text:
using FluentAssertions;
using JenkinsTransport.Interface;
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;
using Moq;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using ThoughtWorks.CruiseControl.CCTrayLib.Configuration;

namespace JenkinsTransport.UnitTests
{
    [TestClass]
    public class JenkinsProjectManagerTests
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// Organize required dependencies for this test target
        /// </summary>
        internal class Mocks
        {
            /// <summary>
            /// Constructor creates instances of the mocks with a default behavior of loose
            /// </summary>
            /// <param name="mockBehavior"></param>
            public Mocks(MockBehavior mockBehavior = MockBehavior.Loose)
            {
                MockWebRequestFactory = new Mock<IWebRequestFactory>(mockBehavior);
                MockJenkinsApi = new Mock<IJenkinsApi>(mockBehavior);
                MockJenkinsApiFactory = new Mock<IJenkinsApiFactory>(mockBehavior);
            }

            public Mock<IWebRequestFactory> MockWebRequestFactory;
            public IWebRequestFactory WebRequestFactory
            {
                get { return MockWebRequestFactory.Object; }
            }

            public Mock<IJenkinsApiFactory> MockJenkinsApiFactory;
            public IJenkinsApiFactory JenkinsApiFactory
            {
                get { return MockJenkinsApiFactory.Object; }
            }

            public Mock<IJenkinsApi> MockJenkinsApi;
            public IJenkinsApi JenkinsApi
            {
                get { return MockJenkinsApi.Object; }
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Create an instance of the subject under test (testTarget) with some default mock wiring in place
        /// </summary>
        /// <returns></returns>
        private JenkinsProjectManager CreateTestTarget(Mocks mocks)
        {
            return new JenkinsProjectManager(mocks.WebRequestFactory, mocks.JenkinsApiFactory);
        }

        private void SetupDefaultMockState(Mocks mocks)
        {
            mocks.MockJenkinsApiFactory
                .Setup(x => x.Create(
                    It.IsAny<string>(),
                    It.IsAny<string>(),
                    It.IsAny<IWebRequestFactory>()))
                .Returns(mocks.JenkinsApi);
        }

        private static Settings GetDefaultTestSettings()
        {
            var settings = new Settings()
            {
                Project = String.Empty,
                Username = String.Empty,
                Password = String.Empty,
                Server = "https://builds.apache.org/"
            };
            return settings;
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void Initialize_should_set_projectName()
        {
            Mocks mocks = new Mocks();
            var target = CreateTestTarget(mocks);

            var settings = GetDefaultTestSettings();
            var buildServer = new BuildServer(settings.Server);

            // Act
            target.Initialize(buildServer, "Hadoop-1-win", settings);

            // Assert
            target.ProjectName.Should().Be("Hadoop-1-win");
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void Initialize_should_set_settings()
        {
            Mocks mocks = new Mocks();
            var target = CreateTestTarget(mocks);

            var settings = GetDefaultTestSettings();
            var buildServer = new BuildServer(settings.Server);

            // Act
            target.Initialize(buildServer, "Hadoop-1-win", settings);

            // Assert
            target.Settings.Should().Be(settings);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void Initialize_should_set_authorizationInformation()
        {
            Mocks mocks = new Mocks();
            var target = CreateTestTarget(mocks);

            var settings = GetDefaultTestSettings();
            settings.AuthorizationInformation = "TestAuthorization";

            var buildServer = new BuildServer(settings.Server);

            // Act
            target.Initialize(buildServer, "Hadoop-1-win", settings);

            // Assert
            target.AuthorizationInformation.Should().Be("TestAuthorization");
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void Initialize_should_set_configuration()
        {
            Mocks mocks = new Mocks();
            var target = CreateTestTarget(mocks);

            var settings = GetDefaultTestSettings();
            var buildServer = new BuildServer(settings.Server);

            // Act
            target.Initialize(buildServer, "Hadoop-1-win", settings);

            // Assert
            target.Configuration.Should().Be(buildServer);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void ForceBuild_when_using_weburl_should_call_api_with_url()
        {
            Mocks mocks = new Mocks();
            SetupDefaultMockState(mocks);

            var target = CreateTestTarget(mocks);

            target.WebURL = new Uri(@"http://test");

            target.Initialize(new BuildServer(), "TestProjectName", new Settings());

            Dictionary<string, string> parameters = new Dictionary<string, string>()
            {
                {"SomeParameter", "SomeValue"}
            };

            string userName = "TestUser";

            // Act
            target.ForceBuild("", parameters, userName);

            // Assert
            mocks.MockJenkinsApi
                .Verify(x => x.ForceBuild(
                    target.WebURL,
                    parameters),
                    Times.Once);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void ForceBuild_when_weburl_is_null_should_call_api_with_projectName()
        {
            Mocks mocks = new Mocks();
            SetupDefaultMockState(mocks);

            var target = CreateTestTarget(mocks);

            target.Initialize(new BuildServer(), "TestProjectName", new Settings());

            Dictionary<string, string> parameters = new Dictionary<string, string>()
            {
                {"SomeParameter", "SomeValue"}
            };

            string userName = "TestUser";

            target.WebURL = null;

            // Act
            target.ForceBuild("", parameters, userName);

            // Assert
            mocks.MockJenkinsApi
                .Verify(x => x.ForceBuild(
                    "TestProjectName",
                    parameters),
                    Times.Once);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void AbortBuild_when_using_weburl_should_call_api_with_url()
        {
            Mocks mocks = new Mocks();
            SetupDefaultMockState(mocks);

            var target = CreateTestTarget(mocks);

            target.WebURL = new Uri(@"http://test");

            target.Initialize(new BuildServer(), "TestProjectName", new Settings());

            string userName = "TestUser";
            string sessionToken = "";

            // Act
            target.AbortBuild(sessionToken, userName);

            // Assert
            mocks.MockJenkinsApi
                .Verify(x => x.AbortBuild(target.WebURL),
                    Times.Once);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void AbortBuild_when_weburl_is_null_should_call_api_with_projectName()
        {
            Mocks mocks = new Mocks();
            SetupDefaultMockState(mocks);

            var target = CreateTestTarget(mocks);

            target.Initialize(new BuildServer(), "TestProjectName", new Settings());

            string userName = "TestUser";
            string sessionToken = "";

            target.WebURL = null;

            // Act
            target.AbortBuild(sessionToken, userName);

            // Assert
            mocks.MockJenkinsApi
                .Verify(x => x.AbortBuild("TestProjectName"),
                    Times.Once);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void StartProject_when_using_weburl_should_call_api_with_url()
        {
            Mocks mocks = new Mocks();
            SetupDefaultMockState(mocks);

            var target = CreateTestTarget(mocks);

            target.Initialize(new BuildServer(), "TestProjectName", new Settings());

            string sessionToken = "";

            target.WebURL = new Uri(@"http://test");

            // Act
            target.StartProject(sessionToken);

            // Assert
            mocks.MockJenkinsApi
                .Verify(x => x.StartProject(target.WebURL),
                    Times.Once);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void StartProject_when_weburl_is_null_should_call_api_with_projectName()
        {
            Mocks mocks = new Mocks();
            SetupDefaultMockState(mocks);

            var target = CreateTestTarget(mocks);

            target.Initialize(new BuildServer(), "TestProjectName", new Settings());

            string sessionToken = "";

            target.WebURL = null;

            // Act
            target.StartProject(sessionToken);

            // Assert
            mocks.MockJenkinsApi
                .Verify(x => x.StartProject("TestProjectName"),
                    Times.Once);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void StopProject_when_weburl_is_null_should_call_api_with_projectName()
        {
            Mocks mocks = new Mocks();
            SetupDefaultMockState(mocks);

            var target = CreateTestTarget(mocks);

            target.Initialize(new BuildServer(), "TestProjectName", new Settings());

            string sessionToken = "";

            target.WebURL = null;

            // Act
            target.StopProject(sessionToken);

            // Assert
            mocks.MockJenkinsApi
               .Verify(x => x.StopProject("TestProjectName"),
                   Times.Once);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void RetrieveSnapshot_when_using_weburl_should_call_api_with_url()
        {
            Mocks mocks = new Mocks();
            SetupDefaultMockState(mocks);

            var target = CreateTestTarget(mocks);

            target.Initialize(new BuildServer(), "TestProjectName", new Settings());

            target.WebURL = new Uri(@"http://test");

            // Act
            target.RetrieveSnapshot();

            // Assert
            mocks.MockJenkinsApi
               .Verify(x => x.GetProjectStatusSnapshot(target.WebURL),
                   Times.Once);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void RetrieveSnapshot_when_weburl_is_null_should_call_api_with_projectName()
        {
            Mocks mocks = new Mocks();
            SetupDefaultMockState(mocks);

            var target = CreateTestTarget(mocks);

            target.Initialize(new BuildServer(), "TestProjectName", new Settings());

            target.WebURL = null;

            // Act
            target.RetrieveSnapshot();

            // Assert
            mocks.MockJenkinsApi
              .Verify(x => x.GetProjectStatusSnapshot("TestProjectName"),
                  Times.Once);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void ListBuildParameters_when_using_weburl_should_call_api_with_url()
        {
            Mocks mocks = new Mocks();
            SetupDefaultMockState(mocks);

            var target = CreateTestTarget(mocks);

            target.Initialize(new BuildServer(), "TestProjectName", new Settings());

            target.WebURL = new Uri(@"http://test");

            // Act
            target.ListBuildParameters();

            // Assert
            mocks.MockJenkinsApi
                .Verify(x => x.GetBuildParameters(target.WebURL),
                    Times.Once);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void ListBuildParameters_when_weburl_is_null_should_call_api_with_projectName()
        {
            Mocks mocks = new Mocks();
            SetupDefaultMockState(mocks);

            var target = CreateTestTarget(mocks);

            target.Initialize(new BuildServer(), "TestProjectName", new Settings());

            target.WebURL = null;

            // Act
            target.ListBuildParameters();

            // Assert
            mocks.MockJenkinsApi
                .Verify(x => x.GetBuildParameters("TestProjectName"),
                    Times.Once);
        }
    }
}


text:
Input keyword:
Lovol Engine
Service System
Global Dealers
Join Lovol
About Us | R&D
1.R&D Institutions
Lovol R&D Institute of Engineering Techonology consists of Shandong R&D Center, Tianjin R&D Center, Europe R&D Centerand Japan R&D Center
2.Brief Introduction of R&D Institutions
Founded in 1998, the Lovol Technology Centre has been officially under the name of Lovol R&D Institution of Engineering Technology in 2006. By the end of 2011, the enterprise has consisted of nearly 1,400 personnel of various fields of design and development, amongst which over 300 mid-level and senior experts possess strong capability of research and development. In the year of 2011, the company set up European R&D Centre, global high-end R&D Platform under Japanese R&D Centre and medium and high-end R&D Platform targeting business advancement in the Chinese market, forming a four-in-one global R&D system covering Europe, Japan, Tianjin and Shandong.
3. Standards & IPRs
Relying on multiple platforms of technology innovation, Lovol has achieved breakthrough in terms of numerous core technologies in the industry by exploring over 15,000 product resources. In addition, it has more than 600 valid IPRs, organizing or participating into the formulation and amendment more than 50 national and industrial standards and shouldering 12 national research projects, which have all successfully passed the acceptance identification of national scientific and technological achievements.
4.Corporate Honors
1)State-Accredited Enterprise Technology Centers
2)High-tech Enterprise
3)Post-doctoral Research Station
4)China Patent Starred Enterprise in Shandong
5)4A -class Standard Enterprise of Good Conduct
6)National IPR Demonstration Company
Print Font scaling 大中小
Legal Notice | Contact Us
Lovol Heavy Industry CO.,LTD.?2013 www.lovol.com【京ICP備12040986號】
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国产亚洲中文字幕在线播放|欧美日韩制服首页|丝袜美腿另类-首页 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Standards development harnesses the power of online collaboration
A recent International Standard is helping bring new clarity to the complex world of finance and investment.
ISO Annual Meeting 2022
Together with the IEC, we're changing the way in which experts come together to create standards. OSD programme manager Julie Suter tells us about the latest developments in standards collaboration.
Amongst standards developers there's a lot of talk about ISO's new Online Standards Development platform, or OSD, but what is it and how will it work?
Julie: The OSD is helping us to prepare for the future of standards, in all its forms. We're bringing that ambition to life using a harmonized, online structured content development system based on market-recognized standards (NISO STS). The XML platform streamlines and simplifies existing processes from the first step of the standard's authoring process through to its publication and evolution over time.
Content quality is improved at the early stages of standard development together with simplified online commenting and final compilation of resolutions. The new platform will help us continue to publish standards quicker, getting information out there to standards consumers where it's needed and bringing the guidance to make the most of fast-moving tech.
The OSD will also further harmonize collaboration between the IEC and ISO and other regional partners, making life easier for members working with those organizations.
So who will benefit the most from the OSD? Was it developed with a specific kind of user in mind?
Julie: Definitely! The OSD is being developed in direct response to what ISO members and standards developers have told us they need. That means it's for standards developers who get involved in drafting standards. This new platform will allow them to focus on standards content as opposed to formatting. It does that by integrating the rules for drafting standards ("directives") and guiding authors through a correctly structured format right from the start.
But it's not just about helping with the rules for layout and drafting. It's about working together more efficiently. For example, comment resolution and consensus building can be a very lengthy and cumbersome process. OSD will help committee managers to sort, filter and group member comments to facilitate the consensus building process that is central to the way that we develop standards.
OSD is also a game-changer for members and organizations who can use the platform to ease their national commenting processes, allowing in-context and comment consolidation and submission in a unique platform.
Would you say that the OSD has the potential to revolutionize the way that standards are developed?
Julie: An important part of ISO's strategy is to supplement our current catalogues of standards with value-added content, interconnected standards and those that can be interpreted by machines. The OSD can actively contribute to this strategy.
Also, the last few years have seen a spectacular growth in remote working and numerous platforms that encourage that. A standards development platform offering similar functionality is an essential first step in boosting engagement and participation of younger professionals in standardization. It reduces the need for training on ISO-specific processes and fits in with the way that people are already working. In that way, OSD will help to position ISO and its members as leading innovative standards development practices.
By creating a single, collaborative and integrated place for standards content we are improving efficiency and enhancing the traceability of expert inputs and assisting the community in understanding the evolution of a standard and the origin and rationale of the comments that went into its various drafts.
So how is the OSD being developed? Can standards developers already use it?
Julie: The OSD comprises three main content creation process elements: authoring, member commenting, and editing for publication. We're developing the tool to cover each process sequentially.
To date, over 80 working groups are currently drafting standards within the platform. That means over 7000 users have already experienced OSD from an authoring perspective. Following consultation with 150 members who are closely involved in the project, we identified draft standards that would be suitable for piloting the member-commenting functionality. That's now up and running with over 90 members worldwide both gathering or submitting their comments directly in the platform. It's exciting to be bringing this to life!
Resources and training sessions are currently being offered as well as Q&A sessions and self-help to enable even greater uptake and a smooth transition to the new platform for all.
–Barnaby Lewis
© https://www.iso.org/news/ref2800.html


text:
Cornelia Parker OBE
5 x 7 Interview
By Lena Fritsch
This year, Photo Oxford focusses on women. The 2020 festival highlights the variety of their viewpoints and relationships with photography.
My own relationship with photography might be best described as that of a "translator": I love looking at photos, interacting with artists, and explaining the historical or cultural contexts of images to the readers of my books or the visitors of my exhibitions. Connecting with photographs emotionally and intellectually, I seek to "translate" visual forms into written or spoken words. Hopefully, my work as a curator and writer helps photographs to be seen and to be appreciated. Wondering what photography means to others, for this series I'm interviewing 5 women working with photography in different parts of the world. I ask them 7 questions each, curious to hear their individual stories. My first interviewee is British artist Cornelia Parker.
Cornelia Parker OBE (b.1956, Cheshire) is an internationally acclaimed artist working across a wide range of artistic media. Although she is best known for her large-scale installations and sculptures, she has also experimented with photography and print making techniques, creating innovative photographic art. In recent works, Parker has drawn on the photogravure and early techniques pioneered by the 19th-century photographer Henry Fox Talbot.
Parker has had numerous solo exhibitions worldwide and is represented in major international collections including Tate, the Met, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York. She was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1997, elected to the Royal Academy in 2009, and won the Apollo Magazine Artist of the Year Award in 2016. Between 2016 and 2019 Parker was Visiting Fellow at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. She was also on the Photo Oxford 2020 judging panel for the Open Call submissions.
Cornelia Parker. Photo: Jessica Taylor
Lena Fritsch: Let's start at the very beginning: do you remember when you first became interested in art and decided to become an artist?
Cornelia Parker: I was interested in art at school. Luckily, I had very inspirational teachers, Mr. and Mrs. Broad. I went on a school art trip to London when I was fifteen. Visiting various museums, I saw a lot of art in the flesh for the first time in my life. This was hugely influential, a myriad of creative thoughts opened up in my mind. It was then that I decided I wanted to do a foundation course – the first step in becoming an artist.
You have worked across a wide range of artistic media. When I think about your art, the first images that come to my mind are your large-sized slightly moving sculptural works that include suspended objects, such as Cold Dark Matter, 1991 in Tate's collection, or The Heart of Darkness, 2004, which I still remember vividly from the 2014 Gwangju Biennale. After creating such sculptural works, how did you first become interested in photography?
I have always been interested in photography. An installation like Cold Dark Matter which has a light source in the centre of the piece which casts giant shadows, I think touches on the frozen moment illuding to the photographic. From Plato's Cave to Fox Talbot trying to fix shadows.
Cornelia Parker, Einstein's Abstracts, 1999. 4 x Cibachromes on aluminium. Courtesy the artist and Frith Street Gallery, London © Cornelia Parker
You took photographs of a blackboard in the History of Science Museum Oxford in 1999: close-up images show chalk marks by Albert Einstein made during a lecture on general relativity in Oxford in 1931. How did these works come about?
I was doing a residency at the Science Museum, London. I found it quite overwhelming making art surrounded by the certitude of the artifacts there. I struggled to understand Einstein's theory of relativity, so I took images of his equations (from a blackboard, in the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford) through a microscope. His neat chalk equations looked so free enlarged, the chalk seemed like snow or radiation out in space. I felt I understood them in a totally different way by looking at them through the lens of Science.
Cornelia Parker, Prison Wall Abstract (A Man Escaped), 2012/13. 12 x Digital pigment prints. Courtesy the artist and Frith Street Gallery, London. Photo: Steve White
Another photographic series, Prison Wall Abstract (A Man Escaped), 2012–13 presents random black and white marks made by builders on the walls of a prison in North London. If I remember correctly, you took these photographs on your Iphone. Could you tell me more about the work?
I used to travel past Pentonville Prison daily and I observed workers busy repairing cracks in the black perimeter wall with white filler. They were making gestural patterns worthy of any Abstract Expressionist painter. I had been admiring their mark making, meaning to return and record them with a good camera, but I saw they were beginning to paint the walls with fresh Magnolia paint that would within minutes obliterate the prison abstracts. I captured the cracks on my phone before they got painted out for ever. A few hours later on the same day, a murderer escaped from the prison after scaling the walls.
Over the last years, you have experimented with photogravure and print making, creating large-scale still life images – some are on display at Cristea Roberts gallery, London in October/November this year. You laid ordinary three-dimensional objects, such as crystal glasses, directly onto a photosensitive plate. Similar 'Photogenic Drawings' techniques were used and pioneered by the 19th-century photographer William Henry Fox Talbot; whose archive is held in the Bodleian Library's collection in Oxford. How did your interest in Talbot and photogravure develop?
I have been inspired by Fox Talbot since student days. He was a pioneer of photography, who invented both the photogravure and the negative. I love his photos from the 1840's of objects on shelves, a catalogue of his collection of ceramic, silver and glass. I made a sculpture a long time ago entitled One Day This Glass Will Break, a precarious balanced stack of glasses engraved with the prophetic mantra. Years later when I was experimenting with photogravure techniques in a print workshop, I returned to stacking glass, this time lying horizontally on a photosensitive plate. I was combining two techniques, photogram and photogravure, to make a new kind of print.
Cornelia Parker, One Day this Glass will Break, 1995. 6 etched glasses (stacked)Courtesy the artist and Frith Street Gallery, London © Cornelia Parker
I was exhibiting my Magna Carta embroidery piece at the Bodleian Library when I realised that some of Talbot's objects (glasses and wine decanters from his famous photograph 'Articles of Glass') were in their collection. There are only a few glasses left, the rest has been broken or lost over time. I asked if I could borrow them, which thankfully they allowed. Back in the print workshop I exposed them to photosensitive plates and made photogravures from them. I liked the idea that these objects had not been used photographically since Fox Talbot used them in the 1840's.
Cornelia Parker, Fox Talbot's Articles of Glass (tagged decanters), 2017.
© Cornelia Parker. Image courtesy the artist and Cristea Roberts Gallery, London. Photo: FXP Photography, London
Cornelia Parker, Fox Talbot's Articles of Glass (all that are left), 2017.
Cornelia Parker, Sunrise, 2020.© Cornelia Parker. Image courtesy the artist and Cristea Roberts Gallery, London. Photo: FXP Photography, London
Fascinating timeless works – I really like them, aesthetically and conceptually.
A link that I see between your sculptural work and your recent photogram works is a fascination with light and shadow. Like the glassware on the photographic prints, your sculptures often create shadows that become a major part of the installation, turning the complete gallery space into a sculptural environment. What do you like best about photography and working with photography as an artistic medium?
There are so many things about photography that I love. You don't even have to have a camera to capture shadows. I'm perpetually attracted to the idea of negative, of inversions and reversals. Silver was used in early photography, and I made a series of contact photogravures of large glass negatives in their protective glassine bags (the images depicting silverware), taken in the 1960's for a Spink Auction catalogue. The title of this series of prints was Thirty Pieces of Silver (Exposed).
Cornelia Parker, Coffee Pot Hit by a Monkey Wrench, 2015.© Cornelia Parker. Image courtesy the artist and Cristea Roberts Gallery, London. Photo: FXP Photography, London
Ever since it was a requirement, as part of being Election Artist in 2017 [the British House of Commons chooses an official artist to document the campaigns in the UK's general elections], I have been posting photos and videos on Instagram. I find the practise hones my visual attention; it gathers together a lot of my interests; reoccurring themes appear, obsessions get developed. It serves both as a source book, a sketchbook, all filed in a place where I can find it.
Cornelia Parker, Left and Right, 2017. Courtesy the artist and Frith Street Gallery, London © Cornelia Parker
What advice would you give to young artists who are at the beginning of their careers?
If they don't do it already, I would encourage them to do Instagram. They can make a different account if they like, one that is just a place to collect ideas and inspiration. Add images daily. They will have a ready audience who will give instant feedback. From small acorns oak trees grow!
Thank you so much, Cornelia!
Cornelia Parker's recent works are on view at Cristea Roberts gallery, London in Cornelia Parker: Through a Glass Darkly, 23 October - 21 November 2020.
Read more about this exhibition here.


The growth in popularity of medical tourism means that the translation of medical documents, such as the English to Croatian medical document translation undertaken by Tomedes last month, is a service that is much in demand.
With a network of professional human translators based around the world, Tomedes is able to cover almost all language pairings, including English to Croatian and Croatian to English. We are also able to respond extremely fast to requests, just as we did for this client, who was travelling to Croatia in order to combine a minor medical procedure with a holiday. At the last moment, she realised she needed some of her healthcare documents to be translated into Croatian.
Despite the extremely short timescale – the client needed the documents back within just 72 hours – Tomedes was able to meet her translation needs. We used one of our leading translators in Zagreb, whose extensive experience of medical document translation meant that he was the perfect translator for the job.
We provided a flawless translation of the healthcare documents to the client, who was delighted to receive the translation so quickly and for such a competitive price. She was able to travel to Croatia with everything she needed, including her medical paperwork in Croatian.


Simplicity and elegance often go hand-in-hand. This was never more true than with this beautiful charm designed from a vintage faceted red cabochon and teardrop pearl. Whether dangling from the zipper on a favorite sweater, a cell phone or purse, this charm is sure to add a touch of elegance.
The charm measures 1.2-inch (30 mm) in length. Like all of our decorative handmade charms, it can be attached to a number of different fasteners and our customers get their choice in which kind of fastener they'd like attached when they order.


How did it go? Did you have fun? Of course you did!
We had the added fun of making this video. I spoke to a few of the local players and asked them what they loved about pre-release.
People were also keen to tell me what they hoped to open. Surprisingly there was quite a bit of diversity in the expected cards. With Fate Reforged being the second set of the clan-based block players are already set in their ways. The vast majority of them want to open something for their Standard decks.
I also asked them the big question, "What clan are you going with?". You really can tell a lot about your friends by what clan they find appealing. Check out the video.
Pre-releases are brilliant. You get to open cards you've never played with before and try to battle your friends with them… What's not to like?
Here's a list of five things that might well have happened at the pre-release you attended.
Days of treasure hunting are over. We're cruising now, bro!
It might well have been you playing this gotcha card, or maybe someone caught you out when you went to attacks.
You spend a few moments pondering whether you have any responses before you realise that the card is actually a sorcery. Hopefully it's just a mistake and you can all laugh about it. Armed with your knowledge of cards in hand you can play around that particular spell. Or, more likely, you can't and they get to do what they want but just a turn later. Worse still is when you have someone blow you out in a game with a perfectly timed spell and then a few matches later you try to play the same card and only then is it pointed out that the spell cannot be played on your opponent's turn.
Oh well, the more you know. Sometimes the excitement of playing with all these wonderful new toys can get a bit overwhelming and we forget to actually read the cards.
Please, stop. We, Jeskai, don't go Wolverine on each other.
4. Oh… so that's what it is.
At some point you're playing a game and things are going badly. You're furiously looking at the cards in your hand over and over again, wondering if there is anything at all that can help you now. During this futile endeavor, a previously unseen aspect of a cards artwork will reveal itself. In the Khans of Tarkir I remember the revelation of Deflecting Palm. In the art for that card the Jeskai Khan Narset is using her Matrix-style kung fu to deflect the blow of Mardu angryman(orc) Zurgo Helmsmasher. The force of her move if pushing the bones back out of his gnarly hand. Gross. In this set I noticed that Renowned Weaponsmith has in the artwork the actual bow from the card Heart-Piercer Bow so presumably one of the other strange objects in the picture is the Vial of Dragonfire that is referenced on the card but not in this set or Khans.
Luckily, not all mentors are required to grow a fur.
3. You played against someone who was brand new to the game.
It's on you; you are the front line of our community. More often than you might think you are going to be someone's first experience of this game that we love. No pressure then.
Do you remember your first game at FNM or a pre-release? Perhaps it was only this time last year but you have already learned so much about how the game works. Be patient and explain your turn to your opponent. We all needed a little help when we started out and we all remember those people who helped us on our way. Be that wonderful person for someone else.
Don't be the guy who asks why they're running such a terrible card in their deck. Be the one who explains interactions and how they work. Maybe they don't know how the stack works… well, this is a great time to go through it with them. What about talking to them after the game about mana curves or colour fixing?
Pigtails in beards are so cool this year… No, short, triangle-shaped are way better!
2. A big ol' rules conference.
One set of players have a friendly disagreement on how one of the new mechanics interacts with a spell. There's a bit of a discussion where each puts their interpretation forward and then the table next to them pauses their game to offer their opinion. Some other nosy individual (this is usually me, hi!) from two tables over tells everyone how he interprets the rules. Then the person who got the bye wades in and tells you what he read on some website. Eventually a wild judge appears and uses The Knowledge: it's very successful.
But seriously, I do like a bit of a shop-wide discussion on how a rule works. I mean we all know that there is a correct answer. Yet, there's no harm in having a chance to say how we think the rules work, before the judge sets us all straight.
Attention, all players! Drafting Limited starts in five. Please, apply your sunblocks.
1.The person sitting next to you opens the bomb card.
Did you watch the video? Well if you didn't, this bit has spoilers in it. My friend Sebs opened an Ugin, The Spirit Dragon. There were four people sat around him and they all had great pulls, a foil fetchland and all that, but someone has to get lucky at these events. It's just statistics: 4 events, 50 odd players, a lot of packs opened, which means a lot of people are getting a lot of really great cards. Some pull a Limited bomb and breeze through games to collect the winning prize with no sweat. Some pull money cards and almost immediately sell or trade them to cover up money they spent on pre-release so far. Some pull a foil Mountain to finish off pimping their GR Monsters Standard deck. Pre-release weekends are great, because there are so many cool stories what people opened and what they did with those cards. And you now, what's even greater? Half of the time it's you who has the luck.
I have noticed in my shop that we've started to embrace the less competitiveness of pre-release weekend, and then everyone makes a big effort on game day to play a lot more seriously. This trend is something I can get behind. We should all be using the first chance to play with the cards to have fun and not to have a gladiatorial fight to the death.
Community Question: What was your the most memorable bomb you pulled at any pre-release?


text:
Arrays
---
Similar to `vector` an array is a list of objects of a certain type.
Arrays however are more primitive and are a basic type in c++.
Nothing has to be included to use them, (no `#include` necessary)

An array can be declared like so:
```c++
//datatype name[number of elements]
int arr[10]; // an array called 'arr' that holds 10 integers
char c_arr[20]; // an array called 'c_arr' that holds 20 char's
```

However, arrays do not have convenient member functions like vectors do.
Arrays do not have `.at()`, `.push_back()`, `.size()` etc.

Arrays have a set size at creation specified in the square brackets as seen above.
A size must be specified and specifying no size will result in a compile time error.
The size of the array cannot change.

Instead of using `.at()` arrays indicies can be accessed and set using the square brackets `[]`.
For example:
```c++
int arr[3];
arr[0] = 1;
arr[1] = 2;
arr[2] = 3;

for(int i = 0; i < 3; i++){
    cout << arr[i] << " ";
}
cout << endl;

```
will result in the following output:
```bash
1 2 3

```

Code Tracing
---
What is the output of the following code?
```c++

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

void setChar(char arr[], char c, int pos){
    arr[pos] = c;
    return;
}

int main(){
    char c_arr[6];
    setChar(c_arr, 'c', 0);
    setChar(c_arr, 'a', 1);
    setChar(c_arr, 'r', 2);
    setChar(c_arr, 'e', 3);
    setChar(c_arr, 'f', 4);
    setChar(c_arr, 'u', 5);
    setChar(c_arr, 'l', 6);

    for(int i = 0; i < 7; i ++){
 	   cout << c_arr[i];
    }

    return 0;
}
```

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This study comes from Reading Plan week 112, Mark 6-10.
Please read Mark 10 completely before beginning.
Throughout the Gospels Jesus encounters a lot of people and groups who have their own goals and agendas. They're often presented as being religious or based on a misinterpretation of God's Word, but all sharing the common denominator of things actually rooted in the flesh or the ways of the world. In other words, to some degree they may sound right or look right, but only bear the outward veneer of something religious because it's not rooted in love for God as much as using the things of God to satiate one's own desires. In the course of pursuing Christ's calling, our personal and earthly goals at every level are replaced by true spiritual goals designed to successfully change us from the old self into the image and likeness of Christ.
1Getting up, He went from there to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; crowds gathered around Him again, and, according to His custom, He once more began to teach them.
Q: Why would the Pharisees be asking a question about something already commonly practiced in Israel at that time?
A: Because there wasn't agreement among them as to what the Law provided as the proper grounds for divorce, there were different practices when it came to divorce. The disciples of rabbi Shammai held to a very strict interpretation (divorce only for unfaithfulness) while the disciples of Hillel held a more lenient interpretation (divorce for almost any reason). There were conflicts as to how this was carried out at this time.
Q: What is revealing about the answer the Pharisees first give? How well do they quote the Law for which they're seeking an interpretation?
A: They only quote the mechanics of the Law, not the actual legal grounds which would justify putting those mechanics into motion. They're not quoting the part of the Scripture that gives the reasons to pursue a divorce, only how it is carried out once a person has decided to do it.
Point: The real issue is not whether or not a divorce is effected by writing the proper certificate and sending her away, but as to the true meaning of "indecency", the condition that has brought about her disfavor.
Q: What is the scriptural basis by which Jesus responds to their question?
A: Rather than taking either side, Jesus goes back to the very first marriage to confirm that marriage meant one man and one woman becoming one flesh for one lifetime.
Point: In the parallel account of this event in Matthew, it's recorded that Jesus explicitly states, "except for immorality" (Matthew 19:9) Earthly marriage was supposed to reflect and teach something about the nature of the kind of spiritual relationship we're supposed to have with God – exclusively and wholly devoting our entire life just to Him.
Application: The goal of our earthly relationships is supposed to be the same as for our spiritual relationships, based on faithfulness rather than pleasing ourselves. Marriage is a physical relationship which can only be dissolved by a physical cause, either death or adultery. This is also how spiritual separation is achieved by spiritual unfaithfulness.
13And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 14But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." 16And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.
Observation: Isn't it interesting that marriage leads to children, and so the very next topic involves children?
Q: Why might it not be surprising that adults were bringing their children to Jesus and asking Him to bless them?
A: This was a customary practice of the day, for rabbis to bless children. It would be a very powerful statement at that time that common people recognized Jesus as a proper teacher of the Law.
Q: What is the significance of receiving "the kingdom of God like a child"?
Unspoiled children are ideal models in this regard: humble, receptive, dependent, filled with potential, and their character malleable to being formed and guided permanently for the rest of their life to come.
In Mark's time, children were generally under tutors and guardians until adulthood, a time of being made ready to follow in the steps of their earthly fathers and to inherit and carry on their father's business. The spiritual parallels to this are obvious.
From a developmental point of view, children don't usually come with the experiential or "emotional baggage" that must be overcome in adults. They're a kind of "blank slate".
Application: The goal of attaining a right relationship with Christ begins by jettisoning our emotional baggage/history to be made new according to His Word and ways.
22But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.
Observation: In the parallel accounts of this event in Matthew 19 and Luke 18, the man is described as "rich", "young", and a "ruler". From an earthly point of view, he had everything anyone would possibly want. Also note that this example ends up talking about family, the natural progression from the previous sections on marriage and children.
Q: Why was Jesus' reaction to being addressed as "Good Teacher" actually very natural for that time?
A: It was not customary for Jews to use the word "good" when addressing a rabbi, a word with very high spiritual meanings attached.
Q: Is Jesus then denying that He is "good"?
A: No, in reality Jesus is asking if the man truly believe Jesus is the Messiah the Son of God, the only proper reason to call Jesus "good". Jesus was asking the man if he believed Jesus was God.
Q: At first blush, it appears that Jesus has listed the last six commandments all having to do with loving one's neighbor, but which one is obviously missing and why?
A: Jesus omitted the one commandment He knew was the main issue in the man's life, "Do not covet".
Point: The rich, young ruler had everything except salvation. Although he had paid attention to the Law, and the Law brought him to Christ, he had not yet humbled himself as a lost sinner whose personal entanglement was his wealth. Jesus was holding up the Law as a kind of mirror so the man could see what kind of sinner he was.
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
Q: So is Jesus stating that everyone must sell everything and give it to the poor?
A: No, He is touching the spot most sensitive to this particular person. But the principle most certainly applies to whatever is holding us back from following Him completely. We're not saved by such works, but by trusting the Son of God who gave everything to make us rich. Sinners cannot hang on to their sins at the same time they're reaching out to Jesus.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
Q: Why is the disciples' reaction quite normal according to Jewish thinking at the time? What major interpretation of Scripture is Jesus correcting?
A: At that time, physical prosperity was equated to spiritual prosperity. In the Mosaic Law it was stated that physical prosperity was the reward for spiritual faithfulness. Therefore it was generally assumed that a rich person must be "righteous" and a poor person must be suffering the results of their personal sin.
Point: The problem is that over time the motive for obeying the Law became the desire for gain at the expense of true love for God.
Q: We probably have some idea that there will be rewards in the life to come, but how are these benefits realized "now in the present age"?
A: It speaks to the benefits of our new family in Christ and the new "house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms" we receive in this life in the church.
Q: What did Jesus do with the man which He also did with the Pharisees where Scripture is concerned?
A: Jesus contrasted the letter of the Law with the spirit of the Law to pierce the issue of surface obedience in order to penetrate to the more important issue of obedience from the heart.
Application: The goal of attaining a right relationship with Christ will entail being purged of relationship baggage that can maintain the world's hold on us. Anything given up will be more than compensated by what is gained in our new relationships in the body of Christ and the life to come.
Observation: This is now the third time in which Christ has instructed the disciples about His coming death and crucifixion in Jerusalem. One might think that the third announcement would have some kind of sobering or humbling effect, but that was not the case.
Q: What is the overall lesson that they have not learned where Jesus is concerned?
A: That the cross must come before the crown, a teaching that suffering must be experienced by all before glory. There's a kind of myopia that wants to ignore the former and go straight to the latter.
Q: What "cup" refer to?
Q: And what does "baptism" here refer to?
Point: The cross must come before the crown, suffering before glory.
Q: How does Christ's exhortation to be a servant coincide with His own life and ministry?
A: Christ's First Coming was the fulfillment of the Messiah coming as the "suffering servant". In fact, the Gospel of Mark is devoted exclusively to this theme, documenting Christ's example as a servant.
Point: We're to be living a life of co-death and co-resurrection with Christ, the working in us of the cross and suffering first before the realization of the crown and glory to come. In the course of this process, we are to be like Him in every way, a suffering servant to others, rid of all earthly attachments both material and in the form of relationships.
Q: How might this all fit in with the previous teachings on marriage, children, and family relationships?
A: All of these are supposed to be pursued with the attitude and goal of a servant to the same degree that Christ "did not come to be served, but to serve".
Q: What was the condition of a servant in these days?
A: A servant had nothing of his own – everything was owned and supplied by his master, even his very life. A servant did nothing on his own except at the command of the master and in accordance with his master's business.
Application: The goal is to leave behind all notion of being served but to instead be a servant and so fulfill our obligations of love and service to both Christ and the members of His body the same way that He Himself fulfilled them.
Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.
Q: How did the people who approached Jesus in the previous sections – the Pharisees, the parents bringing their children, the young man, and even James and John – address Jesus?
A: They addressed him by some form of "teacher".
Q: How does this stand in contrast to how Bartimaeus addresses Jesus?
A: Calling Jesus "Son of David" is the equivalent of calling Him the Messiah, the Son of God. Whereas the previous people addressed Jesus from an earthly point of view, the "blind" man addressed Jesus by His true, spiritual identity.
Point: The only one who wasn't blind in this chapter was the so-called "blind" guy! He seems to be the one person who immediately experienced his desire because it proceeded from someone who brought their need into Christ's presence by first acknowledging Whose presence they were in to begin with.
Application: Our first and foremost goal in coming before Christ should be to leave ALL baggage at the door in order to proceed from the purity of seeking Him because He IS the Son of God, rather than bearing our personal concerns first. Proper submission to Christ results in everything else being taken care of.
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
What are your goals where faithfulness is concerned? What is your commitment to putting His Word into practice?
In what ways are you like a child in your relationship to Christ, and what ways need to be amended as such? What emotional baggage are you still holding on to?
What kind of residual effects remain where past or current relationships are concerned? Is there something which you've not allowed to be replaced by Christ which continually draws you back to the ways of the world or the flesh?
If others were to give you a formal, personal evaluation, how often would they identify you with the characteristics of being a servant? How evident is it to them that we seek more to elevate our self than to serve like Christ?
How well do we recognize how all things proceed from the way we acknowledge the sovereignty and authority of Jesus as truly being the Son of God? Wouldn't this help put our goals at every level into the proper perspective?


text:
By Claus Köllinger / Updated: 22 Dec 2021
Brussels' citizens to report accessibility problems for pedestrians
The Brussels-Capital region updates its Fix My Street tool to ease residents reporting specific problems for pedestrians, specifically for those with reduced mobility.
Read more about Brussels' citizens to report accessibility problems for pedestrians
By Jane Tewson / Updated: 20 Dec 2021
Liveable Neighbourhoods Conference 2022
Hosted by the London Borough of Croydon, the 2nd annual summit Liveable neighbourhoods 2022 on 17 February 2022 will showcase the best examples of political leadership, policy, projects and programmes that are delivering Liveable Neighbourhoods.
Read more about Liveable Neighbourhoods Conference 2022
By Sofia Pechin / Updated: 06 Dec 2021
New Committee in Berlin aims to improve the city's walking experience
Submitted by Sofia Pechin on 06 Dec 2021
According to city officials, people living in Berlin move mainly on foot, as they prefer walking over any other means of transport. The city administration has decided to make walking a priority and, in order to improve conditions for pedestrian traffic, has created a 'Foot Traffic' Committee.
Read more about New Committee in Berlin aims to improve the city's walking experience
FUB Congress 2022
The FUB Congress, in partnership with Collectif Cycliste 37, invites all 'stakeholder-cyclists' to its annual congress in Tours from 10 February 2022 - 14:00 to 11 February 2022 - 20:00 (CET). The FUB, French Federation of Bicycle Users, promotes cycling as a mode of daily travel through a network of local associations, in consultation with public authorities, and by campaigns for the general public.
Read more about FUB Congress 2022
VELO-CITY 2022
The European Cyclists' Federation is proud to announce Jan Gehl as the keynote speaker at Velo-city 2022 Ljubljana. Jan Gehl, the world-famous architect and leading voice within people-centred urban planning, will give the opening speech at this year's world cycling summit. As an architect, professor and co-founder of Gehl Architects, Gehl's 50-year career has focused on improving the quality of urban life by reorienting city design towards people.
Read more about VELO-CITY 2022
By Conall Martin / Updated: 22 Nov 2021
Copenhagen's cycle superhighways act as an inspiration to other regions
Submitted by Conall Martin on 22 Nov 2021
In Denmark's Capital Region, 30 municipalities have joined forces to create 'cycle superhighways' that provide infrastructure to support long-distance commuting by bicycle.
Read more about Copenhagen's cycle superhighways act as an inspiration to other regions
By Sofia Pechin / Updated: 03 Nov 2021
Paris has plans to become one of the most bike-friendly cities in Europe
Submitted by Sofia Pechin on 04 Nov 2021
Paris is investing €250 million into significant upgrades of its bicycle network as part of 'Plan Velo: Act 2'. The city will be building 180 kilometres of new permanent segregated bike lanes and thousands of new bicycle parking spots between now and 2026.
Read more about Paris has plans to become one of the most bike-friendly cities in Europe
By Fred Dotter / Updated: 25 Oct 2021
Join the FastTrack Pool of Suppliers
Submitted by Fred Dotter on 25 Oct 2021
FastTrack is currently accepting applications for those who wish to be part of its 'Pool of Suppliers', to support the project's 24 local areas in their work to speed up the roll-out of locally-effective sustainable mobility innovation.
Read more about Join the FastTrack Pool of Suppliers
By Michiel Modijefsky / Updated: 22 Oct 2021
Prague launches a free bike sharing pilot for transit pass holders
Submitted by Michiel Modijefsky on 22 Oct 2021
On 11 October 2021, the city of Prague launched a pilot project offering free use of shared bikes to holders of the Lítačka pass, Prague's electronic public transport card. The bikes can be used within the city for 15-minute time periods up to four times a day.
Read more about Prague launches a free bike sharing pilot for transit pass holders
By Claus Köllinger / Updated: 22 Oct 2021
Castellón creates pedestrianised spaces for people out of main boulevards
Submitted by Claus Köllinger on 22 Oct 2021
Castelló de la Plana creates spaces for people by cutting out motorised traffic from intersections crossing large boulevards.
Read more about Castellón creates pedestrianised spaces for people out of main boulevards


text:
Injury pattern and outcome of assault victims: An emergency department perspective
Darpanarayan Hazra, Ankita Chowdary Nekkanti, Kundavaram Paul Prabhakar Abhilash
Department of Emergency Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
Dr. Darpanarayan Hazra
Department of Emergency Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore - 632 004, Tamil Nadu
DOI: 10.4103/atr.atr_47_20
Background: Violence-related injuries top the list as a cause of mortality in the 15–40 years' age group in India. In contrast to the West, the spectrum of assault injuries in Southeast Asian countries is different. Our main aim was to profile intentional injuries due to interpersonal violence treated in the emergency department (ED) and to describe the severity, pattern, etiology, and outcome in such patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted a case-series analysis of assault victims who presented to the ED of Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, India, from January 2017 to December 2018. Data were retrieved electronically from the clinical workstation. Categorized variables were summarized using counts and percentages. Quantitative variables were summarized using mean and standard deviation (SD). Results: During the study period, a total of 381 patients with a mean age of 36.16 (SD: 13.9) years presented to the ED. Male (81.9%) predominance was noted among these victims. A majority of them, i.e., 257 (67%) victims, were assaulted by people that were known to them, of which 66 (17.3%) victims were reported as domestic violence. Blunt objects were used in most, i.e., 234 (61.4%) cases. A spike in the incidence of assault, in general, was noted in the month of September during the South Indian festival season. Approximately one-fourth (21.3%) of the victims required hospital admission. Overall, 15.74% of the victims had to undergo major surgical procedures. There were no mortalities recorded among these study participants. Conclusions: Violence and its consequences lead to severe injuries and levy a heavy burden on health care. There is an urgent need to address the social and emotional needs of adolescents and young adults who are most at risk of being the victims of assault.
Keywords: Assault, blunt object injuries, domestic violence, interpersonal violence, profile of assault injuries
Hazra D, Nekkanti AC, Prabhakar Abhilash KP. Injury pattern and outcome of assault victims: An emergency department perspective. Arch Trauma Res 2020;9:154-9
Hazra D, Nekkanti AC, Prabhakar Abhilash KP. Injury pattern and outcome of assault victims: An emergency department perspective. Arch Trauma Res [serial online] 2020 [cited 2021 Jan 21];9:154-9. Available from: https://www.archtrauma.com/text.asp?2020/9/4/154/305072
Violence is defined as, "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person or against a group or community, that either results in or has high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation.[1],[2] Domestic violence is referred to as an abusive expression secondary to stress (financial, mental, fear and patriarchy).[1],[2] The experience of assault or violence-related injuries has a negative psychological impact on any individual. Depression, anxiety, fear, hypervigilance, and anger are common reactions.[2]
Studies done in the West and in India have shown that assault-related injuries as a leading cause of preventable injuries.[3],[4] These studies also demonstrated that injury rates secondary to assault or violence are 3.6 times higher in low-to-middle-income countries than high-income countries, whereas mortality rates are 13.8 times higher in low-to-middle-income countries. In Europe, assault-related injuries kill approximately 237,000 people annually, whereas India reports one of the highest incidences of assault among the South East Asian countries.[2],[5],[6],[7],[8] After thorough literature search, we noted that there is a discrepancy in the spectrum of these incidents between various geographical locations, even within the country, and this may be related to the political atmosphere, religious freedoms, alcohol and drug consumption, financial backgrounds, and other socioeconomic factors.[4],[6],[9] The weapons available in our locality are vastly different from other parts of the country as well as the world; hence, the type and severity of the injuries also tend to be different.[3],[10],[11],[12]
These forms of preventable physical injuries lead to the victim's economic loss and contribute to disability-adjusted life year (DALY).[13],[14] The severity of these injuries may vary from simple soft laceration to complex fractures. The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided guidelines to initiate violence prevention activities in all countries, the first step for which is the surveillance of violence-related deaths and injuries. These victims usually require a multidisciplinary team for management, where the emergency department (ED) physician plays an important role. This reiterates the need for adequate training of all ED professionals including physicians, nurses, and technicians with emphasis on quick identification of problems, targeted diagnosis, and immediate resuscitation. The WHO has recommended for ED data as the source to measure interpersonal violence-related morbidity and mortality.[15]
This study aims to assess the profile of assault victims, those present to the ED, profile of perpetrators, spectrum of weapons used by the assaulter in our locality (Vellore, Tamil Nadu), and the severity of injury based on the New Injury Severity Score (NISS). To our knowledge, this is the first study that focuses on the profile and outcome of assault victims in South India.
This is a case-series analysis conducted in the ED of Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, a large tertiary medical care center of South India. Our ED is a 49-bed department and tends to about 300 patients per day including trauma and nontrauma patients. We recruited all assault victims based on their history and clinical findings at presentation to the ED during January 2017 to December 2018. The study size was based on a retrospective cohort study done in Central India, in which the prevalence of assault victims among trauma patients was noted to be 31.3%.[11] With a 5% precision and a 95% confidence interval, the required sample size of the study was calculated to be 344. We reviewed a total of 381 patients over a period of 24 months to assess seasonal variation. Charts with missing data were excluded from the study.
The charts of these victims were reviewed from the clinical workstation and the triage registry software, and the relevant details of history, clinical examination, laboratory, and radiological investigations were documented in a standard spreadsheet. Perpetrator profile, weapon (s), and history of consumption of alcohol at the time of the incident (if documented) used were documented and analyzed. Further, triage priority level, NISS, ED management, and hospital outcome were noted. NISS is an anatomical scoring system of severity of trauma and is calculated by the sum of the squares of the Abbreviated Injury Scale scores of three of the patient's most severe injuries irrespective of the body region in which they occur.[16] Triaging of trauma victims was done by standard Canadian triage system and is summarized as follows:
Triage Priority I: Patients with compromised airway, breathing or circulatory status, and/or severe head injury with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) ≤8
Triage Priority II: Patients with a patent airway and no breathing or circulatory compromise. These included patients with long bone injuries, stable abdomino-thoracic injuries, and mild-to-moderate head injury
Triage Priority 3: Patients with minor trauma without any hemodynamic instability.
All patients had relevant radiological tests and routine blood investigations based on the initial primary and secondary surveys. The outcome of these patients from the ED with regard to admission-requiring major/minor surgical intervention, discharge, and leave against medical advice was documented separately.
All these categorical variables were expressed as frequencies and percentages. The data were then analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows software released 2015, version 23.0, Armonk, New York, USA. These data were hereafter summarized using mean along with standard deviation (SD) for continuous variables, and frequencies along with percentages were calculated. The factors associated with severity of injuries in terms of NISS in these victims were determined by univariate analysis.
Before the commencement of the study, approval from the Institutional Review Board Ethical Committee was obtained (IRB Min no: 12222 dated August 22, 2019). Patient confidentiality was maintained using unique identifiers and by password-protected data entry software with restricted users.
A total of 143,621 trauma patients presented to the ED during the study period from January 2017 to December 2018. Among them, 381 (2.80%) were assault victims [Figure 1]. These patient's charts were screened and included in the study. There were many anticipated and unanticipated outcomes of the study that became significant to conclusions drawn by the research.
Figure 1: Grade checklist
The age of the patients varied from 7 to 77 years, with a mean age of 36.16 (SD: 13.9) years. Male predominance was observed as expected with 312 (81.9%) victims. There was a positive history of alcohol consumption at the time of the incident in 21 (5.5%) cases [Table 1]. The triage priority was classified based on GCS, hemodynamic stability, and severity of injury [Table 1]. The triage priority level and regions of the body involved in these incidents are shown in [Figure 2].
Table 1: Baseline characteristics
Figure 2: Triage priority level and regions of the body involved
Profile of perpetrator, weapons used, and injury profile
We noticed that two-thirds, 257 (67.4%), of the perpetrators or the offender who has committed the act of assaulting the victim were close relatives, friends, or neighbors. Among these groups, the alleged history of domestic violence was reported in 66 (17.3%) cases, as given in [Table 1]. The details of the types of weapons are given in [Figure 3]. Most of the patients sustained laceration injuries or cut injuries, i.e., 261 (68.5%) victims, that were mostly over the extremities or face probably due to self-defense. Facial injuries were seen in 116 (30.4%) victims, head-and-neck injuries in 90 (23.7%) victims, thoracic injuries in 33 (8.7%) victims, abdominal and perineal injuries in 45 (11.8%) victims, injury to extremities in 81 (21.3%) victims, and other external injuries such as sprains, abrasions, small lacerations, etc., in 134 (35.2%) victims. Among these, there were 33 (8.7%) penetrating injuries mainly to the abdomen and thorax requiring urgent emergency surgical interventions. All fractures, irrespective of site (cranial bones, facial bones, long bones, etc.), amounted to 139 (36.5%), whereas dislocations to 21 (5.5%) injuries [Figure 3].
Figure 3: Object used and injuries
Monthly variation of incidents
There was an increasing trend in the number of incidents 14.44% (55) in the month of September as portrayed in details in [Figure 4], probably due to the various religious festivals celebrated in South India, when violence usually spikes.
Figure 4: Monthly variation of incidents
Predictors of severity of injury based on the New Injury Severity Score
The univariate analysis for predictors of severity of injury based on NISS in Priority 1 and 2 patients is given in [Table 2]. Patients in the age group of 15–30 years (unadjusted odds ratio [OR]: 6.96 [2.27–21.41]; P < 0.001), and the time of the incident (10.00 pm–6.00 am) (unadjusted OR: 4.14 [1.65–10.34]; P = 0.001) were the independent risk factors associated with high severity of injuries based on the anatomical scoring system.
Table 2: Univariate analysis for predictors of severity of assault injuries in Priority 1 and 2 patients based on new injury severity score ≥8
Management, emergency department, and hospital outcome
The ED team alone treated and discharged around one-third, 108 (28.3%), of the total victims, while the remaining required evaluation and treatment by various trauma surgical teams, details of which are given in [Figure 5]. Most of the patients, i.e., 170, were taken up for minor emergency procedures such as wound wash, debridement, suturing, or nailing of the fractures in the minor theater of the ED itself. There were 81 (21.3%) of all the study patients who were admitted into the ward; 60 patients had to undergo major surgical interventions, and the rest were managed conservatively. Most of the patients who were not admitted were discharged 285 (74.8%) stable with advice to follow-up in the outpatient department or plan for elective surgical procedures at a later date. The rest left against medical advice 15 (3.9%) after primary care. There were no mortalities recorded among these study participants.
Figure 5: Departments managing patients in the emergency department and admission
Violence has drastic physical, psychological, social, and economic impacts. Violence-related injuries have been the subject of much interest as a public health issue in developing countries due to the DALYs associated with it.[8],[12],[13],[14] In previous studies, this was found to be as high as 8.4%, and this reiterates the need for effective preventive strategies.[17] For this to be successful, accurate surveillance data are critical but are lacking in our country. Furthermore, these incidents vary significantly between regions, depending on various sociocultural and economic factors.[3],[8],[12],[18] This study focused on assault-related injuries with the objective of describing the demography of victims and assailants, the nature and circumstances of the assault, object used to cause harm, areas of the body injured, severity of injuries, management in ED, and outcome of their hospital stay.
The proportion of violence-related injuries in our study accounted for 2.8 of all the trauma patients. It was noted that the victims of assault were frequently young males, belonging to the 15–34 year age group, and assaults were most common in late evenings and nights, both of which were expected as like in other studies.[19] Majority of the incidents, i.e., 211 (55.4%), occurred in the late evening from 1700 h to 0000 h. The aggravating causes were usually land ownership-related issues seen in the the older age group, domestic violence against the spouse, heated arguments among college students, injuries inflicted during theft, etc.It must also be noted that the rate of domestic violence is likely to be underreported in our country due to cultural and social pressures.
Contrary to other studies in the West and in India, we did not come across victims of sexual assault, though it goes to reason that they have a low rate of reporting these incidents due to social taboo.[20],[21],[22] Another probable explanation could be that sexual assault is usually more rampant in the lower socioeconomic classes, which would preclude them from presenting to a private tertiary center such as ours. We also did not elicit any political-inspired motive for assault which was differing from previous studies done in India. This was probably due to relatively less political unrest in a small town like ours, or the likelihood of the involvement of the police in such instances wherein the victims are taken to a government hospital setup.
We also found a variation within the year regarding the incidence of assault, with a clear spike seen in the months of August/September. The cause for this was thought to be the rampant public celebration of festivals such as Muharram, Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri, etc., in large crowds where alcohol consumption, especially among young adults, is common.[23],[24] These incidences can be decreased to an extent by ensuring better crowd control, increasing security, and restricting the sale of alcohol during this season. Our study demonstrated that in majority of the victims, the mechanism of assault was by blunt objects, in which the use of body parts such as fist and feet was most common. In many cases of violence-related injuries in the West, as well as in some parts of India, gunshot injuries were highly prevalent.[10],[25] On the contrary, the spectrum of weapons used in our region were mostly blunt objects such as rods and sticks, with a surprisingly low rate of gun-related violence. This is likely due to the limited access to guns and explosives or financial constraints that prevent them from owning these weapons.
Soft-tissue injuries (contusions, bruises, abrasions, and lacerations) and fractures were the most frequent injuries seen with the head, neck, face, and extremities most commonly affected. This could be due to the natural self-defense posture taken by the victims at the time of the incident. Moreover, the assailants would be more likely to strike more accessible areas of the body to cause grievous injury. The type of injury could be co-related with the type of weapon used, and the increased incidence of fractures and soft-tissue injuries could be explained by the more common use of blunt objects/body parts to cause harm. Further, penetrating injuries to the thorax and abdomen were less commonly seen as was the use of sharp objects.
Significant univariate analysis for predictors of severity of injury based on NISS among Priority 1 and 2 patients, demonstrated that the likelihood of victims having a severe injury (NISS ≥8) were between the ages of 15–30 years and if victims were assaulted at night between 2200 h and 0600 h.
Majority of the patients could be discharged directly from the ED after primary care. This was possible due to qualified and efficient ED professionals, aided by the backbone of a multispecialty team of trauma surgeons, neurosurgeons, orthopedics, plastic surgeons, ear, nose, and throat surgeons, and orthodontists. This study demonstrates that there is an urgent need to address the social and emotional needs of adolescents and young adults in our country. Efficient law enforcement, especially at nights and during festivals, will also go a long way toward decreasing the incidence of assault.
Strengths of our study
Owing to the comparatively larger study population, our analysis can contribute to our understanding of assault injures, severity on NISS, and outcome as well as aid in highlighting region-specific needs that are to be met in order to alleviate some of this burden.
This is data from a single large tertiary care center which may have resulted in patient selection and an inherent referral pattern bias. Missing patient records and incomplete data were other limitations of our case-series study.
Prevention should be focused on high-risk populations, which according to these data include young adults and men. ED professionals should be equipped to administer prompt and potentially life-saving management to these victims. Assault cases are sensitive and should be dealt with as such, with mandatory police intimation. Education programs, regulating availability of alcohol, and development of support groups for the at-risk are promising interventions.
Research quality and ethics statement
The authors of this manuscript declare that this scientific work complies with reporting quality, formatting, and reproducibility guidelines set forth by the EQUATOR Network. The authors also attest that this clinical investigation was determined to require Institutional Review Board/Ethics Committee review, and the corresponding protocol/approval number is IRB Min no: 12222 dated August 22, 2019. We also certify that we have not plagiarized the contents in this submission and have done a Plagiarism Check.
Rutherford A, Zwi AB, Grove NJ, Butchart A. Violence: A glossary. J Epidemiol Community Health 2007;61:676-80.
Kruse M, Sørensen J, Brønnum-Hansen H, Helweg-Larsen K. Identifying victims of violence using register-based data. Scand J Public Health 2010;38:611-7.
Baruah A, Baruha A. Epidemiological study of violence: A study from North East India. Indian J Community Med 2007;32:137.
Mercy JA, Hillis SD, Butchart A, Bellis MA, Ward CL, Fang X, et al. Interpersonal Violence: Global Impact and Paths to Prevention. In: Mock CN, Nugent R, Kobusingye O, Smith KR, editors. Injury Prevention and Environmental Health [Internet]. 3rd ed. Washington (DC): The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank; 2017. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525208/. [Last cited on 2020 Mar 04].
Sivarajasingam V, Shepherd JP. Trends in community violence in England and Wales 1995-1998: An accident and emergency department perspective. Emerg Med J 2001;18:105-9.
Steen K, Hunskaar S. Violence in an urban community from the perspective of an accident and emergency department: A two-year prospective study. Med Sci Monit 2004;10:CR75-9.
Corso PS, Mercy JA, Simon TR, Finkelstein EA, Miller TR. Medical costs and productivity losses due to interpersonal and self-directed violence in the United States. Am J Prev Med 2007;32:474-82.
Gal M, Rus D, Peek-Asa C, Cherecheş RM, Sirlincan EO, Boeriu C, et al. Epidemiology of assault and self-harm injuries treated in a large Romanian Emergency Department. Eur J Emerg Med 2012;19:146-52.
Mahapatro M, Gupta R, Gupta V. The risk factor of domestic violence in India. Indian J Community Med 2012;37:153-7.
Gun violence: Prediction, Prevention, and Policy. Available from: https://www.apa.org; https://www.apa.org/pubs/info/reports/gun-violence-prevention. [Last accessed on 2020 Jun 04].
Swarnkar M, Pal G, Lilhare S. Assault and self-harm injuries: Pattern, severity and etiology of injuries in victims attending emergency department of teaching hospital in central India. Int Surg J 2016;3:1618-22.
Thube HR, Chikhalkar BG, Nanandkar SD. A prospective study of injury pattern in victim of assault attended in South Mumbai Government Hospital. J Indian Acad Forensic Med 2015;37:37.
Kyu HH, Abate D, Abate KH, Abay SM, Abbafati C, Abbasi N, et al. Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 359 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet 2018;392:1859-922.
Lee WK, Lim D, Park H. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for injuries using death certificates and hospital discharge survey by the Korean Burden of disease study 2012. J Korean Med Sci 2016;31 Suppl 2:S200-7.
Available from: https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/en/chap1.pdf. [Last accessed on 2020 Jul 30].
Osler T, Baker SP, Long W. A modification of the injury severity score that both improves accuracy and simplifies scoring. J Trauma 1997;43:922-5.
Haagsma JA, Graetz N, Bolliger I, Naghavi M, Higashi H, Mullany EC, et al. The global burden of injury: Incidence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years and time trends from the Global Burden of Disease study 2013. Inj Prev 2016;22:3-18.
Khan I, Shakeel M, Usmani JA, Hasan SA. Emerging trends of intentional firearm injuries in northern India: A Study. J Clin Diagn Res 2016;10:HC01-4.
Abhilash KP, Chakraborthy N, Pandian GR, Dhanawade VS, Bhanu TK, Priya K. Profile of trauma patients in the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital in South India. J Family Med Prim Care 2016;5:558-63.
Sousa CA. Political violence, collective functioning and health: a review of the literature. Med Confl Surviv 2013;29:169-97.
Hill S, Marshall TC. Beliefs about sexual assault in India and Britain are explained by attitudes toward women and hostile sexism. Sex Roles 2018;79:421-30.
Sahu G, Mohanty S, Dash JK. Vulnerable victims of sexual assault. Med Sci Law 2005;45:256-60.
Aggression Involving Alcohol: Relationship to Drinking Patterns and Social Context-Wells-2003-Addiction-Wiley Online Library. Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1360-0443.2003.00253.x?sid=nlm%3Apubmed. [Last accessed on 2020 Jun 04].
Norström T, Pape H. Alcohol, suppressed anger and violence. Addiction 2010;105:1580-6.
Fowler KA, Dahlberg LL, Haileyesus T, Annest JL. Firearm injuries in the United States. Prev Med 2015;79:5-14.
[Figure 1], [Figure 2], [Figure 3], [Figure 4], [Figure 5]
[Table 1], [Table 2]
Hazra D
Nekkanti AC
Prabhakar Abhilash KP
blunt object injuries
profile of assault injuries
© Archives of Trauma Research | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow
Online since 05 Sep 2017.


This study performs a fragility assessment of a combined heavy timber-steel friction braced framing system through hybrid testing. In this study, one bottom storey bay of a 7 storey prototype structure is physically tested in the laboratory while the remaining lower bays and the upper 6 storeys are modeled numerically in OpenSees. One hundred and sixty five hybrid tests are performed through incremental dynamic analysis and fragility curves are developed to estimate the probability of damage at varying seismic intensities. The prototype structure is assessed at various performance levels including design and maximum credible hazard levels. The results from the hybrid test are compared with the results from the purely analytical simulation to assess the accuracy of the current finite element modeling techniques. Results show good agreement up to 2.0 percent maximum interstorey drift. The modeling system exhibits predictable behaviour and experimental results indicate the model is conservative.


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SportChevron Right IconNational Basketball Association (NBA)
Hot Curry, LeBron fire in latest NBA wins
Published: 29/11/2021 Updated: Monday, 29 November 2021 5:13 PM GMT+11
Stephen Curry disputes a call by the referee in Golden State's NBA win over the LA Clippers. Credit: AP
Stephen Curry is among the most dangerous players in the NBA and an angry two-time MVP proved to be more lethal.
The Golden State star took out his frustrations on the Los Angeles Clippers after being called for a technical foul in the fourth quarter - for remonstrating with a referee over a non-call.
Curry scored 11 of his 33 points after that as the Warriors extended their winning streak to eight with a 105-90 victory.
"It was just an accumulation of all types of weird stuff. All that led into where I thought I got a foul," Curry, who also had a season-high six steals to go with five rebounds and six assists, said.
"It definitely fired me and the team up. After that it was time to direct my energy into putting the ball in the basket."
Curry finished with seven three-pointers to take his tally for the season to 100 in just 19 games - improving his own record for the least number of games to reach that mark in a single campaign.
They improved their NBA-best record to 18-2 heading into a showdown on Tuesday night in Phoenix against the streaking Suns - who are 17-3 after winning 16 straight.
In more positive signs for the Warriors, Klay Thompson (Achilles) - who has not played since Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals - and James Wiseman (knee) were both assigned to the team's G League affiliate as they continue their way back from injury.
Defending champions Milwaukee extended their winning streak to seven by cruising past the Indiana Pacers 118-100.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points and 13 rebounds while Jrue Holiday added 23 points as one of six Bucks players to score in double figures.
"We're playing together and everybody is contributing," Holiday said.
"It's been fun."
LeBron James recorded 33 points and nine assists to help the Los Angeles Lakers notch a 110-106 victory over the visiting Detroit Pistons.
Russell Westbrook had 25 points and nine assists and Anthony Davis contributed 24 points and 10 rebounds as the Lakers (11-11) won for just the third time in eight games.
"It's disappointing (not to win more convincingly), but at the same time I understand the process," Westbrook said.
"Adversity is something that I think is great in life in general ... It shows who you really are when things aren't going your way."
The contest was a rematch of the game in Detroit seven days earlier when James and the Pistons' Isaiah Stewart were involved in a wild brawl that saw James suspended for one game and Stewart for two contests.
Elsewhere, the Boston Celtics overcame the Toronto Raptors 109-97 while the Memphis Grizzlies crushed the Sacramento Kings 128-101.


2012 Christmas Discount: Three Weeks Remain!
Emergency: Your Facebook Privacy could be at stake!
Hosting Prices frozen for 2014!
Student Hosting just got better!
We failed. Facebook will, once again, do whatever they like.


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What is a Human? — Part III
August 8, 2014 | Freedom of Association, Politics, Society, Transgender
"Greetings from Earth" Image of male and female, representing the reality of humanity, as inscribed on plaques in Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecrafts, launched by NASA, 1972, 1973.
If you're a reasonable person, you probably don't mind engaging on a topic that involves the reality of things. Facts are within this realm. Observable truth, is, for example, that Boston is north of Washington. Of course, we must all agree on the definition of the word "North" in order to arrive at any agreement. And we must all agree on the relative locations of Washington and Boston. If everyone in the room were suddenly to challenge this fact, and say that Boston is south of Washington, you'd be taken aback.
When a fact is challenged loudly, it's destabilizing because that takes us to a place of unreality. If we're stuck in that realm long enough we can lose our compass, our anchor. And things start looking very surrealistic as we enter that Twilight Zone.
Exchanging opinions, beliefs and various dogmas are a different story. If you believe something very strongly, but it's not part of the realm of universally observable fact, you should expect some skepticism when you express it publicly. UFOs fall into this category. And I would say transgenderism does as well. The problem is that transgender law is hellbent on challenging essential facts about human reality.
One observable fact about humanity — defined in science as well as biblically and in the plaque of the Pioneer spacecraft illustrated above – is that it comes in two kinds. Males and females are the same in all of their biological systems, except for the reproductive system. In that they are absolutely distinct. The question transgenderism raises for us is: Can a person who rejects the sex they were "assigned" at birth become the other sex because he or she believes it to be so? If you say the answer is "Yes," then pray tell: what does that mean for our sense of reality?
It means some seismic things. If we no longer agree on the definition of terms "male" and "female" that has vast implications for everything else in the landscape. When the terms are corrupted, when the map is compromised, people easily become displaced and disoriented, without direction — which means ripe for manipulation. This changes the whole experience of being human, placing us in a trap of ambiguity as to who and what we are.
If that's where transgenderism leads us, what does it bode for human relationships? And power and freedom?
To be continued . . . .
What is a Human? — Part II
August 7, 2014 | Family, Feminism, Gender, Law, Society, Transgender
The New Yorker piece I discussed yesterday — "What is a Woman?" — has gotten quite a bit of attention. I noticed in my news feed that even Rush Limbaugh picked up on it during his show yesterday. You can read the transcript here, in which Limbaugh talks about what he calls "The Feminazis vs. the Transgenders." Limbaugh confessed little understanding. (And, boy, he sure doesn't get it.) The transcript reveals that the caller was likely a transgender activist. He seemed to use quite a bit of humor and ingratiating wile to promote the trans agenda and steer Limbaugh's listeners into dismissing the radical feminists. (Rush should give rad fems equal time.)
So, what is the agenda of the transgender activists? On the surface, it's supposed to be about non-discrimination. About allowing people to present to society whichever gender they say they are, and not suffer any negative consequences in employment, housing, business, or anything. But the underlying premise of transgender rights is that our sex is "assigned" to us at birth. This is key to understanding how it affects each and every one of us in law. The insidious term "assigned" has been sneaked into legislation as a given, and is not even up for debate. And so the trans agenda's first order of business to shove their laws through and silence anyone who questions them. Which brings us to a thorn in their side — the rad fems.
What is the agenda of the Radical Feminists? Transgender activists have dubbed them: "Transgender Exclusionary Radical Feminists" and use the acronym "TERF" as a slur. (This is partly because rad fems believe women have a right to ban male-to-female transgenders from women-only facilities and venues, and refuse to use trans "preferred pronouns.") Rad fems argue that being born male is a privilege and any man carries that privilege with him even if he "transitions" to female. The act of transitioning only accentuates gender, and perpetuates and promotes a patriarchal society, according to rad fems.
I will add one more important thing about the radical feminists. In my view, they're doing a great service by lending their voice against the transgender push to transition and sterilize children based on a child's perceived "gender identity dysphoria." We all should be glad and grateful that they are speaking out against this barbaric practice.
The transgender route to power is strewn with evasion, deception, and dysfunction. It uses a lot of strong arm tactics (which we might even call patriarchal) of silencing all opponents, especially a vocal minority who stands for a much purer version of their purported agenda of equality. The trans agenda also has a lot of influence and huge sums of money behind its agenda, including the full support of the Obama Administration. Trans activists have pushed very hard through their window of opportunity which remains open only so long as enough people stay ignorant of their real aim: which is to redefine the humanity of us all.
To be continued . . .
What is a Human?
August 6, 2014 | Culture, Feminism, Freedom of Association, Politics, Society, Transgender
"What is a Woman?" is the title of a very recent feature about transgenderism in New Yorker Magazine. It focuses on a bitter debate going on between transgender activists and radical feminists. The trans activists would have you believe that being a woman is something you can define for yourself. They'd say a man is a woman if he believes himself to be so. "Not so!" retort the radical feminists who reject that idea pretty much as just another example — quirky but more insidious than ever — of male chauvinism. The latter call themselves "rad fems" and seem to be a remnant of the feminism of the 60's. Rank and file feminists of today have marginalized and abandoned them, choosing to fall in line with the trans agenda.
If you have the chance to read the New Yorker piece at the link above, you'll want to ask yourselves these questions: What do the trans activists want? What do the rad fems want? What exactly is going on here? And what has it got to do with me? On the last point I would say it has everything to do with you. This is not a debate we can chuckle about on the sidelines. For those not tuned into the gender wars, this may seem amusing.
But I personally see nothing amusing about it. There's something seismic going on beneath the surface and we ought to be very aware of it. What is really at stake here is not merely a matter of defining what a woman is. There is a hidden and much bigger question at stake: "What is a Human?" And that's the question the trans agenda really intends to settle for each and every one of us. It's intended to define all of us and all of our personal relationships.
Let's pay attention . . . to be continued tomorrow.


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