If you're looking for the best place to invest in 2018, one of your best bets is to put on your investment banker's hat and bet on "M & As" – mergers and acquisitions.
The largest of 2017 – the proposed Disney-Twenty-First Century Fox tie-up for $ 52 billion – is just the beginning.
Tax reform is one piece of the puzzle. It promises to free up billions in corporate cash held in overseas accounts, and lower the corporate tax rate to 21%.
The attitude of American consumers is another component. Consumer spending hit a one-month record not seen since 2009, when the US economy was just emerging from the recession and financial crisis.
But the key element is what I'll call corporate sentiment. In other words, CEOs and their boards go through their own cycles of optimism and pessimism, which affects how a company decides to put its excess cash to work.
The change is evident in a recent Deloitte "M & A 2018" survey of 1,000 executives at large corporations and private equity firms.
For one, a rising number of companies – two-thirds of those surveyed – say their cash reserves increased and "the primary intended use of that cash is for M & A deals."
In recent years, companies indicated that they were most likely to pursue organic investments – growing a business in-house – as the most likely use of their cash reserves.
But as the report notes, "that's no longer the case. Predominance companies now say they are seeking M & A opportunities, with 40% citing that as their No. 1 intention."
In addition, nearly two-thirds of the companies "anticipate the average size of transactions in the next 12 months will exceed those in the past year."
We've already seen a step-up in mergers and acquisitions as the year draws to a close. The analytics firm Dealogic pegged November as the second-largest month ever for M & A activity since it started keeping records in 1995.
What's the best way to play this kind of trend?
You can bet on individual stocks. For instance, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE: BMY) and Biogen Inc. (Nasdaq: BIB) are sometimes referred to as potential buyout candidates in the pharma sector.
Among the hard-hit retail sector, Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) – with its stock down 40% since 2015 – has been mentioned as a potential buyout target.
In the tech sector, Akamai Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: AKAM) shares leapt 14% on Monday on rising prospects for a buyout.
But such investments are all-or-nothing bets. A better way is to invest through an exchange-traded fund (ETF), such as the IQ Merger Arbitrage ETF (NYSE: MNA). It's up 5% this year, and up 24% in the last five years.
The ETF, developed by New York Life Investment Management LLC and managed by IndexIQ Advisors LLC, invests across a range of publicly announced mergers and acquisitions candidates. It's a good, low-risk way to play the coming explosion of deals in 2018.


Cee-Lo's digitally re-enhanced star constellation face (complete with shades all atwinkle in the sky) might have been the main attraction in Kelis' new video were it not for Mrs Jones's awesome inflatable wardrobe. British designer Gareth Pugh has been making a name for himself by sending models down the runway in gimp masks, giant jet black bunny ears and rubbery dresses, but it's the blowup coats (like Kelis's suspiciously Pugh-ish joint in the "Lil Star" clip) that have become a bit of a signature. For all the performance/art/fashion malarkey (Pugh is being tagged the new McQueen) you have to appreciate his knack for channeling Barbarella and early Hype-n-Missy all in one puffy jacket.


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Cornwall Model Boats | Plastic Model Kits | Tamiya | Aircraft Models | Aircraft 1:100 Scale | Tamiya Space Shuttle Atlantis 1:100 Scale
Tamiya Space Shuttle Atlantis 1:100 Scale
As a transportation agency connecting the Earth and the universe, the space shuttle which the American NASA (Aerospace Authority) started development in 1972. In 1981, a total of 135 launches were carried out from the successful launch of Unit 1 Colombia for the first launch to the retirement in 2011, including various experiments in the installed space lab (space laboratory), multipurpose replenishment He contributed to space development by performing various missions such as construction of the International Space Station (ISS) using modules, emission of space telescope and satellites, etc.
Unfortunately Columbia and the Challenger were lost in the accident, but Atlantis sent the Venus probe Magellan in May, 1989, in October the same year sent out the Jupiter probe Galileo, in 2000 I made an assembly and replenishment mission of the International Space Station. And, we finished the last mission successfully, and it took off for space space development era of space shuttle for more than 30 years.
This is a plastic model assembly kit that reproduces Space Shuttle · Atlantis on 1/100 scale
Length 373 mm, full width 238 mm
It can be assembled by choosing the last flight of July 2011 and the first flight of the space shuttle
The interior of the flight deck, the main engine, and the landing gear are also precision finished
The cargo hatch hatch can be opened and closed. Reflectors on the back side of the hatch are reproduced with plated parts
Set of six types of space shuttle aircraft marks including the prototype enterprise. We prepare the initial type and the final type meter panel, the final exterior panel etc at the decal
Includes 2 astronauts and a stand for display.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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You are here: Home > Teaching > Course unit catalogue > Teaching of Modern Languages (LM) 2022/2023
29879 - Teaching of Modern Languages (LM)
Teacher Rosa Pugliese
SSD L-LIN/02
Teaching Mode Traditional lectures
Degree Programme Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Italian Culture and Language for Foreigners (cod. 0983)
Course Timetable from Feb 13, 2023 to Mar 22, 2023
By the end of the course, students will know the theoretical bases and the methodologies of second/foreign language learning and teaching; the historical background of the field and its current connection to the evolution of research on second language acquisition as well as to contemporary factors (ie.: multimedia technologies, multilingualism, the intercultural dimension in the everyday communication and the European language policies).
On the practical level, students will be able to apply the components of the teaching process (ie.: needs analysis, definition of language aims, language syllabus design, elaboration and implementation of a language teaching unit, etc.) to a range of different teaching/learning contexts.
How do you learn a second language (L2)? How can language teachers help their students to learn a second language (L2)? In which ways does the teaching of L2 differ from the teaching of L1 (mother tongue language)? And what does it imply to teach it in the current era of globalization? The 'teaching of modern languages' as a field of studies has a relatively recent history, but, over the last few decades, several social and cultural changes have started shaping it in new ways. Not only are these ways radically distant from the initial structuralist view and practice of language and culture; they also are new with respect to the relevant innovation introduced by communicative approaches in the late '70s.The latest developments in the field deal with the multilingual turn induced by geographical mobility, the advancement of scientific research about social interaction, the evolution of multimedia technologies, the supranational educational policies…, i.e. with far-reaching phenomena and their consequent theoretical and practical perspectives according to which learning is being reconceptualized.
In this course, we will briefly overview the historical background of the discipline. We will then address core issues related to central notions (such as interlanguage, communicative/interactional/plurilingual competence, language repertoire, language skills, pragmatic meaning, 'translanguaging', etc.), in the light of recent knowledge in language sciences and psychology of learning, as well as of the elaboration of teaching methodologies. Among the various ways of seeing the 'language learner', the development of his/her reading/writing skills (language comprehension and production) will be deeply examined. We will explore classroom interaction, error correction while interacting, and the best practices to enhance learning. We will also mention the intercultural dimension of language teaching and the educational effects of the relation to the cultural variety and diversity (according to a dynamic approach).
As for the practical abilities of the future L2 teacher, we will discuss the main features which need to be considered when organizing a language course: needs analysis, definition of teaching aims, lesson planning, choice of resources and instruments, design of language communicative tasks, management of interaction in the language classroom, multiple language assessments.
The course will take place in the 2nd semester (February- May 2023).
A. Ciliberti A., Glottodidattica. Per una cultura dell'insegnamento linguistico, Roma, Carocci 2012 (integrale)
J. Zuengler, E. R. Miller, "Cognitive and Sociocultural Perspectives: Two Parallel SLA Worlds?" TESOL Quarterly, 40/1, 2006, pp. 35-58
J. K. Hall, "The Contributions of Conversation Analysis and Interactional Linguistics to a Usage-Based Understanding of Language: Expanding the Transdisciplinary Framework" in The Modern Language Journal, 103/Supplement 2019, pp. 80–94.
Kunitz, "Che cosa succede durante il lavoro di gruppo nelle classi di lingua straniera? Alcune risposte dall'Analisi della conversazione", in Lend 4/2019, pp.8-17.
The bibliography list will be completed and provided on the first day of class.
Teaching will be carried out through lectures and group work (mainly, analysis of videos, written and oral texts, activities in language classes; reports).
Learning will be assessed by means of a written exam. Students are required to write an essay (of minimum 10 and maximum 15 pages, the annotated bibliography included) on a specific topic of their choice among those in a list provided by the teacher. Students will receive specific guidelines concerning the following points: essay structure, text formatting, sources, and schedule to submit the essay. The written exam will be evaluated according to the following criteria:·
extent of knowledge concerning content;
skills of synthesis and argumentation;
skill in explaining links between theoretical and practical aspects;·
lexical appropriateness.
power point presentations, dvd, websites.
See the website of Rosa Pugliese


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Sunshine, 8 / 9 ties
Sunshine, Now a somewhat more current perspective on Jamaican artists 8 /9 ties style. Reggae has evolved , spawned many styles, thanks to the digital age. The biggest constant..because they keep morphin'..Sly & Robbie present here with their first big morphing work Language Barrier, aswell as with their first all out assault on digital dub The Dub Factor reworking their Black Uhuru days , in the early 1990s they introduced a novel sound with the hits "Bam Bam" and "Murder She Wrote" producing the hitalbum for Chaka Demus & Pliers. Horace Andy's career is spanning a good 40 years now aswell though he's become well known only after joining Massive Attack. This resulted in rereleasing/remixing his previous Good Vibes..great. Finally two singers no longer with us, Tenor Saw's flame burnt bright but short as his life was cut short by a wreckless driver, Bim Sherman never got the credit he deserved, saleswise, but many-including me , have enjoyed his music and singing, he died days after being diagnosed with cancer.
Horace Andy - Good Vibes
Tenor Saw - Fever
Bim Sherman - It Must Be A Dream
Sly & Robbie - Language Barrier
Black Uhuru - The Dub Factor
Chaka Demus & Pliers - All She Wrote
Horace Andy - Good Vibes ( 96 * 311mb)
Horace Andy ( Horace Hinds) started with his first recordings, "Blackman's Country" and "I May Never See My Baby" in 1967 for producer Phil Pratt, but he didn't gain instant success, to some extent maybe because he tried in vain to sound like his then idol, rocksteady singer Delroy Wilson As with so many reggae artists, Studio One helped Horace Andy to make himself a name as a singer with several singles and records he cut for Studio One producer Clement Dodd (who also gave him his stage name), notably such songs as "Skylarking", "See A Man's Face" and "Every Tongue Shall Tell". Another Studio One classic is "Mr.Bassie", his respect to bassist and member of The Heptones, Leroy Sibbles.
Very soon many of the leading producers wanted to make records with Sleepy, as Horace Andy is also known. He then recorded - among others - for Phil Pratt again. Many tunes for those and other producers were available only as Jamaican 45s and have disappeared long ago, after the first pressing was sold out. In 1977 Horace Andy teamed up with New York based producer Everton DaSilva and from this collaboration comes the outstanding set "In the Light", which was produced together by Andy and DaSilva. Tragically this partnership, which also gave birth to a bunch of singles and 12", came to a sudden end when Everton DaSilva was murdered in 1979.
During the Eighties Horace Andy continued releasing music on a regular basis both in Jamaica(among others for Jammy, Sly & Robbie and Bobby Digital) and in the USA on his own Rhythm imprint and for 'indie'-label Rough Trade. A highlight of this period is the album "Dance Hall Style", one of two records Horace did with producer Lloyd 'Bullwackie' Barnes.
In 1990 he was approached by Bristol-based hitmakers Massive Attack to join them for recordings. Since then he contributed vocals to all of Massive Attack's records and they even reworked some of his earlier tunes. Other work of the 90s are two sets produced by Mad Professor and various singles with drum & bass partnership Mafia & Fluxy in Kingston, JAM.
October 99 saw the release of Horace Andy's latest album "Living In The Flood", with the title track co-written by Joe Strummer
01 - Reggae Rhythm - Its Gone Internationally (5:27)
02 - Serious Thing - A Serious Version (6:48)
03 - Skylarking - A Better Version (6:32)
04 - Youths Of Today - Jah Youths (7:02)
05 - Dont Let The Problems Get You Down - No Problem (6:45)
06 - Mr. Bassie Discomix (7:28)
07 - Pure Ranking Discomix (8:29)
08 - Good Vibes - Dub Vibes (6:15)
09 - Control Yourself - Version Under Control (5:29)
10 - Ital Vital - Ital Ites Dubwise (7:20)
Tenor Saw - Fever ( 84 ^ 397mb)
Tenor Saw (Clive Bright) is one of the most influential singers of the early digital era; Tenor Saw's hypnotic wail was imbued with an almost religious fervour. He was raised in the Payne Avenue district of west Kingston, recording his debut, "Roll Call", in 1984 for George Phang's Powerhouse label after an introduction by Nitty Gritty. During 1985 he sang with Sugar Minott's Youth Promotion sound system and label, recording "Lots of Sign" and "Pumpkin Belly" (also versioned for King Jammy's). "Run Come Call Me" and "Fever" were also sizeable hits. None, however, could compare to "Ring the Alarm", which Tenor Saw voiced magnificently over Winston Riley's "Stalag" rhythm for the Techniques label. There was no bigger record that year and it continues to be regarded as an anthem in today's dancehalls. Unfortunately its one of those records that got lost during my Reggae roots nights , all that ganja ..so you'll have to do with the U tube vid Tenor Saw - Ring The Alarm
You won't find "Ring the Alarm" on Tenor Saw's debut solo album, Fever, as it focuses more on his work for Sugar Minott's Youth Promotion label. Still, even without that smash, this album is a testament to the legacy that he left. Saw's time in the sun lasted only 4 years, August 1988 his body was found at the side of the road outside Houston (Texas), a victim of a hit and run, by a speeding car. He died at 22 years of age; a great loss, not only for his family and friends, but for reggae music as well.
01 - Lots of Sign (3:34)
02 - Shirley Jones (3:26)
03 - Pumpkin Belly (3:20)
04 - Eni Meeni Mini Mo (3:47)
05 - Roll Call (3:52)
06 - Fever (4:34)
07 - Jah Guide Amd Protect Me (3:43)
08 - Rub-A-Dub Market (3:31)
09 - Run Come Call Me (3:25)
10 - Who's Gonna Help Me Praise (3:40)
Bonus Dub
11 - Surely Dub
12 - Run Come Dub Me
13 - Lots Of Dub
14 - Jah Guide Dub
15 - Rub-A-Dub Dub
16 - Dub Fever
17 - Eni Meeni Mini Mo Dub
18 - Praise Jah With Dub
Bim Sherman - It Must Be A Dream ( 95 * 451 mb)
Born Jarrett Tomlinson in 1952 in Kingston (Jamaïca), Bim Sherman alias J. Vincent, In the early seventies the young Sherman swapped trades from fisherman to electrician when he moved in with one of his brothers in central Kingston. His closest musical friends were Keith Porter and Ronnie Davis, who would go on to form premier vocal group the Itals, but his first recording experience was with his early mentor Gladstone 'Gladdy' Anderson at the famous Treasure Isle studios. His first record to be released was cut at the Federal studio with Sid Bucknor who was the engineer for '100 Years'. 'Love Forever' followed, a self-financed affair on the Element label and then came a string of tunes now recognized as reggae roots classics on Sherman's own Scorpio, Red Sea and Sun Dew imprints. These singles met with a degree of local success and appreciation which convinced him to continue.
Like so many other young Jamaicans in the seventies Sherman decided to try his luck in the UK, after being persuaded to join 1979's Roots Encounter tour alongside renowned toaster Prince Far I, Creation Rebel and Prince Hammer. In fact his first album 'Love Forever' had been issued a year earlier on the Tribesman label, including the title tune plus nine other previous Jamaican singles. Sherman settled in the UK cementing a friendship and business relationship with the young reggae producer Adrian Sherwood, a long-time admirer of the singer. Bim Sherman decided to stay in London and became a regular collaborator for On-U sound. He also started his own label, Century Records.
Throughout the eighties and early nineties he was a featured vocalist on the highly acclaimed, Sherwood-produced "Singers And Players" series of albums for which he sometimes would record new versions of his old material. In 1984, Bim Sherman started "Century Records", originally through On-U Sound, and released two albums : "Bim Sherman And The Voluntary" and "Danger". "Century Records" then stopped releasing material, and Sherman's products started to appear on RDL, the "Revolver Distribution Label". Towards the nineties Century became operational again, with straight reissues of the RDL releases and with compilation CDs featuring tracks from the RDL albums. Subsequent Sherman releases were on Century, often featuring On-U-Sound musicians. Although Bim Sherman had a lot of devoted fans in the UK and Europe, it lasted two decades after he started his recording career before he finally made a commercial breakthrough in the UK charts. It was the release of Bim Sherman's acoustic masterpiece "Miracle" - released in 1996 - that made things happen for Sherman. Dance producer Steve Osbourne took the album track "Solid As A Rock" and made a remix. After it was released on single it scaled the UK charts and helped to re-energize Sherman's career. The next year saw the release of another strong album , "It Must Be A Dream", a collection of remixes.
On Friday, November 17th 2000, the news of Bim Sherman's death - one of the true unsung heroes of roots music as well as reggae's most enduring cult figures - reached the reggae massive worldwide. After he got injured as a result of a fall, Bim Sherman was admitted to hospital where, on examination, he was found to have cancer. Then health matters didn't go well and within one week he passed away. It is obvious that his unexpected sudden death is a great lost for his family and friends. But be convinced that Bim Sherman's many committed fans, who supported the artist and his music for two and a half decades , mourned for the lost of this truly very underrated, extremely talented and diverse artist.
"All great singers and vocalists have one thing in common - their voice stands out like a uniquely tuned instrument that only one person can play. Bim Sherman [was] a singer/songwriter with a truly golden tone." ( Adrian Sherwood)
01 - My Woman (Groove Corporation Mix) (10:15)
02 - Just Can't Stand It (Youth Mix) (4:15)
03 - Can I Be Free From Crying (The Underwolves Mix) (7:38)
04 - Missing You (Tim Simenon Mix) (6:32)
05 - Lovers Leap (Skip McDonald Mix) (4:59)
06 - Simple Life (Adrian Sherwood Mix) (5:36)
07 - Solid As A Rock (Steve Osbourne Mix) (9:49)
08 - It Must Be A Dream (Mr. Scruff Mix) (5:50)
09 - Bewildered (Steve Osbourne Mix) (4:01)
10 - Over The Rainbow (Coco & The Bean Mix) (4:40)
11 - Golden Locks (Alan Adiri Mix) (5:02)
Sly and Robbie - Language Barrier ( 84 ^ 277mb )
Da Riddem Twins
Drummer Lowell 'Sly' Dunbar (getting his nick Sly from listening to Sly Stone) and bassplayer Robert Shakespeare meet in the mid seventies. Dunbar already had quite a reputation as a drummer. He had played on several Jamaican hit records, a.o. Double Barrel by organist Ansell Collins. His rhythmic innovations to reggae drumming were becoming a trade mark for Channel One when he got acquainted with Aston 'familyman' Barrett's youthful protege bassplayer Robbie Shakespeare. Shakespeare had already done a good deal of studio work, like 'Stir it up' from Bob Marley and some stuff with the Aggrovators. When they heard each other playing, it didn't take very long for them to decide to form a rhythmic drum-'n-bass partnership, and Sly & Robbie was a fact.
Their first major project was providing backing for the late singer/songwriter Peter Tosh in his backing band Word Sound and Power. In this period they scored their first major worldwide nr 1 hitsingle with Peter Tosh and Mick Jagger: (Keep on walking) Don't Look Back. They recorded five albums with Peter Tosh: Equal Rights, Legalize it, Bush Docor, Mystic Man and Wanted Dread and Alive. While on a world tour with Peter, they lived on bread and water to save money to be able to start their own record label: TAXI Productions.
When they returned from touring, they indeed raised the TAXI label. They joined the band Black Uhuru and from there things really started. Black Uhuru, consisting of singers Ducky Simpson, Puma Jones and lead singer Michael Rose (now known as Mykall Rose) and Sly & Robbie on drum and bass turned out to become the most progressive sounding reggaeband of that time. In this line up 6 albums were released: Showcase, Sinsemilla, Red, Chill Out, The Dub Factor, and Anthem, each album being a large step forward towards innovating reggae music. After Anthem, Michael Rose left the group and was replaced by Junior Reid and two more albums were produced Brutal and Positive.
Far from restricting themselves to the Jamaican scene, (in which they have played for virtually every prominent Jamaican musical artist, they have became one of pop music's most sought after rhythm sections.
An artist with whom they were recording was Grace Jones. Sly & Robbie played on three albums. Everybody knows songs like 'I've seen that face before (libertango)' and 'Pull up to the Bumper'. The work with Grace Jones was the start of a heap international artists wanting Sly & Robbie to produce and/or provide the drum 'n bass backing for their songs and albums. Joe Cocker, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Ian Dury, Herbie Hancock, Maxi Priest, Cindy Lauper, Barry Reynolds, Carly Simon... In reggae they backed and produced a talented new singer, Ini Kamoze, who's first album was a massive hit among the reggae audience.
They changed the face of Reggae several times: in 1976, they introduced a harder beat called "Rockers", which quickly replaced the then prevalent "One drop" style, then introduced the "rub a dub" sound in the early 1980s. Sly and Robbie were important in developing the trend towards computer assisted music and programming in the mid 1980s. Presented here, Language Barrier is an onslaught of aural alarms and craziness. Yet, holding it down like a rock are the inimitable Sly and Robbie. This is a great record. Very urban, self assured insanity, in a weird way. An album that has Bob Dylan on it, not to mention BIll Laswell, Wally Badarou, Herbie Hancock, et. al. . Daring stuff and i guess thats why they are still out there doing there thing.
Around 1990 a new turn in reggae music came up: raggamuffin or ragga. The drum computer became an important ingredient and started to replace live drumming on studio recordings. The Rhythm Twins released 'The Summit'in 1988, which is a record that contains eight instrumental tracks. Hard to define whether it's live drums or a drum computer (it is live drums), and this album can be seen as the last one on which Sly & Robbie play their instruments. From now on, Sly focuses on drum programming and production (Robbie still plays the bass), and again they produce a gigantic world wide hit: Murder she Wrote by Chaka Demus and Pliers.
They continued to innovate during the 1990s and early 2000s, fusing Dancehall and Latin music sounds (La Trenggae) or Dancehall and hip hop/R&B (their 2004 Big Up riddim). In 1999, their "Strip to the Bone" album paired them with electro producer Howie B, and together they explored new dub territories.
Sly and Robbie may well be the most prolific recording artists ever. One estimate is that they have played on or produced some 200,000 songs, considering that some of their riddims such as "Revolution" have been used on over 100 songs. After 30 years together, they still tour and record relentlessly.
1 - Make ' Em Move (7:58)
2 - No Name On The Bullet (6:03)
3 - Miles (Black Satin) (7:20)
4 - Bass And Trouble (6:06)
5 - Language Barrier (6:51)
6 - Get To This, Get To That (5:17)
7 - Boops (4:55)
Black Uhuru - The Dub Factor ( 83 ^ 227mb)
Black Uhuru was founded in the late seventies by the then already established singer Don Carlos and Duckie Simpson ; after a while Michael Rose , who sang in hotels on the north coast of jamaica for tourists joined the group and the trio was complete. It was Michael Rose's rockstone gruff voice and his phrasing of syllables and consonants that made the sound of this vocal trio so distinguishly different from the multitude of other Reggae Trios . They had a local hit with the Prince Jammy produced "I Love King Selassie" . 'Puma' Jones , who was raised in New York heard this song and fell in love with this tune immediately . So she joined the group in time for their first international distributed album 'Sinsemillia' (Island Records 1980) on TAXI - Productions/Jamaica . This album was a huge success already and some of these songs are still played in bars , coffeeshops and Hippie hang-outs worldwide . The strength of songs like "World Is Africa"; "Push Push";"Every Dreadlocks";"Sinsemillia" and "Fire" make them timeless anthems . They toured and recorded with Michael Rose as Lead vocalist and further releasing the powerful RED album with more militant songs like 'Youth Of Eglington' or 'Sponjie Reggae' (maybe their best song) , A Live album from 1981 called "Tear It Up" , the still solid "Chill Out" the spacy "Dub Factor" and their 1983 album "anthem".
Quarrels about the status of Duckie Simpson (the Founder) and Michael Rose (the voice of Black Uhuru) lead to internal problems and Michael Rose left and Junior Reid replaced him . This lead to a rejuvinated sound and another highlight in the career of Black Uhuru . 'Brutal' and 'Positive' were good and advanced dub albums and both very successfull, and their tours were (nearly) as successful as before . The same problem occurred again . Junior Reid was the voice and wrote the hit songs , while Duckie Simpson stayed out of focus, his songs were no hits - but he was the head of Black Uhuru . So Junior Reid left as well to pursue a sucessful solo carreer, to make matters worse 'Puma' Jones died of cancer in 1990 .
So Duckie Simpson contacted his old buddy Don Carlos , but this duo didn't have the potential to perform the anthems , that made Black Uhuru the giants they were , so they recruted young singers , who loked good and had the ability to reproduce the songs from both Michael Rose and even Junior Reid for the bread & butter earning live tours . Sad. In recent years Sly & Robbie toured with them as Black Uhuru and at the big Reggae Festivals .
01 - Ion Storm (3:47)
02 - Youth (3:47)
03 - Big Spliff (4:04)
04 - Boof 'N' Baff 'N' Biff (3:27)
05 - Puffed Out (3:47)
06 - Android Rebellion (4:01)
07 - Apocalypse (3:45)
08 - Back Breaker (3:39)
09 - Sodom (3:17)
10 - Slaughter (4:24)
Chaka Demus and Pliers - All She Wrote (93 ^ 333mb)
Chaka Demus ( John Taylor) is a well known reggae musician and deejay, best known for a string of hits which enjoyed chart success in the 1990s, in both his native Jamaica and around the world. He began his career in music after being caught up in the sound system scene, working for various systems such as Jammy's and Supreme. He became well known under the name of Nicodemus Jr. (a tribute to 1980s deejay Nicodemus) but by the time in which he began to record, he changed his stage name to the more formal, Chaka Demus. Under the productional guidance of Sly & Robbie Chaka Demus' rough DJ vocals were matched with Pliers' sweet, melodic, soul-influenced singing; this unusual vocal pairing created its own followers.
01 - Murder She Wrote (4:06)
02 - I Wanna Be Your Man (3:55)
03 - One Nation Under A Groove (4:18)
04 - Roadrunner (4:05)
05 - Friday Evening (3:56)
06 - Sunshine Day (3:54)
07 - Tracy (3:50)
08 - She Don't Let Nobody (4:08)
09 - Bam Bam (4:05)
10 - Tease Me (4:06)
11 - Let's Make It Tonight (3:54)
12 - Nuh Betta Nuh Deh (4:00)
13 - Twist And Shout (3:56)
14 - Gal Wine (3:34)
All downloads are in * ogg-7 (224k) or ^ ogg-9(320k), artwork is included , if in need get the nifty ogg encoder/decoder here !
Posted by Rho at Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Thank you for this fine selection! Could you reup Horace Andy - Good Vibes, please.
AliBoingo said...
Hi Rho, please could you re-up Tenor Saw - thanks!
All links are dead except the Bim Sherman, could you please re-up the others (especially Horace Andy and Sly & Robbie) ?
Thanks Rho for your musical taste, your thought provoking ideas and your ability to share all these wonderfull things
Sunshine, Cruising
Sunshine, Have a cigar
Sunshine, Sixties
Sunshine, Seventies 'Clash'
Sunshine, UK style


So last night, in a moment of terrible stupidity, I deleted my gitea-server's bare repos, thus undoing various levels of calm I had attained in my life.
I did get many of them back and running, re-pushing from local copies - the true power of decentralisation. Some, which I hadn't been using or had lost interest in, didn't make the grade, unfortunately.
Keep my code stuff available for me, to use on my machines.
Offer that to other people, to use on their machines.
Keep a testament to what I've been doing, for me.
To accomplish these goals, I'm not really sure that I need to be offering a recreation of Microsoft's GitHub. It just strikes me as some fairly serious overkill. Its not that gitea is "hard" on my server - it really isn't - it's that what gitea offers is (to a greater or lesser extent) determined by the needs, objectives and interests of Microsoft and their offering. Those may be adjacent to mine from time to time, but they aren't the same at all.
This required consideration, not irreversible action, so I let the gitea-server continue in existence for the time being.
All my repos are served read-only over the git:// protocol.
I don't expect people to follow in this path, I'm not an influencer, nor do I seek to be one. I am incredibly happy to find tools that are more aligned with my own goals and beliefs. Its nice not to feel completely alone.


Have a favorite Bravo Kennel dog? Show him/her some love and sponsor them for the 2017/2018 season!
It costs a lot of money to raise, train, and race a team of Alaskan Huskies. Your sponsorship will help pay for your chosen dog's feed, booties, vaccinations, straw, harnesses, gear, etc. throughout the season.
Choose your sponsorship level and dog below to become a part of the Bravo Kennel team!
This 5 year old boy is the namesake of the kennel, Mary's first Alaskan Husky, and an Iditarod veteran - he's one special guy!


Canadian graphic artist Scott Park (previously) pays tribute to 57 iconic movie characters from the 1980s, in his latest work, titled Eighty².
By no means does it feature every great 80′s movies. But it has lots of the ones I consider to the be the most iconic, the strongest in my memories, whether I saw them in the theatre (cause I'm old), or on VHS. Goonies, Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Breakfast Clubs, Karate Kids and a whole lot of Kurt Russell. Did I get your favourite? Who am I missing that will show up in the inevitable Volume 2?!
From his new book A World Of Wisdom - Illustrated Sayings and Proverbs from All Over the Globe (previously), British illustrator James Chapman shares a few expressions from around the world, equivalent to the English "when pigs fly".
In his latest video, musician Anthony Vincent of Ten Second Songs (previously) performs Post Malone's latest hit with Ty Dolla $ign, Psycho, in 15 different music styles.
Everyone has their own unique obsession and this product was invented to help pickers keep picking! The Pop It Pal™ is made of skin safe silicone with an all natural pus that simulates the feel and popping of a huge pimple! Every Pop It Pal™ comes with 15 pimples ready to be picked the minute you receive it. The Pop It Pal™ can be refilled and picked over and over again!! One refill bottle and one filling tool will come with each Pop It Pal™ to ensure your picking can be repeated over and over again! There is nothing else like it period!!
Stop-motion animator Kevin Parry, who showed us 100 ways to walk and 50 ways to sit previously, now demonstrates 50 ways in which you can enter a room.
Comedienne Michelle Wolf gets a visit from Condé Nast's Joe Sabia at her studio, in the latest episode of Vogue magazine's 73 Questions (previously).
Singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes is the latest recipient of Wired magazine's Autocoplmpete Interview series (previously), in which he answers the most Google-searched questions about himself.
A funk cover of "Sweet Child O' Mine"
L.A.-based funk band Scary Pockets performs their cover version of Guns N' Roses' Sweet Child O' Mine, featuring vocalist Mario Jose.
Imgur user CydeFX shares a flowchart of the evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the release of the first Iron Man film.
British actress Emilia Clarke pursues her new passion, that of posing in stock photos, in a funny sketch video created by Vanity Fair.
70 people from 70 various countries show how they traditionally say hello and goodbye at home, as part of Condé Nast Traveler's Many People from Many Countries Say Things (previously).
This helpful guide will show you how to greet and bid adieu to someone from France, Russia, Germany, Japan, China, Italy, Spain, and many more countries.
In their most recent video, the guys from Bad Lip Reading (previously) mess around with footage from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent wedding ceremony at St. George's Chapel in London.
At about 14 years old, Henri the Existential Cat or Henri, le Chat Noir, as he is called in his country (previously), has come to the conclusion that it is time to say "Au revoir" and retire from public life.
Well, the time has come. My final video with the annoying thieving filmmaker is here. Now, I will finally be able to officially retire in peace and work on my philosophy without interruptions. I plan on writing the great feline-american novel. I thank all of you for your support and adulation.
AsapSCIENCE dedicate one of their videos to scientifically explaining the recent "Yanny" vs. "Laurel" that's taking over the Internet.
In his new video called True Solo, graphic artist Nick Acosta prepares you for the new film Solo: A Star Wars Story, which is coming out next weekend, by taking footage of Harrison Ford, the original Han Solo from George Lucas's first three Star Wars episodes, and digitally inserting it in the trailer for the new movie, in the place of the new actor, Alden Ehrenreich.
YouTuber Sebastiaan Kulwanowski shows off his violin skills by performing the sounds made by various animals and insects on his violin.
In his latest series of illustrations, British graphic artist James Chapman (previously) takes a look at how they say "Out of the frying pan into the fire" in other languages.
For Mother's Day this year, Jimmy Kimmel has put together a compilation of some celebrities reading actual text they received from their moms.
In honor of Mother's Day, we invited famous people Anna Faris, Ike Barinholtz, Jack McBrayer, Adam Scott, Kristen Bell, Tony Hale, Patton Oswalt, Will Forte, YG, and Anthony Anderson to read real text messages from their Moms.
At the request of his fans, voice actor and impressionist Scheiffer Bates (previously) does a series of characters from Marvel movies in his latest video.
Honest Trailers: "Fifty Shades Freed"
The guys from Screen Junkies tell the truth about the last film in the Fifty Shades of Grey series, Fifty Shades Freed.
From his new book A World Of Wisdom - Illustrated Sayings and Proverbs from All Over the Globe (previously), British illustrator James Chapman shares a few expressions from around the world, equivalent to "no pain no gain" in English.
Squirrel Monkey's Jo Luijten imagines what music sharing platform Soundcloud would be like if it was 1994.
VFX artist Aaron Benitez introduces his star cat, Prince Michael, and shows us how he animates him in the videos from his popular YouTube series Aaron's Animals.
British graphic artist James Chapman of Soundimals (previously) shares a few illustrations from his new book A World Of Wisdom - Illustrated Sayings and Proverbs from All Over the Globe, in which he takes a look at how they say "speak of the devil" in other languages.
"Star Wars" in the style of "Arrested Development"
Ron Howard, who is the director of the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story and does the voice-over in Arrested Development, narrates the story of Star Wars: A New Hope in the style of the popular sitcom.
We've seen what happens when you ask an American Amazon Alexa what 10 to the power of 308 is. British Alexa is slightly different.
In the latest comparison video from Reigarw Comparisons (previously), we take a look at the sizes of various robots from popular culture.
In this episode, we will compare the sizes of many of your favorite robots. From Wall-E to Terminator T-800, BB8, C3PO & R2D2, Optimus Prime and even Gundam, and how big are the largest fictional robots to ever appear on screen!
Today's history lesson comes from YouTube map maker Cottereau, who plots down every European ruler since the year 400 BC through present day, in a time-lapse video.
Jeff Wysaski of Obvious Plant (previously) celebrated the release of the new Avengers: Infinity War by creating a series of limited edition "bootleg Avengers toys."


text:
Hospital Board hires interim CEO
Wes Murray, TCMH Interim Chief Executive Officer.
TCMH
HOUSTON, Mo. (September 12, 2022) – The Texas County Memorial Hospital board of trustees met last week to finalize a search committee for the chief executive officer position that is open at the hospital.
Board members unanimously agreed to place an interim CEO in the position until a new CEO is hired. Wes Murray, the previous hospital administrator has been retained to handle CEO duties at the hospital beginning this week. Murray served as TCMH CEO for 18 years prior to retiring in June 2021.
At the meeting, the board also worked with Jeff Tindle of Tindle and Associates of Gravois Mills, Mo., who is leading the search for a new chief executive officer, to develop a job description and to create a search committee of hospital board members, physicians, employees and community representatives. The CEO search is expected to take two to three months.


text:
Q: How to concat with condition in Spark dataframe? For example, raw dataframe is as follows:
+--------+--------+
|    col1|    col2|
+--------+--------+
|    null|       A|
|       B|    null|
|       C|       D|
|    null|    null|
+--------+--------+

I want to concat the col1 and col2 to get the following dataframe:
+--------+--------+-------------------+
|    col1|    col2|               col3|
+--------+--------+-------------------+
|    null|       A|         "{col2:A}"|
|       B|    null|         "{col1:B}"|
|       C|       D| "{col1:C, col2:D}"|
|    null|    null|               "{}"|
+--------+--------+-------------------+

The new col3 is concatenated by non-null col1 and non-null col2. And col3 is string type. How to add the null condition to the concat method?

A: You can combine columns into an array
import org.apache.spark.sql.functions._

val  df = Seq((null, "A"), ("B", null), ("C", "D"), (null, null)).toDF("colA", "colB")

val cols = array(df.columns.map(c =>
  // If column is not null, merge it with its name otherwise null
  when(col(c).isNotNull, concat_ws(":", lit(c), col(c)))): _*
)

and use UserDefinedFunction
val combine = udf((xs: Seq[String]) => {
   val tmp = xs.filter { _ != null }.mkString(",")
   s"{$tmp}"
})

df.withColumn("col3", combine(cols)).show
// +----+----+---------------+
// |colA|colB|           col3|
// +----+----+---------------+
// |null|   A|       {colB:A}|
// |   B|null|       {colA:B}|
// |   C|   D|{colA:C,colB:D}|
// |null|null|             {}|
// +----+----+---------------+

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
#pragma checksum "..\..\MainWindow.xaml" "{406ea660-64cf-4c82-b6f0-42d48172a799}" "BFB469FE70E3E3760FEB38786351350D"
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// <auto-generated>
//     This code was generated by a tool.
//     Runtime Version:4.0.30319.42000
//
//     Changes to this file may cause incorrect behavior and will be lost if
//     the code is regenerated.
// </auto-generated>
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------

using Syncfusion;
using Syncfusion.Windows;
using Syncfusion.Windows.Collections;
using Syncfusion.Windows.ComponentModel;
using Syncfusion.Windows.Controls.Cells;
using Syncfusion.Windows.Controls.Grid;
using Syncfusion.Windows.Controls.Scroll;
using Syncfusion.Windows.Controls.VirtualTreeView;
using Syncfusion.Windows.Data;
using Syncfusion.Windows.Diagnostics;
using Syncfusion.Windows.GridCommon;
using Syncfusion.Windows.Shared;
using Syncfusion.Windows.Styles;
using Syncfusion.Windows.Tools.Controls;
using System;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Automation;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Controls.Primitives;
using System.Windows.Data;
using System.Windows.Documents;
using System.Windows.Ink;
using System.Windows.Input;
using System.Windows.Markup;
using System.Windows.Media;
using System.Windows.Media.Animation;
using System.Windows.Media.Effects;
using System.Windows.Media.Imaging;
using System.Windows.Media.Media3D;
using System.Windows.Media.TextFormatting;
using System.Windows.Navigation;
using System.Windows.Shapes;
using System.Windows.Shell;

namespace DistributedTestEnvironmentUI {

    /// <summary>
    /// MainWindow
    /// </summary>
    public partial class MainWindow : System.Windows.Window, System.Windows.Markup.IComponentConnector {

        private bool _contentLoaded;

        /// <summary>
        /// InitializeComponent
        /// </summary>
        [System.Diagnostics.DebuggerNonUserCodeAttribute()]
        [System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCodeAttribute("PresentationBuildTasks", "4.0.0.0")]
        public void InitializeComponent() {
            if (_contentLoaded) {
                return;
            }
            _contentLoaded = true;
            System.Uri resourceLocater = new System.Uri("/DistributedTestEnvironmentUI;component/mainwindow.xaml", System.UriKind.Relative);

            #line 1 "..\..\MainWindow.xaml"
            System.Windows.Application.LoadComponent(this, resourceLocater);

            #line default
            #line hidden
        }

        [System.Diagnostics.DebuggerNonUserCodeAttribute()]
        [System.CodeDom.Compiler.GeneratedCodeAttribute("PresentationBuildTasks", "4.0.0.0")]
        [System.ComponentModel.EditorBrowsableAttribute(System.ComponentModel.EditorBrowsableState.Never)]
        [System.Diagnostics.CodeAnalysis.SuppressMessageAttribute("Microsoft.Design", "CA1033:InterfaceMethodsShouldBeCallableByChildTypes")]
        [System.Diagnostics.CodeAnalysis.SuppressMessageAttribute("Microsoft.Maintainability", "CA1502:AvoidExcessiveComplexity")]
        [System.Diagnostics.CodeAnalysis.SuppressMessageAttribute("Microsoft.Performance", "CA1800:DoNotCastUnnecessarily")]
        void System.Windows.Markup.IComponentConnector.Connect(int connectionId, object target) {
            this._contentLoaded = true;
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The little sitcom that caused a lot of controversy last summer has quietly ended its run. NBC has cancelled Outsourced after one season on the air.
Outsourced follows a US sales manager, Todd Dempsey (Ben Rappaport), who's assigned to supervise his company's call center in India. The sitcom also stars Anisha Nagarajan, Diedrich Bader, Parvesh Cheena, Pippa Black, Rebecca Hazelwood, Rizwan Manji, and Sacha Dhawan.
The NBC sitcom started out decently and it looked like NBC might have a keeper on its hands. Last September, Outsourced debuted to a 3.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 7.49 million viewers. In week two, the demo number fell 22% to a 2.8 rating and 5.85 million viewers but that was still pretty healthy by NBC standards.
Should Outsourced have been cancelled?
Unfortunately, over the course of the season, the ratings just kept dwindling downward. The ratings have gone as low as a 1.4 in the demo with just 2.97 million viewers. Those are horrible numbers for a major network, even NBC.
Outsourced's season currently averages a 2.1 demo rating and 4.55 million viewers. For NBC, that's not too bad but the average is only that high because of the early season ratings.
It's certainly not a shocker than NBC has cancelled Outsourced after just one season. The 22nd and final episode, titled "Rajiv Ties the Bharat, part two," aired last night.
What do you think? Are you disappointed that there won't be a second season of Outsourced? Why do you think the TV show didn't catch on?
Wondering where the rest of your shows stand? Check our NBC cancel/renew page.
My coworkers (who were Indian) referred this show to me…we all got a kick out of it….sad to see it end..
This is a great show! I loved it then and just watched the full season again. The characters are amazing and the cultural differences are what makes it special. Please bring this back!!!!!
To call the show offensive is really stupid.
Sure, it did have some typical stereotypes but it was a good show overall.
The services providers probably received more money for that series, underhanded, because everyone knew that outsourced would be a hit.
Great show, just finished watching it again and am convinced that NBC did this show a great injustice by not letting it run at least another season. It was funny, fresh, and had lots of runway for 2nd season storylines. I miss Gupta!
It was such a great show too bad . I still watch the reruns . All there is now is garbage reality shows that are not even reality !! A bunch of sensitive morons !!! Outsource was and is reality !!! Bad move NBC!!!


text:
Travel & Nightlife
Out Exclusives
Out Traveler
© 2020 Pride Publishing Inc.
Popnography
Dear Gay Men, Stop Telling Women They Can't Be in Gay Bars
We know you hate bachelorette parties, but that doesn't make misogyny ok.
By Rose Dommu
July 30 2017 11:04 AM EDT
I see it on my Facebook feed every couple of months: a gay man complaining about women in gay bars. Sometimes it's a complaint about annoying bachelorette parties who harass and tokenize men who are simply trying to dance and hook up. Sometimes it's a guy saying he doesn't feel comfortable having sex at a sex party if there are women around. Sometimes it's some older gay man saying, "There should be no fish allowed." That is seriously a comment on saw on a Facebook post this week.
Dear gay men, stop telling women they can't be in gay bars.
I know this might surprise you, but in 2017, women can go anywhere we want to! And furthermore, we don't need your approval to do it! When I see these kinds of discussions on social media, there are usually a few men who comment something like, "I love bringing my girls to the club!" Well, that's nice, but not only do women not need your approval to be somewhere, we also don't need you to take us anywhere. We know how to drive, get on the subway, flag down a cab, or download Uber.
Related | Bridal Party Problems: How Bachelorettes Are Ruining Gay Nightlife
I understand that bachelorette parties can be annoying, that they do harass and tokenize gay men, and I would have nothing wrong with someone saying, "I don't think bachelorette parties should come into gay bars and harass and tokenize gay men," but saying that no women should be in gay bars is a false equivalency because not all women in gay bars are there to drink through penis straws and request that the DJ play "The Thong Song," even though the DJ totally should play "The Thong Song." Women in gay bars are not limited to bachelorettes, did you forget that queer women exist? Trans women? Straight women with gay friends or straight women who just like gay bars or drag queens? Well, yeah, you probably did.
And even if you did, requiring some kind of reason for a woman to be in a gay bar, or an excuse or some gay to supervise her, is misogyny. Questioning a woman's right to be anywhere or do anything is misogyny. It's perfectly fine to ask cis-hetero women to be more respectful of our spaces instead of being misogynists.
The real t is that misogyny is a huge issue in the gay community, and this is one of the ways it's most frequently enacted. If you can't dance to some shitty house song or go down on a stranger just because a woman is in the room, you need to examine what that says about you, not call for that woman's removal.
And seriously, DJs, I want to hear "The Thong Song" more, ok?
Tags: News & Opinion
READER COMMENTS ()
RuPaul to Be the First Drag Queen to Host 'Saturday Night Live'
January 22 2020 10:05 AM
Lilly Singh Will Host the GLAAD Media Awards in New York
Katie Sowers to Be the First LGBTQ+ Coach at the Super Bowl
January 21 2020 4:45 PM
Trinity the Tuck Has a New TV Show About Drag Pageants
Here's Who Won the 'Oscars of Gay Porn' for 2020
San Francisco Pride Voted to Ban Google and Youtube for Homophobia
Telfar Just Announced a Collaboration With Gap


text:
Fancy Getting an Allotment?
Today sees the start of National Allotments week (9-15 August), an initiative held in the second full week of August each year and jointly promoted by the National Allotment Gardens Trust and the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners. It aims to promote awareness of allotments, both locally and nationally, so there's probably an event near you.
There's also a strong likelihood there'll be TV and other media coverage this week to tempt you into thinking about becoming an allotmenteer yourself. After all gardening programmes make it look so easy don't they? It is very easy to start growing your own and I'll be the first to encourage you to do so but I'd also like to urge caution. Allotments can be very hard work, especially if the one you're assigned has been overgrown for a while. If you're already growing some of your own at home and would like to do much more, or are the kind of person who having decided on doing something you'll see it through, then having an allotment is a fantastic idea!
You'll need to contact your local allotment society (you can find out who and where they are via your town hall or parish council) to find out what's available in your area. At this point you're highly likely to meet the first test of your resolve as most allotment societies have a long waiting list. Chippenham's is currently over 130 people and stretches back to 2007. This means that only people who signed up 3 years ago, plus some of 2008's batch of wannabes are likely to be offered an allotment here in Chippenham later this month. You may be lucky in your area and get one straight away, but if not and you're not put off by the length of the list, do please get your name down straight away. Not only does that mean you'll get your allotment sooner, it also means your local allotment society gets the best possible idea of demand and can mount an effective campaign for increased allotment provision in your area.
In the meantime, do be flexible in your approach to growing your own. All kinds of herbs and vegetables can be incorporated into your borders, or maybe part of your garden could be converted into a mini veg patch. For the former, thyme, strawberries or lettuces can be used as edging plants and beans or peas grown up wigwams instead of sweet peas or clematis. This approach particularly works well in cottage style gardens. Then there's good old pot gardening: for instance I grow winter salads in pots in my cold frame as they're well protected there and it's not too far to go and pick some fresh salad for tea when the weather's cold. Herbs grown on windowsills can also work well, as can tomatoes: we grew them in the office when I worked in Oxford :)
It's also worth exploring other potential sources of land as well as via your local allotment society. Sign up with Landshare (who've already been a source of a small number of new allotments here in Chippenham): for example someone locally offered their back garden recently for fruit and vegetable growing. Keep your eyes peeled too for community garden schemes with a vegetable growing bias or for a potential site where such a project could be kicked off. If you live in a town or village which is interested in achieving Transition Town status or has a similar strong community initiative in place, then it's likely this kind of project has already started or is in the pipeline. Have a look at the Incredible Edible Todmorden website for further inspiration and ideas.
In the meantime, good luck and let me know how you get on!
Allotment Events
The Constant Gardener 10 August 2010 at 09:08
I'd vouch for having an allotment any day - it's my daily therapy :D
I do agree with you though - I keep mine going pretty well on half an hour a day, but I do go every day pretty much without fail (apart from the weekends). You need to put the hours in to make it successful.
Glad you put in the stuff about alternative ways of getting hold of land - the National Trust are weighing in offering loads of their un-used land for allotments and community gardens, and also if you look at the Totnes transition towns website there's loads of useful stuff there about setting up gardenshare schemes: http://totnes.transitionnetwork.org/gardenshare/startupscheme
Personally I think these alternative schemes are going to gradually take over from allotments - especially in urban-ish areas...
Even my relatively rural allotment site has grown a 30-strong waiting list in the 6 years I've been there (I walked onto my allotment when the site was half-empty: I like to say I was into allotmenting before it got fashionable ;D). But these days you have to wait years. If I needed to do that now I'd probably give up.
VP 10 August 2010 at 09:18
CG - good points. I believe the NT plots are also advertised via Landshare. Thanks for the extra tranition town link - the one I've given is run by the guy who set up Totnes TT
I agree with you re these schemes probably taking over from allotments - that's what I was hinting at when I said about thinking flexibly. The need for more land to do everything in this country means the masses of 10 pole plot of old won't be feasible, but I'm sure there'll be pockets of smaller land will be ripe for cultivation (in fact we'll have to if my concerns about how we're going to feed ourselves in the future) and that's where projects like Incredible Edible Todmorden show us the way forward.
I understand the new government is aiming to enshrine the inclusion of adequate public open space in planning law. I believe they need to do the same with public land for cultivation. After all, the obligations re allotment provision aren't being met at the moment are they?
Anna 10 August 2010 at 16:35
As you know you are preaching to the converted
here VP :) Would echo your advice about getting name down asap - new lottie neighbour had her name on list for four years. Five years ago I waited six months - sign of the times.
VP 5 October 2010 at 16:46
Anna - interesting. That's about the same time as when Chippenham's waiting list really got going.
OOTS: Garden Organic's Car Park
Yes, Lawnmower Racing Does Exist!
A Dancing Flame
Pesky Pests: The Cabbage White Butterfly
Picture This: A Walk on the Wildside
A Blooms Day Extra: For Patient Gardener
First Apple Harvest
OOTS: Soft Landscaping Workshop
GBBD: Drowsling August
On Blight Watch
Book Offer - Recycle: The Essential Guide
Google Maps: Good for a Sense of Place?
VPGGB #15: Strawberries
Out on the Streets: August 2010
GBMD: Thoughts in a Garden


From time to time, we will highlight special needs animals on this page and ask the public to help us with our efforts to rehabilitate or provide vet work to a particular animal, however, we also need ongoing help. Your support, however large or small, is greatly appreciated.
$8 provides 1 worm tablet for a rescue animal in care. We go through more than 1,000 treatments a year and need help to cover these costs!
$10.50 provides 1 flea treatment for a rescue animal in care. We go through more than 1,400 treatments a year and need help to cover these costs!
It Costs us $20 a day to keep DCH running and rescuing hundreds of animals from death row every year.
You can also sponsor an individual animal. Click here to view all our foster animals that have special needs and require sponsorship.
Besides money donations, donations of in-date worm treatments and spot-on flea treatments are also welcome. Use our contact form to ask us how you can donate worm and flea treatments.
Thanks to Kersti, Barbara, Margaret, Catherine, Mel, Paul, Janette, Carol, Lainie, Jane & Alison, LeAnne, Nicole, Felicity, Sarah, Andrea, Alexandra, Julie, Robyn, Ronda, Cheryl, Danko, and Kate for their ongoing support of our rescue pets.
Download the authority form and email or post it back to DCH to have this facility set up.
You can make an online credit card donation by clicking the "Make a Donation" button below and follow the prompts.
You can make a donation securely via your mobile device by clicking the "Give Easy" button below and follow the prompts.
Want to help DCH by creating your own crowdfunding page to share with your friends and family? It's a great idea for Birthdays or special events (set your own targets and dates).
The process is super quick and easy - click below ann go to the "create crowdraiser" link to get started.


text:
Arizmendi Bakery San Rafael Members on Making Contact Radio Show
Worker-owners of Arizmendi Bakery in San Rafael, CA, talk to the radio show Making Contact. One of the most challenging parts of forming a worker owned business is...
By Co-operative News and Joe Marraffino
Worker-owners of Arizmendi Bakery in San Rafael, CA, talk to the radio show Making Contact. One of the most challenging parts of forming a worker owned business is that there aren't a lot of models to follow. In some parts of the United States, there are virtually no co-ops. Learning how to manag
Worker-owners of Arizmendi Bakery in San Rafael, CA, talk to the radio show Making Contact.
One of the most challenging parts of forming a worker owned business is that there aren't a lot of models to follow. In some parts of the United States, there are virtually no co-ops. Learning how to manage and run a successful business isn't easy, especially when you're trying to do it differently. So many of those co-ops that do exist feel a special responsibility—to support each other, and help grow the number of worker controlled businesses out there. One of the model co-op organizations is located in the San Francisco Bay Area—its called Arizmendi. Making Contact's Andrew Stelzer brings us this story about how when one of the organizations bakeries fell on hard times, the other businesses pitched in both money and time to help it survive.
A map of the worker cooperatives in the Arizmendi Association:
View Arizmendi Association Locations in a larger map
Arizmendi
email / post to social media
Arizmendi Bakery
Consumer cooperative
Housing cooperative
Industrial Workers of the World
Mutualism
Worker cooperative
Joe Marraffino
Democracy, Politics, Retail
1,100 new members join the Co-operative Party
Reaching out for the Co-op Party
Development, Fairtrade, Financial
Scotland has sights set on becoming a Fair Trade Nation…
Democracy, Housing, Mutuals
United we stand – Oklahoma Gazette
High attendance at United meetings
Draft Co-op Law Consolidation Bill by March 2013......?
Local Sprouts Cooperative Organizes Worker Co-op Week
Community energy group @Energy4All welcomes success of three #Scotwind energy bids for its partners who will offer… https://t.co/eKk09xte0q34 minutes ago


Misco Products Elements Green Liquid Laundry Detergent is a non-toxic, natural laundry detergent that contains no phosphates or optical brighteners, and is completely biodegradable. This is an ultra concentrated liquid laundry detergent for people who desire an environmentally responsible formula. Elements Green Natural Liquid Laundry Detergent has a unique combination of vegetable based surfactants and water softeners to power out even the toughest stains. This natural laundry detergent laundry soap is effective in either hard or soft, hot or cold water. Gentle and safe to use on all fabrics. Ideal for use at your home and at your business including daycares, nursing homes, hospitals, medical facilities, hotels and lodging businesses and more.
Misco Elements Liquid Laundry Detergent, 5 Gallon Pail, Each.


text:
Is It Safe to Interrupt HIV Treatment During Cure Studies?
Treatment News • Features
Previous research has shown that long interruptions are not safe—but what about shorter, more closely monitored gaps in treatment?
July 10, 2019 • By Benjamin Ryan
In 2006, the pivotal SMART study threw the HIV community for a loop when it proved that "drug holidays," then in vogue as a means of escaping the side effects of antiretrovirals (ARVs), were in fact harmful to health.
Given those findings, it may seem counterintuitive that today it is common for researchers to take people with HIV off their ARVs during cure studies. Would this not also compromise their health, even if these treatment interruptions are shorter and more closely monitored than those studied by the SMART investigators?
Seeking to address concerns about adverse health events associated with what are known as analytical treatment interruptions (ATIs) in cure studies, a team of German investigators conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of numerous studies in which investigators put people with HIV through either ATIs or the more loosely monitored structured treatment interruptions (STIs) that the SMART study's findings ultimately drove out of practice.
Cure studies use ATIs as a means of assessing how an investigational therapy affects the virus outside of the context of suppressive therapy. During participants' time off ARVs, investigators can measure how treatment affects the amount of time before the virus rebounds, the peak viral load, the ultimate viral load plateau and other factors.
Jörg Janne Vehreschild, PhD, of the department of internal medicine at the University Hospital of Cologne in Germany, led the team behind the new analysis, which was published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. He and his colleagues identified over 1,000 studies published through May 2017 that reported on adverse events among people with HIV during treatment interruptions, including STIs and ATIs.
The studies included in the analysis needed to describe the design of their treatment interruption, the frequency of CD4 count or viral load monitoring, the data covering the periods both before and after treatment interruptions, the previous time participants had spent on ARVs and various clinical outcomes, such as adverse health events, AIDS-related diseases and drug resistance.
Vehreschild and his colleagues narrowed down the list to 22 reports published between 1999 and 2016, including the SMART study, that included a cumulative 7,104 participants. Some studies restarted treatment after a pre-set period of time, while others did so based on changes in participants' CD4s or viral load. Ten of the studies were randomized controlled trials, seven were prospective studies that did not have a control group and that studied a particular intervention, and five were observational studies. Overall, these studies provided evidence that the new analysis' authors considered to be of moderate certainty.
These studies included participant groups that ranged between six and 5,472 people. The treatment interruptions lasted between seven days and 27 months. The frequency of viral load testing during these interruptions ranged between once every two days to every three months. Participants spent a median of 12 months on ARVs prior to their treatment interruption—between a median of three and 56 months, depending on the study.
The paper's authors divided the studies into various subcategories. Those with a maximum monitoring period of 14 days were considered narrow follow-up studies; the others fell into the wide follow-up category. Studies that had a maximum treatment interruption interval of more than four weeks were considered long treatment-interruption studies while the others were in the short treatment-interruption category.
Vehreschild and his coauthors used a broad definition of adverse events that included ARV drug resistance, severe adverse health events, HIV disease progression and death.
Overall, 3% of the pool of participants in the studies analyzed experienced any of these adverse events. This proportion was higher, at 3%, in the long treatment-interruption studies compared with the short treatment-interruption studies, in which 2% experienced adverse events. The highest rates of adverse events occurred among those who started their study with a CD4 count of 350 to 500 and those in a wide follow-up study—11% of participants in both categories experienced such negative outcomes.
Looking just at studies with long treatment interruptions, the authors found that zero percent of participants in studies with narrow follow-up intervals experienced adverse events, compared with 6% of those in studies with wide follow-up intervals. Further, zero percent of those in observational and uncontrolled interventional studies experienced adverse events, compared with 8% of those in randomized controlled studies. None of those who had an initial CD4 count greater than 500 experienced adverse events, compared with 6% of those with a CD4 count below 350 and 17% of those with a CD4 count between 350 and 500.
Across all studies included in the analysis, 3% of the pooled population of participants developed drug resistance while off ARVs, with 9% doing so in the wide follow-up interval studies and zero percent doing so in the narrow follow-up interval studies. In the randomized controlled trials, 6% developed drug resistance, compared with zero percent in the uncontrolled interventional studies. Zero percent of those with a baseline viral load above 500 experienced drug resistance, compared with 7% of those with a CD4 count between 350 and 500 and 16% of those with CD4s below 350.
In the studies with long follow-up intervals, 3% of participants experienced disease progression, including 5% of those in randomized controlled trials and 1% of those in observational and uncontrolled interventional studies. Eight percent of those with a baseline CD4 count of 350 to 500 saw their HIV disease progress, compared with zero percent of those with initial CD4 counts greater than 500.
Deaths were rare in these studies, with 1% of those in the randomized controlled trials and zero percent of those in the other types of studies dying during the follow-up period. Further, zero percent of those with more than 500 CD4s died, compared with 2% of those with 350 to 500 CD4s.
Pooling the 6,430 participants from the nine randomized controlled trials, the investigators compared those who stayed on ARVs throughout their study participation with those who were put through a treatment interruption. They found that interrupting treatment was associated with a 27% increase in the rate of adverse events. In the studies in which participants took ARVs for at least 24 months before enrollment, interrupting treatment was tied to a 2.75-fold increased risk of adverse events, compared with a 3.14-fold increased risk in studies in which participants took ARVs for 12 or fewer months prior to enrollment.
The authors of the analysis determined that there were associations between the overall proportion of adverse events during treatment interruptions and baseline CD4 count, baseline viral load and study type. After adjusting the data to account for various differences between the participants and studies, the authors found that longer follow-up intervals and having a baseline CD4 count between 350 and 500 were each associated with a higher rate of adverse events.
"Our systematic review and meta-analysis highlights an existing knowledge gap that has not been conclusively answered by previous landmark trials," the study authors concluded. "Although these trials, most notably the [SMART study], showed an increased risk of [sickness] and mortality during [treatment interruption] compared to individuals who continued therapy, other, mostly small studies, with narrow follow-up intervals, suggested that patients with a [baseline CD4 count of greater than 500] and an undetectable viral load can interrupt therapy safely, if monitored frequently. From a clinical point of view, ATI seems not to bear a marked risk of [adverse events] or resistance."
Addressing the delicate ethical balance that scientists must observe when designing HIV cure studies that include ATIs, the paper's authors concluded: "The residual risk of disease progression or development of drug resistance mutation has to be balanced against the potential new insights or clinical benefits of experimental strategies including TI."
The paper notes a lack of reports of people transmitting HIV during ATIs. However, a report published too recently to make it into this new analysis tells of an HIV-positive French man who went through an ATI in a cure study and transmitted the virus to his female partner. The case study suggested that the man's untreated depression might have influenced his transmission risk.
A potential lesson learned from this couple's experience was that cure researchers should be more mindful of screening study participants for factors that may compromise their capacity to mitigate their risk of transmitting HIV while they either have or run the risk of having a detectable viral load during an ATI. In addition, investigators may recommend pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for the HIV-negative partners of study participants going through ATIs.
#Cure
#SMART
#treatment interruption
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Home Appreciating Deeply National Treasure #56: Snowmobile
National Treasure #56: Snowmobile
04 November 2016 05 October 2017 Business, Highways & Vehicles
The origin of the snowmobile, or sled, as they are often referred to, is not the work of any one inventor but more a process of advances in engines for the propulsion of vehicles and supporting devices over snow. It parallels the development of the automobile and later aviation, often inventors using the same components for a different use. . . . It was only in 1960, when engines became lighter and smaller than before, that Joseph-Armand Bombardier invented what we now know as the modern snowmobile in its open-cockpit one- or two-person form, and started selling it under the brand name Ski-Doo. – Wikipedia
So, OK, no one person invented the snowmobile, although opinions vary, even (especially?) on Wikipedia.
Joseph-Armand Bombardier (April 16, 1907 – February 18, 1964) was a French-Canadian inventor and businessman, and was the founder of Bombardier. His most famous invention was the snowmobile.
And this, from the Canadian Encyclopedia.
Joseph-Armand Bombardier, engineer, entrepreneur, inventor of the snowmobile and Ski-Doo (born 16 April 1907 in Valcourt, QC; died 18 February 1964 in Sherbrooke, QC).
Certainly Joseph-Armand patented the Ski-Doo, although the name was meant to be Ski-Dog. A typo in the first brochure changed history.
However we attribute innovation, what could be more quintessentially Canadian than a vehicle designed for transportation and recreation on snow and ice?
Sky, Lake Powell AZ
Sucky Timing, Sound Advice
JimTaylor
07 November 2016 at 11:14 pm	3 years ago
A serious reply this time. I think the snowmobile was a marvellous invention for people living in remote areas, where they needed it for health, safely, and hunting. I think it is an abomination when it gets hot-rodded so that overly testosteroned young people can go too far, too high, too fast.
Jim T
Jim T – I take your point, but it applies equally to all vehicles, no? For sleds, there's a vast middle ground of recreational use that gets people outside during the cold, dark days of winter.
08 November 2016 at 9:25 am	3 years ago
Go Big Guy, GO!
Vince – 🙂


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