Do you want your audience to become your clients? Do you want customers to come back and buy from you again? I imagine that the answer to these questions is a yes for most business owners and salespeople. I can't wave a magic wand and make those things happen, but I can equip you to make them more likely.
Demographic and psychographic data and insights are key to seeing your audience as the collection of individual humans that it really is. Making use of them will help you to refine your sales process, saving you time and money.
Most of us have heard of demographics before. Demographics are ways of categorising people (your audience) into different chunks based on quantitative data. Demographics can include age, gender, first language, the device someone is browsing your website with etc.
This information alone is helpful in starting to understand something about your audience and for working out who your target audience is. Psychographics go even further, adding insight to demographics and helping you to understand why people want to buy from you.
Broadly speaking, psychographics look at intentions and behaviours. They include the hobbies or interests of your customers, their behavioural patterns, the KPIs of their businesses and more. Psychographics essentially tell you why people are interested in your products and, as with demographics, information from existing customers can be generalised and used to inform your sales strategy for attracting new customers.
As I just hinted at, understanding demographics and psychographics can help salespeople to become more proficient in winning new customers for the business. They help you to pinpoint who is buying from you and why.
Both aspects are important. Not every 40-60 year-old British man wants to buy a suit from you, for example, but there are distinct psychographic groups who would. On the one hand, you'll have men looking to buy a suit for a single occasion, like a job interview or an awards ceremony and on the other hand you'll have men with a lot of spare cash who enjoy buying and wearing suits. These groups are within the same demographic, but have different motivations and will be attracted with different sales messages.
Equally, psychographic information without demographics isn't overly useful. It's nice to know that people buying your CRM software tend to be ambitious, hard-working and loyal to their company, but it's also crucial to know that they tend to work for businesses with 25-50 employees and they tend to be sales managers, both of which would are demographic categories.
Used together, building an integrated, psychographic and demographic picture of your audience can help in a variety of ways. You can check leads against your target audience to determine which ones are worth following up and targeting as sales prospects. You could then use more specific information about the prospect to target your sales message and work out what the best pitch will be. Applying this data is about making your sales process more efficient, aiming to cut out leads that would never amount to a paying customer.
This information is also helpful for attracting repeat customers. If you know who they are and why they're buying from you, you'll be able to give them the right reasons as to why they should continue to do so. Repeat customers are an essential part of most businesses' incomes and you should devote at least as much time to understanding them as you do to leads and prospects.
It should be noted that these applications slide into marketing as well as sales. The reality of modern business is that the two departments need to work together a lot of the time and both can be more successful by gathering and sharing the sort of data that I'm talking about. It will ensure that messages are consistent and that the two teams are on the same page with regards to who their target audience is and how they reach them best.
Everything I've said so far is a nice theory, but it needs fleshing out to be truly practical. How do you gather actionable demographic and psychographic data?
For demographics, a lot of information is already easy to access. Google Analytics provides you with bucket loads of information about your site's existing users, including location, gender and device. You can also infer a lot about users' intentions (psychographic data) from the pages that are most popular, the pages with the highest bounce rate and the flow of users through your site.
Beyond analytics data, surveys are a good way to gather data. They're not always successful, but one tactic is to ask loyal customers for feedback about recent products, slipping in a couple of demographic questions at the start.
For businesses who tend to have a lot of interaction with clients, such as many service-based businesses, there's often nothing better than talking to them. As you get to know them, try to understand why they chose your business and what motivates them to continue being your customer.
Gathering data from your existing customers allows you to see trends which can be turned into a more refined target audience. It's likely that people with similar demographic and psychographic profiles to your loyal customers will also be interested in what you have to offer. You can also refine your sales messages for existing customers to be more in line with what you now know they're looking for.
Now it's over to you. It's up to each sales and marketing team to make the most of the demographic and psychographic data that they gather, forming targeted pitches and messages that recognise the situation and motivations of each prospect or existing customer. Don't be afraid to spend more time personalising your messages; you'll gain that time back and more as you cut out the failed pitches and the dead-end leads that were never going to buy.
Katie Deverill is operations manager at Company Check.


text:
layout: post
title: Detroit Coffee Shop Tour
---
I'm staying in Detroit for the holidays and thought I'd do a working tour of area coffee shops.

**First stop - [Mighty Good](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mighty+Good+Coffee/@42.2829829,-83.7484413,3a,75y,262.47h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s4GEuOL0go2HJxqiwr8UI0w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xfe1662cdc938a8aa!6m1!1e1) in Ann Arbor**
![Mighty Good](../img/mighty-good.png)

These guys were very friendly, almost too much so. Music moved through the day, starting with some soul in the
morning and evolving to alternative as the place filled up. The Latte was very good, the oatmeal was so so.

**Second Stop - [Chazzano Coffee Roasters](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Chazzano+Coffee/@42.4612477,-83.1137558,3a,75y,95.6h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1szpm2UuLBtIZ-VwDWth1Osg!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x9379ebafb7bea371?sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiAsLvf9IHKAhVL2WMKHfD9BpgQoB8IiAEwEQ) in Ferndale**
![Chazzano Coffee Roasters](../img/chazzano.png)

This place was friendly. They knew when to be attentive and when to leave you alone, a skill in itself.
The music was very good. I heard a John Lennon album I don't think I've ever heard,
and looked up to see the barista jamming out to Hendrix. The Latte was excellent and I mean excellent.
You pick your coffee and milk. The selection of coffee's is impressive. They roast their own coffee.
I was sitting next to the grinder and under the speaker, so it was a tough spot for an introductory phone call.
I literally had do pause while they ran the grinder. I powered through it. (Apologies to Dan and Jason.)
A great place to hang out, or work in solitude.

**Third Stop - [Fourteen East](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fourteen+East/@42.3601578,-83.0660267,3a,75y,329.58h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1szkB_EtH-mQNKjb02LzeGjA!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x575d589fc87add00?sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj1-Yz09IHKAhVS7WMKHSoTBwMQpx8IgwEwCg) in Detroit**
![Fourteen East](../img/14-east.jpg)

This place was friendly. The music was classical, a very clean modern and warm look.
The Latte was good - they use Chazzano as their coffee supplier.
It was perfect working environment for the morning, more like an office than a place to hang out.
By afternoon, I need something with a little more energy.

**Bonus! - [Slows BarBq](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Slows+BarBq/@42.3316419,-83.0760543,3a,75y,151.26h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s_Qo6gbh4-XGfuM7nXs1PTw!2e0!3e2!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xea0fb39d29292a38!6m1!1e1) in Detroit ([corktown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corktown,_Detroit))**
![Slows](../img/slows.png)

I was on my way to my afternoon coffee shop (Astro) and to my delight it is right next to Slows.
I've heard about Slows for years but somehow I've never been.
Now that has been corrected! And yes it is worth the trip to Slows.

**Third Stop - Astro Coffee in Detroit ([corktown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corktown,_Detroit))**
![Astro Coffee](../img/astro.png)

This place is so hip they don't even have wifi! And beards are standard, I felt a little left out.
With a personal hot-spot-tether to my phone I'm in business. (Good thing I've been on a data diet for the month of
December!) People are very 'cool' and 'cool friendly'. Makes me not
miss Brooklyn. (Not true, I miss Brooklyn.) The music was right up my alley -
like I could be listening to [KEXP](http://kexp.org/). The Latte was good.
(So far Chazzano had the best Latte by far.) The best part was snooping on the college students back for break,
catching up with friends, made me laugh quietly in the background.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Al Jazeera, May 10, 2015
Afghanistan supplies 90 percent of the world's heroin, Afghans leading consumers of drugs
The number of Afghan drug addicts now stands at nearly three million, up from less than 500,000 just two years ago
By Adam Kredo
While the United States has spent $8.4 billion on counter-narcotics programs in Afghanistan over the years, the country is estimated by the United Nations to have "roughly 500,000 acres, or about 780 square miles, devoted to growing opium poppy," according to SIGAR head John Sopko, who criticized the billions in taxpayer money spent on these programs during a speech last week in New York City.
The billions the United States spends on counter-narcotics programs reduced Afghanistan's opium fields by just more than 1 percent in the last year.
The Washington Free Beacon, May 11, 2015
Kabul, Afghanistan - Afghanistan's poppy fields are thriving, with cultivation of the crop hitting record highs last year. Poppy produces opium, the main ingredient in heroin. Already, the country supplies 90 percent of the world's heroin, leading to tens of thousands of deaths every year.
Not only is Afghanistan the global leader in opium production, but Afghans are now the leading consumers of their own drugs. The number of Afghan drug addicts now stands at nearly three million, up from less than 500,000 just two years ago. One Afghan health official describes the drug scourge as a "tsunami for our country".
With NATO troops pulling out and local law enforcement agencies ill-equipped and underfunded, production looks set to increase even further. And with the Taliban and al-Qaeda funded by the drug trade, fears are rising that further instability could wreak more havoc on this war-torn nation.
In Afghanistan's Billion Dollar Drug War, 101 East ventures deep into Taliban territory to meet up with a high-level smuggler who reveals his covert operation. They also go on patrol with a ragtag police unit charged with destroying the poppy fields that feed the habits of drug addicts worldwide.
Category: Drugs - Views: 8965
08.05.2015: 'They'll never stop us': The drug runners fueling Afghanistan's epidemic
17.04.2015: Former Blackwater gets rich as Afghan drug production hits record high
08.01.2015: Heroin addiction spreads with alarming speed across Afghanistan
29.12.2014: The Worst Narco-State in History? After 13-Year War, Afghanistan's Opium Trade Floods the Globe
06.10.2014: Female Heads Of Household (And Hair) Reveal Afghanistan's Drug Use
15.05.2014: Population of Jawzjan province drug addicts doubles
07.05.2014: Tragedy of Afghanistan's child addicts
19.04.2014: Drug abuse goes out of control
28.03.2014: 'I sold my sister to fund drug addiction': The awful cost of heroin dependence in Afghanistan
13.11.2013: UN report says Afghan opium poppy production hits record high
In the midyear report, the U.N. said 1,462 Afghan civilians lost their lives in crossfire between Taliban insurgents and Afghan, U.S. and NATO forces. During the first half of last year, 1,271 Afghan civilians were killed, mostly by roadside bombs.
The Associated Press, October 4, 2011

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Roberto Nani (Sondalo, 14 december 1988) is een Italiaans alpineskiër.

Carrière
Nani maakte zijn wereldbekerdebuut in maart 2011 tijdens de slalom in Kranjska Gora. Hij stond nog nooit op het podium van een wereldbekerwedstrijd.

In 2014 nam Nani een eerste keer deel aan de Olympische winterspelen, waar hij de finish niet haalde in de 2e run van de reuzenslalom.

Resultaten

Wereldkampioenschappen

Olympische Spelen

Wereldbeker
Eindklasseringen

Externe links

Italiaans alpineskiër
Italiaans olympisch deelnemer

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
TRENDING	// e-Book: How Cloud-Based Infrastructure Can Save the Day in K-12 // Gauging the Impact of Personalized Learning
Schools to get $9M for off-campus wireless access
From staff and wire reports
April 5, 2012 March 10, 2011
The FCC is trying to decide whether, and how, to extend e-Rate discounts to wireless service for off-campus use.
Government officials are handing out $9 million for projects that will help schools extend wireless internet connections beyond the classroom.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on March 9 announced 20 pilot projects that will receive federal e-Rate funding to pay for wireless broadband connections for laptops, smart phones, and other mobile devices, which students will be able to take with them after the school day ends.
The program is intended to give students—including those from low-income families who might have no other internet service at home—access to homework assignments, study guides, digital textbooks, and other educational resources outside of regular school hours.
Called Learning On-the-Go, the program will reach nearly 35,000 students across 14 states in the 2011-12 school year, FCC officials said. It will be paid for through the government's e-Rate program, which funds internet access in schools and libraries but until now has never been used to pay for off-campus connections.
For more on mobile learning, see:
Mobile learning: Not just laptops any more
Kineo: Like an iPad, but made for students
New devices allow for mobile wireless broadband
The e-Rate is one of four programs that make up the Universal Service Fund, the federal program that subsidizes telephone service in poor and rural areas through fees collected from long-distance carriers. These carriers subsequently pass along a surcharge on their customers' long-distance phone bills.
The projects that will be funded include programs that will pay for laptop connections for elementary and secondary school students in New Orleans, wireless cards for high school boys from low-income households in Philadelphia, and smart-phone access for students with Attention Deficit Disorder or Asperger's syndrome in Canton, Ohio.
1 2Next
staff and wire services reports
Latest posts by staff and wire services reports (see all)
'Buyer's remorse' dogging Common Core rollout - October 30, 2014
Calif. law targets social media monitoring of students - October 2, 2014
Elementary world language instruction - September 25, 2014
Tags e-rate, Funding, Mobile Learning, wireless broadband
Want to share a great resource? Let us know at submissions@eschoolmedia.com.


FM 255 MKI pre amp.
FM 411 MKI 2x amp.
FM Inspiration SX-II with external crossover and FM Acoustics cables.
All in perfect condition with custome made package.
Priced at the Highend Broker 95000 euro* / 118.000 usd**.


text:
Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology for Architecture, Engineering and Construction
ATI FireGL V3600 review
At Siggraph ATI unveiled its next generation unified graphics architecture. Greg Corke took a closer look at ATIÝs FireGL R600 series, which starts with the entry-level V3600.
ATIÝs FireGL V3600 is the entry-level card in its R600 family, and will feature both a new unified architecture and multithreaded drivers.
Siggraph is THE industry Ùget togetherÝ for anyone involved in specialist computer graphics. Such is the importance of the event that software and hardware developers plan their release schedules around the show - which takes place during the summer months at a different location each year in the US.
This year Siggraph took place in San Diego and ATI used it as the springboard for its new generation FireGL graphics cards, based on the companyÝs R600 architecture. ATI is catering for the entire cross section of professional 3D users with entry-level budget cards for CAD, right up to beasts with 2GB memory for those pushing the limits in the Digital Content Creation (DCC) sector.
There are five cards in total: the entry-level FireGL V3600 (256MB), the mid-range FireGL V5600 (512MB), the high-end V7600 (512MB) and the ultra high-end FireGL V8600 (1GB) and FireGL V8650 (2GB).
Technological evolution obviously plays a role in defining the specifications of the new generation cards, but so does Windows Vista, as 128MB of on-board memory is simply not practical for MicrosoftÝs new Operating System. While ATI has not been shy in dishing out 256MB for its entry-level V3600, it has been downright generous with its top end V8650, which features a whopping 2GB. A cynic might say this is more about getting one up on arch-rival Nvidia (whose Quadro FX5600 features 1.5GB), than solving real world graphics problems. After all, it would take a hell of a lot of complex geometry and textures to fill 2GB.
Interestingly, all cards feature 2 x Dual Link support, so driving two hi-res monitors, such as AppleÝs Cinema display, at resolutions of 2,560 x 1,600 is no problem. Support for Stereo 3D, however, is still the reserve of the high-end (V7600 and above) and if you are looking to run powerwalls with Framelock you will have to invest in a V8600 or V8650.
In addition to the new cards, AEC understands that ATI will keep the R500-based FireGL V3350 in its range, to fulfill the role of a true budget entry-level workstation card.
The first card to ship will be the FireGL V3600, closely followed by the V5600 and V7600. It will be a little longer before we see the V8600 (1GB) and FireGL V8650 (2GB).
While the FireGL V3600 will probably do little to excite the power hungry digital artists, it will certainly get the attention of the CAD sector. With 256MB and the level of power usually associated with mid-range cards it is targeted squarely at the volume 3D CAD market.
Like the other cards in the series it brings many new technologies to the table ± unified graphics architecture, a 65nm fabrication process, DirectX 10, and multithreaded drivers. The benchmarks and analysis will come later, but first of all, letÝs spend a bit of time explaining what all of the above technologies mean for CAD.
{mospagebreak}
ATIÝs new FireGL lineup
Entry level Mid Range High End Ultra High End
FireGL Model V3350 V3600 V5600 V7600 V8600 V8650
Memory 256MB 256MB 512MB 512MB 1GB 2GB
Memory Interface 64-bit 128-bit 128-bit 256-bit 512-bit 512-bit
Power Consumption N/A <50W <75W <150W <225W <255W
Dual Link DVI no 2 2 2 2 2
Stereo 3D output Yes yes yes
GenlockFramelock yes yes
Unified architecture
When Nvidia delivered the ÙindustryÝs first unified graphics architectureÝ back in April, with its Quadro FX4600 and FX5600 you could sense the irritation coming from ATI. The AMD-owned graphics giant had delivered its own unified graphics architecture with the Xenos chip in MicrosoftÝs Xbox 360 two years ago, but this technology had yet to make its way to the professional graphics sector. This has all changed with the R600, which sees the ATI bring what is essentially its second generation unified architecture to market.
With unified architectures a graphics card has an array of processing units which can be dynamically allocated to geometry or shader tasks as required. In the past this was dealt with by dedicated geometry engines and dedicated pixel shaders. This meant that if your model was geometry heavy (as is typical for CAD) then your geometry engines could be working flat out while your pixel shaders sat around twiddling their thumbs. Having a unified architecture means that you can make full use of all of your processing units at once. These are called Stream processing units in ATI terminology, total 120 in the entry-level FireGL V3600 and go up to 320 in the top end FireGL V8650. Four stream processors have roughly the same compute power as a single geometry engine or pixel shader.
65nm fabrication process
For its low end and mid-range boards, ATI has moved from 80nm to a 65nm fabrication process, which essentially means its chips will run cooler. This is evident on the FireGL V3600 which, for the level of processing power it possesses, sports a relatively small heat sink and fan. The benefit for the end user is that more and more processing power can be crammed into the same power envelope, which is limited by the power supply and cooling requirements of a workstation.
While ATI is pushing forward with 65nm at the low-end, it still uses 80nm fabrication for its high-end boards, primarily due to their complexity. The FireGL V8650, for example, consumes up to an incredible 255 Watts, compared with the 50W drawn by the FireGL V3600.
The drivers for ATIÝs new FireGL cards are multi-threaded, which means that the graphics card can talk to multiple CPU cores, rather than just a single CPU. With a traditional single-threaded graphics driver, if a user is updating the fillets on a part, for example, then the CAD software will first take up all of the CPU resources to do the calculation, and then only update the graphics when there are spare CPU cycles available. With the new multi-threaded driver, the idea is that one or more CPU cores can carry out the required calculations in your CAD package, while other core/s can be used to drive the graphics card. This will help improve the fluidity of the design process, but wonÝt necessarily increase the overall performance of your card.
The degree of benefit to the end user is dependent on how the technology has been implemented by their CAD software vendor. However, in many cases, just by implementing a specific OpenGL extension such as VBOs (Virtual Buffer Objects) the user will automatically benefit. The introduction of multi-threaded drivers is also likely to herald the arrival of Crossfire (ATIÝs multi graphics card solution) on the Workstation platform.
Another driver enhancement is the introduction of automatic profile switching, which tunes the graphics driver for individual CAD applications (though this was actually introduced about six months ago). This was previously a manual process, with the user selecting their chosen application from a pick list, but the driver now automatically does this for you by monitoring which CAD application EXE commands have been launched and tuning the driver appropriately. This not only means you should get better performance but also better accuracy and stability.
DirectX 10 (or Direct3D 10) is the next generation graphics technology inside Microsoft Windows Vista and as of next year will be a pre-requisite for a graphics card to be certified on MicrosoftÝs new Operating System. While many CAD applications still exclusively use OpenGL (the industry standard 2D/3D graphics API), some CAD vendors, such as Autodesk and Bentley, are taking the DirectX route to display their graphics. Autodesk Inventor, for example, has an ageing implementation of OpenGL, and has used DirectX as its default for the past few releases.
While DirectX has improved since Version 9 by including better support for geometry (an area in which OpenGL has always been strong), it still looks unlikely that CAD vendors will follow the lead of Autodesk en masse any time soon.
And while OpenGL 2.0 support continues to be essential for professional CAD cards, DirectX 10 is going to be more important in the future as it will be vital to get the most out of other Microsoft Vista applications, like translucent toolbars in Microsoft Office, for example and, of course, special effects in 3D games.
FireGL V3600 on test
With only a single afternoon to test the FireGL V3600 we were up against it find out how ATIÝs entry-level sub ú200 card stacked up against the competition. We tested the card inside a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E6600-based workstation using a very early beta driver. The stability of the driver was excellent, though ATI was keen to point out that most individual applications were not yet optimised.
We tested under a number of CAD and DCC applications including SolidWorks 2007, Inventor 2008 and 3ds Max 9, plus the popular synthetic benchmark Viewperf 10.0. The Quadro FX 1500 from Nvidia was used for comparison, largely because we already had a full set of benchmark results from this mid-range card, but also because we knew it would give the FireGL V3600 more than a good run for its money. N.B. The Quadro FX 1500 features 256MB memory and is NvidiaÝs current mid-range card, but this will be replaced soon with a new G80-based card, the Quadro FX 1700.
Under SolidWorks 2007, the FireGL V3600 was a little off the pace as the card was 15% slower than the Quadro FX 1500. In DirectX mode in 3ds Max 9.0 the gap dropped to 8%, with a score of 134, while in OpenGL mode the FireGL V3600 was actually 13% faster than NvidiaÝs Quadro FX 1500 with a score of 112.
Inventor 2008 threw up some interesting figures, particularly under our large model in DirectX mode where it reached 3.2 frames per second (FPS), one of the fastest scores weÝve ever seen and beating NvidiaÝs Quadro FX 1500 by nearly 20%. OpenGL performance in Inventor 2008, on the other hand, was poor, which at 1.6 FPS was nearly 50% slower than the Quadro FX 1500. With scores all over the place due to the early driver and lack of optimisations we decided to test the FireGL V3600 under Viewperf 10.0. Regular readers of AEC will know that weÝre not huge fans of this synthetic benchmark, which runs standalone and not inside the actual CAD or DCC application. This means that while any driver optimisations made to make SPEC Viewperf 10 run faster will not necessarily translate to the applications on which the benchmark is based - which include 3ds Max, Catia, Pro/E, SolidWorks, and UGS NX. The thing is SPEC Viewperf continues to be one of the first applications that graphics card vendors spend valuable resources tuning their drivers for as it is used so widely by magazines and tech websites.
The SPEC Viewperf results were very interesting, with ATIÝs FireGL V3600 beating NvidiaÝs Quadro FX 1500 in all but one of the tests. However, while this shows that the card has great potential weÝre reluctant to print exact percentages. Surely, even ATI wouldnÝt believe that its FireGL V3600 is three times faster than NvidiaÝs Quadro FX 1500 under UGS NX, for example!
With a new unified architecture and multithreaded drivers, the R600-based FireGL range certainly looks to be an exciting technology. But with drivers still in development and benchmark figures all over the place it would be premature to come to any definitive conclusions about the new cards quite yet.
As with any new generation architecture ATI still has a lot of optimisation work to do. However, from looking at the SPEC Viewperf 10 scores of the FireGL V3600 (and letÝs remember thatÝs ATIÝs entry-level card) it is certainly clear the new technology has great potential. The challenge now is for the boffins at ATI to translate that potential into actual performance in real-world CAD and DCC applications, and only then will we be able to see just how good this new technology is.
www.amd.com
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text:
Gergely Kolba · 27/08/2020
Margaret Bridge in Budapest celebrates its 120th birthday
Budapest History Hungary
Photo: Wikimedia Commons by Jakub Halun
The original construction of the bridge happened in 1876, but in the 19th century, the bridge was not connected with Margaret Island. It took many years to realise that the bridge needs a path leading to the island to open it up for citizens.
Why was Hortobágy's symbol the Nine-Arched Bridge built?
PestBuda reported that the bridge was not built by state order but by the decision of the court of the Austrian Archduke, and they decided to connect the bridge with the island in 1898. They started the construction in 1899, out of excellent Hungarian materials, and it took one year until the path was opened and even Archduke Joseph appeared at the opening celebration on a warm August day 120 years ago.
Photo: www.facebook.com/KrennImrePhotography
The bridge was designed by French engineer Ernest Goüin and built by the construction company Maison Ernest Goüin et Cie. between 1872 and 1876. Margaret Bridge was the second permanent bridge in Budapest after Széchenyi Chain Bridge. The reason for this unusual geometry is that the small extension to connect to Margaret Island was inserted into the original design but not built until two decades later due to the lack of funds. There were many though who protested and demanded not to make the pathway to preserve Margaret Island from people.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons by RHerczeg
With the pathway built, Margaret Bridge is the only one in Budapest that has a curve in its structure.
The bridge was destroyed during World War II by German troops and was later rebuilt. By the end of the 2000s, the bridge became dangerous for people and drivers, and needed to be renovated entirely as soon as possible. Reconstruction works started in 2009, and after careful work, the bridge was opened again.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons by Jakub Halun
Read alsoPictures that highlight why you need to visit Hungary – Beautiful bridges
Source: www.pestbuda.hu
Gergely Kolba


Mascara Wands, Pack of 100 | Accessories | Âme Beauty Co. – Ame Beauty Co.
Disposable Mascara Wands are a necessity for a beautiful eyelash extension application as well as continued maintenance of the lashes. Use the wands throughout the lash service to ensure all lashes are being applied at a cohesive angle and send it home with your client at the end of the treatment so they can continue to care for their lashes. Encourage clients to use the brush whenever eyelash extensions fall out of place. Disposable Mascara Wands are the most hygienic tool to groom eyelashes. These wands feature a tapered head; have a three inch handle and a one inch head. This is a great product to retail to your clients for aftercare to aid in their lash extensions retention.
Application: Simply place the wand on top of the extensions and twirl the brush, it will grab all the lashes and help align them. This is a much more effective method than using your fingers which have natural oils on them that will break down the adhesive, even when just washed.


Oak Brook Real Estate - Find Your Perfect Home For Sale!
"John sold our home in 6 month when the other homes for sale in the area were taking a year to sell. He gave us 110% of commitment and dedication. Also if it wasn't for knowledge and his good negotiating skills we wouldn't have gotten such a good deal on our new home. Will recommend to anyone."


Another record month of rooftop solar installations in May, as NSW leads the charge to become the clear leader in the market.
The boom in rooftop solar installations in Australia continues, with a new monthly record rate of 131.7MW recorded in May, according to the latest data from industry statistician SunWiz.
The two graphs above show the steady increase throughout 2018, arrested only by a fall in April due to a confluence of public holidays, while the inset (black line) shows how the installation rate has overtaken that boosted six years ago by generous premium feed in tariffs.
NSW led the surge in May, posting a record monthly install of 39MW.
It easily beat the next best Queensland (32MW), which remains the state with the largest amount of solar (more than 2GW) although it has ceded the 2018 leadership position to its southern neighbour.
Victoria also recorded a record monthly installation rate of 25MW in May, while South Australia also recovered part of the ground lost in April and posted a figure of 13.5MW, although it still trailed W.A. with 17MW.
Australia so far in 2018 has installed 584MW of rooftop solar, about as much as was installed in the first 10 months of both 2015 and 2016.
Analysts notes that more households and more businesses seek to reduce the cost of grid electricity, and as more prepare for battery storage and even the expected uptake in coming years of electric vehicles.
Was there ever a problem? AGL did have life after Liddell all sorted. The problem (?) was only with The MOANash Forum groupies, at Rupert's Newsrags HQ, The COALItion HRNJ's and the radio shocker dickheads like Jones , Hadley, Smith etc.
Every state and territory (except SA, which is still doing okay) is going gangbusters right now. NSW and VIC have really taken off and are starting to pull up the whole nation.
Assuming an median size of 6kW, that's around 6.5k installs in NSW, and 4k installs in VIC. That's easily sustainable.
Sweepstake on the first 150 MW month ?…..
I will go for October..
WA has just over 515 MW of small rooftop solar but today generated only about 55 MW of solar power from it for most of the day. Wind did really well in the early part of the day as a storm front went through but died away later in the day after the front and associated winds had passed through.
It is about time that states got serious about storage to cover cloudy days.
That's about as low as it gets. A cloud system, two weeks before the solstice. Home storage would not have made any difference to that. What we really need is a good mix of large and distributed generation technologies, in WA and in the NEM.


Butterboomers, mark your diary for the launch of the hotest online boutique in Hong Kong.
We reported recently about The Melez, a new on-line boutique that carries the latest hip brands and accessories from stylish cities from around the world that are worned by the fashion in-crowd.
They are having a launch party and extending an invitation to Butterboom readers. Come join us to celebrate the launch of The Melez on Wednesday, 28th November and discover the hottest up and coming designers like Rebecca Minkoff , Meli Melo, Charlotte Taylor,Lucas Hugh, Orla Kiely, Wilbur & Gussie.
There will be champagne, cocktails, canapés and music lined-up on the night and Butterboom guests will receive a special goodie bag filled with attractive store discounts and a t-shirt!
We only have invitation for 50 guests so RSVP is required.
Please RSVP to zahra@butterboom.com to get on the list and join us at this launch event. We will notify you that you are on the list so please provide full details of your name, email and telephone number so we can get back to you.


text:
Le Prophète Isaïe  (en italien : Il Profeta Isaia) est une peinture religieuse,  du Pérugin, datant de 1497 environ, et conservée au musée d'Arts de Nantes.

Histoire
Le tableau provient du Polyptyque de saint Pierre (en italien : Polittico di San Pietro) une peinture religieuse du Pérugin, réalisée pendant la période tardive du peintre de 1496 à 1500 environ.
Le tableau fait partie de ceux réquisitionnés par la France à la fin du  et a été remis au musée en 1809.

Le retable terminé en 1500 a été démantelé en 1591 pour faire place à un large espace cérémonial prôné par la Contre-Réforme. Les pièces démontées, qui devaient encadrer le grand tableau central L'Ascension du Christ en présence de la Vierge et des apôtres, ont été déplacées et le tondo du Prophète Isaïe et celui du Prophète David ont été encastrés dans la structure en bois  de part et d'autre de la porte d'entrée. Réquisitionnés par les troupes napoléoniennes à la fin du  à la suite du traité de Tolentino, les tondi ont été cassés lors du prélèvement et furent entièrement repeints.
Les deux tondi de Pérugin réalisés à l'origine sur bois ont été transposés sur toile.

Thème
La représentation est selon l'iconographie chrétienne. Isaïe est reconnaissable à la phrase tirée du premier verset chapitre 66 du livre d'Isaïe :  (Le ciel est mon trône, et la terre mon marchepied) (Is. 66,1).

Description
La composition est inscrite dans un tondo. Le prophète Isaïe est représente tourné vers la gauche, le cheveu rare mais portant une longue barbe, assis, les pieds nus posés sur un nuage clair, entouré par un phylactère, le tout sur un fond uni bleu clair. Sa main gauche tient l'extrémité du phylactère tandis qu'il indique de son index droit l'extrémité comportant le début de l'inscription.

Analyse
Le tondo ayant été cassés lors du prélèvement et entièrement repeint il est pratiquement impossible de déterminer la qualité originale de l'œuvre. Seule la composition semble être restée originale.
Le dessin est néanmoins clair et bien défini, les lignes liantes, la composition sereine et plaisante caractérisée par la monumentalité marquée par la pureté des volumes des vêtements aux couleurs délicates et apaisantes, aux larges plis dans lesquels joue la lumière. La figure possède une idéalisation parfaite issue de l'esthétique des développements artistiques du .

Notes et références

Sources
 Voir lien externe;

Bibliographie
 Vittoria Garibaldi, Perugino, in Pittori del Rinascimento, Scala, Florence, 2004

Articles connexes
 Liste d'œuvres du Pérugin
 Polyptyque de saint Pierre

Liens externes
 Le Prophète Isaïe sur le site Cms-admin.nantes.fr

Tableau du Pérugin
Tableau des années 1490
Tondo
Ancien Testament dans la peinture
Œuvre conservée au musée d'Arts de Nantes


An emotionally compelling and moving song commemorating a very special and memorable young woman.
"Message From Maddy" is a very special song commemorating the memory and life of Maddy Loftus who died on Feb 12 2009 in the airplane crash of flight 3407 in Buffalo ,N.Y. Written by songwriter Andy Rajeckas ,sung by Deb Lyons and co produced by Rick Savage and Andy Rajeckas and engineered by Rick Savage of Savage Tunes in Highland Lakes ,N.J. All sales of this song will benefit the Maddy Loftus Scholarship Memorial Fund which benefits students in need of financial assistance for attending college.
Once again, a moving song that will touch every mothers and fathers heart.
Inspires you to live everyday. Beautiful music, wonderful lyrics, fantastic cause.
love her and love it!!!
Simply amazing. I listen to this song a few times a week at work and it helps me remember that she is having the time of her life up there. You did an amazing job Andy...Thank you!
Great song miss you maddy!!


NZ have one day left to take 10 England wickets, after rain washed out much of the fourth day in the second Test.
English supporters may have been glad for once, as the rain came down to shorten the fourth day's action in the second Test. After the tourists had thrashed the home bowlers to all parts of Headingley, England stemmed the tide against them by reaching 44 without loss in their unlikely pursuit of 455 for a second victory in the series. More likely they will resume on the final day simply seeking to bat through to the close, looking for the draw that would clinch a 1-0 series win.
A feature of the two Tests against England has been the New Zealanders' positivity with bat in hand. Captain Brendon McCullum seems to lead from the front, demonstrating that he wants the game to proceed at a pace to maximise his team's chances of forcing a result. Only when the situation demands it does he steady the ship, as during the innings on day three. Even then, it commonly isn't long before the quick scoring approach resumes.
Resuming their second innings already 338 runs ahead, the Kiwis were in particularly aggressive mood on day four during the morning session.
Freed from the need to defend, the remaining batsmen were instead able to fully express themselves.
BJ Watling added 20 to his overnight score of 100 not out, before losing his wicket to leave the Kiwis on 368-7. James Anderson was the benefactor, aided by Joe Root's catching prowess at third slip. Then the 'fun' really began for the tail-enders.
Mark Craig and Tim Southee added a highly entertaining 67 runs for the eighth wicket, with Southee's contribution being a quickfire 40 off just 24 deliveries faced.
Southee took 20 runs from one Stuart Broad over, as the England man again played into his hands with short deliveries. When he was dismissed by Moeen Ali, attempting another big hit, the score had soared to 435-8. McCullum still persisted in seeking further runs though, maybe having that 450 figure in the back of his mind.
The expected declaration duly came with the New Zealand total on 454-8, but not before Matt Henry had produced a cameo innings of stunning simplicity.
Four balls which included two scoring shots, both of which were hit into the crowd for six off Broad! He remained unbeaten on 12, ably supported by Craig's 58 not out at the other end.
England's openers had to endure a tricky spell before lunch, which Alastair Cook and Adam Lyth were able to achieve unscathed. The rain came down after lunch, allowing just four overs to be bowled before play was suspended for the day. Cook (18) and Lyth (24) remained unbeaten, their partnership seemingly key to England's chances of retaining their series lead.
At 44-0 it was a solid start, but few would expect a record chase of 455 to be possible for the home side. Keeping wickets intact is the main task at hand.
Dependent on the weather in Leeds on day five, it looks likely to be a testing day for Cook and his men. The New Zealanders have been the better of the two bowling attacks in the match so far, but much looks likely to depend on how the first session goes. Batting has generally become easier as the day goes on at Headingley over the first few days. England 'just' have to find a way to prolong their innings that long.


In this century of the IT revolution, Newlong will develop advanced packaging system for our customers by making use of our four skilled engineering units and quility control of our products in the processes of design, production, and after-sales services. Our products are Automatic Bagging Machine, Bag Making Machine, Heat Sealing Machine, and Indutrial Sewing Machine etc... We have been in the indutry since 1955! Belive us! We are the best in industry!
from 16/08/2005 to today 23/04/2019 for a period of 13 years and 253 days.


Through the Greater Metro Denver Healthcare Partnership, Colorado's top employers and local workforce leaders have come together to find solutions to workforce needs. We bring a wealth of industry knowledge and educational opportunity to make the connections that will put more Denver-area residents in top-notch positions and get more Denver-area employers the trained employees they need.
We're addressing diversity and skills gaps in talent pipelines and more. Here are some initiatives GMDHP is focused on to make a difference in Denver's healthcare career market.
GMDHP is focused on filling the gap on Denver's five fastest-growing and highest-demand healthcare careers in metro area right now. This program will introduce entry-level career choices and the path to successfully securing these positions.
Work-based learning is an effective education and training strategy for youth. Working with its partners, GMDHP is impacting diversity in the workforce by connecting innovative employers and prospective candidates by creating apprenticeships and other career-focused training to bring employees on-the-job training. The Partnership is working to build the workforce by exploring new methods of empowering workers with education and training they need to develop career pathways and earn higher wages.
The Partnership utilizes a wide array of information about workforce and industry needs to develop its strategies. Using the resources available through our partnership with workforce system and economic development entities we have access to industry profiles, economic trends and occupational profiles.
Each year using data and labor market information, the Partnership identifies 8 to 10 critical occupations that needs specific attention to meet the growing healthcare occupational needs. The Partnership collectively works together to ensure the regional talent pipeline continually supplies talent with essential skills that meet industry needs. The GMDHP works with educational partners to design and develop curriculums that are current and meet industry standards.


The Academy's values and commitment to child health were put to the test this year by numerous challenges, including gun violence, family separation at the border, and the rise of opioid addiction and e-cigarette use.
"The Academy has taken on some of the largest national health challenges of our time, and we've done so in a way we can be proud of," said Colleen A. Kraft, M.D., M.B.A., FAAP, who shared how the AAP tackled these challenges, with gun violence foremost among them.
"We renewed our call for a public health approach to keeping our children safe," said Dr. Kraft, recalling the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in which student survivors spoke out against turning classrooms into war zones.
To stem the violence, the AAP launched the Gun Safety and Injury Prevention Initiative to bring together experts. In addition, Dr. Kraft shared AAP-backed firearm safety reforms that could co-exist with the Second Amendment.
"We can do this and we must do this because America will never be a healthy nation if we continue to be a violent one," she said.
The Academy also turned its efforts to the southern border and the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) policy to separate parents and children to deter families from migrating to the U.S. After five letters to the DHS secretary outlining the harmful effects of this practice on child health, coupled with nearly 250 media interviews by pediatricians stressing the potential for toxic stress, DHS reversed the policy.
She touched on other social issues the AAP is addressing, including the rise in neonatal abstinence syndrome tied to the opioid epidemic, the popularity of e-cigarettes among teens, teen depression, and the battles of trans- and gender-diverse youths.


North Korea, under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, will become a great Economic Powerhouse. He may surprise some but he won't surprise me, because I have gotten to know him & fully understand how capable he is. North Korea will become a different kind of Rocket - an Economic one!"
The only ones that seem to have backed off is Russia and I figure that is because Putin owns everything!


text:
LGB ANNUAL IMPACT STATEMENT
Bewbush Academy
Local Governing Body Annual Impact Report 2020
Governance at Bewbush Academy within TKAT
The Bewbush Academy is part of TKAT, a multi academy trust. The trust is a charity and its board of trustees must ensure that it complies with its charitable objects which relate to the provision of education in its schools. As such it is the trust board which is accountable for the performance of the schools in the trust, and in turn, it is held to account by the Department for Education. The trust can choose to appoint committees for each of its academies and where it does so, these are known as a local governing body or LGB. The LGB's responsibilities are set out in a document known as the Scheme of Delegation which is available on TKAT's and Academy's website.
The Bewbush Academy Local Governing Body
We currently have 6 governors:
1 headteacher
2 staff governors
3 appointed governors
Chair of Governors: Judith Crofts, an appointed governor
Vice-Chair of Governors: Matt Bachelor, an appointed governor
If you wish to contact governors, please do so by the school website contact details.
There are six meetings of the full Local Governing Body (LGB) each academic year. In addition to this, individual members of the LGB take on responsibility for key areas of school life, undertake visits to monitor these and report back to the full governing body.
Governance functions
The LGB works with the school by:
Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff
Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.
The LGB works to develop and implement the strategic vision for the academy with the Headteacher. Regular updates are given to review how strategic vision is being implemented through SDP priorities.
The LGB determines budgeting and curriculum priorities with the Headteacher. The strategic goals, the Trust's and the Academy's development plan are cross referenced to determine budget and curriculum priorities.
As a result of the strategic planning, the quality of provision across the school is good.
The budget and the curriculum are aligned with the Academy's development priorities.
Governors receive updates on safeguarding issues at each Governing Body meeting. In addition, the named Safeguarding Governor has termly meetings with the DSL to remain updated on the latest developments in this area. A visit in December looked at the new E-Safety curriculum (also presented to the LGB in Spring 2020) and involved discussions with pupils on their understanding of safeguarding.
Quality of Safeguarding is excellent and it is clear that the over-arching systems are being communicated to all members of the school community.
In line with the stated future plans on the 2019 Impact Statement the GB received Autumn and Spring term presentations by members of the Leadership Team.
Autumn term – 'Well-being of Body and Mind' introducing the new wider curriculum
Spring term – Reading update focusing on the work on 'Vipers' and 'Cracking Comprehension'
Due to the Covid 19 situation further monitoring of these areas was not possible and will be carried forward to 2020/21.
Educational Performance of the School and its Pupils
Governors receive regular updates about the percentage of teaching that is judged to be at least effective, that is, teaching that has a positive impact on the outcomes for pupils. Governors challenge the leadership about actions taken to improve teaching and impact of actions.
The LGB is responsible for approving the Academy budget, subject to final approval by the local Director of Education. This includes ensuring that the annual budget is in-line with the three year projected budget. It ensures that additional spending (eg capital works) is in-line with the school's priorities and the Scheme of Delegation.
A member of the LGB meets regularly with the Academy business manager to be kept informed about variances in current expenditure and budget projections. The Academy receives external/TKAT financial audits.
Spending reflects the Academy's priorities and the budget agreed for the year. The work of the business manager, monitored through the LGB finance meetings, ensures there is good value for money. As a result of monitoring visits and reports, the LGB has clear oversight of the financial position as well as an open dialogue about any issues or savings. Governors are aware of the progress and impact of any significant capital expenditure, and completion of the new library has had a positive impact across the school.
The financial impact of Covid has yet to be fully determined as the pandemic is continuing to impact on schools; however, the impact in 19-20 was felt through over 80% loss of lettings income and additional premises costs. At the end of 19-20 this was estimated at approximately £9000 which the school has looked to cover from existing in-year savings.
These remain in place from 2019/20 due to the impact of Covid 19
Monitor progress in reading with a particular focus on the impact of 'Vipers' and 'Cracking Comprehension'
Understand and monitor the school's approach to the wider curriculum and how this is designed to best meet the needs of all pupils
Monitor progress and attainment for different groups of pupils, with particular focus on how pupils are being stretched to work at greater depth
Continue to develop the skill base of individual members of the governing body by attendance at key courses
Chair of Governors: Judith Crofts
Date: 02.10.20


text:
Signs of Society. Non–Governmental Organizations in Israel and the Palestinian Authority
Author: Marcin Skocz
Institution: University of Wrocław (Poland)
The situation of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has lasted for over a century with half of the century of increasing violence, especially after the Six Days War. The long-standing occupation has been leading to mental take over by this issue and dehumanization of opponents in both parties' minds. Although in last decade one could see some symptoms of peace process, especially after Oslo agreement, violence always erupted despite the official papers. In this paper I will examine the conditions of societies in the Palestinian Autonomy and Israel with special emphasis on NGOs. Although it is obvious that civil society cannot be narrowed to the non-governmental organizations, one can say that the NGOs are the most visible and measurable among the signs of existence of civil society.
Author: Przemysław Zawada
Author: Jacob Ericsson
Institution: University of York (United Kingdom)
Author: Joanna Dyduch
E-mail: joanna.dyduch@uwr.edu.pl
PDF: ppsy/47-2/ppsy2018200_editorial.pdf
Dear Readers, this Special Issue of the Polish Political Science Journal on Israel Studies, which we are happy to present, is a result of the cooperation between the European Association of Israel Studies (EAIS), the University of Wrocław, and the Jagiellonian University. The cooperation began at the EAIS 6th Annual Conference on Israel Studies held in September 2017 in Wrocław, Poland. The aim of the conference was to bring together international scholars from a variety of disciplines, who are engaged in research in any aspect of Israel studies – including Politics, Literature, Security, Minorities, Social Studies, History, Economics, Law, Culture, Film, Music, and Art.
Benjamin Netanyahu's Long Premiership and the Rise of the New Political Center: Is there a Qualitative Change in the Israeli Party System?
Author: Artur Skorek
E-mail: arturskorek1@gmail.com
Israel's party system has been characterized by the bipolar rivalry between the left-wing and right-wing blocks since the late 1970s. In recent years we could have seen at least two trends that seem to diverge from this model. For the last 9 years, the Likud party has formed three successive governments which have made Benjamin Netanyahu the longest continuously serving prime minister in the history of Israel. Another new occurrence is the preservation of a significant representation of the centre parties for four Knesset terms in the row. The aim of the paper is to verify whether Israel's party system has departed from the two-blocs bipolar model. Based on the empirical data (election results, government formation, party's political platforms) it examines whether the parties' rivalry in the years 2009–2018 differed qualitatively from the previous period. To answer this question the paper investigates three hypotheses. First – Likud has become a dominant party in Israel. Second – a dominant and stable Israeli right-wing parties' bloc has formed. Third – an enduring and relevant centre sector has emerged in Israel's party system.
Israel's Neoliberal Turn and its National Security Paradigm
Author: Arie Krampf
E-mail: arielhan@yahoo.com
Institution: Ben Gurion University of the Negew (Israel)
Since the early 2000s, Israel has adhered to a particularly virulent strain of economic neoliberalism which has led to an unprecedented rise in nationwide levels of poverty and inequality. Attempts to explain this phenomenon have ignored a key aspect: The need of Israel – and especially its right-wing governments – to create an economic reality that reduces the pressure Israel faces from the international community in the wake of its continued occupation of the territories.
The Domestic Dimension of Israeli Public Diplomacy
Author: Jitka Pánek Jurková
E-mail: jujitka@gmail.com
Institution: Charles University in Prague (the Czech Republic)
The paper adds to the body of recent scholarly literature that emphasizes the role of domestic publics in public diplomacy – a field until recently examined with only minor attention to the domestic realm. It suggests conducting an analysis of the domestic dimension of public diplomacy on three levels: individual, organizational, and national. By doing so, we are able to understand in a complex manner the environment from which public diplomacy practice grows, and thus also its specific dynamics. Applying this model of analysis to the case of Israel, the paper describes major domestic factors shaping Israeli public diplomacy: the culture of individual engagement (individual level), the clash of organizational ethea of institutions responsible for public diplomacy (organizational level), and the intertwining of public diplomacy and nation-building (national level). The analysis also allows us to better grasp the dilemma faced by Israeli public diplomacy between efficiency and democratic character
Understanding the Dispute over the Treatment of Products Exported to the European Union from the Occupied Territories in the Context of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
Author: Oskar J. Chmie
E-mail: oskar.chmiel@uwr.edu.pl
While the European Union (EU) does not recognize any legal Israeli sovereignty over the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, it does not grant preferential access to the EU market for goods produced in the Israeli settlements in this area, contrary to the preferential treatment for goods produced in Israel. This situation is different, however, as regards the United States (U.S.) trade policy, which does not make any distinction between goods produced in Israel and in the Occupied Territories, since it grants the preferential access to both. Furthermore, the currently suspended negotiations of the super-regional trade agreement called the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), spurred the enacting of a law that set the principal negotiating objectives of the U.S. regarding commercial partnerships, which included some provisions to discourage politically motivated economic actions against the State of Israel. As TTIP embraced the free trade agreement between the EU and the U.S., the EU differentiation policy could become problematic for the two partners, which despite the failure of the negotiations, revealed much about economic diplomacy. Consequently, this article attempts to show the different approaches adopted by the two trading powers, in order to deal with the dispute over the treatment of products exported to the EU from the Occupied Territories.
Israeli Innovation Policy: an Important Instrument of Perusing Political Interest at the Global Stage
Author: Karolina Olszewska
E-mail: karolina.olszewska@uwr.edu.pl
Institution: University of Wroclaw (Poland)
Israel is perceived in the international environment as one of the top leaders in innovation. This is proven by the progressively high position of this country in international rankings and the participation of Israeli scientists and technologists in prestigious international programs. In this article, we claim that the aims of Israeli innovation policy, which has the biggest impact on the shape and content of the innovation ecosystem, are highly politicized. The status quo driven by the key assumption of the state strategy, according to which obtaining a competitive predominance in the political international environment will be achieved through economic instruments, primarily technological innovation. Therefore the aim of this article is to critically analyze Israeli innovation policy and the innovation ecosystem, paying special attention to the state interest and the government activities in this realm. For the purpose of this analysis, some basic assumptions of the neoliberal economy redefined by Arie Krampf will be utilized. Furthermore, to better describe and explain the link between politics and economy in the Israeli innovation ecosystem we will refer to the K.N. Waltz considerations on mechanisms of the political and economic system in a globalizing world.
Dual Citizenship in Poland and in Israel: Selected Legal Aspects in a Comparative Perspective
E-mail: przemyslaw.zawada@uwr.edu.pl
The tragic years of World War II, followed by the unfriendly communist policy in Poland towards the Jewish community, changed the country from a multicultural into the most homogeneous state in the European Union nowadays. At the same time, Israel, as a meeting place for various cultures, enjoys the influence of inhabitants from nearly all over the world. The dissimilar experiences and problems faced by the governing bodies should influence different approaches to dual citizenship in Poland and Israel. In view of the above, in the presented work the author would like to analyze the issue of the legal approach to dual citizenship both in Poland and in Israel. The main goal of the paper, beyond comparison of the effectiveness of the legislation, is finding the answer to the question: what is the state's attitude towards the issue of the dual citizenship of their citizens? The hypothesis that the article will verify states, that due to the small number of people with dual citizenship in Poland, Polish legislation devoted to this topic is not extensive and has dissimilarities to the law in Israel, which, in contrast, is more complex and better response to the needs of society. The reason for comparing Poland and Israel is the fact that Polish citizenship has been very popular among the citizens of the Jewish state, especially since 2004 when Poland became a member of the European Union. This issue, in the long run, may be one of the key determinants of Polish-Israeli and Polish-Jewish relations.
Israeli-Ukrainian Relations after 'the Euromaidan Revolution' – the Holocaust and the New Ukrainian Identity in the Context of the European Aspirations of Ukraine
Author: Jakub Bornio
E-mail: jakub.bornio@uwr.edu.pl
The Euromaidan revolution totally reoriented Ukraine's policy in both internal and external dimensions. The new Ukrainian authorities facing Russian aggression and domestic instability started to build a new national identity in order to consolidate social cohesion. Due to the fact that Kiev's new historical narrative glorifies the Ukrainian nationalists from the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) who contributed to the Holocaust of Jews and committed mass murders on the representatives of other nationalities, such a policy may be a serious obstacle in the context of Ukraine's external relations. The present article investigates particularly Israeli-Ukrainian relations after the Euromaidan revolution. The article analyses the impact of the new Ukrainian identity on bilateral relations as well as attempting to answer whether or not it may influence Kiev's cooperation with the European Union. The article contains a brief description of the new identity building process in the post-Euromaidan Ukraine with special consideration of those elements of it, which are related to "Ukrainian Nationalism".
Matrilineality as a Historical and Cultural Context of Ethical Reflection on the Use of In Vitro Fertilization in Israel
Author: Teresa Marcinów
E-mail: ppsy@marszalek.com.pl
Institution: Wrocław University of Science and Technology (Poland)
On one hand, Israel is a leader in the field of high-tech industry, but on the other, it remains a country focused on traditions. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is one of the most common treatments among many possibilities which were created in the field of assisted reproductive technology (ART). Indeed, the number of Jewish women as intensive consumers of IVF has increased in the past few years. Due to the great importance of motherhood and raising families in Jewish tradition, Israel strongly supports health care procedures assisting Jewish adults in becoming parents. There is no doubt that for Jews life is the most precious value in its religious and political meaning, however, they are quite flexible in accommodating modern technologies in order to serve life. The State has historically focused on increasing birthrates and nowadays a woman's biological clock is an important element not only in the context of matrilineal descent and for the answer to the question of Jews identity but it is also intervening as a part of the reproductive industry.
Deconstructing the Topos of Poland as a Jewish Necropolis in Texts by Israeli Authors of the Third PostHolocaust Generation
Author: Jagoda Budzik
E-mail: jagoda.budzik@uwr.edu.pl
The paper aims at recognizing and describing the ways of deconstructing the topos of Poland as a Jewish necropolis, a process that in the last decade appears more and more often in the works of Israeli authors of the third generation after the Shoah. The generation concept – as I argue – can serve here as a useful tool for understanding the shift which occurred in the specific national context of Israeli Holocaust discourse and strongly influenced the image of Poland in Israeli literature and culture. Poland depicted as a Jewish necropolis has become one of the central motifs present in Israeli literary as well as the artistic canon of Shoah representations. As the central space where the Shoah occurred, Poland was obviously perceived as a land marked by death and formed exclusively by the experience of the Holocaust. However, in the aftermath of two major shifts that have occurred in the last decades: a meaningful change in the Israeli Holocaust discourse and the new reality of Poland after 1989, and also as a consequence of the growing time distance separating yet another generation from the events themselves, numerous authors born in Israel mostly in the 1970s and in the 1980s began approaching the above-mentioned motif critically. This tendency, one of the few typical for the third generation, is demonstrated either through the motif 's deconstruction and subversive usage or, more radically, by employing the genre of alternate history and changing the place's identity (e.g. Tel Aviv by Yair Chasdiel). The topos of Poland as a necropolis has therefore been turned into a part – or even a starting point – of the reflection on collective memory patterns (e.g. Kompot. The Polish-Israeli Comic Book), stereotypes (e.g. Bat Yam by Yael Ronen), and on the authors' own roots and identity (e.g. The Property by Rutu Modan). By analyzing the abovementioned texts, I will explore the process of constant interaction occurring between collective and the individual memory, between the Israeli national perspective and Polish landscapes, between an author and space and, finally – between the category of the third generation and its representatives themselves.
Some New Suggestions for Solving the Israeli–Palestinians Disputes
Author: Gideon Biger
E-mail: bigergideon@gmail.com
Institution: Tel Aviv University (Israel)
Many suggestions have been presented for solving the Israeli – Palestinian dispute. As for now, none of those suggestions, presented during more than thirty years of negotiations, have been accepted by both sides. As for this, some new ideas have to be entered into the arena. Here some new, "out of the box", geographical proposals are presented, based on actual events and geographical realities which exist in other areas. These proposals could be seen as un-human or politically wrong suggestions but as all other proposals were rejected, the decision makers of both sides, as well as the leaders of the world, can use the presented suggestion as a base for future negotiations.
Prawosławni Palestyńczycy – pomiędzy muzułmanami, Żydami i Grekami
Author: Dominika Kovačević
E-mail: domkov@wp.pl
Orthodox Palestinians – between Muslims, Jews and Greeks
Palestinians are not a homogeneous group. One of the minority groups are Christians, the majority of whom is Orthodox. Although relatively few have stayed in their homeland, they still play an important role there. The Orthodox Palestinians have a strong feeling of identity, both ethnically, as Arabs, and religiously as Orthodox Christians. They face problems in three main domains. First, they are exposed to the same forms of discrimination from the Israeli regime as the rest of Palestinians – they are deprived of the opportunity to create and be part of their own, fully independent state. Second, they are a minority living among the Sunni majority nation. Thirdly, despite being a majority in their Church – Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem – they are under Greek domination in various areas. All these factors render the situation of Orthodox Palestinians very complex. The aim of this article is to show this situation and its potential influence on the Palestinian question and the Orthodox Church issues.
Najlepsi z najlepszych. Charakterystyka wybranych izraelskich jednostek kontrterrorystycznych
Author: Natalia Ciszewska
The best of the best. Characteristics of selected Israeli counterterrorist units
The creation of Israel aroused many negative emotions, which over time evolved into war and terrorist activities, the aim of which was to destroy this country and push it into the sea. Israel in response to numerous attacks was forced to develop an effective defense, and its basic element was well-trained special forces. Israeli services are considered brutal: they carry out daring operations, risking diplomatic crises, never negotiating with hijackers, and often killing potential terrorists, however, they cannot be denied their effectiveness. Israeli commandos are often recognized as the best in the world and their training is as demanding as the American Navy SEAL's. In the era of growing number of terrorist attacks, it is worth taking a closer look at Israeli counterterrorism units, their experience and answer the question whether the methods, tactics and strategies used are appropriate and should be copied by special forces of other countries.