text:
/Ketrel acid sales, ketrel buy store canada
Ketrel acid sales, ketrel buy store canada
The newest achievement in pharmacy! Enjoy the quality!
BUY Ketrel ONLINE
Choose your best medicine - provide a feedback to pharmacy store!
Can you get a prescription for retinol? How to Get a Prescription for Retin -A. Most dermatologists don't have a problem prescribing Retin -A to people to treat either acne—it's considered to be a topical version of Accutane—or fine lines. So you see, the key is to get Retin -A prescribed to treat acne.
What is the best lotion for thin skin? Moisturizing regularly with lotion helps prevent dry skin. Lotions containing alpha hydroxy acid, such as lactic acid or glycolic acid, may offer added protection, Parsons says. Good moisturizing creams for dry skin include Vanicream, CeraVe and Cetaphil, according to the Mayo Clinic website.
How long does it take for skin to purge? Purging should then last the length of time for a full cycle. While that is different for everyone, it should on average last between 4 to 6 weeks. However, if your skin isn't getting better after 6 to 8 weeks, your skin may be having an adverse reaction to the new product(s).
Who can manufacture generic drugs? Before a company can make a generic drug, its bioequivalent brand-name counterpart must have been created, approved and distributed. While a pharmaceutical company is making a new brand-name drug, a patent ensures that company may develop, manufacture and sell the drug for a certain amount of time.
ketrel order canada
brand ketrel 2mg online
ketrel buy best
ketrel la price compare
ketreltion projects sale essex
Twitter account Fesshole, run by Rob Manuel from the UK, encourages people to anonymously admit to any wrong-doings. One told how he ate a packet of doughnuts but blamed it on the dog. Kroger, which also owns Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer and other store brands, announced Monday that it will cease all e-cigarette sales after selling through its current inventory. Walgreens followed suit. A 1-0 defeat at Newcastle on Sunday saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side drop into the bottom half of the Premier League table, just two points off the relegation zone after eight games. Frustrated Southwest Airlines customers have been forced to wait in long lines for a second day as the airline tries to solve a technical problem with its electronic booking system. In the meantime, passengers are being told to prepare for delays. Katharine Jackson reports. A tweed-clad woman clambered onto the runway, security guards scrambled and Gigi Hadid took action. Tag yourself! CBS Studios has filled two key roles in its miniseries based on former FBI director James Comey's memoir "A Higher Loyalty." The news, according to two people with knowledge of the attacks, followed a Microsoft report that said hackers had targeted a campaign, U.S. officials and journalists. The art lover bought the original piece - a self-portrait by Robert Lenkiewicz depicting the artist in a nude pose with a female model - at auction for 8,500. The home is owned by Perth civil engineer Riccardo Rizzi, who purchased the incomplete house after the previous owners ran out of money halfway through building it. Last year's Champions League finalists Tottenham have been handed a tricky group stage draw in their bid to go one better in 2019-20. Sportsmail assess their chances of making it through. The prime minister has improved relations with the Sunni minority and the Kurds. But he cant meet the demands of the protesters without fixing the economy. Steve Dymond, 63, died around a week after taking a love-cheat lie-detector test on the Jeremy Kyle show and an inquest in Portsmouth heard today the TV host could be forced to give evidence. As plastic alternatives proliferate, some choose to sip instead of suck. The jockey Gary Stevens discussed his victory in the Preakness Stakes, roles in the film Seabiscuit and the HBO show Luck. Purchase ketrel ecuador. A team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology has created a 30mm pill coated in a protective layer of polymer that is capable of surviving stomach acid. She was called a 'plastic c**t' by her future mother-in-law Laurelle on Bride and Prejudice. Frankissstein combines a story involving Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, with a contemporary plot about artificial intelligence and sex dolls. Ketrelon discount code. France will not sign the EU-Mercosur farming deal struck between the European Union and the Mercosur countries of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay under current conditions, France's environment minister said on Tuesday. Suggested reading from critics and editors at The New York Times. I was afraid of money for most of my life. Then I opened a brokerage account. The Nationals made several mistakes that helped the Dodgers win the opener of their division series. The Bay States teams have won several championships in the 21st century, but unlike the others, a title by the Bruins this year would mean a duck boat parade with some hometown heroes. Actress Sand Van Roy has claimed Besson raped her four times during their two-year-long 'controlling' relationship. Eight other women have also said that the director assaulted or harassed them. He moved the team from St. Louis to Arizona and presided over five playoff appearances, but never won a Super Bowl. Her loss to Bianca Andreescu on Saturday marked her fourth consecutive defeat in a ketrel Grand Slam final. For the moment, at least, she soldiers on. The president and his advisers have been deluded about what big tariff hikes and aggressive negotiating tactics will achieve. In 2017, a terrible flu season in Australia presaged an American outbreak in which 79,000 died. Experts advise getting the shot soon. VkusVill, a fast growing Russian supermarket chain, is planning an initial public offering (IPO) in New York and expansion overseas, targeting markets in Europe and China.


text:
Study Sites
Units & Depts
MORU Bangkok
SMRU (Thailand)
LOMWRU (Lao PDR)
COMRU (Cambodia)
MOCRU (Myanmar)
Mother and child health
Microbiology & non-malaria infections
Medicine quality
Statistics, data & modelling
Bioethics & Engagement
Researcher Podcasts
Rose McGready
Professor Rose McGready
rose@shoklo-unit.com
In pregnant women, severe malaria is responsible for high maternal mortality, and uncomplicated malaria results in in high morbidity. Careful documentation of treatments showed that, although not all drugs are available for pregnant women, early treatment can greatly increase the outcome of the pregnancy, and give that child a better chance at a productive life.
View podcast transcript
MORU Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit
SMRU Thailand (MORU network)
Professor of Tropical Maternal and Child Health
Shoklo Malaria Research Unit
Rose McGready has worked for more than 24 years at the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit on the Thailand-Myanmar border. This research program is part of the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit and Rosie is one of the world leading experts in maternal malaria. Her research work has been translated into clinical practice and has resulted in dramatic improvements in the health of women in this marginalized population of South East Asia and beyond. Developing the team has been an essential and integral component of this process.
The mother and child health (MCH) team run a network of antenatal clinics and delivery facilities for the border population and have documented over 70,000 pregnancies and their outcomes. This massive effort has resulted in a phenomenal contribution to the publication output on the treatment of maternal malaria, the safety of the artemisinin derivatives in pregnancy including in the first trimester and the need to adapt the dosing of antimalarial drugs during gestation. This research has resulted in a paradigm shift on the effects of malaria on the women and newborns, demonstrating that single (even asymptomatic) infections with P. falciparum or P. vivax are detrimental. These infections are associated with miscarriage a difficult finding to determine in a rural and resource constrained setting.
Collaborative studies have enhanced the local research for newborn and infant neurological and developmental examination, gestational age assessment, immunological and histopathological studies and BeMONC practice. The MCH team have published widely on other infectious (HIV, Hep B, Syphilis, Scrub and Murine Typhus, Dengue, Toxoplasmosis) and non-communicable disease, antenatal, obstetric and newborn care, and nutrition.
Quantification of the association between malaria in pregnancy and stillbirth: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Moore KA. et al, (2017), The Lancet Global Health, 5, e1101 - e1112
Influence of the number and timing of malaria episodes during pregnancy on prematurity and small-for-gestational-age in an area of low transmission
Moore KA. et al, (2017), BMC Medicine, 15
Safety of artemisinins in first trimester of prospectively followed pregnancies: an observational study
Moore KA. et al, (2016), The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 16, 576 - 583
Treatment of Malaria in Pregnancy
Tarning J., (2016), New England Journal of Medicine, 374, 981 - 982
Empirical lessons regarding contraception in a protracted refugee setting: A descriptive study from Maela camp on the Thai-Myanmar border 1996 – 2015
Srikanok S. et al, (2017), PLOS ONE, 12, e0172007 - e0172007
Feeding practices and risk factors for chronic infant undernutrition among refugees and migrants along the Thailand-Myanmar border: a mixed-methods study.
Hashmi AH. et al, (2019), BMC public health, 19
Early life risk factors of motor, cognitive and language development: a pooled analysis of studies from low/middle-income countries.
Sania A. et al, (2019), BMJ open, 9
Efficacy of artemisinin-based and quinine-based treatments for uncomplicated falciparum malaria in pregnancy: a protocol for systematic review and individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis
Saito M. et al, (2019), BMJ Open, 9, e027503 - e027503
Optimal Duration of Follow-up for Assessing Antimalarial Efficacy in Pregnancy: A Retrospective Analysis of a Cohort Followed Up Until Delivery on the Thailand–Myanmar Border
Saito M. et al, (2019), Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 6
"I can't read and don't understand": Health literacy and health messaging about folic acid for neural tube defect prevention in a migrant population on the Myanmar-Thailand border
Gilder ME. et al, (2019), PLOS ONE, 14, e0218138 - e0218138
© 2020 Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU), Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, 3/F, 60th Anniversary Chalermprakiat Building, 420/6 Rajvithi Road, Bangkok 10400 Thailand

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Why NATO Should Grow
Strobe Talbott
This fall, groups of military officers and diplomats from the sixteen memberstates of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization plan to visit Warsaw, Bucharest, Vilnius, and Kiev, among other capitals throughout Central Europe and the former Soviet Union, venturing into what only six years ago was enemy territory. These Western emissaries will offer the defense and foreign ministries of the former communist countries the most detailed explanation so far of NATO's decision, made in January 1994, to take in new members.
Some post-communist governments are eager to have the briefings and are impatient to join NATO as soon as possible. The Central European countries that believe they would be the first new entrants—Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia—want the Alliance to set an early date for opening its membership. Others are ambivalent, skeptical, or suspicious about the very idea of enlarging NATO. They worry that if they are not in the first group admitted, or the second, or the third, they will end up on the wrong side of a new Iron Curtain. In Russia, ultranationalists condemn the decision to expand as nothing less than the declaration of a new cold war; and many reformers fear that precisely this sinister view will strengthen anti-democratic elements in Russian politics.
In view of the complexity of the issue and the immensity of the stakes, the future of NATO will continue to be a subject of debate in the United States as well. In the Senate, which must eventually ratify by a two thirds majority the extension of American protection, including a nuclear guarantee, to any new NATO member, Sam Nunn of Georgia, the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, has recently raised questions about the need for enlarging the Alliance. A number of Republicans in both Houses are urging that the process of admission move more quickly than it has so far. They have criticized the administration for excessive caution.1 The issue is bound to grow more contentious as the 1996 US elections draw closer.
It is against this background that the NATO teams will begin their briefings this fall. Their message will be the same everywhere. During the coming years, the Alliance will admit new members gradually, country by country. Candidates for membership will be judged according to the strength of their democratic institutions, and their willingness and ability to meet the considerable obligations that come with membership. The process will be "transparent"—that is, there will be no surprises, no backroom deals, no secret list of countries to be admitted early, no blacklist of countries to be excluded—and it will continue to unfold one step at a time.
The first step was taken by the heads of state and government of the Alliance at their January 1994 summit meeting in Brussels. At the urging of President Clinton, the leaders agreed that the Alliance should expand. But which countries will enter, and at what pace, will be decided only after NATO has completed the coming briefings, which are intended to explain how enlargement would work and, most important, to reiterate why it should take place.2 In this article I set out the administration's approach to expansion.
NATO has decided it should accept new members for three main reasons.
Collective defense remains an imperative need of European and transatlantic security, and central to American engagement in Europe. The end of Soviet communism, the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, and the breakup of the USSR have eliminated the threat that NATO was created to counter during the cold war. But new threats may arise that would require NATO to protect its members and to deter attack. During the cold war, membership in the Alliance was limited by the artificial division of Europe into two camps. With the cold war's end, NATO should be open to the new democracies that have regained their independence, that share common values, and that can advance the military and political goals of the Alliance.
The prospect of being admitted to NATO provides the nations of Central Europe and the former Soviet Union with additional incentives to strengthen their democratic and legal institutions, ensure civilian command of their armed forces, liberalize their economies, and respect human rights, including the rights of national minorities. In short, nations that are encouraged in their aspirations to join NATO are more likely to make a successful transition from their communist past.
The prospect of membership can also foster among the nations of Central Europe and the former Soviet Union a greater willingness to resolve disputes peacefully and contribute to peace-keeping operations. Thus the process of expansion can help to promote regional stability and peace.
The evolution of NATO should reflect the evolution of Europe itself. As Secretary of State Christopher put it: "Europe's institutional arrangements should be determined by the objective demands of the present, not by the tragedies of Europe's past." Freezing NATO's eastern boundaries approximately along the line fixed by Western and Soviet negotiators on August 13, 1945, would only make sense if Europe's cold war division was natural and enduring. But in fact, that division is becoming unnatural and anachronistic.
The more heavily industrialized regions east of the old Iron Curtain, such as Bohemia in the Czech Republic and Silesia in Poland, increasingly resemble, politically and economically, their Western neighbors. The Baltic states are again vigorously engaged in trade with the Nordic countries and Western Europe. An independent and democratic Ukraine is, with each passing month, becoming more involved with international institutions. It is, for instance, working closely with the IMF, the World Bank, and the European Union to finance the closing of the Chernobyl nuclear plant—a project that will eliminate a lingering threat from the Soviet era to all of Europe. Soldiers from Central Europe and the former USSR have served in peace-keeping operations in Haiti, Bosnia, and Cambodia. Many nations in the region have accepted painful economic sacrifices to help enforce sanctions against Serbia.
With the end of the cold war, it has become possible to construct a Europe that is increasingly united by a shared commitment to open societies and open markets—a Europe in which each state will be secure in its internationally recognized borders, and will respect the independence and territorial integrity of its neighbors. As a force for progress in this direction, the European Union is indispensable, because stability and democracy in the new Europe are linked to future prosperity and free trade. Like the prospect of joining NATO, that of joining the EU can promote democratic behavior within the states interested in membership.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act this August, has also helped to maintain democratic standards and prevent conflicts.3 Acting for the most part behind the scenes, OSCE missions in Estonia and Latvia have helped to smooth relations between the governments of those states and their large ethnic Russian populations. These efforts eased the way for the full withdrawal of Russian troops a year ago.
Yet NATO remains at the heart of the European security system. Alone among international organizations, it has real military strength, and therefore it along can provide mutual defense in case of an external threat to any one of the Allies. Such a capacity is vital, not least for its potential deterrent effect, even in the absence of a recognized or active threat. Just as an individual power keeps a standing army in peacetime, so the transatlantic community needs NATO.
Three times in this century, Americans have come to Europe's defense, and one of the lessons of those experiences is that the US must remain permanently engaged in helping to preserve the security of Europe. The NATO Alliance remains the principal mechanism for American involvement. But if NATO is to continue to be useful, it will have to adapt to the post-cold war era—and that, in turn, means that NATO must promote and consolidate democratic and freemarket values. The Alliance served that purpose during the cold war, and it can do so much more vigorously now that the cold war is over.
The enlargement of NATO is not a new issue. From its inception, NATO brought in new members for reasons, and with consequences, that strengthen the case for doing so again.
To be sure, for its first forty years, the principal reason both for its existence and for admitting new members was to keep the Red Army from invading Western Europe. But the Alliance did not achieve this goal solely by the deterrent force of its tanks, planes, ships, and missiles. NATO's leaders used the Alliance to manage relations among the various Allied nations; to provide a secure environment for rebuilding ravaged economies; and, in some cases, to strengthen democratic institutions against anti-democratic forces.
Among NATO's original members in 1949 was Italy, the only defeated Axis state to be granted such treatment. And unlike the core group that negotiated the North Atlantic treaty—Belgium, Canada, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States—Italy was neither a northern nor an Atlantic power. Great Britain, among other allies, opposed Italian membership at first, fearing a drain on Alliance resources. But Secretary of State Dean Acheson argued that rebuffing Italy "would increase the communist influence and discredit the present [Christian Democrat] government and its pro-western policies."4 The Allies ultimately agreed that admitting Italy would strengthen pro-Western political forces in Italy and complement the effort to bring Italy into Western economic organizations.
Several years later there was some reluctance, especially in Paris, about accepting West Germany into NATO. The United States argued that membership for the Federal Republic would advance the cause of European integration and bind more firmly to the West a country that had turned away from its totalitarian past.5 The admission of the Bonn government in 1955 contributed to Franco-German reconciliation, without which the European Union would still be a dream.
NATO has also helped to improve relations between two other traditional rivals, Greece and Turkey. Crises over Cyprus brought those two countries close to armed conflict on several occasions, but their membership in NATO helped American and other mediators to keep them from going to war.
The admission of Spain in 1982 was another telling case. Before Franco's death in 1975, there had been little incentive for bringing Spain into the Alliance since bilateral US arrangements with Madrid ensured that US forces assigned to NATO could use Spanish naval and air facilities. But after an attempted right-wing coup in 1981, the centrist government of Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo concluded that NATO membership would be the best way to ensure civilian control of the Spanish military and thus protect Spain's transition to democracy. "Entry into NATO will kill at birth any attempted coup," Calvo said. The Alliance leadership agreed.6
During the cold war, military and geopolitical considerations mainly determined NATO's decisions. Promoting democracy within NATO states and good relations among them was only complementary—desirable but not the primary motive for bringing in new members. But today, with the end of the cold war, other, nonmilitary, goals can and should help shape the new NATO.
While NATO has been and remains essentially a military alliance, the past five decades—and especially the past five years—have demonstrated that the benefits of NATO are not only military but political. At the December 1994 North Atlantic Council Ministerial, Secretary Christopher and his Canadian and European counterparts made respect for democracy and international norms of behavior explicit preconditions for membership, so that enlargement of NATO would be a force for the rule of law both within Europe's new democracies and among them.
One of the requirements a country must meet to be admitted to NATO is full civilian control of the military. Potential members have been told that their armed forces must be professional, apolitical, and committed to the principle of military force for deterrent and defensive purposes alone. Furthermore, NATO partners are expected to establish in their governments parliamentary oversight of military affairs, and appoint civilians to senior defense positions. Countries joining the Alliance will be expected to remain fully and irreversibly committed to such structures and principles.
In several countries, the prospect of becoming eligible for membership in NATO has also been used as an argument for domestic political and economic reform. Peter Weiss, the reformist head of Slovakia's former Communist Party, now known as the Party of the Democratic Left, has made this point bluntly. "It is our moment of truth," he said in a recent interview, adding,
Although our country has been named among the first candidates [for NATO], a number of conditions must be satisfied before joining—the observance of the rules of democracy that are common in the pact countries, progress in the implementation of the market economy, the protection of human and civic rights, and the freedom of the press…. We should openly admit that it is to our disadvantage that our partners perceive democracy in Slovakia as unstable.
In Hungary and Poland, the prospect of NATO membership has helped to solidify the national consensus for democratic and market reforms. The need to meet the standards of NATO eligibility has been a major force in bringing together ex-Communists, liberals, and the moderate conservatives of both the government and the opposition and, as a result, has consolidated democratic gains in the region since 1989.
To make themselves eligible for NATO, potential members must also make convincing progress in resolving disputes with their neighbors peacefully and show they are committed to multi-ethnic democracy. Some potential members have already acted in this spirit. One of the more hopeful developments this year has been a rapprochement between Hungary and Slovakia. In an address to the Hungarian Parliament on February 22, Hungary's Prime Minister Gyula Horn said:
What do the EU and NATO want from us? They say very firmly that we must settle our relations with our neighbors. Simply put, neither the European Union nor NATO is willing to admit states which have contentious border issues, unsettled minority problems, and the like.
A month later, Hungary and Slovakia signed a treaty guaranteeing respect for each other's borders, building on an earlier understanding that established guarantees for minority rights. The US and its European allies are using Hungary's and Romania's hopes for entering NATO and the EU to nudge them toward a similar accommodation on a treaty that would confirm their existing border and guarantee the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transylvania, a region that has changed hands between the two countries three times in this century. No one can claim that the prospect of joining NATO will immediately or permanently solve the minority problems in such countries as Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania; but it will have a salutary effect on them.
The worst conflict of the post-cold war era, the current fighting in the Balkans, is cited by those who question not only the enlargement of NATO but the Alliance's continued existence. Many critics have asked, Why should NATO stay in business at all, to say nothing of expanding, if it can't resolve the conflict in Bosnia? The structures that had served Europe well during the cold war, including the Alliance that deterred Soviet aggression without firing a shot, proved to be unprepared to deal with post-cold war challenges, particularly the disintegration of a post-communist state into ethnic violence and chaos.
However, the lesson of the tragedy in the former Yugoslavia is not to retire NATO in disgrace but to develop its ability to counter precisely those forces that have exploded in the Balkans. And many of the nations in the region see NATO as having that potential. Representatives of several Central European states have said publicly that for them, the Bosnian tragedy is an argument for joining NATO—and for adopting the standards of internal order and external behavior that will make them eligible. A former Polish defense minister, Janusz Onyszkiewicz, recently said,
The fact is that all of our countries have elements like those that destroyed the former Yugoslavia. We have to show our peoples that the Western way is best economically and in terms of security. NATO can help on both counts.
An expanded NATO is likely to extend the area in which conflicts like the one in the Balkans simply do not happen.
Indeed, the crisis in the former Yugoslavia has demonstrated the urgent need to develop new instruments for peace-keeping. NATO, through the Partnership for Peace (PFP), is on its way to creating one such mechanism. NATO established the Partnership in January 1994 to promote cooperation among the armed forces of both the NATO and non-NATO European states, including those of the former Warsaw Pact and the former republics of the Soviet Union. The Partnership has already sponsored joint military exercises involving nations that have been enemies in the past: Albanians and Greeks, Bulgarians and Turks, and Hungarians and Romanians. In August, soldiers from three Allied and fourteen Partnership countries are holding military exercises in Louisiana under auspices of the PFP. When new members eventually enter the Alliance, they will, through their participation in PFP, already have worked closely with the NATO military establishment and very likely accumulated experience in peace-keeping operations. PFP gives nearly every country in Central Europe and the former Soviet Union an opportunity to cooperate with NATO on military matters. Even today, five PFP members—Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia, and the Czech Republic—have troops on the ground in Croatia.
One of the most difficult challenges to enlarging NATO is its effect on Russia. Many Russians see NATO as a vestige of the cold war, inherently directed against their country. They point out that they have disbanded the Warsaw Pact, their military alliance, and ask why the West should not do the same. For them, NATO's plan to take in new members looks like a Western vote of no-confidence in the staying power of Russian reform. It makes them feel as though Russia is still on probation—still subject to a thinly disguised policy of containment. Beware, they say, the mistake that the victors at Versailles made in punishing the Weimar Republic: when Germany recovered in the Thirties, it was bent on military conquest and revenge.
These suspicions and warnings reverberate across the Russian political spectrum.7 They are exploited by conservative, reactionary, and fascistic elements who use the prospect of enlarging NATO as proof that the West is bent on humiliating Russia, keeping it weak, plotting its demise. At a press conference on June 7, Vladimir Zhirinovsky proclaimed that NATO's "only goal is to destroy and dismember Russia." Largely because the issue lends itself to such xenophobic demagogy, the reformers who are committed to consolidation of Russian democracy and to Russia's increasing integration into the West also tend to oppose NATO enlargement.
At the core of this debate are two important factors that should be neither ignored nor glossed over:
First, NATO is and will remain for the foreseeable future, including when it takes in new members, a military alliance and a collective defense pact;
Second, among the contingencies for which NATO must be prepared is that Russia will abandon democracy and return to the threatening patterns of international behavior that have sometimes characterized its history, particularly during the Soviet period.
Uncertainty about Russia's future is inescapably among the factors to be taken into account in shaping decisions about European security. No one has acknowledged that uncertainty more bluntly than many Russians have.8
Therefore the rationale for NATO's continued existence must include what Secretary of Defense William Perry has called "a hedge against pessimistic outcomes":
If Russia hews to a course of internal reform, respect for its neighbors' independence, and cooperation with the West, NATO will continue to evolve in the direction of maximum inclusiveness. If however, reform in Russia falters, NATO will be there to provide for the allies' collective defense.9
But that is not the only reason for NATO to stay in business. Other possible military threats could come from other directions, and a post-cold war NATO should be able to respond to them. The experience of the Gulf War convinced the Alliance that it had to develop a capacity to operate "out of area," i.e., outside the NATO region, and to be able, if necessary, to take action in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Moreover, hedging against the possibility of resurgent Russian aggression is not the only, or even the main, reason for NATO's taking in new members. There are other reasons that are not in the least contrary to the strategic interest of a democratic Russia. Russia has good reason to support NATO's extending the zone of political stability into Central Europe. After all, twice in this century Russia, in the two world wars, has suffered greatly because of that region's instability.
Fear of a new wave of Russian imperialism unquestionably—and, in view of the region's geography and history, naturally—is a main reason why Central Europeans are eager to join NATO. But it is not their only motive, and it should not be seen as the driving force behind NATO enlargement, either by Central European advocates of the process or by its Russian (to say nothing of American) opponents. Václav Havel, who lives in a city that is closer to London than to Moscow, put it this way in his recent commencement address at Harvard:
As long as the broadening of NATO membership to include countries who feel culturally and politically a part of the region the Alliance was created to defend is seen by Russia, for example, as an anti-Russian undertaking, it will be a sign that Russia has not yet understood the challenge of this era.10
Some critics of NATO's decision to enlarge warn of a self-fulfilling prophecy: as NATO admits new members, they say, Russia will assume that the noose is tightening around its neck and will take defensive if not offensive countermeasures—abrogating treaties, building up its armed forces, stepping up pressure on the other former Soviet republics. Therefore it would be better to freeze NATO at its current membership for as long as Russia "behaves"; the Alliance should not expand unless and until the Russian government shows clear signs of aggressiveness.
This argument—known in shorthand as making the enlargement of NATO "threat-based"—has two flaws. First, it emphasizes the most punitive and "anti-Russian" reason for NATO's enlargement; and it diminishes the other equally valid, less provocative reasons for enlargement, which Russia should accept, and even support: the promotion of democracy, free markets, and regional stability. Second, it holds the fulfillment of Central Europeans' desire for NATO membership hostage to the uncertainties of future Russian behavior—and thus, perversely, gives them a stake in potential Russian misbehavior.
If countries located between Russia and Western Europe are to be allowed into the Alliance only if Russia "turns bad," then some countries may exaggerate the bad news coming out of Moscow. That state of mind on the part of Central Europeans, which could affect attitudes in the West, would hardly be conducive to the patient diplomacy required for dealing with Russia during its long, painful, and erratic transition from communism. Nor will it diminish the current level of mistrust between Russia and its neighbors.
It would be far better to encourage the Central Europeans, the Russians, and the peoples of the other former Soviet states all to see NATO's enlargement as a process that can help to promote better domestic and international behavior, even as it may serve as a hedge against the worst. It should be seen as a process that has benefits for everyone and is not directed against any particular state.
It is with this concept in mind that NATO officials have been engaged in intensive talks with the Russians over the future of European security during the past year. The main points that NATO has been making to Russian leaders are as follows:
—Enlargement is going to happen; fighting it with threats will only intensify the darkest suspicions about Russia's intentions and future.
—Describing NATO enlargement to your own people in alarmist terms will strengthen the hand of hard-liners; don't let Zhirinovsky and other extremists frame the debate.
—We and virtually all the European countries will welcome your active engagement in the numerous existing organizations and programs in which Russia is, or can be, a full participant, such as the Partnership for Peace and the OSCE.
—We want to reach with Russia political understandings and arrangements for continuing cooperation and coordination.
Notwithstanding their own continuing reservations about enlargement, President Yeltsin and his ministers have agreed to become full members of the Partnership for Peace. In statements made this spring, they have also modified their opposition to NATO enlargement, warning against "hasty," "precipitous," or "accelerated" enlargement—which, thus qualified, the Alliance neither advocates nor contemplates. And they have agreed to work out, by the end of this year, the outlines of a basic agreement for a mutually reassuring and advantageous relationship between NATO and Russia. It is important that these discussions go forward. If, as President Clinton has proposed to President Yeltsin, the NATO-Russia dialogue proceeds in parallel with the gradual enlargement of the Alliance, the two processes can advance a broader goal on which NATO and Russia agree—that of keeping Europe undivided and promoting pan European integration.
Whether a fully democratic Russia, at peace with its neighbors and with itself, might someday enter NATO remains an open question. Obviously, for that to happen, it would be a very different Russia from the current one. It would also be a very different Europe. But the extraordinary transformations that have taken place both in Russia and throughout Europe over the past decade should make us reluctant to exclude possibilities for the future—and ambitious in pursuing them.
In the meantime, the development of an increasingly cooperative relationship between NATO and Russia should also be welcome to nations, such as the Baltic countries and Ukraine, that are worried about being caught, without any assurances about their own security, between an expanding Alliance and Russia. They fear falling into what President Clinton has called a "strategic limbo" if they are not included in the first or second phase of NATO expansion. Clearly, the ability of these states to maintain their independence and to continue their own reforms will have an important bearing on the future of Europe itself. Their participation in the Partnership for Peace, like Russia's, can help them build ties to NATO. Regardless of whether a given nation ultimately chooses to pursue membership in the Alliance, it can contribute, in the near future, to the PFP as a force for cooperation and reconciliation in Europe.
The Clinton administration recognizes that, along with the opportunities I have described, there are pitfalls and risks as NATO expands, and that, unless it is handled with skill and foresight, the process of expanding NATO could create new tensions and divisions. But freezing NATO in its cold war configuration would itself be a huge mistake, a major setback both for the democratic nations that hope to join the Alliance and for the American interest in supporting democratic institutions. By contrast, enlarging NATO in a way that encourages European integration and enhances European security—the policy the administration is determined to pursue—will benefit all the peoples of the continent, and the larger transatlantic community as well.
More by Strobe Talbott
Yeltsin's War in Chechnya
The Man Who Lost an Empire
Richard T. Davies
Should NATO Grow? A Dissent
Strobe Talbott is Distinguished Fellow in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution. He was Deputy Secretary of State from 1994 to 2001. (December 2017)
Nunn expressed his concerns in a speech, "The Future of NATO in an Uncertain World," at a US military-sponsored seminar on June 22, 1995, in Norfolk, Virginia. Others who have written or spoken against enlargement are Michael Mandelbaum, Stephen Sestanovich, Charles Kupchan, and Arnold Horelick. The Republicans' Contract with America calls for Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia to join NATO within the next four years. Among those favoring enlargement are Senators Richard Lugar of Indiana and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Samuel Huntington, James Baker, and Henry Kissinger. ↩
Following up on the January 1994 Summit, the foreign ministers of the Alliance met in Brussels last December and directed the North Atlantic Council to begin an internal study of "how NATO will enlarge, the principles to guide this process, and the implementation of membership." They also decided that NATO would present the results to potential member nations in advance of the December 1995 meeting of foreign ministers. ↩
During the last years of the cold war, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, or CSCE, took a central part in reducing the barriers between the Soviet bloc and the West. The 1975 Helsinki Final Act, negotiated under CSCE auspices, established procedures for the regular review of member-states' compliance with basic standards of human rights. After the 1990 CSCE Summit in Paris, the organization opened a Secretariat in Prague, a Conflict Prevention Center in Vienna, and an Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in Warsaw. The CSCE was renamed the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) after its leaders met in Budapest last December, and the member-states agreed to strengthen the capacities of the organization for decision-making, oversight, and carrying out operations, particularly for peace-keeping. Fifty-two nations currently participate in the OSCE, making it the only regional forum to which the United States, Russia, and nearly every European state belong. ↩
See E. Timothy Smith, The United States, Italy and NATO 1947–1952 (St. Martin's, 1991), p. 85. ↩
As early as 1949, the US Senate identified as one of NATO's chief purposes "the development of that degree of unity and security among the North Atlantic states which will make possible the reintegration of Germany into western Europe and the ultimate solution of the German problem." ↩
See Kenneth Maxwell and Steven Spiegel, The New Spain: From Isolation to Influence (Council on Foreign Relations Press, 1994), p. 36. For the quotation from Calvo, see Gregory F. Treverton, Spain: Domestic Politics and Security Policy (International Institute for Security Studies, 1986), p. 32. ↩
See, for instance, "Russia and NATO: Theses of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy," prepared by Sergei A. Karaganov and other members of the Russian foreign policy elite, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, June 21, 1995, p. 2; translated in Foreign Broadcast Information Service Daily Report—Central Eurasia, June 23, 1995, pp. 10–17. ↩
Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev has said that while the collapse of communism has opened up "unprecedented vistas," it has also "triggered the kind of decay and inertia that can bury everything: the Russian economy, its statehood, law and order, and eventually freedom itself." "Partnership or Cold Peace?" Foreign Policy (Summer 1995), pp. 4–5. ↩
Perry made these comments at the Wehrkunde Conference in Germany on February 6, 1994. ↩
The text of his speech, given on June 8, is published in the July–August issue of Harvard Magazine. ↩


text:
"People in Maryland, if you spend any time there, you know someone who moved out of the state," Pettit said. "He (Hogan) asked, 'Is this actually happening and how we can prove it?' It was a major part of his campaign messaging. It had a lot to do with the repudiation of (then Gov.) Martin O'Malley. His hand-picked successor didn't have an answer." Hogan won the 2014 election.
Using the addresses taxpayers list on their income tax returns, the IRS can tell who moved from one place to another in a given year. It also shows the income the filers took with them.
When he looks at the numbers now, what jumps out at Pettit is how Florida leads the nation in income gained over the year and how Collier County dominates that growth.
For instance, the net income migration to Florida from 2013 to 2014, the most recent years available, was up 2.42 percent, the largest gain in the nation. Only Nevada and South Carolina had increases of more than 1 percent.
A county-by-county analysis of where that money is going shows Collier County is the favored destination.
According to the IRS, from 2013 to 2014, taxpayers moving out of Collier County took about $669 million in income with them. Taxpayers moving in brought more than $2 billion in income with them for a net gain of $1.382 billion. The average income of the filer moving in was $175,500.
The $1.382 billion net gain in taxable income from residents migrating in amounts to a 9.5 percent increase in total residents' income in one year. Only Seminole County, which has a much smaller base income to begin with, saw a higher net migration, at 9.7 percent.
Only Palm Beach County, with a much larger population, gained more actual dollars in income through migration — $1.387 billion — than Collier.
"Collier outperforms any other Florida jurisdiction relative to its size in attracting taxpayers. That is saying a lot within a state itself that is far outperforming any other in the country in attracting new taxpayers," Pettit noted.
Areas losing the most in terms of income going to Collier County were Cook County, Ill., Oakland County, Mich. and Fairfield County, Conn.
Matt Lane is the vice president of William Raveis Real Estate, a firm with offices in Naples and Westport, Conn. He's seen the phenomenon firsthand.
"There are many families that have discovered Southwest Florida. A lot of it is word-of-mouth. They're saying, 'You've got to come down and see this place,'" Lane said.
Like Pettit, he believes taxes play a role. "The tax structure is night and day. Connecticut is just getting brutalized by taxes. It's very business unfriendly," he said.
In terms of percentage, Alaska, with its small base population, lost the most income from 2013 to 2014. The next four states faring the worst when it comes to losing taxpayers to other states are Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.
Those are also the four states with the highest combined burden of sales and income taxes, according to the Tax Foundation, a research group based in Washington, D.C.
With no income tax and a sales tax rate below Texas and other states which eschew an income tax, Florida is an attractive destination for people of means.
Challenges come with high-end growth, like protecting the environment, keeping up with infrastructure and making sure there is adequate housing for workers.
But, Pettit believes, it beats the option facing states losing taxpayers to Florida. "It's a much better fiscal situation than so many other jurisdictions across the country which are struggling to maintain critical services on a shrinking tax base."
(Connect with Brent Batten at brent.batten@naplesnews.com, on Twitter@NDN_BrentBatten and at facebook.com/ndnbrentbatten)


In addition to leading traditional yoga classes, Gina is certified with Warriors At Ease working with military & first responders and Prison Yoga Project/Insight Yoga Project working with the incarcerated and those transitioning back into the community. She has developed a solid practice that is inclusive and inviting to all communities. For more information on Gina visit the about me page on this website.
take classes & Begin your practice now!
Please contact me for all Yoga class arrangements and payments.


text:
The Red Paintings
Origin Geelong, Australia
Website Official website
Years active 2000–present
Genres Art rock, orchestral rock, experimental rock
Labels Graphite Records (UK.EU), The End Records (USA), Bird's Robe Records (AU)
Past members Miles H. Martin, Ellen Stancombe, Mike Langdale, David Sue Yek, Wayne Jennings, Amanda Holmes, Josh Engelking
Members Trash McSweeney, Alix Kol , Ellen Stancombe
FacebookMyspace
The red paintings the sea shepherd whales are dying official music video
The Red Paintings are an orchestral art rock band originally formed in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The band consists of lead vocalist and songwriter Trash McSweeney on guitar, sequencing and samples, with a revolving line-up across the globe. McSweeney drives all the band's musical and staging concepts. The current touring line up as of 2015 is Alix Kol (violin, Backing vocals); Ginny Eck (bass), Hiroshi Kamoshita (drums) and Emma Baker (cello).
Formation (2000–2002)
Robot Trilogy concept era (2003–2007)
Independence and touring (2008–2012)
The Revolution Is Never Coming and touring (2013–present)
The band is known for their unique, confronting and intense themed performances incorporating elements of theatre and art, often dubbed "orchestral sci-fi art rock". Band members often dress in elaborate themed costumes, ranging from geisha outfits, alien costumes and more recently, sea creature/Neptune themes. They employ elaborate and eccentric stage props to support their shows, varying from statues, giant robots, children's toys, literary and Tim Burton-themed props and self-made video projections. The act are renowned for inviting members of the audience and local artists to paint on blank canvasses and human canvases during their shows to reflect their own feelings in the live music set.
The band has a strong underground fanbase in Europe, Australia and the United States, and their debut studio album was produced almost entirely on fan donations. Their many costumes, props and street performances are often organised and produced with help from their large volunteer street teams. They are also known for their vocal support of animal rights issues, and in particular, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
The band and concept was formed in 2000 in Geelong, Victoria by songwriter Trash McSweeney after he suffered a violent seizure. As a consequence of the seizure McSweeney was purported to have developed colour-sound synethesia. During this period they had little success breaking into the local music scene. They mainly managed to confirm shows in battle of the bands gigs, however, despite being successful in these, they still were unable to break through. While on a holiday in Brisbane, Queensland, McSweeney received positive feedback and show offers at an impromptu gig, and thought relocating there might give the band better chances. Frustrated with the Geelong scene, McSweeney offered other band members the opportunity to relocate, but eventually moved to Brisbane and formed a new lineup. During this period the band produced three independent EPs, Angel Flummox, Reality (Ahead of Schedule) and Cinema Love.
In Brisbane they soon became known for their unique shows, experimentation and friendliness. After some initial hardships, McSweeney soon found like-minded musicians in Josh Engelking (percussion), Bo Whitton (bass guitar), Ellen Stancombe (violin) and Wayne Jennings (cello). The newly formed lineup soon released the "Rain" single. Based on the single and performances, McSweeney soon began to feature heavily in local media, becoming known for his revolutionary views on music, eccentric interviews/performances and the influence of his colour synesthesia on his music and art. In 2003 the band conducted two extensive national tours, including sets at the coveted Livid and Big Day Out festivals. Following this success, a live performance was recorded with Brisbane community radio station 4ZZZ FM and was released in 2004 as the album The Virgin Mary Australian Tour Acoustic/Strings Album, which received yet more positive feedback. They also headlined the 2004 Valley Fiesta, and played support for Australian singer–songwriter Missy Higgins. 2005 saw the band conduct a two-week tour of China, and release the Walls EP with Modern Music/Sony BMG to critical acclaim. The EP received high rotation play on the national Triple J radio station and generated plenty of new fans. The title track, "Walls", entered the stations "Net 50" chart at #3 and charted for fifteen weeks. Sometime around this release bass player Bo Whitton left the band and was replaced by Amanda Holmes.
The next release from the band in 2006, the Destroy the Robots, would see the emergence of the Robot Trilogy concept. Also, after a period with no regular percussionist, current drummer Andy Davis was hired. Clashes with their Modern Music label/Sony BMG label at the time over creative direction saw the band ending its relationship after the EP was released, and becoming independent of a label or outside management. The band toured Australia's capital cities and regional centres for the Destroy the Robots EP. In each capital city, unannounced 'Robot Marches' were staged, where fan-made giant (up to 9-foot) robots were paraded through pedestrian malls.
Recognition and radio airplay from this tour saw them picked as support for Mogwai, and play at The Great Escape (festival). Off the back of this success, their sounds reached the ears of Amanda Palmer, of The Dresden Dolls, who contacted the band with an offer to support their 2006 Australian tour. The tour was a great success for the band, (although the band's van was broken into twice and equipment and paintings were stolen) and they were invited to continue as support for the tour in New Zealand, the UK and US. Before leaving for the US, long-time cellist Wayne Jennings departed the band, and upon returning to Australia, new cellist David Sue Yek joined the band after answering a university advertisement. The band received significant attention in the US, and were able to release a live EP and documentary DVD from the tour; Live in Minneapolis and Seizure & Synesthesia. The band returned to play two special Christmas-themed charity events, and released the third EP in the Robots Trilogy, the Feed the Wolf. This EP was funded entirely from fan donations and was also the last album bassist Amanda Holmes featured in. 2007 saw the band on another large national Australian tour for this EP, with accompanying street parades featuring genetically engineered animals marching into a giant Ark. The EP received good airplay on Australian and US radio stations, and spawned the single and music video for "We Belong in the Sea", which received top honours on YouTube.
In June 2007, songwriter Trash McSweeney announced his plans for recording their debut LP record, and based upon the successful model of the Feed the Wolf EP, made a request on the band website for fan donations to support this endeavor. He was met with mixed reactions from the Australian music industry, but nonetheless fans responded and he achieved his goal, raising A$40,000 towards their independent LP. The band also played further support for Amanda Palmer's 2007 solo tour in Australia.
In 2008 the band embarked on another Australian tour and also their first headlining tour of the West Coast of the United States. The tour was successful and saw them receive radio airplay, including on Los Angeles Indie 103.1FM, Portland's KNRK and San Francisco's Live 505 radio stations. The band were also invited to play at the prestigious Musexpo 2008. During this tour singer Trash McSweeney also met and became personal friends with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society captain, Paul Watson. This partnership led the band to play a benefit show for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society on the eve of the departure of MY Steve Irwin from Brisbane; and later that year a collaboration with Paul Watson covering the Midnight Oil song "Beds Are Burning", titled "Whales Are Dying" and accompanying music video. The collaboration, and McSweeney's outspoken support, received wide media coverage in the US.
2009 saw the band tour performing sporadic free/benefit shows in Australia, as the band took time off to work heavily on the upcoming album and for McSweeney to also personally direct the music videos for it. They did however support the national tour of punk band Mindless Self Indulgence, and open shows for the Australian tour of poet Saul Williams. In an effort to complete the record, the band relocated to Los Angeles in preparation for their album release. A long period of post-production and mastering attempts followed, taking place in Brisbane, Winnipeg, Toronto, Los Angeles and Nashville. Through this time, the work in progress reportedly generated positive reviews and interest from United States and UK record labels, although McSweeney still appeared determined to release their LP independently. While in the United States, McSweeney also played several solo shows and teamed up again with Captain Paul Watson to perform at Worldfest 2009.
2011 saw the band back on the road with a 20-date tour in the US which included shows with Alien Ant Farm, Chad Smith (RHCP) and his new band, a main stage appearance at SubZero Festival in San Jose, being hand picked by The Posies for their Los Angeles show in July and support for German industrial act Atari Teenage Riot. McSweeney spent most of the year finalising the mix on the album in Los Angeles.
In 2012, after a lengthy period away from their home country, the band posted a message on their website, stating that if they got 1,000 likes on their new Facebook page, they would return to tour Australia. The fans answered the call and the band returned in January for The Black Paintings tour across the country, accompanied by the release of the first single from the album, "Streets Fell Into My Window". The innovative Alice in Wonderland-themed music video picked up a slew of awards at festivals worldwide and generated significant interest from long-time fans over the album's imminent release. During the ensuing months, McSweeney continued working on plans for releasing the full-length album worldwide, as well as touring the globe. In addition, elaborate plans for the release were revealed involving launching helium balloons in thirteen countries, accompanied by cam-corders and USB sticks for fans to chase in each city during the release of the album.
In August, it was announced the band would be touring Australia again, playing an intimate run of club shows for the 'Chinese Whispers' tour.
In October, dates for the band's return to the UK were announced, with a 40-date tour spanning UK and Europe. Despite enduring difficult conditions during the European winter, the band received positive reviews from shows and saw their new track "You're Not One of Them" played on over 140 radio stations across the UK and Europe. With influential stations such as KFM, Kerrang!, BBC and Q all playing the track, this opened the act to a new market and saw them picked up by UK agency Northern Music (...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, Opeth).
In January, Trash McSweeney opened the Brisbane and Melbourne shows for the 65daysofstatic (UK) tour, performing TRP material in a stripped-back format and hosting an Alice in Wonderland-themed after party for fans.
In March it was announced the band had teamed up with The End Records (The Prodigy, Fat Boy Slim) for the release of a new EP in North America, featuring "You're Not One of Them" and a series of B-sides featuring popular Australian radio hits from previous releases. The band were also announced as main support for Mindless Self Indulgence on their US theater tour during April and May. It was also announced that the band would release You're Not One of Them in the UK and Europe through iconic UK distributor Rough Trade in April and tour with prog rockers The Pineapple Thief on their sold out UK tour in May.
Following these shows, Mindless Self Indulgence invited The Red Paintings to tour as the main support for their theater tour across the UK and Europe in November and December 2013. Soon afterwards, seminal cult act ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead announced the band as the opener for their North American tour in July 2013. The band also revealed its plans to release and tour the album The Revolution Is Never Coming with a new stage show beginning in Australia in June, with an international release date set for 1 October, along with a massive 4-part world tour to follow.
During their US tour in July, the band announced the worldwide release of their new music video 'Wasps,' which premiered on American music TV channel [[mtvU]] on 15 July. After a successful US tour with Trail Of Dead (where TOD bandleaders Conrad & Jason joined the band painting on stage at numerous shows), The Red Paintings performed their first UK festival dates at Y Not Festival in Derbyshire & Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, to rave reviews.
In September, the band announced that Smashing Pumpkins bassist Nicole Fiorentino would be performing with them on US television program AXS TV, on 7 October. The band also announced plans for a promotional tour of the USA, with shows in San Diego, Los Angeles and more. The tour will be followed by extensive touring throughout the UK & Europe with Mindless Self Indulgence.
In November, the band announced further US tour dates with Spacehog & Sponge for December, with headline club dates in Chicago and more to follow.
In 2014, The Red Paintings continued their 'Wasps' world tour in the UK & Europe, with a 22-date headlining tour visiting the UK, Germany, France, Belgium and The Netherlands in February and March.
In February it was announced the band would return to the UK in May, playing a run of dates with British band InMe. Following this, they returned to Australia as support for Gary Numan, before heading back to the UK for performances at Rebellion Festival and hosting a performance with a youth orchestra in Corsica, France.
Late 2014 saw the band return to North America for an extensive tour in support of The Birthday Massacre and New Year's Day. Immediately afterwards, the band announced a 40-date headlining tour of the US in January and February, only to find after a handful of dates that their agent had not contracted or confirmed many shows. The band changed agencies to pursue a headline club tour of the US in May and June.
Meanwhile, The Red Paintings were announced as main support for Scottish post-rockers Mogwai at the opening night of Adelaide Festival in March 2015. The full band returned to Australia to perform, with Trash McSweeney and Alix Kol joining Japanese act Vampillia for their Adelaide Festival performance the following week. Trash and Alix also opened for UK act 65daysofstatic and Perth's Tangled Thoughts of Leaving at shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
The band then returned to the UK after being invited to join The Birthday Massacre on their sold out UK dates, including a show-stopping performance at Whitby Goth Festival, with the festival's founder declaring them 'a band of the future.'
After wrapping up the 'It Is As It Was' tour in North America in June, the band released a video for 'It Is As It Was' which premiered on UK site Kerrang and coincided with the announcement of a headline tour of the UK for November.
The band also announced their return as national support for ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead in Australia and New Zealand, as part of Trail's 20th anniversary shows. The dates marked the first full national Australian tour for TRP in 2 years as well as their first New Zealand shows since performing with the Dresden Dolls 9 years earlier.
The Red Paintings continued touring relentlessly, joining German industrial act Die Krupps for a run of sold out clubs across Europe throughout September.
In November, the band kicked off their headline tour for the UK and announced plans to head to Japan for the first time in December.
The Virgin Mary Australian Tour Acoustic/Strings Album (2004)
The Revolution Is Never Coming (2013)
Angel Flummox (1999)
Reality (Ahead of Schedule) EP (2000)
Cinema Love EP (2002)
Walls EP (2005)
Destroy the Robots (2006)
Feed the Wolf EP (2007)
You're Not One of Them (2013)
"Rain" (2004)
"We Belong in the Sea" (2007)
"Whales Are Dying" (2009)
"Wasps" (2014)
The Streets Fell Into My WindowThe Revolution Is Never Coming · 2013
You're Not One of ThemThe Revolution Is Never Coming · 2013
It Is as It WasThe Revolution Is Never Coming · 2013
The Red Paintings Wikipedia
Pat and Mike
Thomas Birkett, 3rd Baron Birkett
Andrés Ríos


Jennifer Closson Aprea couldn't reason with her 4-year-old, who was communicating primarily with the word "no" and unintelligible shrieks. The mom knew that her words couldn't compete with verbal communication at its finest, so she tried an alternative method of discipline and lip synced her daughter's temper tantrum.
LL Cool J, please consider inviting this duo to join you for a special mother/daughter episode of Lip Sync Battle. Please extend the invitation to Hillary and Chelsea Clinton as well.


text:
Q: Set a background timer in javascript I'm trying to prevent users in Dynamics 365 / CRM from quickly clicking on the same button, thus initiating a synchronous, window-blocking event.
We were able to fix this in IE, but Chrome seems to "remember" the button clicks - and then initiate the same event, again and again, synchronously (as is expected).
I had thought about creating a background timer, that will be initiated on the first button click, which will turn a variable as 'True' until the timer finishes, then turning the variable as 'False'.
During those X seconds in which the variable is set to true, subsequent button clicks will fire the event, but not proceed any further than a few lines where the function will check if the variable is set to true or false.
This is my (not working) code so far:
function startTimer(duration) {
isTimerOn = true;
var timer = duration, seconds;
setInterval (function () {
    seconds = parseInt(timer % 60, 10);
    seconds = seconds < 10 ? 0 + seconds : seconds;
    if (--timer < 0) {
        timer = duration;
    }
}, 500);
isTimerOn = false;

};
 var isTimerOn = false;

    function createWordSummary() {
        if (isTimerOn) {
            return;
        }

        try {
            startTimer(3);
// Logic here

Would love some help, thanks in advance!

A: You can try something like this:

let disabled = false;

function startTimer(s) {
  disabled = true;
  setTimeout(function() {
    disabled = false;
  }, s * 1000);
}

function createWordSummary() {
  if ( disabled ) return;

  startTimer(3);
  console.log('check');
}
<button onclick="createWordSummary()">Check</button>

Hope it helps!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: How to find "only" IP addresses in a Local Area Network sudo arp-scan --interface=eth0 --localnet

I know the above command works fine but it outputs everything like MAC address etc, etc.
But I need to find only IP addresses. Is it possible ?

A: I would do this using just grep:
$ sudo arp-scan --interface=eth0 --localnet | grep -oP '^[\d.]+'
192.168.0.1
192.168.0.2
192.168.0.3
192.168.0.10
192.168.0.23
192.168.0.72
192.168.27.1
192.168.27.14
192.168.27.30

Explanation:
The -P tells grep to use Perl Compatible Regular Expressions, where \d matches any number. The -o means "print only the matching part of the line". The regular expression I used means match the longest string (that's what the + means)  of consecutive numbers (\d) or dots (.) that are at the beginning of the line (^).

A: I just used awk,tail and head to achieve what you want:
sudo arp-scan --interface=eth0 --localnet| awk '{print $1}'|tail -n +3|head -n -2

this gives the output as
192.168.1.1
192.168.1.3

as I have only these two in my Lan.
Here awk '{print $1}' prints the ip address which is situated in the first column.
tail and head removes unnecessary stuff like the header and just shows the ip addresses.

A: Here is a one liner to get the IP address using the ifconfig command:
~$ ifconfig eth0 | grep 'inet addr:' | cut -d: -f2 | awk '{ print $1}'
192.168.1.10

Does that do what you wanted?  Or did you need the arp-scan command?

I re-read and see I missed the point of the question. arp-scan shows the local IP addresses for the network and I only showed the IP of the machine with ifconfig. Below is a version of the above terdon solution only not using the PCRE library. Ubuntu had an issue with pcre and grep when I tried it.
$ sudo arp-scan --interface=eth0 --localnet | grep -o ^[0-9.]*

A: another option to simplify @Stormvirux answer is to use the --quiet or -q and --plain or -x arguments provided with arp-scan instead of piping to head and tail commands the final command will be simpler as it will pipe only to awk :
arp-scan -qx --localnet | awk '{print $1}'

and here is a much detailed explanation from arp-scan --help :
--quiet or -q       Only display minimal output. No protocol decoding.
            If this option is specified, then only the IP address
            and MAC address are displayed for each responding host.
            No protocol decoding is performed and the OUI mapping
            files are not used.

--plain or -x       Display plain output showing only responding hosts.
            This option suppresses the printing of the header and
            footer text, and only displays one line for each
            responding host. Useful if the output will be
            parsed by a script.


text:
Family-History-Stories.com
Finding Family History, Part 2: Too Much Information
Finding Family History Story, Part 3
Our Family History Story, Part 4: The 1st Love Family Reunion
Our Family History Story, Part 5: Where is Miles during the Civil War?
Finding Family History, Part 6: "I Was 5-Years-Old in 1914"
Finding Family History, Part 7: Finding Jennie
Family History Search - Who Was Vines?
Tracing Family History: The Search Continues
The Family Blog
Favorite Grandparent Memories
Family Liaison Newsletter
Family History News
Family & Holiday Gatherings
Our Family History Story,
Where is Miles during the
Civil War?
Our family history story, part 5 continues:
Joyce ("Genealogy Grandma") writes:
Where is Miles during the Civil War?
Where is my great-grandfather during the Civil War? Did he fight for the Confederate or for the Union?
He had to choose a side because staying at home was not an option. He would have been about 35 years old when the war commenced in 1861, and as an able-bodied man he would have had to be involved. I have explored numerous records on the Fold3.com website, but to my dismay, no Miles Love.
His youngest son, Milas Sloan Love, was born in March 1863, during the heart of the war which means Miles Love was home in June 1862. Thus far I have not found any record of him in the Civil War....disturbing, but I will continue with the family history research.
Dorcas or Darcus Wilson-Love
When I first saw the photo of my great grandfather, Miles Love, I wondered what the names of his parents were. My aunt knew the first name of his mother, Dorcas, but she was unaware of her maiden name. I recall telling my aunt that if we could secure a copy of Miles' death certificate then we could find the name of his mother and father.
Little did I know about the time frame that states began keeping vital records, but fortunately for our family Mississippi began keeping vital records in 1912. Miles Love died in January 1926 and had he died in 1910 or 1911 there would be no death record for us to have in our family archives.
Miles' death certificate states he was born in Virginia in 1826, that he died of pneumonia, his mother's maiden name was Dorcas or Darcus Wilson and that, she too was born in Virginia. The disappointing thing, for me, was that there was no father. The record stated, "unknown", under the heading for "father".
The death certificate and the 1900 census are the only records in our archives that support Dorcas' existence, but they are proof and are consistent with the oral history of the family as told to us by my aunt, Dorothy Barnes.
I mention the 1900 Census in particular because this is where I found Dorcas in the household of her grandson, Milas Sloan Love. She is listed as his grandmother, is age 90 years old, was born in May 1810, and was from Virginia. This is a very important record, from a genealogical standpoint, because this and the death certificate validate the name of Miles Love's mother.
How successful (or frustrated) have you been with your family research?
What is your best genealogy discovery? Tell us about it!
Return to "Our Family History Story, Part 1
Or, continue reading more:
Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9
Visit the Family Blog
Have your say about what you just read! Leave us a comment in the box below.
Follow @family_stories
Copyright 2013-2020 Family-History-Stories.com All rights reserved.
Disclaimer & copyright info


Delve into the very depths of the ocean with Atlantis Gold.
Cops and Robbers is a traditional three-reel, one payline slot with eye-catching graphics and a classic crime scene.
Tickle your taste buds with Funky Fruits, the juicy game with the tasty progressive jackpot.
Be transported to the Emerald Isle with Irish Luck, the charming five-reel slot with up to 30 paylines.
Cocktails, cake, high-heels and diamonds…this slot really knows the way to a lady's heart!


text:
2021: The Year of the Entrepreneur
Sherri Kolade
Entrepreneur Stefanie Smith, owner of Alpha-Lit Detroit, a marquee lighting company showcases her letter and number signs (top row). Local entrepreneur Tia Regular started her company, Milk Pimp, which sells clothes and other accessories catering to babies and children (bottom row).
Photos provided by Tia Regular and Stefanie Smith
In 2020 they brought it — in 2021 they still bringing it.
New businesses popping up, Black entrepreneurs springing forth with beauty bars, clothing lines and virtual companies, giving consumers what they didn't even know they needed but are thankful they now have.
It was and still is, the year of the entrepreneur and in metro Detroit, especially, it has been evident that if you build it, they will come back time and time again.
According to a Forbes article, Black women represent 42 percent of new women-owned businesses—three times their size of the female population—and 36 percent of all Black-owned businesses.
Local hair care guru Gwen Jimmere knows a thing or two about that. The founder and CEO of Naturalicious sells hair products and developed her business several years before the pandemic and said that she has seen billion-dollar companies created during the pandemic.
"Now's probably a really good time … to start a business," Jimmere said.
Jimmere added that she recognizes it is easier to get one's foot in the door for their new business than it used to be.
"Research it and see if it makes sense," she said of starting a business. "if you can afford to do it jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down."
For more information visit https://naturalicious.net/.
West Bloomfield resident Stefanie Smith works full time at the Detroit Police Athletic League, a non-profit organization in Detroit that serves young people. At her job, she helps bridge the gap between residents and police officers.
When the pandemic hit last year, her fundraising job responsibilities were slowly being taken away due to events shutting down and the public sheltering in place.
"Everything I worked on was canceled," she said, adding that in the meantime, she started figuring out what to do to supplement her income. "That is how Alpha-Lit Detroit was born."
Alpha-Lit Detroit, https://alphalitdetroit.com/, is Smith's marquee lighting company. Customers can rent out her lighted letters and numbers for the duration of their party for various fees based on how many numbers and letters they use.
"I can spell your name in lights or age or anything you want to say — short phrases. You spell it I can light it up really cool," Smith said, adding that the events are mostly outdoors and her personalized signs, and color lights, can add the right touch.
"I started the company in June … and I've done probably over 300 events since then," she said, adding that she has capitalized on the ingenuity of celebrations. "People have found a different way to celebrate. I think that because of the pandemic people didn't want to cancel their plans but knew they wanted to be safe so they figured out a different way to plan."
Smith, who has already earned six figures from her rental business, even learned how to make intricate and elaborate balloon displays to accompany her letters and numbers. Her clients can be found all over metro Detroit and they include the spouse of a Detroit Lions football player and gospel artist Kierra Sheard. She's also done corporate events, weddings and more.
"After she [Sheard] posted it [Smith's creations on her social media page] my business blew up after that," she said adding that she thought outside the box and many people thought she was crazy for starting an event rental business during the pandemic. "Everything I learned I found a free tool for doing the research and figuring out how to get it done.
"It's been amazing."
Local entrepreneur Tia Regular is anything but regular. The mother of five children ranging in ages 19 months to 14 years old started her company, Milk Pimp, a children and mother apparel company in 2018, but didn't do anything with it until the pandemic, she said.
"I thought of the name and used it as a hashtag then decided that it would be a great name for a business because it's inspired by my journey as a breastfeeding mother."
Regular added that when she became a mom again there was also a new need for face masks that could fit small children properly and comfortably. So, she put Milk Pimp to work and made kid's masks a priority item during the pandemic. Milk Pimp is an acronym for my innocent little kid precious in my possession.
Regular, who has an 18-year background in freelance makeup artistry, said that her business is to help new mothers and mothers throughout different stages, know that they can accomplish whatever they put their mind to. She added that new breastfeeding moms can sometimes fall into the comparison trap where they see other moms having a more robust milk supply and might feel inadequate about their own.
So, Regular created a slogan for her company, "My milk game's strong," as a reminder to mothers choosing to breastfeed that they have exactly what they need for their baby.
"You have to encourage yourself and in your self-motivation that can help to get those endorphins going, your feel-good hormones can help your milk production," she said.
Regular added that she is looking forward to adding more apparel and products in 2021.
For more information visit www.shopmilkpimp.com.
Tags: 2021, Black Business, COVID-19, entrepreneur, new business ideas


Each Lanternlock is made from quality components. All frames are made of 3/16" steel rod , the socket is heat-resistant ceramic, and the cord is heavy duty 14-3 grounded wire with a molded plug.
17 3/4" Lanternlock can safely accept bulbs up to 500 watts. 12" Lanternlocks are easy to conceal and can safely accept bulbs up to 250 watts.


Lost Soul and Kitty do it once again. Watch how LS destroys Kittys wanting belly, restrained on bars and even in a shower. LS's punches sink into Kitty's belly unbelievably…What else can you expect from LSF?


Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath has been released on iOS today and will be released very soon on Android.
The developer announced the news today on Twitter.
Stranger's Wrath is a remake of the Xbox original with reworked controls for iPhones and iPads, along with iOS gamepad support.
The game also supports Achievements and Cloud Save. You can get it from iTunes.


The PRO-Anchor (Fixed Belt Loop) is the simplest belt retro-fit tool tethering anchorage fastening. Your tool belt is simply threading directly through the fixed belt loop on the anchor to provide a direct tool attachment point. Each Pro-Anchor (Fixed Belt Loop) provides a structurally rated single or double 'D' ring configuration to 10kgs (dynamically tested to 20kgs) anchorage for tool tethering.


text:
BitcoinAmountField::BitcoinAmountField(QWidget* parent) : QWidget(parent), amount(nullptr), currentUnit(-1), valid(true)
{
    amount = new QDoubleSpinBox(this);
    amount->setLocale(QLocale::c());
    amount->setDecimals(8);
    amount->installEventFilter(this);
    amount->setMaximumWidth(170);
    amount->setSingleStep(0.001);

    QHBoxLayout *layout = new QHBoxLayout(this);
    layout->addWidget(amount);
    unit = new QValueComboBox(this);
    unit->setModel(new BitcoinUnits(this));
    unit->setMinimumWidth(80);
    layout->addWidget(unit);
    layout->addStretch(1);
    layout->setContentsMargins(0,0,0,0);

    setLayout(layout);

    setFocusPolicy(Qt::TabFocus);
    setFocusProxy(amount);

    // If one of the widgets changes, the combined content changes as well
    #if (QT_VERSION >= QT_VERSION_CHECK(5, 14, 0))
        connect(amount, static_cast<void (QDoubleSpinBox::*)(const QString&)>(&QDoubleSpinBox::textChanged),
            this, &BitcoinAmountField::textChanged);
    #else
        connect(amount, static_cast<void (QDoubleSpinBox::*)(const QString&)>(&QDoubleSpinBox::valueChanged),
            this, &BitcoinAmountField::textChanged);
    #endif
    connect(unit, static_cast<void (QComboBox::*)(int)>(&QComboBox::currentIndexChanged), this, &BitcoinAmountField::unitChanged);

    // Set default based on configuration
    unitChanged(unit->currentIndex());
}

void BitcoinAmountField::setText(const QString &text)
{
    if (text.isEmpty())
        amount->clear();
    else
        amount->setValue(text.toDouble());
}

void BitcoinAmountField::clear()
{
    amount->clear();
    unit->setCurrentIndex(0);
}

bool BitcoinAmountField::validate()
{
    bool valid = true;
    if (amount->value() == 0.0)
        valid = false;
    if (valid && !BitcoinUnits::parse(currentUnit, text(), nullptr))
        valid = false;

    setValid(valid);

    return valid;
}

void BitcoinAmountField::setValid(bool valid)
{
    if(valid == this->valid)
        return;

    if (valid)
        amount->setStyleSheet("");
    else
        amount->setStyleSheet(STYLE_INVALID);

    this->valid = valid;
}

QString BitcoinAmountField::text() const
{
    if (amount->text().isEmpty())
        return QString();
    else
        return amount->text();
}

bool BitcoinAmountField::eventFilter(QObject *object, QEvent *event)
{
    if (event->type() == QEvent::FocusIn)
    {
        // Clear invalid flag on focus
        setValid(true);
    }
    else if (event->type() == QEvent::KeyPress || event->type() == QEvent::KeyRelease)
    {
        QKeyEvent *keyEvent = static_cast<QKeyEvent *>(event);
        if (keyEvent->key() == Qt::Key_Comma)
        {
            // Translate a comma into a period
            QKeyEvent periodKeyEvent(event->type(), Qt::Key_Period, keyEvent->modifiers(), ".", keyEvent->isAutoRepeat(), keyEvent->count());
            qApp->sendEvent(object, &periodKeyEvent);
            return true;
        }
    }
    return QWidget::eventFilter(object, event);
}

QWidget *BitcoinAmountField::setupTabChain(QWidget *prev)
{
    QWidget::setTabOrder(prev, amount);
    return amount;
}

qint64 BitcoinAmountField::value(bool *valid_out) const
{
    qint64 val_out = 0;
    bool valid = BitcoinUnits::parse(currentUnit, text(), &val_out);
    if(valid_out)
    {
        *valid_out = valid;
    }
    return val_out;
}

void BitcoinAmountField::setValue(qint64 value)
{
    setText(BitcoinUnits::format(currentUnit, value));
}

void BitcoinAmountField::unitChanged(int idx)
{
    // Use description tooltip for current unit for the combobox
    unit->setToolTip(unit->itemData(idx, Qt::ToolTipRole).toString());

    // Determine new unit ID
    int newUnit = unit->itemData(idx, BitcoinUnits::UnitRole).toInt();

    // Parse current value and convert to new unit
    bool valid = false;
    qint64 currentValue = value(&valid);

    currentUnit = newUnit;

    // Set max length after retrieving the value, to prevent truncation
    amount->setDecimals(BitcoinUnits::decimals(currentUnit));
    amount->setMaximum(qPow(10, BitcoinUnits::amountDigits(currentUnit)) - qPow(10, -amount->decimals()));

    if(valid)
    {
        // If value was valid, re-place it in the widget with the new unit
        setValue(currentValue);
    }
    else
    {
        // If current value is invalid, just clear field
        setText("");
    }
    setValid(true);
}

void BitcoinAmountField::setDisplayUnit(int newUnit)
{
    unit->setValue(newUnit);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


We're Working On It is a visual representation of Vox Populi's 21st year of programming (2009-2010). Also included in the pages is the first written history of Vox Populi (by Amy Adams), the starting point for a history of artist-run spaces in Philadelphia (by Richard Torchia), and an essay on our city's identity as a center of artistic production (by Paul Galvez).
An illustrated timeline of artist-run spaces in Philadelphia, dating from the 1960s, rounds out this important publication.


had lead to the destruction of humanity.
happily, safely and with tranquillity.
of capitalism, power and greed.
is the destruction of our beautiful land.
as we are homeless crying souls?
How many deaths we see every day?
How many losses of lives we bear every day?
How many lands we cross every day?
Which land will be our permanent abode?
New York, Mumbai or Peshawar.
It's Muslim, Hindus, Jews or Christians.
Why not your hands shiver when you kill?
left you to die in deluge.
your desire to live a happy life.
no rules and law to follow.
and other child's fate be like yours.
I am Associate Professor of English in an Engineering College-AIET, Allahabad. Completed Phd in English Literature from University of Allahabad. I have presented papers in many National & International Seminars/Conferences in India and have published many research papers in Indian and Foreign journals. I write book reviews for many journals, magazines and e-magazines. Associated with many National & International Academic organizations.
Ø International Journal of Research and Humanitarian Studies (Jordan). Joined in 2015.
Ø English Language, Literature, Humanity & Modern Sciences (Iran). Joined in 2014.
Ø Cyber Literature: An Online Journal by R. Y. Shinde (India). Joined in 2013.
Ø Literary Miscellany by Prof Pradip Lahiri (India). Joined in 2013.
Ø Research Access by Mirza Maqsood Beig (India). Joined in 2013.
Ø Expressions by Bijender Singh Soora (India). Joined in 2015.
Ø The Context by Kumar Wani (India). Joined in 2015.
I have a passion for reading and writing. I am also Chairperson of Women Cell & Head of Cultural Committee of AIET, Allahabad.


text:
Home » Miscellaneous, People & Places » Female Officers to Take Legal Action over Hairstyles
And on the topic of female police officers, today Commissioner Chester Williams told the media that two of his officers will take the department to court. The legal action is over the matter of hairstyle. If you'll recall, last year several members of the department faced disciplinary charges over dreadlock hairstyles. Back then, the department said that the women's decision to style their hair that way during working hours violates Section Seven of the Standing Orders. Some of the women complied and removed the hairstyle but others faced the disciplinary measures. Now, two officers are not stopping there and they are taking it before the court. Here's what Williams had to say on the matter.
"We have received notice from two of the officers that they are taking us to court and so we will go to court and the court is going to decide. So, in the time being, the legal officer has been tasked with looking at the policy document that deals with the appearance of officers. And we are going to make it clear in the policy document, as well as the SI, as it relates to how females and every officer must dress that includes the hairstyle and that will address the issue."
"Don't you consider it on the face of it discriminatory, say someone who grew up in a Rastafarian family, a young lady decides to take up law enforcement as a career, and clearly your policy which states that you have to lose the dread or you can't join the police."
"If a mental person wants to join the police too, he must be allowed to join the police? It is not everybody who wants to do something must be allowed to do it. If you want to join something then you must ensure that you meet the requirements as it relates to getting there. You can't just come and join and want to enforce your own rules and then want things to work around you. It doesn't work like that."
"So, you don't see it as discriminatory?"
"No. If it is up to Belizean people everything is discriminatory; everything."


text:
Q: How do I render/format custom fields in the Customer Grid - backend Magento 1.6 can anybody help me with this ? I have added some custom fields to the customer grid in the magento backend admin page which are select fields , but I cant seem to find a way of showing the "label" in the grid as opposed to the "value" I have tried to find the renderer for this page but have had no luck...
They render ok in the customer information page (please see screenshots)

I have found this post which is very helpful but do not know what i need to write to get the label content to dispay ? http://inchoo.net/ecommerce/magento/how-to-add-custom-renderer-for-a-custom-column-in-magento-grid/
Many thanks in advance

A: You don't need any renderer for displaying such values. Here is what you should do:
$boyGirlOptions = array(
    array('value' => 1, 'label' => 'Boy'),
    array('value' => 2, 'label' => 'Girl'),
); // or you can fetch dynamically
$this->addColumn('boy_or_girl', array(
    'header'    => Mage::helper('your-module')->__('Boy or Girl'),
    'index'     => 'boy_or_girl',
    'type'      => 'options',
    'options'   => $boyGirlOptions,
    'align'     => 'left',
));

$sourceOptions = array(
    array('value' => 1, 'value' => 'Google'),
    array('value' => 2, 'value' => 'Yahoo'),
    //...
); //or you can fetch dynamically
$this->addColumn('where_did', array(
    'header'    => Mage::helper('your-module')->__('Where Did?'),
    'index'     => 'where_did',
    'type'      => 'options',
    'options'   => $sourceOptions,
    'align'     => 'left',
));

Yes, you need to use dropdown type options and grid values will automatically get the label instead of value(id).
Hope this helps.

A: You should add options parameter to your $this->addColumn() statement:
    $this->addColumn('column_name', array(
        ...
        'options' => array('id1' => 'label1', 'id2' => 'label2', ...)
    ));


Browsing the beauty section of Boots in Brighton recently I stopped for a chat with the lady behind the Clarins counter. As you may have read I'm on the endless hunt for the ultimate eye cream to counter my ultimate eye bags, and I'd read that Clarins' Super Restorative Total Eye Concentrate showed reasonable results (more on that next month). I also wanted to try their Extra-Firming Eye Lift Perfecting Serum.
Looking through the array of artfully displayed creams and potions I was surprised to see how many products pertained to women my age. When I consider Clarins I think of older (and richer!) women, not someone approaching forty. After all, forty's fairly young these days…right?!
So, I got to thinking…when does 'young' stop and 'older' start? And does this mean – finances aside – that I've finally graduated from L'Oreal to Clarins? There was only one way to find out.
After a lengthy discussion with the impressively well-versed Clarins representative (who was younger than me), I left the store armed with a mountain of samples. Oh – and I may have bought some of the Total Eye Concentrate too (what can I say, not only did it come with a bag of posh freebies, but also a percentage of my sale was donated to charity – win-win in my book, if not for my bank account!).
The first item I tested was the Dry Skin Extra-Firming Night Rejuvenating Cream. My, how gorgeous it smelled: fresh but not cloying. It was subtly seductive. I was hooked. Maybe early intervention with a 40+ cream would keep my skin as wrinkle-free as a 35 year-old for many moons to come?
It felt rich, like a night cream is supposed to. As I applied it I suspected it was perhaps a little too thick for for my combination skin, which is still prone to the odd spot at a certain time of the month (oh, the humiliation of adult acne, and the indignity of period pains at my age!).
I managed to milk the 5ml Dry Skin Extra-Firming Night Rejuvenating Cream sample for over a week, which is a positive sign: it may not be the cheapest on the market, but at least it goes a long way! Unfortunately though, I was right: it was too rich for my skin, which after a couple of nights started rebelling with the occasional teeny-tiny whitehead – barely visible, but still, definitely there.
And so it continued, as though my skin was stifled and unable to breathe through the night cream equivalent of thick theatre pan stick. That said, the areas of skin which didn't succumb to potential spot sites did look like they'd been bathed in asses' milk à la Cleopatra. I'm not convinced by the 'Extra-Firming' claim, but will concede that even central heating and a crummy cold couldn't prevent me from looking peachy between my own physical version of join the dots.
If I were an older, wealthier woman I would definitely buy this cream (the smell, the richness!). However since I'm neither, I would recommend it for the over-fifties or those with dry skin and deep pockets only. Dry Skin Extra-Firming Night Rejuvenating Cream: does what is says on the tin – almost.
← Micro Scooter Customisation Madness!