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Australia can do more to support women's participation in Middle Eastern militaries
15 Feb 2019|Elizabeth White
A recent event in the United Arab Emirates sparked both merriment and scorn globally when every award at the Gender Balance Index 2018 was handed to a man. UAE Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who presented the awards, may have surprised some observers with this tone-deaf action; he is better known for his more successful gender initiatives, including increasing female representation in diplomatic roles, law and the judiciary.
Kinder commentators said that even the Gender Balance Index fiasco was a step in the right direction, noting that one of the awards was for instituting maternity leave for female UAE soldiers. But is this genuine progress that we should be applauding, or lip service to silence irritating (and largely Western) sniping? And what does it matter to Australia?
The UAE has arguably the most advanced military in the Middle East bar Israel, and Australia can immodestly claim significant credit for that through a combination of long-term government support and a slew of ex-ADF personnel who have worked to professionalise the UAE Armed Forces from the inside. Australia has provided equipment, training and other forms of support to the armed forces of nearly every country in the Middle East at some point, and women, peace and security (WPS) is coming up more and more frequently as an engagement topic.
While our contributions may be small in the scheme of things, Australian support (and equipment) does come with the cachet of high-end professionalism and potentially a sympathetic ear from a member of the Five Eyes community. Australia also gets to burnish its credentials as a champion of WPS. But barriers of language, culture and distance make follow-up difficult, along with a certain level of fatalism that accompanies just about any effort in a region littered with the failures of Western intervention.
One of the greatest challenges is trying to confirm what has actually occurred after the headline statements. Data beyond what governments want released is limited to say the least, especially in English. An internet search will turn up scores of favourable puff pieces, mainly from Arab media or Western sources uncritically repeating them. In 2018, both Saudi Arabia and Qatar announced that they were opening the doors for female volunteers to join their armed forces (although in Saudi Arabia's case this would still require a male guardian's permission). There's little word yet on any further developments, from what types of roles will be open to women, to how many have chosen (or been allowed) to join up. Oman's public commitments to gender balance in the armed forces seem limited to the Royal Cavalry's all-female marching band, which doesn't help dispel the feeling that these announcements are mere window-dressing.
Things in the more progressive Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) appear better, but again the critiques are limited. The JAF apparently intends to triple its percentage of women over the next five years. That sounds impressive, but the increase is from 1% to 3%, and the options for women will still be limited (and frankly puzzling to a Western audience; a woman in the JAF can become fully trained in midwifery). Unlike many of its far richer neighbours, Jordan has some pressing incentives to meet international norms. It is heavily dependent on external aid and is a sizeable contributor of peacekeepers to the UN.
The question we have to ask ourselves is whether our contributions are helping or hindering. By congratulating the JAF on its female engagement team are we respecting genuine progress in a culturally sensitive situation, or glossing over the doubling in child bride rates among the refugees they are supposed to be protecting? Even the UAE, which opened the Gulf region's first military college for women in 1991, still requires adult women to seek permission from their guardians before joining. Do we applaud or sigh?
The answer, of course, is that it's more complex than a simple binary choice. Women in the armed forces of nearly any country face a daunting situation, made harder by complex cultural and societal expectations. Successes should certainly be lauded, but Australia needs to think carefully about what it does next. Rather than simply repeating the latest platitude, Australia should be asking for hard data and honest discussions. There needs to be transparency and accountability, and a cleverer and more nuanced approach to capacity-building efforts that adds to a long-term strategy.
Australia is by no means the only country seeking to support women and gender issues in the Middle East, and should work closely with like-minded countries like the US, UK and Canada to coordinate and align our activities. Most importantly, we should all be sending the same message about ensuring that the countries of the Middle East make some real progress after the press release has been issued. Perhaps then we'll see a few more awards being handed to women.
Elizabeth White is a research fellow at the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia. The views expressed in this post are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views of her employer. Image courtesy of Jazzstinger on Wikimedia Commons.
Australian Defence Force
Australia needs to do more to support women's participation in efforts to counter violent extremism
Women in the ADF: the operational imperative of participation
Women, peace and security—addressing the gaps and strengthening implementation
WPS 2018: Feminist foreign policy in Australia
Dangerous portents in the Middle East


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Tag: media visit
Butajira's ideal health facilities give hope to ending maternal and new-born death in Ethiopia
By Wossen Mulatu
Dr. Ayenachew Abebe, Medical Director of Butajira Hospital gives briefing about the activities of the hospital in maternal and new-born health. Butajira Hospital and Health Centre Media Visit ahead of the EU-ESDE project launch, 2 April 2014 ©UNICEF Ethiopia/2014/Fasil
Butajira, 2 April 2014: Around fifteen journalists from eleven media houses visited Butajira hospital and health center to witness firsthand the facilities for mothers and new-borns there.
The media visit was organized by the Federal Ministry of Health, European Union and UNICEF to show the commendable services provided by Butajira hospital and health centre ahead of the high level launch of the 'Enhancing Skilled Delivery in Ethiopia' (ESDE) which was made possible with EU's generous €40.2 million grant.
New mother Aster Kebede's face is filled with grace holding her new baby girl already named Etenesh Gobeza. After an hour of delivery, she has immediately started breast-feeding her child sitting comfortably on the hospital bed. It took her a day to come to the hospital from the neighboring Mareko woreda (district) with her mother Fichage Arega. Now, both of them are proudly sitting close to each other admiring the newly born child and grandchild in relief.
"I am highly content with the service provided here at the hospital. The staff were really kind to me and I had a smooth delivery. I am also grateful that such service is offered for free." said Aster.
In Ethiopia the most critical period of care for maternal and neonatal mortality reduction (skilled birth attendance) has remained stagnant for the past two decades with only 29 per cent of mothers accessing this essential care. In addition, despite the improvements in reducing under 5 mortality rates, neonatal mortality rate has also remained stagnant showing no significant reduction from 39 in the 2005 to 37 in 2011.
Aster Kebede, one hour after delivering her baby girl Etenesh Gobeza describes her experience in the hospital to the media. ©UNICEF Ethiopia/2014/Fasil
"Both the quality and quantity of services have increased in the hospital due to the commitment and motivation of the hospital management and its staff to prevent any death of mothers and new-borns" said Andualem Mengistu, Manager of the hospital.
According to Andualem, the range of mothers who deliver at the hospital has increased from 10-15 up to 80-90 mothers per week at present. This significant increase is due to the introduction of free service for mothers who deliver at the hospital, increase in the number of midwives on duty programme and early referral system from the Health Center. In addition, the hospital implements Maternal Death Surveillance and Response (MDSR) and uses volunteers from Voluntary Services Organization (VSO) to fill the staffing and skill gap.
"Giving birth should be a time of happiness and celebration for mothers and not a time of sorrow. And newborns are not predestined to die" said Dr. Asheber Gaym, Health Specialist at UNICEF. "We need to make all our efforts to stop the unnecessary death of mothers and new-born in the country by closely working with the Government and partners" he added.
Ali Abdella, deputy head of the woreda health unit indicates that, their main objective is to create demand so that mothers deliver at a health facility and not at home. The maternal mortality rate in the city used to be 67 deaths per 10,000 in 2010 and now it has gone down to 6 deaths per 10,000 which is a significant achievement.
According to Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) 2011, Ethiopia has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world estimated at 676 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births far from the MDG target of 267.
"We are now aiming at quality service and HDF (Home Delivery Free) community." he stresses.
Translation of paragraphs from stories by journalists that took part in the media visit are posted here: [With a link to the Amharic story]
[Ethiopian Reporter] Saving a mothers life
Hospitals can solve Maternal health and newborn deaths when they have the necessary equipments and sustainable supply. To equip new and old hospitals with the necessary equipments to sustain the supply, the European Union has donated 40 million Euros through a project implemented by Ministry of Health and UNICEF. All health sectors will benefit from this three year project Read more.
[Ethiopian News Agency] The hospital has played a role in reducing maternal and newborn deaths
"Many newborn and maternal lives were saved because of this hospital" says Fetiya "The service is for free, so all mothers should come to the hospital and save the life of their children and themselves" Fetiya conveys her message. Read more
[DW- Amharic] Butajira hospital to benefit from new 40 million Euro EU funded project
UNICEF and Ethiopian Ministry of Health will work together to achieve MDG5, reduce maternal and newborn deaths , by implementing a new 40 million euro project donated by the European Union. Read more
Author UNICEF EthiopiaPosted on April 15, 2014 April 15, 2014 Categories Ethiopia, EU, Health, MDG, Media and External Relations, SNNPRTags Butajira, EU, European Union, EuropeanAid, health, media relationship, media visit, visitLeave a comment on Butajira's ideal health facilities give hope to ending maternal and new-born death in Ethiopia
Media visit to Butajira to demonstrate partnerships
WHAT: Media visit to health facilities to demonstrate the partnership of the Federal Ministry of Health, European Union and UNICEF in maternal and new born health- ahead of the high level launch of European Union's donation of €40 million for Enhancing Skilled Delivery in Ethiopia (ESDE) Project.
WHO: Federal Ministry of Health, European Union, UNICEF
WHEN: WEDNESDAY 2 APRIL, from 7:30am- 4:30pm (Day Trip)
WHERE: Butajira Hospital and Butajira Health Center, SNNPR
WHY: According to EDHS 2011, Ethiopia has one of the highest maternal mortality ratio in the world estimated at 676 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births far from the MDG target of 267.
The most critical period of care for maternal and neonatal mortality reduction is skilled birth attendance. However, availability and uptake of this service had remained stagnant until recently.
In addition, despite the improvements in reducing under 5 mortality rates, neonatal mortality rate has also remained stagnant showing no significant reduction from 39 in the 2005 to 37 in 2011. Therefore, maternal and neonate health are now the top priorities in everyone's agenda.
Accordingly, Butajira Hospital and Health Center have been selected as model facilities that give full maternity service and continuum of care including neonatal care and a coordinated referral system for this visit.
This media visit is organized by Federal Ministry of Health, European Union and UNICEF.
A media pack regarding the sites will be prepared and shared with you . A resource persons will be on board to respond to your queries.
Please confirm your attendance starting from today up to Monday for logistics purpose.
For interviews or additional information, please contact:
Wossen Mulatu, Communication Officer, Media and External Relation Section, UNICEF Ethiopia, Tel: +251 115 184028, Mobile: +251 911 308483, email: wmulatu[at]unicef.org
Author UNICEF EthiopiaPosted on March 28, 2014 Categories EU, Health, SNNPRTags Butajira, ethiopia, EU, European Union, FMOH, Journalism, media, media relationship, media visit, MoH, unicefLeave a comment on Media visit to Butajira to demonstrate partnerships

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Обновление текста при нажатии checkbox Есть код обновления адресной ссылки по нажатию на checkbox

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A: Что-то Вы не договариваете. Все работает, если правильно обратиться к элементу

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
is a 1967 Japanese chambara film directed by Satsuo Yamamoto and starring Shintaro Katsu as the blind masseur Zatoichi. It was originally released by the Daiei Motion Picture Company (later acquired by Kadokawa Pictures), and is the first film produced by Katsu Productions (Katsu's own company).

Zatoichi the Outlaw is the sixteenth episode in the 26-part film series devoted to the character of Zatoichi.

Plot

In a rural village, Zatoichi (Katsu) encounters Shushi Ohara (Suzuki; modeled after 18th-century agriculturalist Yagaku Ohara) a sword-less rōnin who defends himself against multiple attackers without killing them. Ohara leads a peasant movement advocating the abstention from gambling, drinking, and whoring.

Cast
Shintaro Katsu as Zatoichi
Rentarō Mikuni as Boss Asagoro
Kō Nishimura as Suga
Yuko Hamada as Oshino
Toshiyuki Hosokawa as Nisaburo
Takuya Fujioka as Zatosanji
Kenjiro Ishiyama as Tatsugoro
Tatsuo Endo as Boss Tomizo
Kayo Mikimoto as Oyuki
Tatsuo Matsushita as Yamagen
Mizuho Suzuki as Shushi Ohara

Reception

In a contemporary review, "Chie." of Variety noted that this Zatoichi film was given a big name director Satuso Yamamoto and a well known actor Rentarō Mikuni which made the film "inflated [...] which, by comparison with the others, not very entertaining."

J. Doyle Wallis, in a review for DVD Talk, wrote that "[t]his film has one of the better plots in the series, the almost hippie ex-samurai's teaching posing as a threat to the gangsters who prefer the villagers to lead debauched lives. Unfortunately some of the storytelling is sloppy, particularly the side-plot characters who Ichi becomes involved with. Their introductions and back story were told so quickly and incidentally, that when their stories began to get a third act wrap up, I had trouble recalling who they were in the first place."

References

External links

Zatoichi the Outlaw (1967), review by D. Trull for Lard Biscuit Enterprises
Zatoichi the Outlaw (1967), review by Steve Kopian for Unseen Films (18 February 2014)
Review: Zatoichi the Outlaw (1967), by Thomas Raven for freakengine (March 2012)
REVIEW: Zatoichi 16 – Zatoichi the Outlaw (1967), by Mark Pollard for Kung Fu Cinema
Zatoichi the Outlaw, review by Rob Larsen for DrunkenFist.com (2014)

Japanese adventure films
1967 films
Zatoichi films
Daiei Film films
Films set in Japan
Films shot in Japan
Films produced by Masaichi Nagata
1960s Japanese films

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Shorelands Summer Diary
C.F. Tunnicliffe
Michael McCarthy in his Moth Snowstorm cited Charles Tunnicliffe as being, in his opinion, "the pre-eminent British bird artist of the mid-twentieth century" and his Shorelands Summer Diary as being "one of the loveliest books on the natural world ever produced". High praise indeed, so I decided to check it out, and found an inexpensive, second-hand copy (not on Amazon). And he may be right: it is certainly lovely.
Shorelands Summer Diary is also absolutely of its time — the early 1950s — and seems to come at us through a misty glass, from the past of that other country that was Britain before the latest population explosion and, more to the point, the Great Thinning of the natural habitat of these islands, when agro-chemicals and habitat destruction started doing their damage. It pre-dates Rachel Carson's Silent Spring of 1962 and also the IUCN's Red Data List of endangered species which wasn't established until 1964. This volume's naivety exists only through us looking back to it with hindsight. The innocence possessed then was largely intact.
Charles Tunnicliffe was born at the opening of the twentieth century. From humble beginnings, he gained a scholarship to The Royal College of Art and went on to become more or less a household name. His illustrations in Ladybird books, Brooke Bond tea cards and for the covers of the RSPB's magazine were awaited with great anticipation and often cherished. Much of his detailed observation of birds was gathered from personal experience at his home, Shorelands, in the south-west corner of Anglesey. Indeed, the book starts with his charming description of their removal van manoeuvring through the narrow lane to the house when he and his wife moved to the island in 1947. (Much of Tunnicliffe's work can today be seen at the nearby Oriel Ynys Môn museum and arts gallery.)
Tunnicliffe's text is gentle and mildly lyrical. It offers no major flourishes, no literary tricks. It has a simple charm, an innocence — again, through our own over-the-shoulder hindsight. What it is memorable for is the clarity of its colour plates and the style and vivacity of its scraperboard engravings.
A quarto-sized book
The Diary is a quarto-sized book, 24cms x 30.5cms, arranged chronologically, one chapter per month. Tunnicliffe's summer ran from the end of March to the end of September. As with all good diaries, some days have no entries. (There is a Shorelands Winter Diary, released posthumously in 1992.) Margins are generous in the extreme. The print is small but extends to 45 or so lines per page (if drawings are removed), so there is detail aplenty. Published in 1952 when the rationing that was introduced during the war was still in force, this volume must have seemed luxurious, if not extravagant.
Full-page colour plates
There are 16 full-page, colour plates, closely-detailed paintings of pairs or small groups of birds, mostly waders, but interleaved with 4 of raptors. These were printed on one side of the page with their reverse sides left blank, ensuring that no text was ghosted through behind the colour plates.
Northern golden plovers
These colour plates are not supposed to be photographic. They are not studies in bird groupings. The golden plovers above would not assemble in such groups on the ground. But they are studies in posture, plumage and behaviour, catching the essence of the bird from different angles and in different light conditions. Golden plovers — when you are lucky enough to see them — do indeed have a sheen to their feathers. They seem to capture light and then reflect it back as dazzling colour.
Greenshank and redshank
Tunicliffe's study of bird posture is wonderfully evident in the three redshanks above, captured whilst feeding, probing yet cautious, one reflex away from flight.
Monochrome engravings
Dotted throughout the text are a staggering 180-odd monochrome engravings. Each chapter begins with one. There is hardly a single page without one. Sometimes, a page is lucky to be decorated with two such designs. These range from detailed close-ups of single, paired or grouped birds to scenes dusted with distant clouds of birds. Occasionally, there is an indoor scene — millstones turning, for example — where the absence of birds balances the book's avian collection, showing an equally capable draughtsmanship. Most are exquisite in their composition and their handling of light and shade.
Whimbrels arriving over Cob Lake
Swallows on the house roof
Ringed plovers sheltering
These smaller pieces capture landscape moods in changing light. The emphasis is less on individual birds and their plumage, more on groups of birds, flight groupings and direction changes. The ringed plovers above are perfectly caught, sheltering, hunkered against the wind. Their normally busy disposition is here stilled by necessity.
It is a rare thing to have an artist of such skill who can write — and has something pertinent and interesting to say. But the dominant medium is the artwork. Tunnicliffe's knowledge of birds was exceptional, stemming from intense and extended observation. He tramped fields as well as any good bird watcher. He was known for measuring birds to achieve a more detailed understanding of their shape and size. Examples of the resulting studies can be seen on the Charles Tunnicliffe Society website.
Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable
Stewart Brand
The Clock of the Long Now - time and responsibility
Catherine Caufield
In The Rainforest
The Dispossessed
The Old Ways
Moth Snowstorm: Nature and Joy
Adam Nicolson
The Seabird's Cry - the lives and loves of puffins, gannets and other ocean voyagers
P. W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking
LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media
Isabella Tree
Wilding: The return of nature to a British farm
Maryanne Wolf
Proust and the Squid - the Story and Science of the Reading Brain
Reader, Come Home - the Reading Brain in a Digital World


text:
FEF profile: World of Wonder's Fenton Bailey
Fenton Bailey, co-founder of World of Wonder productions, clearly has a knack for producing fun, personality-driven programming. Bailey will contribute his expertise related to the art of effective casting as part of realscreen's Factual Entertainment Forum next week.
By Lindsay Gibb
Fenton Bailey co-founded World of Wonder with producer/director Randy Barbato in 1990 and the prodco has since grown to launch various reality and documentary series on channels such as HBO, BBC, Bravo, MTV, VH1 and ITV. With offices in Hollywood and London, the company produces series and documentaries on alternative lifestyles, intriguing personalities and pop culture phenomena for TV, the big screen and their web TV channel WOW TV.
June is a big month for the prodco, with two series debuting on Planet Green and Sundance Channel, a returning series going into production and a couple of new series heading into post production.
One of the new series has generated a fair amount of buzz even before its June 16 debut on Planet Green. The Fabulous Beekman Boys follows couple Brent Ridge, former VP of Healthy Living for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and New York Times-bestselling author Josh Kilmer-Purcell as Kilmer-Purcell spends his weekdays in the city to make a living and Ridge lives full time on a farm in upstate New York trying to make a go of their organic brand, Beekman. The series documents how the couple manages to maintain a relationship while uprooting their lives and starting a business together, while also capturing such TV-ready moments as the hosting of a garden party and a wedding on their property, and adventures with their llama, Polka Spot.
The prodco also has Man Shops Globe returning to Sundance Channel June 30 and the production of the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race starting up in the near future.
Aside from the debuts in June, Bailey tells realscreen that World of Wonder also has two new series that just finished shooting for MTV Networks' Logo channel: The Arrangement and the spin-off of RuPaul's Drag Race, Drag U. The latter premieres in July and documents what happens when RuPaul and a collection of top drag queens help a group of everyday women compete in 'diva challenges.' The Arrangement is an 8×60-minute series that pits talented floral arrangers against each other in 'extreme floral arranging challenges.' The floral elimination series is set to debut on Logo in October.
To top off the month of June for World of Wonder, Bailey is also speaking at the Factual Entertainment Forum's Reality Casting panel on June 3. The panel, which provides a unique look at the creative process of finding the best talent for compelling fact ent television programming, also features panelists Cori Abraham, VP development and original programming at Bravo Media; Sheila Conlin, president of casting agency The Conlin Company; Laura Fleury, VP non-fiction and alternative programming for A&E Television Networks; Deena Katz, president of Talent Central and Sean Perry, co-head of the non-scripted department at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment.


I'm not a great one for dishing out writing advice.
There's no real reason why I should be anyway. It's not as if I've scaled the dizzying heights of Broadway or Hollywood or been buried in Poet's Corner or anything.
Still, I've been writing and thinking about writing for most of my life so you could be forgiven for thinking I might have something to offer.
But I don't, not really.
As far as I'm concerned, this is no bad thing. I sometimes feel there is quite a bit too much writing advice abroad in the world as it is. Everybody-and-his-Cousin-who-Once-Wrote-a-Birthday-Card seems happy to dispense their version of the 'Writing-Meaning-of-Life' with enough earnestness to fill a small bath.
I treat writing advice in much the same way as I see if pasta is cooked. I tend to throw writing advice at myself and see if it sticks. If it does, it's good. I will pretty-much listen to anyone who has anything to say about writing but, if I find I can't use what they're telling me, it will just slide off me and onto the floor. The few bits of advice that actually stick will be left in place until they are crusty on my T-shirt and utterly irremovable.
But back to little old me, writing and writing. Surely I must have something to offer, something of my own.
There is a tiny tap on the door and a girl peers in. She might be twenty or twenty two. I've never seen her before in my life. She approaches my death bed quite tentatively. I might, after all, be contagious.
"I know that one, I've read your 'Collected Blog Posts'.
Everything you write. No matter how big or small. Prick your finger and squeeze a little drop of your own blood into it.
For years I wrote like it was a technical exercise. I plotted stories and created characters and chucked a bit of fancy-pants dialogue in and thought it was fine. But there was nothing of myself in there and this showed in the hollowness of the end-product. Somewhere along the line, I seem to have learned that a piece of writing will struggle to be any good unless you insert at least the tiniest piece of your very 'being' inside it. The great trick with doing this is that this 'drop of blood' is at its most potent when it can't be seen by the reader. It needs to be like some herb or spice going into a stew, totally assimilated, never to be seen again, but still flavouring everything.
In fact there should be "A Little Drop of Blood" in everything we do in life.
Thanks Grannymar, lovely to see you there.
Thank you for this. I can barely get through an hour let alone a day without writing something in my head. I wake up and it's words. I remember in my sleep. Every train journey home is a story I don't write. I want to write. I need to. Yet I endlessly second guess myself and teeter between feeling inspired and intimidated. Both reflective and original works I struggle with how much of myself I let in there. And yet I can't seem to do it any other way. I always fear that anything I write is too self absorbed and end up writing nothing. It's not that I care what people think so much as I fear they won't understand. Mostly I've slowly started writing over the past few months because I have to for myself. Because even if no one ever hears my thoughts or stories I hear them. So..thank you for reminding me my words alone for me are okay.
Preaching to the choir, old son. It's why I can't quite get to grips with people who just write stories. I'm not saying that what we write shouldn't be entertaining but it shouldn't be just entertaining; it should aspire to be something more.
There is a joke about a wonder-rabbi at his death-bed, with all his diciples gathered together to hear his last words. The wonder-rabbi murmurs "Life.... is like.... a bagel." All his disciples are abuzz with the message: "Pass it on: The wonder-rabbi says life is like a bagel!" The word is passed on till it reaches the synagogue-sweeper, the lowliest of the flock. He asks" "Life is like a bagel? How is life like a bagel?" The buzz starts again as the question propagates back to the deathbed of the wonder-rabbi: "Wonder-Rabbi, How is life like a bagel?"
The wonder-rabbi pauses for a moment and then says "Okay, so life's not like a bagel." And then he dies.
Blood and bones and soma and guts and sensuality and all the messy bits of life. Yes.
Lots of writers seem to think it's a purely intellectual exercise, a nice diversion and game for the verbal part of the mind, and forget to include the body and soul and blood and bones, etc. That's why so much writing is so very dry and unreadable. Your advice here is brilliant. It needs to be taken to heart by more writers. I've been having arguments with poets on this very point for decades. Contemporary poetry is way too much head and not nearly enough blood. Once you figure out the puzzle-box, why bother re-reading when there's no pleasure in it?
Jim: I knew I had nothing new to tell you hear. Love the wee joke.
I've been reading your posts since 2008? and every time I read one of them, a new perspective is added to mine. But I had wondered often if these were really "drops of blood" from you.
Now I understand, correct me if I'm wrong, these posts strike a balance of who you really are and what you want the world to know.
Thanks for that insight, a drop of blood into one's writing would really lend more meaning and "soul" into one's post.
Dear Jena Isle, you are indeed a most constant visitor - something I appreciate greatly and never take for granted.
Ken, I REALLY enjoyed this post of yours. Good to see a few familiar faces in your comments as well. I got a huge kick out of Jim's joke.
Writing advice is dangerous. I have plenty of books filled with mumbo-jumbo in my bookshelf. I've often wondered if maybe we'd all be better off if the authors of these books had written them when they'd first started out rather than after they've gotten the credentials to convince an editor they can make sales. By that point, I'd wager many of these authors have forgotten what it was like to be small and fragile.
I used to subscribe to writing magazines, but it didn't take long to realize that 5 Ways to do... every single month was more hogwash than anything else.
The only dependable way to learn how to write, in my opinion, is to actually write. If you spend all your money on writing books, you're moving in the wrong direction. Learning how someone else writes won't teach you how to be... you.
If you get sick and end up on that deathbed, even if it's when you're 85, you better let me know so I can come visit you! We can pretend we're pirates and down a bottle of rum. If you're not feeling up to it, I'll finish it for ya! Okay, it might have to be a wee bottle in that case.
a piece of writing will struggle to be any good unless you insert at least the tiniest piece of your very 'being' inside it. .


Since leaving University I've had various jobs that have predominantly been in the recycling industry. When I first left University I started a job at Ballast Phoenix, an ash recycling company, as a general operative. It was difficult to find a suitable job when leaving University and this was solely a stepping stone until I found something more suitable.
I then moved to Student Finance and worked there assessing students' applications for loans and determining their allowance. I was then successful in getting a graduate position at Europe's largest metal recycling company – European Metal Recycling. I worked there as a graduate trainee manager for roughly 18 months before I returned to Ballast Phoenix where I currently work as a production manager. I enjoy my job for its many challenges, its influence in shaping the future and the fact that it allows me to travel the world. In between all this, I bought a house with my girlfriend who I met at school and we have been together since 2006.
What qualification did you achieve?
I hope to continue to build a career with my current employer and build a life with my girlfriend.
My time at university has been the highlight since leaving school; I made some great friends for life and had an awful lot of fun!
The sixth form ball is one of my favourite memories - a good night was had by all. The final year of sixth form was also a particular highlight as there wasn't many weekends when there wasn't a party to attend.
Life is all about balance, work hard when you need too but make sure you have just as much fun!
I would invite Andrew Flintoff. He appears to have a similar sense of humour to me and I imagine he has some great stories to tell from his cricket playing days.


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Clapham is an area in the South West London. It is very famous for Clapham Common – 220 acres of green area. The overall atmosphere of this fascinating district is rural. Its population is over 65, 000 inhabitants and it offers a large number of bars and restaurants.
Most of the south part of Capham is a residential area. It's streets offer a magnificent urban views. The north part, on the other hand, is not so affluent. However it also offers a great opportunities for tourism. During the years, Capham has proved that it is one of the best places for living for the British middle classes.


Haus Goldstein is very friendly welcoming place to spend a dinner with business partners.
All personnel were very well trained, helpful, and all done with a smile.
Everything was handled with efficiency and attention to every detail was given.
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The eyes of a st louis web designer.
As a web and graphic designer my eyes are my ultimate tools and never take a break.
This can be a good thing especially when ambling around my garden in flip flops taking photographs yesterday. I was about to stand in my compost heap to get a better angle for my photograph when I spotted Missouri's most dreaded snake, the copperhead, neatly coiled on top.
A trip to the emergency room avoided by the eyes of a St Louis web designer!


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text:
Q: MATLAB CREATE DLL: The command 'link' exited with a return value '1' PROBLEM: WANT TO USE A MATLAB DLL IN LABVIEW
ISSUE: BELOW ERR
Building with 'Microsoft Visual C++ 2017 (C)'.
cl /c -MD -Zp8 -GR -W3 -EHsc- -Zc:wchar_t- -nologo -O2 -DNDEBUG /DMATLAB_DEFAULT_RELEASE=R2017b  /DUSE_MEX_CMD   /DMSVC /DIBMPC /D_CRT_SECURE_NO_DEPRECATE -I"D:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2020a\extern\include" -I"D:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2020a\extern\include\win64" "C:\Users\SHUBHAM\Documents\MATLAB\examplescriptdll\exampleWrapper.c" /FoC:\Users\SHUBHAM\AppData\Local\Temp\mex_18529067976172_19860\exampleWrapper.obj
exampleWrapper.c

link "/nologo /manifest /DLL -called_from_matlab    C:\Users\SHUBHAM\AppData\Local\Temp\mex_18529067976172_19860\exampleWrapper.obj  exampleScript.lib  /MACHINE:AMD64 /LIBPATH:"D:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2020a\extern\lib\win64\microsoft" mclmcrrt.lib kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib shell32.lib ole32.lib oleaut32.lib uuid.lib odbc32.lib odbccp32.lib /out:exampleWrapper.exe
Error using mbuild (line 166)
Unable to complete successfully.
The command 'link' exited with a return value '1'

I TRIED: https://forums.ni.com/t5/Example-Code/Walkthrough-for-Creating-a-MATLAB-DLL-That-Can-Be-Called-in/ta-p/3882891?profile.language=en
to create a DLL file and use it in Labview
this is my exampleScript.m file
function [sumone]=exampleScript(arr)
sumone=arr+1;
end

I used this command to create DLL files
mcc -v -B csharedlib:exampleScript exampleScript.m

and as written in doc that
This is not a native C type, which is what LabVIEW knows how to interface with. LabVIEW does not
know what to do with these types, which will pose problems for us later.

so they said to use this command
mbuild -v exampleWrapper.c exampleScript.lib LINKFLAGS="$LINKFLAGS /DLL
/DEF:exampleWrapper.def" LDEXT=".dll"" CMDLINE250="mt -outputresource:$EXE';'2 -
manifest $MANIFEST"

while creating 3 new files exampleWrapper.C, exampleWrapper.h, exampleWrapper.def
exampleWrapper.c
#include<stdio.h>
#include "exampleScript.h"
void loadExampleScript(void) {
    exampleScriptInitialize();
}
void unloadExampleScript(void) {
    exampleScriptTerminate();
}
int wmlfExampleScript(double* c2dArray, int numRows, int numColumns){
    int nargout=1;
    int result=1;
    mxArray *mIn2dArray;
    mxArray *mOut2Array=NULL;
    mIn2dArray=mxCreateDoubleMatrix(numRows, numColumns, mxREAL);
    memcpy(mxGetPr(mIn2dArray), c2dArray, numRows*numColumns*sizeof(double));
    result=mlfExampleScript(nargout, &mOut2Array, mIn2dArray);
    memcpy(c2dArray, mxGetPr(mOut2Array), numRows*numColumns*sizeof(double));
    mxDestroyArray(mIn2dArray);
    mxDestroyArray(mOut2Array);

    return result;
}

exampleWrapper.h
void loadExampleScript(void);
void unloadExampleScript(void);
int wmlfExampleScript(double* c2dArray, int numRows, int numColumns);

exampleWrapper.def
LIBRARY exampleWrapper
EXPORTS
loadExampleScript
unloadExampleScript
wmlfExampleScript

A: Running it in a single line solev this issue
mbuild -v exampleWrapper.c exampleScript.lib LINKFLAGS="$LINKFLAGS /DLL /DEF:exampleWrapper.def" LDEXT=".dll" CMDLINE250="mt -outputresource:$EXE';'2 -manifest $MANIFEST"


text:
Q: How to infer correlation of population from correlation of samples without assuming normality? There are very large number of data points ($\sim 10^{100}$), which form a (discrete) joint distribution $(X,Y)$, where $X,Y$ are discrete random variables. Note that we have no knowledge of these distributions. We sample a small number $n$ of data points randomly, and we can calculate Pearson correlation coefficient $\rho_s$ of the samples. Then, how can I infer the PCC $\rho_p$ of the population? In general, what is the relation between $\rho_s$, $\rho_p$, and $n$? If I sample, say, $100n$ data points, then does the sample have PCC close to $\rho_p$? We can assume none of the above distribution to be normal. Can we say anything interesting if we assume $n$ to be less than 20 (if not 50)?
Edit: If you think PCC is not very useful for the case one cannot assume normality of distribution, you can use other quantities such as Spearman's R instead.

A: Your question is not entirely clear, but: if $n$ is reasonably large (and in your case there is no need to choose a small $n$), so think (at least $n=1000$ or $n=10000$). In that case the sample pearson correlation should be approximately unbiased, unless the data distribution is very different than gaussian. But you don't need to assume that, you cane estimate the bias using bootstrapping.
Then, for sample size $100 n$, the bias should be smaller, but how much smaller?  You could just investigate that also with the bootstrap.


text:
Home / Prep Baseball / ROUNDUP: Eagles' Fenn homers twice in win
ROUNDUP: Eagles' Fenn homers twice in win
By Ramon Scott
2018 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL
LA MESA – Granite Hills' JAKE FENN belted two home runs and the Eagles scored 11 runs over the final three innings to win their Grossmont Hills League opener over the host Foothillers Tuesday afternoon.
In the top of the fifth, Fenn hit a three-run home run with two out to tie the game.
Granite Hills sophomore CLAY FORDHAM was stellar in relief, getting the win with four scoreless innings, allowing two hits while striking out five.
"Fordham came in and did a great job shutting down a very good hitting Grossmont team for four innings, allowing us to get back in the game," Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS said. "We were down 6-2 at one point so to come back is a good sign."
Granite Hills hadn't played a game in almost two weeks but came out swinging to score a pair of runs in the top of the first as BRADLEY HARRIS singled home the game's first run.
However, Grossmont scored four in the bottom of the inning behind RBI singles from TYLER PARENT and JASE RUSSELL and led 6-2 after three innings when Russell singled home another run.
Harris hit a home run in the top of the fourth to get the Eagles to within 6-3.
In the top of the sixth, Granite's SEAN MCGREW singled for a pair of RBI and an 8-6 lead.on a 1-2 count, scoring two runs.
Fenn hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh for a 9-6 advantage.
Later in the seventh, TREVOR HAZELHURST drove in two runs with a single after McGrew drove in a run.
"Give all the credit to Granite Hills," Grossmont head coach JORDAN ABRUZZO said. "They deserved to win and made the adjustments. I was outcoached and we were outplayed. It's tough to find positives when you go from a 6-2 lead to giving up two touchdowns."
Granite Hills (9-6) and Grossmont (10-7-1, 2-1 GHL) meet again on Thursday in El Cajon at 4.
EL CAPITAN 2, SANTANA 0 – The Vaqueros got into the Grossmont Hills League win column behind six stellar innings from University of Arizona-bound senior BLAKE PEYTON.
Peyton allowed three hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out ten.
Senior SHAYNE CUNNINGHAM came on for the final out and earned the save with fly-ball out.
El Capitan would get all the runs it would need in the bottom of the third inning, capped by an RBI double by AUSTIN BELL.
HUNTER MARKLE started the two-out rally with a base hit to center.
El Capitan's STEVIE MONTEJANO singled and scored in the frame.
Santana pitcher BEN HART was nearly as strong as his counterpart, as he struck out eight El Cap batters with no earned runs and no walks.
"This was a good win for the Vaqueros," El Capitan head coach CLAYTON CURO said. "Blake Peyton threw a great game and kept us in it. Austin Bell was solid behind the dish defensively and offensively.
El Capitan (5-12, 1-2 GHL) and Santana (4-11-1, 1-1-1 GHL) meet again on Thursday in Lakeside at 4.
"We will go back to work at practice tomorrow and prepare for Santana again on Thursday," Curo said. "We need to focus on one game at a time."
LA JOLLA COUNTRY DAY 3, HELIX 2 – The Highlanders may have been caught in the doldrums after their slow league start.
Helix has a league bye this week with Cathedral Catholic on deck Thursday, so the visiting Torreys took advantage for a non-league win in La Mesa.
The Scotties took a 2-1 lead in the third when ERIC SMELKO lined a single to center, then two batters later ZACK OWENS drove in Smelko with line single to center.
However, the Torreys took the lead back in the last of the fourth with a pair of runs and kept Helix at bay.
La Jolla Country Day's Kai Acol singled home a run.
"I think we just need to go back to the basics," Owens said. "We all love baseball because it's fun and I think we all need to start having fun again. We are all in this together and we are a team. We are only as strong as our weakest link and I think we need to go back to playing for each other and not for ourselves."
Senior BRANDON PETERSON had a hit for Helix, which managed just five singles.
"I don't know the exact formula to getting us back on track but it starts with each one of us individually everyone on our team can be doing something better right now," Peterson said. "We are struggling as a team very bad right now but it is part of the game. We need to find a way to gain our confidence back and get back to playing Helix baseball.
Helix's AUSTIN KRETSCHMAR singled and walked.
"It seems this sort of struggle happens once every year," Kretschmar said. "Coach Holland has said it happens to every team every year. With that said, we know we need to hit the restart button, trust our abilities, and come out with energy and play like we know how to play."
Helix will host the section-rival Dons on Thursday at 4.
"We are scuffling we have zero confidence offensively," Holland said. "We need some veterans to step up and be the guy and take the pressure off our young guys and pitching staff. It's not for the lack of caring, trying, or working.
"We are just not as good as advertised at this point not saying we won't be but we are not there now."
CLASSICAL ACADEMY 10, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 7 – The Knights had 15 hits including four from CORBIN HARRIS, but a furious rally from eight runs down in the final inning fell short as Foothills lost its Pacific League debut against the defending co-league champion.
Foothills Christian (10-9) scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and left the bases loaded when the rally subsided.
Knights junior JALANI BROWN had an RBI triple in the seventh, while teammate CHRIS STALLARD (2-for-4) drove in a pair of runs with a line single to left for the final margin.
BAILEY LEWIS had two hits, a run scored and an RBI for FCHS.
Classical Academy (9-7) scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning, which it would end up needing.
The teams meet again on Thursday in Escondido at 4.
MOUNTAIN EMPIRE 18, OCEAN VIEW CHRISTIAN 3 – The Red Hawks crushed Ocean View Christian to open their four-team Citrus Circuit slate.
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