. The resort is a smoke free property and provides airport transfers. There is a garden to take an evening walk in and newspapers for the avid readers. Private vehicles can be parked in the free parking space of the hotel. To serve the guests it has limited hours of room service and front desk service. For emergency it has a backup generator and medical service.


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OYSTERHEAD
Prog Related • United States
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Oysterhead biography
OYSTERHEAD is Trey ANASTASIO of PHISH, Les CLAYPOOL of PRIMUS and Stewart COPELAND of The POLICE. They first came together in 2000 for a jazz festival in New Orleans, but it's success pushed them to continue. To ANASTASIO's studio they went to record an album because of their blatant chemistry. Their sound is a mixture of PHISH and PRIMUS, and this proves to be an amazing sound. The interplay between each musician is exciting and their overall sound is unique and well-produced.
"The Grand Pecking Order" was released in 2001, their only effort so far.
If you're a fan of any of the players in this band, or just of prog in general really, I highly recommend this fun band to you.
Why this artist must be listed in www.progarchives.com :
Art Rock/Jam supergroup of Les Claypool, Trey Anastasio, and Stewart Copeland. Just like PHISH and PRIMUS!
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OYSTERHEAD discography
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3.67 | 29 ratings
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OYSTERHEAD Reviews
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Studio Album, 2001
Oysterhead Prog Related
Review by siLLy puPPy
Collaborator PSIKE, JR/F/Canterbury & Eclectic Teams
Two things come to mind when I hear this sole album by OYSTERHEAD.
1) Buckethead. The album title as well as some of the song structures from the 'Monsters and Robots' album which Les Claypool was a part of.
2) Fishbone. Funkiness and bass lines at moments.
Well I also hear lots of Phish and Primus. This is a worthy effort from Les Claypool, Trey Anastasio and Stewart Copeland but they don't seem to bring anything dynamically new to the table.
I'm hearing a lot of borrowing from other sources including previous incarnations of all members involved but hardly anything that makes this a dynamic stand alone release.
That being said, this is an ok collaboration between these three outstanding musicians. I just wish it was a bit more adventurous. Instead of everyone bringing out the best in each other, it seems more like everyone is watered down. I guess even supergroups need an album to warm up.
3 stars nothing more.
Posted Tuesday, January 14, 2014 | Review this album | Report (Review #1114516)
Every once in a while, a "super-group" can get it right. But there are so many times that their egos get in the way and you end up with a disjointed sounding mish-mash that is not at all enjoyable. This is definately NOT the case for Oysterhead. Three great musicians from three great bands (all three of the bands in my all time favs by the way), Trey Anastasio from Phish, Les Claypool from Primus and Stewart Copeland from The Police (all start with "P", is that a coincidence?) put together an amazing album of great music. Hard to believe they can work together so well, but they do. What you have here is a very cohesive set of very listenable progressive rock noise. Humor and seriousness and technical expertise are combined into something that shouldn't work, but works beautifully. As most other people, I had my doubts about this album before I heard it, but I finally broke down and added it to my collection, and from the very beginning, I was very pleasantly surprised. Is it essential? Not really, but it is definatley excellent and should be considered a part of every prog music collection. Amazing stuff. The most amazing thing about it is, it actually works and it works very well!
This review is long, but if you have any interest in Les Claypool, Trey Anastasio, Stewart Copeland, or just in a new legend emerging on the progressive landscape, you should take the time to read this.
Oysterhead consists of Trey Anastasio (Phish), Les Claypool (Primus), and former Police drummer Stewart Copeland, and the only reason I bought this album was to hear what Copeland would sound like after fifteen years or so away from playing in a legitimate band (I think he's been mostly doing movie soundtracks and stuff like that since he left the Police).
Pause and form a mental picture of what you think a band with these three guys should look and sound like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably off-base. Having suffered through listening to the results of contrived lineups of numerous "all-star" bands over the years, I actually expected this album to be an over-hyped flop, and after the first listen that was my initial impression, and I found myself wishing that the band's web site had a return policy.
After a few more listens though, this album has really grown on me. There are a couple of small turds in the mix, to be sure, but overall this is a collection of songs that you can play many times and find something new almost every time. And by the way, Copeland's drumming hasn't lost anything in the time he's been away. He pretty much lives above the rim the whole album, with an almost indulgent use of snares, and of what must be some pretty interesting-looking cymbals, judging from some of the funky sounds he's coaxing out of them.
The lyrics are a mixed-bag, ranging from socially conscious to just plain silly, which isn't surprising considering Anastasio and Claypool's histories with their respective bands. There is a very definite aura of control by Claypool throughout, with most of the tracks having at least a hint of a Primus feel to them. But there is a bit more structure and discipline to the music than you'll find on albums like Pork Soda or Rhinoplasty. I suppose this is largely attributable to Anastasio's considerable skill at arranging the music, and Copeland's well-honed commercial sensibilities. Finally, most of the songs have some degree of improvisational jamming to them, and clearly the Phish influence is shining through – I don't think either the Police or Primus is particularly known for their spontaneity in the studio.
Clearly this band was made to be live on stage though, and their web site is pretty liberally sprinkled with free concert videos for fans to download. There is also a lengthy policy statement explaining how fans can tape live concerts for their own benefit, and even post their recordings for free distribution to other fans. I have in fact downloaded several such recordings from various amateur fan sites (placed there with the full consent of the band, I will point out!), and most of these songs sound even better live than they do on the album. So if you're interested in the musical styles of any of these three artists, you should think of Grand Pecking Order as a solid sampler of what they will sound like live (although to my knowledge they haven't really played live much since the supporting tour for this album back in 2001).
"Little Faces" starts off with a funky rhythm between Claypool's bass and Copeland's drums that has the effect of sounding like a motorcycle or poorly muffled racing engine revving up. It's a pretty creative way to open the album, and gives way eventually into a rather extended jam that has a strong Phish feel to it. I wish I had more experience listening to both Phish and especially Primus because both Anastasio and Claypool provide vocals but they are kind of hard to tell apart.
In "Oz is Ever Floating" Claypool lays down some funky blues-influenced licks that are supported with a driving staccato beat from Copeland. I can't tell if Claypool is using a voice box or is just synching his vocals perfectly to Anastasio's guitar, but the effect is quite original.
"Mr. Oysterhead" is a song that is totally made to be played live. This one actually reminds me of some of the funkier early stuff the Gap Band did, except that the vocals are almost like the Beastie Boys at times. This one could easily be drawn out to eight or ten minutes in a live setting and still hold the interest of listeners.
(Billy Came Back from Vietnam) a "Shadow of a Man" has one of the few serious topics on the album. It's a song about a man returning from Vietnam with some mental and social adjustment issues, apparently one of many victims of Agent Orange exposure. This is a reference to a rather dated social issue, but the change of tempo shows the range this group is capable of. Copeland throws in some unusual percussion that has a bit of an Oriental feel to it, and Anastasio's guitar has kind of an 'Apocalypse Now' sound that sets the mood well.
I'm not sure what the point is in "Radon Balloon", maybe some sort of nuclear reference or something. This is a rather subdued song, with Anastasio actually switching to an acoustic guitar.
Claypool's bass sounds like he's slapping wet noodles on "Army's on Ecstasy", a sarcastic dig at the mental state of some of our men and women in uniform (this is kind of a sacred-cow subject today, but keep in mind the song was written in early 2001). The vocals here are actually a bit annoying at times, especially Claypool's 'voice-in-a- can' sound that reminds me of some of Klaatu's early stuff.
I think "Rubberneck Lions" is just a bunch of pointless babbling thrown together with most of the lyrics appearing to be chosen simply because they rhyme. Anastasio wanders about with some funky licks that sound as if they were improvised in the studio. Overall this would have been just as good as an instrumental, and whoever is singing the harmony sounds a lot like Gordon Gano from Violent Femmes.
"Polka Dot Rose" is a darker kind of chant that I didn't really get the point of, but Claypool and Copeland do a nice job of laying down a toe-tapping tempo at least.
"Birthday Boys" is an Anastasio tune, and he brings out an acoustic guitar again for this one. I gather this song is about a chick named Gina who is a bit of a tease, although I could certainly have that wrong.
I'm pretty sure "Wield the Spade" is a dig at world leaders like GW who assume their powers to be unlimited. The timing here is interesting. Oysterhead was scheduled to kick off their tour supporting the album on September 15, 2001, and their first few shows were canceled after the September 11th terrorist attacks. Although the voice on this song sounds remarkably like Al Gore, the lyrics seem almost prophetically aimed as a reference to the abuses of power the current American president has been accused post-September 11th. Kind of creepy listening to this song knowing it was written before the unfolding of the past five years' political and social events.
The lyrics from "Pseudo Suicide" are Claypool's, and the real-life references wrapped around the encore "'cause there ain't no cure for suicide" undoubtedly have some sort of hidden meaning that escapes me, but probably means something to those who know him. He and Copeland seem especially inspired on this one, with a driving rhythm that is more upbeat than anywhere else on the album.
"Grand Pecking Order" is just a flat-out disgruntled-member-of-the-human-race rant. You just gotta' love these lyrics:
"In the grand pecking order, where is it you lie? are you the tall hog at the trough, Or a piglet in the sty? On the grand ladder of life, are you near the highest rung? Or somewhere near bottom with your nose in hairy bung. And so you sniff it with a smile on your face, for to pout about would only bring disgrace – to the Grand Pecking Order".
"Owner of the World", I guess, is about a corporate and social climber who has reached his zenith and is now just another average Joe:
"He used to own the world, he used to be the one. Like hundred hungry dogs in heat, on cinnabar and rum; ground and sifted and washed it, dried it in the sun. But his heart just wouldn't buy it and his feet began to run. He used to be the Owner of the World, but now he's just another man, who used to be the Owner of the World".
Anastasio closes out this last track with some very tasty licks that dance around Copeland's simple but fast-moving beat. This is a short but sweet tune that left me expecting more after the album ended, even after I originally didn't think the album was even worth keeping.
Like I said at the beginning, that's what a few listens to this album will do – get you hooked and eventually you'll probably even sing the praises of this innovative and energetic work by three well-established musical geniuses who somehow managed to break with the traditional mold of "all-star" lineups that either take themselves too seriously, or try to bite off more than they can chew. Oysterhead seems to be not only keeping their egos and ambitions in check on the album; they actually seem to be having fun doing it.
If you have a chance to pick this one up, consider it a priority – this is a record you will still be playing from time to time even years from now. If I ever get a chance to see these guys live, I will undoubtedly consider it the highlight of my social calendar for that year.
Oysterhead and Grand Pecking Order are real gems whose real genius, in the grand tradition of much of the progressive genre, will probably not be fully appreciated for many years to come.
Posted Saturday, April 29, 2006 | Review this album | Report (Review #76667)
Review by arqwave
A super group of the new millenium (well of the late millenium), who cares, is a great album from 3 masterminds. Everybody micht think that the egos could clash and end up in tragedy or a very bad album, however, is a jewel, 13 songs of pure weirdness and muscicallity. Here we might find a lot of "trademarks" and is obvious, but those are blended with each other, making a very enjoyable record. Some songs like "little faces" and "shadow of a man" are a lot more influenced by CLAYPOOL, and some others like "owner of the world" and "rubberneck lions" are more influenced by ANASTASIO, some are anchor points like "polka dot rose" and pseudo suicide". The importance of the record goes sometimes beyond the music by itself, but the return to the drummer seat of master Stewart Copeland, the so called "return of the jedi" beacuse of his abscence for almost 13 years as a leading drummer. Of course is not an easy record, but a very rewarding one. For those who want to experiment and go a little bit further.
Review by GoldenSpiral
This is an album full of highly enjoyable, weird music. A studio album from a band as heavily improvisational as Oysterhead, however, is sort of disappointing, it seems to me that it would have been much better as a live album. But that argument aside, there are some brilliant moments on this record! The overall sound is pretty much exactly what one would expect coming from these collaborators. Certain songs tend to be more "phishy" whereas others are more "primusy". Les Claypool brings to the mix his normal, crazy cartoonish self, along with, of course, some fabulous improvisational bass work. What's really different about this record from Les's other works is Anastasio's contributions, which tend to make the songs catchier and more melodic, as opposed to the jerky rhythms of primus. It's hard to guarantee that anyone will like this album, because while it is sort of like primus and sort of like phish, it is also completely different from both, and may not appeal to some fans of either band, or may appeal to people who are fans of neither! The Moral of the Story: check it out if you like your music on the weirder side of art-rock.
Thanks to Retrovertigo for the artist addition.


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Cureton may refer to:

 Sir Charles Cureton (British Indian Army officer) KCB (1826–1891), British general
 William Cureton (1808–1864), English Orientalist
 Jamie Cureton (born 1975), English footballer
 Earl Cureton (born 1957), American basketball player
 Cureton family, originating from the first Lords of Curton

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The prayer team would like to let you know that they are available to you anytime! This team of 10 ladies meet regularly to pray over our church and any requests that are brought to their attention. They are also available for home or hospital visitations. If you would like to speak with someone on the Prayer Team, please contact Judy Woods at 299-6694. She will pray over the phone with you or set a time for a visit with one of the team members. All prayer requests are completely confidential.


This is the problem. I've been making Bafflers so dang hard this week, I've forgotten how to make comics. I look at this layout, and say 'Hey I really like these colors and angles, and look there's Mer and her cute little dog, surely I can make something nifty out of this" - But then I sit for hours and realize I have no idea what these people should say. Perhaps you do? Let me know if you do and maybe we can fix this thing.


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Appraiser Directory
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A Chronology of the Chinese Dynasties
China is home of the oldest surviving civilization on earth. For millennia the Chinese were ruled by various Emperors, whose families formed the Dynasties. As each new dynasty came to power it would overthrow the preceeding one, changing the course of history a century at a time. Some of the early dates are speculative at best as few of the leading authorities agree on all but the chronology.
Xia Dynasty: c.2500 - c.1600 B.C.
The most prehistoric of the dynasties which began the evolution of Chinese civilization. 20th Century archaeologists have gone a long way toward marrying Xia myth and reality, as many ancient Chinese texts which pointed to settlements have been proven to exist by actual excavation with finds of tombs and bronze implements.
Shang Dynasty: c.1700 - c.1050 B.C.
The Shang Dynasty advanced itself through agriculture and animal husbandry as well as hunting. Bronzework was already in existence and showed improved workmanship, along with the development of an early writing system. With civilization comes the need to honour thy leader, and evidence from royal tombs indicate a belief in the afterlife. Royals were buried with articles of value, probably for use in the afterlife, and evidence also exists for the inclusion of servants, possibly slaves, who were buried alive in the royal chamber.
Zhou Dynasty: c.1027 - 221 B.C.
Western Zhou: C.1027 - 771 B.C. Eastern Zhou: 770 - 221 B.C.
At 800 years the Zhou (often Chou) Dynasty was the longest lived, enlarging the empire by conquest and colonization and promoting philosophy. Confucius (c.551-497BC) was a statesman and advisor to various feudal lords. He taught the philosophy of co-existence and mutual duty, which emphasized personal virtue, devotion to the family, including one's ancestors, justice and diplomacy.
Taoism also has its origins during the sixth century BC, a Chinese philosophy and religious system based on the teachings of Lao-tse. The concept of Tao being to reach practical and spiritual harmony with the universe.
Following invasion in 771 B.C. the empire became increasingly fragmented as the power behind the Zhou dynasty gradually diminished.
Qin Dynasty: 221 - 207 B.C.
Once the last of the Warring States (a sub-period from the last 250 years of the Eastern Zhou) conquered and brought under control its rival states, the Qin Dynasty was founded. Though short-lived, the Qin system of hard rule imperialism founded the first real unified empire and established trade, communication, commerce and education. To consolidate their position, the kings of Qin rejected Confucianism, violently persecuting its believers.
Constant vigilance to the north and south kept out the barbarian invaders and the earlier fortification walls built by the Warring States along its northern Mongolian border were connected to create a 2400km defensive wall, commonly known as the Great Wall of China.
Han Dynasty: 206 B.C. - A.D. 220
The heavy handed rule of the Qin was replaced by the more lenient Han Dynasties. With relative freedom, intellectual and literary work flourished. The ideals of Confucius were adopted by the Han Emperors and Confucian scholars began to take positions of importance in the civil service.
The empire grew and frontiers were extended bringing relatively safe passage for traders from other countries into and out of China. Most notably, the "silk road" which was the route west and allowed the export of Chinese silk to ancient Rome. The other great Chinese inventions, paper and porcelain, also date from this period.
After 400 years the Han rulers seemed to lose their way and the empire become the victim of its own success. Either through corruption, rivalry or greed, the politically complex system of government collapsed.
Various Dynasties: 220 - 581
Three Kingdoms: 220-280 Jin Dynasty: 265-420 Six Kingdoms: 420-581 Following the Han Dynasties, a succession of other Dynasties gradually allowed the Chinese culture and it's great empire, to fall into decay. I suppose this would be the equivalent of Europes Dark Ages, a period in our own history marked by a lack of cultural development.
Sui Dynasty: 581 - 618
Although started by the Wei Dynasty from about AD384, it was the newly founded Sui Dynasty that finally reunited the splintered empire.
Buddhism, first introduced in the 1st Century AD from India, now took on a new significance and followers flocked to the new enlightenment, as they also did to Taoism, the philosophy of nature.
The Sui Dynasty created economic stability along with a centralized, stable government and the empire again prospered. Political meddling and dubious military campaigns into Korea by the Emperors son, who rose to power on the death of his father, brought down the government and the Dynasty.
Tang Dynasty: 618 - 960
The Tang Dynasty ruled over a golden age in the field of art and literature, and a great expansion in trade occurred out as far as India and the Middle East. Probably the most creative period in Chinese history, with large quantities of surviving pottery, displaying a wide variety of techniques and colours. The capital Changan became a famous cosmopolitan centre.
This higher culture included poetry and the Buddhist arts, which flourished. With the invention of block printing, suddenly the written word became available to many more citizens of the empire at a time when education would equal social status and wealth.
The Tang only ruled up to 907, following defeat by northern invaders, fragmentary dynasties ruled from 907 - 960.
Sung (or Song) Dynasty: 960 - 1279
Northern Sung: 960 - 1127 & Southern Sung: 1127 - 1279
Under Sung rule, peace was restored and China achieved one of its highest levels of culture and prosperity. The empire was united under one Emperor instead of a plethora of governorships and this led to greater stability for the people and more power for the Emperor.
The Sung sub-periods occurred when repeated invasions from the north forced the Sung court to move south. Soon the building of new cities from which to oversee the empire and the opening up of trade routes with the rest of the world, rewarded a much higher percentage of the population with financial independence from the state.
A renewed interest in Confucianism combined intellectuals with art, literature and poetry, philosophers with government office, and the merchants with hard-paste porcelain which could be exported to the interior and the world.
The Mongol leader Genghis Khan captured Beijing in 1215 and following the completion of "The Quest of China", Kublai Khan (grandson of Genghis Khan) brought the Sung Dynasty to an end in 1279.
Yuan Dynasty: 1279 - 1368
The Yuan Dynasty, a Mongol Dynasty, enjoyed an enviable success rate on the battlefield which it could not sustain during peace time. Financial demands on the population resulted in peasantry and famine, which, along with natural disasters, notably flooding, produced numerous and sustained uprisings in almost every province.
Eventually the rebels began to stand their ground and were winning more and more influence in the provinces. It was the rebel leader, Zhu Yuan-chang, a former Buddhist monk, who eventually proclaimed himself leader and founded the Ming Dynasty in 1368.
Ming Dynasty: 1368 - 1644
By 1382, Zhu Yuan-chang had driven the Mongols out of Beijing(1371) and unified most of China. The arts flourished and periods of foreign trade began as the first European seafarers reached China from Portugal, England, France and the Dutch East India Company.
Top of the list was the distinctive blue-and-white porcelain which began a new period in Chinese ceramic history.
An Imperial factory, built in the Kiangsi province would produced prolific quantities of blue-and-white and fine enamel-painted porcelain, firstly for the court and later for general use and then export, at which point Ming pottery became very famous abroad.
Qing, Ch'ing or the Manchu Dynasty: 1644 - 1911
The Manchu Dynasty, a northern people, took Beijing from the Ming in 1644 and became the last ruling dynasty of China. A long dynasty of relative stability, but isolation, cultural stagnation, and generally weakened by rebellion, the government began to lose its grip. The Manchurians suffered several military defeats toward the end of the 19th Century and following a popular revolution, Dr.Sun Zhongshan, a revolutionary leader, inaugurated a republic in 1912.
The days of Dynasty rule were over.
Author: Phil Chave
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The New Fuzion Spinal TLSO Orthosis is designed to be flexible when donning and doffing, yet rigid once applied. The orthosis limits motion and the soft foam edges provide maximum comfort. The lightweight Fuzion Spinal Orthosis allows for anterior, posterior, and lateral control and is easier to fit on patients who need assistance putting on the orthosis.
Available in one and two-piece configurations.
The Fuzion KAFO offers the same control as a standard plastic KAFO with the additional benefits of greater comfort due to better compression.
The Fuzion KO was designed primarily for contracture management, using foam based materials for greater comfort and control.
The Fuzion AFO allows greater fit, function and freedom for challenging foot deformations vs. traditional AFOs.
Fuzion SMOs offer medial/lateral support in the frontal plane with maximum comfort.
The Fuzion WHO is designed for those patients who cannot tolerate standard plastic WHOs.
The Fuzion Elbow Orthosis is designed for those patients who need a custom orthosis that offers greater comfort and control.
The New Fuzion Spinal LSO Orthosis is designed to be flexible when donning and doffing, yet rigid once applied.


When it comes to networking, the Digisol DG-HR3400 Wireless Broadband Ethernet Router delivers performance of the highest standards. With its data transmission capability of up to 300 Mbps, enjoy seamless wireless communication. This lets you transfer a host of data in various forms such as video, music and documents over the wireless link with ease.
This wireless router utilizes Intelligent antenna technology that enables it to transmit multiple data streams over the WLAN network. It also allows you to set up multiple Wi-Fi networks by enabling distinct SSIDs for each network. This device comes with the latest IPv6 network addressing support so that you don't have to worry about upgrading your device in the near future.
Featuring dual high gain antennas, this device ensures strong connectivity with devices over an extended region. It also makes your WLAN network secure through advanced WPA2 encryption technology, firewall and protection against Denial of Service attacks. It also comes with URL blocking for effective Parental control that prevents malicious websites from accessing your data.


Smashwords – Books Tagged "affirming"
These results show books which have been specifically tagged with this keyword. You can also try doing a general search for the term "affirming" .
The day you get clarity is the day the world will stop telling you who you should be and the day you will no longer be silent about who you are. Then its noise will be your silence. Experience the freedom that comes with clarity - the clarity you will experience with each of over 80 daily introspections and affirmations.
Alexia and Justin McNear had their marriage arranged following the traditions of their faith. Now they're ready to move on, raise their family, and build a whole new community. Their challenges are far from over. It's a race against time when Mother Nature sets her eye upon L'île d'Anges. They're in for an uphill battle; having to rely on each other and their faith to see them through.
JD's whatever.odt is an academic memoir that brings together opposite sources -- print and web, humorous and painful, scientific and literary -- to place her personal experiences as a genderqueer individual in a larger cultural context. Offering the text for free continues her motif of opposites: "such a book would have been invaluable to me when I was growing up lost, confused, and bullied."


We're honored to be called on by our Belton Missouri customers when disaster strikes. We've perfected the process of remediating damages caused by water, fire, and mold. Our Belton professionals provide the highest quality of service and efficiency, within your time frame.
Once the reconstruction is complete with your Belton property, we'll process the claim with your insurance company.
Once the mold, and any unsalvagable building materials, are removed from Your Belton property, the area is ready for repair.


Large manufacturers do not offer unique millwork designs, while smaller companies are often untested and invalidated. This leaves builders and architects searching for multiple providers of exterior architectural elements to satisfy discerning homeowners. INTEX Millwork Solutions provides the solution: it offers timeless designs and lasting durability in products that can be standard or highly customized.
By partnering with INTEX Millwork Solutions, builders and architects can deliver on each homeowner's unique vision for their home. Whether it be a historical remodel, a standard railing, or an elaborate customization with original railings, trims, and mouldings, builders and architects will exceed their customers' expectations with the quality and inventiveness of INTEX's exterior architectural products.
As a family company, INTEX Millwork is dedicated to exceptional service, fast lead times, and supported installations. With INTEX Millwork, builders and architects have a trusted solution, every single time.
Create a unique look with a choice of railing designs and balusters crafted in square, chamfered or turned designs.
Wrapped in stylish INTEX designs, newels and columns can do double duty as both vital structural components and dramatic visual elements.
Our unique combination of structural aluminum and pvc allows INTEX pergolas to span wider expanses than the competition.
Our custom millwork is produced to precise design specifications, fabricated to order, packaged securely so that product arrives damage free – ready for installation.


As the global economy slows down, how is Russia faring in these turbulent times? How does it rank internationally? How will it be affected by Europe's financial woes? And what is the aftermath of the Cyprus banking crisis for Russia? Peter Lavelle is joined by Ben Aris, Ivan Tchakaroff and Vladimir Potapov to discuss Russia's economy.


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WorstPlans.com updates every Monday!
View the index of EVEN MORE Worst Plans right here!
Your weekly source for terrible plans and ideas!
Month: October, 2019
Speed up the passenger-pickup phase of a Lyft or Uber ride with this new conveyor belt system for ride-sharing cars!
The issue:
One transportation model used by ride-sharing cars (formerly called "taxis") is the "carpool"-style trip, where multiple passengers are picked up and dropped off at various points along a mostly-shared route.
(Lyft Line and Uber Pool are currently the most well-known of these.)
This "carpool"-style trip is cheaper than a normal ride for each individual passenger, but the route may be slightly longer due to detours to pick up and drop off each person.
Sometimes, a car will be partially full when it picks up a new passenger. If there is someone sitting in the curb-side rear seat, the new passenger will generally attempt to enter through that door first, then realize that someone is there and walk around the car to the other side (Figure 1). For maximum comedy, the passenger already inside the car may misunderstand and slide themselves over to the other seat, thus accidentally blocking the incoming passenger yet again.
Fig. 1: If someone is already occupying the back right seat, then a new passenger who attempts to enter through that door (see arrow "A") will be stymied. They will have to either walk around the car or else wait for the current passenger to slide over to the opposite seat.
This inefficient entry method wastes time and increases the chances that the stopped ride-share car will be hit by an inattentive motorist.
Proposal:
The fix to this situation is simple: the back seat can be replaced by a pair of conveyor belts (Figure 2). These conveyor belts will be controlled by a switch on the dashboard, and will allow the driver to slide any current passengers out of the way of new incoming passengers.
Fig. 2: The back seat is replaced by a pair of conveyor belts. Note that this new configuration still seats three, so we haven't lost any functionality.
Fig. 3: The conveyor belts are synchronized, so any passengers on them will hardly notice as they are gently scooted over.
Although this feature is not currently standard in any production automobiles, it would make sense for it to be an add-on, like heated seats or a sunroof.
PROS: Increases ride-sharing efficiency by reducing the new-passenger pickup time. This is especially important since ride-share company profits are currently in the "negative numbers" range.
CONS: It is unclear whether seat belts could be installed in this conveyor-belt seat system without strangling back-seat passengers. Possibly this system should be prototyped in countries with non-existent safety regulations.
Too lazy to be an informed voter? No problem—team up with a non-citizen who is interested in the democratic process! It's a win-win situation!
The democratic process depends on at least some fraction of voters making an informed decision.
However, many people find politics uninteresting (Figure 1), and vote semi-randomly and/or for the most candidate with the most camera-friendly smile.
This is not an ideal way to choose a country's leaders.
Fig. 1: "What??? They want me to vote either yes or no? Sheesh, who has time for that. If only a cruel tyrant would rule over the land, crushing all dissent and freeing me from these decisions!"
This one is simple: a web site (or app) simply matches up an uninterested / uninformed voter with a motivated-but-ineligible-for-voting individual (e.g. a non-citizen or some really motivated high-school civics student).
Now, the highly motivated individual can suggest candidates and referendum choices for the apathetic voter (perhaps by filling out a sample ballot beforehand).
(The eligible voter will still actually have to either go to the polls or fill out a vote-by-mail form, so this is still slightly more work than doing nothing at all.)
Fig. 2: The benefits are obvious: the uninterested voter doesn't have to slog through the ballot, and the motivated non-voter gets to be part of the democratic process! In theory, better-informed voters should also choose more competent civic leaders as well.
PROS: May save democracy.
CONS: If every single voter becomes so apathetic that they outsource their vote, it is clear that there is something fundamentally wrong with the country's political situation.
Re-experience your youth in an amazingly annoying fashion with a "scaled up furniture" business featuring gigantic chairs and tables!
Almost everything in the world is designed for people of average adult size.
As a result, most everyday objects (furniture, stairs, door handles, etc.) are a totally inconvenient size for children or the extremely short.
This is somewhat surprising, since everyone spent many years facing these problems as a small child.
But it was so long ago that no one really remembers! (This is also a classic example of the market failing to address the needs of a demographic with zero purchasing power.)
Here, we propose re-furnishing a shopping mall so that every object is sized to give you (as an adult) the approximate impression of scale that a three- or four-year old would have.
In other words, we approximately double the size of everything in the mall in all three dimensions (e.g. a 3-foot high table is now 6 feet high, and doors are 15+ feet tall).
The building would also need to have an exceptionally high ceiling in order to accommodate the larger furniture (see Figure 1).
Fig. 1: All the furniture is scaled up proportionately. This chair is now basically unusable by the average-height mall patron (left).
Additionally, if this "everything is enormous" business were to sell food or beverages, those should also be scaled up (Figure 2).
Fig. 2: In the spirit of scaling up everything, a "regular sized" coffee would be served in an enormous gallon-sized mug (Figure 2). A hamburger scaled up in this way would contain approximately 6,000 calories.
Since there are so many malls that have gone out of business due to the convenience of Internet shopping [1], there should be plenty of abandoned real-estate that can be repurposed for this plan.
PROS: Provides useful perspective to product designers. Also allows people to re-live their childhood in the most inconvenient way possible, thus saving them from unwarranted nostalgia.
CONS: The potential for breaking bones in this out-of-scale environment is extremely high. Not everything scales up in a strictly linear fashion (e.g. a fall off a 6-foot-high table would be more than twice as injury-causing as a fall off a three-foot-high table).
[1] (Some people dispute this, and suggest that another factor could have caused it, such as haunting by ghosts.)
Sleep-tracker smartwatches should be able to help you by recapping things you missed while you're sleeping and/or pausing the streaming video that you're snoozing through!
Some smartwatches now have a sleep tracking feature (Fig 1): the watch is able to figure out when you fall asleep and record how long you've slept.
Fig. 1: This watch is able to record the length of your slumber, but it doesn't do anything with this information except displaying it.
It's easy to fall asleep while watching streaming video or listening to a podcast.
But sleeping while a podcast plays may result in your podcast app marking 10+ episodes as "played" even though you snoozed through them. To fix things, you'll have to figure out exactly where you left off (or just give up on those episodes entirely).
With a TV show, you might wake up to a plot-twisting spoiler. Horrifying!
With a sleep-tracking smartwatch, the watch could, upon detecting that you're asleep, do one of two things:
1. Immediately pause the podcast / video, or fade it out over time.
2. Continue playing, but specially mark this region of time as "you were asleep, but the video was still playing." This situation is shown in Figure 2.
Fig. 2: In this scenario, the user fell asleep at 4:33 PM, but the app kept playing the podcast until 5:05 AM. A huge button marked "AUTO-REWIND" allows the watch-wearer to automatically return to the podcast material that they slept through.
This feature could also be useful for college students, who are famous for sleeping through classes at all hours of the day. A sample scenario is shown in Figure 3, below.
Fig. 3: The student who was wearing this watch fell asleep 38 minutes into their class. Fortunately, the watch started recording the lecture as soon as the student fell asleep, so the student is able to review it by pushing the "REPLAY "NAP" LECTURE AUDIO" button.
This auto-pause feature could be implemented in a manner similar to the way in which a phone already automatically pauses video / music when a phone call is received.
PROS: By pausing streaming video, this saves valuable Internet bandwidth that would otherwise be streamed to your closed eyelids.
CONS: Students may end up with even more disastrous sleep schedules if they know they can rely on this lecture-replay feature.


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HomeExchange Traded Funds (ETFs)Going the Distance with SPTL
In today's economy, investors are looking for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that can go the distance and ride out what may be an impending recession.
Looking forward, the macroeconomic environment likely will be shaped by three key elements: slowing growth, falling inflation and central bank rate cuts. If this is indeed the case, longer-dated, fixed-income exchange-traded funds (ETFs) should outperform.
One way for investors to take advantage of that outlook is through several best-of-breed investment vehicles for embracing duration in bond portfolios. The first of those investments is SPDR Portfolio Long Term Treasury ETF (SPTL).
SPTL is a low-cost ETF that seeks precise and comprehensive exposure to the entire long-term U.S. Treasury spectrum of bonds with remaining maturities of 10 years or more — excluding inflation-protected bonds. The fund uses a sampling method to track its index, the Bloomberg Long U.S. Treasury Index.
Simply, the fund invests in a sample of securities that collectively have an investment profile like the benchmark. While SPTL is one of the lower-cost core SPDR Portfolio ETFs, its long-effective duration, weighted-average maturity and yield-to-maturity naturally may expose investors to elevated interest-rate risk. But it's no more risk than is expected in the market.
SPTL has $5.74 billion in net assets and a low expense ratio of 0.06%. As is visible in the chart below, the fund showed a sharp decline last October but recouped a fair amount of ground by December.
Courtesy of Stockcharts.com.
Overall, SPTL is a cost-efficient ETF offering investors comprehensive exposure to the U.S. Treasury spectrum of bonds with remaining maturities of 10 years or more. While SPTL may be more sensitive to interest-rate fluctuations than vehicles with a shorter duration, it is nothing extraordinary.
Exclusive Invest in Liquified Natural Gas with This Fund
So, for investors looking for a best-of-breed investment vehicle to go the distance, the SPDR Portfolio Long Term Treasury ETF may be worth considering.
As always, I am happy to answer any of your questions about ETFs, so do not hesitate to send me an email. You just may see your question answered in a future ETF Talk.
Invest in Media and Entertainment with This Fund
Reaching Out and Communicating With This ETF
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IT services are crucial services to a business no matter the size, and therefore they help in facilitating the main duties that the business is meant to do. All the businesses are in need of a good system that they can entrust for their daily activities as well as their financial details. IT services are supposed to improve the working environment of your establishment by bringing together all the involved dockets for there to be realizable targets. The rate at which a business grows can be influenced heavily by the effectiveness of the IT services that you have installed. The article herein highlights some of the benefits of having IT services in a business investment.
To begin with adapting these IT services in your establishment is a very wise move because it saves you time as well as money. Firstly, IT services in business are found to be very useful when it comes to accounting for both time and money. Many people might not manage to visualize this, but the business management can tell that there is a quicker mode of doing things. You do not require to go the market to get the customers, but you just access them from the company's portal that you have created. The fact that these IT services just need to be serviced over certain periods of time, it means that they are economical to the organization since they benefit the organization to a great extent.
Another important feature of these IT services is that they present your organization with a professional image. They make your organization to be in a particular class where even customers would like to be associated with your business. This picture is good because it can boost a small business to grow into a large business in the process because of rapid promotion it is experiencing. The IT services operate for their entirety, and therefore they help the company to be in operation for the whole day, and this boosts the growth of the business.
IT services are good to have in your business because you can alter them to meet your set standards. These IT services can, therefore, direct the business towards prosperity in a straightforward manner because they help the business to explore into profitable areas. For example the system of the business can be altered to meet new marketing strategies that will boost the sales of the business. IT services are made to be customer friendly, and therefore they create a good human relation in the entire business.
Because of the developing issues, IT services are essential to a business because they help it to march the trends. This, therefore, boosts the competitiveness of a particular business irrespective of its size. You can conveniently connect the IT services system into your business because it is cheaper since many IT experts are doing so.


The design of a nautilus shell has inspired numerous human structures.
Leaders from 40 of the best large gardens in North America came to San Diego last week for the Directors of Large Gardens Conference at the San Diego Botanical Garden in Encinitas. When I opened my San Diego Union-Tribune on Saturday, I was glad to see an article about the meeting by reporter Phil Diehl, and I especially loved the headline: "Stressed? You may need some nature." Right up my alley. It's worth reading.
As many good things as the article covered, there were so many other great topics it couldn't fit in. Many are the things we write about here in this blog: biophilia, bioinspiration, biomimicry, author Richard Louv's concept of "nature deficit disorder," the new Wellbeing Standards – I could go on. The article referred to a fantastic article by National Geographic called "Your Brain on Nature." The newspaper didn't give you a link to it, but I will right here.
The good news is that we aren't dependent on the newspaper or the traditional media in general for information the way we used to be. People with a passion for any particular topic like me now have a way to reach out to you directly to share what we know on our own publishing platforms like this blog, e-newsletters, YouTube, and such.
In my case, it's this concept that incorporating nature into our urban and suburban environments could solve many of our physical and mental health problems. It's not a novel or emerging idea anymore. Look at what the Japanese are doing with Shinrin-Yoku, or "forest bathing." Nearly every research study confirms we are healthier and happier in every possible way by reconnecting to the natural environment.
There are so many of us in San Diego working toward these ideals. There are a lot of similarities to the early days of the biotech industry in San Diego. To turn a handful of businesses into the internationally recognized biotech hub in San Diego, it took long term planning, a supportive culture, the talent to make it happen and the investment to make it possible. Plus a lot of patience, and a little luck.
Why couldn't we make San Diego a biophilia hub, just like we are a biotechnology hub?
There is no reason we can't make San Diego a leader in the field of biophilia, the bond between people and nature. We can create the same kind of biophilia hub here.
The San Diego Zoo's Center for Bioinspiration is working to advance the creation and development of nature-inspired products, services, and processes that benefit humanity, wildlife and habitats. It's a perfect fit. The Zoo and Safari Park house the largest and most diverse living collection of plants and animals in the entire world.
As we wrote about last month, the Fermanian Business and Economic Institute at Point Loma Nazarene University here in San Diego, is working with Terrapin Bright Green's "Da Vinci Index" database to measure activity in the field of Bioinspiration. The Institute recently estimated that bioinspired innovation could account for about $425 billion of the U.S. gross domestic product by 2030. This could translate to two million new jobs. Why not try to get our share of those jobs in San Diego?
More facilities in our region are incorporating nature into their buildings such as living walls and green roofs. Sharp Memorial Hospital and the new Palomar Hospital both have green roofs. Hotels, shopping malls, restaurants, and schools feature living walls. The San Diego City Council recently passed an Urban Farming Ordinance which will allow owners of undeveloped, blighted properties to use the space for community gardens.
We already have a fantastic start on this idea. We figured out a way to bring all of the leaders in the biotechnology industry together along with leaders in government, higher education, and civic organizations, and made the investments needed to make it happen. Let's make San Diego the same type of hub for biophilia and bioinspiration as we are for biotechnology. We live in a region with a perfect climate to accommodate this mission and we have all the talent in the world to get it done.
I'm not sure I'm smart enough on my own to know what it will take, but the more I keep writing and talking about it, this idea is sure to get to the right people eventually. The possibilities are growing daily.
BONUS VIDEO: Watch a talk about "Your Brain on Nature" and biophilia from NatGeo Live scientists here.


I hope you all have a wonderful February and if you celebrate Valentine's Day or not, I hope this month is full of love and good vibes!
P.S. – There are still a handful of wall calendars left (desk calendars are sold out) on Etsy! And they're now 20% off! Scoop one up before they sell out!


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Home News Norodi uses her knowledge to manage records
Norodi uses her knowledge to manage records
TSHIAMO MOKATSANE
Norodi Nkosi
Norodi Nkosi loves working in the city, but she doesn't love the traffic.
She grew up in Gugulethu, the fourth of seven siblings, but now lives in Bellville, so getting to and from her job at the City of Cape Town's Knowledge and Records Management
Department – where she's been for the past five years – means braving the daily highway grind.
Norodi has a degree in library and information sciences from the University of the Western Cape and worked several jobs while she was studying.
The experience she gained paid off and soon after leaving varsity, she landed a job at school in Zonnebloem where there was an opening for a teacher-librarian.
Later she chased down a job in Johannesburg, but she had barely moved there before she found herself back in Cape Town, working at a library in Khayelitsha.
She says when she first started out working in libraries the role of librarian was very much seen as a woman's job, to the extent that at some of her workplaces there weren't even proper toilets for men. But things have changed.
And now, she says, "There are as many toilets for men as there are for women."
Balancing the roles of men and women in the library hasn't always worked in her favour, though.
"There was a time when I applied for a job in Joburg, I remember them telling me that they were looking for male candidates at this particular library, simply because there were no males there."
Norodi loves working the in heart of the city because of all the people she gets to meet.
"I get told so many stories, but the one I am interested in knowing is the family history. It would be wonderful if we took the time to document, or make a virtual family tree rather, so that
the generations that are yet to come know who their ancestors are."
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