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Hock Lee bus riot – fact or fiction by CNA? (Part 3)
by Andrew Loh
Reading Time: 12 mins read
The second episode of Channel News Asia's (CNA) latest production, 'Days of Rage', featuring the 1955 Hock Lee Bus Riots, has been met with compelling and stinging criticism, since its premiere on the 27th of January.
In Part 1, we provided a more general overall critique of the documentary. [Read it here.] In Part 2, our critique focused more on specifics, in particular the historical facts which CNA seemed to have ignored or avoided including in its documentary. [Read it here.]
In this final Part 3 of our series, we include interviews with Mr Otto Fong, the son of Fong Swee Suan who was featured in the documentary; Dr Thum Pingtjin, Academic Visitor at the Oxford Centre for Global History, University of Oxford; Research Fellow at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, and co-ordinator of Project Southeast Asia; and Dr Loh Kah Seng, Assistant Professor at the Institute of East Asian Studies in Sogang University, South Korea. Dr Loh was also interviewed for the CNA documentary.
By Jewel Philemon
Mr Otto Fong, son of Fong Swee Suan, and Dr Loh Kah Seng (Assistant Professor at the Institute of East Asian Studies in Sogang University, South Korea), interviewees on the episode, registered their disappointment about the documentary's one-sided final edit which did not include many of the points they made.
The duo spoke to TOC about the accuracy of the final edit and recalled the remarks they made during the documentary interview which were cut from the broadcasted product:
The Online Citizen (TOC) to Otto Fong: What were the points you made in the interview that were not shown in the final edit?
Otto Fong (OF): A few important points I made that didn't make it were:
– That my dad was never a communist. He and my mother brought the children up to choose our own paths, and at home, he was content to let everyone be themselves fully without any words of reproach or harsh words from him. Never did he talk to us about communism ideologies.
– People do not strike for nothing. Our forefathers were dirt-poor people who migrated here for a better life. They wanted a hopeful future where their children could receive education, so they would not stand for more of the same kind of dead-end employment they suffered back home.
– The other bus companies, other than Hock Lee Bus, accepted the union's terms and employers and employees worked together better. The union took special effort to train workers to behave more professionally and reject corruption. Hock Lee did not wish to abide by union terms and chose to apply for special government permission to create their own in-house unions, and instead of negotiations, they chose to fire union employees.
– The union had warned the government that the firemen must stop using the high-powered hoses on strikers. Yet the hoses were used three times, which inflamed the sentiments of the onlookers living around the area. The previous government should be held responsible for the riot, not the strikers nor union.
– There was a peaceful negotiation and settlement before the strikes, which Hock Lee agreed to but reneged on by firing the unions' workers.
TOC: How accurate do you think the final episode is?
OF: A fair and balanced documentary should provide views from all sides. The government's view was of course well-represented, the bus company's view was too. But the unionists' views were cut out. My father and Lim are not the villains that the official story wants them to be, so where were those views on this documentary?
The few of my interview that made it on the documentary were more neutral descriptions, which meant views contrary to the official old story were cut out. The representative from Hock Lee was able to present his side of the story: that Hock Lee's employers would not make profits had they agreed with union demands. So why is my father's side of the story taken out?
The narration provided nothing new from the old official version, and even implied that the organisers of the strike must be responsible for the subsequent riot. It was the government which did not stop the hosing of the strikers, and that action inflamed the onlookers living around the area. It was Hock Lee Bus Company that reneged on the peaceful settlement, and yet, somehow, it was implied that my dad and Lim should be responsible for the bloodshed after the riot started.
Therefore, the documentary featured the views of the old government and the Hock Lee Bus Company, but not those of my father's [on the] union actions.
TOC: How do you think the documentary is unfair towards your father or unfair towards presenting a holistic view of the riots?
OF: There was never any evidence of my dad being a communist. And he has never stated he was anything else but a socialist. Yet the narration continued to use the word 'Communist' in describing the strikers, rioters and union. My father and Mr Lim played a significant, praise-worthy part in the creation of a new Singapore, and credit should be given where credit is due – for all and not just a few. My father does not deserve to be labelled as some comic book villain.
I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on behalf of my father. He is a great man and a wonderful father, and I am lucky to be his son.
This will be my last word on the Hock Lee Bus event. I am complete with the past.
TOC to Dr Loh Kah Seng: As a historian, is the story the co-producer wanted to tell accurate? Why or why not?
Loh Kah Seng (LKS): The issue is not accuracy. As an interpretation of the past, the story is based on a group of historical facts. There was communist manipulation, attempted or actual, of the workers and students not only during the strike but also in the left-wing movement as a whole.
The real problem is that the story is dated and non-inclusive. Historians researching the imperial archive in Britain, such as Tim Harper, Geoff Wade, Simon Ball, and Mathew Jones, have found that the power of the Malayan Communist Party to be much diminished in Singapore and Malaya in the 1950s and 1960s due to crackdowns by the Special Branch. There were communists in the mass organisations, but most of the leaders were new groups of left-wing socialists that emerged in the more open political environment after the Rendel Constitution of 1954. These socialists, including Lim Chin Siong and Fong Swee Suan, were probably not taking orders from the MCP and did not plan to come to power through violent means.
In historical terms, the entire period between the late 1940s and the 1960s should not be seen as 'days of rage' but as 'days of hope'. The period was an extraordinary time of political and cultural pluralism and optimism. Various political and cultural groups in Singapore were inspired by international ideas and moments of self-determination and modernisation and were determined to cast out the old ways and the colonial system. They were debating different ways to transform Singapore, the colony, into Malaya, a modern nation-state, which would include Singapore. This is a theme that runs through recent works by Huang Jianli, Hong Lysa, C. C. Chin, Thum Pinjtin, and my co-authors and I on a book on the University Socialist Club. The optimism filtered down to the people because of the efforts of the anti-colonial mass movement led by the left wing. To say that there was only one party doing the right thing for Singapore and everything else was communist-controlled is a reductionist view.
TOC: What are your thoughts on the Hock Lee bus riots that you wanted to contribute to the documentary but couldn't?
LKS: What has been long lacking in Singapore history is social history, in this case a history of the Hock Lee Bus riots that explores the needs, worldviews and lives of workers. Low-income workers, who were rational and practical-minded by nature, resorted to a strike only when material conditions were bad enough and no alternative recourse was available, because a strike was a risky act that entailed the loss of income and possibly the job. And the strikers were caught up in a riot that they did not want because of the circumstances and tensions of the times – when the bus company refused to recognise the legitimate grievances of the workers, when the police tried physically to remove the pickets (even though industrial action was a legal course of action), or when picketers utilized passive resistance (against removal/arrest and to prevent buses from operating).
Much of the Hock Lee Bus strike (and other strikes in the post-war years) can in fact be explained by a socio-economic history of labour in post-war Singapore and of labour's unequal relationship with capital and the colonial state. No amount of propaganda by the left-wing or communists would have moved workers to strike if they had no genuine grievances and if the left had not shown itself to be sincere and capable of addressing these grievances.
In fact, the documentary team did a good job in its research and interviews. It probably had material for a more inclusive and updated story of the Hock Lee Bus strike. It had interviewed former union leaders and student activists whose voices differed from the master narrative (if you listened carefully enough). In recent years and ending decades of silence, these voices have begun to speak out publicly against the master narrative – in forums, interviews, memoirs, and books. In academic terms, we call these voices 'fragments', because while they are lodged within the master narrative, they struggle against it and try to disturb it, seeking to articulate a counter-hegemonic history of Singapore.
So the sad thing is that the documentary missed a great opportunity to craft a more inclusive story that embraces other voices and the new research. It shows the authors of the master narrative to be incapable of reconciling neither the diverse historical forces that transformed Singapore into a modern nation nor the social cleavages that still divide Singaporeans today (be it between the victors and the losers, or the young and the old). As an unabashed history of the victors, Days of Rage is not just about the past; it is firmly rooted in the past – in old ways, mindsets and values. Its story does not call upon us to reflect on the master narrative, to discern its fragments and silences. Because it does not make us come to terms with historical controversy and complexity, it does not challenge us to become a more mature and self-aware people.
It is certainly disheartening to discover that the real facts and the sound, robust points that Otto Fong and Dr Loh Kah Seng had made were discarded in favour of a speculative, antiquated narrative which misleads its audiences into holding specious arguments to be the whole truth. The effects of such inequitable documentation have already started transmogrifying into an alarming impairment of essential critical thinking skills:
But perhaps what is more distressing is our own amnesic propensity to only recollect the masked truths behind propagandized events such as the Hock Lee bus riots when we face similar oppressive circumstances – we tend to expel important, still prevalent issues such as worker protections from our immediate field of vision until we are thrust into the shoes of those who are oppressed.
This description on Channel News Asia's own webpage could be indicative of the fugue surrounding events like the Hock Lee bus riots:
12 May 1995 is infamously referred to as 'Black Thursday', not 'Black Friday'.
With Singapore 50 fast approaching, we especially need to put forth a continuous, concerted effort to reject dubious casuistries and uncover the critical whole truths behind blurry episodes in our history so that we may learn from and improve our ever-evolving society, especially for those who are less privileged, less fortunate.
As for what we can learn from the Hock Lee bus riots, Dr Thum Pingtjin puts things into perspective:
"One critical point that Lee made in his speech was that the colonial government was blinded by its inability to understand the public. They could not see the legitimate grievances which fuelled public anger. They framed the strike as a purely law and order issue, dehumanised the strikers, and sought simplistic explanations.
"Another point that was made by David Marshall at the time was that everything that the colonial government had done – for example, call in police and troops to indiscriminately break strikes – was entirely legal. Also, everything the Hock Lee manager did – indiscriminately fire workers and refuse to accept the arbitrator's decision – was also legal. Something can be legal and yet illogical and immoral at the same time. For example, racial discrimination was legal and encouraged in South Africa until just over two decades ago. Thus, falling back on the letter of the law is not enough to address your problems.
"So I think it is important to remember is that we need to treat people with dignity and respect, recognise that large problems are complicated, and understand the distinction between what is legal and what is right. We cannot solve problems, least of all riots, by demonising people, nor applying simplistic solutions, nor simply saying that decisions can or should be made simply because they are legal."
Select Bibliography, compiled by Dr Loh Kah Seng
Aljunied, Syed Khairudin. 'Against Multiple Hegemonies: Malay Female Anti-Colonialism in British Malaya'. Journal of Social History, 47 (1), 2013: 153-175.
Ball, Simon J. 'Selkirk in Singapore'. Twentieth Century British History, 10, 2 (1999): 162-91.
Chin, C. C. 'The United Front Strategy of the Malayan Communist Party in Singapore, 1950s-1960s'. In Michael Barr and Carl Trocki eds. Paths Not Taken: Political Pluralism in Postwar Singapore. Singapore: NUS Press, 2008: 58-77.
Fernandez, Michael and Loh Kah Seng. 'The Left-Wing Trade Unions in Singapore, 1945-1970'. In Michael Barr and Carl Trocki eds. Paths Not Taken: Political Pluralism in Postwar Singapore. Singapore: NUS Press, 2008: 206-27.
Harper, T. N. 'Lim Chin Siong and the "Singapore Story"". In Tan Jing Quee and Jomo K. S. eds. Comet in Our Sky: Lim Chin Siong in History. Kuala Lumpur: INSAN, 2001: 1-56.
Huang Jianli. 'The Young Pathfinders: Portrayal of Student Political Activism'. In Michael Barr and Carl Trocki eds. Paths Not Taken: Political Pluralism in Postwar Singapore. Singapore: NUS Press, 2008: 188-205.
Jones, Matthew. 'Creating Malaysia: Singapore's Security, the Borneo Territories, and the Contours of British Policy, 1961-1963'. Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, 28 (2), 2000: 85-109.
Loh Kah Seng, Edgar Liao, Lim Cheng Tju, and Seng Guo Quan. The University Socialist Club and the Contest for Malaya: Tangled Strands of Modernity. Amsterdam; Singapore: Amsterdam University Press and NUS Press, 2012.
Loh Kah Seng. Squatters into Citizens: The 1961 Bukit Ho Swee Fire and the Making of Modern Singapore. NUS Press and Asian Studies of Australia Association Southeast Asia Series, 2013.
Thum, Pingtjin. '"The fundamental issue is anti-colonialism, not merger": Singapore's "Progressive Left", Operation Coldstore, and the Creation of Malaysia'. Asia Research Institute Working Paper No. 211, National University of Singapore, 2013.
Thum, Pingtjin. 'Chinese Newspapers in Singapore, 1945-1963: Mediators of Elite and Popular Tastes in Culture and Politics'. Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 83 (1), June 2010: 53-76.
Thum, Pingtjin. 'Flesh and Bone Reunited As One Body: Singapore's Chinese-Speaking and their Perspectives on Merger'. Chinese Southern Diaspora Studies, 5, 2011-12: 29-56.
Wade, Geoff. 'Operation Coldstore: A Key Event in the Creation of Modern Singapore'. In Poh Soo Kai, Tan Kok Fang and Hong Lysa eds. The 1963 Operation Coldstore in Singapore: Commemorating 50 Years. Malaysia: SIRD & Pusat Sejarah Rakyat, 2013.


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Q&A: Max Verstappen's new Red Bull contract
Max Verstappen has committed his future to Red Bull by signing a three-year contract extension.
10 things we learned from the 2019 Formula One World Championship
The Formula One season concluded in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Hamilton flattered by interest as he refuses to shut down a move to Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton has admitted he is flattered by Ferrari's interest, refusing to shut down a move to the Italian giants.
5 things we learned from the Brazilian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen claimed his third victory of the season following a superb drive in Brazil.
Ferrari to decide whether to stop Vettel and Leclerc racing each other
Ferrari bosses will this week decide whether to stop Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc from racing each other after they crashed out of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Verstappen victorious as Ferrari pair blame each other for collision in Brazil
Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc pointed the finger of blame at each other following their late collision on yet another miserable afternoon for Ferrari as Max Verstappen roared to victory in Brazil.
Max Verstappen victorious in Brazil amid late drama involving Ferrari pair
Max Verstappen won the Brazilian Grand Prix as Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc crashed out following a dramatic late finish.
Hamilton to seek reassurances over Wolff's plans ahead of new Mercedes deal
Lewis Hamilton will seek reassurances over Toto Wolff's plans before committing his future to Mercedes.
Formula One outlines plans for net-zero carbon footprint by 2030
Formula One has announced ambitious plans to have a net-zero carbon footprint by 2030, and have all grands prix using sustainable products by 2025.
Wolff to miss first grand prix in over six years after Mercedes' double success
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is to miss his first grand prix in six-and-a-half years this weekend following the latest double success of his all-conquering team.
How Twitter reacted as Lewis Hamilton sealed his sixth Formula One crown
Lewis Hamilton's former team-mate Nico Rosberg was among those to congratulate the British driver on a sixth Formula One world title.
5 key moments leading to Lewis Hamilton's sixth F1 world title
Lewis Hamilton claimed his sixth world championship at the United States Grand Prix on Sunday.
Six of the best: The glory years of Britain's number one
Lewis Hamilton has become only the second man in history to win six Formula One world championships.
The joy of six for Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton has won a sixth world championship, moving one ahead of Juan Manuel Fangio and within one of Michael Schumacher's record.
5 talking points ahead of the United States Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton is set to secure his sixth Formula One World Championship in Austin, Texas on Sunday.
Hamilton on brink of sixth world title after amazing win at Mexican Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton's wait for a sixth world title will go on to next weekend's United States Grand Prix despite an impressive victory in Mexico on Sunday.
Channel 4 to broadcast all-female motor racing championships
Channel 4 has said it hopes broadcasting the inaugural season of the all-female W Series motor racing championship could be the first step towards a female Formula One champion.
World champion Lewis Hamilton aiming to win remaining 19 races of F1 season
Lewis Hamilton will start the Chinese Grand Prix with an improbable dream; to win every Formula One race from here until the last round in Abu Dhabi.

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by Christian MilNeil / Last week I posted the "Be In Love" music video that the Maine Academy of Modern Music (MAMM) had produced for its "Playing for Change, Playing for Maine" benefit. A couple of days later I had a chance to chat about the video, and learn more about the organization, with Jeff Shaw, MAMM's founder and executive director: LWP: Tell me about MAMM and what you guys do.
by Christian MilNeil / Late last week, this striking new mural appeared at the corner of Preble Street and Cumberland Avenue, a block off of Monument Square. The building is being renovated to become the Preble Street Resource Center's new Joe Kreisler Teen Shelter.
by Christian MilNeil / Last week in Portland, local musicians and music venues participated in the 2nd annual "Playing for Change, Playing for Maine" benefit, just one of hundreds of similar events that happened worldwide to benefit music education programs for kids. To celebrate the event, the Maine Academy of Modern Music, which embraces the Playing for Change mission through the rock camps and music lessons it runs for kids across the state, got a bunch of Portland's musicians, producers, and filmmakers together to collaborate on this gorgeous and inspiring video performance: This video demonstrates, in a really lovely way, the mutual support and collaboration that's possible in Portland's small but tightly-knit music community (which, in this case as with many others, often overlaps and collaborates with our visual arts community, our filmmaking community, our nonprofit and social justice communities.
by Christian MilNeil / Today, the Portland Museum of Art will opened a major new acquisition to the public. Winslow Homer's studio on Prouts Neck in Scarborough is a landmark of Maine visual arts — and, because of Homer's own paintings, this site also represents an iconic piece of Maine's coastline.
by Christian MilNeil / Parking lots might be the antithesis of a creative economy: the side-effects of suburban blight in places that are too dull or dangerous for anyone to want to walk around on foot. Portland owes its vibrancy to the fact that didn't follow the example of other cities, which "solved" their parking problems by tearing down their downtown areas and replacing them with vast parking lots.
Mayor Brennan Aims for Portland to be "Known for Innovation and Enterprise."
by Christian MilNeil / Our city is already well-regarded for our arts and cultural institutions and our spectacular natural environment. But quality of life requires more than that — our city also needs to be a place where people can earn a comfortable living and enjoy the opportunities of a growing economy.
by Christian MilNeil / Lately my wife and I have been enjoying a sublime sandwich for our lunches (and occasional dinners): sourdough bread, spread generously with mayonnaise, and filled with fresh lettuce and a whole sliced tomato from the Portland Farmers' Market. The market's food offerings are near their fullest for the next few weeks: there are still lots of summer-season crops like cucumbers, tomatoes, salad greens, and a few peaches, but there are also bushels of fall crops coming in, including squashes, broccoli, and apples (if you're visiting from out of town, you'll find the market on Wednesdays in Monument Square 'till 2 pm and on Saturdays in Deering Oaks until noon).
by Christian MilNeil / The September First Fridays draw unusually large crowds, especially when it's warm and sunny out, as it is today. The sidewalks will be packed with gallery-goers and performers and craftspeople selling their wares, in addition to hundreds of Maine College of Art students newly returned from their summer breaks.


Medicines Management and Pharmacy Services provide a comprehensive array of services with the overall aim of ensuring that we get the right medicine to the right patient at the right time throughout the Trust.
The department is one of the largest of its kind in Europe comprising of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy support workers, doctors, nurses and business support staff.
We provide a variety of services to St James's University Hospital, Leeds General Infirmary, Chapel Allerton and Seacroft Hospitals. We also provide services to a variety of external organisations.
As experts in medicines, the main focus of our role involves applying our extensive pharmaceutical knowledge to ensure that medicines are used in the most effective and appropriate way.
Managing patients' medicines involves checking prescriptions to ensure that the right medication is being used at the right dose for the right condition. Medicine safety is of paramount importance so part of our role involves regular monitoring of the patient's condition by ensuring the necessary checks, such as blood tests, are performed.
We can help patients understand what medicines they need to take, when to take them, what they are being used for and help educate them about possible side effects. When patients are unable to take their medicines for any reason, we work with them to find ways around the problem, eg using liquids rather than tablets, placing the tablets in compliance aids or using reminder cards to help patients remember when to take their medicines.


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TV Games: Promotion contenders selected for Sky Sports
Five of the current top six in the Sky Bet Championship have been selected to appear live on Sky Sports in the latest round of confirmed TV fixtures.
Bristol City's visit to Derby County is up first, with the two in-form teams going head-to-head in a Friday night fixture at Pride Park on 19th January.
Sheffield Wednesday will then host a familiar face on Saturday 20th January, when former rival manager Neil Warnock returns to the Steel City with current team Cardiff City in a 5:30pm kick-off.
Lee Johnson's Robins then feature for a second time, with their visit to Bolton Wanderers on Friday 2nd February selected for live broadcast at 8pm, before current leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers host Sheffield United at Molineux on Saturday 3rd February.
Further TV selections for February will be announced in due course.
Clubs notified of selections for 10th February to 3rd March by 29th December
Clubs notified of selections for 10th March to 31st March by 19th January
From 23rd February, a minimum five-week rolling selection commences for matches up to and including the penultimate weekend;
Clubs notified of selections for the final day made following the completion of the penultimate round of matches.
NB: The EFL has committed to publicly announcing any fixture changes within three working days in order to give EFL supporters as much time as is possible to allow for any alterations to travel plans that may be required.


To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that homeless people spend as little time as possible in temporary accommodation.
Temporary accommodation ensures families have a place to stay if made homeless and while settled accommodation is found which meets their needs. The majority of accommodation is of good quality and in the social rented sector and we are working with local authorities to ensure that all temporary accommodation is the same standard as permanent accommodation.
We have also changed the length of time that families with children and pregnant women are in unsuitable temporary accommodation, from 14 days to 7 days, except in exceptional circumstances.
The Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group is working on its recommendations to end rough sleeping for good and to transform temporary accommodation services. The Action Group will draw on evidence of what works best to support homeless people and I look forward to receiving its recommendations later this year.


The present research project deals with the plays authored by South African playwrights of Indian origin. The project is divided into five parts. First two parts deal with histories – of Indian settlement in South Africa and of South African Indian theatre. The third and fourth parts are about plays written during apartheid and after apartheid. The fifth and the last part is overall summing up of the research done.
Indian settlement in South Africa beings officially in 1860 with the arrival of the first batch of indentured labourers from India. Their journey through many phases of settlement till present time is divided in four sections. The first section deals with the time period beginning from 1860 through 1914, the time Gandhiji left South Africa after resisting hard for the rights of Indians and after experimenting with the unique tools of satyagraha and ahimsa. This phase is about the journey of Indian indentures settled on far flung plantations to semi-urban and urban centers. The second section narrates consolidation period of Indians from 1914 to 1948. This phase shows the process of urbanization of Indians and with that the growth of education and art and culture among Indians. This period also speaks about gradual rise of English educated Indians and the positioning of Indians as support to the rulers and as representatives of the community. The third section of Indian history deals with the apartheid time, viz., from 1948 through 1994. This section shows how the Indians fought in every possible way along with the native against inhuman apartheid system. Some Indians like Ahmed Kathrada, Mac Maharaj, etc. earned position of respect during the anti-apartheid struggle. The fourth section deals with post-1994 scenario of Indians in free South Africa. The free nation presents an altogether different issue in multiracial context for all races. It is interesting to observe the growth of a strong community on a foreign soil amidst various tumults to a respectable position and then once again sail through uncertainty after freedom.
The second part of the research is about the history of Indian theatre in South Africa. This theatre has begun informally from dance festivals organized at various temples and religious gatherings. Then this rudimentary theatre shifted to schools and college auditoriums where Indian children were learning lessons of life. The indigenous Indian theatre in South Africa began in early 1960s with Krishna Shah's theatre workshop. Thereafter, this theatre prospered and became very significant during the apartheid. Many playwrights rose to prominence not only within the community but also nationally. However, playwrighting has taken an altogether different turn in the post-apartheid South Africa as socio-political realities of the present time have changed drastically. The South African Indian theatre is believed to be the response to the time.
The third part of the project analyses plays written by Indian playwrights in South Africa who wrote during the apartheid period. It is significant to note that the plays which are available in print only are considered for analysis. This time span covers playwrights like Ronnie Govender, Muthal Naidoo, Kessie Govender and Kriben Pillay. Among them, Ronnie Govender has achieved iconic status in South Africa. He has been awarded with the highest literary and art and citizenship awards for his contribution to South African theatre. Muthal Naidoo writes mostly about political situations. She can be considered as an activist against apartheid. Her plays arouse hilarious laughter and satirize the situation, but her core concern seems to be reformation, to sensitize people about the then government's various malicious moves. Kessie Govender's and Kriben Pillay's plays present the Indian community in various perspectives. As this time span is considerably large, one finds good number of plays written during this time. The plays written during this time shows various problems faced by the Indian community in their interracial relationship during the apartheid. The plays also deal with problems within the community. This theatre can be considered as the protest theatre and community theatre as well. Some of the plays which became famous in South Africa and elsewhere are Ronnie Govender's The Lahnee's Pleasure, At the Edge, Muthal Naidoo's The Masterplan, We 3 Kings, Kessie Govender's Working Class Hero and Kriben Pillay's Looking for Muruga.
The fourth part of the project analyses plays written during free South Africa. Playwrights like Rajesh Gopie, Ismail Mahomed and Ashwin Singh are presenting the changing scenario of the nation and with that changing socio-political situation. These plays mirror the problems the community is facing during the transition period. With races merging with each other and with the rise of black power in South Africa's new reality, the situation of the Indians have become precarious. Moreover, the rainbow reality is witnessing the process of creating synthesis among races. Such a process creates problems at community levels. Plays written by Ashwin Singh present such issues. Rajesh Gopie's plays travels from 1870 to the present time witnessing the effect of changing scenario on the community. Whereas Ismail Mahomed narrates situation of women in two different perspectives. Some of the noteworthy plays are Rajesh Gopie's Out of Bounds, Ashwin Singh's Spice 'n Stuff, and Ismail Mahomed's Cheaper than Roses.
The fifth part is the overall summing up of the research bringing out various observations made after analyzing plays through various dimensions. The analysis is made through sociological, historical and political perspectives prevalent during the time.
This is probably the first instance that South African Indian theatre is analyzed. This genre has escaped notice of the academia and has remained unexplored. So, it is hoped that the present research shall become the pioneering work and in future more scholars shall take up research in this area.


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Fiction Features
Our most anticipated releases of the season.
Conquer the Classics
A little behind on your classics? No judgments, just encouragement!
Editors Select
Dig into our Audible Editors' favorite picks.
By: Chandler Baker
Narrated by: Almarie Guerra
Sloane, Ardie, Grace, and Rosalita have worked at Truviv, Inc. for years. The sudden death of Truviv's CEO means their boss, Ames, will likely take over the entire company. Each of the women has a different relationship with Ames, who has always been surrounded by whispers about how he treats women. Those whispers have been ignored by those in charge. But this time, when they find out Ames is making an inappropriate move on a colleague, they aren't willing to let it go.
I WANTED to like this book...
By Kimberly on 07-03-19
I could not stop listening
With its quick description as "a feminist thriller for the #MeToo era," Whisper Network was bound to create buzz, and I must say that in this case that buzz is very well deserved (great pick, Reese!). And while there is some very bad behavior going on and plenty of justified rage, what makes this the perfect summer listen is its simultaneous lightness. Narrator Almarie Guerra's performance is a masterwork in capturing the nuanced differences between each character. It's a twisted tale full of people and situations you love to hate and hate to love, it's a little campy, and even the women are kind of terrible, but I could not get enough of their entangled stories and could barely wait to find out what happens in the end. My advice: control yourself, maybe listen at 1.25 speed, but be patient and wait for it!
Tricia F.
By: Colson Whitehead
Narrated by: JD Jackson, Colson Whitehead
In this bravura follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning number one New York Times best seller The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.
By ilene on 07-22-19
He's done it again
Nobody does historical fiction like Colson Whitehead. His Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Underground Railroad knocked us all out in 2016 and I'm pretty sure The Nickel Boys is on that same trajectory. Based on a real reformatory school and set in the last years of Jim Crow, this story focuses on Elwood Curtis, a young black man trying to survive the horrors that go on within the grounds of The Nickel Academy—an institution more akin to a torturous prison than the academic institution it's been advertised as. What keeps him going? The words of his hero, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a belief that it will get better. The Nickel Boys is a beautiful and devastating story that gives a voice to the boys who were abused and killed at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys all those years ago.
By: Karen Dukess
Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky
In the summer of 1987, 25-year-old Eve Rosen, an aspiring writer languishing in a low-level assistant job, jumps at the chance to attend an early summer gathering at the Cape Cod home of famed New Yorker writer Henry Grey and his poet wife. Eve lands a new job as Henry Grey's research assistant and an invitation to Henry and Tillie's exclusive and famed "Book Party". But by the night of the party, Eve discovers uncomfortable truths about her summer entanglements and understands that the literary world she so desperately wanted to be a part of is not at all what it seems.
It's good to be invited, right?
There's a communal voyeurism we like to indulge, looking into the lives of the rich and famous to be reassured that theirs is just as—or even more—messy as ours. It's why we love the The Great Gatsby or Crazy Rich Asians. But it's a literary focus on that endeavor that makes Karen Dukess's debut, The Last Book Party, summer listen catnip for bookish nerds like us, with its engaging, almost wistful, narration by Jesse Vilinsky. When young aspiring writer Eve Rosen enters the literati world of New Yorker writer Henry Grey and his poet wife Tillie, everything seems within her reach, but over the course of this summer coming-of-age tale, she finds out what we all know: There's always more to the story.
Abby W.
By: Abbi Waxman
The only child of a single mother, Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, a kick-butt trivia team, a world-class planner and a cat named Phil. If she sometimes suspects there might be more to life than reading, she just shrugs and picks up a new book. When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, Nina is horrified. They all live close by! They're all - or mostly all - excited to meet her! She'll have to Speak. To. Strangers. It's a disaster!
Good feeling read
By J. Kit on 07-15-19
Smooth, sweet summer listen
The first thing that stood out to me about The Bookish Life of Nina Hill was the language. Conversations that actually sound like the ones I hear and participate in every day? Impossible! You'd think it's easy, but I've listened to more than my fair share of well-intended attempts at capturing contemporary speech that just fall short on authenticity. And the "quirky" main character is another trendy go-to these days that at times can feel cliché. Well, I'm thrilled to report that Nina Hill is *actually* quirky, and her conversations with those around her *actually* sound like they could take place in the real world. Combine that with a bright and lively performance from Emily Rankin, and you've got the perfect light listen to start your summer off with a smile.
Lavina K.
The Enlightenment of Bees
By: Rachel Linden
Narrated by: Madison Lawrence
At 26, idealistic baker Mia West has her entire life planned out: a Craftsman cottage in Seattle, baking at The Butter Emporium, and the love of her life, her boyfriend Ethan, by her side. But when Ethan breaks up with her instead of proposing on their sixth dating anniversary (with the Tiffany blue box in his pocket), Mia's carefully planned future crumbles. Guided by recurring dreams about honeybees that seem to be leading her toward this new path in life (helping those in need), Mia joins her vivacious housemate Rosie on an around-the-world humanitarian trip.
Charming read perfect for summer ☀
A delightful adventure
The Enlightenment of Bees was just the tale my wanderlust-laden heart needed this summer. There's romance, there's travel, there's an eccentric cast of characters, a plucky heroine…add in a chilled glass of rosé, a little sunshine, and my favorite lounge chair, and you can see why it was so easy to fall under Rachel Linden's spell. This was also my first time listening to a book narrated by Madison Lawrence, and the slight huskiness to her voice combined with her easy way with humor made it feel like I was listening to an old friend.
Katie O.
Web of Dreams
Casteel
By: V.C. Andrews
Narrated by: Robin Eller
With nowhere to go, no one to help her, Leigh fled into the arms of Luke Casteel! Leigh Van Voreen had to escape from Boston's Farthinggale Manor. The foul secret she harbored within her seemed to darken her life forever. Jillian, her mother, would not believe her...and Tony Tatterton, her stepfather, had betrayed her most cruelly. But the pure devotion of Luke Casteel promised her hope and respect. Only Luke knew her deepest of secrets...only Luke would love and protect her.
Reader is horrible
By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Narrated by: Yetta Gottesman
The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather's house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own. Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather's room. She opens it - and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother.
The Lager Queen of Minnesota
By: J. Ryan Stradal
Narrated by: Judith Ivey
Two sisters, one farm. A family is split when their father leaves their shared inheritance entirely to Helen, his younger daughter. Despite baking award-winning pies at the local nursing home, her older sister, Edith, struggles to make what most people would call a living. So she can't help wondering what her life would have been like with even a portion of the farm money her sister kept for herself.
By: Laurie Gelman
Narrated by: Laurie Gelman
If you've ever been a room parent or school volunteer, Jen Dixon is your hero. She says what every class mom is really thinking, whether in her notoriously frank emails or standup-worthy interactions with the micromanaging PTA President and the gamut of difficult parents. Luckily, she has the charm and wit to get away with it - most of the time. Jen is sassier than ever but dealing with a whole new set of challenges in the world of parental politics and at home.
Krewe of Hunters, Book 28
By: Heather Graham
Narrated by: Luke Daniels
Keri Wolf has joined the crew of The Seekers, a show that searches for paranormal phenomena, as they explore a supposedly haunted old inn on the road between Philadelphia and Harrisburg. The place is famous for its warm welcome - and infamous for being the site of an ax murder rampage in the 1920s. They've barely begun when a very real dead body is discovered in the basement. As a nonfiction author, Keri is supposed to be the rational one, but she can't explain a terrifying apparition that seems to be both a threat and a warning.
Gravity Is the Thing
By: Jaclyn Moriarty
Narrated by: Aimee Horne
Twenty years ago, Abigail Sorenson's brother Robert went missing one day before her 16th birthday, never to be seen again. That same year, she began receiving scattered chapters in the mail of a self-help manual, the Guidebook, whose anonymous author promised to make her life soar to heights beyond her wildest dreams. Now, two decades after receiving those first pages, Abi is invited to an all-expenses paid weekend retreat to learn "the truth" about the Guidebook. It's an opportunity too intriguing to refuse.
Home for Erring and Outcast Girls
By: Julie Kibler
Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
In turn-of-the-20th century Texas, the Berachah Home for the Redemption and Protection of Erring Girls is an unprecedented beacon of hope for young women consigned to the dangerous poverty of the streets by birth, circumstance, or personal tragedy. Built in 1903 on the dusty outskirts of Arlington, a remote dot between Dallas and Fort Worth's red-light districts, the progressive home bucks public opinion by offering faith, training, and rehabilitation to prostitutes, addicts, unwed mothers, and "ruined" girls without forcibly separating mothers from children.
By: T. Marie Vandelly
For the lucky among us, life is what you make of it, but for Dixie Wheeler, the theme music for her story was chosen by another long ago, on the day her father butchered her mother and brothers and then slashed a knife across his own throat. Only one-year-old Dixie was left alive, infamously known as Baby Blue for the song left playing in the aftermath of the slaughter. Twenty-five years later, Dixie is still desperate for a connection to the family she can't remember, so when her childhood home goes up for sale, Dixie sets aside all reason and moves in.
By: Carrie Stuart Parks
Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo
Evelyn McTavish's world came crashing down with the suicide of her fiancé. As she struggles to put her life back together and make a living from her art, she receives a call that her dog is about to be destroyed at the pound. Except she doesn't own a dog. The shelter is adamant that the microchip embedded in the canine with her name and address makes it hers. Evelyn recognizes the dog as one owned by archaeologist John Coyote because she was commissioned to draw the two of them. Returning the dog to his owner, she arrives only to discover John's murdered body.
Meet Me in Monaco
A Novel of Grace Kelly's Royal Wedding
By: Hazel Gaynor, Heather Webb
Narrated by: Nancy Peterson, Jeremy Arthur
Movie stars and paparazzi flock to Cannes for the glamorous film festival, but Grace Kelly, the biggest star of all, wants only to escape from the flashbulbs. When struggling perfumer Sophie Duval shelters Miss Kelly in her boutique, fending off a persistent British press photographer, James Henderson, a bond is forged between the two women and sets in motion a chain of events that stretches across 30 years of friendship, love, and tragedy.
By: Katherine Collette
Narrated by: Jane U'Brien
An eccentric woman who is great with numbers - but not so great with people - realizes it's up to her to pull a community together in this charming, big-hearted debut.
By: Gore Vidal
Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
Perhaps Vidal's most outrageous novel, this is an indescribable fantasy purportedly set in the city of Duluth (which, however, is near the Mexican border) and involving a TV show also named Duluth (a parody of Dallas), a spaceship that has landed nearby, the antics of a policewoman, Darlene Ecks, and much else.
The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle
By: Sophie Green
Narrated by: Anthea Greco
In a seaside suburb of NSW, housewife Theresa Howard takes up swimming. She wants to get fit; she also wants a few precious minutes to herself. So at sunrise each day she strikes out past the waves. From the same beach, the widowed Marie swims. With her husband gone, bathing is the one constant in her new life. After finding herself in a desperate situation, 26-year-old Leanne only has herself to rely on. She became a nurse to help others, even as she resists help herself. Elaine has recently moved from England.
We Love Anderson Cooper
By: R. L. Maizes
Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
In We Love Anderson Cooper, characters are treated as outsiders because of their sexual orientation, racial or religious identity, or simply because they look different. A young man courts the publicity that comes from outing himself at his bar mitzvah. When a painter is shunned because of his appearance, he learns to ink tattoos that come to life. A paranoid Jewish actuary suspects his cat of cheating on him - with his Protestant girlfriend.
Screen Tests
Stories and Other Writing
By: Kate Zambreno
Narrated by: Mia Barron
In Screen Tests, an astoundingly original and stylish collection, Zambreno has once again created new categories of writing, of vivid and surprising language and thought.
What I Lived For
By: Joyce Carol Oates
Narrated by: Charlie Thurston
Jerome "Corky" Corcorn. A money-juggling wheeler dealer, rising politico, popular man's man, and successful womanizer. It is a Memorial Day weekend, and we are about to live with him, breathe with him, and sweat with him in a nonstop marathon of mounting desperation as he tries to keep his financial empire from unraveling, his love life from shredding, and his rebellious daughter from destroying both herself and him. Seldom in fiction has a man been brought so vividly to life in all his strength and weakness, hunger and ambition, carnality and corruption.
For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl....
By: Simon Rich
Narrated by: Scott Aiello, Beck Bennett
SNL's Beck Bennett performs Screwball, a wildly funny and wistful take on Babe Ruth's little-known stint in the minor leagues, from one of America's funniest writers, Simon Rich....
Great Story, not for kids
By Stormy Jones on 07-06-19
It's 1949. When war veteran Aloysius Archer is released from Carderock Prison, he is sent to Poca City on parole with a short list of do's and a much longer list of don'ts....
Beloved author Elizabeth Gilbert returns to fiction with a unique love story set in the New York City theater world during the 1940s....
Four siblings experience the drama, intrigue, and upheaval of a summer when everything changed....
Zane Bigelow grew up in a beautiful, perfectly kept house in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains....
Before We Were Yours
By: Lisa Wingate
Narrated by: Emily Rankin, Catherine Taber
Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family's Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge - until strangers arrive in force....
I was rivetted, finished in three days.
By Lin Cloward on 06-26-17
By: Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett
The world will end on Saturday. Next Saturday. Just before dinner, according to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies....
Satisfyingly Hilarious
By FernT on 09-27-11
We Hope for Better Things
By: Erin Bartels
Narrated by: Stina Nielsen
Debut novelist Erin Bartels takes listeners on an emotional journey through time - from the volatile streets of 1960s Detroit to the Underground Railroad during the Civil War - to uncover the past, confront the seeds of hatred, and discover where love goes to hide....
Hidden gem of a book!
By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Steven Weber
Welcome to Derry, Maine. It's a small city, a place as hauntingly familiar as your own hometown. Only in Derry the haunting is real....
Great Audiobook! Editing Clarification
By jeverett on 10-06-17
By: Gail Honeyman
Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron
Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she's thinking....
Close To Perfection--A Definite Thumbs Up!
Mrs. Everything
By: Jennifer Weiner
Narrated by: Ari Graynor, Beth Malone
From Jennifer Weiner, comes a smart, thoughtful, and timely exploration of two sisters' lives from the 1950s to the present as they struggle to find their places in a rapidly evolving world. Mrs. Everything is an ambitious, richly textured journey through history....
Absolutely beautiful
By JustAMommy on 06-13-19
Sloane, Ardie, Grace, and Rosalita have worked at Truviv, Inc. for years. The sudden death of Truviv's CEO means their boss, Ames, will likely take over the entire company. The whispers about his behavior have been ignored by those in charge....
Narrated by: Helen Duff
Fifteen-year-old Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenage golden couple. And then she was gone....
Not a bad read
By Jessica Jones on 05-26-18
In this bravura follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize-winning best seller The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida....
By: Celeste Ng
Narrated by: Jennifer Lim
A riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives....
I kept Waiting for it to get good...it never did.
A Fable About Following Your Dream
Narrated by: Jeremy Irons
This story, dazzling in its simplicity and wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of treasure....
A Timeless Tale
By Judi on 01-07-07
By: Kristin Hannah
Narrated by: Polly Stone
An epic love story and family drama set at the dawn of World War II....
Heroic & Harrowing Work Of Fiction
By: Linda Holmes
Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Linda Holmes
A heartfelt debut about the unlikely relationship between a young woman who's lost her husband and a Major League pitcher who's lost his game....
By DallasD on 06-30-19
By: Heather Morris
Narrated by: Richard Armitage
This beautiful, illuminating tale of hope and courage is based on interviews that were conducted with Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov - an unforgettable love story in the midst of atrocity....
A hopeful perspective on a harrowing time
By melyssa57 (A Page Before Bedtime dot com) on 10-10-18
Evidence of the Affair
By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Narrated by: Julia Whelan, George Newbern, James Daniels, and others
The correspondence between Carrie Allsop and David Mayer reveals, piece by piece, the painful details of a devastating affair between their spouses. With each commiserating scratch of the pen, they confess their fears and bare their souls....
Has all the magic of the short story form
By Jonetta (Ejaygirl) on 07-13-19
By: Liane Moriarty
Narrated by: Caroline Lee
Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She's funny, biting, and passionate; she remembers everything and forgives no one. Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare, but she is paying a price for the illusion of perfection....
Oh, Calamity!
By L. O. Pardue on 10-07-14
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death....
My First Completed Stephen King Novel
By Meaghan Bynum on 02-20-12
By: Amor Towles
Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin....
A Reprieve Amidst Ugly News, Relentless Negativity
By Cathy Lindhorst on 08-27-17
The Alice Network
By: Kate Quinn
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family....
We are standing on the shoulders of giants...
By Marie on 02-25-18
The Handmaid's Tale: Special Edition
By: Margaret Atwood, Valerie Martin - essay
Narrated by: Claire Danes, full cast, Margaret Atwood
After a violent coup in the United States overthrows the Constitution and ushers in a new government regime, the Republic of Gilead imposes subservient roles on all women....
WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT
By ambER on 04-20-17
By: Garth Stein
Enzo knows he is different from other dogs....
A stunning read
By Cliff on 03-04-09
By: Madeline Miller
Narrated by: Perdita Weeks
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child - not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring, like her mother....
Refined writing with an intimate performance
By Michael - Audible Editor on 04-11-18
The Cactus
By: Sarah Haywood
Narrated by: Katherine Manners
For Susan Green, messy emotions don't fit into the equation of her perfectly ordered life. She has a flat that is ideal for one, a job that suits her passion for logic, and an "interpersonal arrangement"....
Adorable story, AMAZING Narration.
By Monica Flock on 06-29-18
Alexander X
Battle for Forever, Book 1
By: Edward Savio
Alexander Grant is a little too good at a few too many things. Two dozen martial arts. Twice that many languages. Chess, the piano, sports, forging excused absences, you name it. He graduated high school top of his class...seventeen times. Of course, no one knows any of this....
Immersive Action and Compelling Narration!
By Adam Lieblein on 06-06-19
Narrated by: Jennifer Beals, Benjamin Bratt, Judy Greer, and others
Daisy is a girl coming of age in LA in the late '60s, sneaking into clubs, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it's the rock 'n' roll she loves most. By the time she's 20, her voice is getting noticed....
A Different Kind of Review
By D. Fields on 03-23-19
Narrated by: Will Patton
An 11-year-old boy's violated corpse is found in a town park. Eyewitnesses and fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City's most popular citizens....
By Bruce E. McClelland on 07-13-19
Shadowmage
Spellmonger, Book 9
By: Terry Mancour
The life of a knight mage is never easy, but sometimes the gods smile on you and grant you an errand of incredible complexity...without regards to casualties....
5 premature reviews?
By Nori Carter on 06-25-19
By: Richard Powers
The Overstory unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fable that range from antebellum New York to the late 20th-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond....
By Michael Stansberry on 05-23-18
Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision....
✫✫✫✫✫ 5 Stars ✫✫✫✫✫
Before he was "Babe" or "The Sultan of Swat" or "The Great Bambino", George Herman Ruth was just another teenage misfit at St. Mary's School for Boys. But Ruth has something the other boys don't, and when Baltimore Orioles manager Jack Dunn watches him throw a baseball over a building, Ruth gets the chance to punch his ticket out of the orphanage. All he has to do now is make the team.
After a violent coup in the United States overthrows the Constitution and ushers in a new government regime, the Republic of Gilead imposes subservient roles on all women. Offred, now a Handmaid tasked with the singular role of procreation in the childless household of the enigmatic Commander and his bitter wife, can remember a time when she lived with her husband and daughter and had a job, before she lost everything, even her own name.
The Only Woman in the Room
By: Marie Benedict
Her beauty almost certainly saved her from the rising Nazi party and led to marriage with an Austrian arms dealer. Underestimated in everything else, she overheard the Third Reich's plans while at her husband's side, understanding more than anyone would guess. She devised a plan to flee in disguise from their castle, and the whirlwind escape landed her in Hollywood. She became Hedy Lamarr, screen star.
Author missed her chance
By Kay on 02-17-19
By: Margaret Atwood
Narrated by: Claire Danes
Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, serving in the household of the enigmatic Commander and his bitter wife. She may go out once a day to markets whose signs are now pictures because women are not allowed to read. She must pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, for in a time of declining birthrates her value lies in her fertility, and failure means exile to the dangerously polluted Colonies. Offred can remember a time when she lived with her husband and daughter and had a job, before she lost even her own name....
A heartwrenching story read absolutely brilliantly
By Heather on 08-22-12
Make sure the kids aren't around! Just because you're a grown-up doesn't mean you can't enjoy the art of the children's bedtime story. Nick Offerman presents this collection of 12 short stories written in the style of a classic kids' tale, but with a decidedly dark and adult approach. What really happened after Snow White died, from the perspective of the one medically trained dwarf? A naive wizard professor reports back from the trenches of an underprivileged school of magic. And much more!
Are the kids asleep? Yes? Good. This one isn't for them. Now, if your weary, grown-up mind has been searching for a snarkier alternative to your favorite childhood tales, this Audible Original, hosted by Nick Offerman (Parks & Recreation), will scratch that itch - and then some. Enjoy a hilarious collection of short stories, featuring performances from the likes of Tommy Chong (Cheech & Chong), Tony Hale (Veep), Patton Oswalt (The Goldbergs), and David Spade (Saturday Night Live).
Slaughterhouse-Five
By: Kurt Vonnegut
Narrated by: James Franco
Traumatized by the bombing of Dresden at the time he had been imprisoned, Pilgrim drifts through all events and history, sometimes deeply implicated, sometimes a witness. He is surrounded by Vonnegut's usual large cast of continuing characters (notably here the hack science fiction writer Kilgore Trout and the alien Tralfamadorians, who oversee his life and remind him constantly that there is no causation, no order, no motive to existence).
Horrible narration.
By Walter W. Quinn on 07-05-18
By: Mark Twain
Narrated by: Nick Offerman
A natural storyteller and raconteur in his own right - just listen to Paddle Your Own Canoe and Gumption - actor, comedian, carpenter, and all-around manly man Nick Offerman ( Parks and Recreation) brings his distinctive baritone and a fine-tuned comic versatility to Twain's writing. In a knockout performance, he doesn't so much as read Twain's words as he does rejoice in them, delighting in the hijinks of Tom - whom he lovingly refers to as a "great scam artist" and "true American hero".
Even better as an Adult!
By Rick on 01-10-17
A Rare Book of Cunning Device
By: Ben Aaronovitch
Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
Exclusive to Audio! Somewhere amongst the shadowy stacks and the many basements of the British library, something is very much amiss - and we're not talking late returns here. Is it a ghost, or something much worse? PC Peter Grant really isn't looking forward to finding out....
A Peter Grant bonus short story
By Elisabeth Carey on 05-01-17
The modern audience hasn't had a chance to truly appreciate the unknowing dread that readers would have felt when reading Bram Stoker's original 1897 manuscript. Most modern productions employ campiness or sound effects to try to bring back that gothic tension, but we've tried something different. By returning to Stoker's original storytelling structure - a series of letters and journal entries voiced by Jonathan Harker, Dr. Van Helsing, and other characters - with an all-star cast of narrators, we've sought to recapture its originally intended horror and power.
Narrator Dan Stevens ( Downton Abbey) presents an uncanny performance of Mary Shelley's timeless gothic novel, an epic battle between man and monster at its greatest literary pitch. In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor to the very brink of madness. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship, scientific hubris, and horror.


text:
Q: Validations for Image upload is not working in yii Here is my  view code :
<?php
$form=$this->beginWidget('CActiveForm',array(
        'id'=>'user-form',
        'enableClientValidation'=>'true',
        'clientOptions' => array(
        'validateOnSubmit'=>true),
        'htmlOptions'=>array('enctype'=>'multipart/form-data'),
)
);?>

  <div class="row">
  <?php echo $form->labelEx($model,'profile_image');?>
  <?php echo $form->fileField($model,'profile_image');?>
  <?php echo $form->error($model,'profile_image');?>
  </div>

& this is the rule for validations:
public function rules()
{
    return array (array('profile_image','file','types'=>'jpg','allowEmpty'=>true),
);
}

Still,it is not showing any validations for file upload.Can anyone please tell me the error in my code.

A: Try something like this in your Controller for validation
$model = new YourModel();

if(isset($_POST['YourModel']))
{
$model->profile_image= CUploadedFile::getInstance($model, 'profile_image');

if($model->validate())
{
// do your task here
}
}

Hope this will help you :)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Domain name is not resolving (Can't find: No answer) I'm having a domain yantdom.com
It has valid whois information:

Name Server: ns1.myownns.ru
Name Server: ns2.myownns.ru

And the nameserver it's stored on works fine:

$nslookup yantdom.com ns1.myownns.ru
Server:       ns1.myownns.ru
Address:  46.4.55.210#53
Name: yantdom.com
Address: 46.4.55.210

But for some reason when I do lookup on google DNS servers I get this:

*** Can't find yantdom.com: No answer

Same with other name servers.
Here's my zone file:
$TTL 3600
yantdom.com.    IN  SOA raibo.ru. konstantin.raibo.ru. (2014051400 10800 3600 604800 86400)
yantdom.com.    IN  NS  ns1.myownns.ru.
yantdom.com.    IN  NS  ns2.myownns.ru.
yantdom.com.    IN  A   46.4.55.210
www IN  A   46.4.55.210

Which work totally fine for other domains hosted and served on the server.
What could be possibly be wrong with this domain? Where should I look at first?
Thank you!

A: When I query the NS records for the domain I get:
mtak@frisbee:~$ dig -t ns yantdom.com +short
ns2.verification-hold.suspended-domain.com.
ns1.verification-hold.suspended-domain.com.

It seems you have not completed the contact verification process (additional information here). I haven't seen this before, but I suggest you contact your registrar.

A: I had this problem with my registrar (ActiveDomain (they really suck)).
They sent me a verification email but GMail put it in the 'Spam' folder.
So, to solve your problem, open search your Junk/Spam folder for a verification email from your registrar.


text:
Our staff works tirelessly for the civil liberties and civil rights of all Idahoans. From Virgina to Mexico, our employees come from varied backgrounds to help keep Idaho safe and free.
Amy Collins, Operations and Finance Manager
Amy joined the ACLU of Idaho in September of 2013. Before transitioning to the nonprofit world, Amy worked as a patent paralegal assistant. Amy manages the organization's finance and administrative work. Amy graduated from the University of Montana with a business management and marketing degree.
Jeremy Woodson, Community Engagement Manager
Jeremy joined the ACLU of Idaho in October of 2017, after living abroad in Spain where he worked as a digital media freelancer and English language instructor. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in professional journalism and has worked internationally in digital media and education for more than five years.
Kathy Griesmyer, Policy Director
Kathy joined the ACLU of Idaho in 2011 and currently serves as the chief lobbyist for the organization. Before joining the ACLU of Idaho, Kathy worked on a civic engagement campaign to organize Idahoans to exercise their right to vote and educate them on Idaho's election system. Kathy graduated from the University of Oregon in 2010.
Kelsey Dillon, Director of Philanthropy
Kelsey joined the ACLU of Idaho in March of 2019. Prior to joining the ACLU, Kelsey worked as the Development Director for the Idaho Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. Her experience includes legislative work, communications, and fund development. Kelsey graduated from Pacific University in Oregon.
Leo Morales, Executive Director
Leo joined the ACLU of Idaho in 2011 as the organization's communications and advocacy department director. He became the executive director in 2015. Prior to joining the ACLU, he worked with a statewide non-profit advocacy organization addressing issues of poverty and racial justice. His experience includes legislative work, media relations, and grassroots organizing. Leo graduated from Boise State University.
Richard Eppink, Legal Director
Ritchie Eppink started work for the ACLU of Idaho in May 2012. He was previously the Justice Architect for Idaho Legal Aid Services and, before that, a Fullbright Fellow. He graduated from the University of Idaho and the University of Virginia. Ritchie manages all aspects of the ACLU of Idaho's litigation program.
Ruby Mendez-Mota, Legislative Advocacy Fellow
Ruby joined the ACLU of Idaho in October of 2018 as the advocacy fellow for the organization. Prior to joining, she worked at a statewide non-profit organization as a senior policy fellow addressing and leading immigration reform, fair lending and civic engagement campaigns. Her experience includes grassroots organizing, legislative work, organizational strategizing and advocacy training. Ruby is currently finishing her undergraduate.
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Thornhurst Township is the southernmost municipality in Lackawanna County. Situated along the Lehigh River, the community includes the Pinchot Trail System and the Lackawanna State Forest. Outdoor enthusiasts love the variety of activties offered in the area and residents greatly enjoy the natural beauty of the region while living in Thornhurst Township, PA.
Here are a few activties that residents enjoy around the Thornhurst Township community!
The map below gives you the general idea of the size of the Thornhurst Township area.You can see a larger version of the map by clicking on it!


But, even if it never happens, the proposal creates any number of fascinating scenarios to examine for political junkies. And, no, we can't resist.
Let's start with the basics. The number of U.S. Senators would jump to 12 - as each of the five new states would be allotted two Senators. As for the House, the addition of five new states would change the current dynamics but not dramatically; the most populous regions (which are heavily Democratic) would still have more representatives than the more sparsely populated ones.
"It seems like there is a net plus of safe Democratic seats in the Senate, " said Rob Stutzman, a California-based GOP strategist, who added that while it seems far-fetched, the six-state plan is - on its face - plausible. "If you look at these proposed states in a vacuum, they all make sense."
Using 2012 presidential election vote tallies as a baseline, we've determined that the Six Californias would break down this way: 1) Three solidly blue states (North California, Silicon Valley, West California) 2) Three swing states (Jefferson, Central California and South California - two of which would lean Republican). Here's a breakdown of the politics of each one.
The northern-most state under the Six California plan combines the state's 14 northern-most counties to form "Jefferson". It would be the smallest of the six Californias in terms of population. With roughly 950, 000 residents, it would be the 7th least populous state, having roughly the same number of residents as Delaware.
Jefferson would include some of the most Republican-counties in all of the six Californias - 11 of which backed Mitt Romney in 2012. In fact, had Jefferson been an independent state in 2012, Romney would have defeated Barack Obama there by more than 20, 000 votes. There's a good chance that, with the right candidates, Jefferson could send a Republican-heavy delegation to Congress. Still, statewide elections in Jefferson would be competitive.
This is another of the smallest states - in both geography and population - of the six Californias. North California is home to Sacramento as well the crucial YOLO County (Ok, we're not actually sure if it's electorally crucial, but we had to find a reason to give this place a mention).
As of 2000, 52% of California's voting age population was non-Hispanic white.


Inspired by the tropical shores of Thailand, the Classic Double Lanta Hammock creates a mini oasis for one or two people. This hammock features a bright blue and green striped pattern that will look amazing in your yard, on your porch, or at the beach! Double means this hammock holds up to 330 lbs. Each hammock directly empowers weavers in Thailand and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by providing alternatives to slash-and-burn agriculture practices.


All of our various Mac file recovery software downloads, Mac data recovery software downloads, Mac image recovery software downloads and Mac disk management software downloads are listed here for your immediate download and evaluation.
The evaluation versions of the software are available at no charge, and will allow you to "test drive" the software before you buy it.
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Those pages will give you a detailed description of the software and its capabilities.
Should you be needing to recover data from a hard drive, please use FILERECOVERY®.
RescuePRO® and PHOTORECOVERY® are outstanding recovery products for digital media, but they are not intended for recovering lost data from hard drives.
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Should you require a version of the Windows operating system, please visit our PC Downloads page, or click on the "PC Users" button in the top right corner of this page. Either link will direct you to the Windows-based software page.
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The Hacker Quarterly
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Shadow Over Li
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Channel 2600
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RNC 2004
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The last day of the Megabit Bar which was always lively at any hour of the day or night.
This was pretty much what the sky looked like a lot of the time.
Part of the crowd at the closing ceremonies.
Even after the event ended, attendees stuck around.
This was our currency for the weekend. Yellow was 50 cents, green was a euro, pink was two euros and 50 cents. Note that there seemed to be variations in both color and style.
This dog was great fun throughout the weekend, playing with anyone who was around. And there were lots of people around. Sunday was the first chance he had to catch his breath.
The Foo Bar.
The lockpicking tent was filled with people and workshops most of the time.
This is the kind of really cool truck you tend to see out here.
Signs of residents who have moved on became more prevalent as night approached.
At the Boxtel station, the "dog train" which is basically local service.
Day 15. I can't believe it went by so fast. As someone who really doesn't spend a lot of time camping out in tents, you would think these four days would have been somewhat of an ordeal for me. Well, thanks to Hanneke and Sasja who got me a really cool tent that didn't let a drop of water in the whole time as well as Mike and Redhackt who helped to put it up, I never felt uncomfortable. Of course I never actually got a whole lot of sleep since everyone really had to leave their tents once the sun started hitting them in earnest as the temperature would get really hot really quickly. But I've found that only a few hours of sleep a night is just fine if what you're doing during your waking hours is interesting. I actually feel a lot better, stronger, etc. after spending time in a place like this.
Despite the fact that this is the last day, I see no major indication of people wanting to leave. Not entirely, anyway. I'm sad to see so many of the people from America I was hanging out with wanting to get to Amsterdam even before the closing ceremonies at five. But everyone's threshold is at a different level. The place was absolutely packed for the very last session.
The closing ceremony was where Rop basically spent a bit of time telling the story behind the conference, its various setbacks, highlights of the weekend, and of course thanking all of the unsung heroes who made it happen in the first place. I'm sure a lot of us don't realize just what goes into these events. And probably even fewer realize that despite all of the success, the conference will probably lose money in the end. But if it's not a disaster, then it is an unqualified success. That was the tightrope that Rop and others had been walking for quite some time and it sure seemed like there was no question which it wound up being.
In the public relations arena, there was no doubt at all. While the mayor of Boxtel had initially expressed some reservations about letting the event take place at all, the resulting publicity actually wound up helping get people to attend. And once it had actually taken place, the owners of the land publicly said that they wished they could get rid of all of the other events they hosted and just have this one a dozen times a year. There were apparently no incidents, no disruption of the nearby community, and a great feeling that arose from the hacker occupation of the fields. Not even the Christian Youth camps that occasionally use this space evoked such praise.
Despite all of this, Rop expressed a desire to have future camps on the other side of the nearby border with Germany because of the difficulty and bureaucracy involved in the Netherlands. I can't believe how things have apparently changed over such a relatively short period of time. Hearing someone describe this country as being harder to organize a hacker conference in than even the United States left me wondering if maybe our own countries just seem more difficult and that we're dealing with a "grass is always greener" thing. There's no question though that what they have accomplished in Germany is truly awe-inspiring. The Chaos Computer Club has real political clout which has evolved through decades of hard work and dedicated people. If a threat of any sort of bad legislation becomes apparent, these are the people who will use their abilities to stop it. But I still think it's wrong to simply go where this battle has already been effectively fought. We need to use the CCC as inspiration to do it ourselves where we are now. Like Rop said, borders are just lines on a map and are quite arbitrary. But they can also be used to inflict great harm upon people and to control populations. Leaving them to do this in an area where many of us exist just doesn't feel right. But whatever is decided, I'm sure we'll have great fun the next time around.
One of the best things I witnessed was the huge number of people who chose to donate the remaining plastic currency that was still in their pockets into the bins at the front of the room. They would have been exchanged back into "real" money for anyone who wanted it. But after hearing of some of the hardships being faced, dropping whatever was still in your pockets into a bin seemed like the only thing to do for many attendees. Plastic never sounded so good.
A good number of people stayed behind to help with the cleanup which is a very necessary part of the operation. I wish I could have been one of them but I have to continue heading eastward tomorrow which leaves me only a single night in Amsterdam. As the operation on the iRiver device turned out to be a failure, I was now facing a real crisis in the production of future editions of "Off The Wall" which needed to be resolved as soon as possible. I really am pissed off at iRiver for selling such defective crap. It's not an isolated incident based on the number of identical stories I read about on the net. The hard drives just apparently die without warning leaving you completely fucked. Fortunately, Redbird has agreed to lend me his iRiver which hopefully won't pull the same crap. Next time I'll attach an external device to an iPod to accept a microphone input or use a smaller USB device with no moving parts. This remains the only technical problem I've experienced. All of my other hardware is functioning great.
We flagged down the shuttle and got a ride to the train station. All of the predictions (from Americans naturally) of a massive traffic jam at the end of the event turned out to be completely untrue. People just weren't that eager to leave. We wound up in the same vehicle as John Gilmore, whom I hadn't seen or talked to the whole weekend. (John, for those who don't know, made our whole fight against the MPAA possible by covering our legal bills through the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He had been giving some talks at the conference.) Once we got to the station, we all tried to figure out how to use the Dutch ticket machine.
I've experienced frustration before but this is the sort of thing that will quickly drive anyone out of their mind. Seven of us were gathered around this big yellow machine which was the only means of buying a train ticket. But you couldn't use a credit card or bank card, at least not any that were used in the United States. The Dutch smart cards were accepted but none of us had access to those. The machine took cash but only coins and we simply didn't have enough. There simply was no solution, something I've known about for a number of years. I don't understand why they have such a crazy system. We wound up all riding with no ticket to the first transfer point where I went to the ticket office to buy tickets for everyone and wound up with a one euro penalty for not using the machine! Ironically, nobody asked for our tickets on either train.
I'm profoundly upset that I'll only get to spend a single night in Amsterdam due to my having to leave for Berlin tomorrow. It's always so pleasant here. We spent time wandering the streets and looking for food. I think we're all quite tired after a long weekend and I suspect we'll sleep quite well tonight. I hope there's time to do something tomorrow before I leave on my next leg.
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Ontario mayors ask federal government to take over province's basic income pilot
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The mayors of four Ontario cities are urging the federal government to take over a basic income pilot project that's being cut short by the province, arguing the program provides valuable data that could be used to address poverty.
In a joint letter, the mayors of Hamilton, Thunder Bay, Brantford and Kawartha Lakes — communities that participated in the pilot — called on federal Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos to assume oversight of the program, which the province's Progressive Conservatives have claimed is failing.
"The Ontario government's cancellation of the pilot is distressing to participants and discouraging to all seeking a better way to assist vulnerable citizens," the mayors wrote in the letter sent to Ottawa this week.
"Federal oversight of the Ontario Basic Income Pilot project would be the best option to revive the critical information that will be generated, protect pilot participants from crisis who entered into the program in good faith and ensure the funds that have already been spent on this program are not wasted."
The mayors added that the program was being watched by jurisdictions around the world, with delegations from the U.K., Japan, South Korea and the U.S. expressing interest.
When asked about the mayors' letter, a spokeswoman for Duclos said the federal government is open to sharing data with provinces that are launching guaranteed annual income initiatives but noted that the design of such programs is up to those governments.
The basic income pilot was launched under the former Liberal government and was set to run for three years at a cost of $150 million. Under the project, single participants receive up to $16,989 a year while couples receive up to $24,027, less 50 per cent of any earned income.
The Tories had promised during the spring election to preserve the pilot, but Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod said in July that the new government would change course because the program wasn't working — a claim experts have disputed.
The program's 4,000 participants will now receive their final payments from the government next March, the government has said.
Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger said he has doubts about the claims the Tories are using to justify cancelling the pilot. The project's success or failure can't be determined without getting to the end of the program and evaluating the data gathered, he said.
"I think they're making that up as they go along," he said. "Clearly, this program was working by witness of all of the testimonials that were out there."
Eisenberger said that he's hopeful the federal government could negotiate with the province to obtain the data gathered during the first year of the pilot and see the program through to completion.
A spokesman for MacLeod said Friday that the Ontario government had no further comment on the basic income pilot program.
The province is also reviewing its social assistance programs, an exercise that's expected to be complete by Nov. 8.
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Sorry for the lack in quality, this is my first time attempting to record this process.
I do my best to make sure I get at least 1 to 2 hours of sculpting a day. Today's session was inspired by Uncharted's Nathan Drake. I wanted to give him a more aged look, kind of going for Nathan Drake a couple of years after his last adventure. Will be coming back to this one at a later date.
I've decided to start a new blog on my page, and I will be posting all future material on here.


Fancy strolling down to the beach for an early morning surf or to a cafe for brunch with friends on the weekend? Check out this apartment.
The Hedges Ave apartment has an open floorplan that flows seamlessly outside.
KEEN to live in a low-maintenance apartment where you can stroll down to the beach for an early morning surf or to a cafe for brunch with friends on the weekend?
This Mermaid Beach apartment on the ground floor of Hedges Ave's Wirringa Sands building offers the best of beachside living.
Its location was what attracted owner David Mason to the two-bedroom apartment about 18 months ago, despite being in desperate need of some tender loving care.
It's a short stroll to the beach as well as cafes and restaurants.
The owners renovated the property to give it a more modern style.
He spent weeks transforming the apartment, which now has a much more modern style.
The kitchen, living and dining area can be opened up onto a wraparound courtyard through sliding glass doors, making it ideal for entertaining.
The two bedrooms have their own bathrooms while the main has a walk-in wardrobe. Mr Mason, who lives in the apartment with his partner Penny, said it was a peaceful spot. "I love to sit out the front on the patio," he said.
The couple will move to a bigger apartment down the road.
The apartment will go to auction on April 14 at 11am.


Colin McNab (born 3 February 1961) was Scotland�s 2nd chess Grandmaster, fulfiling the requirements for the title in 1992 just after Paul Motwani. After achieving his three norms, he strained to get his rating up to the required 2500 level, and is possibly unique among Grandmasters in only achieving a published rating of 2500 some six years after being awarded the title. The FIDE regulations in force at the time stated that an �intermediate� rating at any stage during an event would suffice, and that ratings between 2498.5 and 2500 would be rounded up, which is indeed what happened in 1992.
McNab was also the Commonwealth Champion in 1992, and won the Scottish Champion in 1983, 1991, 1993 and 1995. His opening repertoire is noted for its seemingly quiet fianchetto systems, and he has written a book on The Fianchetto King�s Indian and co-authored the Ultimate Pirc with John Nunn. He is renowned as an expert on the endgame and has written a regular column for Scottish Chess magazine for a number of years. He is also a doctor of mathematics, having studied for a DPhil at Oxford University.
This article is based on the article Colin McNab from the free encyclopaedia Wikipedia and stands under the GNU-Licence for free documentation. In the Wikipedia a list of the authors is available.


Ooh, nice car! That was on my list when I stumbled over Baby the Subaru. I had a VW Cabrio back in the day, and the first week I had it I had to talk my way out of a speeding ticket – 50+ in a 35 (I was younger and hotter then). Yeah, those VWs are deceptive little buggers.
Hey..I am not THAT much older than you 🙂 Tell your hubby he can use our Wii if he can drive here slowly.
Can't wait to see the new mama mobile!


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Q: unity backface culling removes outside of my walls with blender object I am having problems with importing my .dae files into unity from blender.
At first some parts of my model weren't visible from the inside of my house due to backface culling. I have tried to flip those normals. This worked, however now the walls weren't visible from the outside of the house.
The next thing i've tried was extruding the wall and flipping just one side of the normals, though this caused the outer wall to be invisible and the inner wall to be visible in unity.
Is there any way to fix this properly or to disable backface culling in unity for certain parts of my model?
Camera inside the house (picture)
Link to the blender file (zip)

A: So i looked at your mesh, and its not well made!, you have a lot of overlapping edges, and i cleaned it up a bit. You also had backface culling turned on. disabled it, flipped a few normals and it works.

The next thing i've tried was extruding the wall and flipping just one side of the normals, though this caused the outer wall to be invisible and the inner wall to be visible in unity.

The normals were not flipped properly. You will need to reapply textures though. Backface culling, when done properly at source will not have to do it later in unity!.
You also need to learn how to properly create meshes without duplicate vertices or faces. As for How to disable backface culling in unity. From this thread it produces wrong lighting and have to replicate all the triangles with the script, so just stick to doing everything in blender it would be easier.

Dropbox Link to the .blend file

A: If the problem is not yet fixed, I would suggest that you add a solidify modifier to your model and set the thickness to a very low value. That way the walls would have volume and you wouldn't have to worry about the direction of the normals.

A: You either need to use shader which supports double sided rendering, or you have to make all the polygons twice and flip the normals. Easiest way to do it is just to duplicate the mesh inside blender and flip all its normals.