The first step we take is to perform a nose to tail physical examination and prepare a treatment plan specifically designed for your pet and their health care needs.
A very important step we recommend is the pre-anesthetic blood test. This is the same test your doctor would perform if you were having an anesthetic procedure. The test results will give the doctors information about your pet's health and most importantly, will indicate how well your pet's body can filter and process the anesthetic medication we use in order to perform the procedure.
On the day of the procedure, your pet will be set up with an intravenous catheter. We will use this to administer medications as needed as well as supportive fluids. Supportive fluids are necessary to help your pet maintain his or her blood pressure during the procedure and to help clear the anesthesia from their body.
After the IV Catheter is placed and fluids are set up, your pet is sedated with medications administered via the IV catheter. Then your pet is intubated and receives general anesthesia.
When your pet is admitted to our hospital, both the treating veterinarian and assistant watch over them during the entire process. Once your pet is under anesthesia, they are connected to monitoring equipment which provides the doctor with information about their heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen levels while they are sleeping.
Once your pet is sleeping comfortably under anesthesia, we start the surgical prep process. The surgical area is shaved and cleaned following aseptic technique.
Females: During a spay or ovariohysterectomy procedure, an incision is made into the abdomen and the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus are removed. Depending on the doctor's preference, they may use sutures, staples or other methods to close the incision after the procedure.
Males: A typical castration or neuter does not involve abdominal surgery like for a spay procedure. Instead, a small incision is made and the testicles are removed. Depending on the doctor's preference, sutures, staples or other methods may be used to close the incision.
After the procedure, the area is cleaned and your pet will be moved to a comfortable cage with cozy bedding to keep them warm while they wake up from anesthesia. During this time our doctors and staff will monitor them closely to make sure they are comfortable and doing well. Depending on the procedure and the doctor's preference, your pet may go home the same day, or spend the night with us. Pets are examined before they go home to make sure the surgical area looks good and they have recovered from the effects of the anesthesia.
During the procedure, several different medications are administered to your pet. The initial medications provide sedation for going under anesthesia. Then, pain management medications are administered before, during and after the procedure. We do this to keep your pet comfortable and pain-free. Not only does controlling pain keep your pet comfortable; studies have shown that inhibiting the pain response helps increase healing time. Pet's will be sent home with pain medication and in some cases, the doctor may decide to also send home a collar to make sure your pet cannot lick at the surgical site and risk re-opening the incision.


As you may have noticed, I am in the process of redesigning the site. My previous Flash Site is no longer available. Here, on the new site, you will find a lot of information about how to successfully evoke all 72 Spirits of the Goetia, plus helpful links.
The Goetia Magick Store is in the process of being updated as well. But, in the meantime, feel free to order supplies and implements (and amazing spellkits) from my colleague, Voxx, who works with me on many magickal projects. So, until the Goetia Magick Store is available here, please visit the following site and pages — and make sure you let Voxx know I sent you!
Feel free to contact me with any questions about my full range of Goetic Magickal Services. This site will be fully functional by the Full Moon in Libra.


text:
Hard learned lesson: Not wearing rear-seat belt may affect claim payout
Apart from putting the vehicle occupants' lives at risk in case of an accident, the non-compliance of seat belt laws may also result in lower insurance compensation for "violation" of rules. Following the sad demise of Cyrus Mistry, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has also mandated the wearing of seat belts for rear passengers.
Sheersh Kapoor
Hard hitting reports of the Tata Sons ex-chairman Cyrus Mistry and his colleague Jehangir Pandole demise in a motor accident on Sunday has raised serious questions around not wearing seatbelts at the back also.
Reports suggest that the vehicle was overspeeding and the driver lost control of the car while trying to overtake from the left side. In total 7 airbags of the car were deployed but since the rear passengers weren't wearing seat belts, the impact proved fatal for them when the driver lost control.
Following the mishap, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday that from now on wearing seat belts would be mandatory for all passengers in a car, including those on rear seats, and flouting the rule will attract penalties.
He added that the government would release an official notification in the next three days on the same.
Apart from putting the vehicle occupants' lives at risk in case of an accident, the non-compliance of seat belt laws may also result in lower compensation from motor accident claims tribunals for "violation" of rules.
Section 138(3) of the Central Motors Vehicles Rules, 1989 provides that the person seated in the front seat or the persons occupying front facing rear seats, as the case may be, wear the seat belts while the vehicle is in motion.
In cases where accidents occur resulting in death of the passengers in the car and it is found that the passengers were not wearing seatbelts, an insurance company is still bound to honour the claims in line with the terms and conditions of the motor insurance policy.
However, the insurance company may assess various factors before settling such claims, i.e, the insurer may plead contributory negligence on part of the Claimant and violation of statutory laws, etc, while making the payout, explained Dinesh Pednekar, Partner, Economic Laws Practice in a recent interaction with ETBFSI.
"There is no fixed yardstick on how such claims will be settled and will depend on facts and circumstances of each case. With the advent of technology, it is now possible to determine the causes of accidents and the responsible factors may also be determinative during settlement of claims," he said.
Gratuitous passengers
While highlighting that the court or tribunal will not only look into the cause of the accident but also the coverage of the insurance policy, Hari Ananthakrishnan, former chief general manager (legal), IRDAI said that the court or tribunal will not only look into the cause of the accident but also the coverage of the insurance policy.
"The minimum cover mandated under the Motor Vehicles Act does not cover 'gratuitous passengers' travelling in private vehicles, they are insured under a comprehensive policy," he added as per an article of ToI.
A personal accident cover under the motor insurance policy pays for the compensation in case of bodily injuries, death, or any permanent disability resulting due to the accident of the Vehicle Owner, however, to ensure coverage for upto 3 co- passengers in the vehicle, a passenger add-on cover can be bought by paying an extra premium.
While opting for additional protection would increase premium payments by little, it would ensure the complete safety of everyone inside the vehicle, the experts suggested.
The insurance policies are standard and there is no scope for the consumer to make any changes to such policies. Hence, car owners are therefore required to exercise diligence to ensure that their claims are honoured expeditiously by the insurance company.
It is always advisable that minimum safety rules are strictly adhered to, to rule out the possibility of reduction/rejection of certain claims in accordance with the policy documents. In an accident, registration of an FIR and timely invocation of claims is also advisable, failing which the claims could be rejected or disputed, Pednekar highlighted.
"In case of lower claim being awarded or rejection of claim altogether, the Claimant may approach the Insurance Regulator, IRDAI or approach Insurance Ombudsman under Rule 12 of Redressal of Public Grievances Rules, 1998," he said.
They may also invoke Alternative Dispute Resolution, under any specific policy or approach Consumer forum or court/tribunal, he added.
rear seat belt
redressal of public grievances rules
jehangir pandole
hari ananthakrishnan
dinesh pednekar
cyrus mistry
claimant
central motors vehicles rules
If I were FM: Anand Rathi lists out 9 provisions which FM could make in Budget 2023
HDFC Life policyholders can now pay premiums with NPCI's UPI 123PAY
India's Retail Health Insurance market to touch USD 25 billion in next 5 years: Study
Budget 2023 may unveil a new universal livestock insurance scheme

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


So yesterday evening i was invited along with Edisa to the MQ Vienna Fashion Week.14 Pre-Party at the Hotel Imperial or more precisely at the 1983 Halle Nsalon which claims to bet he heart of the hotel. I've never been there but it was the perfect location in order to catch a glimpse of the collections which will be shown next week at the #MQVFW14! For this occasion i finally got the chance to wear my slouchy leather pants which turned out to be the perfect choice fort his crazy weather conditions – but as you guys know i'm more than thrilled that i can finally wear my favorite pieces!


The severe traffic bottleneck in Sugar Land has been eliminated (for the time being) with the opening of the new lanes from Kirkwood to SH 6. The lanes actually opened in the second half of May 2003 in sections, and the official dedication ceremony was held on May 28.
The ceremony featured U.S. Congressman Tom Delay (R, Sugar Land), House majority leader and one of the most powerful men in America.
The ribbon cutting with Congressman Delay and TxDOT transporation commissioner John Johnson performing the cutting.
A view of the display.
A closer view of the display.
Congressman Delay addresses the crowd.
Congressman Delay receives a wall hanging with photographs commemmorating the project.
Congressman Delay at the podium.
Commissioner Johnson addresses the crowd.
A view of the overall scene.


Complete various challenges in a Monster Truck. You can choose between multiple levels and you will eventually run into some interesting situations, so pay attention to the instructions. Monster Truck Maniac 2 is provided to you by FunLand.com and is categorized into our racing games. This game was played 53,584 times and currently has a rating of 4.19 out of 5.00 after 48 votes.


text:
27 Feb 12 28 Nov 16
Afghanistan: MSF Treats Wounded After Kunduz Protests
Following violent protests over the reported Quran burnings at Bagram airbase, MSF received 50 patients at its surgical hospital in Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan. Protests have been raging across Afghanistan over the past week since the Quran burnings were first reported. Demonstrations yesterday turned violent in Kunduz as protesters tried to storm the UN compound in the province.
A young Afghan man is treated for a gunshot wound to his lower chest. MSF hospital Kunduz. Afghanistan December 2011 © Michael Goldfarb
"It all happened very quickly. We saw almost 30 patients over the course of an hour when the violence first started, most of them in critical condition and needing immediate care", says Silvia Dallatomasina, MSF's Medical Coordinator in Kunduz.
The MSF surgical hospital received a total of 50 patients, of which 39 were admitted, the majority suffering gunshot wounds. Three patients died, the rest have been stabilised and treated or referred to the regional hospital. MSF surgical teams carried out fourteen operations throughout the day and into the night, including vascular surgery and treatment of fractures from gunshots.
Since August 2011, MSF has been running a surgical hospital in Kunduz providing urgent surgical care and follow-up treatment for people wounded in the conflict, and for those suffering from life-threatening injuries. Hundreds of people have been treated in the hospital since it opened, which is the only specialised surgical hospital of its kind in northern Afghanistan.
A strict no-weapons policy is implemented in all locations where MSF works in Afghanistan to ensure patient safety and security. MSF teams also work in Ahmed Shah Baba Hospital in Kabul and in Boost Hospital in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand Province. As in Kunduz, MSF provides free medical care in both locations, and works in all wards of the hospitals.
MSF plans to open a maternity hospital in Khost Province in early 2012.
MSF relies solely on private donations to carry out its work in Afghanistan, and does not accept any government funding.


In a nod to its humble beginning in the garage of a Silicon Valley house, Google is building "campuses" around the world intended as fertile ground where entrepreneurs can flourish.
Google started in a small, Menlo Park garage 17 years ago. Now, in a nod to its humble beginnings, it is building "campuses" around the world intended as fertile ground where entrepreneurs can flourish.
A campus that opened last month in Madrid was the fourth such start-up nurturing facility opened by a Google for Entrepreneurs team at the California-based Internet titan.
The first campus opened in London in 2012, followed by one in Tel Aviv and then a third in Seoul.
"We began as a startup in a garage 17 years ago and really believe in empowering the next generation of startups," Google for Entrepreneurs director Mary Grove told AFP.
"The goal is to foster entrepreneurship all over the world."
Google plans to open startup campuses in Warsaw and Sao Paulo later this year.
Campuses provide spaces for startups to meet, work, and learn. Partners are brought in to provide cafe services for which Silicon Valley tech companies are renowned.
Each campus has large event spaces that groups can apply to use free of charge. The London campus averages four big events daily.
Co-working desk spaces can be rented, with certain operations contracted out to partners such as TechHub, which provides work space for tech entrepreneurs, and Seedcamp investment fund.
The campuses have about 20,000 square feet of space and 200 desks.
Membership is free, and some 55,000 people around the world have signed on, according to Grove.
She said the process of users going from being a new arrival to learning from mentors, meeting potential investors, and gaining traction is referred to as "working their way through the building."
"It's a hive of activity and has a tremendous energy about it," said Frugl founder Suzanne Noble.
"I've lost count of the interesting workshops and talks that I've attended there and have really helped to grow my business."
Her company is behind an app that helps people on budgets find affordable things to do and she is taking part in a freshly-launched London Campus program devoted to tech company founders over the age of 50.
In contrast to typical startup accelerator programs, being at campus is more about sharing skills and maximizing use of resources made available, according to Noble.
Wiki-kids co-founder Inbal Miron-Bershteyn attended a baby-friendly startup program for entrepreneurial mothers at the Tel Aviv Campus.
There are mattresses on the floor for nap time and children are free to crawl around while their mothers talk to mentors, experts and women who have started companies of their own, according to Miron-Bershteyn.
Diaper changing and breast feeding are accepted parts of the routine.
"Even sometimes a crying baby will be held by a mentor," Miron-Bershteyn said while describing her Campus for Moms experience.
"It is a great community, everybody comes together. It works, I think, on good karma. Mentors come for nothing and the women get encouraged and empowered."
Wiki-kids is a talking encyclopedia tailored for children, launched just a couple of months before Miron-Bershteyn took part in Campus for Moms last year.
Google does not earn any revenue from its campuses, and did not disclose how much it spends on the facilities or the programs.
"It is such a part of Google's DNA," Grove said of promoting tech entrepreneurs.
"We have the tools to make startups successful, we know that more companies online using the Internet and Google products is good for Google in the long run."
Startups out of the London campus have created about 1,800 jobs in the past three years and raised $110 million in funding, according to Grove.
Along with startups flourishing on campuses, she hoped that the facilities themselves would be seeds for the growth of tech company clusters in neighborhoods where they are located.
"It is not about recreating Silicon Valley, it is about finding what is unique about cities and capitalizing on it," Grove said.


text:
Symphony in G minor (1) Johann Christian Bach Download 'Symphony in G minor (1)' on iTunes
Want to make it as a choral composer? Eric Whitacre has this advice…
Want to make it in the cliquey and super geeky world, full of cassocks and false relations? In our recent web chat, the best in the business had these tips for a budding choral composer...
Get out there and find that choir
"I suppose the best advice I could give would be this: find a choir, doesn't matter how good they are, and get them to commit to premiering a new piece by you. Set a date in the calendar (their Spring concert, for instance). This isn't going to be so easy because a lot of choir directors will be nervous, but do not give up. Keep calling and emailing and pestering people until someone agrees."
Now get your quill (or mac) and write, write, write
"Now, you're stuck. You HAVE to write a piece. You don't have enough schooling, you don't know enough about composing, and still you are going to HAVE TO WRITE THIS PIECE."
OK, the writing part is hard. Fear not…
Pro tip: you will never know enough about composing, no one can, so the best you can do is start writing and learning. As you write the piece, start small and stay small. Don't try to begin with an opera, or a Requiem.
Now the motifs are flowing, a few more pro tips
"Take a very small idea, find a very small musical motif to match that, and then try and write the entire piece using only that musical material or slight variations on it. Don't worry about sounding original, or impressing people. Just try to get a piece that has a beginning, a middle, and an end and uses the smallest amount of musical material. It can be just one minute long."
You've got your opus, now it's time to refine and obsess (and maybe get a bit nervy)
"Go to every rehearsal they will let you attend. Talk to the performers, see what they like, what they don't like. Watch and see if they struggle with anything you've written, and if you think they are struggling because you've not written it well, rewrite that part. Listen and obsess, do everything you can to get the piece sounding as good as possible for the premiere."
Your time has come...
"At the premiere itself you will be transformed. Doesn't really matter if the piece is a hit or a disaster (I've had lots of both in my time), something about the act of performing something you wrote in front of people who have never heard it before will transform you."
You've done it - you're a choral composition superstar (to the appropriate degree)
"Believe me when I say this: you will learn more from the experience of writing a piece and having it performed than you ever will at school, or from a book. After that, do it again. The path to TV, musicals, choral music.... that is all a distraction, and in many ways completely out of your hands. Your music is going to take you where you are supposed to go. Good luck!"
Whitacre News
See more Whitacre News
How does Eric Whitacre write beautiful music? He says it all comes down to 'the golden brick'
An intergalactic symphonic film, created by Eric Whitacre and a team of space scientists
Eric Whitacre conducted a 600-strong choir at Eurovision Choir of the Year and it was glorious
Whitacre Music
See more Whitacre Music
Eric Whitacre's guide to writing a masterful a cappella cover
Eric Whitacre conducts 'Lux Nova': exclusive video
Whitacre - Lux Aurumque
Whitacre Pictures
See more Whitacre Pictures
Eric Whitacre: the man and the music
Eric Whitacre rehearses with LSO & LSC
Whitacre Album Reviews
See more Whitacre Album Reviews
Choral ensemble shine with unmemorable songs
The wonder of Whitacre
Whitacre Guides
See more Whitacre Guides
Why Eric Whitacre is your new favourite orchestral (not just choral) composer
Eric Whitacre's step-by-step Virtual Choir guide


text:
Q: SQL phpmyadmin update table if null I have an early question and it has been answered where I wanted to update a certain row on the table if same row from another table is updated.
its working fine but when that certain row is deleted, the entry stays in the other table.
Please help how to delete that also.
Here is the current trigger where account_name is copied from main_accounts to payments table.
UPDATE payments a
JOIN main_accounts b ON a.payment_method = b.payment_method
SET a.account_name = b.account_name

Thank you so much!

A: You need a Delete with Sub-Query
DELETE FROM payments
WHERE  payment_method NOT IN (SELECT payment_method
                           FROM   main_accounts)

But i would suggest you to have On Delete Cascade and On Update Cascade which will make your life easier

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Topic of the Day, Daily Horoscope, Songs Challenge, Horoscope with Bu Ali, Sports, Twitter Poll, Weather Forecast, Local News, Your Health, Diet, Historic Events, Heard about that?, 21 Questions.
It's a recorded segment that allows people to record their funny problems and Dr. Murra answers their questions in a comedic way.
Topic of the Day, Sports, Local News, Al Hadda, Al Samla(The Challenge), Eyal Tessa'a(Nine Callers), Ziman oo Taf, Bu Ahmad.
We Ask Our Followers to Pick a Song of Their Choice.
YOU CAN NEVER GET BORED WITH HALF A DOZEN!!
ABC, Explain It, Mood, You are Me, Focus, Dare.
The artist's announcement is made through a post that could be sponsored, We interact with followers and we ask for their suggestions for the current and upcoming specials. We announce the artist with a Tweet along with the special's official hashtag, that everyone could express their excitement and interact with.
It's a weekly show, comes on every Friday at 7PM. Abdalla announces the best 20 songs of this week on Marina FM along with giving details of the songs and the artists behind all the magic.
Topic of the day, Games, Confessions, What's Up Kuwait?.
It's a show with a selection of songs that are laid back in their style, theme, and rhythm. The songs are linked by poetic audio clips voiced by our very own talents in between each song. These hours are very popular among our listeners and they generate strong interactions on our social media platforms.
We're social and we'd love to hear from you! Feel free to send us an email and follow us on Instagram.


When President Obama meets Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah (Ghani's partner in the unity government) this week to discuss the future of U.S.-Afghanistan relations, they must keep the lessons of Iraq in mind. In 2011, when Iraq refused to provide legal protection for U.S. forces if they were to remain in Iraq, President Obama seized the opportunity to fulfill his campaign promise to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq and declare his Iraq policy a success.
Although the United States and Iraq remained committed to their Strategic Framework Agreement on political, economic and security cooperation, in effect the United States disengaged from Iraq. Withdrawal from Iraq had three interrelated unintended effects. The first was increased domestic polarization. America had been playing a mediating role providing a cushion between Iraq's Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish communities. With U.S. disengagement, relations between the Shiite dominated government of former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki and the Sunnis and Kurds rapidly deteriorated. The second effect was increased regional interference in Iraq. Iran, Turkey and some Arab States intensified their involvement in Iraq, competing to fill the vacuum left by the United States. This competition among regional rivals and their proxies inside Iraq aggravated the polarization.
In this struggle, Sunni Arabs lost ground and were marginalized. This marginalization and the disintegration of Syria next door led to the reemergence of an extremist terrorist movement, this time calling itself the Islamic State, Daesh or ISIL. The third effect was the disintegration of the large Iraqi national security force that proved unable to deal with the ISIL threat on its own. Without an American combat presence, the Strategic Framework Agreement and the large Office of Security Cooperation inside the U.S. Embassy were inadequate to prevent Iraq's unraveling and the rise of a new global terror threat.
The unity government in Afghanistan has clearly heeded the lessons of Iraq. It wants U.S. combat forces to stay in adequate numbers for the foreseeable future. Within hours of being sworn in, the government signed a bilateral security agreement with Washington to include providing suitable protections for U.S. forces in country. Given the existing threats from the Taliban and the Haqqani network, and new threats like ISIL, Kabul recognizes that it needs a continued U.S. and coalition military presence. To encourage continued U.S. engagement, it has dramatically improved cooperation with the U.S. military.
It appears that President Obama is ready to meet the Afghans halfway. According to press reports, the administration has decided to respond favorably to the Afghan request to slow down the pace of withdrawal. The original plan was to reduce the number of U.S. forces from about 10,000 to fewer than 6,000 by the end of 2015. Under the new plan, more U.S. forces would remain in Afghanistan in 2015 and 2016 to assist Afghan forces combat the Taliban and other terrorist groups, including ISIL, who are seeking to increase their presence in Afghanistan. The ISIL footprint in Afghanistan may be quite small today, but it could grow substantially, especially if increased pressure on the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria forces some elements to seek safe havens elsewhere.
Slowing the pace of U.S. withdrawal is a positive step, but may not be sufficient. Afghan forces that have taken the responsibility for the country's security are likely to face serious tests in the coming fighting season by the Taliban. These Afghan forces are performing courageously despite high casualties. Nevertheless, the U.S. forces will probably have to assist them to prevent Taliban from changing the balance on the ground by seizing major swaths of territory or eroding the morale of Afghan forces.
Two further steps are needed to avoid a repeating the Iraqi debacle.
First, help Ghani on Pakistan. The Afghan President has taken a number of domestically difficult steps to improve relations with Pakistan: sending Afghan army officers to train in Pakistan, using Afghan security forces against Pakistani extremists based in Afghanistan, downgrading relations with India, and improving relations with China and Saudi Arabia. However, as of now, Pakistan has not delivered on its reciprocal commitment to bring the Pakistan-based Taliban leadership—long supported by Pakistani Military intelligence—to the negotiating table and push them to accept reasonable terms for ending their war on Afghanistan. These talks were supposed to start a few weeks ago. The United States should support the peace process by pressing Pakistan to deliver on its commitment. If Pakistan fails to keep its end of the deal, it is likely that Ghani would have to abandon this accommodating approach and take a more hostile stand. Such a development would not serve U.S. interests.
Second, abandon the plan for total withdrawal of combat forces in 2016. The key lesson of Iraq in 2011 was that total withdrawal was premature and left a dangerous situation in its aftermath. The situation in Afghanistan and its neighborhood in 2016 will require a U.S. military presence in Afghanistan for some time to come. The Taliban aside, the threat of global terrorism from al-Qaida and related groups including ISIL will likely grow in 2016. Full withdrawal also would have a negative effect on the peace process because setting deadlines may encourage the Taliban to wait us out.
Maintaining a residual U.S. military presence would also help the United States be better informed and allows for effective and timely responses to threats emanating from the region—such as a Pakistani nuclear weapon or critical components falling into terrorist hands. Keeping a presence also allows the United States take to advantage of unanticipated opportunities, including to go after high value terrorist targets such as al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri who remains in Pakistan. Afghanistan, unlike other states in the area, wants the United States to maintain a presence. The administration should respond positively. The longer-term U.S. presence does not have to be large nor open-ended. It should be subject to review at least every five years and end when no longer needed.
Shifting the policy unambiguously on withdrawal by 2016 will not be easy for President Obama. He wants to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan before he leaves office and some of his political supporters will be disappointed. But U.S. interests, based on the experiences of withdrawal from Iraq, the new and continuing threat of extremism and terror, and the changed situation in Afghanistan require such an adjustment. The lessons from Iraq are certainly clear on this point.


text:
Forschungsüberblick
Risiken und Chancen in Japan
Forschungsfeld:
Nachhaltigkeit und Resilienz
Methoden und Methodologien
Sonderprojekt: COVID-19
Sonderprojekt: Tokyo Olympics
Individuelle Projekte
Abgeschlossene Forschung
Thematische Vortragsreihen
Symposien und Konferenzen
Publikationsübersicht
DIJ Monographienreihe
Frühere Publikationsreihen
Die Bibliothek ist für die Öffentlichkeit zugänglich.
Bitte melden Sie sich vorher an.
Bandō-Sammlung
Dreisprachiges Glossar der Demographie
Universitäre Sondersammlungen in Japan
Gastwissenschaftler/innen-Programm
/ Events / Workshops / New Trends in Japanese Social Policy
New Trends in Japanese Social Policy
Japan, having the fastest growing population over 65 in the industrialized world, faces enormous challenges to reform its social security systems. The debate on social security reform, which until the 1980s focused on a "Japanese-style welfare society", is now strongly influenced by neo-liberal ideas. Recent reforms in pensions and health care have sought to implement cost cutting measures and to reshuffle the public-private mix in social security. On the other hand, a new expensive long-term care system was enacted to address the problems of an ageing society. What are the factors that shaped these reforms? Who are the main actors driving them? What are the economic, social and political implications?
This workshop addresses the issue of Japanese social security policy by analyzing recent changes in pensions, health care and long-term care.
Irmela Hijiya-Kirschnereit
Panel 1: Balancing the Burden of the Ageing Society: Evaluating the Japanese Pension System
The Japanese Basic Pension System – Or How to Square a Circle
Harald Conrad
Zusammenfassung verstecken
Social security systems are largely designed to balance the conflicting objectives of social adequacy and individual equity. Pension systems have two functions corresponding to these two objectives: to guarantee a minimum income and redistribute wealth, and to promote savings and insurance. In general, pension models recognize this dual purpose by promoting multi-pillar systems, in which each pillar follows one objective. This presentation argues that the Japanese pension system fails to adequately balance these objectives due to its ambivalent design. It focuses in particular on the limited effectiveness of the minimum income and redistribution function of the Japanese basic pension (kokumin nenkin).
Zusammenfassung anzeigen
Japanese Social Security Measures to Support the Retiring Aged Examples from Employment Insurance and Public Pensions
Yukiko K. KATSUMATA (National Institute of Population and Social Security Research)
The Japanese government has implemented two major income support measures for people between the ages of 60 and 65. One is the partial pension called the Old-age Pension for Active Workers beyond the age of 60. The other is an employment subsidy for elderly employees from the employment insurance system called Employment Continuation Benefit for the Elderly. In this paper, the effects of these measures are examined from the perspective of social insurance financing and labor market measures.
The uniqueness of Japan's social and employment measures is that the system puts emphasis on promoting work among the elderly. The Japanese people and the Japanese government do not find early retirement measures to be attractive under the circumstances of a declining population and an aging population in the early twenty-first century. There are two phases of these measures: the labor market and the social security scheme. Examples include extending the average retirement age among employees by promoting working opportunities and extending the statutory pensionable age from 60 to 65. In this paper, the background to such measures as well as their effects are described and analyzed. Current policy discussions underway in Japan until the first half of 2000 are also presented.
Panel 2: New Wine in Old Bottles? The Japanese Health Care System in Transition
Japan's New Long-Term-Care Insurance System: Why did it happen? How is it working?
John C. CAMPBELL (University of Michigan)
In the mid-1990s, the Japanese government planned and enacted public, mandatory long-term-care insurance (LTCI, kaigo hoken). Actually, the key commitment to "socialization of care" for the frail elderly was the 1989 Gold Plan, which took a Scandinavian approach. LTCI represents a switch to German-style social insurance, but compared to Germany, the Japanese system is much more generous, and it provides only formal services with no allowance for family caregiving. These counter-intuitive provisions were approved with surprisingly little real debate, due to the political situation of the time. Debate did erupt before the start of the program in April, 2000, with fundamental criticisms of its financial and social effects. The program was launched with only mild reforms, however, and despite much attention to a variety of problems, it seems to be well under way.
Japanese Healthcare Reforms: Who Pays?
Paul D. TALCOTT (University of Tokyo, Institute of Social Science)
Distributing the costs of healthcare reform is a question facing healthcare systems worldwide. As in other sectors, the outcomes of healthcare reform may be influenced by old or new conceptions of the goals of policy, fighting among different interest groups over protecting benefits, or by the state on behalf of those interests for long-range or short-range purposes. In Japanese health care, fighting over the shape of major reforms has taken place over the goals of the system, among interests with a strong stake in the system, within the bureaucracy, and between the Liberal Democratic Party and officials in the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Although popular opinion and mass-media coverage of these events is limited, major reforms have been under discussion since 1995. The most recent minor revision of the health insurance law, on December 1, however, reveals that the system continues to protect the elderly and raise the costs on the working-age population. This paper argues that healthcare policy reform outcomes are best explained by long-standing political commitments to the elderly, rather than a particular concept of social policy, a balance of power among interest groups, or long-range consideration of the costs for society.
©&nbsp2023 Deutsches Institut für Japanstudien | Impressum | Datenschutzerklärung


Poke cakes have gained popularity in the recent months. But what makes them so special? This Vanilla Poke Cake is a combination of the best ever Vanilla cake that is so fluffy and moist (better than you would find at the bakery-it's that good), layer of ganache to fill the "pokes", a layer of whipped cream topped with crushed NuVita Choco-Chip Shortbread Biscuits and a final drizzle of chocolate sauce.


Still cringing at the idea of using online dating sites? We're here to dispel your doubts and show you the wonderful online world of flirt dating for singles of any age! Each day our site helps thousands of single men meet and go on dates with women they find online. Free registration, handy search by location, crowded chat rooms - these are just a few reasons why women keep joining our community. So, now put all your stigmas aside and plunge into an ocean of fun and online flirt!
You are basically looking for women who want to get married when you review the profiles of women available on mail-order bride sites. It is really not someplace for dating, due to the fact end-goal is to look for a woman that is suitable wedding with who you share similar interests and hobbies. You can initiate communication with her if you come across one that tickles your fancy. You can easily deliver letters or talk to them on the net to make it to understand each other better. Nonetheless, if they're maybe perhaps perhaps not proficient in your indigenous language, you will be provided interpretation solutions by the agencies that you need to pay for.
One month membership costs approximately $20.00. LavaLife.com is a Canada-based online dating site but has since become popular in a variety of countries to such a degree that its membership has rocketed to over 15 million. Users from all over the globe are using its services, making it good resource for meeting locals or people from another country completely.


text:
Occult Adventure Nine Witches: Family Disruption Available on Nintendo Switch!
December 5th, 2020 | Author: Shaun
SYDNEY – Dec. 4, 2020 – Nine Witches: Family Disruption, the comedic alternate-history occult adventure game from developer Indiesruption and publisher Blowfish Studios, manifests today on Nintendo SwitchTM, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC via Steam and GOG. Beep Company and DMM Games will also distribute the IndieCade-nominated Nine Witches: Family Disruption for Nintendo SwitchTM and PlayStation 4 in Japan this winter.
Something strange is happening in the remote Norwegian village of Sundäe, best known for its delicious, three-testicled salmon. As World War II rages on, Sundäe finds itself an unlikely home to the Third Reich's Okkulte-55 Division. These devious belligerents seek to harness the region's supernatural energy to secure Germany's victory in the global conflict.
As the Okkulte-55 spreads through the once-sleepy hamlet, paranormal researcher Professor Alexei Krakovitz and his trusty assistant Akiro Kagasawa arrive at the Allies' behest. Guide the pair on an investigation transcending the mortal realm, commune with spirits, chat with colorful locals, and fight back against the Third Reich as they attempt to raise literal Hell.
Switch between characters to harness their innate abilities. Astral project as the Professor to uncover otherworldly information and hold court with Sundäe's departed souls to aid the duo's investigation. Chat with locals and scour for clues as Akiro, solving puzzles and piecing together the town's mysteries, and prepare to flex Akiro's muscles during combat if the Okkulte-55 catches wind of the duo's operation.
Prepare for surprises, shocking revelations, and hearty laughs as Krakovitz and Kagasawa explore Sundäe while interacting with more than 50 characters. Experience a story steeped in paranormal activity and absurdist humor set against the backdrop of one of history's darkest hours. Soak in Sundäe's charms and quirks, brought to life with retro-inspired pixel art.
"Throughout my life, I've been fascinated by the intersection of the otherworldly and human history," said Diego Cánepa, designer, Indiesruption. "Nine Witches: Family Disruption is my chance to share my interests and sense of humor with the gaming world."
Nine Witches: Family Disruption is now available on Nintendo SwitchTM, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam and GOG for Windows PC for $19.99 USD / €17.99 / £15.99. It features English, Spanish, German, French, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional) language support with Japanese coming alongside the Japanese release.
Posted in News | Tags: Family Disruption, Nine Witches, Nintendo, Switch


The Batakotte Resolution produced the alternative ideology of Tamil nationalism" to replace anachronistic Hindu casteism. It now stands as the political Bible of the Tamils which contains the essential arguments for the establishment of Tamil Eelam – arguments derived from their version of history. It also outlined their means / strategies to achieve Eelam. It is necessary to examine this document even at this late stage because there isn't a greater declaration of the Tamils justifying Tamil separatist politics and Tamil violence that went along with it. After the Batakotte Resolution a whole new industry began to justify Tamil separatism and violence.
The argument that the British should have handed over the territory they held under colonial rule to extinct regional powers who held it once upon a time is not justifiable because both India and Sri Lanka fought for freedom not on a regional basis but on a common national front. This is conceded by the Tamils in the Battakotte Resolution. If, as stated in the Batakotte Resolution, the Tamils were in the forefront of the independent movement of Ceylon", there was no necessity for the British to recognise regional borders. More so, because the Tamils never asked for a separate state in 1948. That began on December 18, 1949 when S. J. V. Chelvanayakam launched his Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachci at the GCSU Hall in Maradana. Mark you, not in Jaffna – the so-called homeland" of the Tamils!
In an earlier article (see : The last king of Jaffna was a Sinhala-Buddhist – Lanka Web) I cited the Portuguese historians who confirmed that it was the Sinhalese who waged the last battle to save Jaffna from the Portuguese oppressors. Mahinda Rajapakse repeated that history when he fought the final battle to save Jaffna from the fascist oppression of Velupillai Prabhakaran – the first born child of the Batakotte Resolution. Ironically, it was the children of the Batakotte Resolution that turned the guns on the Fathers who legitimised their brutal violence.
Thank you, HLD for more details on the V'koddai Resoluntion etc.
Question : If Tamil Eelam is formed, will not the Tamil Nadu Caste System be brought back in full force to Tamil Eelam ?
The Caste of people in Tamil Nadu is stated in their birth certificates and INDIA does the Census based on Caste.
Buddhists, Catholic & Christian people, Muslims etc are all categorised under Scheduled Castes.
As that is what would happen if any Eelam is formed, then where do the bulk of the Tamil folk stand in such an Eelam re Caste ?
Wouldn't it be a gain for all Tamils to stop the call for Separatism and join up with the Others of Lanka to move forward toward Peace & Prosperity for all in Lanka ?
PATRIOTISM is a wonderful thing – a sense of belonging and safety, growth and happiness, are the rewards.
And we helped it enormously by replacing Velupillai with Vigneswaran in 2013.
Even TNA considers Vigneswaran to be far more extremist than Sambandan.
I consider Vigneswaran to be far more dangerous than Velupillai. The latter was foolish with no legal knowledge and long-term planning. He thought he could win it all 'someday' with total disregard to reality. The former is very clever and is a legal expert. He knows the power of compromise and manipulation.
We only have a glorious history to our claims and no future. What we say about Jaffna above will have to be said about Colombo in a generation if 13A stays. Chances are 13A is here to stay.
It is a sad thing that no politician with grass root level support will get rid of 13A since it will destroy his support base and all the "golayas" will lose their jobs and other attractive perks & income.
We need someone like Gota to come to the driving seat on his own popularity, not based on grass root level party politics but the hearts of the people. He has nothing to lose and he is a big fan of getting rid of 13A.
He will think only on Mother Lanka.. so in my opinion, he has the power base which Sarath Weerasekara does not have and also he is a straight forward leader, who can also exercise tough measures in certain things..
We need discipline as a nation and he will make sure it is re-stored. We need the dignity as a nation and he will re-store it. We do not want Indian colonial parasites to tell how to rule our country as Christie always say… and Gota will see to that as well.. We have to stop corruption and demolish the "Paathalaya". He will do that also. We need to raise our standard of living… He will do that also.
Only thing is, we will have the West and India trying to swallow us… The whole nation has to be together to cater for this..
We need someone strong to remove Thesawalamei rule as well.. Can that be removed by the Executive??
It is the ILLEGAL 13-A & the vicious V'koddai Resoln (1976 – prior to the trumped up 1983 Riots), that gives power to the Tamil Leaders, then and now.
Remove BOTH and invite all Tamils to be PATRIOTIC citizens of Lanka.
Indian Colonial Parasites started to arrive after the arrival of Portugese. There were some Indian vermin before that but they were always barred from forming their own kingdom. The Country was always run by one ruler. The arrival of Europeans weakened the Sinhala rulers.
Large numbers of Indian Colonial Parasites came after the arrival of the British. Starting with the Vellars from the Malabar Coast who came to replace the Dutch administrators.
These are the Vellahs the writer is talking about.
Singhalese must NEVER vote for ANYONE or his sons and daughters who has worshipped at THIRUPATHY, MECCA or the VATICAN.
Lorenzo earlier suggested that Lankans VOTE ONLY for politicos who PROMISE (suggestion: at a sacred place) to REMOVE the 13-A.
SLs should NOT vote for ANY politician who does not promise to SCRAP 13 amendment. This vow must be taken at a sacred place.
There are THREE items the Tamil leaders of today have to retract/revoke officially/agree to officially remove, in order to live peacefully in Sri Lanka with the Others.
(3) The ILLEGAL 13-A imposed by INDIA on the pro-west JRJ govt in 1987.
These three items give the minority Tamil people a huge and unfair advantage over the Others in Lanka.
These items are divisive and does not help Tamil people to fit into mainstream life and integrate into society in Lanka.
This entry was posted on Thursday, March 9th, 2017. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response.


text:
Gerry Gold
Gerry Gold's Friends
Gerry Gold's Groups
The Big Democracy
The Peoples Think Tank
Gerry Gold's Page
Gerry Gold commented on Gavin Porter's group The Peoples Think Tank
"You're not wrong, Rachel! Try this http://realdemocracymovement.org/trump-from-democracy-to-tyranny/ ; More to come soon"
"The idea of an Estonia-style enactment is creeping into and taking over my brain! I went to see the NT's staging of Caryl Churchill's Light Shining in Buckinghamshire re-enactment of the English Civil War/Diggers etc recently. Very…"
"One part of the answer to Gavin's what kind of economy' question could be : one that is democratically controlled. If you're interested in considering what a real democracy would look like, and how we might bring it into existence,…"
Gerry Gold added a discussion to the group The Big Democracy
Assemblies for Democracy
I also posted this in the Peoples Think Tank - apologies if I'm coming on too strong!!Hello to all. I've just joined. This is my first post. I hope it stirs some interest......looking forward to some creative discussion....Gerry GoldThis is your invitation to join the planning group for the first Assembly for Democracy in Swansea.There are a host of organisations and thousands of people actively demanding and working for democratic change in the UK. Many are inspired by movements for democracy…See More
Gerry Gold joined Rhian Lewis's group
It could be argued that our political system is at breaking point. Some say politicians act in the interest of corporations and not of the people. Throughout the world, there seems to be an air of discontentment.National Theatre Wales' Assembly programme has developed into a three-year programme of work called The Big Democracy Project, which explores how art and creativity can play a part in helping communities across Wales re-engage with the democratic process.We've already started asking…See More
"Hello to all. I've just joined. This is my first post. I hope it stirs some interest...... looking forward to some creative discussion.... Gerry Gold This is your invitation to join the planning group for the first Assembly for Democracy in…"
Gerry Gold joined Gavin Porter's group
The People's Think Tank is an interdisciplinary group of problem-solvers; artists, NTW TEAM members, members of the communities of WalesThe Think Tank's aims are to:give a collective voice for the people of Wales, around issues of democracy and politics, arts and culture;pursue tangible outcomes from the Big Democracy Project;encourage a new collective voice; and tohelp shape the next phase of The Big Democracy Project. They will do this by:working within the Big Democracy Project to listen and…See More
Gerry Gold is now a member of National Theatre Wales Community
What I do:
Contribute to building the movement for democracy
A little more about me:
I write (and talk) about economics (eg: http://www.aworldtowin.net/resources/global-economic-crisis-video.html and http://www.aworldtowin.net/about/HouseOfCards.html),
and I play the trumpet.
I helped to set up the Dryslwyn Community Shop.
Projects I'm working on:
http://assembliesfordemocracy.org/
Personal Website/CV:
http://www.aworldtowin.net
Twitter @username:
@ecomonger
You need to be a member of National Theatre Wales Community to add comments!
Join National Theatre Wales Community


text:
Red Bulls 1st meeting with LAFC
The Red Bulls are getting ready for their first ever meeting with Bob Bradley's LAFC
By Daniel_Feuerstein@DFeuerstein Aug 3, 2018, 1:29pm EDT
Share All sharing options for: Red Bulls 1st meeting with LAFC
The Montclair, NJ native is coming to Red Bull Arena with his LAFC.
Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Red Bulls have already moved past the loss to the Columbus Crew and got a couple of days of rest and rejuvination as they will now focus their attention to the new kids in the league as they are preparing to face for the very first time against LAFC.
In the clubs history after 21 matches they are 10-5-6 with 36 points which puts them in second place in the Western Conference currently one point ahead of the LA Galaxy and six points behind Western Conference Leaders FC Dallas.
This team in it's first season playing in MLS is loaded with great talent internationally and within from North America. We all know about Carlos Vela, Diego Rossi, and former Revolution midfielder Lee Nguyen who can turn on a dime and drop a big goal out of nowhere.
"It's an opportunity to show how strong we are defensively and when you get guys who play at high levels attackingly, obviously you want to show how you play against them." said Tim Parker.
"There are a couple of teams out there that can hurt you in many ways whether they have four, five or six top attacking players, but these guys (LAFC) have really put things together."
Or how about Benny Feilhaber who was once on Sporting Kansas City and now a big cog in the midfield for this LAFC side, but the one that the Red Bulls are truly going to have to watch out for is the big substitute who comes off the bench in Adama Diomande who currently leads the club with nine goals.
"Diomande is dangerous but it;'s something we are looking forward to and try to keep him scoreless." said Parker, "We are going to watch more film on them within the next two days, but our goal is to try and keep a shutout."
The starting goalkeeper in Tyler Miller has had a successful season in the clubs opening year. Making some tremendous saves and keeping his side alive when they have a lead or trying to make a comeback in matches.
"We know that this team is very strong that's coming to Red Bull Arena. I'm not surprised at all on how strong they are, I like watching them and they have a really good team that plays great soccer." said Daniel Royer.
"They deserve to be on the top in the Western Conference. After a loss last week we always want to prove something and we want to bounce back, this will be a big test on the day. They are a compact team with great individuals, but they play well as an entire team."
But finally this will be an emotional reunion for a certain head coach and that when Chris Armas was a former player for the Chicago Fire and being coached by Bob Bradley. Within the four seasons that Armas was under Bradley, surprisingly they won the double with a MLS Cup & US Open Cup in their first season back in 1998.
They quickly won their second US Open Cup Championship in the 2000 season. So what does it means to see your former head coach and what type of influences he gave to Armas when he took instructions from him. How will he embrace this Reunion.
"Their entire staff has a special place with me and friendships and soccer relationships so we all go way back, But in all reality all that I'm concerned with right now is getting three points at home." Said Chris Armas.
"Bob and his staff is having an amazing season, their surprising some people but not us over here. We know what they are truly capable of and it's no surprise, It's always special to see Bob and Ante Razov and all those guys at the end of the day.
Now it's time to see what these two sides will do as the New York Red Bulls are looking to erase that horrible loss last week and try to get back on the positive side of the ledger as they get ready for Bob Bradley and the rest of LAFC this coming Sunday.


text:
Vortex IoT supports councils to go carbon neutral with new tree planting scheme
Vortex IoT is helping councils go carbon neutral by planting a tree for every device sold.
Supporting its customers in reducing environmental impact is at the heart of Vortex IoT. We will therefore be planting a tree for each sensor sold to help local councils adapt to climate change.
According to Trees For Cities, a single mature tree can absorb up to 22 kg of carbon dioxide in one year. It is thought that globally our forests absorb 40% of manmade CO2 emissions before it reaches our outer atmosphere where it traps more heat.
Vortex IoT is on a mission to clean up the air. Vortex IoT's air quality monitoring sensors help councils meet net zero targets and enable councils to create new urban business models. The sensors detect levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Ozone (O3), and particulates PM2.5 and PM10. They provide actionable intelligence so that councils can change traffic behaviour and improve air quality. Furthermore, they are "fit and forget" and are managed remotely, so help to reduce emissions caused from driving to service, calibrate, update, or replace sensors.
Said CEO, Adrian Sutton "Planting trees as part of our service will make positive contribution to mitigating climate change. This is because trees produce oxygen and planting more of them will help our councils clean up the air in cities by absorbing climate dioxide and producing oxygen. We hope that all councils will follow the example of our customer Hammersmith and Fulham council. It is rolling out the largest density of sensors in Europe to monitor air quality to gain greater control over the pollution ruining public health and damaging our environment. We are looking forward to helping them increase their tree canopy and will be donating 56 trees."
It is estimated that 2,367,000 tonnes of carbon is stored in London's trees alone, with an estimated value of £147million to the UK's economy. One mature leafy tree can produce enough oxygen to allow 10 of us to breathe. This is most important of all in densely populated and polluted areas like cities, where average oxygen levels are expected to be at least 6% lower.
Trees also soak up a range of other pollutants and toxins which are emitted by everyday activities. This is more vital than ever these days, as air pollution – particularly in urban areas – means the air we breathe is reaching (or exceeding) toxic levels. With 8 out of 10 people living in built up towns and cities, planting more trees in cities will have a greater impact on the health of a larger number of people in the population.
Councils can opt for receiving trees for their own cities or planting trees through Natural Resources Wales. The new tree planting scheme initiative adds to our ISO 14001 status, demonstrating our commitment to protecting the environment.
For more details about Vortex IoT's sensor technology, please contact us.
SA1 1NW
info@vortexiot.com
ASEAN/ASIA-PAC
1 Fullerton Rd
Contact us for support and to find out more
Terms of Service Privacy Policy Accreditations Cookie Policy Vortex IoT Partner Resources Portal Login Portal Careers The Air Our School Children Breathe
Copyright © 2018 Vortex IoT. All Rights Reserved.


The best place to find money is—in your paycheck. Really. But how will you find that money?
Well quite simply, you can think more carefully about your spending, and ACT to spend less.
Why not talk to your girlfriends about the ways that advertising gets you to reach into your wallet? You know how they tell you that you can buy yourself more youth, more beauty, less wrinkles, a thinner body, you know the list.
Let's go one better. Let's give you the tools to actually look closely at what you really do reach into your wallet for.
This project is really worth it. We are going to give you some fun, techy gismo ways to do this (with your computer or a smart phone) and some more traditional ones. Just click on the Track It option in the Drop Down Menu and follow the steps. Then Click on the Track and Decide link. And take action!


text:
Megadeth release 360 video for Poisonous Shadows
Megadeth have released a 360° video for "Poisonous Shadows", a track from their latest album "Dystopia."
Directed by Blair Underwood, it's one of five songs included in the virtual reality experience package of the record, which sees the band perform within a virtual fallen city modelled after images in the video for the track "The Threat Is Real."
The footage provides fans with the opportunity to virtually enter, engage and explore this parallel world with the help of "Dystopia", a CEEK Virtual Reality cardbox headset and a download code to access and unlock the exclusive content.
Folliwng its release in January, "Dystopia" debuted at No. 3 on the US Billboard 200 with opening week sales of 49,000 equivalent album units.
The feat marks the group's highest-charting US album since 1992's "Countdown To Extinction", which debuted and peaked at No. 2.
Megadeth wrapped up a winter run of North American shows last month and will next perform in San Juan, Puerto Rico on April 28 before returning to the States for a month of dates starting April 30 in Fort Myers, FL.
An extensive summer European tour starts June 2 in Milan, Italy.
VIDEO: Megadeth perform live debut of Dystopia
VIDEO: Megadeth perform live debut of The Threat Is Real
VIDEO: Megadeth launch North American tour in Dallas
Megadeth land US Top 5 debut with Dystopia
Search Megadeth at hennemusic
Labels: Megadeth


text:
5 Historical Fiction Books You'll Love
If you are anything like me, you find a genre and read it until you absolutely can't read it any longer. Historical fiction is like that for me right now. Although, I think I'm coming to the end of my binge as the heart wrenching content of the genre really weighs on me sometimes.
Here are 5 of my favorite historical fiction I've read in the last few months.
by Cecilia Ekbäck
It is 1943 and Sweden's neutrality in the war is under pressure. Laura Dahlgren, the bright, young right hand of Sweden's chief negotiator to Germany, is privy to these tensions, even as she tries to keep her head down in the mounting fray. When Laura's best friend Britta is found murdered, however, she is determined to find the killer.
Prior to her death, Britta sent a report on the racial profiling in Scandinavia to Jens Regnell, private secretary to the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs. In the middle of negotiating a delicate alliance with Hitler and the Nazis, Jens does not understand why he has received the report. When the pursuit of Britta's murderer leads Laura to his door, the two join forces to ascertain the truth.
But as Jens and Laura attempt to untangle the mysterious circumstance surrounding Britta's death, they only become more mired in a web of lies and deceit. This trail will lead to a conspiracy that could topple their nation's identity—a conspiracy some in Sweden will try to keep hidden at any cost.
Radar Girls
by Sara Ackerman
Daisy Wilder prefers the company of horses to people, bare feet and salt water to high heels and society parties. Then, in the dizzying aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Daisy enlists in a top secret program, replacing male soldiers in a war zone for the first time. Under fear of imminent invasion, the WARDs guide pilots into blacked-out airstrips and track unidentified planes across Pacific skies.
But not everyone thinks the women are up to the job, and the new recruits must rise above their differences and work side by side despite the resistance and heartache they meet along the way. With America's future on the line, Daisy is determined to prove herself worthy. And with the man she's falling for out on the front lines, she cannot fail. From radar towers on remote mountaintops to flooded bomb shelters, she'll need her new team when the stakes are highest. Because the most important battles are fought—and won—together.
This inspiring and uplifting tale of pioneering, unsung heroines vividly transports the reader to wartime Hawaii, where one woman's call to duty leads her to find courage, strength and sisterhood.
The Widows of Champagne
by Renee Ryan
Champagne, 1939
Gabrielle Leblanc Dupree is taking her family's future into her hands. While she should be preparing for a lavish party to celebrate two centuries of champagne making, she secretly hides Chateau Fouché-Leblanc's most precious vintages behind a fake wall in the cellar in preparation for the looming war. But when she joins the resistance, the coveted champagne isn't the most dangerous secret her cellar must conceal…
A former Parisian socialite, Gabrielle's mother, Hélène, lost her husband to another war. Now her home has been requisitioned by the Germans, who pillage vineyards to satisfy the Third Reich's thirst for the finest champagne. There's even more at stake than Hélène dares admit. She has kept her heritage a secret…and no one is safe in Nazi-occupied France.
Josephine, the family matriarch, watches as her beloved vineyard faces its most difficult harvest yet. As her daughter-in-law and granddaughters contend with the enemies and unexpected allies in their midst, Josephine's deep faith leads to her own path of resistance.
Across years and continents, the Leblanc women will draw on their courage and wits, determined against all odds to preserve their lives, their freedom and their legacy…
The Woman at the Gates
by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger
"For as long back as Antonia could remember, there had been sliding panels and secret doors to be discovered in her Carpathian village, and the music of their defiance had sustained her."
1944, Germany: Gazing through the barbed wire fence, up at the pale blue sky, Antonia dreams of her home in Ukraine: cherry orchards, golden fields, and the man she loves, whom she may never see again…
The Nazi soldier thrust the barrel of his gun between Antonia's shoulder blades and she stumbled, still clutching the hand of her youngest nephew. Her sister lifted her other little boy into the back of the truck. Under the threatening gaze of the Germans, Antonia looked back at the village one last time before the flap dropped and locked them all in total darkness.
Before Antonia and her sister's family were surrounded by the Gestapo and sent to a concentration camp, she was a fighter rather than a victim. Her resistance group - made up of the young men and women she'd grown up with - risked everything to free their country from those who had turned it into a bloody battleground. By her side was the brilliant Dr. Viktor Gruber - the man she was to have married and help start an independent government with. His love and his intellect shone like a light even when dark and violent conflicts engulfed them.
Antonia does not know whether Viktor or the others have been caught or executed. Inside the camp, rumors are that the war is coming to an end. But she cannot wait to be saved. Her precious nephews will die without proper food. Her sister is ill. And her brother-in-law is somewhere out of reach. The Nazis need every able slave to push back the Red Tide, but Antonia also knows she and the others could be killed for any reason, at any moment.
Outside the gates lies salvation and promises she must fulfill - for her country and the people she has loved. But Antonia's first priority is to find a way to get her family to safety, even if means putting her own life at risk. The Nazis may have taken nearly everything from her - her country, her dreams, her passions - but they will never take away her fierce courage…
Inspired by the author's research into her family's journeys from Ukraine to the United States, The Woman at the Gates is a heartbreaking, inspiring and unforgettable story of the faith, courage and determination shown by those who survived the darkest days of the war. Fans of Mandy Robotham, Kate Quinn and Pam Jenoff will be gripped from the very first page until the final, heart-stopping conclusion, and if you enjoyed Mark Sullivan's The Last Green Valley or Beneath a Scarlet Sky, you will not want to miss this action-packed epic!
The Warsaw Orphan
by Kelly Rimmer
In the spring of 1942, young Elzbieta Rabinek is aware of the swiftly growing discord just beyond the courtyard of her comfortable Warsaw home. She has no fondness for the Germans who patrol her streets and impose their curfews, but has never given much thought to what goes on behind the walls that contain her Jewish neighbors. She knows all too well about German brutality--and that it's the reason she must conceal her true identity. But in befriending Sara, a nurse who shares her apartment floor, Elzbieta makes a discovery that propels her into a dangerous world of deception and heroism.
Using Sara's credentials to smuggle children out of the ghetto brings Elzbieta face-to-face with the reality of the war behind its walls, and to the plight of the Gorka family, who must make the impossible decision to give up their newborn daughter or watch her starve. For Roman Gorka, this final injustice stirs him to rebellion with a zeal not even his newfound love for Elzbieta can suppress. But his recklessness brings unwanted attention to Sara's cause, unwittingly putting Elzbieta and her family in harm's way until one violent act threatens to destroy their chance at freedom forever.
From Nazi occupation to the threat of a communist regime, The Warsaw Orphan is the unforgettable story of Elzbieta and Roman's perilous attempt to reclaim the love and life they once knew.
Labels: Book, Book Blog, Book List, Book Review, Books, Historical Fiction, Reviews


Frequent train travellers using Grand Central Railway are being given extra ways to save money. Grand Central Railway has introduced a new and improved carnet.
This is a book of 10 tickets, easy to use, with savings of 25% or more on usual ticket prices.
Carnets can be bought in advance and are ideal for those who travel by train regularly. Each ticket is for use on one single journey only. This can be to or from any Grand Central destination.
Carnets are likely to appeal to those who make frequent journeys to the same destination, such as London, and are likely to appeal to business travellers, families and even students.
The cheapest carnet is a book of 10 tickets costing £300. Each ticket is valued at £30, meaning that a return journey from Sunderland to London or from Bradford to London using carnet tickets would cost £60. At that price it makes travel with Grand Central a viable option compared to travelling by car. Carnets are also a good idea for those who may have to make last minute trips, without the worry of paying last minute higher prices, as is the case with many train operators.
The new carnet also includes a version for children aged between 5 and 15. A child carnet is half the price of an adult carnet.
Passengers can choose between 'off- peak' tickets, which are the cheapest option or they can buy a carnet of 'anytime' tickets which cost a bit more. Similarly they can choose between a carnet of Standard or First Class tickets.
The main requirements are that passengers have to use the carnet within six months of purchase, and they have to travel between any two points on the Grand Central Sunderland to London route or Bradford to London route without breaking their journey.
"Our latest ticket type is a means by which we can actually reward loyalty, so that the more you buy the more you save" says Grand Central Managing Director, Tom Clift.
Grand Central operates 4 return services per day between Sunderland and London, and 3 return services per day between Bradford and London. Grand Central Railway is known as an open access operator meaning it does not run within a set franchise period, and is generally considered to offer some of the more affordable tickets of any train operator in Britain.
Issued on behalf of Grand Central Railway Ltd by Phil Bustard & Suzanne Gill at Forte Public Relations Ltd. Mobile 07891 219715 or 07805 944713.
Each ticket is for use on one single journey only, to or from any Grand Centraldestination along the same route.
Travel is permitted on Grand Central services in either direction on the North Eastern route between Sunderland, Hartlepool, Eaglescliffe, Northallerton, Thirsk, York and London Kings Cross and in either direction on the West Yorkshire route between Bradford Interchange, Halifax, Brighouse, Wakefield Kirkgate, Pontefract Monkhill, Doncaster and London Kings Cross.
Prices: Standard Class Off-Peak: £300, Standard Class Anytime £500, First Anytime £900, First Off-Peak £500.
A supplement will be charged if passengers travel on a Grand Central service where their ticket is not valid, or where they travel in a class of travel not on their ticket.
Passengers may not break and resume their journey using a single carnet ticket.
Individual tickets may not be transferred or used by more than one passenger. However, a carnet book can be used by anyone, including more than one person at the same time (e.g. for group travel).
Carnet tickets are valid for use within six months of purchase.
Reservations are not compulsory with carnet tickets, but may be available.
Children's carnets are half the price of adult carnets.
No railcard discounts are available.
No refunds are available for lost or unused tickets or carnets.


I've taken my son skiing a few times this season, and he's really loved it. The conditions weren't perfect as we chose some of the coldest days of the season, but I've been so impressed with his ability to pick it up. Can't wait to get back out there soon!
We visited Hunter Mountain in NY but are itching to get further west for a different ski experience!
Following on the theme from my last post, I have another gluten-free and low-FODMAP Chinese food recipe for you today! We ate this one for days, and it was great every time. Please note that I did use broccoli in the recipe as it is my son's favorite. While broccoli has shown up on some lists of foods to avoid or limit when following a low-FODMAP diet, however, theMonash University has recently published new resultsshowing the breakdown of FODMAP rating for 1 cup.
Serve with fried rice – recipe to follow next!
This year, my family and I made the same dishes for Thanksgiving and Christmas because we loved them so much at Thanksgiving! Using the amazing Cappello's gluten-free lasagna sheets, we made Gluten-Free Butternut Squash and Sage Lasagna and Gluten-Free Meat Lasagna. While neither were low-FODMAP given the heavy dose of dairy, I was able to manage alright with just a small piece given how heavy they were anyway.
On our trip to California for Thanksgiving, we had a great time in Santa Barbara – biking, visiting outdoor museums with ocean views…AAhh, what a wonderful life in California! (I also note with sadness all of the devastation of the wildfires just weeks after our visit 🙁 ).
For the past few years, we have gone out to Mountauk in mid-September for an amazing surf camp for autistic children. It is 1) an amazing event hosted by Surfers Healing, 2) the best way to wrap up summer and 3) an easy way to maintain pescatarian status!
Upon returning home, I had reached my max of seafood. So I went for some more basic veggie tacos. Simple recipe but really quick and easy way to get dinners loaded with flavor!
When we got home from our trip, I had a few extra days off and a few parties to attend so I thought to try making my own salsa from home-roasted tomatoes.
Add the tomatoes, jalapenos, onion, garlic and bell pepper to the prepared baking sheet.
Toss with the canola oil and sprinkle with salt.
Roast for 15 minutes. Flip the ingredients over and continue roasting for another 15 minutes, until charred and the tomatoes have softened. Let cool for at least 20 minutes.
Remove onion and garlic from the baking dish and discard.
Add roasted vegetables to the food processor and include spices and lime juice. Start with 1 jalapeno and add as desired for spicy flavor.
Process until the mixture is evenly combined but still has some texture, adding salt to the mixture as needed.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with chips, nachos, tacos or add to any meal for an extra kick.


Original painting by Chika Yamada of two girls partially hidden by rows of drying laundry. Jellyfish float around and behind the fabric.
Measures approximately 11.26" x 16.3" (28.6 x 41.4cm). Painted in 2016. Ink and watercolor on paper, unframed. Signed on the reverse.


text:
Shop Shop > A garden of pleasure
A garden of pleasure
Eleanor Vere Boyle (1825-1916), who re-created the gardens of Huntercombe Manor in Berkshire in the 1870s, was a talented artist as well as an author, illustrating both poetry and books for children. Coming from an aristocratic family, and in later life a friend of Queen Alexandra, she produced sketches and watercolours admired by Ruskin and Landseer, and Tennyson and Bulwer Lytton contributed to her anthologies of poetry. One of a number of late nineteenth-century female writers on gardens (many of whose works have been reissued in this series), she was interested in the natural history of the garden rather than in botanical principles. This work, published in 1895, describes the sights, sounds and smells of her garden through the seasons of 1894, with frequent digressions on the weather, birds and animals, the folklore connected with individual plants, literary references, and observations on other gardens visited, in both Britain and Europe.
E.V. Boyle


Epic Games collaborates with British university to open game development facilities.
Epic Games collaborated with with Staffordshire University in England to open the Epic Games Centre, a fully equipped space for use by students in the university's games design courses.
The partnership is set for two years and will have Epic provide hardware, teaching time and access to software and key personnel. The Epic Games Centre will also host Epic Developer Days for professional Unreal Engine users, with the first events starting this spring.
"We've no doubt that this collaboration will make our courses more attractive to potential students and provide us all with a new dimension of awareness about how the industry works and evolves," Dr Bobbie Fletcher of Staffordshire University said.


text:
1966 Shelby GT350SR
Tremec TKO600
4-Link
Ford 9" 3.25 Traction-Lok
Side Exit
Shelby GT350SR Continuation #020 427 FEI 5 Speed
If you've spent time on a road course, you know the thrill of putting a car through its paces at the limit. There's nothing like the feeling of unbridled acceleration or finding that perfect to apply the brakes before the next corner. It's amazing to hear an engine running at its limits, barking out horsepower as you run the transmission up through the gears, feeling the machine working around you. Some guys enjoy it so much that they build cars for doing just that. This 1966 Shelby GT 350SR is such a vehicle: 427 cubic inches, 5 forward gears, giant disc brakes at all four corners, and one seriously impressive suspension setup underneath. Looking for a car that's comfortable on the street but 100% effective on the track? Your Shelby is waiting.
Built as a licensed continuation model, this Mustang carries Shelby American serial number CSC020 as well as the blessing of Carroll Shelby himself. While the recipe is simple, the result is something truly special. At first glance, this car looks an awful lot like the black and gold Hertz "rent a racers" from the 1960s. Look closer, though, and details like the subtly flared fenders and the blacked-out trim shine through. The Raven Black paint is orders of magnitude nicer than the stuff they were spraying on cars in 1966 - deep and rich and glossy, with stripes buried in the clearcoat for long term durability. The panels are flat and straight, body gaps are excellent, and the car is much better assembled than any factory-built Mustang ever was. It's difficult to call a black and gold car with nearly 600hp "subtle" but there is definitely more performance on tap than anyone would ever dream while casually looking at the car.
There isn't much trim left on the car that hasn't been dipped in more of that wicked black paint. The front bumper is a Shelby R-model piece with a center cutout for an oil cooler, painted to match the body. The rear bumper is an original style piece, but again, painted black and not chrome plated as it was from the factory. Note the way the stripes continue into the bumpers - that's a lot of extra time and effort, but the results are worth it. Window surrounds are polished stainless, and yes, those are plexiglass quarter windows, just like on the original 1966 Shelby Mustangs. It's a look that most enthusiasts seem to prefer and it's great to see it return to this modern Shelby. All pieces look new and add up to one extremely well-finished pony car.
Open the hood and take a look at the all-aluminum 427 cubic inch small block V8. While the 4-2-7 number conjures up images of a big FE iron block, this continuation builds upon an aluminum block based on the 351 Windsor small blocks, essentially putting big block size in a small block package. The hot stroker motor is fed by a DC&O fuel injection system that does a really good impersonation of a set of Weber carburetors but without the constant tinkering the vintage pieces require. Instead it uses a F.A.S.T programmable fuel injection system feeding 42 lb.-hr. injectors and breathing through those individual velocity stacks. The result? 585 horsepower that idles like a new car, that starts the first time every time, and pulls like a freight train, all the while popping and snarling like a race car on the overrun.
The engine bay was dressed for show, too. In addition to the sculpted aluminum centerpiece, the rest of the compartment was dressed up with polished goodies like the removable strut tower braces, polished aluminum valve covers featuring Carroll Shelby's signature, and the billet aluminum accessory drive system that includes power steering and air conditioning. Up front there's a custom fabricated aluminum radiator to keep the big beast cool, assisted by an oversized electric cooling fan. An MSD box keeps the fires lit, backed up by an Optima battery. And it's all set against some masterfully crafted sheet metal work that forms the inner fenders and firewall, covered in a wrinkle-finish paint that is both beautiful and durable.
Underneath is where the similarities to a vintage Shelby Mustang end, however. Instead of reworked Mustang pieces, there are tubular A-arms and coil overs up front, with a seriously trick custom rear suspension that includes a Watts linkage and a torque arm. Yes, it's a stock type front suspension, but every piece is a heavy duty race-quality piece featuring heim joints at all the critical locations for incredible precision on the track. A power rack-and-pinion steering system has been installed, along with adjustable trailing arms so you can fine-tune your alignment for any track conditions.
In back, well, it's hard to know where to begin. First there's an extensive network of tubing that reinforces the body tub, acting as subframe connectors and anchor points for the rear suspension. A torque arm keeps the 3.25-geared; Trac-Lok equipped 9-inch Ford rear end from rotating, while a Watts linkage is affixed underneath to keep it centered laterally. Damping is courtesy of a pair of coil-over shocks mounted horizontally and actuated by bell cranks, just like on a race car, saving trunk space and reducing unsprung weight. It's all surrounded by a network of strong, powder coated tubing that keeps it all rigidly mounted under the worst conditions.
With all the suspension modifications, it's easy to forget about the Tremec TKO600 5-speed manual transmission tucked under there, too. The new hydraulic clutch is tucked inside an SFI-approved bellhousing for safety. The exhaust system is a true dual setup featuring SpinTech mufflers that do a quick U-turn just ahead of the rear axle and dump the spent gasses out through trick openings in the rocker panels. Unlike some side exhaust systems that look cheesy and tacked-on, this one is so cleverly integrated that it's easy to overlook until the car is on a lift. Out back, a 16 gallon fuel cell handles gas storage and is fed by the original quick-release gas cap in the rear valence. Brakes are 12-inch vented and cross-drilled rotors clamped by 2-piston PBR calipers actually, they're Shelby Series pieces from Baer, and they reliably erase the speed that big engine can generate. The car wears vintage-flavored 15-inch American Racing Torq-Thrust wheels and 235/60/15 Goodyear Eagle radials instead of the usual 18-inch setup that has become the standard. Note that the "Eagle" part of the white lettering on the tires has been blacked out, adding to the vintage race look.
So it's all race quality stuff underneath, but climb inside and it's a leather-lined cruiser that has all the comforts and features you'd find in a brand-new Mustang. The front buckets are black leather Shelby signature pieces that are as comfortable as they look. Not too aggressive, they look exactly right in the old driver's compartment and are complemented by a folding rear seat upholstered in more matching black leather. Door panels are as original and remain free of power windows to avoid adding unnecessary weight. Carpets and headliner are, of course, new. In front of the driver, there's am attractive wooden steering wheel with a Shelby center, aluminum pedals underfoot, and a Hurst shifter sticking out of the transmission tunnel. The gauges are AutoMeter Shelby signature series pieces, and a chrome A/C unit hangs under the dash just as it would have in 1966, managed by the original control levers. An AM/FM radio is situated in the original location in the dash, but if you need a radio in this car, you're not doing it right. The trunk lid has a lock cylinder in place of the quick pin and the fuel filler uses a '60s Mustang fuel door instead of the trunk mounted splash funnel on the originals.
The specs on this car are flat-out amazing. It's docile enough to drive on the street but was clearly built for those perfect days on the track. Imagine putting a set of sticky tires on it and taking it to its limits, stuffing that black front end up the tailpipes of some vastly more sophisticated and expensive hardware. It's easy to drive and includes all the creature comforts you're looking for in a toy car, but packs a real whallop when you need it. There's absolutely no way you could possibly duplicate this car for the asking price, and the company that was building and certifying these cars is no longer producing them, meaning that if you miss this one, you'll have a long, long wait ahead of you waiting for another. Look again at the photos, then give us a call. There are no disappointments with this car.
1966 Shelby
GT350SR
Serial #CSC020
Licensed continuation car
Aluminum FEI 427ci (585hp)
Tremec TKO600 5-speed manual
Ford 9" Trac-Lok rear / 3.25 gears
2-piston / 12" PBR disc brakes
Track-ready custom suspension
Modern leather interior
The 2013 427 Corvette is completely as described. It rides and drives as new and is the fastest and best head turner I've ever owned. The color is exceptional, the interior without flaw. I think both parties made a fair trade and I am completely satisfied.
Trade in for this 1966 Shelby GT350SR
Finance this 1966 Shelby GT350SR