French publisher/distributor Anuman Interactive announced that it has acquired Microids, founded in 1985, known for titles such as Syberia, Amerzone, and Still Life. On Nov. 23, 2009 Anuman Interactive finalized the purchase of the Microids brand and all of its IP, which will become effective as of Jan. 1, 2010. Anuman CEO Stéphane Longeard confirmed the acquisition, as well as Microids president Emmanuel Olivier.
if microids was having trouble this probably saved it.


Relationship between intake of fruit separately from vegetables and triglycerides - A meta-analysis.
Author(s) : Kodama S., Horikawa C., Fujihara K., Ishii D., Hatta M., Takeda Y., Kitazawa M., Matsubayashi Y., Shimano H., Kato K., Tanaka S., Sone H.
Adresse : Department of Laboratory Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology for Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan. Electronic address: ybbkodama@gmail.com.
High intake of fruit and vegetables is recommended for cardiovascular health. However, there have been persistent beliefs that fruits having high concentrations of fructose elevate the level of triglycerides (TG) in blood unlike vegetables. This meta-analysis aims to clarify the relationship between fruit intake and TG or hypertriglyceridemia.
Electronic literature searches were conducted for observational studies that investigated the relationship between fruit intake and hypertriglyceridemia or intervention studies that investigated the effect of increasing fruit intake on TG. Each effect size was pooled with an inverse-variance method.
Five cross-sectional studies and only 2 intervention studies were eligible. The pooled odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) of the 5 cross-sectional studies for the highest vs. the lowest fruit intake category was 0.79 (0.72-0.87). In these studies, the pooled OR for the highest vs. the lowest vegetable intake category was not significant (OR = 0.92; 95% CI, (0.82-1.03)). A linear dose-response association was observed between increases in fruit intake and ORs for hypertriglyceridemia; the OR (95% CI) for an incrementally increased intake of fruit by 1 serving/day was 0.91 (0.84-0.98).
This meta-analysis suggests that high intake of fruit but not vegetables is inversely associated with hypertriglyceridemia. More trials are needed to clarify whether increasing fruit intake would reduce the level of TG and/or incident hypertriglyceridemia.


text:
Category Archives: Beauty
Asia, Asian, Bangkok, Beauty, Beauty pageant, Beauty queen, Food for Thought, Garbage, Post A Day 2015, Poverty, Thailand, This is Life, tvaraj, Women
Khanittha 'Mint' Phasaeng, the Thai Beauty Queen Is a Garbage Collector
November 2, 2015 tvaraj	Leave a comment
By T.V. Antony Raj
Khanittha "Mint" Phasaeng,, the beautiful Miss Uncensored News Thailand 2015 – invoking the blessings of her mother amidst trash bins (Source: bangkok.coconuts.co)
Many Asians, kneel and prostrate before their elders invoking their blessings. The above down-to-earth photo of Khanittha 'Mint' Phasaeng, the beauty queen who won the title Miss Uncensored News Thailand 2015, prostrating and invoking the blessings of her 47-year-old mother Orathai Pormaun, a garbage collector, amidst garbage bins, has won the heart of everyone who saw it on the internet.
According to the Bangkok Post, the 17-year-old Khanittha's parents had separated when she was young and her mother had remarried. Khanittha lived in a 4-by-5-metre shack with five other family members where her mother also stored garbage for separation before sale.
Because of the crowded conditions at her home, Khanittha had to move and live with an aunt. Due to poverty, Khanittha was then adopted by a salon owner named 'Know', who sent her to school until she completed primary school or Mathayom 3.
Khanittha adores her mother. She has never been ashamed of her background or what her mother does to earn a living. "What I am today is because of my mother. There is no reason why I should feel inferior because my mother and I earn our livelihood by doing honest work."
Khanittha Phasaeng sorting garbage with her mother (Source: women.asiaone.com)
The teenager helps her family by assisting her mother sort recyclables from the trash. She also takes on menial jobs and sells used clothes to help cover household expenses and her brother's education.
Because she is tall and good looking, some friends suggested that she should enter the beauty contest "Miss Uncensored News Thailand 2015" launched by "Exclusive Star", the Tabloid magazine, which had just celebrated its 3rd anniversary and entering its fourth year with aims to promote gender equality and same-sex marriage.
The aim of this pageant contest with the slogan "gender equality" was to bring all women together in a beauty showdown, whether identified as female at birth or have transformed to be one over the years. The contest allowed the participation of only Thai women and trans-women between the age of 17-25 years, to show off their beauty and talent for a reward. Applications were available from August 29, 2015, at Imperial World Samrong.
Encouraged by her friends, Khanittha decided to take part in this somewhat cut-throat competition.
The beauty pageant, Miss Uncensored News Thailand 2015 open to both women and Transgenders was held on Friday, September 25, 2015, at the Imperial World Samrong,
Khanittha 'Mint' Phasaeng, the beautiful Miss Uncensored News Thailand 2015 (Source – daliulian.net)
Khanittha 'Mint' Phasaeng, the beautiful Miss Uncensored News Thailand 2015 – with other participants (Sourc: daliulian.net)
When the referee announced Khanittha the winner, she thought it was a dream and wondered how an ordinary girl like herself could have won the title of "Miss Uncensored News Thailand 2015."
Almost immediately after crowning Khanittha 'Mint' Phasaeng as Miss Uncensored News Thailand 2015, many universities contacted the organizers offering her scholarships. This prompted the organizers to scrutinize her application form. They discovered that Khanittha had lied about her education. She had submitted that she had completed senior high school or Mathayom 6 (Level 12) whereas she has only completed primary school or Mathayom 3.
On Thursday, October 15, 2015, a news conference was held near Khanittha's house in Samut Prakan province, to end speculation whether she would lose the crown.
Somchai 'Daisy' Leknoi, director of Miss Uncensored News Thailand 2015, told the press that the contest, held for the first time at the Imperial World Samrong, aimed to provide opportunities to people from all social classes. She said the organizers and the two runners-up held no grudge against her as the event did not limit the gender or education of competitors. Nobody would take away her prizes, but she should not have lied about her education. Somchai Leknoi said, "However, we think she should apologize for her mistake. We just want all candidates to tell the truth, so they do not face any problems in the future."
Khanittha Phasaeng, the winner of Miss Uncensored News Thailand 2015, and organizer Somchai Leknoi (Source -bangkokpost.com)
Khanittha apologized to Somchai Leknoi, claiming she had no intention of lying about her education; her uncle had filled the application form for her and she had failed to check it before submitting it. She thanked the committee for not withholding her prizes. She said that she would spend the money on her brother's education.
Khanittha THB 30,000 in cash as part of her prize.
After the win, Khanittha 'Mint' Phasaeng has gained advertising, film and television work which she hopes will improve the situation at home, and would continue to help her mother collect garbage for a living.
Touching moment Thai beauty queen kneels down in a glittering tiara and sash to thank rubbish collecting mother who raised her
(dailymail.co.uk)
Humble Garbage Collecting Teen Win's Thai Beauty Contests (chiangraitimes.com)
Khanittha Phasaeng A Garbage Collector crowned Miss Uncensored News Thailand (angelopedia.com)
Thailand's beauty pageant winner kneels to her mother (dramafever.com)
Once a garbage collector, now a Thai beauty queen (women.asiaone.com)
This 17 Year-Old Thai Beauty Queen Did the Most Touching Thing After Winning the Crown (hitz.fm)
สาวแท้-สาวเทียม เตรียมประชันโฉมบนเวทีเดียวกัน ที่แรกของไทย ! (women.kapook.com)
New pageant contest lets women and trans-women compete in beauty showdown (bangkok.coconuts.co)
Garbage collector keeps beauty queen crown (bangkok.coconuts.co)
Beauty to keep her prizes despite lies (nationmultimedia.com)
BangkokBeauty pageantBeauty queenExclusive StarGarbageGarbage collectorImperial World SamrongKhanittha 'Mint' PhasaengKhanittha MintKhanittha PhasaengMint KhanitthaMiss Uncensored News Thailand 2015Post A Day 2015PovertySomchai 'Daisy' LeknoiThailandThis is lifeTransgenderstvarajWomen
Art, Beauty, Food for Thought, Post A Day 2013, Re-posted, This is Life, Women, Writers
Nail art: style signature of a fashion diva!
March 17, 2013 tvaraj	3 Comments
By Antonia Rapheal
Beautifully decorated nails are the ultimate fashion statement, a hallmark of a true Fashionista. For those of you who have read my previous posts, you are quite aware that my fashion philosophy is simple; discover your unique personal style. Don't be a mannequin for other people's fashion ideas but create your own style. Confidence is the one must have accessory of every woman (read my previous post) and nothing oozes confidence like your own personal style.
nail extensions with nail art (Photo credit: nailsbylisa)
Manicure (Photo credit: trec_lit)
Day 19: Galaxy Nails (Photo credit: NailsandNoms)
Manicure (Photo credit: kodomut)
Nail art according to me is the ultimate form of personal expression. Nothing spells a character like painted nails that are a work of art. The combinations are endless with your imagination being the limit, from pale one tone simple polish, to elegant nail art, or eye-catching colours and even bold nail art using feathers etc.
The only tip I can offer is, practice makes perfect, there really is no substitute for dedication, time and effort. For quick DIY salon quality nail art the only option is nail wraps and nail stickers.
Feather (Photo credit: Katt Claws)
Manicure (Photo credit: firexbrat)
Nail wraps need to be heated for 3 seconds using a hair dryer and you need to snip off excess and trim the edge with a file.
Nail stickers can be peeled and stuck directly to clean dry polished nails. A topcoat does the job of sealing it.
How long your style creations last will depend on the quality of products used and the stresses you subject your nails to. Washing dishes in hot water, swimming in the ocean, etc., can greatly shorten the life of your nail art.
Nail polishes (Photo credit: The Style PA)
Nail Art in Vietnam (Photo credit: kittynailpolish)
full house nail art (Photo credit: borispumps)
Simple tricks for an instant diva style:
#1 Use tape to create patterns and shapes.
Cut a pattern (heart, square, triangle etc.) out of the tape and then tape it around your nail. Apply a different colour nail polish over this, peel the tape and you should have a clear image of your pattern on your nail. Apply topcoat and you are done. Using strips of tape or sticker you can create various patterns.
# 2 Two tone polish
Painting your nails with two different colours of polish is easy and gives a very stylish look. Using toothpicks or hairpins with the rounded edges you can create dots. You can either cover your nails with dots or just the corners.
For more complex nail art you can Google tube videos where talented nail technicians share their secrets but be prepared to arm yourself with a professional nail art kit.
Quick drying tips:
#1 Use a dry fast topcoat.
The Internet is abounding with tips raging form hilarious (soaking nails in ice cold water for 5 mins!) to positively ridiculous (sticking your fingers in the freezer!), nothing works better or safer than a dry fast topcoat.
If passing the time is your concern since we all know how entertaining sitting with your hands and feet in front of you can be, here are some ideas.
#2 Paint your nails just before you sit on your computer, works if you prefer short nails. We spend at least ½ hour if not more surfing the web, checking posts on FB, reading my blog…
#3 Set yourself up with your favorite music (not the kind that makes you jump up and touch everything) and lie down and relax. Get a little sun in the garden or watch a movie.
Warning: Nail art is addictive! Once unleashed there is no stopping the nail art diva within you! I would love to hear and see your creations!
Re-posted from the AUSSIE FASHION BLOG
Nail Art Designs (tvaraj.com)
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Beauty, Food for Thought, Humour, Post A Day 2013, Re-posted, This is Life, Women
February 7, 2013 tvaraj	1 Comment
.. by Rob
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"
"Depends what you mean by 'fairest', Luv. Some folk mean 'blonde' when they say 'fair'. Others mean 'just' or 'sporting' or 'egalitarian'."
"You're a magic mirror: I'm consulting you about beauty. Am I not the most gorgeous creature in the world?"
"I think 'creature' is a mistake, to be honest, Luv. This is difficult enough without getting non-species specific."
"All right! Am I the most beautiful woman in the world then?"
"Why 'of course'?"
"You own me. I've made a judgement that you want to be the most beautiful. Therefore, you are the most beautiful."
"But am I REALLY the most beautiful?"
"Well, I think so, of course, but these things are very subjective."
"That's not good enough. I want you to tell me that I'm REALLY the most beautiful."
"You're REALLY the most beautiful."
"But would you still say that if I didn't own you?"
"But would you still say that if someone else owned you?"
"But wouldn't she, your new owner, I mean, wouldn't she want you to say that she was the most beautiful?"
"So what would you say then?"
"Look Luv, I'm doing my best here. My job is to please. I don't know what my new owner looks like. Isn't it enough that you're the most beautiful owner I know?"
"Am I not the only owner you know?"
"Well, strictly speaking, yes, but I think you're beautiful."
"What's the point in having a magic mirror, if I can't get a straight answer?"
"With respect Luv, you don't want a straight answer."
Re-posted from Mental Gymnastics ~ challenge your world-view
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Art, Beauty, Birds, Food for Thought, Inspirations, Post A Day 2013, This is Life
Paper Bird Sculptures of Diana Beltran Herrera
January 31, 2013 tvaraj	Leave a comment
. By T.V. Antony Raj
I thank hovercraftdoggy.com for introducing me to the paper bird sculptures of the 24-year-old Colombian artist Diana Beltran Herrera.
Colombian Artist Diana Beltran Herrera
Diana has created a series of vibrantly colored feathered friends. Trained in industrial design, she has created an ever growing collection of imaginary and actual species of birds. Now this hobby has become a full-time project for her.
Diana says: "I have chosen to study birds in many places: simple pieces of paper transform into real birds with bright colors. The study moves between two addresses: the movement and surprise. Birds are often built in places and environments, which highlights the symbolic from the idea of movement. It is at that moment capture the wonder of the things that are made and moments, thus stimulating thought processes in the viewer. The use of paper as a material for the construction of these sculptures perfectly adapted to the chosen themes, convey to the viewer the impression of freedom and lightness. The role that loaded itself the concepts of temporality and fragility. Then, the process that allows me general these visual documents of facts, has a life and a transformation process, the same process that has issues that I talk in my work.
I'm worried about the lack of interest that humans have lately regarding the nature, and with my work, I hope to help in thinking about these things that will disappear soon."
Here are some pages you can click on to see the fantastic creations of this talented artist:
Series of Birds (Golden Humming Birds)
Field Trip (Salida de campo)
Studies of Movement
Paper bird sculptures by diana beltran herrera
Colibri Investigations
Images for Diana Beltran Herrera
Artartistavianbirdcolombiancraftdesignerdiana beltran herreraFood for Thoughthand madeillustratorpaperpaper craftpostadaySculpturetactileThis is lifetvaraj
Beauty, Food for Thought, Humanitarianism, Inspirations, Personalities, Post A Day 2012, T.V. Antony Raj, This is Life, tvaraj, Uncategorized, United States, Videos, Women, Writers
October 11, 2012 tvaraj	Leave a comment
Readers have viewed this post more than 92,900 times.
By T. V. Antony Raj
"The stares are what I'm really dealing with in public right now, … But I think I'm getting to the point where instead of sitting by and watching people judge me, I'm starting to want to go up to these people and introduce myself or give them my card and say, 'Hi, I'm Lizzie. Maybe you should stop staring and start learning'."
– Lizzie Velasquez
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus defines the adjective "beautiful" as "physically attractive" and has a host of synonyms:
admirable, alluring, angelic, appealing, beauteous, bewitching, charming, classy, comely, cute, dazzling, delicate, delightful, divine, elegant, enticing, excellent, exquisite, fair, fascinating, fine, foxy, good-looking, gorgeous, graceful, grand, handsome, ideal, lovely, magnificent, marvelous, nice, pleasing, pretty, pulchritudinous, radiant, ravishing, refined, resplendent, shapely, sightly, splendid, statuesque, stunning, sublime, superb, symmetrical, taking, well-formed, wonderful.
Medical journals and men's magazines publish photos of women, but the pictures would be aesthetically pleasing differently because of their unrelated motivations. Though the journal is more revealing, the magazine has the allure.
Roget's Thesaurus defines the adjective "ugly" as "unattractive" and has synonyms:
animal, appalling, awful, bad-looking, beastly, deformed, disfigured, foul, frightful, grisly, gross, grotesque, hard-featured, hideous, homely, horrid, ill-favored, loathsome, misshapen, monstrous, not much to look at, plain, repelling, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, uncomely, uninviting, unlovely, unprepossessing, unseemly, unsightly.
Born in San Antonio, Texas, Lizzie Velasquez, four weeks premature weighed just 2 pounds 10 ounces (1.190 kg), and she has a rare genetic disorder. She has no adipose tissue to create muscle, store energy, or gain weight. The doctors told her parents that their child would never be able to walk or talk, or live a normal life.
Only two other people throughout the world have a similar ailment. Lizzie does not have body fat and weighs a mere 63 pounds (28.58 kilograms). At the age of four one brown eye started clouding and now blind in that eye, she and has only limited sight in the other. However, the syndrome did not affect her two younger siblings.
Despite what the doctors said, she thrived. Though her body is tiny, her bones, internal organs, and brain developed normally. However, she has no fatty tissue to store nutrients and to have enough energy to get through the day she has to eat every 15 minutes or so.
When Lizzie was in high school, an 8-second-long YouTube video, now removed, dubbed her as "The World's Ugliest Woman." Some YouTube viewers called her "it" and "monster" and asked her to kill herself. The horrible comments stung Lizzie. Even so, she read each one and dismissed them saying, "they are just words."
"Living with this rare syndrome I know first hand what it's like to be bullied. But I will be the first to say there is hope and it does get better!" says Lizzie.
Despite an ailment that should have killed her before she was twelve months old, Lizzie, now 23 years old, is a senior majoring in Communications at Texas State University in San Marcos.
During the past seven years, she transformed herself into a motivational speaker with more than 200 workshops to her credit addressing: uniqueness, coping with bullies, and surmounting obstacles.
Lizzie Velasquez
She also writes. In 2010, she published her first book, "Lizzie Beautiful", and released her second, "Be Beautiful, Be You", on March 1, 2012.
"Some days life doesn't make sense," she writes in "Be Beautiful, Be You". "You just have to change what you can, ask for help and pray about the rest".
"I feel really glad that I don't look like the celebrities out there that are so beautiful," Lizzie told Dr. Drew Pinsky in an interview on CNN's Headline News. "There are a lot of stereotypes attached to that … Not looking like a supermodel gives people the opportunity to know you personally," she explains.
"I'm human, and of course, these things are going to hurt," she said. "Their judgement of me isn't who I am, and I'm not going to let these things define me."
Lizzie Velasquez story (the girl who must eat every 15 minutes to stay alive) (youtube.com)
Today Show Interview (youtube.com)
CNN: 63-pound woman, Lizzie Velasquez can't gain weight (youtube.com)
Voted Most Inspirational Story of 2012! (wizdompath.wordpress.com)
Lizzie Velasquez – Is an Inspiration to Me. (coalitionofpositiveenergy.com)
Texas student finds her calling after devastating bullying (kens5.com)
Click for more videos
Adipose tissueAdjectivebeautyCNNDrew PinskyFood for ThoughtHumanitarianismLizzieLizzie VelasquezpostadayRoget's ThesaurusT. V. Antony RajTexas State University–San MarcosThis is lifetvarajuglyYouTube
Beauty, Eco, Environment, Family, Food for Thought, Health, Inspirations, This is Life, tvaraj
Practical Ways to Look After House Plants
August 19, 2012 tvaraj	1 Comment
Are you worrying much about nursing your houseplants? Here are a few details for you to consider.
Over-watering destroys many houseplants. Appearances are misleading. Use the finger test to make sure the garden soil is dried up to water. Push the index finger up to the first joint into the soil. If it the soil is damp, do not water it.
2. Nutrients
Watching plant growth, testing the soil, and analyzing the plant tissue are ways to assess nutrient needs.
Sixteen elements are vital for plant growth. Each of these 16 elements has a specific role in plant growth. A deficiency or an excess of any element will impair plant growth.
Six macro nutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S) are needed in quite large amounts. Of these, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) are the elements usually applied as fertilizer.
Seven micro nutrients: boron (B), chlorine (Cl), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), and zinc (Zn), are required in smaller amounts.
The other three carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are freely available. These nutrients are supplied by water and carbon dioxide.
Iron and manganese are the micro- nutrients most often deficient in landscape plants. An adjustment in soil pH usually corrects deficiencies of the micro nutrients .
A fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants.
Fertilizers may be divided into two broad categories, natural and synthetic. Natural fertilizers generally originate from unprocessed organism sources such as plants or animals. Synthetic fertilizers can be organic (for example, urea) or inorganic (for example, superphosphate).
Commercial fertilizer is graded by the minimum amounts of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (in the form P2O), and potassium (in the form K2O) contained in them. Many States in US require that the guaranteed analysis of every fertilizer material be declared on the face or display side of the container. This analysis provides the percentage of nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (expressed as percent P2O5), water soluble potassium (expressed as percent K2O) and other nutrients present in quantities that conform to state law.
A fertilizer with a 10-10-10 analysis contains 10 percent nitrogen, 10 percent P2O, and 10 percent K2O. For example, in 100 pounds of 4-8-12, there are 4 pounds of N, 8 pounds of P2O, and 12 pounds of K2O.
Foliage plants usually have high nitrogen needs, while flowering plants, K2O is needed. Slow release fertilizers can be mixed with the compost. However, certain plants like cacti and orchids need special fertilizer. Feed plants during their most active growth period.
3. Daylight
Sansevieria hyacinthoides (L.) Druce
Aspidistra elatior
Sansevieria is a genus of about 70 species of flowering plants; whose common names include mother-in-law's tongue, devil's tongue, jinn's tongue, bow string hemp, snake plant and snake tongue. Aspidistra is a genus of flowering plants native to Asia, common worldwide as house plants. Plants like Sanseveria and Aspidistra require no sunlight. They may be placed far from the window.
Spider Plant – Chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum'
Chlorophytum comosum, often called the spider plant, is an herbaceous plant. It is native to tropical and southern Africa, but has become naturalized in other parts of the world, including western Australia and San Francisco, California. Variegated forms, in particular, are used as house plants. Spider plants require semi-shade. You can keep plants such as these close to a window that does or cannot receive the sunlight. They may be placed far from the window. Spider plants require semi-shade. You can keep plants such as those close to a window that does or cannot receive the sunlight.
Houseplants are capable of surviving in cool or warm weather; still severe fluctuations of temperatures may not be beneficial to them. What many plants are not able to survive is gas home heating. Should there be a plant that needs a warm environment, don't place it close to an air-conditioning unit during the summer months.
5. Humidity
A few houseplants need a humid surroundings. A strategy to increase humidity would be to place the plant pot in a bigger vessel and fill the gaps with pebbles or even manure to retain in the moisture. Clustering around plants together very often produce a micro climate that will benefit them. If you need, you can also sprinkle them with water a couple of times a day depending on the prevailing weather.
6. Re-potting
A few plants need to be re-potted for exceptional rate of growth; however, some others resent having their roots disturbed. Perhaps their root system might be small that they don't really need re-potting. A way to determine whether the plant requires re-potting is to turn it upside down. Tap the pot to release the plant and examine its roots. In case roots are all that you can see, then re-pot. Occasionally, the roots may come out of the pot. It is best to either cut them off or re-pot the plant.
.RELATED ARTICLES
6 Air Purifyng House Plants (tvaraj.wordpress.com)
Fertilizer Recommendations and Techniques to Maintain Landscapes and Protect Water Quality (bae.ncsu.edu)
Fertilizer Cost Calculations (ext.colostate.edu)
Looking after your houseplants(bbc.co.uk)
air cleanlinessAreca PalmAspidistra elatiorBamboo PalmChlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum'EcoenvironmentfertilizersFood for ThoughtGerbera DaisyHealthmold sporesnatural fertilizersNitrogen oxidenitrogen oxidesOccupy Ottawa on FacebookPeace Lilypeace lily careplantspostadaySansevieriaSansevieria hyacinthoidesSansevieria trifasciataSnake PlantSpathiphyllumSpider PlantThis is lifetvaraj
Art, Beauty, Food for Thought, Inspirations, Photography, Post A Day 2012, This is Life, tvaraj
July 30, 2012 tvaraj	1 Comment
. . By T.V. Antony Raj .
Life is good. Life is for us. We all have many visions through the day, some of us have the right tools to capture them and share them.
Skimming Bullet
A walk with our grandson Rohan (Photo: Maria Ligia Fernando)
A walk on the pier
ArtFood for ThoughtLife is goodPhotographypostadayThis is lifetvaraj
Art, Beauty, Food for Thought, Photography, Post A Day 2012, This is Life, Weekly Photo Challenge
July 29, 2012 tvaraj	6 Comments
He walks alone in the purple of the night.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Purple. – (greatgreths.wordpress.com)
Weekly Photo Challenge: Purple (waldina.com)
Weekly Photo Challenge – Purple (motherwifestudentworker.wordpress.com)
Weekly Photo Challenge: Inside (tvaraj.wordpress.com)
Weekly Photo Challenge: Dreaming (tvaraj.wordpress.com)
Weekly Photo Challenge: Movement (tvaraj.wordpress.com)
Weekly Photo Challenge: Fleeting Moment (tvaraj.wordpress.com)
ArtFood for ThoughtPhotographypostadayThis is lifetvarajWeekly Photo ChallengeWeekly Photo Challenge: Purple
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Awesome Sand Sculptures by Sudarsan Pattnaik
In recent times many Indian artists have turned to sculpting images on sand. Sand sculpturist Sudarsan Pattnaik, 35, hails from Puri, nearly 60 km from Bhubaneswar, the capital city of the State of Orissa, India. At the recently concluded Solo International Sand Art Contest in Marbella, Spain held from July 9-17, 2012 he won two Gold medals for his sculpture of Ganesh, the Hindu god of wisdom and good health.
The theme of the competition was "Secrets of the Sea." Pattnaik`s 3.5-metre sand sculpture (see above photo) bearing the message – "SAVE THE SEA LIFE" – won medals in "People's Choice" and "Best Positive" categories.
He learned this form of art by himself without any guidance – by persevering practice. He started sculpting images on sand since the age of seven. Till now he has designed hundreds of sand sculpture.
Sudarsan Patnaik's sculpture of Santa Claus, created on the sandy beaches with the help of students of his Golden Sand Art School, would be on display for a couple of days. / Photo: Biswaranjan Rout -AP
He has won many national and international awards for his creative designs. His name is recorded in the World records for sculpting the tallest Santa Claus. Using 1,000 tones of sand, Sudarsan Pattnaik and his team carved a moving image of Santa Claus at Orissa's Puri beach, measuring 100 feet, 30 feet wide and 15 feet high-which sets the record for the Tallest sand sculpture of Santa Claus.
Sudarsan Pattnaik has also won the accolade for most Santa Claus images sculpted on sand. He won the People's Choice Prize at the first Moscow International Sand Sculpture Championship.
Sudarsan Pattnaik beat stiff competition from nine participants to win an international sand sculpture championship in Denmark in end May this year, making India proud at the first such event in Copenhagen. His 2.5 metres high sand sculpture of a mermaid pleading for human effort to save the oceans was declared the winner of the championship.
Below are a few photographs.of his sand sculptures.
Tallest sand sculpture of Santa Claus-world record set by Sudarsan Patnaik (worldrecordsacademy.org)
Indian wins Copenhagen Sand Sculpture contest (ibnlive.in.com)
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Beauty, Eco, Environment, Food for Thought, Health, Maldives, Post A Day 2012, This is Life, tvaraj
Maldives Cabinet Makes a Splash by Holding an Underwater Meeting!
July 25, 2012 tvaraj	Leave a comment
Note: What you are about to see and read happened in October 2009. Though the news is old I was impressed by the event and want to share it with you.
"If the Maldives cannot be saved today we do not feel that there is much of a chance for the rest of the world" — President Mohamed Nasheed (fourth president of the Maldives from November 11, 2008 to February 7, 2012)
Amazing beach – Maldives
The islands of the Maldives archipelago stand an average of 2.1 metres (7 feet) above sea level.
In March 2009, scientists at a meeting in Copenhagen predicted that glaciers and ice sheets melting as a result of global warming could boost the level of the world's oceans by as much as a metre by 2100; and at the rate of rising sea levels, the whole archipelago could end up under the water by the end of the century.
The government of the Maldives held a cabinet meeting underwater on October 17, 2009 to draw attention to to the threat global warming poses to the low-lying nation in the Indian Ocean.
President Mohammed Nasheed and members of his cabinet wore scuba gear as they arrived for the meeting in a lagoon off the island of Girifushi.
They sat at a table anchored to the sand on the floor of the Indian Ocean and signed a document calling on all countries to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions.
They spent half an hour on the sea bed, communicating with white boards and hand signals.
Officials from around the world will meet in the Danish capital in Copenhagen in December 2009 under UN auspices to hammer out a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, aiming to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions that are blamed for global warming.
"We're now actually trying to send our message, let the world know what is happening, and what will happen to the Maldives if climate change is not checked," President Nasheed said, speaking six metres below the surface..
"If the Maldives cannot be saved today we do not feel that there is much of a chance for the rest of the world. We want other countries to come to an understanding [at the World Climate Congress] in Copenhagen. We do not want to see Copenhagen fail," he added.
Officials from around the world will meet in the Danish capital in Copenhagen in December 2009 under UN auspices to hammer out a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, aiming to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions that are blamed for global warming. The president said the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen cannot be allowed to fail.
At a later press conference while still in the water, President Nasheed was asked what would happen if the summit fails. "We are going to die," he replied.
Maldives cabinet makes a splash (news.bbc.co.uk)
Warning From Maldives: 'You Can't Pick And Choose On Science' (huffingtonpost.com)
Mohamed Nasheed (nytimes.com)
Mohamed Nasheed, Former President Of The Maldives, Charged With Illegally Ordering Judge's Arrest (huffingtonpost.com)
Maldives President "Not Impressed" with US Climate Activism (planetsave.com)
archipelagoCopenhagenEcoenvironmentFood for ThoughtGlobal warmingIndian OceanKyoto ProtocolMaldivesMaldives archipelagoMohamed NasheedNewspostadaypresidentPresident Mohamed NasheedThis is lifeTraveltvaraj
Last three wishes of Alexander the Great

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home / Walter E. Williams /Today and Yesterday
Walter E. Williams September 10, 2020 LewRockwell
Walter E. Williams
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In matters of race and other social phenomena, there is a tendency to believe that what is seen today has always been. For black people, the socioeconomic progress achieved during my lifetime, which started in 1936, exceeded anyone's wildest dreams. In 1936, most black people lived in gross material poverty and racial discrimination. Such poverty and discrimination is all but nonexistent today. Government data, assembled by Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation, shows that "the average American family … identified as poor by the Census Bureau, lives in an air-conditioned, centrally heated house or apartment … They have a car or truck. (Indeed, 43% of poor families own two or more cars.)" The household "has at least one
Walter E. Williams considers the following as important:
In matters of race and other social phenomena, there is a tendency to believe that what is seen today has always been. For black people, the socioeconomic progress achieved during my lifetime, which started in 1936, exceeded anyone's wildest dreams. In 1936, most black people lived in gross material poverty and racial discrimination. Such poverty and discrimination is all but nonexistent today. Government data, assembled by Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation, shows that "the average American family … identified as poor by the Census Bureau, lives in an air-conditioned, centrally heated house or apartment … They have a car or truck. (Indeed, 43% of poor families own two or more cars.)" The household "has at least one widescreen TV connected to cable, satellite, or a streaming service, a computer or tablet with internet connection, and a smartphone. (Some 82% of poor families have one or more smartphones." On top of this, blacks today have the same constitutional guarantees as everyone else, which is not to say that every vestige of racial discrimination has been eliminated.
The poverty we have today is spiritual poverty. Spiritual poverty is an absence of what traditionally has been known as various human virtues. Much of that spiritual poverty is a result of public and private policy that rewards inferiority and irresponsibility. Chief among the policies that reward inferiority and irresponsibility is the welfare state. When some people know they can have children out of wedlock, drop out of school and refuse employment and suffer little consequence and social sanction, one should not be surprised to see the growth of such behavior. Today's out-of-wedlock births among blacks is over 70%, but in the 1930s, it was 11%. During the same period, out-of-wedlock births among whites was 3%; today, it is over 30%. It is fashionable and politically correct to blame today's 21% black poverty on racial discrimination. That is nonsense. Why? The poverty rate among black husband-and-wife families has been in the single digits for more than two decades. Can anyone produce evidence that racists discriminate against black female-headed families but not black husband-and-wife families?
For most people, education is one of the steppingstones out of poverty, and it has been a steppingstone for many black people. Today, decent education is just about impossible at many big-city public schools where violence, disorder, disrespect and assaults on teachers are routine. The kind of disrespectful and violent behavior observed in many predominantly black schools is entirely new. Some have suggested that such disorder is part of black culture, but that is an insulting lie. Black people can be thankful that double standards, and public and private policies rewarding inferiority and irresponsibility, were not broadly accepted during the 1920s, '30s, '40s and '50s. There would not have been the kind of intellectual excellence and spiritual courage that created the world's most successful civil rights movement.
Many whites are ashamed, saddened and guilt-ridden by our history of slavery, Jim Crow and gross racial discrimination. They see that justice and compensation for that ugly history is to hold their fellow black Americans accountable to the kind of standards and conduct they would never accept from whites. That behavior and conduct is relatively new. Meet with black people in their 70s or older, even liberal politicians such as Charles Rangel (age 90), and Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson (85), Alcee Hastings (83) and Maxine Waters (82). Ask them whether their parents would have tolerated their assaulting and cursing of teachers or any other adult. I bet you the rent money their parents and other parents of that era would not have accepted the grossly disrespectful behavior seen today among many black youngsters who use foul language and racial epithets at one another. These older blacks will tell you that, had they behaved that way, they would have felt serious pain in their hind parts. If blacks of yesteryear would not accept such self-destructive behavior, why should today's blacks accept it?
Black people have made tremendous gains over the years that came as a result of hard work, sacrifice and a no-nonsense approach to life. Recovering those virtues can provide solutions to many of today's problems.
About Walter E. Williams
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dr. Walter E. Williams holds a B.A. in economics from California State University, Los Angeles, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in economics from UCLA. He also holds a Doctor of Humane Letters from Virginia Union University and Grove City College, Doctor of Laws from Washington and Jefferson College and Doctor Honoris Causa en Ciencias Sociales from Universidad Francisco Marroquin, in Guatemala, where he is also Professor Honorario.
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According to Mari Womack, author of Being Human: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, music and dance carry much importance within a culture. So, this essay would argues the international experience, career aspirations and graduate employability for students who study abroad and try to find out the connection between cross culture and these three factors.
This paper will be divided into three parts. The Value of Cultural Anthropology Essay Sample While humans are all united as a single species, sharing the same DNA, physical features and basic physique, a diversity of cultures and languages has emerged and continues to exist among humans today.
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Cultural Anthropology Essay OF THE BUSHMEN Kinship can be defined as family or extended family. Family is always considered to be A visit to any of Lebanons ancient archeological ruins, traditional villages, or religious sites will truly give you a taste of the cultural mosaic of this captivating country.


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Showing posts with label Martyn Bennett. Show all posts
'Bothy Culture and Beyond' Celtic Connections 2018
At a packed Glasgow Hydro, the audience was enthralled with a world premier performance of Martyn Bennett's, Bothy Culture and Beyond, as part of Celtic Connections. The GRIT orchestra and was arranged and conducted by Greg Lawson.
Three years ago I went to the Celtic Connections opening concert Nae Regrets – and what a night it was! The GRIT orchestra played Martyn Bennett's first album (conducted by Lawson). Bennett composed Celtic fusion music that successfully mixed the old and the new, Celtic traditions along with electronic techno. He was known as the Techo Piper with his deadlocks and innovative playing. He sadly died young at 33 from Hodgkin's lymphoma. He performed at Edinburgh Hogmanay and T in the Park.
Aerial dancers All or Nothing
*Lawson introduced the players and the stage was set for an outstanding performance of pipes, dance and celebration. He told us, "To find identity, we need different perspectives (all welcoming Scotland) to find truth and embrace difference, so both sides are enhanced and everyone is enriched – an evolution." As well as classical and jazz musicians the orchestra featured renowned folk fiddlers - Duncan Chisholm, Aidan O'Rourke, Chris Stout, Megan Henderson, Sarah Jane Summers, Charlie McKerron, Eilidh Shaw and Laura Wilkie
This concert was full of 'joie de vivre' and the drama of Scotland's landscapes, from its tallest peaks to its rushing waters and in-between the cultural melting pots of her vibrant cities. Bennet's music tells of youth, the ancient stone hilltop Bothys along with the rich cultural voices he inherited from his mother, folklorist Margaret Bennett.
Many tracks transcended time and place. The concert began with the sweeping Orcadian Strip the Willow. Then the concert was brought alive visually by aerial dancers All or Nothing who shimmied on hoops and ropes for Aye. There was powerhouse brass and Celtic whistles with Shputnik in Glenshiel. While others tracks had the 'get up and groove' to the pipes, such as on Ud the Doudouk.
Fiona Hunter haunting vocals were followed by the Glasgow chapel choir, who were eerily ethereal on Blackbird, when ancient voices met contemporary vibes. At this point stunt cyclist Danny MacAskill rode on his mountain bike around a track laid out around the arena, and then on the Skye mountain backdrop behind the stage. (His ride of the Black Cuillin Ridge Skye, is sound tracked by Bennett's Blackbird , 55m Views YouTube).
On the moving track Hallaig, Sorley Maclean's poem was read by the actor David Hayman -
"A wood going up beside the stream, Heartbreak of the tale."
The crowd in the Hydro were all ages and danced and sang along to Bennett's life-enhancing music. The set closed with the drama of the lone piper Finlay Macdonald for Waltz by Hector.
Bennett challenged the norms – with whistles, brass, electronic beats and his chanter.
There were several web kent faces in the crowd Well done to all the talented performers and to Bennett himself. This was the biggest audience I've seen at Celtic Connections and festival director Donald Shaw says he wants to focus on more larger scale productions.
Niteworks
**Skye outfit Niteworks played a blistering set of electronica meets Gaelic voice to open the concert - hypnotic. Ruairidh Graham, Allan MacDonald, Christopher Nicolson and Innes Strachan.
I've arrived at venues for sound checks when they are cold blue, empty – it's a strange transformation. People gradually start to arrive – music is played as all changes to the vibrant joy and energy of reds and oranges. Those hilltops Bothys were like this too - fires were lit, warm drinks were had and traditional songs were sung. It's the all embracing warmth of the human connection and celebration. Why should we remember? Why does it matter? We live in glossy, shallow times. It's important to look beyond – to seek truth.
What really matters in the end. On our journeys, over sea or land – to pause, to wonder, to seek renewals. To hope.. To seek shared human joy. 'Bothy Culture"
Seeking difference enhances perspective of who we are. '
Scotland does not want to silence 'other' voices but to embrace them – while we keep our rich heritage alive and well and so she sings for all. * I might have wished for more info on Martin Bennett himself with perhaps clips of him telling his colourful story in the interval before the GRIT performance.
(Scottish Independence is not about 'identity' – rather how we can embrace our past, have understanding and build a better Scotland for all.)
1. "Aye?" (6:22)
2. "Shputnik In Glenshiel" (5:50)
3. "Hallaig" (8:19)
4. "Ud The Doudouk" (5:44)
5. "4 Notes" (5:55)
6. "Joik" (3:26)
7. "Yer Man From Athlone" (6:25)
8. "Waltz For Hector" (9:20)
All or Nothing Aerial dance
Vocalist Innes Watson
Fiona Hunter vocals
Sorley Maclean's poem, read by actor David Hayman
music, gigs, reviews, photos, aerial dancers, All or Nothing, Bothy Culture and Beyond, Celtic Connections 2018, chanter, cyclist, Danny MacAskill, glasgow, Greg Lawson, grit, hydro, Martyn Bennett, Orchestra, piper, premier, scotland
The Forgotten Stories of Women
I wondered recently - Why are the lead characters of most fairy stories female and when were these stories written and who by?
Is this because many of the traditional stories belong mostly to women and that women through the centuries passed down the oral traditions in ballads, songs and stories?
Many characters in the old fairy tales though are now out-dated role models for today's young girls. They are not proactive or action women, but rather submissive ones, who have to respond to what life may throw at them. Meanwhile the action women are too often portrayed as either a deranged witch or a wicked step mother.
Do these stories of pretty princesses in shiny pink frocks wishing for prince charming to kiss them one day have the best effect on young girls? They give the impression that success in life is about relying solely on good looks rather than what they can achieve in the world. Looks fade while character and actions remain. Many of the real stories of women appear to be lost.
I read of Agnes Broun, the mother of the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns, who introduced to him his love of songs.
This meant Burns learned the joy of music and words and he later would become not only Scotland's greatest bard but one of the greatest poet of love, nature, and democratic political views. She passed on the old stories, rhythms and rhymes. Agnes gets little mention.
I began to realise that it was often through the women that stories and stories in song were passed down the generations.
I also read similar of Scottish poet James Hogg, who also learnt poetry and language from his mother's vast oral knowledge of the ballads and traditional tales.
The week before this I had heard of folklorist Margaret Bennett who was key to influencing her talented musician son Martyn Bennett. I was at the wonderful opening concert at Celtic Connections 2014 which was the first orchestration of Martyn's incredible Grit album - one of the best concerts I have been at when I wondered where he got all these references for his music from, as if he'd pluck them out of the air - now I know it was from his mother.
Her background is Scots/ Irish and on her mothers side from Skye and the Stewarts. Her father was a piper. Her talented son Martyn Bennett went with her everywhere and heard as a child all these traditional singers and pipers. Martyn sadly died at the young age of 32 and he was influential in the evolution of Celtic fusion music
Margaret Bennett
I read too of Mrs Bach, or rather Anna Magdelena, who was revealed as the author of the wonderful cello suites by forensic musicologist Professor Martin Jarvis of Charles Darwin university in Australia, in a recent film documentary by Glasgow films.
In the Age of Enlightenment (8TH Century') most women would never write under their own name and so they have been forgotten by history. Many women writers used pseudonyms.
Why have so many women's voices been lost or ignored? One problem has been the lack of women reviewers. There is an unconscious bias with regard to literature - a male writer's book will be described as 'an epic sweep', while a women author has written 'a domestic drama'.
I remember my daughter asked if they might study a women author in her English class, to which the boys loudly protested! Apparently 90% of books studied at school are by male authors! I feel sure it would be much better for girls to study English (and science subjects) separately to the boys. Studies have found that girls perform better in all girls classes, especially in the sciences. Women read books by either men or women - wheras men mostly read male readers.
Agnes Broun kept a portrait of her poet son, Robert Burns, on her wall all her life. He died before her at the age of 37.
These are only a tiny few examples of the many incredible lost voices of the many women who have inspired future generations. There are a great many unsung women heroines of modern art, music and poetry. I began to realise that it was through the women that stories were being passed on. I attend Edinburgh book festival each August and I have been amazed and awed by the talented women authors who attend.
music, gigs, reviews, photos, agnes broun, female, Martyn Bennett, Stories, women
Folklorist Margaret Bennett
Her background is Glasgow, Irish and on her mothers side from Skye and the Stewarts. Her father was a piper.
When she was young she was ill with polio and during that time heard stories from her grandfather.
She went over to Newfoundland Canada with her father and discovered all these old Scottish traditions that had died out in Skye and in Scotland. She had trained as a primary teacher but now decided to become a folklorist and she has been teaching at the school of Scottish studies at Edinburgh university. There she worked with the Scottish poet Hamish Henderson who was always asking her to poetry readings.
Her talented son Martyn Bennett went with her everywhere and heard as a child all these traditional singers and pipers. He had an excellent teacher at school and when he was doing his higher music students were allowed to play the Spanish guitar but NOT the Scottish pipes! So he sat his higher music playing the pipes, one of the first to do so.
Martyn sadly died at the young age of 32. I was at the wonderful opening concert at Celtic Connections 2014 which was the first orchestration of Martyn's incredible Grit album - one of the best concerts I have been at. I wondered where he got all these references for his music as if he'd pluck them out of the air - now I know it was from his mother. She said in a recent radio interview that she tries to be thankful every day for the small gifts. Things that rankle - let them go.
Martyn Bennett was influential in the evolution of modern Celtic fusion, a blending of traditional Celtic and modern music.
music, gigs, reviews, photos, folk, Folklorist, grit, Margaret Bennett, Martyn Bennett, piper
Martyn Bennett's GRIT, Connections Connections 2015
We were treated to an outstanding Celtic Connections Opening Concert - 'Nae Regrets'
Highly innovative. Multi-talented, multi-layered orchestra. Put a smile on my face.
Martyn Bennett's 2003 GRIT was given its live premier with a colourful score by composer Greg Lawson and the concert proved one of the best events I've been to at Celtic Connections music festival.
Bennett was a Scottish musician and composer and the concert marked the tenth anniversary of his untimely death at the age of thirty-three - poignantly he wrote the album while he was dying of cancer. The album offers a musical journey - producing pounding bass rhythms, hesitant strings, gradual and also unexpected crescendos, brass epic grandeur, haunting Gaelic voices, thematic stirring pipes and also humour. The Grit album is about pushing the boundaries and limitations.
The orchestra of over 80 musicians on the Glasgow concert hall stage tonight consisted of mostly younger folk, jazz and classical musicians. I expect they enjoyed playing a new piece that felt contemporary yet drawing strongly on past traditions.
Conductor Greg appeared overcome as he reached the summit tonight, after years in the planning and he commented that he needed a crash helmet as it felt like his head might explode!
I The first half was of songs from the Grit album and performed by a cast of accomplished Scottish singers - Quebec quartet LeVent Du Nord began with strong harmonies; followed by Fiona Hunter who sang Berry fields of Blair and Young Emslie with Mike Vass on guitar; Rab Noakes sang MacPherson's Rant and To Each and Everyone of You. Gaelic singer Isabel Ann Martin sang beautifully accompanied by Donald Shaw on piano.
II For the second half the full orchestra played the entire GRIT album. Even the word Grit produces earthy, real connotations. Lawson commented that folk music draws strongly on solid music roots, but ike a river needs to play and experiment with those traditions in order not to stay stagnant and to be brought into the modern age.
On Blackbird male choral voices were brought into the modern age with dancing African drumbeats, resonating textures and bass beats. On the track Why there were soothing strings and clarinet along with Karen Matheson haunting voice. The Wedding track was heart breaking with hesitant, sad, subdued strings when a song breaks the stillness with happier times and then with a dynamic sax melody.
Bennet's music shifted on its axis taking sound into new orbits - ground breaking and energizing. For anyone who thinks folk music is backward looking this concert was highly innovative with jazz, rock elements, classical, Gaelic songs, MORE! I have never seen an orchestra bobbing up and down and enjoying themselves so much - especially all those eight double bass players!
Only a few concerts put a smile on your face but this one did!
Bennett - 'Try and find those things that make us Scottish. They are not necessarily tartan, but are no less colorful. They are in the sound of the kick drum, the bass line, the distortion, the punk guitar, the break-beat. Try and see the old ways in new surroundings.'
'This album was a chance for me to present a truthful picture, yet face my own reflection in the great mirror of all cultures.'
http://www.martynbennett.com
In the studio, he traversed and transcended boundaries, of multiple levels, from that of image – as 'the dreadlocked piper' – to those of genre, art-form and audience.
PS Renowned traditional Scottish folk singer Dick Gaughan decided to withdraw from the concert as it was being filmed by the BBC and due to his feeling strongly that the BBC bias during the referendum was intolerable for him. He is performing his own concert during Celtic –
'Scots music has never sounded like this before. No music has ever sounded like this before' Mojo
GRIT Track listing
1. 'Move' – 4.10 Minutes
2. 'Blackbird' – 6.10 Minutes
3. 'Chanter' – 4.10 Minutes
4. 'Nae Regrets' – 3.50 Minutes
5. 'Liberation' – 4.20 Minutes
6. 'Why' – 4.30 Minutes
7. 'Ale House' – 3.50 Minutes
8. 'Wedding' – 5.45 Minutes
9. 'Rant' – 4.31 Minutes
10. 'Storyteller' – 9.39 Minutes
Filmed by the BBC the concert will be shown 22nd January 9pm -
Here's a BBC slip of Chanter - http://www.bbc.co.uk/martynbennettegrit
Music journalist Sue Wilson is presently writing Bennett's autobiography.
music, gigs, reviews, photos, Celtic Connections 2015, composer, folk, glasgow, grit, GRIT album, Martyn Bennett, Nae Regrets, opening concert, Orchestra, scottish


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                    catch(std::exception &ex)
                    {
                        callback_notify_exception(tars::TARSCLIENTDECODEERR);

                        return tars::TARSCLIENTDECODEERR;
                    }
                    catch(...)
                    {
                        callback_notify_exception(tars::TARSCLIENTDECODEERR);

                        return tars::TARSCLIENTDECODEERR;
                    }

                    ptr->_mRspContext = msg->response.context;

                    callback_notify(ptr);

                    return tars::TARSSERVERSUCCESS;

                }
                case 1:
                {
                    if (msg->response.iRet != tars::TARSSERVERSUCCESS)
                    {
                        callback_shutdown_exception(msg->response.iRet);

                        return msg->response.iRet;
                    }
                    tars::TarsInputStream<tars::BufferReader> _is;

                    _is.setBuffer(msg->response.sBuffer);

                    AdminFPrxCallbackPromise::PromiseshutdownPtr ptr = new AdminFPrxCallbackPromise::Promiseshutdown();

                    ptr->_mRspContext = msg->response.context;

                    callback_shutdown(ptr);

                    return tars::TARSSERVERSUCCESS;

                }
            }
            return tars::TARSSERVERNOFUNCERR;
        }

    };
    typedef tars::TC_AutoPtr<AdminFPrxCallbackPromise> AdminFPrxCallbackPromisePtr;

    /* callback of coroutine async proxy for client */
    class AdminFCoroPrxCallback: public AdminFPrxCallback
    {
    public:
        virtual ~AdminFCoroPrxCallback(){}
    public:
        virtual const map<std::string, std::string> & getResponseContext() const { return _mRspContext; }

        virtual void setResponseContext(const map<std::string, std::string> &mContext) { _mRspContext = mContext; }

    public:
        int onDispatch(tars::ReqMessagePtr msg)
        {
            static ::std::string __AdminF_all[]=
            {
                "notify",
                "shutdown"
            };

            pair<string*, string*> r = equal_range(__AdminF_all, __AdminF_all+2, string(msg->request.sFuncName));
            if(r.first == r.second) return tars::TARSSERVERNOFUNCERR;
            switch(r.first - __AdminF_all)
            {
                case 0:
                {
                    if (msg->response.iRet != tars::TARSSERVERSUCCESS)
                    {
                        callback_notify_exception(msg->response.iRet);

                        return msg->response.iRet;
                    }
                    tars::TarsInputStream<tars::BufferReader> _is;

                    _is.setBuffer(msg->response.sBuffer);
                    try
                    {
                        std::string _ret;
                        _is.read(_ret, 0, true);

                        setResponseContext(msg->response.context);

                        callback_notify(_ret);

                    }
                    catch(std::exception &ex)
                    {
                        callback_notify_exception(tars::TARSCLIENTDECODEERR);

                        return tars::TARSCLIENTDECODEERR;
                    }
                    catch(...)
                    {
                        callback_notify_exception(tars::TARSCLIENTDECODEERR);

                        return tars::TARSCLIENTDECODEERR;
                    }

                    return tars::TARSSERVERSUCCESS;

                }
                case 1:
                {
                    if (msg->response.iRet != tars::TARSSERVERSUCCESS)
                    {
                        callback_shutdown_exception(msg->response.iRet);

                        return msg->response.iRet;
                    }
                    tars::TarsInputStream<tars::BufferReader> _is;

                    _is.setBuffer(msg->response.sBuffer);
                    setResponseContext(msg->response.context);

                    callback_shutdown();

                    return tars::TARSSERVERSUCCESS;

                }
            }
            return tars::TARSSERVERNOFUNCERR;
        }

    protected:
        map<std::string, std::string> _mRspContext;
    };
    typedef tars::TC_AutoPtr<AdminFCoroPrxCallback> AdminFCoroPrxCallbackPtr;

    /* proxy for client */
    class AdminFProxy : public tars::ServantProxy
    {
    public:
        typedef map<string, string> TARS_CONTEXT;
        std::string notify(const std::string & command,const map<string, string> &context = TARS_CONTEXT(),map<string, string> * pResponseContext = NULL)
        {
            tars::TarsOutputStream<tars::BufferWriter> _os;
            _os.write(command, 1);
            tars::ResponsePacket rep;
            std::map<string, string> _mStatus;
            tars_invoke(tars::TARSNORMAL,"notify", _os.getByteBuffer(), context, _mStatus, rep);
            if(pResponseContext)
            {
                *pResponseContext = rep.context;
            }

            tars::TarsInputStream<tars::BufferReader> _is;
            _is.setBuffer(rep.sBuffer);
            std::string _ret;
            _is.read(_ret, 0, true);
            return _ret;
        }

        void async_notify(AdminFPrxCallbackPtr callback,const std::string &command,const map<string, string>& context = TARS_CONTEXT())
        {
            tars::TarsOutputStream<tars::BufferWriter> _os;
            _os.write(command, 1);
            std::map<string, string> _mStatus;
            tars_invoke_async(tars::TARSNORMAL,"notify", _os.getByteBuffer(), context, _mStatus, callback);
        }

        promise::Future< AdminFPrxCallbackPromise::PromisenotifyPtr > promise_async_notify(const std::string &command,const map<string, string>& context)
        {
            promise::Promise< AdminFPrxCallbackPromise::PromisenotifyPtr > promise;
            AdminFPrxCallbackPromisePtr callback = new AdminFPrxCallbackPromise(promise);

            tars::TarsOutputStream<tars::BufferWriter> _os;
            _os.write(command, 1);
            std::map<string, string> _mStatus;
            tars_invoke_async(tars::TARSNORMAL,"notify", _os.getByteBuffer(), context, _mStatus, callback);

            return promise.getFuture();
        }

        void coro_notify(AdminFCoroPrxCallbackPtr callback,const std::string &command,const map<string, string>& context = TARS_CONTEXT())
        {
            tars::TarsOutputStream<tars::BufferWriter> _os;
            _os.write(command, 1);
            std::map<string, string> _mStatus;
            tars_invoke_async(tars::TARSNORMAL,"notify", _os.getByteBuffer(), context, _mStatus, callback, true);
        }

        void shutdown(const map<string, string> &context = TARS_CONTEXT(),map<string, string> * pResponseContext = NULL)
        {
            tars::TarsOutputStream<tars::BufferWriter> _os;
            tars::ResponsePacket rep;
            std::map<string, string> _mStatus;
            tars_invoke(tars::TARSNORMAL,"shutdown", _os.getByteBuffer(), context, _mStatus, rep);
            if(pResponseContext)
            {
                *pResponseContext = rep.context;
            }

        }

        void async_shutdown(AdminFPrxCallbackPtr callback,const map<string, string>& context = TARS_CONTEXT())
        {
            tars::TarsOutputStream<tars::BufferWriter> _os;
            std::map<string, string> _mStatus;
            tars_invoke_async(tars::TARSNORMAL,"shutdown", _os.getByteBuffer(), context, _mStatus, callback);
        }

        promise::Future< AdminFPrxCallbackPromise::PromiseshutdownPtr > promise_async_shutdown(const map<string, string>& context)
        {
            promise::Promise< AdminFPrxCallbackPromise::PromiseshutdownPtr > promise;
            AdminFPrxCallbackPromisePtr callback = new AdminFPrxCallbackPromise(promise);

            tars::TarsOutputStream<tars::BufferWriter> _os;
            std::map<string, string> _mStatus;
            tars_invoke_async(tars::TARSNORMAL,"shutdown", _os.getByteBuffer(), context, _mStatus, callback);

            return promise.getFuture();
        }

        void coro_shutdown(AdminFCoroPrxCallbackPtr callback,const map<string, string>& context = TARS_CONTEXT())
        {
            tars::TarsOutputStream<tars::BufferWriter> _os;
            std::map<string, string> _mStatus;
            tars_invoke_async(tars::TARSNORMAL,"shutdown", _os.getByteBuffer(), context, _mStatus, callback, true);
        }

        AdminFProxy* tars_hash(int64_t key)
        {
            return (AdminFProxy*)ServantProxy::tars_hash(key);
        }

        AdminFProxy* tars_consistent_hash(int64_t key)
        {
            return (AdminFProxy*)ServantProxy::tars_consistent_hash(key);
        }

        AdminFProxy* tars_set_timeout(int msecond)
        {
            return (AdminFProxy*)ServantProxy::tars_set_timeout(msecond);
        }

    };
    typedef tars::TC_AutoPtr<AdminFProxy> AdminFPrx;

    /* servant for server */
    class AdminF : public tars::Servant
    {
    public:
        virtual ~AdminF(){}
        virtual std::string notify(const std::string & command,tars::TarsCurrentPtr current) = 0;
        static void async_response_notify(tars::TarsCurrentPtr current, const std::string &_ret)
        {
            if (current->getRequestVersion() == TUPVERSION )
            {
                UniAttribute<tars::BufferWriter, tars::BufferReader>  tarsAttr;
                tarsAttr.setVersion(current->getRequestVersion());
                tarsAttr.put("", _ret);

                vector<char> sTupResponseBuffer;
                tarsAttr.encode(sTupResponseBuffer);
                current->sendResponse(tars::TARSSERVERSUCCESS, sTupResponseBuffer);
            }
            else
            {
                tars::TarsOutputStream<tars::BufferWriter> _os;
                _os.write(_ret, 0);

                current->sendResponse(tars::TARSSERVERSUCCESS, _os.getByteBuffer());
            }
        }

        virtual void shutdown(tars::TarsCurrentPtr current) = 0;
        static void async_response_shutdown(tars::TarsCurrentPtr current)
        {
            if (current->getRequestVersion() == TUPVERSION )
            {
                UniAttribute<tars::BufferWriter, tars::BufferReader>  tarsAttr;
                tarsAttr.setVersion(current->getRequestVersion());

                vector<char> sTupResponseBuffer;
                tarsAttr.encode(sTupResponseBuffer);
                current->sendResponse(tars::TARSSERVERSUCCESS, sTupResponseBuffer);
            }
            else
            {
                tars::TarsOutputStream<tars::BufferWriter> _os;
                current->sendResponse(tars::TARSSERVERSUCCESS, _os.getByteBuffer());
            }
        }

    public:
        int onDispatch(tars::TarsCurrentPtr _current, vector<char> &_sResponseBuffer)
        {
            static ::std::string __tars__AdminF_all[]=
            {
                "notify",
                "shutdown"
            };

            pair<string*, string*> r = equal_range(__tars__AdminF_all, __tars__AdminF_all+2, _current->getFuncName());
            if(r.first == r.second) return tars::TARSSERVERNOFUNCERR;
            switch(r.first - __tars__AdminF_all)
            {
                case 0:
                {
                    tars::TarsInputStream<tars::BufferReader> _is;
                    _is.setBuffer(_current->getRequestBuffer());
                    std::string command;
                    if (_current->getRequestVersion() == TUPVERSION)
                    {
                        UniAttribute<tars::BufferWriter, tars::BufferReader>  tarsAttr;
                        tarsAttr.setVersion(_current->getRequestVersion());
                        tarsAttr.decode(_current->getRequestBuffer());
                        tarsAttr.get("command", command);
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        _is.read(command, 1, true);
                    }
                    std::string _ret = notify(command, _current);
                    if(_current->isResponse())
                    {
                        if (_current->getRequestVersion() == TUPVERSION )
                        {
                            UniAttribute<tars::BufferWriter, tars::BufferReader>  tarsAttr;
                            tarsAttr.setVersion(_current->getRequestVersion());
                            tarsAttr.put("", _ret);
                            tarsAttr.encode(_sResponseBuffer);
                        }
                        else
                        {
                            tars::TarsOutputStream<tars::BufferWriter> _os;
                            _os.write(_ret, 0);
                            _os.swap(_sResponseBuffer);
                        }
                    }
                    return tars::TARSSERVERSUCCESS;

                }
                case 1:
                {
                    tars::TarsInputStream<tars::BufferReader> _is;
                    _is.setBuffer(_current->getRequestBuffer());
                    if (_current->getRequestVersion() == TUPVERSION)
                    {
                        UniAttribute<tars::BufferWriter, tars::BufferReader>  tarsAttr;
                        tarsAttr.setVersion(_current->getRequestVersion());
                        tarsAttr.decode(_current->getRequestBuffer());
                    }
                    else
                    {
                    }
                    shutdown(_current);
                    if(_current->isResponse())
                    {
                        if (_current->getRequestVersion() == TUPVERSION )
                        {
                            UniAttribute<tars::BufferWriter, tars::BufferReader>  tarsAttr;
                            tarsAttr.setVersion(_current->getRequestVersion());
                            tarsAttr.encode(_sResponseBuffer);
                        }
                        else
                        {
                            tars::TarsOutputStream<tars::BufferWriter> _os;
                            _os.swap(_sResponseBuffer);
                        }
                    }
                    return tars::TARSSERVERSUCCESS;

                }
            }
            return tars::TARSSERVERNOFUNCERR;
        }
    };

}

#endif

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
import sys

from PyQt5.QtWidgets import QApplication
from mingus.midi import fluidsynth

from interface import DigitalInstrumentWidget

def main():
    fluidsynth.init("HS Synth Collection I.sf2", "alsa")
    app = QApplication(sys.argv)
    DigitalInstrumentWidget()
    sys.exit(app.exec_())

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()


text:
Folk and Country Music Festival set at museum
Laurie Hickey
A Folk and Country Music Festival is planned for May 23, 7 p.m. at the Carson Valley Museum and Cultural Center, 1477 Highway 395 in Gardnerville.
Admission is $5 per person, tickets are available at the museum and cultural center. All proceeds are to benefit the Carson Valley Historical Society.
This event is made possible by the kind donations of time and talent of these fine musicians and artists who made this program possible. The program will follow the history of American music from Celtic tunes played by early Scottish and Irish settlers that evolved into bluegrass, folk and country that we listen to today.
O'Neills Revenge, a Celtic music group, is made up of a wide range of talented and diversified individuals. Andrew McIntosh, a 6th grade student plays the fiddle and tin whistle. Rose Barrett, 7th grade student, plays the fiddle and limker Jack. Tom Summers is the minister of the Valley Presbyterian Church and he plays the fiddle. Doug Barrett, an avid birdwatcher, plays guitar. Laura Barrett, who teaches piano and is a potter and painter, plays the hammered dulcimer. Claudette Springmeyer, Comptroller for Douglas County, plays bass.
David John and the Comstock Cowboys will play country music with a bluegrass flavor. David John, singer and songwriter from Nashville who owned his own club and has played with many well-known country artists has a new CD coming out this spring titled "Songs of the Old West" on Aztec Records. The Comstock Cowboys are now playing at the Old Washoe Club in Virginia City, where recently Michael Martin Murphy stopped by to play with the group. The band members include Rich Liska on steel guitar, Rick Hammel on bass and Vern Miller on banjo and guitar.
Sheri Kern will perform folk songs. One is an historical folk song about this area that was recorded and made popular several years ago by John Denver.
The evening will also include a silent auction, some of the items donated by artists. Among them are a watercolor by Marge Buttles and two watercolors by Elinor Skiles. Both artists are members of the East Fork Artist Association. Gasoline Alley Antiques and Custom Crafts have also donated items. A barbecue dinner for six was donated by the Lazy Hooker Ranch in Hope Valley. Door prizes include a Genoa Candy Dance Poster from the 1980s, four pen and ink prints from a Native American artist from Idaho and others.
East Fork responds to Carson City crash that hospitalizes five people
May 10 trial date set in eluding case involving a red Audi and a fake FBI badge
Search on for woman in fatal collision
Stay alert to scams, coronavirus and otherwise
Advocates fear horse deaths will continue


text:
Grass compares Israel to Myanmar, East Germany after entry ban
Bloomberg reports: Guenter Grass, the Nobel Prize winning author of "The Tin Drum," compared the ban on his entering Israel to his treatment by dictatorships in Myanmar and East Germany in an article for the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.
On April 8, Interior Minister Eli Yishai declared Grass persona non grata and barred him from entering Israel, after Germany's best-known living writer published a poem calling the nation's nuclear capacity a threat to world peace.
"I have been denied entry into a country three times," Grass wrote in the short article, which was pre-released by the Sueddeutsche Zeitung before its publication tomorrow. He compared the wording of Yishai's ruling to the tone of his ban by Erich Mielke, the minister in charge of East Germany's Stasi, or secret police.
Grass wrote that the experience would not erase fond memories of his journeys to Israel, a country to which he still felt "irrevocably bound." He repeated his criticism of Israel. "As a nuclear power of uncontrolled dimensions, the Israeli government acts only on its own authority and heeds no reprimands," Grass wrote.
Alex Pearlman writes: Grass' controversial past could explain away Israel's actions against that German writer in particular. But it isn't just the poem. Israel has a free speech problem.
In 2010 renowned professor and linguist Noam Chomsky was banned from entry to Israel after an attempt to give a lecture at Bir Zeit University in Ramallah. Norman Finkelstein, also a Jewish professor, was arrested, deported, and banned from Israel for 10 years in 2008. [Here's a slideshow of more controversial critics of Israel who have been banned from entering the country.]
"The decision to prevent someone from voicing their opinions by arresting and deporting them is typical of a totalitarian regime," said Oded Peler, a lawyer for Israel's Association for Civil Rights to the Guardian after Finkelstein's deportation. "A democratic state, where freedom of expression is the highest principle, does not shut out criticism or ideas just because they are uncomfortable for its authorities to hear. It confronts those ideas in public debate."
And it isn't just Israel itself that has a free speech problem — the modus operandi of Israel's supporters in the US has long been to use all means possible to silence Israel's critics.
This entry was posted in Zionism on April 12, 2012 by News Sources.
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