1. I omitted the chocolate fudge part.
2. And instead of 2 swiss rolls I made one large swiss rolls coz of shortage of pans.
3. Instead of bombe shape I made rectangular shape.
4. I did not use whipped cream for swiss rolls, instead I used the Vanilla icecream which came out so delicious.
1. Pre-heat the oven at 200 deg C /400 deg F approximately. Brush the baking pans (11 inches by 9 inches) with a little oil and line with greaseproof baking paper. If you have just one pan, bake one cake and then let the pan cool completely before using it for the next cake.
3. Add the flour mixture, in three batches and fold in gently with a spatula. Fold in the water.
4. Divide the mixture among the two baking pans and spread it out evenly, into the corners of the pans.
5. Place a pan in the center of the pre-heated oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes or till the center is springy to the touch.
7. Turn the cake on to the towel and peel away the baking paper. Trim any crisp edges.
9. Repeat the same for the next cake as well.
10. Grind together the vanilla pieces and sugar in a food processer till nicely mixed together. If you are using vanilla extract, just grind the sugar on its own and then add the sugar and extract to the cream.
11. In a large bowl, add the cream and vanilla-sugar mixture and beat till very thick.
12. Divide the cream mixture between the completely cooled cakes.
13. Open the rolls and spread the cream mixture, making sure it does not go right to the edges (a border of ½ an inch should be fine).
14. Roll the cakes up again, this time without the towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge till needed,seam side down.
1. Grind together the sugar and vanilla in a food processor. In a mixing bowl, add the cream and vanilla –sugar mixture and whisk lightly till everything is mixed together. If you are using the vanilla extract, grind the sugar on its own and then and the sugar along with the vanilla extract to the cream.
2. Pour into a freezer friendly container and freeze till firm around the edges. Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer. Do this 3-4 times and then set completely.
1. In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, corn flour and water.
3. Remove from heat and mix in the butter and vanilla. Keep aside to cool.
1. Grind together the sugar and the cocoa powder in a food processor .
4.Remove from heat and cool completely before transferring to a freezer friendly container till firm around the edges. If you are using an ice cream maker, churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer's instruction, after the mixture has cooled completely.
Lovely clicks and a mouth watering, chocolaty recipe.
Love your presentation! You are so creative! Great photography too!
OMG !!!!! Truly Delicious ... Amazing snaps dear !!
yummy and delicious looking cake.great pictures.
title u have wrongly typed 2009.
Pavi...appadiye enakku oru gift ah kuduthiringa..Looks awesome!
This surely takes a ton of effort - I can see that. And, you've perfected the art of presentation too!
The cake looks so delicious ... mouthwatering..
Beautifully done - I love the presentation and the photos are wonderful. Really great work on the challenge.
The cake looks so yummy ... the clicks are awesome too.. I'm craving to have a piece for sure .
I am sure this ice cream cake is delicious. I'll have to check out this Daring Bakers Challenge.
Looks great - awesome presentation. I particularly like the chocolate triangles.
Truely speaking I tell...u r very talented....n have lot of patience too awesome job on the daring bakers!!
what a sinful delight that is. can I have a piece...even a tiny one will also do.
Wonderful and awesome presentation. Pavithra, Parcel pannidu .
Lovely clicks dear Looks soo yum! My mouth started watering! Hey sorry for the late comment!
You stood out by making it in your own way. love the way you have assembled it. It looks very pretty and inviting. Those chocolate patterns are gorgeous.
Your cake looks beautiful! I love the chocolate chards all tied together with the ribbon. Nice job on the challenge!
Wow!!! Those are really an awesome and some tempting clicks. Amazing and am craving for it now.
Drooling over the picturess..lovely swiss rolls Pavithra..YUmmy yummy..
Lovely! The loaf shape is very elegant. And why didn't I think of using ice cream as a cake filling? You clever thing!
icecream looks amazing..very tempting clicks..
Yummy Cake. The procedure is so long you have so much patience. Wonderful dear.
too lovely .... just drooling over them !
Abosultely gorgeous... one of the best of the DBs I have seen around.
Awesome presentation, loved all the pics..Great job!!
Beautiful icecream cake, looks tempting and yummy.
I saw your wonderful photo on the forum and had to follow up...I am so envious!!! I was way too scared to deviate off the recipe and ended up with a replica...which I suppose means that I ate all of the yummy (yet bad for you) whipping cream. Thanks for the inspiration!
Your icecream cake looks mouthdrooling. As usual I love the pictures.
Unusual and lovely presentation for this month's challenge.
beautiful--very creative making the rectangular shape.
oh wow, you are killing me with those awesome pics! so tempting.
It looks gorgeous! A perfect summer dessert.
Love you creation and love those choco slabs on top.
Very tempting ice cream cake..
Very creative presentation and decoration! Looks sooooo chocolatey and delicious... I could really go for a slice right now. Keep up the wonderful baking creations.


At Dr. John C. Martin Orthodontics, treatment is provided by a caring and professional Orthodontist who believes in using the latest technology and techniques. Greet the world with a beautiful smile and straight teeth! We apply time management to our treatment process. This helps us in providing quality service with low cost to our orthodontic patients. Our patients choose our practice based on the qualifications of our orthodontist and what the practice offers in terms of orthodontic treatment, the experiences of others and the value of treatment at reasonable fees.
I love this place. Very friendly staff that is honest and funny. I know going in to get my braces tightened that at least one good thing shines that day. I have already recommended Dr. John Martin's practice to anyone who would listen to me. Thank you Dr. Martin and Staff. It will be a sad but happy day when my braces come off.
The staff are very friendly, every time I have an appointment to get my braces tightened it's a smooth and welcoming experience. I've had my braces for 6 months now and my teeth have already straightened.
Went for a consultation today. The staff was so friendly and personable. I can't wait to recommend them to a friend!
© 2019 Orthosynetics. All rights reserved.


"After looking through the work on display, it was interesting to see the progression of student's work across the three years. The first-year projects that we analysed were Trend Forecasting projects that were created using imagery and layout in report format, with written examples too, to show a range of both business and creatively presented work.
Second-year work demonstrated progression in creativity and InDesign presentation. We were impressed by the Event Management work, showing intense planning combined with freedom and individuality.
Third-year projects show clear development throughout the student's journeys on the course. Students are given the chance to bring their ideas to life and focus on elements such as business plans, marketing and packaging ideas.
The Eagle and Ball (the University pub) is enjoyed by the students at BCU, as a great opportunity for students to relax and balance work time. Throughout our tour, we could see students hard at work in the libraries and study spaces. Coming to visit BCU at the start of term you really get a sense of the students studying in the building.
The architecture and layout of the Parkside campus make the course even more appealing, as there is a sense of comfort and confidence in the surroundings. Bright lighting paired with modern layouts are really attractive. There is a sense of pride felt when you see students work presented throughout the building and particularly in the main entrance and exhibition space.
The buildings are perfectly located for fashion students due to the shopping! Being so close to The Bullring and Grand Central is very exciting. Being in such close proximity to a major retail space really makes us get a sense of the industry we would like to go in to.
The first year offers an equal balance of business and creative fashion. Looking at trend forecasting through to merchandising. It's also a great opportunity to learn Photoshop and InDesign. It seems that everything you learn in your first year gives you a real foundation for moving into your second.
The second-year presents an opportunity for skills development, this includes learning how to market a product or brand and the PR involved through internationalising brands. There is a great opportunity for trips and travel in the second year to places such as New York, Milan and Berlin. The second year is also a key time to gain a placement in the fashion industry to get some real-life industry experience and expands your skills in the fashion business.
In the third year, you collectively bring all your skills together from the first two years of study. It allows you the opportunity to showcase all of your skills and knowledge and to see them through in your dissertation. You can tailor your dissertation to the expertise you have and the part of the industry you want to go in to. The third year provides you with the opportunity to create a portfolio to apply for jobs in the industry.
As part of the group task, students were given the opportunity to interview second-year student Eleanor on her experiences of the course so far.
What are the best bits about living at BCU?
What has been your favourite module on the course?
My two favourites have been Buying & Merchandising and Marketing & PR but the course as a whole gives you a range of transferable skills, that can help you in a variety of jobs, such as different market sectors like beauty or lifestyle.
Is it worth coming to university?
Yes, as it really helps you find your area of interest and passion, and ultimately what you want to do in the future. It also gives you the opportunity to meet new people, has fantastic experiences and become independent.
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @bcu_fbp to find out more about Fashion Business and Promotion.


text:
Top 360 cameras
Best compact cameras
Which GoPro?
Top mirrorless cameras
DJI camera news
Watch stunning drone's-eye videos of an erupting volcano in Iceland
Elyse Betters · 2 October 2014
Best DSLR cameras 2020: The best interchangeable lens cameras available to buy today
Have you ever wondered what it looks like inside of an active volcano?
You're not alone, if you have. Eric Cheng, director of aerial imaging at drone manufacturer DJI Innovations, has apparently thought about it as well, because he recently went to Iceland to capture the Bardabunga volcanic system using a DJI Phantom 2 drone equipped with a GoPro Hero 3+ camera. And now he is showing off the stunning footage for the first time.
The best drones 2018: Top rated quadcopters to buy, whatever your budget
Drone aerial photography explained: Here's what it is and how to do it
Best drone photos ever: Stunning images taken from up high
Pocket-lint flew a DJI Phantom last year over the black sand desert in Iceland, the same location where actor Tom Cruise rode his bike in Oblivion. The area we visited was also near Holuhraun's Bardarbunga volcanic system. It erupted weeks ago and could continue erupting for a year, extending south under the ice sheet. If that happens, scientists believe it would lead to a catastrophic meltwater flood known as a jokulhlaup.
Cheng's videos, which are just a portion of an 11-hour journey, document how his team got within a mile of a volcano that was (and still is) hemorrhaging and throwing lava about 150m into an ash-laden sky. Relying on the DJI's 2.4GHz Lighbridge Wi-Fi system and 1.7km range, Cheng and his team were able to get extremely close to the volcano and even captured inside its rim.
They weren't worried about losing signal, because the Phantom 2 has the ability to automatically return to home if contact is lost. Contact was indeed lost during recording, due to the unimaginable temperatures inside of the volcano, but the memory card survived and Cheng was able to save the amazing footage. The GoPro camera, however, wasn't so lucky.
The same type of camera that was used to capture an Austrian skydiver jumping to Earth from a helium balloon in the stratosphere, enabling him to reach a top speed of 1357.64 km/h (Mach 1.25), somehow couldn't withstand the heat emitted from a volcano. The front of the GoPro Hero 3+ actually melted, causing the camera to stop working.
Watch the videos above and below to see the action for yourself. And if everything doesn't appear dramatic or dangerous enough for you, keep in mind that the very field Cheng stood upon in order to pilot the Phantom 2 became flooded with lava less than 24 hours later.
READ: Into Oblivion: DJI drone test flight in Iceland
Via: Wired
Sections Cameras DJI
PopularIn Cameras
19 amazing aerial photographs with a new perspective of the world
GoPro CEO sets sights on smartphone users for expansion
Nikon D780 doubles down on video recording, to show DSLRs can learn from mirrorless
Canon EOS 1D X Mark III official: Full specs and everything you need to know
Sony A7R IV review: Here's to new resolutions
The best GoPro photos in the world, prepare to lose your breath

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: write rspec test based on age or date I have a method that should return a category of member based on the age/date_of_birth. I want do write some test for that method because it a important method.
And my question is how can I test the model in order not failing the test in future because the date continuously changing.
I try to provide a pseudo test:
IF THE member IS > 18 => OUTPUT: "Adult"
IF THE member IS < 15 => OUTPUT: "XYZ"

thanks

A: Use timecop gem to freeze time in spec or TimeHelpers from Rails 4.2 for the same things (see travel method).

A: Do you even need to manipulate time? you can simply set the member's birthdate to the past
# build member
let(:adult_member) { Member.new(date_of_birth: 20.years.ago) }
let(:young_member) { Member.new(date_of_birth: 13.years.ago) }

# spec
expect(adult_member.whatever).to eq('Adult')
expect(young_member.whatever).to eq('Young')

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Read & Write Uncompressed Zip Data from an InputStream Java Currently, I am downloading a jar file from a website, the classes are further processed, but the resources aren't. This means I do not need to decompress when reading from the URL and recompress the resources when writing to a file.
However, given a ZipInputStream there is no method I am aware of to read the zip entry compressed's data and write it directly to a file with NIO. Normally with NIO with files, I can use the Files#copy function to do this, but I am downloading these files from the network, therefor I do not have this luxury.
Essentially, I have a ZipInputStream and an NIO FileSystem for a Zip file, how do I copy some (not all) data from this input stream to the file without decompressing and recompressing each entry?

A: It's not clear what you are asking here.
zip to zip
Do you mean: You want to stream a zip file across a network, saving it to the local machine on disk, but only some of the files. You want to do this without actually doing any (de)compression. For example, if the stream contains a zip with 18 files in it, you want to save the 8 files whose name doesn't end in .class, but in a fashion that streams the compressed bytes straight from the network into a zipped file without any de- or recompression.
In that sense it is equivalent to saving the zip file from network to disk and then attempting to efficiently wipe out some of the entries. Except in one go.
This is a bad idea. There are no easy answers here. It is technically possible, with so many caveats that I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want this.
If you need more context as to why that is, scroll down to the end of this answer.
zip to files
If you just mean: "I want to stream a zip from the network, skipping some of them without decompressing the skipped items or saving them to disk at all (compressed or not), and writing the ones I want to keep straight from network to disk, decompressing them on the fly" - that's simple.
Use .getNextEntry() to skip. Treat the ZipInputStream as the single entry stream. It EOFs until you move to the next entry, which makes that 'work'.
Here is an example that reads all entries from a zip file, skips all entries that end in .class, and writes all the other ones to disk, uncompressing on the fly:
public void unpackResources(Path zip, Path tgt) throws IOException {
  try (InputStream raw = Files.newInputStream(zip)) {
    ZipInputStream zip = new ZipInputStream(raw);
    for (ZipEntry entry = zip.getNextEntry(); entry != null; entry = zip.getNextEntry()) {
      if (entry.getName().endsWith(".class")) continue;
      Path to = tgt.resolve(entry.getName());
      try (OutputStream out = Files.newOutputStream(to)) {
        zip.transferTo(to);
      }
    }
  }
}

in.transferTo(out) is the Input/OutputStream equivalent to Files.copy. If reads bytes from in and tosses them straight into out until in says that there are no more bytes to give.

Context: Why is zip-to-stripped-zip not feasible?
Compression is extremely inefficient at times if you treat each file in a batch entirely on its own: After all, then you cannot take advantage of duplicated patterns between files. Imagine compressing a database of common baby names, where the input data consists of 1 file per name, and they just contain the text Name: Joanna, over and over again. You really need to take advantage of those repeated Name:  entries to get good compression rates.
If a compression format does it right, then what you want doesn't really work: You'd have a single table (I'm oversimplifying how compression works here) that maps shorter sequences onto longer ones, but it is designed for efficient storage of the entire deal. If you strip out half the files, that table is probably not at all efficient anymore. If you don't copy over the table, the compressed bytes don't mean anything.
Some compression formats do it wrong and do treat each file entirely on its own, scoring rather badly at the 'name files' test. ZIP is, unfortunately, such a format. Which does indeed mean that technically, streaming the compressed data straight into a file / stripping out some files can be done without de/recompressing, assuming a zip file that uses all the usual algorithms (ZIP is not so much an algorithm, it's a container format. However, 99% of the zips out there use a specific algorithm, and many zip readers fail on other zips). Encryption is probably also going to cause issues here.
Given that it's a bit odd, generally libraries for compression just don't offer this feature; it can't be done except, specifically, to common zip files.
You'd have to write it yourself. I'm not sure this is worth doing. De- and recompressing is quite fast (zip was doable 30 years ago. Sprinkle some moore's law over that number and you may get some sense of how trivial it is these days. Your disk will be the bottleneck, not the CPU. Even with fast SSDs).


text:
Ransomware: Securing Your First & Last Lines of Defence
An article sponsored by RICHO in the February 2022 issue of FEI Canada Finance and Accounting Review says that ransomware is a rapidly growing threat for Canadian businesses, with devastating impact. "It is insidious, quietly penetrating an organization's network to halt business-critical operations or threaten to release sensitive information in exchange for currency, causing downtime, reputational harm, and money."
Since the onset of the pandemic, when more businesses moved to more vulnerable remote and hybrid models, the problem exploded: more than 235 ransomware attacks were reported in Canada in 2021.
Ransomware is rapidly becoming a question of when, not if, which is why a multi-layered approach will provide the strongest protection. "Security management for a hybrid workforce requires rigorous end-to-end management and monitoring from experienced IT professionals. Your first line of defence is your endpoints – workers and their devices."
According to the article, remote device management, anti-malware protection and two-factor authentication are critical elements of a secure first line. "However, from phishing emails to unsecured Wi-Fi, there are myriad ways employees can unwittingly open the gates to ransomware. This should be addressed with regular cybersecurity awareness training and established security best practices."
Managing the first line of defence for a hybrid workforce is complex, the article says, "putting great demand on the IT team, which can lead to small cracks in the defence. We recommend running an IT Health Check to ensure this doesn't happen."
Ransomware is often highly sophisticated and very sneaky: according to IBM, in 2020 it took companies an average of 228 days to detect a breach. Some strains of ransomware can even disable your antivirus, compromising your first line of defence.
So, what happens if ransomware bypasses the endpoint protections in your first line of defence? Find out at E-Newsletters | FEI Canada.
Email: info@ThinkTWENTY20.com
ThinkTWENTY20 © 2023. Privacy Policy


Tasting Notes: Light gold in colour, with a delicate mousse. The nose unveils expressive notes of citrus, florals and white fruits. Well balanced with a delicate complexity, Chardonnay adds a lively, fresh fruitiness on the palate, whilst Pinot Noir gives the wine richness and length.


text:
Posted inArts & Culture
A Bard day's night
by Brent Busboom August 4, 2010
As you (might) like it: Lynn Robert Berg and Jeffrey C. Hawkins performing some of the many characters in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).
"They don't do Shakespeare here anymore," said actor M.A. Taylor while explaining rules to the audience regarding cell phones and photography. It was a joke. But it was also an uncomfortable truth. For the first time in the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival's 38 seasons they wouldn't be performing a work by the Bard.
Blame it on the economy. Attendance is down, corporate sponsorships are down, and the cost of producing a play is cheaper when you only have three actors instead of the full-throated cast required by most Shakespearian plays. But sometimes triumphs can come from tragedies, and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) might just be the most enjoyable production in the festival's history.
The premise for the performance is that three actors (Taylor, along with Lynn Robert Berg and Jeffrey C. Hawkins) attempt to perform all 37 of Shakespeare's plays, along with his sonnets, within two hours. The result is a loving parody filled with slapstick, cross dressing, double entendres and numerous scenes of vomiting.
The play begins with a send-up of Romeo and Juliet, followed quickly by Titus Adronicus done as a Julia Child cooking show, then Othello summarized as a Beastie Boys-esque rap song. The comedies are thrown together into one play since they "all recycle the same plot anyway." The histories become a satire of an NFL broadcast, and most of the remaining plays are absurdly reduced to just a few scenes. Just when they think they've finished, however, they realize they forgot to perform Hamlet.
The second half is dedicated to this last play and features an audience member brought on stage to portray Ophelia in a large, pink "Shakespearian snuggie," while the rest of the audience is divided into three sections to represent her id, ego and super-ego. After finishing Hamlet, they then perform it again at a faster clip, then again in under a minute, and finally end by performing it backwards.
Because The Complete Works leaves room for improvisation and adaptation, there are numerous topical and local references throughout the play. When I attended, a skull gave way to a joke about Lindsey Lohan, Romeo remarked that the poison "tastes like the Gulf of Mexico," and one actor was reminded "this isn't bingo night at the Cal-Neva." There were also references to Brett Farve, vuvuzelas, Twilight, Sarah Palin and many others. Even when the actors' comic timing is off—which occasionally it is—it's hard not to laugh at both the crude and clever parts of the performance.
Typically, an audience leaving a Lake Tahoe Shakespeare performance is uncritically approving. Afraid of seeming ignorant, they almost always say a performance was "good," even if they didn't enjoy it. But this was different. From senior citizens to teens, the smiles were genuine, the praise enthusiastic. That's the genius of The Complete Works—like an episode of The Simpsons, it works on many levels. Those completely unfamiliar with the works of the Bard laugh heartily. Those extremely familiar laugh knowingly.
In fact, on the way out, many audience members said they were going to recommend it to their friends. And that's a positive sign. Because if enough people attend, it might allow them to actually perform Shakespeare next year.


text:
← Windows of My House
Haunted Staircase →
iPhoneOgraphy – 05 Jan 2016 (Day 5/366)
The history of coffee goes at least as far back as the 10th century, with a number of reports and legends surrounding its first use. The native (undomesticated) origin of coffee is thought to have been Ethiopia. The earliest substantiated evidence of either coffee drinking or knowledge of the coffee tree is from the 15th century, in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen. By the 16th century, it had reached the rest of the Middle East, Persia,Turkey, Horn of Africa, and northern Africa. Coffee then spread to the Balkans, Italy and to the rest of Europe, to Indonesia and then to America.
Coffee beans were first exported from Ethiopia to Yemen. Yemeni traders brought coffee back to their homeland and began to cultivate the bean. The word qahwaoriginally meant wine, and Sufis in Yemen used the beverage as an aid to concentration and as a kind of spiritual intoxication when they chanted the name of God. Sufis used it to keep themselves alert during their nighttime devotions. A translation of Al-Jaziri's manuscript traces the spread of coffee from Arabia Felix (the present day Yemen) northward to Mecca and Medina, and then to the larger cities of Cairo, Damascus,Baghdad, and Constantinople. By 1414, the beverage was known in Mecca, and in the early 1500s was spreading to the Mameluke Sultanate of Egypt and North Africa from the Yemeni port of Mocha. Associated with Sufism, a myriad of coffee houses grew up in Cairo (Egypt) around the religious University of the Azhar. These coffee houses also opened in Syria, especially in the cosmopolitan city of Aleppo, and then in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, in 1554. In 1511, it was forbidden for its stimulating effect by conservative, orthodox imams at a theological court in Mecca. However, these bans were to be overturned in 1524 by an order of the Ottoman Turkish Sultan Selim I, with Grand Mufti Mehmet Ebussuud el-İmadi issuing a fatwa allowing the consumption of coffee. In Cairo, Egypt, a similar ban was instituted in 1532, and the coffeehouses and warehouses containing coffee beans were sacked.
During the 16th century, it had already reached the rest of the Middle East, the Safavid Empire and the Ottoman Empire. From the Middle East, coffee drinking spread to Italy, then to the rest of Europe, and coffee plants were transported by the Dutch to the East Indies and to the Americas.
Similarly, coffee was banned by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church some time before the 18th century. However, in the second half of the 19th century, Ethiopian attitudes softened towards coffee drinking, and its consumption spread rapidly between 1880 and 1886; according to Richard Pankhurst, "this was largely due to Emperor Menilek, who himself drank it, and to Abuna Matewos who did much to dispel the belief of the clergy that it was a Muslim drink."
The earliest mention of coffee noted by the literary coffee merchant Philippe Sylvestre Dufour is a reference to bunchum in the works of the 10th century CE Persianphysician Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi, known as Rhazes in the West, but more definite information on the preparation of a beverage from the roasted coffee berries dates from several centuries later.
Posted on January 5, 2016, in iPhoneOgraphy 366, Photography and tagged #coffeebreak, #iphoneography366, #photography. Bookmark the permalink.	1 Comment.
Jade Sutton | January 5, 2016 at 1:46 am
I love your history of coffee post. I love going to coffee shops and book stores and smelling coffee as soon as you walk in. I love the variety of coffee mugs and how they come in all shapes and sizes. I loved visiting coffee plantations in Costa Rica. BUT I don't love how coffee tastes. Go figure. 🙂


text:
2000s >> 2008 >> no-1244-april-2008
Just in one country?
2050 Vision. How can the UK play its part in avoiding dangerous climate change?
By Matthew Lockwood and Jenny Bird with Raquel Alvarez. Institute for Public Policy Research. 2007. £10.95.
This 100-page study by the left-leaning IPPR argues that Britain "should be aiming to make reductions in carbon emissions of at least 80 per cent from 1990 levels by 2050, if we are to avoid a 2ºC global warming above pre-industrial levels".
The authors show that this is technologically feasible in that wind power and carbon capture (from fossil fuels) and storage could be developed if enough resources were devoted to this. Technically feasible, no doubt, but how likely is this to happen? The authors themselves mention, though only in passing, the main flaw in their analysis: UK emissions represent only 2 percent of the global total, so even if these measures were adopted in Britain this would only have a very marginal, if any, effect on global warming. But if other countries didn't follow this would have a disastrous effect on British capitalist industry.
The authors admit that the forecasting models they used failed to include "interactions with the wider global economy" and add limply:
"Some of these interactions involve risks for energy-intensive, and therefore carbon-intensive, industries exposed to international competition, and these may need extra support in decarbonising if production and jobs are not to relocate."
Well, yes, and if that happened global warming would not be affected at all. The emissions would continue but in a different part of the world. And since all industries depend to some degree on energy they would all be affected by the increased energy costs the authors proposals would involve, even if it is true that energy-intensive industries would be the worst hit.
In short, applying unilaterally what is technically feasible but more costly would undermine the competitiveness of British industry on world markets, and that no government would dare do. So, in practice, there is no chance that any British government would go it alone on this issue. But the authors still maintain the illusion that one might, by talking of Britain giving a lead which others will follow. Some of those they consulted thought this might happen. Others were more realistic:
"Respondents from the United States were generally less convinced that leading by example would be enough to encourage movements from the US – despite the 'special relationship' between the US and the UK – or from other countries. Differing national circumstances were cited as one reason for this. The UK's (and the EU's) increasing dependence on fossil fuel imports puts them in a very different position to many of the world's major CO2 emitters, which have access to large reserves of coal and/or other fossil fuels. It was therefore felt unreasonable to expect these countries to reduce their fossil fuel consumption just because the UK had taken a lead".
Precisely, and that's the whole point. The EU countries, including Britain, are prepared to reduce their reliance on having to import fossil fuels to generate energy. That makes economic sense for them. The US and China, which do have access to large internal reserves of oil and/or coal, are not so keen. And, given that under capitalism "nation shall compete with nation", why should they be? Why would they shoot themselves in the foot by undermining their competitiveness any more than any British government is likely to by unilaterally adopting the measures proposed by the IPPR's naïve researchers?
There is, quite simply, no solution to the problem of global warming within capitalism.
World Bankers
The World Bank – A Critical Primer. By Eric Toussaint. Pluto Press.
Throughout this comparative study of official World Bank statements and internal memos, Eric Toussaint lays bare the absolute conflict between the public and private ideologies, time after time revealing the imperative of achieving US political aims above all other considerations. It is a very interesting book making the facts and figures of economics accessible to the layperson through ample explicit tables and clear explanations with minimum use of jargon.
Contrary to common belief, the mission of the World Bank under the umbrella of the UN was not and is not to reduce poverty but (1) to rebuild Europe post second world war and (2) to promote the economic growth of the South through development. As a part of the World Bank Group the World Bank is (supposedly) bound by the UN Charter and according to the International Court of Justice it is the duty of the World Bank to respect human rights and customary law in general. However, nowhere is this obligation seen to be incorporated in the implementation of their policies; in fact examples abound as to how readily and easily these obligations have been circumvented or simply disregarded. In strict violation of a UN right of people to self-determination the World Bank granted loans in the 1950s to Belgium, France and Britain to finance projects in their colonies, mostly for mining for the benefit of the colonial powers and then, following independence, the debt was transferred to the newly emerging nations. This "odious debt" is a violation of international law which Toussaint describes as having been imposed on "the Bank, with the connivance of its main colonial shareholders and the blessing of the US".
The Bank's mandate was to be purely economic, not to be involved in politics but even the first loan it granted in 1947, to France, was held up by the US government until Communist Party members were ousted from the coalition government. One chapter is specifically devoted to examples showing that the policy of granting loans is first and foremost determined by the US government often on the basis of purely political objectives. From the 1990s the US influenced against granting loans in areas that would compete with US products. Where oil was concerned drilling was encouraged, refining, not. In essence, more primitive accumulation, showing no regard for environmental concerns or human rights and contrary to the UN Charter. The over-riding message is the blatant, systematic disregard for the founding principles of the Charter.
As to the answers to criticisms of the Bank's succession of errors or bad management Toussaint reveals them to be "a deliberate part of a coherent, carefully thought out, theoretical plan, taught with great application in most universities." The strategy, in a nutshell, is that providing infrastructure should fall on the state sector and anything that might prove profitable should be given to the private sector (preferably favouring multinational corporations), i.e. privatisation of profits combined with the socialisation of the cost of anything not profitable. Within the indebted country failing private companies would have their debt transferred to the state (as the military junta in Argentina transferred $12 billion of private debt to the state). Thus the capitalists in developing countries escape their debt, having it paid instead by the Treasury at the expense of the workers (Toussaint's analysis). In Argentina in the 80s (just one typical example) even subsidiaries of transnational corporations indebted to their parent companies had their debts transferred to the Argentina Treasury; Renault, Mercedes-Benz, City Bank, Chase Manhattan, Société Générale etc. etc., all transferred their debt and as the government had no access to their accounts, one might raise an eyebrow!
Describing the demise of Mexico in the 80s Toussaint is of the opinion that "Mexico has lost control of its destiny which, historically, has been the US's objective since the nineteenth century." By the end of the 90s all six major developing regions showed negative net transfer meaning simply that their debt to the World Bank was continuing to grow because they couldn't keep up with the payments. Reports and internal memos reveal the Bank saw the crisis on the horizon but their "double discourse" informed the public and indebted countries that there was nothing to worry about. When the subject of Debt Reduction was eventually raised (in 1989) by the US government the Bank complied. This consisted of indebted nations buying US Treasury bonds in exchange for a reduction of their debt; in effect now the indebted countries were financing the policy of indebtedness of the US itself. As for the Bank's own accounts, since its founding in 1946, they have consistently produced positive net results. Since 1985 each year has exceeded $1billion in profits whilst all developing countries' net transfers since 1987 have been negative, resulting in increasing debt.
Eric Toussaint is President of the Committee for the Abolition of Third World Debt (CADTM) whose mission is "to contribute to the emergence of a world based on the sovereignty of its peoples, on international solidarity, equality and social justice" with which we can broadly agree. Throughout the book he promotes "a break with the capitalist system" and tells us that "a system of redistribution of wealth is needed." Point 30 of 31 indictments of the World Bank says "a new international, democratic institution must urgently be found to promote a redistribution of wealth and to support people's efforts towards development that is socially just and respectful of nature." Then he goes on to talk of 21st century socialism without addressing what this means except to break away from the Washington Consensus, the World Bank and the IMF in favour of new financial and monetary institutions and to point to possible alternatives such as Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador.
An alternative system, hostile to capitalism but without a commitment to abolishing money? – Is it possible that Eric Toussaint hasn't yet heard of the Socialist Party?
Bob Torres: Making a Killing. AK Press £11.
Some Socialists are vegetarians, but others are not. We have never seen a reason to take a stand on this issue as a party, however strongly some individual members may feel. In this book, though, Bob Torres makes a political case for veganism, in keeping with his support for social anarchism.
Torres begins by accepting a Marxian economic analysis of capitalism, as commodity production involving exploitation. But he then goes on to claim that animals perform unwaged labour and are super-exploited living commodities. In Marxian economics, however, they are a part of the means of production, i.e. of what Marx called "constant capital", which does not create new value but merely transfers its value to the product. Just as slavery involved some humans being the property of others and hence treated just as means to the end of the owners, so animals are under the power of humans. They are bought and sold, kept and killed in appalling conditions, experimented on, and used to provide milk, meat and eggs. This is speciesism, he says, integrated into society as much as racism once was (though note that there are separate species with identifiable characteristics, but no distinct races).
The 'animal rights' movement comes in for heavy criticism. For one thing, it is dominated by large organisations that employ professional activists earning high salaries. As such, it can be co-opted by the meat and animal products industry. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has even given awards to someone who invented a more 'efficient' kind of slaughterhouse.
In contrast, Torres argues, the advocacy of animal rights needs to become part of a wider movement that challenges all hierarchy, domination and exploitation, whether of other humans, animals or nature. We do not need to eat meat or animal products in order to live, therefore we should not do so. Vegetarianism is not sufficient, since the production of both milk and eggs involves cruelty (e.g. cows must constantly be kept pregnant in order to provide milk). Veganism, which involves making no use of animal products at all, 'must be not only the foundation and baseline of any movement to end the domination of animals, but also the daily practice of anyone who seeks to live their life free of all domination and hierarchy'.
There can be no dispute that many animals are treated abominably under capitalism. One question is to what extent their treatment is due to capitalism's demands for profit and for constantly cheapening the costs of production. For it does not follow that mistreatment is a hallmark of all use of animals for food. It is perfectly possible that a Socialist society would involve less eating of meat and eggs, and any animals kept for food purposes would certainly be treated as humanely as possible. It's all very well to talk about opposing all hierarchy, including that of humans over animals, but if it came to the crunch I suspect almost everyone would regard the life of a fellow human as more important than that of a non-human animal. So there can be no real equality of treatment between humans and animals.


Quiet USB Desk Fun Personal Mini Fan 18... has been added to your Shopping Cart. You now have items in your Shopping Cart.
Powered by a 3.9 ft USB cable - compatible with computers, laptops, portable chargers and other devices with USB output.The Fan circulates the air, maintaining a fresh, cooling breeze and reducing humidity level. Our fan can also help ventilate area and remove dangerous gases and fumes.It can function as a desk fan or a personal fan, adapting to your need.
Adopting brushless motor which can reduce noise, the fan will never disturb your sleep, work, or study. It allows for quieter operation.
The USB portable fan is powered by a detachable USB cable which can operate from a computer, laptop, power bank or other USB outlet. Wide compatibility is perfect for the Office, Home, Dorm, Game room, etc.
The fun adopts two wind speed mode which can satisfy your various needs. The breeze makes you feel comfortable. And the stronger wind makes you cool as soon as possible.
The fan head rotates 180 degrees so you can point it upwards or downwards. You can enjoy the cooling and circulating effects from any direction.
This item can be put in a table or hang it on the wall or in a little crevice even office card board due to the adjustable stand so that it won't take up desk space.
The Quiet USB Desk Fun Personal Mini Fan 180 Degree Rotation Desktop Tabletop Dorm Office,C5443W PC & Laptop Accessories is manufactured by Generic.
Buy the Quiet USB Desk Fun Personal Mini Fan 180 Degree Rotation Desktop Tabletop Dorm Office,C5443W at the best price in the United Arab Emirates.
The purchased Quiet USB Desk Fun Personal Mini Fan 180 Degree Rotation Desktop Tabletop Dorm Office,C5443W can be delivered to United Arab Emirates.
Buy Quiet USB Desk Fun Personal Mini Fan 180 Degree Rotation Desktop Tabletop Dorm Office,C5443W in United Arab Emirates of AED 49 and save 38%.