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Queerantined
The Weekend Binge: Todd Haynes. Kate Winslet. Classic Hollywood. Everything we need.
By David Reddish May 22, 2020 at 3:05pm
Welcome to Queerty's latest entry in our series, Queerantined: Daily Dose. Every weekday as long as the COVID-19 pandemic has us under quarantine, we'll release a suggested bit of gloriously queer entertainment designed to keep you from getting stir crazy in the house. Each weekend, we will also suggest a binge-able title to keep you extra engaged.
The Habit-Forming: Mildred Pierce
Lion of queer filmmaking Todd Haynes makes no secret of his love of classic Hollywood, especially the melodramas of directors like Douglas Sirk or actress Joan Crawford. How fitting then, that Haynes decided to do a full-on miniseries remake of a Crawford film, substituting the great Kate Winslet in the leading role.
Many readers will note that Joan Crawford picked up her only Academy Award for the film version of Mildred Pierce. Based on the novel by uber-cynic James M. Cain, the original Hollywood version jettisoned much of the novel's character study and class commentary, making it into a more standard Crawford vehicle. Haynes' version, by contrast, sticks closer to the book, and revels in the soapy drama of Mildred (Winslett), a single working mother. Mildred builds a business empire and dotes over her sociopathic daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) while suffering the pains of sexism and class warfare.
Trust us when we say only Todd Haynes could direct this kind of melodrama with such artistry. Trust us too when we say that Winslet gives such a damn good performance (she won an Emmy), we're surprised Crawford hasn't tried to crawl out of her grave wielding a wire hanger. Don't let the premise fool you, either: Mildred Pierce captures viewers with an iron grip. With a stellar cast that includes Guy Pearce (who also scored an Emmy), Mare Winningham, Melissa Leo and Hope Davis, the series is, for all its soapy twists, addictive as Hell. The full series runs almost six hours. Don't be surprised if you watch it all in one sitting.
Streams on HBO Go, Amazon, YouTube, iTunes & VUDU.
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Another re-make of a classic. Can't today's Hollywood create any classics of their own? The only thing they seem good at is handing out awards to themselves.
jayceecook
The "classic" film you speak of is a remake itself, of the book. So much so that it is nothing like the "original". The miniseries is almost nothing like the film since it removed all the plots/characters that were created for the film and stuck to the source material thereby creating a more faithful adaptation. It's also 9 years old so not really jumping on the current remake wagon. That said, neither is an original concept as they are both adaptions.
The original 1945 cinematic adaptation, starring Joan Crawford, is quite a film. In fact, it is one of her best, and a Hollywood melodrama, with strong feminist elements, Sadly it also includes a cringe-inducing bit of racist minstrelsy that Ryan Murphy's Hollywood series is reminding today's movie watchers once was quite common. In the 1945 film, Ann Blyth gives one of the all-time great performances as a truly bad seed daughter, Veda, and Eve Arden plays the super-butch wise-cracking buddy of Crawford's Mildred Pierce, but the film is worth watching above all because of Crawford, who is so over the top she transcends the concept of acting altogether. The remake, while engaging, doesn't come close. See the 1945 melodrama; you won't soon forget it after you do.
May 23, 2020 at 3:05pm
Sam Smith's new video is way too queer and horny for people offended by queer, horny things
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Hat Brothers Unite against oppression!!
PrivateRyan is like the really cool Dad you never had, but with added blatant!
Why thank you, good sir, the profile comment was most welcome. I'm liking the Rorschach avatar also.
I like the cut of your gib sir, may you continue posting!


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Q: Using PromptforLetter and DisplayLetter in C# Below is a homeowrk assignment I've been working on.
I need to create a class called FormattedOutput in a file called FormattedOutput.cs.  That class will have the following methods:
char PromptforLetter(void) - this method will return a value
void DisplayLetter(char letter) - this method will accept a value to display
Main should be in a file named mainModule.cs
Main will PromptforLetter for each character in your name and store each character into a char data type.
Then DisplayLetter(letter1) should display each letter as:
the actual letter
the decimal value of the key
the hexadecimal value of the key
the octal value of the key
the binary value of the key
Information should be displayed first...
Then prompts for each letter of your name.
Then a Table showing each value
Char          Decimal              Hex            Octal              Binary
Here is the horrible mess I have at this time
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;

namespace ConsoleApplication1
{
  public  class formattedOutput
    {
        char PromptforLetter(string prompt)
        {
            string value;
             char achar;

             Console.WriteLine("A",  prompt);
            Console.WriteLine("L", prompt);
            Console.WriteLine("M", prompt);
            Console.WriteLine("A", prompt);
            Console.Read();
            value = Console.ReadLine();
            achar=Convert.ToChar(value.Substring(0,1));
            return achar;
        }

        void DisplayLetter (char letter)

        {

            Console.WriteLine("A");
            Console.Read();

A: I'm fairly uncertain of what you're going for, and it might help to clear up your introduction to the problem (or instance, we don't need to know filenames and such, just give the relevant details). It also seems like you're asking quite a few questions, so I'm going to focus on what I think you actually mean to ask.
The impression I'm getting is that you are to write a console application in C#, with a method to read a single character from user-input, then another one to echo it back to them using several number formats.
If that is, in fact, the case, you probably want something like this:
public char PromptforLetter(string prompt)
{
    Console.Write(prompt + " "); // This prints out the prompt with a space, and no
                                 // following line break

    // Now you have a choice. Should you take the first key that is pressed, or
    // should the user have to press enter?

    // Option 1:
    char ret = Console.ReadKey().KeyChar;
    Console.WriteLine(); // Not necessary, but it improves user experience
    return ret;

    // Option 2:
    return Console.ReadLine()[0]; // take the first indexed character from the
                                  // string entered by the user. Strings have
                                  // integer-indexers, so you can access single them
                                  // characters in kind of like you would if they were
                                  // a string array.
}

Printing the character is a bit simpler:
public void DisplayLetter(char val)
{
    Console.Write("Char: {0}", val);
    Console.Write("Decimal: {0}", (int)val);
    Console.Write("Hex: {0:X}", (int)val);
    Console.Write("Octal: {0}", Convert.ToString((int)val, 8));
    Console.Write("Binary: {0}", Convert.ToString((int)val, 2));
}

Beyond that, it's mostly just up to you and what the instructor is looking for, specifically.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Home > urban > The Problematic Prince > CH 8
The Problematic Prince CH 8
Author:Solche Category:urban Update time:2023-01-02 23:40:32
The Viscount Hardy and Countess Meyer, who followed Erna while keeping their distance intentionally, looked back with bewildered faces.
They never dreamed that there would be guests who had not arrived yet.
Even more so, that it would be Prince Biern.
They retreated first.
The red carpet road from the entrance of the banquet hall to the opposite end, to the stage where the king and queen sat side by side, now belonged to Prince Biern.
They just knew that until they found Erna, the troublesome brat they had forgotten for a while.
"Oh my god! Look at that child!"
Brenda Hardy clasped her husband's arm, with a pale blue face.
Erna, who lost herself in a panic attack, frozen, was standing in the middle of the carpet, blocking the prince's path.
In order to bring that child, they had to outrun Prince Biern, and it was hard to tell which choice would bemore horrific.
Meanwhile, the distance between the prince and Erna was getting smaller and smaller.
"Maybe you planned it like this Yes"
Brenda Hardy questioned the Countess Meyer if she was the mastermind behind this scandal.
Frowning in thought, she soon regained her original calm expression.
There's no way but up from here."
"I beg your pardon"
Brenda Hardy let out a trembling sigh.
If in front of aristocrats from all over the country was not enough, and she would look like a disgrace at a gathering where the royal family was present, but this woman was acting like it was all simply amusing.
Just when she was suspicious that she might have just taken charge of the chaperone with the intention of messing things up, Prince Biern, with a frown on his face, stopped.
Erna turned around at the shadow cast over her.
What the hell is this
Biern's head tilted slightly as he looked down at the woman who was doing something absurd.
When he first saw that woman, he didn't think much of it.
Of course, she will back down, move away and if he passed by like that, she would be just one of the countless others.
He hoped he would be able to persevere and stop himself.
But no matter what the intentions were, he had to acknowledge her circumstances and presence.
Biern lowered his gaze a little more and faced the woman.
Even with her eyes full of him, the woman was just dazed like a person who couldn't see anything.
Each time she blinked slowly, her large eyes grew more and more hazy and transparent.
Her eyes were unusually blue with a bright blue tint.
Biern, who had raised his eyebrows lightly, stopped looking over the woman.
Father and mother, with puzzled expressions on their faces, were the first to come into view.
Biern again!
It was the eyes that seemed to hear such a sigh.
The accusation in Leonite's frowned upon expression was obviously harsher than that.
Not to mention Louise who is in color.
They should be at least grateful that the beginning of debutant, which he arrived after many sessions was now at least not boring.
Biern raised his head once more, this time with a slightly thicker smile.
There was faint irritation in his eyes as he slowly looked at the murals adorning the high ceiling and the huge chandeliers below.
No matter how much he thought about it, he had no memory of committing anything to this woman that deserved such an upheaval.
The assumption that this strange woman might have mistaken him for Leon was quickly erased from his mind.
Paradise will come a little sooner than the day that naughty prince didn't cause trouble with women.
He hoped that the woman he did not know would disappear from before him.
Biern lowered his gaze, which had been wandering aimlessly in the air.
But a strange woman was still standing in his way.
Not knowing what to do, she was just trembling like a young beast driven to a hunting ground.
When Biern, who had no desire to participate in this skit anymore, took a step, the woman's body, who had been gasping as if strangled, staggered.
Even as he sighed, Biern nimbly supported the woman.
It is not his business to talk about today's affairs, but the rumor that the Grand Duke even stunned a woman in the royal palace would be absurd.
"Breath."
Biern whispered lowly to the woman who was turning blue.
Slowly raising her head, the woman looked surprised, as if she had only seen him for the first time.
The tears in his red eyes seemed to stand out even more because of the lack of blood on her face.
Like a child learning an unfamiliar word, the woman repeated his words over and over again.
Her small lips were also as red as tears.
Biern snorted out a laugh, startled.
"Breathe, breathe."
Biern lowered his voice a little and whispered slowly.
The woman nodded her head and then took a proper breath.
She was still shaking, but fortunately she seemed to have escaped the danger of losing consciousness.
The woman mumbled the words he had heard over and over again, steadily taking deep breaths and exhaling repeatedly.
The white shoulders that shook with the rhythm were absurdly small and thin.
After some breathing had stabilized, the woman hurriedly backed away from him.
On her face, which had been blank all along, suddenly, something worthy of being called an emotion came to mind.
shame and vigilance.
It was not the attitude the person responsible for making a fuss in the way of others would see.
"I am so sorry, Prince."
A middle-aged woman who was watching her approached with slow steps and supported the woman.
Biern's gaze, who glanced at her, quickly turned to the little woman again.
She was trying to cover her shoulders, décolleté and cleavage somehow, but that meaningless effort only drew more attention.
She mimicked a young lady once again in the subject that appears in a dress like that.
A crooked smile caught the corners of Biern's lips as he glanced at the woman.
Her face, which had been parched like a corpse, was gradually burning red.
Carefully raising her head, when her eyes met him, the woman was startled and even stepped backwards.
Now, even her ears were dyed bright red.
"I sincerely apologize, Prince.
Miss Hardy was very nervous and made a big mistake."
Another wife walked up to the two struggling women.
The moment she recognized her with her bowed head raised, Biern understood the full story of this absurd commotion.
It was Victoria Meyer.
The very woman who is the best broker in the Letchen marriage market.
The flower of this prom was Erna Hardy, no matter what anyone said.
With the story of her belated debut in the social world, her unconventional appearance, and the name of Prince Biern, there was no lady who came close to defeating her as she was on the tip of everyone's tongue.
"It is also Countess Meyer.
She'll even use the Grand Duke to make that girl stand out."
"I guess that had to be the strategy.
How did you know that Prince Biern would appear late"
"If not for strategy, how can you explain it By the way, that girl isn't ordinary either.
I thought she would be naive because she's from the countryside, but how could she do such a clever thing"
The eyes of the ladies who glanced at Erna, who was sitting quietly at the edge of the banquet hall, were filled with contemptuous curiosity.
A beautiful woman who even caught the eyes of Biern Dneister.
Thanks to the commotion, Erna Hardy achieved such a infamous reputation in an instant.
Even he, who was Princess Gladys' ex-husband, acknowledged her, so the general consensus was that she was a great beauty for sure.
Even those who criticized Viscount Hardy for exposing her vulgar greed to sell her daughter at a high price were not able to argue about Erna Hardy's beauty.
"Miss Hardy, how are you"
Countess Meyer, who had been walking around the banquet hall, approached Erna.
Erna reflexively grabbed her shawl and raised her head.
Her eyes filled with resentment were quite daring.
"You're a girl with more of a personality it seems."
Countess Meyer, who laughed lightly, sat down next to Erna and opened her fan.
The other girls were busy enjoying their dance, but Erna sat still on this corner bench.
Many of the young men who came to apply for the dance were turned away without even managing to make eye contact with Erna properly.
"How about dancing at least one song It's a debutant."
"… … I can't.
I don't like this, ma'am."
Erna's voice was still trembling softly.
She looked around anxiously and then bowed her head again.
She was like an idiot without even a speck of sociability, but this troubled expression also became charming where coupled with her pretty face.
Countess Meyer gently waved her feather fan.
The ugly shawl bothered her, but she decided to leave it alone because if she took it again, she would rip even the curtains of the royal palace to cover herself.
She had already shown everything she needed to show, so the dress had fully served its purpose.
"Lift your head."
Countess Meyer lifted Erna's chin with the tip of the folded fan.
"It is basic manners to look into the eyes of the other person when having a conversation."
"Madam, please… … ."
"He did quite well in front of Prince Biern.
Did you completely forget about that"
Contrary to her gentle smile, her voice was cold.
Erna, who had been contemplating for a moment, involuntarily closed her body, clenching her lips.
It was because a man by that name flashed into her mind.
As the world began to spin and suffocate, Erna lost all judgment.
It was only after she was able to breathe that she realized what she had done and to whom.
Just thinking about it made her feel like the fear would overwhelm her again.
"I respect the notion of not dancing, but try to keep a minimum of dignity.
It means to keep in mind that this is a way to protect the honor of the Baden family, who have raised Ms.
Hardy.
Do you understand"
The honor of the Baden family.
Countess Meyer, who had said those words that scratched her heart deeply, quietly left Erna's side.
Left alone, Erna counted numbers with her eyes closed.
It was only when he counted to twenty that she was able to regain stable breathing.
It's never been like this in Buford.
For a moment, she felt like a helpless fool.
Be patient a little longer.
Suppressing the urge to run away from here, Erna slowly opened her eyes.
After all, he was there.
Grand Duke Schwerin.
The Prince of Lechen who watched Erna Hardy's pathetic figure up close.
He was talking, leaning against an ornate marble column.
Standing opposite him was a man who looked like him.
He was the twin brother and Crown Prince Leonit.
They were surprisingly identical in height, physique, and appearance.
The only difference is that the Crown Prince is wearing glasses.
Although Buford is a remote country that feels isolated from the rest of the world, even there, the twin princes are quite famous.
Erna, who was indifferent to such rumors, even remembered his name.
Originally, the first, Prince Biern, was the crown prince, but his bad conduct caused anger and resentment throughout the kingdom, and he said that the position was passed to his younger brother, Prince Leonit.
Without trying to avoid her gaze, Erna let out a sigh without realizing it.
It was because of the feeling of déjà vu when she looked atPrince Biern, who began to walk with his neck upright.
Although they look the same, the twins' gait is markedly different.
Unlike the Crown Prince, who walked with an upright and modest posture like a soldier, the Grand Duke moved as if enjoying a leisurely stroll.
It felt as if only the air surrounding him was flowing slowly.
It was a figure I had seen at the train station and on Tara Avenue.
"Poisonous mushroom… … ."
The Grand Duke suddenly turned his head towards Erna, who was muttering blankly.
It was a moment when their eyes met with no chance to escape.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Could Bringing Rhinos to Texas Save Them from Extinction?
Panda's Preferred Food May Be Their Kiss of Death and Could Lead to Extinction
Dog Enjoys His Hot Tub Time
Animal welfare groups from the US and Africa are trying to arrange for hundreds of orphaned baby southern white rhinos to be brought to Texas
In South Africa, the animals are being hunted to near extinction by poachers, who kill them for their horns
The project could cost tens of millions of dollars, and transporting the young animals overseas could be risky to their health, but if the effort works it could protect rhinos from what might be certain extinction
Rhinoceroses once roamed most of sub-Saharan Africa. Today, sadly, their numbers have dwindled as they succumb to poachers who hunt them for one of their most striking features, their horns.
"An estimated 4,000 to 5,000 black rhinos and 20,000 white rhinos remain in Africa, with another one killed by poachers every seven and a half hours. Their horns are hacked off and sold in China and Vietnam on the black market for medical treatments that western scientists say don't work," National Geographic reported.1
Over 80 percent of Africa's rhino population resides in South Africa, where poachings have hit record numbers despitethe presence of soldiers assigned to guard their safety. South Africa's Environmental Ministry reported that 1,215 rhinos were killed in 2014, which is up from a total of 13 in 2007 and over 1,000 in 2013.
In January, about 100 rhinos were moved from South Africa to neighboring states for increased protection, including Botswana where poachers may be shot on sight.2 Another 200 rhinos are expected to be moved this year to areas where poachers pose less of a threat.
Are Rhinos Coming to Texas?
If rhinos can be relocated to other areas in Africa, why not to Texas, where the climate is similar to their native locale? Such is the ambitious plan of animal welfare groups from the US and Africa, who are trying to arrange for hundreds of orphaned baby southern white rhinos to be brought to Texas.
In Texas, the rhinos' DNA would be stored in a database and their horns would be equipped with microchips. The animals would be kept under tight surveillance on 100,000 acre-plus ranches, many of which would use helicopters to enhance security of the animals.3
What does a project of this magnitude cost? It could be tens of millions, and the money isn't coming from taxpayers but solely from private donations. Aside from the costs, there's also the issue of gaining approval from South Africa to export the animals, along with health and safety issues. As Reuters reported:4
"The challenges are formidable. Most of the rhinos would be under three years old and younger animals would have to be fed milk by bottle. They are typically darted in South Africa, and would then be transported by truck and shipped as air cargo.
Rhinos are not the best of travelers. Their health could be put in jeopardy by a long trip and airplanes can only move a handful at a time… If things go well in Texas and South Africa can put a lid on poaching, the Lone Star-raised rhinos could eventually be returned to Africa."
Sadly, the western black rhinoceros was recently declared extinct, but there's still hope for the black and white rhinos residing in South Africa. Project 1,000, as it's being referred to, is still in its early stages but could potentially save the rhinos from "certain annihilation" in Africa.
The Second Ark Foundation, which is based in Texas, is working on the logistics to make the project a reality. The organization has already helped to preserve the African addax and the scimitar-horned Oryx, and part of their mission is to eventually reintroduce endangered species to their countries of origin.
If Poaching Continues, Rhinos Could Be Extinct by 2026
According to the organization Save the Rhino, if poaching continues to increase at the current rate, rhinos could be extinct by 2026.5 I had the honor of working with endangered black rhinos early in my career, so they hold a special place in my heart.
If you'd like to learn more about rhinoceros conservation efforts and what you can do to help, visit the Save the Rhino Get Involved page. You might also consider a donation, either to Save the Rhino or to the Second Ark Foundation's Project 1,000 to bring endangered rhinos to Texas.
Reuters May 19, 2015
1 National Geographic May 15, 2015
2, 3, 4 Reuters May 19, 2015
5 SavetheRhino.org Nail if For Rhinos
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Startling Discovery About the Hidden Role of Wildlife in Human Health
Human Involvement Saved These Animals from Extinction


Hardcover, 9 x 12 in. / 176 pgs / 100 color and 15 bw.
Edited by Stephanie Hanor. Foreword by Hugh M. Davies.
In a "post-Latin American" age, Latin American art has taken a postmodern tack, mindful of borders and identity politics but not determined by them. Many of the 42 artists featured here, including Francis Als, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Daniel J. Martinez, Alfredo Jaar, Vik Muniz, Damin Ortega and Gabriel Orozco, infuse their work with social commentary from local and global perspectives, exploring and parodying cultural locations and identities even as they uphold and transgress them. All of them share an interest--beyond those borders--in revitalizing existing artistic language and forms. TRANSactions highlights artists who work across media and between disciplines, reveals connections and encounters between artists in the United States and in Latin America and celebrates the heterogeneous nature of contemporary Latin American and Latino art, dismantling preconceptions and promoting new interpretations.
FORMAT: Hardcover, 9 x 12 in. / 176 pgs / 100 color and 15 b&w.


The two primary sources of mission trips are either national missionary organizations or local churches.
A few people venture out on their own but that's not recommended. Whichever way you choose, your first goal will be to go as a helper to serve others and the Lord. There are many national organizations. You can do an internet search for short-term mission trips and you will find quite a few.
There is a great website with many resources. They have approximately 1700 trips listed with 113 organizations. The website is www.shorttermmissions.com. Most organizations in their trip fee include housing, food, and transportation to and from the airport. There will usually be an extra charge for health insurance while on the trip and your airfare. If you pay your fee and those additional expenses, everything else for the trip is covered.
When choosing an organization, remember that you're not going on a vacation.
We all have different roles to play on a short-term mission trip. The mission organizations try to match your skills to their needs on their trips. Each organization will offer many trips to many countries. You can find this information on their website. The website will tell you what kind of work they'll be doing and you should be able to decide if you have those skills.
Another point to consider with an organization is their vision and belief system. I'm keeping my book and blog non-denominational, but there are differences in our Christian doctrine. Read their statements of faith in order to see if you can work alongside them.
Two of the pros of going with your local church: You already know you agree with their doctrinal beliefs and you also already know people. If you don't know many people at your church, this will give you an opportunity to meet more people and keep in touch after the trip.
I decided to join with In Motion Ministries to go on trips and to train as a mission trip leader. This is a non-denominational missions organization and their main goal is to share the love of Christ around the world through short-term mission trips. You can visit them at inmotionministries.org. I attended their leadership training in Greeley, CO in October 2018. They are an amazing group of Christians. I felt loved and included from the time I landed in Denver.
In Motion Ministries is unique because they allow you to customize your mission trip. Whatever your dream, they can help make it happen!
Do you have a dream of taking your whole family on a mission trip to India? Or do you attend a small church or Bible study group that would love to travel to Panama? Whatever your dream, be sure to visit In Motion Ministries to see how they can help put it all together for you.
For more information, please read my new book "Your Guide From the Couch to the Mission Field." You can find it on Amazon.


text:
Anita Guerrini
History, animals, science, food
Anatomia Animalia (Blog)
The Courtiers' Anatomists
Tag: eighteenth century
The Secret Horror of Dissection
On 05/11/2016 05/11/2016 By Anita GuerriniIn Anatomy, History of science, Medicine, natural history, skeletons1 Comment
The eighteenth-century anatomist William Hunter (1718-1783) told his students that the practice of dissection "familiarizes the heart to a kind of necessary inhumanity."(1) A few decades earlier, Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton (1716-1800) expressed more forcefully the "secret horror" that dissection, particularly of the human corpse, elicited in most of its practitioners. His comments appeared in the "Description …
Continue reading The Secret Horror of Dissection
The Moving Skeleton
On 11/01/2015 By Anita GuerriniIn Anatomy, Crime and Punishment, History, History of science, London, natural history, skeletons1 Comment
Here's the full version of the Slate blog post: I've been reading Charles Burney's collection of newspapers for close to two decades: first turning fragile pages in the Rare Books and Music Reading Room at the British Library, then dipping periodically into the many boxes of microfilm there, and now online, unfortunately behind the Gale paywall. …
Continue reading The Moving Skeleton
On Slate's The Vault blog: The Moving Skeleton
On 10/30/2015 08/18/2017 By Anita GuerriniIn Anatomy, History, History of science, London, Medicine, skeletons
http://www.slate.com/content/slate/blogs/the_vault/2015/10/30/history_of_automated_skeletons_as_entertainment.html
Coming in May … my long-awaited book, The Courtiers' Anatomists!
On 03/29/2015 09/12/2015 By Anita GuerriniIn Anatomy, Animals, History, History of science, Medicine, Museums, natural history, Paris, Science
To appear from the University of Chicago Press on May 20. See the Chicago website or Amazon. Book launch party at OSU on May 21. More soon!
Why fierce animals are fierce
On 04/23/2014 08/22/2014 By Anita GuerriniIn Animals, Food, History, MedicineLeave a comment
The eighteenth-century Dutch physician Herman Boerhaave (1668-1738) wrote many books, but among his most famous were his Aphorisms and his Materia medica, both of which were translated and reprinted throughout the century. They distilled the conventional wisdom of the day and added Boerhaave's own astute observations. The following observations from Materia medica follow a logic we …
Continue reading Why fierce animals are fierce
Anatomy Animals archaeology Berlin Biology Books Crime and Punishment Digital Humanities Education eighteenth century Environment Evolution Fiction Food Giants and Dwarfs History History of science illustration London Medicine Museums Music natural history paleontology Paris Religion Science skeletons Uncategorized Vesalius


text:
irohit.com
Oh well, whatever, nevermind
iRohit
Phir ek baar?
Did Modi decide that he wanted to become the PM of this nation, or did Amit Shah decide that he will make Modi the PM of this nation. I always wonder how it was? Was there a day, perhaps when the two of them sat for a tea and one of the above happened.
India is voting to elect its 17th Lok Sabha. 900 million Indians are eligible to vote except maybe in WB where non-Indians too will vote 😉 This is the worlds biggest democratic exercise. This time around there will be 7 polling days spread over a month. The results should be out on May 23rd. Leading the BJP, current ruling party, is Narendra Modi, who in my humble opinion, is the world's best politician. As he goes in for re-election, he has effectively made this election a referendum on himself. He runs the most cutting edge campaign in India's history. Its made up of massive rallies all across the nation (typically 3-4 rallies a day, & he speaks for about 40-50 mins) All his speeches are a clever mix of nationalist issues, local issues, his performance, and his ideas for the next 5 years. His speeches have a good amount of rhetoric, blaming the past governments for stifling India's progress for the past 6 decades, primarily the Nehru-Gandhi era & the current state government if its not a BJP government. When he is not campaigning, he is doing 'exclusives' with national & local media. He also finds time to sit down for a chat with a very popular Bollywood Actor to talk non-political aspects of his life and makes it too into a political masterstroke. His social media accounts actively engage the masses. He was even able to scout the social media for the INS Viraat vacation incident and make it into a major issue in the last stages of this elections. All this keeps the opposition miles behind. It feels like the opposition is still stuck in the early 2000s in terms of the campaigning strategy.
I attended his campaign rally in Bangalore. What I realized is that he has a very precisely crafted persona. I am sure that a lot of detail goes into projecting Narendra Modi that we see in the media & on stage. Not that it's a bad thing. In a country like ours, you need a larger than life image to cut across the regional, communal, language barriers, else you will end up just being a regional stalwart, like the current crop of leaders found in the MahaThugBandhan.
Modi has successfully converted this election into a vote on his 5 years of PM-ship. I have always maintained, that you take out Modi from the BJP, and BJP is just another slight upgrade on Congress. He shows the killers instinct when the need arises. He can very well get down into a bare-knuckle street-fight (like the Bhrashtachari no 1 comment) just before polls in places where Sikhs have a significant influence. I believe he understands that there no point holding the higher moral ground & losing like Atalj in 2004. Indians need a tamasha when it comes to politics. He knows it.
Of course, 'Ghar mein guske marenge' narrative post-Pulwama, boosted his national image even further as he came across as a leader who is not afraid to deal with Pakistan in a language that they understand. As the elections got underway, one could see the undercurrent of his social schemes like LPG scheme, electrification of villages, rural sanitation, Mudra loans becoming discussion points amongst the common folks.
Another key narrative was set in Bengal, where thanks to TMC, BJP got into the driver's seat on Hindutva. Bengal helped reaffirm the pro-Hindu stance of the BJP, which I feel they could not do it UP owing to the stalemate on Ram Janma Bhoomi issue. Coming to UP, the MahaThugBandhan became more of the top-down approach aimed clearly by salvage the political careers of the Yadav Parivaar and Mayawati. The masses I feel never really bought it as it's like getting the North and the South Pole of a magnet to join together.
Another key issue was the opposition crying Rafale all over India. And it never seemed to become a key issue. The opposition peaked too soon on this. My personal opinion is that it became too complex for most to understand. It didn't help that Rahul kept changing the numbers at every rally. Modi on the other hand never gave it any importance. 'Chowkidar Chor Hai' has to be one of the most ill-conceived one-liner in a campaign. Whoever came up with it and whoever approved it must be fired straight away. Modi kept his campaign fresh. He shifted into the top gear very close to the actual polling dates. Also, he played it smart with his talk with Akshay Kumar, that made up for the ban on the movie, his biography, by the EC.
While I am no expert, my observation is that the people who in 2014 voted Modi, who at that time was fairly inexperienced at the national stage and foreign affairs, have seen enough to vote for him again. Of course, the Modi government never went overboard appeasing the middle-class, though it did it in bits and pieces, except for maybe in the last budget. But doles are not what most middle class want. Safe cities, better infrastructure are important considerations too for them. Also, 'There is no alternative' is also a valid reason to vote Modi. Another small and yet significant segment that I would expect to vote him is the non-minority(2 of those) non-political electorate that may be motivated to vote him just because he has given a relatively stable, clean govt and seen his personal work ethic in the last 5 years. I assume a lot of first-time voters, and females voters to be part of this. At this point, credit must be also given to lots of groups who generated a lot of awareness on radio and social media that has made voting a pretty cool thing to do. While I was voting I saw quite a few first-time voters, waiting to get inked so that they could then snap a selfie and post it in their social circles just to get that – 'I am responsible youth' swagger 🙂
Another factor I have seen within my social media circle is that the voter, both urban and rural seems to clearly differentiate between a state and a national election. It also helped that the much-hyped loan-waivers promised by Congress when they won the state elections in late 2018 became a fiasco, with allegations of corruption which served a timely reminder as to what Congress brings to the table when in power. The quick deterioration in law and order in these states also grabbed headlines leading up to the national polls. People didn't really buy into the NYAY especially looking at the Congress track record and it also had the middle class spooked as they realized that to fund this mega waste, it would inevitably mean more taxes, cesses on the middle class. Sam Pitroda and PC in a way confirming it by asking the middle class to be more generous in uplifting the less privileged.
So what are my predictions? Well, it's not easy to put a number out. If I just go state wise, it's difficult to imagine BJP could fare better than 2014. They already maxed out in BJP friendly state last time around. So the head says crossing 270 would be difficult. But if I go by my heart, and just looking at various snippets of simple people talking so passionately about Modi all over the country, the hordes of volunteers campaigning for Modi, I am inclined to say 320-330. But now the results are less than a week away. Surprisingly, none of the BJP supporters seem to be considering a remote possibility of BJP stumbling to less than 200. I shudder to think how these folks may react to a non Modi PM. The opposition seems to have already begun targeting the judiciary to create obstacles in the parliamentary process post results. EC has already been termed pro-Modi. EVMs are already faulty. And BJP voters already accused of being fascists.
Well if indeed Modi is our next PM, then the credit only goes to him and the huge trust capital that he has amassed with the people of India in the last 5 years. This trust capital is what has motivated crores to vote Modi in 2019 which the BJP and all their candidates are banking on the 23rd of May 2019.
Yesterday was election day in Bangalore for the 2019 Lok Sabha. I have my name enrolled in Indiranagar. I haven't changed it to Hennur, because I don't want to fix what's not broken. I am not sure if I fully trust the Election Commission to transfer my vote to Hennur without any hassles. People who have lived in Bangalore for decades, voted as recent as 2018, find their name deleted this election. But that's a story for another blog.
Standing in the queue for voting is always a moment of reflection for me. Though I have never experienced serpentine queue, instead, each one so far has been a pretty relaxed experience. The people who come out to vote always seem to have a sense of duty towards our democracy. Ours is not a perfect one by a long mile, but it's also not the worst. Also, in the mix for this sense of duty, there are the first time voters who radiate enthusiasm, though I get confused – Is it for the election process? or the ubercool inked selfie to announce to their friends on social media that they are now responsible enough to participate in the process that decides the course this nation takes.
Yesterday, while I was queuing up to vote, in the uncharacteristically hot Bangalore summer, I witness a very memorable incident. A very senior citizen walks in to cast his vote helped by middle aged man who I later came to know was his son in law. What struck me was his 1000-watt smile as he was greeted by many folks, both young and old as he made his way inside the polling station. The respect he was getting was what got me curious. As a senior citizen, he quickly went in the booth, voted and came out. Even as he was being helped back into his car, many more people went over to him and greeted him. He cheerfully acknowledge all of them. The person standing behind me, another 'young' senior citizen also said hi to this old man. When he had left, I asked the gentleman behind me, who that person was. Was he some office bearer of some local organisation? a politician? The gentleman behind me replied – 'He is nobody, but just a simple teacher, who has taught a lot of folks in that neighbourhood'. And I thought to myself – but of course!
As I gathered back my thoughts, I also remembered how my father-in-law also gets a lot of respect when he moves around in his town. He was a teacher too. At the end of the day, I can think of only two professions in India and perhaps the world, that can garner such respect from ordinary folks – Doctors & Teachers. I am an engineer by profession, I can never hope to get such adulation. There is something noble about the profession of doctors & teachers. One helps save lives, the other helps us to make our lives. I have very fond memories of my school days. I still vividly remember my teachers that have taught me. And when my thoughts wander to those days, they always bring a smile on my face. Be it Gopi teacher, or Surlacar Sir, or Mrs Surlacar, or my maths teacher Smita, or my science teacher Linda or Amonkar Sir, or Thakur teacher or Volvoikar Sir or Sunanda Pai teacher. All I can say is that I am grateful!
It's a noble, albeit an underpaid profession. But at the end of the day, I guess it makes up for it when you walk around with a stick and people stop by and greet you with smile with nothing but gratitude and then there is this one guy who doesn't know you, asks around to know who you are and then you leave an imprint on him too…
Pulwama attack 2019
Yet another ghastly attack on the Indian Armed Forces. The perpetrators the usual JEM. Our response… well thats the tricky part.
URI2??? Or another measured silence??? or some other Out-Of-Box response that will catch all of us by surprise.
The timing of this attack puts Modi in a very uncomfortable situation. The recent hit movie URI, seen by a majority of Indians has brought in focus the perils of serving in the Indian Armed Forces specifically those deployed in the conflict zone. It, also for the first time, brought into the focus the aftermath of such attacks especially for the family and the loved ones of the martyrs. Earlier we used to focus only on the soldiers. I am hundred percent sure that today, for the first time, all the thoughts of the people of India are with the family of the soldiers who were martyred. Every one of us is picturing a wife, a daughter, a son, a mother of each of the these soldiers. Yes, it's a difficult day today.
Emotions are running high… everyone wants revenge. But you must also realise that the Pakistani Army, who surely is responsible for this in some capacity, will be on high alert. The JEM will also be on high alert. So that leaves URI2 as a high risk option. Modi will also need to take into consideration the LokSabha elections which are due in a couple of months. Any miscalculation can be disastrous. But at the same time, if his actions bear fruits, it will guarantee a second term.
Pulling out of the Indus water treaty is a more diplomatic options, plus, we could also stop all trades with Pakistan. But will it really be crippling?
Also, since the attack is fresh, all media outlets will be harping 'Revenge' but this narrative will change over the coming days to a more moderate tone as the usual Pakistani sympathisers who are hiding today, will start appearing in the news studios and social media sphere and blabber about how an unproportionate response could diminish the support for this Fight-Againt-Terror.
I personally think, that if the Indian Govt can, they should take out Masood Azhar soon. And may be a few others just as a cherry on the cake. Some sort to armed escalation would also help. But this will require elaborate planning and could be expensive also. This has an added risk that if it spirals out of control so close to the national elections, it could undo all the work done in the last 5 years by this govt. Plus this would undoubtedly invite pressure from the international community, primarily US & China. But it's an options none the less.
Either which way he choses, Modi's political acumen will be tested this time. He himself has come out and said that the sacrifice of the jawans will not be in vain. His senior ministers have also echoed the same. So this has to manifest in tangible actions else the opposition will make this a poll issue. If there is no response, then the Congress President will not stop screaming about it in all his rallies leading upto the polls. All the other members of the Thugbandhan will also be critical of how the issue was be handled by the PMO.
So as it stands, this is a difficult time for the nation and it's leadership. All eyes will be on the PMO. I hope that the action Modi choses, surprises us. Honestly, I don't think the end to this conflict is near. It's a vicious cycle. But in this day & age, no retaliation is a sign of cowardice rather than upholding of Gandhian principles.
I have always maintained, two of the biggest underachieving politicians of the past decade are our Ex PM Manmohan Singh and the US President Barack Obama.
The following picture with Anthony Bourdain is an apt reminder of the Obama Presidency, plenty of Photo Ops, very little substance.
obamabourdain
The history will always remember Obama as America's first black president. Period! Nothing more. And that is the real disappointment. The high point of his presidency was the day he took the oath in 2009. Despite being the most powerful person in the world for 8 years, he never did anything substantial.
George W Bush Sr stood against Saddam, Bill Clinton tried to bring peace to the middle east- the historic occasion when U.S. President Bill Clinton stood in the background when Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (L) and Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat shook hands don't happen everyday.
George W Bush Jr will be remembered for standing on a mountain of rubble at ground zero with a bull horn comforting America in crisis.
Obama will be remembered for … ??? well, his colour of skin.
He had eight years to make a mark. But nothing! In a way, he has now paved way for Donald Trump – the anti-politician. American people have given up on politicians, and decided to throw their weight behind a businessman, who speaks his mind regardless of it being politically incorrect. They have taken liking to a person who has never held any public office, nor served in the army.
Not that I am against Donald Trump. Infact, I think, even I am fed up of the typical politician who value being politically correct over being just plain correct.
It's time to throw caution to the wind and just give brashness an chance. What is the worst that could happen – Status Quo?!?
Obama Presidency
2008: King in waiting
What an watershed year this was in the political sphere of our nation. The man who was touted as enemy number 1 by the Congress and all the news media houses of this nation triumphed in the most epic fashion. Narendra Modi won the hearts of Indians. All through his campaign he brought forth the naked truth of the so called seculars aka sickulars for the enlightened lot. He stuck to his agenda of development for all. He went hammer and tongs after 60 years of misrule of Congress (INC). And emerged victorious at the end. If ever one needed a example of how to beat the odds, Modi's campaign of 2014 was it.
Not even me, a hardcore NaMo fan thought he could pull of the win. My realistic numbers were around 210-230. And I was expecting Amma to help him pull through in the Lok Sabha. But Modi and Amit Shah proved us all pleasantly wrong. For the first time since the 1984, had a national party won the clear majority to form the govt on its own. The last time that had happened was in 1984, against the backdrop of the assassination of Indian born head of Congress, Smt Indira Gandhi, a clear case of mass outpouring of the sympathy.
When on the 26th of May, 2014 the worlds most famous chaiwala, Narendra Damodardas Modi, took the oath to the Prime Ministers Office in the presence of SAARC leaders, for us – the NaMo fans, it was a moment of pride and joy. From that first Google Hangout with Ajay Devgan, to that inspiring speech at SRCC, and to that historic speech in Patna, NaMo went from strength to strength, uniting Indians who loved this nation, and who had watched helplessly as it decayed under Manmohan Singh. Modi instilled hope, and that all is not lost for us, and that we could still gather the pieces together and re-ignite the path to development and success.
Today, 6 months down the line, many more people have realized the dedication and determination of Modi to deliver on all that he has promised. With his charm, he has single handedly tried to bring forth a new image of India to the world. Be it his Make In India campaign, or the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, he effort to get a world yoga day, or his interaction with Indians abroad, and with other heads of state. Modi is revamping Brand India. He is making it more vibrant, young and positive. If the past 6 months are any indication of what lies ahead, than most definitely, the next 5 years are going to be most important in the history of this nation.
Achhe din anyone !?!
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> Where can we find out about the new styles?
Where can we find out about the new styles?
The Harvard (UTS) style has been updated as of 29 June 2018. As part of this update the reference types for chart or table, dataset, film, artwork, pamphlet and patent have been created or revised.
I'd like to learn what has changed and make sure I'm using the current style; so I checked the Interactive Style Guide from https://www.lib.uts.edu.au/help/referencing/harvard-uts-referencing-guide but it doesn't seem to have been updated since 2015.
I also checked https://www.lib.uts.edu.au/help/referencing/harvard-uts-referencing-guide/more-information but it doesn't seem to have been updated since April 2018.
Where can we find out more about these changes?
A great question James - the lady who created our csl file is Meijun Huang - I'll talk to her and see what the feasibility of this is as I don't know much about the way the csl editor works (EndNote has it's own style editor and I really only know about that).
The interactive guide we're planning on redoing later in the Spring of 2018, to reflect some of the new reference types we've created. But in the meanwhile these are the newer reference types that we've added to our referencing pages generally (not more information but in places like other sources mainly, but also website and sound film and image).


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Ebert v. Thompson
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Full title:REGAN D. EBERT, Indiv. and as Trustee on Behalf of the Town of Maine…
Court:Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, Fourth Division. Judgment affirmed
Date published: Jun 28, 1996
Copy Citations
668 N.E.2d 184 (Ill. App. Ct. 1996)
668 N.E.2d 184
From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research
Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, Fourth Division. Judgment affirmed
No. 1-95-3185
Opinion filed June 28, 1996.
Appeal from the Circuit Court of Cook County; the Hon. Thomas P. Durkin, Judge, presiding.
David F. Platek, of Chicago, for appellant.
Segal, McCambridge, Singer Mahoney, Ltd., of Chicago (Gregory E. Rogus and Michael W. Drumke, of counsel), for appellees.
JUSTICE CAHILL delivered the opinion of the court:
Plaintiff Regan Ebert, an elected trustee of the Town of Maine, filed a complaint for injunctive relief against the town's supervisor and administrator. Ebert sought access to lists of participants in social programs funded by the Town of Maine. She alleged that, as an elected trustee of the Town of Maine, she had a right of access to the lists. Defendants Mark Thompson, the supervisor of the Town of Maine, and Pamela Anderson, the administrator of the Town of Maine, contended the records sought by plaintiff were confidential and exempt from dissemination, even to an elected trustee, under section 7(1)(b)(i) of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act ( 5 ILCS 140/1 et seq. (West 1994)). The parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment.
The trial court ruled: "The plaintiff is an elected public official. Part of the duties of the plaintiff as an elected public official [is] to audit. As such, the elected public official is entitled to reasonable access to the books and records necessary to perform that function." The court then granted plaintiff's request for injunctive relief and ordered the records turned over to her. Defendants did not appeal this order.
Plaintiff subsequently filed a petition in the same proceeding for attorney fees under section 11(i) of the Freedom of Information Act. That section reads:
"(i) If a person seeking the right to inspect or receive a copy of a public record substantially prevails in a proceeding under this Section, the court may award such person reasonable attorneys' fees if the court finds that the record or records in question were of clearly significant interest to the general public and that the public body lacked any reasonable basis in law for withholding the record." 5 ILCS 140/11(i) (West 1994).
The trial court denied plaintiff's petition and stated: "There is no statutory authority here for the fees. FOIA was incidental insofar as having been raised by the defendants. The action was not brought under FOIA, so it's not a basis for fees." The court also denied plaintiff's request for sanctions under Supreme Court Rule 137 (134 Ill.2d R. 137), because "[g]ood faith was found by the court."
Plaintiff appeals this ruling and argues the trial court erred when it denied her petition for fees. She admits in her brief that "no mention was made anywhere within the body of the pleading claiming any particular statute or other authority as the basis for the relief sought." She argues, however, that she is "entitled to recover attorney fees pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act and no special pleading requirement is necessary in order to vest the trial court with jurisdiction to make an award of fees under the Act." We disagree.
Supreme Court Rule 133 reads: "(a) Statutory Duty. If a breach of statutory duty is alleged, the statute shall be cited in connection with the allegation." 134 Ill.2d R. 133(a). Plaintiff did not allege in her complaint that defendants breached a duty under the Freedom of Information Act. She admits the "complaint filed in this case stated a cause of action for injunctive relief based upon the unlawful acts of the defendants in denying the plaintiff's request for access to public records that she was clearly and obviously entitled to possess in the performance of her official duties as a trustee of the Town of Maine." She argued in her motion for summary judgment, in response to the defenses raised by defendants under the Freedom of Information Act, that "the Act simply does not apply in this case since plaintiff is an elected official of the Town of Maine." She also argued "[t]here is no suggestion whatsoever anywhere in the complaint that the plaintiff has made any request for information pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act." The trial court rulings make clear that the court agreed with the original position of the plaintiff.
It is undisputed that plaintiff failed to plead a statutory cause of action as is required by the supreme court rules. See also Harney-Morgan Chevrolet Olds Co. v. Rabin, 118 Ill. App.3d 602, 455 N.E.2d 130 (1983). We also note the language in section 11 of the Act allowing a court to award fees where "a person seeking the right to inspect or receive a copy of a public record substantially prevails in a proceeding under this Section." (Emphasis added.) 5 ILCS 140/11(i) (West 1994). Plaintiff maintained throughout the litigation that she was not proceeding under the Freedom of Information Act.
The issue of the Freedom of Information Act was injected by defendants, in their motion for summary judgment, based upon the nature of the records sought. The trial court ruled that plaintiff was entitled to the records in her role as an elected official, rejecting the defense argument based upon the nature of the records. Defendants did not appeal that order. Since the relevancy of the Freedom of Information Act was resolved in the trial court and not appealed, plaintiff cannot now claim that remedies under the Act are relevant on appeal.
Attorney fees cannot be awarded to a successful litigant in courts of law or equity in the absence of an authorizing statute or contract. Verni v. Imperial Manor of Oak Park Condominium, Inc., 99 Ill. App.3d 1062, 425 N.E.2d 1344 (1981). The trial court correctly denied plaintiff's petition for attorney fees.
We further find no abuse of discretion in the court's refusal to impose sanctions under Rule 137 (134 Ill.2d R. 137), based upon its finding that defendants acted in good faith.
HOFFMAN, P.J., and THEIS, J., concur.
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Remove everything: Basically all the user�s files get securely erased, also PC settings and apps are removed, a fresh copy of Windows gets reinstalled, and Windows starts �... Install your ssd and install your os on it. Copy all the files you want to keep from the hdd to the ssd. Format your hdd from within the os on the ssd.
Choosing the Remove Everything tool completely erases your copy of Windows, your programs, your apps, and all your files. In other words, the program wipes your computer completely clean. Then, Windows 8 magically reinstalls itself, leaving you with a working computer, but without your programs, your files, or even your user account.
If you�re donating a Windows 8 computer, run the Remove Everything and Reinstall Windows tool. Be sure to choose the Fully Clean the Drive option when telling the program to clean your hard drive. Be sure to choose the Fully Clean the Drive option when telling the program to clean your hard drive.
Format a blank floppy as a MS-DOS boot disk (it is an option in the format dialog). Reboot your PC with that disk in the drive. If you still go into Windows, you need to enter the BIOS (usually by pressing delete or F2 while the PC boots) and check that your Floppy Drive is higher up the boot sequence than the hard drive.
"Remove everything and reinstall Windows" yes, removes everything on your PC, including any drivers you updated to W8, it does exactly as stated, but if you want a nice clean OS. Brand new in relation to the OS.


A new opinion poll in today's Vima confirms for the third time in a week that radical left Syriza would come out on top in a repeat election, claiming 20.5% of the popular vote. Conservative New Democracy comes second with 18.1%, socialists Pasok third with 12.2%, and the others more or less in the same order again. The far right Golden Dawn makes it in again, according to all three polls.
Asked whether they find Syriza's proposal realistic, 35% say quite realistic or very, while 62% say a little or not at all, which suggests that while the great majority don't believe Syriza can implement what they say, it still wants them in to hopefully change things in the right direction, even if it doesn't go all the way.
This article can also be seen on Newsweek - The Daily Beast.
GREECE's political party leaders have come to the end of a constitutional roadmap without being able to form a coalition government through direct talks. They now stand, along with the rest of the country, on the brink of an abyss.
A final meeting of party leaders with the country's president is thought unlikely to yield results. After that, an emergency government will have to take the country to repeat elections.
Disoriented at this stage in its complicated and expensive bailout by the European Union, Greece can easily slip into default and penury, and abandon the euro. The loss of market trust in the currency would reverberate throughout the eurozone, possibly destabilising its other troubled economies and toppling the euro itself.
The political impasse came late on Friday, when the radical left Syriza refused to join socialists and conservatives in a government of national unity. The two traditional political powerhouses are self-proclaimed Europeanists, sworn to keeping Greece within the euro. They have ruled as a coalition since November, but were crippled with the loss of more than half their combined strength in this month's election.
Across the aisle is a swelling contingent of communists and radical leftists who have seen their combined showing rise from 34 seats in the 300-seat parliament to 97. However, even with other anti-austerity forces they cannot command a majority either.
Chief among them is Syriza, which considers Greece's bailout usurious, and wants the country to default on its external payments in favour of internal ones to pensioners and salaried employees. It disputes the 355 billion euro debt figure and wants this audited by a firm of international standing. It would reverse pension and salary cuts, and even extend health and unemployment benefits the economy cannot pay for. Its plan involves taxing the rich at 75 percent and nationalising banks.
This uncompromising platform catapulted Syriza from obscurity to second place last Sunday, just two points behind the conservatives. Two polls this week suggest that it would make further massive gains in a repeat election.
It has become a mantra of Syriza officials to say that Greece's budget is balanced but for its obligations to international lenders. This is simply not true. Greece did pay lenders a whopping 15 billion euro last year, but it also had a primary deficit of more than four billion euro.
The 200 billion euro bailout currently allows Greece to balance its budget over two years rather than two weeks. But European officials have said that Greece will not benefit from this package unless it abides by cost cuts and reforms. To make the point, the European Financial Stability Fund, which is bankrolling Greece, withheld a billion euro payment into state coffers this month, and disbursed only funds earmarked for the servicing of loans.
The trouble is partly unbridgeable ideological differences and partly the fact that the physics for a compromise are simply not there: two parties are behaving opportunistically while voters are in flux. The radical left Syriza sees its chance to make history by uniting the famously fractious left at the core of a coalition of bailout denouncers; New Democracy hopes that the threat of chaos will help it coil its rope of voters in the guise of a bailout renegotiator.
There are signs that Syriza's leader, Alexis Tsipras, was never earnest about forming a coalition. Earlier in the week he invited the socialist and conservative leaders to write to the heads of the European Commission and European Central Bank, renouncing their commitments to austerity measures. If they didn't do that, he said, there would be no point in his even talking to them.
If political matchmaking turns into rematch, Tsipras is banking on increased support from voters who have reached the end of their tether. His party carried the day in the greater Athens area, where unemployment has skyrocketed. It now stands at 21.7 percent against an EU average of 10.2 percent, and it is nowhere worse than in the westernmost Athens neighbourhood of Perama. In this rustbelt of dying shipyards, joblessness runs as high as 50 percent.
It is here that George Koumbouros, in his mid-70s, now regularly avails himself of food and medical aid handed out by Doctors of the World. The outreach centre was originally set up for immigrants, but 90 percent of its beneficiaries are now Greeks, doctors there say.
George is the father of seven and grandfather of 14. He says neither he nor any of his children have been able to find work for two years.
Malamo Voulgaropoulou, a former singer now in her eighties, is one of many pensioners who rummage through dumpsters for food. "I find eggplants, tomatoes, zucchinis and greens," she says. "I wash them very thoroughly and boil them for a long time." She and her husband avoid gleaning after farmers' street markets, she says, because the competition is intense.
Dramatic changes in peoples' way of life are taking place even among the middle class. Haralambos Lambropoulos, a retired air force commander, lives in the central neighbourhood of Neos Kosmos. His pension has been cut in half over two years, to 1,200 euro a month. That is more than enough for him and his wife, Vasiliki, but in this family-oriented society pensions often subsidise the young. Haralambos and Vasiliki help support two sons and daughters-in-law who have also lost jobs and are struggling to raise four children.
Against this backdrop, many Greeks are convinced that the bailout is a cure worse than the disease.
A repeat election would almost certainly favour Syriza for three reasons. First, the party did best in the large urban constituencies of Athens and Thessaloniki. The interior ministry is scheduled, at the end of this month, to award those constituencies a greater number of seats, reflecting population growth over the past ten years.
Second, voters now identify Syriza as the anti-austerity champion, and polls taken last week suggest that the party is set to concentrate more of the protest vote.
Third, any pro-bailout government has to cut at least 11 billion euro from health, social programmes and civil service costs from the 2013-14 budgets in June. Syriza has vowed not to do so. If it prevails, the EFSF won't pay Greece a massive, 28 billion euro tranche of its bailout, a large part of which is designed to refinance the banking system and help restart the economy.
Greece is already set to lose a fifth of its 2008 economy by the end of the year. The Bank of Greece recently revised its recession figure from -4.5 percent to -5 percent. The European Commission has just revised it to -4.7 percent. With such political instability, matters can only get worse for Greece and the eurozone.
This post can also be read on Al Jazeera.
Greek political parties began a third and final attempt today to form a government. Coalition talks have so far foundered on the fact that last Sunday's election gave equal seats in parliament to pro-austerity and anti-austerity forces.
The mandate to form a government now goes to the pro-austerity socialists. They can count on support from their erstwhile coalition partners, the conservatives. Both want Greece to stay in the euro, endure further, massive budget cuts next month, and repay its loans to the European Union. But they no longer have the power to govern. They need the support of the small but moderate Democratic Left.
That party is under intense pressure from the radical left Syriza to deny support and lead the country to another election. Syriza has been the main beneficiary of the last election, quadrupling its standing to 16.78 percent of the vote by promising to denounce the bailout, reverse budget cuts, renege on loan repayment and re-audit the debt. While voters are in flux they hope for further gains.
Fotis Kouvelis, Democratic Left leader, has said he will not participate in a government that does not include Syriza, or accept the poisoned chalice of a consensus premiership.
There are four main likely scenarios in the following 72 hours. The most optimistic is that socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos succeeds in including the Democratic Left and wins a vote of confidence. Together the socialist Pasok, conservative New Democracy and Democratic Left would wield 168 seats in the 300 seat legislature, a comfortable outright majority.
It is even possible, though unlikely, that Venizelos and conservative leader Antonis Samaras might engage in guerrilla tactics to convince MPs to disobey their party leaders and abstain from the vote of confidence, achieving the same result.
However, the likeliest scenario is that Venizelos will persuade Kouvelis neither to actively back his coalition, nor to benignly neglect to show up for a vote of confidence, because either way Kouvelis stands to be accused of betraying the left as it was poised to make history in a repeat election. There are also major disincentives for Venizelos and Samaras to try and govern with 149 MPs, 50 of which are a now controversial bonus to the party that comes first. They would be accused of a constitutional coup for the sole purpose of putting through 12 billion euros' worth of budget cuts in June. Social unrest outside parliament as well as uproariousness inside would be likely. New Democracy and Pasok would lose MPs and voters as precipitously as before. Finally, they would probably help to achieve what the left never managed, its unification around Syriza, and the strengthening of Syriza's hand in an inevitable repeat election.
This article may also be viewed on Newsweek's site, the Daily Beast.
GREECE's election has brought a sea change in the country's political dynamics that opens up the gaping prospects of an ungovernable nation, another election and even default.
Sunday's result has ended a grand coalition of socialists and conservatives which had, since November, managed to keep the country solvent by abiding with the terms of a eurozone bailout.
Voters have now produced a parliament so hostile to the austerity and reform programme accompanying that bailout, that socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos said there is no point in attempting to continue that collaboration.
"An old-fashioned, bipartisan coalition government will not enjoy sufficient legitimacy. Nor will it have domestic or international credibility, even if it achieves a marginal parliamentary majority," Venizelos said.
Venizelos evidently saw that a resumption of that alliance carried two problems: It would now require a third party (Pasok and New Democracy are two seats shy of an outright majority); and the very collaboration of two parties to continue a deeply unpopular bailout policy that has cost them half their popular support would raise cries of illegitimacy.
Socialists and conservatives are rightly concerned with legitimacy in this volatile political climate. New Democracy has come in first with just a fifth of the vote - nowhere near the 37 percent it would need to govern alone. It owes almost half of its parliamentary bloc to a 50-seat bonus – once a winner's trophy, now an embarrassing distortion to Greece's system of proportional representation.
"I asked for a strong mandate; the people decided otherwise," conservative leader Antonis Samaras gloomily told supporters outside party headquarters. It was the first time in four decades that the winner of a Greek election has not delivered a victory speech, or been able to form one-party government. And it is the first time in 23 years that Greece is witnessing coalition talks.
In contrast, more than 40 percent of the vote went to parties that want Greece to abandon the European bailout altogether – albeit not necessarily the euro.
The party that exemplifies that trend is Syriza, or Alliance of the Radical Left with Left Socialists and Radical Ecologists. It is a once-moribund, breakaway communist party, which quadrupled its previous performance to 16.76 percent, a mere two points behind the winner.
In Syriza lies the true message of the election. It has promised to annul Greece's two bailout loans worth $270 billion (it calls them "leaden jackets") along with the reforms that accompany them, and cast off the European Union's and International Monetary Fund's financial oversight.
"The debt is the taxes the rich did not pay," it is fond of saying, and advocates a dizzyingly expensive slate of tax-and-spend policies. Its idea is to tax the rich to the tune of 75 percent and renationalise every privatised state company including all banks (see sidebar at the end).
This would in theory pay for a reinstatement of the recently abolished national collective minimum wage, extend unemployment benefits to illegal migrants, restore the 35-year working lifetime and bring pensions up to 100 percent of salary.
The socialists have campaigned on the basis of austerity, stability, and June's salaries and pensions being paid on time. The conservatives have campaigned on the basis of growth as the true father of state revenue. Both have supported the bailout. Syriza, on the other hand, has won enormous appeal by arguing that the bailout does not avoid bankruptcy but leads directly to it. Socialists, conservatives and their friends at the IMF want a country of limited sovereignty, it says. Some leftists believe that Berlin plans to match China's low unit costs by outsourcing production to an impoverished Mediterranean basin.
Syriza considers even the restructuring of 200bn euro of debt in private hands as a bad thing, as it mortgages public wealth and legitimises billions in taxpayer-sponsored refinancing of banks.
Samaras has to seek alliances. He has three days to form a government. Should he fail, Syriza assumes the task. Should the process drag on two weeks, as it may, Greece would fall behind on more than 15bn euro in cuts to social spending, government restructuring and healthcare costs, failing to qualify for its June instalment. That, in turn, could lead to non-payment of salaries and pensions, driving the country closer to a social meltdown.
George Pagoulatos, legal advisor to outgoing prime minister Loukas Papademos, pointed out a contradiction in the election result that helps illustrate the extent to which this was a protest vote: While at least two thirds of Greeks have consistently been polled as wanting Greece to remain within the euro, that proportion did not vote for parties backing the bailout loan and attached programme of austerity and reform. Greece's creditors have, since last November, drummed in the message that implementation of that programme is a condition of remaining within the eurozone.
Unless Pasok agrees to rule with New Democracy and the Democratic Left – the only other forces in parliament that support the bailout – and manages to renegotiate the austerity plan, it is unlikely that this parliament will produce a government. Greece is probably looking at another election in a matter of weeks.
1. Make European Central Bank fund social programs in member states.
2. Ban derivatives across the European Union.
3. Establish Pan-European Tobin tax. Place higher taxes on high incomes and companies.
4. Nationalise the Greek banking system and give it over to public bodies such as cooperatives, repurposing it to deliver liquidity to small and medium-sized enterprises.
1. Tax the rich at a top rate of 75 percent for incomes of half a million or more.
2. Have higher tax on companies and "ostentatious consumption". Remove tax exemptions. For example, on the church.
3. Record all estates of one million euro or more and tax them.
4. Use every available EU euro.
5. Renationalise every privatised or partly-privatised company (Hellenic Railways Organisation, Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation, Athens Water & Sewage Treatment Company, Public Power Corporation, etc.) and stop privatisations. Restructure companies to operate profitably and transparently for the state.
6. Rebuild economy along lines of high-end agricultural produce for export, renewable energy, and non-intensive, eco-friendly tourism.
1. Restore national collective agreement on minimum wage. Reverse the 22 percent wage cut in private sector. Extend part-time workers to full-time. Abolish part-time labour. Prohibit freelance work when the task calls for a full-time job. Fire no one from public sector. Bring back firing limits in the private sector.
2. Put the homeless in empty properties of state, church & banks.
3. Feed all students twice a day.
4. Extend full health services to poor, homeless, unemployed. Consolidate all social services. No hospital closures or mergers. Bring staff levels back up. Abolish co-payment for unemployed, students, handicapped, poor pensioners. Bring health budget to 6 percent of GDP.
5. Adjust interest and maturity on loans so monthly payment does not exceed 30 percent of income. Write off loans to those not meeting "dignified means of living".
6. Extend unemployment benefit indefinitely, extend to immigrants, and raise to 80 percent of salary for first two years.
7. Reduce (control) prices on basic goods.
8. Abolish property tax on "small" properties.
9. Make state pay Social Security system all arrears and debts from mismanagement of its assets; ensure efficient dues collection from private sector. Restore 35-year working lifetime and pension at 100 percent of salary.


LAS VEGAS, November 1, 2016 – Kia Motors America (KMA) today unveiled four all-new customized vehicles at the opening day of the 2016 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show. Envisioning a future when vehicles will not only drive autonomously but be tailor-built to our lifestyles, each concept sparks the imagination of what could be just around the corner. Also making its SEMA debut is the Telluride full-size hybrid SUV concept that was first unveiled early this year at the North American International Auto Show.
A total of five custom vehicles are showcased in Kia's booth at SEMA, each eschewing what we normally ask of our day-to-day vehicular needs to blaze a thought-provoking trail of imagination and fun.
Custom built by the master craftsmen at LGE-CTS Motorsports, the 2017 Niro hybrid has been transformed into a true crossover-utility lifestyle vehicle. Removal of the roof from the D-pillars back creates a small bed and allows for the custom bike rack, tool box and tablet computer mount. The Felt IA 2 road-racing bike can be easily removed or locked in place for repairs or transport. The ONEU safety laser bike lane light mounted to the rear illuminates a laser LED road behind the vehicle and the athlete can easily monitor speed, time and distance covered via the tablet while the Niro autonomously keeps pace. The tablet can also be attached inside the vehicle for entertainment or performance analysis while the Niro effortlessly drives the athlete home or to the next competition. Riding on a 2-inch lowered suspension, the Niro Triathlete is shod with 265/35R-18 Dunlop Direzza sport tyres and lightweight 18-inch Method Rally Race wheels.
Layered on a base of candy red are contrasting white tan and black accents. The School of Rock logos and music-inspired icons are hand painted. While no modifications were made to the suspension, the School of Rock Sedona rides on flat-black painted 20-inch Vossen VFS-6 wheels that are wrapped in aggressive Toyo Proxes 255/45R-20 tyres.
Taking the idea of a sport-utility vehicle to new heights – literally and figuratively – this custom Kia Sorento was built by LUX Motorwerks to tackle snow and ice as it gets you and your fellow skiers up to the top of the mountain for another run. The luxurious and self-driving Sorento Ski Gondola is all about climbing to higher ground in style, comfort and warmth.
Dominator Rubber Tracks powdercoated orange make this gondola a go-anywhere cold-weather machine. A custom metal roof rack supplies ample storage for skis and poles while the cargo area provides abundant space for boots, bags and other gear, all easily accessible thanks to the removal of the B pillar and the rear doors being converted to suicide-style doors. Up front, the Sorento's headlights were painted black, silver and orange and LED light bars were installed for increased visibility in all conditions.
The Sorento Ski Gondola's interior has been upgraded with custom door panels, dash and center console, which houses a personalized tablet. The interior has also been given a reboot of black and orange leather to compliment the orange and PPG Silver Metallic paint of the Sorento's exterior. Throughout the interior the floor was given a durable waterproof Line-X treatment to protect against the ice and snow that may find its way inside.
The Soul First Class is an upscale inter-city chariot that lets business travelers work and relax as they journey to out-of-town meetings and destinations. This self-driving custom-built creation from LUX Motorwerks – with its rear-facing seats, absence of steering wheel and wide array of luxury enhancements – is about optimizing work and rest amid the hectic schedule in one's professional life.
Eliminating the need for a driver, the Soul First Class has a revamped front dash which now houses two rear-facing front seats. The Soul's passengers are then greeted by a 40-inch Samsung LED TV connected to a Mac mini computer system and premium audio speakers throughout. A custom motorized centre console reveals two tablets, which control this futuristic Kia. To match the first-class electronic system is first-class comfort with white and gray leather with diamond stitching throughout the cabin, and modern gray wood flooring to match.
The Soul's exterior brings about the same level of luxury as the interior with PPG Lux Blue paint and modified upper and lower grilles with LED lighting. The 19-inch Rotiform Monoblock CCV wheels bring a modern vibe to the car's exterior and round out the complete autonomous vehicle inspired overhaul.
Glimpsing a future that is grounded in reality but not bound by the present, the Telluride, a striking three-row, seven-passenger, luxury hybrid SUV concept features a modern and upright shape, muscular stance, and state-of-the-art technology to care for its occupants. Purely conceptual, the Kia Telluride is based on an existing platform and reveals the brand's interest in potentially offering a premium SUV positioned above the current hot-selling Sorento.
Telluride's interior and exterior were penned at the brand's California-based studio, Kia Design Center America (KDCA). Finished in Dark Pyrite green paint, the tall stance is amplified by the overall size of the vehicle. At 1801mm tall, 2009mm wide and 5001mm long, Telluride is 112mm taller, 119mm wider, and a sizable 241mm longer than the current Sorento. Underpinning the Telluride is a modified Sorento chassis with a wheelbase stretched 302mm to 3081mm, giving Telluride a dominating presence. It's modern and muscular appearance is accentuated by flared fenders stretching around massive 22-inch five-spoke wheels wrapped in Hankook® Ventus ST 275/45R22 tires. Telluride's front fascia incorporates a much larger version of Kia's signature tiger-nose grille, and its menacing face brings an attitude all its own with recessed quad-LED headlamps, pronounced horizontal LED indicator lights, and an aggressive polished-metal skid plate below the bumper. In the rear, thin vertical taillights align with the modern design language of the SUV, while consistent styling cues across the front and rear door handles, hood scoops and dual exhaust tips enhance the vehicle's solid appearance.


Jawa 300 motorcycle: Here's what it sounds like!
We're less than a week away from the unveil of a new range of retro-modern motorcycles from Jawa, a motorcycle brand that's all set to make a comeback into India on the 15th of November, 2018. Here's a teaser video that reveals the exhaust note of the Jawa 300.
As the video indicates, the Jawa 300 gets a throaty exhaust note that's also quite unique. In fact, the exhaust note is quite distinctive, and it seems to be designed to mimic the exhaust note of two stroke Jawas and Yezdis of yore. While the exact exhaust note will be nearly impossible to recreate with a four stroke engine, we have to hand it to Jawa for coming so close.
This retro-motorcycle makes seems to be taking 'retro' very seriously, and it's a good thing. It's not only the engine that looks period correct but also the distinct exhaust note that will give the Jawa 300 range of motorcycle a very retro appeal. For now, we know that Jawa has plans of unveiling not one, not two but three retro motorcycles. One will be styled like the Jawa Classic of yesteryears, and the other will be a retro-modern Scrambler.
The design of the third motorcycle remains a mystery for now. All three motorcycles will use the same 293cc, four stroke, single cylinder engine with two functional exhausts exiting from either side of the engine. The motor will make about 26 Bhp-28 Nm, and will get twin overhead camshafts, a four valve head, liquid cooling and fuel injection. The styling of the engine is quite retro though despite all the modern mechanicals it hosts.
While the classic-styled Jawa 300 will get lots of chrome and a very retro design, the Scrambler is expected get a high seat, high travel suspension and more contemporary look. Vintage design touches on the Jawa 300 include a chromed fuel tank, boat-style mudguards and spoked wheels.
Spyshots of the motorcycle have also revealed a front disc brake and a rear drum brake. Suspension components consist of telecopic front forks and gas charged rear shock absorbers. On the Jawa Scramber, upside down front forks and a monoshock rear are likely. Both motorcycles are likely to be priced at well under Rs. 2 lakhs. They'll compete with Royal Enfields in India.


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The Jordan Spizike boasts familiar colors that give the hybrid sneaker ultimate staying power. The color scheme is created with a predominantly black upper and anthracite accenting. Gym red delivers a pop of color with hits on the tongue, side panels, heel tab, top lace loops, and outsole. The Jordan Spizike, originally released in conjunction with Spike Lee in 2006, is best known for blending together elements from six different classic Air Jordan models.


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New York|A Political Party Aligns Itself With Ocasio-Cortez
https://nyti.ms/2rZIuUi
A Political Party Aligns Itself With Ocasio-Cortez
The new leader of the Working Families Party in New York hopes to remake the progressive group to attract the energized left.
Sochie Nnaemeka is the new leader of New York State Working Families Party, which is aiming to strengthen ties with groups like the Democratic Socialists of America.Credit...Roshni Khatri for The New York Times
By Jeffery C. Mays
Published Dec. 6, 2019 Updated Dec. 9, 2019
The Working Families Party, an influential, labor-backed organization that has helped push Democrats to the left, is moving toward a new identity: It wants to align itself with the movement that spawned Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The shift comes amid recent internal debate between the labor unions that helped found the W.F.P. in the late 1990s and the party's more progressive faction — fissures that have caused key unions to withdraw their support for the party in New York.
Rather than try to repair those relationships, party leaders are moving further to the left, seeking to strengthen its alliance with groups like the Democratic Socialists of America, an early backer of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez's congressional campaign in 2018.
"There are social movement actors from Occupy Wall Street all the way to the resistance movement to Trump, who are looking for an electoral political home," said Maurice Mitchell, the W.F.P.'s national director. "The next iteration of the Working Families Party is intent on being that political home."
Leading that shift in New York will be Sochie Nnaemeka, whose appointment as the head of the New York State Working Families Party will be announced on Saturday.
Ms. Nnaemeka, 31, an activist who most recently served as the director of emerging organizing and leadership at the Center for Popular Democracy, will assume her role at a time of great success but also looming trouble.
In 2018, the W.F.P. helped knock out members of the Independent Democratic Conference — a group of Democratic state senators who had collaborated with Republicans — and elect more progressives to the New York Senate. That returned control of the body to Democrats and led to the passage of long-stalled progressive priorities like changes to rent and bail laws.
But the W.F.P.'s push to the left seems to have caused other problems for itself. In 2014, the party flirted with not granting its line to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo because party members did not feel he was progressive enough. In 2018, the W.F.P. endorsed Mr. Cuomo's primary rival, the actress and activist Cynthia Nixon; after her primary defeat, the party gave Mr. Cuomo its ballot line.
Now, a commission created by Mr. Cuomo and state leaders has voted to raise the threshold for minor parties to make the ballot. The W.F.P. and another third party have filed a lawsuit and accused the governor of trying to destroy them, a charge Mr. Cuomo has waved off.
"Damaging the W.F.P. is small potatoes when you consider the much broader movement being built," said Jonathan Westin, director of New York Communities for Change, a grass-roots organizing group. "There is a growing anger on the left about where we need to be going and that the Democratic Party has not gone there."
Ms. Nnaemeka seemed confident of the party's future.
"There are new formations that are aligning. The D.S.A. is growing, and there are all sorts of other insurgent left groups that we are in a deep relationship with," she said in an interview, referring to the Democratic Socialists of America.
"We were still on an upward trajectory," she added. "We still delivered on progressive visions even as our party changed shape."
Bill Lipton, whom Ms. Nnaemeka is replacing, said he would be involved with the state party through the 2020 election, then work on climate issues for the national party.
The W.F.P. and the D.S.A. may not agree on everything. The W.F.P., for example, has endorsed Senator Elizabeth Warren in the Democratic presidential primary; the Democratic Socialists have endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders.
"The endorsement of Elizabeth Warren is not a choice we would have made, but everyone knows that beating Trump requires a coalition," said Cea Weaver, a member of a D.S.A. steering committee in New York City. "We help each other be more left versions of ourselves."
The partnership nearly scored a monumental upset in this year's Democratic primary for Queens district attorney, which was ultimately won by Melinda Katz, the candidate backed by the Democratic county machine.
Tiffany Cabán was a little-known public defender when she picked up the endorsement of the D.S.A. for her bid for the Democratic nod. The W.F.P. soon came on board.
"W.F.P. had the strategy and the know-how and we combined that with what D.S.A. does best, which is boots-on-the-ground organizing," Ms. Cabán said.
After a lengthy recount, Ms. Cabán lost the Democratic primary by about 60 votes to Ms. Katz, who went on to win the general election last month.
The D.S.A. is currently backing a slate of candidates in Brooklyn to challenge several incumbents, including state Assembly members Erik Martin Dilan, Félix Ortiz and Walter Mosley, and Senator Velmanette Montgomery.
"We'd love to be able to replicate that Tiffany Cabán model," Ms. Weaver said. The W.F.P. has not made a decision about endorsements in those races.
But the burgeoning partnership may help fuel a perception that progressive groups are made up of mainly white, middle-class people who are pitting their views against more established groups of people of color.
"Historically, the W.F.P. has this reputation of being the white progressives, and the white progressives who get on my nerves," said L. Joy Williams, a political strategist and president of the Brooklyn N.A.A.C.P. who worked with Ms. Nixon during her primary run. "This tension is prevalent in places like Brooklyn, where we have these pockets of white progressives."
Membership in the D.S.A. has jumped to 50,000 from 5,000 after the election of President Trump, and the group has acknowledged that it needs to diversify its ranks.
"We've always had to deal with the paternalism that exists and that's not absent in the white, progressive circles," said Jumaane D. Williams, the New York City public advocate who was supported by the W.F.P. and D.S.A. during his run for lieutenant governor, and is a member of the D.S.A. "The W.F.P. didn't always represent the communities they organized, and they changed that. D.S.A. can do the same."
Emma Wolfe, chief of staff to Mayor Bill de Blasio, said Ms. Nnaemeka's background as a black woman who is the daughter of immigrants was a signal that groups like the W.F.P. and D.S.A. were listening to the criticism.
"The progressive left is a multiracial coalition," Ms. Nnaemeka said. "Blacks are progressive. I'm a black person who considers herself part of a strong progressive left who wants to expand possibilities for working-class people."