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Movie Review: Religulous
Posted inMovies, Religion / Spirituality10 Comments on Movie Review: Religulous
Bill Maher, the always provocative comedian-cum-commentator, has a new movie out called Religulous, a round-the-world documentary on the irrationality of religion and those who believe in it.
I saw it last night. There were many laugh out loud moments and some truly frightening scenes of religious extremists off the deep end. Occasionally the movie was sad more than anything, such as the scene of John Westcott who was once gay but has "cured himself" and now, in the name of the Lord, helps other gay men rid themselves of homosexuality via Exchange Ministries. The irony is the guy still looks so obviously gay — haircut, voice, etc. Or the man who told Maher he believes in miracles and as evidence relayed a story of how one day he prayed it would rain and 10 minutes later — wait for it — it started raining! Unbelievable!
While I'm sympathetic to Maher's basic points I have one stylistic complaint and one philosophical complaint. Stylistically, he repeatedly interrupted his interviewees and brought to the conversations a clear agenda for the answers he was looking for. Philosophically, he treated all believers the same — bozos through and through. The movie opens with Maher visiting a "trucker church" — a very small trailer in the middle of nowhere America where truckers gather together and pray. Maher, the smooth talking, blazer-wearing, L.A. comedian berates the overweight, blearly-eyed, not well educated truckers for their lack of skepticism about their faith. Huh? Why not let them be religious in peace?
Here's the thing: Maher is convinced religion on the whole does more bad than good in the world. I entertain the notion that in the end religion does more good than bad. Take the truckers with whom he opens the film. Sure, I'm concerned about the slippery slope argument (if you're willing to suspend rational faculties in this area, what else might you be irrational about?) but on the whole I bet these truckers derive a certain comfort and security from their weekly prayer sessions.
Later on, Maher interviews a senator and prominent God-believing scientist with these folks I do share his concern about how they're letting religious doctrine influence their thinking. I'm totally fine with a trucker talking admiringly about God. I do get concerned when President Bush says God's will informs his foreign policy, or when a CEO cites God as reason for doing something.
At the end Maher insists that if you're atheist and quiet about it, speak up! To wit, his prime audience: passive atheists. Hard core believers won't watch a movie like this, hard core atheists will love it but they were already sold. It's the light weight non-believers who just might be moved.
One last point. Religulous suffers from the limits of the medium (film). It's very hard to explore a topic like religion in any kind of depth and near impossible to resist the kind of emotional cheap shots that video and music and animation allow. Just like Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 is a perhaps entertaining but shallow way to understand the lead up to the Iraq war, Religulous is a rather shallow way to explore the atheist argument.
Bottom Line: As entertainment and comedy, Religious is well worth it. If you want an atheist treatise on religion, there are many books which explore the topic better.
10 comments on "Movie Review: Religulous"
Sean S. says:
I agree with a lot of what you've written here. Even though I tend to agree with Maher on the topic of religion, I found it odd how he was so concerned about the fact that very religious people are generally judgmental of those who do not share the same beliefs.
It came across as odd because Maher himself appeared extremely judgmental of those who did not share his own beliefs.
I must say, though, I really do like his stated philosophy of simply not knowing the answers to many of the questions that religion aims to answer, and being fine with not knowing. That's spot on with how I feel.
Ben Casnocha says:
Agreed – I loved how he said "doubt is my product." Doubt, doubt, doubt.
Andy McKenzie says:
Ben — why do George Bush and other God-loving politicians get elected at such high rates? A large part has to do with the fact that those truckers vote for these politicians in droves. If we are going to give every citizen in our country the franchise, then they must be critical thinkers.
I am not sure how to deal with it, but it seems unfair of you to be "concern[ed] about how they're letting religious doctrine influence their thinking" without blaming the chief cause of that problem. I agree that individually religion probably does more good than bad but collectively it has accomplished some very scary things.
Eliezer Yudkowsky says:
So-called "noble lies" are black swan bets. They only have to blow up once to undo all the good they ever did. One single time when you pray to God after discovering a lump, instead of going to a doctor. That's all it takes to undo a life.
Max Marmer says:
Eliezer,
Isn't Pascal's wager also a Black Swan bet?
How do you resolve that?
I guess, I resolve Pascal's Wager, by concluding if I accepted it, there would be infinitely many high impact, but extremely low probability things I would have to believe in, such as a powerful flying spaghetti monster.
Also Andy brings up a good point, about voting based on religious beliefs.
It seems like the general sentiment is if the trucker's derive meaning and purpose from praying and don't harm anybody else in the process then it is Ok.
But I think we have to look more closely at whether they really are harming anyone. Voting is one good example, though the impact they make is marginal if they are minority, which thankfully is the trend.
But why should a trucker be held to a different standard than a CEO?
I think the answer is impact.
So although a middle aged trucker probably isn't ever going to completely change his lifestyle and eventually have a large impact in the world, what about a precocious child in their community. What if he has brilliant mind for science but abandons pursuing science due to conflicts with religious doctrine. Don't you think this is a problem?
Andy – are there any data on voting rates of the religious vs. non-religious?
Eliezer – point taken – though I can't think of too many other examples outside the medical realm when believing in God represents a black swan bet.
Josh Lynch says:
Ben- I am happy to read your review of the movie. It is the first review I have read where there isnt a shoving on an agenda.
I have seen the movie twice and liked it both times.
I would be curious to see if there is any voting data also.
Max- Good point about how raising a child a certain way can/does heavily influence their minds.
khc says:
Upfront claim: I am a Christian.
I would say that the cure for bad theology is not no theology, but good theology.
Science did not grow up in a black box, the first science came out of religion – the former explores the world from the details up, the latter works to understand from the larger concepts down. Just as we don't yet have a grand unified theory of physics that seemlessly connects gravity to nuclear, so too there are current points of incomprehension between our understanding of the microspectrum of physcial details of our lives and a larger picture of God. An intelligent Christian understands that facts discovered about the physical world *inform* our interpretation of Scripture. Sometimes this takes a while (see the Galileo affair), and the pride that has to fall is damaging to the church. The only excuse is that there have been plenty of "scientific" discoveries that are later recalled — this is a human failure, not necessarily a spiritual one.
I will not deny that there are certain aspects of faith that people can misinterpret – if they come up against a tough question, they cling to "belief" rather than rigorously explore the issue. This has been shunted by several in this age, and things said by prominent Christians today can still make me cringe – but setting up the strawman of the of the average instead of Augustine is unbecoming. All scientists are not lumped in with eugenicists.
I am alongside you in the battle against ignorance. Poorly understood and explained Christianity has been the cause of tremendous ills in this world. But to ignore the good is…unscientific.
just want to point out that maher is not an atheist and considers atheist as crazy as those who are religious. Maher is agnostic and the movie is a treatise on skepticism, not being an atheist.
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Unfortunately I cannot take credit for the inspired way in which a friend placed her grandmothers bracelet across her hand. As her 'something borrowed', said friend wanted to wear this exquisite bracelet, but felt the classic design wasn't in keeping with her contemporary look on her wedding day.
Across her hand, the bracelet perfectly complimented the Givenchy couture dress she chose as a very modern interpretation of the classic design that her mother had worn on her wedding day 30 years before.
And then there are the Bamford products, many of which I now cannot live without. Not only has the natural, organic and beautifully scented range made a very noticeable difference to my skin and hair (trust me, you simply must experience the shampoo and conditioner – perfect for every hair type) but knowing they are made from a level of pure ingredients that have been certified at the highest grade makes you feel even more wonderful about using them on your body.
I have a hen weekend to consider and since visiting the Bamford Haybarn, all other options have been pushed firmly beneath this serene and soothing sanctuary – now the only matter of concern is whether my dearest friends will be disappointed to hear we are no longer heading for a heady week in New York, or the beach destination that was causing excitement? Once they arrive at Bamford, I am quite convinced the alternative options will not even be a consideration.


Friday again and I'm back with my round-up of favourites for the week - a nice mix of beauty and lifestyle products.
This week I've been all about yummy things with a new favourite indulgent dessert and a candle that I just can't get over, seriously the best candle I've ever burnt. As for makeup I've been keeping it minimal this week mainly relying on eye products with a great new all over eye primer and a slightly long lost mascara!
First up my new favourite all-singing all-dancing eye primer. This ticks all the boxes for me as it blurs fine lines, reduces the look of dark circles/tiredness and also acts as a base for makeup under the eye and on the lids making concealer and eyeshadows apply nicely and stay on for longer. The light silicone formula just smoothes over the eye without balling up or flaking and just peps everything up whilst also acting as an eyeshadow primer. I really couldn't ask for more in an eye primer.The only thing is I'd be curious to see how this compares to the Garnier 5 Second Perfect Blur Primer as it's double the volume for the same price and of course can be worn all over the face.
A few months ago I received this mascara in a beauty box but actually put it to one side as the formula was just too wet for my liking and messy to apply. Then when recently organising I stumbled across it and noticed how the formula had slightly thickened which prompted me to give it another go. With the thicker formula that isn't wet I've been finding it so much nicer to use and just loving the curling effect it has due to the curved brush. Also the volume it gives it just the right amount to avoid spidery lashes. For the full 8ml size the price is a steep £18 which I know I wouldn't pay however for the duo black and blue set it is a little cheaper at £15. A total favourite but Eyeko definitely need to bring their prices down.
Since featuring this candle in a wish list post at the beginning of the week I feel like I haven't stopped raving about it! Before the wish list post had gone live I'd gone and purchased it because I couldn't resist it any longer. Then since receiving it in the post I haven't stopped burning it. I love all baked goods candles for their yummy scents but this is just out of this world... like actual chocolate brownies baking in the oven. Just amazing!
Recently I've realised that even though I'm still dieting the odd treat won't hurt and this week I discovered an amazing new range of desserts that come in pretty ceramic ramekins (that you can re-use). I've only tried two desserts from the range so far with my favourite being the Lemon & Lime Posset. The dessert is both indulgent with it's smooth creamy texture but also refreshing and zingy with the lemon and lime flavour. I would normally opt for a more chocolate-y dessert if I was having one but this just surpasses all supermarket desserts I've tried in the past. If you are looking for something indulgent or to impress guests with then I'd very much recommend these.
A slightly obscure favourite here with something that been helping my low level anxiety recently as well as my difficultly getting to sleep at night. This is basically a less mouldable form of Playdoh that's infused with calming aromatherapy oils such as lavender and ylang ylang. I know one of the best ways to calm the mind when anxiety/racing thoughts are happening is distraction and this does exactly that. Simply playing with the dough is enough to make me tired in bed or to reduce anxiety... I'm even tempted to take it on the plane with me when I go on holiday next! Also as the dough isn't overly pliable, kneading the dough takes a bit of force which relieves tension, plus this also releases the calming oils.
Last favourite for this week has to go to my favourite shade in the new Models Own Diamond Luxe collection. The vivid red shade with micro gold glitter/shimmer is something I could see Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz wearing on her nails - just so fun and bright. Sadly the nail swatches don't show up the micro glitter that's suspended within the nail polish that is so stunning on the nails. Love, love, love this! Launches in Superdrug stores Sept 20th and Boots stores Sept 24th.
Hope you've enjoyed my favourites for this week and all have a lovely weekend.


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The Elections, Covid, and Afghanistan: August on the German Elections Dashboard
Corinna Blutguth
Program Officer, Transatlantic Programming Berlin, GMF
On September 26, around 60 million voters in Germany will be able to cast their ballots in the 2021 parliamentary elections. After 16 years in power, incumbent chancellor Angela Merkel is not running for office, and a change in government leadership is certain. Moreover, the current election appears to be as open as ever with three different parties vying for the lead. Politico's Poll of Polls, a partner of the 2021 German Elections Dashboard, shows that the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Greens, and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) have each held the lead in the polls at some point since May.
Politico's Poll of Polls for the German Federal Elections 2021 available at https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/. Politico is a partner of ASD's German Election Project.
Because of this volatility, foreign influence in the German elections deserves particular attention this year. Our previous months' analyses have shown that foreign actors have actively engaged in German online political discourse, with Russian state-backed media driving the most engagement and giving the most attention to election-related topics. This trend persisted in August as Russian state-backed actors continued their coverage of the German election campaign, focusing primarily on the CDU's chancellor candidate Armin Laschet and the Greens' Annalena Baerbock. Chinese, Turkish, and Iranian state-backed actors focused mostly on their own domestic politics and foreign policy topics relevant to their national interests.
German Election Campaign
In August, Russian state media continued reporting on the German chancellor candidates, though coverage of the candidates represented a small fraction of Russia's overall Twitter outputs (roughly 3 percent of total tweets in August). The CDU's candidate, Armin Laschet, received the most mentions (53), followed by the Greens' Annalena Baerbock (33). Social Democratic candidate Olaf Scholz was mentioned the least often (29) of the top three candidates. Mentions of Alice Weidel, the AfD candidate, were negligible (4). Similar disparities in mentions were also noted in Russian website articles and RT Deutsch YouTube videos covering the three candidates.
In comparison, German media outlets on Twitter posted by far the most about Laschet (561), with Baerbock (241) and Scholz (313) receiving significantly less attention. Again, there were few mentions of Weidel (8). Proportionally, Russian media tweeted less about Laschet than the German media, more about Baerbock, and provided roughly equal coverage of Scholz and Weidel.
Mentions of chancellor candidates Laschet, Baerbock, and Scholz by Russian state media (blue) and German media (gray) in August.
Russian state media's most retweeted tweet about Laschet criticized his approach towards Turkish communities in Germany and interviews he gave to Turkish media outlets, alleging that he received campaign support from Turkey. Russia-backed accounts also covered attacks on Laschet by his party rival Markus Söder, and featured a statement in which Laschet advocated for continued equal treatment of vaccinated and people with a recent negative test. Interestingly, the most retweeted tweet about Baerbock mentioned that she is in favor of "discrimination" against unvaccinated people. RT Deutsch also addressed a minor slip by Baerbock: At a campaign event in her constituent state, Brandenburg, she confused two regions. For RT Deutsch, this was indicative not only of Baerbock's general incompetence, but also of the bigger problem of western German politicians running for office in East Germany without any knowledge of the region. Unlike German media coverage, Russian media coverage did not reflect a rise in mentions of the candidates around the so-called "Triell," the first televised debate between the three chancellor candidates on August 29th. The most popular Russian post about the debate did not address content at all, but scrutinized politicians for their hypocrisy and their restrictive anti-Covid measures, as they were shown not wearing masks or maintaining social distance behind the scenes of the debate.
RT Deutsch also wrote about a survey by the German research institute INSA, which found that around 18 percent of the respondents expected extensive fraud in the upcoming elections. Interestingly, articles about the survey were only spread by fringe right- and left-wing blogs, as well as blogs that particularly engage with conspiracy narratives and anti-coronavirus measures content. At the time of this analysis, no traditional German media outlet had cited the poll.
Besides the upcoming election, Afghanistan-related topics dominated Russian coverage. Afghanistan was the most mentioned country, and "Kabul" and "Taliban" were the most-used hashtags in August. The turmoil in Afghanistan was primarily interpreted as a failure of the United States and President Biden. The most liked tweet of the month featured a quotation from the mother of a fallen American soldier calling President Joe Biden a "useless piece of dirt controlled by dementia." Another popular tweet shared Donald Trump's call for Biden to "resign in shame" over the handling of the situation in Afghanistan. RT Deutsch also used the situation in Afghanistan to sow doubts and insecurity about U.S.-Ukraine relations. A tweet argued that the alleged unreliability and untrustworthiness of the United States in Afghanistan should also be a lesson for Ukraine to not rely on the United States as a partner, as they have left their allies behind even in situations as dire as in Afghanistan. Moreover, Russian-backed actors also highlighted the Russian government's supposed superior handling of the situation in Afghanistan portraying the situation in Kabul as calm and contradicting the assessment of European and U.S. governments and media. On August 17, after many Western countries had already started evacuating their embassies, RT Deutsch shared a video in which Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia explained that there was no reason to evacuate or reduce the Russian embassy since the situation was calm.
Russian actors also used the situation in Afghanistan to address the topic of migration. The most retweeted tweet from monitored Russian accounts in August featured a statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which he spoke out against the acceptance of Afghan refugees in central Asian countries due to the fear of an influx of "fighters." Other tweets also discussed migration in the context of Afghanistan. One tweet foreshadowed another refugee crisis in Europe, which would make the 2015 influx of Syrian refugees seem like "a walk in the park." The article referenced a report by CSIS Senior Fellow Erol Yayboke, who described a geopolitical challenge in light of the potential number of displaced Afghans; however, Yayboke's report did not describe the situation in European countries at all. By leaving out this piece of information, RT's tweet drastically distorted the message of Yayboke's original report and stoked fears of mass migration to Europe, which are currently unfounded. A different tweet stated that the European Union was preparing for a new "Flüchtlingswelle" (refugee wave), a term that suggests a dangerous, uncontrollable force of nature. In July, RT Deutsch had warned of a new "Flüchtlingswelle" and had directly associated the topic with past attacks committed by migrants in Germany.
Migration had previously not been a central topic in this election campaign. After the influx of more than 1 million refugees and migrants in 2015, the issue created deep cleavages in German society culminating in the far-right party AfD entering parliament for the first time after running a campaign that heavily relied on an anti-migration platform. The AfD continues to support anti-immigration policies, often using racist and xenophobic narratives. As laid out in our previous analysis, the contentious issue of migration has the potential to increase polarization and, thus, can be an alluring target for information manipulation efforts.
Russian outlets' coverage of coronavirus-related topics took a step back in August compared to previous months. Nonetheless, the hashtag "Corona" was still the third-most used by Russian actors behind two Afghanistan-related hashtags. On coronavirus topics, Russian actors continued to disseminate similar narratives as in previous months. They called into question the official numbers of Covid-related deaths, spread doubts about the safety of vaccinations, and extensively covered anti-vaccination protests in Germany and abroad.
As in July, a big focus lay on the topic of mandatory vaccinations. For the hashtag "Impfpflicht" (vaccination mandate), RT Deutsch remained a major driver of content, leading in terms of number of tweets covering the issues and influence.
The most influential accounts monitored on the dashboard in August for the keyphrase "Impfpflicht," sorted by number of tweets.
For the period from April to the end of August, Russian state-backed actors used the hashtag "Impfpflicht" more often than all German media outlets monitored the dashboard combined. Data from the dashboard also shows that Russian-backed accounts started using the hashtag earlier than German media outlets.
German media (left) and Russian state-backed (right) accounts using the hashtag "Impfpflicht," April 1–August 31.
As there have not been any further moves towards mandatory vaccinations in Germany, Russian outlets continued to cover protests against such mandates abroad. After violent clashes during protests against the German government's pandemic management in Berlin, RT Deutsch condemned the police's behavior as undemocratic and disrespecting the rule of law. The tweet considered the incidents to be another step towards a "Demokratur," a made-up word which is a mix between democracy and dictatorship. When the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Nils Melzer announced an investigation into instances of police brutality at the Berlin protest, RT Deutsch shared the article as breaking news on Twitter.
RT Deutsch also condemned European vaccination deals with Pfizer and Moderna as "scandalous crimes," continuing its negative coverage of vaccine producers from Europe and the United States. Given that RT Deutsch has often questioned the efficacy of vaccines, the article is particularly interesting. It argues against the deals under the assumption that vaccinations are in fact effective and primarily criticizes the terms of the contract. Yet, it does not fail to spread doubts about the vaccines, mentioning that this premise might be wrong after all.
Russian coronavirus-related coverage also received significant attention on RT Deutsch's YouTube channel. In the month of August, six out of the ten most watched YouTube videos by RT Deutsch were on Covid-19-related issues. In total, these six videos alone had over 1 million views. One video stated that politicians allegedly see the unvaccinated as "lazy, confused, and easy to exclude."
As in July, Chinese state-backed actors focused on the debate around the origin of the Covid-19 virus. "Covid" and "origin" were among the top mentioned key phrases and hashtags used by Chinese actors in August. The month's top tweet linked to an English-language article by RT.com and accused the United States of abusing the World Health Organization (WHO) for its "anti-China crusade." This also shows how China piggybacks off the Russian information ecosystem for its own purposes.
Other top tweets also revolved around the origin of the virus, denied any Chinese wrongdoing, and spread the myth that the origin of the virus could be traced back to the Maryland-based Fort Detrick biolab.
In response to the German frigate "Bayern" departing to the South China Sea in early August, the Chinese Embassy in Germany tweeted out a link to an eleven-page paper asserting China's territorial claims in the area and accusing the United States of double standards and of being the biggest danger to freedom of navigation in the region. Previously, Chinese actors had not devoted much attention to German foreign policy, with the exception of how Germany perceives the situation in Xinjiang.
For Turkish actors, the situation in Afghanistan was the most covered topic in August. Turkish posts focused primarily on the humanitarian situation in the country. One of the top tweets was based on a WikiLeaks document that suggested that Sweden wanted to conduct airstrikes in Afghanistan to increase the marketability of its fighter jets, among other reasons. Other top tweets addressed conditions for Palestinians; TRT Deutsch covered the shooting of a 15-year-old Palestinian by Israelis in the West Bank and a construction project on the site of the Ibrahimi Mosque that the outlet portrayed as a "project of Judaization." A previous dashboard analysis also tracked Turkey's focus on the Palestinian issue.
As in previous months, Turkish actors also continued their negative coverage of the Kurdish PKK party, which the Turkish government has labelled a terrorist organization. One tweet stated that the group did not shy away from killing children, while another one insinuated that it might be responsible for the forest fires in Turkey.
Iranian actors continued to focus primarily on Iranian domestic politics and Iranian foreign interests. The top-mentioned key phrases of the month included Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the capital Tehran, and "Raisi," a nickname for the newly elected president Ebrahim Raisolsadati. August's top tweet featured the president's plea for the lifting of sanctions against Iran. Considering the turmoil in neighboring Afghanistan, it was surprising that Iranian actors did not focus much attention on the situation there.
As in previous months, Russian actors continued to disseminate skeptical narratives about coronavirus-related topics with a focus on anti-vaccination stories. Russia also attempted to exploit the turmoil in Afghanistan to sow doubts about the United States as a trustworthy ally and further used the topic to promote anti-immigration messaging in Germany. Despite the approaching election day, Turkish actors refrained from election-specific coverage, while Chinese and Iranian actors have not illustrated any engagement in German domestic policy discourse.
ASD and GMF will continue to closely monitor and analyze foreign interference in the information sphere and will publish an in-depth analysis about foreign actors' coverage of the different parties, candidates, and potential coalitions ahead of election day.
Explore the German Election Dashboard here.
Are Russia and China Teaming Up Against America in a Global Information War? Yes and No.

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Can Botox Really Improve Mental Health? Botox for Depression Treatment
February 5, 2021 by Kathleen Coughlin
It is estimated that over 16 million adults in the United States suffer from at least one major depressive episode each year. If you are in this group, you may have tried different treatments to help relieve your depression symptoms. The two most common treatments for depression are cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and prescription anti-depressants.
But new research is suggesting that Botox may also be an effective treatment for depression. Using Botox for depression sounds taboo, but may be worth considering.
What is Botox?
Botox is a substance used in cosmetic procedures to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It is derived from a substance called botulinum toxin A that temporarily paralyzes muscles.
You may be wondering how this substance, used to help people look younger, helps with depression. The idea of using Botox for depression treatment came in 2006 after a small trial with 10 participants suffering from depression. All were given a Botox injection in what's called the "glabellar frown lines". Those are the creases in between your eyes that develop from scowling or squinting.
Just two shorts months after the injection, 9 out of the 10 participants no longer had symptoms of depression. Though the 10th participant did still have some symptoms, they reported their mood had improved.
Over the course of the next decade, more studies would mimic this first one, each obtaining similar results. Depressed participants saw a marked improvement in symptoms and overall mood in as little as 6 weeks. This is congruent with antidepressants, which also typically take up to 6 weeks to begin working.
How Does Botox for Depression Work Exactly?
You may be thinking that appearing younger, or at least, having a couple of frown lines disappear, is what caused numerous study participants over the years to find their mood significantly improved after Botox injections. But subsequent studies disproved this particular theory.
The best explanation for why Botox helps treat depression is that it interrupts the "facial feedback" mechanism. Our facial expressions, that is whether we scowl, frown, or smile, send feedback to our brain. It's like a feedback loop. When we frown, we feel bad, and when we feel bad, we frown. By decreasing your facial muscle's ability to frown, researchers believe this may be why people's mood improves.
For those interested in trying Botox for depression, it's best to look for a doctor who specializes in giving these injections. You can speak with your primary doctor for a referral. Also, as the FDA has not approved Botox to treat depression, your insurance most likely won't cover it.
It would be most beneficial to pair this treatment with therapy. Call us today to get scheduled for counseling to treat your depression.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-fallible-mind/201501/how-facial-botox-changes-your-brain-literally
https://www.healthline.com/health/botox-for-depression
Filed Under: Depression, General, Self Care, Stress, Uncategorized, Women's Issues Tagged With: antidepressants, anxiety, cbt, counseling, depression, medical, therapy, treatment
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The Punjab government has planned to launch a cable-based television channel named 'Vidya TV', especially for students to help them in education.
State school education minister Daljit Singh Cheema confirmed that the government was going to launch a 24-hour cable-based educational channel on missionary basis and the government had also demanded an expression of interest (EOI) and issued an advertisement regarding it.
Cabinet minister was here on Wednesday for a prize distribution function of state-level science and mathematics quiz competition organised by the school education department at Pushpa Gujral Science City, Kapurthala.
Cheema said the government would provide the content for the channel and the transmission would purely be a missionary initiative by the private firm.
He said no advertisement would be telecasted on the channel and the government had also mentioned it in terms and conditions of the EOI.
"Watching TV is favourite hobby of most of students and keeping it in view, the education department had planned to start the channel which would provide 24*7 educational help to the students," he said.
He said with the help of lectures, quiz, debate and other educational programmes, the students need not to take tuitions and guides would be easily available for them. He said career counselling programmes would also be relayed to make the students aware of the career opportunities available in different fields.
He informed that as many as 3,300 schools were connected with Edusat systems for online coaching to students. He said the government had already managed the content of the channel and it is being transmitted with the help of Edusat technology to the schools.


We frequently mention the importance of getting to know your customer and creating personalized experiences at Invoca. And for good reason: Accenture predicts that there will be a $2.95 trillion windfall for companies that can successfully personalize customers' experiences. On top of that, forty percent of U.S. consumers say they have purchased something more expensive than they planned to because of personalized service. The long and short of it: personalization is worth it.
In this article from Think With Google, they go over how to approach data analysis to drive personalization and better customer experiences. Along the way, we've inserted our thoughts on how these approaches can be accomplished or assisted by call tracking and analytics platforms like Invoca. Check it out.
One of your main priorities is getting to know your customers and building relationships with them. These days, that would seem to be a fairly easy task. After all, customers in a digital world generate rivers of data and intent signals.
But making sense of the data isn't always the easiest thing in the world. Sometimes there's just too much of it, and filtering out the noise to find what matters becomes a challenge. Other times, the signals are weak and it's hard to connect the dots.
All the data in the world won't lead to business growth if you can't mine it successfully for insights. What that takes is smart data analysis — and the right approach and tools to carry it off.
By bringing data together, businesses are better able to understand and respond to their customer needs — and that leads to growth.
How to go about it? Approach it as an iterative process. You can start small, by connecting your web and app analytics to your customer relationship management technology.
Marketing leaders are 1.6X more likely than laggards to prioritize integrating technology, and they are 1.2X more likely to be advanced users of their technology. Business leaders refresh critical marketing metrics and dashboards more frequently and prioritize integrated technology platforms to help make timely customer connections across multiple touchpoints.
Speaking of multiple touchpoints, you might also consider merging your app and mobile web teams.
With shoppers enthralled by the thrill of the hunt, research has become more important to the shopping experience than ever. Searching for the best products, deals, and reviews, people switch between apps and mobile sites before making a final decision.
Apps have long been viewed as the de facto platform for engaging loyal customers. But even among the most loyal of customers, apps need to earn their spot when real estate is limited and precious. Recent Google research shows that 87% of people say they can be loyal to a brand without having its app on their phone. In fact, 53% of smartphone users say they do not have their favorite brand's app installed on their phone.
And the lines continue to blur between apps and mobile sites. On average, a mobile shopping session contains at least six visits to an app and/or mobile site, and nearly half of those sessions include at least one transition between a mobile site and an app. This consumer behavior requires a tandem effort among app and mobile web teams as shoppers expect friction-free research experiences and seamless points of sale. Yet many organizations still silo these teams, resulting in fragmented user experiences.
Nearly 90% of marketers, across all types of organizations, agree that understanding user journeys across channels and devices is critical to their success. That's why companies like Bayer and Sprint use integrated data and technology to understand their audience and make those timely connections.
Bayer started by connecting its content management and analytics systems, and assembling a marketing insights platform that could ingest and analyze a wide variety of customer behaviors with a single customer ID. Then Bayer created a digital measurement center of excellence to guide the transformation, bringing together team members with skills in marketing, data, and technology. As a result, Bayer has reduced wasteful spending by 30% while improving customer engagement by more than 50%.
Another thing companies like Sprint and Bayer do is make smarter use of technological advances like machine learning.
Built-in intelligence and machine learning can bring nuggets of insight to the surface more quickly, so your team can spend more time taking action. Marketers can use machine learning to inform creative messaging and serve different ads to different audiences. And using an integrated platform helps bring teams together too. It provides access to insights that serve as a bridge to teams around the office and around the globe.


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David Toscano
Commentary on Virginia and U.S. Politics & Culture
States Matter
The Legislative Years
General Assembly Updates
2019 General Assembly Session
Transportation and ABC
February 8, 2011 by David Toscano
General Assembly Update (2/8/11)
The 2011 General Assembly Session has arrived at its midway point, and bills that have been passed by both bodies will shortly "cross over" to the other body. There are several major issues that remain unresolved at this stage in the process.
First, the Governor's transportation plan was passed by the House on Friday. The plan, which would invest about $4 billion into road construction projects, was better than what we have a present, but needs to be substantially improved. Of particular concern is the Governor's attempt to take surplus monies which could otherwise go for capital projects for schools and higher education and sweep them into the Transportation Trust Fund for road building. There are some things worth supporting in the plan, particularly the creation of a Rail Capital and Operating Fund. This fund could potentially assist the Lynchburg to Washington train, which has been so popular in our area, and which does not have funding after next year. This fund is not yet capitalized but can serve as a vehicle to help passenger rail when monies are not available. I voted against the initial House bill because it lacks reliable, sustainable sources of revenue, but I hope I will be able to support a better variation of this transportation plan before the end of the Session.
The Governor's proposal to privatize ABC has died with little fanfare. House Republicans were not interested in the plan and did not even consider discussing this bill that would have enacted it. I have been very skeptical of this plan from the beginning, and it remains to be seen whether it will be re-introduced next year.
The Governor's proposal to have teachers, police, and other state employees contribute 5% of their salaries to the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) has been rejected by the Senate, but remains alive in the House. There is considerable discussion about providing an optional 401K-type plan for employees in lieu of VRS. The plan would require a 5% contribution from employees which would then be matched by a 5% contribution from the state. It would be optional. Since this proposal is for a voluntary plan, it is worth a closer review. I am most interested in any views you have on this important issue.
The House and Senate budget bills will be revealed shortly. My hope is that these will not include the Governor's proposed cuts in funding for Albemarle in the amount of $2.6 million and Charlottesville in the amount of $613,000. This is likely to be a battle that will go to the end of the Session.
This week we also heard impassioned debate on HB 2467, which would extend health insurance coverage for autism spectrum disorder. I have received many emails from families and friends of families struggling to provide for young children with autism. This bill represents a compromise to address concerns relating the potential impact on health insurance premiums and the needs of autistic children to access therapy to increase the likelihood of achieving normal social functioning. I was proud to support it because it will provide real relief to families who deal with this challenge every day.
My bill to improve the protective order statute, which I carried on behalf of the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance in the wake of Yeardley Love's homicide last year, passed in the House, and has moved to the Senate for consideration. It will hopefully provide additional tools for women and law enforcement that could prevent an event like this from happening again.
Finally, my first ever telephone town hall meeting will occur on February 10 at 7:00 p.m. Voters in the 57th district will receive an automated telephone call a short time before the start of the event to invite them to join the forum. Constituents are encouraged to sign up to ensure that you will receive the invitation call. I will have with me Michael Cassidy, an expert on state budgeting from the Commonwealth Institute, a think tank in Richmond which analyzes Virginia budgets. I will also release the results of my 2011 Constituent Survey. Again, please RSVP and sign up.
As always, I am honored to represent the 57th District.
Please feel free to contact my office any time with questions, concerns, or suggestions. My number in Richmond is (804) 698-1057 and you may reach me by email at deldtoscano@house.state.va.us. I look forward to serving you in the coming weeks.
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How effective is remote care in this most crucial of units? A recent study produced interesting results while a Massachusetts children's hospital reports early success with its pediatric program.
Concerned about the labored breathing of a young surgical patient whose breathing tube had recently been removed, the Fellow manning the overnight shift in Boston's MassGeneral Hospital for Children's pediatric ICU (PICU) placed a call to Phoebe Yager, MD, the attending physician on call.
But it wasn't just any call. It was a video-enabled "home-to-hospital" call that allowed Yager to assess the patient in conjunction with the unit team, establish that his breathing was actually improved compared with earlier in the day, and even reassure the boy's mother that he was indeed improving—all without losing valuable time commuting to assess the situation in person.
Deployed in 2009, MassGen's Connected Pediatric Critical Care program marked a significant enhancement of the system's telemedicine program that had been in place for more than a decade. The original inititiative started as a telephone link that allowed specialists at MassGen to consult with attending physicians at two affiliated community hospitals to stabilize patients in the critical care unit prior to transferring them to the main hospital.
In 1998, video capabilities were added to the program, allowing physicians to act as "another set of eyes to monitor the patient," says Natan Noviski, MD, the MassGen's chief of pediatric critical care medicine. Soon thereafter, the health system became the first to cross state lines when it established a video-based telemedicine program with a hospital in Puerto Rico.
The Connected Pediatric Critical Care program goes a step further, providing a video link between the clinical staff in the PICU and the attending physician at home. In the unit, the video system is attached to a robot that can be rolled from bedside to bedside. The attending physician can be at the bedside, albeit virtually, examining the patient and communicating directly with the multidisciplinary team.
The attending physician is able to control the robot from home, including zooming in or out and even viewing monitors. Special cameras and scopes can also be attached to the robot to allow for even closer examinations.
Yager cites the case of a young girl who was admitted during the night with breathing difficulties. Via video linkup, Yager was able to determine that the patient was in pending respiratory failure and then guided the on-site team through insertion of a breathing tube before heading to the hospital.
Though it's too early for measurable outcomes from MassGen's PICU telemedicine program, anecdotal results indicate communications are significantly improved.
To that end, Noviski and his team are designing a long-term, large-scale study to evaluate any gains or improvements resulting from the telemedicine program. Once complete, the findings will be a welcome addition to a fairly limited pool of scientific research surrounding the efficacy of telemedicine in an ICU setting.
Most recently, research from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health) published findings from a study that measured the impact of remote patient monitoring in ICUs on patient outcomes. Researchers analyzed the records of more than 2,000 patients before the implementation of an ICU telemedicine program by a major U.S. health system and the records of more than 2,100 patients after implementation.
The study, "Association of Telemedicine for Remote Monitoring of Intensive Care Patients with Mortality, Complications and Length of Stay," involved six ICUs in five hospitals. It appeared in the December 2009 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association and was supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Center for Research Resources, and the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences at UT Health.
Researchers found no significant overall changes in death rates, the frequency of eight complications, or patients' ability to leave the ICU earlier. They did find that survival rates for the extremely ill improved in all the ICUs studied. These findings ran counter to the results of a 2004 study in which death rates and average lengths of stay declined in two adult ICUs in a large tertiary care facility after the implementation of a telemedicine program.
The studied system consisted of a remote office located in the health system's administrative offices, separate from all the hospitals. It was equipped with audiovisual monitoring equipment and was staffed by two intensivists, each working with two nurses and one technician to monitor ICU beds. Computer workstations provided real-time vital signs with graphic trends, audiovisual connections to patients' rooms, early-warning signals regarding abnormalities in a patient's status, and access to imaging studies and medication administration records.
• integration of the telemedicine program and monitored units' information systems.
For example, in the study, most of the physicians who cared for patients in the monitored units retained control of decisions affecting their patients but did give the remote monitors authority to intervene in life-threatening situations. Progress notes were faxed from monitored units to the telemedicine program, while telemedicine orders were entered into the computer workstations and printed in the monitored units.
Thomas points out that telemedicine may not be the best approach to resolving specific issues within a given ICU, particularly when the technology's cost is taken into consideration. For example, he says studies have shown that utilizing checklists has been shown to prevent catheter-related infections and ventilator-related pneumonia—a far less costly solution than implementing telemedicine.
There are no proven processes for determining when and if telemedicine is the best bet for a particular hospital or ICU. Rather, Thomas recommends facilities consider the unit patients' severity of illness as well as the quality of care provided in the unit.
Despite the Texas study's finding that telemedicine did not have a significant impact on outcomes, expectations are that the concept will continue to grow in popularity. In fact, some believe the study's findings demonstrate the true worth of telemedicine.
"The real value of telehealth is that the outcomes were the same but the hospitals were able to use their resources more efficiently and possibly keep their ICU open with full physician coverage. I wonder how many of these facilities would have to consider closing their ICU if it were not for their teleICU program," says Christina Thielst, FACHE, executive director of the Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center, a consortium of 33 experienced telehealth networks in Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and U.S.-affiliated Pacific islands that serves as an information agent and shares resources to develop new programs.
"Another important factor to look at is the impact of a telehealth program on the nursing staff. Are nurses in ICUs less frustrated and stressed, more effective, more productive in hospitals where they have access to a physician using telehealth? For some administrators, this could be a real return on their investment," she adds.
In fact, for many facilities, more efficient use of resources is a primary consideration for deploying telemedicine programs. According to the Society of Critical Care Medicine, 10% to 20% of all hospital beds are dedicated to critical care and account for 30% of overall acute care hospital costs. An aging population and increasingly complex illnesses, coupled with a worsening shortage of critical care physicians and nurses, is expected to drive those costs even higher while simultaneously making it more difficult to keep ICUs staffed at appropriate levels.
Thielst points to several examples of how Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center members are utilizing technology to combat specialist shortages, including using telehealth for retinopathy-of-prematurity examinations of neonatal ICU babies and emergent pediatric consults with pediatric intensivists.
Nevertheless, barriers remain that prevent telemedicine from achieving its full potential. These include reimbursement, cross-state licensing, and privileging.


Pro Bono / In-Kind / Donated Services for Mission-Based Organizations When, Why & How?
There are all sorts of professionals who want to donate their services -- web design, graphic design, human resources expertise, legal advice, editing, research, and so forth -- to mission-based organizations. And there are all sorts of nonprofits and NGOs who would like to attract such donated services.
But often, there's a disconnect -- misunderstandings and miscommunications and unrealistic expectations that lead to missed opportunities and frustrating experiences. It doesn't have to be this way!
Most for-profit folks don't think strategically about their pro bono work, as in setting criteria for an organization they would assist, the number of organizations they want to assist or the amount of work they want to undertake in a year, etc. Most for-profit folks choose a pro bono gig because the timing happens to be right for such, the organization approached them personally, and the organization/cause is already one the for-profit person/consultant is personally drawn to.
Most mission-based agencies don't approach businesses or consultants for pro bono work based on the benefits to the for-profit person or company; instead, they focus primarily on why they need the help, and the amount of help they need. Instead of creating an opportunity that sounds appealing, they issue a plea that can sound... desperate.
it can be a refreshing, fun, enlightening change for employees from their usual focus. For instance, a software training company hosting a workshop for teen agers.
it can offer experience in and exposure to a whole new sector -- the mission-based or nonprofit sector -- which has knowledge, skills, work/management styles and resources that can be applied to the for-profit sector (some businesses use employee volunteering as a way to allow employees to develop certain skills relating to professional development).
it can demonstrate a consultant's commitment to the community, which many people take into consideration when choosing with whom they are going to do business.
How much of donated work can a consultant or business deduct from taxes? None. There are some tax credits volunteers can take relating to expenses incurred during pro bono work, however. see Tax Credits for Volunteering Costs for more information.
1. Think about WHY you or your company wants to provide donated services. It can be all or just a few or even just one of the reasons already mentioned, but it should be defined from the very beginning, and communicated to mission-based organizations you may assist. Ask yourself or your staff this question: "No matter what else results, the most important thing for me/us that will happen because of this donated service is..."
2. What type of service do you want to provide? What type of service do you NOT want to provide? The more specific you can be about the type of work you do and don't want to donate, the more likely that you will find the right volunteering opportunity for you or your company (yes, that's right, pro bono service means volunteering!).
3. Set parameters for your donated services! Do you want to help one organization, or a group of organizations? Do you want to help on a variety of projects throughout the year, or just one big project during a select period? How many hours a week will each staff member be permitted/encouraged to donate?
4. Some companies or consultants pick a particular kind of nonprofit to assist: organizations that are focused primarily on preserving or restoring the natural environment, on the arts, on youth, on seniors, on people with disabilities, on people in a particular geographic area. Maybe your company will want to rotate its focus each year, or stick to just one. But this is another point to consider and define before you start looking for a pro bono opportunity.
5. What should the qualities of the nonprofit you assist be? Cultures vary from nonprofit to nonprofit. Think about the kind of culture you want to work with, that would be compatible with your own. One that is open to change and innovation? One that believes that computer technology is a fundamental element of effective service delivery? One that is focused on team decision-making? One with strong leadership? One where you will work with several staff members, or just one?
6. How will you identify nonprofits to assist? Write up a formal, one page description of the kind of pro bono experience you are looking for, using the aforementioned criteria (the kind of services, the kind of agency, etc.). Set up a meeting with your nearest volunteer center (the Points of Light Foundation web site can show you where that is), or with your nearest nonprofit development center (your nearest United Way central office can tell you where that is), and show them the description of the project you are looking for. These organizations can help match you to the right agency for your donated services. Also ask within your employee ranks -- perhaps they are already associated with a nonprofit as a volunteer that would meet your criteria. But, again, have a written proposal for pro bono services. It will make it much easier to say "no" to nonprofits who solicit your assistance but who aren't what you are looking for.
7. The mission-based sector is NOT the same as the for-profit sector! Just because something works in the business world does not mean it will work -- or is even appropriate -- for the mission-based sector. The nonprofit sector encompasses important, unique expertise and resources; pro bono experiences is an opportunity for for-profit folks to learn about the vital work that nonprofit organizations undertake, and learn about approaches that might work back in the for-profit world. The first thing that businesses can do to help is ASK what is needed, not assume they already know.
8. Don't be offended if a nonprofit declines your offer of donated services. A volunteer manager on to CYBERVPM cautioned, "It's a common problem that well-intentioned, but frankly ignorantly conceived assistance actually makes the lives of the (nonprofit) staff more difficult and hinders our ability to do work that corresponds with our mission. (Often) we're so darn busy being grateful for something that isn't inherently helpful. The reward is more in the doing, so finding something that's inherently a benefit means working with the agency in question and carefully designing and planning a response that is consistent with the needs."
9. Set a start date and an END date for each pro bono project. It's a good idea to have a written contract with the agency outlining deadlines and everyone's expectations for each project involving your donated services, just as you would for a projects for your paid services.
I worked at a theater company where a very high profile and well-respected design firm produced most of our show's logos (that went on the posters, the cover of the program, etc.). About half the time, we loved the designs outright, but the other times, we either wanted adjustments, or, the designs just weren't what we wanted/needed. But when we asked for something else, the designers were beyond miffed, because, since it was free, they felt we should "just take it." It prompted me, at a later job, to put in certain criteria re: working with pro bono consultants (there still had to be a written contract; there had to be an "end" date for services, at which time we'd negotiate renewal; and so forth). It seemed to really change the attitude of those providing pro bono consultants, as well as those working with such, to know that there would still be performance measures and written agreements. It created a much more satisfying experience for everyone, I think.
One time in particular, a wonderful group of creative folks at a local agency had been at work for weeks with a "pro bono" project to give us a new annual fund slogan and logo. Time and again we politely asked for a "peek" or two at what they were doing. Bless them, but they were so excited about the project that they wanted to "surprise" us at the end of their work. Sure enough, it finally came to the "Ta Da" presentation day, and sure enough, there was a great "surprise" --- that the finished work was totally unacceptable. Because we had no on-going evaluation, they unfortunately entirely missed the point of our campaign. They meant well, but it simply did not work. We felt badly about it and they were upset and disappointed.
11. Most organizations are looking for quality, not quantity. For instance, in a volunteer recruitment campaign, the goal is to recruit as many quality, appropriate, diverse volunteers as possible; not to have thousands of people visit a web site every day. In a major fund raising campaign, the mission is to raise the most money from the fewest sources in the least amount of time; it's not to create a "brand" or market an "idea" to the entire community.
"Pro bono" almost always solely involves the contribution of creative time and talent of the agency's professionals. It rarely --- if ever --- accounts for other charges they incur from outside the firm for services they do for you (the nonprofit), but which they do not have "in-house," such as the taking of photographs, video, printing, type-setting, page-making, etc., etc. Oftentimes those charges are later unexpectedly presented to the recipient charity for the charity to pay --- and those expenses can be significantly high. You must have a written understanding up-front regarding such outside services. Make certain you have a written agreement to cover all the eventualities of donated work --- and they are many.
13. As mentioned earlier, a nonprofit's deadlines and expectations are just as real as your paying customers. Often, a company puts the pro bono work at the bottom of the priority list, leaving the nonprofit in seemingly endless limbo and causing some of their own projects to come to a standstill. Most nonprofits understand that, in times of crisis, they are not going to be your priority. But patience only lasts so long. If you can't meet the very real deadlines associated with pro bono services, then donating services is NOT something you should do.
14. What will be the process for the organization you assist to evaluate your work and communicate to you their evaluation? How will you measure success regarding your donated services? Include this in the contract with the organization. Hearing an evaluation of your donated service is part of a quality volunteering experience.
Your company logo, with a link, on the organization's web site?
A whole page on the web site or in the organization's newsletter detailing your contributions?
A listing in the organization's annual report?
A banner in the organization's lobby?
A letter or certificate of appreciation? Be very clear about your expectations for recognition, and be open to negotiation; for instance, many nonprofits have policies not to post other organization's logos or links to other organization's on their home page (most for-profit companies have this same policy).
For this reason, volunteering an hour a week of maintenance work is actually LESS appealing to most freelancers than commiting a 20-hour-a week redesign project. A substantial redesign can boost their portfolio and help them get new gigs, but volunteering to fix broken links doesn't bring in new clients. A lot of companies who need pro bono work will divide the work into tiny pieces, thinking it's easier to ask for small things from 10 people. In the end, though, they would often be better off asking one person to do the work start-to-finish. Volunteers are more likely to include a maintenance period with their design/dev work than to take the maintenance piece alone. So to answer the original question, I rate pro bono work on three scales: 1. Do I have the time and energy to take this on now? 2. Is this a cause/company/organization I want to support? 3. Will there be some benefit to me, such as a strong portfolio piece, learning new skills, publicity, networking, or just having fun?
17. Businesses should reflect and assess their employee volunteering activities each year, if not after each donated service stint is completed. Otherwise, you will never know the impact your pro bono activities are having. It doesn't have to be a simple process to gather employee feedback about their volunteering activities on behalf of the company; it can be as simple as via a survey, or by having employees simply sit around during lunch and talk about their experiences while someone records their input in some way. Questions to spur discussion could include: What did employees learn as a result of their donated service activities? What impact on the nonprofit's mission do they think resulted from their donated services? Did the volunteering experiences help them in their jobs in some way and, if so, how? What did they enjoy about them? What did they dislike about them? What were the qualities of a positive experience? Of a negative experience? What did they wish they had known before engaging in the activities? How would they like the next round of pro bono activities to be different?
Find more tips for working with nonprofit organizations at Dos and Don'ts for Technical Assistance Volunteers, a document to help those people providing legal, computer, human resources, marketing, or other expertise to mission-based organizations.
Mostly, we've been addressing for-profits. But, nonprofits, you need to think about your responsibilities too!
If you are looking for pro bono assistance, don't just issue a plea for help; instead, write a description of your needs that highlights what about this pro bono assignment would be interesting, fun, and/or beneficial to the for-profit person or company.
People providing pro bono services are volunteers -- treat them as such. They should receive at least the same recognition -- pins, mugs, certificates, invitations, newsletters, etc. -- as your other volunteers. They should hear how their contributions impact your organization and those it serves. And they should be told thank you, again and again. It may not always be appropriate to say yes to donated services. In addition to ethical situations (such as how the company or consultant is associated with your staff or board), the services offered may not be what your nonprofit wants or needs. There may be large costs to your agency to maintain or support whatever the business or consultant creates for your organization. Or what they are proposing may not fit with your organization's mission.
When a company or consultant approaches your organization about donating a service, do some internal evaluation about what is being proposed, and what you think your own staff and resource commitment will be to make the pro bono service something that serves your mission.
Always treat the company or consultant with the utmost professionalism. Provide them with information and feedback at all stages clearly and quickly. If, in the beginning, the company or consultant doesn't talk about creating a contract for this project, then you bring it up and make sure it happens.
How can you find pro bono assistance? In addition to the traditional channels for volunteer recruitment (contacting your local volunteer center, circulating opportunities among existing volunteers, donors, board members and other supporters), try target-marketing volunteer recruitment to specific groups via the Internet. Also see Feeling Good About Doing Good, by Contract Professional magazine. "Contractors who donate their IT talents to help others find they receive more than 'thank yous' in return -- they're developing new skills, making friends, and gaining personal satisfaction. "
Caution! Re: Accepting Technology Donations "Free" computers and software are sometimes not worth the price. Before your organization says yes to any technology-related donation, no matter how good the deal sounds or how great the company donating is, please read this tip sheet.


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Join the JCCM
Member Space (French)
All the activities
The JCCM
Volunteer Involvement
Develop, represent, and promote the next generation of business professionals
The Junior Chamber of commerce of Montreal
The Junior Chamber of commerce of Montreal (JCCM) is a group of young executives, professionals, entrepreneurs and self-employed workers aged between 18 and 40. Founded in 1931, the organization has nearly 1,400 members and about 150 volunteers. It is one of the largest networks of young business people in the world. With its wide variety of events each year, the JCCM is a must for the development of the next generation of business people in Montreal. The JCCM has the support of its four major partners: BMO Financial Group, Bell, Énergir and the City of Montreal.
Develop, represent and promote the next generation of business professionals.
A skilled and committed generation of young professionals contributing to building a bold, prosperous and united city.
Collaboration, commitment, innovation and leadership.
The JCCM's Five Priorities
Attraction, training and retention of talent
Well being at work
Study on the Issues, Values and Priorities of the JCCM
Télécharger l'infographie
The firm Leger was commissioned by the JCCM to conduct a study with its members, former members and event participants to find out Montreal's young business professionals' opinion on current topics related to the values and priorities of the JCCM.
More specifically, the objectives of the study were to determine:
Social issues seen as most important;
Values to promote in the workplace;
Montreal's young business professionals' perception of economic development;
Their perception of the City of Montreal;
Issues related to entrepreneurship.
Click here to download the detailed report of the study (in French only).
A few business people and a group of young students attending HEC Montreal founded the JCCM on October 28, 1931. Several prominent figures have shaped its history since – these include Maurice Trudeau, Daniel Johnson and Dominique Anglade. The JCCM was the first chamber of commerce to open its doors to women in 1956, and today, the chamber enjoys a truly rich and diversified membership.
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Afghanistan: Taliban gunmen attack Serena hotel in Kabul, killing 9 including kids
March 21, 2014 / 7:00 AM / AP
KABUL, Afghanistan -- The four gunmen were swift as they entered the luxury hotel in Kabul, although it took them a few minutes to find the restaurant that was their target, Afghan officials said Friday as they pieced together details of the brazen attack that killed nine people, including four foreigners and two children who were shot in the head.
The Afghan capital has been hit by several attacks, but authorities appeared stunned that the militants had managed to get through the tight security at the Serena hotel -- considered one of the safest places to stay in Kabul.
The shooting spree was the latest in a series of high-profile attacks as the Taliban and allied militants step up a campaign of violence in the weeks leading to April 5 national elections.
Complete coverage of the war in Afghanistan
Top U.S. commander on risks of complete withdrawal
NATO backs U.S. threat of complete withdrawal
It also came on the heels of an uptick in bombings and shootings against foreigners in Kabul, something that had been relatively rare. Earlier this month, a Swedish journalist was shot on the street execution-style and a Lebanese restaurant popular with foreigners was attacked by a suicide bomber and gunmen in January.
What happens if Obama withdraws all U.S. troops from Afghanistan?
The attacks show the Taliban are following through on their threat to use violence to disrupt next month's elections. The presidential vote will be the first democratic transfer of power since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that ousted the Islamic militant movement. President Hamid Karzai is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the hotel attack, saying it shows that "our people, if they decide to attack any place, they can do it."
Afghanistan: The Way Forward More
Soldier killed in Afghanistan identified as New Jersey native
Scores wounded in attack near U.S. base in Afghanistan
Veterans' business supports education for Afghan girls
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Two U.S. troops killed in helicopter crash in Afghanistan
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The restaurant was packed with Afghans celebrating the eve of the Persian New Year, Nowruz as well as foreigners who frequent the hotel.
Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said most of the civilians were killed when two of the attackers walked into the restaurant and began shooting, while the others were shot to death as the gunmen made their way through the hotel. Police killed all four attackers after a three-hour standoff, with shooting resounding through the cordoned off streets outside.
He said the four foreigners killed were from Canada, New Zealand, Pakistan and India, but the New Zealand and Pakistani foreign ministries denied any of their citizens were among the dead.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement that a woman from New Zealand was in the Serena at the time of the attack but was unharmed. Islamabad also said no Pakistani nationals were killed.
Afghan authorities have released a series of conflicting statements since the attack began to unfold on Thursday night, citing the need to focus on protecting the hotel guests and the chaos.
An Afghan journalist also was killed along with his wife and two children, French news agency Agence France Presse confirmed. It said the family's youngest son was undergoing emergency treatment after being badly wounded in the attack.
Sardar Ahmad, 40, also ran the Kabul Pressistan media company and joined AFP in 2003 to become the agency's senior reporter in Kabul. He covered all aspects of life, war and politics in his native Afghanistan, according to a statement tweeted by the agency.
Afghanistan's intelligence service displays some of the weapons and belongings of attackers on the Serena hotel, during a press conference at the Interior ministry in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 21, 2014. AP
The attackers reached the hotel at 8:30 p.m., evading security checks by hiding small pistols and ammunition in their socks and the soles of their shoes, Sediqqi said.
Afghan authorities initially said only two security guards had been wounded and the assault began at 6 p.m. but later changed their account.
The attackers appeared to be about 18 years old and all were killed, Sediqqi said at a press conference, displaying photos of the small pistols and ammunition the attackers used and shoes in which they hid their weapons.
In other violence, an explosion struck a Nowruz ceremony, killing three people in the southern province of Kandahar on Friday.
Police spokesman Zia Durani said militants threw an explosives-packed bottle that blew up when it landed on the ground, which he called a new tactic.
Those killed included the head of the provincial media center chief and two policemen, Durani said, adding that seven other people were wounded.
First published on March 21, 2014 / 7:00 AM


text:
When Leonard Cohen dropped acid and saved a disastrous concert
Lee Thomas-Mason April 19, 2019
Leonard Cohen was passionate about his music and feverishly emotional when it came to bringing his artistry to the live stage.
Back in 1972, Lohen was bringing his worldwide tour to an end with what he considered to be a somewhat symbolic show at the Yad Eliahu Sports Palace in Jerusalem, Israel.
However, as the performance failed to live up to Cohen's high expectations, he began to unravel on stage. Having placed a lot of significance on this gig, the atmosphere began to take a turn for the negative.
As Cohen and his band began to roll into a rendition of Songs from a Room track 'Bird On The Wire', the audience burst into applause in recognition of the fan favourite number. However, just three words into the song, stopped singing and addressed the audience:
"I really, I really enjoy your recognising the song, he said before adding," "but I'm scared enough as it is up here, and I think something's wrong every time you begin to applaud. So if you do recognise the song, would you just wave your hand? I would really like to see you all waving your hands if you recognise she song."
He continued: "I hope you'll bear with me. These songs are kind of, uh—they become meditations for me, and sometimes, you know, I just don't get high on it, and I feel that I'm cheating you, so I'll try it again, okay? And if it doesn't work, I'll stop in the middle. There's no reason why we should mutilate a song just to save face, but here it goes."
The crowd, slightly bewildered by Cohen's request, accepted his comments and the show continued. Still clearly upset by the running show, he began to sing One of Us Cannot Be Wrong and, showing their appreciation, the crowd once again began to applaud.
Again, Cohen addressed them, saying: "Now look, if it doesn't get any better, we'll just end the concert and I'll refund your money, because I really feel that we're cheating you tonight. You know, some nights, one is raised off the ground, and some nights, you just can't get off the ground. And there's no point in lying about it. And tonight, we just haven't been getting off the ground."
He added: "It says in the Kabbalah… that if you can't get off the ground, you should stay on the ground. No, it says in the Kabbalah that unless Adam and Eve face each other, God does not sit on his throne. And somehow, the male and female part of me refuse to encounter one another tonight, and God does not sit on his throne. And this is a terrible thing to happen in Jerusalem.
"So listen: we're going to leave the stage now and try to profoundly meditate in the dressing room to get ourselves back into shape, and if we can manage, we will be back."
Cohen left the stage, struggling to hold back is frustration and told the band and crew that the show was over.
However, that wasn't to be the case. Ira Bruce Nadel, author of Various Positions: A Life of Leonard Cohen, wrote a passage detailing the backstage happenings and what led to Cohen's change in mindset:
"In Jerusalem, at the Yad Eliahu Sports Palace, there was pandemonium when Cohen stopped mid-performance and left the stage, agitated and in tears, saying that he could not go on and that the money should be refunded to the audience. Drugs and the pressure of performing the final concert of the tour in the holy city of Jerusalem had contributed to his state. In the dressing room, a distraught Cohen rejected the pleas of his musicians and manager to return to the stage.
"Several Israeli promoters, overhearing the conversation, walked out to the crowd and conveyed the news: Cohen would not be performing and they would receive their money back. The young audience responded by singing the Hebrew song, "Zim Shalom" ("We Bring You Peace"). Backstage, Cohen suddenly decided he needed a shave; rummaging in his guitar case for his razor, he spied an envelope with some acid from years ago. He turned to his band and inquired: "Should we not try some?" "Why not?" they answered. And "like the Eucharist," Cohen has said, "I ripped open the envelope and handed out small portions to each band member."
"A quick shave, a cigarette, and then out to the stage to receive a tumultuous welcome. The LSD took effect as he started to play and he saw the crowd unite into the grand image of "the Ancient of Days" from Daniel's dream in the Old Testament. This image, "the Ancient of Days" who had witnessed all history, asked him, "Is this All, this performing on the stage?" Deliver or go home was the admonition. At that moment, Cohen had been singing "So Long, Marianne" intensely and a vision of Marianne appeared to him. He began to cry and, to hide his tears, turned to the band—only to discover that they, too, were in tears."
Remembering the moment, Cohen confirmed the tale in an interview with the New Yorker in 2016, just weeks before his death. "It was at the end of the tour," he said in the interview. "I thought I was doing very poorly. I went back to the dressing room, and I found some acid in my guitar case."
Having took the acid, the audience refused to become impatient and instead began singing a traditional song, 'Hevenu Shalom Aleichem', in order to coax Cohen back to the stage.
"How sweet can an audience possibly be?" Cohen recalled. "So I go out on the stage with the band and I started singing 'So Long, Marianne.' And I see Marianne straight in front of me and I started crying. I turned around and the band was crying, too. And then it turned into something in retrospect quite comic: the entire audience turned into one Jew! And this Jew was saying, 'What else can you show me, kid? I've seen a lot of things, and this don't move the dial!' And this was the entire skeptical side of our tradition, not just writ large but manifested as an actual gigantic being! Judging me hardly begins to describe the operation. It was a sense of invalidation and irrelevance that I felt was authentic, because those feelings have always circulated around my psyche: Where do you get to stand up and speak? For what and whom? And how deep is your experience? How significant is anything you have to say? I think it really invited me to deepen my practice. Dig in deeper, whatever it was, take it more seriously."
He went out one last time to speak to the audience: "Listen, people, my band and I are all crying backstage. We're too broken up to go on. But I just want to tell you, thank you and good night."
Here is that rendition of 'So Long, Marianne':
Relive Johnny Cash covering Leonard Cohen live
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Far Out Staff July 9, 2019
Revisiting Leonard Cohen's fantastic cameo appearance in 'Miami Vice'
Watch a documentary exploring a day in the life of Buddhist monk Leonard Cohen
Lee Thomas-Mason June 18, 2019
New Leonard Cohen film 'Marianne & Leonard: Words Of Love' set for release
Far Out Staff May 23, 2019
Leonard Cohen's letters to muse Marianne Ihlen set to be sold at auction


text:
package org.onosproject.store.primitives.resources.impl;

import io.atomix.copycat.client.CopycatClient;
import io.atomix.resource.AbstractResource;
import io.atomix.resource.ResourceTypeInfo;

import java.util.Collection;
import java.util.ConcurrentModificationException;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.Map.Entry;
import java.util.Properties;
import java.util.Set;
import java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture;
import java.util.concurrent.Executor;
import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
import java.util.function.BiFunction;
import java.util.function.Consumer;
import java.util.function.Predicate;

import org.onlab.util.Match;
import org.onosproject.store.primitives.TransactionId;
import org.onosproject.store.primitives.resources.impl.AtomixConsistentMapCommands.Clear;
import org.onosproject.store.primitives.resources.impl.AtomixConsistentMapCommands.ContainsKey;
import org.onosproject.store.primitives.resources.impl.AtomixConsistentMapCommands.ContainsValue;
import org.onosproject.store.primitives.resources.impl.AtomixConsistentMapCommands.EntrySet;
import org.onosproject.store.primitives.resources.impl.AtomixConsistentMapCommands.Get;
import org.onosproject.store.primitives.resources.impl.AtomixConsistentMapCommands.IsEmpty;
import org.onosproject.store.primitives.resources.impl.AtomixConsistentMapCommands.KeySet;
import org.onosproject.store.primitives.resources.impl.AtomixConsistentMapCommands.Listen;
import org.onosproject.store.primitives.resources.impl.AtomixConsistentMapCommands.Size;
import org.onosproject.store.primitives.resources.impl.AtomixConsistentMapCommands.TransactionCommit;
import org.onosproject.store.primitives.resources.impl.AtomixConsistentMapCommands.TransactionPrepare;
import org.onosproject.store.primitives.resources.impl.AtomixConsistentMapCommands.TransactionPrepareAndCommit;
import org.onosproject.store.primitives.resources.impl.AtomixConsistentMapCommands.TransactionRollback;
import org.onosproject.store.primitives.resources.impl.AtomixConsistentMapCommands.Unlisten;
import org.onosproject.store.primitives.resources.impl.AtomixConsistentMapCommands.UpdateAndGet;
import org.onosproject.store.primitives.resources.impl.AtomixConsistentMapCommands.Values;
import org.onosproject.store.service.AsyncConsistentMap;
import org.onosproject.store.service.MapEvent;
import org.onosproject.store.service.MapEventListener;
import org.onosproject.store.service.MapTransaction;
import org.onosproject.store.service.Versioned;
import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableSet;
import com.google.common.collect.Maps;
import com.google.common.collect.Sets;

/**
 * Distributed resource providing the {@link AsyncConsistentMap} primitive.
 */
@ResourceTypeInfo(id = -151, factory = AtomixConsistentMapFactory.class)
public class AtomixConsistentMap extends AbstractResource<AtomixConsistentMap>
    implements AsyncConsistentMap<String, byte[]> {

    private final Set<Consumer<Status>> statusChangeListeners = Sets.newCopyOnWriteArraySet();
    private final Map<MapEventListener<String, byte[]>, Executor> mapEventListeners = Maps.newIdentityHashMap();

    public static final String CHANGE_SUBJECT = "changeEvents";

    public AtomixConsistentMap(CopycatClient client, Properties properties) {
        super(client, properties);
    }

    @Override
    public String name() {
        return null;
    }

    @Override
    public CompletableFuture<AtomixConsistentMap> open() {
        return super.open().thenApply(result -> {
            client.onStateChange(state -> {
                if (state == CopycatClient.State.CONNECTED && isListening()) {
                    client.submit(new Listen());
                }
            });
            client.onEvent(CHANGE_SUBJECT, this::handleEvent);
            return result;
        });
    }

    private void handleEvent(List<MapEvent<String, byte[]>> events) {
        events.forEach(event ->
            mapEventListeners.forEach((listener, executor) -> executor.execute(() -> listener.event(event))));
    }

    @Override
    public CompletableFuture<Boolean> isEmpty() {
        return client.submit(new IsEmpty());
    }

    @Override
    public CompletableFuture<Integer> size() {
        return client.submit(new Size());
    }

    @Override
    public CompletableFuture<Boolean> containsKey(String key) {
        return client.submit(new ContainsKey(key));
    }

    @Override
    public CompletableFuture<Boolean> containsValue(byte[] value) {
        return client.submit(new ContainsValue(value));
    }

    @Override
    public CompletableFuture<Versioned<byte[]>> get(String key) {
        return client.submit(new Get(key));
    }

    @Override
    public CompletableFuture<Set<String>> keySet() {
        return client.submit(new KeySet());
    }

    @Override
    public CompletableFuture<Collection<Versioned<byte[]>>> values() {
        return client.submit(new Values());
    }

    @Override
    public CompletableFuture<Set<Entry<String, Versioned<byte[]>>>> entrySet() {
        return client.submit(new EntrySet());
    }

    @Override
    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
    public CompletableFuture<Versioned<byte[]>> put(String key, byte[] value) {
        return client.submit(new UpdateAndGet(key, value, Match.ANY, Match.ANY))
                .whenComplete((r, e) -> throwIfLocked(r.status()))
                .thenApply(v -> v.oldValue());
    }

    @Override
    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
    public CompletableFuture<Versioned<byte[]>> putAndGet(String key, byte[] value) {
        return client.submit(new UpdateAndGet(key, value, Match.ANY, Match.ANY))
                .whenComplete((r, e) -> throwIfLocked(r.status()))
                .thenApply(v -> v.newValue());
    }

    @Override
    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
    public CompletableFuture<Versioned<byte[]>> putIfAbsent(String key, byte[] value) {
        return client.submit(new UpdateAndGet(key, value, Match.NULL, Match.ANY))
                .whenComplete((r, e) -> throwIfLocked(r.status()))
                .thenApply(v -> v.oldValue());
    }
    @Override
    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
    public CompletableFuture<Versioned<byte[]>> remove(String key) {
        return client.submit(new UpdateAndGet(key, null, Match.ANY, Match.ANY))
                .whenComplete((r, e) -> throwIfLocked(r.status()))
                .thenApply(v -> v.oldValue());
    }

    @Override
    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
    public CompletableFuture<Boolean> remove(String key, byte[] value) {
        return client.submit(new UpdateAndGet(key, null, Match.ifValue(value), Match.ANY))
                .whenComplete((r, e) -> throwIfLocked(r.status()))
                .thenApply(v -> v.updated());
    }

    @Override
    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
    public CompletableFuture<Boolean> remove(String key, long version) {
        return client.submit(new UpdateAndGet(key, null, Match.ANY, Match.ifValue(version)))
                .whenComplete((r, e) -> throwIfLocked(r.status()))
                .thenApply(v -> v.updated());
    }

    @Override
    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
    public CompletableFuture<Versioned<byte[]>> replace(String key, byte[] value) {
        return client.submit(new UpdateAndGet(key, value, Match.NOT_NULL, Match.ANY))
                .whenComplete((r, e) -> throwIfLocked(r.status()))
                .thenApply(v -> v.oldValue());
    }

    @Override
    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
    public CompletableFuture<Boolean> replace(String key, byte[] oldValue, byte[] newValue) {
        return client.submit(new UpdateAndGet(key, newValue, Match.ifValue(oldValue), Match.ANY))
                .whenComplete((r, e) -> throwIfLocked(r.status()))
                .thenApply(v -> v.updated());
    }

    @Override
    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
    public CompletableFuture<Boolean> replace(String key, long oldVersion, byte[] newValue) {
        return client.submit(new UpdateAndGet(key, newValue, Match.ANY, Match.ifValue(oldVersion)))
                .whenComplete((r, e) -> throwIfLocked(r.status()))
                .thenApply(v -> v.updated());
    }

    @Override
    public CompletableFuture<Void> clear() {
        return client.submit(new Clear())
                .whenComplete((r, e) -> throwIfLocked(r))
                .thenApply(v -> null);
    }

    @Override
    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
    public CompletableFuture<Versioned<byte[]>> computeIf(String key,
            Predicate<? super byte[]> condition,
                    BiFunction<? super String, ? super byte[], ? extends byte[]> remappingFunction) {
        return get(key).thenCompose(r1 -> {
            byte[] existingValue = r1 == null ? null : r1.value();
            // if the condition evaluates to false, return existing value.
            if (!condition.test(existingValue)) {
                return CompletableFuture.completedFuture(r1);
            }

            AtomicReference<byte[]> computedValue = new AtomicReference<>();
            // if remappingFunction throws an exception, return the exception.
            try {
                computedValue.set(remappingFunction.apply(key, existingValue));
            } catch (Exception e) {
                CompletableFuture<Versioned<byte[]>> future = new CompletableFuture<>();
                future.completeExceptionally(e);
                return future;
            }
            if (computedValue.get() == null && r1 == null) {
                return CompletableFuture.completedFuture(null);
            }
            Match<byte[]> valueMatch = r1 == null ? Match.NULL : Match.ANY;
            Match<Long> versionMatch = r1 == null ? Match.ANY : Match.ifValue(r1.version());
            return client.submit(new UpdateAndGet(key,
                    computedValue.get(),
                    valueMatch,
                    versionMatch))
                    .whenComplete((r, e) -> throwIfLocked(r.status()))
                    .thenApply(v -> v.newValue());
        });
    }

    @Override
    public synchronized CompletableFuture<Void> addListener(MapEventListener<String, byte[]> listener,
                                                            Executor executor) {
        if (mapEventListeners.isEmpty()) {
            return client.submit(new Listen()).thenRun(() -> mapEventListeners.putIfAbsent(listener, executor));
        } else {
            mapEventListeners.put(listener, executor);
            return CompletableFuture.completedFuture(null);
        }
    }

    @Override
    public synchronized CompletableFuture<Void> removeListener(MapEventListener<String, byte[]> listener) {
        if (mapEventListeners.remove(listener) != null && mapEventListeners.isEmpty()) {
            return client.submit(new Unlisten()).thenApply(v -> null);
        }
        return CompletableFuture.completedFuture(null);
    }

    private void throwIfLocked(MapEntryUpdateResult.Status status) {
        if (status == MapEntryUpdateResult.Status.WRITE_LOCK) {
            throw new ConcurrentModificationException("Cannot update map: Another transaction in progress");
        }
    }

    @Override
    public CompletableFuture<Boolean> prepare(MapTransaction<String, byte[]> transaction) {
        return client.submit(new TransactionPrepare(transaction)).thenApply(v -> v == PrepareResult.OK);
    }

    @Override
    public CompletableFuture<Void> commit(TransactionId transactionId) {
        return client.submit(new TransactionCommit(transactionId)).thenApply(v -> null);
    }

    @Override
    public CompletableFuture<Void> rollback(TransactionId transactionId) {
        return client.submit(new TransactionRollback(transactionId))
                .thenApply(v -> null);
    }

    @Override
    public CompletableFuture<Boolean> prepareAndCommit(MapTransaction<String, byte[]> transaction) {
        return client.submit(new TransactionPrepareAndCommit(transaction)).thenApply(v -> v == PrepareResult.OK);
    }

    @Override
    public void addStatusChangeListener(Consumer<Status> listener) {
        statusChangeListeners.add(listener);
    }

    @Override
    public void removeStatusChangeListener(Consumer<Status> listener) {
        statusChangeListeners.remove(listener);
    }

    @Override
    public Collection<Consumer<Status>> statusChangeListeners() {
        return ImmutableSet.copyOf(statusChangeListeners);
    }

    private boolean isListening() {
        return !mapEventListeners.isEmpty();
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub