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Bereaved No More
"Bereaved" could not stand up. His world had caved in and his losses were so great that he couldn't see anything but emptiness. Hopelessness and hatred for himself and life consumed him. He was unaware of the bright light that was within him because darkness encased him like a cave with no opening.
As he was drowning in his sorrows, one named "Simplicity" was sent to him from the Most High God. He could barely look up, but her radiance put out a heat that brought such warmth and comfort, it compelled him to rise when she approached him.
"Simplicity" was a star with retractable legs- a peculiar looking sight when she walked on her little legs, but those legs were given to her temporarily for "Bereaved" sake as well as for others when they needed her. She enjoyed walking on them for they were legs of understanding that empowered her to reach others on their level.
"I've come to help you", she spoke tenderly. "Come: My light will penetrate you so that you can stand and walk with me for I have something to show you. Your name shall soon be changed to "Stunning" and beauty, truth, wisdom, humility and great love shall shine forth from you. You don't know yet who you are- Truly, your identity has been stolen from you, but I, "Simplicity", bring recovery wherever I go."
They walked onward on the road of "Welcomed Discipline" and when they arrived at the Father's destination "Glory Revealed", "Simplicity" commanded "Bereaved" to look up: There stood a giant tree whose branches reached into the heavens.
"Take note", "Simplicity" instructed "that this tree is planted by the rivers of water and this tree is YOU revealed!"
"How can that be?" Bereaved wondered out loud.
"Have you considered that the word "tree" and a manifested tree in the material world are the same? ….Just as in the beginning "the Word was with God, the Word was God," [John 1:1] so the tree that you are is first the word, then the manifestation of it.
Simplicity sighed. She did not know how God Almighty accomplished His acts, but she observed them with wonder and knew that "Bereaved" would become "Stunning"- a tree of Glory.
She danced a little dance around "Bereaved" and sprinkled gold dust on his head as she did. The gold dust covered and replaced the earth's dust which had made "Bereaved" the serpent's meat. Gold shined from his head with so much glory that it repelled the devil. "Simplicity's" light could now penetrate through his reasoning mind and find place in his heart.
"Oh my God! You're here!" Bereaved cried. "I can really feel you!" he sobbed with joy. "Never have I felt this loved!" Bereaved, no longer Bereaved, began to dance, and his feet were so light that he felt like he was leaping into the heavens without leaving the earth.
"Now", "Simplicity" plainly stated, " the work you're called to do can begin. "Self" shall be dethroned from sitting on the throne of your heart and God shall sit there instead as you daily draw water from the river of life- God's word. By beholding Him, you shall be changed- By focusing on Him, you shall have the desire and the power to deny "self".
Indeed, you shall be "Stunning"- God's glory for all the world to see!"


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Asia selected
China and Japan's media in war of words over radar issue
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21364184
Image caption Japan says the Chinese radar locked onto its ship (above) on 30 January
The war of words between media outlets and experts in Beijing and Tokyo is hotting up after a Chinese frigate reportedly put a radar lock on a Japanese navy ship.
The incident, which happened near disputed East China Sea islands last month, sparked angry responses in both capitals with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe calling it a "dangerous act" and China asking Tokyo to stop "illegal" activities.
Newspapers and experts in both countries followed suit, with leading Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun calling the incident a "dangerously provocative act".
Global Times said Tokyo was giving a "one-sided" argument over the issue but official news agency Xinhua, The People's Daily and CCTV have not commented on the issue.
An editorial in Beijing's Global Times says Japan has highlighted the radar incident "to sound an alert" between the Chinese and Japanese public. "If the Abe administration's real intention is to implant the idea of an imminent war in the minds of the public, China also must send the same message to the Chinese public," the editorial adds.
A commentary in the Beijing News says Mr Abe wants to strengthen weaponry and even revise the peace constitution. "The US' attitude is cautious and noncommittal on all this. On the eve of (Shinzo Abe's) upcoming visit to the US, using 'radar targeting' to hype up a 'China threat' as a bargaining chip to persuade the US to 'relax restraints' may be the Abe cabinet's painstakingly crafted ruse," the commentary says.
An editorial in Beijing-backed Wen Wei Po says Japan has "other motives in being the guilty party accusing the victim" over this issue. "When visiting the US at the end of February, Abe hopes that US President Obama will have a 'positive' stance on softening restrictions on Japan's right to collective self-defence... To win more bargaining chips, Japan chose this moment to suddenly create the tense atmosphere of an imminent Sino-Japanese military conflict to seek concessions from the US on easing restrictions on its right of collective self-defence," the editorial in the Hong Kong-based newspaper adds.
Jiang Xinfeng, an expert on Japanese studies at the People's Liberation Army Academy of Military Sciences, tells China Daily that in recent years Japan has ramped up "reconnaissance on Chinese vessels and aircraft, and Japanese media prefer playing up regular operations by the Chinese side".
And Yang Bojiang of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences agrees with Mr Jiang. "The hawkish elite within Japan have been trying to shape public opinion and utilise public fears by hyping the 'worsening security circumstances'. A media frenzy on topics like territorial disputes and missile launches prevails in Japan. The right-wing tendency should be given 'due alert' and the country's policies are moving to the right," Yang says.
Ni Lexiong, director of the Sea Power and Defence Policy Research Institute at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, says the Chinese military may have been reacting to provocation by Japanese naval vessels, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reports.
Prof Da Zhigang, from the Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences, told South China Morning Post that Beijing might have been testing how the Japanese navy would respond to emergencies. "The move possibly resulted in a miscalculation of each other's intentions," Prof Da was quoted by South China Morning Post as saying.
An editorial in Tokyo's Yomiuri Shimbun said: "Crossing the line of international common sense of armed forces is extremely dangerous provocation... Now, not only is China engaging in coercive action towards neighbouring countries in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, besides Asia, China has become a common concern of the international community. Japan should strengthen co-operation with the US and South East Asian countries, while encouraging China to rectify its problem behaviour."
An article in the same paper felt China is "trying to stir up Japan's sense of crisis with military actions in a bid to pressure Japan to admit its sovereignty over the disputed islands. China is escalating its risky nerve war against Japan".
An editorial in Tokyo's Mainichi Shimbun: "Moves that could lead to an armed conflict are an extremely bad and dangerous provocation... The Chinese government and the leadership of the Communist Party should clearly recognise the seriousness of the matter. We strongly urge the Chinese side to never repeat such provocations."
A commentary in Tokyo-based website Nikkei Telecom 21: "High-ranking military officials have reportedly grown increasingly aggressive lately, with some speaking out at Communist Party meetings that territorial wars with Japan, the Philippines or Vietnam may be unavoidable. Heightened tensions with neighbouring countries would help the military secure more defence funding."
"Although China's defence budget has grown by 3.5-fold over the past decade, military officials argue that it is still insufficient for modernising the nation's troops and introducing state-of-the-art equipment," it adds.
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. For more reports from BBC Monitoring, click here. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.
Japan-China islands dispute: Abe condemns radar lock
Japan protest over China ship's radar action
How uninhabited islands soured China-Japan ties
Chinese boat 'illegally fishing in Japanese waters'
Global Times (China)
Wen Wei Po (China)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/
Asia Sections

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Don't Bet on It – World Cup Gambling in China
China's Internet celebrity Guo Mei Mei was arrested for World Cup Gambling in Beijing on July 10, 2014. A bit more on the world behind sport betting in China.
READING TIME: 2 MINUTES, 34 SECONDS
Chinese Internet celebrity Guo Meimei was arrested in Beijing on July 10th 2014 for her involvement in online World Cup gambling – immediately becoming a trending topic on Sina Weibo. Guo is not the first to be arrested for gambling on the World Cup; police in Macau and Shenyang arrested dozens of people earlier this year for setting up illegal gambling agencies and taking hundreds of millions of dollars in World Cup bets (BBC 2014; Dazhong Wang 2014).
Sports betting is an enormous market in China. Although all forms of gambling were forbidden during the Mao years, the rules on gambling loosened in the 1980s. By now, gambling and betting has become common all over China. There are various legal lotteries. China's National Sports Lottery is amongst the biggest, with seven to eight per cent of China's adults participating (Steinmuller 2011, 265; Baber 2014).
Even though China's state-sanctioned lotteries have revenues that are amidst the largest in the world, the underground (illegal) betting agencies have revenues that are up to tenfold of the legal ones. The sport betting industry annually makes an estimated 1,6 trillion dollars in China alone; an amount that would be enough to build 400 Disneylands (Qingdao 2009; 2011, 265).
Where do all these betting companies come from and how do they operate? Originally, there is a great deal of betting agencies that come from Europe to make money on the Chinese market. But there are also different South-Asian (Malaysian, Indonesian) companies. A great number of them, however, originates in China and operates all over the Mainland. Generally, these organizations work in three different ways. Online gambling (1) has become increasingly widespread, but there are also underground networks (2) that operate from different locations and take on bets through the telephone. Lastly, there are the so-called 'rat societies' (老鼠会) (3) that exist of friends and friends-of-friends. One can only become a member when an existing member guarantees one's financial reliability to the others (Qingdao 2009).
China's football betting companies do not necessarily manipulate the outcome of games. The players and trainers who participate in these practices, however, do influence the outcome of matches. Football gambling activities have therefore seriously hindered the development of the sport in China, and has caused corruption amongst officials (Zhang 2011).
In recent years, the Chinese government has severely punished those arrested in sports betting related cases. The arrest of Guo Meimei, however, might be a case of 'killing the chicken to scare the monkeys', as the Chinese saying (杀鸡儆猴) goes. Guo MeiMei, whose real name is Guo Meiling, became an infamous internet celebrity overnight when she became a trending Weibo topic in 2011 for flaunting her excessive wealth online whilst claiming to work for the Red Cross Society of China. The issue seriously affected the credibility of the society, that denied any affiliation with Ms. Guo. The online fame of Guo, who presumably is an actress and model, has made her arrest headline news. A big warning for those involved in online, underground, or 'rat' football gambling – you might be risking more than your money.
Baber, Mark. 2014. "World Cup Gives China Sports Lottery a Big Boost." Inside World Football (June 16) http://www.insideworldfootball.com/world-football/asia/14868-world-cup-gives-china-sports-lottery-a-big-boost. Accessed online July 10, 2014.
BBC. 2014. "Macau Police Uncover Illegal World Cup." BBC China (June 21) http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-27956173. Accessed online July 10, 2014.
Dazhong Wang. 2014."沈阳侦破网络赌球案." Dazhong Wang (July 10) http://www.dzwww.com/xinwen/guoneixinwen/201407/t20140710_10624093.htm. Accessed online July 10, 2014.
Florcruz, Michelle. 2013. "Soccer-Fixing Scandal Reveals China's Bigger Gambling Problem." International Business Times (Feb 19) http://www.ibtimes.com/soccer-fixing-scandal-reveals-chinas-bigger-gambling-problem-1094388. Accessed online July 10, 2014.
Qingdao News. 2009. "中国每年10万亿赌资流境外" Qingdao News (Nov 25) http://www.qingdaonews.com/content/2009-11/25/content_8214256.htm Accessed online July 10, 2014.
Steinmuller, Hans. 2011. "The Moving Boundaries of Social Heat: Gambling in Rural China." Journal of the royal Anthropological Institution: 263-280.
Zhang Zhuping. 2010. "论我国"赌球"活动的历史渊源及其发展." Journal of PLA 29(4):11-15.
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Are you heavy enough for a tropical storm?
"Do You Know Who My Dad Is?" – When China's Internet Memes Become Marketing Tools
With the rapid digitalization of China's healthcare, Chinese patients now have more ways than one to receive medical assistance.
China's healthcare industry is facing some serious challenges. As Chinese society is rapidly digitalizing, mobile apps now provide innovative solutions to alleviate pressing problems in the country's health services sector.
This is the "WE…WEI…WHAT?" column by Manya Koetse, originally published in German by Goethe Institut China on Goethe.de: "Good-Doctor Apps und Digitale Krankenhäuser."
Social Credit System, artificial intelligence, surveillance cameras; these are some of the hottest topics making headlines in mainstream Western media when discussing China-related developments recently.
With the rapid digitalization of Chinese society, these topics certainly have come to play a more important role in social media discussions within the People's Republic of China (PRC). But if there is one issue that seems to concern Chinese social media users the most, it is not facial recognition nor their 'Sesame score': it is the topic of healthcare.
In December of 2017, a photo showing a crying mother kneeling down beside a toddler on the sidewalk in front of a Shanghai hospital went viral overnight. The moment was captured on camera by a reporter who was visiting Shanghai's Children's Hospital.
The photo of Guo Yinzhen and her son that went viral in China (image via NetEase, source: https://3g.163.com).
The mother, Guo Yinzhen, is a single parent who had traveled from a remote village to seek medical help for her 3-old-son, who was suffering from congenital hydrocephalus or 'water on the brain.' Already having traveled to the city multiple times and spending all her money on medical bills, Guo could not afford the additional 100.000 yuan (€ 12.600) for medical procedures needed to save her son's life.
Guo's story struck a chord with Chinese netizens, who continue to share the heartbreaking photo on social media to this day. It has become emblematic of China's healthcare problems.
Crowded Hospitals and 'Healthcare Disturbance'
The key to an adequate healthcare system, no matter where in the world, is that there is a right balancing in the "iron triangle" of efficiency/cost containment, high quality care, and patient access.[1] China, however, struggles with all three sides of this triangle.
Guo's case is an extreme example, but many people in China dealing with less serious health issues and needing basic medical services also struggle to afford and access the healthcare they need.
Over 95% of people in China have health insurance, but people from different regions do not enjoy the same benefits and their out-of-pocket expenses can vary greatly. Uncovered medical costs can sometimes be catastrophic and simply unaffordable for patients and their families.
As more money flows are going to healthcare facilities in China's cities, there is also the issue of varying levels of providers' medical education and the overall healthcare quality, with the substantial majority of modern hospitals still existing in urban areas.
Easy access to the right kind of healthcare can be especially problematic for China's rural population, as people often need to travel long distances and have to go through the lengthy process of registering and waiting for their doctor's appointment, which sometimes requires them to stay in the city overnight.
For all of these reasons, China's bigger public hospitals can get super crowded, sometimes resembling shopping malls on an end-of-season sales day. On social media, both patients and medical workers often complain about the stress brought about by the huge crowds and the shortage of doctors in hospitals across the country.
Perhaps it is no wonder that China even has a word to describe outbursts of violence between patients and doctors: 'Yī nào' (医闹, literally: "healthcare disturbance").
Weibo user 'Sunscreen' complains about the crowds at Huashan Hospital.
One major problem within China's healthcare conundrum is the lack of local family or primary-care doctors, which often makes bigger hospitals the first stop to any kind of medical treatment for Chinese patients.
The reasons for this issue are manifold. There is a general lack of trust in private and smaller local healthcare clinics, for example, and patients often choose to go directly to a bigger hospital to avoid making extra costs.
This makes it extra difficult for many community health care centers – that are already struggling – to make enough money and to retain qualified staff. In a society that is rapidly aging, the challenges facing China's healthcare industry are only becoming more pressing.
A Doctor Today, Just an App Away
As China's online environment is thriving, new innovative online apps are popping up on a daily basis. Some of these apps, that have found their ways into China's most popular app rankings, are offering solutions to some of the country's most pressing healthcare problems.
One of these apps is Ping'an Good Doctor (平安好医生), which was developed by health insurance provider Ping'an in 2015 and calls itself China's "one-stop healthcare ecosystem."
"Ping'an Good Doctor" promotional image by Ping'an.
Employing some 1000 medical staff in its in-house team, contracting over 5,200 external doctors, and collaborating with 3000 hospitals and thousands of pharmacy outlets across the country, the app is somewhat of an "online hospital."
Through the app, users can look through an online database of medical professionals, order medicine at nearby pharmacies, get 24/7 online medical consultancy, search for information about both Western and Chinese Traditional Medicine, etc., but they can also use Ping'an Good Doctor as a fitness app to track their own health.
Screenshot of Ping'an app screen, by author.
When looking for a specific doctor for a one-on-one consult, the app first lets users select an area of expertise (e.g. dermatology or gynecology), and then offers a list of different specialists in various price categories.
Doctors from well-known hospitals, for example, or those with excellent ratings, have a one-time consultation fee of 100 yuan (€ 12,60). Other doctors can be consulted starting from 30 yuan (€3,70). All costs can be paid efficiently via online payment apps.
Doctors to pick from within the app's various price categories.
Ping'an Good Doctor uses an AI-driven system to ask patients various questions about their symptoms and to automatically create a user's medical record to save time. Based on the AI-generated record and the conversation with the patients – files such as photos can also be uploaded to the app -, the doctors can prescribe medicine or refer the patient to a hospital for an offline appointment if needed.
Ping'an recently announced that its number of registered users exceeded 300 million users, with 62 million monthly active users. Because the app keeps building on its AI-driven system, Ping'an Good Doctor can be expected to only become a 'smarter' smart health app the more popular it gets.
Although Ping'an is now leading within China's medical app category, there are many other apps providing similar services, such as Chunyu Yisheng (春雨医生), Haodafu Online (好大夫在线), or DingXiang Doctor (丁香医生).
The emergence of these apps is just one of the many ways in which China's digital developments, online media, and tech giants are impacting the healthcare industry, profoundly changing how patients receive healthcare information and access medical services now and in the future.
List of recommended medical apps in the Tencent app store.
In a way, China's medical consultation apps fill the void in offline primary care. Patients who would otherwise turn to hospital care as their first stop can now access medical consultations any time, any day, at a relatively low cost. Those who suffer from relatively harmless conditions could be diagnosed by a medical specialist via the app and get the medicine they need within a matter of minutes. With the growing popularity of these kinds of apps, many patients no longer need to visit a hospital at all.
Are smart health apps such as Ping'an Good Doctor the solution to China's healthcare problems? No, they're not. Struggling mums like Guo Yinzhen will not find the help they need there. But they do contribute to a more efficient healthcare environment where crowd flows in hospitals can be reduced, and patients do not need to spend a lot of time and money to stand in hour-long queues to get five minutes of their doctor's time.
Although smart health apps could not help Guo Yinzhen and her son, social media apps could. As soon as their story went viral in late 2017, Shanghai Children's Welfare Foundation Xiaoxingxin offered to cover medical treatments for the little boy, with a notable pediatric neurosurgeon operating the child. According to the latest updates, the boy's situation was "looking good."
Hopefully, the same holds true for the challenging sides of China's healthcare industry.
[1] Burns & Liu, 2017: 3-4.
References/Linked Sources
Burns, Lawton Robert, and Gordon G. Liu. 2017. "Introduction." In China's Healthcare Industry: A System Perspective, Lawton Robert Burns and Gordon G. Liu (eds), pp-1-116. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Economist, 2017. "China needs many more primary-care doctors." The Economist, May 11 https://www.economist.com/china/2017/05/11/china-needs-many-more-primary-care-doctors [20.10.19].
Zhou, Viola. 2018. "Does China Have Universal Healthcare? A Long (And Better) Answer." Inkstone, Oct 10 https://www.inkstonenews.com/health/china-translated-does-china-have-universal-health-care/article/2167579
This text was first published by Goethe-Institut China under a CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0-DE license (Creative Commons) as part of a monthly column in collaboration with What's On Weibo.
He's been called a 'Twitter king', but how did the unexpected online fame of this 'Hebei Pangzai' start?
Jessica Colwell
Twitter has fallen in love with a Chinese farmer after his drinking videos on Kuaishou were cross-posted abroad and went viral. He has embraced his new fans and Western social media, arguably becoming one of China's most successful cultural ambassadors of the year.
He describes himself as the "inventor of tornado beer drinking style" and as an "ordinary peasant from China." 'Hebei Pangzai' only joined Twitter in August of 2019, but he already has a Twitter following of more than 111.6K.
Although his account is temporarily restricted by Twitter at time of writing ("due to suspicious activity"), his popularity is only growing. Some Twitterers, such as the China twitterer Carl Zha (@CarlZha), are even initiating a "#FreePangzai campaign" to restore the account of the "one true King."
But where and when did the online fame of 'Hebei Pangzai' start?
Let's begin our introduction to Pangzai with one tweet from March of this year, when Twitter user 'Hunnaban Trenchboss' posted a video from Chinese short video app Kuaishou (快手) showing a man – 'Pangzai' – wearing sunglasses and smoking a cigarette while preparing an incredible mixed drink.
The man in the video smoothly pops the cap off a bottle of beer with a chopstick, pours some in a large jar, then twirls the bottle and propels the rest of the beer in a tornado of force down his throat.
He follows that up by pouring in more beer, some blue liquor, an egg, some Pepsi, and a hefty glass of baijiu – which he dumps in only after lighting it on fire, igniting his finger, and coolly lighting his cigarette. He then chugs the entire concoction in a matter of seconds.
"How do I become as cool as this guy, The Coolest Guy?", the tweet said.
The same video was shared again in August by a few Russian accounts, was retweeted by an American account, and then went completely viral, racking up millions of views and tens of thousands of retweets.
That video has now been viewed almost 12 million times on Twitter, and has inspired tens of thousands of fans who herald him as 'king.'
The man in the video referred to as 'Pangzai' (胖仔, 'chubby dude') is Liu Shichao (刘世超), a 33-year-old farmer and small-time Chinese internet celebrity from a city called Xingtai in Hebei Province.
According to an interview with Technode, he found out about the video on Twitter when some of his new foreign fans opened Chinese social media accounts to find him and tell him about his overnight online fame.
"One message told me that I was a celebrity now in America," he told Technode: "So I chatted with the person [who sent the message] for a whole day, with the help of translation software."
Within two days of his video going viral, Pangzai had figured out how to use a VPN, opened his own Twitter account and started uploading videos.
He even posted a reply on the original viral video to alert everybody to his account.
Liu's early response to his viral video on Twitter.
Since then, Liu 'Pangzai' has amassed over 111,000 followers and has posted many more videos of everything from drinking, to cooking, to exploring his countryside hometown.
But it was the drinking videos specifically that earned him his following, both abroad and in China.
IT STARTED ON KUAISHOU
"Pangzai epitomizes the typical Kuaishou account."
Liu began his internet career three years ago on Kuaishou, a Chinese short video app massively popular among China's lower-tier cities and countryside.
In contrast to the polished, celeb-heavy platform Douyin, which is most popular among urban youths, Kuaishou is a platform for the masses. Its users are known for their crazy antics and general disregard for personal safety.
Liu Shichao's Kuaishou account has 354,000 followers, but the majority of his videos have been removed.
Pangzai epitomizes the typical Kuaishou account. Posting under the handle "Chubby Dude from Hebei" (@河北胖仔), he uploads videos of himself eating and drinking in eye-popping combinations, or sometimes smashing things – from bricks to unopened water bottles – with his bare hands.
Liu's video of breaking bricks with his hands was also popular on Twitter.
Liu also gained notoriety, and a couple hundred thousand followers, from his mastery of the so-called 'beer tornado technique' (小旋风 xiǎo xuànfēng).
According to an interview with the BBC, he peaked at 470,000 followers on Kuaishou and was monetizing his online fame with some 10,000 RMB ($1420) per month.
Liu's signature beer tornado technique features in the first video he posted to Twitter.
Unfortunately for Liu, China's Cyberspace Administration announced a crackdown on vulgar and illegal content across multiple social media platforms in spring of 2018, with a focus on Douyin, Kuaishou, and its sister news company Jinri Toutiao. Kuaishou was pulled from app stores until it cleaned up its act.
It is unclear just how many videos and accounts have been removed as a result of the cleanup. We can get a rough idea from an announcement by Kuaishou earlier this year that in March of 2019 alone, it removed an average of over 11,000 videos and blocked almost 1,000 accounts every day.
The result for Liu was that his account was suspended for four months and the majority of his most popular videos, including the one that went viral abroad, were removed for promoting 'unhealthy drinking habits.'
When you look at his Kuaishou account today, you won't see many videos focused solely on baijiu and beer chugging.
The videos that remain on his account do include drinking (and his signature tornado move) but it is always accompanied by eating food or some other activity (such as sitting deep in a field of corn, munching on roast duck and dribbling baijiu down a corn leaf into a glass.)
In a video posted to Kuaishou, Liu pours baijiu into a glass from a corn leaf, before then lighting it on fire and chugging it.
Liu still has 354,000 followers on Kuaishou. His Chinese fans, like his foreign ones, marvel at his cool and collected manner as he eats and drinks all sorts of disgusting things.
Canned herring features heavily in his most popular recent videos, where he can be seen sipping the juice directly from the can.
In one of his videos on Kuaishou, Liu eating herring directly from the can, to the disgust of his fans.
"This has to be the most unaffected anyone has ever been by eating canned herring," says one fan. "The flavor is disgusting! 99.9% of people who try this would vomit," another online commenter replies.
AN UNEXPECTED TWITTER KING
"Liu is like many young men from the countryside of Northern China: open, friendly, humble, and genuinely excited to share his life."
This year, Liu seems to have embraced his newfound international stardom with grace and savvy.
He uses Twitter's in-app translation to help him communicate with fans and has been highly interactive on the platform.
Liu 'Pangzai' was also quick to open up a Paypal account and share it with followers, and has recently made YouTube and Instagram accounts to prevent scams pretending to be him. He has also collaborated with a Twitter fan to sell T-shirts online in America.
Many online fans have dubbed him 'king', perhaps the highest praise one can receive on the internet today.
But in contrast to the sunglasses and chill demeanor of his videos, Liu does not appear to be an internet celebrity overly obsessed with being cool.
Instead, he is like many young men from the countryside of Northern China: open, friendly, humble, and genuinely excited to share his life (and drinking habits) with the rest of the world.
Liu began using translation software to communicate with fans soon after joining Twitter.
After reposting all of his old drinking videos from Kuaishou, Liu started asking Twitter fans what they would like to see from him. Many responded that they wanted more about his life in rural China.
He has since followed up with videos showing him fixing a pipe with his friends, exploring his local market, cooking sweet potatoes, and, of course, a tutorial on how to master the 'tornado beer' technique.
Liu explaining on Twitter how to perform the tornado beer technique that helped make him famous.
Many have expressed concern for his health in light of his drinking habits, but he has assured everybody that everything he does is "within his ability" and that he doesn't drink like that very often.
Liu is grateful for all the support and praise he has received from abroad. "It's crazy to have all of these foreign friends all of a sudden," he recently said in an interview with Deadspin: "I really have to thank them a lot. If I have a chance I will find them and we can drink together."
Seemingly to that end, Liu has recently organized a party to be held near his hometown in China, exciting fans all over the world and spurring many to apply for passports and visas.
Once Liu began inviting people to his party, he changed the date and location in order to accommodate more attendees.
The date is set for December 14, 2019 in Zhuamadian City, Hebei Province; too soon for many to make it, but he promises another party in the spring. There is talk also of organizing a visit for Liu 'Pangzai' to go to America.
WINDOW INTO CHINESE SOCIAL MEDIA
"Liu's growing notoriety abroad seems to have flown completely under the radar of the Chinese internet."
Although there are many vloggers like Pangzai in China, he stands out on Twitter as some sort of window into Chinese social media, especially because this online world is usually so separate from the Western realms of social media.
The recent explosive growth of Chinese social media apps such as TikTok has not done much to facilitate this kind of cultural interaction between China and the West.
Although Tiktok is, in fact, a Chinese app (called Douyin 抖音 in China), there are actually two different versions of the same app in mainland China and abroad, meaning that the other 'Pangzais' of the Chinese internet still remain within the social media spheres of the PRC, rarely gaining fame outside of the Great Firewall.
In China, aside from his fans on Kuaishou, Liu's growing notoriety abroad seems to have flown completely under the radar of the Chinese internet. He is mentioned only one or two times across Weibo, and searches for his name and handle on WeChat, Baidu, and various Chinese tech news sites bring up nothing.
Liu is a rare example of genuine soft power coming out of China. A pure, grassroots man of the people with strong cultural appeal who sincerely enjoys sharing his life and his culture with the rest of the world. His tweets are full of affection and appreciation for his fans, as well as frequent prompts for followers to share their own lives and customs of their home countries.
To watch his introduction to Twitter and rise to fame is to see the best of the internet: cultural interaction, genuinely shared delight, and mutual admiration inspired by hilarious antics caught on camera.
His Twitter fans express their hope that Twitter Support will soon lift the temporary ban on their 'Twitter king.' To them, it's perfectly clear: this online king is nowhere near dead, long live Pangzai!
Follow the #FreePangzai hashtag on Twitter.
Update: Panghaizi is out of Twitter jail!
Want to read more about unexpected online celebrities from China? Also see:
The Story of Two Farmers Who Became Internet Celebrities;
The "Vagrant Shanghai Professor";
From Farmgirl to Fashionista: Weibo Celebrity Fairy Wang.
By Jessica Colwell
It's almost Black Friday! We've already listed the best VPN deal for you here.


This describes how to use a web service to start outbound services on Aculab Cloud and how to query for inbound and outbound application status.
An Inbound Service is invoked when a call is made to its telephone number or SIP address.
An Outbound Service is invoked by calling the 'service_start' web service with its Outbound Service Name.
The application status for both inbound and outbound services can be queried using the Application Status web service.
This invokes an outbound service that initiates an outbound application instance when using the REST application. The outbound service name and outbound service password are supplied in the authorisation string.
outbound_parameters string A JSON formatted string containing either a single object specifying where to call or, for Production and Premium accounts only, a list of these objects. An outbound service will be started for each object. The count and delimiter parameters that can be supplied to service_start for a UAS application are ignored. For further details see REST API: Starting an Outbound Service.
A JSON array of unique service invocation reference IDs.
This invokes an outbound service that initiates an outbound application instance when using a UAS application. The outbound service name and outbound service password are supplied in the authorisation string.
count integer (optional) by default a single instance is invoked. Specifying more than one (Production and Premium accounts only) invokes multiple instances.
outbound_parameters string (optional) the outbound parameter string to be sent to the outbound application(s). Specifying a number of strings, each separated by the delimiter character below, invokes an instance for each one (and count is ignored). Must contain only seven bit ASCII, excluding ^, | and the control characters.
This attempts to cancel one or more services that have been queued, but that are not yet running. Once a service is running it cannot be cancelled.
service_refs string a list of service invocation reference IDs (as returned by service_start) delimited by the character /.
A JSON object containing a status for each of the service instances supplied, keyed by their service invocation reference Id. The status for each service invocation will be either: "success", "unknown" or "failed". "success" indicates that the service invocation was successfully cancelled before it was run. "unknown" indicates that the service was not recognised, either because it was incorrect or has expired. "failed" indicates that the service was recognised but could not be cancelled.
This retrieves the status of one or more outbound service invocations given their service invocation reference IDs.
status string a string containing one of "queued", "running", "completed", "couldnotrun", "cancelled" or "unknown". If it is "completed" the application's numeric return code is also included. If the status is "couldnotrun" a textual reason is also included. "unknown" indicates that the id was not recognised and "cancelled" is returned for a service that has been cancelled using service_cancel.
application_status_eta integer the time at which the application's status will be ready for retrieval.
application_instance_id string the application instance ID. Use this ID to get the status of an application instance.
This retrieves the detailed status of a single application instance.
application_instance_id string the application instance id of the instance to check.
A JSON object containing the detailed status of the corresponding application instance. This contains three parts: "adr", the application data record; "cdrs", the call data records; and "errs", the error reports.
The application data record contains details of the application instance.
application_instance_id string the application instance's unique ID.
application_name string the name of the application.
start_time float the time at which the application instance started.
stop_time float the time at which the application instance stopped.
duration float the duration of the application instance in seconds.
outbound_parameters string a shortened representation of the outbound parameters passed to the application instance.
application_parameters string a shortened representation of the application parameters sent to the application instance.
extra_channel_count integer the number of extra channels configured for the application instance.
fax string "true" if fax is enabled on the service. Else "false".
pstn_cost float the cost of any outbound PSTN telephone calls.
platform_cost float the Aculab Cloud platform cost for the instance.
tollfree_cost float the cost of any toll free telephone calls.
extra_cost float the cost of any extra channel usage.
costs_valid string "true" if the costs provided are valid. Else "false".
rest_log_filename string the name of the REST log file associated with this instance. Empty for non-REST applications.
dir string the direction of the call ("in" or "out").
channel_type string "p" for a primary call channel, "e" for an extra channel.
originating_address string the address from which the call was made.
destination_address string the target destination of the call.
duration float the duration of the call in seconds.
call_initiated_time float the time at which the call was placed.
call_connected_time float the time at which the call became connected.
call_hangup_time float the time at which the call was hung up.
hangup_cause string the reason why the call was disconnected.
joined float the duration in seconds for which the call was joined (connected or transferred) to another call.
The error data will normally be an empty JSON object, but if an error has occurred it will contain an error message and a link to relevant information on cloud.aculab.com. The JSON object is keyed on the error number.
error_code string a four digit code for the error.
error_text string a textual explanation of the error.
error_link string a link to online documentation for the error code.


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COVID-19 Research Working Group
Pivot Funding Opportunities
Other Extramural Funding Opportunities
Psychosocial Effects
Campus Services and Resources
Guidance for Research Operations
Requesting Specimens
Visualize/Compare Case Trends
UC Davis School of Medicine tests potential COVID-19 treatments and vaccines
19 months and nearly 43 million cases after the first confirmed COVID-19 infection in the U.S., the search for safe and effective treatments continues at the UC Davis School of Medicine.
As the pandemic spread around the globe, researchers at the School of Medicine partnered with drug developers and funding agencies to find and test potential therapies and vaccines to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
"UC Davis School of Medicine, renowned for its research expertise, is a trusted partner on many COVID-19 clinical trials and research studies. We are immensely grateful to all our researchers who continue to be at the forefront of efforts to cure this terrible disease," said Allison Brashear, the dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine.
UC Davis received about $42 million in COVID-19 research funds in 2020-21. The School of Medicine's share was more than two-thirds of that, nearly $28.5 million.
With more than 75 COVID-19 research grants, the School Medicine conducted at least 28 studies to find potent treatments and vaccines.
Ongoing clinical trials for potential COVID-19 treatments
UC Davis School of Medicine researchers are currently recruiting for multiple clinical trials, including those using stem-cell-based therapies, monoclonal antibodies, and other experimental drugs. These include:
Capricor's IV drug: This study tests how well intravenous infusions of CAP-1002 work in hospitalized patients with coronavirus. CAP-1002, based on cardiac stem cell tissues, could decrease inflammation, block or prevent tissue scarring, and stimulate new tissue growth.
AT-527: This study tests the efficacy and side effects of AT-527 drug, an oral antiviral experimental drug, in hospitalized people with COVID-19.
Remdesivir and other medications (I-SPY COVID): This study seeks to determine if the antiviral drug remdesivir used alone or in combination with other drugs can treat COVID-19 and reduce the recovery time for those with severe symptoms.
ACTIV-3: This publicly funded study tests several agents against COVID, among them, AstraZeneca's experimental antibody (AZD7442) and Pfizer's antiviral drug (PF-07304814) to see if these can reduce the severity of the disease and shorten hospital stays for people with COVID-19.
Selinexor (KPT-330): This study is investigating whether Selinexor, an FDA-approved drug for treating multiple myeloma, speeds up the recovery of COVID-19 patients and reduces their viral load, hospital stay, and complications or chance of dying, compared to standard of care treatment.
Regeneron's monoclonal antibody cocktail: This study is looking at Regeneron's combined monoclonal antibodies (REGN10933 + REGN10987) as a treatment for non-hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Monoclonal antibodies are a special kind of manufactured antibodies that restore, enhance, or mimic the natural immune system. These antibodies are also being tested for household members of patients with COVID-19.
Isavuconazole to prevent COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis: This study is to find out more about the prevention of fungal infections, specifically aspergillosis, in people with COVID-19 infection. Researchers are testing whether the drug isavuconazole can decrease the time COVID patients stay in the ICU and the hospital.
Experimental stem cells for the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS): This publicly-funded trial aims to see how effective mesenchymal stromal cells – a type of stem cells - are in reducing inflammation associated with ARDS and in helping damaged lungs repair themselves. ARDS is one of the severe complications of COVID-19 infection.
The researchers also recruited for multiple clinical trials, including:
Molnupiravir (MK-4482): The study tests an experimental antiviral drug called molnupiravir (MK-4482) in patients with COVID-19. Molnupiravir, by Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Merck & Co, is taken orally, making it easier to use and distribute.
Otilimab in severe COVID-19 related disease (OSCAR): This trial assesses the efficacy and safety of GSK's otilimab drug for the treatment of severe pulmonary COVID-19 related disease.
Cell therapy to treat patients with COVID-19: This study tests how well a treatment with natural killer cells (CYNK-001) works in people with COVID-19. Natural killer cells from the human placenta are immune cells known to kill some types of cancers without hurting normal healthy tissues.
Regeneron's monoclonal antibody cocktail: This study tested Regeneron's combined monoclonal antibodies as a treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
Pfizer IV drug in hospitalized patients: The study tests the safety and efficacy of the PF-07304814 drug in hospitalized patients with mild to moderate COVID-19.
Intramuscular injections of PLX-PAD: The study evaluates injections of stromal cells (called PLX-PAD) in the muscle for the treatment of severe COVID-19 patients. It tests if PLX-PAD can help patients intubated and on ventilators due to COVID-19 recover faster with fewer complications. PLX-PAD cells, extracted from the human placenta, have regenerative potential that might help reduce tissue damage caused by hyperimmune reaction to coronavirus.
COVID-19 vaccine testing
The UC Davis School of Medicine has also taken part in testing potential COVID-19 vaccines, including the now FDA-approved Pfizer vaccine for adults and the under-review Novavax vaccine for adults and children (12-17 years old).
Currently, researchers are testing a booster COVID-19 Pfizer shot to adults. They are also assessing SARS CoV-2 infection, viral shedding and potential transmission in young adults immunized with the Moderna's vaccine.
Developing rapid COVID-19 tests
With the advent of the pandemic, clinical lab scientists at UC Davis Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine developed an in-house COVID-19 test. Their remarkable achievement was a testament to a great interdisciplinary teamwork culture spanning across many departments.
One notable collaboration between UC Davis School of Medicine and the industry is the development of a rapid COVID-19 test. The new test uses an analytical instrument known as a mass spectrometer, which is paired with a powerful machine-learning platform to detect SARS-CoV-2 in nasal swabs.
Other COVID-19-related studies at UC Davis School of Medicine
Researchers are also conducting studies to better understand COVID-19 and how it impacts people and their health. Some of these studies include:
COVID-19 survey for workers: This evaluates the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its related lockdown measures on workers throughout the U.S.
Total-body parametric 18F-FDG PET of COVID-19: This study measures the differences between the PET/CT scans of COVID-19 patients and healthyl subjects.
Serologic response of COVID-19 patients: This study seeks to determine how well the antibody blood tests work and how the body's immunity responds to the infection.
Characterization of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (CHARMS) and its relationship to Kawasaki disease: This research is trying to understand how the body responds to inflammation caused by Kawasaki disease and to the coronavirus, including the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C).
Presence of SARS-CoV-2 in infant stool: The purpose of this study is to see how long the coronavirus is found in infant feces after infection.
Experimental PET/CT Radiotracer after COVID-19 infection: This study tests the ability of a new UC Davis developed drug called "radiotracer" to detect and locate possible lung damage caused by COVID-19.
Characterizing T cell behavior in patients recovering from COVID 19: This research aims to understand the ways "radiotracer" can help study how individuals recover from COVID-19.
COVID-19 in cancer patients: This study is to understand how COVID-19 affects the outcomes of patients undergoing cancer treatment and how having cancer affects COVID-19.
The "BLUE CORAL" study collects health information about COVID-19 from hospitalized patients with coronavirus to better understand how to treat COVID-19.
"We take this opportunity to thank all of the participants who volunteer in our clinical trials," said Timothy Albertson, chair of internal medicine at UC Davis School of Medicine and principal investigator on multiple COVID-19 clinical trials. "Their contribution helps to save lives and push science forward."
Learn more about how to sign up for UC Davis Health clinical trials or studies here.
Nadine A Yehya
UC Davis COVID-19 Related Research in the News
Campus Stories and Press Releases
Published Studies
UC Davis in the News
Viral Loads Similar Between Vaccinated and Unvaccinated People
One-Third of Long Beach COVID-19 Patients Have Long-COVID Symptoms
Electronic health systems deployed during COVID-19 help halt Hep B
Vaccine slashed COVID-19 rates among UC Davis Medical Center employees
Interdisciplinary Research & Strategic Initiatives
anacordova@ucdavis.edu


Chevy Malibu, a mid-size 4-door sedan was first introduced to the market in 1964 and was initially discontinued 20 years later. Its production restarted in 1997, but newer generation Malibu's were never as good or versatile as those first few were, until now, that is. In 2013, Malibu entered its eight generation and got all-new design and concept that is supposed to return it to the path of old glory and that is something we expect to see with introduction of 2015 Chevrolet Malibu model.
This 2015 model, same as 2014 version will be available in seven trim levels, spanning from LS, over 1LT, 2LT, 3LT and 1LTZ, all the way to 2LTZ and Eco trim levels. Powertrain comes with two options in 2.5L I4 engine that gives 196 hp and 191 lb-ft of torque and 2.0L Turbocharged I4 that develops 259 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. Eco model is actually hybrid and comes with 2.4L I4 hybrid gas/electric powertrain that develops 182 hp and 171 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to front wheels on all models and all of them also come with 6-speed automatic transmission.
The 2014 model is a carryover from last year and nothing has been drastically changed besides a few differences in front end fascia and on the inside. It can safely be expected that this trend will continue. Front end now has a slightly bigger grille and that is basically all. It still has down facing nose that gives the feeling that rear end is much higher. It has a sweeping roofline that falls back and rear end that finishes with angular tail-lights.
Interior has soft-touch materials and strongly emphasizes on technology. Dashboard is made of quality hard plastics and center console is huge which gives Chevy's standard twin-cockpit design to the cabin. Most of models come with Chevrolet MyLink system that is offered with 7-inch color touch-screen display and ability to connect with your smartphone. It also allows voice control, streaming radio, navigation and many more features. One thing that stands out as disadvantage is rear passenger's legroom. Even though this category was upgraded in 2014 year's model, it still isn't enough because Malibu has shorter wheelbase than average sedan does. This will be one of the priorities for 2015 Malibu. Safety comes with 10 airbags on all models, LATCH, stability control system, optional rear vision camera and more.
The LS, 1LT, 2LT and 1LTZ trims return fuel efficiency of 25 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway with 2.5 liter inline four cylinder engine. The 3LT and 2LTZ on the other hand have turbocharged units that consume more and will take you up to 21/30 mpg. Hybrid Eco has same numbers as 2.5L engine which is much less than average hybrid sedan has. These numbers will remain the same since no new engine options will be available.
Entry LS trim costs $22,340 and 2LTZ-s prices start from $29,950. These are solid prices considering all the features and technologically advanced packages that Malibu gives. Prices for 2015 version of Malibu will be the same as they are now, while 2014 model will become a bit cheaper.
The 2015 Chevrolet Malibu will not have any significant advantages over competitors, but it will not fall behind as well, at least not any more. It is now (and will be in the future) very well made and designed sedan that borders on entry trim of many a luxury vehicles.


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Frist Arts Fest Weekend Celebrates Contemporary Art
Artist talks and tours, art-making activities, music, and more.
Saturday and Sunday, February 4 - 5, 2023
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 17, 2023)—Celebrating the openings of new exhibitions, the Frist Art Museum will hold its inaugural weekend-long Frist Arts Fest on February 4–5. The event marks the first time in the Frist's history that the three primary galleries are featuring contemporary art.
Jeffrey Gibson: The Body Electric and Otobong Nkanga: Gently Basking in Debris open Friday, February 3. The exhibition Matthew Ritchie: A Garden in the Flood will be on view through March 5.
During the weekend, guests will have the opportunity to join Jeffrey Gibson, Otobong Nkanga, and Matthew Ritchie for a group conversation and take docent-led gallery tours. There will also be artmaking activities in the studios and the Martin ArtQuest Gallery, a local artist market, and a "Sip and Sketch" activity. The Frist is partnering with WNXP 91.1 to provide music for the weekend, including DJ sets in the auditorium.
"We are thrilled to work with established and new partners to kick off these new incredible exhibitions in a fun, dynamic way," says Interpretation Director Meagan Rust. "As we did with our old Frist Fridays and Family Festival events, we love connecting the creative dots in our community and hosting crossdiscipline collaborations." The weekend offerings will also include food trucks, tabletop games in the lobby, a photobooth, and more. "This new Frist Arts Fest series format will allow us to offer something for everyone and spread it out over a weekend so guests can come and go as their schedule allows." Admission to Frist Arts Fest will be free for Frist members and guests ages 18 and younger. For all other guests, the regular $15 Adult Admission will apply on Saturday; Saturday attendees can return on Sunday for only $5. All normal discounts are suspended during the weekend.
For a full schedule of events, visit FristArtMuseum.org/event/frist-arts-fest/
Artists' Conversation: Jeffrey Gibson, Otobong Nkanga, Matthew Ritchie
Included with admission the Frist Arts Fest
First come, first seated
Join artists Jeffrey Gibson, Otobong Nkanga, and Matthew Ritchie for this special conversation moderated by Frist Art Museum executive director and CEO Seth Feman, PhD.
Exhibitions on View
Jeffrey Gibson: The Body Electric
February 3–April 23, 2023
Ingram Gallery
This major exhibition is devoted to one of today's leading artists whose multidisciplinary practice combines aspects of traditional Indigenous art and culture with a modernist visual vocabulary. Born in Colorado in 1972, Jeffrey Gibson is of Cherokee heritage and a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw. His vibrant work, which is represented in more than 20 permanent collections across the United States, is a call for Indigenous empowerment as well as queer visibility and environmental sustainability. The Body Electric includes Gibson's recent paintings, sculpture, video, and installations, along with a large site-specific mural THE LAND IS SPEAKING | ARE YOU LISTENING. The exhibition's title is inspired by a song written for the 1980 musical Fame, which itself drew from Walt Whitman's poem "I Sing the Body Electric" from his 1855 collection, Leaves of Grass. The lyrics reverently acknowledge our place in the natural world, while honoring the universality of endings and beginnings.
Jeffrey Gibson holds an MA at the Royal College of Art in London and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Gibson is currently a visiting artist at Bard College in New York. He is represented in the permanent collections of museums such as the Denver Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Portland Museum of Art, High Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Seattle Art Museum, and Smithsonian American Art Museum. Gibson is a 2019 MacArthur Fellow.
Jeffrey Gibson: The Body Electric is part of the Tennessee Triennial for Contemporary Art, a program of Tri-Star Arts.
Organized by SITE Santa Fe and curated by Brandee Caoba
Otobong Nkanga: Gently Basking in Debris
Gordon Contemporary Artists Project Gallery
Nigerian Belgian artist Otobong Nkanga creates tapestries, drawings, videos, sculptures, and performances that feature narratives of wounding and healing, making metaphorical links between the landscape and the traumatized human body. Mapping new paths toward recovery, Nkanga's work conveys the necessity of acknowledging the violence caused by exploiting natural and human resources if we are to overcome the damaging legacy of extraction under colonialism and global capitalism. This exhibition is part of the Tennessee Triennial for Contemporary Art, a statewide series of exhibitions and performances coordinated by consulting curator María Magdalena Campos-Pons that explores the theme of "Re-Pair," particularly with regards to the Global South and its colonial history.
Nkanga has exhibited in such venues as Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive, Castello di Rivoli Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, Centre Pompidou, Kunsthaus Bregenz, Moderna Museet, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Tate Modern, Tate St Ives, and Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. Her work has been included in such group exhibitions as the 58th Venice Biennale, documenta 14, 13th Biennale de Lyon, 31st Bienal de São Paulo, and 8th Berlin Biennale.
Otobong Nkanga: Gently Basking in Debris is part of the Tennessee Triennial for Contemporary Art, a program of Tri-Star Arts.
Organized by the Frist Art Museum
Matthew Ritchie: A Garden in the Flood
November 11, 2022–March 5, 2023
Upper-Level Galleries
Renowned transmedia artist Matthew Ritchie invites viewers to experience the richness and complexity of the world by connecting such fields as philosophy and mythology, epic poetry and music, and history and physics. Interweaving dualities of harmony and chaos, the exhibition offers a meditation on art's capacity to help overcome social fragmentation—to be a connective tissue that is healing and beautiful.
A Garden in the Flood features dramatic paintings, an architectural structure, and hallucinatory animations, some made through artificial intelligence. At its heart is a new video work with a sound bed specially commissioned from renowned composer Hanna Benn in collaboration with the Grammy Award–winning Fisk Jubilee Singers and their late music director, Dr. Paul T. Kwami.
At once visually stunning and intellectually engaging, Ritchie's work is appropriately presented in Nashville, a city where interdisciplinary collaborations are increasingly defining the creative community.
Supporter Acknowledgment
The Frist Art Museum is supported in part by The Frist Foundation, Metro Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Connect with us @FristArtMuseum #TheFrist #FristArtsFest
About the Frist Art Museum
Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Frist Art Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit art exhibition center dedicated to presenting and originating high-quality exhibitions with related educational programs and community outreach activities. Located at 919 Broadway in downtown Nashville, Tenn., the Frist Art Museum offers the finest visual art from local, regional, national, and international sources in exhibitions that inspire people through art to look at their world in new ways. Information on accessibility can be found at FristArtMuseum.org/accessibility. Gallery admission is free for visitors ages 18 and younger and for members, and $15 for adults. For current hours and additional information, visit FristArtMuseum.org or call 615.244.3340.
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APC and the Nomadic Politicians
In the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its Federal Government endeavour to salvage Nigeria from the ruins of the past Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governments; they should not allow themselves to be distracted by the irrational behaviour of defectors and nomadic politicians. The general election is about seven months away. APC has formidable national structure and enough time to quell any rebellion. The political foes struck at the wrong time and against the wrong political enemy, the Progressive.
APC ought to have allowed four years acclimatisation period for the acclaimed defectors and nomadic politicians to settle in the party, as true Progressive, before given them tickets to contest election for their various seats. The actual members of the parties that merged to form APC on 6th February 2013 and seasonal Progressive therein only ought to have been given tickets to contest election in 2015. APC would have introduced a policy of defect, resign your seat and contest a by-election under your new political party. Although this is already in the 1999 Constitution, yet many of our elected disregard the provision and related Court judgement with impunity. With these many would be defectors would not risk their seats by defecting at will.
Upon been elected in 2015, President Buhari perhaps intoxicated by the power of office, took his eyes off the ball. He forgot that many of his military era political foes are still well, alive and loose generally by proxies. That talking to each other does not heal old political wounds but merely put it in abeyance and to be resurrected at a given opportunity. But Buhari ought to have neutralised his perceived or imagine political foes by running a national and inclusive Government. He ought to have appointed enough substantive cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and filled other necessary political positions early in 2015. All of the posts should have been filled with members of APC and seasonal Progressive. Instead Buhari presumably intentionally or unintentionally alienated many APC members and seasonal Progressive. He forgot that he was in a democratic setting of teamwork.
President Buhari naïvely played into the hands of the rebels, defectors and nomadic politicians by acquiescing to many National Assembly demands and assenting to many of their passed bills of law. Many of the bills of law were either against the constitution, flawed or were unnecessary. For example, there were no need enacting laws in areas that were already covered by constitution or existing statutory laws. All of the crimes committed in the country today are already covered by existing laws. If the Judges cannot apply and interpret the constitution or existing laws, they need to be reminded of their weakness. You cannot amend the constitution directly or indirectly in piecemeal nor by Acts of Parliament.
What is at stake now is the future of Nigeria. The challenge is Good versus Evil in the country. The issue is not President Buhari in what he has done or what he failed to do. What the defectors and nomadic politicians are doing are affront to Nigeria, Nigerians, APC and civilisation. They cannot continue to jump from one political party to another at will only in search for their own personal gains at the expense of the country. Freedom does not mean abuse and irresponsibility. Should Nigerians close their eyes, open their hands and embrace the PDP even in coalition with other fringe political parties as Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) after having personally pocketed public fund over sixteen years from 1999 – 2015?
Nigerian electorate are 70% Progressive and 30% Conservative orientated. Over the sixteen years from 1999 – 2015, it was the PDP (Conservative) the minority in the country who suppressed the majority who are Progressive. They prevented the Progressive as individuals from exercising their vote freely. The PDP rigged elections, illegally won four general elections and formed four illegitimate Governments. The PDP Governments went further to fragment the Progressive into frivolous political parties instead of making the country a two-party State with allowance for independent candidates.
Looking at what have transpired among the PDP, defectors and nomadic politicians before, Nigerian electorate must ask; are these the people anyone wants to do business with let alone allow to run the country again? For example, over the years many members of the National Assembly past and present, who are predominantly PDP and nomadic politicians, took or borrowed huge amount of money from various banks. They did not pay back the money. They asked Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) to write off the debts. As a result, most of the banks became insolvent and were liquidated. In collusion with some of their State Governors they organise bank armed robberies and other crimes in their States. At the National Assembly, they collect huge amount of money every year in the guise of constituency project fund and pocket the money. They pad their budgets and collect the money for their personal uses. They infiltrate the budgets of the Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) and pad their budgets for dubious expenditure and collect the money for their personal uses.
APC has no need to cosset or be on its kneels to any individual defectors or nomadic politicians whatever their self-acclaimed personal popularity or followers. There are no bulk votes in the country. APC has already got formidable structure at each Ward, Constituency, Local Government, State Government and National secretariat in the country. These are what will be strengthened and deployed to reach out to individual voters in each electoral bloc. As the strong structures are there, APC now need to use the strength to galvanise the 70% Progressive in the country to wake up to what are at stake for the 2019 general election; the future of Nigeria, Good versus Evil and the evil the PDP and associates portend for the country.
In as much as APC may want to have as many members as possible but every voter in the country cannot nor expected to be a member of a political party. It is the strong structure therein at the National and State levels that should be deployed to energise the local secretariats to by campaign neutralise any purported self-acclaimed individual that purport to command bulk vote for any other party at the local area. Many of today's electorate are better educated and politically enlightened. They can no longer just follow any self-acclaimed important or influential individual like zombie. But they need to be convinced in well organised, strategic, intensive, strong and effective campaign at their domains.
More importantly for APC today is the election of Adam Oshiomhole as its national chairman. He is expected to be the Adam Oshiomhole who was the President of Nigeria Labour Congress. Adam Oshiomhole must ensure a functioning and effective National Executive body. The absence of a strong and effective central organ for almost three years created the vacuum for today rebellion in the party. It did not happen overnight. Adam Oshiomhole's office demands high standard. Therefore, he need to conform with a set of standards such as: Adam Oshiomhole;
· must observe his limitations and should not shoot above his remits.
· should know he is the chairman of the party and of the members in their capacity as members of the party, and
not as individuals.
· has to be neutral and must not take sides among members.
· should know that there are strong individuals in the party let alone in the country. He can only do business with these people, allow them to co-operate with him and unite APC more if he behave in civilised manners and execute within
the remit of his office.
· should know within the Progressive fold there are no errand boys hence the teamwork that engender the
cohesiveness of the Progressive.
To arrest the current discontent among some of the members of the party and those who have formed their factions within the party; Adam Oshiomhole should collect information about their grievances and ask them to sheathe their swords. He should issue directives to the effect that those that were elected as the executive body of a secretariat at a convention or a meeting that was properly conveyed and a quorum was formed become the bona fide executive body. Those that lost out and now dissatisfied should jointly send their complaint to the Complaint Body at the next hierarchy of secretariats either at the LG, State or National who shall look into the matter within a determinable fix period. A discontented group shall only take a matter to the Court of law as a matter of last resort if the highest Complaint Body (National Secretariat) failed to resolve the matter. That from a determinable date the formation of factional body is banned in the party. Those who indulge in faction automatically vacate the party on their own accord. APC must put its foot down on members' inordinate dissent and rebellion.
It is not an exaggeration to state that among the current 68 political parties in the country there is none that matched or can match APC, with or without the nomadic politicians. The PDP, Olusegun Obasanjo (OBJ)'s fringe third force, Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) or in their coalition as CUPP cannot electorally trouble APC at any general election, especially Presidential election. The current defection from APC has not the same electoral large-scale disadvantage to the party like what happened to PDP before and in 2015. PDP and its associates cannot change their wrong past for enough momentum for electoral advantage. The original Progressive, whom OBJ and his then PDP dreaded and continue to do so today, are now the core members of APC. With this core Progressive who know their political onions, the party cannot lose any general election, especially Presidential election. Such loss will only occur if the party by omission or commission nominates its 2019 Presidential candidate from the far North (North-West and North-East geo-political zones).
You do not need to tell anyone today that any Presidential candidate of any political party from the far North is not nationally electable at these times. The incumbency of Government or of a Presidency cannot defy this assertion for any political party and the far North.
APC has no automatic ticket policy for its incumbent President. This also means, the party hierarchy cannot manipulate or imply to say the President has right of first refusal on 2019 Presidential ticket and unilaterally give it to him. To avoid any protracted litigation and being disqualified from the Presidential election, APC must throw the nomination of its 2019 Presidential candidacy open to all its aspirants from different parts of the country. The nomination convention delegates will look at the aspirants and nominate the best whom they perceived majority of electorate in the country will vote for on the main issues which the country yearn, which only APC Government can deliver but with the right candidate from the right part of the country.
The PDP, even in any possible change of name, even as a leopard cannot change its spots, even in coalition wither other fringe political parties as CUPP, is not again electable in Nigeria. The electorate are not at all ready to absolve the PDP people, nor with whom they may form coalition, from their wrong past, elect their Presidential candidate or there is any election for the party to as usual rig to gain power illegitimately again in the country. APC must drum the message home to the people that the evils the PDP and its associates portend are the issues and problems which APC is rooting out and want to continue to root out in order to give Nigeria a future. The defectors and nomadic politicians are of no use to anybody anywhere they move. Their political nomadism is only for their personal gains. It is their choice either to renounce political party nomadism and stay in APC as full and undiluted Progressive or go and be in perpetual opposition political party elsewhere.
We all know the main issues on ground upon which majority of the electorate in the country are willing to vote. Some of these issues are about restructuring of the country generally in the following areas;
· balancing National Assembly membership between North 50% and South 50%;
· scrapping the wasteful thirty-six State Government areas, replace them by ten Regional Government areas with
five in the North and five in the South;
· adjusting Local Government areas in each Region;
· reduction of political parties to two with permission for independent candidates;
· re-instatement of the pre-eighty good and high standard of education;
· decentralisation of Police Force into several Independent Police Commands preferably making each Senatorial
District an Independent Police Command;
· banishment of Islamic religion from official laws, finance and affairs of the country;
· to ensure the optimal supply of electricity and landline telephone;
· to revisit PDP privatisations, the wasted and missing fund therein;
· to continue recovery of looted fund of the country;
· stop National Assembly members' constituency project fund which they convert to their personal uses,
demand account of such fund they collected in the past twenty years and stop their padding of budgets for their
personal uses;
· devise a new form of federal revenue allocation for the three federating units;
· use of private firm of auditors to audit MDA, National and Regional Assemblies, Educational institutions and
Hospitals quarterly;
· establishment of adequate system of control in every sector of society to maintain increase security and stop
further looting of public fund;
· restoration of the Naira as a convertible currency at the foreign exchanges. We do not know the huge amount of money we lose every day in foreign exchange/reserve in a non-convertible Naira. E.g. in the UK daily foreign exchange
trading is an average of about $2.6tr. Can you imagine the revenue from this and why they are not short of foreign exchange/reserve nor restrict its uses?
The far North of the country is averse to these and other forms of restructuring and moving the country forward. Therefore, none of its potential Presidential candidate is willing to go against the will of their people. The far North is too small a part of the country. It cannot, therefore, continue to hold the larger part of the country back from advancing. In this 2019 Presidential election in particular you do not need anyone to tell you that the larger part of the country is not going to vote for any candidate of any political party from the far North. It is, therefore, futile for any political party to nominate its Presidential candidate from the area.
Looking at where we are coming from and where we are heading, the far North is not ready to rule Nigeria again until 2043 – 2051. Whatever the desperation of their Presidential aspirants in the race for 2019 Presidency, the facts are; none of them is yet ready to govern the country at these times until when the country has been restructured and their scheduled turn in 2043 – 2051. By this time, they,
would have learned to follow the rule of laws;
are in tune with the tenet of democratic governance;
eschewed the dilution of Government and official matters with Islamic Religion;
are able to see Nigeria beyond their North especially when they are in power; etc.
The President that will salvage the country at these times and establish the desired restructuring and formidable foundation which nobody or section of the country will again be able to subvert or misuse shall come from the South-South or South-East geo-political zone; only under APC Federal Government.
Alfred Aisedionlen – London, UK.


Hillcrest Oathill Lodge offers young people the chance to work in and experience living in groups. The home was opened by Hillcrest in response to requests from our local authority partners for a rural provision for girls at risk from an urban environment.
The home works with girls who abscond, present sexualised behaviour and who pose challenging behaviour. By setting clear boundaries and having high expectations, the girl's behaviours are managed through building higher self esteem and enhancing positive self image.
Hillcrest Oathill Lodge is able to offer semi independence training in its own self contained flat by enabling the residents to follow a programme of independent training living.
Hi my name is Roy, when you arrive here you will have plenty of opportunities to express yourself through a range of sports, drama clubs, outdoor pursuits, urban street dance, horse riding and other things. We are ideally situated for all "shopaholics" with Bicester, Oxford and Birmingham all within easy reach. I am sure you will enjoy your stay with us.


The 2019 Bill Rees YMCA Volunteer Awards celebrate volunteers who inspire, empower, and engage others in making our community a better place.
Policy: A volunteer who has made an outstanding contribution to the management and governance of the YMCA.
Program or Service: A volunteer who has made a difference in the programs and services offered and/or delivered by the YMCA.
Fundraising: A volunteer who tells the YMCA story and provides support and leadership to fundraising efforts.
Youth: A volunteer, 25 years or younger, who provides leadership and makes a significant contribution to the YMCA.
Volunteer of the Year: A volunteer who demonstrates and models a commitment to the YMCA and goes above and beyond expectations.


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Home/Opportunities/Oprah Winfrey foundation calls for applications.
Oprah Winfrey foundation calls for applications.
The Oprah Winfrey foundation in patnership with the New York University is calling or applications for a fully funded schorlaship to all African women interested in the public service. The aim of the initiative is to empower African women and help in creating Africa led solutions to pressing issues bedevilling the African continent.
The schorlaship will see selected African women being afforded a chance to study at New York University's Wagner graduate school of public service.The foundation will provide full tuition,fees,housing,travel to and from the USA and all other expenses. The main aim of this opportunity is to expand the opportunity for African women who want to change public service in their countries.
For one to qualify for selection, she has to be a citizen and resident in an African country, have a strong academic record and also show evidence of proven commitment to their country and the continent at large. To apply one simply has to submit an essay, a one minute video and ten fill an online application form by 2 December 2019. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview via Skype by mid 2020.
Recipients must commit to returning to their countries when the programme comes to an end and meaningfully contribute to eradicating challenges being faced in their respective countries. They must come back with the drive to take on leadership positions in their home countries.
Apprenticeship recruitment at Barzem Enterprises
Invitation open for applications to train as secondary school science teachers:January 2020
Applications open for the Techwomen 2020 program.
Graphic designer wanted at 263 Chat.


Miracle Doctor, Abandoned Daughter: The Sly Emperor's Wild Beast-Tamer Empress - Chapter 227 - AnythingNovel.com Read online any english novel around the world.
Little Squeak rubbed his eyes, making sure he's not hallucinating.
To his great delight, it's truly a great beauty. Though not necessarily as good as Feng Beauty, but the temperament absolutely won't lose out!
What urge to urinate? What need to sleep? All of that becomes moot in front a beauty.
Oh great beauty here I come~!
With extreme excitement, Little Squeak was ready to volley himself up to the woman when a powerful hand caught him on the tail in midair.
Before him, a magnificent face of a handsome man appears.
Bursting out a layer of water on his eyes, Little Squeak felt so wronged at this moment. His one and only second love at first sight turns out to be a married woman, that's simply too unfair!
''Don't be so fierce to him, he's still small.'' Her voice blaming as she shoves the man a bit.
Seriously this man, it's been so many years and he's still so possessive. How can someone be jealous of a little animal?
''I don't care if its small or not, he's a male.'' Unhappy at the scolding, the man had good reasons for his demeanor. It was only through great struggle and means that he managed to take his wife into his arms.
Little Squeak instantly found himself going haywire inside because the sentence sounded all too familiar.
It's the exact same phrase from that golden masked man in the cave. The tone, the words, all of it was the same!
No, hold on, this man from the depths of darkness is even stronger. Like a god, completely unshakable and indestructible.
Little Squeak didn't wriggle anymore. In his heart, he only had regret that his bladder didn't hold itself better and now he's suffering as a result.
The more he thought of the possibility, the sadder he became. Very soon, big beady tears started dripping downward.
''Ignore him little fella, this man's the typical insatiable desire type.'' Watching the aggrieved face of the little fur ball, the woman was then reminded of her personal familiar Bobo. The young girl also faced the same treatment by her man back then.
''And you don't look at who's the one causing my insatiable desire.'' The man mumbles, resulting in a solid rolling of his wife's eye.
''Complain again and I'll punish you with a month of no entry into my chamber.'' The woman turns pink as she says this.
They are already an old married couple, yet this man still acts like a newlywed, constantly hammering her in bed every night. Aside from that short period during her pregnancy, she hasn't gotten a single good night sleep since. A big taboo for someone who practices the way of medicine and healing art.
''My wife, I am wrong, I'll release him this instant.'' The man immediately surrenders, but not before giving Little Squeak a big eyeful upon release.
''Too weak. How can a weakling like you replace us in keeping Ling Yue safe. Very well, I will be a good man to the end and give you a drop of Qilin blood. However much you can absorb will depend on your own fortune tonight.'' At that, the man flicks a bullet of blood into the recipient's forehead using irresistible means.
Raising all of his fur into a puff ball as soon as the blood entered, Little Squeak immediately curled into a bundle on the floor like he's in immense pain. No longer an innocent blue in his eyes, an eerie red takes over as his body expands under a bone crunching sound of immense growth.
About the size of a lion, that's how big Little Squeak became before reverting back to his original state of a tea cup in size with big blue eyes.
Though the woman felt sympathetic at the suffering, she also encouraged the little fella to keep going until the whole process came to an end at dawn.
''Little fella, we will have to bother you to take care of Ling Yue in the future. If destiny permits, we will definitely meet again. For everything tonight, its best that you forget.'' Raising her hand, a scepter appears from the void.
Under the chorus of a series of magic words, an ancient matrix shrouds over Little Squeak's body, helping him regain his strength while at the same time also erasing any memory he has of tonight.
At dawn, Ling Yue awakes to find an odd sensation irking at the back of her mind that her mother Ye Huang Yue was here last night.
''Little Squeak, why are you lying there? I bet it's because you were out taking a night piss again and lost your way.'' When Ling Yue woke up from her fine slumber, she quickly took notice to Little Squeak lying on top of her stomach with his four paws plopped wide open.
''Squeak~'' Rubbing his sleepy eyes, the little guy made a confused face like he's forgotten something very important.
''What's wrong, why do you have a birthmark on your forehead?'' Upon closer inspection, she soon took notice to the strange marking of a red water droplet on her friend's head. No matter how she tries to wipe it off, it won't come clean.
Though it's a bit strange, but since Little Squeak didn't find any discomfort from it, she simply left it be. She has more important matters to attend to today, and that was to visit the Treasure Cave.
''Sir Ten, Sir Thirteen, you two are here again?'' He Lao San of the underground auction didn't expect the two youngsters to patronize his place again so quickly.
''Boss San, this time it's Thirteen who needs to come, I'm merely a companion this time.'' The meaning was that he's willing to become the adorning flower.
''Boss San, here's ten fifth grade Dan pills as per the rules.'' These pills are some of the stash Ling Yue took from the old dwarf. Nothing amazing, merely common products one can find anywhere.
''Master Longyu's medicine pills? So Sir Thirteen are acquaintances with the old master.'' Sharp in the eyes, He Lao San only needed a glance to recognize the origin of the pills.
Longyu was infamous for his strange temperament in the capital. To be able to befriend a person like that, He Lao San was having even more trouble grasping onto the young boy's origin.
After paying the admission fee, Ling Yue in her disguise entered the underground auction as she wished.
Exactly like the previous visit, as soon as she stepped onto the stairway leading down to the earth grade level, a keenly focused spirit force probed her body for a brief moment before subsiding.
As they stepped down the steps, the group was then welcomed by an old man in a wheelchair pushed over by a young boy with a hair bun.
Different from He Lao San that's sturdy in his build despite the old age, this elder was very skinny like an old tree bark and was lacking in the lower body. The trousers are empty and unfilled.
This gave Ling Yue quite the surprise. To think the one responsible for the previous mishap belonged to a crippled old man.
Based on her judgement, this person should be around Manager Chou's level.
''This girl, are you here to buy or tell sell this time?'' Unlike He Lao San, its apparent the new elder called He Lao Er have already recognized the fact that Ling Yue was in fact a female.


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Magnificent Milano (Part 6): Stazione Centrale
by delacybrown on February 2, 2018
It's not often when you leave a city that you start snapping away with your camera, but with the stupendous scale and majesty of its liberty-style architecture, the Stazione Centrale of Milan makes for one hell of a farewell. Inaugurated in 1931, and heavily influenced by the onset of Italy's Fascist age of might and power, the building pronounces Milan and Italy a true powerhouse of the modern age and a gateway to the advanced engineering which meant that Milan was connected through vast railway tunnels running North through the Alps, and along endless expanses of track traversing the Italian peninsula.
It's hard to know where to look. While passengers may be accustomed to concentrating on the departures board, Milan's central station is itself a masterpiece of art which beckons the viewer to look beyond the travel information and up into the soaring 72 metre height of its great loft ceilings, and over the art deco lines and cubist sculptures which represent, in very Fascist terms, the will of the worker and the strength of Milan as Italy's industrial capital.
The station is mightily impressive. You have to traverse three huge entrance porticos before you even reach the 24 platforms, each bigger than the one before and displaying new feats of architectural engineering and decorative brilliance. What can be termed as "halls" are each double the size of your average city train station, and pack their punch in aesthetic excellence and awe-inspiring impact.
It made leaving Milan that sunny blue-sky day all the more difficult, but think how it must impress as a gateway to the city? Whether it be political propaganda or a testament to design, the Stazione Centrale is a true icon of its age, and seeing it was a magnificent end to our Milanese Odyssey. Arrivederci Milano… we will return to revel in your splendour one day soon.
© Nicholas de Lacy-Brown and The Daily Norm, 2011-2018. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
Tags: Architecture, Art Deco, Italy, Milan, Milano, Photography, Sculpture, Skyline, Station, Tourims, Train, Travel
From: Florence Milan Zurich, Photography
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