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Answer: It depends on whether you're talking about the web version or the spreadsheet version of PearBudget.
The spreadsheet version has a cap on the number of categories. It's not that you couldn't add more categories … it's just that with the design of the spreadsheet, it's a little hard to do.
The limits on the spreadsheet version were one of the reasons we wanted to develop the web-based version. There's no limit on the web-based version as to how many categories you can have.


text:
Home Business Grain becomes priority for foreign investment
Grain becomes priority for foreign investment
on: August 01, 1997 In: Business, Economics & TradeTags: No Comments
The C&W deal itself is to take place in two phases. The first step saw C&W sell a 5.5 per cent stake in Hongkong Telecom to China Telecom, the operational arm of the MPT, for US$245m.
Pricing, at HK$14.25 a share, worked out at the equivalent to the average price in the three months to June 2, when the deal was concluded. Hongkong Telecom's share price closed at HK$19 on June 6, the night the deal was announced.
The second stage will involve C&W further reducing its holding until both it and China Telecom have stakes of around 30 per cent, expected to happen by the year end. In exchange, C&W be-comes the lead foreign telecoms investor in China Telecom (Hong Kong).
Goldman Sachs of the US has been appointed financial advisor on the creation of the new company, and to lead the public offering. BZW of the UK is advising C&W and China International Capital Corporation, the joint venture investment bank mainly owned by the People's Construction Bank of China and Morgan Stanley of the US, is acting for the Chinese government. ^
Guangdong leads a In telecoms
As in many other industries, the southern province of Guangdong, leads when it comes to telecoms.
At the beginning of 1996 -Guangdong had the highest fixed-line penetration at 26 per cent, comfort-ably ahead of the 20 per cent boasted by Shanghai. As such it has long been a focus for foreign investors, and particularly those from Hong Kong.
By 2000 the number of fixed lines is scheduled to reach 20 million and cellular users to 3.2 million ?out of a population of 64 million.
Internet ambitions also feature on the horizon and the Guangdong Posts
Telecommunications has made no bones about its intention to use foreign investors to achieve its aims. "'The bureau] will make full use of foreign capital and explore new ways of f inancing," 'hen Xuedao, deputy director general of GP&T told the Expo Comm & Wireless Hong Kong '97 Exhibition earlier this year.
Early estimates of China's 1997 grain harvest are around 480m tonnes ?down from last year's harvest of 490m tonnes. Recent floods in the south and drought in the north could push down the final total.
Notwithstanding the perennial concern about the weather, all is not well in the rural sector despite the fact that agricultural reform was a first priority of Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms. Over recent years the focus has shifted to cities, especially in coastal regions, creating a widening gap in regional prosperity and growing discontent in the countryside.
Recently, the agricultural sector has achieved annual growth rates of only about 3.5 per cent ?far behind overall industrial growth. Beijing has woken up to how far the rural economy has slipped behind manufacturing, and it has now placed agriculture to the front of the Ninth Five-year Plan. Agriculture is a key factor in social and economic development, employing over 320 million people ?around 35 per cent of the labour force ?and accounting for about 20 per cent of gross domestic product.
Rural discontent
Agriculture's emergence as a pillar industry comes as the government is removing investment incentives in traditional manufacturing joint ventures. New incentives are now being introduced that seek to bring the advantages of free-market reforms to the 69 per cent of China's population that still lives in rural areas. This action aims to reduce the potentially dangerous wealth gap that has emerged between the city and the countryside, and halt the advance of rural migrant workers ?already estimated at over 70 million according to sources within the Ministry of Agriculture.
The key policy aims are to increase rural earnings and maintain a high degree of self-sufficiency in food produc-tion. The first aim will help keep a lid on rural discontent and stem the numbers moving to the crowded cities. It is hoped that increased profitability for farmers will also help to boost farm production levels and reduce the need for imported food, mostly grains.
Grain production has become a barometer for Chinese agriculture generally, but some confusion has resulted from differing definitions and statistics. In China the definition of grains includes rice, wheat, corn, sorghum, millet and other grains, but also covers soybeans, as well as potatoes and tubers, which are left out in the West.
Competition for land
There has also been concern over the ability to measure accurately the country's annual grain production, especially given the size of the country, the small scale of farm holdings and lack of transparency in the measurement system. Official grain production figures may give a true picture of year-on-year trends, but inaccuracies are inevitable. An example of statistical differences is provided by the Minis-try of Agriculture and the State Statistical Bureau, whose independent 1995 grain production figures differed by five mil-lion tonnes. This represented a difference of about one per cent.
The picture of grain production across China is complex. From west to east, China slowly becomes more hospitable and more productive for farmers. It also becomes more urban and industrial, creating intense competition for some of the county's best agricultural land. Cereal output in the coastal provinces of Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shandong all exceed We tonnes a hectare. By contrast, the inland provinces of Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Shaanxi only produce about three tonnes a hectare. This productivity differential is one of the reasons that of the 30 provinces in China, the top 10 producers account for about 60 per cent of total grain output, while as many as 17 provinces have reported grain deficits. Low productivity is one of the reasons for a deficit, although additional key factors are obviously the ratio of arable land and climate conditions.
Northern provinces such as Heilongjiang and Jilin have abundant surplus grain reserves, while the relative shortage in the south adds pressure to supply chain. This imbalance can cause problems. Despite the initiation of large projects ?some of which are World Bank-funded such as the Northern Grain Corridor ?there are limited storage facilities. In recent years the government has been trucking up to two million tonnes of grain from north to south to balance regional supply and pricing differences. At the same time, prices in the north have fallen due to the over-supply, and special dispensation has been granted to these provinces to export grains, such as corn, even while the rest of the country has maintained a strict export ban. Tariff and other barriers have also been set up on provincial borders to control supplies.
These regional production, supply and pricing issues create a complex picture of the internal grain market which is often clouded by the composite national figures.importing commodities. The result of this debate is likely to have a big impact on grain trade policy in the future.
Currently, China has a healthy agricultural trade balance, with a surplus of US$4.6bn in 1996. Fertilisers and grains, predominantly wheat, are the most important agricultural commodities and both are imported in significant quantities. China is currently a net importer of grain, reaching 20m tonnes in 1995, and 9.4m tonnes in 1996 on the back of a surprise bumper harvest. With a growing population and changing eating habits, imports are likely to continue to increase steadily.
A change in diet
Continued economic development is driving the changes in China's food demand. This is delivering improvements in living standards, and a change in the national diet that will cut the ratio of agricultural output value to processed food value from
Self-sufficiency debate It is clear that feeding a population of 1.2 billion is no simple task ?especially when 13 million people are being added each year, increasing domestic grain demand by around 5.2 million tonnes. Against this background, China faces huge challenges in feeding its people, while balancing the need for a stable rural economy with a desire for low over-all inflation. Stable grain supply and pricing are important tools in implementing this policy.
It appears that the government could be willing to accept a level of around 90 to 95 per cent self-sufficiency in grain, with strategic imports being used to en-sure supply and price control. But whether China should seek physical self-sufficiency in agricultural production, or simply aim for a positive agricultural trade balance, is hotly debated. The political desire to feed its people is contrasted with the economic principle of comparative advantage ?in this case, exploiting China's low cost base to ex-port value-added, processed food, while 100:36 in 1994, to 100:58 by 2000.
Responding to increased demand, meat production has risen from 28m tonnes in 1990 to 58m tonnes in 1996, and is likely to hit 65m-70m tonnes by 2010. This growing demand for meat and processed food will continue to drive indirect consumption of grains, such as feed grain and corn. Currently five kilograms of grain is required to produce one kilo-gram of pork. It is this sort of conversion rate which will drive indirect consumption.
Higher local prices
While grain imports will continue to play a key role in meeting the growing demand, they are unlikely to reach the dam-aging levels suggested by Lester Brown in his controversial book Who Will Feed China?, which predicted imports of 369m tonnes by 2030.
These figures were based largely on assumptions about yield decreases which have since been cast into doubt on a number of counts, including a 1996 study showing a 40 per cent increase in the officially reported amount of cultivated land. Last year the State Land Ad-ministration revealed that its 10-year re-search project indicated that China had 133m hectares of farmland. The previous estimate had been 95m hectares. This newer figure is also in line with estimates based on US satellite information. Based on this more positive picture, the US Department of Agriculture and the World Bank have predicted China's imports in the range of 40m-80m tonnes by 2030.
In 1996, grain production increased by five per cent to 490m tonnes, but this level of growth cannot be sustained. It must be seen against the longer-term production trends which show annual production increases of only 1.6 per cent between 1990 and 1996, and a definite long-term trend of slowing in the annual rate of increase.
Production growth rates are the main variable affecting China's grain import projections, and developments such as large-scale farming, biotechnology, farmer education and profitability will be key issues to watch. China plans to produce 500m tonnes of grain in 2000 but to achieve this, farmers will have to receive financial incentives to production. This means maintaining a high price in 'the domestic market. The fact that grain prices in China are often substantially higher than on the international marketsalso means that the Chinese can use cheap imports to boost reserves and en-sure that domestic prices can be kept at a reasonable level.
In the long term, and as food trade increases, trade barriers may have to come down if China is to be accepted into the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The main members have recently agreed that China will not have to join as a developed country. However, China will be required to work within a defined framework, with measures likely to be phased in over three to 12 years. The process of joining WTO has already be-gun to affect the commodity trade, with China introducing a new tariff and quota structure in 1996. While the new system represents progress, the quota levels have yet to be published.
Lack of certainty
Even where trade is possible, traders have faced problems in estimating China's grain needs. The reserves are a state secret, and flooding and drought can cause sudden changes in the supply picture. The five per cent increase in grain production in 1996 was largely a result of low incidence of natural disasters. Had the harvest been in line with expectations, imports may have risen by 10m tonnes.
Lack of certainty is one reason why the agricultural sector has been slow toattract foreign investment. However, with gove nment focus now on the central and western areas, financial incentives to investment are being introduced for agricultural projects. Central government initiatives, such as land-use reforms and special trade licences, are improving business conditions for foreign investors in agriculture. As a result, investment has grown to nearly US$lbn a year since 1991, bringing the total to US$10.2bn by the end of 1996.
Provinces such as Jiangsu, Guangdong, and Xinjiang are also offering special incentives to agricultural investors, including domestic sales rights, tax breaks and access to funds. As a result of this support, foreign investment in the sector is growing quickly, and the farm sector alone hopes to attract US$7bn in the five years to 2000. Meanwhile, investment has quickly accelerated in poultry and livestock, agrochemicals, processing industries, beverages and food retail.
While businesses will require patience and a long-term strategy, there is little doubt that China will emerge as an important link in the world food system.
China Concept's China Agribusiness Review '96 is being published this month, price US$75. Tel: (44) 171 251 2593 or (86) 10 6518 2518.
Rocketing stock prices among Hong Kong's red chips are drawing the attention of local punters and mainland authorities.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index is defying some analysts' predictions of a post-handover correction by continuing to climb far ahead of other bourses in the region, resting close to 16,000 following the resumption of Chinese sovereignty. This marked a dramatic rise over the course of just a few weeks, considering the index scored what was an all-time high of 13,980 on May 14.
Whether or not the boom will continue is now a topic of heated debate in the region. But while the analysts, argue, regulatory authorities outside Hong Kong are taking steps to orchestrate a 'soft landing' for listing-happy mainland companies abroad.
Hotting up
One of the most spectacular aspects of the Hong Kong market has been a steady stream of 'red chip' listings ?initial public offerings launched by Hong Kong companies with Chinese government or quasi-government entities backing them. 'Red chip mania' grabbed hold of Hong Kong in the first half of 1997, with a spate of listings many times over-subscribed and trading, on average, at a price/earnings (P/E) ratio of 30 times. One listing, Beijing Enterprises, was 1,200 times oversubscribed, setting a new record in Hong Kong.
Compared with an average P/E ratio of 17 times for the Hang Seng Index over-all, one wonders whether these mainland-backed firms can perform to expectation. Enthusiasm for red chip stocks stems not from strong fundamentals, but rather from speculative confidence that red chip companies will be able to use their government affiliations to acquire assets at bargain prices and benefit from other preferential policies via their Chinese connections. While few, if any, red chip companies have a track record capable of sup-porting this confidence, local punters re-main undeterred.
By late July, the Hang Seng's red chip index had risen to 3,423, while the H-share index (which tracks mainland companies listed in Hong Kong) was still languishing in a two-year lull at 1,142. This spectacular performance has garnered publicpraise from Chinese officials, but it has also prompted ministerial concern that the red chip phenomenon will begin a haemorrhage of Chinese state assets. Chinese securities officials have already begun to take action.
On June 20, China's State Council issued the Notice on Strengthening Controls over Overseas Share Issues and Listings, which sets out long-awaited rules on overseas listings and related asset injections by Chinese companies. The notice is aimed at increasing Beijing's control over approvals for overseas shares issues and listings. It also aims to deal with current concerns over under-priced asset injections. In light of the market situation described above, both of these goals will impact on listed and unlisted Chinese companies, although the market effects of the notice are more likely to be evident as long-term, incremental changes than as sharp, short-term market corrections.
The notice sets out five 'guidelines' which aim to "ensure the proper procedures for overseas share issues and listings":
Where an overseas registered and I isted company which is majority-owned by a Chinese entity initiates spin-off listings or additional share offers, such activities will be regulated by the local [overseas] securities regulators. However, the Chinese entity backing the company must report the event to the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) for recording purposes.
Chinese-controlled companies registered overseas (whether listed or unlisted) may use overseas or Chinese as-sets to apply for share issues or listings in accordance with local [overseas] laws, provided that such assets have been held by the company for at least three year.
The Chinese assets of Chinese-controlled companies registered overseas may not be used in overseas share issues or listings if the assets have been owned for less than three years. In the case of "special needs", the matter may be submitted to the CSRC for review, after which the request must be approved by the Securities Committee under the State Council.
Where Chinese assets are transferred to or injected into Chinese-controlled over-seas companies for listing purposes, the Chinese owner of such assets must obtain prior approval at several levels of government within China. Approvals will be contingent on the state's industrial policies; relevant regulations prescribed by the State Council and an overall annual quota. ?Reiterating the principles of the regulations set out in the State Council Notice Concerning the Suspension of Acquisitions of Overseas Enterprises and Further Strengthening of the Administration of Overseas Investment (issued in 1993), Chinese organisations and enterprises are prohibited from using the method, of acquiring controlling shares in an overseas listed company to proceed with 'back-door' listings.
Where enterprises contravene the regulations above, the related share is-sues will be regarded as unauthorised, and the head of the relevant department in charge will be subject to administrative discipline. Offending Chinese enterprises will be punished by the CSRC in accordance with the Provisional Regulations on the Administration of Issuing and Dealing in Shares, and other regulations.
Applying pressure
These rules illustrate Beijing's concern to-wards overseas Chinese-controlled companies that are becoming more aggressive in their attitude towards raising capital through listings and additional share issues. It is evidently quite important to Beijing to track their progress closely ?hence the CSRC reporting requirements above ?though how faithful overseas Chinese-controlled companies will be in reporting their bourse activities remains to be seen.
Increasingly, too, the problem of state assets protection preoccupies government officials. It was recently reported by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, China's foreign exchange and external accounts authority, that China experienced an unexplained outflow of capital totalling US$15bn in 1996. Many economists believe these funds, which equal some two per cent of China's GDP, represent assets funnelled into the stock market for speculation on red chips. The popularity of red chip issues, at least in Hong Kong, could prompt cheap infusions of assets from China to overseas companies.
With figures like these in mind, one might expect further refinements from the State Council, CSRC and other related bodies on the issue of Chinese-owned enterprises and assets abroad, particularly where the overseas bourses are concerned. For now, however, the notice cautions that "Chinese enterprises raising capital in overseas securities markets shall do so mainly by way of direct listings". Hong Kongers will be waiting eagerly for them.
Freshfields is an international law firm. Most of its offices throughout Asia, Europe and North America include China specialists. For further details, contact Teresa Ko in Hong Kong, tel. (852) 2846 3400.
Reluctance to cede control of fixed-line
Fixed-line has been out-of-bounds for foreign companies and despite the need for investment in all areas of the telecoms sector, the cellular side of the business is likely to remain the focus in the near future.
dends for other foreign telecoms companies and while the China Telecom (Hong Kong) deal promises to be the biggest opening to date, it follows a string of smaller encroachments, including:
equipment suppliers such as Nokia and Ericsson have successfully pursued aggressive strategies in China and they have also been innovative in promoting their services whenever new networks are established
home-grown manufacturers such as Great Eastern and Chengdu Cable have raised equity from foreign investors
foreigners have teamed up with Unicorn, China's second telecoms provider, in various cellular joint ventures. These are small projects, worth around US$30m, with revenue-sharing structures.
the involvement of Hong Kong companies with strong China links, such as Champion Technology, in paging and cellular ventures.
Successes and failures
The history of telecoms deregulation in China began in 1994 when Hong Kong companies started setting up the paging and cellular revenue-sharing schemes that prefaced the Unicorn ventures.
One of the most aggressive of this first wave of investors was Champion Technology, which exploited its connections with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to establish more than a dozen paging operations. The PLA is a popular partner and vital in the world of telecoms because of its hold on radio frequency.
Like another Hong Kong consortium, led by Star Telecom, the Champion businesses are proprietary ?a group, or individual, buys the system in its entirety from the Hong Kong company, which in turn receives a share of revenues generated by the system. In the case of Champion it is around 10 per cent, rising to 40 per cent for the Star Telecom consortium.
Mobile rentals
It so ayi g an touch while a usmess trip to China can be difficult, +s?cially when the executive spend s-4 of time on the move. Renting a mom phone is one of the easiest solutions, though the service does not come
One of the emerging suppliers, with offices in Beijing, Shanghai and aon. Kong, is PhoneRent ?a partnership between Datron of Holland and Yi Ga local Chinese company.
Telecom and certain local	s offer the service but their procedures are more complicate the means of payment more rued
PhoneRent only targets foreigners, and in particular business travellers and delegations. Its phones use GSM tech nology which means they cart. be used' in China's major cities but there are the usual signal problems in the country-side. It also rents out GSM Sim-cards' which enable users to use their own. phones overseas.
Rental rates start at Yn350. (USA) for a single day, failing to US$37 a day ,for weekly rental and US$I8 a day for monthly rental. Some customers rent phones for even longer than one year, by which time they could have paid for a mobile twice over; they cm-rently re-tail for about US$1,000 in Cam. They do this to avoid being cut off for not paying their bills by a certain time and at a certain place.
On top of the rental, PhoneRent u ers have to pay the standard telecom rate for calls plus a 15 per cent service charge and 5.5 per cent tax. In addition, the client has to lodge a Xn000 deposit for loss or damage, for which it is currently not possible to take out insurance cover.
The business of mobile phone rental may come under pressure in future as the price of mobiles in China falls and as echnologies become more standardised. PhoneRent is now looking expand into new areas such as data earth which enable businessmen to send faxes and e-mail while on the road. In a new development, the company hag partnered CITS-Europ Assistance to give customers access to a 24-hour helpline including instant translation information and booking service. The service is available for an additional 10 per cent of the mobile rental fee.
The planned flotation later this year of China Telecom (Hong Kong) stands to give foreigners their first real stab at what has hitherto been a closed market ?the operation of, and equity ownership in, mainland telecoms.
For Britain's Cable & Wireless, which brokered the deal with China's regulator and erstwhile monopoly supplier the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT), the move gives it an enviable position at the head of the international telecoms giants jostling to capitalise on China's potential.
Limited progress
While there is much scepticism over just how much access C&W will be given in China "China isn't going to be giving away anything more than it has to," notes one analyst ?it has stolen a march over its peers. What the company gets is unspecified China telecoms projects; what it surrenders is control of Hong Kong's erstwhile monopoly carrier, Hongkong Telecom.
Hongkong Telecom itself ?until the June sale, 59 per cent-owned by C&W ?has been less than successful in securing China deals, in spite of its close relations with the MPT. The MPT is its biggest commercial partner, because around half of all 'international calls' from Hong Kong are made to the mainland.
To date, Hongkong Telecom's progress in China has been limited de-spite these connections and its efforts to avail itself of some guanxi ?hiring Lu Gang son of Lu Ping, Beijing's top man on Hong Kong affairs, to head the China division. Its biggest coups were a management consultancy-style contract on a fibre. optic cable and a mobile project in Beijing. This last project is still without subscribers more than three years after the deal was unveiled. Meantime, Lu junior quit the company in May citing "personal reasons".
However, perseverance has paid divi
There were failures at this time too, like ProdArt Technology, a paging manufacturer which rose during the boom times but suffered a blow when China introduced its austerity measures, forcing companies to prune their communications expenditure.
The following year, 1995, saw the advent of Unicorn, which now boasts around 20 cellular joint ventures with a host of international names including Bell South, Deutsche Telkom, First Pacific of Hong Kong, Telstra of Australia and Bell Canada. Subsequent steps have been taken to introduce new technology platforms into China. A leader in this field is Great Wall, a joint venture between the MPT and the PLA, which signed a framework agreement in the middle of last year with six foreign companies to build trial cellular systems in Beijing, Guangdong province, Shanghai and the inland city of Xi'an. These systems used CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), which is a relatively advanced standard designed for the more sophisticated user.
The six foreign companies are Motorola, Lucent, Qualcomm of the US, Nortel, Samsung and LG Information and Communications. Great Wall's fledgling CDMA network already boasts 200,000 subscribers, according to Jardine Fleming Securities, which projects five million subscribers ?a 15 per cent market share ?three years from now.
Great Wall is working with Star Telecom and Hutchison Whampoa, the Hong Kong conglomerate which runs a CDMA cellular service in the territory.
Fixed-line out of bounds
What all these examples have in common is that they steer clear of fixed-line projects. This is deliberate as fixed-line is seen as both the most commercially important and the most sensitive part of what is in any case of a sensitive industry. Few communist. states are prepared to open their airwaves to foreign enterprises.
The experience of other Asian countries bent on privatisation programmes has shown that while power plants and toll roads can excite the interest of foreign investors, it is on telecoms sell-offsthat the money really floods in ?and, as the operations become more profit-able, back out to the US and Europe.
Moreover, from a practical point of view, fixed lines are difficult to break up, being reliant on a national infrastructure and subject to a murky regulatory regime which makes it hard to establish who actually operates which element. In China it is especially difficult to split off international and long-distance local gateways which form part of the national infrastructure. By contrast, cellular units can be established in a city or region and hived off as a discrete unit.
Domestic competition
It is because of these reasons that analysts reckon the projects to be injected into China Telecom (Hong Kong) will be largely, if not wholly, cellular.
"An international gateway is likely to be considered too lucrative to have foreign participation. Local loop and domestic long-distance networks, on the other hand, are too sensitive to allow foreign ownership," says Mr Dylan Tinker, telecoms analyst at Jardine Fleming Securities in Hong Kong. "Moreover, since an independent regulator and interconnection agreements have not been established, the revenue streams of these di-visions are not yet certain.
"So this leaves cellular. China has al-ready been experimenting with liberalising the cellular field. Over the last few years, Unicorn and Great Wall have devised revenue-sharing agreements that act as effective equity stakes. Now that the State Council has observed foreigners in its cellular industry, it is likely to open up the sector to minority ownership."
He adds that for its part, the MPT knows that a minority stake in its cellular enter-prises could speed up its capital expenditure programme versus its two-year-old struggling competitor, Unicorn. Being a newcomer, Unicorn is strapped for cash while its di-verse list of backers makes it difficult for the company to adopt and follow a stream-lined strategy. But, in a major step forward announced last month, Unicorn is to offer fixed-line services in Tianjin and Chongqing, with consultancy services provided by Sprint and Sumitomo.
Another analyst adds that cellular net-works also have the biggest need for other things which foreigners can pro-vide in addition to dollars ?namely, technical expertise, network management and marketing.
A watershed deal?
The problems of cloning and bad debts which have plagued mobile operators in other parts of Asia, notably the Philip-pines, are also said to be worrying China's telecoms officials who are keen to tap overseas expertise to ensure their mobile networks are not affected to the same degree.
For these reasons, the next wave of market opening after the China Telecom (Hong Kong) flotation is likely to remain focused on the cellular side. However, there is an argument that China will come increasingly under pressure to liberalise from the World Trade Organisation, of which it is seeking membership, and as such may be forced to revise its strategy.
Side-stepping the issue altogether is nothing new for China, which has been endeavouring to publish a telecoms law since 1986. Its efforts still appear to be far from fruition. Interim regulations, to be discussed at the Party Congress in September and codified by the National People's Congress in March next year, could clear the way for pressing changes, such as those necessitated by the upcoming flotation.
Some analysts even question whether the flotation will mark a watershed in telecoms liberalisation in China. "This deal.
The convenience factor
A few home truths

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Perspective: 2017 Academy Awards movie nominees
BY FRANK CALO
The 89th Academy Awards will be airing Feb. 26. The granddaddy of all the awards shows, it's Hollywood's biggest night where they award the best in the film business. Each year, one movie always seems to have the momentum and seems to be the overwhelming favorite for many awards. Last year, it was Spotlight who had the momentum for Best Picture and the year before that it was Birdman. Both of those films won. This year is no different as there is one film above the rest that is the overwhelming favorite to win most of the major awards from Best Picture to Best Actress in a Leading Role. That film is La La Land, directed by Damien Chazelle and starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. It has won Best Picture and racking up the awards at every award show it has been nominated from the Gold Globes to the British Academy Awards.
The film was nominated for a whopping 14 awards. It's a record that is shared with Titanic and All About Eve. So going into Sunday's awards show, many believe it will take mbook in Vegas have the odds of La La Land to win Best Picture at 1/12 meaning if you bet 100 dollars, you win 8 dollars. Other betting sites and sportsbooks had La La Land also as the favorite. The lowest I saw was 4/1 odds. It's a shame, however, because it doesn't deserve to win. Don't get me wrong, La La Land is a very good movie. It's no Crash–and I recommend if you haven't seen it that you do– but it still does not deserve all the awards it is expected to receive on Sunday..
Before I get into why it shouldn't win most of the awards it is nominated for, I will say there is one that it definitely deserves: Best Directing award. Chazelle is a fantastic director who debuted with the markedly better Whiplash two years ago. It was another film that was up for Best Picture when it came out and more deserved to win that year than La La Land is this year. As it was much tighter film with a more original story and better performances. However, Chazelle should win Best Director as the film is shot beautifully and the directing is what makes the film standout. Without Chazelle's direction, this film would have been your run-of-the mill musical. Despite Chazelle's guidance, I don't believe La La Land deserves any other major awards.
The biggest reason, however, that La La Land doesn't deserve the awards it is expected to win is that the competition it's going against in most of the categories is just stronger. For the best acting categories, Stone is the favorite for actress and Gosling, while not the favorite for best actor, wouldn't surprise anyone if he clinched the win.. Both should not win because of the people and performances they are going against.
They both give fine performances. I enjoy Stone very much in the film, but Ruth Negga (Loving) and Natalie Portman (Jackie) both deserve it more than Stone. Both Negga and Portman tackle important historical figures with Portman taking on Jackie Kennedy and Negga portraying Mildred Loving. They both give a performance of reverence and bring everything they have to their roles, something that Stone doesn't do for La La Land. She gives a fine performance and makes the most out of her role, but doesn't reach the levels of Portman or Negga. The worst part of the nominations, however, is that the actual Best Actress Performance isn't even nominated, most likely because Meryl Streep had to get her annual nomination.Amy Adams gave a great and emotional performance that is much better than Stone, and I would argue better than any other nominee, in Arrival.
For Gosling, he has an uphill battle because of Casey Affleck, who should win for his reserved, but emotional performance in Manchester By The Sea. However, it wouldn't be a surprise if Gosling wins, though his performance is the weakest of all the actors nominated, especially with Washington giving a great performance in Fences.
The one category that La La Land deserves to win the least, but most likely will win because of the hype, is Best Original Screenplay. It's coming off winning the same award at the Golden Globes, but the script is probably the weakest part of the film. It's a story we have all heard before about two people in Los Angeles down on their luck that fall in love with each other. The only thing different, without giving it away, is part of the ending, but doesn't really make up for the rest of the script.
It's a story told many times before and essentially the movie just says "look how great Los Angeles and Hollywood are." The Academy loves to award themselves, which is another reason why the film is likely to win so many awards. The film's completion is going against much tighter and original scripts. Manchester By The Sea should claim the award for its dark, but original story. It also has the best written and acted scene of the year between Affleck and Williams. That scene alone is written better than anything from La La Land.
For the biggest prize of the night, Best Picture, again, La La Land, is likely to take home the crown because it has won in every award show it has been nominated for. It's not the best picture of the year, and by a long shot. For the nominees, Manchester By The Sea, Moonlight and Hell or High Water are all much better written, acted, original and deserving films for the award. The only thing that La La Land has over these three is the directing and score, but it's very close. Moonlight should win for the great performances (there is not one bad performance in the film) and tells the story of a young African American kid growing up and dealing with a drug addicted mother while living in the slums of Miami, but takes that story in a much different direction.
La La Land is not even the best musical of the year. That award goes to a little Indie film out of Ireland and my favorite film of the year, Sing Street. It's a shame that it wasn't nominated for one award. The story is something original set in Ireland in the 1980s, and follows a young kid in high school who starts a band. The music is much better in Sing Street than La La Land.
Sing Street is also an actual musical, where it has music throughout the film, while La La Land goes a good hour or so without a musical number. But, La La Land is the throwback to 1950s musicals like Singin' In The Rain and Oklahoma. So people love it and Hollywood loves it. If there is one thing that Hollywood likes to do more than award films that shows that dreams really do come true in Hollywood and makes them feel important, is award films that pay homage to what came before them. That's exactly why The Artist won back in 2012 and beat out much better films like Hugo and Moneyball, because of it's homage to silent film. La La Land does the same thing with the musicals of the '40s and '50s.
La La Land will most certainly come away with the most awards on Sunday. It will win Best Picture, and if it doesn't, and the Academy decides to surprise us, no one will be more shocked than me. Don't be mistaken, La La Land is a well put together movie and enjoyable, but, the competition it's up against in most categories are just better films and performances.
Frank Calo can be reached at frank.calo@spartans.ut.edu
A&E, Movies
A&E, Academy Awards, Arts & Entertainment, Frank Calo


text:
Q: Extend the life of threads with synchronization (C++11) I have a program with a function which takes a pointer as arg, and a main. The main is creating n threads, each of them running the function on different memory areas depending on the passed arg. Threads are then joined, the main performs some data mixing between the area and creates n new threads which do the the same operation as the old ones.
To improve the program I would like to keep the threads alive, removing the long time necessary to create them. Threads should sleep when the main is working and notified when they have to come up again. At the same way the main should wait when threads are working as it did with join.
I cannot end up with a strong implementation of this, always falling in a deadlock.
Simple baseline code, any hints about how to modify this would be much appreciated
#include <thread>
#include <climits>

...

void myfunc(void * p) {
  do_something(p);
}

int main(){
  void * myp[n_threads] {a_location, another_location,...};
  std::thread mythread[n_threads];
  for (unsigned long int j=0; j < ULONG_MAX; j++) {
    for (unsigned int i=0; i < n_threads; i++) {
      mythread[i] = std::thread(myfunc, myp[i]);
    }
    for (unsigned int i=0; i < n_threads; i++) {
      mythread[i].join();
    }
    mix_data(myp);
  }
  return 0;
}

A: It can easily be achieved using a barrier (just a convenience wrapper over a conditional variable and a counter). It basically blocks until all N threads have reached the "barrier". It then "recycles" again.  Boost provides an implementation.
void myfunc(void * p, boost::barrier& start_barrier, boost::barrier& end_barrier) {
  while (!stop_condition) // You'll need to tell them to stop somehow
  {
      start_barrier.wait ();
      do_something(p);
      end_barrier.wait ();
  }
}

int main(){
  void * myp[n_threads] {a_location, another_location,...};

  boost::barrier start_barrier (n_threads + 1); // child threads + main thread
  boost::barrier end_barrier (n_threads + 1); // child threads + main thread

  std::thread mythread[n_threads];

    for (unsigned int i=0; i < n_threads; i++) {
      mythread[i] = std::thread(myfunc, myp[i], start_barrier, end_barrier);
    }

  start_barrier.wait (); // first unblock the threads

  for (unsigned long int j=0; j < ULONG_MAX; j++) {
    end_barrier.wait (); // mix_data must not execute before the threads are done
    mix_data(myp);
    start_barrier.wait (); // threads must not start new iteration before mix_data is done
  }
  return 0;
}

A: Here is a possible approach using only classes from the C++11 Standard Library. Basically, each thread you create has an associated command queue (encapsulated in std::packaged_task<> objects) which it continuously check. If the queue is empty, the thread will just wait on a condition variable (std::condition_variable).
While data races are avoided through the use of std::mutex and std::unique_lock<> RAII wrappers, the main thread can wait for a particular job to be terminated by storing the std::future<> object associated to each submitted std::packaged_tast<> and call wait() on it.
Below is a simple program that follows this design. Comments should be sufficient to explain what it does:
#include <thread>
#include <iostream>
#include <sstream>
#include <future>
#include <queue>
#include <condition_variable>
#include <mutex>

// Convenience type definition
using job = std::packaged_task<void()>;

// Some data associated to each thread.
struct thread_data
{
    int id; // Could use thread::id, but this is filled before the thread is started
    std::thread t; // The thread object
    std::queue<job> jobs; // The job queue
    std::condition_variable cv; // The condition variable to wait for threads
    std::mutex m; // Mutex used for avoiding data races
    bool stop = false; // When set, this flag tells the thread that it should exit
};

// The thread function executed by each thread
void thread_func(thread_data* pData)
{
    std::unique_lock<std::mutex> l(pData->m, std::defer_lock);
    while (true)
    {
        l.lock();

        // Wait until the queue won't be empty or stop is signaled
        pData->cv.wait(l, [pData] () {
            return (pData->stop || !pData->jobs.empty());
            });

        // Stop was signaled, let's exit the thread
        if (pData->stop) { return; }

        // Pop one task from the queue...
        job j = std::move(pData->jobs.front());
        pData->jobs.pop();

        l.unlock();

        // Execute the task!
        j();
    }
}

// Function that creates a simple task
job create_task(int id, int jobNumber)
{
    job j([id, jobNumber] ()
    {
        std::stringstream s;
        s << "Hello " << id << "." << jobNumber << std::endl;
        std::cout << s.str();
    });

    return j;
}

int main()
{
    const int numThreads = 4;
    const int numJobsPerThread = 10;
    std::vector<std::future<void>> futures;

    // Create all the threads (will be waiting for jobs)
    thread_data threads[numThreads];
    int tdi = 0;
    for (auto& td : threads)
    {
        td.id = tdi++;
        td.t = std::thread(thread_func, &td);
    }

    //=================================================
    // Start assigning jobs to each thread...

    for (auto& td : threads)
    {
        for (int i = 0; i < numJobsPerThread; i++)
        {
            job j = create_task(td.id, i);
            futures.push_back(j.get_future());

            std::unique_lock<std::mutex> l(td.m);
            td.jobs.push(std::move(j));
        }

        // Notify the thread that there is work do to...
        td.cv.notify_one();
    }

    // Wait for all the tasks to be completed...
    for (auto& f : futures) { f.wait(); }
    futures.clear();

    //=================================================
    // Here the main thread does something...

    std::cin.get();

    // ...done!
    //=================================================

    //=================================================
    // Posts some new tasks...

    for (auto& td : threads)
    {
        for (int i = 0; i < numJobsPerThread; i++)
        {
            job j = create_task(td.id, i);
            futures.push_back(j.get_future());

            std::unique_lock<std::mutex> l(td.m);
            td.jobs.push(std::move(j));
        }

        // Notify the thread that there is work do to...
        td.cv.notify_one();
    }

    // Wait for all the tasks to be completed...
    for (auto& f : futures) { f.wait(); }
    futures.clear();

    // Send stop signal to all threads and join them...
    for (auto& td : threads)
    {
        std::unique_lock<std::mutex> l(td.m);
        td.stop = true;
        td.cv.notify_one();
    }

    // Join all the threads
    for (auto& td : threads) { td.t.join(); }
}

A: The concept you want is the threadpool. This SO question deals with existing implementations.
The idea is to have a container for a number of thread instances. Each instance is associated with a function which polls a task queue, and when a task is available, pulls it and run it. Once the task is over (if it terminates, but that's another problem), the thread simply loop over to the task queue.
So you need a synchronized queue, a thread class which implements the loop on the queue, an interface for the task objects, and maybe a class to drive the whole thing (the pool class).
Alternatively, you could make a very specialized thread class for the task it has to perform (with only the memory area as a parameter for instance). This requires a notification mechanism for the threads to indicate that they are done with the current iteration.
The thread main function would be a loop on that specific task, and at the end of one iteration, the thread signals its end, and wait on condition variables to start the next loop. In essence, you would be inlining the task code within the thread, dropping the need of a queue altogether.
 using namespace std;

 // semaphore class based on C++11 features
 class semaphore {
     private:
         mutex mMutex;
         condition_variable v;
         int mV;
     public:
         semaphore(int v): mV(v){}
         void signal(int count=1){
             unique_lock lock(mMutex);
             mV+=count;
             if (mV > 0) mCond.notify_all();
         }
         void wait(int count = 1){
             unique_lock lock(mMutex);
             mV-= count;
             while (mV < 0)
                 mCond.wait(lock);
         }
 };

template <typename Task>
class TaskThread {
     thread mThread;
     Task *mTask;
     semaphore *mSemStarting, *mSemFinished;
     volatile bool mRunning;
    public:
    TaskThread(Task *task, semaphore *start, semaphore *finish):
         mTask(task), mRunning(true),
         mSemStart(start), mSemFinished(finish),
        mThread(&TaskThread<Task>::psrun){}
    ~TaskThread(){ mThread.join(); }

    void run(){
        do {
             (*mTask)();
             mSemFinished->signal();
             mSemStart->wait();
        } while (mRunning);
    }

   void finish() { // end the thread after the current loop
         mRunning = false;
   }
private:
    static void psrun(TaskThread<Task> *self){ self->run();}
 };

 classcMyTask {
     public:
     MyTask(){}
    void operator()(){
        // some code here
     }
 };

int main(){
    MyTask task1;
    MyTask task2;
    semaphore start(2), finished(0);
    TaskThread<MyTask> t1(&task1, &start, &finished);
    TaskThread<MyTask> t2(&task2, &start, &finished);
    for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++){
         finished.wait(2);
         start.signal(2);
    }
    t1.finish();
    t2.finish();
}

The proposed (crude) implementation above relies on the Task type which must provide the operator() (ie. a functor like class). I said you could incorporate the task code directly in the thread function body earlier, but since I don't know it, I kept it as abstract as I could. There's one condition variable for the start of threads, and one for their end, both encapsulated in semaphore instances.
Seeing the other answer proposing the use of  boost::barrier, I can only support this idea: make sure to replace my semaphore class with that class if possible, the reason being that it is better to rely on well tested and maintained external code rather than a self implemented solution for the same feature set.
All in all, both approaches are valid, but the former gives up a tiny bit of performance in favor of flexibility. If the task to be performed takes a sufficiently long time, the management and queue synchronization cost becomes negligible.
Update: code fixed and tested. Replaced a simple condition variable by a semaphore.

A: The following is a simple compiling and working code performing some random stuffs. It implements aleguna's concept of barrier. The task length of each thread is different so it is really necessary to have a strong synchronization mechanism. I will try to do a pool on the same tasks and benchmark the result, and then maybe with futures as pointed out by Andy Prowl.
#include <iostream>
#include <thread>
#include <mutex>
#include <condition_variable>
#include <chrono>
#include <complex>
#include <random>

const unsigned int n_threads=4; //varying this will not (almost) change the total amount of work
const unsigned int task_length=30000/n_threads;
const float task_length_variation=task_length/n_threads;
unsigned int rep=1000; //repetitions of tasks

class t_chronometer{
 private:
  std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point _t;

 public:
  t_chronometer(): _t(std::chrono::steady_clock::now()) {;}
  void reset() {_t = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();}
  double get_now() {return std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::duration<double>>(std::chrono::steady_clock::now() - _t).count();}
  double get_now_ms() {return
      std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::duration<double,std::milli>>(std::chrono::steady_clock::now() - _t).count();}
};

class t_barrier {
 private:
   std::mutex m_mutex;
   std::condition_variable m_cond;
   unsigned int m_threshold;
   unsigned int m_count;
   unsigned int m_generation;

 public:
   t_barrier(unsigned int count):
    m_threshold(count),
    m_count(count),
    m_generation(0) {
   }

   bool wait() {
      std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lock(m_mutex);
      unsigned int gen = m_generation;

      if (--m_count == 0)
      {
          m_generation++;
          m_count = m_threshold;
          m_cond.notify_all();
          return true;
      }

      while (gen == m_generation)
          m_cond.wait(lock);
      return false;
   }
};

using namespace std;

void do_something(complex<double> * c, unsigned int max) {
  complex<double> a(1.,0.);
  complex<double> b(1.,0.);
  for (unsigned int i = 0; i<max; i++) {
    a *= polar(1.,2.*M_PI*i/max);
    b *= polar(1.,4.*M_PI*i/max);
    *(c)+=a+b;
  }
}

bool done=false;
void task(complex<double> * c, unsigned int max, t_barrier* start_barrier, t_barrier* end_barrier) {
  while (!done) {
    start_barrier->wait ();
    do_something(c,max);
    end_barrier->wait ();
  }
  cout << "task finished" << endl;
}

int main() {
  t_chronometer t;

  std::default_random_engine gen;
  std::normal_distribution<double> dis(.0,1000.0);

  complex<double> cpx[n_threads];
  for (unsigned int i=0; i < n_threads; i++) {
    cpx[i] = complex<double>(dis(gen), dis(gen));
  }

  t_barrier start_barrier (n_threads + 1); // child threads + main thread
  t_barrier end_barrier (n_threads + 1); // child threads + main thread

  std::thread mythread[n_threads];
  unsigned long int sum=0;
  for (unsigned int i=0; i < n_threads; i++) {
    unsigned int max = task_length +  i * task_length_variation;
    cout << i+1 << "th task length: " << max << endl;
    mythread[i] = std::thread(task, &cpx[i], max, &start_barrier, &end_barrier);
    sum+=max;
  }
  cout << "total task length " << sum << endl;

  complex<double> c(0,0);
  for (unsigned long int j=1; j < rep+1; j++) {
    start_barrier.wait (); //give to the threads the missing call to start
    if (j==rep) done=true;
    end_barrier.wait (); //wait for the call from each tread
    if (j%100==0) cout << "cycle: " << j << endl;
    for (unsigned int i=0; i<n_threads; i++) {
      c+=cpx[i];
    }
  }
  for (unsigned int i=0; i < n_threads; i++) {
    mythread[i].join();
  }
  cout << "result: " << c << " it took: " << t.get_now() << " s." << endl;
  return 0;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
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{
    public class RedisValueData
    {
        public string Key { get; set; }
        public string Expiry { get; set; }
        public int NumberOfItems { get; set; }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
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@(Son Haberler)

@{foreach m in global.blogslatest}

		@{m.name}

@{m.category}

@{m.datecreated}

@{end}

@{fi}

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STAR BEAR! is a "Beanie" style stuffed animal character from "The Travel Adventures of PJ Mouse" children's book series. Chapter style picture books by Author Gwyneth Jane Page and Illustrator Megan Elizabeth.
He is washable and saftey tested for children 3+ years old.


text:
Q: Is it possible to (and how can you) run a vba function in Excel when it is stored in a field on a remote database? I am creating an XLS which varying departments/personnel will use to view varying reports which are applicable specifically to that department, person or everything.
Because the number of reports will be quite alot, I want to limit the size of the file.  The available reports are currently pulled from an SQL Server and listed, to which the user then enters an 'X' next to the required report and hits GENERATE.
The report is generated in a worksheet which is created on the fly and deleted when the file is closed.
At this time, I still have to have a module for each specific report required.  Some are a few lines, others much more, such as pivot tables which require alot of config or general tables that need a lot of formatting etc.
Is it possible to retrieve vba from a Database as text and then run it as VBA?

A: You can add write code with VBA dynamically but you'll need to allow access to programmatic access to the VB Object model and change various trust settings depending on the version of Excel your users will be using. Virus scanners can also delete modules which reference the VB Object model since they see them as a security threat.
So yes, you can run code from code stored remotely by creating the VBA code from a string on the fly
Chip Pearson has this pretty well covered here: http://www.cpearson.com/excel/vbe.aspx
That said, it's not really something I'd recommend, VBA code doesn't take up much space, it's only text after all, so I'd be tempted to leave all the code in the workbook, it's more simple, easier for users and has fewer complications.
If you don't want to do this, I'd suggest you put all your code in an add-in, it's then separate from the workbooks you create, but allows all the functionality with none of the drawbacks of dynamically generating code


text:
"The University of St. Francis is committed to building an inclusive community that inspires acceptance, compassion, respect, and wisdom in understanding the multicultural richness of our society. We value the role of pursuing diversity through achieving flexibility of thinking, respect for differences, moral courage, and appreciation for common ground."
The Office of Institutional Diversity incorporates the Franciscan values of respect, compassion, service, and integrity into its work and the programs that are delivered on campus. Our goal is to create a hospitable campus climate espousing the celebration of all students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
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The Office of Institutional Diversity focuses on the following areas:
Develop and implement comprehensive educational, social, and service learning programs and opportunities that promote and enhance cross-cultural competence.
Provide advocacy and support for diverse students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
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text:
The Vigo County Sheriff's Office has arrested a 17-year-old in connection to an armed robbery.
It happened around 9 P.M. Thursday at the Pit Stop Gas and Grocery on N. Clinton Street.
The attendant told police that the masked suspect had a handgun and demanded money. When the attendant refused, the attendant says the suspect struck him with the gun before fleeing the business.
A witness saw the suspect take off his mask and recognized him, alerting police.
Police tracked the suspect down to a Vigo County residence and met with his guardians. Police say during a search of the residence, they found the gun, mask and jacket matching the descriptions given by witnesses.
Police took the juvenile to the Vigo County Juvenile Justice Center.
He's charged with Armed Robbery, Pointing a Firearm, Intimidation and Battery.
by Zeke Torres / Jan 18, 2021
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) -- After members within hospitals and area business leaders noticed a decline of local support toward frontline healthcare workers, WTWO-TV, Rick's Smokehouse and Duke Energy teamed up to say "thank you" to frontline workers.
"We had a lot of donations in the beginning, cards, and food. It was a great thing. But, the thing is it ramped over the past couple of months and then plateaued and a lot of community support went down a little bit. It's really nice to able to give this to the people dealing with COVID patients face to face," Respiratory Therapy Manager Jimmy McKanna of Union Hospital said.
By LISA MASCARO and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's impeachment trial is likely to start after Joe Biden's inauguration, and the Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, is telling senators their decision on whether to convict the outgoing president over the Capitol riot will be a "vote of conscience."
by Sadie All / Jan 14, 2021
HOUSTON (WTWO/WAWV) -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology graduate, Anthony Korzeniewski, says he found someone's baby photo while disassembling his former college couch.
Korzeniewski reached out to MyWabashValley.com in hopes of finding the owner of the baby photo.


text:
Majoring in Africana Studies
View all Majors & Minors
Major/Minor Requirements
Africana Studies at Connecticut College employs an interdisciplinary and transnational approach to the study of peoples in Africa and throughout the African diaspora. The departments of Anthropology, Art History, Dance, Economics, Education, English, Film Studies, French, Government, History, Hispanic Studies, Human Development, Music, Philosophy, and Sociology contribute courses to this program covering Africa, North and South America, the Caribbean and Europe. Africana Studies critically engages the historic and contemporary life, thought and cultures of African peoples. Africana Studies seeks to explore the linkages among African peoples while also highlighting a multiplicity of experiences through the lenses of issues such as class, ethnicity, gender, nation, and sexuality.
As a discipline, Africana Studies represents a tradition of intellectual inquiry that grew out of the black freedom struggle and is therefore concerned with the issues of slavery, colonialism, racism and shifting notions of blackness. It is a dynamic and expansive field that interrogates the migration patterns and complex global realities of people of African descent.
The Africana Studies major and minor are interdisciplinary and transnational, and are designed for students to examine the universal and particular experiences of people of African descent. A major in Africana Studies can lead you to a wide array of career paths in areas such as the arts, business, law, media, health, politics or sports education.
Learn more about Connections, Connecticut College's innovative new curriculum.
Connecticut College educates students to put the liberal arts into action as citizens in a global society. A leader in the liberal arts since 1911, the College is home to nationally ranked programs for internships, community action, arts and technology, environmental studies and international studies. Our beautiful 750-acre arboretum campus is located in the historic New England seaport community of New London.
CONNECTIONS is Connecticut College's reinvention of liberal arts education. It is a new kind of curriculum that lets you integrate your interests into a meaningful educational pathway, to carry you through college and into a fulfilling, effective career and life.
A Glimpse at Africana Studies
Courses You Could Take
AFS 201 Introduction to Africana Studies
The course is concerned with issues of slavery, colonialism, racism, shifting notions of blackness, and the complex global realities of people of African descent.
HIS 245/AFR 245 Modern African History: 1870-Present
An examination of the emergence of modern Africa and the challenges of building viable nation states.
GWS 354/AFR Black Feminisms
A critical examination of issues in contemporary black feminist thought.
ECO 402 Economics of Discrimination
To develop a working knowledge of discrimination in various labor markets, this course presents economic models of discrimination and implications for anti-discriminatory policies.
FYS 145D/First-Year Seminar Afrofuturism
An examination of Afrofuturism, the artistic representation of fantasies of black futures.
AFR 165/CRE Afro-Caribbean Dance
A studio dance course that introduces Afro-Caribbean movement techniques, music, and history, in the context of post-colonial, sociopolitical, and cultural issues.
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People You Might Work With
Henryatta L. Ballah
Assistant Professor of History
Henryatta L. Ballah is an historian of nineteenth and twentieth-century Africa. Her scholarly research and teaching focus on 'bottom up' history, meaning an emphasis on ideas and methods of ordinary people dealing with complex issues within their particular historical moments. She teaches courses on African Women, Pre-colonial Africa, Colonial Africa, Youth and Social Movements in Africa, and Terrorism in Contemporary Africa. Ballah's research has been presented at numerous conferences, both domestic and international. In 2012, she was awarded an Outstanding Teaching Award by The Panhellenic Association and the Interfraternity Council at The Ohio State University.
Professor of Anthropology
Catherine Benoit's research interests have developed in two directions. First, she explores the emergence and construction of individual and collective identities in the Caribbean in relation to the bodily experience of space and nature. Second, she examines immigration issues and border reinforcement in the Caribbean.
Tristan Borer
Professor of Government and International Relations, Chair of Government and International Relations Department, SATA Ireland, Spring 2019
Tristan Borer's current research focuses on issues surrounding Western media portrayals of distant human rights abuses, especially those on the African continent. Prior to this, her research focused on human rights in both apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa. Specifically, she has written extensively on the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission and gendered dimensions of transitional justice mechanisms
David Canton
Associate Professor of History, Director of the Africana Studies Program
David Canton believes that African-American urban history illustrates the impact of racism, classism, and sexism in the black community. It also provides insight to the origins of 20th century black urban poverty, civil rights struggle, black class formation, and black community development.
Shani Collins-Achille
Associate Professor of Dance
Shani Collins Achille first stepped foot on Connecticut College's campus as a performer in the OnStage performance series in Palmer Auditorium. She joined Connecticut College in 2009 and now, with profound gratitude, shares her work with this community as she continues to experience teaching/learning, building history, and culture through dance.
Terry-Ann Craigie
Terry-Ann Craigie's research explores issues in economics of the family, the economics of crime, and labor economics. Although much of her work examines social and economic inequities facing vulnerable populations as a whole, the current focus of her research rests with equity issues facing the U.S. correctional population, the majority of whom are young racial-ethnic minority males.
James T. Downs
Professor of History, Director of the American Studies Program
Jim Downs is a historian of the United States. His current book project, "The Laboring Dead: From Subjugation to Science in Global History," under contract with Harvard University Press, investigates how colonialism, slavery, and the American Civil War contributed to the development of epidemiology. He was recently an Andrew W. Mellon New Directions Fellow at Harvard University, where he gained training in medical anthropology. While at Harvard, Downs was also a fellow at The Weatherhead Initiative on Global History.
Michelle R. Dunlap
Professor of Human Development
Michelle Dunlap teaches Introduction to Human (Lifespan) Development; Adolescent Development; Children and Families in a Multicultural Society; Social and Personality Development; and Basic Applied Statistical Analyses. She has more than 40 publications, having written books, journal articles, chapters, and essays, about her research and experiences involving college students working in community service-learning settings; intergroup relations; and perceptions and misperceptions of African American child rearing; and most recently, Black and minority bodies shopping and other consumer marketplace experiences.
Simon D. Feldman
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Chair of the Philosophy Department
Simon Feldman regularly teaches Introduction to Philosophy, Ethics, Feminist Philosophy, Philosophy of Law and The Self. He recently developed two new courses, Philosophy of Race and Racism and a First-Year Seminar on The Meaning of Life. All of these courses explore questions about the relationship between the self and the larger community of persons and inquire into the ways in which our self-understandings and our affinities for others shape and reflect our values.
Leo J. Garofalo
Associate Professor of History, Chair of the History Department
Leo Garofalo teaches a first-year seminar: Castro, Che Guevara and Fifty Years of the Cuban Revolution, Introduction to Latin American and Caribbean History, Modern Latin American History: Nation and the Poverty of Progress, Rebellion and Revolutions in Latin America: Tupac Amaru to Subcomandante Marcos, History of Gender in Mexico and the Andes, Migration and Immigration in Latin America, and "Race" in Colonial Latin America.
Aida Heredia
Professor of Hispanic Studies
Professor Heredia's teaching and research interests include Latin American and Caribbean literary and cultural production, Caribbean intellectual history, Haitian visual arts and literature, the Haitian Revolution, comparative postcolonial studies in light of ancestral communities in Latin America, and the African Diaspora. She has authored two books, De la recta a las cajas chinas: la poesía de José Kozer and La representación del haitiano en las letras dominicanas. She has also published articles on memory and spirituality as counter-colonial practice in scholarly journals.
Rosemarie Roberts
Professor of Dance, Bodies/Embodiment Pathway Coordinator, Co-Director of Residential Education Fellows
Rosemarie A. Roberts is a dance studies scholar, dancer and educator. Her artistic and scholarly work blend history, dance and theater in order to conduct social psychological and anthropological investigations of Afro-diasporic dance as embodiments of difference, knowledge and resistive power. Professor Roberts is an interpreter of traditional and folkloric Cuban, Haitian, Puerto Rican and Brazilian dance forms. In the Katherine Dunham tradition, dance is a forum for investigating the historical, cultural and spiritual richness of these forms.
Christopher B. Steiner
Lucy C. McDannel '22 Professor of Art History and Anthropology, Director of the Museum Studies Program
Christopher Steiner teaches a range of interdisciplinary courses in art history, anthropology, and museum studies. His classes cover topics on the traditional and contemporary arts of Africa; on the visual representation of race and ethnic identity in art and film; on the history of museums, as well as on current museum controversies; on kitsch or "bad" art emerging from the margins, cracks and corners of the canonical art world; and on the history and practice of studio and vernacular photography.
What Our Graduates Are Doing Now
On the Purple Couch
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Newton Public Schools
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Co-Project Director
Deloitte & Touche
Student-Faculty Research
Our professors are making important discoveries. You can, too.
Why Africana Studies?
Shameesha Pryor
Q: What drew you to Africana Studies?
A: I was excited about being involved in my history, learning about the cultural values of African Americans and other groups in a way that did not seem uncomfortable. I took "African American History" with Professor David Canton and loved the course. He also taught "Introduction to Africana Studies" and it opened my eyes to so much. It was my most rewarding course, heavy on history and heavy on reality. I learned so many things that made me angry, but also enlightened and uplifted.
Q: Why Connecticut College?
A: I came to Connecticut College because I wanted a different college story than my peers. I grew up on Chicago's South Side and experienced various tough encounters, but I believed in the power of education and was determined to attend college. I competed in a competition conducted by The Posse Foundation, a foundation that sponsors student leaders and encourages them to attend liberal arts institutions. Only four percent of nominees actually win a Posse Foundation Scholarship and I was one of the few selected by administrators, deans and leaders at Connecticut College to become a scholarly Camel.
Q: What kind of research have you done?
A: My latest research project was "Performance for Justice." With funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, I conducted research about the importance of community involvement and youth advocacy at Young Chicago Authors, a nonprofit supporting talented young people who are passionate about writing, performing and advocating for community change.
Introduction to Africana Studies, Modern African History: 1870-Present, Black Feminisms, Economics of Discrimination, Afrofuturism, Afro-Caribbean Dance
Henryatta L. Ballah, Assistant Professor of History
B.A., The Pennsylvania State University ; M.A., The Ohio State University , Ph.D., The Ohio State University
Nineteenth and Twentieth-Century Africa; The Atlantic World; Civil wars
Catherine Benoit, Professor of Anthropology
Licence d'histoire de l'art et d'archéologie, Université la Sorbonne - Paris I; Licence d'ethnologie, Université Paris VII, Diplôme d'anthropologie historique de L'Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS); Doctorat d'anthropologie de l'EHESS
Migration and border reinforcement; Anthropology of gardens and landscape; Health inequalities
Tristan Borer, Professor of Government and International Relations
B.A., University of Texas at San Antonio; M.A., Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
Human rights; Human rights and the media; Transitional justice
David Canton, Associate Professor of History
B.A., Morehouse College; M.A., The Ohio State University, Ph.D., Temple University
20th-Century American social history; Civil rights movement; Urban history
Shani Collins-Achille, Associate Professor of Dance
B.A., Hollins University; M.F.A., Hollins University/American Dance Festival
Dance theory and composition; West African dance and folklore; Somatic practices
Terry-Ann Craigie, Associate Professor of Economics
B.A., Richard Stockton College of New Jersey; M.A., Ph.D., Michigan State University
Labor economics; Economics of the family; Applied microeconomics
James T. Downs, Professor of History
B.A., University of Pennsylvania; M.A., Ph.D., Columbia University
U.S. History; African-American Studies; History of medicine and public health
Michelle R. Dunlap, Professor of Human Development
B.S., Wayne State University; M.S., Ph.D., University of Florida
IMPROVING COLLEGE STUDENT COPING AND SKILLS IN COMMUNITY SERVICE LEARNING SETTINGS; SHOPPING WHILE BLACK, MINORITY EXPERIENCES IN CONSUMER MARKETPLACES, BLACK BODIES IN PUBLIC SPACES; CONTEMPORARY FAMILY ISSUES (E.G. SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES, KINSHIP CARE FAMILIES), SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
Simon D. Feldman, Associate Professor of Philosophy
B.A., Ph.D., Brown University
Ethics; Moral psychology; Feminist philosophy
Leo J. Garofalo, Associate Professor of History
B.A., Brown University in History, Hispanic Studies; M.A., Boston College, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin at Madison
Latin American and Caribbean history; The history of race and ethnicity; African diaspora and Afro-Latin America
Aida Heredia, Professor of Hispanic Studies
B.A., Queens College; M.A., Ph.D., SUNY, Buffalo
Latin American literature and culture; Caribbean literature and culture; Critical theory
Rosemarie Roberts, Professor of Dance
B.A., Hunter College; Enroute Master's Degree, Queens College, City University of New York, Ph.D., Graduate Center, City University of New York
Body, knowledge, power and difference; Dance studies; Intersection of arts and social justice in education
Christopher B. Steiner, Lucy C. McDannel '22 Professor of Art History and Anthropology
B.A., M.A., Johns Hopkins University; M.A., Ph.D., Harvard University
African art and material culture; Art market and collecting; Images of race and "otherness" in visual culture
For more information, visit www.conncoll.edu/academics
Connecticut College, Office of Admission
270 Mohegan Avenue, New London, CT 06320
P: 860-439-2200 E: admission@conncoll.edu
Tenth annual Tournees Contemporary French Film Festival Oct. 23-27
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text:
Government responds to remarks on Hong Kong-Taiwan relations
In response to media enquiries over the statement attributed to Mr Yang Jia-jiunn of the Chung Hwa Travel Service in a press interview published in a newspaper report today (February 14), a spokesman for the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said the following:
"Exchanges between Hong Kong and Taiwan, including those in the political arena, have achieved significant progress in the past few years. Mr Yang's statement does not reflect the actual overall situation.
Our trade, tourism and other links with Taiwan have continued to grow over the past few years. Taiwan is our fourth largest trading partner. In 2006, bilateral trade amounted to HK$240 billion, up 13% from 2005. There were, on the average, over two million Taiwan visitors to Hong Kong each year in the past few years. To offer a more convenient and timely platform for entry application, we introduced the iPermit application service in 2002. We further adopted a new arrangement in June 2006, so that holders of 'Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents', commonly known as 'Tai Bao Zheng' (台胞證), which bears a valid entry/exit endorsement for the Mainland, may visit Hong Kong and stay for up to seven days provided normal immigration requirements are met. The new arrangement allows Taiwan residents to plan their visits more flexibly, which in turn, promotes exchanges between Hong Kong and Taiwan.
As far as contacts between Hong Kong and Taiwan in the political arena are concerned, in the past few years, we have received members of the Taiwan legislature, including those from Pan-Blue and Pan-Green camps. Apart from attending public forums and activities, these visitors were also received by high-level HKSAR Government officials. We have also received a number of officials at the county and city levels of Taiwan, including delegations led by the Mayor of Taichung city, the Taipei city council and other public institutions. Visits to various Government bureaux and departments were arranged for them to exchange views and experience. We have also assisted in arranging dozens of delegations from Taiwan comprising the media, professional bodies, businessmen, students and academia to visit Hong Kong with a view to enhancing their understanding of the SAR.
The HKSAR Government conducts its relationship with Taiwan under the 'One China' principle and is guided by the 'Qian Seven Principles'. As in the past, we are committed to continue to promote a robust and interactive relationship between Hong Kong and Taiwan in a positive and constructive manner. We urge Mr Yang and his organisation to complement this effort proactively."
Ends/Thursday, February 14, 2008


text:
Charles P. Herbert, DDS
After moving to Baltimore from the South Shore of Long Island in 1986 to attend the Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Herbert realized he had found his new home. After graduating from JHU, he attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, graduating with honors in 1995. He discovered his love of endodontics while in dental school and promptly moved to Chicago to complete an Endodontic Residency at the University of Illinois, graduating in 1997. Dr. Herbert and his wife moved back to the Baltimore region after residency and joined Endodontics, P.A. in the fall of 1997 as an associate. He is now proud to be a partner in the same state-of-the-art, multi-office specialty practice. Dr. Herbert has completed well over 20,000 root canal procedures and is consistently voted "Best Endodontist" by his peers in Baltimore and Annapolis. He currently resides in Howard County with his wife and two very busy children. When Dr. Herbert has free time, he enjoys golfing, exercising, and traveling.
Michelle Rampulla, DDS
Dr. Rampulla, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, graduated cum laude from the University of Denver in 1987 with a Bachelors of Arts in Biology. She proceeded to The Ohio State University College of Dentistry and received her D.D.S. and M.S. in Microbiology (dual degree) in 1991, graduating with honors. Dr. Rampulla practiced general dentistry for five years, including serving in the United States Air Force before pursuing a career in endodontics. In 1998, Dr. Rampulla completed her Endodontic Residency at The Ohio State University and graduated with an M.S. in Dentistry. She continued her career with the Air Force, which culminated as Chief of Endodontics at Yokota Air Base, Japan. Dr. Rampulla joined Endodontics, P.A. in January 2006, after her husband was assigned to Andrews AFB, Maryland. The Rampulla family loved Maryland and decided to permanently reside in Anne Arundel County with their two children. Dr. Rampulla is a member of the American Association of Endodontics, American Dental Association, Maryland State Dental Association, and Anne Arundel County Dental Society. In her spare time, she enjoys running, spending time with her family, and traveling.
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