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Vietnamese film for children: a question for filmmakers
In the film 'U14-Dream Team'.
In recent years, Vietnamese films for children are almost cartoons because no feature film on children purely has been made after 'Chiec Hop Gia Bao' (Box of Heirloom) produced by the Vietnam Film Company in 1999.
There's no feature film for children because firstly there's no scripts. Scriptwriters often say that it's difficult to write for children as it must be impressive, innocent and unexpected like children's character. Even when there's a script, not many directors are interested with the theme as it's hard to make film with children. They have to ask for permission from children's teachers, parents and care everything for them. As all children are amateur actors and actress so film makers have to shoot film many times and therefore, it's costly. And finally films for children can not bring about big sale revenue so they are normally denied by distributors. Because of such difficulties, from 1996 – 1999, there's only one film produced each year such as 'Bo Tron' (Run Away) in 1996, 'Nuoc Mat Muon Mang' (Late Tears) in 1997, 'Dung Sai Gon' and Box of Heirloom in 1999.
A scene in the film 'Wasp's Adventure'.
Although film makers have tried to make films for children but, if their films bear idea of adult, they fail to attract children. In fact, two film 'U14 – Dreaming Team' and 9X which were produced in 2004 and 2005, attracted not many children.
Meanwhile, many films on children which were produced in 70s and 80s of the last century were highly appreciated. They are named as 'Khi Vang Ba' (When Grandmother's Out', 'Ngon Den Trong Mo' (Dreaming Light), 'Dan Chim Tro Ve' (Flock of Birds Come Back), 'Trang Ram' (Full Moon) etc. This is because these films feature portraits of children themselves in simple and truthful way.
Though playing a key role in Vietnamese films for children (as there's just a few feature films on the theme), animated films are just sometimes screened on the TV. They are mostly very short and many of them have been shown many times. Every year, the State has provided money for Vietnam Cartoon Company to make around ten films for children but this is just a small number over the children's demand and sinks deep amidst thousands of animated films screened in cable TV and from VCDs. Furthermore, the publication of Vietnamese cartoons is not regular. Normally, the Vietnam Cartoon Company co-ordinates with the National Cinematography Centre to organise film week for children in special events such as International Children's Day or Full Moon Festival.
In the film 'Tit and Mit'.
Not only few in number, Vietnamese cartoons are not attractive as they are not much entertaining but always educational. Recently, the film 'Wasp's Adventure' produced by the Vietnam Cartoon Company impresses the audience as it's more interesting and less dry. However, most of Vietnamese cartoons have not yet taken the advantage of cartoon: high-falutin, exaggeration, and utmost imagination.
It's hoped that film makers should make more efforts, though there're still a lot of difficulties, to produce interesting animated films for children so that they can have chances to watch films from Vietnamese stories, Vietnamese characters and from they themselves.
Filed in film, Uncategorized
U.S.-Vietnam trade deal benefits both countries
Posted on Mon, Jun. 05, 2006
ECONOMIC INTEGRATION WILL FURTHER FREEDOMS WHILE HELPING WORKERS, FIRMS IN BOTH NATIONS
Mercury News Editorial
The reconciliation between the United States and Vietnam has been a long, painstaking process. It began with the end of an economic embargo in 1996, and continued with the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1995, the exchange of ambassadors in 1997 and a major bilateral trade agreement in 2001.
A new trade deal between the two countries signed last week in Ho Chi Minh City paves the way for America's former enemy to join the World Trade Organization and complete its integration into the world economy. It's a step that will benefit the people of Vietnam and the United States. Congress must move quickly to ratify the agreement and grant Vietnam so-called "permanent normal trading relations'' so it can gain full membership in the WTO.
Since the 2001 accord, trade between the two countries has soared from under $1 billion a year to $7.8 billion in 2005, helping to heal old wounds and bringing the two countries closer together. That first trade agreement allowed U.S. businesses large and small to tap Vietnam's talented pool of workers. Tech companies were among the trailblazers. This year, Intel announced plans to build a $300 million chip assembly plant in Vietnam, and Microsoft chief Bill Gates visited the country for the first time.
Vietnamese-American entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley have further bridged the gap, leveraging their language skills and cultural know-how to establish tech businesses that span the two countries. In Ho Chi Minh City alone there are an estimated 100 software companies with at least 50 employees, and Vietnam's middle class is growing rapidly.
The latest agreement will accelerate this process, by eliminating remaining trade barriers and ending both U.S. quotas on Vietnamese textiles and Vietnam's subsidies to its garment and textile industries. The agreement also would give U.S. companies greater access to Vietnam's market in key sectors such as telecommunications, financial services and energy.
But Vietnam's accession to the WTO would put it on the fast track to the kind of modernization that has transformed China since its entry into the global trade body in 2001.
Like the relationship with Beijing, Washington's rapport with Hanoi will not always be all handshakes and smiles. Issues such as official corruption and especially human rights will remain an irritant — and rightly so — until Vietnam embraces greater political freedoms.
But people-to-people contacts and the exchange of goods between the two nations is the best way to cement Vietnam's budding liberalization, while benefiting workers and businesses on both sides of the Pacific Rim.
Filed in america/vietnam, Uncategorized
StoryCorps project records everyday people
StoryCorpsWhat: Oral-history project recording interviews with regular Americans.
When: Thursday-through July 2. Times vary.
Admission: Free, but donations are requested; must have a reservation.
Where: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Oakland.
Details: 800-850-4456 or www.storycorps.net.
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By Michael Machosky
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Who will remember you when you're gone?That's easy to answer if you're a president or a Beatle or Barry Bonds — but less so for the rest of us. Family and friends, of course. But what about 100 or 200 years in the future?
It's impossible to say with certainty. But if the StoryCorps project is successful, it may not be that hard to get to know distant ancestors fairly well.
StoryCorps, partnered with the Library of Congress and National Public Radio, wants to record the stories of everyday people all over America. The goal is to get at least 250,000 Americans throughout the next decade to sign up to interview a friend, parent or spouse in one of StoryCorps' soundproof recording booths.One of their two mobile booths — in a shiny silver Airstream trailer — is coming to Pittsburgh Thursday and staying through July 2 in front of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
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"It's a pretty powerful way of honoring someone, by saying 'Your story matters, and I want to preserve it,'" StoryCorps coordinator Matt Ozug says.In other parts of the country, Eric Givens interviewed his 100-year-old grandfather, Arthur Winston, about his work ethic. Winston worked for 72 years at the LA Metropolitan Transit Authority, missing only one day on the job. Friends Gregg Goins and Steve Nelms interviewed each other about their lives as fast-talking North Carolina tobacco auctioneers.
Alissa Magrum, of Austin, Texas, interviewed her life partner, Tammy Stanley, for the future benefit of their 1-year-old daughter, Ella.
"It turned out to be sort of humorous, because we had child care arranged to meet us there to watch the baby while we did our interview — but that person didn't show up in time," Magrum says. "So we had Ella in there with us in the tiny StoryCorps booth. She's a very verbal child, so you can hear her in our interview babbling away."
All recordings will be filed in the Library of Congress. Participants will take home one copy of the interview on CD, and, for the first time, a local library — the Carnegie — will get a copy for its archives.
Short StoryCorps segments from around the country can be heard between 5 and 9 a.m. Fridays during NPR's "Morning Edition," which airs locally on WDUQ-FM (90.5). WDUQ also will air additional selected local stories throughout the summer.
"We have no idea how valuable these recordings will be in the future," Ozug says. "Our touchstone is the recordings made in the '30s by the Works Progress Administration, which were incredibly valuable (to historians). And certainly, for the family, it's incredibly valuable to have someone's voice on tape.
"These stories of 'ordinary people' are so much more valuable and important (to historians) than the stories of celebrities — the Donald Trumps and Paris Hiltons that we're barraged with everyday," Ozug says.
Magrum simply wanted her daughter to know how much thought and care went into bringing her into the world.
"We wanted to be, on some level, a really great example of a same-sex couple starting a family in a very supportive environment," she says. "We both work; we have supportive family; we volunteer in the community; we mow our grass. Our child is surrounded by so much love — and that's not always the story that gets told."
The StoryCorps mobile recording booths are designed to shut off the outside world. Participants get to have a 40-minute conversation with no distractions — rare these days, given the pace of modern life.
"The idea is a pretty simple one," Ozug says. "Basically, the founder of StoryCorps had pioneered this form of citizen-recorded documentaries, where he would give the microphone over to the participants, and allow them to do a lot of the recording. He found there's a great power in giving a mike to somebody and allowing them to ask the questions they've always wanted to ask."
Of course, people can say whatever they want — StoryCorps doesn't have a staff large enough for rigorous fact-checking.
"No, there's no mechanism for checking," Ozug says. "In all honesty, you'd be lying to your daughter. Maybe there are some embellishments — stories get remembered differently than they actually occurred. But that's the case with any kind of history."
If you're nervous about how you'll react when the door shuts and the microphones click on, don't be, Ozug says.
"Often, grandma or grandpa says 'I don't have anything interesting to say,' or 'Oh, don't waste your time on me,'" Ozug says. "Then the door closes; the mikes go on; and 40 minutes later, they're holding on for dear life, and don't want it to end."
It costs the organizers about $200 to do each interview, so those who participate are asked to contribute at least $10, or more, if they can afford it. Reservations fill up quickly, so interested parties are advised to sign up as quickly as possible.
Great questions
• What was the happiest moment of your life? The saddest?
• What are the most important lessons you've learned in life?
• How has your life been different from what you've imagined?
• What is your first memory of me?
• Was there a time when you didn't like me?
• Is there anything you've always wanted to tell me but haven't?
• What was your childhood like?
• What was my mom/dad like growing up?
• What's the worst thing she/he ever did?
• Do you remember any songs you used to sing to him/her? Can you sing them now?
• How did you choose my name?
• If you could do everything again, would you raise me differently?
• What advice would you give me about raising my own kids?
• What is your earliest memory?
• Did you have a nickname? How did you get it?
• How would you describe a perfect day when you were young?
• What kind of student were you?
• What would you do for fun?
• Are you still friends with anyone from that time in your life?
• What was your first serious relationship?
• How did you meet your wife/husband?
• Do you like your job?
• What did you want to be when you grew up?
• What lessons has your work life taught you?
• What role does religion play in your life?
• Have you experienced any miracles?
Source: StoryCorps
Michael Machosky can be reached at mmachosky@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7901.
Filed in storycorps, Uncategorized
Vietnamese painting exhibition held in France
VietNamNet – An exhibition by two Vietnamese painters is being held in the city hall of Vic Fezensac, 1,000km southwest of Paris, where Vietnam is the main theme of the local three-day annual Pentecost festival.
Nearly 50 oil, lacquer and silk paintings by Le Tan Loc and Thai Hong Van, a French citizen of Vietnamese origin, are displayed in the exhibition from June 2, featuring Vietnamese culture. Lacquer paintings portraying Vietnamese women, countryside and old streets have drawn special attention from visitors.
Speaking at the exhibition's opening ceremony, Vic Fezensac mayor San Roma stressed that by holding a Vietnamese painting exhibition, the festival organisers want to introduce French people and especially the town's residents to the country and the people of Vietnam as well as its culture and art, in an effort to foster the two nations' friendship and cooperation.
The Vietnamese Ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) highlighted Vietnam's cultural characteristics. He said Vietnamese people have not only preserved and developed the nation's traditional culture, but have also adopted the best elements of foreign cultures.
More than 30 old Vietnamese postcards printed in the 19th and early 20th centuries were also displayed in this exhibition.
They are part of the postcard collection of Andres Nguyen, a French woman married to a Vietnamese man. As a "Vietnamese daughter in-law", she has supported many Vietnamese painters.
(Source: VNA)
Filed in Art, Uncategorized
A glittering celebration of history, culture awaits visitors at Festival Hue 2006
Finishing touches: Colourful lights highlight a royal dance at a final rehearsal for the 2006 Festival Hue. — VNS Photo Cong Hoan
Assembly line: Hue's women work in groups to showcase the city's famous conical hat making trade. — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Viet
Astounding acrobatics: Vietnamese circus performers rehearsing for the big event. — VNS Photo Cong Hoan
Homestay, an option
"Planning hundreds of activities in only nine days was a real challenge for the Organisation Board. However, we have tried our best to overcome these problems," revealed Head of Festival Hue Organisation Committee Ngo Hoa.
There is also good news for visitors without a place to stay: Local Hue residents are now encouraged to use their houses as guest-houses to welcome visitors during the festival season. The solution proved useful two years ago, as 50 per cent of visitors to Festival Hue 2004 stayed in local homes.
Few cultural events will be able to top the extravagance and scope of Festival Hue 2006, running from June 3-11 in the ancient imperial city. Cam Giang reports from Hue.
Hue is in the midst of summer. Although the June sunshine has made the air a little bit heavy, it enhances the splendid sights of the festival city and fills the hearts of visitors with a feeling of excitement.
The opening day of Festival Hue 2006 is rapidly approaching, and the Purple Citadel's picturesque courtyards and the city's streets are the scene of countless rehearsals and preparations for the big event. Even the hotels are packed: as of May 9, the 44 standard hotels in the city were already filled to 78 per cent.
Like a phoenix, reborn even more powerful and brilliant in a new life cycle, Hue is breaking out after two years of hiding behind its tranquillity.
Following the success of the previous Festival Hue 2000, 2002, 2004, Festival Hue 2006 aims to transform the city into a festival destination in Viet Nam.
The number of visitors flocking to Hue rapidly increases every two years. Thus, according to Ngo Hoa, the Head of the Festival Hue Organisation Committee, one of the secrets to keeping the tourists coming is to "always keep the festival new".
The detailed festival schedule, featuring hundreds of programmes over nine days, would win the heart of any travel and culture lover. Apart from the common theme of every Festival Hue – celebrating cultural heritage along with integration and development – Festival Hue 2006 highlights the 700th anniversary of Thuan Hoa – Phu Xuan – Thua Thien-Hue. And to commemorate this anniversary, three key events are planned: the Nam Giao Ritual, Truyen Lo festivities and the Hue Royal Palace by Night ceremony.
The full Nam Giao Procession will be revived and will draw the participation of over 500 people with elephants, horses, flags and palanquins, boasting the majestic beauty of the grand event as it winds along city streets. Also, this is the first time the Truyen Lo festivities includes a symbolic procession ceremony of successful royal exam winners to their hometowns reappears as a part of the festival.
Hue by candlelight
Above all, the centrepiece of Festival Hue 2006 is the Hue Royal Palace by Night event, organised at the Royal Palace on three nights: June 3, 6 and 9. An art programme aimed at reviving the glistening beauty of the Royal Night, the programme introduces numerous cultural activities such as Hue royal court music, Hue royal dance, and Hue royal games.
The six most popular activities from the Hue Royal Court will be recreated for visitors, including Hue tea drinking, poem recitals, poetry calligraphy on lanterns, and Hue music.
Against the timeless structure of the ancient Royal Citadel, the beauty of the lantern-lit festivities promises to be something that visitors will never forget. The contrast of the eternal and the ephemeral of these magical nights will leave an indelible mark on those who are lucky enough to witness them.
Way of the water
The preparation for the festival is not only taking place on land but also on the river. The most striking sight awaiting visitors are the two gigantic garish-coloured dragon statues flying majestically above the poetic Huong River. Dubbed Two Dragons Playing With The Lotus, the three-dimensional work of art is a stunning attraction, awakening the traditional soul of the ancient capital.
A floating platform in the shape of a lotus leave will be built beneath the Trang Tien Bridge for a special ao dai performance. The ao dai designs will be inspired by Hue architecture, the curving images of dragon and phoenix, traditional ceramic patterns, and various picturesque landscapes. Ten collections with 300 designs will be featured in a performance set to the glittering light of candles and lanterns floating along the river. At the same time, on the bridge, the sky will be illuminated by a breathtaking fireworks display by French artist Pierre Alain Hubert.
Asked about the interesting combination of the two performances, Nguyen Xuan Hoa, the deputy head of the Festival Hue 2006 Organisation Board confided, "when we first made an ao dai performance on Trang Tien Bridge in 2000, Lai Van Sam, the director of a programme on VTV3, the entertainment channel of Viet Nam Television Co. regarded it as 'extravagant'.
"However, we decided to make this vision a reality and the result will be a remarkable performance."
Royal revelry: A revival performance of what was once known as the Nam Giao Ritual, a ceremony performed exclusively for kings and royal family members. — VNA/VNSPhoto Anh Tuan
Graceful: Dancers accompany the royal court music of nha nhac, a newly recognised world heritage asset. — VNA/VNS Photo Tran Tuan
Undoubtedly, the cultural festival has grown into a major event on the country's entertainment calendar. To date, 19 countries have sent thousands of artists to the festival, among which France is the main contributor.
The highlight of all the programmes could be a concert that brings together Hue royal court music; Aak, the Korean royal court music; and Japanese royal court music, Gagaku. This is the first time Vietnamese and foreign audiences will have the chance to participate in an event that brings these three unique royal music traditions under one roof.
A stay of nine days in one place may seem a bit long, but not considering all of the activities happening around the city of Hue on this occasion. All day, exhibitions of every kind will take place on the streets and in exhibition houses, while late night visitors can enjoy French video art and dance, Chinese classic operas, Argentina's Folk-Tango Sensations Troupe, classical Thai dance, Royal court music, and numerous other outdoor activities like the lantern competition on Huong River.
Tourists looking for a change of pace can travel to the Lang Co Legendary Beach Festival 2006, taking place 60km south of the city. The festivities, part of Festival Hue 2006, are a great way to enjoy a special summer vacation. Visitors can take part in different water sports or join in the first-ever beer festival, where one can drink or even take a bath in beer.
Described both as a masterpiece and as poetic, the city of Hue is trying its best to reach the ultimate status of being designated an Asian festival city by 2010 and in the world by 2020. Under the motto of "always new", will Festival Hue 2006 bring the city one step closer to this goal? Whatever the answer, the whole affair will be wrapped in a shroud of mystery until opening day. — VNS
Filed in ao dai, Uncategorized
Feature: U.S, over 30 years after Vietnam War, brings money in stead of guns
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In her air-conditioned shop in the downtown of Hanoi capital, Nguyen Thuy Ha zealously received a group of U.S visitors who were gluing their eyes on shelves loaded with Vietnamese traditional silk dresses, scarves, ties and bags in gay colors – red, pink, blue, yellow, green and purple.
"The United States is no longer Vietnam's foe. We are now friends, good friends. Our customers are mainly foreigners, including many Americans," said the shop owner who was born when American bombs rained down in the city in 1972.
Since the Vietnam War ended in 1975, and the country's focus shifted to developing economy, it has looked forward to better relations with the United States.
Now, American symbols can be seen in every corners of Vietnamese big cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hai Phong, showing great influences of the United States on the country. Giant billboards in streets or stadiums feature logos of American Express Co. and MasterCard International Inc. credit cards. It is also easy to catch sights of U.S businessmen and tourists, huddling to chat at cafs with live music or relaxing at laid-back sunbeds of five-star seaside resorts.
The two countries, formerly enemies, have healed wounds of the war and forged the multi-faceted cooperation since their ties' normalization in 1995. Following the trips to the United States by Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai in 2005, and Vietnamese National Defense Minister Pham Van Tra in 2003, the U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld started his three-day visit to Vietnam on Sunday, to discuss with Vietnamese leaders on measures to boost the two countries' military cooperation.
Vietnam is looking forward to the visit of the U.S. President George W. Bush when he attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit slated for November in Hanoi. The visit, the second one to the Southeast Asian nation by a U.S. president, following the trip by Bill Clinton in 2000, is believed to create a new milestone for the bilateral relations.
And the new bilateral deal on Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) officially inked by the two sides in Ho Chi Minh City last week, which paves the way for the country joining the global trading club late this year, is a concrete evidence for the two countries' blossoming relations, especially in the economic field.
U.S. firms are striving to persuade for the U.S. Congressional approval for Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for Vietnam, expressing their desire of further penetrating into the Vietnamese market, which contributes to the development of the two countries' economic and trade cooperation. The two-way trade between Vietnam and the United States stood at 7.6 billion U.S. dollars last year, up from 6.4 billion dollars in the previous year, according to the Vietnamese Trade Ministry.
Many U.S. enterprises are also interested in investment in Vietnam. Late April, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates visited Hanoi, putting hope for the country's information technology industry on enhancing cooperation with the world's biggest software maker. Two months earlier, Intel, the world's chip biggest maker, announced it will invest 300 million U.S. dollars to construct a semiconductor assembly and test facility in the Ho Chi Minh City, the first of its kind in Vietnam.
Spokesman of Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, Le Dung, said that the war has passed for over 30 years, and it is time to "close the past and orient to the future."
Not only the government, but also almost ordinary Vietnamese people, even those who participated in the fight against the Americans in one of the 20th century's bloodiest conflicts at a cost of millions of deaths, are looking forwards to the closer relations with the foreign country, and their war memories have really faded.
"I have no more hated the United States. I think it's better if we have more friends, and fewer enemies. Moreover, having good relations with powerful countries can help improve our economy," said 67-year-old veteran Nguyen Duc Toan who lost his leg in a battle in central Quang Tri province 34 years ago.
For majority of Vietnam's population born after the war ended, who know it and its aftermath through historical lessons at schools and stories told by parents and grandparents, they want the ties between their country and the United States to develop faster.
American-invested enterprises in the country with high salary offers are attractive to many youths, while the United States is considered an educational heaven by a number of others. "Some of my friends have left for studying in the United States. They are so lucky. If the relations between the two countries get better, maybe we will have more opportunities to learn at U.S. universities," said economics student Nguyen Thi Huong aged 20.
However, a handful of older people who have been still obsessed by pains of the war have mixed feelings on developing the relations with the foreign country. "I know making friends with the United States is good. It can help improve our economy. But I can't forget the war which deprived my sole son," said 70-year-old widow Nguyen Thi Lien.
Despite different viewpoints of local people, the ties between Vietnam and the United States have been enhanced. Vietnam has cooperated with the United States in such fields as searching U.S. soldiers missing in action, some other-war related issues, and fighting bird flu and HIV/AIDS.


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Aug 30, 2021 - Health
Stormy financial forecast for hospitals
Tina Reed, author of Axios Vitals
Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios
The financial forecast for hospitals in the second half of this year is looking decidedly stormier, thanks to the Delta variant, according to a new report from credit rating agency Fitch Ratings.
The big picture: The impact of Delta stretches across all areas of a hospitals' balance sheets and will likely hurt margins in the near- and medium-term.
What they're saying: "The way the year was supposed to shape up was the vaccines were going to lead us into a 'back to normal' period," Kevin Holloran, Fitch's sector leader for not-for-profit health care, told Axios. "And then, this Delta variant just snuck up on us."
What's happening: With hospitalizations quickly rising and ICUs filling due to COVID cases, expenses are up as demand for staff is outpaces supply — requiring hospitals to pay overtime or bring in pricier travel nurses.
The burn rate for supplies needed to treat COVID patients is also high, at a time when costs are surging.
At the same time, elective surgeries and other care — which help bring in revenue — are being postponed.
"We're staring down the barrel of last year's impact without the expectation of any stimulus dollars coming," Holloran said. "This third quarter and fourth quarter are shaping up to be very difficult."
Yes, but: Many hospitals still have strong balance sheets due to market returns and federal bailout money that will give them some cushion to ride this out.
Reality check: While hospitals aren't yet expecting additional federal help, they are among the largest employer and economic drivers in many congressional districts. When hospitals ask for relief from lawmakers, they typically get it.
What we're watching: Fitch has not yet officially changed its outlook on the sector as it watches trends over the next few weeks with the return to school.
There is also a question about whether the U.S. may follow a similar path with Delta to countries like the U.K. and India, where cases began to quickly drop after massive spikes.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Martin Garrix opens up about touring with Justin Bieber: "I was nervous"
EDM star tells all in candid video...
Martin Garrix hosted a live video AMA (Ask Me Anything) on a balcony in Mexico City last week, where he opened up about music making, family values and touring with Justin Bieber.
Garrix recently support Bieber on the Australian leg of his Purpose tour, saying: "The fun thing about this tour is I have no idea what to expect. If I do a Martin Garrix headline show I know it will be lots of Garrix fans etc., but this time I was nervous like shit, it will only be lots of Bieber fans they're only waiting for Justin Bieber. I did the first song in Perth and the moment I dropped my first song, the energy the crowd gave us, it was super crazy. The entire tour was super fun, and maybe again in the future."
He also said that his family keep him "humble" by travelling with him on the road, and that he's currently working on the launch a Martin Garrix merchandise store.
Martin Garrix famously won DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs poll in 2016 — read our in-depth feature with Martin Garrix post-win.
You can watch the full AMA session with Martin Garrix below.
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Arrive Mount Pleasant Airport early afternoon, transfer by Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS) 8-seater Britten Norman Islander aircraft to Sea Lion Island with a flight time of approximately 25 minutes. The relatively low level flying provides passengers with exceptional views of the Falklands coastlines and inland scenery. Your accommodation here is at Sea Lion Lodge, the only purpose built lodge in the Falkland Islands, and just minutes walk from a rich variety of wildlife. Sea Lion Island is one of the smallest in the Falklands archipelago, and the most southerly inhabited island, but is still the prime destination with the sheer abundance of wildlife in such a small area making it a must on any Falklands itinerary. An introductory and orientation tour by vehicle upon arrival will point out the principle areas of interest, however everything is in easy walking distance of the lodge – a map and guidelines for safe wildlife viewing are given out on arrival. The internationally endangered Striated Caracara, Antarctic Skuas, Southern Giant Petrels, and a host of passerines can all be seen on this island. Not to be missed are the Southern Sea Lions at East Loafers, and the Elephant Seals which bask on the white sandy beach at the appropriately named Elephant orner. The latter are close enough to be seen from the lodge bar! Keep an eye open and there is the odd Killer Whale to be spotted off shore as well.
Transfer by FIGAS to Pebble Island.
lodge, previously the farm manager's house, which offers views across the island to Elephant Beach that has even doubled as an airstrip for the Islander aircraft.
Transfer by FIGAS to Carcass Island.
to enjoy the settlement gardens which have almost a tropical feel with their Monterey cypress trees, New Zealand cabbage palms and flax and colourful array of flowers.


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October 1, 2017 October 10, 2017 by Gérard Chaliand
Chapter 1. War of conquest, Part I. Victory, a Western Art
When they first entered Asia in the sixteenth century, Europeans encountered civilizations with powerful empires. The small number of Portuguese, for instance, was just enough for them to secure fortified coastal towns like Goa or Malacca, but they would never control the hinterlands. Later, the Dutch would settle in Batavia (Jakarta) but would invade Java only gradually.
This became a completely different story in the nineteenth century, which was the great colonial century. The progress brought about by the industrial revolution, particularly to the military field, would allow Europeans, with very few troops, to win decisive victories over societies that were overwhelmed, unable to understand the source of their adversaries' superiority. From about 1765 to 1940, colonial wars were asymmetrical in that one of the sides had nearly absolute superiority over militarily and/or intellectually deprived societies. It would take time for the defeated to assimilate the conceptual tools and the means of responding victoriously to the European challenge.
Skirting Africa to invade Asia
Forty years before Christopher Columbus reached the threshold of the New World in 1453, the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire disappeared, a thousand years after the fall of Rome. Europe, taken over as far as the Danube by the Ottomans (in the fourteenth century), was seeing the scope of its trade relations shrink. The future Pope Pius II wrote at the time, deploring the fall of Constantinople: "What have we just lost, exactly? Undoubtedly, the sovereign city, the capital of the Eastern Empire… Alas, Christian religion, you who have formerly experienced such extension, how can you restrict yourself thus and weaken? You have lost one of your eyes."1
With the entire southern coast of the Mediterranean, Anatolia, and the Balkans in Muslim hands, the Indian Ocean had been the great trade route for centuries. Now, in the mid-fifteenth century, it was out of the reach of the Catholic world. It was the Muslims' prerogative from the coasts of Eastern Africa to the Maluku Islands. Beyond, the Indian Chola Dynasty thalassocracy ruled it for a while, and the Chinese fleet sailed on it for their long journeys to the coasts of Africa.
The westernmost part of Europe and what remained of central Europe, under Habsburg rule, seemed quite isolated. How could Europeans gain access to the spices they so coveted when the essence of trade was in Muslim hands? This was when the Portuguese, spearheaded by Henry the Navigator, sailed beyond the Cape Verde islands and ended up crossing the Cape of Good Hope (1478). Soon, thanks to the services of a Muslim pilot, Vasco da Gama landed in India (1498). Christopher Columbus, a Genoan sponsored by the Spanish Catholic Monarchs, reached the West Indies and the American continent in 1492. In 1519, the same year in which Cortés invaded Mexico, the Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral arrived in Brazil. In 1522, Ferdinand Magellan's expedition succeeded in its circumnavigation of the Earth, an unprecedented achievement.
It was high time for Europeans to break their land-side isolation. In 1529, the Ottomans besieged Vienna.2 Not only did this break their isolation, but the papacy divided the world, a world unknown to it, between the Spaniards and the Portuguese!3 The latter occupied a series of fortified towns in Asia, from Goa to Macau, but their low numbers and lack of cavalry prevented them from occupying the hinterlands.
Europe's colonial—and exploratory—expansion proceeded in several stages. That of the Portuguese, who set up trading posts around Africa: Guinea, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Goa and Diu, and, beyond, Malacca (1511). On the American continent, the huge area of Brazil (1519) would be preserved in one piece once it was taken over. On the Spanish side, expansion was reduced in Asia to the Philippines (1564) but was considerable on the American continent: from California to the south of Chile and Argentina, and two viceroyalties, in Mexico and in Peru. This would be a lasting conquest on the American continent for the Spaniards and the Portuguese. Most of the New World speaks Spanish or Portuguese and practices Catholicism. At the very end of the fifteenth century, the naval forces were boosted by a series of innovations. The last of the galleys would be seen in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.
It was in the early seventeenth century that the Portuguese would be supplanted in Southeast Asia by the Dutch (Batavia, 1619), in turn later unseated by the English. The latter landed in Calcutta in 1690 with their East India Company and soon went on to conquer the hinterlands. Contrary to all the land-borne invaders who in the course of history had swarmed in from the northwest, they unexpectedly arrived by sea from the northeast. They would benefit from the decline of the Mughal Empire, the country's divisions, and their weapons superiority. In India, they clashed with the French, but Great Britain provided better support, and they would take over Bengal and the eastern coast despite General Joseph-François Dupleix's efforts. In 1763, France signed the Treaty of Paris, recognizing its defeat in India and in Canada.
In Europe, Great Britain started the industrial revolution alone. This enabled it to take precedence over its competitors and establish its maritime and commercial hegemony at the expense of Holland and France. In 1788, it opened the first penitentiary on Australian territory, starting a process of occupation of the island continent. Shortly after the Napoleonian wars, it dominated a large part of India up to Delhi by playing on local divisions, using force against the Maratha Empire, and leaving potentates in power when they were cooperative. With Singapore (1819) and Malacca (1824) it established its control over the Indian Ocean. On route to India, it pushed the Dutch colonists, who had settled in the Cape since 1640, to the north (the Great Trek, 1836-1840), and to the Orange Free State and the Transvaal.
After its repression of the "Indian Rebellion," a mutiny led by the mostly Muslim Sepoys (1857), Great Britain took direct charge of the administration of the Indies, thus contributing to the country's unity. As of the second half of the nineteenth century, the Indies, which at the time comprised India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Sri Lanka and a few small Himalayan states, were held by some seventy thousand Britons. A dense railway network connected the country and English became the language of the elites.
While a few Western European nations were taking over the world by the seas, including France in India and in North America, starting in 1556 Russia, under Ivan the Terrible, pushed back the Mongolian Khanates with its guns and began its advance to the Pacific in territorial continuity: Tomsk (1604), Irkutsk (1652), and Nerchinsk (1656).
After having secured its domination over the Kazakh steppes (eighteenth century), Russia pressed on toward the provinces of the Rivers Amur (1858) and Ussuri (1860). The conquest of Turkestan was achieved without difficulty: Samarkand (1868) then Khiva (1875). This was not the case in northern Caucasus, where Imam Shamil's resistance in the mountains of Dagestan and of neighboring Chechnya lasted more than twenty years (1834-1859).
Great Britain, once it had secured its domination in India, forced the government of Beijing to accept importing opium. As the Chinese expressed reservations about this, Great Britain declared war on China (1840-1842). Hong Kong was occupied, and other ports, including Shanghai, would be opened. Unequitable treaties were signed shortly after a new Chinese defeat following the capture of Beijing by the British and the French (1860). The Taiping revolt was crushed (1864). The Russians occupied one million square miles of the Manchu Empire and founded Vladivostok (1875). France, after its difficult conquest of Algeria (1830-1847), undertook that of Vietnam and Cambodia, and came to dominate the Indochinese peninsula (1862-1885).
Except for a few buffer states, like Siam, Afghanistan, and Tibet, Asia was colonized or semi-colonized, like China and even Persia, while after 1878, the Ottoman Empire, insolvent, only survived because Great Britain did not want to have Russia occupying the straits.
Only Japan escaped the "white peril" at a time when the "yellow peril" was being raised as a threat. When in 1853, Americans and Europeans were demanding that Japan open its ports, Emperor Meiji (1866-1912), supported by two samurai clans, overturned the Tokugawa shogunate (1868) and decided to Europeanize Japan to help it resist against foreign dominion. This included modernizing the army, which allowed Japan to defeat China in 1895.
To Asians' amazement, the war between Russia and Japan over Manchuria was won by Japan (1904-1905), and on top of that Japan won a battle against the Russian fleet in the Tsushima Strait (1905). Korea soon became a Japanese colony (1910).
This victory of an Asian country that had forced itself to learn from the European school had important repercussions in Asia, although no other nation seemed able at the time to follow the Japanese example.
The conquest of Africa and the role of Islam
The fate of Africa was sealed in 1884 at the Berlin Conference.
Sub-Saharan Africa, the hinterlands of which had been recently explored by Barth, Livingstone, Stanley, Burton, Speke, Faidherbe, and others, was divided up among the European powers.
Except for Morocco and Libya, North Africa had already been overrun.4 Algeria and Tunisia by France, Egypt by Great Britain (1882).5 Muhammad Ali, the viceroy of Egypt and an exceptional modernizer, had gained control of Syria and the holy places of Islam. While he was hoping to take power in Constantinople, he was summoned by the Europeans, with England at their head, to give up his ambitions or be evicted from Egypt. The Suez Canal became the shortest road to the Indies.
What is important to point out is that by that time Islam had been present for a long time in sub-Saharan Africa through conquests (Morocco) and trade (Tombouctou, Agadez, Ghadamis), not only in a very large part of the west, but also in the east of Africa, from the coasts of the Horn of Africa to Zanzibar and beyond, as far as Kilwa (present-day Tanzania). Swahili (close to Arabic) was, and still is the vernacular language of eastern Africa.
Besides, at the end of the eighteenth century, that is, a century before the European colonial period in Africa, Islam was on the move. There was the dynamic influence of Qadiriyya Sufism (born in Baghdad in the twelfth century) brought over from Egypt, predominant among the Fula of Sokoto (present-day Nigeria), and of the more populist Sufi order Tijaniyyah (founded in the nineteenth century), not to mention Wahhabi rigorism, also among the Fula and disseminated all over the African west: in Futa Djallon, Massina, Futa Tooro and in Hausa country, as well as among the Toucouleur people, and others.
At the margins of trade, which played a very important part in the Indian Ocean with Zanzibar as its epicenter (role of the Oman Sultanate and the Muslim Indian tradesmen), it should also be recalled that resistance to European penetration was very often led by Muslim movements.6 It was Samori Ture who for a large part of the African west took on the title of Almami, commander of the believers, and attacked African "infidels" such as the Mandinka.7 It was Usman dan Fodio, a Fula, who established the Sokoto Sultanate, in the west of present-day Nigeria, not far from the border of Niger, and proclaimed a Jihad in 1804, before proclaiming himself Caliph (1810). The area that he dominated was larger than seven hundred fifty miles from east to west and included part of German Cameroon. Today, Boko Haram claims it as a model.
There was also, of course, resistance from the animists, who were millenarian movements in southern Africa (the Ndebele against the Shona, 1896-1897), and there were revolts, like that of the Herero people in the southwest of Africa, which were very fiercely repressed by the Germans (1904-1907). Overall, however, most resistance movements were Islamic, like that of the Maji Maji (1905-1906) in German Tanganyika and more particularly the Mahdist movements in Sudan, initially directed against the Egyptian Khedive and the Ulama before rising against the English in Darfur. The Mahdists were decimated at the Battle of Omdurman (in 1898, by General Sir Herbert Kitchener). The "Mad Mullah," as the British called him, then took up the torch in Somalia, where the revolt lasted a quarter of a century.
The last major armed migration
Between the sixteenth century and the first part of the twentieth, colonial wars were the vector of the last major armed migration known to the world since the Mongolians' blitz expansions of the thirteenth century and that of Arab Islam from the Atlantic Ocean to the stairways to India and Turkestan. This European expansion, achieved with relatively few forces, would endure on the American continent and take Europe all the way to Vladivostok, while the British were also taking over Australia and New Zealand. Between the end of the eighteenth century and World War I, the whole of Asia was colonized or semi-colonized, and Africa, with a few rare exceptions, was entirely occupied.
The colonizing troops' weapons superiority was an important factor of success, but as previously mentioned, this is not enough to explain the Europeans' (or US) victories. There was also troop discipline and cohesion, and their officers' knowledge. Above all, there was the fact that the adversaries, after the industrial revolution and its consequences, had very poor knowledge of their attackers (only the Boers in South Africa knew their British adversary well).
At the turn of the twentieth century, Great Britain ruled over five hundred million subjects, or thirty percent of the planet's population, and about one-fourth of the globe's surface area. Russia controlled about ten million square miles. The whole of Africa and Asia, except for Japan, was under direct or indirect European domination.
During the nineteenth century, the share of Europeans in the world population doubled with nearly sixty million Europeans having emigrated, mostly to the American continent. In 1900, Europe, with its population of four hundred thirty million, was responsible for sixty percent of world production (the United States for thirty percent). With the increase in industrial production and the development of communications, the tonnage of merchant marines, with steam having replaced sails, had doubled just before 1914 while worldwide, the railway network had quintupled. The Trans-Siberian Railway reached Vladivostok in 1902.
A new form of globalization was in action. Europe (Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy) was the matrix of scientific innovation. Ideas born in Europe were disseminated, including that of modern nationalism (the nation state was born in France in 1792), carrying with them the seeds of the death of territorial empires. Fire power became greater during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and in Europe with the Battles of Sadowa (1866) and Sedan (1870), making mass warfare particularly deadly, as would be brutally discovered in 1914. Meanwhile, the machine gun, invented in the second half of the nineteenth century, became the major instrument of colonial conquests.
Great Britain had imposed itself as the colonial power par excellence, followed by France and Russia. The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and somewhat later Italy also become colonial powers, albeit more modest ones. This avalanche of success in the second part of the nineteenth century brought about the coining of the term "social Darwinism," or survival of the fittest, apparently the "whites," whose civilization was considered superior. Actually, the modernity expressed through the consequences of the industrial revolution was not the exclusive prerogative of the "white race," as shown at the time by the example of Japan.
For a long time voluntarily isolated, the United States, once their hinterland was conquered, wished to push Europe out of the Western hemisphere (opposition to the French in Mexico under Napoleon III). In 1898, the United States evicted Spain from the Caribbean and even from the Philippines, which would be their only colony until 1945. The Panama Canal (1903) belonged only to the United States, while Alaska had been purchased from Russia (1867). In fact, the Western hemisphere was under US hegemony. Whatever their economic and financial power, the United States, whose population bordered on eighty million, had taken only a marginal part in Europe's encroachments all over the world (China, intervention in Beijing in 1900).
The whole of Africa was occupied except for Liberia, where former African American slaves had set themselves up as masters. Colonialism and semi-colonialism reigned both in Asia and in Africa. It was a golden age for the rich, while the many revolts were being crushed.
"Lettre à Nicolas de Cues," in Gérard Chaliand and Sylvie Mousset (2002), L'Héritage occidental, foreword by Le Goff, Jacques, Odile Jacob, Paris.
The medieval concept of Christendom faded into the background to make room for the interests of dynastic states. To counter the Habsburgs, King Francis I of France formed an alliance with the Ottoman Empire.
Through the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) and especially, the Treaty of Zaragoza (1529).
The Senussi brotherhood of Libya (Cyrenaica) spread its rigorous piety to Lake Chad.
The fact that the mosque of Algiers was turned into a cathedral was experienced as a sacrilege (1832).
El Hadj Umar Tall, Seku Amadu of Massina, Usman dan Fodio (Sokoto), Rabah in Bornu in Ubangi-Shari.
Person, Yves (1968), Samori. Une révolution dyula, IFAN, Dakar.
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Next Post → Chapter 2 – The West's advantage


(싸인)is a January 5, 2011 TV series directed by Jang Hang-Jun South Korea.
"Sign" covers the lives and difficulties of forensics doctors at the National Institute of Scientific Investigation. Go Da-Kyung ( Kim Ah-Joong ) is frequently scolded by Yoon Ji-Hoon ( Park Shin-Yang ), but still is tenacious in her purpose. A hidden truth also prevails in a mysterious case surrounding them and their organization.
"Sign" covers the lives and difficulties of forensics doctors at the National Institute of Scientific Investigation. Go Da-Kyung (Kim Ah-Joong) is frequently scolded by Yoon Ji-Hoon (Park Shin-Yang), but still is tenacious in her purpose. A hidden truth also prevails in a mysterious case surrounding them and their organization.


text:
/*
 * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 */

#include <iostream>
#include "gtest/gtest.h"
#include "onnx/defs/operator_sets.h"
#include "onnx/defs/schema.h"

using namespace ONNX_NAMESPACE;

namespace ONNX_NAMESPACE {
namespace Test {

// By default ONNX registers all opset versions and selective schema loading cannot be tested
// So this test is run only when static registration is disabled
TEST(SchemaRegistrationTest, RegisterSpecifiedOpsetSchemaVersion) {
#ifdef __ONNX_DISABLE_STATIC_REGISTRATION
  EXPECT_TRUE(OpSchemaRegistry::Instance()->GetLoadedSchemaVersion() == -1);
  RegisterOnnxOperatorSetSchema(13);
  EXPECT_TRUE(OpSchemaRegistry::Instance()->GetLoadedSchemaVersion() == 13);

  auto opSchema = OpSchemaRegistry::Schema("Add");
  EXPECT_NE(nullptr, opSchema);
  EXPECT_EQ(opSchema->SinceVersion(), 13);

  // Should not find opset 12
  opSchema = OpSchemaRegistry::Schema("Add", 12);
  EXPECT_EQ(nullptr, opSchema);

  // Should not find opset 14
  opSchema = OpSchemaRegistry::Schema("Trilu");
  EXPECT_EQ(nullptr, opSchema);

  // Acos-7 is the latest Acos before specified 13
  opSchema = OpSchemaRegistry::Schema("Acos");
  EXPECT_NE(nullptr, opSchema);
  EXPECT_EQ(opSchema->SinceVersion(), 7);
#endif
}

} // namespace Test
} // namespace ONNX_NAMESPACE

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Welcome to the Sawtooth by Biltmore Co.! This beautiful two-story home in the outstanding community of Eagle Mountain Estates is a beautifully designed home featuring an elegant, main-level master suite, a separate den/office, great room w/ a corner fireplace & a large upstairs bonus room. High quality finishes throughout including hardwood flooring, quartz kitchen counters with lovely European-style knotty alder cabinetry, double oven and a huge walk-in pantry. Lovely wrap-around covered patio out back.


Talking Tom & Ben News is used by billions of people from all across the world which helps them enjoy Tom by letting him say and do whatever you want. Talking Tom & Ben News carries two characters, One the Tom and the other is Ben which is his buddy. You can join them in their TV news Studio, talk to them of any kind you want and watch them talk it in returns to repeat what you've said. You can poke or swipe the screen to have them fall off their chairs, and you can even create the news by providing your own photos and videos on their TV screen. This application allows you to express your creativity by creating the news or just enjoy watching the two teases each other. Talking Tom & Ben News allows you to check out several of its hilarious animations by getting the full app. You can see them take turns to repeat what you say and enjoy them afterwards by capturing all those moments. It helps you watch their interaction with one another, and you can teach both of them hilariously. You can even upload your own photos and videos to see what happens. So just download Talking Tom & Ben News app in your phone and enjoy making and sharing your Tom and Ben and share it on Facebook, Email, or Youtube.


Just ordered my first box, can't wait to open it. I'm so excited! Been reading the comments from other people and so far have been positive so I thought I would give it a try.
Not great at responding to emails. Haven't received my first box yet...2 months later.. for about a week I didn't even know if I was an active member or not..
Signing up for the Babebox is easy, they ship internationally so all ladies can get it.
It looks like s good makeup box, I am very excited to receive it.
I was excited to try BabeBox by Focallure as I have subscribed to other beauty boxes and wanted to try something new. However, it took an EXTREMELY long time for them to ship my box. I also had to reach out to customer service to see what was going on, and instead of replying to my email, they just emailed me that my box had shipped. This is worrisome to me and doesn't show a great customer value. However, I haven't received my box yet, so hopefully i will love everything in it and it will make up for this small snafu. Either way, I'm still excited to try.
I am in love with the matte lipstick. The one I keep purchasing is the French beige . Lasts forever!
I saw an ad on Facebook for some beauty products and immediately ordered some items. It's been almost a month & half and I still have not received my order. No one bothered to advise me that there would be a delay so I emailed & called several people only to get the same answers that it would be processed "soon". I finally gave up and said just cancel my order and refund my money. Then they say we can't cancel because it is in "processing" status and I should be receiving some info on when to expect my order "soon". No one can give my any definitive answers or dates. They keep saying "soon". Fortunately, I paid via PayPal and have filed a complaint. Hopefully, they will refund my money since I NEVER received the products. DO NOT WASTE your time or MONEY on this company. I only wish I read all the negative reviews before I placed my order. Evidently, everyone has been experiencing the same bad service.
I cant wait for my product to arrive. I did contact customer service and the rep was very responsive and helpful.
I love this product. I was a child of the 80s where eyebrows were small and now I can make them look full again. I recommend this product to everyone who wants to have full eyebrows again.
I waited for a month and my order hadn't even left the warehouse. I've have ask to get a refund. so don't order if you are outside the US.
I ordered 3 matte lipsticks and 2 metallic and 1 liner. The colors, for the most part, are close to their representations on the website. I thought the "old rose" would be more mauve-less skin tone but I'm sure I'll find some reason to wear it.
I found them to be VERY long lasting but come off easy with make up remover. The color lasted all day at work. Thru lunch and countless water bottle drinks...which is exactly why I ordered these to give them a try as I never have time to do touch ups. They go on with a silky feel and the wand lets you have good control so I didn't feel I needed a liner. I am sure I will be ordering these again and the girls at work have already jumped on the band wagan with these after seeing me wear it once.
I was so surprised that it exceeded my expectations! Not only was it long lasting, but super wearable and not a hassle to remove!!!
Focallure claims to have 100% customer satisfaction, but they have NO customer satisfaction. I bought exfoliating pads from Focallure, two packs. They claimed it was gentle enough for your underarms. I used one and it took all the skin and none of the hair off of my underarms. It was agony for days and was a week before I could wear deodorant again. I wrote them from the email I signed up with them twice and no answer. Then I wrote them from my main email. They blew me off and blew me off and pretended not to understand me. They finally answered with "we don't do returns" and "we'll give you a measly 20% off on one future item" so I decided to write reviews for them and take it to the BBB. I will NEVER be ordering from them again and you should heed my warning as well. AVOID!!! AVOID!!!!
Questions? Get answers from the Focallure.com staff and other customers.


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Our tours, both scheduled, and tailor-made, are for those wishing to discover the real Southeast Asia; singles, couples, families – old and young – anyone with a sense of adventure! In depth knowledge of Indochina enables us to offer original itineraries with a balance between the region's 'must-sees' and it's 'best kept secrets'.


In association with Intramezzo, Russam Business Network and UKBI and supported by Speed Mentor Central please join us for our inaugural Pitching for Management™ event in Reading on the 29th Febuary 2012 at 4.00pm - 7.30pm.
Please note parking is available opposite the Holiday Inn in the public car park near to Grant Thornton's offices.
1) Experienced Directors are required to head a range of board level functions including CEO and Sales and Marketing roles, building operational teams and growing business in France and elsewhere. These opportunities will bring a success based package of commission and profit share.
2) A Sales Director is needed for a company with an online food and drink pre-order service that simplifies group bookings for the hospitality industry, using web technology to solve a problem that restaurants all over the world currently solve using pen and paper. The ideal candidate will play the pivotal role in the company, building strategy for sales and marketing functions within our business whilst leading a team of mobile and desk based sales personnel. The company is an operational and revenue generating Software-as-Service ('SaaS') business targeting a niche that has been historically underserved by IT.
3) A great opportunity to be on the board of a rapidly growing company with a product which can help protect and make safe human, mobile and capital assets globally. The ideal candidate will have excellent contacts and credentials in one of our given vertical markets of Government, Communications, Energy, Security and Building Management. Also required is a Commercial Director with global connections in one of these markets, but preferably more than one.
4) An exciting company which provides an automated online marketplace to buy and sell expert business knowledge by the hour, is looking for a Marketing Director to work with a high calibre technical and commercial team with the objective to grow the user base through affiliate partnerships and social media campaigns. The ideal candidate will have a strong marketing background with online platform businesses (SEM, Social Media) and contacts and expertise in the professional services, expert network or recruitment industry. This role is paying sweat equity and is based remotely.
5) West country tech software company seeks business partners with corporate connections to implement commercialisation of a technology which will revolutionise online security. The role can be part or full time and will involve working remotely. The remuneration package will include a profit share on revenues delivered.
As well as listening to the company pitches come and listen to our guest speaker who will be announced shortly.
The Pluralists Investor Club www.thepluralists.club is operated by AngelNews which holds events on topics close to the hearts of investors and entrepreneurs.
It also publishes news on its website www.angelnews.co.uk and monthly AngelNewsletter, which is full of topical articles, knowledge and views.


Seth Godin's "every day" principle influenced me in my writing – "you do not need to nap," he says! That's a stab to my kidneys, as rarely does a day pass without that luxurious thought flopping around my head.
I look to industry leaders for how to keep going. People like Simon Terry and especially Harold Jarche are leaders in re-imagining similar threads multiple different ways, constantly iterating through their thoughts to refine and deepen them.
As the year-end approaches, I will be re-reading my archive and re-imagining it. That is WOL to myself!


text:
Author: Barton, Chris
Publisher: Charlesbridge (2016)
Classification: Biography
Physical Description: [32] p. (1 folded), col. ill., 28 cm.
Ages: 7-10 Grades: 2-5
Johnson, Lonnie, -- 1949-
African American inventors
African Americans -- Alabama -- Biography
The remarkable story behind the invention of the Super Soaker toy.
Illustrator: Tate, Don
Points: .5 Quiz: 181421 Reading Counts Information:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (03/15/16)
School Library Journal (05/01/16)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (A) (06/16)
The Hornbook (00/07/16)
School Library Journal - 05/01/2016 Gr 2–5—As a child, Lonnie Johnson was a "tinkerer," or an avid collector of pieces and parts—all things that were considered scrap but that to Johnson were perfectly ripe for new applications. Early projects included rockets, a robot, and a powerful sound system for parties. Johnson's engineering degree took him to NASA, where he worked on the Galileo orbiter and probe. What Johnson really wanted to do, however, was build his own inventions. When trying to find an environmentally friendly solution to refrigerator and air-conditioning cooling systems, he stumbled upon what would eventually become his opus, the Super Soaker. Readers follow the many obstacles and setbacks Johnson experienced as he tirelessly worked to launch his invention. The narrative—based primarily on personal interviews the author had with Johnson—adeptly captures the passion and dedication necessary to be an engineer. The cartoonlike illustrations, rendered digitally with Manga Studio, combine child appeal with enough realism to accurately convey various scientific elements. Great care is taken to portray the institutional racism Johnson experienced, such as school tests that tried to dissuade his interest in engineering and his competing in a 1968 science fair in the newly desegregated but unwelcoming University of Alabama. The author's note explains Barton's mission to diversify common perceptions of what scientists and engineers look like and who they can be. This engaging and informative picture book exploration of Johnson's life succeeds in that right. - Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 05/01/2016 This picture book biography tells the story of Lonnie Johnson, kid rocket launcher, teen robot builder, adult NASA engineer, and inventor of the Super Soaker water toy. The story documents his perseverance in overcoming obstacles, some stemming from being African American—a school aptitude text that indicated he was not cut out to be an engineer, the prejudice he and his high-school team experienced while winning the 1968 University of Alabama science fair, and professional doubts concerning his abilities. The narrative also covers his initial failure at becoming a self-employed entrepreneur, remedied only by the hard-won success of the Super Soaker. The text emphasizes the continuing support he received from his family, and the vibrant illustrations are especially effective at capturing expressions and mannerisms that bring Johnson to life (as when Johnson and his fellow Tuskegee Institute students party to a sound and light system constructed from left-over electronics). This upbeat tribute makes an engaging and inspiring addition to STEM collections. - Copyright 2016 Booklist.
Bulletin for the Center... - 06/01/2016 What do a computer memory power backup system and a squirt gun on steroids have in common? Inventor Lonnie Johnson. An avid tinkerer since childhood, Johnson had become the only black high school student by 1968 to advance to the science-fair competition held at the University of Alabama, where his robot Linex took first place. After graduating from Tuskegee, he worked for NASA on the backup power system for the Galileo mission to Jupiter, and then went solo as an inventor. While working on a component for a refrigeration system, he serendipitously fashioned the power blaster that would, years later, become the Super Soaker. While that popular toy has become the public pinnacle of his career, Johnson is still very much in the invention game, currently developing an advanced solar-energy system. Johnson's story is both delightful and inspiring, featuring a long-suffering family that tolerated his destructive, even explosive, experiments; the financial ups and downs of an entrepreneur; and his solo work and team work. Endpapers point toward a portfolio of inventions that range from "Seriously?" (a musical diaper) to "Wow!" (Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Converter). The text and author's note, however, offer little more than an enthusiastic outline of a long career, with plenty of research holes left to fill. Why he left NASA to be self-employed, how he survived the financially rough years, and how his green technology work is coming along are all issues about which kids may reasonably ask. Digital artwork is serviceable and should stand up well for a group readaloud. Barton refers to a personal interview with Johnson, but no further source notes are included. EB - Copyright 2016 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.


text:
Q: update printed data debug python I have a python program which has some variables that change over time. I want to print them to the screen, without printing in new line. For example:
for i in range(1,10):
    v1 = i
    v2 = i+1
    v3 = i+2

and while the program is running I want that the display will show:
variable 1 value = v1  #v1 changes over time
variable 2 value = v2  #v2 changes over time
variable 3 value = v3  #v3 changes over time

by overwriting the previous printed values of v1 v2 and v3
can it be done? I know it can be done with one printed line using '/r',, however this time I want to print more lines...

A: You could do the following (but this may not work in all displays), based on this other answer:
import os
for i in range(1,10):
    # First clear the screen
    os.system('cls' if os.name == 'nt' else 'clear')
    print('variable 1 value = %s' % i)
    print('variable 2 value = %s' % i+1)
    print('variable 3 value = %s' % i+2)

A: If you want to print values in one line, you may:
for i in range(1, 10):
    print 'v1 = {0}, v2 = {0}, v3 = {0}'.format(i, i + 1, i + 2)

This link should explainsomething.
Python Input Output

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Mediate.com is now in its 15th year. Our continuing goal is to expand the use of mediation. We are a bridge between mediators and those who benefit from our services.
Mediate.com offers mediators and the public over 5,000 articles and resources all free of charge. These articles are posted chronologically on the Mediate.com home page. Articles are also grouped into approximately 25 featured sections and can also be effectively searched.
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Mediation Today chronicles the ongoing and increasing use of mediation throughout the U.S. and the world. There is simply no better source for all relevant and interesting mediation news. Mediation Today can also now be topically searched.
Mediate.com Content Search searches all Mediate.com content, including articles, news, blog postings and video. Searches can be done by author/person, topic or text, or any combination.
The Mediate.com Video Center includes nearly 100 hour-long interviews with leading mediators (hosted by Robert Benjamin) as well as a variety of additional video presentations. Once at the Video Center, be sure to check out the "Inside" and "Search Tabs."
Mediate.com has offered Mediation News since 1997. Over the past couple of years, Keith Seat, our News Editor, has taken Mediation News to a whole new level. Mediate.com also now features the most active Job Board in our field. These content sections and our Career Center are available to Mediate.com Premium Members only.
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text:
4.362.1. RHBA-2011:1767 — yaboot bug fix update
An updated yaboot package that fixes two bugs is now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.
The yaboot package provides a boot loader for Open Firmware based PowerPC systems. It can be used to boot IBM eServer System p machines.
Previously, yaboot could not check whether an IP address is valid. As a consequence, yaboot netboot failed to operate in an environment where the gateway was not the same as the 'tftp' server, even though the 'tftp' server was on the same subnet. With this update, an IP address validity check has been added. Now,yaboot netbot operates as expected.
Previously, yaboot discarded passed parameters to anaconda after the Client Architecture Support (CAS) was rebooted. This update upgrades the yaboot binary and modifies the source file. Now, the parameters are passed to the anaconda installer as expected.
All users of yaboot are advised to upgrade to this updated package, which fixes these bugs.


Rethinking about Gabriel Angelos in DoW3!
What do you think the future of DoW 3 will be given the general lack of mods?
Why am I getting emails about a game the Dev's have completely given up on?
It may sound strange but Space Marines are OP in skirmish mode.


Riding out with the incident commander to a house fire in Newark, Ohio.  The camera is then set up to face the house plus the camera captures all radio communications from inside the command post.  The video was posted by David Decker and description is below.


text:
ShipCalm Names New CEO to Lead Next Stage of Company Growth
Expansion to Meet Increased Global Demand for E-Commerce
CARLSBAD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As the direct-to-consumer craze continues to explode, digitally native brands need comprehensive logistics solutions to keep up with the demand. In an effort to provide this industry with the tools it needs to succeed, ShipCalm, an e-Commerce fulfillment and third-party logistics provider, has announced major expansion and growth plans.
Leading the effort is the startup's new CEO, Greg Moser. Moser, formerly ShipCalm's President and CTO, leverages more than 15 years of e-Commerce, marketing and software development experience. As a serial entrepreneur and investor, Moser has also facilitated two successful company exits, including SlatWall Commerce.
"Greg has an intimate and deep understanding of the technology that drives ShipCalm's business and the industry. We look forward to seeing his leadership and experience continue to catapult ShipCalm forward as the company scales and competes in new markets," said former ShipCalm CEO and current Board Member Ted Fogliani.
Part of ShipCalm's growth strategy under Moser's leadership includes:
Expanding operations in key markets.
Enhancing the capabilities of ShipCalm's AI-powered business and supply chain analytics system to provide more actionable business intelligence to customers.
Acquiring and integrating key technologies such as augmented reality to allow digitally native brands to effortlessly facilitate warehouse communications.
"ShipCalm is focused on expanding our software platform to facilitate automated decision-making for digitally native brands," Moser said. "In addition, we have plans to acquire select technology companies that will further assist in our mission of making our customers more successful."
Digitally native brands have a universal pain-point of running their omni-channel operations, including data integrations, business intelligence, inventory planning, warehousing, fulfillment, customer service, financing, and accounting for their inventory. ShipCalm solves these operational problems via its SaaS AI platform, SmartWarehouses™, and professional services.
ShipCalm's growth strategy will enable the company to expand into new territories and reach more targeted consumers, further elevating the industry. In fact, the e-Commerce market is expected to increase from $3.3 trillion in 2022 to $5.4 trillion in 2026, with growth being attributed in part to enhanced logistics support and infrastructure.
"As the barriers for new companies continue to decrease due to global manufacturing, minimal inventory, technologies like 3D printing and print-on-demand, and the low overhead nature of e-Commerce, more brands are being created much more quickly and fragmenting every industry, from food and beverage to apparel," Moser said. "However, their ability to scale sales often outpaces their ability to scale their operations. That's where ShipCalm comes in. This is the future of our consumer economy and we're right at the epicenter."
About ShipCalm
ShipCalm is an e-Commerce fulfillment and third-party logistics provider headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif. Founded in 2017, ShipCalm provides a number of logistics services aimed at helping online businesses solve their shipping problems. ShipCalm provides solutions for e-Commerce business owners with Amazon FBA prep, reverse logistics, kitting, packing and assembly, as well as e-Commerce shipping and warehousing. As the world-leading 3PO, we provide complete operational solutions to digitally native brands. Our third-party operations platform streamlines traditional operations with data and powerful AI. More information at https://www.shipcalm.com/.
Andrea Siedsma
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text:
Archives for posts with tag: Civil War
Today's Guest: Frederick Douglass. Ex-slave, self-made man, leader and fighter
February 21, 2014 //
You know on Fridays I usually bring you a guest author. Recently I went to watch '12 Years a Slave', like many people. The film reminded me of my studies in American Literature, slave narratives, autobiographies, and in the list of people that came to my mind, I kept thinking about Frederick Douglass. I read his autobiography years back, and is it one of these books that make you realise that human will is a force like no other and gives you hope for the human race. And I thought I might as well share why I think he was such an example and a man we should never forget.
Frederick Douglass portrait
I'll leave you a short biography, some quotes, links, and I recommend you read his autobiography. It is not only inspiring but a great read.
He was born into slavery, Frederick Washington Bailey, in Tukahoe, Maryland (7th February 1817 although the specific date is in question). He was the son of a slave woman (he only saw his mother a few times before she died when he was 7) and was brought up by his grandparents on a plantation. His father was white and he never knew him (it is suspected it could have been the slave owner).
When he was 8 he was sent to Hugh Auld in Baltimore. The wife of Auld taught him the alphabet (defying state law that slaves should not be taught to read) and he continued to learn from other kids. He returned to the plantation in 1833 and was sold to a slave owner renowned for his cruelty, until he confronted him when he was older. Whilst working in a shipyard at age 20 he managed to escape and went to New York City, where he changed his name to Frederick Douglass (name of the hero in Sir Walter Scott's The Lady of the Lake). He moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he worked as a labourer. He married for the first time Anna Murray, a free black woman, and had 5 children.
Always acknowledged as a leader by his peers, William Lloyd Garrison heard him speak at a meeting in 1841 and became his mentor. Douglass became an agent and lecturer for the American Anti-Slavery Society. He was very successful and with the help of the Agency he published the first of his autobiographical works The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave (1844).
Worried about the possibility of being recaptured by his former owner, he traveled to Britain and Ireland and lectured on slavery. While he was there he raised funds and established his own anti-slavery paper The North Star. This created a rift with William Lloyd Garrison who opposed such idea and this continued throughout the Civil War, despite efforts by Harriett Beecher Stowe. In 1855 he published My Bondage and My Freedom.
During the Civil War, Douglass tried to convince Abraham Lincoln that former slaves should be allowed to join the Union Army. After the war he continued his campaigns for full civil rights for former slaves, also advocating women's suffrage and speaking on the Irish rule.
When his first wife died, he married his secretary, Helen Pitts, a white woman, causing controversy.
He held several public posts (and was proposed as vice-president in a joint-bill with a woman) including assistant secretary of the Santo Domingo Commission (1871), marshall of the District of Columbia (1877-1881) and U S Minister to Tahiti (1889-1891). In 1881 he published The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass.
He died of heart failure in Washington on the 20th February, 1895. He has had bridges named after him, schools, stamps…
Frederick Douglass's gravestone
The masthead of his newspaper The North Star once read:
Right is of no Sex – Truth is of no Color.
I will unite with any one to do right, and with no one to do wrong!
I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs.
People might not get all they work for in this world, but they must certainly work for all they get.
No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other end fastened about his own neck.
A little learning, indeed, may be a dangerous thing, but the want of learning is a calamity to any people.
The soul that is within me no man can degrade.
To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.
America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future.
It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.
Without a struggle, there can be no progress.
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.
Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them.
I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.
Link to quotes page (Brainy Quotes):
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/f/frederick_douglass.html
Brief visual summary of achievements
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass
Biography.com (Includes a brief video of his biography):
http://www.biography.com/people/frederick-douglass-9278324
PBS:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1539.html
His papers at the Library of Congress:
http://www.loc.gov/collection/frederick-douglass-papers/about-this-collection/
Spartacus school:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASdouglass.htm
History.com (also brief video about Douglass):
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/frederick-douglass
Documenting the American South:
http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/douglass/bio.html
Digital History:
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/exhibits/douglass_exhibit/douglass.html
His page in Goodreads;
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18943.Frederick_Douglass
Links to works (FREE):
In Amazon:
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0083ZQSEG/
Collected Articles of Frederick Douglass
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JQV6NA/
His page in Project Gutenberg, including audios:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/34510
Link to his autobiography in American History:
http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/biographies/frederick-douglass/
Thanks for reading, and if you've enjoyed it, don't forget to like, comment, share, and CLIC!
25 c. postage stamp
Tags 12 years a slave, Abraham Lincoln, An American Slave, civil rights, Civil War, emancipation, Frederick Douglass, Maryland, New York, slavery, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Washington, William Lloyd Garrison, women's suffrage
Guest Author: Louisa May Alcott
As you know on Fridays I like to bring you guest authors. Recently I decided that I was not going to limit myself to bringing as guests only people I knew, or even…people who are still alive…One of the advantages of becoming a writer is that our books (one hopes!) will survive us. You'll remember I brought you Herman Melville as guest. Today I want to bring you a woman, Louisa May Alcott. She's also an American writer from a similar era to Melville, with the added difficulty of being a woman in what was a man's world.
English: Headshot of Louisa May Alcott (November 29, 1832 – March 6, 1888), American novelist, at age 20 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Louisa May was born the 29th November 1832, in Germantown, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Amos Bronson Alcott (transcendentalist and educator) and Abigail ("Abba") May. The family were in the centre of the transcendentalist movement and went to live in Concord where they were good friends with Emerson and Thoreau, and Nathaniel Hawthorne (good friend of Melville) was also a friend of the family.
Her family experimented with communal living (Fruitlands) but this failed and they returned to Concord.
Louisa May, like Jo in 'Little Women' her best known book, wrote from an early age, had 3 sisters, (one who died of complications of scarlet fever), served as a nurse in Washington DC during the Civil War (she contracted typhoid fever and suffered complications ever since), and became a best-selling author, after writing a story for 'girls' at the suggestion of her publisher, Thomas Niles. 'Little Women' was an instant success and public and publisher asked for more.
She was also an abolitionist and feminist (she was the first woman registered to vote in Concord) , and worked hard to help support the family. She never married but when her sister May died she brought up her niece, Lulu.
She died two days after her father and is buried in Concord (Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, fabulous, don't you think?)
English: Grave of American writer Louisa May Alcott, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord, Mass. Taken on her birthday. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Here some links to more detailed information about Louisa May. You can also visit Orchard House, the family home Emerson bought for them.
http://www.empirezine.com/spotlight/alcott/alcott.htm
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/13467/Louisa-May-Alcott
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/alcott/aboutla.html
One of her quotes:
Women have been called queens for a long time, but the kingdom given them isn't worth ruling.
I love 'Little Women' and the character of Jo has been one of my inspirations when thinking about writing. I've read the rest of the books in the series and I also loved 'An Old-fashioned Girl' when I was younger although I haven't read it for years. I very much suspect I'd still love it.
And one of the advantages of having as guest an author long gone (and much loved) is that some of her books (many) are available free. I leave you links to some of them, but as I say, there are many more. Some of her books didn't see publication at the time as they were considered too 'daring' but I would have a look if I were you. And do enjoy!
Orchard House – Concord, Massachusetts. Former home of Bronson Alcott and family, including his daughter Louisa May Alcott. Her novel "Little Women" was written in the house in 1868, and loosely based on both the house itself and her family. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Links to books:
Little Women:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ISZRES/
Little Men:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004UJH4C4/
An Old-Fashioned Girl:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0083Z5RKM/
Under the Lilacs:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0082QQ6S4/
Eight Cousins Or, the Aunt-Hill
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006Z07SU4/
Hospital Sketches:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0082QMXZO/
Thank you for reading, don't forget to CLICK!, it's free, and remember, many other classic writers and free books are available. Don't miss it. And if you like the post, please share!
Louisa May Alcott on Washing the Wounded (womenwordswisdom.com)
'She is too fond of books…' (firstnightdesign.wordpress.com)
The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees (audio) (pagesofjulia.com)
"Marmee & Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother" (puzzlescape.wordpress.com)
Guest author. Herman Melville (olganm.wordpress.com)
Time Travel in a Can (lifewithoutdownton.wordpress.com)
Tags Amos Bronson Alcott, Civil War, Concord Massachusetts, Herman Melville, Hospital Sketches, Little Women, Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Orchard House, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau
Family Stories. Conrado Miret Musté. He died for France, officially!
I have written a few posts about two of my mother's uncles, Josep and Conrado Miret Musté, who fled Barcelona during the Civil War and went to France.
You'll remember one of my cousins, Juan Molet, has been researching documentation regarding their lives (and deaths) but so far he had not been able to find confirmation that Conrado died.
Juan participated in a homage organised in honour of the Spaniards who fought with the French Resistance in Prayols last weekend. Here it was revealed that finally a document had been found confirming that he had died on the 27th February 1942. I attach the document that gives few details, other than there was a witness statement by one of the guardians of the prison (Rue la Santé 42) . It seems indeed he died under torture. Now, with this document, he finally has been given the status of having died for France.
I also attach copy of the picture they officials used to search for him. I find it quite haunting, but it might be the family thing.
Portrait à tirer MIRET
And here my cousin in front of the picture.
He mentions that he had a chance to talk to Ángel Álvarez, member of the Republican Army (Exercit Popular de la Republica), member of the Resistence in France, and the first Spaniard who managed to escape from the train taking him to Dachau. My cousin explains that his was a sad but illuminating story.
I'm hoping I'll be able to meet my cousin when I visit Barcelona in September and I will bring back some more information and insights to share.
Thank you for reading and please share. And if you have any relevant stories or information, do let me know.
Tags Ángel Álvarez, Barcelona, Civil War, Conrado Miret Musté, Dachau, France, French Resistance, History, Juan Molet, Spanish people, torture
Categories Family stories


It made me smile, not because of the question – but that once again naming has required discussion. You're told at an early stage in programming that naming is one of the most important parts of writing code – that there's a responsibility that comes with it; most of the time that notion is immediately discarded by the young man or woman who thinks they understand the world.
It's then the job of the next few years to hammer home the truth behind those words – to find naming both a source of confusion in the code you read and the stealer of time in the code you write yourself.
To someone who doesn't know the default keyword, what else would the method do? The code clearly states you can specify a default. Doesn't it?
And again it happened to me yesterday. I was discussing architecture of a sample which used the Repository Pattern. I thought I knew it used the repository pattern because the class had been prefixed with the word Repository.
The naming, that's what wasn't right, the business logic had been wrapped in a class called xxxRepository but it wasn't the repository at all, naming had led me to assumption. The assumption was wrong. I know better than to let that nagging doubt persist as it normally means I messed up somewhere and I have yet to identify it.
I love the English language, I believe when it's used in anger it's a flowing and beautiful beast that can create and destroy worlds. As a father my daughter's appreciation of literature is something I'm so pleased about – that the world is more open to her through her desire to read. But (I can't, I refuse to use the Spiderman quote) you have to be careful with your words and understand that when you're using smaller text – when the world is asking you to compress your communication and express yourself in fewer and fewer characters, when you have one or two words to clearly define the meaning behind something – those words are even more important, not less so.
Words are assumptions, and using them correctly will always make life easier.


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Home » Topics » Back & Spine Pain » Low Back Pain
Publish Date July 6, 2016
Are Muscle Relaxants Effective for Treating Low Back Pain?
Florence Chaverneff, Ph.D.
Muscle relaxants have shown to be effective for managing acute low back pain.
Researchers at the University of Sydney, Australia, performed a meta-analysis to determine whether muscle relaxants, which are commonly prescribed to manage low back pain (LBP), are efficacious in treating this common complaint.1
The leading cause of disability worldwide, LBP affects 23% of the population.2 Benzodiazepines (including diazepam) and muscle relaxants (including skeletal muscle relaxants carisoprodol and cyclobenzaprine) are the most commonly prescribed medications for LBP in the United States. However, it is recommended that benzodiazepines or muscle relaxants be prescribed as second-line treatment to manage LBP if nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or opioid analgesics prove ineffective.3, 4
The authors of the article, published online in the European Journal of Pain, searched medical databases, including Medline, EMBASE, and Central (n=10,309 searches), for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the efficacy of muscle relaxants and benzodiazepines for nonspecific LBP. A total of 15 studies (3362 participants) passed quality assessment and were considered in this meta-analysis; all were for muscle relaxants, none for benzodiazepines.
In this analysis, nonspecific LBP followed the definition laid out in a 2003 study: "Pain localized between the scapulas and inferior gluteal folds that may or may not radiate down towards the knees, for which specific aetiologies such as infections, neoplasms, metastases, osteoporosis, fractures, rheumatological disorders, neurologic disorders and other relevant pathologic entities have been ruled out clinically."5
The primary outcome for the RCTs was pain intensity, which was measured from 0 to 100 using visual analogue and numerical rating scales. Disability was assessed using the Oswestry Disability Index and the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire scores.
In 5 out of 15 trials included in the meta-analysis, muscle relaxants significantly produced pain relief for acute LBP (n=496, P <.001). Evidence investigating the effects of muscle relaxants on chronic LBP or disability was lacking. Information on adverse events associated with muscle relaxants vs placebo was available for 6 trials. The median rate of adverse events—which included headache, nausea, and dizziness—was similar to placebo (P =.5).
Muscle relaxants are both efficacious in treating acute low back pain and devoid of serious side effects, and should therefore be preferred as first-line of treatment. Additional studies are required to investigate whether they constitute appropriate treatment for chronic low back pain.
Muscle relaxants are both efficacious in treating acute low back pain and devoid of serious side effects, and are therefore indicated as first-line treatment. Additional studies are required to investigate whether they constitute appropriate treatment for chronic low back pain.
1. Abdel Shaheed C, Maher CG, Williams KA, McLachlan AJ. Efficacy and tolerability of muscle relaxants for low back pain: systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Pain. 2016 Jun 22. DOI: 10.1002/ejp.907. [Epub ahead of print]
2. Lim SS, Vos T, Flaxman AD, et al. A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990-2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2012;380(9859):2224-2260.
3. See S, Ginzburg R. Choosing a skeletal muscle relaxant. Am Fam Physician. 2008;78(3):365-370.
4. American Pain Society: Guidelines for the Evaluation and Management of Low Back Pain – Evidence Review http://americanpainsociety.org/uploads/education/guidelines/evaluation-management-lowback-pain.pdf
5. Van Tulder MW, Touray T, Furlan AD, Solway S, Bouter LM. Muscle relaxants for nonspecific low back pain: a systematic review within the framework of the Cochrane collaboration. Spine. 2003;28(17):1978-1992.
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