Wonderful all brick ranch. Beautifully landscaped, large lot. Super location in wonderful neighborhood, convenient to shopping and dining. Step into the great room with vaulted ceilings and fireplace, beautiful hardwood floors in the foyer and kitchen. Loads of cabinets, lovely eating area with bay window in kitchen. Adjoining the kitchen is a lovely 3 seasons room. Adjacent to the kitchen is a half bath laundry room and computer or hobby room (9.11 x 5.8). The bedroom wing consists of 3 bedrooms including a master suite with vaulted ceiling and an en suite bath with separate shower, whirlpool tub and double vanities. Brand new carpeting in the bedrooms. The full basement is partially finished with a three separate rooms, one could be a bedroom and another an office. There is also a 3/4 bath in the basement level. New large trex type deck. An extra bonus is the large 3 car garage. Very well maintained, a true gem!
Directions:Calumet Ave. to Country Club Rd. Turn on Chandana Trail to house on left.
Listing provided courtesy of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Executive Group Real Estate.


The introduction paid off. Mr. Steckbeck's company, Oakland-based Peptilogics Inc., recently closed on a $5.5 million Series A financing round led by Facebook Inc.'s first major investor Peter Thiel. Mr. Stephan, a serial entrepreneur and chair of the department of human genetics at the University of Pittsburgh, has become Peptilogics chairman.
Moreover, Peptilogics is among 10 startup companies that will have work space in Pitt's new business accelerator that is planned for the Strip District — all things that happened after a chance meeting over coffee.
Peptilogics, which now employs 15 people, is preparing for clinical trials of its first product by mid-2018, a medicine to treat the toughest infections. Marketing of its first product will hinge on how well the clinical trials go.
A World Health Organization report in September identified 51 new biologicals and antibiotics in clinical development to treat priority antibiotic-resistant organisms, but only eight of those were classed by WHO as innovative treatments that will add value to current treatments.
"Antimicrobial resistance is a global health emergency that will severely jeopardize progress in modern medicine," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a prepared statement.
Peptilogics' secret, licensed from the University of Pittsburgh, kills bacteria by creating weak spots in cell membranes, leading to cell death. That's a shift from having to get inside the cell to disrupt the inner workings, which is how antibiotics have worked for decades.
The 5-year-old company, which also has an office in San Jose, does not yet have revenue.
Mr. Steckbeck, a native of Lebanon, Pa., and Peptilogics president and chief scientific officer, received an MBA as well as an PhD in biochemistry, at Pitt. He became interested in how amino acid chains, called peptides, interact with membranes during his doctoral work, then focused on how peptides can be harnessed to weaken bacteria cell membrane as a post-doc.
Peptilogics' target is bacteria that inevitably find ways to resist antibiotics and cause life threatening diseases.
More than 2 million people are sickened each year by antibiotic resistant infections, resulting in at least 23,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed medications, but up to half of the prescriptions are not needed or effective — setting the stage for drug resistance.
Among the organisms that Peptilogics' first product will target are so-called Gram-negative bacteria. Pneumonia and bloodstream infections are among the problems caused by the bacteria.
New drug development can be a costly venture. Not so long ago, pharma startups needed a partner, a much larger drugmaker, for example, to bring a new medicine to market.
© Copyright 2014 BlueTree Venture Fund. All Rights Reserved.


text:
from functools import total_ordering

from cffi import FFI

ffi = FFI()

ffi.cdef("""
void long_store(long *, long *);
long long_add_and_fetch(long *, long);
long long_sub_and_fetch(long *, long);
long long_get_and_set(long *, long);
long long_compare_and_set(long *, long *, long);
""")

atomic = ffi.verify("""
void long_store(long *v, long *n) {
    __atomic_store(v, n, __ATOMIC_SEQ_CST);
};
long long_add_and_fetch(long *v, long i) {
    return __atomic_add_fetch(v, i, __ATOMIC_SEQ_CST);
};
long long_sub_and_fetch(long *v, long i) {
    return __atomic_sub_fetch(v, i, __ATOMIC_SEQ_CST);
};
long long_get_and_set(long *v, long n) {
    return __atomic_exchange_n(v, n, __ATOMIC_SEQ_CST);
};
long long_compare_and_set(long *v, long *e, long n) {
    return __atomic_compare_exchange_n(v, e, n, 0, __ATOMIC_SEQ_CST, __ATOMIC_SEQ_CST);
};
""")

@total_ordering
class AtomicLong(object):
    """
    An atomic class that guarantees atomic updates to its contained integer value.
    """
    def __init__(self, value=None):
        """
        Creates a new AtomicLong with the given initial value.

        :param value: initial value
        """
        self._value = ffi.new('long *', value)

    def __repr__(self):
        return '<{0} at 0x{1:x}: {2!r}>'.format(
            self.__class__.__name__, id(self), self.value)

    @property
    def value(self):
        return self._value[0]

    @value.setter
    def value(self, new):
        atomic.long_store(self._value, ffi.new('long *', new))

    def __iadd__(self, inc):
        atomic.long_add_and_fetch(self._value, inc)
        return self

    def __isub__(self, dec):
        atomic.long_sub_and_fetch(self._value, dec)
        return self

    def get_and_set(self, new_value):
        """Atomically sets to the given value and returns the old value

        :param new_value: the new value
        """
        return atomic.long_get_and_set(self._value, new_value)

    def swap(self, new_value):
        return self.get_and_set(new_value)

    def compare_and_set(self, expect_value, new_value):
        """
        Atomically sets the value to the given value if the current value is
        equal to the expected value.

        :param expect_value: the expected value
        :param new_value: the new value
        """
        return bool(atomic.long_compare_and_set(self._value, ffi.new('long *', expect_value), new_value))

    def compare_and_swap(self, expect_value, new_value):
        return self.compare_and_set(expect_value, new_value)

    def __eq__(self, a):
        if self is a:
            return True
        elif isinstance(a, AtomicLong):
            return self.value == a.value
        else:
            return self.value == a

    def __ne__(self, a):
        return not (self == a)

    def __lt__(self, a):
        if self is a:
            return False
        elif isinstance(a, AtomicLong):
            return self.value < a.value
        else:
            return self.value < a

class AtomicLongArray(object):
    """
    An atomic class that guarantees atomic updates to its contained integer values.
    """
    def __init__(self, array=[]):
        """
        Creates a new AtomicLongArray with the given initial array of integers.

        :param array: initial values
        """
        self._array = [AtomicLong(x) for x in array]

    def __repr__(self):
        return '<{0} at 0x{1:x}: {2!r}>'.format(
            self.__class__.__name__, id(self), self.value)

    def __len__(self):
        return len(self._array)

    def __getitem__(self, key):
        return self._array[key]

    def __setitem__(self, key, value):
        if isinstance(value, AtomicLong):
            self._array[key] = value
        else:
            self._array[key].value = value

    def __iter__(self):
        for a in self._array:
            yield a.value

    @property
    def value(self):
        return [a.value for a in self._array]

    @value.setter
    def value(self, new=[]):
        self._array = [AtomicLong(int(x)) for x in new]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Guitar amplifiers simply amplify the sound signal fed to it from the guitar and it in turn drives the guitar loudspeaker. Electric guitars are considered a very passive instrument. Main reason behind it is that they do not need any direct power supply. Very few of them are powered by an onboard battery. Actually it's the vibration of strings which produces signal in coil. A guitar amplifier is basically called a combination amplifier, which consists of a speakers and amplifiers. Its cabinet consists of processors, knobs, dial, buttons, which control the volume set.
In case of the guitar player, an amplifier helps to play one role it only makes the guitar louder. It equalizes the signal and removes distortion or any other effects. The essential task of the guitar amplifier is to produce boosted sound volume with clarity. The increased amplitude of output wave leads to the proper functioning of guitar.
Everyone is fully aware of what the amplifiers do; it takes the guitar's signal and makes it audible by boosting it to such amplitude which is enough to drive a speaker. There is some difference between amplifiers of electric guitar and that of stereo systems. The amplifier used in stereos, reproduce and amplify sound with minor distortion. Whereas with electric guitar amp, musicians need both distortion and also clean sound. What distortion means, it is produced whenever the signal is too powerful for that circuitry of amplifier. It is always there with the sound signal and electric guitars have the option to control this distortion. The various types of guitar amplifiers available in the market are electric guitars, acoustic guitars bass guitars and many others.
If the sound that comes out of the amp and speaker is loud enough, it will automatically cause guitar's strings to vibrate. It depends on whether the signal fed to the input of the guitar amp works or not otherwise the signal might be fed to the preamplifiers whose output is fed to the guitar amp. With the recent advancements in the technology adopted by musicians, the electric guitar still has a prominent place. It helps to inspire entirely new type of music. Since its invention in 20th century, electric guitar is considered the most prominent instrument in rock music. Rock band is really incomplete without it.
All the above information is just a brief introduction about guitar amplifiers, there is lot much to know about it in-depth.
The author is an expert in writing articles on audio equipments such as Amplifiers and Tube Amplifiers.


text:
BBC Studios
Breaking Bobby Bones
Bobby Bones crisscrosses the country to meet everyday heroes who have extraordinary jobs, hobbies and abilities, welcoming him with open arms to give him a crash course in their specialized skills.
Mike and Karen are nearly-40-somethings that are giving their relationship another go, five years after they split. The pair were always meant to be together, but Mike's ambition to become a professional entertainer meant that he was never at home. Now in his late 30s, Mike has realised what's actually important to him – he's given up life on the road to come back to Scarborough and give their relationship another go.
Professor Brian Cox explores the dramatic lives of the eight majestic planets/worlds that make up our solar system.
In 2019 the world is on the brink of an apocalypse as humanity prepares for a final judgment. But follies ensue — Aziraphale, a somewhat fussy angel, and Crowley, a demon aren't enthusiastic about the end of the world, and can't seem to find the Antichrist.
Max is a charismatic self-made American businessman with media outlets in London and around the world. When the self-destructive lifestyle of his 30 year-old son, Caden, spirals out of control, the devastating consequences threaten the future of the family, its empire, and a country on the brink of change.
A Vicar's Life
A Vicar's Life goes behind the scenes of the lives of country vicars at the heart of the rural community in the stunning Herefordshire countryside. From opening fêtes to marrying local couples, vicars are knitted into the fabric of country life, acting as a pillar of support in times of crisis and personal sorrow.
Each episode features stories from across the county giving a closer perspective on rural life, as seen through the eyes of the church. Village fetes, shooting drives, and local issues – all served up with a heavy dose of humour, charity, and inspiring local leadership.
A fresh take on an established favorite in which 12 celebrity kids will be partnered with professional junior ballroom dancers to perform choreographed routines.
Documentary series uncovering the secret lives of big cats, using the latest technology and scientific research to bring these animal superstars out of the shadows.
Country: France, UK, USA
DI Helen Weeks grapples with pregnancy as she undertakes a very personal abduction case.
This Country
The lives of cousins Kerry and Kurtan in the rural village of Cotswolds.
Tracey Ullman returns to British screens with her unique take on some of the extraordinary characters who live in, or are visiting, the global hub that is the UK.
David Attenborough presents a documentary series exploring how animals meet the challenges of surviving in the most iconic habitats on earth.
Genre: Documentary, Family
Uptight, try-hard dad Neil Hackett's decision to buy a lodge in the Lake District proves disastrous when he discovers he is living next door to the uber successful, effortlessly superior Dillons.
A horrific double murder rocks the lives of two families living side-by-side in isolated rural Scotland. But instead of focusing on the investigation, One of Us explores the fallout for the grieving relatives, and the dark consequences that threaten to shatter their lives.
The Coopers vs The Rest
The Cooper family share a small house, and absolutely no DNA. Mum Tess wanted to save as many kids as she could from the sort of childhood she had. So, along with her husband Toby, she now divides just about enough money and nowhere near enough time between their three adopted children Frankie, Alisha and Charlie.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The essay competition is open to students studying for an undergraduate (Bachelor's) degree or graduate (Master's) degree in a recognised institution of higher education whether public or private. M.Phil and Ph.D students are not eligible to take part in the competition.
The format should be as follows: single line between paragraphs, single spacing between lines of a paragraph, and 12 point Times New Roman font.
Essays must be original and unpublished. Plagiarism or canvassing in any form will lead to automatic disqualification.
The competition is open to Indian passport holders, resident in India.
The evaluation and selection of winners would be concluded by September 2015, and the winners announced in October 2015. Before the announcement, winners will be asked to present satisfactory proof of their eligibility in the form of a photo identity card. If necessary, the organisers will contact the institution in which the student is registered for further confirmation.
Winning essays will be published on the print and digital media of the organisers with the names of the authors.
The winners' trip will be a group tour scheduled so as not to interfere with exams. While individual constraints will be considered, their acceptance cannot be guaranteed.
The decision of the organisers and judges on all matters will be non-negotiable and final.
Your photograph may address the impact, challenges and solutions associated with climate change at any scale, from your everyday life to the world around you. Are you angry, powerless and scared or hopeful and inspired to take action? … Grab your camera, phone or tablet and show the world how you feel about the climate.
What does climate change mean to you? Let your imagination flow and tell your story in a single photograph!
Your work of art can range from purely photographic works to photographs with captions or small notes.
• The participant must be an Indian resident, aged 18 or older.
• The submitted photo must be an original work authored by the participant.
o the submitted work does not infringe the copyright or intellectual property rights of someone else.
• The participant hereby grants the European Union a non-exclusive right to use the submitted photo free of any charge for non- commercial purposes for the European Union web page, social media platforms and printed publications.
• The participant remains the owner of the copyright of the submitted work(s).
• The photo will be credited appropriately each time it is reproduced or communicated to the public by the European Union.
• If the winning photo contains recognisable images of children, the photographer will be asked to send a model release form, signed by the parents or the legal guardian of the minor, giving authorisation for the use of the photo.
The project will begin on Wednesday 17 June 2015 and will end on 17 September 2015. The winner of the jury prize and public prize will be announced in October 2015.
• Participants are limited to one contest entry per campaign.
• Only users who submit a photo be required to fill in the qualification form: voting participants may vote and leave without answering any qualification questions.
• The photo can be edited and manipulated by the participant. This means that the presentation of the motif may be manipulated in colour or composition (montage, collage, retouching etc.) to differ from the original motif. Re-sharpening and correction is also permitted.
• The participant hereby grants the European Union a non-exclusive right to use the submitted photo free of any charge for non-commercial purposes for the European Union web page, social media platforms and printed publications.
• Participants must be able to provide proof of their identity, age and place of residence in such a way that the European Union can check and disqualify entries for any breach of the rules.
• Public Prize – Based on the maximum number of 'likes' on a photograph, the owners of the top 2 photographs will be declared as the 'Climate Photo Prize' winners.
• Jury Prize – The photographs will be judged by our special editorial committee, together with our photo editors. After selection, 2 photographs will be declared as the ' Climate Photo Jury Prize' winners.
We love to encourage of winners of Photo Contest to keep clicking! That's why, this time we will award our 4 winners with a Canon EOS 700D camera plus 18-55mm and 55-250mm Lens!


Beneo develops and commercializes natural inulin and oligofructose food ingredients. Thew company was founded in 2007, and is headquartered in Mannheim, Germany.
Beneo is an ingredient company that is headquartered in Mannheim, Germany, and founded in 2007. Beneo makes functional fibres, functional carbohydrates, specialty rice ingredients, and functional proteins for use in food products that are primarily made from non-animal origins. Their ingredients are used to complete food products such as baked goods, babyfood, beverages, cereals, confectionary, dairy, meat, soups, and sauces. Beneo runs an organization called the Beneo Institute. The Beneo Institute provides a platform for governments, companies, and individuals to learn more about the the science behind Beneo ingredients, provide legislative advice, and provide manufacturing guidance for companies using ingredients made by Beneo.
Beneo boss: "Sustainability is part of our DNA"
Univar to Distribute BENEO Food Ingredients in the Eastern and Central U.S.


alaTest has collected and analyzed 19 reviews of Mr. Coffee TP30-2PK Iced Tea Maker 3 Quart Pitcher, 2 PACK. The average rating for this product is 4.2/5, compared to an average rating of 4.4/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews. People really like the reliability and durability. The noise and price also get good feedback.
We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Mr. Coffee TP30-2PK Iced Tea Maker 3 Quart Pitcher, 2 PACK is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 82/100 = Very good quality.


text:
Rep. Ilhan Omar leads Letter Calling for Accountability and Deescalation in Kashmir
WASHINGTON – Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) led six Members of Congress in a letter to the United States Ambassador to India Kenneth I. Juster and Chargé d' Affaires of United States Embassy in Pakistan Paul W. Jones requesting that the U.S. use diplomatic relationships with the Indian and Pakistan governments to respect human rights and deescalate the current crisis in Jammu and Kashmir.
Since August, the Indian government has shut off all communications to, from and within Kashmir. As a result, many Kashmiri-Americans have not been able to reach their family members in the region. There are multiple reports of enforced curfews to restrict freedom to assemble and allegations of disappearances, mass detentions, rape and sexual assault and the targeted detention of governmental leaders.
"This presents tremendous danger to global peace and a clear national security risk for the United States. Pakistan and India are both valued allies, crucial to our interests in the region, including the Afghanistan peace process," the Members wrote. "It is of the utmost importance that we leverage our relationships with their governments to deescalate the situation."
The letter was signed by Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva, Andy Levin, James P. McGovern, Ted Lieu, Alan Lowenthal and Donald S. Beyer.
You can read the full letter below and attached.
Dear Ambassadors Juster and Jones,
We are writing to express our grave concern regarding the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. It has now been nearly more than a month since the Indian government shut off communications to, from, and within Kashmir. This is a deeply ominous sign that is incompatible with both democratic and human rights norms. Coupled with the enforced curfew, it represents an unacceptable restriction on the freedoms of expression, assembly, and movement.
Several of our offices have heard from several Kashmiri-Americans who have, like Kashmiris around the globe, been unable to reach their family members and loved ones within Jammu and Kashmir. Although the reporting of what is happening inside Kashmir has necessarily been piecemeal and incomplete because of the communication shutdown, the reports we are all receiving are harrowing. These include allegations of forced disappearances, mass detentions, rape and sexual assault, and the targeted detention of political, economic, and social leaders.
Prominent international human rights NGOs – including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists – have issued alerts about the ongoing crisis in Kashmir. We are also deeply concerned that Genocide Watch has issued a genocide alert for Kashmir. They have identified seven genocide "risk factors" currently apply to the situation there, and that their Ten Stages are all "far advanced."
As you both know very well, there is also the risk that the relationship between India and Pakistan will continue to devolve as a result of this crisis. This presents tremendous danger to global peace and a clear national security risk for the United States. Pakistan and India are both valued allies, crucial to our interests in the region, including the Afghanistan peace process. It is of the utmost importance that we leverage our relationships with their governments to deescalate the situation.
We urge both of you to do everything in your power to:
Facilitate connections between Kashmiri-Americans and their family members in Jammu and Kashmir.
Insist that the Indian government immediately restore communications in Jammu and Kashmir and allow press to access the region.
Strongly urge Indian authorities to release the people they have arbitrarily detained.
Provide assistance with documentation on allegations of human rights abuses in both Indian- and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir and urge the Indian and Pakistani governments to allow independent, impartial investigations.
Deescalate the tensions between India and Pakistan
Emphasize the centrality of Kashmiri voices in determining the future of Jammu and Kashmir


nCent is a decentralized protocol for incentive markets that rewards people for solving hard problems together. We are launching a novel base layer protocol that is optimized to create and run incentive programs efficiently at scale. Our network tokens, called NCNT, efficiently track the provenance (or referral) chain of a user and provide the exchange mechanism for correct payouts.


text:
Fire and Rescue International
IFFD 2018
SAESI
TFA 2018
TFA 2019 Start
TFA 2019 Stage 1
TFA 2019 Awards
TFA 2019 General
TFA 2019 Group
A-OSH/Securex
IFE AGM 2019
ETS Ind Fire Comp Nov 2019
FRI Newsletter
Proudly serving those who serve
Back to newsletter
Mossel Bay Fire Department tanker overturns
Two fire fighters of the Mossel Bay Fire, Rescue and Disaster Management Services were injured on Saturday, 23 November 2019, in an accident with one of their fire engines. "We wish two of our fire fighters well as they recover from an accident about an hour ago," Municipal Manager advocate Thys Giliomee said. The water tanker had to be used as emergency measure to deliver drinking water to the Herbertsdale community after the reservoir in town dropped to about nine percent and the town faced the prospect of having no fresh drinking water available. On the way back to Mossel Bay to collect the last load of water for the day, the vehicle left the road and overturned.
The two fire fighters were treated at the scene and were taken to a local hospital for further medical treatment. The extent of their injuries was not immediately known, however, they were both released from hospital at around midnight.
"Trauma counselling will be arranged for the team. I am now on my way to the fire station to speak to the chief, Joseph Johnston and the rest of the team," said Community Services Director Elize Nel.
The two injured fire fighters were named as D Wentzel and T Poni. They are expected to be off duty for about a week. Chief Johnston wished the two a speedy recovery.
According to all indications, the fire engine was damaged beyond repair, and alternative arrangements will be made to supply water to the Herbertsdale community, said director Nel. The water truck that is normally used for water deliveries to Herbertsdale is currently in the workshop for repairs.
Source: Mossel Bay Municipality
FRI Media (Pty) Ltd is an independent publisher of technical magazines including the well-read and respected Fire and Rescue International, its weekly FRI Newsletter and the Disaster Management Journal. We also offer a complete marketing and publishing package, which include design, printing and corporate wear and gifts.
© Copyright 2018 Fire and Rescue International. All Rights Reserved.


text:
La pharmacienne
La pharmacienne (The Pharmacist) is just one of the hundred or more erotic novels penned by the French author Georges Pailler (1932–2020), known by the pen name Esparbec. Pailler also used other pseudonyms, including John Jensen, Victoria Queen, and Georges Péridol, and was considered by Jean-Jacques Pauvert and Georges Wolinski to be the greatest modern French writer in the genre. La pharmacienne was first published in 2002 by La Musardine.
The back-cover blurb gives us the basic facts of the storyline: 'Pharmacist by profession and submissive at heart, Laura Desjardins takes off her coat as soon as Beau P, her new companion, orders her to. Our heroine is far from suspecting that sexual appetite is hereditary: a seemingly naive young woman, her daughter already knows a lot about men! When Beau P surprises the cheeky girl between the legs of a comrade and decides to blackmail her, everything changes in their provincial town. And the arrival of Ernest, a cousin and penitent thug, only accelerates the debauchery of this seemingly normal family.'
The comic publisher Dynamite published this illustrated edition of La pharmacienne, which was drawn by Boccère and coloured by Andrea Camic. We show here just the beginning of the 62-page story.


Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Mr. Cudnik earned a B.S. degree in Physics and Astronomy from Northern Arizona University in 1994 and an M.S. degree in Astronomy from San Diego State University in 1998. He started part-time work with the Prairie View Solar Observatory (PVSO) project in November of 1998 through an outreach technician position at Rice University. This work became full-time, with the transfer of employment from Rice to Prairie View A&M University in April 1999, making his involvement in the project a full-time effort. Until 30 September 2001, before a transfer to his current position as Physics Laboratory Specialist, Mr. Cudnik worked with PVSO, establishing an observing program, publishing several conference proceedings and refereed papers, and mentoring a number of students along the way.
Some of the research that Mr. Cudnik had been involved with over the years included photometric studies and modeling of the over-contact (meaning the stars are physically joined together in a sort of peanut shape) eclipsing variable star W Corvi, narrowband imaging of Jupiter (this project and the W Corvi one were done during his undergraduate years), and narrowband imaging and photometry of the comet Hale-Bopp for his M.S. thesis. He has also done work with solar active regions (sunspot groups) and their flaring activity; and also worked with optical phenomena in planetary transits (crossings) of the Sun. He has also taught introductory astronomy laboratories and courses in university and community college settings, and has been involved in public outreach programs involving "star parties" and planetarium shows.
He is currently involved with the ongoing management and improvement of the laboratories within the Physics department. He also is active in coordinating observations of lunar meteor impacts. He has lived in the Houston, Texas area since June 1998 with his wife, Susan, whom he married in June 1995.
Mr. Cudnik is author of two books: "Lunar Meteoroid Impact and How to Observe Them" and "Faint Objects and How to Observe Them". More information about these books can be found on the Springer webpage by clicking here. In addition he serves as Editor-in-Chief for Encyclopedia of Lunar Science, a work in development as of this writing.
Cudnik, Brian M. "Observations of the Inner Coma of C/1995O1 (Hale-Bopp)-Gas and Dust Production", Planetary and Space Science, v. 53, Issue 6, p. 653-658 (2005).
Cudnik, B.M. "Multi-Wavelength CCD Observations of the 15 November 1999 Mercury Transit", Solar Physics, v. 219, Issue 2, p. 197-216 (2004).
Cudnik, Brian M.; Palmer, David W.; Palmer, David M.; Cook, Anthony; Venable, Roger; Gural, Peter S. "The Observation and Characterization of Lunar Meteoroid Impact Phenomena", Earth, Moon, and Planets, v. 93,Issue 2, p. 97-106 (2003).
Cudnik, Brian M.; Palmer, David W.; Palmer, David M.; Cook, Anthony; Venable, Roger; Gural, Peter S. "Ground-Based Observations of Lunar Meteoritic Phenomena", Earth, Moon, and Planets, v. 93,Issue 3, p. 145-161 (2003).
Pojoga, Sorin, Cudnik, Brian. "The Clustering Properties of Active Regions During the First Part of Solar Cycle 23", Solar Physics, v. 208, Issue 1, p. 17-32 (2002).
Mr. Cudnik is a member of two professional societies and several non-professional societies, some of which collaborate with the professional astronomy community. In his spare time, he is involved in astronomical work that has professional-amateur collaborative benefits, including the coordination of a network of amateur astronomers to monitor the moon for lunar meteor impacts (such as the one witnessed firsthand in November 1999 and the man-made impact of the LCROSS booster rocket and spacecraft on October 9, 2009).
Houston Astronomical Society, member since 1998.
American Association of Variable Star Observers, I am a member and I regularly submit visual variable star magnitude estimates and daily sunspot counts to this organization.
In addition to the above professional, semi-professional, and amateur activities, Mr. Cudnik is actively involved in God's work through Houston First Church of God. His involvement with this church helps to bring fulfillment and purpose to his life as well as to the community.


text:
Q: Can you mix units of $t$ and $t^2$ when constructing a shape? Let's say I have a length (possibly a radius), we'll call it $y$ and is of unit $t$. My data suggests to me that the distance around this shape (possibly a circumference), is $y^2$, which means the units of this space is $t^2$. Is it possible that the data suggests an underlying geometry? Can you create a shape and measure the curvature of something composed of $t$ and $t^2$?

A: Mixing $t$ and $t^2$ directly has problems since the units don't match. In a comment you indicated a correction factor $\phi$ in front of the quadratic term $t^2$, and with that you can certainly express things which correlate linear grow in one direction with quadratic grow in another direction.
From the comments I learned that you essentially want space ($x,y,z$) to grow quadratically with time ($t$). So you want something like
$$\sqrt{x^2+y^2+z^2}=\phi t^2$$
or expressed as a polynomial
$$x^2+y^2+z^2-\phi^2t^4=0$$
This is an algebraic variety, and as the highest degree is $4$, it's a quartic. It has some specific properties with regards to the symmetry and degrees of the spatial dimensions, so there may well be a more specific name for this, but I don't know it.
You can have Wolfram Alpha plot $x^2+y^2-z^4=0$ for an idea of what the 3d counterpart of this 4d surface looks like. If you click on the link "Open code" you get a version where you can rotate the plot by mouse, and adjust the portion of space to view.
Regarding your intended physical interpretation, note that the existence of a mathematical description does not explain its derivation from the laws of physics. So if you state that the universe for some reason follows a structure such as this, then I expect the typical reaction to be one of "fine, but why?" That question would be better suited for the physics stack exchange, though.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Build and Publish Docker Image to Prod Env using Asp.Net Core I'm a little confused about how I have to build the image for an Asp.Net Core project for a production environment because it should use aspnetcore image instead of aspnetcore-build, somebody can explain me how is the best way to build and push an image for a production environment, please?
I built the solution in release mode, but I'm not sure if VS created the image using aspnetcore image, since when I published Docker said that it was mounting the image from aspnetcore-build image.

A: I already figured this out. Visual Studio uses a Docker Multi-Stage build when it creates the Docker file, so when it builds the Docker image, in the end, it's using the aspnetcore image, which is the last stage build declared on the Docker file, and it uses the base stage, which is actually theaspnetcore image. This is an example:
FROM microsoft/aspnetcore:2.0.5 AS base
WORKDIR /app
EXPOSE 80

FROM microsoft/aspnetcore-build:2.0.5-2.1.4 AS build
WORKDIR /src
COPY . .
RUN dotnet restore -nowarn:msb3202,nu1503
WORKDIR /src/src/Services/Catalog/Catalog.API
RUN dotnet build --no-restore -c Release -o /app

FROM build AS publish
RUN dotnet publish --no-restore -c Release -o /app

FROM base AS final
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=publish /app .
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "Catalog.API.dll"]

So, the recommended way to build and publish the Docker image is from our CI/CD process and not manually.


text:
From Our Readers: October 2008
OutSmart ReadersOctober 1, 2008
Chad Allen's buttery-butch voice — and about those gay Republicans…
SPIRITUAL MEDICINE MAN
I can't believe you interviewed my all-time, fantasy-love-of-my-life Chad Allen ["Many Crowns" by Blase DiStefano, September 2008] and didn't even have the decency to let me listen in!!!! OMG!!! How cruel!
I read the article and LOVED it! Never realized he was "that" connected to his spiritual side. . . . It was a wonderful read and VERY personable, too. Thank you for sharing it with the rest of us (even if I didn't get the chance to hear his "buttery-butch" voice for myself!).
Aaron Dunnock
IT'S ARS PLEASURE
Many thanks for running the profile in your recent issue ["Everything Old Is New Again: Matthew Dirst leads the early music movement" by Marene Gustin, September 2008]. The article is well done, the picture [by Mark Hiebert] is nice, and it's great publicity for our efforts at Ars Lyrica especially.
Matthew Dirst
OUTRIGHT REALITY
I appreciate OutSmart 's ongoing commitment to presenting political essays from the left and the right, but I feel it is important for GLBT readers to understand that the Republican Party platform specifically calls for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Although the Log Cabin Republicans have endorsed the McCain/Palin ticket for a number of reasons, they gloss over the fact that this is the stance of the Republican Party. It is important that every GLBT voter recognizes this when they go to the polls in November.
Alan J. Hurwitz
A MESSAGE TO SAMMON
I have a message for Patrick Sammon, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, following his organization's endorsement of McCain/Palin and his prediction that "Senator McCain will receive strong support from gay and lesbian Americans." While Sammon is right in stating, "LGBT people are not single-issue voters," he also needs to recognize that we are not fools.
In 2000, Log Cabin told LGBT Americans to trust them that George W. Bush was a friend to the gay community. Bush received 23 percent of LGBT votes, possibly costing Al Gore the states of Florida and New Hampshire, and ushering in eight years of gays used as a political football kicked around by Bush and his right-wing allies.
In a recent press release, Sammon states, "Log Cabin's endorsement of Sen. McCain will ensure our community has a strong voice making the case for gay rights to John McCain when he is President." This statement is absurd. After endorsing Bush in 2000, Log Cabin had no "voice for gay rights" inside the White House. Why, Mr. Sammon, do you think you can hoodwink the gay community this time?
The gay community's biggest fear is that a McCain/Palin Supreme Court could set our movement for equality back a generation. In a bewildering statement to The Advocate , Log Cabin's Sammon dismisses this concern: "Every political analyst agrees that Democrats are going to have a margin of two, three, four, five, maybe even six or seven seats. So the fact is, Sen. McCain, if he's elected, will have to pick mainstream, middle-of-the-road judges, or they're simply not going to get confirmed." It is unusual and unsettling to see the Log Cabin executive director admit that he's counting on Democrats to have enough seats in the Senate to save LGBT people from his party and his candidate's antigay judicial choices.
Nothing has excited the so-called "values voters" more than McCain's running mate and septuagenarian heartbeat away from the presidency, Sarah Palin. As Kathryn Kolbert, president of People for the American Way, puts it, "Clearly the pick of an anti-choice, antigay, anti-science extremist wrapped in a folksy hockey-mom package has fired up the base in ways that even McCain's pledge to pack the courts with right-wing judges has failed to do."
Fiercely antigay Lou Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition is almost giddy talking about Palin: "I thought I died and went to heaven. The Coalition is planning a nationwide get-out-the-vote effort."
James Dobson of Focus on the Family has gone from scorning McCain to enthusiastically endorsing McCain/Palin. A recent Focus mailer stresses the importance of electing McCain/Palin because of the gay and choice issues facing the Supreme Court: "Our next president will likely replace one or more Supreme Court Justices who will make decisions on issues like abortion, which is one vote away from overturning Roe v. Wade, and marriage, to protect traditional values, including the definition of marriage."
A 2006 questionnaire from Phyllis Schlafly's antigay Eagle Forum recorded Sarah Palin's view of gay and lesbian couples: "I believe spousal benefits are reserved for married citizens as defined in our constitution (referring to the Alaska Constitution which banned recognition of gay unions in 1998)." In other words, no legal rights and benefits for gay and lesbian couples, ever.
Compare this to a recent Barack Obama Windows Media interview: "If elected, I would call on Congress to enact legislation that would repeal DOMA and ensure that over 1,100 federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally recognized unions."
The McCain/Palin ticket is happy to watch the Log Cabin Republicans try to siphon off enough LGBT votes to help them win Florida, Ohio, Nevada, and a couple of other swing states. Should McCain/Palin be successful, they will be beholden
to the 40 million so-called "values voters" who put them in office, and not the at most one million LGBT votes that Log Cabin is hoping for.
On issue after issue, McCain/Palin are wrong for America, but for gay rights, they would be a complete disaster. Do not be taken in by the Log Cabin Republicans' fantasy that they will have influence on LGBT issues with a President McCain or, God forbid, a President Palin. Rather, James Dobson, Lou Sheldon, Phyllis Schlafly, and the other captains of America's antigay industry will be the ones helping McCain/Palin make policy.
With their endorsement of McCain/Palin, Log Cabin has crawled into bed with the most homophobic groups in our nation. Obama versus McCain is a race between the most pro-gay and the most antigay presidential tickets in modern history. This year, vote as if your life depends on it. In many ways, it does.
Marc Paige


text:
L'hospice Devillas est un ancien hôpital parisien fondé par un legs de Louis Devillas.

Louis Devillas naquit à Quissac en 1747. Il étudia la religion protestante puis le droit. Il se livra au commerce avec grand succès, au point qu'il jouissait d'une grande réputation sur la place de Paris en 1789. Il décéda en 1832. Veuf et sans enfant, il lègue toute sa fortune (1.100.000 F) pour la fondation de deux hospices, l'un dans sa ville natale et l'autre à Paris, dans son hôtel au 17 rue du Regard.

L'hôpital est inauguré le 25 juillet 1835.

Le testament original prévoit que l'hospice parisien compte 30 lits. Les occupants de 6 lits étaient nommés par le consistoire protestant de Paris. Les 24 autres lits sont mis à la disposition des douze arrondissements parisiens qui devaient chacun nommer un homme et une femme. Le testament ne précise pas toutefois si ces 24 personnes doivent être protestantes. L'Administration consulte les consistoires qui décident par un acte passé entre eux le 19 septembre 1833 que le droit de nomination est exercé par le consistoire. Après l'examen de plusieurs projets, il est décidé que la répartition par arrondissement a lieu au prorata de la population indigente.

En 1843, le nombre de lits est porté à 35.

La fondation Devillas est transférée en 1863 au  rue Ernest-Renan à Issy-les-Moulineaux à proximité de l'hospice des Petits-Ménages (actuel hôpital Corentin-Celton).

Notes et références

Devillas
Devillas

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Monét X Change (Kevin Bertin)
Birthday: March 23, 1990
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
Sign: Aries
Monét X Change (Kevin Bertin) Rank
72nd born on March 23
422nd born in 1990
11844th most famous American
32nd born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
2473rd most famous actress
1666th Aries
About Monét X Change (Kevin Bertin)
Monét X Change, whose real name is Kevin Bertin, is an American entertainer, social media and reality television star as well as a drag queen. She rose to prominence as a season 10 contestant of the hit reality show named "RuPaul's Drag Race". She went on to star in season four of the show "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars". In May of 2015 she released her debut single, as a singer, entitled "Soak It Up".
She earned the Miss Congeniality title for season 10 of "RuPaul's Drag Race"and won the crown for "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (Season 4)".
Bertin was nominated for the award for "Entertainer of the Year" at the 2017 'Glam Awards'. Her monetxchange page on Instagram had over 990k followers as of August 2020.
She began running a podcast named Sibling Rivalry with her drag sister Bob the Drag Queen. Their podcast was nominated for a 'WOWIE Award' in 2019.
Viewers of Monét X Change (Kevin Bertin), also viewed
Monét X Change (Kevin Bertin)'s Popularity
Monét X Change (Kevin Bertin) is a famous American actress, who was born on March 23, 1990. As a person born on this date, Monét X Change (Kevin Bertin) is listed in our database as the 72nd most popular celebrity for the day (March 23) and the 422nd most popular for the year (1990).
People born on March 23 fall under the Zodiac sign of Aries, the Ram. Monét X Change (Kevin Bertin) is the 1666th most popular Aries.
Aside from information specific to Monét X Change (Kevin Bertin)'s birthday, Monét X Change (Kevin Bertin) is the 11844th most famous American and ranks 32nd in famous people born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
In general, Monét X Change (Kevin Bertin) ranks as the 20617th most popular famous person, and the 2473rd most popular actress of all time. "The Famous Birthdays" catalogs over 25,000 famous people, everyone, from actors to actresses to singers to tiktok stars, from serial killers to chefs to scientists to youtubers and more. If you're curious to see who was born on your birthday, you can use our database to find out who, what, where, when and why. You can search by birthday, birthplace, claim to fame or any other information by typing in the search box, or simply browse our site by selecting the month, the day, the horoscope, or any other clickable option.


The Not Your Boss's Annual Meeting reminded me a lot of college. Not because I was surrounded by young people, but because it was the first time since college that I've been in a room with that many people who, for the most part, share my experiences. The workshop did a great job of covering just about every topic that a young professional in public media might be faced with. I left the workshop with better interpersonal skills, problem-solving tactics and an inspiring outlook.
Before the workshop, we all took the DiSK assessment to determine our professional behavior styles. Then, we received our results and Laura Hauser, Founder of Leadership Strategies, helped us analyze them as a group. As it turns out, two fellow station members and I all had different styles. It was interesting to compare and contrast and explore the ways we interacted with others at the station. The results were pretty spot-on.
One problem that we all seemed to share was that at some point or another, we had a great idea, but had some trouble getting others to believe it was a great idea. Matt Graham, Senior Director of PBS Digital Studios, suggested trying to rally support from at least one person of influence to serve as an "executive heavyweight" to back your project. Tim Olsen, VP of Digital Media & Education of KQED, suggested making a low-risk or no-risk test run first to try and get positive results before committing to an investment.
A talk and tweet exercise brought groups together to discuss common questions and uncertainties about the future of public media. There was a lot of talk about online video and over-the-top devices replacing cable television and whether public media would survive. The uplifting conclusion? Everyone seemed to be certain that no matter how it's distributed – whether via cable television, on-demand video or an entirely online alternative – public media will still have the advantage, because we'll continue to be the most trustworthy source for media content.


Greg speaks most Sundays at Lakeside Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Service times are 9:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m., and 5:00 p.m.
This is my favorite where we can hear you preach again. Thanks most of all for this.


text:
Q: PDO Parameter binding causes exception I'm trying to bind a parameter to so i can query the database based on a WHERE clause, which checks the users username, which is stored in a SESSION. The username is definitely being stored in the session, since i can see it when i var_dump($_SESSION) so i know that's the cause of the issue.
Instead of getting the id returned, i get the exception. When i change :user for 'Maverick' for example (a valid username from the database, obviously), it will return the id. Any ideas?
$username = $_SESSION['username'];

try {
    $result = $db->query("SELECT id FROM user_info WHERE username = :user");
    $result->bindParam(':user', $username);
    $result->execute();
    $user_info = $result->fetchAll(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);
}

catch (Exception $e) {
    echo "Could not retrieve user's ID";
    exit;
}

Not sure how related it is, but when i do in fact replace :user with Maverick and then do echo $user_info it doesn't return anything, but when i do var_dump($user_info); it shows the following; array(1) { [0]=> array(1) { ["id"]=> string(2) "59" } }
I guess my question is technically a 2-part question. Help much appreciated.

A: I think you want prepare() instead of query():
$result = $db->prepare("SELECT id FROM user_info WHERE username = :user");
$result->bindParam(':user', $username);
$result->execute();

A: You will need to change your query to reflect the pdo bind param structure per doc here
http://www.php.net//manual/en/pdostatement.bindparam.php
$username = $_SESSION['username'];

try {
    $result = $db->prepare("SELECT id FROM user_info WHERE username = :user");
    $result->bindParam(':user', $username);
    $result->execute();
    $user_info = $result->execute();
}

catch (Exception $e) {
    echo "Could not retrieve user's ID";
    exit;
}


Do you live in Camano, Washington? Help us verify the data and let us know if you see any information that needs to be changed or updated.
The current time and date in Camano is 7:11 PM on Wednesday, April 24, 2019.


By Cui Jiu's hall, I heard you several times.
I meet you again in the season of falling blossom.
Other Chinese poems about Meeting.
Notes: This poem dates from 770. Li Guinian was a musician at the court of emperor Xuanzong. The prince of Qi was Li Fan, a brother of Xuanzong (McMullen p. 193); Cui was Cui Di, a court official (all notes Hawkes p. 211).
This poem is volume (juàn) 232, no. 37 in the Complete Tang Poems (quán táng shī). It is translated as poem 35 in Hawkes, pp. 210-12, poem CCCLXVII in Hung, p. 273 and poem 134 in Watson, p. 160, and on p. 111 of Hinton.
Hawkes, D. (1967) A Little Primer of Tu Fu. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Hinton, D. (1990) The Selected Poems of Tu Fu. London, Anvil Press Poetry.
Hung, W. (1952) Tu Fu: China's Greatest Poet. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press.
Watson, B. (2002) The Selected Poems of Du Fu. New York, Columbia University Press.


text:
Summer School 2021: Refugees, Migration and the "new normal"
Summer School 2020: Refugee Rights & Migration
Refugee Law Clinic
Forum 2022 — Application Closed
The Refugee Law and Migration Center at the Iustinianus Primus Law Faculty, University Ss. Cyril and Methodius-Skopje in cooperation with the UNHCR Representation in North Macedonia and the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in Sanremo, through its Department of International Refugee Law and Migration Law, are hosting the Pilot Advanced Thematic Forum on International Refugee Protection [the Forum].
The Pilot edition will focus on the topic of Complementary Pathways, relating to the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees in the context of third country solutions. Complementary pathways enable access to solutions when traditional durable solutions are not achievable for all members of a refugee population, particularly in large scale and protracted situations.
Refugee Law and Migration Center
International Institute of Humanitarian Law
* Schedule times are given in CET (Central European Time)
- Zoom Conference Call
— Refugee Law and Migration Center at the Iustinianus Primus Law Faculty at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje
— UNHCR Representation in North Macedonia
— International Institute of Humanitarian Law (Sanremo, Italy)
The overall objective of the Forum is to convene distinguished experts and an international audience of academics and practitioners with advanced knowledge in the field of refugee protection, development and education, drawing on their experience to produce recommendations for expanding complementary pathways, with a special focus on education pathways.
The specific objectives of the forum are:
Promote law, principles and policies related to the international protection of refugees;
Raise awareness on the need for durable third country solutions by way of complementary pathways;
Produce advocacy recommendations and calls to action from participants for States and other relevant stakeholders to expand access to complementary pathways;
Invite universities and other stakeholders to pledge support for education pathways and advocate for their expansion.
The one-day online Forum will be delivered on Wednesday 26 January 2022 via Zoom for Education.
Selected participants will be referred to an Online Learning Platform one month before the Forum, gaining access to compiled reference materials and space for feedback and questions on the topic in preparation for the event.
Participants will be invited to provide advocacy recommendations for expanding complementary pathways at the end of the event, with a particular focus on education pathways. These recommendations will serve as basis for an advocacy paper prepared by the organizers after the Forum.
The Forum will be delivered entirely in English language.
The Forum invites applications from:
University professors, lecturers, PhD candidates, independent researchers and other members of academic institutions;
Government officials working in an area related to refugee protection, migration management, development or education;
Members of local civil society organizations and international NGOs working directly with refugees, particularly those with experience of supporting complementary pathways;
Members of international organizations with mandates relating to refugee protection, migration, development and other related fields.
Given the advanced character of the Forum, applicants with previous experience on the topic will be given preference in the selection process. Participants will be selected on a competitive basis and participation does not involve a registration fee.
Meet Our Speakers
Prof. Geoff Gilbert
Professor of International Human Rights & Humanitarian Law in the School of Law and Human Rights Centre at the University of Essex
Ms. Anna Gekht
Senior Complementary Pathways Officer, Division of International Protection (DIP), UNHCR
Ms. Michelle Manks
Co-Chair, Global Taskforce on Third Country Education Pathways, Senior Manager - Durable Solutions for Refugees, WUSC
Mr. Rudi Osman
Directeur and Porte Parole, Union des Étudiants Exilés
Mr. Aleksandar Godzo
Attorney at Law, North Macedonia
Ms. Elizabeth Downing
Resettlement and Complementary Pathways Officer, UNHCR Representation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Mr. Lorenzo Leotardi
Protection Associate, UNHCR Representation for Italy, the Holy See and San Marino
Prof. Marco Borraccetti
Associate Professor, Department of Political and Social Sciences, University ofBologna, Italy
Set in CET (Central European Time)
o	Refugee Law and Migration Center / Iustinianus Primus Law Faculty, Skopje, North Macedonia
o	United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – Representation in North Macedonia
o	International Institute of Humanitarian Law – Sanremo, Italy
By Prof. Geoff Gilbert
Keynote: Complementary Pathways and Responsibility Sharing for Refugee Protection
By Mr. Rudi OsmanMs. Anna GekhtMs. Michelle Manks
Minimum Standards for Education Pathways
Global Taskforce on Third Country Education Pathways, Canada
By Mr. Aleksandar Godzo
Case Study: North Macedonia – Legal Conduciveness for Education Pathways
Mr. Aleksandar Godzo, Attorney at Law, North Macedonia
By Ms. Elizabeth DowningProf. Marco BorraccettiMr. Lorenzo Leotardi
Good Practices: University Corridors for Refugees, Italy
o	United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – Representation for Italy, the Holy See and San Marino
o	University Partner (To be confirmed)
Summary of Recommendations and Closing Ceremony
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS,
FEEL FREE TO MESSAGE US
info@refugeelaw.mk
This website was created and maintained with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the Refugee Law and Migration Center at the Faculty of Law "Iustinianus Primus" – Skopje and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or UNHCR.
Copyright © 2020. All Rights Reserved. Design by Kiosk Studio.


A Giacometti sculpture barely out beat Picasso as the highest sold work of art at auction. "L'Homme Qui Marche I", a looming life-size bronze man, crafted by the Swiss artist sold for 58 million pounds at Sotheby's London on February 3, 2010 (including premium a total of 65 million pounds, equivalent to $104.3 million). It was estimated to sell between 12-18 million pounds. Prior to this sale, the highest paid work of art at an auction was Pablo Picasso's "Garcon a la pipe" sold in New York for $104 million in 2004. According to the editor-at-large of The Art Newspaper, Georgina Adam, the reason the Giacometti sold for such a high amount is because they are rarely seen at auction. The Giacometti sold to an unknown collector. Kipton Cronkite of KiptonART states, "This sale re-enforces that the most astute collectors are continuing to support the blue chip artists. Though I have esteemed respect for the masterpieces created by Alberto Giacometti, $100 million could do so much to support the emerging artists in any community."
Read this in our Online Magazine!


CHUNG is the most popular 823.rd name in USA (... 821.iris , 822.hyun , 823.chung , 824.chi , 825.mahendra ...). One in every 5,443 Americans is named CHUNG and popularity of name CHUNG is 183.71 people per million.
If we compare the popularity statistics of CHUNG to USA's population statistics, we can estimate that as of April.18.2019 16:51 there are 61,138 people named as CHUNG in the United States and the number is increasing by 483 people every year.
First Names which are compatible or rhyming with CHUNG. They will be the best brother/sister names for CHUNG.


Absolute Roofing & Loft Conversions Ltd - Builder, Roofer based in Caterham, Surrey.
Absolute roofing + loft conversions are an experienced roofing contractor, with over 30 years' experience.
Our company is fully qualified & all roofers have vast experience installing and repairing all types of roofing works.
We are Fully insured & all our works come with a guarantee.
Please see photos of our quality works.
As a trusted and reliable local firm, the majority of our business comes from customer recommendations.
We strive to repair your roof in all instances, only recommending replacement where absolutely necessary. We pride ourselves on providing all our customers with the most cost-effective solution for our customers.
Call our team today to book a free estimate or for free help and advice.


single point mutation gives Skin colour?
..Six of the world's top polluters meet in Sydney this week to promote "clean energy technology"
The United States, Japan, China, India, Australia and South Korea.. Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate ..will not be backing fixed targets.. some analysts expect any resolution to be vague.
.."As might be expected from a pact between six of the world's biggest coal exporters and users, this appears to be a deal to do nothing," Greenpeace spokeswoman Catherine Fitzpatrick said.
Worse yet, this appears to be a Greenwash, with Coal scrambling to preserve its massive subsidies.
Terms like "clean" and "clean coal" are disgraceful disguises for keeping on burning coal.
Foolish plans to bury CO2 are uncosted, untested, and dangerous.
CO2 burial (current euphemism: 'sequestration') will at least double the price of coal-electricity, and risk massive deaths in the event of catastrophic accidental release.
Why shunt huge subsidies to coal, which is speeding us towards the Great Extinction, when thousands of plants and animals will go extinct as temperatures and oceans rise faster than possible adaptions.
Look at New Orleans, the poor districts have been abandoned. Project that over the entire earth.
Thats where coal subsidies are driving us.
In Bayless's bioreactor, algae grow on membranes of woven fibers resembling window screens interspersed between the Oak Ridge glow plates. Capillary action wicks water to the algae, fiber optic cables channel sunlight into the glow plates, and ducts bring in the hot flue gas. By spreading the cyanobacteria on membranes, "you get a lot of surface area for growth, but you don't need a lot of water and the bacteria use only about 10 percent of full-strength sunlight," Bayless explains. "This enables us to take one square meter of sunlight and spread it out over 10 square meters of growth surface."
The algae use the available carbon dioxide and water to grow new algae, giving off pure oxygen and water vapor in the process. The organisms also absorb nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, which contribute to acid rain. Once the algae grow to maturity, they fall to the bottom of the bioreactor and are harvested for other uses. "We're storing carbon dioxide in organisms that exist in your backyard," Bayless says. "Once the algae is grown, if it can't be used as fuel or a hydrogen source, it can be used as a fertilizer or soil stabilizer."
A prototype of the technology was built that is capable of handling 140 cubic meters of flue gas per minute, an amount equal to the exhaust from 50 cars or a 3 megawatt power plant.
Every ant species .. has different, highly modified structures to support different types of bacteria,.. coevolution between the bacteria and the ants, as well as the fungus and parasites.. for tens of millions of years.. 200 species of ants display this complex symbiosis, .. the fungus-growing ants are more modified for culturing their mutualistic bacteria than for their mutualistic fungi,"
Risk of death with prostate cancer was lower for rats fed tomato powder than rats fed the control diet, but prostate cancer–specific mortality was similar for the control and lycopene groups. Calorie restriction also reduced the risk of prostate cancer. The authors suggest that a variety of interacting compounds in tomato besides lycopene may contribute to the reduction in prostate cancer risk associated with tomato consumption.
Strong evidence of a protective effect of fruit and vegetable .. in cancers of the pancreas and stomach (26 of 30 studies), as well as in colorectal and bladder cancers (23 of 38 studies)..
The rats that were given both the tomato and broccoli combined had the smallest tumours. The ones to fare the worst were the ones that just got the finasteride.
By contrast, there are no reports of harmful effects from low-dose beta carotene supplements. And populations that eat more fruits and vegetables rich in beta carotene and other carotenoids reportedly have a lower incidence of cancer, particularly lung cancer.
n the early morning hours of January 15, 2006, the Stardust mission returns to Earth after a 4.63 billion kilometer (2.88 billion mile) round-trip journey carrying a precious cargo of cometary and interstellar dust particles.


text:
Africa's $20 Billion E-Commerce Opportunity
The pandemic shone a spotlight on African e-commerce giants like Jumia, Konga and Takealot but now there is a race to become the fashion gateway for the continent. Which specialist etailer will win?
Loungewear edit on Industrie Africa | Source: Courtesy
Ashley Okwuosa
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Buying a pair of shoes from Amina Muaddi has been described as "an Olympic sport." Last year, the Parisian designer became so popular that even VIP customers were put on a waiting list. Not everyone was prepared to wait though.
South African influencer Sarah Langa was one of those who decided to go "shoe hunting" rather than join the queue, although she didn't know then just how persistent she would have to be to eventually snag a pair of Muaddi's PVC slingback pumps.
Months into the retail expedition, Langa wrote to her 400,000 Instagram followers to report that — at last, with help from a specialist personal shopper — she was able to source a pair in London. Well-off, well-connected African shoppers like Langa are better prepared than most for such epic shopping excursions. It comes down to experience. African luxury consumers have always had to use remote buying and find creative solutions to source the products they covet most.
Emmy Kasbit by Nigerian designer Emmanuel Okoro available on Industrie Africa | Source: @industrieafrica Emmy Kasbit by Nigerian designer Emmanuel Okoro available on Industrie Africa | Source: @industrieafrica
Emmy Kasbit by Nigerian designer Emmanuel Okoro available on Industrie Africa | Source: @industrieafrica
Enlisting the assistance of personal shoppers, planning shopping trips abroad or weighing up the hefty import duties and taxes incurred when buying from international e-commerce platforms are some of the options available to shoppers like Langa, who is known for favouring Christian Dior, Saint Laurent and other luxury brands that are not easily accessible in South Africa.
"[With these] barriers in place, it becomes so difficult," said Langa. "Even if you can afford those items you have to take in those additional costs like commission and customs. There's nothing in place to make it easier for Africans to be luxury consumers from here [on the continent]."
Prior to Covid-19 restrictions on international travel, Langa would regularly take shopping trips abroad once a month or every other month. But the current uncertainty around travel continues to make shopping abroad a much less reliable and attractive option than before the pandemic.
"African consumers have demonstrated the same desire and love for fashion as elsewhere in the world — the only difference is accessibility," said Lucilla Booyzen, director of South African Fashion Week.
If African luxury consumers were frustrated by the many pain points in their shopping experience before 2020, the new normal feels even more alienating. While it may be a blessing for local luxury brands on the continent like Rich Mnisi and Xyza Savanna who seem to have benefitted from the increased attention and wallet share from clients like Langa, it is bad news for global brands looking to tap into the continent's growing $6 billion luxury market. Unless, of course, e-commerce players step in to offer viable solutions to bridge the gap between international brands and African consumers — but will they?
A Dynamic But Fragmented Ecosystem
When Jumia launched in Nigeria in 2012, the e-commerce platform promised consumers a "local and global reach" and urged consumers to trust them with all their shopping needs. The company has since been credited with legitimising e-commerce in a nation that is highly entrepreneurial but one whose economy is still over-reliant on oil and gas revenues.
Jumia was co-founded by Sacha Poignonnec, Jeremy Hodara, Tunde Kehinde and Raphael Kofi Afaedor with financial backing from Rocket Internet, a German investment firm founded by the Samwer brothers that had successfully backed South African fashion retailer Zando in the same year. Jumia's arch-rival, Konga, was founded in 2012 by Nigerian entrepreneur Sim Shagaya, from a four-bedroom apartment in a Lagos suburb with just 20 employees.
The bad blood that existed between the two competing e-commerce pioneers in the early years is well-known in investment circles. In 2014, Konga reportedly made plans to take legal action against Rocket Internet for allegedly buying Konga domain names in countries like South Africa and Kenya to stifle Konga's expansion beyond Nigeria. The consequence of these early competitive manoeuvres is that Konga remains a purely domestic Nigerian player while Jumia has grown far and wide across the African continent with country-optimised sites for Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire, South Africa, Ghana, Senegal, Uganda, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt.
High-capacity undersea fibre-optic cables are currently being planned by Facebook and Google to encircle the continent.
Jumia and Konga are not the only e-commerce players to come out of the continent. In South Africa, Woolworths, one of the country's largest retailers, has been called an early adopter. More recently, companies like Takealot.com, which launched in South Africa in 2011, have been on the move. It is now one of the largest on the continent.
In April 2019, Jumia became the first African start-up to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange but that same year, the tide turned for the e-commerce giant as its stock value plummeted alongside a slew of fraud allegations and lawsuits that prompted Rocket Internet to sell its stake in April of this year.
Despite Jumia's public mishaps and volatile share price, it is often credited with revolutionising e-commerce in Africa. As the world continues to mitigate the impacts of Covid-19, both on human lives and the economy, it has been used as a case study for the unintended e-commerce opportunity presented by the public health emergency — and the pitfalls that come with it.
A worker sorts packages ready for dispatch inside a Jumia distribution warehouse in Lagos, Nigeria | Source: Getty Images A worker sorts packages ready for dispatch inside a Jumia distribution warehouse in Lagos, Nigeria | Source: Getty Images
A worker sorts packages ready for dispatch inside a Jumia distribution warehouse in Lagos, Nigeria | Source: Getty Images
In spite of the many serious barriers that persist for e-commerce players in sub-Saharan Africa, such as low internet penetration, high access costs and logistical challenges for shipment, advisors at Fitch Solutions predict that there will be a longer-term uptake of online shopping and other services beyond the initial boost that was prompted by the pandemic.
Meanwhile, high-capacity undersea fibre-optic cables currently being planned by Facebook and Google to encircle the continent should ultimately improve connectivity and bring down costs.
Prior to the pandemic, revenues from the overall African the e-commerce market were projected to reach $19.8 billion this year and achieve a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.1 percent over the next four years, according to data from Statista.
Covid-19 has reportedly prompted an increased uptake of digital payment options. A recent McKinsey report points to a significant migration from cash transactions to cashless or digital transactions influenced by physical distancing in major African economies. In July, DPO Group, a pan-African payment service provider based in Kenya with over 100,000 merchants across the continent was purchased by Network International, a global payment giant headquartered in Dubai for $288 million.
These broader digital developments will no doubt make shopping online more attractive on the continent, but the extent of any impact will be dependent upon the product category. While the online ambitions of e-commerce giants like Jumia, Konga and Takealot are clear, experts question whether these general merchandise e-tailers have the potential — or indeed the desire — to become serious go-to players for fashion brands.
Moving Luxury Online in Africa
Jumia is often called "the Amazon of Africa." While this shorthand does have its merits – at least in as far as both firms are general merchandisers selling everything from computers and car tyres to jeans and earrings — it is a very blunt comparison, not least because of the massive gap in scale. When it comes to the positioning of fashion on these platforms, however, the comparison is more persuasive. Neither Amazon nor Jumia have been able to crack luxury fashion; both are purveyors of basic clothing at the value end of the price spectrum.
Some argue that Jumia has the potential to do in Africa what Alibaba does in China. The Chinese tech giant's plans for its Tmall Global platform to host 40,000 international brands by 2021 is underway and so far, Luxury Pavillion, Tmall's exclusive sub-platform has courted brands like Burberry, Cartier, Versace and Prada to launch online flagships or sell directly to Chinese customers via the site.
In Africa, however, platforms like Jumia are not yet moving in that direction and the overall accessibility of international luxury fashion is not improving fast enough either. This year, in fact, it will probably worsen due to Covid-19. Prada already closed its physical location in South Africa's Sandton City Shopping Centre.
Some argue that Jumia has the potential to do in Africa what Alibaba does in China.
For luxury brands with a presence on the continent, moving online is an option that many are ready to embrace — but only under the right conditions.
"We have some expectations regarding [online] retailing," said Vanessa Azar, head of L'Oréal Luxe West Africa. These include the quality of the platform's image, consumers' level of trust in the online platform, and whether the platform already has a history of selling luxury goods. For L'Oréal, neither Jumia nor Konga so far meet those expectations. The group's main distributor in Nigeria is Essenza, a specialist physical and online luxury retailer of cosmetics, skincare products and fragrances that include L'Oréal brands like Armani and YSL as well as brands such as Gucci, Coach and Jimmy Choo.
Dedicated fashion e-tailers like Luminance in South Africa — which sells brands like Balenciaga, Comme des Garçons and Maison Margiela, are another option. However Luminance, which was founded by Khanyi Dhlomo and is now owned by Judy Dlamini, only delivers within South Africa and to the US and UK. Restricting delivery to the domestic market is also an issue at Cape Town-based e-tailer Superbalist, which sells premium fashion from brands like Emporio Armani and Tommy Hilfiger, and was acquired by Naspers-backed Takealot in 2014 before merging with Spree four years later.
What is currently missing from the African context, according to Isaac Kwaku Fokuo, a principal at Nairobi-based investment advisory firm Botho Emerging Markets Group, is an e-commerce ecosystem that cuts across the continent. Luminance, Superbalist and Essenza are examples of players that have learned how to navigate the online space but only within their respective countries. Experts have pointed to the potential benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, which hopes to boost intra-African trade to 50 percent by 2030, as an added incentive to sell across the continent.
Outfits available from South African e-commerce company Kisua | Source: @kisuaonline Outfits available from South African e-commerce company Kisua | Source: @kisuaonline
Outfits available from South African e-commerce company Kisua | Source: @kisuaonline
In the meantime, however, the way African consumers shop for luxury remains convoluted, with consumers on the continent buying from an online store abroad and shipping it to an address in the United States or Europe to have a relative or friend deliver it back home to avoid the high tariffs incurred when shipping directly to African countries.
International players like Farfetch, which ships to 45 African countries for a nominal shipping fee, are still a rarity. Net-a-Porter did not respond to BoF's requests for comment on their delivery network but, according to a drop-down menu on the site, the e-tailer delivers to fewer than 20 African mainland countries.
One way to overcome some of the obstacles and limitations presented by the market is to use intermediaries like Chris Folayan's Mall for Africa site, which allows consumers on the continent to shop from stores like Nordstrom. Shoppers pay by loading money onto a web card on the Mall for Africa platform, while the firm deals with payments, taxes, and delivery. Currently, the site ships to Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and Rwanda. Still, the vision of a cross-continental fashion e-commerce platform is far from reality.
One Abidjan-based start-up, however, has come close to doing so — only in reverse. Inspired by Etsy, Moulaye Taboure built Afrikrea, a marketplace of designers from 40 African countries that sells everything from jewellery, paintings and clothing to buyers in Europe and the United States.
According to Taboure, Afrikrea yielded €2 million ($2.3 million) in sales in July 2018, two years after the company launched, and secured €1 million ($1.2 million) in investment from Saviu, a French venture capital fund.
One strength of Afrikrea, which was a 2019 finalist in Alibaba founder Jack Ma's Africa Netpreneur Prize, is its reach. "What we've achieved is based on our biggest strength, which is our marketplace and the number of people in our community," said Taboure, who serves as chief executive.
The Scale of Continental Distribution
If size and reach were the only indicators of the best distribution channel into the continent, Jumia would be the top contender. Currently, Jumia operates in more countries on the continent than any other of its kind, including the three largest economies: Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt. And despite its rollercoaster financial year in 2019 and the suspension of operations in Rwanda, Tanzania and Cameroon, it is still in a league of its own.
"I think the sentiment on the ground is pretty much established that Jumia is still the major e-commerce brand on the continent, and if you want to guarantee a level of scale you would probably trust Jumia's distribution better than any other player in the market," said Laolu Samuel-Biyi, a partner at Hacked Capital, a venture capital and private equity firm in Lagos who worked for Jumia from 2012 to 2013.
According to Juliet Anammah, chairwoman of Jumia Nigeria, the question is not one of Jumia's feasibility, but instead, whether it is interested in expanding into luxury fashion distribution.
Luminance, Superbalist and Essenza are examples of players that have learned how to navigate the online space but only within their respective countries.
"In terms of capability, we can set up anything. But the question is, at this point in time, is it a primary focus?," asked Anammah. "Not really. Luxury is not so much of a primary focus."
Anammah points to Jumia Mall, an online storefront for over 100 brands to list and sell their own products directly to consumers on the platform. However, many of the products on Jumia Mall are sold from local distributors in the country rather than directly from brands. The same is true for Konga, which is home to notable fashion brands like DKNY and Ralph Lauren, but sold via Lagos-based distributors like Sleeklook Clothing.
Anammah notes that Jumia's customer base is made up of a wide array of consumers, but commodity buyers are at the top of the list. When it comes to the fashion category Jumia customers are often looking for deals, bargains and repeat purchase items.
"People want to buy standard clothing for their families," said Anammah. "They want price, they want assortment, and they also want convenience. Especially convenience of delivery [so] this tends to favour more of the local manufacturer who is based locally or a distributor who is local but representing an international brand."
Cautiously, Anammah cites the economic implications of Covid-19 as another deterrent for Jumia's possible pivot into luxury fashion. Analysis from The World Bank estimates the pandemic could cost sub-Saharan Africa between $37 billion and $79 billion in terms of output losses for 2020.
"I think consumers in Africa will still be in recovery mode, trying to stretch their limited disposable income to be able to afford as many things as they can. They will be less brand-conscious, more price-sensitive," said Anammah.
Jumia made clear its focus on the value end of the spectrum when it leveraged the infrastructure of its South African fashion e-tailer Zando to deliver essential goods during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The company ended the second quarter of this year with 6.8 million active consumers (a year-over-year increase of 8 percent) and GMV of €228 million ($269 million), reflecting a year-over-year decrease of 13 percent compared to the same period last year.
A delivery man drives a transporter in Nigeria with an advertisement for e-commerce site Jumia | Source: Getty Images A delivery man drives a transporter in Nigeria with an advertisement for e-commerce site Jumia | Source: Getty Images
A delivery man drives a transporter in Nigeria with an advertisement for e-commerce site Jumia | Source: Getty Images
While the e-commerce giant sees its unwillingness to engage with luxury as a reflection of the times and a demographic reality of its core customer, some market experts say it is a missed opportunity. Others believe that smaller, more nimble African e-commerce players are better suited to align with luxury brands — but will any step forward?
All Brands Under One Digital Roof
Fashion industry leaders on the continent point to the entrepreneurial flair of boutique e-commerce sites like Dar es Salaam-based Industrie Africa, Johannesburg-based Kisua, and The Folklore. These, they say, are businesses that international luxury brands should be closely watching. Although many of these sites are focused on selling African luxury brands to consumers abroad, consumers say the reverse is also feasible.
"There's space for these homegrown [e-commerce] brands to aggregate local luxury brands but also tap into the international market," said Akinyi Ochieng, marketing executive at Nova Credit, a cross-border credit reporting agency.
But Amira Rasool, founder of the New York-based e-commerce site The Folklore, cautions brands that selling directly to African consumers cannot remain a top-down transaction.
"I think it's important that [international brands] have representatives actually on the continent and that they're building local teams. I don't advise people to move their people from Europe to Africa. I advise that you connect with people [already on the continent]."
For Nisha Kanabar, founder and chief executive of Industrie Africa, e-commerce was not the platform's first iteration. Initially launched in 2018 as a database of designers on the continent, it wasn't until May 2020 when Kanabar, a native of Tanzania, pivoted to e-commerce with 30 designers from 10 African countries.
"What we're trying to control is the customer service aspect, namely communication with the customer. We're making that exchange as smooth as possible. And, you know, making sure that we have both the customer as well as the designer in mind." said Kanabar, who espouses a model that is light on inventory.
What we're trying to control is the customer service aspect...We're making that exchange as smooth as possible.
According to Hanneli Rupert, a South Africa-based retailer and founder of luxury leather brand Okapi, consumers are now demanding more from the designer curation experience such as ethical sourcing credentials. Using Industrie Africa as an example, Rupert notes that, "it is implied that the brands on there are not only African but [that] there are different additional filters on how the product is produced and what it stands for."
Another draw for local boutique e-commerce players is that they tend to already have the pulse of the African luxury consumer. Omoyemi Akerele, managing director of Style House Files and founder of Lagos Fashion Week notes that as a shopper, the potential to have both local and international luxury brands on the same online platform is appealing to African consumers who enthusiastically shop both categories.
"I want to walk into a space where everything I like is under one roof," said Akerele, even if that roof is digital.
Ayotunde Rufai, chief executive of the e-tailer Jendaya is attempting to build that roof. The platform, which is set to launch later this year, has positioned itself as a next-generation luxury experience where Rufai claims that shoppers on the continent will be able to shop international and local brands like Dior, Orange Culture, Les Petit Joueurs, and Rich Mnisi side-by-side. The site will launch to 400 select shoppers in October and, on the continent, goods will ship to both Nigeria and Ghana to start.
"What we're curating is a trustworthy, convenient and exceptional shopping experience for the continental African luxury buyer," said Rufai.
Almost a decade earlier, Honey Ogundeyi had a similar vision in mind. Based in Lagos, the tech entrepreneur launched Fashpa in 2013, on the heels of Jumia and Konga. The brand was focused on making local and international high street brands like River Island and Asos available to consumers in Nigeria through its e-commerce platform. In 2018, Fashpa's success led to Ogundeyi being selected as part of the Farfetch's Dream Assembly accelerator for fashion start-ups but by December 2019, Fashpa had been sold and the site is no longer running.
Cases like this are a potent reminder to today's entrepreneurs that the sector is highly competitive, complex and full of unique challenges on the continent. But Ogundeyi still believes in the opportunity for a hybrid fashion e-tailer stocking both African and international brands.
For the start-up that eventually succeeds in this race, what should be their top priority? Getting their team mix just right, she says. And of course "getting access to the right sort of funders and investors [who truly] understand the opportunity that Africa presents."
[ Putting Africa on the Fashion Map ]
[ The Power of African Brand Ambassadors ]
[ Op-Ed | Africa's Fashion Revolution Will Be Digital ]
Khanyi Dhlomo
Hanneli Rupert
Amira Rasool
Jeremy Hodara
Juliet Anammah
Ayotunde Rufai
L'Oréal Luxe
Jumia Nigeria
Afrikrea
Industrie Africa
Kisua
Jendaya
Global Currents


Is the New Class of Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs For You?
The reason? Two, actually. First, this totally new class of (injectable) cholesterol-lowering drugs is approved ONLY for those with high cardiac risk. And secondly, clinical study results with key safety data won't be available for YEARS.
The two new drugs, Praluent and Repatha, were approved this past summer by the FDA only for those with a serious, genetically inherited disease that causes very high LDL (bad) cholesterol called Familial Hypercholsterolemia (FH) and/or for those who have heart disease / have suffered a heart attack.


text:
Fabricio Soares da Silva foi um político brasileiro do estado de Minas Gerais. Foi deputado estadual em Minas Gerais pelo UDN de 1947 a 1951 e de 1951 a 1955.

Fabrício Soares da Silva teve depoimento registrado pelo projeto de história oral "Memória Política de Minas", publicado pela Assembléia Legislativa do Estado de Minas Gerais, cuja edição o apresenta como uma liderança política marcante em sua geração. Engajado no movimento de redemocratização do Pais, durante o Estado Novo, participou da fundação da UDN e teve atuação destacada, notadamente como constituinte em 1947. Participou da fundação do PT, havendo concorrido às eleições de 1982.Posteriormente, foi presidente do Diretório Estadual do PSB.
Sua trajetória foi marcada pela coerência e pela procura de novos caminhos.

Deputados estaduais de Minas Gerais


text:
Tender, Daring, Sharp And Precise – A Reminder Of The Dirty Fascist Politics In India; Waititi's "Jojo Rabbit" Is A Must Watch For Every Indian
by ahaliyaunnikrishnan February 6, 2020 August 13, 2020
1 Comment on Tender, Daring, Sharp And Precise – A Reminder Of The Dirty Fascist Politics In India; Waititi's "Jojo Rabbit" Is A Must Watch For Every Indian
With his new film, New Zealand's darling director Taika Waititi (Thor Ragnarok, What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople) definitively proves that comedy is a powerful tool that can elucidate and satirise a complex issue like intolerance. Based on Christine Leunens' book Caging Skies, Jojo Rabbit is hilarious, poking fun mercilessly at Adolf Hitler and Fascism as a whole.
The film is set in a small town in Nazi Germany during the last days of World War II, where a 10 year protagonist Johannes "Jojo Rabbit" Betzler is living with his mother. He adored and even considers Adolf Hitler as his role model. So, the movie begins where Jojo decides to take part in a Nazi Youth Military Camp called Hitler Youth. The movie is reminiscent of the Wes Anderson movie Moonrise Kingdom (2012) with the lush greenery and the camera seemingly buried in the center of the screen. But here, Hitler is JoJo's imaginary friend who is stupid and more childish than Jojo. There is only one scene where Hitler screams like the real Nazi Hitler, that too during a sudden turn of events.
It might be hard to digest that a film that depicts, Hitler as an imaginary goofball, Nazi Youth groups as the scout camps out of Moonrise Kingdom, and a 10-year-old fanatic who worships a condemned dictator, as funny. But this being a satire, the laughs are not meant to be slapstick or endearing. They seem rather involuntary; because Waititi's writing manages to hit the bullseye by being so on point with its sardonic humour and pathos. This laugh is followed by an almost reflexive uneasiness when the true gravity of what has been spoken dawns on you. And you get plenty of such instances.
The star of the show is the young Roman, who delivers a masterful performance at such a tender age. The varying range of emotions of a young boy being ripped off of his innocence is so genuinely portrayed by Davis that you can't help feel moved by it. You can really feel the conundrum Jojo is in; between his faithfulness for his country and just being a young boy with zero worries in life.
Scarlett Johansson as the complex Rosie gives us a breathtaking performance and is the heart of the film. Her screen presence is undeniable and she owns every frame that Taika has put her in. She's the singular string of hope in her son's life while being an absolute badass, in spite of being a 'woman' during World War II. Sam Rockwell as Captain Klenzendorf, who is in charge of the Youth Camp Jojo is in, makes the best out of his stereotypical single-toned character and infuses colour to the otherwise monochromatic character.
Waititi, who calls himself a Polynesian Jew, apart from directing, also stars in the film as the aforementioned imaginary Hitler – a goofy, caricatured version of him that you'd get if you mixed three parts mean girl and one part puppy. Waititi liberates himself from such impositions in two key ways: he tells this story from the points of views of the perpetrators; he makes his movie so eccentric that at every turn we're confronted with an avalanche of new meanings and images which is indeed a new way, to think about the most horrific crime in the history of mankind.
Overall: JoJo Rabbit is relevant in India at present because we get to see how in spite of repeated failed policies, a leader is still considered worthy where various factors such as raising blind followers, extreme nationalism becoming an epidemic, and placing the blame of any and all wrongdoings of the state on someone else i.e. in this case, Winston Churchill, being at play.
Verdict: 3/5
Tags: baffoon Betzler fascism funny hitlet hollywood jojo politics rabbit scarlett johannson waititi
The Real McKenzie says:
good review
waiting for more 😘😘😘😘
Previous Entry Coughing Etiquette To Prevent Airborne Diseases
Next Entry Entertainment Section Taking A Short Break


San Ramon (Spanish: San Ramón; meaning Saint Raymond) is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is a suburban city of the San Francisco Bay Area, and lies in the San Ramon Valley. San Ramon's population was 72,148 as of the 2010 U.S. Census, with an estimated population of 74,378 in 2012, making it 4th largest city in Contra Costa County, behind Richmond, Concord and Antioch.
San Ramon is home to the headquarters of the Chevron Corporation, 24-Hour Fitness, the West Coast headquarters of AT&T Inc., The Global Software Center of GE, as well as the San Ramon Medical Center. Major annual events include the Art and Wind Festival on Memorial Day weekend, the Fourth of July Picnic and Fireworks Show, and the Primo's Run for Education in October.
San Ramon is located at 37°46′48″N 121°58′41″W. It is adjacent to Danville, California, to the north and Dublin, California, to the south. Unincorporated county lands border San Ramon to the east and west. It is located around 500 feet (150 m) above sea level. Mount Diablo flanks the city to the northeast and is prominently visible from almost all parts of the city. The Las Trampas Regional Wilderness borders San Ramon's extreme northwest, at the northern end of Bollinger Canyon. The smaller Bishop Ranch Regional Preservestraddles San Ramon's western border, located approximately between Interstate 680 and the Alameda County line.
The topography of San Ramon is varied, featuring a mix of the rolling hills of the Diablo Range and the flatter basin of the San Ramon Valley. The city is predominantly urban and residential; however much of the land around the city's perimeter regions remains undeveloped, and is covered by grasslands and oak tree orchards. During the drier months the grasses are golden; with the precipitation of winter and spring, the grasses turn green.
San Ramon's weather typifies the Mediterranean climate; temperate, seasonal, and moderate. Summers are warm and dry, while winters are mild and damp. Its weather is similar to the adjacent cities of Danville, Dublin and Pleasanton. Fog is a relatively infrequent but normal occurrence in the western reaches of the city, at the eastern mouth of Crow Canyon, through which marine weather patterns funnel in from the San Francisco Bay via Castro Valley. It usually burns off by mid-to-late morning.
Average January temperatures are a maximum of 58 °F (14 °C) and a minimum of 38 °F (3 °C). Average July temperatures are a maximum of 75 °F (24 °C) and a minimum of 56 °F (13 °C). January is normally the wettest month, averaging 5.20 inches (132 mm) of precipitation. July is usually the driest month, with an average of only 0.06 inches (1.5 mm) of precipitation. Normally snow is exceedingly rare.
The city of San Ramon is planning a new 40-acre (160,000 m2) downtown that will include a public plaza, hotel, independent cinema and a mix of residential units plus a new city hall, library, transit center and office space, to be developed by Sunset Development Company, the original developers of Bishop Ranch. As of May 2010, the start of construction of the new City Center was postponed due to the economic decline; however the project was fully approved and ready to move forward when economic conditions improve.
San Ramon's public schools are part of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District (SRVUSD), serving approximately 30,300 students. The city has 11 elementary schools and 4 middle schools. The high schools are California and Dougherty Valley. An alternative K–12 school is operated by the SRVUSD to support home-schooled students: Venture Independent Study School.
California High School was founded in 1973 and ranked 250th best high school in the United States by Newsweek.
There are two public libraries. The San Ramon Library and Dougherty Station Library of the Contra Costa County Library are located in San Ramon.
Originally, this city park, located on a hill overlooking Bollinger Canyon Road and San Ramon Valley Blvd., was to be named Alta Mesa Park. During the construction of the park, the City Council voted to change the name to Memorial Park to honor Tom Burnett, a San Ramon resident, and other victims from Flight 93 killed in the September 11 attacks of 2001. A plaque was installed at the base of a lighted flagpole dedicated to those victims and the surrounding meadow is part of the city's memorial tree program dedicated to local residents who have perished. The park was dedicated on September 11, 2002.
Local bus service in the San Ramon Valley is provided primarily by County Connection (Central Contra Costa Transit Authority, or CCCTA).
The major freeway in the area is Interstate 680.