text:
The World According to Sam Phillips
By Erik Philbrook, ASCAP Editor in Chief • December 4, 2018
The Grammy-nominated and acclaimed singer-songwriter discusses the making of her new album, World on Sticks, composing music for Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and embracing her mysterious side
Sam Phillips' new studio album, World on Sticks, her first full-length in five years, confronts some of the thorny issues of our time, namely our current environmental, social and political ills. Characteristically, she does so in a way that is both compelling and comforting. Phillips has long been a master of weaving darkness and light into songs that are perfect pop gems. It is one reason why her songs have been covered by such artists as Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Nickel Creek, Gaby Moreno, Chico Mann and Jimmy Dale Gilmore.
Phillips always takes the listener down some twisty roads, but she's a provocative tour guide, generous with thoughtful lyrics, indelible melodies and visceral music that embraces everything from primal drums to cinematic strings.
Along for the sonic journey on World on Sticks are percussionist Jay Bellerose, with whom she co-wrote some of the songs, as well as some of LA's finest musicians including Jon Brion, Eric Gorfain and The Section Quartet, among other kindred musical spirits.
Phillips talked to ASCAP about the origin of her new album, her decades-long songwriting career, her unexpected detour into composing for the hit TV series Gilmore Girls and the award-winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and the art of becoming "Sam."
You are always creating new music, yet this is your first proper full-length album in some time. What characterizes the songs on it?
I think there's a certain sense that we have as artists. We're a little bit like the cat before the earthquake. You know, when all the animals before an earthquake start freaking out because they can feel the vibrations of the earthquake coming before humans can.
I feel a little bit like a cat in that way, but as a songwriter. I started this album about four years ago and these odd, murky things came up. Like one song on the album is called "Roll 'em," and it is about a sociopath or an egomaniac who just doesn't care about anybody and wants to roll over everybody to get his own [LAUGHS]. Then, you know, bingo, we now have one in the White House.
A friend listened to the record and said, "you know, I think this is your resistance album, but it's not mentioning any names." I think that is true because I think that the thing we have to resist is the mindset and some of the problems that aren't the problem of one person or one party. I think there are deeper problems that we've had all along that have culminated into this political situation we have found ourselves in.
That's a big subject. How do you capture it creatively?
My intent in finishing the record was to talk about how it feels to be in these weird times. It feels like being in a world on sticks…wobbly. I wanted to voice some of my concerns that I think everybody shares. Nobody wants the earth and our waters to be polluted and ugly. That was my first concern when things started getting dark – that was a scary one.
The other thing is I think I wanted to approach this with kindness too, because I feel like we don't know how much anybody knows at any given time.
Obviously, some people have their fingers in their ears and they're shouting as loud as they can for their favorite political character. But they may not have all the information. I think it's important to be patient and kind and loving and voice our concerns and to talk with each other, to not stop talking no matter if you're sporting red or blue or any other color of the rainbow. Solidarity is really important to us now.
I ended the album with a song that kind of says that. I started the album with a song called "Walking Trees," talking about the human condition and how we have what we need to do what we need to do. And the end of the album is like, well, we'll make it through this even if everything fails us – technology, modern life, we'll still make it through with "Candles and Stars," if nothing else.
You co-wrote a lot of these songs with the great drummer and percussionist Jay Bellerose. And a lot of your recent music possesses a very visceral and primal sound. It's not overly produced or needlessly prettied up. It's organic and natural, even though it is produced. How did you write some of these songs with Jay.
I think I've always been attracted to people who have a great rhythmic sense. My old friend T Bone Burnett once said that we're all drummers. I can't actually accept that because I wish I was a drummer but I'm not [LAUGHS].
But I notice when I'm writing that framing is really important to me. I think I always have a feel in mind, and perhaps that locks my writing down. Finally, what I decided to do was to collaborate with Jay who I think has the most incredible gift. He and Jim Keltner are two of my absolute favorite drummers. I've known Jay for many years now and feel comfortable with him. So I actually asked him to do some drum performances for me in the studio that I could write to, and that's how we did it. He just went in and played these pieces.
And that sparked some lyrical ideas?
Yes. He was playing one piece in particular and I just heard the words "I want to be you," which is kind of poking fun of midlife and fear of missing out and being on the Internet and envying people [LAUGHS].
I felt Jay kind of sent that to me. He kind of tapped that out in some kind of code and I found the lyric. When I wrote to his drum performances I felt they were so important to the music and to creating the lyrics that I felt that he had to be a writer on those songs.
Was that a new way for you to approach songwriting?
I haven't been in a band before – although I've worked with beautiful bands all my life – so I don't think I would do well being the singer of a band and improvising to a guitar player's chords and a bass player. But collaborating with Jay, a drummer, gave me a lot of room for melody and lyrics, even though he had created the feel. I was really inspired by that. It was a great experience.
You said you had been working on the album for a while. Did the current cultural and political climate ramp up the urgency to release it?
It did. I'm not sure it would be coming out now if our politics had not turned so intense. I started on it four or five years ago and I did put out a little EP just to test to see what people thought. And I actually took two of the songs from that, "Candles and Stars" and "World on Sticks," and overdubbed them. Jon Brion played on one. We added drums on "Candles and Stars" and remixed it, and for "World on Sticks" I did new vocals. It was fun.
Artists have more freedom today to release things when they want, like EPs and singles. Do you enjoy the flexibility and liberty to share songs or shorter collections of songs with your fans in ways that you couldn't do 15 years ago?
I do enjoy that. I think all change is good and healthy when it comes to artistic things. There's always going to be good and bad things [LAUGHS]. And I do miss the old days of more A&R involvement or producers that you respect fine-tuning things.
Today, there's a lot of just rushing to get things out because it's a job, it's what you do. That's one thing I've really tried to resist. I've tried to take my time and make sure that I'm really happy with what I've done. This album has turned out to be a very different album. Six months ago, I actually threw five songs off the record [LAUGHS] and then wrote another five songs to change the album quite a bit.
In the old days I guess I could have done that but it would have been a little tougher because you're on the clock in a studio. There's a release date. It's more difficult. So yeah, now we have more flexibility and that is great for artists.
Sam Phillips (center) with Eric Gorfain and ASCAP's Sara Chronert
Fans of the hit series Gilmore Girls, which ran for seven seasons and for which you composed music, were thrilled to see its return as a miniseries on Netflix in 2016. In the grand scheme of your career, what does the show mean to you?
It was crazy at the time because I'd never done any television composing really. All through the 1990s I did not watch television. I was on the road constantly. I just saw movies. I read books. So it was an interesting and completely unique situation where the show's creator Amy Sherman-Palladino wanted to use my voice in the score but the dialogue was so heavy she didn't want to use my words and she didn't want me to write lyrics.
So I kind of reached back in my memory and thought, well, Harry Nilsson did some beautiful background vocals (in addition to the theme song) for a funny little show called The Courtship of Eddie's Father when I was a kid.
I remembered that and I just took my little song beginnings and scraps that I had and sewed those together into a score and sang and played them. It took on a little life of its own. Fans of the show called it the "la-las" [LAUGHS]. It was just so sweet because a score usually isn't that personal to people – but Amy really wanted the score to be that. She wanted it to be the music inside the mother's and daughter's heads.
It meant a lot to me to be working with Amy and our producer Helen Pai. I made these dear friends working with them. It also meant a lot to me because I became a single mom during the filming of the show, during our – the seventh season. And I felt the incredible writers that came through that writers room were reading my mail. A lot of the episodes I could really relate to. So it's funny. It started out being a fun collaboration and then turned into something where I loved seeing every episode when I was scoring it. It became a show that meant a lot to me.
It has had an incredible run – and an incredible following.
It's interesting because the fans did not lose faith. They kept the flame alive for almost 10 years. It was pretty incredible that Amy was able to go back, gather the cast up and do more. It was so much fun. I hope we'll do more because at the end of the recent mini-series, we kind of left the daughter Rory in a very interesting place.
Your collaboration with Amy Sherman-Palladino continued with the Emmy-winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which is back for a second season. Was it fun working on a project set in a defined time period?
Well, Eric Gorfain and I were the composers on the show in the very beginning. Again, it was a collaboration, trying to find the right music and that because in the beginning they said, "we're going to do all great songs from the late '50s, early '60s and Broadway." And we were like, "that sounds great!"
Then Amy and Dan [Palladino] called us to help them do some score because they felt like they needed some score pieces. So we jumped in and actually gave them a lot of different choices, very different from what ended up being in the show. I think it helped them figure out and define what they wanted to do.
In the end I think we all felt that strongest thing for that show was to have these, these amazing classics from Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee and Blossom Dearie, and I just think that they had the budget to do it and not every show has that kind of a budget for a period piece.
I think that conclusion was made humorously. I don't remember if it was Dan or Amy but they asked us to do "Wee Small Hours of the Morning," and they said could "you do something like that?" [LAUGHS] And we were like, "no, no we can't! It's Frank Sinatra singing "Wee Small Hours of the Morning!"
In Season 2, we have done some score for them. We've done some fun things. We're standing by always to help in whatever capacity because I'm, I'm so proud of them and I love what they have accomplished. I was a composer on another show that they did that had a very short life that ABC Family Network called Bunheads about teenagers who were ballet dancers. I feel like that was a beautiful little show that didn't have the right label – like the record business.
For me watching Amy and Dan go through all this with Gilmore Girls and with Bunheads to see them come out the other end with Mrs. Maisel and collect all those awards, that was a beautiful nod for their 20-plus years of hard work
I've seen you perform a few times over the years and I'm always drawn to the theatricality of your persona onstage. It's in your music too. There's a layer of mystique which I find compelling. Do you know where that comes from? Are you a different person onstage than you are at home, or is it an extension of your personality that you are able to express when you are on a stage?
Yeah, it's definitely a part of my personality. It's funny that you'd mention that after Gilmore Girls because the reason Amy asked me to do Gilmore Girls was she had seen me perform live in Los Angeles and she said she couldn't believe that I was a nice person when she met me because she thought that I hated everybody when I was onstage [LAUGHS], which is kind of funny. I guess she was teasing.
I think that also comes from my very unusual beginnings in music, which, you know, was gospel music when I was very young. That's a whole other interview and there's a lot to say about that. But to grow as an artist and to grow as a spiritual person, I needed to leave gospel music and expand my life. But starting at that place in a very idealistic kind of mysterious world, I think some of that comes from just a reaction to what I was doing in the beginning.
You know, I also started dancing when I was three, so I moved around a lot in the days when I was doing gospel music and I felt that when I took my nickname Sam as my stage name, I felt there needed to be a whole different direction musically that I wanted to express onstage as well. So I think some of that is that is the opposite of where I came from and how I grew up as an artist and came into being this other person, "Sam" [LAUGHS].
Well, your uniqueness has worked out well over the course of a productive and creative career.
Thank you. That's the funny thing about being a songwriter. I remember this many times over the 30 some odd years I've been writing songs. People would say, you know, songwriting has changed, we have to write this kind of song or that kind of song. And, though I understand that, I think there are some things – feel, melody, intent and tone– that will always stay the same and are important about writing.
Styles do change and I'm certainly not a mainstream pop act. That's never been the kind of music that I was interested in, except maybe when I was a little girl, you know, and radio was everything from James Brown to the Beatles to Johnny Cash on your one radio station, and you listened to it all.
So you had to create your own radio station in your head then.
It's true. The question is always, how stubborn do you stay? Do you stick to your guns even if you go a little retro or you have more structure to a song? How much of a new spin do you put on it that might relate to the world around you? I've stayed in my corner, which, you know, doesn't make friends with the widest audience. But I sure like my audience. I'm very happy to be singing to the people that I'm singing to.
Help us build a stronger future for music.
#StandWithSongwriters and make your voice heard.


Newcomers Petaling Jaya City (PJ) proved that they are no cannon fodders, following their 1-1 draw at home against favourites Selangor on Saturday.
In the matchday two Malaysia Super League (MSL) encounter that was held at the MBPJ Stadium, the hosts opened the scoring in the 80th minute through Pedro Enrique's penalty, after goalkeeper Khairulazhan Khalid fouled him in the box. But the Red Giants were spared the blushes, when they were awarded a penalty themselves in the 87th minute for a foul on Syahmi Safari, which was then converted by Rufino Segovia.
In the post-match press conference, PJ boss Devan Kuppusamy praised his charges, who according to him were able to go toe-to-toe against the more-fancied visitors.
"My team played a better game today than Selangor did. We had the major share of possession, created chances and defended well. We gave them little space in the first half, and could have even won if not for the mistake committed by our left back (Zamri Ramli) that gave away the penalty.
"This shows that my charges have the quality to play in the top tier, despite the fact that Veenod [Subramaniam] was the only player in our starting eleven who has had experience playing in the MSL before this season, and that includes our foreign players.
"If we can play like this consistently, I'm convinced that PJ can go far," explained the former MSL and FA Cup-winning coach.
And when asked by Goal about his plans heading into the encounter, he revealed that he had believed they could come away with a win.
"I'd watched the Selangor vs Felda United match last week, and came away believing that if they were to play the same way against us tonight, we could have won.
"But tonight Selangor were more organised and defended better," he disclosed.
Devan also expressed his belief that his charges have what it takes to defy expectations in their league campaign.
"If you ask me, I want a top-five finish and my men can achieve this. We have to make improvements of course.
"Take our match away to Melaka United last week. We committed errors that led to us conceding two early goals, but in the second half we controlled the game and were able to pull one back.
"My men need to develop their confidence in order to play better," he said.
Commenting on the fact that it was their first home match after the club's rebranding initiative, Devan cheekily noted that he wants to help them persuade the Selangor fans into changing allegiance.
The club played as MISC-MIFA in previous years, but were rebranded by their new ownserhsip group after gaining promotion for this season, hoping to garner the support of the residents of Petaling Jaya, where their home ground is. The city is situated just 17 kilometres away from Shah Alam, where Selangor play their home games.
"For me, as long as a team plays attractive football and shows high levels of intensity, energy and individual commitment in every match, the supporters will turn up," remarked the former Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Kelantan trainer.


"Angel on the Grand Teton"
"Early Morning at The Grand Canyon"
The only cloud in the entire syk!
"The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone #2"
"The Great Wall of Utah"
"From Kissing Camels to Pike's Peak"
in all seasons: Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring. Think of making really BIG prints of any of these for your home or office!


text:
Tag: Master
Salman Khan As Thalapathy Vijay For Master's Hindi Remake?
Thalapathy Vijay's Master was theatrical release amidst the pandemic took the box office by storm. Large crowds thronging at cinema halls proved the mass power of Vijay and Bollywood already is keen on remaking this blockbuster in Hindi. And adding to the remake buzz is that now Salman Khan is being considered to step into […]
Master Vijay Beats Baahubali Prabhas' Dominance! Twitterati Go Frenzy
Tamil superstar Vijay's recently released 'Master' is on a dream box-office run despite COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and its digital release. Even with 50% occupancy, Vijay's Master has broken Prabhas' Baahubali 2: The Conclusion's three-year-long record in terms of theatrical share in Tamil Nadu in 19 days of its release. Master has yielded more than 82 […]
Master Effect: Thalapathy Vijay Gets Huge Advance From Mythri Movie Makers for His Next
Master's success has made a big impact on the career of the Tamil star Thalapathy Vijay. Already Vijay was a big name in South Indian movie business but Master's success has changed a lot of things. It the first major movie to release in theaters post easing of lockdown. View this post on Instagram […]
Thalapathy Vijay Wins Hearts With Master's Deleted Scene
Master has already broken box office records and still running successfully running in theatres. Now, keeping the audience's reaction in mind, the makers released a deleted scene from the movie on Youtube which has left the viewers applauding for Thalapathy Vijay. Director Lokesh Kanagaraj dropped a 5-minute long-unseen clip from Mater where Vijay is seen […]
Some Risks Are Worth Taking: 'Master' Star Vijay Sethupathi
New Delhi: Speaking to a national news agency, Tamil superstar Vijay Sethupathi, who believes in letting his work speak for himself, said, some risks are worth taking, whether it is playing an antagonist in "Master" or portraying the role of a trans woman in "Super Deluxe". In a career of 40 to 50 films, Sethupathi […]
Vijay's Master Release Date Locked For OTT! Check Details
Mumbai: Tamil action thriller "Master", starring Thalapathy Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi, will have its digital premiere on Amazon Prime Video on January 29, the streamer announced on Wednesday. The film, written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and produced by Xavier Britto, released in theatres on January 13 during Pongal holiday. "Master" follows John Durairaj, an […]
Vijay's 'Master' Scripts Record: Crosses 50Cr-Mark In TN Alone; Hindi Remake Soon
Chennai: Thalapathy Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi's Tamil film Master has grossed over Rs 100 crore just in 3 days of which Rs 50 crore is in Tamil Nadu alone. Master released on January 13 on the occasion of Pongal. Vijay most often in referred as the 'Master' of Pongal and the gross collection in the […]
Vijay's Master: Crowd Going Crazy At Theatres Prove Thalapathy's Mass Power
Thalapathy Vijay's Master has taken the box office by storm and large crowds thronging at cinema halls are the proof. Videos of fans lined up to get a ticket and some dancing to Vijay's entry inside the hall are going around the internet which shows the mass power of Vijay. Meanwhile, Violation of social distancing […]
Vijay's Master Brings Box Office Tsunami, COVID Norms 'Flouted' During Ticket Booking
Mumbai: The highly-anticipated film Master, starring Tamil superstars Thalapathy Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi, could well be on its way to create a record at the box office despite opening amid the pandemic and being leaked on torrent websites hours before its release. Fans of the two actors started crowding at theatres since early morning on […]
Thalapathy Vijay's Master Set To Break Box-office Records Even Before Its Release?
Thalapathy Vijay's Master is one of the most awaited South Indian movies. And it is also one of the first big movies to hit the theaters' post relaxation of corona lockdown norms. As expected fans of the superstar are eagerly awaiting the release of Master and now it seems that their anticipation can lead to […]
#Watch Thalapathy Vijay's Master Hindi Trailer, Release Date Out
With the release date of Thalapathy Vijay's Master approaching, the anticipation is getting bigger with each day. To much delight of the pan Indian fans of Vijay, the makers have announced that the film will release in Hindi on January 14, titled Vijay The Master. The Hindi trailer of Master also dropped on Wednesday which […]
Thalapathy Vijay's Master Update: Makers To Avoid Trailer Release To Elevate Response?
Thalapathy Vijay's Master will release on January 13 and 14 (Hindi) in theaters on the eve of Pongal. The first fresh release of a South Indian mega-star in theaters after the lockdown has already created ripples in the film world. As a treat to his fans, the superstar shared Master emoji on Twitter which has […]
Twitter Drops 'Master', 'Slave' From Its Algorithms
San Francisco: Twitter has joined efforts to do away with racially loaded terms such as master, slave and blacklist from its coding language in the wake of the death of African-American George Floyd and ensuing Black Lives Matter protests. The project started even before the current movement for racial justice escalated following the death of […]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Description: (Moçambique) 15 10 2015
MOZAMBIQUE (Moçambique) 2015
Sport – Olympic Games / Sport – Olympic Games
Towards Summer Games 2016 (High jump, gymnastics, javelin, 100 m run with barriers)
Towards Summer Games 2016 (Discus throw)
Sport – Chess
Chess (Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand)
Chess (Viswanathan Anand)
Science / Science
Nobel prize (Alexander Fleming (1881-1955) – 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) – 1964 Nobel Peace Prize; Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) – 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature; N. J. Muller – 1946 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine)
Nobel prize (W. K. Heisenberg (1901-1976) – 1932 Nobel Prize in Physics)
German reunification
25th anniversary of German reunification (Brandenburg gate in Berlin, Helmut Kohl, Mikhail Gorbachev, Berlin Wall)
25th anniversary of German reunification (Helmut Kohl, Walter Momper)
Rotary in Mozambique (Rotary in Mozambique works to provide clean water, kids with the right to a basic education, mosquito nets saving from malaria, Mozambique experiencing steady progress to strengthen the medical sector)
Rotary in Mozambique
Christmas ("Adoration of the Shepherds" (detail) by Guido Reni (1575-1642); "Madonna and child" (detail), 1480-85 by Antoniazo Romano (1430-1508); "Madonna of the Book" (detail), 1480 by Sandro Boticelli (1445-1510); "The Flight to Egypt" (detail), 1647-50 by Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1617-1682))
Christmas ("Madonna and child", 1470 by Giovanni Bellini (1430-1516))
Art – French
Pierre-Auguste Renoir ("Jeanne Samary in a Low Necked Dress", 1877; "Dance at the Moulin de Galette", 1876; "Self-portrait", 1910; "Dance at Bougival", 1883)
Pierre-Auguste Renoir ("Pale Water", 1880)
Berthe Morisot ("Woman Hanging out the Washing", 1881; "Lucie Leon at the Piano" (detail), 1892; Orsay museum; "Julie Daydreaming" (detail), 1894; Louvre museum, "In the Bois de Boulogne", 1880)
Berthe Morisot ("Eugene Manet at the Isle of White", 1875)
Paul Cezanne ("The Sea at L'Estaque", 1883-86; "Self-portrait with the Player Hat", 1883-87; "Mont Sainte-Victoire and the Viaduct of the Arc River Valley", 1882-85; "Basket of Apples", 1890-94; "Mont Sainte-Victoire", 1895)
Paul Cezanne (Cezanne's studio, "The Card Players", 1892)
Henri Matisse ("Interior with a Violin" (detail), 1918; "Interior in yellow and Blue" (detail), 1946; "Bowl of Apples on the Table" (detail), 1916; Henri Matisse (1869-1954))
Henri Matisse ("Golden Fish" (detail), 1912)
Paul Gauguin ("Self-portrait with Halo and Snake" (detail), 1889; "When Will You Marry?"(detail), 1892; "Still Life with Onions, Beetroot and a Japanese Print" (detail), 1889; "Peasant Woman and Cows in a Landscape", 1890)
Paul Gauguin ("Sacred Mountain", 1892)
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec ("Mr. Boileau", 1893; "In the Salon of Rue des Moulins", 1894-95; Jane Avril poster, 1893; "Moulin de la Galette", 1889)
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec ("Jane Avril Dancing", 1893)
Art – Belgian / Flemish
Peter Paul Rubens ("St. George and the Dragon", 1605-07; "Study of two Heads", 1609; "Medusa" (detail), 1618; The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna , Austria; "Tiger Hunting", 1616)
Peter Paul Rubens ("Virgin in Adoration Before the Christ Child", 1615)
Art – Spanish
Pablo Picasso ("Dora Maar with Cat" (detail), 1941; "Woman with folded arms", 1901-02; "Pregnant Woman", 1950; "Woman's Head (Dora Maar)", 1940; "The Dream" (detail), 1932; "Mediterranean landscape" (detail), 1952)
Pablo Picasso ("The Old Guitarist", 1903-1904)
Salvador Dali ("The Spectre of Sex-Appeal" (detail), 1932; "The Bread Basket", 1945; "Tribute to Newton", 1945; "Soft Construction with Boiled Beans", 1945; Rhino in Puerto Banus; "Metamorphosis of Narcissus" (detail), 1937; "Portrait of Luis Bunuel", 1924)
Salvador Dali ("Geopoliticus Child Watching the Birth of a New Man", 1943)


text:
The arts graduates
Newspaper Watch
Princess 'paid £1.2bn to bodyguard lover'
Princess Haya showered expensive gifts on her British bodyguard during their affair, it has been claimed
Well, you know, hunky Brit, why not presents and lasciviousness? But a billion and change looks like a lot:
Princess Haya, the ex-wife of the ruler of Dubai, paid a British bodyguard £1.2 million and gave him gifts including a £50,000 Purdey shotgun, watches and cigars, it has been claimed.
Ah, million. The curse of the arts graduates and numbers strikes again.
previousWell, yes, as you say
nextHow Male
6 thoughts on "The arts graduates"
Grikath November 21, 2020 at 9:55 am
The URL is worse.. It claims "12bn" ..
bloke in spain November 21, 2020 at 10:14 am
Oh, that's the bint from the post above is it?. Problem with reading your posts from top to bottom. Nah. Wouldn't give that more then a 7. The slap & the photographer are doing a lot of work there.
Steve November 21, 2020 at 10:36 am
Geez. Cuckolding an Arabian monarch seems like the kind of dangerous liaison more suited to Sir Harry Flashman.
You'd think Sheikh Mohammed might've sent the guy on a special visit to the Saudi Embassy, but tbf mebbe he didn't notice one of his wives was missing.
Bloke in Callao November 21, 2020 at 12:15 pm
Agree with BiS, nowt special.
MC November 21, 2020 at 6:38 pm
BiS, BiC – you'd both do her for 12 billion though!
I'm with Steve on this. That she's not a 10 makes no odds. Rogering an Arab despot's missus scores chap points.
Jimmers November 21, 2020 at 7:54 pm
Rogering an Arab despot's missus scores chap points.
Might lead to the old chap being cut off.
Tim Worstall on Well, yes, but….


text:
News & OSINT
Social review
Top Investigations
Joint Forces Operation Headquarters: Body of killed medic was cut with bones excised, and wounded marine bled to death
on 07/26/2020 | | Donbas | News Print This Post
The BBC News Ukraine agency received a report from the Joint Forces Operation Headquarters with some details about the death of a wounded marine who could not be evacuated from the battlefield.
What happened to the wounded marine?
On July 13, a group of Ukrainian servicemen tried to pick up the body of a killed Ukrainian scout from a spot of "gray zone" (no-man's land) near Zaitseve and got shot at.
The Ukrainian side insists that the Ukrainian troops acted under a cease-fire agreement and wore white helmets, which was confirmed by pictures taken from a drone.
Nevertheless, the troops were shot at and a wounded sergeant Yaroslav Zhuravel was left on the battlefield.
Mykola Ilin. Yaroslav Zhuravel.
Officials from the Joint Forces Operation headquarters told representatives of the BBC Ukraine agency that the Ukrainian side had repeatedly used the SMM OSCE as go-between in their communication with pro-Russian armed groups, asking to allow them to pick up the wounded serviceman. The Ukrainian troops explained that "the wounded person had special white labels on his clothes, meaning that he was a member of an evacuation team."
Nonetheless, the adversary refused, and it made a timely search and rescue mission impossible
"Meanwhile," says the JFO report, "the enemy conducted their own search and played for time. This deliberate playing for time had terrible consequences. The wounded serviceman did not receive the necessary medical help and bled to death."
What Happened to the Medic's Body?
The JFO officials also told the BBC Ukraine some details regarding the return of the bodies of the killed Ukrainian troops. The return was repeatedly delayed, too.
At the moment when the bodies of fallen Ukrainian troops became available for pickup by an Evacuation-200 Ukrainian evacuation group, these bodies showed irreversible postmortem changes, which can mean that the bodies had not been preserved at a morgue as the rules request.
The dead troops did not have their military uniform on.
Also, the body of a military medic Mykola Ilin showed signs of incisions. The Ukrainian side noted "the weird and outrageous fact that someone cut open the body of a military medic who had been killed on a battlefield."
"Besides, it was impossible," say the JFO officials, "to establish the kind of weapon that killed the military medic because the injured organs and bones had been excised from the body by representatives of the Russian occupier troops at the morgue of the city of Horlivka on the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region."
A Russian Mine
The Joint Forces Operation Command also reports that the evacuation team found a Russian POM-2 antipersonnel mine.
"Such mines are prohibited by the Ottawa Convention and are manufactured exclusively in the Russian Federation. POM-2 is installed remotely, it has a period of self-liquidation from 4 to 100 hours," – said JFO represenatives in response to the press service.
Such mines are placed behind RPG-7 grenade launchers, the radius of continuous damage is up to 16 meters.
Окупанти дистанційно мінують Донбас протипіхотними мінами ПОМ-2#ООС #операція_ОС_СЦКК #Ukraine_army…
Posted by Операція об'єднаних сил / Joint Forces Operation on Thursday, July 16, 2020
The mine is triggered when a person touches one of the four thin threads, up to 10 meters long each.
"The use of POM-2 by the armed forces of the Russian Federation, with the provision of photo evidence to international organizations, was recently recorded on the territory of CJSC Bakhmut Agrarian Union, located just a few kilometers from Zaytsevo – in Novolugansk in Donetsk region," theJFO command said.
Russia denies the involvement of its military personnel in the war in Donbass, despite the fact that since 2014, the Ukrainian military has captured active-duty Russian servicemen and also found weapons that are produced only for the Russian army.
The JFO command also draws attention to the fact that the whole situation of obstructing the search for the wounded and the evacuation of bodies is contrary to the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Victims of War.
Earlier, the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" stated that the Ukrainian evacuation group allegedly moved without white helmets and identification marks.
The day before, the Office of the President of Ukraine announced a "complete and comprehensive ceasefire" in the Donbas, which should begin on July 27
Translated by George Pinchuk. Distribution and reprint with reference to the source is welcome! (Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International — CC BY 4.0) InformNapalm social media pages: Facebook / Twitter / Telegram
Tags: DonbasJoint Forces OperationRussian aggression
Andriy Derkach and his tapes. About one special operation to interfere in the US presidential election
Sweden predicts potential hybrid aggression by Russia (VIDEO)
Russia's veto power at the UN Security Council is illegitimate. Legal analysis
93: the Battle for Ukraine – the new stunning documentary about Russian military aggression against Ukraine
Escalation in the Donbas: two Ukrainian defenders killed in action and two wounded
Russian occupiers use banned 82mm mortars in Donbas
Shelling in Donbas is most actively carried out by 3 units of Russian 1st Army Corps
No Responses to "Joint Forces Operation Headquarters: Body of killed medic was cut with bones excised, and wounded marine bled to death"
Donbas in Flames
Read the latest book "Donbas in Flames. Guide to the Conflict Zone" published by Prometheus Center. This guide will be useful to journalists, researchers, war experts, diplomats and general readers seeking information on the war in Donbas.
Archives Select Month January 2021 (7) December 2020 (9) November 2020 (19) October 2020 (18) September 2020 (11) August 2020 (29) July 2020 (12) June 2020 (5) May 2020 (6) April 2020 (8) March 2020 (7) February 2020 (4) January 2020 (6) December 2019 (8) November 2019 (1) October 2019 (1) September 2019 (11) August 2019 (20) July 2019 (35) June 2019 (14) May 2019 (4) April 2019 (8) March 2019 (5) February 2019 (8) January 2019 (7) December 2018 (7) November 2018 (10) October 2018 (8) September 2018 (7) August 2018 (4) July 2018 (5) June 2018 (9) May 2018 (14) April 2018 (11) March 2018 (8) February 2018 (12) January 2018 (11) December 2017 (15) November 2017 (19) October 2017 (14) September 2017 (16) August 2017 (24) July 2017 (29) June 2017 (25) May 2017 (30) April 2017 (25) March 2017 (25) February 2017 (28) January 2017 (26) December 2016 (28) November 2016 (38) October 2016 (26) September 2016 (31) August 2016 (36) July 2016 (27) June 2016 (13) May 2016 (15) April 2016 (23) March 2016 (31) February 2016 (35) January 2016 (34) December 2015 (32) November 2015 (44) October 2015 (33) September 2015 (28) August 2015 (39) July 2015 (49) June 2015 (13) May 2015 (26) April 2015 (39) March 2015 (58) February 2015 (54) January 2015 (52) December 2014 (31) November 2014 (32) October 2014 (33) September 2014 (62) August 2014 (71) July 2014 (45) June 2014 (24) May 2014 (8) April 2014 (17) March 2014 (84)
© 2014-2019. «InformNapalm». CC BY 4.0


Strands Hair Shop and Spa requires Macromedia Flash Player 8.
Strands Hair Studio and Spa welcomes collaborations with individuals, businesses, civic organizations, fraternities, sororities, religious groups, vendors, and wedding planners to stage spa getaways, showers, and parties.
Additionally, Strands Spa sponsors parties the second and fourth Sunday of every month. These fêtes feature packages or special discounts on individual spa services. Attendees will sample featured imported and domestic wines and enjoy a range of hors d'oeuvres and canapés. Those receiving services are encouraged to drink our signature fruit infused spring water to avoid dehydration and cramping.
Patrons of the hair studio and/or spa will receive invitations in the mail.


Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: disallowed Unicode code point (>= 0xd800 && <= 0xdfff) at offset 2112 in truncate_utf8() (line 340 of /home/digital1/public_html/synapticbytes/includes/unicode.inc).
"Creates a 2D shape assuming the shape hint given, and with option parameters depending on the shape hint"
"Set the elasticity of the body"
"Returns the Shiva object tag for the physics body in the list of bodies after the one input.\nUse 'First' to start at the beginning of the list"
"Sets the friction value of the body"
"Sets the rolling friction value of the body"
"Sets the anisotropic friction value of each axis of the collision body set for this object"
"Displays development information about the plugin in a dialogue"
"Returns a count of the number of bodies of the specified body type in the current dynamic world. \nIf no body type is specified, a count of all bodies is returned."
"Activates the specific object in the current dynamic world"
"Activates all rigid bodies in the current dynamic world"
"Removes the selected constraint from the current world"
"Adds a Hinge constraint to ObjectA and optionally ObjectB at the nominated pivot points, hinged along the nominated axes. Objects must previously have had rigid bodies assigned to them."
"Adds a Slider constraint to ObjectA and optionally ObjectB along the nominated axes at the nominated angles. Objects must previously have had rigid bodies assigned to them."
"Adds a Cone Twist constraint to ObjectA and optionally ObjectB. Objects must previously have had rigid bodies assigned to them."
"Sets the Gravity value to be used for this object when applyBodyGravity is activated"
"Damps the object velocity using the set linear and angular damping"
"Applies the gravity value previosuly set for the object"
"Removes all forces from the selected object\n"
"Applies torque to the selected object"
"Applies torque impulse to the selected object"
"Applies a linear impulse to the selected object at relative position (nPosX, nPosY, nPosZ) of the object. If nPos values are not specified, the impulse is at the centre of mass\n ) "
"Sets the linear and angular damping values to be used for this object when applyBodyDamping is activated"
"Translates the Rigid Body and it's object to location (nPosX, nPosY, nPosZ) ) "
"Adds a pivot constraint to ObjectA and optionally ObjectB at the nominated pivot points. Objects must previously have had rigid bodies assigned to them."
"Creates a new physics body using a previously created collision shape.\nThe collision shape name should match the object tag of the originally created body"
"Creates a default rigid body capsule with a mass nMass and a radius of nRadius, height of nHeight and attaches it to object sObjectTag"
"Creates a default rigid body cylinder with a mass nMass and dimensions of the extents, aligned to kBodyAxis and attaches it to object sObjectTag"
"Creates a rigid body 2D Box with a mass nMass and dimensions of the extents, and attaches it to object sObjectTag"
"Creates an rigid body Triangle with the 3 provided points, and attaches it to object sObjectTag"
"Creates an infinite static rigid body Plane with the given normal vector and plane constant, and attaches it to object sObjectTag"
"Creates a Convex Hull shell, attached to the given object. Hull points must be setup with the addCHPoint function"
"Adds a point to the Convex Hull rigid body attached to the tagged object."
"Creates a default rigid body cone with a mass nMass and a radius of nRadius, height of nHeight and attaches it to object sObjectTag"
"Returns the gravity vector of the current world"
"Sets the individual idle thresholds for linear and angular velocity for the given body. Linear is in m/sec and angular is in rad/sec"
"Sets the world gravity in the Y axis"
"Creates a default rigid body sphere with a mass nMass and a radius of nradius, and attaches it to object sObjectTag"
"Creates a default rigid body box with a mass nMass and size <nSx, nSy, nSz> and attaches it to object sObjectTag"
"Steps the current physics world simulation by the step time specified"
"Initialises a new world of kType. \nThe individual components can be setup beforehand and passed in to configure the world.\nIf a parameter is not relevent to a specific world type, it will be ignored.\nIf an option is not set, it will use default values"
"Destroys the specific physics world and all elements within that world."
"Defines a custom 2D shape. sbPhysics will attempt to match all the points with a Z-Axis of 0"
"Defines a 2D Circle shape"
"Defines a 2D Triangle shape"
"Defines a 2D Star shape, Radius nP1, with number of arms nP2"
"Defines a 2D Hexagon shape for the given radius"
"Identifies a world optimised for using 2D bodies. Note the collision configuration, dispatcher, solvers and broadphase will all be ignored for a 2D world"
"Alignment on the X axis for rigid bodies axis aligned"
"Alignment on the Y axis for rigid bodies axis aligned"
"Alignment on the Z axis for rigid bodies axis aligned"
"Defines default collision configuration type"
"Defines softbody collision configuration on top of default collision configuration type"
"Defines the default collision dispatcher"
"Defines a broadphase using two dynamic AABB bounding volume hierarchies/trees"
"Defines a 3d axis sweep and prune broadphase"
"Defines the Squential Impulse Constraint solver"
"Defines the default contraint solver as the SequentialImpulseConstraintSolver"
"Defines a default broadphase as the kDbvtBroadphase"
"Defines the default gravity of -9.8 m/s in the Y axis"
"Identifies a world with just collision detection"
"Identifies a world with collision detection and rigid bodies"
"Identifies an expanded Rigid world with optional continuous collision detection for fast moving bodies"
"Identifies a world with collisions, discrete rigid bodies and soft bodies"
sbPhysics - the Shiva Bullet plugin - Now with more Meat!


text:
Universe Today
Space and astronomy news
An artist's illustration of the tiny Neptunian moon Hippocamp. Image Credit: NASA, ESA and J. Olmsted (STScI)
Posted on February 22, 2019 February 22, 2019 by Evan Gough
Say Hello to Hippocamp! The New Moon Discovered at Neptune, Which Could Have Broken off from the Larger Moon Proteus
Moons have the coolest names, don't they? Proteus, Titan, and Callisto. Phobos, Deimos, and Encephalitis. But not Io. That's a stupid name for a moon. There's only two ways to pronounce it and we still get it wrong. Anyway, now we have another cool one: Hippocamp!
Okay, maybe the new name isn't that cool. It sounds like a summer camp for overweight artiodactyls. But whatever. It's not every day our Solar System gets a new moon.
Hippocamp is tiny, only 34 km (20 miles) across. It's only about 1/1000th the mass of Proteus, its enormous neighbour. So it's one of Neptune's smallest moons.
Remove All Ads on Universe Today
Join our Patreon for as little as $3!
Get the ad-free experience for life
A team of astronomers have figured out where this tiny Neptunian moon came from. The team hails from NASA's Ames Research Center, from the SETI Institute, and from the University of California, and they discovered the moon in archival data from the Hubble Space Telescope. They think it's the direct result of a collision between another, larger moon, and a comet.
When originally discovered, Hippocamp was called S/2004 N 1. It was discovered in 2013 when Mark Showalter analyzed over 150 archival Neptune photographs taken by Hubble from 2004 to 2009. Image Credit: By NASA, ESA, and M. Showalter (SETI Institute) – http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2013/30/image/a/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27271562
The most interesting thing about this newly-discovered moon is not its name, but its origin. It appears to have broken off the much larger Neptunian moon Proteus. And it all may have been the result of a little drama involving a comet and a collision.
Hippocamp's origin story starts a long time ago. Astronomers call it the 'moon that shouldn't be there,' and that's a strong hint at the twists and turns that led to its existence. It's so small and so close to Proteus that Proteus should have devoured it or swept it aside. But that hasn't happened.
"The first thing we realized was that you wouldn't expect to find such a tiny moon right next to Neptune's biggest inner moon," said Mark Showalter of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, lead author of the paper outlining Hippocamp's origins.
Hippocamp's story starts in the early days of the Solar System, when the gas giants coalesced out of the disk of material around the Sun. There's a lot of detail involved, but essentially after the gas giants formed, they migrated through the Solar System. They weren't always in the positions we see them in now.
Neptune's largest moon Triton photographed on August 25, 1989 by Voyager 2. It's a captured Kuiper Belt Object, and its capture started a chain of events that led to Hippocamp, the little moon that shouldn't be there. Credit: NASA
These migrations changed the gravitational situation in the Solar System, and at some point, it looks like Neptune captured its moon Triton from the Kuiper Belt. So Triton isn't a moon that was accreted from rocky material left over from the inner Solar System. It's a captured Kuiper Belt Object. Other moons, like Saturn's Phoebe, may also be captured Kuiper Belt Objects.
Triton is so large that its gravity would have torn up Neptune's original system of moons. Then once Triton settled down into an orbit, moons like Proteus coalesced out of the debris. So Proteus is like a second-generation moon. And Proteus spawned Hippocamp.
Proteus wasn't discovered until 1989, when Voyager 2 passed by Neptune and discovered it. It took pictures of Proteus and found a massive impact crater on the surface of the moon. And that's where the new tiny moon Hippocamp first appears in our story.
"In 1989, we thought the crater was the end of the story," said Showalter.
A Voyager2 image of Proteus. It's not a great image, because Voyager2's cameras were designed for more brightly-lit objects, but a large crater is visible on the upper right, partly in shadow. Image Credit: NASA/Voyager2.
Hippocamp wasn't discovered until 2013, when Hubble's keen eye spotted it. "With Hubble, now we know that a little piece of Proteus got left behind and we see it today as Hippocamp," said Showalter. The orbits of the two moons are now 7,500 miles (about 12,070 kilometers) apart.
The team of astronomers behind the new paper explaining Hippocamp's origin say that a long time ago, a comet collided with the moon Proteus. The collision created the big impact crater, and Hippocamp, the little moon that shouldn't be there. So from Triton being captured, to the destruction then creation of Proteus, to the impact that created Hippocamp, the tiny moon is like a third-generation moon.
"Based on estimates of comet populations, we know that other moons in the outer solar system have been hit by comets, smashed apart, and re-accreted multiple times," noted Jack Lissauer of NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, a coauthor on the new research. "This pair of satellites provides a dramatic illustration that moons are sometimes broken apart by comets."
This diagram shows the orbits of several moons located close to the planet Neptune. All of them were discovered in 1989 by NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft, with the exception of Hippocamp (S/2004 N 1), which was discovered in archival Hubble Space Telescope images taken from 2004 to 2009. The moons all follow prograde orbits and are nestled among Neptune's rings (not shown). The outer moon Triton was discovered in 1846 – the same year the planet itself was discovered. Triton's orbit is retrograde, suggesting it is a captured Kuiper Belt object and therefore a distant cousin of Pluto. The inner moons may have formed after Triton's capture several billion years ago. Credit: NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI)
Hippocamp's origin story is full of twists and turns, of comet collisions, planet migrations, and captured Kuiper Belt Objects. For an object with such a fascinating history, it has a pretty lame name. But there's a reason for it.
By agreement, Neptune's moons are all named after Greek and Roman water gods, or beings and minor deities associated with water gods. That makes sense, because Neptune was God of the Sea. But it seems like we're starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel with Hippocamp.
Maybe we should just give newly-discovered moons better names, and then start naming any new gods after them, to turn the tables on the whole thing?
But that'll never happen; we're stuck with Hippocamp, the moon that shouldn't be there.
(And I was just joking about Encephalitis.)
Research Paper: The seventh inner moon of Neptune
NASA Press Release: Tiny Neptune Moon May Have Broken from Larger Moon
Wikipedia Entry: Proteus
Wikipedia Entry: Moons of Neptune
Wikipedia Entry: Hippocamp
CategoriesNASA, Neptune, Solar System TagsCaptured moons, Hippocamp, Kuiper Belt Object, Moons of Neptune, Neptune
One Reply to "Say Hello to Hippocamp! The New Moon Discovered at Neptune, Which Could Have Broken off from the Larger Moon Proteus"
Cyrus says:
Evan,
Encephalitis?
Previous PostPrevious The Oldest and Coldest White Dwarf Ever Found has Bizarre Dust Rings Around it
Next PostNext Meet WFIRST, The Space Telescope with the Power of 100 Hubbles


text:
Q: Posting a Single image to server locally I am trying for a simple image upload to local server

What I am trying to do :: I am trying to upload one image to server on click of button

*

*I have referred this link

*But i don't know how to implement the postData() function

Link i am trying to post the image::
http://10.0.2.2/Details/

with a name key for the image

MainActivity.java
public class MainActivity extends Activity {

    Button submit;
    ProgressDialog pDialog;

    ImageView imageView;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

        submit = (Button) findViewById(R.id.SUBMIT_BUTTON_ID);

        imageView = (ImageView) findViewById(R.id.imageView1);

        submit.setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() {

            @Override
            public void onClick(View v) {
                // TODO Auto-generated method stub
                new MainTest().execute();

            }
        });
    }

    public void postData() {

    }

    /**
     * Method to post the image to the server.
     * U will have to change the url which will accept the image data.
     */

    public class MainTest extends AsyncTask<String, Integer, String> {

        @Override
        protected void onPreExecute() {
            pDialog = new ProgressDialog(MainActivity.this);
            pDialog.setMessage("Loading..");
            pDialog.setIndeterminate(true);
            pDialog.setCancelable(false);
            pDialog.show();
        }

        @Override
        protected String doInBackground(String... params) {

            postData();

            return null;
        }

        @Override
        protected void onPostExecute(String result) {
            // TODO Auto-generated method stub

            super.onPostExecute(result);
            // data=jobj.toString();
            pDialog.dismiss();

        }

    }

}

activity_main.xml
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    tools:context=".MainActivity" >

    <ImageView
        android:id="@+id/imageView1"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
        android:layout_marginTop="32dp"
        android:clickable="false"
        android:src="@drawable/image" />

    <Button
        android:id="@+id/SUBMIT_BUTTON_ID"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_marginBottom="47dp"
        android:text="SUBMIT" />

</LinearLayout>

Any help on resolving this !

[EDIT- What i tried before]- I was not successful in getting the result
public class MainActivity extends Activity {

    Button submit;
    ProgressDialog pDialog;

    ImageView imageView;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

        submit = (Button) findViewById(R.id.SUBMIT_BUTTON_ID);

        imageView = (ImageView) findViewById(R.id.imageView1);

        submit.setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() {

            @Override
            public void onClick(View v) {
                // TODO Auto-generated method stub
                new MainTest().execute();

            }
        });
    }

    /**
     * Method to post the image to the server.
     * U will have to change the url which will accept the image data.
     * @throws IOException
     */
    public void postImageData() throws IOException
    {
        Drawable myDrawable = getResources().getDrawable(R.drawable.image);
        Bitmap bitmap = ((BitmapDrawable)myDrawable).getBitmap();
        HttpClient httpClient = new DefaultHttpClient();
        HttpPost postRequest = new HttpPost("http://10.0.2.2:7002/Details/");
        MultipartEntity reqEntity = new MultipartEntity(HttpMultipartMode.BROWSER_COMPATIBLE);

        try{
            ByteArrayOutputStream bos = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
            bitmap.compress(CompressFormat.JPEG, 75, bos);
            byte[] data = bos.toByteArray();
            ByteArrayBody bab = new ByteArrayBody(data, "forest.jpg");
            reqEntity.addPart("key", bab);
        }
        catch(Exception e){
            Log.v("MY-Error-Tag", "I got an error"+e);
            reqEntity.addPart("key", new StringBody(""));
        }
        postRequest.setEntity(reqEntity);
        HttpResponse response = httpClient.execute(postRequest);
        BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(response.getEntity().getContent(), "UTF-8"));
        String sResponse;
        StringBuilder s = new StringBuilder();
        while ((sResponse = reader.readLine()) != null) {
            s = s.append(sResponse);
        }
    }

    public class MainTest extends AsyncTask<String, Integer, String> {

        @Override
        protected void onPreExecute() {
            pDialog = new ProgressDialog(MainActivity.this);
            pDialog.setMessage("Loading..");
            pDialog.setIndeterminate(true);
            pDialog.setCancelable(false);
            pDialog.show();
        }

        @Override
        protected String doInBackground(String... params) {

            try {
                postImageData();
            } catch (IOException e) {
                // TODO Auto-generated catch block
                e.printStackTrace();
            }

            return null;
        }

        @Override
        protected void onPostExecute(String result) {
            // TODO Auto-generated method stub

            super.onPostExecute(result);
            // data=jobj.toString();
            pDialog.dismiss();

        }

    }

}

[FINAL-EDIT]
package com.example.datapostingproject;

import java.io.BufferedOutputStream;
import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
import java.io.FileOutputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;
import java.io.OutputStream;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Random;

import org.apache.http.Header;
import org.apache.http.HttpEntity;
import org.apache.http.HttpResponse;
import org.apache.http.NameValuePair;
import org.apache.http.ParseException;
import org.apache.http.client.ClientProtocolException;
import org.apache.http.client.HttpClient;
import org.apache.http.client.entity.UrlEncodedFormEntity;
import org.apache.http.client.methods.HttpPost;
import org.apache.http.entity.mime.HttpMultipartMode;
import org.apache.http.entity.mime.MultipartEntity;
import org.apache.http.entity.mime.content.ByteArrayBody;
import org.apache.http.entity.mime.content.FileBody;
import org.apache.http.entity.mime.content.StringBody;
import org.apache.http.impl.client.DefaultHttpClient;
import org.apache.http.message.BasicNameValuePair;
import org.apache.http.util.EntityUtils;

import android.app.Activity;
import android.app.ProgressDialog;
import android.graphics.Bitmap;
import android.graphics.Bitmap.CompressFormat;
import android.graphics.BitmapFactory;
import android.graphics.drawable.BitmapDrawable;
import android.graphics.drawable.Drawable;
import android.os.AsyncTask;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.os.Environment;
import android.util.Base64;
import android.util.Log;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.View.OnClickListener;
import android.widget.Button;
import android.widget.EditText;
import android.widget.ImageView;

public class MainActivity extends Activity {

    Button submit;
    ProgressDialog pDialog;
    InputStream is;

    ImageView imageView;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

        submit = (Button) findViewById(R.id.SUBMIT_BUTTON_ID);

        imageView = (ImageView) findViewById(R.id.imageView1);

        submit.setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() {

            @Override
            public void onClick(View v) {
                // TODO Auto-generated method stub
                new MainTest().execute();

            }
        });
    }

    /**
     * Method to post the image to the server.
     * U will have to change the url which will accept the image data.
     * @throws IOException
     */
    public void postImageData() {
        Bitmap bitmapOrg = BitmapFactory.decodeResource(getResources(),R.drawable.ic_launcher);
        ByteArrayOutputStream bao = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
        bitmapOrg.compress(Bitmap.CompressFormat.JPEG, 90, bao);
        byte [] ba = bao.toByteArray();
        String ba1=Base64.encodeToString(ba,Base64.DEFAULT);
        ArrayList<NameValuePair> nameValuePairs = new
                ArrayList<NameValuePair>();
        nameValuePairs.add(new BasicNameValuePair("key",ba1));
        try{
            HttpClient httpclient = new DefaultHttpClient();
            HttpPost httppost = new
                    HttpPost("http://10.0.2.2:7002/Details/");
            httppost.setEntity(new UrlEncodedFormEntity(nameValuePairs));
            HttpResponse response = httpclient.execute(httppost);
            HttpEntity entity = response.getEntity();
            is = entity.getContent();
        }catch(Exception e){
            Log.e("log_tag", "Error in http connection "+e.toString());
        }
    }
    public class MainTest extends AsyncTask<String, Integer, String> {

        @Override
        protected void onPreExecute() {
            pDialog = new ProgressDialog(MainActivity.this);
            pDialog.setMessage("Loading..");
            pDialog.setIndeterminate(true);
            pDialog.setCancelable(false);
            pDialog.show();
        }

        @Override
        protected String doInBackground(String... params) {

            postImageData();

            return null;
        }

        @Override
        protected void onPostExecute(String result) {
            // TODO Auto-generated method stub

            super.onPostExecute(result);
            // data=jobj.toString();
            pDialog.dismiss();

        }

    }

}

{stack stace on debugging } - in log
12-08 14:47:50.628: I/.......(433): TypeError: Cannot read property 'key' of undefined
12-08 14:47:50.628: I/.......(433):     at C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\app.js:17:32
12-08 14:47:50.628: I/.......(433):     at callbacks (C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\lib\router\index.js:164:37)
12-08 14:47:50.628: I/.......(433):     at param (C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\lib\router\index.js:138:11)
12-08 14:47:50.628: I/.......(433):     at pass (C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\lib\router\index.js:145:5)
12-08 14:47:50.628: I/.......(433):     at Router._dispatch (C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\lib\router\index.js:173:5)
12-08 14:47:50.628: I/.......(433):     at Object.router (C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\lib\router\index.js:33:10)
12-08 14:47:50.628: I/.......(433):     at next (C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\node_modules\connect\lib\proto.js:193:15)
12-08 14:47:50.628: I/.......(433):     at multipart (C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\node_modules\connect\lib\middleware\multipart.js:86:27)
12-08 14:47:50.628: I/.......(433):     at C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\node_modules\connect\lib\middleware\bodyParser.js:57:9
12-08 14:47:50.628: I/.......(433):     at C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\node_modules\connect\lib\middleware\urlencoded.js:76:7
12-08 14:47:50.639: E/log_tag(433): Error in http connection java.lang.IllegalStateException: Content has been consumed

second-error trace after removing is = entity.getContent();
12-08 15:04:10.971: I/.......(461): TypeError: Cannot read property 'key' of undefined
12-08 15:04:10.971: I/.......(461):     at C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\app.js:17:32
12-08 15:04:10.971: I/.......(461):     at callbacks (C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\lib\router\index.js:164:37)
12-08 15:04:10.971: I/.......(461):     at param (C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\lib\router\index.js:138:11)
12-08 15:04:10.971: I/.......(461):     at pass (C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\lib\router\index.js:145:5)
12-08 15:04:10.971: I/.......(461):     at Router._dispatch (C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\lib\router\index.js:173:5)
12-08 15:04:10.971: I/.......(461):     at Object.router (C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\lib\router\index.js:33:10)
12-08 15:04:10.971: I/.......(461):     at next (C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\node_modules\connect\lib\proto.js:193:15)
12-08 15:04:10.971: I/.......(461):     at multipart (C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\node_modules\connect\lib\middleware\multipart.js:86:27)
12-08 15:04:10.971: I/.......(461):     at C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\node_modules\connect\lib\middleware\bodyParser.js:57:9
12-08 15:04:10.971: I/.......(461):     at C:\ExpressPractice\imageUpload\node_modules\express\node_modules\connect\lib\middleware\urlencoded.js:76:7

But from POSTMAN when i send image it works for 'key'

Still not successful in getting image posted !

A: Use the below an try
   public void postData() {
          Bitmap bitmapOrg = BitmapFactory.decodeResource(getResources(),R.drawable.ic_launcher);
           ByteArrayOutputStream bao = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
           bitmapOrg.compress(Bitmap.CompressFormat.JPEG, 90, bao);
           byte [] ba = bao.toByteArray();
           String ba1=Base64.encodeToString(ba,Base64.DEFAULT);
           ArrayList<NameValuePair> nameValuePairs = new
             ArrayList<NameValuePair>();
           nameValuePairs.add(new BasicNameValuePair("image",ba1));
           try{
            HttpClient httpclient = new DefaultHttpClient();
            HttpPost httppost = new
              HttpPost("http://10.0.2.2:7002/Details/");
            httppost.setEntity(new UrlEncodedFormEntity(nameValuePairs));
            HttpResponse response = httpclient.execute(httppost);
            HttpEntity entity = response.getEntity();
            is = entity.getContent();
           }catch(Exception e){
            Log.e("log_tag", "Error in http connection "+e.toString());
           }
    }

Edit:
Just for testing try uploading image from sdcard using file path
    try
    {
    String filepath= Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory().getAbsolutePath()+File.separator+"Download"+File.separator+"ic_launcher.png";
    HttpClient httpclient = new DefaultHttpClient();
    httpclient.getParams().setParameter(CoreProtocolPNames.PROTOCOL_VERSION, HttpVersion.HTTP_1_1);
    HttpPost httppost = new HttpPost("your url");
    File file = new File(filepath);
    MultipartEntity mpEntity = new MultipartEntity();
    ContentBody cbFile = new FileBody(file, "image/jpeg");
    mpEntity.addPart("userfile", cbFile);
    httppost.setEntity(mpEntity);
    System.out.println("executing request " + httppost.getRequestLine());
    HttpResponse response = httpclient.execute(httppost);
    HttpEntity entity = response.getEntity();
    String _response=EntityUtils.toString(entity);
    Log.i(".......",_response);
   }catch(Exception e){
    e.printStacktrace();
   }

A: Finally with the help of Raghunandan ...... from one of the answers .... found the solution

Ill post the complete answer so that .... this might be helpful to some-one

MainActivity.java
import java.io.BufferedOutputStream;
import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
import java.io.FileOutputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;
import java.io.OutputStream;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Random;

import org.apache.http.Header;
import org.apache.http.HttpEntity;
import org.apache.http.HttpResponse;
import org.apache.http.NameValuePair;
import org.apache.http.ParseException;
import org.apache.http.client.ClientProtocolException;
import org.apache.http.client.HttpClient;
import org.apache.http.client.entity.UrlEncodedFormEntity;
import org.apache.http.client.methods.HttpPost;
import org.apache.http.entity.mime.HttpMultipartMode;
import org.apache.http.entity.mime.MultipartEntity;
import org.apache.http.entity.mime.content.ByteArrayBody;
import org.apache.http.entity.mime.content.FileBody;
import org.apache.http.entity.mime.content.StringBody;
import org.apache.http.impl.client.DefaultHttpClient;
import org.apache.http.message.BasicNameValuePair;
import org.apache.http.util.EntityUtils;

import android.app.Activity;
import android.app.ProgressDialog;
import android.graphics.Bitmap;
import android.graphics.Bitmap.CompressFormat;
import android.graphics.BitmapFactory;
import android.graphics.drawable.BitmapDrawable;
import android.graphics.drawable.Drawable;
import android.os.AsyncTask;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.os.Environment;
import android.util.Base64;
import android.util.Log;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.View.OnClickListener;
import android.widget.Button;
import android.widget.EditText;
import android.widget.ImageView;

public class MainActivity extends Activity {

    Button submit;
    ProgressDialog pDialog;
    InputStream is;

    ImageView imageView;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

        submit = (Button) findViewById(R.id.SUBMIT_BUTTON_ID);

        imageView = (ImageView) findViewById(R.id.imageView1);

        submit.setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() {

            @Override
            public void onClick(View v) {
                // TODO Auto-generated method stub
                new MainTest().execute();

            }
        });
    }

    /**
     * Method to post the image to the server.
     * U will have to change the url which will accept the image data.
     * @throws IOException
     */
    public void postImageData() {

        try
        {

        Bitmap bitmapOrg = BitmapFactory.decodeResource(getResources(),R.drawable.ic_launcher);

        HttpClient httpClient = new DefaultHttpClient();
        HttpPost postRequest = new HttpPost("http://10.0.2.2:7002/Details/");
        MultipartEntity reqEntity = new MultipartEntity(HttpMultipartMode.BROWSER_COMPATIBLE);
        try{
            ByteArrayOutputStream bos = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
            bitmapOrg.compress(CompressFormat.JPEG, 75, bos);
            byte[] data = bos.toByteArray();
            ByteArrayBody bab = new ByteArrayBody(data, "forest.jpg");
            reqEntity.addPart("key", bab);
        }
        catch(Exception e){
            //Log.v("Exception in Image", ""+e);
            reqEntity.addPart("picture", new StringBody(""));
        }
        postRequest.setEntity(reqEntity);
        HttpResponse response = httpClient.execute(postRequest);
        BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(response.getEntity().getContent(), "UTF-8"));
        String sResponse;
        StringBuilder s = new StringBuilder();
        while ((sResponse = reader.readLine()) != null) {
            s = s.append(sResponse);
        }
    }catch(Exception e){
        e.getStackTrace();
    }

    }
    public class MainTest extends AsyncTask<String, Integer, String> {

        @Override
        protected void onPreExecute() {
            pDialog = new ProgressDialog(MainActivity.this);
            pDialog.setMessage("Loading..");
            pDialog.setIndeterminate(true);
            pDialog.setCancelable(false);
            pDialog.show();
        }

        @Override
        protected String doInBackground(String... params) {

            postImageData();

            return null;
        }

        @Override
        protected void onPostExecute(String result) {
            // TODO Auto-generated method stub

            super.onPostExecute(result);
            // data=jobj.toString();
            pDialog.dismiss();

        }

    }

}

ExpressJS code
app.js
var express=require('express');
var fs=require('fs');
var http=require('http');
var crypto=require('crypto');

var app=express();

app.set('port',process.env.PORT||7002);

app.use('/Details',express.static(__dirname+'/public/images'));

//.use(express.cookieParser());

app.use(express.bodyParser());

app.post('/Details/',function(req,res,next){

        var file_name=req.files.key.originalFilename;
        console.log(file_name);

        crypto.randomBytes(8, function(ex, buf) {

                var array     = req.files.key.originalFilename.split('.');
                var type      = array[array.length - 1];
                var name      = buf.toString('hex') + '.' + type;

                fs.rename(req.files.key.path, './public/images/' + name, function(e) {

                        if (e) {
                                res.send(500, e.message);
                                } else
                                {
                                    res.send("I got the message - This i confirm");
                                }

                });
        });
});

app.get('/Details/',function(req,res){
        res.send("Image displayed");
});

http.createServer(app).listen(app.get('port'),function(){
        console.log('Express server listening on port'+app.get('port'));

});

Point to keep in mind ::

*

*Make sure you send data as multipart from client(android)

*Then make sure u accept data on server side also as multipart

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


After further investigation, officers have not been able to determine which vehicle ran the red light. There will be no charges at this point.
At this point in the investigation we believe two people inside a van were traveling westbound on Ute Ave when they were struck by a driver of a pickup truck that was heading southbound. Witnesses say the collision caused the van to roll. It landed on its wheels. The two people inside the van were taken to the hospital with what appeared to be non-life threatening injuries.
We are looking into the possibility that the driver of the pickup ran a red light, causing the collision. Charges are pending further investigation.
The intersection of 4th and Ute Ave is closed due to a car crash. Detours are set up at 5th and Ute and 4th and Colorado.
We'll release more information as it becomes available. Please avoid the area for now.


Arsenic Ultra Low Quick™ II for water quality testing was designed to give the you accurate results without sacrificing cost and time. Designed using cutting-edge chemistry, Arsenic Ultra Low Quick™ II reports results in only 14 minutes. Additionally, there are no dangerous chemicals needed to run this water quality test kit. With only one simple test procedure (using 3 reagents), Arsenic Ultra Low Quick™ II is a must for any lab, water testing professional, or service technician who values accurate, rapid results without sacrificing cost.


Zeedan's been a bit all over the place as of late what with his ex-wife being around the place with her new girlfriend and Phil suffering a few injuries after being accosted by Zeedan himself.
The attack on Phil has led to a bit of a messy web of lies involving Zeedan, Rana, and Kate - the latter couple deciding that they're going to play dumb and stick by the restaurant owner when the police start roaming about the cobbles.
Still though, while on the outside it might look like Zeedan's packing it all in because of the incident with Phil, he'll eventually reveal the real reason for his departure.
And it's because he can't face being so close to Rana while she's in a new relationship.
See, we told you - very sad altogether.
Zeedan does feel a bit guilty for what happened with Phil in fairness to him - and he is definitely worried about the police knocking about the place - but his main reasons for heading off are all to do with his feelings towards his ex-wife.
Still though, not everything about his departure has been revealed.
We still don't know exactly what way he'll leave things with Rana and the rest of his family.
They'll probably be fairly annoyed that he's opting to give up the restaurant, but will they be annoyed enough not to say goodbye to him when he's heading off?
... And so will Coronation Street next week.


Worcestershire and the South Midlands are at the heart of England. An ancient cross near the village of Meriden, just outside Coventry, marks the spot which many claim is the exact centre of the country. There is, however, none of the simple unity about the South Midlands that a central hub might imply. One viewpoint—the summit of the Worcestershire Beacon in the Malvern Hills—gives a clear impression of the contrasting themes which combine to form the South Midlands landscape.
South-west, the Cotswold Hills rise sharply. North-east, across the fields and villages of Warwickshire, a hazy skyline marks the sheep-grazing uplands of Northamptonshire and Leicestershire; and these, in turn, lead to fruitful fields and orchards. North are the fertile farmlands bordering Birmingham, the largest city in England after London. The panorama takes in slow-flowing rivers, and hills that just fail to attain the stature of mountains. One feature is common from eastern Leicestershire to southern Gloucestershire—the tall hedgerow elm, seen at its finest in Warwickshire where an ungrateful tradition has labelled it the 'Warwickshire weed'.
In November 1605, several of the Gunpowder Plotters fled from Dunchurch, in Warwickshire, crossed Worcestershire to Huddington Court, near Droitwich, and were eventually killed or captured at Holbeche House, near Dudley. Their picturesque 'Plot House' survives at Ashby St Ledgers, Northants. Battles of the Wars of the Roses are commemorated on inn signs at Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire; Mortimer's Cross, Hereford and Worcester; and Atherstone, Warwickshire.
Nature's mantle has fallen kindly on Hereford and Worcester. The orchards and market gardens of the Vale of Evesham, famous for Per-shore plums, parade as tidy, regimented rows of trees and soft-fruit bushes—as pleasing to the eye as the hopfields of the fertile Teme Valley. Few English rivers offer such splendid cruising as the Severn and Avon, and the view of Bredon Hill from the Swan's Neck on the Avon is unparalleled in its tranquillity. The county has splendid towers at Worcester Cathedral, Evesham Abbey and Pershore Abbey; and it shares with Gloucestershire the 100 mile long Cotswold Way which gives a week of invigorating walking through a landscape that inspired Elgar to compose his Introduction and Allegro for Strings.
The county has splendid towers at Worcester Cathedral, Evesham Abbey and Pershore Abbey; and it shares with Gloucestershire the 100 mile long Cotswold Way which gives a week of invigorating walking through a landscape that inspired Elgar to compose his Introduction and Allegro for Strings.
century—although in those days, before tourism became an accepted industry, the village was known as 'The Painted Lady of the Cotswolds'.
But Broadway is not known just for its pretty houses and tidy gardens. Some of the world's best modern furniture is designed and made there. The industry was started by the Gordon Russell family in 1904 to mend antique furniture for the village inn, the 16th-century Lygon Arms, a former coaching inn. Now its products are-exported throughout the world to such places as Baghdad Palace, embassies in Moscow, and wealthy homes in Eos Angeles. The North Cotswold Hunt meets outside The Lygon Arms, where winter visitors can film huntsmen, horses and hounds.
A Norman church, St Eadburgha's, is set among trees below nearby Broadway Hill. From the top of the hill there are fine views across the Vale of Evesham.
Colwall is a good walking and touring centre on the Hereford side of the Malvern Hills. Footpaths lead north to Great Malvern and the Worcestershire Beacon or southwards to Hereford Beacon, which rises to 1114 ft and has a fine example of an Iron Age hill fort covering 44 acres.
Sheltered by hills from the west wind, Great Malvern is an underrated holiday spa and a splendid walking centre. Apart from its spa it has an active Festival Theatre, for long associated with performances of the plays ot Barrie and Shaw. It also has a heated outdoor swimming pool and lido, good boating and fishing, a nine-hole golf course, a concert hall, winter gardens and children's entertainments.
Above all, Malvern has the hills—not for mountain climbing, but for free, unfettered and untrammelled walking, easy enough for anyone who is reasonably fit. The hills provide magnificent views westwards towards Wales, and eastwards across garden-like, patchwork scenery to Warwickshire. The hills are protected by the Malvern Hills Conservators, who have planted trees and maintain the many footpaths.
The eastern part of Hereford and Worcester has as much natural beauty as any area in England. The south has better scenery than the north, but even industrial towns of the Black Country are close to attractive countryside and have compensations in the form of beautiful old buildings and churches.
To the south-east of Stourbridge are the hills of Clent and Lickey, with woodlands, shrubs, pools and pleasant walking country rising to 1000 ft. There are farmlands between Redditch and Bromsgrove, and hills stretch along the Shropshire border to the west. Downstream from Stourport, pleasant dairy-farming land borders the River Severn as it widens on its way towards Worcester.
Just over a mile downstream from Worcester's magnificent cathedral, the Severn is joined by a sinuous stream called the Teme, one of the prettiest rivers in Britain, which winds its way through meadows, hop fields, woods, steep, lush green hills and orchards of cider apples and cherries. Beside its banks are bright green meadows; the soil is tinged with red sandstone, which dyes the water brick red when the river is in flood.
The farms grow hay, corn, apples and soft fruit, and the meadows are grazed by burly Hereford cattle. Hereford and Worcester is second only to Kent as a hop-producing county, and most of the hops grow along the Teme and westwards towards Bromyard.
Until recently, Droitwich was best known for the therapy treatment afforded by its brine water baths. The water was pumped from a lake over a bed of rock salt deposited 200 ft below ground, and as it contained 25 Ib. of salt in each gallon, to times more than sea water, it was extremely buoyant. Water is still pumped, with a reduced brine content, to an open-air pool in Droitwich Park.
Droitwich has the elegant atmosphere of Bath, and has some black-and-white timbered buildings, yet it is a lively market town. The Church of the Sacred Heart and St Catherine has walls and a ceiling covered with striking mosaics depicting the life of St Richard.
This is a list of venues where you may want to hire one of our Barn Dance Bands for your Wedding, Party or Dinner. Our bands have already performed at many of these venues.
"The Abbey?s setting is one of the most perfect in the country. It is close to many interesting cities yet situated right in the heart of the countryside, at the foot of the Malvern Hills. With sensational views of the scenic Vale of Evesham and beautiful Malvern Hills, the hotel offers you a tranquil haven in which to retreat and relax. This spectacular and historic building at the foot of the Malvern Hills offers you understated lavishness, in which to celebrate the most memorable day of your life. With beautiful scenic landscaped gardens and seven unique function rooms, The Abbey is your perfect choice of venue."
"Birtsmorton Court is a stunning medieval moated manor house ? the perfect Worcestershire wedding venue - near Malvern, UK. This beautiful country house, with its stunning great hall, is perfect as your wedding venue or for your corporate event."
"Located in the Heart of the Cotswolds, the privately owned Four Star Dormy House Hotel in Worcestershire, UK is utterly civilised, yet completely unstuffy.Walk through the door, and you immediately feel the warmth of the Dormy Hotel in Worcestershire - a tastefully converted farmhouse with its origin in the 17th century in the Heart of the Cotswolds.You're in the hands of a thoroughly professional team, whose friendliness is genuine and whose understanding of the needs of each individual guest is instinctive."
"Hanbury Hall provides a unique setting for your wedding celebrations, in the care of the National Trust. The proceeds from wedding ceremonies and receptions go directly towards the conservation work at the Hall.The early 18th-century Hall with its famous wall paintings by Sir James Thornhill is set in 20-acres of restored early 18th-century gardens. These provide a beautiful setting for your guests to enjoy drinks after the ceremony and they also provide a stunning backdrop for your wedding photographs."
"A four star Country Hotel traditionally styled as a large Tudor manor house. Located in the historical county of Worcestershire and surrounded by idyllic countryside, it is beautifully set in 25 acres of landscaped gardens. Stone Manor is a perfect location for all types of private functions. There are three versatile banqueting suites with self contained facilities, including dance floors and licensed bars. The three suites can provide Dinner & Dance facilities for between 50 and 199 guests. Stone Manor Hotel is licensed to hold civil wedding ceremonies in the Woodlands Suite, Wing Room, Patio Suite, Garden Room and Manor Suite. Full details are available in our wedding brochure."
"Charming restored barns in beautiful countryside easily accessible from all major towns in the south Midlands. This delightful venue has been imaginatively and artistically restored to the highest possible standards. The L-shaped barns are located on a working farm, close to the church, and centred round a charming, flower-filled Courtyard that is perfect for a drinks reception. The atmosphere is friendly and supportive. The owners go out of their way to make you welcome and their inspiration, vision and style has created a truly exceptional, natural venue. It just gets prettier every day! Licensed for Civil Ceremonies.With underfloor heating and air conditioning, this venue is ideal for both Summer and Winter weddings."


I had heard that it would end on a cliffhanger (the only spoiler I didn't manage to avoid), but this is really not what I expected. I'm not quite sure what I think about the movie, because it depends so much on how everything resolves in the second part. I mean, it's really not a full movie, but truly just part one, in a way that movies, even in a franchise, normally aren't.
It's more like a season cliffhanger in tv series that ends on a split two parter, and I don't really like that movies now go that way too. Though considering that they try to make their movie franchise resemble a massive comic crossover event, the kind that extorts you to buy all the tie-ins across three dozen series to follow the full plot, it is perhaps unsurprising. But I enjoy somewhat self-contained comics more too, and prefer superhero movies that have standalone plots. Also with comics you don't have to wait a year for the next part.
That said, I did enjoy watching it, and the split narrative as a way to handle the massive cast worked well. And the special effects and different planets and such were great. I did have trouble sometimes understanding the dialogue though -- not sure whether that was me or the sound levels or what, but I missed some of the quips for example.
I mean, as usual the plot had the kind problems that become bothersome if you examine it too closely, and since I don't care about Vision I wasn't into his love story with Wanda.
And the fact that Steve and T'Challa allow some massive ground battle likely to kill many Wakandans to save Vision, rather than just going with his willing sacrifice started to feel like a really forced plot contrivance after a while. I could go with it for a bit, Steve suggesting the Wakandans advanced technology as a possible win-win solution made some sense, but once the alien monster invasion got started way too soon, not making that hard call but rather sacrifice a bunch of Wakandans for a mere chance to save Vision makes no sense.
I've seen some reviewers interpret this as a part of some kind of theme, of Thanos' population cull for the greater good as opposite to the Avengers ethos to always try to save everyone, that then leads to disaster in its own way, because it causes them to loose to Thanos. But this doesn't really hold together for me. Like, Doctor Strange clearly did not really give Thanos the Time Stone to save Tony Stark, but because he had found one solution in millions through his visions that ultimately could lead to Thanos' defeat and for that path to come about he had to give Thanos the gem, and trade for Tony's life.
So in the best case scenario some wizard with extra knowledge making life and death decisions for everyone will work out in the end, which IMO isn't really more ethically sound than someone deciding to end their own life for the greater good based on the more limited knowledge available to them. But then thinking superhero scenarios through for ethical implications always ends up in horrible places, and worse ones the more the powers escalate.
Anyway, like many I was shocked how many characters died, even if most were the text book case of "comic book death" when they just crumbled to dust because of some magic gem universe manipulation, that can be undone by the gadget, and are thus most likely just temporarily dead. However, not knowing what the resolution of this dilemma is yet, it's impossible for me to say, whether I'm going to appreciate it as tension peak in the middle.
Also it doesn't seem like a very good stopping point for fanfic "fixes", because sprawling, ultimately gen, space epics with a giant cast aren't the kind of fix-its fandom likes to write most. Also I've since learned that the symbol in the pager in the after credits was for Captain Marvel and her introductory movie isn't even out.
Though that both Steve and Tony remain undusted, if on different planets right now, makes maybe some team reconciliation fanfic possible. On the upside at least Steve and Bucky got to hug briefly, before Steve lost him again (hopefully temporarily).
My strategic takeaway from the movie was "love means risking half the universe's life for somebody, and hey, you lost" not that anybody else made much of an argument about how insane Wanda's choice was anyway. Love over glory, love over your own life, love over other duties, sure. But at some point the stakes become unarguable.
My other takeaway was that Titan must've been a pretty backwards society; reproductive rights, economic access to opportunity, and reasonable technology, generally speaking, seem to stabilize populations on their own (well, those we know of). If it weren't for the fact that he trained as assassins the two women he adopted, I'd say Thanos prefers genocide to feminism. (My fix-it fic would be *somebody explains sociology to Thanos, he snaps his fingers, and suddenly every female-equivalent in the universe has control over her fertility, and every male gets a reminder that Thanos will be swinging by to check on their gender equality and ecological liability laws; two generations later, populations have stabilized all over the Universe* (problem is, the Avengers is basically full of geniuses, but as far as I remember it's all physicists, engineers, medical doctors/mystics, maybe bio-physicists, tacticians... not a single person trained in the humanities in the Avengers, that's the problem)).
But, as you say, this isn't the kind of genre where this kind of analysis leads anywhere.
Yeah, that whole population control via genocide backstory doesn't hold together. I mean to start with, without birth control a one time, random 50% reduction wouldn't even solve anything long term.
And I'm really dubious about his claim to Gamorra that her planet was better off afterwards. I mean if you kill off half the people you are left with a totally traumatized population and likely a lot of skill and productivity loss if you do it randomly, because you loose high and low skilled alike. And the positive is somewhat limited. Like after the plague hit Europe and caused mass death on this scale, iirc real wages went up for the survivors and some argue that the plague helped breaking up stagnant medieval systems for ultimately positive effects, but it's not like the human environmental degration in Europe was reversed or anything. And I'm pretty sure none of the survivors a few decades after looked back thinking "you know, the plague turned out to be a good thing after all", especially once they realized that this is not actually being the endtimes with maybe some heavenly rule coming soon as a payoff for the disaster.
Probably on all the planets Thanos ravaged directly some apocalyptic cults inspired by him crop up hoping for a few years that he might deliver the promised good any day now, just to cope with things, and then that reward never comes.
And once he gained superpowers of this gauntlet level that he still sticks to such a crude "solution" makes it really obvious that he is just into it for killing half of all sentients.
That's a depressingly likely possibility.
Maybe the Titans calling him "mad" wasn't an insult as much as clinical diagnosis (Thanos as Harvey Dent meets Darkseid?). In any case, he's not necessarily a reliable narrator.
It also discounts that whenever there is income inequality, well less than half of the population is using well more than half of the resources.
I fear that this is what comes of substituting 'philosophical' reasons for personal motivation (aka Thanos having a thing for Lady Death and killing half of populations because he doesn't know how to make a mix tape. Peter Quill could have helped, but he was too little.) and more specifically believing Malthus.
Yeah, the "motivation" falls short on so many levels. Like, if Malthus had fabulous wish granting stones with unlimited powers even he would never have "solved" the catastrophe he feared by genocidal my removing "surplus" population, but would have probably wished for better agriculture productivity so that it wasn't lagging behind population growth as in his theory (or wished everyone a later fertility start, iirc he advocated for later marriage and more education to limit population growth because he thought birth control and abortions were sinful).


text:
Women business diaries: Unpacking a 360-degree view of women-run businesses in Bangladesh
This blog introduces the Women Business Diaries research in Bangladesh and explains how this research will unpack a 360-degree view of women business owners.
Jan 16, 2023 by Rahul Chatterjee and Akhand Tiwari
Shumi and Sajia—two entrepreneurs of a similar profile but with very different stories
Shumi Akhter, 38, runs a dairy business in rural Munshiganj. About five years ago, she came across a YouTube video on dairy farming that caught her attention. She was so intrigued that she started researching online and reached out to her local markets to explore the potential of a dairy business in her area. She spoke to prospective customers, such as local sweetmeat shops and dairy cooperatives. Once she had finalized a few in-principle deals with them, she invested BDT 400,000 (USD 3,928) from the monthly remittances her husband sends from Singapore, where he works as an electrical mechanic. She started the business with three milch cows.
Sajia Akhter, 40, owns a beauty parlor in Dhaka, which she started around 12 years ago. Her motivation to start the business was to establish a source of income for her family, as her husband lacked secure employment or a well-established business. Her capital to start the business was around BDT 150,000 (USD 1,473), out of which she borrowed BDT 100,000 (USD 982) from her sister and used the remaining amount from her savings. She achieved limited success, but her business did not grow significantly, and she operates the finances and management of the enterprise on her own. Her only help is her daughter, who learned beauty skills from her mother and assisted her during work hours. Sajia does not have big ambitions for the business—she wants to be able to repay her loans and have enough money left to run the parlor.
Shumi and Sajia are among the ~600,000 women-run cottage or micro, small, and medium enterprises (CMSMEs) in Bangladesh. Sajia's story represents the perils of women-run businesses, and Shumi's story is a beacon of hope. But what is the real problem? What is holding up a seasoned entrepreneur like Sajia, and what enabled Shumi to grow her business so fast? The most commonly prescribed "silver bullets" are access to finance and skills development. But we must understand other essential factors affecting WMSEs to understand the whole picture.
A 360-degree view of the women business owners' lives
Little evidence is available on how women-owned businesses are run. The impact of social norms restricting women's agency is also unclear. Hypotheses, such as men making business decisions for WMSEs and women preferring different types of businesses compared to men, are emerging only now due to research on microenterprises. In this context, coupled with the motivation to reduce access to finance barriers for women entrepreneurs, MSC has started Women Business Diaries, a financial diaries based action research, in Bangladesh with support from the Gates Foundation. We will track all financial and nonfinancial transactions of ~500 women entrepreneurs for one year.
MSC will take a comprehensive view of the lives of women business owners, including their financial life, business management, digital life, and personal life. Figure 1 summarizes the different dimensions of women entrepreneurs' life that we will capture in this research. We will collaborate with financial institutions to use insights from this action research to develop gender-centric financial products to help WMSEs in Bangladesh.
We have a variety of women-run businesses in our sample, including apparel businesses, grocery shops, eateries, artisans, tailors, beauty parlor owners, and agriculture and livestock-related businesses. We use MSC's DatIn app to track these WMSEs' daily financial transactions, such as income, expenses, savings, and credit. Further, we use digital technologies to analyze the collected data. We also conduct regular in-depth interviews and IVR-based surveys to understand the reasons behind their financial decisions and different aspects of their lives.
What is in store?
We have completed profiling the diarists, and the diarists have started to record their daily financial transactions. Over time, a fuller picture of the lives of WMSEs will emerge as the data starts pouring in. We will share the insights through a series of knowledge pieces called "The big smalls of Bangladesh—Insights on women-owned enterprises in Bangladesh." The different editions of this series will provide insights into the lives of women entrepreneurs. These insights will further help start a conversation on the need for a contextualized multidimensional strategy to help WMSEs.
Watch this space as we dive deeper into the lives of these WMSEs.
Rahul Chatterjee
Akhand Tiwari