Khalid Mish'al is widely regarded as the most senior figure in Hamas, the Islamist resistance movement that two years ago won a landslide victory in the Palestinian general election. Third Way found him at home in Damascus.
We have a saying in English, 'The child is father to the man.' Could you tell us a little about your childhood, and especially the people and the experiences that, looking back, you feel have made you the man you are today?
Like any Palestinian child, I was influenced by a great many factors, at the level of the immediate family, the village or the [refugee] camp, and the society and the conflict it has witnessed for long decades. I was influenced deeply by my mother, a devout woman who cares very much for her children, and a close family, praise God. My father was a member of the Palestinian resistance in the Thirties and Forties. I learnt the spirit of resistance and struggle from him, and I learnt integrity from him and my mother and my family in general.
The village of Silwad, where I was born, was conservative and devout. There, I loved life. I loved nature - I loved the land, the trees, the seasons. This made my commitment to life at the same time profound and simple, and this simple life fostered in me the values of honesty, manliness, courage, straightforwardness and a concern for other people's welfare.
In my childhood, without question, the Arab-Israeli conflict started to have an impact on our experience of life early on. The media then were limited, especially in the village, but nevertheless we grew up with the conflict. The event that changed the course of my life was the [Six-Day War] in 1967. It forced me to leave my homeland and migrate to Jordan and then to Kuwait. It was also a turning point in my thinking - despite my young age - about the conflict and the Palestinian cause.
Before 1967, I was like any child living in a normal - or almost normal - society. My studies were the main interest in my life, especially as, praise God, I excelled at them - I was top in my school. But after 1967 I became a different person. The suffering of our people, half of whom now lived under occupation and half in a diaspora, became the main focus of my life. I had witnessed the Palestinian tragedy myself. I had seen the effect of the war on the part of the West Bank where I lived. I had seen the defeat of the Arab armies. I had seen tens of thousands of my people leaving their homeland and travelling east across the [Allenby] Bridge. Subsequently, I shared the Palestinian experience of exile.
So, these events left a lasting impression on my life. And they caused me to grow up quickly, like all of my people, both inside and outside Palestine.
Your brothers and sisters had the same experience. What has become of them?
I have five brothers and five sisters. Today, they are all married and living in various countries, Arab and non-Arab. Their homelessness is typical of Palestinian life.
Would people who knew you as a boy be surprised to see what you have become - a leader of your people, and a leader of the resistance?
I don't know of anyone who finds it surprising. I stood out among my peers academically, socially and at sport. In all those areas, praise God, I was distinguished at an early age. And when I became a committed Muslim, when I was 14 years old, in that, too, I stood out among my peers. We formed a religious society in my secondary school in Kuwait and I was its head. And when we started thinking about how our people could resist the occupation, I took a lead in that.
Some people will say that the Arabs started the Six-Day War and therefore what happened to the Palestinians is their fault. Is there another point of view?
The way Israel waged the war suggests that they had a hidden agenda and already wanted, and had planned, to expand.
Why did you choose to study physics at university?
I have always been interested in many different things, which made it hard for me to choose what to study. I loved science, and especially physics, but I also loved studying literature and history, Arabic, poetry - and my interest in Islamic studies had also been growing. But I decided to specialise in physics. I wanted to study it more deeply - I saw myself becoming a physicist - but in the end I found that there are more urgent priorities in the cause I am fighting for.
You have lived in Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and now Syria. Many people in the West would say: There are so many Arab countries where Palestinians can live, they don't need a homeland. Can you explain why it is so important to you to go back to that little patch of country?
Let me give you some images that express how I feel about my land. Although I lived in a village for only 11 years, it still has a powerful influence on my life. Those years are to me as the roots are to a tree. My greatest delight is to open the window and see the trees, and the sun as it rises or sets. My greatest delight is to go to the park and sit on the ground, and as I sit on the earth I recall the smell of the soil of Palestine, the soil of Silwad. My greatest delight is to eat fruit, not from a package but from the tree, because for 11 years I used to eat grapes and figs, and all the fruit that grow in Palestine, straight from the tree.
When I was at university I returned to Silwad, in the summer of 1975. My village is on a high hill and as soon as I saw it [in the distance] I started to cry, and I did not stop crying until I reached it. This feeling of belonging to one's homeland, I believe, comes naturally to every human being. What is unnatural is when a person is cut off from that sense of belonging. And that is how I now live - and so do millions of Palestinians.
It was not their choice. We were all forced to leave and are not allowed to return to our homeland.
And there is another dimension to this. Your belonging to the land is also a belonging to your history. As the proverb says, 'He who has no past has no present.' Where are your roots? What do you belong to? What is your identity? If you lose this, you become just a cog in a machine, or a grain of dust in the wind, without value.
And so you find that today, whether they were born in Palestine or outside it, whether they live in harsh conditions or have a comfortable life - perhaps in an Arab country, or in Europe or Australia or Canada or America - no Palestinian considers anything a substitute for the land of Palestine. They see their lives abroad as temporary while they wait to go back to their homeland. Some Arab satellite channels, for the 60th anniversary of the Naqba, (1) interviewed some who lead lives that are happy and affluent, and some are wealthy, and yet they all said the same thing: there is no alternative to the homeland. And they are sure they will go back, though some of them are 70 or 80 years old.
Unfortunately, although politicians know how important [this sense of belonging] is for people, in an age of big multinationals and mass media they want globalisation to override these unchanging human values, which are common to both East and West.
You spoke of how much is wrong with the world. Do you ever find yourself doubting the justice of God?
Absolutely not. I believe in the One God who is just, wise, strong, gentle and merciful to his subjects. That is the main reason. But I want to offer two pieces of evidence that prove to me and to anyone who believes in God that he does not wrong anyone. First, it is true that there are injustices in this world, and God sees them; but this is not because he likes injustice, or accepts it, but because he has given us - unlike the plants and the animals - freedom of choice.
The second thing is that justice will be done in the afterlife. God will judge everyone for what they have done in this world, and the judgement will be exact and fair. Whoever has been oppressed will receive justice at his hand, and oppressors will be punished. So, there is no injustice with God - it is something utterly foreign to him. If people are oppressed, either they will get justice before they die or God will compensate them in the hereafter. Either way, their rights will not be forgotten.
Nelson Mandela famously said, 'The struggle is my life,' and for many people that sums up the heroism of the man. It occurs to me that if he had been speaking Arabic, he would have used the word jihad. Can you explain what jihad means to Hamas, and in particular to you?
I would like first to explain how the people of this region feel and think, because the distorted stereotype of Palestinians, or Muslims, or Hamas, that is presented in the West prevents you from seeing the reality. We have two states of mind that go together: they may seem contradictory but they complement each other, and both are very human. One is a state of compassion and love towards people who are not hostile or aggressive towards us - to all people, including the poor and those of a different religion or race. The other is of strength and steadfastness, courage and defiance in facing those that attack us. This is part of what it means to be human - a normal person is obdurate towards those who are hostile and merciful towards those who live peacefully.
This is where the concept of struggle, of jihad, of resistance comes in. This is not our attitude to everyone; we engage in struggle, jihad, resistance against the enemy who steals our land and destroys our houses, commits sacrilegious acts against our holy places, assaults children and women and kills people. It is our normal, natural right to resist, to struggle against them. All the laws given by God, (2) and international law, give us this right. So, jihad is a response to aggression; it does not itself initiate aggression.
Sometimes in Islamic culture the term jihad is applied to any exertion aimed at achieving good, in resisting the devil, in resisting evil desires, in resisting the enemy that attacks the land. It should not be directed at peaceful peoples - such aggression is not permitted in Islam. Islam does not permit the use of force to resolve political disputes within society, or between societies; but when someone uses force against you, you use force to resist them. There is no ambiguity about this.
Your enemies try to bracket Hamas with al-Qa'eda and say you are all the same. Can you clarify whether you see what al-Qa'eda does as jihad, and do you welcome it when Osama bin Laden expresses support for the Palestinians?
I don't want to talk about others, but if anyone is in doubt about Hamas, they need only ask the questions: Has Hamas ever fought outside Palestine? And has it ever resisted anyone other than the Israeli occupation? Any fair-minded person will see the difference.
In March this year, after Israel's operation 'Hot Winter' had killed scores of people in the Gaza Strip, al-Aqsa TV reported: 'Mr Mish'al expresses his wish to be in Gaza at this tense and painful moment, noting that he also wishes his four sons could be there and fight... and be martyred just like the other Palestinians.' I think that people in the West can understand you wanting your sons to fight, but wanting them to die is something we can't understand and it makes you seem inhuman to us. Can you explain this mentality to us?
First of all, I must set an example to others and commit myself and my family to the same principle I call others to follow. This is the duty of a leader. He should not sacrifice others while he does not sacrifice himself and his children. Also, if I was living in Palestine, my children would naturally be fighting, like all the children of our people. But I don't require them to do so. I encourage them, but I don't make them. Jihad is a choice, not an obligation to be imposed on someone.
The third thing is that the Palestinians, like Nelson Mandela, feel that their life is struggle and resistance. When you live every day under occupation, your natural behaviour - This is what people in the West should understand: every day, we suffer aggression, killing and siege, with houses destroyed and families homeless. We have 11,600 people held in Israeli prisons, some of them children and women, some of them elderly - a thousand of them sick. When someone sees his life destroyed and sees that the world cannot help - We see that the United Nations can do nothing. There is no international will to force the Israelis to leave our land as it forced Saddam Hussein to leave Kuwait.
In these circumstances, you are obliged to resist if you want to live with dignity. If you don't, you're not behaving normally. It's just like if a person is sitting at home and suddenly a fire breaks out in the house. The natural response is to get some water and pour it on the fire. When you live in an occupied land, it's natural to take up arms to resist.
And this becomes a matter of pride for a dignified person. You feel proud that you are doing your duty, just like a person who puts a fire out - or when someone goes to rescue someone who is drowning, it is his duty but he feels proud to be doing it. So, you find that Palestinians are proud of their struggle even though it is forced upon them. We feel that this is what it means to be a man, this is what it means to do the right thing.
When Third Way interviewed Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, (3) he told us: 'The enemies of the Palestinians are more interested in life than in sacrifice.' Does that mean that you are more interested in sacrifice than in life?
This is surely a rather sophisticated concept that needs clarification. We, like all human beings, love life, but we love life with dignity. We do not like to live in humiliation, under oppression. Perhaps - and this is what the sheikh probably means - there are people who do not care how they live, they want just to live - even if it is in humiliation. People in this region - Arabs in general, and Muslims - do not want to live like that.
But when we say, as Palestinians, as Arabs, as Muslims, that in order to free our people from injustice and occupation we are ready to die, we say this not because we hate life, no, but because we want to die so that the rest of our people can live in freedom and dignity. It is a matter of some people sacrificing themselves so that the rest of the people may live. It is because we have a responsibility - not a hatred of life, or a death wish.
When Mossad tried to assassinate you in 1997, (4) how did that affect you? Did it change your outlook on life?
It did not change my course, but it made me more positive about life. I became more courageous in the face of death. My faith became stronger that a man does not die until his time comes. That is, I will die when God decides, not when Mossad decides. It also made me more resolute in fulfilling my responsibilities.
In our experience, Israeli threats have one of two effects: some people are intimidated, but others become more defiant and determined. I am one of the latter.
We have talked to other people involved in conflict, and some have said, 'There is no peace without justice' and others, 'There is no peace without compromise.' Can you have compromise and justice, or do you have to choose?
You may find my answer surprising, but in our case the Israelis refuse both. They want neither a peace based on justice nor a peace based on compromise. They want to keep the land, they want security for themselves and they want to be the masters of the whole region, without recognising the rights of Palestinians. Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas tried to pursue a compromise. Did they achieve peace with the Israelis? So, the obstacle to peace in the region is Israel - and American bias.
Are you really such enthusiasts for democracy? Isn't it essentially a Western idea, and isn't Hamas opposed to the westernisation of Palestinian society?
'Democracy' may be a Western term, but as a conception of how to order the political life of a society, there are many Islamic elements in it. We practise a version that may differ from Western democracy in some details, but the essential principles of freedom, choice and the rejection of despotism - these are all Islamic concepts.
In Hamas, no one becomes a leader without being elected, and all are accountable. I practise democracy daily inside the movement, and it is natural to practise it in Palestinian society.
Also, I would like to add that I don't have a problem with making use of a Western idea if it is good.
Isn't there a tension, though, between democracy and true religion? Democracy requires you to do what the majority of the people want, but religion tells you that very often what most people want is not God's will.
A good question! Look, in any country democracy is always a product of the social, cultural, historical and religious environment. So, we are not afraid of democracy - but we fear it when it is imposed on us, or dictated to us, with a foreign agenda. If the Arab and Muslim societies in the region are allowed to make free choices without pressure or influence, we in Hamas do not fear their choices, we respect them. The important thing is that there is no interference from America or others.
And you must understand that even piety is a choice, not an obligation you impose. You cannot compel people to be devout - you can compel them to submit, but not to have faith.
Another principle of democracy, as far as the West is concerned, is that everyone is of equal value, and so are their interests and even, in a sense, their opinions. Many people in the West have the impression that Islam does not set the same value on women and their interests and opinions as on men and theirs. Likewise, it makes distinctions between Muslims and non-Muslims. Is that a misunderstanding of Islam - or is it a problem between your faith and your commitment to democracy?
Look, there has been a misrepresentation of Islamic thinking on these issues. In Islamic culture, all human beings are equal in value. What God has said is: 'The more honoured in the eyes of God are those who are more pious.' (5) Between men and women there is a general equality, in terms of rights and duties, the right to own property, the right to be religious, the right to choose and so on.
But there are differences, because of the difference in nature between men and women. This is natural. Even the West observes this. Let me give you an example from sport. Do you have in the West a boxing match between a man and a woman? Or a game of tennis? Why not? Because in the West you recognise that there are differences in strength and ability. Men and women have the same right to do the sport, and so in a sport such as athletics there are records for men and records for women - because there are differences between them.
When it comes to Muslims and non-Muslims in our societies, we share our homeland in spite of our difference in religion. We did not have a problem with Christian minorities in our countries, or with Jewish minorities. The Jewish 'problem' arose in Europe. So, your understanding of Islamic culture is not right. There may be some extremism among some individuals and groups, but then extremism exists in both the East and the West.
If Hamas accepts the will of the majority, why before 2006 did you not accept the decision of the elected Palestinian Authority and give up the armed struggle?
Who said that [the] Oslo [Agreement] reflected the Palestinian will?
But in 1996 the PA was voted into power by the majority of the Palestinian people.
You need to distinguish between two things. When the Authority was elected [in 1996], we did not take up arms against them or stage a coup against them, even though they persecuted us and detained us and did illegal and unethical things to us. But when the Authority was first established in 1994, as a result of Oslo in 1993, how was it regarded by the Palestinian people? It was not endorsed democratically. There was no referendum. In Europe, when a state is about to join the European Union or the euro zone, you hold a referendum. We respect that. I can confirm that if the majority of Palestinians, inside and outside Palestine, made a choice in an honest, democratic way, we would respect it.
You have said many times that Hamas has 'a high degree of pragmatism'. Do you find there is any tension between your principles as a devout and God-fearing man and the compromises that practical politics demands? Or do they come easily to you?
A good question, and I have an answer for you. I believe that pragmatism - or flexibility, in other words - is a necessity; but there is a difference between flexibility that knows no restrictions and flexibility within certain bounds and a certain philosophy. In life, if you want to be inflexible and live without give-and-take, you have to live alone. As a Muslim, I do not have a problem in being true to my values while practising flexibility in my life, both as a person and as a politician. Even in Islam, there is flexibility in our religious practice, and allowances - in prayer, in pilgrimage, in fasting and so on. The most important thing is to be committed.
It is possible when dealing with other people to find solutions that do not contradict your commitments, and in Hamas we do not feel that this is a problem. The only problem is when a particular degree or form of pragmatism is imposed on us by the will of our enemies or by foreign interference.
Surely some Muslim commitments are inflexible? For example, it is said that Palestine is a waqf and no inch of its land can be given up because it is an endowment for all Muslims until the Day of Judgement. Some people may see that as an extreme position, but from any angle it looks like a non-negotiable one.
I appreciate that it's pointless for me to ask you anything that is properly a matter for the final negotiations, whenever they come, between you and Israel; but can you say what principles will determine the compromises Hamas can make?
Look, the concept of waqf may be difficult to explain in an interview like this, because it relates historically to how Muslims dealt with this land when Islam arrived here in its early days.
Let me talk instead about a concept that should not be unclear or unintelligible to any society in the world today: the concept that peoples have homelands. So, the British have a homeland, the Americans have a homeland, the French, the Chinese, the South Africans... And how does a person act towards his homeland? If someone who was born, 60 or 70 years ago, in Liverpool or Manchester or London insists on his claim to that city, is that abnormal?
Nonetheless, we in Hamas, like most of the Palestinian factions, have accepted the idea of a state with the borders of June 4, 1967. (6) However, we have said that we will not recognise Israel. Why? Because the Palestinian people are convinced that this land on which Israel exists is their own land. So, while they accept a state with the borders of 1967, they do not want to give legitimacy to those who occupied their lands 60 or 70 years ago. So, the formula is simply this: if through politics we have accepted a state with the borders of 1967, why should we be forced to renounce our beliefs and feelings and recognise Israel?
You have talked passionately about the importance of a homeland. Do you accept that the Jews are entitled to a homeland of their own?
But why should the Jews have a homeland of their own? Would you expect the Christians or the Muslims to have an exclusive homeland of their own? We Muslims never think of the Jews as a nation - to us, they are a religious community. The Jews lived alongside Muslims and Christians for many centuries, and can continue to do so if they wish to - but definitely not as a Zionist state forced upon us.
If Israel is the state for the Jews, how is it that many millions of Jews - nearly two-thirds of the Jews in the world - continue to live as citizens of other countries around the world? How is it, too, that you find so many Jews who are opposed to Zionism and the Zionist state?
Finally, if the West insists, out of a desire to atone for the sin of the Holocaust, that the Jews must have a country for themselves, let those who persecuted them and perpetrated the Holocaust against them give them a slice of their own country, not ours!
Many Christians in the West are afraid of Islam. Can you tell me honestly what you think of Christianity?
My answer is not a diplomatic answer: it comes from my heart and from my mind. Many people in the West do an injustice to Islam and make false accusations against it, because they misunderstand it or because they see some Muslims behaving badly and they generalise, or because they want to justify aggression, as George [W.] Bush did.
Look today, who is occupying whose lands? The Zionists are occupying Palestine. Should I conclude that Judaism is an aggressive religion? Judaism is a religion revealed by God - we believe in Moses. It is not Judaism that is to blame, but those who claim to adhere to it and wrongfully occupy other people's land in its name.
Who is occupying Iraq and Afghanistan? America. Would it be right for me to conclude that Christianity is an aggressive religion? We believe in Christ. A Muslim is not a full believer unless he believes in Moses, Jesus and Muhammad and all the prophets. We respect all revealed religions. The problem lies with those who adhere to - some of those who adhere to - Christianity and in its name, as George Bush does, attack others.
We are not afraid of Judaism or Christianity as religions. We are - I wouldn't say 'afraid', but we are opposed to all who commit aggression, whether it is under the banner of religion or under a secular banner.
Do you have any personal friends who are Christians?
Do you have any personal friends who are Jews?
No, I don't have any Jewish friends, because I haven't lived in the West and I've never lived in an area where there were Jewish people.
I will tell you a meaningful story. A few months ago, I was passing through one of the Arab airports. I was just like any other passenger, among the people. Many people came to me to greet me, shake hands with me and hug me. They expressed their love and appreciation. There were among them those who were religious and those who were not. One of them shook hands with me warmly and introduced himself, and said he was from a town called Beit Jala in the West Bank, which is known as a Christian town in Palestine. He told me that he was Christian and that he voted for Hamas, and said: 'We are with Hamas and we support Hamas.' This is commonplace in Palestine. Christians in Palestine support Hamas, and we have good relations with the Christians in Palestine. As you may be aware, one of our candidates in Gaza in 2006 was Kamal Taweel, who is a Christian.
And, also, from now on you are my friend.
Your questions are short but they raise big issues.
George Bush has called the conflict in the Middle East a battle between good and evil. Is that how you see it?
Yes - but the other way round.
This does not apply to Palestine only. Any people that is invaded and occupied represents good and the invaders and occupiers represent evil, whoever they are.
Much of the conflict over the Middle East is fought with words, and perhaps the most powerful verbal weapon in your enemies' arsenal is the word 'terrorism'. It's a word that can do a huge amount of damage, but you could say it is rather indiscriminate, because no one agrees what it means. I'd like to know what you understand by it.
First of all, we in Hamas - and Palestinians in general - do not submit to American terminology. There is something we call 'the terrorism of terminology' - and this word is used by America to impose its will on the world.
Put simply, terrorism is the unjust use of force or intimidation in order to oppress other people. This is - I do not say the Palestinian or the Arab definition of the term, it is the original, human definition. On that basis, America is the premier terrorist power in the world.
When you resist aggression or occupation, that is not terrorism. It is legitimate self-defence.
When we questioned Sheikh al-Qaradawi about suicide bombing, he said that 'it is part of the justice of God that some people have a readiness to sacrifice themselves that their enemies do not possess.' Some people would say that this weapon has done more damage to the Palestinians than to Israel. For example, the reason why so many people in the West condone the wall the Israelis are building on Palestinian land is that they accept the Israeli argument that it is legitimate self-defence against suicide bombers.
Look, given the imbalance of power and the lack of weapons and support to match those of the occupiers, the Palestinian, as Sheikh Qaradawi said, feels compelled to turn himself into a human bomb as a kind of expression of resistance. Historically, martyrdom bombings came as a response to massacres, especially the massacre at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, where [Baruch] Goldstein killed 29 people who were praying and injured scores of others. (7) So, these operations were a natural response to the massacre of civilians, of people who were worshipping God.
As for their effectiveness, dear brother, any action in the world has both positive and negative results. We recognise that these operations have a negative impact, especially in terms of world public opinion, and we know that Israel takes advantage of them to justify its aggression; but the basic effect of these operations has been twofold. First, they have shaken the validity of the theory of Israeli security - and you know how important security is to the life of Israel. This is something that some people try to conceal.
And, second, what is the message that these operations deliver? The most important message is that the Palestinian people will never capitulate. If they do not find weapons, they will fight with their bodies. And this, I assure you, is what is going to cut the conflict short. This will compel Israel to recognise Palestinian rights.
Can you foresee a day when Muslims, Jews and Christians will live together in harmony between the Jordan and the sea? What will have to happen to make it possible?
That was the case in the past, and it can be so again in the future. What matters is that occupation and aggression come to an end, and the Zionist ambitions on which the Zionist movement was based. If a Muslim comes to attack me and oppress me and take away my home and my rights, I will fight him, and the same applies to Christians and Jews. We do not resist Israelis because they are Jewish, we fight them because they are occupiers.
I believe that the Qur'an, like the Jewish Bible, suggests that sometimes it is legitimate, and even proper, to hate other people. (8) Can I ask you: Do you hate the Israelis?
No, hatred is not mentioned in the Qur'an. You judge actions, not people, and when someone changes his behaviour, you change the way you deal with him. For me myself, as for everyone in Palestine, our hatred is for the crimes the Israelis commit against us.
In our Islamic culture, whether your neighbour is a Muslim or a Christian or a Jew, you have to treat him well, and he has a right that we call 'the right of the neighbour'. In such a culture, Muslims and Christians and Jews in this region lived without conflict. Do not forget that Palestine is the land of messengers and messages from heaven! It has always had a genuine culture of tolerance.
Nevertheless, it is a general human observation that conflicts such as this one, even when they are over, leave a legacy of hatred - and often it is religious people who have done the most to deal with it. Are there concepts in Islam that will help to restore harmony in the Middle East once a political resolution has been reached?
Of course. Islam has many different remedies for hatred and conflict between people. First, it reminds people that they are children of Adam and Eve and so they are brothers and sisters in humanity. Second, it has regulations to prevent aggression and the theft of other people's property - the behaviour that leads to hatred. Islam has rules to punish oppressors and aggressors, because when people who have been oppressed feel that the law upholds their rights, they feel comfortable and do not cherish hatred. It is when people feel they have been oppressed and no one has given them justice that hatred thrives. Punishing the oppressors is a cure for the hatred of the oppressed.
Islam sets a notable example - in two ways. The first way is justice, where you take what is due to you from the oppressor. But then there is another way, which is forgiveness: you forgive the oppressor in the hope that God will reward you. For example, if someone hits you, you can hit him back or you can forgive him in pursuit of God's reward. However, this applies only at the individual level, not at the level of peoples and societies.
Whenever verses in the Qur'an state a rule, they usually end by reminding us of God and the Day of Judgement. When you feel that you have a Lord who will give you justice and a day will come when God will reward you, you do not become preoccupied with your problem. This is the teaching of the Qur'an, but I believe that in essence all the revealed religions have the same spirit, though the rules are different.
What one thing could Israel do to persuade you that it was serious about making peace?
Withdraw - as all the Palestinian factions have demanded - to the borders of June 4 , dismantle the settlements and recognise the Palestinians' rights, including Jerusalem and the right of return [for the refugees of 1948]. The alternative is for Israel to continue on the path to escalation - and Israel will be the first side to lose as a result.
I understand that there is a list of demands, but if peace is to come, it is going to be a process. What I am asking is: What could Israel start to do now that would persuade you that it is changing?
I think we call it a 'quantum leap'.
Yes. Sometimes when that threshold is crossed, it leads to big changes. Sometimes it leads to a new power, a new state - both in matter and in human life. The start that is needed from Israel is to admit that it has wronged the Palestinian people, oppressed them and taken their land, and consequently to recognise their rights.
When Third Way talked to Gerry Adams in 1996, he came across as so earnest and reasonable, we felt we needed to title the interview 'Is He Sincere?' There are people in the West who say that you are very moderate when you talk to our media, but when you talk to your own people it's a different matter. How do our readers know that what you have said to me today is sincere?
When I talk to Palestinian or Arab audiences, there are usually foreign journalists present. So, my language is the same, whether I am addressing Arabs or foreigners. A simple example: when I talk to the West, I say that we accept a state with the borders of 1967, and before my people I say that we accept a state with the borders of 1967 (with the qualifications that everyone knows, of course). Our discourse is the same - we are not afraid of the truth. When we are persuaded of something, we have the courage to declare our conviction in front of our people and in front of others.
One of the virtues of this movement is that it has taken some difficult steps, and though perhaps some other Palestinian factions objected to them, it was convinced about them and about their importance. Take the 'calming', or truce, for example. Hamas took this initiative many times. We did not have a dual discourse, talking of escalation when we spoke to our people and when we saw foreigners saying we want a truce.
Hamas is not a small movement that is not called to account for what it says. We are a big movement that faces the consequences of what we say and so we think carefully about what we say. Here is a practical example: if Hamas wanted to be duplicitous with the West, God forbid, we would not have been so candid in refusing to recognise Israel. So, our position is clear whether we are addressing the region or addressing the West.
4 On September 25, 1997, two Israeli agents attempted to kill him in the street outside his office in Amman by spraying poison into his ear. He survived after King Hussein and President Bill Clinton insisted that Israel provide the antidote.
7 On February 25, 1994. The first Hamas suicide bombing took place 40 days later.
This interview was conducted on May 21, 2008 at Khalid Mish'al's house in Damascus. The interpreter was Dr Azzam Tamimi, director of the London-based Institute of Islamic Political Thought and author of Hamas: A history from within.


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Q: Grid item is taking full screen width when it doesn't have any siblings So I have this grid where I am displaying 3 items per row and is looking perfectly fine even on small screens. But the issue arises when an item doesn't have any siblings. I mean when he is alone, he takes up full screen width which looks super ugly in big screens.
Now I could fix it if I knew the number of grid items but as the data is dynamic I don't have any way of knowing it. So it could be 1 now and 100 later.
So what I am trying to achieve when there is only one item is, it should take the same space as it takes when there are 3. But also keeping the responsiveness and look as shown in the snippet below as it is.
Here's a snippet when there are 3 in a row:

.container {
  overflow: hidden;
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(150px, 1fr));
  grid-gap: 10px;
}

.item {
  width: 95%;
  height: 100px;
  display: flex;
  justify-content: center;
  align-items: center;
  background: blue;
}

    1

    2

    3

    4

    5

Here's a snippet when I have only one item:

.container {
  overflow: hidden;
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(150px, 1fr));
  grid-gap: 10px;
}

.item {
  width: 95%;
  height: 100px;
  display: flex;
  justify-content: center;
  align-items: center;
  background: blue;
}

    1

How can I fix this?

A: From MDN: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/repeat()

auto-fit Behaves the same as auto-fill, except that after placing
the grid items any empty repeated tracks are collapsed.

So using auto-fill instead will prevent items from stretching since empty tracks are not collapsed.

.container {
  overflow: hidden;
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(150px, 1fr));
  grid-gap: 10px;
}

.item {
  width: 95%;
  height: 100px;
  display: flex;
  justify-content: center;
  align-items: center;
  background: blue;
}

    1

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Set to the music of bird flight, sight, and song, these poems, in the form of fragmented ancient text, tell a story of loss and the journey toward love, and acceptance. The text, accented by silence (white space), allows for an intimacy akin to pillow talk. The poems are raw, seeped in nature imagery, and deeply devotional. They are composed of the intricate tenors of devastation and faith, and the fragile harmonies between them.
Read excerpts from or pre-order the Sustainable Edition from our shop, hosted by Big Cartel.
Post a review or read excerpts at Goodreads.
Karla Van Vliet's volumes of poetry include From the Book of Remembrance and The River From My Mouth. She is an Edna St. Vincent Millay Poetry Prize finalist, and a two-time Pushcart and Best of the Net nominee. Her poems have appeared in Acumen,Poet Lore, The Tishman Review, Green Mountains Review, and Crannog Magazine, among others. Karla is a co-founder and editor of deLuge Journal. She is an Integrative Dreamwork analyst, artist and administrator for the New England Young Writers' Conference at Bread Loaf, Middlebury College. She holds her MFA in Poetry from Vermont College of Fine Arts. To learn more, please visit her at www.VanVlietArts.com.


A nation famous for its trains is witnessing a boom in air travel – but the rules of flight etiquette are distinctly different.
Recently, a man was arrested on a flight in India for trying to open the rear door of an aircraft mid-flight. There's an understandable fear around any out-of-the-ordinary behaviour on flights, but it turned out the man was in search of the loo and the cops didn't need to get involved. This was simply the first flight he'd ever taken.
Such on-flight disruptions aren't uncommon in India, where air traffic has doubled in six years, and the number of domestic air passengers is now above 100 million. A politician put on a no-fly list after slapping a member of the flight crew (he had demanded a business class seat on an all-economy plane). A passenger thrown off a flight after complaining about mosquitoes (he was lucky not to be on the flight with bedbugs, or rats). The man who tried to enter the cockpit to charge his phone. Airline staff accused of blasting passengers with cold air to force them to disembark into the heavy rain. Footage of a man apparently being beaten up on the tarmac. An airline responding to complaints about groping by creating women-only rows of seats. A prankster claiming a plane had been hijacked. Reports of planes dumping human waste on people's homes.
With more passengers comes more stories, of course, but if you've ever travelled with the Indian masses on a train, you'll see why Indian train culture gets lost in translation when transferred from railway to runway. The former is the most popular mode of transport in India, and in my opinion one of the most Indian things about my homeland. According to a government report published in March 2017, about 8.5 billion passenger journeys are made using the train network each year.
I live in London now, and have learnt not to talk to people on the tube – thank you very much. But every time I go back to India I make it a point to join those 8.5 billion, and make at least one long-distance train journey to remind myself of the idiosyncrasies of the culture I come from.
The Indian rail network may have been built during the British Empire, but after a century and a half of existence, the subcontinent has had plenty of time to shape its train culture. Seats, unless you're traveling first class, are more like benches. They are supposed to seat three, but without a clear demarcation of where one seat begins and the other one ends, three is just a suggestion. It could mean two large (manspreading) men, five kids or one older lady if she needs to be lying down. People come in a number of different configurations. Seats don't.
Furthermore, just because you have been assigned a seat doesn't mean you will sit in it. Where you end up sitting or how much space you get for yourself depends on how you negotiate with your fellow travellers. Resilience, and girth, often wins. Yet there's a certain kindness in this way of doing things, in my opinion, an acceptance (sometimes begrudging) that each traveller has a different set of needs.
One of the many joys of Indian train travel is the food, mostly delicious fried snacks, sold on long journeys. These are brought around either by the official railway food service or by local vendors who hop on at stations with samosas, idlis, vadas and the like (with regional variations, of course). Prices are almost never predetermined, and each purchase is preceded by some haggling either to reduce the price or increase the volume/number of whatever is being bought. This isn't seen as an inconvenience but an opportunity to humour a chinwag or kill time. Being able to get a good deal is a matter of great pride. Ask my mum, she's never bought a samosa without trying to get extra chutney for free.
Today, a lot of this train traveling population has begun to fly. But despite the colourful stories, I wonder if the things I relish about Indian train culture will survive in the sterile world of the skies.
Rather than being able to negotiate seat space depending on how much you need, you must sit down in an assigned spot for a long passage of time with a belt strapping you down. Rather than buying food and drink of your choice at a negotiated price, that you can eat with your fingers in the usual Indian way, you are served a fixed-portion microwave meal you have to eat with a flimsy knife and fork. Rather than being able to negotiate a space with dignity, overweight fliers must expect to be charged extra. As for that hapless first-time flyer, well, the concept of closed doors is a bit alien on Indian trains; the open doorways are where those who couldn't negotiate sitting space hang out. The system works.
Developing a flying culture in India will take time. Attempts are being made to rush this along, like with Air Asia developing a new etiquette video for first-time flyers; a useful exercise if we are to avoid delayed flights and unnecessary arrests. Perhaps the initiative could be exported for lads on stag-dos here in the UK. Getting a whole flight load of people to behave is certainly not a challenge unique to India.
Personally, I'll mourn the day India adopts western flying etiquette – even if it's not the Magaluf kind. Global flight decorum is designed for convenience, not colour. I would rather Indian trains take to the skies; imagine being able to buy proper chai on a flight and having a friendly haggle with the stewardess without the robotic politeness we've all just accepted as the norm. Maybe there's a case for redesigning aircrafts to take into account that each human body is as unique as a handcrafted samosa. And imagine being able to negotiate a window seat far away from a crying baby. I'd take that flight.


text:
Guitar News
MacAlpine, Sheehan, And Portnoy "Live In Tokyo" DVD Trailer
Posted on July 2, 2013 at July 8, 2013 by Tim Monaghan
As if the Winery Dogs release (July 23rd, 2013 – Featuring Portnoy, Sheehan and Kotzen) isn't enough to look forward to, Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan, Tony MacAlpine, and Derek Sherinian will be seen on a DVD/Blu-ray of their concert, "Live In Tokyo", which took place on November 14, 2012. The DVD / Blu-ray will be released by Eagle Rock Entertainment, and will be available on September 3, 2013.
This was an hour and a half concert, featuring music from all of the members musical careers thus-far. The release will also feature some behind the scenes footage of the event's production.
The PSMS Trailer
A little PSMS Member History
Mike Portnoy originally formed this line-up to rock a NAMM stage at Winter NAMM 2012 – at the Guitar Center Drum Off, and there was an exceptional response to these guys playing together, so they decided to take the act on the road. They toured Europe and Asia, and the footage in this DVD is taken from one of those shows – the Zepp, Tokyo one, to be exact.
Portnoy and Sherinian have obviously worked together before – Sherinian was the keyboardist for Dream Theater from 1994 till 1999, and was also the founder of another supergroup – Black Country Communion. He has also featured a slew of names we recognize on his solo albums, such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Slash, Steve Lukather, Joe Bonamassa, Zakk Wylde, and Billy Sheehan.
His Album Oceana was #4 on our Top 10 Best Guitar Albums Of 2011. Tony MacAlpine was also a guest guitarist on Oceana.
Portnoy and Sheehan are also busy with The Winery Dogs, and have an album scheduled to come out July 23rd, 2011. Featuring Richie Kotzen on guitar, The Winery Dogs are focusing more on a classic rock sound, which is a welcome direction to see these guys traveling in. A good change of pace.
MacAlpine and Sherinian also played together in the band Planet X.
The PSMS DVD/ Blu-ray Setlist
That's a lot of history – and with all that to draw from, they had very little problem coming up with a killer list of songs to bring onstage. Here it is:
1 – A Change Of Seasons: I The Crimson Sunrise (DREAM THEATER song)
2 – Acid Rain (LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT song)
3 – The Stranger (TONY MACALPINE song)
4 – Stratus (BILLY COBHAM song)
5 – Atlantis, Part 1: Apocalypse 1470 B.C. (DEREK SHERINIAN song)
6 – Tony MacAlpine Guitar Solo
7 – Been Here Before (DEREK SHERINIAN song)
8 – Birds of Prey (Billy's Boogie) / Billy Sheehan solo
9 – The Farandole (TALAS song)
10 – The Pump (JEFF BECK song)
11 – Mike Portnoy Drum Intro
12 – Nightmare Cinema (DEREK SHERINIAN song)
13 – Hell's Kitchen (DREAM THEATER song)
14 – Derek Sherinian Keyboard Solo
15 – Lines In The Sand (DREAM THEATER song) (abridged)
16 – Shy Boy (TALAS song) (Billy Sheehan on lead vocals)
Video: The Winery Dogs - Kotzen, Sheehan, and…
Joe Bonamassa DVD, Dunlop, And Seymour Duncan Pickups
The Aristocrats DVD Preview and Tour
Tim Monaghan
Tim has been playing guitar & bass since he was 12 years old and has been in Jazz, funk, rock & metal bands. Influences include Jeff Beck, Stanley Clarke, Doug Stegmeyer, Baden Powell, Steve Vai, and pretty much anyone else who has a unique style that expresses their individuality. One of Tim's many hobbies is building, tweaking, and repairing basses and guitars.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Asian History All Study Guides Homework Help Lesson Plans
Describe the relationship between Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong.
"Describe the relationship between Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong." eNotes Editorial, 27 May 2018, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/describe-relationship-between-chiang-kai-shek-mao-477288. Accessed 30 Jan. 2023.
mister-g
The relationship between Chiang Kai Shek and Mao Zedong was primarily adversarial, fighting each other in the Chinese Civil War (1927–1949). Chiang Kai Shek led the Kuomintang (Nationalists), and Mao Zedong led the Communists. Ultimately, the Communists (CCP) won the war, and by 1949 Chiang Kai Shek and what was left of the Nationalist KMT party fled to the island of Taiwan, then more commonly known as Formosa, where they established the Republic of China (ROC) government on the island, where it remains to this day.
Still to this day, both the ROC and CCP claim to be the legitimate governments of all China, which is a major point of contention between both entities, especially in regards to the claim of the island of Taiwan. This is one of the most precarious geopolitical situations in the world today.
The relationship between the two is rather complex if we look at the historical background of these two leaders. For a time, the Chinese Civil War was halted to fight the Japanese, first from 1932–33 and then again from 1937–45. Although there was an agreement to fight the Japanese together, it was more of a cease fire between the two, and the KMT did the bulk of the fighting against the Japanese, which ultimately weakened them and allowed for a decisive victory for the CCP by 1949.
Both leaders also claimed to be the legitimate political heir to Sun Yat Sen, who founded the Republic of China after the collapse of the Qing Dynasy in 1911. In both China and Taiwan today, Sun Yat Sen is still revered and seen as the founder of each respective government. This relationship exists because although Sun Yat Sen was the Nationalist and KMT leader until his death in 1925, initially he had accepted support from the Soviet government of Russia when his government was in its fledgling stage. Mao Zedong took this as proof that Sun Yat Sen was a supporter of communism and an anti-imperialist.
After Sun Yat Sen's death, Chiang Kai Shek was the heir apparent and became the leader of the KMT. He was unable to get the kind of broad support and foster the cooperation that his mentor had, and within two years, war had broken out between the Communists and Nationalists.
After his defeat by the Communists in 1949, Chiang Kai Shek fled to Taiwan and had plans to retake China until his death in 1975. The two remained tense rivals until the mid 1970s and even attacked each other again after the civil war had ended during the 1950s.
Greg Jackson, M.A.
M.A. from University of Massachusetts-Boston
Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai Shek were rivals for control of China from the 1920s through the 1940s. However, they were not always enemies. Early on, Mao Zedong and the Kuomintang Nationalists formed an alliance in order to receive aid from the fledgling Soviet Union. Mao Zedong saw this as a sign that the Kuomintang might not be totally opposed to Marxism. It was to be a short-lived partnership. After the alliance fell apart, the two leaders led conflicting forces for control of China. A decade of bitter fighting ensued as Mao Zedong led his forces deep into the country's interior on what was known as "The Long March."
A second united front between the two parties was formed out of common necessity in 1937 to counter the Japanese invaders. Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai Shek reluctantly agreed to put their differences aside in order to combat the Japanese. The United States did what it could to foster cooperation between these two leaders and their ideologically opposed factions.
However, once the war ended in 1945, the two sides strained to maintain their uneasy truce. The two leaders even met for a seven week conference in August and September to work out an agreement for a united China.
By the next year, though, the alliance had fallen apart again. Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai Shek became bitter rivals once again. The two leaders were at odds for how the country would be governed and under which ideology it would function. After nearly four years of brutal civil war, Mao Zedong and his communist army were eventually able to seize control of all of the country's cities. By autumn of 1949, the communists were in control of China. Chiang Kai Shek was forced to flee with his supporters to Taiwan. Mao was left in charge of the new Communist People's Republic, while Chang led the Nationalist government in exile in Taiwan.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/chiang_kais...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/mao_zedong....
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/05/world/asia/the-last-ti...
Compare the Chinese leaders Sun, Chiang/Jiang, and Mao.
How did World War II affect China?
What was the difference between the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang?
Contrast the methods of the Chinese Nationalist government under Jiang and the Communists under Mao Zedong to rebuild China after war with Japan...
What was the result of the Boxer Rebellion for China?
Latest answer posted August 06, 2015 at 6:58:17 PM
What is the relevance of studying the life of Jose Rizal?
How many women did Gengis Khan rape?
Latest answer posted November 25, 2019 at 3:32:54 AM
How did the geography of China affect the development of early civilization there?
Latest answer posted September 26, 2011 at 10:42:22 AM
What are some positive and negative things about China's location?
Latest answer posted August 21, 2015 at 12:32:43 PM
What was the Propaganda Movement in Philippine History?


text:
6307 cases, 44891 documents
Davis v. Edmondson
CJ-2009-9154 | Oklahoma state trial court
On September 29, 2009, the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), on behalf of two Oklahoma resident taxpayers, filed a lawsuit in the District Court of Oklahoma County (Oklahoma state trial court). The lawsuit challenged Oklahoma House Bill 1595 on the grounds that the law violated the Oklahoma State Constitution's "single-subject" requirement and that its enforcement would unlawfully use taxpayer funds. H.B. 1595 included a ban on "sex-selective abortions" and established new reporting require…
Temporary Restraining Order
Order Granting Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment and Denying Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment
Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Justice v. Cline
On October 5, 2011, the Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Justice (a non-profit dedicated to promoting reproductive justice) and NOVA Health Systems (a clinic providing reproductive healthcare services), represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) filed this lawsuit. Plaintiffs named as defendants the Oklahoma Commissioners of Health, the Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision, and the Oklahoma State Board of Osteopathic Examiners. The lawsuit challenged Oklahom…
Order Granting Temporary Injunction
Memorandum Opinion
Petition for a Writ of Certiorari
Cline v. Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Justice
Burns v. Cline
Filed Date: Nov. 3, 2015
On November 3, 2015, the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a lawsuit on behalf of an Oklahoma physician who had been practicing safe abortion care, against the Oklahoma Commissioner of Health and the District Attorney for Cleveland, Garvin and McClain counties. The lawsuit challenged S.B. 642, which imposed four different sets of requirements or restrictions on abortion providers in Oklahoma, including: A prohibition on aiding, abetting, or assisting a minor in obtaining an abortion without…
Application to Assume Original Jurisdiction and Petition for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief
Order Granting Defendants' Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment and Denying Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. State of South Carolina
2022-001062 | South Carolina state supreme court
On July 13, 2022, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, Greenville Women's Clinic, and two physicians filed a lawsuit against South Carolina to challenge the state's Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), a six-week abortion ban. This case was first filed in the Court of Common Pleas for the Fifth Judicial Circuit, then later taken up by the South Carolina Supreme Court after a petition for original jurisdiction was filed on July 20, 2022. Plaintiffs argued that South Carolina's six-week abortion ban violates the …
Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief
Nova Health Systems v. Edmondson
cv-2010-533 | Oklahoma state trial court
On April 27, 2010, NOVA Health Systems (a reproductive healthcare clinic), a physician providing abortion care in Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Justice filed a challenge against Oklahoma House Bill 2780. The law prohibited a woman from getting an abortion unless she was first given an ultrasound, shown the ultrasound image, and listened to her doctor describe the image in detail. Represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), Plaintiffs filed this lawsuit on th…
Temporary Restraining Order and Scheduling Order
Order Granting Plaintiffs' Motion for a Temporary Injunction
Amended Petition
Nova Health Systems v. Pruitt
Order Granting Summary Judgment Declaring Ultrasound Act as an Unconstitutional Special Law and Permanent Injunction Preventing the Enforcement of the Ultrasound Act
Nova Health Systems v. Henry
On October 9, 2008, NOVA Health Systems, a reproductive health clinic that offered abortions, challenged Oklahoma Senate Bill 1878 in the District Court of Oklahoma County. The law would impose numerous restrictions on the performance of an abortion, including a requirement that, before a woman may obtain an abortion, she must listen to her doctor describe an ultrasound image of her pregnancy. It also imposed limits on the administration of medication abortion and included informed consent requ…
Scheduling Order and Temporary Injunction
Order Granting Plaintiff's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment and Denying Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment
Disposition by Order
Sonnenberg v. Disability Rights Idaho
1:14-cv-00369 | U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho
Closed Date: March 7, 2016
This case is about whether a Protection and Advocacy agency's (P&A) record access authority includes death investigation records from a county coroner's office for an individual who died while involuntarily committed at a psychiatric facility. The Ada County Coroner, in his official capacity, and Ada County initially filed this lawsuit in the Idaho District Court of the Fourth Judicial Circuit against Disability Rights Idaho- Idaho's P&A. On September 17, 2014, Disability Rights Idaho removed t…
Complaint for Declaratory Relief
Memorandum Decision and Order
Motion for Summary Judgement
Disability Rights NC v. Brajer
1:16-cv-00137 | U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
Filed Date: Oct. 14, 2016
Closed Date: Dec. 20, 2016
Action filed on October,14, 2016, in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina by plaintiff, Disability Rights North Carolina (DRNC), against the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). DRNC brought this action, in their own right, in the interests of Medicaid eligible children under the age of 21 who have both complex behavioral health and Developmental disabilities and are unnecessarily institutionalized because of DHHS' fail…
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
Maple Heights School District Board of Education v. A.C., Individually and on behalf of A.W., a Minor
1:14-cv-01033 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
This case involves the educational deprivation of an IDEA eligible student who had been expelled and placed on home bound instruction by defendant Maple Heights School District. The plaintiff filed the lawsuit on May 12, 2014 alleging violations of IDEA and seeking compensatory education The case was assigned to Judge Christopher A. Boyko of the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio. On June 27, 2016, the court issued a ruling that affirmed decisions of the State Level Rev…
Complaint and Notice of Appeal from Administrative Proceeding Conducted Pursuant to 20 USC § 1401 ET SEQ.
Maple Heights City School District Board of Education v. A.C.
Complaint for Civil Action and Counterclaim
Opinion and Order
Maple Heights School District Board of Education v. A.C., Individually on behalf of A.W.
Parent A.C.'S Motion for Attorneys' Fees and Costs and Motion to Lift the Stay in Case No. 1:13-CV-2710
Planned Parenthood of Michigan v. Attorney General of Michigan
22-000044-MM | Michigan state trial court
Closed Date: Sept. 7, 2022
This case is plaintiffs' effort to avoid the triggering of Michigan's dormant anti-abortion law. Michigan's 1931 felony abortion law, MCL 750.14, criminalizes providing an abortion in almost all circumstances and threatens physicians who perform the procedure with imprisonment. MCL 750.14 was never repealed; it has not been enforced because of the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade holding that the U.S. Constitution protects the right to get an abortion. The Michigan Supreme Court has yet …
Verfied Complaint
Plaintiffs' Motion for Preliminary Injunction
Motion for Immediate Consideration
Planned Parenthood of Michigan v. Attorney General of the State of Michigan
Complaint for Order of Superintending Control
In re Jarzynka


text:
Q: does vs2008/vs2010 has a caret position changed event in TextBox? I need to keep an eye on caret position inside a TextBox; is there an event for this? I don't want to use timer for this (eg. check every 10ms if position changed).
I am using Windows Forms.

A: The native Windows control doesn't produce a notification for this.  Trying to work around this restriction is a recipe for pain, you just can't tell where the caret is located.  The SelectionStart property is not a reliable indicator, the caret can appear at either end of the selection, depending in what direction the user selected text.  Pinvoking GetCaretPos() gives the caret position when the control has the focus, but mapping that back to a character index is not so easy due to inaccuracies in TextRenderer.MeasureText().
Don't go there.  Instead, explain why you think you need this.

A: Hope this will help. I have done this on Mouse Move
private void txtTest_MouseMove(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
   string str = "Character{0} is at Position{1}";
   Point pt = txtTest.PointToClient(Control.MousePosition);
   MessageBox.Show(
      string.Format(str
      , txtTest.GetCharFromPosition(pt).ToString()
      , txtTest.GetCharIndexFromPosition(pt).ToString())
   );
}

A: Most text controls will have KeyDown and KeyUp events that you can use to find out what key was pressed.
I have linked to the winforms TextBox, as you did not specify which technology you are using.
There is no direct way to tell where the cursor is within the field, however.

A: I'm not sure if the SelectionChanged event fires evon on a caret position changed but you should give it a try.
If not you could create a timer and check wether the SelectionStart property value changes.
Update: It is fairly simple to create a TextBox class that raises a SelectionChanged Event:
public class TextBoxEx : TextBox
{

    #region SelectionChanged Event

    public event EventHandler SelectionChanged;

    private int lastSelectionStart;
    private int lastSelectionLength;
    private string lastSelectedText;
    private void RaiseSelectionChanged()
    {
        if (this.SelectionStart != lastSelectionStart || this.SelectionLength != lastSelectionLength || this.SelectedText != lastSelectedText)
            OnSelectionChanged();

        lastSelectionStart = this.SelectionStart;
        lastSelectionLength = this.SelectionLength;
        lastSelectedText = this.SelectedText;
    }

    protected virtual void OnSelectionChanged()
    {
        var eh = SelectionChanged;
        if (eh != null)
        {
            eh(this, EventArgs.Empty);
        }
    }

    #endregion

    protected override void OnKeyDown(KeyEventArgs e)
    {
        base.OnKeyDown(e);
        RaiseSelectionChanged();
    }

    protected override void OnKeyUp(KeyEventArgs e)
    {
        base.OnKeyUp(e);
        RaiseSelectionChanged();
    }

    protected override void OnMouseDown(MouseEventArgs e)
    {
        base.OnMouseDown(e);
        RaiseSelectionChanged();
    }

    protected override void OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs mevent)
    {
        base.OnMouseUp(mevent);
        RaiseSelectionChanged();
    }

}


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You are here: Home / Film + TV / The Fast Show Re-Returns – Dork Preview
The Fast Show Re-Returns – Dork Preview
February 16, 2012 By Nick Bryan
Returning today, it's The Fast Show. But not on the TV, no, they've moved on to the Foster's website, which has been gathering cult comedy talent under their Foster's Funny brand name, including Alan Partridge and Reeves & Mortimer.
Created by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson, The Fast Show was hugely influential in the 90s, peddling the high-speed catchphrase-based sketch comedy that has remained popular in the form of Little Britain. It returned with Foster's in November 2011, bringing us Fast mocking of the London riots and Downton Abbey, among others.
And evidently that went pretty well, because they're back as of today, for another six episodes at 1PM every Thursday. Watch the all new Fast Show trailer below, and if you find yourself nostalgic for Ted, Ralph and co, catch the full episodes on the Foster's site as of 1PM.
So, with the success of this Fast Show revamp and the acclaimed Alan Partridge's Mid-Morning Matters, is this the future of cult TV? Revival on the web courtesy of a corporate sponsor? Does this bother you, or are you happy to take whatever you can get of your favourites?
Nick Bryan
Nick learned to read and write at an early age. This has developed into an unhealthy need to either write stories or consume them for later dissection. He reviews film and TV on Dork Adore and The Digital Fix, lives in London and enjoys a nice white beer.
Please share if you enjoyed this!
Frozen Planet and Fast Show Faster – What We've Been Watching
Sinbad: Old Man of the Sea – Dork Review
"Are you my Mummy?" Doctor Who, Mummy on the Orient Express Review
Glastonbury 2011 and Wimbledon: What We've Been Watching
Filed Under: Film + TV Tagged With: Charlie Higson, Fosters Funny, paul whitehouse, The Fast Show, Web TV
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Meet the Tablift – the universal tablet holder


LAS VEGAS — When Dustin Byfuglien has his eyes set on what he wants — whether it's an open shooting lane or a lackadaisical opponent at open ice primed for a hit — there's no dialing back to half-speed. That extends to pregame warm-ups, specifically when Byfuglien is set on simply getting on the ice.
After the Winnipeg Jets walked out of the tunnel prior to Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, Byfuglien was about to step onto the ice when he sensed teammate Nikolaj Ehlers lurking behind his right shoulder. So what did Byfuglien do?
The defenseman (modestly listed at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds) used his right arm to shove the 22-year-old winger onto the bench, barely flinched and coasted right onto the ice. For Ehlers, a slight 6-foot, 172-pound Dane known for his elusive speed, it could not have felt pleasant as his stomach coiled over the board.
This is not the first time Ehlers has been Big-Buffed. In Game 2 of the second round, Byfuglien got so excited celebrating a goal with teammates that he literally clocked Ehlers in the face.
That's the thing about Byfuglien: He has been in this league for 13 years, including long playoff pushes with the Chicago Blackhawks; even still, at age 33, he's still finding a way to surprise anyone around him (especially those within striking distance).
Through these playoffs, Byfuglien has been an unrelenting highlight reel. One could watch all of Byfuglien's 395 minutes and 13 seconds on the ice and probably be entertained by at least four hours of the footage. In the Jets' most recent outing, Byfuglien did his best impression of a bar bouncer, coming in at the end of a scrum to peel away two Golden Knights. He grabbed the jersey of Tomas Nosek (listed at 210 pounds) in his left hand and Colin Miller (196 pounds) in his right and extracted them from the situation with one tug.
Two games earlier, Vegas forward Alex Tuch (6-foot-4, 222) tried to check Byfuglien; Tuch bounced right off him like he was rubber.
In the second-round series against Nashville, Byfuglien came in to protect Kyle Connor and manhandled at least three Predators at once. In the first round against the Wild, Byfuglien checked forward Mikael Granlund along the bench and leveled Minnesota captain Mikko Koivu with a shoulder-to-shoulder check — in a span of nine seconds.
And that's not even getting into Byfuglien's lethal shot from the point (his offensive prowess is rooted in several stints in which coaches have experimented with him at forward). Even some of Byfuglien's goals become memes; such as his laser in Game 5 against Nashville, when four Predators lined up between Byfuglien and goaltender Pekka Rinne and not one of them stood a chance.
Byfuglien leads all defensemen in scoring this postseason (5 goals, 10 assists through 15 games) while shouldering a yeoman's 26 minutes, 21 seconds per game. Consider the next-closest Jet is Jacob Trouba at 21:53. Byfuglien's average shift is three seconds shy of a minute.
Byfuglien, an alternate captain for the Jets, is not one to talk to the media often and has rarely been available these playoffs. He is often seen on the periphery of the locker room — and if you catch him in a moment alone with a teammate, you're more than likely to see him chirping or cracking a joke.
A fun exercise is listening to Jets teammates explain what they tell their buddies back home when asked about what it's like to play with Big Buff.
As for the physicality — well, opponents just try to do their best to brace themselves. There's no containing Byfuglien. Golden Knights forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare recalls a few times he hit Byfuglien while a member of the Philadelphia Flyers.
And then there's the one man tasked with getting under Byfuglien's skin this series: Vegas fourth-liner Ryan Reaves, who relishes his role as an enforcer. During one off day this series, Reaves manned his locker as he answered a series of questions about Byfuglien, including about when they collided in Game 1.
"That was two brick walls hitting each other," Reaves said.
"Is he bigger than you?" a reporter asked. "Oh, by 50 pounds maybe," Reaves replied.
"What do you weigh?" a reporter asked. "225," Reaves replied.
"So you think he's 275?" the reporter responded.
And then a reporter asked if Reaves thought Byfuglien was the strongest player in the league.
"Is he the second-strongest?" a reporter followed up.
It's unclear if Reaves treated this as psychological warfare. But as he smiled through the rest of the conversation, it seemed clear he probably knew who was actually No. 1.


text:
Q: rails generate - creates migration with an old table name and rails keeps looking for non existing table I used to refer to a table named "people" but decided to change that to "person"
I completely removed all references to table "people"
But rails keeps referring to this old "people" table and I am not sure where there could still be a reference to this table.
I removed the fixtures and all the migration scripts and also did the following
rails destroy model Person
rails destroy model People

*

*hoping that will clear any other references etc..
recreated persons controller and when i tried to generate model Person (corresponding to persons table ), it creates a "create table" migration script.

I am using MYSQL
C:\RubyApps\RRApp>rails generate model Person
      invoke  active_record
      create    db/migrate/20151025203042_create_people.rb
      create    app/models/person.rb
      invoke    test_unit
      create      test/models/person_test.rb
      create      test/fixtures/people.yml

-----------

ActiveRecord::StatementInvalid in PersonsController#show
Mysql2::Error: Table 'rr.people' doesn't exist: SELECT `people`.* FROM `people` WHERE `people`.`personid` IS NULL LIMIT 1

Rails.root: C:/RubyApps/RRApp

----------------

Appreciate any inputs on this. thank you!

A: Well, Rails expect your table name to be a pluralized form of your model and it is smart enough to understand that pluralized Person becomes people.
If you insist on your custom table name (I'd not advise that), you can override it via the following code:
class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
  self.table_name = "person"
end

Don't forget to change table name to person in your migration too.


text:
Philippe Jousselin, né le  à Angoulême, et mort à Cognac le , est un coureur cycliste français actif au début du XX siècle.

Il participe notamment au Tour de France 1904 et fini à la septième place avant d'être disqualifié

Résultats sur les grands tours

Tour de France
1 participation
 1904 : disqualification.

Références

Liens externes

Coureur cycliste français
Naissance en avril 1872
Naissance à Angoulême
Décès à Cognac (Charente)
Décès en avril 1927
Décès à 55 ans

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A black fox fur coat . Made of pelts coming directly from northern Finland . The arctic circle climate provides the ideal condition for super long haired pelts of high density and incomparable hair quality . This fur coat is brand new ,silky , plush and supple . Ultra low weight and ultra high insulation index . Features a lucious and impressive collar . Inner lining is made of satin. Two side pockets and three furrier hooks & loops for closure . In addition a luxury neck button . This coat starts in a straight pattern from the top and gets wider as going to the bottom sweep . Flattering and classic , ideal for all silhouettes Aspecial technique is used to create this sophisticated pattern . A flat area at the top of the back and around the shoulders which was made by using the front legs of the skin . And again at the bottom sweep , all the way around , triangular fluffy areas alternating with reversed triangular flat areas.
It is beautiful, luxurious and warm! Love the hood! I get so many compliments on this coat, it is very classy. This is third item I have bought from you, shopping for my fourth now. Thank you!
really love it....very nice coat...thank you!!!!!!


text:
Hundreds of pro-China protesters rally amid Hong Kong chaos
Anti-China students and activists have barricaded at least five campuses in the last week, stockpiling petrol bombs, catapults, bows and arrows and other weapons.
People react after tear gas was fired by police during a protest in Hong Kong on 11 November 2019. Picture: AFP
Hong Kong extradition protests
Hong kong protesters
Reuters | 66 days ago
HONG KONG – Hundreds of pro-China protesters rallied in Hong Kong on Saturday to denounce increasingly violent anti-government unrest in the Chinese-ruled city and support the police who have become a prime target of attack.
The former British colony has been embroiled in more than five months of demonstrations, with pro-democracy protesters angry at perceived Communist Party meddling in a city guaranteed its freedoms when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Protesters are also furious at perceived police brutality, a charge police deny.
Waving Chinese and Hong Kong flags, pro-China protesters gathered by the city's legislature and police headquarters. Some held up posters stating "Police we stand with you," while others chanted "Support the police."
Pro-China protesters have gathered before, but in far smaller numbers than those angry at Communist Party rulers in Beijing.
Saturday's crowd was a mix of young and elderly, some of whom had brought their children along to the rally.
"From the bottom of our hearts, we believe it is the correct thing to support the police in fighting the rioters for Hong Kong citizens," said a 49-year-old housewife surnamed Kong.
"A lot of people keep silent, afraid of the rioters. It's time for all the people who are silent to step up and say that's enough."
Police have kept their distance for more than two days, but many observers are afraid of what happens if and when they move in.
A 70-year-old street cleaner died on Thursday after being hit on the head by one of several bricks police said had been thrown by "masked rioters". On Monday, police blamed a "rioter" for dousing a man in petrol and setting him on fire. The victim is in critical condition.
On the same day, police shot a protester in the abdomen. He was in stable condition.
Many pro-police protesters laid white flowers outside the government office to pay their respects to the cleaner. Others applauded and cheered the police, some bowing and giving thumbs up as they walked past riot police on duty.
Joe Lam, a 34-year-old who referred to the protesters as "cockroaches" said he supported democracy and participated in the 2014 Umbrella Movement but condemned the violence in recent months.
"In 2014, we were peaceful and occupying to raise awareness. Now, it's 'if you don't agree with me, you are against me and I will throw Molotov cocktails at you'."
"NOT EFFECTIVE"
Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule under a "one country, two systems" formula guaranteeing its colonial-era freedoms. Protesters' demands include full democracy and an independent investigation into perceived police brutality.
China denies interfering and has blamed Western countries for stirring up trouble. Police say they are acting with restraint in the face of potentially deadly attacks.
Hong Kong universities, in a joint statement, said they regretted the fact that "the government response had so far not been effective".
"However, any demand that universities can simply fix the problem is disconnected from reality: these complicated and challenging situations ... are reflections of Hong Kong-wide disagreement, and the government must take the lead with swift and concrete action."
Authorities said on Saturday that a key highway blocked by anti-government protesters on Friday had reopened after the government had cleared debris and petrol bombs on the road.
The Tolo highway, which runs along the side of the leafy campus of Chinese University, was partially opened by protesters on Friday but then shut again during the evening rush hour, exposing splits in a movement that has been largely leaderless.
Some train services which had been suspended earlier in the week were gradually resuming, the city's metro operator MTR Corp said on Saturday.
At some of China's military garrisons across the city there were signs of ongoing activity. At the sprawling Tam Mei barracks in the rural New Territories over one hundred troops in khaki fatigues were marching.
Around half a dozen armored personnel vehicles were being serviced and scrubbed by troops in green T-shirts. Trucks also rumbled past the perimeter fence that were filled with troops.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has stayed in the barracks since 1997, but China has warned that any attempt at independence for Hong Kong will be crushed.
Later on Saturday, LGBT activists were due to hold a pride rally rather than the annual march that the city typically sees.
Police earlier this week rejected the group's application to hold a march, citing security concerns.
Officers beaten after police disband Hong Kong democracy rally
Hundreds arrested in Hong Kong in New Year's Day protests - police
Hong Kong police arrest 15 in fresh shopping mall protests
Third day of Christmas clashes in Hong Kong


text:
Majority of FCC backs Ligado plan for broadband network: sources
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A majority of the five-member Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to approve an order to allow Ligado Networks' to deploy a low-power nationwide 5G network despite objections from the Defense Department and major U.S. airlines, two government officials told Reuters.
FILE PHOTO: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) logo is seen before the FCC Net Neutrality hearing in Washington February 26, 2015. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Thursday circulated a draft order to allow Ligado to use L-Band spectrum, for which it holds some licenses, which came under criticism from some federal agencies and powerful lawmakers.
The L-Band is also used for Global Positioning System (GPS) and other navigation systems because the signals can penetrate cloud cover. The Pentagon also uses the band for military purposes. Bloomberg News reported the vote earlier. The vote will not be final until all members vote.
Late Friday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper wrote on Twitter that the "Ligado proposal would needlessly imperil DoD GPS-dependent national security capabilities."
He added that the "department continues to support domestic 5G options, but not at the risk of crippling our GPS networks. Nearly a dozen other federal agencies have joined us in opposing this proposal."
On Wednesday, Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Jim Inhofe and the panel's top Democrat, Jack Reed, asked President Donald Trump to bar Ligado from moving forward, citing interference with GPS reception.
"Ligado's planned usage will likely harm military capabilities, particularly for the U.S. Space Force, and have major impact on the national economy," Inhofe, Reed and Mac Thornberry, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, said in a letter to Trump.
However, Pai said that, based on an extensive technical review by FCC staff, he was "convinced" that conditions in his draft order would permit Ligado to proceed "without causing harmful interference."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr both endorsed Pai's plan Thursday.
In an April 10 letter to Pai, the executive branch - including the Pentagon, NASA, and the departments of Commerce and Homeland Security - said the Defense Department "strongly opposed" Ligado's proposal because it would "adversely affect the military potential of GPS."
An Air Force memo warned that Ligado's proposals to reduce interference were "impractical and un-executable" and would "place enormous burdens on agencies and other GPS users to monitor and report the interference."
The memo was also signed by other federal agencies including the Army, Navy, Federal Aviation Administration, Energy and Justice departments.
Ligado President and Chief Executive Doug Smith said on Thursday that the company was committed to "protecting GPS while delivering highly secure and ultra-reliable communications."
A coalition of companies including Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, Lockheed Martin Corp, Iridium Communications Inc and FedEx Corp, said the FCC's nine-year review of Ligado's various proposals should end without approval.
Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese, Daniel Wallis and Cynthia Osterman


Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) has presented good results in the healing of chronic wounds. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of LIPUS on the viability of transverse rectus abdominal muscle (TRAM) flap in different regions (central and epigastric) in rats.
Twenty-one Wistar male rats were homogeneously distributed into three groups as follows: group 1 (control), animals submitted to surgery only; group 2, animals submitted to surgery and application of LIPUS at the center of the flap; and group 3, animals submitted to surgery and application of LIPUS at the flap area corresponding to the right inferior epigastric artery pedicle. Stimulation was performed immediately after the surgery and within the following 2 days. The percentage of flap necrosis was evaluated by using the ImageJ® software as well as by measuring the temperature variation with infrared thermography (FLIR® T300).
In the percentage calculation of the necrosis area, the application of LIPUS at the center of the flap (group 2) showed significantly smaller difference (26.2 %) compared to group 1 (54.50 %) and group 3 (44.01 %). Analysis of the temperature variation between the groups was performed by using the one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's test. The results showed that both forms of LIPUS application showed significant differences compared to the control group.
In view of our results, one can conclude that the application of LIPUS at the center of the flap was effective for the viability of TRAM flap in reducing the necrosis area.
Silicone implants, deep inferior epigastric perforator, and transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flaps are used for reconstruction of the breast tissue. Silicone-gel prosthesis is a popular option which is naturally associated with shorter surgery time and shorter hospital stays as the use of autologous tissues allows more natural and apoptotic breast cells to grow, with the breast tissue becoming less edematous and smoother as the patient ages [1, 2].
The transverse rectus abdominal muscle (TRAM) flap has been widely used for breast reconstruction, but there is a high risk of failure due to necrosis , which might increase both the patient's time at hospital and treatment costs, thus delaying the patient's return to the daily activities .
Several therapeutic resources are indicated in the literature for minimizing the necrosis of flaps, such as transcutaneous nerve electrical stimulation , electro-acupuncture , light-emitting diode , and low-intensity laser .
The low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) was developed for consolidation of complex bone fractures by promoting an increase in the migration of osteoblasts [9, 10]. However, the literature has also demonstrated the efficacy of LIPUS in the repair of tissues [11, 12], with the increment of granulation tissue, collagen fibers, and glycosaminoglycans [13–15], neovascularization , and increase in cell viability . The technique is approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CE Mark for wound healing. It is a non-thermal and non-invasive treatment, at low cost, by promoting angiogenesis, adhesion of leukocytes, growth factor and collagen production, and fibrinolysis, increasing macrophage and nitric oxide levels .
The incidence of necrosis in TRAM flaps occurs at different levels, affecting the further areas of the epigastric artery where the highest necrosis rates are found . Therefore, it is important to detect the effect of different therapeutic resources on the viability of this type of flap, including the efficiency of stimulation with LIPUS in the different areas of application.
This study has been approved by the Animal Research Ethics Committee of the Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Brazil, according to protocol number 058/2014.
Twenty-one Wistar male rats weighing 280–300 g were randomly distributed into three groups of seven animals each: group 1 (control), animals submitted to surgery with TRAM flap only; group 2, animals submitted to surgical procedure and application of LIPUS at the center of the flap; and group 3, animals submitted to surgical procedure and application of LIPUS at the area corresponding to the pedicle with irrigation of the right inferior epigastric artery (flap zone 1).
The animals were maintained and housed in individual cages with a 12-h light-darkness cycle and fed with proper food and water ad libitum. Prior to the surgical procedure, the animals were anesthetized with intra-peritoneal injection of ketamine (Agener União®) and xylazine (Dopaser®) at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.07 mL/100 g, respectively. Next, the animals were positioned on a surgical board and submitted to hair removal by means of manual traction followed by surgical procedure for obtaining the myocutaneous flap from the transverse rectus abdominal muscle (TRAM) unilaterally and caudally. The flaps measuring 5 cm in the lateral-lateral direction and 3 cm in the cranial-caudal direction were positioned at 1 cm (causal direction) from the xiphoid process .
The parameters of the device were set to the following values: SATA low intensity 30 mW/cm2, 1.5 MHz resonance frequency, pulsed mode with pulse width 200 μs and 1 kHz repetition frequency, circular transducer of 22 mm and piezoelectric element PZT . The ultrasound was developed by the School of Engineering of São Carlos/University of São Paulo.
The transducer was coupled with sterile gel water-based and water-driven equipment through an on/off button. The application of ultrasound was performed once a day for 20 min on a stationary basis immediately after the surgery and within the following 2 days for a total of three applications. Group 2 had the ultrasound transducer positioned at the center of the flap, whereas group 3 had it positioned at the flap zone 1, as shown in Fig. 1.
The percentage of necrosis area was assessed on the fourth day following the surgery by using the ImageJ® software. In order to delimit the area of viable tissue from the necrotic one—the former characterized by a pinkish color and smooth surface and the latter being cold and darkened, a paper template schematized on vegetable paper was used. Calculation was performed by dividing the necrotic flap area by the total area and then by multiplying the result by 100.
For analysis of the temperature variation of the flap, images were made on the fourth day following the surgery by using the Flir QuickReport® software. The images were recorded with an infrared camera (T300, FLIR®, Wilsonville, USA). The flaps were analyzed by dividing them into four zones or areas, with zone 1 (Z1) corresponding to the vascular region of the right inferior epigastric artery (Fig. 2). The four zones were of equal size and have the same number of pixels and physical dimension.
Data normality was assessed by using Shapiro Wilk's test for all variables, whereas analysis of the necrosis percentage and temperature variation between groups was performed by using one-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey's test. The SPSS version 13.0 software (SPSS Inc. USA) was used for data analysis with a significance level set at 5 %.
The results found by the use of the ImageJ® software were applied to the formula to calculate the percentage area of flap necrosis. The corresponding values are shown in Fig. 3.
The analysis of necrosis percentage was performed by using one-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey's test, demonstrating that there was a significant difference between controls and the group stimulated with ultrasound applied to the center of the flap (p < 0.05).
The minimum and maximum temperatures were evaluated, and compared to the maximum temperature, there was no difference between groups, but a significant difference was observed between controls and experimental groups regarding the minimum temperature variation on the fourth day following the surgery (Table 1).
The literature points out that the myocutaneous flap is the most popular donor tissue for breast reconstruction in women submitted to mastectomy [1, 18, 19], and therefore, the viability of myocutaneous flaps is of extreme importance for a successful surgery.
The low-intensity pulsed ultrasound stimulation (LIPUS) is a therapeutic resource whose efficacy has been demonstrated in the processes of healing [12, 20], thus being a therapeutic alternative for improving the viability of flaps.
Thermography has been widely used for detection of circulatory alterations by means of temperature [21, 22]. In the present study, analysis of the flap temperature showed that there was a decrease in temperature in both forms of ultrasound application compared to the control group, thus suggesting an efficiency of the resource for this purpose, decreasing the inflammatory process. Other authors [23–25] observed an increase of tissue perfusion, angiogenesis, regional density, and blood flow.
In the present study, the viability of myocutaneous flaps was found to be higher in the group stimulated at the center of the flap compared to that with stimulation of the epigastric artery and controls. These findings may be related to the increase in microcirculation as a result of mechanical waves .
The use of LIPUS reduces the damage to cells caused by the applied energy as both fibroblast proliferation and circulatory increment are stimulated, which contributes to cell repair . In addition, LIPUS produces nitric oxide—a gas having a vasodilator action that stimulates the neovascularization as well [25, 26] and whose effect is known to increase the viability of tissues and transplanted organs in cases of ischemia . This might explain the decreased necrosis in the experimental group compared to controls, mainly in the group treated with LIPUS applied to the center of the flap, since centrally applied stimuli favor the formation of new vessels throughout the contour of the flap, consequently making it more viable.
In a study using pluripotent stem cells, artificially induced in culture plates, LIPUS was applied for 7 days and improvement in cell viability was observed soon on the second day of application. The most significant results were found on the fourth day in terms of viability and proliferation of the cells, thus corroborating our study as viability was also observed on the fourth and last days after the surgery .
Based on the results found in the present study, one can conclude that the viability of TRAM flap was higher with the application of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound at the center of the myocutaneous flap.
The data (mean values) for the necrotic area percentage are shown in Fig. 3, and the data on the infrared images are shown in Table 1 in the manuscript, without the need to share additional data.
FLAA and LMSN have analyzed and drafted the manuscript, ECOG study design, and manuscript preparation. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.


text:
Letter from Katherine Anne Porter to Kay Boyle, September 06, 1974
Item — Box: 23, Folder: 3, item: 9
Request Box 23
Katherine Anne Porter papers
Correspondence, 1880-1980 and undated
Personal, 1918-1980 and undated
Boyle, Kay -- [Four items dated November 1958-May 13, 1960, moved to Series I, Box 37, Kay Strozzi in 2011, See Also Series IX], 1931-1976
This collection is open to the public, non-circulating, and must be used in the Special Collections Reading Room. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.
Box: 23, Folder: 3, item: 9 (Mixed Materials)
1.4.23.3.9, Letter from Katherine Anne Porter to Kay Boyle, September 06, 1974, Box: 23, Folder: 3, item: 9. Katherine Anne Porter papers, 0041-LIT. Special Collections and University Archives. https://archives.lib.umd.edu//repositories/2/archival_objects/464647 Accessed January 15, 2021.