text:
Engel Remarks at Hearing on Iran Agreement (With Video)
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- As Delivered –
WASHINGTON, DC—Representative Eliot L. Engel, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today delivered the following statement at the Committee hearing with Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew, and Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz on the Iran nuclear deal. This hearing is part of the 60-day review period allowing Members of Congress to assess the deal and its implications for U.S. national security and American interests abroad.
"Mr. Chairman, thank you for convening this hearing.
"Secretary Kerry, Secretary Lew, Secretary Moniz: welcome to the Foreign Affairs Committee. Thank you all for your dedicated service. No matter what side of the issue anybody is on, I don't think anyone here doubts your commitment to the United States and your good intentions on this deal. Thank you for the time you've taken over the last week to engage with Members of Congress on the proposed deal. And thank you for your testimony today.
"Congress gave itself 60 days to renew this deal. And I sincerely hope my colleagues take full advantage of this time to study this agreement, to ask questions, and to make an informed decision when the time comes.
"We've had many months and many hearings to discuss the different aspects of a nuclear agreement with Iran. But at this point, we're no longer dealing with hypotheticals. We have a specific deal on the table, and we have to decide if that deal advances the national security interests of the United States and our allies.
"To answer that question, to be fair, we also need to ask ourselves, 'What is the alternative?' Absent this deal, would the international sanctions regime and the P5+1 coalition hold together? If this deal fails, how would we get the Iranians back to the table? Would new sanctions have to be coupled with military action?
"As I continue to review the deal, though, there are a number of issues that I find troublesome. I hope the three of you will address them in your testimony and as you answer the Committee's questions.
"First, I continue to have concerns that international inspectors will not have immediate access to undeclared sites.
"Under the agreement, Iran has 14 days to grant access. If Iran refuses access after that time, then members of the Joint Commission could take another week to resolve the IAEA's concerns. After that, Iran has three more days to provide access. So we're already nearly a month after inspectors first wanted access. But if Iran continues to say no, another month could go by while this dispute is resolved. That potential length of time gives me pause. I'd like to know how we can be sure Iran cannot use these delays to sanitize sites and get away with breaking the rules. Already, we're seeing Iran's leadership declare that military sites will be off limits to inspectors. If this is Iran's version of transparency during the implementation of the agreement, we're getting off to a bad start.
"I'm also troubled by reports about how the arrangement reached between Iran and the IAEA on how Parchin will be inspected.
"Secondly, I have concerns about the sunset of the international sanctions on ballistic missiles and advanced conventional weapons. Now, my understanding was these weren't on the table during the talks. So I was disappointed to learn that after a maximum of five and eight years, respectively, they'll be terminated. I'd like to understand why we allowed this to happen, and what we can do to ensure that this doesn't make a terrible situation in the region get even worse.
"I'm also concerned about what Iran's leaders will do when sanctions are phased out and new resources come flowing in. We're talking about tens of billions of dollars. Of course, I'd like to see Iran's leaders use this money to help the Iranian people. But even with tough international sanctions in place, Iran has bolstered Hezbollah, Shia militias, Hamas, and the Assad regime. If this deal goes through, how would you propose to keep this newfound wealth out of the hands of terrorists and tyrants?
"Next, while I'm glad that Iran will be limited in its development of advanced centrifuges for eight years, I worry what happens down the road. After the research and development ban expires, Iran could quickly move towards the next stage of its enrichment activities. I'd like to know what other provisions in the deal, if any, will mitigate this risk.
"Finally, I have a fundamental concern that 15 years from now, Iran will essentially be off the hook. If they choose, Iran's leaders could produce weapons-grade, highly enriched uranium without any limitation. They could use advanced centrifuges to speed this progress even further. This amounts to Iran being a legitimized nuclear threshold state in the year 2030. My big question is this: what happens then? Are we back to square one? Is this deal just pushing the pause button for 15 years?
"I must also say that I have trepidation, barely a week after the Iranians signed the deal with us, there was the Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah, chanting, 'Death to America, Death to Israel.' You would think that after an agreement was signed with us, there might be a modicum of goodwill that perhaps they'd keep quiet for a week or two, or a month, but it went back to business as usual. How can we trust Iran when this type of thing happens? It's very disconcerting.
"So I'm looking forward to hearing from our distinguished witnesses on these issues. Again I thank you for your service and hard work and I yield back to the Chairman."
Permalink: https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/2015/7/engel-remarks-hearing-iran-agreement-video


text:
Ayoze Pérez Gutiérrez, född 23 juli 1993, är en spansk fotbollsspelare (anfallare) som spelar för Real Betis, på lån från Leicester City.

Karriär
Den 4 juli 2019 värvades Pérez av Leicester City, där han skrev på ett fyraårskontrakt. Den 31 januari 2023 lånades Pérez ut till Real Betis på ett låneavtal över resten av säsongen.

Källor

Noter

Spanska fotbollsspelare
Spelare i CD Tenerife
Spelare i Newcastle United FC
Spelare i Leicester City FC
Spelare i Real Betis
Spelare i Tercera División
Spelare i Segunda División B
Spelare i Segunda División
Spelare i Premier League
Spelare i English Football League
Spelare i La Liga
Födda 1993
Levande personer
Män
Personer från provinsen Santa Cruz de Tenerife

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
package tonic

import (
	"bytes"
	"encoding/json"
	//"io"
	"net/http"
	//"os"
	dao "appinv/dao"
	"testing"
)

/*
https://dlintw.github.io/gobyexample/public/http-client.html
https://semaphoreci.com/community/tutorials/building-and-testing-a-rest-api-in-go-with-gorilla-mux-and-postgresql

*** >>> https://kev.inburke.com/kevin/golang-json-http/
**** https://blog.golang.org/json-and-go

@todo - write some tests that just show the encoding and unmarshalling stuff.

*/
func TestSVCApplications(t *testing.T) {

	appName := "Application ZeroTen"
	bizUnit := "Devops"

	t.Run("create", func(t *testing.T) {

		u := dao.Application{ApplicationName: appName, BusinessUnit: bizUnit}
		b := new(bytes.Buffer)
		json.NewEncoder(b).Encode(u)
		res, _ := http.Post("http://localhost:8080/applications", "application/json; charset=utf-8", b)
		//io.Copy(os.Stdout, res.Body)
		t.Log(res)
	})
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


"Sincerity, Innovation, Rigorousness, and Efficiency" would be the persistent conception of our corporation to the long-term to establish collectively with customers for Heavy Washing Denim Cap , Heavy Washing Cotton Cap , Heavy Washhing PlainCap , welcomes all buyers to visit our company and inspect. Let us cooperate hand in hand to make a good future.
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text:
Larquebisbat de Durango (castellà: Arquidiócesis de Durango, llatí: Archidioecesis Durangensis) és una seu metropolitana de l'Església Catòlica a Mèxic que pertany a la regió eclesiàstica Vizcaya-Pacifico. Al 2006 tenia 1.642.200 batejats sobre una població de 1.785.000 habitants. Actualment està regida per l'arquebisbe José Antonio Fernández Hurtado.

Territori
L'arxidiòcesi una trentena de municipis de la franja central de l'estat mexicà de la Durango.

La seu arxiepiscopal és la ciutat de Victoria de Durango, on es troba la catedral de la Mare de Déu.

El territori s'estén sobre 109.422 km², i està dividit en 105 parròquies.

Província eclesiàstica
La província eclesiàstica de Durango comprèn les següents circumscripcions eclesiàstiques:
 la prelatura territorial de El Salto
 la bisbat de Gómez Palacio
 la bisbat de Mazatlán
 la bisbat de Torreón.

Història
L'activitat missionera al nord-oest de Mèxic va ser més tardana que la regió central del país. Des de la primera meitat del segle XVI els franciscans van realitzar alguns intents, i després de la fundació de la ciutat de Durango es va construir el monestir que va esdevenir el centre de la missió que s'estenia fins Califòrnia. A petició del rei Felip III d'Espanya, al consistori del 28 de setembre de 1620 es va decidir l'erecció de la diòcesi de Durango, amb territori pres de la diòcesi de Guadalajara. Era sufragània de l'arquebisbat de Mèxic.

Originalment el territori de la nova diòcesi era immens; comprenia els actuals estats mexicans de Durango, Sinaloa, Sonora, Chihuahua i Califòrnia, així com Nou Mèxic; ; però en teoria la seva jurisdicció arribava fins al Mississipí. Els bisbes havien de viatjar milers de quilòmetres per visitar la diòcesi, per fundar noves esglésies i batejar els molts nadius que es van convertir al cristianisme. Es deu a Ignacio Diez de la Barrera l'establiment del seminari diocesà; en els nombrosos informes de les visites pastorals dels bisbes es va lamentar que els franciscans, als que se'ls donà la tasca d'evangelitzar el nord de la diòcesi, no aprenien la llengua dels indis.

El 7 de maig de 1779, el 18 de juliol de 1826 i el 23 de juliol de 1850, la diòcesi va cedir porcions del seu territori per a la creació, respectivament, de la diòcesi de Sonora (avui arquebisbat d'Hermosillo), del bisbat de Saint Louis i del vicariat apostòlic de Nou Mèxic (avui arquebisbat de Santa Fe).

Durant el  els bisbes es van oposar amb energia i coratge a les disposicions anticlericals del nou govern de Mèxic dirigides al control de l'Església i per limitar la llibertat d'acció. Entre ells es distingeixen el bisbe José Antonio Laureano de Zubiría i Escalante.

El 1863, la diòcesi va passar a formar part de la província eclesiàstica de l'arquebisbat de Guadalajara, erigit en el mateix any.

El 23 de juny de 1891, en virtut de la butlla Illud in primis del Papa Lleó XIII, cedí una altra porció de territori per a la creació de la diòcesi de Chihuahua i al mateix temps va ser elevada al rang d'arxidiòcesi metropolitana. En 1896 va celebrar-se el primer concili provincial sota la presidència de l'arquebisbe de Santiago de Zubiría i Manzanera.

El seu successor, Francesc de Paula Mendoza i Herrera va tractar en va de defensar la ciutat de les tropes revolucionàries episcopals el 1913: va ser empresonat primer, i després exiliat als Estats Units, des d'on no va poder tornar a entrar al país fins al 1919. Fins i tot el seu successor José María González València també es va haver d'exiliar als Estats Units, d'on va tornar el 1929, per la seva ferma oposició a les lleis anticlericals del govern i de la publicació d'una carta pastoral resistent que el va atraure l'atenció de tota l'Església mexicana. En aquest període de persecució de l'Església mexicana diversos sacerdots de l'arxidiòcesi van ser assassinats.

A la segona meitat del segle XX i el començament del nou mil·lenni, l'arxidiòcesi cedí més porcions de terra per al benefici de la creació de diferents jurisdiccions eclesiàstiques: el bisbat de Mazatlán (1958), la prelatura territorial de Jesús María (1962), la prelatura territorial de El Salto (1968) i el bisbat de Gómez Palacio (2008).

Cronologia episcopal
 Gonzalo Hernández y Hermosillo y González, O.S.A. † (12 d'octubre de 1620 - 28 de gener de 1631 mort)
 Alonso de Franco y Luna † (7 de juny de 1632 - 30 de maig de 1639 nomenat bisbe de La Paz)
 Francisco Diego Díaz de Quintanilla y de Hevía y Valdés, O.S.B. † (8 d'agost de 1639 - 14 de maig de 1655 nomenat bisbe d'Antequera)
 Pedro de Barrientos Lomelin † (31 de maig de 1655 - 18 d'octubre de 1658 mort)
 Juan Aguirre y Gorozpe † (17 de novembre de 1659 - 21 de setembre de 1671 mort)
 Juan de Ortega Cano Montañez y Patiño † (16 d'abril de 1674 - 9 de setembre de 1675 nomenat bisbe de Guatemala)
 Bartolomé Garcia de Escañuela, O.F.M. † (16 de novembre de 1676 - 20 de novembre de 1684 mort)
 Manuel de Herrera, O.F.M. † (13 de maig de 1686 - 31 de gener de 1689 mort)
 García Felipe de Legazpi y Velasco Altamirano y Albornoz † (27 d'agost de 1691 - 8 d'agost de 1701 nomenat bisbe de Michoacán)
 Manuel de Escalante Colombres y Mendoza † (3 d'octubre de 1701 - 19 de maig de 1704 nomenat bisbe de Michoacán)
 Ignacio Diez de la Barrera † (16 de novembre de 1705 - 20 de setembre de 1709 mort)
 Sede vacante (1709-1714)
 Pedro de Tapiz y García † (26 de febrer de 1714 - 13 d'abril de 1722 mort)
 Benito Crespo y Monroy, O.S. † (7 d'octubre de 1722 - 20 de gener de 1734 nomenat bisbe de Tlaxcala)
 Martín de Elizacoechea † (27 de juliol de 1735 - 8 de març de 1745 nomenat bisbe de Michoacán)
 Pedro Anselmo Sánchez de Tagle † (10 d'abril de 1747 - 26 de setembre de 1757 nomenat bisbe de Michoacán)
 Pedro Zamorana Romezal † (19 de desembre de 1757 - 21 de desembre de 1768 mort)
 José Vicente Díaz Bravo, O.Carm. † (20 de novembre de 1769 - 24 d'abril de 1772 mort)
 Antonio Macarulla Minguilla de Aguilain † (14 de desembre de 1772 - 12 de juny de 1781 mort)
 Esteban Lorenzo de Tristán y Esmenota † (15 de desembre de 1783 - 17 de juny de 1793 nomenat bisbe de Guadalajara)
 José Joaquín Granados y Gálvez, O.F.M. † (21 de febrer de 1794 - 19 d'agost de 1794 mort)
 Francisco Gabriel de Olivares y Benito † (22 de setembre de 1795 - 26 de febrer de 1812 mort)
 Sede vacante (1812-1815)
 Juan Francisco Castañiza Larrea y González de Agüero † (18 de desembre de 1815 - 29 d'octubre de 1825 mort)
 Sede vacante (1825-1831)
 José Antonio Laureano de Zubiría y Escalante † (28 de febrer de 1831 - 28 de novembre de 1863 mort)
 Sede vacante (1863-1868)
 José Vicente Salinas e Infanzón † (22 de juny de 1868 - 9 de gener de 1894 mort)
 Santiago de Zubiría y Manzanera † (18 de març de 1895 - 26 de gener de 1909 mort)
 Francisco de Paula Mendoza y Herrera † (7 d'agost de 1909 - 28 de juliol de 1923 mort)
 José María González Valencia † (24 de març de 1924 - 28 de gener de 1959 mort)
 Lucio Torreblanca † (25 de maig de 1959 - 24 d'agost de 1961 mort)
 Antonio López Aviña † (14 de desembre de 1961 - 4 de març de 1993 jubilat)
 José Trinidad Medel Pérez (4 de març de 1993 - 5 de juny de 2002 renuncià)
 Héctor González Martínez (11 de febrer de 2003 - 26 de setembre de 2014 jubilat)
 José Antonio Fernández Hurtado, dal 26 de setembre de 2014

Estadístiques
A finals del 2006, la diòcesi tenia 1.642.200 batejats sobre una població de 1.785.000 persones, equivalent al 92,0% del total.

Notes

Fonts
 Anuari pontifici del 2007 i anteriors, publicat a www.catholic-hierarchy.org a la pàgina Archdiocese of Durango
 Pàgina oficial de l'arxidiòcesi
 Esquema de la diòcesi a www.gcatholic.org
 N. Hernandez Izurieta, v. Durango in Dictionnaire d'Histoire et de Géographie ecclésiastiques, vol. XIV, París 1960, coll. 1162-1169
 Pius Bonifacius Gams, Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae, Leipzig 1931, pp. 148-149
 Konrad Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, vol. 4 , pp. 178-179; vol. 5, pp. 189-190; vol. 6, p. 202

Arquebisbats de Mèxic
Bisbats erigits al segle XVII
Arquebisbat de Durango


text:
Eveshambles
I believe in …
English Parliament
Pastafarianism
Tag Archive for Irony
Irony, perjury and the English Democrats
March 2, 2013 wonkotsane EDP One comment
Those who follow the comical antics of the English Democrats and their bungling solicitor chairman, Robin Tilbrook, will find the latest missive from the great failure deliciously ironic.
English Democrats members have been involved in a planned protest outside Abu Qatada's house in London which Qatada has got an injunction to stop. The English Democrats are explicitly listed as one of the organisations involved in the planned protests which Tilbrook has got a bit stroppy about.
In the latest abuse of our Nation's "generosity" to illegal immigrants, following Mr Abu Qatada's cost to the taxpayer rising to over an estimated £1m, his wife and family have been seeking an injunction, on the back of legal aid, to prevent any protesters from appearing outside their new taxpayer funded house in Stanmore, North London.
In the midst of suing all and sundry who might be contemplating protesting, the English Democrats and I surprisingly found ourselves included in the list of Defendants, despite never having expressed any intention to take part in any demonstration!
That is of course not the remit of a political party standing in elections and not a sensible approach for a political party to take.
That does not mean of course that the English Democrats would not morally support well-behaved and lawful demonstrations against Abu Qatada's abuse of our welfare benefit system. It is English Democrats' policy that non-citizens should not be entitled to any welfare benefits at all. We do also seek the immediate deportation of all illegal immigrants.
Having made our position crystal clear in various letters and also in a witness statement, which I reproduce below, even Labour supporting Bindmans solicitors who were acting for the Qatadas rushed to remove all mention of me and the English Democrats from the proceedings.
On Thursday I was in the High Court of Justice in the Strand before Mr Justice Silber and the Order was made removing us from these proceedings and also dropping all claims against us.
Here is my witness statement. What do you think?
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE CASE NO. HQ13X00479
QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION
THE WIFE AND CHILDREN OF OMAR OTHMAN
Applicants/
(1) THE ENGLISH NATIONAL RESISTANCE (by its
representative Paul Golding, Paul Pitt,
James Dowson and Andrew McBride)
(2) BRITAIN FIRST (by its representatives Britannia Campaigning Limited,
Paul Golding, Andrew McBride and James Dowson
(3) THE ENGLISH DEFENCE LEAGUE (by its representatives Kevin Carrol, Trevor Kelway and Joel Titus)
(4) THE SOUTH EAST ALLIANCE (by its representative Paul Pitt)
(5) THE ENGLISH DEMOCRATS (by its representative
Robin Tilbrook)
(6) PERSONS UNKNOWN WHO ARE INTENDING TO ASSEMBLE OUTSIDE THE HOME OF CLAIMANTS INCLUDING INDIVIDUALS ASSOCIATED WITH "MARCH FOR ENGLAND"
Respondents/
WITNESS STATEMENT
I, Robin Charles William Tilbrook, of Quires Green, Willingale, Ongar, Essex, CM5 0QP, will say as follows:-
1. I am the Principal of Tilbrook's Solicitors and Chairman of the English Democrats.
2. I would state, for the record, that neither I, nor the English Democrats, have ever organised or attended a demonstration at or near the Applicants' house. Nor do I believe that any member of the English Democrats have ever attended any such demonstrations. So, with the greatest of respect, the chronicle of misbehaviour that the Applicants' Solicitors affectingly relate cannot properly be laid at either my or the English Democrats' door.
3. Further I have never had nor expressed any intention of attending any such demonstration nor have I or the English Democrats given any indication of any intent to do so.
4. I would also confirm that the English Democrats do not engage in street protests as a general rule, except to small media orientated events on issues such as prescription charges. The English Democrats are more involved in the 'West Lothian' question and the English Constitutional questions arising from devolution. Neither I nor the English Democrats have ever taken part in any protest relating to Islamists, such as Abu Qatada.
5. I would also point out that I confirmed the substance of what I am saying in this Witness Statement in writing in correspondence to Bindmans prior to them issuing any proceedings or applying for an Injunction. I am a Solicitor and Officer of the Court and so I do think, with the greatest of respect to them, they should have taken me at my word, especially given that the "evidence" which they offered against me and the English Democrats is ridiculously flimsy and comes from a third party website which does not even expressly state that either I or the English Democrats are involved in the new organisation or more pertinently the protest itself.
6. My primary involvement at the meeting reported in that email was a guest speaker on the topic of Englishness and, in particular, the rise in English National Identity which has been demonstrated in the results of the 2011 Census which shows that over 60% (more than 32 million people) within England have self-identified their national identity as being "English Only".
7. I do naturally support the rights of people to protest and I do support those protests being done in an orderly and civilised manner, which I understand is the intention of the English National Resistance. That support fairly obviously does not give rise to any presumption that I or the English Democrats are somehow members of the organisation; any more than the comments of senior establishment politicians in Parliament criticising Abu Qatada could be taken to imply anything similar from them!
8. I am aware that Labour strategists have identified the English Democrats as a threat to them and that is particularly so, not only after our victories over them in the Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council Mayoralty, but also our very good performance throughout South Yorkshire in the Police Commissioner elections in which we came second to the Labour candidate whilst winning the vast majority of all the second preference votes as well. I suspect that the sole reason for drawing me and the English Democrats into this matter was Bindmans' Labour supporting agenda, rather than any proper legal basis. I regard that the whole way that the Injunction has been approached as being fundamentally a politically motivated abuse of process and, indeed, no doubt also of the taxpayers' contribution through legal aid/public funding.
Statement of Truth
I believe that the facts in this Witness Statement are true.
Signed …………………………………….. Dated……………………………..
Robin Charles William Tilbrook
Just read point 3 of Tilbrook's statement again:
But what's this on the English Democrats website?
Did someone say "perjury"?
This statement in point 5 is also amusing:
I am a Solicitor and Officer of the Court and so I do think, with the greatest of respect to them, they should have taken me at my word, especially given that the "evidence" which they offered against me and the English Democrats is ridiculously flimsy and comes from a third party website which does not even expressly state that either I or the English Democrats are involved in the new organisation or more pertinently the protest itself.
Tilbrook dragged me in front of a High Court judge last year on an entirely baseless accusation of libel. Despite being a "solicitor and officer of the court" he was clearly too stupid to understand that decades of legal precedent were against him and would listen to me, my solicitor or my barrister when they told him that he had no case. He persisted, bungled his way through a brief hearing and was told by the judge exactly what he had already been told – that there was no case to answer. I wouldn't take Tilbrook at his word if he said night follows day, let alone something like this. I'm surprised he hasn't threatened to sue Abu Qatada or his solicitors.
Finally, point 8 is the most ironic one of all:
Tilbrook was fixated on his belief that my solicitor was a UKIP supporter and that this had some relevance to the case. My solicitor repeatedly told him that he wasn't a UKIP supporter and that his political beliefs were of no relevance and none of his business anyway. His vexatious case against me was entirely politically motivated and his case, such as it was, was all about the English Democrats rather than himself. His sole reason for pursuing me was because I am a UKIP supporter, because he sees me as the main reason so many good English Democrat activists left his party for UKIP (I was largely responsible for UKIP declaring its support for an English Parliament) and because I have never backed down from exposing the thuggery and racism in the English Democrats in the face of threats, abuse and defamation from their senior members. And how amusing that Tilbrook is still crowing about the English Democrats somehow winning the Doncaster mayoral elections even though Mayor Peter Davies has left the party because of its links to racists and fascists.
I hope Abu Qatada's solicitors don't want any money out of Tilbrook, I'm still waiting for my legal costs to be paid over 8 months after he lost his court case.
Another game of croquet your Lardship?
May 28, 2010 wonkotsane WTF? 5 comments
John Prescott's phoney class war has taken another bizarre twist with the announcement that he has accepted a peerage.
Prezza made a BBC documentary recently all about his class war and in 2005 he even slagged off Tony Bliar's school "reforms" because they weren't working class enough. Yet as Deputy Prime Minister he was on a salary of £134k – more than 9 times the current minimum wage of around £14.5k – and had two grace and favour homes paid for by the taxpayer and a flat paid for by a union as well as his taxpayer-funded constituency home. And then there were his two armoured, chauffeur-driven Jags that he used to do the shopping and drive his wife up the road so her hair didn't get blown about.
Like all class warriors that have had a stint lording it over the proles (excuse the pun), Prescott is a millionaire with a hefty ministerial pension which will keep him in the manner to which he has become accustomed and as a member of the House of Lords he'll be paid £335.50 for every day he hauls his sweaty, pampered arse into the House of Lords.
I can't decide whether the thought of an unelected millionaire Lord Prescott fighting his phoney class war against other unelected millionaire Lords, all appointed under one of the systems he's supposedly devoted his life to opposing, could be best described as ironic or hypocritical. I'm thinking probably both.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Pebble Explore
by Sharon Katz Cooper
Cinco de Mayo is about celebrating! It honors a Mexican Army victory during the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Some people mark the holiday with folk dancing or traditional foods such as chalupas and mole poblano. Others watch parades or attend cultural festivals. Readers will discover how a shared holiday can have multiple traditions and be celebrated in all sorts of ways.
Traditions & Celebrations Classroom Collection
GRL: N
Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr
Sharon Katz Cooper
PWB Biography: Sharon Katz Cooper has written more than 25 books and articles for children. She has also written several books and articles for adults—but those are less fun. Several of her books have been finalists for the Association of Educational Publishers (EdPress) awards. Sharon lives in Fairfax, Virginia, with her husband, Jason, and her son, Reuven. She likes to cook, travel, wear hats, eat chocolate, and read other children's books. In her spare time, she helps to design museum exhibits. CPB Biography: Sharon Katz Cooper is a writer and science educator. She enjoys writing about science and social studies topics for children and young adults. She lives in Fairfax, Virginia, with her husband, Jason, and son, Reuven.
Whose Vehicle Is This?: A...
Italy ABCs: A Book About the...
Whose Tools Are These?: A...
When Butterflies Cross the...
When Crabs Cross the Sand:...
When Penguins Cross the Ice:...
When Whales Cross the Sea:...
Gustave Eiffel's Spectacular...
Milton Hershey's Sweet Idea:...


Dallas Family Lawyer - Bankruptcy & Mediation - Rita M. Boyd, P.C.
Rita Boyd is licensed to practice law throughout the State of Texas. As a divorce laywer in Dallas TX she handles family law cases, bankruptcies and mediations mostly within the great Dallas / Fort Worth metroplex and the surrounding areas in Dallas, Collin, Denton, Rockwall, Kaufman and Ellis counties. Conveniently located on Keller Springs Road, just west of the North Dallas Tollway, Rita's office is a comfortable place to discuss situation. If you need a Dallas divorce laywer contact us online or call 972-380-8000 to schedule a consultation.


As a club designer, your creativity, vision and passion are the heart of an electrifying experience, whether it's a world-class mega-club or an intimate lounge. Knowing this illuminated our vision in creating the new JBL Marquis Dance Club Series - to help you drive the energy in your club, and to ensure an electrifying experience for all your patrons. With over six decades of experience, JBL engineers have brought their passion for delivering the soul and depth of music to dance floors since before the disco boom in the 1970's. Specifically designed for the extreme requirements of large and mega-size clubs, the Marquis Dance Club Series comprises eight powerful multi-way systems and subwoofer models that combine JBL's extraordinary sound, proven reliability and state-of-the-art technology with striking architectural design and versatile configurability. From thumping mega dance floors to tranquil VIP lounges, from eclectic chill rooms to complex sound booths, the Marquis Dance Club Series systematic loudspeaker designs are scalable to smaller venues, ultra lounges, and mega clubs alike. Regardless of the application, the Marquis Dance Club Series is a multi faceted tool for you to achieve your vision.


First, I freely admit I liked The Quest much more than its predecessor. It carries on the story of Princess Thya of the magical land called Tsinia. Like book one, the story opens with the princess living on our earth using the name Haty. This time around, she knows prophecy says her people will reach out for her again, asking her to return to their realm as their defender and protector. Now, Thya thinks her main sacrifice may be leaving Alex, her son back on earth and taking the reluctant throne of her people without him.
Thya and her companions encounter a series of vividly described obstacles, monsters, alien species, and Thya's strange, double-edged powers that seem to wax and wane as she tries to control a dark side to them. In short, there's a lot going on in the journey to save Thya's people, a populace currently living in caves after being chased from their homes while their Princess lived peacefully in England.
Readers who like strong female protagonist should especially like meeting the complex and often conflicted Princess Thya. In addition, The Quest seems a perfect YA novel as I often found myself thinking back to the L. Sprague De Camp and Andre Norton adventures I enjoyed when I was YA myself.
Nothing profound here, nothing preachy. Lots of the fantasy tropes young readers enjoy these days with a nice layer of romance to boot.


When you turn on the TV, of all the news, nothing but watching that "an eight year old killed herself" could be more terrifying. Can you imagine how desperate, unhappy and desolated the girl must have felt to have become suicidal? What could have happened to this girl to make a decision like that? Bullying.
Unfortunately, everyday people from all over the world are being bullied. An estimated 200 million children and youth around the world are being bullied by their peer according to the 2007 Kandersteg Declaration Against Bullying in Children and Youth.
But Statistics get worse for girls. According to a recent study from Murdoch Children's Research Institute, girls were much more likely than boys to be victims of both cyber and traditional bullying. With most of the schools talking about bullying and the media regularly reporting on the latest research, it would seem like we're part of a new phenomenon but the thing is, bullying has always existed.
Explain bullying: Teachers, parents and anybody in charge of children and adolescents is responsible in educating the youngsters about what bullying is and explain regularly why bullying is disapproved and why. It is important to tell them you don't want to take part in mistreating of another student at any level no matter how small. Have them acknowledge that bullying is wrong and it is less likely to bully others when they know their parents disapprove.
Self Esteem: Love yourself. If you love yourself, it is easier for others to love you. Speaking assertively, expressing your own opinion, using a confident voice and having firm eye contact are signals of good self esteem. Always look at the positive side of others rather than expressing contempt and superiority. Remember that respect and confidence are the key; avoid people who don't treat you with respect.
Build Friendships: Childhood and adolescence are the best life stages to make friends. Build and maintain, care and protect are steps to help you gain genuine friendships. Parents should encourage social activities such as after school plays and sleepovers to help their little ones start this process.
So let's start preventing bullying! Let's bring an end to the horrible news on media and in schools. I'm sure this is possible. And please, please... just the last message: We have to face up to that one time we've witnessed bullying. Do not keep quiet about it, report all incidents of bullying that you are aware of. Report to teachers, to parents and when possible, show interest in getting to know the victim. The end of all forms of bullying begins with you and me.
For free Resources on Bullying Prevention click here. and learn more facts about bullying here, plus silicone bands to prevent bullying.
Also read What is Cyber bullying and How to Stop It.
Diana, 21, from Peru is an International Business student and a teacher too. She would love to travel the world, study translation to learn different languages, start her own company one day and contribute to society through education.
IN HER OWN WORDS: " My name is Diana and I am 21 years old. I have a small family I love: mum and brother, and a boyfriend I adore. I'm Peruvian and I have lived all my life in Peru and haven't finished knowing it. My country is so big, so beautiful; I'm so in love of my country! – think you could notice that. I'm studying international business administration, although in fact I always wanted to study translation since I love learning languages, but I decided to do business because someday I want to start my own company so I can show everybody what beautiful things we have here and travel and travel around the entire world doing that, while at the same time I can help my compatriots by giving them work. I could define myself as a woman committed to every goal she sets, that loves meeting new people and very competitive! In addition to my studies I am a teacher, which I discovered it's kind of my real vocation. I teach children and adolescents and I believe it's the best contribution I can make: education."


thanks Linaro for their support.
yet migrated to Stretch (but unblock approved by the release team).
support, as arm64 mandate the use of UEFI. So this is good news too.
security issue. This is a much better approach than having nightly builds.
I'd like to hereby thanks Steve for his support and continuous work.


IN our own growing-up days, whether we gravitated toward adventures or mysteries, fanciful horse stories or more factual tales of how castles were constructed, the books we chose from the library shelves no doubt shared one element: the camaraderie of childhood. There's nothing quite so satisfying to a young reader as delving into a story about good friends who whisper secrets back and forth in a tree house and then set out to explore exotic territory together. Today, when so many children and adolescents are facing difficult challenges on their own, the need for the reassurance that comes from reading about such friendships is perhaps greater than ever. But are current novels for youngsters responding to that yearning? More and more they are, says one influential and caring voice. Betsy Hearne is editor of the Bulletin of the Children's Book Center at the University of Chicago; the Bulletin is a highly regarded journal that reviews some 75 new books for children each month. She's a former librarian and storyteller-turned-college professor and critic, who for 12 years was editor of children's reviews in the American Library Association's bimonthly Booklist. In addition to writing the best-selling ``Choosing Books for Children: A Commonsense Guide'' (Delacorte, New York), she's also the author of three books for children - and the mother of four.
While many protagonists in children's literature today still live ``in isolation,'' as Hearne puts it, there also are some welcome exceptions.
Her latest book, Eli's Ghost (Margaret K. McElderry Books, Macmillan, New York, $12.95, 112 pages, ages 8-12), due out in March, is a good example of this encouraging development. Hearne's Eli is a sensible young lad who lives in the deep-South town of Wilsonville, a tight-knit community where folks know so much about each other's doings that newspapers are unnecessary. After years of living with his tyrannical father, Eli happens upon a family picture one day and sees his mother's face for the first time. Eli drags from his father the story of how she ``ran off'' to the swamp to become, in his words, ``a witch.'' In a matter of days Eli also decides to head into the swamp, where he hopes to find his mother. While that's the bare-bones plot of Hearne's tale, the substance of the relationships it explores goes much deeper.
On top of these exemplary characters comes a batch of others who add to the great fun of the story - several mischievous ghosts; Eli's dog, Sandy Old Boy; the fly-swatting Sheriff Stone; and a pack of slightly mangy hunting dogs. Nice touches for a cleanly written, irreverent, good old-fashioned ghost story - and then some.
Childhood camaraderie and humor are elements that shine through two other new titles. Both are suspenseful mysteries that ought to make good reading in these seemingly endless winter days.
A Murder for Her Majesty, by Beth Hilgartner (Houghton Mifflin, Boston, $13.95, 241 pages, ages 12 and up) takes us to a spooky British countryside of the 16th century. When her father is murdered, 11-year-old Alice Tuckfield finds refuge in the York Minster Boys' Choir - disguised, to her surprise and joy, as a boy. What starts out as something of a lark ends in Alice's discovery of her father's killers, as they lurk in shadowy cathedral halls and scary attic hideaways. Although the writing is a bit uneven, with too many ``cloaked figure[s] following stealthily,'' the author's considerable strength lies in her storytelling. Young readers will not only enjoy Alice's accomplices in the choir and the well-crafted plot that carries them along, but should also pick up some slyly concealed messages about the joys of learning and the dangers of ``mad ambition.'' Not to mention all the pointers they'll get on Elizabethan pranks.
Chapter & Verse What were Obama's favorite childhood books?


text:
How Skyscrapers Work
The view from the Empire State Building's 86th-floor observatory is one of NYC's top tourist attractions. Zsolt Hlinka / Getty Images
Throughout the history of architecture, there has been a continual quest for height. Thousands of workers toiled on the pyramids of ancient Egypt, the cathedrals of Europe and countless other towers, all striving to create something awe-inspiring.
People build skyscrapers primarily because they are convenient -- you can create a lot of real estate out of a relatively small ground area. But ego and grandeur do sometimes play a significant role in the scope of the construction, just as it did in earlier civilizations.
Up until relatively recently, we could only go so high. After a certain point, it just wasn't feasible to keep building up. In the late 1800s, new technology redefined these limits. Suddenly, it was possible to live and work in colossal towers, hundreds of feet above the ground.
In this article, we'll look at the innovations that made these incredible structures possible. We'll examine the main architectural issues involved in keeping skyscrapers up, as well as the design issues involved in making them practical. Finally, we'll peer into the future of skyscrapers to find out how high we might go.
Up next, we'll talk about how skyscrapers defy gravity.


text:
FINANCES TAKING CONTROL
WOMEN'S INVESTMENT CLUBS IN DALLAS ARE GROWING AS FAST AS THE DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE, AND THAT'S NO COINCIDENCE.
By JULIE BAIN Published in D Magazine February 1998
WHEN CARLA MORSE JOINED THE ALL-WOMEN Penny Ante Investment Club in 1967, it had already been in existence for 11 years. She felt like a greenhorn. "1 remember somebody had written me a postcard that said where and when the next meeting was, and it also said, so I thought, ' Bring a hot dip.1 As I was walking up to the house with my artichoke dip, I saw another member, and I said, 'Was I supposed to bring crackers, too?"
Neither, actually. The postcard really said to bring a "hot tip." Now, 21 years later, although members still tease her about that incident, Morse is a savvy investor, and her club has averaged a 37 percent annual return in the past three years.
Women's investment clubs like Penny Ante are popping up all over Dallas/Fort Worth. Blame it on the seven-year bull market. Or blame it on the Beardstown Ladies, that charmingly down-home but wildly successful investment club from rural Illinois that became a media sensation. Book clubs are out; investment clubs are hot.
The stock market has more than doubled in the past three years, and so has the number of investment clubs in the United States. According to the National Association of Investors Corporation (NA1C), a nonprofit organization founded in 1951 to promote investment education to individuals and clubs, the number of its investment clubs had climbed from 7.000 in 1990 to 32,000 in 1997.
In Dallas and Fort Worth, there are 527 NAIC investment clubs, with 7,181 members. Nationwide, women represent 60 percent of club members, so there are probably at least 300 women's investment clubs in this area, representing more than 4,000 members. And that doesn't even include non-NAIC clubs.
Investment clubs are not get-rich-quick schemes. They're not really about getting rich at all. They're about pooling resources (fiscal and mental) to learn more about investing in stocks. Sometimes the dues invested (usually $20 to $30 per member per month) grow and compound nicely. (Most clubs reinvest all dividends.) Others barely break even. They all learn from their mistakes and then can transfer their knowledge and successes into their personal investments.
Most groups, usually 10 to 25 women, are formed as partnerships with carefully constructed bylaws and agreements. If they are members of N AIC, they learn to research, analyze, and compare stocks within industries on a complex form called the Stock Selection Guide (SSG). Some clubs spend as long as six months learning how to read sources such as ValueLine Investment Survey, plug the numbers into this form, and make judgments about individual companies. Most clubs are based on the principles of buying solid growth companies and investing long-term. Once the women begin to understand the concepts, they say it gives them an exhilarating feeling of confidence. They are tired of relying on men for their financial advice.
"I have a really deep feeling that we've got to learn to take care of ourselves," says Marjory McCowen, vice president of the Arlington Moneymakers. "Daddy's not always going to be there. Husband's probably not always going to be there. And maybe our children won't always be there. That's the main reason we started the club. And sometimes when you go to a broker, he says, 'Oh, that's OK, dear. I'll tell you what to do.'That's why we don't have any men in our club."
All-female investment clubs are not new. In 1956, Dell Ellis and the other founding members of the Penny Ante Investment Club were real pioneers. "Our founder's husband dropped dead of a heart attack at 29," recalls Ellis. "Two years later, another member's husband was killed in an airplane accident. So we realized immediately we needed to know more about investing."
One of the first things these women discover is that there are no easy, sure-fire formulas for picking stocks-and no shortcuts. "Our club, the Woodridge Investment Group (WIGs), has been in existence since June 1996," says Judy Schreyach of Arlington. "We spent about six months getting our paperwork in order. I don't think any of us realized that if we followed the NAIC guidelines that we would have to do quite so much work. We might not always use all these methods, but we're committed to learning them. The computer makes you lazy. You don't really learn what you're doing. Until everyone is really good at doing it by hand, we're not going to invest in the computer software."
Schreyach warns of the pitfalls of frustration while learning. "We worked and worked and worked, and studied and studied and studied, and we still didn't come up with anything we wanted," she says. "So finally, just to get things going, we bought any old thing without doing the paperwork. The first stock we bought, Mentor Graphics, immediately dumped. Then we bought a stock that we'd researched better, which was Southwest Airlines. That one has done really well."
Another pitfall in many clubs is an unequal level of commitment from members. One frustrated member of a club, who wishes to remain anonymous, says. "In my club, everyone was gung-ho at the beginning. But then people discovered that it's a lot of work." She says that because she had managed her husband's 401 (k) before she joined the club, she hacHHIIIIenion^nowiedge than the other members. And because she doesn't work outside the home, she says members assumed she had time to do all the research.
"Anew member said. Til come, and I'll put in my money, but I don't want anything to do with the stock study. ' It doesn't work that way! It's not just that I'm doing all the work; I'm not learning by somebody else helping me through it. That's the whole purpose of a club." The club's investments were up only 8 percent in the first half of last year. "With the stock market the way it's been," she says, "we should have done a lot better."
Linda Hinsley, a member of the Eden Financial Group, which is less than two years old, says her club has profited about 15 percent in just a few months because of scrupulous research. If a member has a stock that she wants to be tracked, she has to present a Stock Checklist to the Stock Tracking Committee. Then the committee fills out the Stock Selection Guide and then a Stock Comparison Guide. "We discuss the results, and then we vote," Hinsley says.
"We're really proud of the in-depth research we're doing,"says Carla Rea, president of the East Dallas Women's Investment Networking Association, or EDW1NA. "Although our club is a little more than a year old, many of us are still learning what the dad-gum terms mean! It took us a good six months just to get our bylaws and account set up. We bought our first stock, Chubb, in February, and the next one was Pfizer, the pharmaceutical company, which we bought right before it split." According to Karen Smith, the club treasurer, returns from February to August of last year were 11.66 percent.
The size of a club may affect its chances of success. Although to an outsider it may seem like the more the merrier-and the more money to invest-this is not always the case. In fact, many clubs say the best combination is a small group of like-minded women who are at the same stage of life. "We currently have seven members," says Susan Johnson, secretary of the 17-year-old Dallas Investors Group. "We've kept it small on purpose. At one point we got up to 23, and it was unwieldy."
"We do well with 25 members," says Mary Susan Barnhill, founder of the 11-year-old Dallas Syndicate. "Our members range from 40 to about 55. Our kids are educated, our houses are paid for, and everybody has similar goals."
Because its members are well-established and financially secure, the Dallas Syndicate likes to take a few risks. "We each put in a minimum of $ 100 a month," says Barnhill, who is also president of the Dallas Council of NAIC. "NAIC has a fabulous accounting program for stock clubs that makes it easy to keep track of it. We reinvest all of it. We haven't taken a distribution in 10 years. Nobody wants it. We just keep buying and buying and buying."
The Dallas Syndicate concentrates on long-term investing: "We have 75 percent of our portfolio in what you would call blue chip stocks," Barnhill says. "Companies like Motorola, Intel, Microsoft, they just click right along. And then we have 25 percent of the portfolio in what we call speculative investing. Members will come to a meeting and say, LI heard about a new drug, or a new biotech company, or a new oil and gas find.' We can't do a Stock Selection Guide on these particular stocks because they might be only a year or two old, and they're often tiny little companies.
"Lucent Technology, which we got as a spin-off from AT&T, has been dynamite. Another little company called Southwest Bank Texas has been a real good buy for us. We bought that just right after the IPO. It's got a lot of potential. The only way to keep members1 interest is in buying and selling at all times, We own a total of 33 stocks, and our portfolio's pushing half a million dollars. And our return was around 45 percent last year."
Johnson says the Dallas Investors Group also likes to invest this way. "We're about 75 percent long-term," she says, "and then we speculate with small-cap stocks."
Warning to novice investors, however: Don't try this kind of risk-taking when you're starting out. "I think for a group that's just beginning, the NAIC methods are a very good thing to do," Johnson says. ''But for a group that's been in it as long as we have, we're a little 'seat of the pants. "We really don't chart a lot. We like the rankings that Investors' Daily does. We spend a lot of time talking about that. We try different investment philosophies to keep it interesting. And as of last July, we were up 24 percent over the past 12 months."
Some clubs are strictly business. But for others, especially ones in which the members don't work outside the home, there is a very important social aspect as well. The Penny Ante Investment Club meets in members' homes and always begins with a lunch buffet provided by the co-hostess. A speaker, who is also invited for lunch, is scheduled for every meeting. After the speaker, the club conducts its regular business meeting. Unlike most NAIC clubs, the Penny Ante Group takes regular distributions of profits.
"Whenever our individual worth reaches a certain point," says club treasurer Caria Morse, "we do a $ 1,000 distribution per member. We want to keep it at a certain level so that if one member drops out, a new member can afford to buy in. We've had 12 or 13 distributions since I've been in the club (about 20 years), and we're very close to another one."
Hinsley says the Eden Financial Group meets at a bank in Rockwall. "They give us the key," she says, "and they leave the ValueLine out for us. After the meeting, many of us go to a restaurant and eat. We have a social committee, and we're planning events where we'll get our spouses or significant others to join us in the early summer for a barbecue or picnic so we can get to know each other better."
For most club members the social aspects are nice, but the lifetime benefit is knowledge. Joyce Weber, treasurer of the Long Shot Investors Club, is the only founding member still in the club. "My husband and I have been investing since 1954," she says.
"Even after all that time, I just attended a NAIC convention where I learned lots. It was very valuable. Learning never stops."
In the early days, the club members didn't always know what they were investing in, Dell Ellis says. In 1956, they bought a company called Syntex, that just kept going up like crazy.
"We didn't know what it was," Ellis recalls, "but we found out later it had produced 'the Pill.' We didn't even know what the Pill was!" Today Ellis believes in careful research and in investing in companies she knows something about.
Rea says that one of the best things about EDWINA so far is, "My husband is vice president of a brokerage firm. I just feel wonderful that I can have a conversation with him about stocks now and not feel totally ignorant."
Confidence and success don't always mean large returns. "What I have gained is that this makes me do something I've always meant to do," Schreyach, of the WIGs, explains. "Because I'm committed to doing it, it keeps it in the forefront. I don't procrastinate anymore. I'm investing on my own, too-usually in whatever the club is researching. This month. I think we broke even. We each made 3 cents, and we were so excited! We may have the lowest return of any of the clubs you've talked to, but we're going to be great."
If you have assembled a group of like-minded women ready to form an Investment club, the first thing you should consider is joining the National Association of Investors Corporation (NAIC) to take advantage of their proven materials and techniques, NAIC membership is $35 per club, plus $14 per member. Individual membership costs $39. You can contact the NAIC at P.O. Box 220, Royal Oak, Ml 48068 or 248-583-6242. Check out the NAIC web site at http://www.better-investing.org.
Two books can help a new club get started: Starting and Running a Profitable Investment Club by Thomas O'Hara and Kenneth S. Janke Sr. This is the official guide from the NAIC. Another helpful book (and a more entertaining read} is The Beardstown Ladies' Common-Sense Investment Guide (Hyperion, 1994).-J.B.
White Rock Lake Still Isn't Getting Dredged
By Tim Rogers


Founded on the Berber tradition of welcoming and hospitality, we provide custom itineraries with impeccable service at competitive prices. Our team of drivers and guides consists of highly qualified locals with a vast knowledge of the labyrinth streets of Marrakech, the coastal cities of Essaouira and Agadir, the villages and scenery of the Atlas Mountains and the never-ending dunes of the desert. Our drivers and guides are all licensed to work with tourists in Morocco, and speak English, French and Spanish.
We offer a selection of itineraries of varying lengths and destinations to explore, discover and enjoy the magic of Morocco with its hospitality, everchanging scenery and starlit nights. Search our website for inspiration and tell us, what you want to discover and we will make your custom itinerary. We carefully plan and check each detail to ensure that you will have an enjoyable and memorable experience. Whether you are travelling as a large family, group of friends, a couple on your honeymoon or by yourself, we will organise the perfect tour for you.


The Keyboard module enables custom behavior for keyboard events in particular contexts. Quill uses this to bind formatting hotkeys and prevent undesirable browser side effects.
Key modifiers include: metaKey, ctrlKey, shiftKey and altKey. In addition, shortKey is a platform specific modifier equivalent to metaKey on a Mac and ctrlKey on Linux and Windows.
Handlers will be called with this bound to the keyboard instance and be passed the current selection range.
If a modifier key is false, it is assumed to mean that modifier is not active. You may also pass null to mean any value for the modifier.
Multiple handlers may be bound to the same key and modifier combination. Handlers will be called synchronously, in the order they were bound. By default, a handler stops propagating to the next handler, unless it explicitly returns true.
Note: Since Quill's default handlers are added at initialization, the only way to prevent them is to add yours in the configuration.
Contexts enable further specification for handlers to be called only in particular scenarios. Regardless if context is specified, a context object is provided as a second parameter for all handlers.
If true, handler is called only if the user's selection is collapsed, i.e. in cursor form. If false, the users's selection must be non-zero length, such as when the user has highlighted text.
If true, called only if user's selection is on an empty line, false for a non-empty line. Note setting empty to be true implies collapsed is also true and offset is 0—otherwise the user's selection would not be on an empty line.
When an Array, handler will be called if any of the specified formats are active. When an Object, all specified formats conditions must be met. In either case, the format property of the context parameter will be an Object of all current active formats, the same returned by quill.getFormat().
Handler will be only called when the user's selection starts offset characters from the beginning of the line. Note this is before printable keys have been applied. This is useful in combination with other context specifications.
Regex that must match the text immediately preceding the user's selection's start position. The text will not match cross format boundaries. The supplied context.prefix value will be the entire immediately preceding text, not just the regex match.
The same as prefix except matching text immediately following the user's selection's end position.
By default, Quill comes with several useful key bindings, for example indenting lists with tabs. You can add your own upon initization.
Some bindings are essential to preventing dangerous browser defaults, such as the enter and backspace keys. You cannot remove these bindings to revert to native browser behaviors. However since bindings specified in the configuration will run before Quill's defaults, you can handle special cases and propagate to Quill's otherwise.
Adding a binding with quill.keyboard.addBinding will not run before Quill's because the defaults bindings will have been added by that point.
Each binding config must contain key and handler options, and may optionally include any of the context options.
Like DOM events, Quill key bindings are blocking calls on every match, so it is a bad idea to have a very expensive handler for a very common key binding. Apply the same performance best practices as you would when attaching to common blocking DOM events, like scroll or mousemove.


Well then... I think I'm going to head to the gym! The VS show looks incredible! We are so excited to see it! Good work angels, you are living proof that working hard pays off!
Photos are sourced from: Vogue.com and Instagram.


The young man sits at his drafting table in the kitchen of the double-wide trailer his family calls home in a holler near Jackson. He puts pencil to paper and begins to draw. Once he starts, he does not stop and finishes a complete penciled page without erasing.
Epling is referring to 19-year-old Ted Austin Hudson, an accomplished artist. In 2015, he published his first illustrated children's book, Noah's Ark. What sets Ted apart from other young artists is that he is autistic.
For years, no one knew what to do with the little boy in L.B.J. Elementary School. He was an anomaly to those charged with educating him, a child with his own agenda and way of processing the world around him. A small, rural district like Breathitt County did not have the resources or expertise for dealing with children like Ted, so educators labeled him as having emotional-behavioral disorder (EBD).
"He was extremely smart," says his mother, Michelle Robertson, "but he was at a level where they couldn't put him in special ed, and they couldn't put him in a regular classroom, so they categorized him as EBD and put him in a class with kids of all ages." It wasn't until 2011 that he was officially diagnosed with having autism spectrum disorder.
For Ted, it has taken a village to bring his remarkable artistic genius to the world. His talent may have remained buried in the mountains of Appalachia had it not been for the many people who recognized that he had a special gift and helped him along the way. More importantly, he would have lacked basic social skills and been increasingly isolated from the rest of the world.
Raised by his mother and her husband, James, whom she married when Ted was 3, Ted also has been significantly influenced by his great-aunt and -uncle, Adna Mae and Doug Noble, who live in Flintville, about 10 miles from Jackson. Ted, along with sisters Montana and Alexis, have spent most weekends with Adna, whom he calls Nannie, and Doug, also known as Dougie. They instilled in him a strong sense of church and family, and indeed, Ted's world consists mostly of church and his drawing. Therefore, the subject matter for Noah's Ark and many of his drawings comes from Bible studies. Additional influences are Disney cartoons, folk music and old videos.
Life started to change for Ted when he met Donna Combs, who was to become more than just his high school special education teacher. He told her that he had written a book. Combs, who had spent 19 years as an instructional assistant before earning her college degree and teaching special education students, was the catalyst Ted needed to realize his ambitions.
What Ted wanted was a hardcover book, because he said a book could not be a classic unless it is hardcover. He did not have enough pages to make that possible. So he added pages to his original illustrations, created when he was in sixth grade, and remarkably, the colors and character illustrations exactly match the originals.
The Breathitt County school district made a commitment to assist in getting Ted's book published, but then a wall was reached: No one knew how to make this happen. Through a grant Combs received from the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative, she connected with Epling, the Pikeville artist who specializes in the sequential art format (think comic strip or graphic novel). He was interested when he heard Ted's story.
When the artist began working with Ted, he had only words on a page and pictures. Because of Epling's belief in the young man, he decided to do the layout work himself. Epling also secured the ISBN for the book, set up the copyright information with the Library of Congress, and obtained price quotes for printing the book. Fortunately, Epling had experience with the publishing industry and was able to successfully serve as publisher. Noah's Ark, published by Epling Illustrations, can be purchased through Ted's website, tedhudson.net, and at amazon.com.
The book project helped Ted build his confidence and changed his overall attitude toward life. He is more social and even modeled some characters in his book on his friends and sisters. Most of Ted's classmates can tell when to talk to him and when to leave him alone. They also protect him.
He has written and illustrated another book, Princess Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, an original story based on the classic fairy tale, and self-published it. Combs learned Photoshop and how to prepare pages for publication in assisting Ted with his book, which was released in June and is available through lulu.com.
Robertson has reached out to Lexington's Joseph-Beth Booksellers about carrying Ted's books and would like to make connections with the Ark Encounter in Williamstown to have his Noah's Ark offered in the park's gift shop.


This lady's jacket in premium lambskin leather has braid trim, a stud detail on back, pockets, a zip-out liner, black hardware, and zippered sleeves. Sizes X Small to 5X Large.
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Free Commodities Trading Firm Business Plan For Raising Capital from Investors, Banks, or Grant Companies!
The purpose of this business plan is to raise $5,000,000 for the development of a commodities trading firm while showcasing the expected financials and operations over the next three years. The Commodities Trading Inc. ("the Company") is a New York based corporation that will actively trade hard commodities and currencies among the many exchanges within the United States and abroad. The Company was founded in 2008 by John Doe.
The primary revenue center for the business will come from the direct trading of commodities including corn, oil, precious metals, and currencies on a day to day basis. The Company, through its established relationships with commodities brokers, will be able to amplify its returns through the use of significant leverage for the commodities purchased using the firm's capital. The business expects that it will use 1:5 leverage on all commodities trades executed by the Company. The Company's secondary stream of income will be derived from interest generated on capital held from short sales that are used in conjunction with the Company's trading operations. Interest income will generate approximately 30% of the Commodities Trading Firm's aggregate revenue. The third section of the business plan will further describe the investment management services offered by the Commodities Trading Firm.
At this time, the Company is seeking to raise $5,000,000 for the development of the Commodity Trading Firm's operations. Mr. Doe is seeking to sell a 75% ownership interest in the business in exchange for this capital. 90% of the invested capital will be used for direct investments into the firm's commodity trading operations.
Management's mission is to develop the Commodities Trading Firm into a middle market investment company that specializes in trading specific agricultural, oil, and precious metal commodities with the intent to realize small, but continuous profits on a daily basis.
The Company will to undergo an aggressive expansion after the successful completion of the initial capital raising period. As the laws that govern investment pools for commodities trading are different than those for general securities dealers/traders, the business may be able to solicit capital from the general public in a similar capacity to that of a registered investment advisory. Mr. Doe is currently investigating how the business can expand once trading operations commence.
Commodities Trading Firm, Inc. The Company is registered as a corporation in the State of New York.
At this time, Mr. Doe is seeking to sell a 75% interest in the Commodities Trading Firm in exchange for the capital sought in this business plan. Please reference the Company's private placement memorandum regarding more information regarding the Company's fee and ownership structure.
John Doe currently owns 100% of the Commodities Trading Firm, Inc.
As stated in the executive summary, the business intends to actively trade contracts, swaps, and options related to commodities including agricultural commodities, oil, precious metals, and currencies. The Company, prior to the onset of operations, will develop brokerage relationships with major commodities brokers that will place and manage trades on behalf of the Company. The business will specially select brokers that can offer the commodities trading firm prime brokerage capabilities which include expanded leverage for the Company's investments. As discussed earlier, the Company intends to use conservative 1:5 leverage for most of its trades. However, most exchanges permit the use of 1:20 leverage for certain commodities. Currency trading can often provide leverage of 1:50 and up to 1:100 leverage depending on the type of trade. Management will only use larger amounts of leverage when the underlying commodities have been properly hedged using counteracting options. One of the primary strategies that the Commodities Trading Firm intends to engage will be delta neutral trading, which will allow the business to actively purchase options while currently hedging the values of the Company's commodity portfolios. Delta neutral trading allows the firm to generate revenues on commodities (these types of trades are available on all commodities) trading simply through the volatility of the underlying positions. With the pace of inflation increasing significantly in the last year, Management sees a significant opportunity to develop substantial profit streams through volatility style trading rather than attempting to determine the direction of any given market.
This section of the analysis will detail the economic climate, the commodities trading industry, the customer profile, and the competition that the business will face as it progresses through its business operations. Currently, the economic market condition in the United States is in recession. This slowdown in the economy has also greatly impacted real estate sales, which has halted to historical lows. Many economists expect that this recession will continue until mid-2009, at which point the economy will begin a prolonged recovery period. Inflation is somewhat of a concern for the Company. As the inflation rate decreases, the purchasing power parity of the American dollar decreases in relation to other currencies. This may pose a risk to the Company should rampant inflation, much like the inflation experienced in the late 1970s, occur again. This event would significant weaken the Company's ability to borrow funds (should the need arise), but it could also severely impact the gross margins of the business. After the business begins to trade in excess of $20,000,000 per year in revenues, the business may solicit a currency based investment bank to hedge against inflationary risks. This risk has been faced by many companies over the last five years as the value of the Euro/Yuan/Yen has appreciated significantly in its relation to the American dollar.
As the Company intends to operate its trading operations via the free trading markets within the US and internationally, the Company will not directly have "customers." In a sense, the customers of this firm are its investors as the Company is trying to develop a wealth and income creating vehicle for them and the Senior Management Team. However, and in the future, the Company may expand its capital base by soliciting additional investments from the general public. In this instance, the Company would need to register itself as a CTA firm with the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission. At this time, it is unclear as to what requirements would be needed in order for an individual to invest with the commodities trading firm as they differ substantially from other private investment vehicles such as hedge funds and private equity groups.
As the Commodities Trading Firm intends to primarily trade for its own account, the marketing required by the business will be absolutely minimal. Mr. Doe's marketing campaigns will primarily consist of familiarizing the Company's brand name with other commodities traders and brokerages so that future joint ventures and investments can be made in the future. As discussed earlier, there is the possibility that the business may be able to solicit capital from the general public. In that instance, the Company will engage marketing strategies discussed below.
Foremost, the Company will develop ongoing prime brokerage relationships with several commodities brokerages throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. This will ensure that the Company can amplify its returns through leverage offered by these firms. Mr. Doe will distribute information, via an information packet, to these firms informing them that the Commodities Trading Firm is in business, its capitalization, and what types of trades the company most frequently engages. In regards to raising capital from the general public, the Company will develop an informative website showcasing the operations of the firm, Mr. Doe's experience as a trader, proper investment disclosures, and relevant contact information. The website may also feature functionality so that investors can log in and track the performance of their account. If this website is built, the Company will hire an internet marketing firm to properly rank the site via search engine optimization and pay per click strategies.
•	The Commodities Trading Firm will have an annual revenue growth rate of 19% per year.
The Company's revenues are not sensitive to changes in the general economy. The Commodities Trading Firm will use a number of trading strategies to ensure that the business can generate profits despite increases or decreases in the value of any commodity. As such, the business should have no issues with top line income despite inflationary pressures or downward pricing pressure on specific commodities.


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THE WINDUP GIRL by Paolo Bacigalupi ★★★ | Kara.Reviews
Review of The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
Spoiler alert! This review reveals significant plot details.
I must start somewhere, and where better to begin than with the title? Why is this called The Windup Girl ? Although Emiko's actions have a significant effect on the plot, I never felt like the book was about her or that she was as special as the title implies. As a creation, Emiko is fascinating. She is a slave, obedience instilled at genetic and conditioned levels, beauty bred into her. Smaller pores make for flawlessly smooth skin, but in Thailand's climate they also make her prone to overheating. Her genes also dictate how she moves, with the stutter-stop motions that give her the moniker "windup girl" despite her biological nature. Abandoned in Thailand by her former Japanese owner, Emiko is abused and humiliated as a prostitute. Once she realizes she can have wants, she wants nothing more than to escape. Once she realizes she has the power to effect this, despite what her training and genes tell her, she becomes dangerous.
Simultaneously fragile and fearsome, Emiko is a wonderful creation. So it is a shame the book does not spend more time focusing on her transformation from subservient girl to wilful woman. There are so many characters in this book, so much else going on, that Emiko's development does not get as many pages at it deserves. On the other hand, a book focusing more on Emiko would be, admittedly, a very different book. So I shall focus on the book we have here.
I admire Emiko as a character—I think it's difficult not to admire her, because Bacigalupi has taken such a well-worn trope and integrated it into his genetic morality play. She is a lesson in biological determinism, a creature at the mercy of the genes her creators tailored to ensure her obedience—and a celebration of the ability to transcend one's genome, to become more than the sum of one's parts. Emiko is the human in the inhuman. As a symbol, she is very powerful. Perhaps that is why this is called The Windup Girl .
I could go through the rest of the cast and discuss each in turn. Bacigalupi's strength and weakness in this book is an ability to focus, in turn, on so many different characters. However, I will just single out the two other characters worthy of note for how they change over the course of the story: Hock Seng, Anderson's yellow card Chinese refugee; and Kanya, sidekick to Jaidee the Tiger and kickass morally-ambiguous protagonist in her own right.
Hock Seng annoyed me, especially toward the end, because he was always lamenting his misfortune and powerlessness. Yet he never gave up, despite it truly seeming at times like fate conspired against him. In Hock Seng, Bacigalupi shows us a man who has fallen so far that he has lost everything he cared about: his business, his family, and all of his property. Like Emiko, he is foreign to Thailand, a refugee seen by others as so much detritus. He tries so hard to rise again, but he never quite makes it—sometimes because of ill fortune, but sometimes because he is so used to remaining unobtrusive, to biding his time, that he does not seize opportunity when it presents itself. Hock Seng is a broken man constantly trying to mend himself.
Kanya annoyed me at first but grew on me in ways I did not expect. Bacigalupi pulls a bait-and-switch, setting up Jaidee to play a pivotal role in the coming conflict only to replace him with Kanya. She is as unprepared for this new responsibility as we are for her accession. Oh, and it doesn't help that she's a mole for Akkarat, the Minister of Trade and enemy of her band of merry White Shirt enforcers. And that was really the last piece of the puzzle that her character needed, something to elevate her above the "idealist fighter with a scarred childhood" to "conflicted fighter with a scarred childhood." Watching Kanya walk the line between her loyalties, and seeing how much fun Bacigalupi has putting her in ironic positions, is half the fun of reading The Windup Girl .
It's not that all the other characters are poorly written, but none of them resonated for me in the way Hock Seng and Kanya did. Some of them, like Anderson and Akkarat, just seemed to drive be there to drive forward the plot, mouthpieces for their respective ideologies. The latent conflict in The Windup Girl , mostly dormant until the climactic chapters, is between the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of the Environment. The former want to trade, naturally, while the latter want to protect Thailand from mutant pests and voracious strains of food created by too many decades of calorie company gene-ripping. Of course, what with recovering from a coup and all, Thailand's government sucks. So when Anderson, Akkarat, and everyone else who wants money, power, or money and power start stirring the pot, the situation becomes very ugly, very fast. Then Emiko murders someone, and all hell breaks loose.
Having had the fortune never to live in a war-torn city, I cannot attest to the verisimilitude of Bacigalupi's depictions of Kung Threp as the White Shirts go to war with Trade. It feels like a plausible portrayal to me. There are idealists on both sides, but for the most part the two sides consist of ordinary people swept up by an ideology. And those caught in the middle are confused, cynical, and misinformed—yet so apathetic, because they are so used to a corrupt regime. The radio can't be trusted, for it is in the control of one group or another; the officers who are supposed to arrest you for your contraband source of methane simply look the other way (for a price). There are laws and regulations, and then there is reality. There is authority and there are enforcers. The gulf between the two is vast, in our world and in this future Thailand.
Bacigalupi never quite explains how Thailand (or the world) arrives at this state, but that's OK. There are vague references to an Expansion and Contraction—implied, rather explicitly, to do with globalization and peak oil. Enough governments have collapsed that megacorporations run amuck with their own private armies. Genetic modification brought the ruin and now may hold the keys to saving humanity's staple crops—that or the highly-coveted seedbanks hidden around the world. Anderson's references to the disaster in Finland, where his company attempted to seize a seedbank only for its possessors to destroy it, set the tone for his time. In a world filled with environmental and economic collapse, we finally achieve a form of equality—just not on the highly-developed level those of us in developed nations all fantasize about. And, naturally, since these people are human beings and not robots or saints, in this world where everyone is equally screwed over, some are more screwed than others. There are some haves among the have-nots, and as Hock Seng can testify, one's status can change without warning or appeal.
That ultimate uncertainty of one's fate is one of the principal themes of The Windup Girl , and it is a harrowing lesson to learn. None of the characters really achieve what they want—and if they do, as it's implied for Emiko, it is not exactly what they were expecting. Rather than settling for a happy ending, a sad ending, or the depressingly postmodern choice of no ending, Bacigalupi delivers a . . . real ending. Not real in the sense of realistic, but real in the sense of being messy, both in terms of writing and narrative. Lumped in with the surreal invocation of kink springs, megodonts, and yes, airships, the ending is abrupt but not unwelcome.
I wish I could praise this book more. The more I consider its flaws, the less I consider them damning . . . yet I can't feel as enthusiastic about The Windup Girl as I desire. Maybe it's Bacigalupi's style, which is almost clinical and can at times interfere with connecting to his otherwise interesting characters. Maybe it's the plot, which only gets exciting after an interminable time humming, hawing, and generally dragging its heels toward the climax. Mostly, though, it's the disparate elements Bacigalupi combines to tell his story. In reviewing them—Emiko, Hock Seng, Kanya, Anderson and Akkarat's conflict, etc.—separately, I partition them. I can observe their individual features but not so much how they relate; those relationships, in my opinion, are the weakest links of The Windup Girl .
There is something to be said for easy books, books that do not challenge—or, if they challenge, do so only in a manner that is ultimately reassuring. We all crave confirmation and validation; fulfilling that craving once in a while is fine. By that same token, there is also a time and place for really hard books, books that challenge not only sensibility but ability, ability to comprehend or understand let alone believe. Often easy books get labelled "beach reads", but I think this conflates difficulty with complexity. Some hard books can be beach reads too, if only because they are as entertaining as they are thought-provoking. Thus, "hard" or "complex" is not always a synonym for "drudgery" or "boring."
Nevertheless, The Windup Girl —a complex book—did, at times, feel like a chore to read. Bacigalupi's style, as I mentioned above, could be slicker. The plot could be better. The characters, well, they're all right. The Windup Girl is a bunch of adequate narrative elements that come together to make a whole that is, like its eponymous character, more than the sum of its parts.
More science fiction Reviews
Babcock, K. (2010, Jul 25). [Review of the book The Windup Girl , by Paolo Bacigalupi]. Kara.Reviews. https://kara.reviews/the-windup-girl/ Chicago/Turabian 17
Babcock, Kara. Review of the book The Windup Girl , by Paolo Bacigalupi. Kara.Reviews, July 25, 2010, accessed January 17, 2021. https://kara.reviews/the-windup-girl/ MLA 8
Babcock, Kara. Review of The Windup Girl , by Paolo Bacigalupi. Kara.Reviews , 25 Jul 2010, kara.reviews/the-windup-girl/


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Creating Tomorrow: The Silk Road, Past and Present – Part I
UncategorizedAfricaChina
By Haneul Na'avi	 On Aug 4, 2018
The following is part one of a two-part analysis on the New Silk Road. It aims to explicate the history and theory behind the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), using historical materialism as a basis.
Many thanks to comrades Joaquin Flores, Editor-in-Chief of Fort-Russ and Saikat Bhattacharya, analyst for Regional Rapport, for their observations and commitment to analysing the BRI.
The onus on the rising global Marxist intelligentsia is to showcase the BRI's advantages, shape its theory via dialectical materialism, and champion the project as a radically new multipolar order. Эй, ухнем!
The Silk Road: Past to Present
In its antiquity, the The Silk Road was a massive transcontinental trade route spanning from Beijing and Shanghai all the way to Rome, connecting empires through a complex system of roads and shipping routes, which gave rise to an unprecedented era of trade, wealth, diversity and prosperity.
A University of Vermont scholar notes German explorer and geologist Ferdinand von Richthofen first coined the two terms "Silk Road" (Seidenstrasse) and "Silk Roads" (Seidenstrassen) in 1877. Richthofen used "Silk Road" to describe Marinus of Tyre's 1st century, single-path "Land of Silk", and "Silk Roads" to describe the 100-150 CE trade routes between Han China and Imperial Rome.
One important feature of the Silk Road was its power-agnostic characteristics, meaning that a plethora of Chinese dynasties and neighbouring empires continuously used it in times of peace and war, allowing trade to ebb and flow whilst enduring ephemeral political circumstances.
A UNESCO article explains further that,
[…] during the reign of the Emperor Wu-di (140-86 bce) [and] over the next l600 years it was to be the main rival to the Spice Routes as a channel for international trade. […] Han power dwindled during the Second Century CE [but when] the Empire reunited under the Sui Dynasty (580-618 ce), [it was] exploited on an even greater scale and [grew] further under the Tang (618-970 ce). By the Eighth Century, huge ships called at Canton laden with cargoes of [precious goods], making the port one of the greatest in the world.
The Silk Road also begat new modes of transport and construction in response to the challenges of traversing its vast and difficult expanses, both at land and sea. As Chinese trade expanded transcontinentally and intercontinentally, new means of production from prominent civilisations meant shipbuilding and freighting became inextricable from the project's success.
An UNESCO article explains that,
Developments in ship design and construction methods came about in response to challenges encountered in trading ever further afield. Observations made and information exchanged on these journeys also brought practical knowledge. So the expansion of trade by sea was closely bound up with the evolution of shipping and navigation.
It also illustrated the various species of animals employed by merchants, who would often use handoff points to exchange goods with other traders along the road's 6,400+ mile journey.
Bactrian (Central Asian) and Arabian camels became instrumental in Silk Road transport as they could endure days on less food and water across the formidable Taklamakan desert. China's innovative stirrups and saddles eventually spread to Central Asia, and became instrumental in taming and riding new, stronger breeds of horses circa 6th century BCE.
Chinese, Indian, Roman, Persian and Arabic empires built massive fleets to conquer the high seas, with Arabs often borrowing Greek and Syrian engineering for their Western flanks. This produced a race for faster, more powerful ships, as well as new cartography tactics for navigation purposes.
The Great Wall of China (长城, chángchéng) was also initially constructed in the Spring and Autumn period circa 7th century BCE up to the late Qing dynasty, around 1878. The world's longest engineering feat, it also was used to protect the Chinese from nomadic invaders in the Eurasian Steppes who raided and attacked Silk Road merchants travelling to and from China.
The Silk Roads inspired human exchanges as much as material ones, birthing a renaissance of intercultural associations. Goods such as silk, spices, and artefacts were traded throughout the Asian continent along with diverse religions, which pervade Chinese society to date.
The Asia Society notes that,
Religious beliefs of the peoples of the Silk Road changed radically over time and was largely due to the effects of travel and trade on the Silk Road itself. For over two thousand years [it] was a network of roads for the travel and dissemination of religious beliefs across Eurasia.
This activity pollinated Chinese culture with Nestorian (Assyrian) Christianity, Indian Buddhism, Persian Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism, Judaism, Islam, and even Greco-Roman polytheism.
Chinese officials also kept innumerable records on merchants entering and leaving the country, documenting the complexity, traffic, origins, and goods ebbing and flowing from China's domains.
Historian Peter Frankopan characterises China's documentation system,
A remarkable collection of 35,000 text from the garrison town of Xuanquan, not far from Dunhuang, paints a vivid picture of the everyday goings-on in a town set at the neck of the Gansu Corridor.
He continues,
From these texts [we] learn that visitors passing into China had to stick to designated routes, were issued [written] passes and [regularly] counted by officials [so] that all who entered the country also eventually made their way home. [These] measures are to be understood not as a form of suspicious surveillance [but] to note accurately who was entering and leaving China, [what] they were doing there, and [to] record the value of the goods [brought] and sold for customs purposes.
Frankopan also notes their sophistication, offering a testament to China's forward-thinking brand of globalisation and demonstrates that the modern world has simply reinvented the wheel.
We think of globalisation was a uniquely modern phenomenon; yet 2,000 years ago too, it was a fact of life [which] presented opportunities, created problems and prompted technological advance.
The globalisation touted today has much to learn from the Silk Road of yesteryear. In order to build a multipolar world, nations must first pour the foundation from the project's past successes.
The Silk Road Today
The material conditions that midwifed the ancient Silk Road have also inspired its modern incarnation. In 2013, Chinese president Xi Jinping unveiled the New Silk Road at Kazakhstan's Nazarbayev University, which tasked the Asian community with shaping global trade into a multilateral framework where prosperity is institutionalised and not just envisioned.
From this initial meeting, President Xi clearly stated that China's aims were "to uphold the friendship from generation to generation and to be harmonious good neighbours for each other" as well as "strengthen mutual support and to be good friends with sincerity and mutual trust".
Many adduce that this form of interregional economics fosters such trust and is an integral step in creating a multipolar global order. Dr. Matteo Donato postulates Social Exchange Theory in order to argue the benefits of such reciprocal systems,
Research [shows] that [reciprocity] produces better work relationships than negotiations and allows for individuals to be more trusting of, and committed to, one another […] Furthermore, negotiated exchanges incite more unhelpful power use and less equality.
Within all undertakings of the Chinese Communist Party lie the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which Chairman Mao Zedong implemented in 1949 and establishes "mutual respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.
As before, infrastructure is the first step to achieving this. The theme of connectivity is essential to raise the means of production across Asia, transport building materials, and connect civilisations.
Comrade Joaquin Flores theorises that infrastructural connectivity ensures supply line security via symbiotic relationships and labour socialisation. Productive forces are thus evenly distributed amongst adjacent nation-states, ensuring peaceful co-development, as opposed to imperialist nations whom have historically exploited tensions between neighbours.
This is reflected in the Chinese National Development and Reform Commision's (NDRC) Vision and Action plan, which states that,
Facilities connectivity is a priority area for implementing the [BRI and] countries along [it] should improve the connectivity of their infrastructure construction plans [to] form an infrastructure network connecting all sub-regions in Asia, and between Asia, Europe and Africa step by step.
The NDRC further stipulates that the BRI "should promote policy coordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people bonds" and remain "open for cooperation, harmonious and inclusive, [follow] market operation, and [seek] mutual benefit".
The Hong Kong Trade and Development Centre (HKTDC) reiterates the NDRC' Opportunities in 5 key areas, which follow the five elements inherent in Chinese philosophy, as Financial Integration, Trade and Investment, Facilities Connectivity, Policy Coordination, and Cultural Exchange.
BRI supply lines will utilise an expansive network of six land-based economic corridors, tentatively named the China-Mongolia-Russia, China-Central Asia-West Asia, China-Indochina Peninsula, China-Pakistan, Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar, and New Eurasia Land Bridge Economic Corridors. These routes will use a constellation of ports and cities to mark critical exchange points.
Maritime routes will facilitate large freighter and container shipping via the Coastal China-South China Sea-Strait of Malacca-Indian Ocean-Europe and Coastal China-the South China Sea-the South Pacific pathways. They will connect Asia, Africa and Europe via ports in Piraeus (Greece), Gwadar (Pakistan), Mumbai, Djibouti, and Mombasa (Kenya), amongst others.
BRI exchanges will invariably entail informational and cultural ones, and are being institutionalised accordingly. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and NDRC signed a joint action plan during the inaugural Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
The plan defines five key targets to help these sociopolitical exchanges and target Information Exchange, Projects Cooperation, Policy Coordination, Building Partnership, and Capacity Building. The UNDP has also rigorously assessed BRI sustainability in a 2017 Global Governance Report.
UNDP associate administrator Tegegnework Gettu has firmly backed the initiative, stating that he "commends the Government of China for enacting [the BRI] and acknowledges [their role] in leading by example [and will] support China in its efforts."
UNDP administrator Dr. Helen Clark also praised the BRI's role as a testing ground for meeting UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs),
"The Belt and Road Initiative represents a powerful platform for economic growth and regional co-operation, involving more than 4 billion people, many of whom live in developing countries [and] can serve as an important catalyst and accelerator for [UN] sustainable development goals."
On May 2017, the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation unveiled a massive list of deliverables that outlined "76 items comprising more than 270 concrete results in five key areas", including an expansive list of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and financing agreements.
The Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and Silk Road Fund have been set up to finance all BRI projects. The two offer different infrastructural specialties and exploit differing partnerships.
The AIIB is capitalised at 100 bln. USD from the public sectors of 87 countries, and targets 6 categories: rural infrastructure, energy and power, environmental protection, transportation and telecommunications, water supply and sanitation, and urban development and logistics.
Working under the Company Law of the PRC, the Silk Road fund carries a capitalisation of 100 bln. RMB (40 bln. USD), using a variety of state-owned banks. It will provide "investment and financing support for trade and economic cooperation" and is "designed to promote common development and prosperity of China and other countries and regions involved in the [BRI]".
Since its inception, the Belt and Road has moved from strength to strength, building a host of projects and proposing scores more. Although relatively young, the BRI has amassed the support of 100+ nations around the world whom are dedicated to the old spirit of trade and cooperation.
As the project comes into fruition, the world will demonstrate in practise a truly reciprocal economic order which will achieve exciting milestones that will even surpass its ancient predecessor, on a global scale, and for the benefit of all.
Eurasian integrationGlobal JusticemultipolarityNew Silk RoadOne Belt-One Road
Haneul Na'avi 7 posts 0 comments
Haneul Na'avi is an independent political economist based in the United Kingdom, and a contributor to Fort Russ, The Duran, Asia Times and Global Village Space. He has previously written for RT, PressTV, Global Research, and the Pravda Report.
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