Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is highest point in Africa and snow-topped .Mount Kilimanjaro is the planet's tallest walkable mountain, and what a walk it is. You have experience 5 diverse climatic zones to reach the summit. Follow the guidance and Tips to climb Kilimanjaro instructions below and you will reach the roof of Africa with your good health. Need a good tour operator: You can simply climb Kilimanjaro with an organized trek and along secured tracks, so you need to run with an operator. The operators vary from outstanding to absolute negligent so be discriminating and don't to be too economical. Advance booking: This will empower you to go in high season, which is January-March and September-October. Peak Season is an excellent opportunity to go simply because the climate conditions are most secure for hiking. Physically fit : Soften up your climbing boots and walk the dog, climb stairs, trek a few mounds with a pack on, foot is the most excellent method to prepare yourself for the long hike up Kilimanjaro. You have to require building up your stamina. It's a great thought to get a basic medical check-up examination before you go. You don't desire to be dealing with an ingrown toenail or more awful at 18,000 feet. Travel insurance that incorporates medical is also an unquestionable requirement. Prefer your own route. Verify your climb is no less than 6-7 days for most extreme success. Any shorter and you won't be appropriately acclimatized. Tracks shift in level of challenge, traffic and scenic beauty. The slightest troublesome tracks are Marangu and Rongai , the more challenging tracks are Machame, Shira and Limosho. The more drawn out tracks might have more challenging climbing however you'll be more acclimatized and your probability of reaching the summit are therefore higher. The longer western routes also permit you to start your summit day at an extra sensible hour. Well packing: Pack light but confirm you have everything what you want to deal with different altitude and variation in temperatures. Don't be anxious about carrying it yourself as a porter will take up to 30lbs (15kg) of your individual gear in a duffel bag. If you want you can rent a few kits and clothing locally but you might finish up with teeny sleeping bags and a fraying pink jacket.


ABN (American Blues Network) radio is based in Gulfport, MS – USA. The target audience of the radio are 25-65 year-old man and women. ABN radio broadcasts daily a 24/7 program featuring blues music via satellite and internet.


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We carry a multi million dollar inventory in raw materials and finished goods. Our specialty is custom converting to suit your needs as well as being a one stop shop for you the distributor.


In 2009 we realized that we were losing many heroes in the African American community and that they needed to be honored. Dancers in their 40's and 50's have powerful stories to tell and we realized that we could honor these great's stories and contributions to the world. Juneteenth celebrations were almost non existent at the time and we realized that communities needed ways to come together to celebrate diversity, history, inclusion, and build racial harmony.
We've presented 9 years of full length concerts that create cross cultural and cross cultural bridges.
We've performed and taught at 10 years of community celebrations and workshops.
We've sponsored 1350 enthusiastic, determined, and economically challenged children and community members to experience U.S. history through the performing arts.
We've taught 10 years of free dance classes to financially challenged children, and movement, back pain prevention and Fall Prevention classes for seniors.
We've created a platform for 31 World Premiers of choreography to be presented.
We've elevated the voices of 15 choreographers of color to tell story.
We've created diaologue of how community members can get involved to make social impact.
We've created powerful, barrier breaking work where people of all races, economic classes, and backgrounds come together to celebrate our common ground as Americans.
Michael Medcalf honors Michael Jackson.


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Watercooler Teams Up With Hulu to Broadcast Top TV Shows on TVLoop
By Leslie Poston 2008-10-20 11:43:49 UTC
Known for bringing us the "Addicted to the [TV Show Name]" applications on sites like Facebook, Watercooler is branching out in its partnership with Hulu to bring us our favorite television shows via TVLoop.
This partnership will enable you to view 40 top shows with Hulu's standard full-screen, high quality viewing experience. It also uses the social aspects of TVLoop to connect users who watch the same shows. Social television – what could be better?
Many episodes of shows like ER and One Tree Hill will have full length versions available. Some will only be available in clip format, like Friends and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.
"We have spent the last 18 months building a company that unites millions of passionate TV fans online," said Kevin Chou, CEO of Watercooler. "Our collaboration with Hulu enables us to bring together broadcast and online mediums so consumers have access to their favorite TV shows wherever they are, combined with a conduit to discuss those shows with other likeminded fans."
Watercooler's TVLoop has over 25 million users and is already featured on social network sites like hi5, Facebook and more. This should give television shows added exposure in this new age of digital content delivery.
Watercooler's goal is to create an environment where content is more than static. The hope is that the social aspects of TVLoop and Hulu allow the user experience to be one of more interactive content. We are seeing more and more user/content crossover with applications like this one, or the YouTube partnership that allows users to purchase items they see in YouTube videos right from the video, similar to OverlayTV. This means that companies that gain an edge now in digital distribution and content participation will last longer as media changes.
Topics: Facebook, hulu, social networking, Social TV, Television, tvloop, Video, web, web 2.0

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Election Mythology. The Tories won an absolute majority with just 37% of the vote. The key event was a collapse in votes for their coalition partners from 2010 to 2015, the Liberal-Democrats.
Also Key Constituencies in the South West, a detailed analysis of the seats. Tory gains were small, but the first-past-the-post electoral system gave them a lot more seats.
Extra, 9th June. Articles from June 2914 now on-line.


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Young Leaders 2017
French-African Foundation
Spotlight - Chidi Nwaogu
" This for me was when I found my purpose and that has been the most important moment in my life."
My name is Chidi Nwaogu, and I'm a tech entrepreneur and software developer, who started his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 16. Since then, I have built and sold two tech startup companies, which includes LAGbook, a social networking platform that garnered over one million registered users within three years and was acquired by a Canadian tech company in January 2013. Today, I'm one of the founders of Publiseer, a digital media company that works with independent African creatives, to help them earn above the minimum wage and live above the poverty line from the sales of their creative works.
I'm CEO at Publiseer, a digital platform that discovers local African talents and give them a platform to focus on what they love doing the most, which is to create, while we handle the tedious business of transforming their creativity into wealth for them. So far, thanks to our partnership with the International Publishers Association and the International Publishing Distribution Association, Publiseer has helped over 7,000 African creatives earn over $280,000 in revenue.
What is your latest or upcoming news?
Very recently, we secured distribution partnerships with leading digital service providers like Libri, Voxa, iReader, and Dreame. Also, we secured grant funding from Institut Francais to expand our product offerings to creatives in French-speaking African countries. This means we're expanding our services to creatives in Senegal, Togo, and Cote d'Ivoire. Also, we secured a $100,000 grant funding from the Jack Ma Foundation as one of the Top 10 finalists at Africa's Business Heroes competition. We're using this funding to begin the distribution of digital content created in other African languages other than English and French.
Why did you apply to the Young Leaders program of the French-African Foundation and does it mean to you to be a Young Leader ?
I applied to the Young Leaders program, because I believe it's an ecosystem of high-growth and high-impact people making massive positive impacts in their communities across different regions and industries in Africa and France. Being part of this program has provided me with a community of innovative leaders, infrastructure, shared resources, and a strong network to grow and scale my impact across Africa and France.
On a personal level, do you have an important moment in your life to share with us?
On a personal level, the most important moment in my life was when I decided to become an impact entrepreneur; using technology to solve some of Africa's most pressing problems. This for me was when I found my purpose and that has been the most important moment in my life.
What is your dream for your country and the African continent? How do you intend to act to achieve it?
My dream for Africa is to change its narrative, and I'm doing this through digital media, by promoting the beautiful culture and heritage of the African people to the rest of the world, one content at a time.
2022 has just started. If you had one word to share with the younger generations, what would it be?
Persevere.
To discover more Young Leaders portraits, follow us on our social networks: LinkedIn,Twitter et Instagram.
Spotlight - Mirado Rakotoharimalala
Spotlight - Peter Pages Bwire
Spotlight - Angela Ochumba
© 2022 par French-African Foundation


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12 Brand Positioning Statement Examples and Why They Work
What does your brand positioning statement say about you? Is your brand motivational like Nike, environmentally focused like Patagonia or a trend-setter like Outdoor Voices?
Maybe your company doesn't sell activewear, but you get the gist. Strong brand positioning gives your target audience a solid idea of who your brand is and why they should choose you over your competitors.
As any respectable marketer in need of inspiration does, looking to other brands that you know and love — or know and compete with — will help you determine what you should incorporate in your own brand strategy.
Lucky for you, we compiled some brand positioning statement examples that will do just that.
What Is a Brand Positioning Statement?
Brand positioning is all about setting your brand apart from the crowd. A full strategy includes branding elements like your logo and tagline that build your brand's identity.
Your brand positioning statement is a grounding summary of your products or services and how they fill specific needs for your target audience. It's an internal tool used to ensure all brand communication and marketing efforts are consistent with the identity, purpose and values that make your brand different from others in your target market.
By and large, a brand positioning statement conveys the distinct value your brand offers customers.
Why Do You Need a Brand Positioning Statement?
A brand positioning statement helps align your internal teams so that everyone is creating and delivering on-brand user experiences.
Remember that your brand identity is all yours! More important than boiling it down into a statement is whether your brand walks the walk. Your brand strategy should ensure that your company's values and personality shine through all of your branding, marketing and communications materials. Customers are looking for authenticity and consistency — not a perfectly polished positioning statement.
Internally, though, that perfectly polished statement could be the exact internal tool you need to make sure everyone in the organization is aligned.
What Are the Core Elements of Strategic Brand Positioning?
The elements to consider when crafting your strategic brand positioning include your target audience, target market category, customer pain points, brand promise, brand identity, core values and mission.
To position your brand and stand out from your competition, your positioning should answer questions like these:
Who do you serve?
What do you serve them with?
How do you serve them?
Why do they need your product or service?
How do you solve a problem for your target audience?
What makes your brand trustworthy?
How is your brand different from others that offer similar products or services?
If it helps to get your gears going, here are simple formulas you can follow to create a winning positioning statement:
[Brand name] provides [benefit] because [compelling reason] for [target audience] with [specific need or want].
[Brand name] serves [target audience] who [specific need or want]. [Brand name] offers [how your company responds to need or want] to make customers feel [outcome of buying your product or service].
How Is a Positioning Statement Different From Other Marketing Statements?
It's worth noting that your brand positioning statement is not the same as other classic marketing statements, including your mission and vision.
For starters, your positioning statement is used internally while your other statements are often shared externally. Your mission statement is the "why" behind your brand, your vision is where you're headed, and your brand positioning statement is the value that your brand adds to your area of focus.
Your positioning statement is also different from your value proposition, which explains the benefits and desirable outcomes of your product or service. You can use your value proposition as part of your positioning statement, but the latter will also get into your brand's differentiators.
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12 Brand Positioning Statement Examples We Love
Full disclosure: These examples are not necessarily the exact positioning statements that these brands created! As mentioned above, brand positioning statements generally stay within the four walls of an organization. That said, if executed well, you can get a good idea of how a brand positions itself because it's woven into the fabric of all of its external messaging.
Insider tip: You can also look at press releases for clues on a brand's positioning statement. Generally, in the "About Company" section, brands will highlight their products, services and key differentiators.
These examples from well-known brands work on a basic level because we can take a solid guess at the positioning statement that grounds the messages they share with external audiences. We'll also let you in on more reasons why we think these brand positioning examples work so well so you can use these as inspiration when crafting your own.
1. JetBlue Airways
For travelers across the U.S., the Caribbean and Latin America, and between New York and London, JetBlue is a leading airline choice that puts customer safety and comfort first. With features like the most legroom in coach, free Fly-Fi, and award-winning customer service, JetBlue is on a mission to bring humanity back to air travel.
Why it works: Travel can be a hassle, but JetBlue is here to make it more fun and comfortable by caring for its customers and crew members like family.
Apple provides innovative personal technology for individuals who want the best computers and mobile devices. With several product offerings and software platforms, Apple offers a seamless and connected experience that empowers people to easily access breakthrough technology that's designed to leave the world better than how we found it.
Why it works: With its suite of easy-to-use products, Apple makes the latest in technology accessible to everyone from tech-savvy Genius Bar employees to everyday people trying to keep up with today's digital world. Nowadays, Apple also relies on its established brand identity and history for credibility, though its consistent branding helps position the company as a mainstay in the circle of technology leaders.
3. Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a total beverage company that offers a wide range of refreshing drinks for customers around the world. With a focus on positively impacting lives, Coca-Cola is about creating happiness, reducing environmental impact throughout the supply chain, and providing thousands of economic opportunities in local communities worldwide.
Why it works: Coca-Cola is aware of the Coke vs. Pepsi debate and it distinguishes itself by being an iconic brand focused on happiness and positive impact. The company's focus on customer needs and current trends is also likely behind their attention to sustainable practices and economic opportunities.
Girlfriend Collective is a slow-fashion and size-inclusive brand for those looking to shop for sustainably and ethically made activewear. With a deep focus on people and the planet, Girlfriend Collective is a community of responsible and well-dressed shoppers.
Why it works: Sustainable fashion is becoming a trend capitalized by greenwashing brands but with transparency from the beginning and a competitive range of sizes, Girlfriend Collective is uniquely positioned as one of the more authentic brands to choose from.
5. HubSpot
Straight from the marketing guru itself: Since 2006, HubSpot has been on a mission to make the world more inbound. Today, over 100,000 total customers in more than 100 countries use HubSpot's award-winning software, services and support to transform the way they attract, engage and delight customers. Comprised of HubSpot's CRM, Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, and Service Hub, HubSpot gives companies the tools they need to Grow Better.
Why it works: HubSpot shows off its impressive reach and lineup of services to position the brand as an inbound marketing leader and top choice for effective marketing tools.
Slack is a leading messaging platform for business communication, used by millions to align their teams, unify their systems and drive their businesses forward. No matter the size of the team, Slack allows people to collaborate more effectively and get work done.
Why it works: While Slack serves businesses of various sizes and industries, the company's brand positioning focuses on the universal outcomes of using the service.
7. Mailchimp
Mailchimp is an all-in-one marketing platform that empowers small businesses to launch, build and grow with help from easy-to-use marketing and commerce tools, award-winning support and inspiring content.
Why it works: With a crowded market of similar business tools, Mailchimp differentiates itself by being an approachable, one-stop shop specifically for smaller businesses that need help scaling.
For people and businesses who need to meet with others virtually, Zoom offers a seamless video communications platform. As the only platform that started with video as its foundation, Zoom's platform set the standard for innovation in intuitive, scalable and secure digital connections.
Why it works: Zoom leans on its history of being the first video communications platform to reinforce its credibility and leadership in the market.
9. LUSH Cosmetics
LUSH offers fresh, organic and handmade cosmetics for people who are conscious about the products they use on their skin. From inventing bath bombs and creating new, innovative products to ethical campaigning and fighting animal testing, LUSH has come a long way since its humble beginnings.
Why it works: LUSH isn't shy about boasting its original inventions and activism, while also remembering its roots. This translates to a welcoming, approachable and authentic brand, as well as messaging that leads with the differentiators that encourage shoppers to choose LUSH over other cosmetic products.
10. Blueland
Blueland is the answer for those who want sustainable alternatives to traditional household cleaning products and personal care items. A cleaner planet starts at home, so Blueland's effective products eliminate the need for single-use plastic packaging and make it easy, convenient and affordable to be eco-friendly.
Why it works: Sustainable products have a reputation for being more expensive and less effective than their traditional counterparts, so Blueland positions itself to debunk those perceptions.
11. Hollaback!
Hollaback! is a nonprofit organization that's dedicated to ending harassment in all of its forms. The organization leads a people-powered movement to raise awareness about harassment against women, the LGBTQIA+ community and other marginalized identities as well as to conduct intervention trainings for people who want to take action to ensure equal access to public spaces.
Why it works: Hollaback!'s messaging encourages supporters to attend intervention trainings and donate to the organization by communicating its mission and the impact of getting involved.
12. Volvo
Volvo is one of the most well-known and respected car brands in the world with sales of 661,713 cars in 2020 in about 100 countries. Volvo aims to provide customers with the Freedom to Move in a personal, sustainable and safe way.
Why it works: We all know that buying a Volvo car isn't about speed or sex appeal — it's about safety and quality. And that's because they've focused on this unique position since day one.
What Will Your Brand Positioning Statement Say About You?
We started by asking you what your brand positioning statement says about you and now we'll leave you with the same question. As you write your own brand statement, ground yourself in your valuable differentiators and use these brand positioning statement examples for inspiration as needed.
And remember: Once you have your statement, make sure you have a strong positioning strategy in place so that your messaging repeatedly demonstrates your value to your audiences.
You know your brand's worth, now make sure everyone else does!
Stevie Snow
Stevie Snow is a writer at Brafton. Yes, she is named after Stevie Nicks. She's a believer in "to life, to life, l'chaim!" because life is what brings us the Obamas, a really smooth vodka tonic and that moment on the dance floor when your favorite banger plays.
By Stevie Snow
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4 Copywriting Skills You Need to Succeed (Infographic)
Effective copywriting can bring in leads and grow your audience. But it can't stand alone; companies need content marketing to build trust and position them as helpful resources.
13 best marketing blogs to follow
Staying current with the best marketing blogs to follow not only keeps you informed, but also inspired as you can watch what they do best in their own marketing and content. Let's take a look at our own favorite marketing blogs and some of the most successful and distinctive strategies behind them.
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It can get pretty hot standing in the sun, but you're obviously the smart one in the crowd because you've tracked down the beer garden! That's a beer at 5 different places categorized as a Conference or Festival. Try 5 more places for Level 2!


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Tag Archives: Anna Hazare
Civil Society movements and the Forces Behind AAP's Rise
After the fall of communist Russia, the Communists and their other flavours of the so-called
'Left" had to re-invent themselves. They aggressively took up what they were good at viz "A series of Civil society movements under various garbs were organised for causes like
Alternative media / culture, Anarchist, Anti-corporate, Anti- globalization, Alternative Globalization/Global Justice, Human Rights/Antiracism, Communist, Environmental, Fair Trade/Trade Justices, Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender / QueerRights, Health/HIV, Indigenous People, Labor, National Sovereignty/National Liberation, Peace/Anti-war, Food Rights / Slow Food, Socialist, Women's/Feminist .
This experiment has been very successful and in the last decade there has been a transfer of power in as many as 12 countries in Latin America including Brazil to ideologies owing their allegiance to the communist ideology but with a toned down flavour of pink instead of Red. This is popularly known as the Pink Tide.
The Pink Tide :
In 2005, the BBC reported that out of 350 million people in South America, three out of four of them lived in countries ruled by "left-leaning presidents " elected during the preceding six years.
The Latin American countries viewed as part of this ideological trend have been referred to as "Pink Tide nations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_tide
Venzuela
World Social Forum ( WSF ) :
World Social Forum
The World Social Forum was launched in 2001. It is a global forum of "Civil Society organisations" . Its first meeting was first held in Brazil and since then in a number of Latin American countries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Social_Forum
WSF Presence in India :
It was decided that in 2004, the WSF meeting will happen in Mumbai. In 2003, as a
preparation to this program, a meeting was held in Hyderabad with over 22000 people
participating in it representing 780 organisations from 42 countries.
3 councils were formed in this :
a. Indian General council.
b. Indian working committee, and
c. India organising committee and
8 working groups. Some of these groups have Teesta Setalvad , Aruna Roy in them.
Between Jan 16th-21st 2004, the World social forum had its meeting in Mumbai. Significantly,
this was the 1st meeting held outside Brazil and the 1st in India. More than 90,000 people
participated from over 111 countries. Out of 90000, 15000 were from other countries outside
Bharat.
From Asia-Pacific region there were three Marxist-leninist Communist Parties, from India
(CPI-ML Liberation, CPI-ML, CPI-ML Red Flag) and two Pakistani organizations (Labour party
LPP, and PKMP), the New Left Front (Sri Lanka), the DSP (Democratic Socialist Perspectives)
from Australia, two movements from South Korea (Power to the Working Class and All
together) and the Filipino parties: the Marxist Leninist party of the Philippines (MLPP), the
Philippine Workers' party (PMP) and the Revolutionary Workers' Party-Mindanao (RMP-M).
The invitation was signed in Europe by the Left Bloc (Portuagal), the United and Alternative
left (Cataluna), the Revolutionary Communist League (France), the United and Alternative left
(Cataluna), the Revolutionary Communist League (France), the Scottish Socialist Party, the
Socialist Workers' Party (Britain) and Solidarites (Switzerland).
In some of these meetings, Arundhati Rai accused the Indian army of exploiting Kashmir and
for killing more than 80000 people most of the them Muslims. She also spoke about anti-
terrorism laws like POTA and also spoke about 1.5 lacs Muslims being displaced in Gujarat
and over 3000 being killed.
The emergence of "Pink Tide" movement in Bharat :
This neo-left movement is emerging as a very large network of forces. In Bharat, the
movement is taking shape in the form of large scale frequent agitations on issues as stated in the beginning of the article.
In order to gain strength, John Samuel gave a 3 point program and some of their key ideologues become part of the National Advisory Council under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi.
John Samuel's 3 point program :
He writes
" The fact of the matter is that India needs a vibrant and broad-based Left movement. This has to happen at three levels
a. At the level of the Congress Party – as a network party, it is possible to revitalize leftist philosophy in the name of the ideals and ideas of Nehru.
b. At the level of communist and socialist parties – it is time they rethink their strategies and position themselves as an integrated and broad-based Left alternative.
c. At the level of civil society initiatives and social movements of a dense net work of NGOs and Popular activist movements have to be generated beyond party and politics.
All these three forces, though in different locations, will have to co-ordinate and work together rather than undermine each other. They have to work to resist the capture of the Indian state by the elite, and against communal fascism, inequality, marginalization and corruption. "
Keeping in line with the above, various civil society organisations got into the job of starting
civil society movements. A network of such organisations functions under the umbrella of
NAPM.
One of the experiments was opposing the nuclear plant at Kudankulam. Insert image is of
Arvind Kejriwal opposing the nuclear plant at Kudankulam. Former president Dr.Abdul
Kalam certifed that the plant was safe.
The protests were proved to be the handiwork of NGO's which were funded by foreign powers.
Kejriwal protesting nuclear plant
National Alliance of People's Movements ( NAPM )
The National Alliance of People's movements ( NAPM) is a key player in this movement. It has over 200 organisations in its fold. It is active in 15 states in Bharat.
As per their own website, http://napm-india.org
" National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) started as a process in 1992 amidst the
impact of Ayodhya incidence and globalization spree and took a definite shape in 1996 after a long national tour of 15 states by senior activists.
It is an alliance of progressive people's organisations and movements, who while retaining their autonomous identities, are working together to bring the struggle for primacy of rights of communities over natural resources, conservation and governance, decentralised democratic development and towards a just, sustainable and egalitarian society in the true spirit of globalism. We stand against corporate globalisation, communalism and religious
fundamentalism, patriarchy, casteism, untouchability and discrimination of all kinds. We believe an alliance emerging out of such a process with shared ideology and diverse strategies can give rise to a strong social, political force and a National People's movement. In its quest for a larger alliance, beyond the people's movements, NAPM also reaches out to integrate various civil society organisations and individuals working towards similar goals. "
Medha Patkar & Arundhati Roy
The IAC & now AAP Connection with NAPM :
Some of the national level organizations linked with the NAPM are
http://napm-india.org/node/898
In the fraternal organizations at S.No 8 is India Against Corruption ( IAC ) .
Anti Corruption Movements :
On 4th June 2011, Baba Ramdev offered satyagraha against the lacs of crores stacked away as black money in foreign banks. In the early hours of 5th June 2011 the Congress party lead UPA Government attacked the peaceful satyagraha of Baba Ramdev and over 1 lac people who had gathered.
Later, the India against corruption did satyagraha for a Jan Lokpal Bill.
In the initial phase, Anna Hazare was fine with sharing the dias with Baba Ramdev but slowly the powers that ran the show ensured that nationalist forces vacated the space.
Slowly it became clear to Anna Hazare, that was becoming a pawn in the hands of bigger
powers. It seems that he saw through the game a bit late.
The movement like other civil movements across the globe esp Latin American countries catapulted some leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Prashant Bhushan, Shazia Ilmi and so on and they took to politics and started the AAP, Aam Aadmi Party.
Vision Document Creators :
The AAP has vision documents for various issues. Some of the key AAP vision document creators are also part of the organising committee of the NAPM. This is in addition to the known names like Sandeep Pandey & Binayak Sen – refer http://napm-india.org/node/898
It is interesting to note that Brazil's new model of governance is one of the 3 international examples of the ideal governance in their vision document.
The leadership of AAP have not only hijacked the anti-corruption movement, indulged in name-calling of all politicians. Importantly their views of Kashmir , Batla House encounter,
supporting the missionary NGO's against the Kudankulam plant are dangerous.
From the above , we can summarize the outlook of disruption mongering and anti-systemic
nature of Arvind Kejriwal and his team.
Sandhya Jain in her recent article in niticentral, states " There are also allegations that at the time of the Lokpal agitation, Kabir, an NGO run by Arvind Kejriwal and his close associate Manish Sisodia, reportedly received grants totalling $3,97,000 from the Ford Foundation.
Besides Sisodia, between 2007 to 2011, some high profile persons who were recipients of the Foundation's generosity include Indira Jaising, director of an NGO called Lawyers' Collective which promotes human rights for marginalised people $12,40,000; Yogendra Yadav, fellow, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (and front ranking leader of the AAP) $3,50,000."
The biggest proof of the AAP leadership's manipulative and traitorous nature is to fight for power while showing faults in the system without any systemic vision. Motif of disruption is evident from all this, which more or less confirms the doubt that they do all this at the behest of parties inimical to Indian interests.
The Common AAP Supporter :
Ofcourse, the result of the AAP's rise is the main opposition party losing its grass-root connect with people's issues esp in urban India.
As any other common Indians, many of the supporters of AAP are not aware of these views of
the AAP Leadership . They have been sold a vision of corruption-free India and control being
shifted into their hands. While the common man and woman dreams of such a day, the inimical forces attacking the core of Bharat make their moves.
To ensure that people of Bharat don't fall prey to these "pink" designs , it is imperative that all patriots of Bharat come together and defeat these inimical designs.
– Ayush Nadimpalli
Updates after article was published :
1. Mallika Sarabhai offers support to AAP
2. Medha Patkar join AAP
3. Prashant Bhushan, key member of AAP calls for referendum on Kashmir once again. He was also reported to have asked for referendum of removal of forces in Maoist infected areas.
4 . Kamal Mitra Chenoy, Key organiser of WSF in India joins AAP. Note his views on twitter on India and support to separatists . ( News submitted by an observer – read comments section )
Organiser of WSF in India, anti national joins AAP
5. Now it turns out that the book "Swaraj" which denotes Arvind Kejriwal as the author itself has been plagiarized by him. Intellectual Plagiarism by Arvind Kejriwal
6. "Kejriwal needs to tell the nation why and when did he think of snuffing out the IAC and giving birth to AAP. Unless he takes the country into confidence and explains what made him ditch Anna and why he formed the AAP after promising a million times that he would not enter politics, his political morality will barely equal that of any Aam politician. Unless he comes clean, he cannot and should not be trusted. What is the guarantee that the man who fooled his mentor Anna will not fool the people? " Asks S.Gurumurthy – Read More
7. Kejriwal quits as Delhi CM on 14th Feb after lying that he is stepping down because BJP and Congress did not support Jan Lokpal Bill.
He then lies in a CII meet saying that Transparency International is giving a report that corruption has come down in Delhi during his rule. Transparency International denied any such report. Video Link
8. Medha Patkar announced as MP candidate of AAP. NAPM gives its support
A write up by #MedhaPatkar in the context of intervening into electoral politics. http://t.co/NoQH4ndnkw
— NAPM India (@napmindia) February 17, 2014
9. Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, a member of AAP National Council suspects his party or its leadership at least has connections with US Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ) .
http://www.niticentral.com/2014/03/05/aap-founding-member-revolts-says-party-has-cia-links-196289.html
10. Video expose of Arvind Kejriwal and Prasun Bajpai of AajTak. ( 9th March 2014 )
11. Founding Member of AAP, Shanti Bhushan accuses Arvind Kejrwail of selling party tickets for money – Feb 11th 2015; Link ; AAP sweeps Delhi polls 67 seats of 70 seats. BJP reduced to 3 seats while increasing its vote share over 2013. Congress reduced to zero seats and vote shifts to AAP.
12. AAP MLA insults the police inspector who was martyred by calling Batla House encounter as fake. He was basically articulating what his party leader, Arvind Kejriwal had said earlier for the sake of Muslim votes. Must be remembered that the terrorist organisation AuT had earlier called the two terrorists who had died as martyrs.
Arvind Kejriwal statement on Batla House in 2013
AAP MLA, Amanatullah Khan calls the encounter fake
13. Arvind Kejriwal takes over as CM of Delhi once again. – 12th Feb 2015
14. Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan expelled from AAP PAC for anti-party activities. Watch
14. Sting on Arvind Kejriwal shows that he was trying to poach Congress MLA after the Lok Sabha May 2014 election debacle. They did not even one MP seat during that election. Read More ; Audio Tape
15. Mar 2015 – Kejriwal Sacks AAP Internal Lokpal. Proves to the world that he will ruthlessly sack anyone who considers a thorn in his pursiuit of power. Read More
This entry was posted in Nation, Threats and tagged AAM, Aam Aadmi Party, Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, IAC, NAPM, Naxalism, Pink Tide on December 17, 2013 by arisebharat.
Positive signals from Anna movement
Positive signals from Anna movement
By Dr Manmohan Vaidya
Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption campaign has been an unusual experience for Indians nationwide, particularly the young. This completely non-violent movement that found support from all sections of the society throughout the country was a pleasant experience. Slogans like Bharatmata ki jai and Vande Mataram that reverberated through the campaign almost became the catch phrases for citizens filled with a sense of nationalism and patriotism. The campaign coined its own metaphor and has left its own lessons that could serve as reference points for the future.
Connect with the New Generation
Many would have believed that the young in India, often described as 3-F generation, are people only interested in the 3Fs 'Films, Facebook and Fashion' and bother little about the country's politics. With Anna's campaign that opinion stands corrected. Anna's anti-corruption drive brought these very youngsters out on the streets, armed with the tricolour, shouting Bharatmata ki jai quietly underlining a non-violent show of their strength. With this campaign, the youth of the country proved that when thrown a challenge they are willing to stand up and show the power that a united youth commands in India.
The campaign also revealed that when a parliamentary democracy stops understanding popular sentiments and turns apathetic towards the needs of its people, people's power can show the way, forcing an apathetic government to listen to people's emotions and understand the sentiments of the populace.
Not just that. Anna's campaign much like the Youth Against Corruption and Baba Ramdev's campaign against corruption also established the fact that the people in the country are both seriously worried and agitated over the issue of corruption. It also established that people were no longer ready to sit quiet and accept rampant corruption in the country. They were willing to come out and make themselves heard.
While the country was experiencing a new found awakening, ministers in the central government were still arrogant. The government's attitude towards both Anna Hazare's movement and Baba Ramdev's campaign was unbecoming, intolerant and oppressive. Yet, finally it was people's power it forced an arrogant government to relent, reconsider its decision and chart out a compromise. And it perhaps was the greatest success of Anna's movement. For it gave the confidence to ordinary people that if they stand united and adopt non-violent means of protest, they can actually bend an unjust government and be heard.
Sangh's Role in the Movement
A section of people tried dragging the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) into a controversy with Anna Hazare campaign. While the attempt was mostly unsuccessful, the truth is that Anna Hazare has never been associated with the RSS at the organisational level. Given his success quotient and impressed with the developmental work done by Anna Hazare in his village Ralegan Siddhi, the RSS had only sought Anna's guidance and help in rural development projects. As an attempt to present Anna's successful rural development model to the country, the then RSS Sarkaryavah, HV Seshadri had penned a book titled Ek Karmayogi Ka Gaon on Anna's own village Ralegan Siddhi back then. A number of RSS workers even travelled to Anna's village at that time, to get a first hand experience of work done by him there.
In its national conclave (ABPS) held in March 2011, the RSS had passed a resolution on corruption and discussed various effective ways and solutions to tackle the menace of corruption in the country. In a resolution the RSS had called upon all Indians to support and participate in all anti-corruption campaigns in the country. Accordingly, the swayamsevaks throughout the country had supported and participated in all anti-graft campaigns including the one led by Anna.
Worshipping the Motherland
Another good result of the Anna campaign was the fact that slogans like Bharatmata ki jai and Vande Mataram became common anthems and found wider acceptability with people as they echoed through the campaign. An attempt was also made to malign the two slogans by calling them anti-Islam but the propaganda did not find support from either the common people or the organisers of the campaign. Calling these slogans anti-Islam is a product of communal and divisive thinking. The good part is that the thinking did not find favour even with the Muslims. Few others called Vande Mataram an RSS slogan, and thereby communal. But since when did respecting the motherland and singing praise for one's country become communal? Worshipping the motherland is an age old tradition in India. Vande Mataram had become an anthem for the freedom struggle all across the country even before 1925 when the RSS was established. That's the reason why the British had banned the singing of Vande Mataram in 1905. In the year1907, as a student of Class X, RSS founder Dr Hedgewar, sang Vande Mataram in school as a mark of rebellion against the British ban also proving his utter patriotism. Dr Hedgewar was duly punished for his defiance.
The Journey of Vande Mataram
Vande Mataram was written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee on November 7, 1876. It was included in the famous novel Anandmath in 1882. In 1886, Rabindranath Tagore sang Vande Mataram in the Congress convention held in Kolkata. Dakshranjan Sen got Congressmen to practice collective singing of Vande Mataram in the 1901 Congress Convention. In the Banares Congress convention held in1905, Rabindranath Tagore's niece Sarladevi sang Vande Mataram despite the ban put by the British government on singing of the song.
The same year, when the British proposed the division of Bengal, Vande Mataram became the anthem of that movement that opposed the division. As Hindus and Muslims sang Vande Mataram together, in the face of relentless opposition, the British withdrew their proposal for the division of Bengal in 1911. After the Bengal success, Vande Mataram became the anthem for patriotism and the battle cry for freedom struggle. From 1915 onwards, the singing of Vande Mataram became a regular feature at all national conventions of the Congress. At that time, Vande Mataram was considered neither anti-Islam nor communal. At that time, Hindus-Muslims would not just sing Vande Mataram together but Vande Mataram also became the last words uttered by many freedom fighters whom the British punished by hanging to death.
Communal-Divisive Thinking
However in 1921, when the Khilafat Movment found support from the Congress, hardliners amongst the Muslims gained importance and prominence. This is when hardliners started opposing Vande Mataram calling it anti-Islam and communal. In 1923, in the Kakinada national convention of the Congress, the party's then president, Mohammad Ali overtly opposed Vande Mataram. Under pressure from the hardliners and communally inclined people within the Muslim community, the Congress stopped singing Vande Mataram at its conventions. While there are hardliners in every society, it's best for every national representation and awakened society to ignore such hardliners. Unfortunately, since 1921, this communal and divisive approach gained strength. As a result, despite the lack of inclination from the entire national leadership of the Congress, they had to accept India's Partition.
For vested political gains, hardliners and those with a communal mindset kept getting importance even after the Partition. After the Emergency of 1975, communal and divisive forces were allowed to become more powerful in the guise of secularism. Given that background, Anna's movement was the first time after Independence that the society as one kept communal and divisive forces aside and maintained one national voice.
Everyone's Bharatmata
There were many who also tried to drag the RSS into a controversy over the issue of Bharatmata. The first leg of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement held at Jantar Mantar had a picture of Bharatmata in the background. The picture had not been kept there by the RSS. Yet it was said that the Bharatmata picture at Anna's stage was a picture popularised and presented by the RSS. Does Bharatmata belong only to the swayamsewaks of the Sangh? Bharatmata belongs to every Indian. The tradition to eulogise India as one's Maatribhoomi, Karmabhoomi and Punyabhoomi has been an old one.
In 1897, when Swami Vivkeananda came back to India from America, he got off the ship he was travelling back in and prostrated on the sea shore as a mark of respect to the motherland and sprinkled sand on his body. As he got up, the wet sand of the seashore had got stuck to his clothes, prompting the many bystanders to ask him why had he done so? To which Swami Vivekananda responded by saying, ''I have stayed away from the motherland in America for four years, from 1893 to 1897. During this time if I have acquired any bad habit then this touch of the motherland will cleanse me of all that.'' In a public speech later, he called upon all Indians, urging them to keep aside their personal Gods and Goddesses for the next 50 years and only worship one Goddess-Bharatmata. Was Swami Vivekananda communal? In fact by this he had appealed to all countrymen to rise above the petty differences of caste, creed, religion and language and unite as children of one motherland to fight for the freedom of the country as one united people.
Learn from History
It is true that even the RSS has been successful in its attempt to unite people with the common emotional thread of 'this is our Bharatmata, all of us her children and therefore brothers', helping them rise over their caste, creed, language and religious differences. How can it be called divisive or communal? In fact this is the only sure shot cure for communalism and divisiveness.
In the second leg of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement, the picture of Bharatmata was missing. Bharatmata's picture had been replaced by a picture of Mahatma Gandhi. Could the organisers not have placed both the pictures of Bharatmata and Mahatma Gandhi there, together? It is true that the decision to place a particular picture on the stage rests with the organisers of the movement. It is also true that even if Bharatmata's picture was replaced by Mahatma Gandhi, the movement led by Anna Hazare does not become less important. But to remove Bharatmata's picture over the argument that it belongs to the Sangh and therefore communal is very unfortunate and alarming. This would be against India's age old tradition of conduct and thought and proof that we haven't learnt our lessons from history.
(The writer is Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh of RSS and can be contacted at mmohanngp@gmail.com)
This entry was posted in General, Nation and tagged Anna Hazare, RSS, Vandemataram on October 15, 2011 by arisebharat.
Anna stir – a balance sheet
By S Gurumurthy – 29 Aug 2011
http://expressbuzz.com/edition/print.aspx?artid=308507
With the 'Sense of the House' letter from the Speaker reaching Anna Hazare, the Anna fast has ended. And the Team Anna and the media have proclaimed victory. Now the nation is relieved from the non-stop 24×7 screams of the media. It can think now! It can now draw a balance sheet of the Anna stir to know what are its giveaways and takeaways. Now go back to where the agitation began.
What is now known as the Anna movement started as India Against Corruption (IAC), whose website says, "India Against Corruption movement is an expression of collective anger of people of India against corruption."
The IAC website lists as founders besides Anna Hazare, Baba Ramdev, Mahamood Madani, Arcbishop Vincent M Concessao, Syed Rizvi, Justice D S Tewatia, B R Lall and others. Click the January 2011 archives of IAC website, it is full of "March against corruption" in every nook and corner of India from Agra to Chennai and Ahmedabad to Silichar.
The leaders of the IAC, particularly Baba Ramdev, had raised, besides corruption, the emotive issue of Indian black money abroad. But the IAC receded into the oblivion and the apolitical movement against corruption, got reduced to merely a fight for Jan Lok Pal (JLP) Bill. The Anna movement emerged, narrowed into just a battle for a just JLP Bill, marginalised other founders and reduced its leadership to just four, the 'Team Anna'. See the effect of these changes.
This was how Jan Lok Pal Bill replaced black money and corruption as the core agenda of the IAC? In the Lok Sabha elections in 2009, thanks to L K Advani, the black money issue had become a huge issue; it remained dormant after the UPA victory. But after the Tsunami of corruption hit Indian politics, the public roar against black money stashed abroad by politicians, businessmen and criminals became stentorian.
The media alleged that Sonia Gandhi had huge monies stashed away abroad. It was then that the UPA II suddenly thought of a Lok Pal Bill to ride out of the tornado of corruption and black money. It was a trap. Soon IAC walked into the trap. It dismissed the government version of the Lok Pal Bill and insisted that the draft prepared by its think tank, the Jan Lok Pal Bill, should be accepted. The Congress party saw it as a blessing in disguise to make its Lok Pal Bill fight the Jan Lok Pal Bill, to keep corruption and black money out of headlines.
Meanwhile, the BJP committed a Himalayan blunder. L K Advani wrote a personal letter to Sonia Gandhi for the hurt caused to her. That was made public to make it appear that it was to regret the charges made in the BJP Task Force Report on black money that Sonia Gandhi family was keeping huge illegal funds abroad. The BJP's move against black money became moot, leaving the issue to the apolitical Swami Ramdev, Anna being confined to JLP Bill.
The Congress, thrown on the back foot by corruption and black money issues, saw in JLP Bill an opportunity to obfuscate both. When Anna started his Jantar Mantar fast, Sonia Gandhi – charged with hoarding black wealth abroad – offered to partner him in his battle against corruption! The result, the Congress successfully divided the IAC agenda between Anna with JLP Bill issue and Baba Ramdev with black money and corruption issues.
The first fast of Anna was thus subsumed into this Sonia-led Congress strategy, leaving the BJP – thanks to its own follies – with no issues. The collateral benefit to the Congress was that Anna helped to depoliticise and rob the BJP of a highly political issue. The Congress strategy also did more damage to the BJP. It helped to club all political parties, including both the ruling party and the opposition – read the Congress and the BJP – as one and the same.
Clubbing the BJP with the Congress on issues other than secularism helps the Congress and harms the BJP. Yet the elite leaders of the BJP allowed the Congress to succeed in its strategy. So after the first fast of Anna the Congress virtually dictated the agenda. Meanwhile Team Anna got Anna, who had first praised Narendra Modi, to talk against him so as to move the Anna movement further away from the BJP. This was the setting for the second Anna fast.
But the simple Anna proved increasingly difficult. He demanded a JLP Bill that included the PM down to everyone in the net. The Congress raised the plea that Anna could not dictate to the Parliament and got the BJP into the trap again. It got the constitutionalists in the BJP to endorse its view, again clubbing the BJP with itself!
But, the Congress strategy to handle Anna like it handled Swami Ramdev failed miserably with the media, which had no other headlines, focussing on Anna 24×7. With the media screaming 'Anna' and 'Anna' all the time, the Congress was on the run. Alas the BJP also found itself running with the Congress, against Anna. But, RSS workers enthused by Anna's cry of "Vandemataram" and "Bharat Mata ki Jai" – both branded as RSS slogans – joined the movement in large numbers forcing the BJP president Nitin Gadkari to disregard the BJP Parliamentary Party and write to Anna offering support to his demands.
This forced the BJP Parliamentary Party also to side with Anna, rationalising the shift as the "evolving" stand of the BJP! This tilted the scale in Anna's favour. But again the Congress would not leave the BJP. It joined with the BJP in the 'Sense of the House' exercise. The media claimed victory for Anna and for itself.
Here is the balance sheet of the Anna movement as of date. The BJP bracketed with the Congress loses; the Congress does not. The Congress cannot take Anna for granted; Anna cannot trust the Congress. The nation waits for what the Parliament will do about JLP Bill. The RSS is pleased that the two slogans "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "Vandemataram" long ostracised by Secular India have been secularised by Anna.
The writer is a well-known commentator on political
and economic issues.
E-mail:comment@gurumurthy.net
This entry was posted in General, Nation and tagged Anna Hazare, black money, Fight against corruption, IAC on August 31, 2011 by arisebharat.


text:
Global Meetings
ASM Microbe Makes Its Debut
The first-ever ASM Microbe conference brought nearly 12,000 attendees — including Convene — to Boston.
by Christopher Durso
Leadership cut the ribbon to open the exhibit hall at the Friday's sessions. Photo courtesy of ASM/Todd Buchanan.
Recombinant DNA is created when at least two strands of DNA are combined to form an entirely new strand. It's a fundamental technique of microbiology, and also the animating principle behind ASM Microbe, the brand-new annual conference that the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) built from strands of two other annual conferences: its General Meeting and its Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC).
Over the last year, Convene has been following the planning process for ASM Microbe, regularly interviewing Kirsten Olean, CMP, CAE, ASM's director of meetings, as she and her team spliced together the General Meeting and ICAAC. Would they be giving birth to a vital new program for the entire microbiology community, or unleashing a Frankenstein that nobody wanted? ASM had no idea.
But they needn't have worried. We were there for ASM Microbe's debut at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC) on June 16–20, and found a busy, robust experience that seemed to captivate attendees. "I think the best compliment that I heard was someone who said, 'If I didn't know that this was the first time you were putting these two meetings together, I wouldn't have known it,'" Olean said. "That to me was a great compliment, because it meant that we had smoothly merged the two together."
It's impossible to convey the full breadth and scope of ASM Microbe. But from touring the conference with Olean on site, doing a follow-up interview with her a little more than a month later, and wandering the entirety of the show at the BCEC, we've prepared five cultures that encapsulate what Olean and her team were trying to achieve.
ATTENDANCE: Right on Target
Held every May, ASM's General Meeting drew 7,000 to 8,000 attendees — 83 percent domestic, 17 percent international — most of them from the organization's 40,000 members. ICAAC was focused on infectious diseases and held in September, with around 6,000 attendees — 40 percent international, and many of them not ASM members. ASM decided to merge the two conferences because attendance and sponsorship at ICAAC had been falling for several years.
The goal for ASM Microbe 2016 was 10,000 to 12,000 attendees, drawn as evenly as possible from the General Meeting and ICAAC communities. The final total: 11,762 attendees, with 75 percent domestic and 25 percent international. "It fell closer to the General Meeting, but you can see the ICAAC influence," Olean said. "It was the same with member versus non-member, too. It skewed closer to General Meeting, but showed the ICAAC influence."
But not enough for some attendees. While evaluations and anecdotal feedback have been overwhelmingly positive, "we hear it more from the ICAAC side than from the General Meeting side — there is some dissatisfaction with the amount of content for some audiences," Olean said. "We do need to pay attention to those audiences, and we need to make sure that we have a good balance of content. It's challenging, [because] microbiology is such a broad field. We really do have a very, very diverse constituency, and the challenge of any annual meeting is trying to be all things to all people."
OPENING KEYNOTE: Meet Bill Gates
Boston, MA – Microbe 2016 – Bill Gates answers questions from Richard Besser; Chief Health and Medical Editor, ABC News. Photo courtesy ASM/Todd Buchanan.
Everything Olean was trying to do with ASM Microbe could be summed up in the program's opening keynote speaker: Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and co-founder and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing health care and eliminating poverty around the world. Traditionally, ASM's speakers have come from within the microbiology community and addressed scientific topics. But Olean wanted to start the meeting on a higher-profile note, with a big-name speaker who still had a relevant message for the audience. Gates fit that description — one of the most famous people in the world, now focused on global health issues to which ASM attendees contribute research and clinical solutions every day. Indeed, his presentation was called "Bringing the Frontiers of Science to the Front Lines of Development."
Attendees certainly seemed ready for him. An hour before the doors opened for the 5 p.m. session, a line had formed outside Hall C at the BCEC. The 162,000-square-foot space had been set for 7,000 people, and ended up with more than 6,100. "There were people very excited to start the meeting that way," Olean said. "We opened the doors in that session and people ran — literally ran — to be in the front rows."
Gates was introduced by ASM President Lynn Enquist, Ph.D., a professor of microbiology at Princeton University, who said: "Having Bill Gates here underlines the importance of our work as microbiologists." Onstage, Gates was interviewed by Richard Besser, M.D., ABC News' chief health and medical editor, who began by mentioning that he used to attend ASM conferences during the 13 years he spent working for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Besser walked Gates through a brisk mix of science and policy questions, such as: Does it make sense to continue to spend so much money to eliminate polio when it's only found in two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan? Should we eradicate the mosquito that spreads malaria? Does the Gates Foundation's sweeping work in global health let governments off the hook?
Gates' answers were wonky but straightforward, buttressed with statistics and casually dispensed terms like "horizontal transfer," "orphan diseases," and "Anopheles vector." He ended with a simple testimonial for his audience: "There's such a need to solve these mysteries…. The opportunity to understand the microbiome, the opportunity to have really deep diagnoses — the kind of skills represented here and the innovation in these areas will be absolutely critical to achieving our goals."
People used the hubs, but I'm not sure they used them the way we intended — to be a place where people could gather with like-minded people in their same track. They just used them as a place to gather.
The applause started slow, rolling up from the back of the room and crashing onto the stage. ASM Microbe was off to a strong start. Olean had felt that before Gates even opened his mouth. "Being backstage when our president introduced him and he went up onstage, it was for me a pretty emotional moment," Olean said. "I thought, Wow, we're here. We've been planning this meeting for two years and we're here and it's awesome, and Bill Gates is on our stage. I felt a little overwhelmed in the moment, because it was a very big deal for the society."
The only sour note: Gates' security team limited the size of bags that people could carry into the session, and despite the fact that ASM let attendees know about that numerous times in the months leading up to the conference, many people still weren't prepared for the bag check set up outside Hall C. That created a choke point leading into the session. "That was probably the only thing that was really a failure," Olean said. "I guess the only thing we could have done was, if we had known what the volume [of people checking bags] was going to be, we could have stacked up more stations or structured it differently. I think we were too optimistic about people reading and listening to the instructions in advance."
TRACK HUBS: Community Times 7
With a goal of providing programming content for everyone — General Meeting and ICAAC attendees alike — ASM offered six scientific tracks: Applied and Environmental Science, Clinical Science and Epidemiology, Ecological and Evolutionary Science, Host-Microbe Biology, Molecular Biology and Physiology, and Therapeutics and Prevention. And there was a seventh, non-scientific track, newly created for ASM Microbe: Profession of Microbiology, dedicated to professional development and career advancement.
There's nothing new about education tracks at an ASM conference, but at ASM Microbe, for the first time each track also had a hub — a dedicated area at the BCEC that offered track-specific programming, work space, and coffee and other refreshments. As it turned out, attendees liked the hubs even if they didn't pay attention to how they were organized. "People used the hubs, but I'm not sure they used them the way that we intended," Olean said. "They were intended to be a place where people could gather with like-minded people in their same track, but I'm not sure they necessarily used them by track. They just used them as a place to gather and get coffee."
Boy, did they get coffee. "They killed us on the first day with the coffee," Olean said. "Once they figured out there was coffee available to them, we did have to make some adjustments to when we made it available, just so we didn't completely blow our budget by the end of the meeting."
The most prominent com-plaint in the evaluation was about the campus and the fact that sessions were in more than one building. Our people like to hop around during a session time period. That was the biggest challenge.
Another adjustment with the hubs is bigger and longer-term: At ASM Microbe 2017, slated for New Orleans on June 1–5, all of them will be located in the exhibit hall, which already is home to the conference's thousands of posters. "The way that our CEO describes it is, that's the focal point for the village," Olean said. "If it's the Clinical Science and Epidemiology [CSE] track, then that hub is the center of their village, so we're designing the show floor [in 2017] so that we have all the CSE posters in that area of the hall and the hub is in the middle of it."
This year, the show floor also had a Speaker Connection Zone and a Peer-to-Peer Exchange Zone — where attendees could delve more deeply into topics with speakers and with each other. Both were well received, but in 2017, those components will be broken out by track and located within each hub. "So rather than going to a central place where all the Peer-to-Peer is happening," Olean said, "if it's a Peer-to-Peer topic that is in that particular track, then it'll happen in that track."
CONFERENCE CAMPUS: All Over the Place
ASM Microbe was a big program — so big that it took up all of the BCEC, in Boston's Seaport district, plus meeting space at three nearby hotels: the Westin Boston Waterfront, the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel, and the Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center. Everything was within a few blocks' walk, but some of that was across several lanes of traffic, and out a pier into Boston Harbor. One of Olean's priorities was to create a cohesive event campus, with a pocket-sized Campus Map distributed to attendees, and ASM Microbe–branded flagpole banners and sidewalk peels marking the physical boundaries of the program.
People didn't really like that. "The most prominent complaint in the evaluation was about the campus and the fact that sessions were in more than one building," Olean said. "Our people like to hop around during a session time period. If the symposium's two-and-a-half hours, they might want to go to one talk in one symposium and a different talk in another symposium, and those are literally back-to-back because those talks run every 30 minutes. That was the biggest challenge for people with the campus — it wasn't so much that it was so far away, it was that the time to get from Point A to Point B was farther than usual."
That shouldn't be as much of a problem moving forward, because future ASM Microbe programs will be confined to one building, such as the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (MCCNO) next year. Although, Olean noted, MCCNO is such a long building that "it's still going to take people just as long to go from one end of the center to the other end as it took them to go to the Seaport or the Renaissance. But perception-wise, all the walking is under one roof."
DESIGN: Looking Good
From the beginning of the planning process, Olean challenged ASM's contractor, Freeman, to design something entirely new. During a walking tour of the BCEC the morning after Gates' keynote, it was clear that Olean was pleased with the results. She was visibly excited as she pointed out one element after another, from the ASM Microbe logo decals adorning the long, floor-to-ceiling glass wall that overlooked the show floor ("probably my favorite thing"), to a striking, custom-built "History of Microbiology" display down the hall from the registration area ("I purchased it as an asset, so I can write off the depreciation each year"), to a "Bling Your Badge" station at registration where attendees could add various pins to their name badges ("I hate badge ribbons").
Down in the exhibit hall — 354,000 square feet, with 254 exhibitors and 3,300 posters — Olean explained the layout: There was a line of posters on each side of the floor, plus a wide boulevard of them straight down the center. Four information stations were located throughout the space, "because it's a big hall," Olean said, "and we want people to be able to find things."
She said that during our tour on site, but in a later interview, it was the basis of a key takeaway: ASM needs to do a better job of helping attendees navigate the conference, both physically and topically — especially when it comes to poster sessions. "The tracks are too broad to be used by themselves, and we have to get more granular in order for people to find their science within the track," Olean said. "It's a big program, there's a lot going on, and there wasn't enough of an identification for them to be able to find their science, particularly on the ICAAC side."
It's the perfect time to be thinking about these things, because Olean and her team are already deep into planning for ASM Microbe 2017. They've gone over the evaluations from this year's conference, and the first program committee meeting is scheduled for this month. ASM has overhauled its committee structure, merging 2016's three program committees — one each for the General Meeting, ICAAC, and Profession of Microbiology — into one. Members are now divided into groups based on the conference tracks, each of which has a chair and a co-chair who sit on ASM Microbe's overall steering committee. "It's a very big group," Olean said. "In the long run, they need to have a smaller committee."
But you can't argue with that approach when you consider what it achieved with ASM Microbe 2016. You might even call it recombinant.
SIDEBAR: Walking and Talking
During ASM Microbe 2016, ASM's Kirsten Olean, CMP, CAE, led a tour for representatives from convention bureaus and hotels that are interested in hosting the new conference. She explains how that came about.
We started getting inquiries from different cities, and it was the majority of the cities that are either hosting us in the future or hoping to host us in the future. We are in an active bid process for our future years, so they started asking whether they could come [to ASM Microbe 2016], and the more people that asked I thought, This is a lot of people. And they're going to have questions, and they're all going to want to say hello to me while I'm there. If I could get everybody to come in at the same time, then I could do a tour and have a chance to answer questions in the moment, and then I could get that face time with all of them at one time.
I think there's more value in them having this guided tour, where I can explain the why behind where we did things, and how we're thinking it might translate to the future. Then those who are already hosting or looking to host can say, "Here's what I saw that you did, and here's how I see that translating to my building."
For me, it was a way to corral all of these people who were coming, make sure they got face time with me, and make sure that they saw all the aspects of the show that I thought were important for them to see. There seemed to be value in it for people. They seemed to appreciate that time.
Filed Under: Destinations, Event Venues, Global Meetings, Innovative Meetings, Medical Meetings
Christopher Durso
Christopher Durso formerly was executive editor of Convene.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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FIELD IS CLOSED. WE WILL PRACTICE ON THE TURF FIELD. SHOW UP TO POPLAR TREE PARK.
Alternate will be the Stringfellow Rd Park N Ride Parking Lot adjacent to Poplar Tree Park if the Turf ends up being closed. We need all available players to show up to set the Roster(s) for this weekend.


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Home / Crystals A-Z / Peridot
Peridot's light, gentle energy is balancing, mood-lifting and detoxifying. Just the appearance of its bright clear green colour can raise the spirits and bring a smile. It strengthens the immune system, and is particularly good for filter organs, especially the liver and kidneys. It can also be used to treat skin complaints, both by wearing it, and also by bathing or washing in its crystal water. Peridot nurtures, giving a sense of being 'held in light', and also stimulates inner flow and inner stillness, helping us to feel both calm and optimistic. It has been used for protection against demons and evil spirits for thousands of years. Some practitioners use it to help the cervix reach full dilation in labour, and thus ease the birthing process. The bright green colour is symbolic of new growth, so it can be worn or placed on an altar when starting new ventures or a new phase of life.
Chemical Formula: (Fe,Mg)SiO4
Group: Silicates – nesosilicates (also known as orthosilicates)
Crystal System: Orthorhombic
Hardness: 6.5 -7
Birthstone: Primary birthstone for Libra (Virgo in some early texts); secondary birthstone for Leo, Virgo, Scorpio and Sagittarius
Chakra: Heart and Upper Heart
Element: Water (Western); Wood (TCM)
Also known as forsterite, olivine, night or evening emerald, false emerald, chrysolite (an old name no longer used), plus a number of confusing names for marketing purposes, such as "Brazilian chrysoberyl" (it is not chrysoberyl).
Peridot (the "t" is silent), is the common name for the green-to-yellow gem variety of olivine. Olivine is a group of simple nesosilicates, which form a solid-state solution series (meaning that iron and magnesium substitute freely in the crystal structure without altering it), with iron-rich fayalite at one end and magnesium-rich forsterite at the other. Most peridot is about 90% forsterite. Olivine is believed to be a major component of the Earth's upper mantle (the viscous layer that allows the continents to drift), and is therefore probably one of the most abundant minerals on the planet. It forms volcanically, usually in mafic or ultramafic lavas, and sometimes as volcanic 'bombs' released explosively from volcanoes. Well-formed crystals are rare, but when they do form they are tabular with wedge-shaped terminations.
Peridot's history is rather confused, as it has been grouped together with other green and yellow minerals for thousands of years. The name originates from the French peritot (of uncertain origin), and it was known as perdota in England from the thirteenth century, until the "a" was later dropped. Its older name, chrysolite, is from the Greek for "golden" and "stone". Pliny the Elder describes its discovery on the island of Topazos in the Red Sea (now known as St John's Island, still a major source of peridot), and it was frequently confused with emerald. Consequently, some ancient traditions associated with it also apply to topaz and emerald.
There is evidence of peridot being mined in Ancient Egypt from about 4000 years ago, and reference to its being highly valued by the Egyptian nobility in a papyrus dating from around 1500 BC. Peridot was associated with the sun from ancient times, so believed to shine light into dark places. It was therefore believed to combat or banish evil and prevent night terrors. De Virutibus Lapidum (attributed to Damigeron, 2nd century BC) describes piercing peridot, threading it on a thick hair, and attaching it to the left arm for protection against evil spirits. Mention of this practice is repeated in various lapidaries through to the nineteenth century. In Christian tradition, it has been associated with the apostle Bartholomew since the 10th century.
Peridot and Silver Drop Earrings
Peridot and Silver Stud Earrings
Peridot Tumble Stone


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Tag Archives: Stellan Skarsgard
REVIEW: "Avengers: Age of Ultron"
May 10, 2015 by Keith Garlington
It could be said that the first Avengers movie was in a 'can't miss' position. Sure, with that much ambition comes a degree of risk. But fans had already shown their devotion to the Marvel movies at that point. Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor each had their own films which had earned a ton of box office cash. Bringing them altogether was sure to bring in truckloads of more money. That proved to be true to the tune of over $1.5 billion worldwide. And of course that doesn't include home-video, merchandising, etc. More importantly, as a movie fan, the first film was fun and very satisfying.
So as is customary in modern Hollywood, a sequel was on the way and we get it in the form of "Avengers: Age of Ultron". Writer and director Joss Whedon is back this time with a new and unique set of obstacles in front of him. First, it's always a challenge for a sequel to recapture the magic of a successful first movie while also being distinctly its own film. Also, if Whedon thought expectations were high for the first movie, they are nothing compared to what people will expect from the sequel. And then there is the question of superhero fatigue. Can Whedon and company continue to energize a genre that has a small but growing list of detractors?
I always give Marvel Studios credit. Their movies aren't the assembly line sequels that we see each and every year. Certainly some films work better than others, but Marvel is always building upon their bigger cinematic universe and continuity which I enjoy. But for those not thoroughly invested it could be a legitimate stumbling block. "Age of Ultron" is unquestionably an installment – a transition chapter in this enormous franchise. Loose ends are tied up and potential plot holes related to other Marvel films are addressed throughout. Again, these are things that will satisfy fans but probably fuel the indifference of those not on board.
The film starts with our heroes attacking the snowy mountain compound of Baron von Strucker. He was the guy last seen in the mid-credits scene of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier". Strucker has obtained Loki's scepter and is using its powers for human experiments and other nefarious practices. The results of the conflict leads Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) to fulfill an ultimate peace keeping goal of his – the creation of an ultimate A.I. named Ultron (voiced by James Spader). Ultron becomes self-sustained and self-aware and immediately begins his own plan of global peace which happens to include the distruction of the world. Tony's mishaps with Ultron and his failure to inform his fellow Avengers of his project creates a festering tension between the team. But they must work together if they have any hope of beating this new threat and once again saving the world.
That is just a brief set up to what is a movie jam-packed with moving parts. There are so many characters and subplots that are being serviced and it is a testament to Whedon's writing skills that the film is coherent at all. Wrapped around the central story are countless tie-ins from previous movies and setups for future films. It truly is a miraculous feat, but it's not a flawless one. There were a handful of things that felt terribly shortchanged occasionally to the point of making no sense at all. During these moments it was as if Whedon was saying "Look, I have so much to cover. I just need you to go with this." Sometimes I found that a little difficult to do.
But considering the insane amount of moving parts and the hefty ground the film is asked to cover, "Age of Ultron" is an impressive accomplishment. All of the core characters are back and get their moments to shine. In fact the amount of screen time between each hero felt much more balanced than in the previous movie. It also helps to have actors who have become more and more comfortable with their characters. In addition to Downey, Jr., Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), and Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) each are a load of fun. We also get a good assortment of past side characters and some very intriguing new characters. The super powers endowed Maximoff Twins, Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) are an interesting addition and there is the appearance of another new character who really got my geek juices flowing.
"Age of Ultron" is clearly a movie aimed at serving a passionate fan base which is really good for devotees like me, but maybe not so good for those unfamiliar with or lukewarm to its many intricacies. I ate up the funny banter between each unique superhero personality. I loved the large-scaled action which seemed ripped straight from the pages of a comic book. I was interested in the future movie tablesetting even when the scenes didn't always play out smoothly. In a nutshell, "Age of Ultron" was a fun and entertaining ride that succeeded as the central cog in Marvel's constantly moving cinematic universe.
"Age of Ultron" is not a movie devoid of problems and your experience will probably be influenced by the degree of affection you have for these characters and this universe. As a fanboy I loved being back in this world, I laughed at a lot of the humor, and I was thrilled by the big effects and larger than life action sequences. Yet while it scratched nearly all of my itches, it's hard not to point out the messy patches. Still considering the film's enormous importance to the Marvel movie universe and the even higher expectations, "Age of Ultron" succeeds where so many movies would have failed. Now I'm ready to start building towards the next installment.
Posted in Movie Reviews - A. Tagged chris evans, chris hemsworth, Colby Smuthers, Elizabeth Olsen, James Spader, jeremy renner, jr., mark ruffalo, paul bettany, robert downey, samuel l. jackson, scarlett johansson, Stellan Skarsgard
REVIEW: "The Railway Man"
February 2, 2015 by Keith Garlington
If "The Railway Man" wasn't based on a true story it would probably be dismissed as unbelievable hyper-drama. But it is based on a true story which for me made it all the more fascinating. It's adapted from the bestselling autobiography of Eric Lomax and it strikes a number of heavy emotional chords. It looks at the stresses of war but not through the normal battlefield lens. Instead it examines the trauma some are left with well after the war has ended.
The first thing the film does right is its casting. Colin Firth is unquestionably one of the best actors in the business and this is material he can certainly handle. He plays Eric Lomax and we first meet him as a reserved if not slightly awkward train enthusiast. He sits down with a group of friends and tells them about his chance meeting with a woman named Patti who is stunningly played without an ounce of flash or glamour by Nicole Kidman. The two fall in love and eventually get married.
But in one of the movie's few clunky bits of storytelling Patti and the audience learn that Eric is holding a lot of inner anguish. Patti's love for her husband and nursing instincts wants to help him, but he continually shuts her out. She seeks information about Eric's wartime past from his friend Finlay (Stellan Skarsgård). She finds out that during World War 2 he and some fellow British soldiers were captured by the Japanese and were placed in a hard labor camp where they worked on the railway between Thailand and Burma. During that time Eric endured unspeakable torture which has left him a broken man.
The audience gets to witness the events through a series of well done flashbacks. Jeremy Irvine plays the younger Eric and his resemblance to Firth is uncanny. Irvine was a big surprise and his performance stands right there with Firth's and Kidman's. In a great bit of method acting Irvine lost a significant amount of weight for the part. I also read where he did all of his own torture scenes. It's truly impressive work. Actually I found all of the flashback sequences to be impressive in terms of production and in how it fits in the narrative.
The movie could have easily settled in as a traditional historical war film, but it doesn't. Instead these flashback scenes work hand-in-hand with the film's greater focus – an emotionally fragile man, the relationships surrounding him, and his ability to face and overcome the scars left from such traumatic savagery. I loved how these two narrative components worked together. For me each gave the other more meaning. Director Jonathan Teplitzky does a good job of maintaining a necessary cohesion between the two minus a couple of jarring instances where it seems key information was left out.
An argument has been made that "The Railway Man" is too polished and it takes the "safe route". Others have pointed to its sentimentality feeling unearned. And then there are some who have taken issue with the liberties the film takes with the actual account. For example revenge fuels the film's version of Eric, but in reality that doesn't seem to have been the case at all. Each of these criticisms bring up valid points , but I can honestly say none of them hindered my enjoyment of the film or my connection to the characters in any way.
Ultimately "The Railway Man" works because of the amazing story and the fabulous performances that bring it to life. Firth is enthralling and unforgettable. Kidman is precise and beautifully reserved. Irvine shines in what should be breakthrough work. Sure, at times it is emotionally-driven and undeniably sentimental. It may be polished up and too much of a 'prestige film' for some. But to let those things hinder your experience would be a shame. I did find myself longing for information that the film chooses to skip over, but that's my only gripe in what is otherwise a beautiful and moving movie.
Posted in Movie Reviews - R. Tagged Colin Firth, Eric Lomax, Jeremy Irvine, Jonathan Teplitzky, nicole kidman, Stellan Skarsgard, The railway man


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OS Standards
Open standards and industrial use for Open Source:
Leveraging the sustainability of Open Source projects and increasing competition and interoperability between different steps in value-chains
Workshop within the framework of the Open Source Workshops for Computing and Sustainability event
Albert Borschette Conference Center, Brussels: 02 December 2022
Workshop time: 14:30-16:00 CET | Room 0A
Company policies towards open source embrace the use of and contribution to software that is crucial for its products. Raising awareness of Open Source possibilities has been identified as an effective policy for increasing economic growth. Open Source assets facilitate making an efficient use of resources and increase industrial competitiveness. Together with standards they are embedded in nearly all electronic devices we use in our daily lives. Computers, TVs, electrical appliances, phones, cars are using millions of lines of code from projects initially started by hundreds of volunteer developers and shared with all. Also, many OS projects implement open standards. Software-related standards that encourage OS implementations facilitate the achievement of industrial targets. Standards Development Organisations (SDOs) and Open Source software development initiatives collaborate in many practical ways to obtain the best of both worlds. The session will analyse the issues to ensure an efficient uptake of Open Source and standards by the industry. In particular, the needs for extending of that OS stack below the kernel for an Open Computing Architecture will be analysed.
John Favaro (TRUST-IT)
John Favaro is a senior research analyst at Trust-IT Services, which is coordinating the StandICT.eu project. He has been involved in numerous European projects including SWForum.eu, which collaborated with the Commission in organizing the OSS Event in Brussels in December 2022. Over his career in software engineering, he has also been involved in standardization groups, most recently in the automotive functional safety area. He is an Associate Editor and member of the advisory group of IEEE Software, and graduated from Yale University and the University of California at Berkeley in computer science.
Panellists
Simon Phipps (Meshed Insights)
Now Director of Standards and EU Policy for OSI, Simon was previously its Board President and before that ran one of industry's first major OSPOs. He has worked in open standards since 1988 and in open source since 2000. He is inventor of five patents and author of books, papers and articles on open source.
Michael Plagge (ECLIPSE Foundation)
Michael Plagge joined the Eclipse Foundation in 2021 as Director Ecosystem Development. In a previous life he started his career as software developer in the area of automotive software before he changed to the dark side of business development. Here he held various business development positions in companies like Elektrobit, Alibaba and Alibaba Cloud and spent 3 years as General Manager Elektrobit Automotive (Shanghai) Ltd. in China.
Luca Alloatti (Free Silicon Foundation)
Luca Alloatti received the M.Sc. degree in physics from the University of Pisa, the "Diploma di Licenza" from the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, and the Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. In 2013 he joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he demonstrated the first microprocessor with optical interconnects. During 2017-2020 he led an electronic-photonic integration research group at ETH-Zurich. He is now the president of the Free Silicon Foundation (https://f-si.org) promoting free/libre and open-source EDA tools and hardware, and he works on an EU Coordination and Support Action (CSA) for open-source hardware (https://wiki.f-si.org/index.php/Horizon_2021_Coordination_and_Support_Action_(CSA)_proposal ).
Clara Pezuela (FIWARE Foundation)
Clara Pezuela has a degree in Computer Science from the Universidad Politécnica of Madrid. She has 23 years' experience in research for digital technologies domain mostly through European research and innovation projects. Currently, she is Vice President Funded Programs at FIWARE Foundation. Her main responsibilities now are the monitoring of funded projects, the new research projects scanning and the engagement of the foundation with European institutions and initiatives. Master in Innovation Management and GOLD for Business Leaders, she has high level skills in innovation and technology transfer from research to business and society. Technically, she has an advance level of knowledge in services architectures, cloud/edge computing, digital platforms, IoT and data spaces. Additionally, she has a high level of knowledge in Open Source licensing, delivery and processes. She was President of the Spanish Technology Platform for digital technologies during nine years.
Alexander Sander (Senior Policy Consultant, Free Software Foundation Europe)
Alexander has been an MEP Assistant in Brussels and the General Manager of Digitale Gesellschaft e.V. in Berlin. Furthermore he is the founder of NoPNR! and member of several advisory boards.


PBR 721 news and updates.
VIRGINIA BEACH (NNS) — Service members and guests paid tribute to the service and sacrifice of Vietnam War veterans during the National Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Day commemoration at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story (JEBLC).
2012 US Navy SEAL Capability Exercise (CAPEX 2012) off the beach of Little Creek, Virginia. US Navy Amphibious Base showing PBR 721 being used for the SEAL cast & recovery exercise.
Collection of US Naval ships, boats, aircraft with a still picture of PBR 721 , with SEAL Team 10 during the "CAPEX 2012 " exercise at Little Creek, VA.
Riverboat rekindles perilous memories for Vietnam War veterans.
Bill Ferguson steered a Vietnam War riverboat up the Pasquotank River.
The scene was strikingly similar to his experience nearly 50 years ago when he went around the Mekong Delta searching for the enemy.


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AHS: Freak Show Casts 'World's Smallest Woman' — Check Out First Image (With Jessica Lange)!
By Michael Slezak / August 13 2014, 3:20 PM PDT
It's a small world after all — at least when it comes to the latest bit of casting for FX's American Horror Story: Freak Show.
RELATED Patti LaBelle Hits Mother Lode, Joins AHS: Freak Show as [Spoiler]
Showrunner Ryan Murphy announced via Twitter today that Jyoti Amge, who holds the Guiness Book of World Records title for "world's smallest woman," is the "newest cast member" of FX's outré-scary anthology series — and included a photo of the actress alongside series star Jessica Lange.
The latest edition of AHS (premiering this fall) centers on the last freak show in America circa 1952 and also stars franchise vets Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Gabourey Sidibe and Frances Conroy. New to the mix are Michael Chiklis, playing a strongman who's married to Bassett's character, as well as guest stars Wes Bentley, Patti LaBelle and Finn Wittrock.
RELATED Emmys 2014: What Should Win Best Miniseries? Take Our Poll!
Amge, who has a genetic disorder called Achondroplasia, is only 2′ 0.6″ tall. Check out the her pic with Lange below — then share your thoughts in the comments!
TAGS: American Horror Story, FX, Jessica Lange
GET MORE: Casting News, First Look


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