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Eleventh (!) Annual Ralphies
It has been a quiet year for Ralph, as has become usual. Because of things originally written in this space, I found myself co-featured in a couple of books about Bob Dylan (The Dylanologists by David Kinney, and Time Out of Mind by Ian Bell), and named by Rolling Stone as Bob Dylan's 7th most crazed fan, which says something about that once-great magazine's current level of insight. Would you like to know how many media calls I got after all this pub? Zero. I'm not complaining.
On to the awards ....
MUSIC: Since we're talking about music, let's do that first. It seems to me that this was a good year for music -- better than last year, for sure. My impression is that indie rock, the category I pay most attention to, made a turn towards pop this year. Again, I'm not complaining. Some songs like I'm Callin' (Tennis), How Can You Really (Foxygen), Do You (Spoon), and Talking Backward (Real Estate) are just great pop songs and you wouldn't guess that these were indie bands, with the Pitchfork seal of approval. In a rational society, there would be a Top 40 based on record sales and radio play, and these songs would be on all the time. But my Song of the Year Ralphie goes to Water Fountain by tUnE-yArDs, and if this song doesn't make you bop across the living room with a smile on your silly face, check your pulse. As for Album of the Year, that goes to Rips, from Ex Hex, a three-piece band that arose from the wreckage of the late great Wild Flag. This is what used to be called power pop, and for all I know still is. Mary Timony's guitar lines are pretty amazing, in that they are just as hummable as the vocal melody, if nor more so. (Here's a sample.)
MOVIES: Ehhh ... we only saw two movies all year. Guardians of the Galaxy, which was OK, I guess? I love comics, but, honestly, most of the comic book movies out there, no matter how jolly, are not good translations. People think of movies as a long-form art -- like novels or TV serials -- but they're not. Movies are essentially short stories, and the best ones pack a punch like a great short story. That means that things that require a lot of exposition, like biographies, epics, or novel adaptations, are diluted on the big screen. Comic book stories (good ones) are long-form, and to put them on screen a lot of the character development has to be left out or taken for granted. GOTG was no different. It was noisy, and a little too pleased with itself. The other movie we saw was The Theory of Everything, about Stephen Hawking. It was interesting, but not a great movie. Same problem. So no movie award, as per usual.
TV: There was not a single current TV show that I watched regularly this year. However, I did catch up with Breaking Bad and binge-watched most of it. I thought it was fantastic, and the last few episodes unfolded like a Greek tragedy. When Walter died (c'mon, too soon? this isn't a spoiler, is it?), I felt like someone I knew had passed away. Powerful stuff. It's true, like the pundits say -- TV has taken over from movies as the genre of choice for quality plot and acting. What I said above about long vs. short form applies here. Breaking Bad is a great novel.
BOOKS, FICTION: Although I didn't see the movies based on them, I did read two best-sellers made into movies that came out this year: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Both were excellent works of their kind -- Gone Girl, in particular, I just couldn't put down -- and I'm glad to have made the acquaintance of these authors. But the best read of all was Jeff Vandermeer's Annihilation, and its two sequels, Authority and Acceptance. It was like watching Lost, without the disappointing ending. Runner-up goes to an Israeli mystery novel by Dror Mishani, אפשרות של אלימות (Possibility of Violence), which is now out in English translation.
BOOKS, NON-FICTION: I read a lot of non-fiction.
OK, kids, see you next year! Might be a more active year for Ralph, who knows?
Posted by Ed at 4:02 PM No comments:


John McRae speaks to a Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour to get a better insight into the vital work they carry out in Kiwi schools.
Late last year Minister Tracey Martin released a bold blueprint for the re-organisation of provision for children with additional learning needs. The draft Disability and Learning Support Plan has been praised by many, particularly for the way it gives greater recognition to the SENCO role (re-titled Learning Support Facilitator). Meanwhile, many working in schools are left wondering what will happen to another critical role; that of the Resource Teacher for Learning and Behaviour (RTLB).
The RTLB service is little known outside education circles, but does vital work in helping children and teachers create successful classrooms.
Nic Hennephof works as an RTLB and reckons it's the best job in education.
Nic is employed by one of the country's 40 clusters of Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB). He is based at Pakuranga Intermediate in a busy office with around 30 staff who work across the district.
Typically SENCOs apply for assistance through the Service's on-line portal and Nic, or one of his colleagues, will visit the school to observe and assess.
From the data, the teaching team, Nic and sometimes other specialists agree on a plan.
The resourcing may include the RTLB working intensively in the classroom alongside the student and teacher and may involve expertise from the Ministry's Learning Support, such as Speech-Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists or Educational Psychologists. Sometimes assistance may be sought through the local Child Mental Health service at the D.H.B.
As his title suggests, Nic is equally as likely to work with behaviour issues as learning difficulties.
Nic can introduce a range of techniques that students and teachers use, including specific reward schemes, visual supports and the modelling of social skills.
As well as bringing new strategies into a classroom or school, an RTLB can often introduce tools that make a significant difference. Nic tells about working with students who cannot or will not write and consequently disrupt their own and others' learning.
There are times Nic is able to suggest a pedagogical change, or teaching resource that will make a similar difference, not only for an individual student, but for a whole class.
Nic Hennephof is firmly of the belief that the challenges posed by children with learning and behavioural needs can bring out the best in teachers. In championing the student and coming to understand and respond effectively their particular needs, teachers develop skills and strategies that work for many more children in their classrooms.
The RTLB service in Pakuranga is also involved in the transition of children from one educational setting to another. Working with the Ministry of Education Learning Support and Early Intervention teams, they're able to ensure the supports are in place when children with additional needs begin school.


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Important discussions during UFS Social Justice Week
18 April 2019 | Story Rulanzen Martin
The Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice IRSJ) has initiated a Social Justice Week at the University of the Free State (UFS), which started on Friday 12 April until Wednesday 17 April 2019.
Ten key events took place during the week. It ranged from dialogues, workshops, talk shows, debates, and interactive displays and events on issues of multilingualism and diversity, social innovation, engaged scholarship, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, gender sensitisation, sexual consent, sexual preparedness, universal access, disability, anti-discrimination, and security.
There was also a round-table discussion on 17 April 2019 with various UFS stakeholders on off-campus student security as well as an inter-institutional discussion on the same topic. The UFS Debating Society will take on the topic of the UFS Language Policy, while Olga Barends from the Free State Centre for Human Rights will host a dialogue on sexual consent.
The IRSJ has also designed and implemented SOJO-VATION: Social Innovation/ Social Change, which strives to create a foundational platform where ideas of social justice, innovation, and engaged scholarship at the UFS and in society can be hosted. SOJO-VATION partners with the Office for Student Leadership, Development, and Community Engagement.
The collaborating partners for the Social Justice Week includes various UFS stakeholders such as the Sasol library, the Gender and Sexual Equity Office, UFS Protection Services, the Free State Centre for Human Rights, the Student Representative Council (SRC), the Office for Student Leadership Development, Kovsie Innovation, GALA, the FFree State Centre for Human Rights, SRC Associations, the Office for Student Governance, Kovsie Innovate, Start-Up-Grind, EVC, EBL, Community Engagement, the Institutional Transformation Plan (ITP) Dialogues Office, Residence Dialogues, UFS Debating Society, Debate Afrika!, the Center for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS), and the Gateway Office.
Universal Access and Universal Design approach align UFS with international standards
Making mobility for students with disabilities easier, First Car Rental representatives hand over the brand new Toyota Quantum to Hestie Veitch, Head of CUADS.
Photo: Valentino Ndaba
The Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS) launched successfully on 24 July 2015. The objective was "to make more people on campus and from the greater UFS community aware of the services that we provide, and to spread the word about Universal Access."
"Since the center was founded in 2001, structural and systematic developments have occurred in order to create a welcoming and accessible learning environment that grants students opportunities to be successful in their academic endeavours. Thus, the Unit for Students with Disabilities (USD) has evolved into the CUADS in support of the social model of disability," said Hetsie Veitch, former Head of the Centre.
Implementing the Universal Access and Universal Design approach has aligned the University of the Free State (UFS) with international standards.
Mingling with the experts
Vendors from across the country displayed their products, and offered demonstrations of functional gadgets and essentials at the event.
Marita Erlank from Sensory Solutions demonstrated how to operate the specialised scanner, which converts printed material to enlarged electronic text and audio, using the Open Book software.
Representing the university's Sign Language Student Association were Carla Bester, Elrie de Toit and Tebogo Chabangu. To support Deaf Awareness Month (September), theyplan to dedicate a weekto facilitating free workshops for students not registered for the module.
David Greenland and his teamwere also present as part of a Wheelchair Appreciation Month campaign. On 1 September2015,the group of students will raise awareness of the daily challenges faced by mobility-impaired persons by spending the day in wheelchairs.
The day ended on a festive note, by courtesy of the First Car Hire Rental Company. A brand-new Toyota Quantum was handed over as a long-term rental, enabling students of the university to travel between campuses free of charge.
CUADS aims to continue transforming the UFS into a universally-accessible environment by collaborating with internal and external stakeholders. The launch marks a significant step towards Universal Access and Design.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


CalSTRS' active business opportunities and awards.
CalSTRS uses the Alternative Solicitation method to support investment operations and assist in the implementation of its investment strategy. External investment managers are a typical solicited service.
The Request For Information (RFI) method collects information about the products or services of suppliers.
The Request for Offer (RFO) method is for products or services under existing California Multiple Award Schedules (CMAS) or Master Service Agreements (MSA).
The purpose of this RFO is to select up to two (2) Senior Reports Developers with detailed knowledge of, and experience with reports creation through the use of SQL queries and reporting tools.
The Request for Proposal (RFP) method secures complex or uncommon products or services needing professional skills and expertise.
This Request for Proposal (RFP) is designed to solicit specific responses from Manufacturer/Dealer Teams in order to assist CalSTRS in analyzing, evaluating, and selecting, to CalSTRS' sole discretion, a key Manufacturer/Dealer Team that will be responsible for providing office furnishings for the Project as defined in Exhibit A, Scope of Work.
Prospective Proposers are invited to review and respond to the California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) Request for Proposal 5000001400 entitled, Real Estate Fee Consultant.
CalSTRS is seeking proposals in order to retain a qualified consultant to validate investment management fees, expenses, and carried interest paid by CalSTRS for a sample of real estate funds.
RFQs are used for simple products or services requiring routine personal or mechanical skills.
Log in to the Supplier Self-Service Portal.
Business partners are critical members of the CalSTRS team in support of our diverse global financial business portfolio. If you supply goods or services that CalSTRS is likely to purchase, we invite you to register with our database of suppliers.


text: export { default as RectangleNavigation } from "./RectangleNavigation";

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


As a child, I believed that beauty could be found everywhere, that anything was possible, and that I had the freedom to choose my own path. With a desire to capture this beauty, I set my sights on the arts. I had this notion that, more than anything, art should be beautiful. It should stir the senses, and evoke emotion.
Art should take your breath away.
I promised myself that I'd never lead an ordinary life, confined by office walls and performance reviews. Ten years later, I was working in a call centre. That's what happens when the world encourages us to grow up, make sensible choices, and get a 'real' job. The voice of authority grew stronger and the monotony of office-life chipped away at my true passion. I almost let my dream slip away.
For years, I'd volunteered at my local animal shelter. The more I grew tired my day job, the more I clung to this philanthropy that I truly loved. At first, I'd simply been photographing rescue dogs to help them find homes – it was creative and purposeful. But it was more than that.
Free to experiment with creative compositions, natural light, and textures. I reveled in the distinct individuality of each dog's expression. They wouldn't judge my artistic intent, and there was no self-consciousness on either side of the camera. It was precisely the kind of art I'd always enjoyed creating.
Right under my nose, I'd rediscovered that thing that had always made me so happy. Art for aesthetic, not agenda. And so, I ventured into canine portraiture with a desire to create imagery that's as distinctive as it is beautiful.
The Artisan Hound is my rebellion. Art that stands as independent and expressive as its canine subjects. Aesthetic, by definition: Beauty above all else.


Charming year 'round home on the waters' edge. Walk out basement brings you to the sandy shoreline. The deep lot, nice trees and 3 stall garage creates privacy from the road. The garage is 24' x 46', insulated and sheetrock is hung. Just 15 miles North of Grand Rapids. Johnson Lake is a deep lake with water clarity up to 17 feet with good fishing. The east side of the lake is owned by the US Forest Service. This area is at the edge of the Chippewa National Forest. Offering hiking and cross country ski trails to use year 'round. This is a great opportunity to live on the lake.


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A week in the net: Open everything and wireless for industry
Open Base Station, OpenCloud, Openet - plenty more openings as well this week. What did you miss?
1. Open base station platform from Range Networks
Range Networks said it has released the latest version of software that will enable developers to offer operators base stations based on open source software.
Its OpenBTS 4.0 platform is designed to enable the development of RAN infrastructure on standard hardware using open source software, thereby reducing the cost of base station equipment to operators.
The new software increases processing capacity by 14x, providing improved SIP authentication and service for over 1000 subscribers on a single node. It also includes a built-in channel-scanning tool for transmission frequency selection when deploying systems and a JSON API that allows mobile network operators to configure and manage the software remotely.
The software will form the foundation of a new, multi-node, commercial network being implemented by French carrier GlobalTel to cover the island and city of St. Pierre (population 7000) of the French territory St. Pierre & Miquelon, located off the coast of Newfoundland.
What is Range Networks? The company website says: "Range Networks is delivering IP economics to cellular. We replace the traditional base station subsystem and core network. Our OpenBTS RAN software makes handsets look like SIP endpoints to an IP-based core"
2. Openet and OpenCloud open for joint solution business
Service platform provider OpenCloud and policy and charging software provider Openet have teamed up to launch a joint solution for Charging, Rating and Service Control of voice, messaging and data services. The partnerships sees Openet integrate its charging software on OpenCloud's service layer.
Essentially, the integration is designed to bring charging and policy closer to the service control elements that replace traditional IN (intelligent network) platforms. That means that the same charging platform can be used for voice, messaging, video and data services – in theory making operators both more efficient but also more flexible in how they can offer pricing packages to customers.
"User experience is a combination of the service delivered, the charging model and price-points, and the behavior of the underlying network: that's service control, charging and policy," said Jonathan Bell, VP Product Marketing at OpenCloud. "The combined OpenCloud and Openet proposition delivers all three collaboratively, and enables operators to make superior customer experience the new competitive axis."
3. Save your energyy
The GSMA and Pakistani operator Warid Telecom have completed a trial of technology designed to reduce energy requirements in the telco's network.
The project, carried out as part of the GSMA's Mobile Energy Efficiency programme, was conducted on ten cell sites across various geographies in Pakistan, and the technical solutions were trialled on four cell sites. These included Coolsure high efficiency telecom air-conditioners, GE's Sodium Nickel Chloride Durathon battery and a Ballard methanol fuel cell back-up power system. Deployment of the solutions across Warid's network has already begun, with 200 DC (direct current) air-conditioners being installed. The claimed results were energy savings of 30-70%, equating to annual savings of $6 million and a reduction of 19,700 tonnes of carbon emissions.
The GSMA also announced that Eltek, Enertika, PowerOasis and Purcell Systems have joined the GSMA's MEE programme as technology partners. The companies are working with the GSMA to deliver projects for operators who wish to reduce their networks' energy consumption and cost, as well as carbon emissions
4. Wireless for industry Part 1
FreeWave Technologies provides M2M wireless networking solutions. This week it announced a new product called WavePoint; which is a high speed product that can deliver industrial data over long distance broadband connections to enable M2M applications.
Ashish Sharma, CMO of FreeWave Technologies, said, "With the ability to combine multiple frequency bands, along with wireless IP routing and support for a wide variety of industrial SCADA protocols, management services, and flexible network design elements within one cohesive solution, WavePoint is able to meet the broad range of networking and communications needs of today's expanding enterprise."
WavePoint provides a variety of network configuration options and support for up to four wireless OFDM broadband modules per unit, operating in the 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz ISM and U-NII bands and options for 3G and Wi-Fi operations. Since WavePoint enables multi-purpose communications and can operate in multiple frequencies, customers can integrate it with existing Local Area Networks (LAN), Wide Area Networks (WAN) and more, thus protecting their existing network infrastructure investments.
The guiding idea of WavePoint is that organisations can deploy several network elements, such as wired network access, cellular network backhaul, local area communications, high speed backbone communications, Wi-Fi Hotspot access, and mobile mesh networking through a single platform.
Wireless for industry Part 2.
Red Lion Controls will be able to add LTE from Rogers to its series of IndustrialPro cellular routers and RAM cellular RTUs.
With 4G LTE wireless connectivity organisations of all sizes can leverage increased data speeds for primary or backup WAN connectivity for remote sites, video surveillance applications and remote automation environments.
Red Lion's routers and RTUs provide wireless connectivity to remote locations and as a primary WAN connection or a backup to existing network links.
Contract NEWS:
Alcatel-Lucent scores IP transformation deal with China Mobile
Al-Lu hailed a one year frame agreement that could add up to EUR750 million to move the provider to an all-IP platform. That would pave the way for future NFV and cloud-based services, the companies said. In 2013, China Mobile selected Alcatel-Lucent as part of its vendor list, to provide lightRadio 4G TD-LTE overlay, Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and small cells technology to support its new 4G network.
Allot Communications doing video optimisation somewhere in Asia
Allot said a "Tier-1" operator in Asia is using its VideoClass optimisation product to handle video QoE for its 15 million subscribers. The unknown customer is a new one for Allot.
Aviat Networks in Papua New Guinea
Aviat selected by Telikom PNG to deploy a total turnkey microwave transport system to support its National Broadband Network (NBN) rollout. Aviat will supply its WTM 6000 microwave trunking platform for the project.
Axell Wireless at World Trade Centre, New York
Axell Wireless will deploy DAS system, at thenew World Trade Center complex in New York City, including One World Trade Center – the world's fourth tallest building. The deployment is the largest public safety system installed by Axell and is also the largest public safety system in the USA. It includes optical master unit, fibre head end units, directional couplers, VHF filters and distribution amplifier packages covering 88 channels for UHF, VHF, and 800 MHz frequency bands. The high-speed system involved laying over 5 miles of high-capacity optical fiber to create the largest public safety system in the USA.
Ruckus Wireless knows the way to San Jose
Ruckus Wireless will provide free WiFi for a new 18,000 seat stadium being built for the San Jose Earthquakes. The service will be based on its "Smart WiFi" tech, designed to overcome the deployment and interference issues stadium deployments can give WiFi. TMN has no idea what sport the Earthquakes play, but stadium wireless is a key market at the moment.
Other Ruckus stadium builds include Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, NC; the 50,000 seat Chennai Stadium in India; Rio Tinto Stadium, a 28,000-seat venue in Salt Lake City, UT; Imtech Arena in Hamburg, Germany; the National Stadium of Lima, Peru, and two of Brazil's largest soccer stadiums – the 68,000 seat Estadio Nacional de Brasilia and 52,000 seat Estadio Octavio Mangabeira in Salvador.
Telsasoft has six customers for its monitoring tech
Six regional US carriers have signed up for Telsasoft's network monitoring tools to monitor performance, manage faults, and view subscriber experience on their 2G, 3G, and 4G networks.. The carriers are NewCore Wireless (Minnesota), Pioneer Cellular (Oklahoma), Thumb Cellular (Michigan), James Valley Communications (South Dakota), Mid-Rivers Communications (Montana) and Blue Wireless (Buffalo).
Eckholm makes enterprise expansion next target
Nokia and China Mobile launch hybrid 5G indoor system
Nokia targets triple growth in Global Enterprise division
Ericsson to launch 5G Radio Dot in 2019
The strange dance of 5G
A strategic and immodest proposal
Supporting the Industrial IoT revolution
Will mobile operators benefit from Industrial IoT?
By The Mobile Network 5 April 2017
SpiderCloud to deliver a dual mode CBRS-band small cell
Huawei launches LTE-in-unlicensed enterprise network product
Verizon announces LTE-U trials with SpiderCloud
Parallel Wireless breaks lines with new radio architecture
Ericsson Cisco collaboration, the ongoing questions
China Telecom takes Radio Dot into live deployments
Working from mobile
DAS a wrap for Brown as CEO exits Axell Wireless
Dali Wireless throws hat in in-building innovation fight with high capacity di…
Designing seamless networks in subway systems
Webinar: 10 Things You Need to Know About In-Building
GSMA keen to boost VoLTE with "how to" guide


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Last Updated: Tuesday, 03 June 2014 06:20
Published: Tuesday, 03 June 2014 05:50
Combat Flight Simulator 3
Microsoft´s Combat Flight Simulator 3: Battle for Europe with a flyable Hawker Tempest Mk. V (but with red and blue stripes??!!/Webmaster). And according to Microsoft: "Combat Flight Simulator 3 is the most detailed and immersive World War II PC combat flight simulation ever, letting you experience what it is really like to be a WWII combat pilot over Europe.
Set in Europe from 1943 to the end of the war, players can enlist and fly for the US Army Air Force, the RAF, or the Luftwaffe. With an emphasis on tactical air power, many of your missions will focus on Air Superiority, Close Air Support, and Tactical Bombing. Feel the heart pounding rush of strafing enemy positions at 350 mph, 600 feet above the European countryside, guns blazing and bombs blasting, its As Real As it Gets!"
Skins made by Will Hunter.
A magnificent model of Clostermann's JF-E 'Le Grand Charles' made by Bill Wilson for CFS3.
P.H.F Burnage has updated and improved his Hawker Tempest Mk. V for Combat Flight Simulator 2.
The aircraft is fully animated with control surfaces, gear, wheels, flaps, radiator shutter (cowl flaps), cantilever shock absorbers, and a unique animation for canopy opening..... It has breakable parts and a DVC. It was made from scratch with Gmax. The flyable aircraft is P.H. Clostermann's, whereas the AI is JFH flown by australian pilot Bay Adams.
This is Dave Hanvey's latest Tempest for CFS2/FS2004. He has made a larger number of Tempests from the Mk. I version to a Mk. VI.
P.H.F. Burnage has made a Tempest Mk. V for Combat Flight Simulator. It has movable rudders and flaps, goodlooking landinggear and cockpit. It's painted in Pierre Clostermann's colours and markings: Le Grand Charles JF-E !! VERY nice flier ! (Of course, it's a Tempest.....)


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Q: Does the PhraseMatcher in Spacy still work for wrong tokenization? https://spacy.io/usage/rule-based-matching#phrasematcher
For this example:
    nlp = spacy.load("en_core_web_sm")
matcher = PhraseMatcher(nlp.vocab)
terms = ["Barack Obama", "Angela Merkel", "Washington, D.C."]
# Only run nlp.make_doc to speed things up
patterns = [nlp.make_doc(text) for text in terms]
matcher.add("TerminologyList", patterns)

doc = nlp("He lives in Washington, D.C. and Boston. ")

The Doc says:
Since spaCy is used for processing both the patterns and the text to be matched, you won't have to worry about specific tokenization – for example, you can simply pass in nlp("Washington, D.C.") and won't have to write a complex token pattern covering the exact tokenization of the term.

The reason that 'Washington, D.C.' can be matched successfully against the text without worrying about the tokenization is because the tokenization of 'Washington, D.C.' is correct. Let's say if the tokenization is like this below:
['in', 'Washington', ',',  'D.', 'C. and', 'Boston', '.']

My question is, if 'C. and' is tokenized as one token, does the match of 'Washington, D.C.' still successfully?

A: It doesn't matter how Washington, D.C. is tokenized internally as long the beginning and end of your phrase are token boundaries. In your example, it wouldn't match because C. and is one token (for some unusual reason?).
So you also couldn't match Washing or ton D. and you couldn't match D.C (without the .) if D.C. is one token.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


When is a gift a bribe? How does one distinguish between the two?
The answer to this question is not simple and does not depend on what one calls it in public but more closely on the motives and subsequent actions of both parties that follow gift giving.
Gift giving by business managers, and gift receiving by public officials is not always condemned, nor is it considered unethical in many countries around the world, yet there is a fine line dividing a gift from a bribe in business transactions and not all gift-giving is bribery.
Bribery can take various forms, sometimes these are obvious, for instance in the form of a commission, a consulting fee or facilitating payment.
Depending on the nomenclature and cultural customs of the country they can also be called gifts and donations.
However if the objective of any of these acts is to seek a benefit, create a relationship or generate an understanding of quid pro quo which will benefit the giver privately then it is a bribe, regardless of what it is called.
When determining whether a bribe is a gift or vice versa executives need to consider three major things – the size, the nature and the motive behind the offering.
The size of the gift and the motive behind it has a definite influence on a person's interpretation.
For instance if I invited you over to my home for Christmas and you brought a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates, that is a gift, they are small, you have come to my house to celebrate Christmas, they fit within the occasion.
However, if, you were a public official and I came to your house for Christmas and bought a diamond necklace and Rolex watch along with the wine and chocolates, it is clearly not a gift, it is likely to influence someone in your position.
The question is would I have given you that gift if I was your friend and the answer would clearly be no.


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William Shakespeare's play "Othello"
By IhorOn March 26, 2019 In EssaysLeave a Comment on William Shakespeare's play "Othello"
In William Shakespeare's play "Othello" the use of animal imagery was evident throughout the telling of the story. Shakespeare explained several characters actions by comparing them to similarities in animals. The characters in "Othello" were often depicted as having animal-like characteristics. Some characters were even compared to animals by other characters in the play. By defining characters in terms of these characteristics one can get a clear description of what the character is doing or saying as compared to certain In this paper I hope to give examples of animal magery used in "Othello" that assist in explaining the play.
The specific examples I present will describe a character either as seen by himself or by a fellow The first use of animal imagery I noted occurred came in Act One when Iago, Othello's standard bearer, has awaken Brabantio, who was a Venetian senator and the father of Desdemona, to tell him that Othello has taken his daughter Desdemona, and as they speak is making love to her. Iago was attempting to instigate a fight between Othello and Brabantio, using Desdemona as the bait. Iago stated, "Your heart is burst. You have lost half your soul. Even now, now, very now, and old black ram is tupping your white ewe" (p. 13).
In that statement Iago was comparing Othello to an old black ram by comparing Othello's skin color to that of the black ram's, and the white ewe, a young female sheep, to Desdemona. Shakespeare was trying to illustrate in his writing the act of and old black man making love to a young white woman. The use of a black ram and a white ewe to compare Othello and Desdemona helped in the visualization of their affair. Shakespeare displayed animal imagery again in Act Two when Cassio was explaining to Iago that if he had s many mouths as Hydra, a many headed monster slain by Hercules, he could silence the many questions asked of him.
In this Shakespeare presented Cassio as being burdened by many questions that he could not answer all at once, but if he had as many mouths as Hydra it would be more accessible for him to do so. Cassio said, "I will ask him for my place again; he shall tell me I am a drunkard! Has I as many mouths as Hydra, such an answer would stop them all" (p. 101). Cassio was explaining to Iago that if he went to Othello now to speak with him, Othello would call him a drunk because he had been drinking all night. This is exactly what Iago wanted.
His plan was to get Cassio drunk and have him mutter words of hate and disgust to Othello, a person who Cassio had great respect for, until he was drunk and then fed him lies told to him by Iago. Shakespeare's animal imagery in this paragraph helps one to understand Cassio's burden of having too many questions and not enough answers. In using the comparison of Hydra, the many headed monster, to Cassio explained how Cassio's burden would be lifted if he only had more mouths to explain everything he had to In Act Three Iago once again tries to manipulate nother character in the play.
This time he told Othello of an alleged affair that Cassio and Desdemona were having. The affair that Iago spoke of was a complete lie, for the two were nothing more than friends. Upon hearing of this alleged affair though, Othello went into a fit of rage yelling, "Arise, black vengeance, from hollow hell! Yield up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne To tyrannous hate! Swell, bosom, with thy fraught, for 'tis of aspics' tongues" (p. 149). Shakespeare was attempting to illustrate a man, who was torn between his good friend, someone who he respected, nd his lover.
Shakespeare portrayed a man going through an almost metamorphosis of emotions into this animal that he could not control. Othello yelled for this side of him to rise from hell, which had aspics' tongues, a tongue from a poisonous snake. Shakespeare's depiction of a man changing from good to evil provided a very vivid description of animal imagery. One can only imagine Othello, who is generally of calm and collective nature, turning into this ravaging beast. Finally, in Act Four Othello slapped Desdemona because he felt that she had wronged him.
Desdemona egan to explain to Othello that she had not wronged him and thus does not deserve this treatment. Othello nevertheless, yelled at her and continued to call her the devil. Othello believes that her tears are not of true nature, and that she is only crying to cover something up. He believes that she was crying to make him feel that she was truly sorry, or that she had not done anything wrong. Othello proclaimed, "O, devil, devil! If that the earth could teem with woman's tears, Each drop she falls would prove a crocodile" (p. 189). The crocodile was a creature thought to shed ypocritical tears.
This statement that Othello made referring to a crocodile meant that the tears she shed were deceptive tears. Desdemona, in the eyes of Othello, was not sorry, but was rather hiding something from him. Shakespeare's use of animal imagery here was similar to his earlier uses. Shakespeare was trying to display a woman, who in the mind of her husband, was crying tears of deception. Othello had let his mind be so altered by Iago's lies, that he had even began to believe everything he said. This action of Othello was fueled by his earlier animal-like change caused by
In conclusion, Shakespeare's use of animal imagery in "Othello" was crucial to the description of the story. In "Othello" certain scenes would have been harder to understand or relate to if it was not for the animal imagery related to it. Shakespeare's comparison of characters to certain animals is unlike any other's. Shakespeare's portray of a character's emotions and thoughts through animal imagery helped in the understanding of that particular scene. Lastly, without the vivid comparisons of animals and characters, this play would undoubtedly have been more complicated to both interpret and understand.
Assumptions and Values
Othello by William Shakespeare
Characteristics of Othello
Othello, the villain Iago
The story of Othello
Iago was the bad guy and Othello was the good guy
Othello Themes Essay
Julius Caesar – Mark Antony
Othello, William Shakespeare
Alcoholism a Disease


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I am trying to hide the BPM task success message that appears when as task is completed successfully.
"Action has been successfully executed for Task 19ft2313029ek230rk02994".
kindly let me know Is there anyway we can hide such messages.


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Weird Flag Flies High at Casey Anthony Trial
Casey is second from the left but the party is over now.
Two things really caught my attention Thursday. And one was dressed in Red. Her name is Rosalie Bolin and her addition to the defense team is simply an odd choice. You've seen her with an arm around Casey comforting her, mothering her, coaching. That sweet lady is married to a murderer. And she married him after his conviction. Over the telephone. She held a receiver in her apartment, he held his in jail. Doesn't the romance send chills up your spine?
Good old Rosalie was married to a lawyer and the mother of four girls. She worked as an investigator for the Public Defender's Office. On her case load was Oscar Ray Bolin, aka Bolin the Butcher. Bolin was first found guilty of the second degree murder of Natalie Holley and give a sentence of 22 years. By the time that trial was over, he was charged with six other felonies: murder, kidnapping, rape, aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer, escape and conspiracy to kidnap. He received a death sentence for the two other murders and a total of 75 years on the rape and kidnapping charges.
For that miserable excuse of a man, Rosalie left her husband, renowned defense attorney Victor Martinez, and abandoned her children. It seems fitting that Jose Baez brought a woman like this to the trial to hold Casey's hand. And look at Rosalie's hand—see if you can spot the five carat diamond—her engagement ring from her first husband. She still wears it, she quips, because she "earned every carat."
The other real attention-getter was the loud crunch and crack of bones as Baez threw George and Cindy Anthony under the bus. The list of mitigating factors given in court, according to the defense, included Casey's young age, her lack of maturity, lack of impulse control, lack of parental guidance. She was taught to project fake appearance. She was used as a decoy or a pawn by her parents and a scapegoat for parental misconduct.
Oh, poor Casey, she couldn't help herself—she had rotten parents.
I'd try to feel sorry for her but, unfortunately, the person who had the worst parent of all was little Caylee Anthony.


You're a butterfly, floating gently above the French countryside, hills of purple lavender rolling for miles in the sun. The minty fresh ginger goodness from a cup of steeping herbal brew wafts up and wakes you from a daydream so joyful you can hardly believe it's true. Could it be that this is only tea?
Tea canister can be refilled, reused, re-purposed or recycled.


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You are here: Home > Africa > Malawi
School and education in Malawi
In Malawi the education follows an 8-2-2 system, where the primary school lasts for 8 years, the secondary school for 2 years and the secondary school for 2 years. According to the World Bank, 66 percent of the country's population over the age of 15 could write and read in 2015.
The official school age is 6 years. Primary school is in principle free, but not compulsory. The country has invested heavily in building up the education system and has received support from international aid organizations. From 1994 elementary school should be free. This resulted in an increase in the student body which exceeded the capacity of the schools. Classrooms are often crowded and it is not uncommon for a class to consist of over 100 students. About 14 percent of Malawi children do not attend school, and only one-third of girls reach 8th grade, compared to 41 percent for boys. Child marriage and extremely early pregnancy are among the reasons why so many girls do not complete basic education. See TOPSCHOOLSINTHEUSA for TOEFL, ACT, SAT testing locations and high school codes in Malawi.
Higher education is offered at vocational schools, colleges and universities. The length of the education varies. Due to high demand for teachers, teacher education has been shortened in recent years. Only about one per cent of the population aged 18-22 received higher education in 2011.
In 2014, Malawi became the first Norwegian pilot country in education. In cooperation with the UN organizations UNESCO, UNFPA and the Food Program, Norway contributes NOK 114 million for the years 2014-16. Special emphasis is placed on education for girls and priority areas of focus are school food, health services, continuing education of teachers and measures to combat gender-related violence.
Andy Education Copyright 2008 - 2020 All Rights Reserved


Look like it's possible that you had an OOB (out of battery detonation). You might have a carbon ring in the chamber, that fails to seat the round properly. Try rotating a chamber brush with a drill and carbon remover mixture.
Bingo: Per above, then try a different known ammo mfg (Federal not Remington) and if that works you can try your original stuff. If it works with Federal and not the other, pitch it.
And agree, give the criticisms a rest, OP put in non needed info, but he got to the heart of the issue and listed gun and ammo, sheese, that far more than we often get on a first post.
Mild simply say TMI not related and good enough for better post in the future.


Yesterday, we worked a lot on connection. In aikido, just as in real life, it is sometimes hard to make and keep a connection. When we move, very often we will lose the connection to uke and the technique becomes difficult to do. Generally, uke needs a reason to maintain a connection. If he feels threatened, he will work to mitigate the threat, maintaining the connection. If he thinks he can make nage do something uke wants, he will maintain the connection. If there is no connection, uke can just stand there and do nothing, or is free to attack again.
Of course, uke is supposed to give you energy so that you can do aikido. He can give you energy by striking or grabbing with intent. We have all worked with an uke who puts no energy into their attack. It is very difficult to do technique on such people unless you can make them do their part at connecting. So how do you make a lackidasical uke put some energy into his attack? One way is to threaten him. If you press towards his face or other vulnerable part he will use enough connection to prevent you reaching it. Given an uke and nage who are merely pressing against each other, nothing much will happen. But you can manipulate that connection. If you angle the connection to the left or right, uke will tend to move that way. If you move in or out, he will respond to that also.
Take katatori. Uke grabs the shoulder of your gi. You strike at their face. They either block and prevent you striking your face, at least strongly enough to protect their face. If their block is not too forceful, you can drive their arm back towards them (at an angle) and do technique. If their block is forceful, they may press your arm away from their face. As long as they keep pushing, you can lead them around into a technique. But what happens if they are content to merely block your strike, and don't let you in to do technique, nor push you away so that you can lead them around into a technique? You often see this happen, and then usually nage grabs their arm and forces them into a technique. All well and good if nage is strong enough to do this, but it doesn't take a lot of effort on uke's part to stop nage cold.
If, however, nage angles his arm while uke is pushing, uke will start to move around. Now if nage gets loose from uke's connection, he can strike uke, either in the head or the body, particularly in the groin. So it is in uke's interest to prevent this, so he must not allow a gap to open up between his arm and nage's arm. Nage can make this point by actually striking uke (lightly, in the dojo)) if uke gives him the chance. Now nage can manipulate uke as much as he cares to. The resulting technique feels very different from what you get if you don't engage uke's attention and make him extend his energy but just try to muscle him around.
Now if uke figures out what nage is doing and doesn't feel like taking ukemi, he can mess things up in a variety of ways. He can just stand there like a rock, rigid, unmoving. He can just let his arm fall away from nage's arm, not moving his body. So there is a smallish window of oportunity, between nage using the connection, and uke figuring it out and messing it up. This does not mean nage has to be particularly fast. Just that he has to stay ahead of uke, continuously changing the situation so that uke never quite catches up. The military has a name for this situation – the OODA loop. OODA stands for observe, orient, decide, and act, and is the sequence of events in a combat situation. If you change things fast enough, the opponent can't respond fast enough to respond effectively, and fast enough can be on the order of a second in aikido.
Kata tori men uchi has a different feeling, because uke is attempting to strike as well as hold. However, the principles are quite similar, and uke is attempting to make the connection so it is easier in a way.
Another way of practicing connection is if two aikido practitioners extend an arm and make contact at the wrist, with the same hand and foot forward. They are then pretty safe from each other. To strike or grab, one must get closer to the other. If the other person moves to maintain this alignment, he stays safe. They can have a designated nage, in which case one person just tries to get in to attack, or they can both try to do this. Initially, it is better to have a desgnated uke and nage, but both parties trying to throw the other is more like a combat situation.
As soon as one person has his position or posture messed up, he is vulnerable. If he lets his arm get too much to one side or the other of his body, he is vulnerable. The key, especially with a strong attacker, is to stay relaxed, with an unbendable arm, and move the body to accommodate whatever the attacker does. If he moves in, you move back. If he pulls in, you enter (so as to maintain a degree of control over uke's next move), while keeping your posture. If he moves your arm to one side or the other, you move your body with it. As soon as you try to resist, it becomes a game of who has more energy, either because they are bigger, stronger, or have more momentum.
Now if you vary the angle and timing of your response, you can take his kuzushi, and apply technique.
There are usually considered to be three parts to an aikido technique: connection, kuzushi, and execution. If you do all three half way decently, you will get a pretty good technique. Of course, when working on one part, in this case how connection is used to get kuzushi, there is a tendency to forget about other parts. Thus, it is easy to mess up the actual application when your mind is on other parts of the technique. It is still important to apply the technique correctly.
Of course, writing about aikido is not doing aikido. It is hard to put some of these ideas into words, and different readers may interpret the words differently. But maybe if you read about aikido you will get ideas you can then practice on the mat.
Yacon Root on What is aikido?
Enmei dojo and enlightened circle logo are copyright Dr. Alan Drysdale and are used with express permission. Original website design by Jamie Glass.


Episode 34: Half a Show for Half Off! « The MIDI Music Adventure Show!
Episode 34: Half a Show for Half Off!
About halfway through I somehow accidentally stopped streaming/recording, so I apologize for that.
Anyway, enjoy half a show!
This entry was posted on May 17, 2011, 12:07 pm and is filed under Show Archives. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.


^Left: Jay carrying a very sick Chandler into the vet's office so we could say goodbye for the night. Right: Chandler recouping at home on my chest.
Last Wednesday, Jay came home from work to white-frothy vomit all over the house and found Chandler laying on the bed, panting & drooling heavily (he's not a drooler) while being totally uninterested that Jay had just arrived home. Anyone who has ever heard of the concept of a dog knows that that is a tell-tale sign of something off. As he was trying to figure out what was happening, he went into the bathroom to discover our pharmacy/first aid drawer had been opened and Chandler had chewed through various drugstore med bottles (Tylenol, Imodium & Biotin hair pills- Which don't work at all btw! You lied to me GNC 15-year-old sales boy. You lied to me.) and had eaten a lot of the pills. Gulp. Scary. I came home quickly after and we immediately put Chandler in his crate and carted him to the dog hospital (Sidenote: Another reason I love living downtown, the DH is located a few blocks away- much like everything else. We didn't have to panic while waiting at a red light or drive across town. Downtown life wins in everything but space, I tell you.) Anyway, to make a long story short, Chandler had to stay the night in the ICU and receive IV fluids all night. He came back to us the next day and after 24 hours of him sleeping and still refusing food/water - he started to return to his normal self. Phew. That was scary, awful and sobering. Looking back on it, I am thankful for vets, pet insurance (they covered $800 dollars of the $1,000 bill & took less than 24 hours to finalize our claim and mail the check. Color me impressed. We use this company.) & the kind people at Dove Lewis hospital who treated us amazingly as we freaked out.
I'd like to think that I have gotten the whole 'Night Owl' thing down so well that it never has any effect on me. But I've noticed that whenever I write a blog post late at night, even after doing a double-check before scheduling it to load the next morning at 5 AM, I ALWAYS have a huge grammatical error that I would certainly notice had I written it during normal hours. I generally check my own blog on the way to work (I take public transit so this doesn't mean I drive & read!) and am astounded that I missed something so obvious (like in this post, the original sentence about the Wicked Witch made no sense- how did I not notice that on reread?). Anyway, I guess I actually am tired late at night, as much as I think I'm not after years of rockin' insomnia. Thankful I can edit!
When I first got really into blogging without the education of the whole ordeal, I got realllllly into trying to get followers. I saw that as super important. This manifested itself in posts that I thought would cater to a certain audience but really had nothing to do with me or why I like to write. For instance: Recap fashion posts after award shows. Do you think anyone in God's name thinks: "Omg, I can't wait for effing Caitlin from Portland, OR (who always talks about wearing sweats) to post her thoughts on all these gowns?". I'll answer: Haaayyyll no, they don't. And they shouldn't because I don't know much about things like that from a writing standpoint. I do know myself though and I'm qualified to write about that. When I took a blog hiatus after feeling super overwhelmed by how much time it took - I reevaluated why I wanted to blog. I really like to post pictures & write about things I do. I also like to go back and read my own blog and reflect on the thoughts I had during that point in my life. And I love reading blogs of people posting the same. These things bring me joy. And while bloggers inherently want followers, I'm not interested in faking my way to the top. I just like to write. Once I told myself to just write what I want, the desire to blog & the joy that comes from it came easily thereafter. So since I came back in December, this has felt like anything but a chore. I'm happy to be doing it again.
^Left: Us on Saturday night. Right: 2005 memories.
I hung out with four of my oldest/closest friends on Saturday night (seen here). I have more to post on that next week but one sliver of the night that I loved was when we all decided to look at the #TBT Instagram post I had done on the prior Thursday (seen here). In 2005, we all headed to the annual DMB concert in the Gorge for one night of hilarious fun. As we sat at brunch the morning after, ready to head home, we all started discussing that maybe we should just stay another night ... so we did. With no tent, no food (there's not stores around there so we couldn't go stock up), no sleeping bags, etc. we decided to let the day carry us and see where it went. We ended up having one of the most memorable times of our lives, met a host of random people who hooked us up with stuff and made jokes that still make us laugh out loud. That was 10 years ago. The ability for any of us to throw our agenda to the wind and just extend a trip by two days is close to nil now. That's why those stupid memories are important. That's why youth is vital. It's such a fleeting point in time where you can break the rules. And you'll reflect on it, with hilarious dialogue, for the rest of your life.
^Our amazing officiant-Jay's 'cousin' but called an Uncle- & his partner with us two days before our wedding.
Can I get a hip-hip-hooray??! And did that take long enough? About.dang.TIME. We all deserve the right to look over at our spouse when we hear chewing to see that they have tilt a nearly empty bag of chips to a 145 degree angle and think: "Omg, I'm legally bound to this idiot for the rest of my life...". Can I get an 'amen'? And on a non-funny note: Since marrying in September, we have had various legal benefits as a couple ranging from insurance to beneficiaries to tax credits. Everyone deserves that. I'm not special because I married a dude. I don't deserve less or more than anyone else. Happy, happy, joy, joy that after 17 years together, the man who legally married Jay & Me could marry his own partner (if they so choose). What an antiquated, insane world we have lived in before where people would deny anyone that right. If you're south of age 80 & still are anti-gay marriage: Girl, bye. I'm open for discourse on various topics but not on this one. I don't respect people who don't respect others' choices for their own life and their inherent right to love especially when it has zerrrroooo effect on anyone else. Zero. You could shut down any complaint about gay marriage with: "But ... how does that affect you?", no matter what was even said that sentence will apply, I promise you. Live and let live. Life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness. Love is love. And that's all the cliches I got.
I'm only posting Mon-Wed this week as I'm not a weekend blogger & Wed is my Friday. Enjoy the start of the holiday week!
Bet Chandler will never go all druggie again. Glad he is alright. Vet bills aren't cheap indeed. Yeah, blogging for fun is way better than just trying to get followers etc. That just becomes a pain. Stupid things of youth are fun to look back on and true, who does gay marriage hurt? no one. Idiot people.
Oh no! I am so happy that Chandler is okay.
I don't like bloggers who think they are Internet celebrities. Blogs are supposed to be online journals. I would rather read about people's lives. I read a post once where somebody said that she wishes she could just sit down and eat, instead of taking ten pictures of the food. Uh, who said she can't? I don't lose sleep at night because I didn't see what somebody's pasta looked like.
I am not anti-gay marriage; it just upsets me when people support gay marriage but don't accept couples with age gaps (my husband and I), religion/culture differences, or race differences. Love is love for any two adults.
@Robin- thanks, me too! That's funny about the pasta and so very true.
And I would agree that acceptance is key! However, the difference has been that there's no law against age gap marriages, or interracial marriages, etc. So the difference here lies in the law. However, I agree that you shouldn't have to defend who you marry to someone!
@Pat- lol, I love everything you said. Especially in the roundabout way you said it!
thank goodness chandler is okay! that's terrifying.
i totally agree with everything you said about blogging, i started that way (kind of) as well and it got old FAST. you gotta enjoy it or you won't do it, and i didn't enjoy it!
For a long time when I first started blogging I censored myself and was constantly thinking "what if people don't like me?" and suddenly one day I woke up and realized EFF THAT. I now am 100% genuine and write what I'm interested in and if people don't like that - it's okay. But the people that do I have learned to enjoy and have genuine relationships with because of that. I always am happy when I hear a blogger straight forwardly say they don't want to write certain things to be popular.
Zero craps given about # of followers. I blog because I enjoy it. Not because I want people to pin my stuff or hang on all of my words. If they do, that's cool, but that's not why I do it. Nine out of 10 bloggers I read and like are bloggers who do it for themselves. Like you!
WAH so scary about Chandler. I'm so glad he's okay. Been there a few times including the freaking out. Poor guy in that photo, it makes me want to hug him.
HELL YES TO MARRIAGE. Just plain marriage and all consenting adults being allowed to have it if they want it. I'm quite pleased but man that took too long.


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Charente-Maritime (Department, France)
Keywords: charente-maritime |
Flag of Charente-Maritime - Image by Ivan Sache, 26 September 2009
Flag of Charente-Maritime
Ars-en-Ré
Le Château-d'Oléron
Rivedoux-Plage
Saint-Martin-de-Ré
Intermunicipal Authorities
Yacht clubs
Other sports clubs
France: Metropolitan departments
Clickable map of France (departments)
Region: Nouvelle-Aquitaine (Poitou-Charentes until 2014)
Traditional provinces: Aunis, Saintonge, Poitou
Bordering departments: Charente, Gironde, Deux-Sèvres, Vendée
Area: 6,864 km2
Population (2016): 642,191 inhabitants
Préfecture: La Rochelle
Sous-préfectures: Jonzac, Rochefort, Saintes, Saint-Jean d'Angély
Subdivisions: 5 arrondissements, 27 cantons, 463 municipalities.
The department is named after river Charente (360 km), a tributary to the Atlantic Ocean. Formerly known as Charente-Inférieure (Lower Charente), the department was renamed to Charente-Maritime on 4 September 1941.
Ivan Sache, 11 April 2019
In 2008, the General Council changed the department's logo and flag. The current flag is white with blue-white-green stripes on top and bottom, with proportions 13:2:7:106:7:2:13 and, in the middle, elements of the logo of the Department.
The logo of the Department of Charente-Maritime is made of two birds, blue and green, respectively, flanked in NW by a golden quarter of circle and with the writing "la / Charente / Maritime" in blue letters. On the flag, the writing appears as "la Charente / Maritime" on the left of the birds.
The two birds already appeared on the previous logo of the department.
Former flag of Charente-Maritime - Image by Pascal Gross, 12 August 2000
The official symbolism of the flag is the following:
Two seagulls are flying in unison. The land bird is green, the sea bird is blue. In Charente-Maritime, land and sea are the assets of our success and the promises for our future. This symbol of harmony and balance is inviting all the inhabitants and friends of Charente-Maritime to unite in order to support Charente-Maritime and take part to its flight.
Ivan Sache, 15 September 2001, after information kindly provided by Cécile Cassara (PR Director of the General Council of Charente-Maritime)


Home / Apparatus / Stage / Ted Lesley's The Miracle Workshop Porcelain Lota with custom case: scarce! only 50 made!
Ted Lesley's The Miracle Workshop Porcelain Lota with custom case: scarce! only 50 made!
This is from the Art In Magic series 2. It is a porcelain lota made by a master award winning German Porcelain craftsman Volker Bauer. It comes with it sown protective case. This beautiful piece is very hard to find as are most things from The Wonder Workshop. It is 6 inches tall, 5 inches in diameter and 8 inches from the lota handle to the tip of the spout. Very innocent looking. Pristine mint with no defects of any kind! Only 50 made! Includes Ted Lesley's famous any drink called for routine.