Absolute Magic, in good condition. A little dusty on top, but other then that its pretty much mint. This is the Second Edition.
If you are serious about mentalism and magic, this is one of the best books you can get on the subject.
Updated to include 'Miracle' as seen on Netflix, and the latest live show, 'Derren Brown: Underground' (also known as 'Secret' in the USA).This unauthorised book offers a revealing insight into the creation and design of large scale magic and mentalism performances. With a detailed breakdown of each of Derren Brown's Live theatre shows (Something Wicked This Way Comes, Evening of Wonders, Enigma, Svengali, Infamous, Miracle, Secret and Underground), performance is explained, dissected and thoroughly examined. Every show is discussed in detail and the book can be read whilst watching the DVD and TV presentations to increase understanding. This book is an educational review of these works, with the aim of teaching magicians and performers the importance of showmanship, presentation and creativity, helping the reader to use these insights in the creation of their own magic routines. Any magician can learn from the best, and in this field there is no-one that compares to Derren Brown. His live work is phenomenal and through studying his work we can take the art of magic to new heights.


Ending my year with Exchange Server 2010 To 2013 Migration Guide. I hope it helps to accomplish your migration project.
Signing out from year 2014. Wish you all very happy and prosperous year 2015.
Really very good, thanks for sharing the helpful guide to exchange server 2010 to 2013 migration. I tried this exchange migrator tool ( http://www.lepide.com/exchangemigrator/ ) that assist to migrate any exchange server to exchange 2013.
Thank you for the kind words on migration guide. I will check the tool you refereed.


This set includes two 1/2 page (2-sided) worksheets for students to practice multiplying tens by tens, hundreds, and thousands. They will print one-sided, copy two-sided and cut in half. Save on paper!
Third Grade Math Vocabulary: Common Core!!!


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2021 Dodge Challenger - Now Available
If you are looking for a car that has one of the most iconic designs as well as a powerful engine under the hood, then look no further than the 2021 Dodge Challenger. The Challenger offers a heart-stopping powertrain and an eye-catching design. This year, the Challenger also received several upgrades. Keep reading to learn about all of the exciting features that you can find on the 2021 Dodge Challenger.
The Challenger is outlined in strong lines and muscular curves. The hood features two large vents that help to keep the powerful engine cooled while also adding to the aggressive and stunning appearance. The long hood features a dramatic drop-off that leads the way to the round headlights and the LED halo accents. There are also several appearance packages to choose from to help make the Challenger fit your individual style. For example, the Widebody Special Appearance Package makes the car look larger than life by adding side flares that make the car 8.8 cm wider and there are also 20x11-inch stylish wheels.
Interior Style
The spacious interior features comfortable seats and luxurious materials. The Challenger may be a sporty coupe; however, the cabin feels more like a compact sedan. The Challenger is the only vehicle in its class to offer comfortable seating for up to five people while providing enough legroom and headspace to ensure that both the front and the back seat passengers feel comfortable. The comfortable seats can be wrapped in a wide range of materials, including Nappa leather.
High-Tech Entertainment
The Challenger comes standard with a large 7-inch digital instrument cluster that is fully customizable and allows you to view certain information with just a quick glance. There is also a large touchscreen infotainment display that features Dodge's user-friendly Uconnect software. The display comes equipped with Bluetooth connectivity options and also offers a Wi-Fi hotspot. For a more enjoyable musical experience, the Challenger also offers an available Harman Kardon sound system.
The 2021 Challenger offers several safety and security features. Some of the innovative features that you can find across all trim levels include:
Hydraulic-Assist Brake Booster
Advanced Multi-Stage Airbag System
Tire Service Kit
Park-Sense Rear Park Assist System (Available)
4-Wheel Anti-Lock Brakes with Brake Assist
Rain-Sensing Windshield Wipers
The Dodge Challenger offers several powerful models. Each model comes equipped with a powerful engine under the hood. Here is a look at the different engine options that drivers can choose from:
3.6-litre V6 engine delivers 305 horsepower and 268 lb.-ft of torque. (Available on SXT and GT)
5.7-litre Hemi V8 delivers 375 horsepower and 410 lb.-ft of torque. (Standard on R/T)
6.4 -litre Hemi V8 delivers 485 horsepower and 475 lb.-ft of torque. (Standard with Scat Pack 392)
6.2-litre Supercharged Hemi V8 delivers 717 horsepower and 656 lb.-ft of torque. (Standard on SRT Hellcat)
6.2-litre Supercharged High-Output Hemi V8 delivers 807 horsepower and 717 lb.-ft of torque. (Standard SRT Hellcat Redeye)
Book a Test Drive Today
There is no denying that the 2021 Dodge Challenger is a stunning and impressive muscle car. If you have any questions about this powerful car, or you would like to schedule a test drive, feel free to contact us today

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


So much of our focus in our daily life is striving to arrive.
"When I become a millionaire, I'll be a success."
"When I get that next promotion, I'll have made it."
"When I pay off the mortgage, I'll finally be free."
"When I win the lottery, I'll have no more worries."
"When I find my perfect life companion I'll finally be whole."
The bad news is, we never arrive. We only arrive once in our life. That's the moment we are born. In between our arrival and our departure, there are only milestones. We might something think of them as arriving, but we always move on from them, onto the next leg of our journey.
So what's the good news? You have arrived here to do something. Something great, something special. Something far bigger than you may even think you are capable of in this present moment.
The fact is, you have already arrived. You showed up here.
Don't focus on arriving. Focus on exploring – exploring why you are here, and what you are meant to be doing with the talents you have been given.
Celebrate the milestones, be present and enjoy the journey, but strive to never arrive.


How will technology advance in 2018, and how will it affect the construction industry? It's a great question and one that has no clear answer. The future is hard to predict and we certainly don't have a crystal ball – but here's a list of 10 technology trends to watch in the year ahead.
BIM stands for Building Information Modelling, and although this technology has been around for almost a decade, the construction industry has only begun to take notice.
BIM goes well beyond 3D modeling (width, height, and depth), and may also include 4D (time), 5D (cost), 6D (as-built operation), 7D (sustainability), 8D (safety) and beyond. The system is designed to facilitate seamless communication throughout all phases of a construction project and has been shown to reduce construction costs and speed up delivery thanks to the reduction in information loss.
Because of these benefits, the governments of Britain, Finland and Singapore have already mandated the use of BIM for public infrastructure projects….so it could be coming to a project near you.
Where virtual reality replaces the real world with a simulated version, augmented reality has the ability to take the real world and add to it. This means you'll have the ability to overlay a 3D model of your project over a real view of the construction site or to allow clients to 'see' various finishes right at the outset of a build. It's not mainstream quite yet, but it's coming.
2018 could mark the arrival of robotics and exoskeletons. Robots can already tie rebar and lay bricks at more than twice the speed of their human co-workers. And exoskeleton arms or vests which can help workers reduce their risk of injury while lifting heavy loads are currently under development.
IoT stands for Internet of Things, which basically refers to any device that can share information over a network without human-to-human or human-to-computer assistance. These days, that can be anything from a car with built-in sensors to a farm animal with a biochip transponder.
And of course, IoT plays a crucial role in Augmented Reality and Building Information Modeling (BIM).
Drone technology has advanced far beyond aerial photography and video. These unmanned aerial vehicles will soon be a common site on construction sites as they are more efficient than human surveyors and less expensive than airplanes. They are already being used to collect data, monitor the progress of a project, and carry out safety inspections. Drones can even be adapted to help evaluate a building's thermal mass by identifying any hot and cold spots.
The cloud is no longer just for storing and sharing your family photographs. In fact, companies are now the largest users of cloud-based software – which allows users to safely store and share large amounts of data over a secure network maintained by a third party, or cloud provider.
Flexibility: If your company is growing quickly, the cloud can keep up. Extra storage, resources, and users can be added (or removed) in an instant.
Accessibility: All you need to access the cloud is an internet connection (and a password). This means that real-time data can be reviewed by several people in different locations at the same time.
Lower costs: Cloud-based software solutions eliminate the need for traditional servers and costly start-up fees.
You may have noticed that many emerging technologies involve the gathering and sharing of data. And that could leave us all with a serious case of information overload. This is where artificial intelligence (AI) comes in.
AI systems have the ability to quickly gather, sort, make sense of, and respond to, an enormous amount of information. While the technology is still in its early stages, AI has the capacity to benefit the construction industry for everything from surveying and analyzing structures and materials to assisting with the automation of bricklaying and transportation.
While AI may be a few more years away, mobile field technology is already here.
Mobile applications allow workers to communicate and access documents and other information in real time from the convenience of their mobile phone or tablet. No more shuffling through stacks of paperwork, or needing to go back to the office to create a report! And many mobile applications can be integrated into your existing systems for things like supply chain management, payroll, and accounting.
With many of the large car manufacturers and tech giants pushing to bring self-driving cars to the roads by 2020, it's only a matter of time until driverless bulldozers, graders, and excavators start turning up at construction sites.
There is no single definition of what makes a building 'smart.' But buildings of the future will use integrated information technology to seamlessly connect components like lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and even security systems to maximize efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and automatically respond to their environments. And that will change how projects are designed, built, and managed.
So, what does this all mean for 2018?
The construction industry – like all industries – is changing rapidly thanks to advances in technology. Some – like Cloud Computing, Drones, and Mobile Field Technology – already play an important role and their use is expected to grow.
Others – like AI, Self-Driving Vehicles, and Smart Buildings – may take longer to become mainstream.
Eventually, they will all make an impact on the construction industry making our lives easier and our buildings more efficient.


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MEET SARAadmin2021-07-22T20:25:08+00:00
Sara Sawyer, Ph.D.
Dr. Sawyer has received national and international prizes in virology. In 2011 she was the recipient of the PECASE award from President Obama at the White House. She serves as a Senior Editor at eLIFE, and as a consultant on the topic of pandemic preparedness. In 2020, she co-founded Darwin Biosciences, a diagnostics company located in Boulder, CO.
BioFrontiers Institute, Dept. of MCDB
Chemical Engineering. University of Kansas
Genetics and Development, Cornell University
Fred Hutchinson Cancer, Research Center
Sara's Mentors
Sara's undergraduate research mentor, Dr. Trung Van Nguyen, University of Kansas, Chemical Engineering
Sara's undergraduate mentor, Dr. Paul Enos, University of Kansas, Geology
Sara with her first virology mentor, Dr Volker Vogt, Cornell University
Sara with her postdoctoral advisor, Dr. Harmit Malik, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle
Emerman
Sara with her postdoctoral co-advisor, Dr. Michael Emerman, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle
Eckstrand
Sara with Irene Eckstrand, the NIH program officer (now retired) that awarded her first R01.
2011 PECASE
Sara receiving 2011 PECASE from President Obama at the White House:
Dr. Sara Sawyer was born in Olathe, Kansas, and earned a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Kansas. As an undergraduate, she did research on fuel cell technology being developed for use in battery-powered cars. After college, Dr. Sawyer worked as a drilling engineer in the oil industry, a job that took her to off-shore drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.
She then attended graduate school at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. There, she earned a Ph.D. in Genetics for studying cell cycle regulation of DNA replication in yeast. During her post-doctoral training, she worked with Drs. Harmit Malik and Michael Emerman in Seattle, Washington. She then served as an Assistant Professor at UT Austin before moving to the University of Colorado Boulder.
Message to Potential Trainees
I want to share a few words about my philosophy for anyone who may be considering joining my lab. I care about helping people develop the skills that they need in order to build a successful career. But, on a more existential level, I hope to show you that there is no finer way to live your life than engaged in a meaningful intellectual pursuit. I demand dedication and hard work, but in return you will gain my fierce loyalty to you and your career.
Although there will be obstacles, I believe that graduate school should be fun (at least most of the time). According to the Buddhists, "Happiness is the road, not the destination."
If you would like to be a member of a team engaged in exciting and challenging research, please speak with me about possible graduate or postdoctoral research projects.
A Favorite Quote
"When I was a kid, there was really only one existential threat the world faced. The threat of a nuclear war. By the late 1990s, most reasonable people had come to accept that climate change represented another major threat to humankind.
I view the threat of deadly pandemics right up there with nuclear war and climate change.
Innovation, cooperation, and careful planning can dramatically mitigate the risks presented by each of these threats."
– Bill Gates
(Regarding the HIV/AIDS Pandemic)
"They'll never know that feeling, what it's like to love without worrying that you're going to die… or, worse yet, that you are going to kill somebody.
I don't know what's shittier, having that freedom taken away or never having had it to begin with.
Either way, ain't no going back now."
– Pray-Tell on the FX Series "Pose"


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Virtual Performance - Plague Tales
Sunday, Nov 1, 2020
www.theatreproject.org
Please call before attending any community events. It is likely that they will be postponed or canceled as a result of the coronavirus. You can find CDC coronavirus information at cdc.gov/coronavirus; AARP has additional resources at aarp.org/coronavirus.
Phantasmagoria returns to Baltimore with their unique brand of horror storytelling.
This time it's virtual.
Called "One of the most unique theater troupes in the country." by Good Day Atlanta, and direct from its ongoing sold out performances in multiple cities and states and 6 months of online streaming performances, Victorian Horror Troupe Phantasmagoria is proud to bring the eleventh main stage installment of their long running critically acclaimed series, to the 2020 Halloween Season in their first ever Virtual Tour!
Phantasmagoria's PLAGUE TALES thunders onto the virtual stage with 5 newly told Tales of Terror! Haunted Storytelling, "Phantastical" dance, explosive stage combat, puppetry, projections, Fire Dancing, Aerial arts and much, MUCH more combine to create a tapestry of elegant and whimsically macabre horror!
Join Phantasmagoria's evocative troupe of storytellers, dancers, and chorus as they embark on their all new dark journeys through literary tales of terror, horrific folk stories, legends, and myths. From Edgar Allan Poe to Robert Louis Stevenson, to a mythical Plague Maiden and more this show is sure to set the tone for a truly Phantasmagorical Halloween season!
Phantasmagoria previously appeared at Theatre Project in spring 2016 with Wicked Little Tales, and in summer 2017 with Wickedest Tales of All.
NOTE: Elements of horror – Recommended for ages 8 and up.
Viewing Information:
Upon registration you will receive a link and access code to view the show.
Video access begins at 12am on October 30th and ends at noon on November 2nd.
Tickets are $22. One registration per device.
**5% of ticket proceeds will go to benefit Jubilee Arts, a community program providing arts classes to the residents of the Sandtown-Winchester, Upton, and surrounding neighborhoods in Baltimore.**
Ticket Link: https://theatreproject.ticketspice.com/plague-tales
This event listing provided for the Baltimore community events calendar. Community events are not associated with or sponsored by AARP, but may be of interest to you. If you have an event to share, let us know!
Images provided by AmericanTowns.com, Ticketmaster
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Home / Posts tagged "Amsterdam"
Tag: Amsterdam
Posted on 7th July 2021 7th July 2021 by Gif-Art — Leave a comment
This morning I woke up to the news that Dutch crime journalist and investigator Peter R. De Vries, who is a celebrity and national hero to many victims of crime he has helped over his impressive 40 year career, has been shot 5 times of which one in the head, in broad daylight in a busy street in central Amsterdam. He is at this moment still in critical condition in hospital.
PPeter R. De Vries Peter R. de Vries (2017)
Peter is a tenacious investigator and journalist who has sometimes taken years to investigate a case and find new leads in cold cases, and stood by many victim's families in their search for justice. He is at the moment involved in the huge Marengo court case around a Moroccan drugs gang who are accused of several murders and attempted murders since 2015, all of which happened in broad daylight in residential areas. For a long time these murders went on unchallenged because nobody was willing to talk, and there was not enough evidence. But this all changed when the brother of one of the main suspects was brutally murdered, who had no criminal ties whatsoever. This man, called Nabil B. suddenly came forward in 2017 to give evidence about all these liquidations, in exchange for lower sentencing. He then asked Peter R. De Vries to act as his advisor in the case, which Mr. De Vries accepted together with 2 lawyers.
The main suspect, Ridouan Taghi is thought to have been one of the leaders of this major crime gang, responsible for drug trafficking and at least 10 murders, under which Nabil B.'s brother and his lawyer Derk Wiersum. This murder caused a major uproar and is regarded a direct attack on the Dutch legal system. One other suspect is still out there with a prize of €100.000 on his head.
Saïd Razzouki, the fugitive still at large with €100.000 reward for leads leading to his arrest.
Now to me that is laughable. That amount of money is pocket money for those criminals who rake in millions a year and can easily avoid captivity by buying off people to keep them out of the hands of Dutch courts. This guy Taghi has been arrested and taken to the Netherlands in late 2019 in Dubai. The UIE does not have an extradition treaty with the Netherlands, so the only way to arrest him there and take him back was because he was travelling on a false passport.
Dubai is regarded a major magnet for criminal gangs from all over the world for that reason, as well as Marbella in Spain. The Dutch even have a special prosecutor permanently stationed there as Dutch drug gangs are said to be responsible for the majority of soft drugs imports from South America and North Africa. A large quantity of the world's synthetic drugs are produced in the Netherlands and trafficked around the world. It is estimated that 18.8 billion Euros ($20.75 billion) worth of ecstacy are produced in Amsterdam alone. With this increased production and trade comes increased violence, and in the last 7 years to 2020 50 murders have been related to drug gangs in the wider Amsterdam area alone. Drug dealing and related violence is now taking place in broad daylight and mayors, police officers and lawyers being threatened, and as we have seen, killed by the gangs (Correa, 2020).
Ordinary citizens are getting hurt in the cross hairs, and lose trust in the police and court system to protect them. Correa (2020) writes in her article that 56% of Dutch citizens believe they live in a narco state and Jan Struijs, the chair of the biggest police union says: "If you look at the infrastructure, the big money earned by organized crime, the parallel economy. Yes, we have a narco-state."
Off course cuts to police budgets and the judiciary in general is a big reason why the state don't seem to get much progress on repressing this expanding drug trade. Cause let's face it, that is all the state under capitalism can do, repress. What could be the answer to stop this from spiralling out of control? Legalisation and state regulation of drug production could be part of it, but I can imagine the cartels won't be happy with that and will increase the violence to retain their market monopoly. This is a global problem which in my mind needs a global solution. And why do poppy farmers in Colombia and Peru grow poppies? Because it is more lucrative and they are being forced into it by the cartels. So just offering farmers an alternative is not necessarily going to work. I believe this problem needs tackling on all fronts, from the farmers to the users, and in the end, if people are offered better opportunities and lives generally they will take that over crime any day. So yes, and I'm sure I am boring for saying this but we need system change, socialism, for a better life for everyone.
It feels me with intense sadness to write this article about the country I love and grew up in. Since I left 11 years ago the violence has become increasingly worse, and no real change has been achieved to stop this stream of murders and the ocean of despair drugs cause in society. I have been a victim of this myself, and I feel a burning desire to do something about it.
For now I want to conclude by giving my solidarity and love to Peter R. De Vries and his family, my thoughts are with you and I feel even more determined to proceed to study and contribute to the Criminology community, and continue the important work Peter has done, and hopefully will continue to do for my home country.
References/Credits
Image credits Peter R. De Vries: DWDD, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Correa, G. (2020) 'The Netherlands Is at Risk of Becoming a Narco State' Available at https://www.addictioncenter.com/news/2020/01/netherlands-narco-state/ (last accessed 07/07/2021).
Categories: Blog, Criminology
Tags: Amsterdam, Drugs and violence in The Netherlands, Dutch drug gangs, Marengo trial, Nabil B, Peter R. De Vries shooting, Ridouan Taghi, Shootings


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Willka T'ika Staff Hiking in the Sacred Valley
Hiking up the Sacred Valley to the "Las Ruinas de Perolniyoc"
By Terry Cumes
Every time I come to Peru I try to take Willka T'ika's staff hiking in the Sacred Valley. Considering 18 people's work and vacation schedules, it's hard to find a day when everyone can join. Fortunately, this last week had been particularly quiet at Willka T'ika so we were able to agree on Thursday, August 2nd. The 2nd also fell just after the "Día de la Pachamama" making it an extra auspicious time to celebrate the staff and their vast contributions in making Willka T'ika a nature sanctuary in the Sacred Valley of the Inca.
After doing a some scouting hiking and biking in the Sacred Valley and then consulting with the staff, we decided to hike to "las ruinas de Perolniyoc." Antonia, our head of staff, organized a local bus to take us to the mountain community of Socma and also invited a local farmer, Marco, who claimed to know the trail. Strangely, not one of our locally-born staff had ever been up to these nearby ruins and nobody, including our own hiking guide Silverio, knew the route up the Sacred Valley. I did some research on-line and the Peruvian Tourism Board had been promoting the restoration of these ruins since 2014, but with the exception of a few tourists on horseback and the residents of Socma, few people seemed to have explored them. It seemed like the perfect adventure for us and everyone was excited to spend the day hiking and to discover something new right in their back yard.
Thursday at twilight, my alarm went off at 5AM. We needed to leave early before the road construction work around the town of Pachar blocked our access to Socma. I woke Tristen up with a cup of maté de coca and we packed up our day pack with gloves, hat, sunscreen and water. We tied a few extra layers around our waists, knowing that the high altitude winds could turn our sunny day hike into a frigid trek. I grabbed a box of Sublime chocolates and a couple bags of galletas to share with the staff. By the time we got to the meeting spot, it was close to 6AM and everyone attempted to find a seat in the small bus. The driver, Yon, wanted to take the group in two trips but we convinced him to allow us to pile in. The overloaded bus lurched forward up the dirt driveway, and after a few failed attempts, gained purchase on the main road towards Ollantaytambo.
We drove up the windy dirt road to Socma. It only took 30 minutes which was somewhat disheartening to me since it had taken me over two hours on my bike a few weeks ago. We filed out and began hiking just as the sun was coming up. The sky was clear and the air was heating up earlier than usual. Pachamama was smiling upon us! After weeks of a remarkably cold winter, she was promising us a welcome warm day.
Immediately the staff began to split into small groups based roughly on fitness level. Those who worked in the gardens and doing construction charged ahead. Led by maintenance workers Leo, David, and Jesus, who jogged up the trail, followed by the gardeners: Julian, Juan Carlos, and Ivan. The housekeeping staff was next: Julio, Guido and Marta. At the rear, keeping Tristen and me company were the office and kitchen staff: Antonia, Roxanna, Livio, and Mario. Fabian and Moises also stayed back with us. Almost the entire staff was in attendance, except for Florencio, Arturo, and Angel who all had to stay home for personal reasons.
The climb up to the Cataratas de Perolniyoc was steep and muddy and Mario and I helped Tristen with the slippery, rocky steps. Mario would not leave Tristen's side the entire day and we soon coined his new nickname "bastón" or "walking stick." Despite the steep grade, it took only 45 minutes to get to the waterfall and everyone was happy to stop and pose for photos in the cool mist, feeling the force of eighty meters of falling glacier water. I was surprised to see everyone using their phones, taking selfies, and sending WhatsApp messages to their families at home. It wasn't that long ago that not a single staff member had even a fixed telephone in their home. Yet over the last five years they'd all acquired iPhones, mastered texting, and opened Facebook accounts.
We continued to wind our way up towards to ruins, which were now visible above us. As we continued hiking high above the Sacred Valley and I began to feel the humbling effects of the altitude. Perched at 3,645 meters (12,000 ft), las ruinas de Perolynioc loomed down on us, After an hour, we approached the first set of ruins, aptly named "Raqaypata," or "Crying up top" in Quechua. Fortunately Tristen and I weren't ready to "cry up high" just yet, as the ascent was now gentle and we were reasonably acclimated from over a month of living and hiking in the Sacred Valley.
The ruins of Raqaypata were empty so we enjoyed the quiet, peaceful vantage and gazed out to the Sacred Valley below. Everyone eagerly opened their chocolates and snacks and a few of us pulled out the wads of coca leaves stuffed into our gums. Chewing coca and posing for photographs do not go well together, I soon realized. We took a group photo up against the rocky ruins and I made a short speech to staff about my plans for Willka T'ika. I explained that Tristen and I would be spending a good part of the year in Peru to help grow the business as well as to give my mother a much-deserved rest. I thanked everyone for the hard work and passed out envelopes containing the tips that had accumulated since I'd arrived. In true ayni fashion, we split the propinas evenly among the staff, emphasizing that everyone's contribution to Willka T'ika was equally important. Several people smiled when Mario said that this was the first time he'd ever received a tip at such high altitude!
As we pulled ourselves up to start hiking, Tristen's alarm went off on her phone. When I explained that she only wakes up at 8:30AM, everyone starting laughing, since most of them are at work by 7AM. The agrarian Quechua always wake up with the sun. Waking up today at 5AM to go hiking felt like (and was) a holiday to them. We proceeded to climb up the pass and I noticed that Antonia and Roxana were looking a bit tired. I asked them when was the last time they had been hiking and they confirmed my suspicion. It was when I had taken them to Lares four years ago! Clearly winded, they were still smiling and kept saying how much they enjoyed being outdoors and hiking. Pachamama was such a part of their being that even if they'd become sedentary, they were always in their element in Nature.
By 10:30AM we reached a field of pampa grass, a perfect spot for a very early lunch. After four hours of hiking, we were all ravenous. Thanks to the culinary skills of our staff and the recent offerings to Pachamama, everyone had brought an impressive amount of food. Antonia reached into a huge casserole dish and scooped fried chicken and rice onto a plate for us. This was the first meat Tristen and I had eaten in weeks and it was delicious. As if competing with his sister, Fabian then heaped bowls of warm pasta with chicken and potatoes onto our plate. He then offered us a thermos full of sweet coffee, made from the coffee beans from his farm or chakra in Quillabamba. I had forgotten that before Fabian had become the head of facilities and construction, he had once been Willka T'ika's chef. Everyone was a cook in this crew and I felt a bit embarrassed with my meagre avocado and cheese sandwich. At least I had the chocolates to share!
After lunch, the trail began to level off and we hiked along a spectacular ridge line, looking down onto Socma and the valley below. Soon the trail started to descend slightly and I realized that we were no longer heading towards the summit where the actual Ruinas de Perolniyoc were located. I located the guide Marco and asked him where exactly we were going. "Vamos o Ollantaytambo," he assured me. Although that was indeed the planned return route, the goal had always been to reach the ruins way up top. "If we try do that," he explained in rustic Spanish, "it's another three hours up and one and half hours back down." I realized that there would then be no time to do the three hour descent to Ollantaytambo and we'd have to go back to Socma and find another bus to drive us home. Fabian, Antonia and I deliberated. We all wanted to get to the top but we knew that some of us might not be up for it. Also, half of the group was far ahead at this point and it would be very hard to track them down and get them to turn around.
I decided it was more important to stay together and have an enjoyable day, rather than complete a heroic march to the summit, which is what we had done in Lares years earlier. Also hiking down the ridge above the Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo seemed much more interesting than going back the way we had come. So we kept walking and only caught up to the group an hour later at the last plateau overlooking Yanahuara on the right and the first view of Ollantaytambo on the left. We took a few more photos and zipped up our jackets just as the wind began to make an appearance.
It took us almost two hours to walk down the pass to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley. The sandy path was full of scree and it was hard to walk down without slipping. By now we had cell phone reception so I was able to call Livio and tell him to let the vanguard know not to wait for us at the bottom. They were already at the Vilcanota (Urubamba) river by now and would probably prefer to head home rather than to wait for us. It turned out that most of them went into Ollantaytambo to explore the famous ruins. Being locals, they received free admission and I was happy to see them taking advantage of it. Those of us in the rear guard staggered into town and stopped at the first "bar de esquina" we could find. We ordered a few big bottles of Pilsen lager and shared stories about Willka T'ika. After just enough beer to take the edge off our knees, we hopped onto a colectivo (shared van) and were home by 3:30PM. Everyone appreciated being home early and especially before the cold Andean air crept back. Even though we did the "short" route we still clocked in 12 miles and 29,000 steps. It was a great day for all of us. Pachamama had kept everyone smiling.


← We are Religious Jews!
Tonight on the Jewish calendar marks 4 years since you died. It is hard to believe, four years. There are so many things to say and so many things I wish we could talk about, but those remain between you and me and not this blog.
It seems appropriate that the 5th of Kislev (your yartzeit) is also Thanksgiving. You loved this holiday. The huge meal, the lavish entertaining, the family and friends gathered together around the dinner table. Yeah presence is still missed at those gatherings and always will be.
I love you, Mom. I always will. I raised a glass of your favorite to you.


text:
package crypto

import (
	"crypto/cipher"
	"crypto/des"
	"encoding/hex"
	"log"
)

type DesMode int

const (
	Ecb DesMode = iota + 1
	Cbc
)

var ZeroIv []byte = []byte{0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0}

//Performs TripleDes encryption of data with the key

func EncryptTripleDesEde2(key []byte, data []byte, paddingType PaddingType) ([]byte, error) {

	var keyData []byte
	keyData = append(keyData, key...)
	keyData = append(keyData, key[:8]...)
	//add padding
	newData := paddingType.Pad(data)

	log.Printf("(+Pad) %s ", hex.EncodeToString(newData))

	block, err := des.NewTripleDESCipher(keyData)
	if err != nil {
		log.Printf("failed to encrypt - %s", err.Error())
		return nil, err
	}

	encryptedData := make([]byte, len(newData))
	for i := 0; i < len(data); i += 8 {
		block.Encrypt(encryptedData[i:i+8], newData[i:i+8])
	}

	return encryptedData, err

}

//performs Triple DES decryption

func DecryptTripleDesEde2(key []byte, data []byte, paddingType PaddingType) ([]byte, error) {

	var keyData []byte
	keyData = append(keyData, key...)
	keyData = append(keyData, key[:8]...)

	block, err := des.NewTripleDESCipher(keyData)
	if err != nil {
		log.Printf("failed to encrypt - %s", err.Error())
		return nil, err
	}

	decryptedData := make([]byte, len(data))
	for i := 0; i < len(data); i += 8 {
		block.Decrypt(decryptedData[i:i+8], data[i:i+8])
	}

	log.Printf("Decrypted Data %s\n", hex.EncodeToString(decryptedData))
	decryptedData = paddingType.RemovePad(decryptedData)

	return decryptedData, err

}

//exported wrappers to des and triple des routines

func EncryptDes(data []byte, key []byte) ([]byte, error) {
	return encryptDes(data, key)
}

func DecryptDes(data []byte, key []byte) ([]byte, error) {
	return decryptDes(data, key)
}

func EncryptTripleDes(data []byte, key []byte) ([]byte, error) {
	return encrypt3des(data, key)
}

func DecryptTripleDes(data []byte, key []byte) ([]byte, error) {
	return decrypt3des(data, key)
}

//single des

func decryptDes(data []byte, key []byte) ([]byte, error) {

	desCipher, err := des.NewCipher(key)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}

	result := make([]byte, len(data))
	//log.Printf("%s %s", hex.EncodeToString(result), hex.EncodeToString(data))
	for i := 0; i < len(data); i += 8 {
		desCipher.Decrypt(result[i:], data[i:])
	}
	return result, nil

}

func encryptDes(data []byte, key []byte) ([]byte, error) {

	desCipher, err := des.NewCipher(key)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}

	result := make([]byte, len(data))
	//log.Printf("%s %s", hex.EncodeToString(result), hex.EncodeToString(data))
	for i := 0; i < len(data); i += 8 {
		desCipher.Encrypt(result[i:], data[i:])
	}
	return result, nil

}

func EncryptDesCbc(data []byte, key []byte) ([]byte, error) {
	return encryptDesCbc(data, key)
}

func encryptDesCbc(data []byte, key []byte) ([]byte, error) {

	desCipher, err := des.NewCipher(key)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}
	encrypter := cipher.NewCBCEncrypter(desCipher, ZeroIv)
	result := make([]byte, len(data))
	encrypter.CryptBlocks(result, data)
	return result, nil

}

//triple des

func decrypt3des(data []byte, key []byte) ([]byte, error) {

	tripleDESKey := make([]byte, 0)

	if len(key) == 16 {
		//ede2
		tripleDESKey = append(tripleDESKey, key...)
		tripleDESKey = append(tripleDESKey, key[:8]...)
	} else {
		//ede3
		tripleDESKey = append(tripleDESKey, key...)
	}
	tripleDESCipher, err := des.NewTripleDESCipher(tripleDESKey)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}

	result := make([]byte, len(data))
	//log.Printf("%s %s", hex.EncodeToString(result), hex.EncodeToString(data))
	for i := 0; i < len(data); i += 8 {
		tripleDESCipher.Decrypt(result[i:], data[i:])
	}
	return result, err

}

func encrypt3des(data []byte, key []byte) ([]byte, error) {

	tripleDESKey := make([]byte, 0)

	if len(key) == 16 {
		//ede2
		tripleDESKey = append(tripleDESKey, key...)
		tripleDESKey = append(tripleDESKey, key[:8]...)
	} else {
		//ede3
		tripleDESKey = append(tripleDESKey, key...)
	}

	log.Println(hex.EncodeToString(tripleDESKey))
	tripleDESCipher, err := des.NewTripleDESCipher(tripleDESKey)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}

	result := make([]byte, len(data))
	for i := 0; i < len(data); i += 8 {
		tripleDESCipher.Encrypt(result[i:], data[i:])
	}
	//tripleDESCipher.Encrypt(result, data)

	return result, nil

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


"Had some beautiful highlights done by Lettie and I love her creativity that she performed on my hair. Even over the weekend I got a few compliments while I was grocery shopping. She is my go to stylist. She has been at this location for over 10 years. I recommend her highly!! "One happy customer" No extension. It's all my real hair."


Scanning a QR Code is the fasted way to open specific content in the browser!
To give you an example: A new blockbuster movie is out and is promoted with posters in the streets or with ads in magazines. To let people interact with the poster a link and a QR Code are added, like shown in the illustration above. The link redirects the user to the movie trailer, so people can already preview the movie on their mobile devices, before watching the movie in the theatre.
To access the trailer from the poster a person can type the URL in the web browser, use auto complete in YouTube or just simply scan the QR Code. We assume that a QR Code Reader App is already being installed on the phone and that the three different approaches of playing the trailer use the same internet connection with the same speed. The browser cache is being emptied every time. The initial process of downloading and installing the QR Code reader takes about two minutes, but is not considered in this testing scenario. With Apple devices since ios11 you don't even need to install a 3rd-party-App to scan QR Codes.
The traditional way to open a web address is to type the URL https://qrd.by/mi5 manually in the browser's address bar. Even if the link on the poster is an easy to remember and shortened URL, it takes 30 seconds to open the web browser, to enter the URL and to wait for the player to start the video. This is a reason why QR Codes became popular in China: the Chinese alphabet has much more characters and it takes ages to manually enter a Chinese URL on a mobile device.
A faster way to watch the trailer is to use the auto complete function of the YouTube App by starting to type in the first chars of the movie. Auto complete works quite well and after entering the first 3 characters the trailer was already suggested. However there are a bunch of trailers in different languages and qualities. Typing the URL or scanning the QR Code ensures that you are being redirected to the official trailer.
Firing up the QR Code Reader App, scanning the QR Code and the video starting to play on YouTube takes less than 10 seconds. The only disadvantage is that people have to install a QR Code Reader on their mobile devices first because in general decoding QR Codes is not supported by the native operating system.
As shown in the videos above adding QR Codes to your ads enables people to interact three times faster with your brand than manually entering an URL. Of course you have to give people an incentive why they should scan the QR Code or open the URL on their mobile device. But once you have caught their attention our statistics show that people tend to scan the QR Code four times more often than to type in the URL. We did not cover speech recognition (e.g. Cortana) and other technologies like iBeacons or Augmented Reality in this article. But we are happy if you leave a comment with your experience about other different approaches.
Last but not least: Before using QR Codes in your marketing campaigns make sure you have read our QR Code Guide for an optimal user experience and now we encourage you to create QR Codes (if you haven't already). You might also take a look at your competitors how they use QR Codes in their marketing campaigns.
This entry was posted in QR Code on September 6, 2015 by Peter.
It is faster… if you have a QR code scanner on your phone. In most instances, people do not. Because they take up space on their phone's memory and are so seldom used that… why would they?
Your bit above about native camera app scanning? The article you linked even says that the big two (Android and iOS) don't do it. So your link actually is not supporting your argument at all. Windows phones are the only ones with native code scanning… at 2.6% of market share.
Also, most marketers make a bad habit of assuming that all people know what they are. Sure, we've all likely seen them at some point or another. But how many actually know that it's called a "QR code" to be able to then go to their respective app store, search for it, and figure out which of the dozens out there they want to download? Sorry, but the 10 seconds to scan a QR code is now beyond a minute or more depending on your connection. And, if you don't have an unlimited data plan and are not on wifi, are you really going to waste your precious data downloading an app for a single use? I find if a company is pushing me to use a QR code "for more information," I'd prefer to not bother and walk away.
My company gave up on QR codes four years ago. Bitly or just using as simple a URL as possible is the way to go.
I agree that companies using just a QR Code without to show an alternative URL misunderstood the concept of QR Codes.
A QR Code should always be used as an add-on to an URL – not standalone. In our post 9 tips how to use QR Codes we show how to use a QR Code combined with a call-2-action message, an alternative URL and a decoding hint.
A QR Code has nothing to do with your internet connection or data plan. No matter if you type in the URL manually or scan the code, if you have a slow internet connection the page will load slow.
I do not recommend using bit.ly since a company should always enforce their brand and displaying an URL of a third party distracts the user. With our White Label QR Code Manager you can completely customize your URLs with your own domain and your own shortened vanity URLs.
A QR Code Reader App like i-nigma has 2,7MB which takes about 0,02% memory of an iPhone with 16GB. The app size is less than one picture taken by the camera, so I would not agree that a QR Code scanning app takes too much memory on a phone.
It is true that the initial step of installing a scanning app takes some extra time. But you cannot add that time to the scanning process, because once installed firing up the app and scanning the QR Code has a constant duration. This is like any other app like Facebook, Snapchat or Instagram you have to install first before continuously integrating them in your everyday life.
Maybe you have started using QR Codes in a too early phase. From our platform statistics the numbers for creating and scanning QR Codes increase from year to year.
You might want to give QR Codes a try again and let me know how it worked out.
You have a 29-second YouTube video of somebody who starts typing a URL at 0:03, and presses return at 0:17. You're counting page-load time as part of "typing".
You're assuming the person has a QR scanner app on their home screen, which is something I've never seen anyone do. Realistically, they'd have to page through a few screens to find it. Or if they don't feel like searching for it manually, typing "QR" to search for the app.
You've pre-configured a phone with a QR app on the home screen, and are using it to open a cached webpage, and are claiming the speed increase is because of some QR magic.
Hello Tom, thanks for your thoughts.
I tried the scenario you are describing with the search function "QR" on my iPhone 6S. It took me 10 seconds to open the page (which by the way was not cached).
I don't get your point, maybe you lose seconds by finding the QR Code App, but are you claiming that scanning a QR Code is slower than typing or autocompleting an URL (especially if it's a long one or autocomplete will not find the page you are looking for)? Maybe it is not three times faster in some cases but it helps people with non-Latin script countries like in China to speed up (https://www.quora.com/Why-are-QR-codes-popular-in-China).
Moreover, there are some mobile devices who support QR Code scanning out of the box in the native camera app, which will increase the speed a notch.
Thanks for the post. Any time I can use a QR code I will. It really is so much faster. Especially if it has other information like someones contact info or something else like that.


Government may not be a natural phenomenon, but the reasons that compel men to enter into them are rooted in natural law. Formation of civil society is driven by self-preservation, which is the seminal tenet of nature. All societeis built upon this idea are therefore teleological. Government has an intrinsic natural end: to utilize its collected resources on behalf of its citizens and provide a greater degree of security than individuals can find in isolation. In some instances, security means nothing more than safeguarding individual rights. In other, security includes a material provision against homelessness, poverty and other social ills. If the government in question is a monarchy, the king wishes to expand his wealth and secure his power, for stability benefits not only his fortunes but the security of his subjects, whose good depends on his protection. If a democracy, the government is formed to protect and serve the interests of a majority, which has banded together to seek a protection of law devoid in nature.
But when government processes become ancillary to the will of the individual, law and order becomes a means to an end; it is a tool, with extrinsic purpose.
Government, like other beings, is subject to the laws of nature. When it develops cognition, it develops other capacities endemic to individuals. And think government does. In determining what policies are best suited to satisfy the needs of its citizens, government develops a discretionary process.
But government is not a producer. Its resources are limited. It cannot offer comfort for every citizen who comes before it expressing a need. It must prioritize need, determing which is most exigent and most deserving of support. This requires not only a mental process but an emotional capacity; government must empathize as well as think.
Government is now effectively alive. And this means that it, like others, possesses a survival instinct. It will begin to look to the preservation of its own interests.
But government is not subject to the same limitations of its citizens. Its edicts carry authority. By design, this cannot be challenged by its citizens, who enter into society with the understanding that the greater collective power wielded by government is made moral by the fact that it is used to secure that which the individual cannot secure on his own. Unlike government, the individual's ambitions are limited by his physical constitution. Reason, too, stands as an impediment against the excesses of man: fear of retaliation governs the actions of man in regards to aggression against his brethren. One does not bite the hand that may one may feed him.
But government is insulated from fear of reprisals. More specifically, the individuals whose actions and wills animate government are insulated from fear of reprisal.
A government that takes on cognizance does so because the consciousness of an official is grafted into the organs of power. Government's power of discretion, created that government might respond to the needs of its citizens, becomes the politician's power of discretion. The survival instinct of those who animate the organs of government become the guiding force of its actions. Personal will is married to force of law, creating a chimerical creature that is omniscient.
This omniscience holds society ransom. Its will is an end to itself. Though "good" may be the basis for action, there is no guarantee of this, or that the definition will not fluctuate over time as the supreme power's will fluctuates and different parts of his constitution are emphasized. Man and state must inevitably merge, making an objective marker- such as the rule of law-impossible.
There must inevitably be a clash between the supreme power and the broader polity. Unlike in a state of nature or in civil society, where rights are innate to individual being, the terms of life- the rights and conditions on which they are held- in a cognizant state are determined by the whim of the central authority. Since the ruler holds a monopoly on force, his will alone determines law, justice and even morality. The rights citizens holds, and their lives themselves, exist on the terms set by the ruler.
Cognizance corrupts the purpose of government. Man cedes his autonomy with the understanding that government will use its powers to confer benefits he cannot achieve himself, namely to secure his being. But the power of discretion given to government in service of this end is turned against man, used to enthrall him and make his needs subservient to the state.


I'll be in the swim, sir.
More int'resting than Blake, sir.
And so I joined the Movement!
And when he sneezed I snorted.
And read them on the telly.
(Until, of course, I'm in it).
From Selected Poems by John Heath-Stubbs. Reprinted by permission of David Higham Associates, Ltd. Copyright © 1990 by David Higham Associates, Ltd. All rights reserved.


"'Teacher, said John, 'we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he is not one of us.' 'Do not stop him,' Jesus said. 'For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us'" (Mark 9: 38-50).
"The buck stops here" is a phrase attributed to Harry Truman to indicate that there are some jobs that cannot or should not be passed on to others. The buck stops at the desk of the Chief Operating Officer (CEO) of a company. There are some jobs that a CEO must do herself, but many tasks can be delegated to others.
In Sunday's textMoses complained to God, the Chairman of the Board (consisting of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), that he had too much responsibility—caring for all those people he brought out of Egypt—how was he supposed to do everything anyway? "Moses said to God, 'Why are you treating me this way? I can't do this by myself—it's too much, all these people . . . I've seen enough; I've had enough'" (Excerpts Numbers 11: 11-15, The Message). Moses was ready to throw in the towel until God taught him how to be an effective CEO.
God explained to Moses that one of his non-delegable duties as a CEO was to build a strong management team consisting of seasoned leaders and to delegate some of his authority to each: "The Lord said to Moses: 'Bring me seventy of Israel's elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people' . . . Then the Lord came down in a cloud and spoke with him [Moses], and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders" (Numbers 11:16; 25). He taught Moses that he doesn't have to do everything—that he can share the power of the Spirit with others.
Joshua, Moses' long-time assistant, jealously observed two of the seventy "prophesying in the camp" . . . and asked Moses to stop them. "But Moses said, 'Are you jealous for me? Would that all God's people were prophets. Would that God put his Spirit on all of them'" (Numbers 11: 28-29). Moses was a quick study. As soon as God showed him how to share the burden with others, he realized the wisdom of it.
It was a lesson that Jesus would have to teach his disciples. John reported to Jesus "we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he is not one of us.' 'Do not stop him,' Jesus said. 'For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us'" (Mark 9: 38-50). Both Joshua and the disciples were jealous of the authority they had working under the CEO, and they didn't want to share it. Like a good CEO chiding his managers, Jesus pointed out that they aren't in competition—anyone who spreads the Word in the name of Jesus is on the same team!
Pastors of all denominations and lay spreaders of the Word are not in competition for the hearts and minds of people. We are all in this together. We all want the same thing—to tell others the good news that Jesus died and rose for your sins and mine. We all work for God—the Chairman of the Board. We are all workers in his vineyard.
James issued a warning to oppressive CEOs: "Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded . . . Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you" (James 5: 1-3, 5). It is a CEO's responsibility to pay workers a fair wage so that they can take care of themselves and their families. Rich and poor alike are dependent upon God for sustenance and for the very air they breathe. The psalmist warned arrogant people who think that they don't need God: "When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust" (Psalm 104:29).
One day each of us will return to dust—so get over yourself and get God.
Whether you are a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, the CEO or Co-CEO in your family of one or two, a pastor, or a mother making up a chores chart for the members of your family, you need to learn to delegate and to accept the work of others who are working toward the same goal. You should never overlook the needs and contributions of people who are a bit different. Seek out others who can lighten your burden. You can't do everything yourself. It's true that the buck stops with the CEO, but God wants all hands on deck. Everyone is invited to share in the task of spreading the Word that Jesus Christ is Lord. We all have different talents and abilities and are not all called to the same task, but a wise CEO observes the special abilities of his people and delegates accordingly.
Go and do likewise. And may the Spirit go with you.
The Scripture texts for Sunday, September 30, 2018, are Numbers 11: 4-6, 10-16, 24-29; Psalm 104: 27-35; James 5: 1-20; Mark 9: 38-50.


text:
Ashley Walters
As we gear up for the highly anticipated fourth season of 'Top Boy', actor Ashley Walters reflects on his career so far.
A word of advice: if you tell Ashley Walters he can't do something, he will likely find a way to prove you wrong. When the actor was told by Sky that he lacked the experience to direct an episode of his TV show Bulletproof – "Politely! They weren't evil about it. They were just like, 'Hold your horses,'" – he set out to put that right. "What they didn't expect was that I'd go away and get a short written and film it," he says of his directorial debut. Even then, it was to be a low-budget project until Walters sent it to Sky "behind everyone's backs". It's a good thing he was so determined, because not only is the resulting short film, Boys, a beautifully raw coming-of-age tale, but Walters loved being behind the camera: "It was like breathing fresh air. If I'm honest with you, I enjoyed it more than I probably do acting, and I know I shouldn't say that, but it feels a lot more natural."
Boys follows 16-year-old best friends Noah and Lewis as they embark on a quest around London to acquire items requested by Noah's older, incarcerated brother. The themes of male friendship and growing up will be familiar to Walters' fans. "Any time I seem to do anything creative, that always comes out because it's been a big part of my life," he says. "My relationship or lack of relationship with my father before he passed away, my relationship with my children, my sons – it's shaped the person that I am, so most of my stories do revolve around fatherhood, that boy-becoming-man transition and how people learn to love themselves. I like to see that development, the realisation that your immediate environment is not the only place there is in the world."
Ashley wears top and trousers by RAFAEL KOUTO.
Ashley wears jacket, blazer,
shirt and shoes by BOSS X
RUSSELL ATHLETIC.
Now 39, Peckham-born Walters has been in the business for almost three decades, having started acting aged 10, but it was as Asher D, the youngest member of early- 2000s UK garage collective So Solid Crew that he really shot to fame. After the group disbanded, Walters turned his hand to acting and landed a series of major roles: Ricky in Bullet Boy, Antwan in Get Rich or Die Tryin' and most famously, drug kingpin Dushane Hill in Top Boy.
Walters teases that the much-anticipated fourth series will see Dushane wrestling with just how much he's willing to commit to his life choices: "The characters are getting older, as we are as actors, so I think it's important to follow that journey. Does someone who does that job, if you want to call it that, want to be in that job for ever?" The Hackney-set series has become a worldwide hit since it was cancelled by Channel 4 and then rescued three years later by Netflix following support from the rapper Drake.
Ashley wears coat, hoodie and hat
by BOSS X RUSSELL ATHLETIC.
"In the beginning we didn't have a clue what it was going to be, the beast that it would become," says Walters. "But I did know that as much as I'd played roles similar to Dushane before that point, it was completely different. It was the human side of that story, which also embraced the political environment it was encased in. It reminded me of The Wire and other shows that get a bit deeper into the hierarchy of how the system actually works."
Exploring the emotional side of characters that could easily be stereotypes fits with Walters' wider life philosophy. Last year he took part in RANKIN's digital exhibition about grief, Lost for Words. Walters spoke about losing his estranged father and admits it was tough to open up: "It's difficult for men, especially men like myself who have grown up in the place I've grown up in. You're kind of taught not to express how you feel and just hold it all in and be strong. That's what our idea of a man is and that can be the worst thing. It's something I try to encourage all the men in my life to do – to be a bit more open and be willing to talk."
Ashley wears jacket by LEVI'S® VINTAGE CLOTHING, trousers by KA WA KEY and shoes DR. MARTENS.
One man in Walters' life, at least until recently, was his friend and collaborator Noel Clarke, with whom he created and starred in Bulletproof. The fourth series was cancelled after Clarke was accused by 20 women of bullying and sexual harassment, something Walters is still coming to terms with. "For me it was a huge shock to the system," he says. "My first thought was for the victims really, what they've gone through. Obviously I'm not responsible for his actions but things like that happening in an environment that you're in as well and you not seeing it is kind of hard to take. Because if I had seen anything, I know I would have called it out straight away. Obviously Noel has been a great friend of mine for many years now while we've been putting this show together, so it was very disappointing to me. It was something that I had to have the support of my family throughout that period of time, because it was a big change for me – kind of overnight, the way it happened."
Walters is acutely aware of the people who lost their jobs as a result of Bulletproof's cancellation and he's carefully considering the kind of future working environment he wants to cultivate: "I think we have to create a space where people feel safe to talk about that stuff and not be ridiculed for it and not be shut down for it."
Ashley wears vest, blazer and
crown by GIVENCHY, watch by
SWATCH and rings by RÄTHEL
& WOLF.
Ashley wears mesh top by RAFAEL KOUTO, trousers by KA WA KEY, shoes by DR. MARTENS, watch by SEIKO and rings by RÄTHEL & WOLF.
This is especially true for his future directorial ambitions, but Walters isn't giving up on acting just yet. His latest role is in Dominic Savage's anthology series I Am, playing husband to Suranne Jones, and he relished the challenge of Savage's trademark gruelling long takes. "It's one of the hardest, most exciting things to do," Walters says. "I was sweating most of the time. Literally, for the hour's take, you have to stay in character the whole time because anything can happen. I've worked with him a few times before and the results are amazing. Suranne's performance is second to none. It's gonna be a good one!"
Aside from that, does Hollywood beckon, as it has for many of his peers, especially young Black British actors? "Listen, sometimes I would like to be the costar in Top Boy because they all seem to be going to Marvel!" he jokes. "A lot of people do end up making that their first destination and have done really well at it. Not to be negative but a lot of that is to do with the lack of work and representation over here. There's a lot of us in a small place fighting for the same roles and not everyone can get them. I think in America, as segregated as it can be over there, the work is a lot more diverse. A lot of those people are my friends – Ashley Thomas, Daniel Kaluuya, Idris Elba. They're flying the flag out there, which is amazing and I only hope it makes my path slightly easier when I go out!"
This interview is taken from our Taking Back Control issue. Order your copy here.
BOSS X Russell Athletic Season 2 is available to shop here.
Photographer Derrick Kakembo
Writer Rachael Sigee
Stylist Femi Ayo
Makeup Artist Andrew Denton at Premier Hair and Makeup using BOY DE CHANEL and CHANEL Le Lift Lotion
Hair Stylist Franklyn Nnamdi-Okwedy using GAMMA+
Fashion Assistant Victoria Oby
Photography Assistants Andrew Rankin, Emmanuel Owusu-Afram and Tatjana Galic
Producer Grace Finger
Set Design Marco Turcich
We asked ChatGPT whether the future of journalism is screwed


On the basis of prescribed Physical Screening Test (PST) held from 15.06.2016 to 23.07.2016 at Kurukshetra, Haryana Staff Selection Commission has complied the result for the post of Male Constable (General Duty).
The candidates with following Roll Nos. have qualified for Knowledge Test (Written Test) provisionally and further subject to the determination of their eligibility as per conditions of the advertisement.
The result has been shown Roll No. wise.
Certain candidates who belong to HSISF and have participated in PST during the month of January and March 2016, claiming to be Ex-Serviceman(Constable) against Advt.No 08/2015 category no.04 and qualified as per result declared on 16.03.2016 shall be considered against Male Constable(General Duty), and not against Ex-Serviceman category as per terms of advertisement and rules. Knowledge Test (Written Test) of such candidates will also be held on 28.08.2016.
While every care has been taken in preparing and uploading the result,possibility of inadvertent errors can not be ruled out. The commission reserves the right to rectify the same later on.
The Knowledge Test (Written Test) of the above qualified candidates will be held on 28.08.2016 in morning and evening session at different places in Haryana.


With the release of Ember 1.4.7.0, we have revised the Command Line functions completely.
The commands are now executed in clean tasks in the order in which they were supplied. This works with already running instances as well as before with no windows.
Below all working commands and some examples.
Important: Always use quote char for path, sourcepath and sourcename !
Displays the dialog to add the specified path as a new Movie Source.
No automatically database update after adding the new source.
Displays the dialog to add the specified path as a new TV Show Source.
Searches the folder for new movies or episodes.
The folder must be within a movie or tv show source.
Searches all movie sources for new movies or only one source if a "sourcename" or "sourcepath" is specified.
Sources with enabled option "Exclude path from library updates" will be skipped if no "sourcename" or "sourcepath" is specified.
All movies, tv shows and episodes will be set to NOT "new" before running update.
Searches all tv show sources for new tv shows/episodes or only one source if a "sourcename" or "sourcepath" is specified.
Cleans up the video database.
Not connected or unavailable movies/episodes will be removed.
Loads a specific profile instead of displaying Select Profile dialog.
Starts auto scraping for movies (or moviesets/tv shows with 1.4.8.0 Alpha).
Always needs a [ScrapeType] and a one or more [ScrapeModifier].
[ ] are only used to show you the task groups in this examples! Do not use them in your commands!
New movies will be marked as "new"
A mix of the previous examples and additional a database update of the normaly excluded source "Ended TV Shows".
Now this is what I'm talking about !!!!
For Dummies Like Moi...is there any way you could post a full working command line .bat script ( which would update & scrape all new Movies & TV Shows ) where we could just edit for our own local folders.
Also is this like a folder watch functionality or still has to run script via task scheduler ?
No, folder watch is still not implemented.
Automatically download info and thumb for new epsiodes when the tv show is already scraped or tvshow.nfo (with TVDB ID) is available.
The tv show himself will never be (re-)scraped (we have to wait until the recoding is finished for this feature).
Scrape all new movies automatically (-newauto = use best search result) and get all content (-all = all content that is enabled and configured in settings).
You also can use -newskip to skip all movies with more than one search result or you can use -newask to display the search results dialog if more than one search result was found.
Thanks Dan.... You the Man !!!
have a grand weekend !
If anyone has ideas for other functions ... just tell me!
TV shows scraping part will be added if we are ready for this.
(2015-06-06, 18:27)DanCooper Wrote: If anyone has ideas for other functions ... just tell me!
Great work Dan! I'll start working on the KODI JSONRPC Interface Addon in Ember (UpdateLibray, Movie, WakeONLan...) and once its finished maybe you can implement the commandline options for that addon?
We have just to add the default GenericCalls to the Kodi Interface addon like "AfterDbUpdate" or "AfterMultiScraping". All addons will be started automatically after command line in the same way like you would use the GUI for scraping.
Added new Command Line parameters for 1.4.8.0 Alpha.
They all appear to do the same this so does it matter which one?
If you only want scraping new episodes for already known/scraped tv shows you only have to use -updatetvshows or -scanfolder "D:\TV", episodes will be scraped automatically.
-scrapetvshows [ScrapeType] [ScrapeModifier] is only for complete new tv shows or if you want rescrape a whole tv show.
You also can use -scanfolder "D:\TV\The Simpsons" to reduce the search time if you know that only this folder has new episodes.
(2016-04-07, 19:10)DanCooper Wrote: If you only want scraping new episodes for already known/scraped tv shows you only have to use -updatetvshows or -scanfolder "D:\TV", episodes will be scraped automatically.
(2016-05-20, 16:17)D0bby Wrote: which program is this?


text:
About Makom
Makom Staff
Makom Board
Shabbat, Holidays & Rituals
History & Contemporary Society
Jewish Peoplehood
Four Hatikvah Questions
Arts & Books Resources
Challenging Israel Course
HBO's OUR BOYS & Keshet's Real Time Kidnapping
Robbie Gringras
, Arts & Books Resources, Blog, Culture Connection
Let's start with the words of Israel's Prime Minister on Twitter and Facebook: "The propaganda Channel 12 Keshet has produced an antisemitic series called Our Boys." We'll try to work through the various accusations for what they reveal about Our Boys, their resonance in Israeli society, and their motivation.
Contains references to episode one of Our Boys. No spoilers beyond that!
Let's start with the words of Israel's Prime Minister on Twitter and Facebook:
"The propaganda Channel 12 Keshet has produced an antisemitic series called Our Boys… I am not surprised by the fact that Keshet is besmirching Israel's image, since I am used to Keshet doing the same to me every day…"
The series Our Boys dedicates only a few minutes of cold impersonal archival film to the murder of the Three Boys. Immediately afterwards, and for the entire length of the rest of the series, the plot disconnects from the story of the horrific murders, and concentrates on a single incident – the murder of an Arab youth in Jerusalem, a shocking but rare incident.
Some 120 grieving families from the Choosing Life Forum came out with a heart-breaking letter against the series. Merav Hajaj, the mother of Shir Hajaj z"l, who was murdered at the Promenade of Armon HaNatziv, wrote: "People see the series abroad and think that Jewish terror is equivalent to Palestinian terror. That we kill them and they kill us. The reality is completely the opposite. The State of Israel acted decisively to catch and punish the murderers of Abu Khdeir. In contrast, the Palestinian Authority pays and praises murderers of Jews. In summer camps and in schools they praise and educate to follow in their footsteps."
Ever since the series opened a month ago, many of you have turned to me and asked what can be done. My recommendation is clear: Don't watch Keshet or programs by Keshet… avoid watching Keshet and Channel 12 for their choice to darken our name with lies throughout the world.
Is the Prime Minister correct? Or more relevantly, where is he correct and where not, and why?
In this Culture Connection we'll try to work through the various accusations for what they reveal about Our Boys, their resonance in Israeli society, and their motivation.
The Jewish "side" is not presented
"The series "Our Boys" dedicates only a few minutes of cold impersonal archival film to the murder of the Three Boys. Immediately afterwards, and for the entire length of the rest of the series, the plot disconnects from the story of the horrific murders, and concentrates on a single incident – the murder of an Arab youth in Jerusalem"
This is difficult to refute.
The show has been received with anger and hurt by many Israelis, and in particular by those who identify with the national orthodox sector.
For some reason, the kidnapping of these three teens hit the Israeli public even harder than the wave of terror of the Second Intifada that killed over 1000 civilians in under 5 years. Perhaps it was the uncertainty of what had initially seemed like a kidnapping and not a murder, or perhaps it was the nobility of the boys' parents.
The parents of the three boys projected a calm and a dignity that captured the heart of the whole country.
It would be fair to say that this is not how the parents are portrayed in the HBO series. Indeed, as Prime Minister Netanyahu points out, the parents are not "portrayed" at all: We only meet them through press footage, at public events. Likewise we do not ever "meet" the three teens. Their kidnapping is only reported upon.
By contrast, say critics of the show, the inner world of Muhammed Abu Khdeir and his parents is fully, empathetically explored. Their humanity is gently and carefully embraced. These critics have no problem with exploring the Palestinian family at all. But they do point to a serious emotional imbalance.
A sin of omission, not commission.
So on this accusation, the Prime Minister is correct – in his description, if not necessarily in his attribution of antisemitic motivation (we'll come to that later).
We at Makom are able to offer a remedy to this omission.
We recommend watching – or screening – this excellent documentary recently created for Keshet TV by Yoav Limor – Hatifa BeZman Emet – Real Time Kidnapping. It was produced in the awareness that the HBO show was on its way, and focusses specifically on the story of the three teens' kidnapping, murder, and the efforts made to save or find them. The moment we at Makom heard about this film, we urged Keshet to add English subtitles to their work and make it internationally available.
They moved swiftly and generously. (Although not quite swiftly enough for me to get this August Culture Connection out before the end of the month!)
You can watch the full 50 minute documentary here.
Real Time Kidnapping
The documentary not only allows us a glimpse into the way in which the police and army approached the search for the boys' killers. It also brings us inside the way in which the kidnapping and murder were experienced by Jewish Israelis, in particular the boys' parents.
Watching the documentary explains why some Israelis maintain that Our Boys is exploitation of the very worst kind. Certain people, goes the accusation, are making a great deal of money on the backs of others' suffering. Furthermore, it does not even honor their suffering. Rather than representing the Frenkels, Shaers and Yifrachs as parents doing the best they can, and an entire country offering them support – the show portrays the parents as wild-eyed religious crazies who unknowingly release demons into the world. This might be particularly hurtful, given how the parents were so careful at the time to urge against revenge, and were so revolted by the murder, as can be seen in Real Time Kidnapping.
Screen grab from Real Time Kidnapping
Naftali's mother emerged from shiva, only a week after her son's burial, to pronounce to the press:
"Even in the abyss of mourning for Gilad, Eyal and Naftali, it is difficult for me to describe how distressed we are by the outrage committed in Jerusalem – the shedding of innocent blood is against morality, is against the Torah and Judaism, and is against the foundation of the lives of our boys and of all of us in this country."
To take this voice away from Racheli Frenkel was, critics say, an act of cruelty in the name of politics. Hence the Prime Minister's accusation.
"Keshet is besmirching Israel's image"
Netanyahu would also seem to be outraged at the choice of the HBO series to present a particular narrative of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In only portraying Palestinian victims, and mis-representing the Jewish victims, he and his supporters assert that the production was deliberately weighting audience affections towards the Palestinians and against Israelis.
By contrast, Netanyahu's opponents would say that Our Boys was absolutely correct in moving the emphasis of the story away from the Jews. While it was far from representative of Jewish Israeli mainstream sentiment, there was no doubt a powerful cry for revenge from a loud minority of Israelis the moment the teens' death was reported. As shown in the opening episode, Palestinians recall this as a time when they would avoid speaking Arabic in the hearing of Jews for fear of their safety.
This side of the narrative, they would say, also has validity and urgency, and it is a side rarely told inside Israel. We need only look at the documentary just mentioned, Real Time Kidnapping, to see that Israel's mainstream mentioned but showed limited curiosity for the Palestinian perspective of that terrible time. In this excellent documentary, the horrific murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir is mentioned, and the Jewish Israeli parents' fury and disgust at those who murdered him is shown clear and sharp, and at the same time this takes up exactly one minute of the fifty-two minute documentary.
The Prime Minister's opponents would also dismiss the concern that the series besmirches Israel's good name. They would argue that Our Boys is a true-life story: The occupation is real, the horrific murder was real, Jewish Israeli racist attacks are real, and if the show is "bad for Israel" it is only because the reality on the ground cannot be prettied.
The response of grieving families
"Some 120 grieving families from the Choosing Life Forum came out with a heart-breaking letter against the series."
This is certainly true. It is also true that a different forum for grieving parents – The Parents' Circle-Family Forum – a joint forum for Israeli and Palestinian parents – has come out in support of the show. There is a consensus in Israel that the feelings of those who have lost loved ones to the conflict must have their feelings respected, although "respect" and "acquiescence" tends to depend on political tendencies. The Parents' Circle holds an alternative Yom HaZikaron Memorial Day ceremony every year, with Jewish and Palestinian parents taking part, and it is picketed by shouting protesters every year. Many grieving parents argued against freeing the Palestinian murderers of their loved ones in order to guarantee the release of Gilad Shalit: They were respected but in practice ignored.
"The State of Israel acted decisively to catch and punish the murderers of Abu Khdeir. In contrast, the Palestinian Authority pays and praises murderers of Jews."
This is pretty difficult to argue with. The Palestinian Authority's ambivalence at best, or support at worst, for Palestinian attacks on Israelis is well documented. It is also true that the State of Israel did indeed act decisively to catch and punish the murderers of Abu Khdeir.
What is ironic is that the entire series of Our Boys is dedicated to this latter point.
Even from the opening episode it is crystal clear that the State of Israel was committed not only to capturing and punishing Abu Khdeir's murderers, but that it was also committed to preventing such acts of revenge in the first place. Not wishing to pre-empt the rest of the series, it looks pretty clear that a hero of the show is shaping up to be the Israeli guy who wants to prevent and then punish the murder.
Is Our Boys "an antisemitic series"?
Are the bad guys in the show Jewish? Indeed they are, though we're given hints even in the opening episode that they may be more mad than bad. Are the victims in the show Palestinian? They certainly are.
Yet is this enough to charge a show with antisemitism? Even when the good guys are also Jewish? It feels tenuous to me.
Even if the show were to be judged "anti-Israel", is that enough to stain it with antisemitism?
(My answer is not always "no". If you're interested, get in touch and we can look at a well-known drama whose anti-Israel sentiment I would say slides into blatant antisemitism. Our Boys, in my opinion, does nothing of the sort.)
So what does PM Netanyahu have against Keshet?
"The propaganda Channel 12 Keshet has produced an antisemitic series… Don't watch Keshet or programs by Keshet"
It is true that Keshet are co-producers of Our Boys. But this HBO show is not only being broadcast on Channel 12, Keshet's home. In Israel you can also see it on Cellcom TV, on Hot VOD, on Yes…
Put it this way: Even if one were to boycott Keshet as our Prime Minister urges, one could still get to watch Our Boys in Israel.
And then there is the small matter of Real Time Kidnapping, the documentary about the three Jewish boys' kidnapping and murder. Who was the sole producer of this program? Also Keshet. It's true that a separate non-drama about the Jewish boys does not balance out the emotional punch of Our Boys, but it would certainly indicate a lack of malice on Keshet's part.
So what is going on? Why such a broad call to boycott an entire broadcasting company over one TV series it is tangentially associated with, that anyway might not be so terrible?
Image from PM Netanyahu's twitter post
It might be to do with the fact that Netanyahu does not like the news and current affairs programming that Keshet broadcasts on Channel 12: "I am not surprised by the fact that Keshet is besmirching Israel's image, since I am used to Keshet doing the same to me every day…"
In particular, Keshet reporter Guy Peleg has recently uncovered transcripts from the investigation into the several corruption cases for which the Prime Minister is due to stand trial (pending a hearing in early October). Damning revelation after revelation are being shared with Keshet's viewers – a public that is due to vote whether to elect Netanyahu as Prime Minister again – in an election one of whose key issues is whether to grant him immunity from said prosecution.
While Prime Minister Netanyahu's criticisms of Our Boys are shared by elements of the Israeli public, his choice to call for a boycott of the network rather than a boycott of the show (that is, as we said, broadcast on a range of platforms), would seem to indicate additional motives…
My personal opinion of the show
Personally I think it's a superb piece of television. In choosing to use the kidnapping as the ignition point for the plot, rather than an element of it, the creators took a bold choice that was bound to deeply upset some. It's a tragic occupational hazard. Especially when dealing with such a recent painful event. Especially when it's about the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
I have yet to come across a piece of art about the Conflict that someone did not condemn for bias. It comes with the territory. By its very nature art that addresses the Conflict will never be judged on its artistic merits alone, but also by its ascribed motivations, and its assumed consequences.
My only recommendation when watching Our Boys or screening it in one's programming, would be to try not to let one's judgment of one of these three criteria – artistic merit, creators' motivation, and consequences of the world seeing it – prevent one from appraising all three in isolation.
Tips for screenings
If you are planning to hold screenings of Our Boys and Real Time Kidnapping, here are a couple of programming tips:
Make sure you have a large screen and good sound (perhaps rent a projector?). Check that you can close curtains to avoid glare and aid concentration. In short – if you're working with art, do all you can to let it work its magic.
In post-screening discussions, always start by asking questions about the characters. What was he thinking? Do you respect her choices? Which character struck you most? The reason for this is that while different people have different knowledge levels about the issues at hand, everyone is an equal expert in what they have just watched. Best to at least begin a discussion from a level playing field. Also, asking people to respond to the characters, forces them to put aside their "set speech about the Conflict" and opens them to surprises.
Some people do not enjoy having to immediately discuss and analyze a piece of art, especially if it has moved them. Give space before starting a discussion. At the very least, let all the credits roll before turning on the lights.
If you are planning to facilitate a discussion, make sure you watch the episode yourself beforehand. Scribble some observations to yourself as you're watching.
If you don't feel confident facilitating a discussion, you might want to print out some guiding questions for people to pick and choose from themselves. Perhaps put them on the table that has the coffee…Once you have discussed the choices and motivations of the various characters, you are welcome to draw on the questions raised in this article:
How should the feelings of the victims of this real-life event be accommodated?
Should the plot of the show have dealt differently with the two sets of grieving parents?
Does the show damage Israel's name? Why? Why not?
Should a Prime Minister be calling for a boycott of a TV station?
Is the show antisemitic? Why? Why not?
Did the creators of the show do a good job? What do you mean by "a good job"?
For a free download of this article: Culture Connection – OUR BOYS & REAL TIME KIDNAPPING August 2019
© 2019 Makom Israel, an initiative of The Jewish Agency for Israel. All Rights Reserved. Site by illuminea


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text:
The hidden costs of the middleman economy
A new book explores the rise of middleman platforms and their impact on how we buy and sell.
by Tom Ehrenfeld
Photograph by iStock
Direct: The Rise of the Middleman Economy and the Power of Going to the Source
by Kathryn Judge (HarperCollins, 2022)
What are the costs of lower costs? Plenty, if you follow the argument in Kathryn Judge's new book Direct. In this engaging take about a nascent threat in today's economy, Judge, a professor of law at Columbia University, indicts both the hidden and overt costs that consumers pay in what she calls the middleman economy.
Judge's subjects are the digital and e-commerce platforms that act as the wholesalers, retailers, and brokers between customers and the products and services they buy, and their meteoric rise, brought about by intense global demand and increasingly complex supply lines. Although in some ways middlemen are needed, her warning is clear: habituating ourselves to buying from global intermediaries has blinded us to the benefits of more intimate and local economies.
Maintaining network connections
by Lynda Gratton
How talented are you at spotting talent?
To err is human, to regret, divine
Judge writes, "The very attributes that make middlemen good connectors also give them outsized power. In time, this enables them to expand their domains, entrench the need for their services, contort consumer decision making, and otherwise promote their interests at the expense of those they are meant to serve."
The costs of middlemen are multiplying, and appearing in places where we might not expect, including higher fees paid to realtors for house sales. But for Judge, costs go beyond mere economic hazards and represent an artificial intermediary that diminishes the integrity of direct exchange. In more forceful passages, she charges the most dominant intermediaries with contributing to loneliness, isolation, and lack of "human flourishing" around the world.
Judge, whose academic work shows a keen interest in finance and regulation, writes in a clear and insightful voice, drawing meticulously from academic journals and sources that include reports from the US Department of Agriculture, research from the National Bureau of Economic Research and the US Federal Reserve, as well as detailed accounts from the public writings of members of community supported agriculture (CSA) groups, which allow consumers to buy directly from local farmers. She also frequently taps personal experience, comparing the process of buying fresh produce as a CSA member to purchasing similar items at a big box store. Such examples give her argument traction while revealing her bias for local (aka direct) commerce. As such, the book has shades of E.F. Schumacher's Small Is Beautiful and Lewis Hyde's The Gift, flavored with Christopher Mims's Arriving Today—her argument shines when her material is tied to immediate and growing economic trends.
She writes that e-commerce has evolved into a marketplace where "dominance is often the norm," where big players have gradually established platforms that bestow outsized control to their multifaceted roles. Retailers that dominate today have aggregated their scale and their emergent assets (such as producing private-label goods) to deliver espoused benefits of lower prices and greater convenience to consumers. "Node upon node, each doing a little—the thing that it can do most cheaply—until the entire notion of making is so disaggregated that no one company, much less person, can be said to be the maker of any finished good."
But she also shows how giant middlemen and long supply chains are two sides of the same coin. In short, for good or ill, we still need middlemen to help negotiate global demand, and more geographically distributed and logistically complex sourcing. "Each props up and gains momentum from the other, resulting in even larger middlemen and even longer and more complex supply chains."
The costs of middlemen are multiplying, and appearing in places where we might not expect, including higher fees paid to realtors for house sales.
"Middlemen are not the problem…, the middleman economy is," writes Judge, as she advances a structural argument against ring-fenced ecosystems. In one example, drawing from sources like Charles Fishman's brilliant book The Wal-Mart Effect, she tracks how the retail giant has morphed from a major player in retailing to an economy unto itself, in part because the company has leveraged unique strengths into next-level advantages like upselling, retention, and customer intelligence.
Judge chides large players such as the National Association of Realtors for exacting what she considers excessive commissions. She targets large financial players for creating exotic and unnecessary (indirect) financial products that helped cause the great bust of 2008. But she metes out her strongest argument against e-commerce heavyweights, who use their dominant market positions to undercut competitors on price and lure customers with conveniences like free shipping.
What's more, platforms that host third-party sellers in addition to their own brands have enabled the biggest players to morph into being both the gamblers playing at the table and the house taking its guaranteed cut of the kitty. The power that this merger grants is substantial in a market with tight margins. Smaller players face what seems like a well-defended fortress, unable to compete simultaneously on all fronts.
Ultimately, the reader is challenged to consider the human values that direct purchasing can provide. Judge offers numerous examples of ways that consumers can buy directly from local institutions and boutique ventures (consider your local bookseller!). She believes that direct exchange fosters connection and community while promoting a more just, resilient, and accountable economic system, and she shares tangible steps toward realizing this vision. Direct is a charming reminder of the hidden costs that are often bundled into small gains, and the human benefits made possible when buying locally.
Tom Ehrenfeld is a freelance writer and editor based in Cambridge, Mass. Formerly a writer/editor with Inc. magazine and Harvard Business Review, he is also the author of The Startup Garden. He has written extensively about lean enterprise; nine books that he has edited have won the Shingo Publication Award.
Topics: business books, consumer trends, digital retail, e-commerce, globalization, supply chain
"Like mountain air in the veins"
H.G. Wells's 1908 satire, Tono-Bungay, about a fictional health tonic, provides valuable insights into the entrepreneurial mind and spirit.
by Daniel Akst
Can bossless management work?
Not according to B-school professors Nicolai Foss and Peter Klein, whose new book makes the case for functional hierarchy.
by Theodore Kinni
4.A goal isn't a mission
A heated argument recorded in the White House in 1962 offers a cautionary lesson in mission-setting for leaders today.


text:
Q: Recover svn from directory backup after server failure The machine hosting our svn server failed. We were able to recover the C:\Repositories\ directory. How do we migrate this to a new host?

A: Just install svn as normal on the new server, copy the Repositories directory to the new server, and point svn at the directorys containing your repositorys.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange