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text:
Voinescu se poate referi la:

 Voinescu, o localitate-centru de comună în Raionul Hîncești, Republica Moldova

 Nume de familie
 Alice Voinescu
 George Voinescu, general
 Ion Voinescu
 Radu Voinescu

Vezi și
Voina (nume de familie)
Voicu (nume de familie)
Voinea (nume)
Voinovo (dezambiguizare)
Voineasa (dezambiguizare)
Voinești (dezambiguizare)

Nume de familie românești
Toponime românești
Împrumuturi lingvistice din limbile slave

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


My Chinese-American boyfriend's birthday came less than a month after we started dating. I got him a polo shirt, carefully cut off the tags, and wrapped it up in tissue paper. Andy opened it, thanked me, and sat in expectant silence.
"It's very nice. Soft." Andy patted the material and looked at me again.
Andy inspected the tag and nodded.
Andy balled up some tissue paper and threw it at me. We moved onto birthday cake, but I was left with the nagging sense that he was waiting for me to say something else about his present. I just didn't know what.
My dad went to private school, my mother was a freakin' debutante. They were the country-club set. Until they got married young, my mom dropped out of college, and they had a ridiculous number of kids. Back then, there was no TLC show for idiots attempting to overpopulate the planet. My parents discovered that life was hard when no one hands you a reality show romanticizing the crap out of large families. There was an ugly divorce. There was my mom trying to finish college and get through law school – while having MORE children with her second husband who was also in law school. Meanwhile, my dad struggled to find work in the ever-shifting political landscape of DC. He, too, remarried, and then also had more kids because he was doing such a great job supporting the existing kids.
BIRTH CONTROL, young people. FAMILY PLANNING. I cannot stress this enough.
My sibs and I all knew that money was tight, but in true Anglo-Saxon fashion, we instinctively knew we were NEVER supposed to let on that we were not as comfortable as our middle class neighbors. Shame and secrets are an integral part of the repressed WASP heritage. So if young Doc Sis cried over being called "Safeway Shoes," or I hid my "Kmart boots" in the back of the closet, we did it silently. At least we mostly had enough food. Mostly.
If there was ever a time for coupons, it was my childhood. Yet coupons were out of the question. My parents couldn't keep up the charade of plenty by using coupons. Coupons were an admission that you needed a discount. Coupons were a badge of shame.
The first time I woke up to see Andy going at the papers and magazines with the scissors on Saturday morning, I freaked out.
I drank my coffee and tried to wrap my head around this. Andy went back to cutting.
And there it was. Truth, staring me in my proud, white face. Coupons weren't a badge of shame. They were a badge of smarts.
I signed my cats up for Paw Points. I collected coupons. And when I gave Andy a leather jacket for Christmas and he looked at me expectantly, I knew what to say.
I'm also amused to note that if your parents had practiced family planning, I wouldn't be leaving this comment, but PSCS and I are practicing the hell out of it and will continue to after we are married.
Yeah, well, if my parents had practiced family planning I wouldn't be around to have a blog. I'm aware of the irony.
So, your parents were anti-coupon? Do tell! I thought it was just mine. And you a Catholic!
Oh, no. My parents (especially my mother) were staunchly *pro* coupon, because they did not grow up "lower-middle-class." They grew up poor.
The anti-coupon thing is entirely mine. I'm lazy by nature, I grew up in a suburb, and I Hold Advanced Degrees, which means I should not need coupons. I am, of course, wrong.
Yeah. Poor will give you perspective. Andy's mom talks about how great it was when her family worked in the bean sprout factory in Hong Kong. Because there were at least plenty of bean sprouts to eat.
Great contrast of attitudes. Since coupons seem like too much work for me, I just look for sales and try not to buy too much.
My wife and I got into couponing for a while. We made a game out of it and were so into it that sometimes we had to argue with the cashiers over which coupons could be doubled, tripled up. It was time consuming, but during those months we didn't spend any money on toothpaste, shampoo, and other grooming products.
Ha! Sebastian, I totally empathize with the wife here. To Andy, it's not a gift unless it was also a "deal." But to me, I was always thinking, "What? You got me a gift on sale? Am I not worth FULL PRICE?!" I think that attitude lasted until we had a joint checking account.
Great post! When my husband met me, he was shocked how I was getting all these great deals. I got this habit from my grandmother who was poor and had a hard life. I say the same thing about the gifts for my husband. Haha. "Did you know that it's 70% percent with an extra $$ off?" He looked at the price, 'How can that be?!" Or when we have a coupon for food, I say to him, "That sandwich you're eating – it's free." Haha.
Hey, Eileen! Wow, so you and your Chinese (Taiwanese?) husband are the opposite of Andy and me. Is this grandmother from Maine? My Boyfriend-Stealing Baby Sister, New Hampshire native, is a most relentless coupon queen. Her Badge of Shame would be paying even half-price!
I had one girlfriend who was Korean-American, and another who was Japanese-American, and they laughed hysterically at my cluelessness when I mentioned Andy's startling couponing skills. They quickly brought me up to speed on Asian stereotypes: in LA, the Korean-Americans are known for their "bling," while the Japanese-Americans are known for their exquisite politeness. Meanwhile, they informed me that the Chinese-Americans were known for being the "Jews of Asia." This was interesting, but also troubling on many, many politically incorrect or even racist levels.
Autumn, Andy makes me laugh. That sounds so Chinese. When we lived in the Philippines, my husband commented several times on the similarities between Chinese and Jews and their long history in trade and business in that part of the world.
I think the major similarity b/w Jews and Chinese is there diaspora. Besides Israel, Jews reside in many Western and Middle Eastern countries. On bigger scale,..besides China, Chinese are the majority in HK, Taiwan, Singapore and have significant population in most Southeast Asian countries (e.g. about 40% of Thais have some Chinese ancestry) and a few Western ones.
That's a good point, PT — but in the case of the Chinese, wasn't it more of a case of immigration? The diaspora of those of the Jewish faith was often forced — the pogroms of Russia, the expulsion from Spain, for example.
After four months we will be serious enough to buy expensive presents? Did you really say that? HAHAHA!
Yes, Marta, I really said that. Pretty sure I am with Andy because he (mostly) laughs at my jokes.
This post is so awesome! I love it… and it's so true!!
My Chinese boyfriend would never pay full price for anything (unless it's shoes, mattress or food, he says). I guess the Chinese like to bargain for a reason, huh? I swear, I bet bargaining and shopping on a budget is a national pastime for China.
My aunt (who is also Asian, Vietnamese) is actually pretty well-to-do. Still, she clips coupons every weekend and ONLY buys things if she has a deal on it (like those crazy Macy discount cards). While I don't know how much she's actually worth (millions, probably), most people would probably think she's just an average little Asian lady. I guess she probably made all those millions from all those years of coupon cutting, haha.
Oh, totally. He was waiting for me to tell him how I got it on sale.
A friend told me about a dinner he had long time ago. When the check came at the end of the dinner, one of the attendees slapped on a 2 for 1 coupon and expected it to be payment for his share.
NO!! That's an amazingly skewed way of looking at the bill. When someone brings a 2 for 1 coupon, my girlfriends and I split the bill. Geez.
It is impossible to get so many discounts here, or use so many coupons at once.
They show it on TV how to go coupon shopping in the US haha.
I know, those Extreme Couponing shows are crazy. I'm not sure it's worth the time it takes.
But now, if I'm ordering something online, I'm hunting through Retailmenot to make sure there are no coupons.
Well not all Chinese collects coupons(but they do go for sales and discounted items)….because shops (or supermarkets in our case) are run by Chinese, and Chinese companies never giives coupons to their customers (well, rarely) ….
No coupons!? Andy would die.
But if all the shoppers used coupons like Andy, the shops would go out of business.


text:
Combat vet on motorcycle who fought off police chase suspect gets new wheels
By | Fox News
Combat veteran on motorcycle fights off police chase suspect
Surprised on 'Fox & Friends' with a new bike donated by Kawasaki
There's a happy ending for the Arizona Army vet who fought back when the suspect in a high-speed police chase tried to steal his motorcycle.
Thursday's incident, which was captured on live TV, shows Brandon Jenkins, 26, throwing punches at the suspect at a Mesa intersection. The suspect then gives up, gets back in a stolen pickup and drives away, running over Jenkins' bike in the process.
Jenkins, who served a year in Afghanistan, was surprised on Fox & Friends Saturday with a new motorcycle that manufacturer Kawasaki presented to him as a gift.
"That's an amazing thing to wake up to in the morning after something so crazy happened," he said.
The man fleeing police was wanted for questioning in a hit-and-run accident. He was caught after a crash on I-10.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
Morale of Irish teaching staff being 'ripped to shreds'
TUI President Seamus Lahart said: "Pay discrimination has severely damaged the profession, ripping the morale of staff to shreds and making teaching less attractive to the best graduates."
By Jade Wilson | Nov 28 2019
According to a recent UK expert report, teachers have been suffering from more severe psychological problems than at any point this century. UK charity Education Support predicts that school standards in the UK will fall and mental health problems in the classroom will multiply if the government does not work to create better supports for school teachers.
Those surveyed stated that among the main issues teachers face are being overworked, feeling stressed and not feeling valued. In Ireland, teachers face similar issues. The Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI), which represents approximately 19,000 teachers, has recently announced plans to stage a one-day strike in February as part of their campaign to end the two-tier pay system in schools.
TUI members voted by a margin of 92% to 8% to engage in industrial action regarding the issue of pay equality in the education sector. TUI President Seamus Lahart said: "Pay discrimination has severely damaged the profession, ripping the morale of staff to shreds and making teaching less attractive to the best graduates."
As a result, this has led to recruitment and retention issues at schools and colleges throughout the country. In 2018, The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) said a rising workload was contributing to increased stress. Most Irish teachers work over 40 hours per week, comprised of around 21 hours and 20 minutes teaching time and over 20 hours a week on non-teaching activities including planning lessons, marking homework or attending meetings.
The study found that more than one-quarter of teachers do unpaid work for roughly 10 hours per week. This can include pastoral care, supervision of yard times, coordination of school tours, or attending parent-teacher meetings and school open nights. Research carried out by DCU's National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre (ABC) in 2018 also found that almost 10% of Irish teachers were victims of cyberbullying, most of which is carried out by their own pupils.
Low pay, the cost of housing and the stresses faced on the job is leading to many Irish teachers moving abroad for work. It is estimated that 6,000 Irish teachers work abroad, 2,000 of whom are estimated to be working in the United Arab Emirates and neighbouring states, where salaries are higher and perks such as free accommodation and health insurance are included in contracts.
There is now a concern that schools struggling to recruit or retain teachers will lead to a drop in the overall quality of education in Irish institutions.


text:
Rise in COVID cases holds steady for two consecutive weeks
Eleven Hinsdale residents have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past week.
The DuPage County Health Department reported 11 new cases, and the Cook County Health Department reported no new cases.
That brings the total number of reported cases in the village to 2,093, compared to 2,082 last week.
Amita Hinsdale Hospital had five confirmed COVID-19 patients and one patient awaiting test results as of Wednesday, a spokeswoman said.
Hinsdale Central High School, reported one positive case, 17 in isolation and no students in quarantine as of Oct 22. Vaccination rates are almost 80 percent for students at Hinsdale Central and 95 percent for D86 staff.
In Community Consolidated Elementary District 181, one positive case was reported Oct. 20-25, involving a student.
The rolling seven-day positivity rate for Region 8, which includes DuPage County, was 2.4 percent on Friday, compared to 2.7 percent last week.
Illinois has administered more than 15.3 million doses of vaccines. An average of 36,052 doses are being administered daily, compared to about 29,374 last week.
The percentage of individuals fully vaccinated is slightly more than 66 percent in DuPage County and more than 67 percent in the 60521 ZIP code.


Length of time working here: Exactly 1 year!
Spending time with some of my favorite puppy friends and learning about the different breeds of dogs!
I love when it first starts to get warm and we bring out the pool for the first time. The dogs have so much fun!
Getting to play with all the dogs and getting to know all their different personalities!
Any moment that involves Rufus, the chocolate lab. He's so funny!
Playing with dogs all day - what could be better?!
I love when the dogs are just as excited to see you as you are to see them!
Adventures with the pups! Hiking, camping, exploring and swimming! Whatever the dogs want to do, we'll do it!
Would it be cliche to say, the dogs? Because it's clearly the dogs : ) What better place to work than a place where everyday is, "take your dog to work day"?! They love it, I love it, it's the perfect job!
I love hiking and camping with my soon-to-be-husband and my dogs, especially the Superior Hiking Trail!
The best thing about working at PPP is working with so many unique dog breeds. It's great to experience so many different personalities!


text:
Avast, and so forth: Jury says woman owes $1.5 million for pirating 24 songs
A Minneapolis jury has decided that a woman owes Capitol Records $1.5 million in damages for 24 songs she illegally downloaded using Kazaa over four years ago. Jammie Thomas-Rasset has been battling the RIAA since 2006, beginning with a 2007 trial and subsequent guilty verdict that said she owed $222,000. However, the judge in that case later called for a retrial on grounds that he had improperly instructed the jury; a jury in a second trial held last year found that Thomas-Rasset owed $1.92 million—a number that yet another judge found earlier this year to be "monstrous and shocking," reducing it to $54,000. The RIAA then told Thomas-Rassett that it would accept a mere $25,000 if she would allow that judge's "monstrous and shocking" decision to be stricken from the record. She rejected that offer immediately and pushed for this new trial, which ended with a verdict that was nearly identical to last year's decision.
Representatives for the RIAA issued a statement this afternoon saying that with three guilty verdicts proving Thomas-Rasset's liability, they "hope that she finally accepts responsibility for her actions." (Her lawyers, meanwhile, plan to file another appeal, saying, "The fight continues.") As it stands now, Thomas-Rasset owes essentially $62,500 for each song she downloaded. Hope they were at least extended dance remixes.


PV Tech spoke to Inder Jit Singh who heads the anti-dumping segment of the Ministry of Commerce, but he said that, under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, he was unable to offer comment on any trade case until a decision has been taken on whether to take it forward.
Other local reports have also suggested that the new petition applies to more countries than just China, but this has yet to be confirmed.
Mercom forecast that "it is difficult to see this petition going far" given how Chinese module imports have driven the Indian solar boom of the last two years. The news also comes after various local reports about Indian manufacturers being on the brink of financial collapse.
In September 2015, Indian cell manufacturers put in a request to the government to investigate anti-dumping duties on the import of solar cells. The anti-dumping issue was first raised back in 2012 when Indian manufacturers filed an application with the Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied duties (DGAD).
Jasmeet Khurana, associate director, consulting, at Bridge to India, told PV Tech that going by previous years, if the case was taken up, it would take at least 12-18 months for any action to happen if dumping was found. Moreover, it is not even certain that the Ministry of Commerce will consult the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
Khurana added: "If they do, then India's targets are much larger than domestic capacities and the government is keen to keep tariffs low - and so from that perspective it should not initiate the case to begin with."
He said the government would then take other steps to promote domestic manufacturing.


I have recently been enjoying a blog called Typecast. It is written by Nickie O'Hara - wife to one, Mum to three and Nana to two (yes, really!).
Because of her own family's experience with Cancer, and because Cancer is sometimes such a taboo subject, she has started a guest posting series about "your experiences with Cancer" - whether that be your own diagnosis, the struggle with coping with the diagnosis of a family member, the loss of someone to this cruel disease and also some experiences about survival of Cancer.
Nickie's website is a Wikio top 10 parent blog, the Tots 100 top parent blog and she is one of the most influential parent bloggers on Twitter. She is also on a panel at the Save The Children free blogging conference this weekend. I am honoured to be guest posting on her blog today as part of the Cancer series.


text:
Founded in 1933, The Council of State Governments is our nation's only organization serving all three branches of state government. CSG is a region-based forum that fosters the exchange of insights and ideas to help state officials shape public policy. This offers unparalleled regional, national and international opportunities to network, develop leaders, collaborate and create problem-solving partnerships. The CSG mission is to champion excellence in state governments to advance the common good.
Book of the States
The Council of State Governments continues a long tradition of "sharing capitol ideas" with the publication of the 2019 edition of The Book of the States. Since 1933, CSG has served as a resource for state leaders and a catalyst for innovation and excellence in state governance. The Book of the States has been the reference tool of choice since 1935, providing relevant, accurate and timely information, answers and comparisons for all 56 states, commonwealths and territories of the United States.
The 2021 volume includes 195 in-depth tables, figures and infographics illustrating how state government operates.Staff members mined more than 500 sources to obtain the information shared in The Book of the States.
The CSG Capitol Ideas Presents series brings to life one article per issue of Capitol Ideas magazine allowing state elected and appointed officials to continue the conversation in real time during a virtual session. Registration is free.
The Current State e-newsletter sends member stories, state successes, the latest policy trends, news from CSG and more directly to your inbox every week to keep you up-to-date and connected with your fellow members and industry partners.
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The Eastern Cape's top Engen Maths and Science School (EMSS) matric graduate,Libhongo Mko, lives by the philosophy that hard work and dedication will open doors.
It is thisbelief that saw him come out as the top learner in the Eastern Cape EMSS classes with five distinctions, including 90% for science and 83% maths, marks that secured him a place to studyComputer Science at the University of Cape Town in 2019.
Hailing fromMdantsane in East London, Libhongo was schooled at Philemon Ngcelwane High School and attended weekly EMSS supplementary classes at the University of Fort Hare in East London.
He joined the EMMS programme when he was in grade 10 and says attending classes every Saturday morninggave him the confidence and boost he needed.
Libhongo says he comes from a God-fearing big family.
"I'm the fourth child at home and received a lot of support and motivation from each and every family member. I was taught that education is the key to living a successful life. What motivated me through the year were my teachers, principal, family, friends and my mentor, my Life Science teacher Miss Dimakatso Mosola," he says.
His message for this year's matrics is to take advantage of every opportunity for extra learning.
Adhila Hamdulay, Engen's Corporate Social Investment Manager, says the company is delighted to seeLibhongo get the chance to pursue his computer science studies.
"Libhongo is a prime example of future leaders that the EMSS programme aims to assist, with a view to not only see them achieve personal success, but also to tackle the bigger issue of helping address key national skills shortages in the engineering, medical and other technical fields.
Engen congratulatesLibhongo and the EMSS class of 2018 and offers a well-deserved round of applause to all the learners and teachers.


text:
Tag: Westworld
Where has the past gone ? Erasing history
I watched Westworld again recently, a Michael Crichton film from 1973 in which two characters go on holiday to a mock Western resort, populated by gun-toting robots. Holiday-makers can live out their fantasies of being cowboys, and shoot these robotic residents: alas, one of the robots malfunctions in a shoot-out and pursues the pair throughout the film on a relentless quest for revenge (the robot in question played with menacing remorselessness by a fantastic Yul Bryner.)
The formula of historical theme-park-going-wrong is one Crichton would repeat with greater commercial success with dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, and to a certain extent in the disappointing novel Timeline with knights.
Seeing the film again made me reflect that its whole scenario is akin to the way in which we perceive our own history, and how sometimes we experience it. Much of our view of history can come from film and literature – think of the multitude of Vietnam films such as Platoon or Full Metal Jacket, or Norman Mailer's Vietnam-novel The Naked and the Dead,or Ridley Scott's swords-and-sandals vision of Rome in Gladiator.
Our learning about the past can come filtered though the film-maker's lense – Spielberg's account of the Holocaust in Schindler's List – or the novelist's imagination – Bernard Cornwell, Henry Treece, etc.
Yul never walk alone
Re-enactments and displays are popular ways of bringing historical events to some sort of 'life;' mock jousting tournaments at English Heritage castles across the country, or air displays featuring the dwindling number of aircraft from World War II. Like Crichton's automaton-populated holiday resort mock-ups, these create an artificial snapshot of a generalised sense of a moment in the past, and purport to bring it to life for popular consumption.
But are we losing a real sense of our past, our history, buried under (or papered over by) a fictionalised representation of it ? And, like the remorseless robot in Westworld, will populist reinventions of our past, in representing it, actually destroy us in the end ?
Real history – if it possible to define something which we haven't experienced for ourselves, because it occurred before we were born, as such – is being eroded by our reinventions, or re-imaginings of it; the glare of Hollywood's limelight fails to illuminate most of history's shadowed corners: in fact, it creates those obscuring shadows precisely because it spotlights heroes and villains for our entertainment. The same strobe lighting up the hero necessarily blinds us to the realities lost out of sight beyond the lit circle in which they stand.
Ironically, it's almost as if the very media working to preserve history, whether for our education or entertainment, are instead serving, as the writer and cultural analyst Fredric Jameson puts it, 'as the very agents and mechanisms for our historical amnesia.' ('Postmodernism and consumer society' in Gray & McGuigan, 1993: 205.) Fredric makes this point in relation to the function of news media, but arguably it's also a pertinent definition of the methods by which film, television and historical novels are making history disappear in the very act of trying to bring it alive.
Where has our past gone ? Or, more accurately perhaps: where did we begin to erase it ?
Author Daniel HardingPosted on September 24, 2010 September 25, 2010 Categories Film, LiteratureTags WestworldLeave a comment on Where has the past gone ? Erasing history
Event Horizon: combining genres
One of the great strengths of Event Horizon is that it works to combine two separate genres, science-fiction and horror.
Of course, the Alien films also effect some combination of the two, although in this case it is the stalker-type film in the manner of Jaws and the fear induced by a remorseless killer – the same fear so effectively worked on in Westworld and later mimicked in Terminator.
In Event Horizon, the horror element is derived from the paranoia experienced from within the crew themselves, which they have brought with them. It is much more of a psychologically-based horror – the fear within.
It might be argued that, from a certain point of view, the genres of horror and science-fiction are related. The polarized stances of writers Ray Bradbury and Arthur C Clarke are illustrative of this: Clarke's writing believes that technological advancement will save mankind, Bradbury that it will be its ultimate destruction, and horror and catastrophe stalk the latter's pages. Both horror and science-fiction concern the exploration of the unknown, the reactions of human beings to adversity, to situations reaching far beyond the areas of ordinary experience. Each genre can use the surprise factor, the unexpected, as a device to propel the narrative forward, and both place individuals in situations and predicaments outside the boundaries of everyday life.
The important difference between them can be summarized simply by the idea of 'internal versus external experience.' Science fiction, by definition, concerns situations that are conjectural, that have yet to exist: it is a genre that projects forward, to explore potential advances in society, technology and in human evolution (apart, that is, from the tired and unreliable technology of Star Wars mentioned previously). Thus, the concerns of science fiction are often necessarily external concerns, where mankind reacts to elements in an external world which differs from our own. Much of the fascination with this sort of narrative is as much to do with the extrapolation, by the author or director, of how technology or humanity – or even both – will evolve, as it is with the unfolding plot.
The primary concern of the genre of horror, however, is with an internal universe, with the dark elements that like with mankind, within the soul or the mind. The phobias that afflict everyone to a greater or lesser extent are internally created: though they may be triggered by external factors, such as spiders or, in the case of Event Horizon, by stasis tanks, it is the manner in which these elements work upon the internal landscape of the human soul that horror seeks to explore.
Event Horizon therefore represents something of a crossover between these two styles, combining aspects of both and allowing each to inform and work upon the other. The important elements of science-fiction are present – technology in new forms, humanity in a new environment – but inextricably woven into the fabric of the narrative are elements also of horror – a menacing evil, the internal fears and secrets of the various crewmembers.
Indeed, in this film, the one has directly contributed to the creation of the other: it is the manufacture of the gravity-drive mechanism that causes the horror to come forth. Hence the significance of the fact that the drive is often referred to as a gateway. The evolution of a particular technological achievement has led to the evil coming into this dimension, through the opening caused by the functioning of the gravity-drive.
The idea of humans tampering with things beyond their control and thereby unleashing malevolent force is a crucial part of horror, reaching back as far as Frankenstein and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and (for science-fiction), the original Godzilla where the monster is created by nuclear weapons, and also now of science fiction. The various novels concerning the effects of hallucinatory drugs, by writers such as Jeff Noon, Philip K Dick or William Burroughs, heighten what it means to experiment with drugs and the sense that it is always guesswork, and always involves an element of risk caused by a lack of knowledge or understanding, or of certainty. Dr. Weir begins as a scientist, someone whose vocation concerns experimentation to create empirical fact, and finishes as a personification of evil – a twist that neatly reflects the concerns of the film itself.
Posted by Daniel Harding, Deputy Director of Music at the University of Kent. Click here to view his Music Matters blog.
Author Daniel HardingPosted on June 11, 2010 June 11, 2010 Categories Reading Event Horizon, Science fictionTags Event Horizon, Frankenstein, Godzilla, horror, Jeff Noon, Philip K Dick, WestworldLeave a comment on Event Horizon: combining genres


text:
Gregg also came out forcefully for repeal of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which critics feared would allow businesses to discriminate against people based on sexual orientation, and in favor of a bill declaring certain crimes hate crimes. Bell also made clear his opposition to RFRA.
Republican Holcomb, who has decried what he calls Gregg's focus on sexual orientation issues and suggested it is not crucial to voters, did not share Gregg's dismay over its absence from the debate. Suggesting it didn't come up because it has been discussed in other debates, Holcomb said RFRA and its attendant controversial implications have been publicly aired, and neither side seems willing to give ground.
"We have a balance right now where locals will be able to address this," Holcomb said. "As the president pro-tem of the State Senate said today, he will be focused on the budget, and this issue probably will not get in the way of that focus -- but we're willing to hear it if it makes it way through the General Assembly. But I'll be focused on my economic development, community development, (campaign initiative) Excellence in Education, delivering good taxpayer services at great taxpayer value."
Gregg said Indiana's public posture on LGBT rights harms the state's ability to attract and retain talented workers and businesses.
"Indiana is a state where the federal law allows a same-sex couple to get up, go to work and get married over their lunch hour -- only to come back and find out they could lose their job or their housing because there's no civil rights protection," he said.
Gridlocked over extending new rights to transgender residents and unable to see a potential compromise amid overheated arguments by LGBT advocates and religious conservatives, legislative leaders decided in February to kill LGBT anti-discrimination legislation. The gay rights proposal, Senate Bill 344, extended additional civil rights to gay Indiana residents -- but not transgender people -- with some exemptions for religious organizations, faith-based groups and small businesses providing wedding services.
LGBT advocates had called for total civil rights for gay and transgender individuals, protesting exemptions for religious groups. Social conservatives cited concerns that transgender individuals -- and some sexual predators -- could have used gender identity, and not their biological sex, as a means to enter opposite sex public bathrooms and school locker rooms. Transgender individuals said they had never had an issue using restrooms either before or after their transition.
Forces on both sides of the debate anticipate another battle royale in next year's legislative session.
The Legislature studied the issue this past summer because of a mandate from President Barack Obama's administration asking schools to allow students to use restrooms based on their gender identity.
In August, Rep. Greg Stueurwald, R-Avon, chairman of Indiana's Interim Courts and Judiciary Committee, said several committee members had expressed a desire to wait and see what federal courts do with the issue before introducing legislation.
Holcomb, Gregg and Bell seek to succeed Republican Gov. Mike Pence, who became GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump's vice presidential running mate.
Tuesday's debate, organized by the non-profit Indiana Debate Commission, was staged before an audience of nearly 300 people in USI's Performance Center. It marked the first time a statewide debate has been held in Evansville.
The hour-long event aired live on WNIN television and radio and was streamed live on courierpress.com and 14news.com.
The debate was moderated by Mizell Stewart III, a former Evansville Courier & Press executive editor who now works as a news executive for Gannett, parent company of the USA TODAY NETWORK. Stewart is president of the American Society of News Editors.


text:
User behavior Analytics (UBA) refers to a process for tracking how users interact with a platform or app and identifying usage patterns. The main reason companies track UBA is to gain actionable insights that solve problems and make the product better.
What is User Behavior Analytics
User behavior analytics homes in what users actually do on your platform. The process relies on software to collect information from historical user data logs and actual user behaviors in real time. That data is then analyzed to identify different patterns—like user traffic, predicting customer buying patterns, user activity baselines, and, more recently, potential and actual data breaches.
Back in 2017, Inc. magazine said "Behavior analytics is your company's secret weapon." Since then, UBA has gained a crucial role on technology security teams and are used to spot hackers and other potential (or successful) malicious breaches.
Early User Behavior Analytics
Before UBA technology, companies would have to rely on what's known as vanity metrics, like demographic data (e.g. age, gender, location). And more precise analytics could be gleaned from platforms that specialized in collecting and organizing different types of sets of data. But until UBA software came along, businesses would have to rely on separate platforms for important analytics and user insights. For example, MailChimp counts email open rates. But to understand their website traffic, they would need a platform like Google Analytics. Some companies could conceivably require three, four, five or more platforms for all of their data and insights. Which made it difficult for companies to visualize the entirety of a customer's journey in one place.
Today's UBA systems are organized on a centralized platform. They also provide actionable insights on many different behaviors and types of data:
Which channels produce the highest ROI
Behaviors that lead to churn
When to include a call to action (CTA)
Identifying cohorts that are most likely to convert
Discovering elements that encourage social sharing
Commonalities between different customer segments
When we talk about user behavior data today, we're referring to data that's generated from an enormous amount of raw events, such as when users click or swipe, navigate a website or app, where users get stuck or drop off, how long it takes for customers to convert, and much more.
UBA technology then gathers the data and produces reports displaying common behaviors and intent, user flow, event tracking, and messaging campaign analytics.
Who uses User Behavior Analytics
Any platform would benefit from UBA. For brands, gaining insights into customers' behaviors helps convert low-level users into power users, helps product teams reduce churn, and e-commerce sites use it to predict user buying trends. Inc. magazine reporter, Drew Hendricks, warns "It is only possible to gather these insights if you look beyond traditional metrics like pageviews." But remember, that was back in 2017. In 2020 and beyond, developers are revealing what these tools are really capable of. Like searching for unusual behaviors that could be indicative of a data breach.
User Behavior Analytics and Security
Companies are developing new UBA technologies that can look at activities that originated inside of a company as well as those potentially coming from bad actors or even malware. Splunk User Behavior Analytics (Splunk UBA) is one such company. According to a recent tech brief, "Behavior of entities, especially users, devices, system accounts, and privileged accounts, can be mined to reveal anomalies, even when they occur in low frequency and over extended periods of time." So UBA systems track threats wherever they occur, including throughout cloud and mobile environments. The tools are also designed to detect anomalies in machine learning algorithms. Splunk and other security firms rely on behavior analytics platforms to perform advanced analytics and then unify data from security-operations feedback.
User Behavior Analytics Advantages
Clearly, the biggest advantage to using UBA tools are identifying actionable insights. When companies can use their UBA to segment data, for example, they can strive to target customers better because user reports will show what customers are actually interested in doing. The actionable insights for security firms occurs the moment their UBA detects an aberration. A company's ability to respond immediately and mitigate the threat relies entirely on their UBA system.


text:
angular.module('angularwebApp', [
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    'ngMessages',
    'ngResource',
    'ngSanitize',
    'ngTouch',
    'services',
    'angular-growl',
    'blockUI',
    'satellizer',
    'ui.router'
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Greene still looking for answers
By Alec Shirkey
BOSTON -- For as sterling as Shane Greene's first three starts with the Tigers were, the ensuing struggles have come to define his season.
On Sunday night, Greene stumbled again in a deflating 11-1 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Over 4 1/3 innings, the right-hander allowed five runs on a season-high 11 hits, including a three-run homer by David Ortiz that sparked Boston's scoring outburst.
The defeat raised Greene's overall ERA to 6.72. He has given up 39 earned runs over his last seven outings, none of which have lasted more than 5 2/3 innings, and he hasn't had a quality start since May 20.
Video: DET@BOS: Ausmus on facing Rodriguez, Greene's outing
Asked whether he could afford to keep Greene in the rotation, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus was non-committal, noting only that the team has not yet reached a decision.
"I don't know if it's stuff-related. It's more location-based, I think," Ausmus said of Greene's issues. "And again, tighter situations with runners on base, they want to [throw] harder and harder. Sometimes the best thing is to back off a bit. I don't know if that's the case with Greeney. For whatever reason, the pitches started coming up [in the strike zone]."
Greene pitched solidly over the first four innings, limiting the Red Sox to one run and generally keeping his fastball down in the zone -- evidenced by his seven ground-ball outs. But the fifth proved to be his undoing, as the Sox broke out for four runs on five hits and chased him after 88 pitches.
"He just started leaving balls up, and they started taking advantage of it," catcher James McCann said. "Early on, he was down in the zone, making pitches. There in the inning where he got in trouble, stuff just kind of started leaking out over the middle of the plate and elevated. Good hitters take advantage of that, and that's what they did."
Greene, who hung an 0-1 slider that Ortiz launched past Fenway's expansive right field, gave up his 13th home run in 16 starts this year.
"I made a mistake to one of the best left-handed hitters in the game, and I paid for it," Greene said.
Although Greene's fastball sat around 90 mph for most of his night -- a noticeable drop from his season average of 93 mph, per Brooks Baseball -- the righty said the change was intentional and echoed his manager's concerns about sacrificing command for velocity.
"Going into this game, I thought in the past few starts I've been overthrowing a lot," Greene said. "So going into tonight, I told myself to take a couple gears down and just try to make my pitches."
But whether the problems are attributable to pitch location or the damage caused by left-handed hitters, who are batting .364 against Greene this season after going 6-for-12 off him on Sunday, the Tigers recognize that making the postseason will be a tall task unless their rotation can produce more consistent outings.
"[For] 140 years, they've been saying pitching and defense wins baseball games," Ausmus said. "When you're giving up runs, it's hard to win."
Alec Shirkey is an associate reporter for MLB.com.
Read More: Detroit Tigers, Shane Greene


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text:
Chicago's Finest Diamonds
Jennifer Swann interviews The Dirty Diamonds
By Jennifer Swann June 10, 2008 Uncategorized
An interview with The Dirty Diamonds
by Jennifer Swann
It's a Sunday evening and guitarist Dr. Rash and bassist Austin Henry of The Dirty Diamonds are shooting pool at their gallery/practice space off the Belmont blue line. Lead singer and SAIC student Joy E A Spika gives me a tour of the upstairs apartment, in which most of the band members live. The photographs, drawings, and sculptures that adorn both the gallery/practice space and their upstairs living space make it clear that the band members are all visual artists as well as musicians.
When I ask Dr. Rash, a photography major at SAIC, about future plans for the gallery space, he says, "I think some of us get frustrated with the ability to get exposure in the [Chicago art scene]." He sees their gallery space as an outlet to show people his work and the work of his friends, both in and outside of the SAIC community. "We're going to have our first show with the work of the members in the band, but I'm hoping that we can start having other shows, you know, group shows with other artists or possible solo shows," he says.
It's been almost exactly a year since The Dirty Diamonds formed in Chicago. After seeing several different drummers come and go, The Diamonds eventually decided to forfeit a drummer and instead use electronics to create and control their own percussion sounds. Though the use of synthetic horns and organs gives The Diamonds a contemporary electronic vibe, their do-wop and soul influences remain strong in the music.
Joy, who's been singing ever since she was a little girl in Minneapolis, admits she's always wanted to have a do-wop band. She says of the birth of the band: "I think one night me and Austin magically collided, and then we just asked Rash [to be in the band] because he was sitting next to us." Halley Erickson and Alistair Matthews, the two other vocalists in the band, joined shortly after.
The Dirty Diamonds' sound is unique in that simply describing it as rock, pop, or hip-hop does not do it justice. It is an eclectic mix of all three, with Midwest roots and rhythms reminiscent of old-school jazz and blues. Not being able to pigeonhole their band within a certain scene or genre of music at first seemed restrictive towards booking shows, but The Diamonds have used their uniqueness to their advantage. They've played with indie bands, rappers, and DJ's, and have embraced musicians from the hip-hop, house, and indie rock scene in Chicago. "We can almost play with anyone, especially because there aren't many bands doing similar stuff," says Dr. Rash, who represents the band by wearing a diamond-shaped necklace.
The band got their start at a bi-monthly hip-hop open mic night at Quennect 4 at 2716 North Avenue, and since then, they've played consistently throughout Chicago. Recently, they've been in talks with Curt from Flosstradamus about hosting a monthly oldies dance party at Burlington in Logan Square. Though they've mainly played bar shows to a college age and older crowd, Austin says he hopes to eventually play more informal shows at parties and other events where people of all ages can attend. Austin explains that the reason there are so many bar shows "isn't the club's fault; it's just that the state cracks down more and more on underage drinking and promotion. It's getting harder and harder to book a small show in Chicago."
The band regretfully jokes that live music will soon be something young Chicagoans have to sneak around with. "It'll be like going to speak-easies," says Joy.
Though the Dirty Diamonds are proud to be a Chicago-born band, they sometimes feel as if Chicago is missing an exciting music scene. "There are three art schools in The Loop," says Austin, a student at Illinois Institute of Art. "SAIC is like a huge deal. There could bee an exciting music scene, you know, cultivated from [these schools] and there are students from everywhere [with different musical backgrounds and interests.] It could be so exciting, it's just not."
"I feel like SAIC really needs to get up and start recognizing music and musicians within the program," adds Dr. Rash, and Joy agrees that she's met numerous band members and musicians at SAIC. Austin and Joy recall that the Sex Pistols' first show was at Central Saint Martins School of Art in London and the Talking Heads first formed out of Rhode Island School of Design.
"It's funny to think about how in the late seventies, art schools were like a legit place to find new music. And I don't think those schools had music departments either," says Austin.
"I think our school has become extremely lethargic and really concerned with money, which is understandable because [our country] is in the biggest deficit of our lives right now," says Joy. Though the band longs for the day when art schools were the center of hip musical happenings, they jokingly remind themselves: "out of desperation comes beautiful things!"
Currently, The Dirty Diamonds are working on self-releasing their 5-song EP, Meet the Dirty Diamonds, due out in July. They plan to sell copies at shows, but also make the album available as a free download online. "Our whole album ended up being a theme album," says Joy, who doesn't mind having the band's sound referred to as "cute." The Dirty Diamonds eventually hope to travel and play shows overseas, but for now, they have their hands full with playing, hosting, and promoting the Chicago music scene as well as opening their own gallery and providing exhibition opportunities for the Chicago art community.
For a list of upcoming events, check out www.myspace.com/pumpthedirtydiamonds
Uncategorized Chicago's Finest Diamonds
Black Is, Black Ain't
What did you hear? – video
Michael 'Zebra' Bailey: Art Outside The Institute
Eugenia Cheng and the Art of Math
'I'm Zero Without My Violin': An Interview With...
Gina Wynbrandt's Funny Feminist Comics are Turning Heads...


Ingredients: Oatmeal, almond oil, coconut oil, bentonite clay, rooibos, aloe vera, vegetable glycerine, castor oil, lavender and tea tree oil.
Oatmeal is a soft, natural exfoliator and effectively absorbs and removes dirt and impurities from your skin's surface. Bentonite clay is amazing for drawing out toxins in your skin, as well as for softening and toning. Rooibos is rich in anti- oxidants and is therefore an anti-aging agent. It is great for treating issues such as eczema and acne, and the natural oils and extracts of coconut, almond, lavender, aloe vera and tea tree all have their own abundance of healing and rejuvenating properties for your skin.
Oatmeal, almond oil, coconut oil, bentonite clay, rooibos, aloe vera, vegetable glycerine, castor oil, lavender and tea tree oil.
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text:
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GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S SPEECH
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Burney, Linda, MP
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PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE HOLDERS
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Turnbull Government
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Fair Work Amendment (Respect for Emergency Services Volunteers) Bill 2016
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Budget Savings (Omnibus) Bill 2016
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Excise Tariff Amendment (Tobacco) Bill 2016
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Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2016-2017
National Cancer Screening Register Bill 2016
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National Cancer Screening Register (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2016
National Disability Insurance Scheme Savings Fund Special Account Bill 2016
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Transport Security Amendment (Serious or Organised Crime) Bill 2016
Standing and Sessional Orders
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Member for Dawson
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International Overdose Awareness Day
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Joondalup Health Campus
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Isolated Children's Parents' Association of Australia
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Mallee Electorate: Leadership Programs
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Banks Electorate
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AUDITOR-GENERAL'S REPORTS
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Ms BURNEY (Barton) (16:17): It was in this chamber I experienced one of the most remarkable moments of my life. I was in that gallery just up there. It feels like it was just yesterday. But I will tell you that story of truth-telling and generosity in a moment.
Ballumb Ambul Ngunawhal Ngambri yindamarra. Ngadu bang marang Ngadhu Ngu-nha winhanga nha nulabang nguwandang. Ngadhu biyap yuganha. Birrang a ngawaal. Ngadhu, yand yaman gid yal. Yindyamarra. Mandaang. Ngarind-ja.
I have just said, in the language of Wiradjuri, my people: 'I pay respect to the ancient Ngunawhal and Ngambri. I say this: good day. I am giving my first speech and I am deeply moved. I have journeyed to another place—a powerful place. I am one person. I wish in this House to honour, to be respectful, to be gentle and to be polite. I am thankful, happy. I could weep.' However, I say to my elders and to you, Mr Speaker, that that last bit may not always apply in question time!
I mention respectfully the traditional owners of the seat of Barton—three clans of the Eora, the Bidjigal, the Gweagal and the Badigal, custodians of the land from the Cooks River to the shores of Brighton-Le-Sands and out to the Georges River. It is strong country. And to the traditional owners of all the lands from which members of this chamber and the other place come: these lands are, always were and always will be Aboriginal land—sovereignty never ceded.
So, what was that remarkable moment? Many of you were here. It was the first sitting of the new Labor government, on 13 February 2008. Kevin Rudd was the new Prime Minister, Jenny Macklin the minister for Indigenous affairs, and Brendan Nelson the opposition leader.
Our nation had been holding its breath for a long time, waiting for three words: 'We are sorry.' There was the stubborn refusal of the previous Prime Minister to apologise for policies which had ripped many thousands of Aboriginal children from their family, culture and country—the devastating effects still felt today. But around the perimeter of this chamber sat some of those children, now old people, still wearing the scars of forced removal on their faces. They were joined by all surviving prime ministers bar one.
Finally, as the words rang out across this chamber, across this land and around the world, 'For this we are sorry,' the country cried and began to breathe again.
As the speeches concluded, two women stood and handed the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and minister an empty coolamon—and I beg the indulgence of the House in carrying a coolamon in here today. It was the most gracious and generous thing I had ever seen. It was profound, a gesture that made us all better people. Friends, a coolamon is what we carried our babies in, which is what made it such an amazing, generous thing to do.
I carry this empty coolamon into this place today as a reminder of that moment, of the power we exercise in this building today, and that it must be for the good of all. It must be gracious. But it has not always been so. But it can be. That day the truth was told in this place, and the power of generosity was writ large. So, Mr Speaker, the significance of coming down from that gallery up there to the floor of this chamber is not lost on me.
Members, in this term of parliament all I want is to be able to stand in this place knowing that the document on which it was founded finally tells the truth. Recognition of the First People in our nation's constitution is the next step on the path we are walking towards a country that can look itself in the eye knowing that we have come of age. Fundamentally, reconciliation is about three things: it is about reciprocity; it is about restitution; and it is about truth telling. One of the bravest statements I ever heard was in the opening ceremony of the 1997 Reconciliation Convention in Melbourne. The 10-point plan in the winding back of the native title debate was raging, and the chair of the council at that time is now Senator Patrick Dodson. I was on the executive committee—I am not sure if Patrick liked it or did not—but I think I did okay and I think he did like it. He was an amazing chair. But Senator Dodson said at the opening of that convention, in the presence of the world media, 'There can never be reconciliation without social justice.'
Nor is the significance of a first speech lost on me. It is defining; it sets out what has made you, what you believe in and what you stand for. It talks about the seat and the people whose hopes, hurts, aspirations and loves you carry into this place. It talks of the deep affection you have for those people. Because of the significance, I carry into this chamber this cloak. This cloak was made by my Wiradjuri sister, Lynette Riley, who will sing us into this place now.
Ms Riley then sang in the Wiradjuri language —
Thank you, Lynette.
This cloak tells my story. It charts my life. On it is my clan totem, the goanna, and my personal totem, the white cockatoo—a messenger bird and very noisy.
Let me share with you a little of what has made me. In 2010 I returned to the little town I grew up in. It is called Whitton—I am a freshwater kid from the Riverina. I learnt to swim in irrigation channels, and we shared that water with yabbies, freshwater mussels, leeches, red bellied blacks and I suspect considerable amounts of chemicals, which explains the constant boils and hives I had as a child.
It was the 150th anniversary of the Whitton public school; I was a cabinet minister at the time and I thought I looked pretty flash. A man a little older than me—I guess he would have been one of the big kids when I was at school—said to me, 'You know, Linda, the day you were born was one of the darkest days this town has ever seen.' I was so shocked I could not respond. You see, Mr Speaker, despite being more than 50 years on, I was born at a time when a white woman having an Aboriginal baby was shocking—and doubly so if that woman was not married. I was born at a time when the Australian government knew how many sheep there were but not how many Aboriginal people. I was 10 years old before the '67 referendum fixed that.
The first decade of my life was spent as a noncitizen. I was raised by two very brave people who no doubt were made to pay for the bravery and generosity they displayed—my great aunt Letitia Laing, Nina, and her brother Billy. They were of Scottish heritage and in the latter part of their life. I have wondered often had they not stepped up to raise me where my life would be now.
I loved them very much and experienced their passing and grief early in life. I was taken in after their death by Coral Smith and her family. Coral's daughter Barbara is my oldest friend on earth, 51 years! I spoke to her on the weekend. Friendships over one's whole life are rare things, indeed.
I didn't meet my Wiradjuri father until I was in 28—his first words to me were, 'I hope I don't disappoint you.' His name was Nonni Ingram, Lawrence Ingram, of the great Wiradjuri Ingram clan. Nonni and his wonderful wife Launa had 10 children. Ten brothers and sisters I didn't know existed! We grew up 40 minutes apart. The power of racism and exclusion were not things you could see, but you certainly felt them.
I had two sets of brothers and sisters—my mother married a man, a wonderful man, called Fred Stracke. They had four children, two brothers gone now, but my sister Kim is here today. I'm so thrilled you are here, Kim; it means a lot. Fred spent his life serving in the Air Force and served in World War II.
I would ask all of those listening this afternoon to imagine what it was like for a 13-year-old Aboriginal girl in a school classroom, being taught that her ancestors were the closest thing to stone age man on earth and struggling with your identity.
Being in this chamber today feels a long way from that time. And from the man in the schoolyard at the anniversary—well, here's to you mate.
In many ways these experiences have been the catalyst for my subsequent life as an advocate for education and social justice. The Aboriginal part of my story is important. It is the core of who I am, but I will not be stereotyped and I will not be pigeonholed.
Let me tell you a little of the Wiradjuri story. In Wiradjuri lore Biami is the creation spirit. He is the source of both our physical and moral landscape. The story of invasion and conquest for the Wiradjuri is a brutal one. The deadly art of poisoning waterholes and flour began in Wiradjuri country. Massacre sites are dotted all over my lands. The scars are evident for all of us to see. In 1823 martial law was declared in Bathurst after Windradyne and his warriors waged a fierce war of resistance. Four months later over 1,00 Wiradjuri were dead by sanctioned murder. In 1842, during the second Wiradjuri wars, one horror saw all but one young boy slaughtered when settlers opened fire on a group taking shelter on an island amongst the reeds in the creek of the Murrumbidgee River. That creek is now known as Poisoned Waterhole Creek, and their sheltering place is called Murdering Island. On Saturday I drove over that bridge and that creek. I stopped the car, I got out and my blood ran cold. You see, Mr Speaker, I am of the Murrumbidya Wiradjuri.
In Barton, from the beach in Brighton-Le-Sands you can stand and look towards Botany Bay where the First Fleet in 1788 first entered these shores. Settlement or invasion is a matter of perspective—of whether you were on the shore or on the boats in the middle of the bay. I spoke earlier of truth-telling. Perhaps another great act of honesty and healing would be a permanent remembering of those frontier wars, just down the road at our national war memorial.
The chamber I have come from in New South Wales proudly hangs the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags. Symbolism is important. I know that symmetry is important in this place, but perhaps we could think that once we get constitutional recognition we could add another two flags to this chamber, coloured red, gold and black, and white, green and blue—the colours and the flags of the two first peoples of this nation.
I will say that I intend to bring the fighting Wiradjuri spirit into this place. This mob behind me knows what that is about. I will bring that spirit into this place for the people of Barton, for the first peoples and for those great Labor values of social justice and equality for all people.
I enter this place as a representative of the people of Barton, a community I have been proud to live in for almost 20 years. If there is a god of demography, it is one of his greatest ironies that the seat named after the architect of the White Australia policy has become one of the most multicultural in the country! Over half of the people in Barton were born overseas. Almost 10 per cent were born in China. We have a well-establish post-World War II Greek and European community, a thriving Arabic-speaking community, a rapidly-growing Nepalese community, a Macedonian community, an Indian community—you name it. We have people from every corner of the globe. Barton is a kaleidoscope of languages, ethnicities and cultures. I am not sure what Sir Edmund would think of the ethnic wonderland being represented in this place today by, of all people, me—and a Koori woman to boot!
From Campsie to Kyeemagh and from Beverley Hills to Brighton, this electorate could not be a more shining example of what our modern Australia looks like. For the benefit of those in this House and in the other place who doubt it, I want to place here on record that we are a stronger community because of this diversity. We are better for our differences and we are richer for all the broader cultural experience that it affords us. It is the underpinning of small business in the Barton electorate by the people I refer to.
We all have fantastic stories from election day, but let me share one with the House. It is Hurstville Public School at 5.45. It is dark and it is cold. The booth is being packed up and a car pulls up. There is a very old woman in that car. She needs help to walk. It is a long way across that cold, dark playground. Her daughter says, 'Mum, don't worry, we can just pay the fine.' This old woman says, 'No, I'm voting. This is history.' Friends, it is history indeed. That, my friends, is Barton, and we made history together.
Barton is the endless generosity of Khalil and his family at Ibrahim's Pastry in Rockdale and the tireless advocacy of James Zhou, Lily and little Chloe for their Chinese Australian community. It is the enthusiasm of Harry Danalis and Nia Kateris for their Greek Orthodox community across the region and the passion of families like Joe Awada and our proud Arabic community. Those are just some of the stories; there are so many more.
In fact, for my money there is only one division that counts for anything in our electorate. It is the one between the Canterbury Bulldogs and the St George Dragons. My office and I are already preparing a public response should both teams play in the grand final next year. I have already told my grim-faced media advisor that I will remain a Doggies fan, but a true friend of the Red Vs. Truly though, both teams have a long and proud history in Barton. And like all good local sporting clubs, of which there are many, they are not just something to barrack behind. There are teams like Denis Loether's City Suns in Rockdale and Nick's Cooks River Titans. These are the clubs that glue a community together.
And Barton, after a brief flirt with the Liberals, is firmly back in the Labor fold by 8.3 per cent because people in our community know that the invisible hand of the market cares little for the needs of the most disadvantaged. They recognise that a government's job is to ensure services are provided, whether they are education, health care or social assistance. Government cannot simply outsource its responsibility. Rhetoric about the evils of government intervention mean nothing to a mother in Campsie escaping domestic violence and searching for a bed that night. As a school teacher, as a member of the Anti-Discrimination Board of New South Wales, as a director-general, as a representative in the United Nations of the first peoples, as a local member, as a minister responsible for children at risk, as a minister responsible for women, I have seen why government intervention is necessary. We cannot sit on our hands in places like these hoping that it will be so.
Government has a role to serve and to lead. Throughout my political career, and before, I have been consistent. Much work of government is important but nothing more so than education. Education is not a silver bullet but it is the closest thing we have for dealing with our social ills. But our parliament must commit to more specific goals, too, with things like lifting the birth weight of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island children. An increase of 191 grams could change lives. Reducing the rate of juvenile incarceration must be a priority, because we cannot be satisfied that this is a fair country while so many of our young people, many of them Aboriginal, are locked up. The royal commission has been announced, but I suspect it will be difficult to restrict it to the Northern Territory. I think we are already seeing that. There is no justification for the incarceration of children as young as 10, not when we know that getting kids to school and intervening early work so much more effectively and they are better economics.
The challenge of domestic violence in our communities is a national crisis. Strong rhetoric must be matched with strong action and leadership. We should take seriously our custodianship of land, and I know that we do. We cannot leave this task somehow to the never-never with our children. Landcare groups in Barton like the Mudcrabs and the Cooks River Valley Association know this all too well.
On issues of political debate and policy the message from those in our electorate, and outside it, has been clear. People have decried what they see as a lack of sincerity and a lack of good faith in our political conversation. They see it when some members of this parliament rally behind their right to hate speech but say nothing of the effect this will have on our most marginalised communities. Too often these calls to amend the Racial Discrimination Act come from those for whom this kind of discrimination it totally alien. I can tell them that it is hurtful. To me and to many people here today in the galleries in this chamber it is not alien. People do not ask for much from us. They want to be heard and they want to be treated with respect and with empathy. These are Labor values, and ones I will be proud to carry into this place.
So, Mr Speaker, why Labor? Well, my story speaks for itself. I was raised by a boundary rider, a drover and a field hand, shaped by a combination of love and adversity, politically blooded in the Aboriginal rights movement, and embraced by the strength of Labor and the labour movement. There was never a question of being anything else!
Now to some final reflections and thankyous. I have been in public life for some time, but I have to admit that with the frenetic pace of a local campaign I did not contemplate the response that the election of the first Aboriginal woman to the House of Representatives would get. I have been overwhelmed. I have received countless letters, emails and calls, all heartfelt and generous, some of which contained very flattering words about me as a role model. If this is true, it is possible thanks only to the role models who guided me and allowed me to come into this place, resting on their shoulders. In truth, I come to this place not only through my own labour. I have travelled paths blazed by those before me, resting on the shoulders of so many around me.
So to the impossible task of recognising those shoulders I have leaned on and to thank those who have come on this journey with me. In my valedictory speech I named some very close personal friends. Many of them are in the gallery today. To those trusted friends—you know who you are—many of you have travelled from interstate to be here, including Charmaine and Rhonda. You have stuck by me and held me up through the best and the worst of times. Each of you has been a gift and I hope my love for you in return has been the same. I am touched by a number of my former colleagues from the New South Wales parliament who have joined me here this afternoon and others who have sent their good wishes, including our local representatives Chris Minns, his wife Anna, Steve Kamper and his wife Magda, as well as Sophie Cotsis and her family, whom I see in the gallery today—they are the best little young campaigners you have ever seen—and, of course, Shaoquette Moselmane and the people Shaoquette works with so closely in the Arabic community. There are other state MPs whose support has been invaluable. I see Meredith Burgmann in the gallery—a true set of shoulders I have leaned on—and Guy Zangari, Tania Mihailuk, Lynda Voltz, Ernest Wong, Jihad Dib, Anna Watson and Jo Haylen, whom I think is here today, as well. I am sorry if I missed somebody—you can throw something at me later! I have tried to do my best but I cannot mention everyone. But if you have not been mentioned as a former colleague, you know what you mean to me.
I note, of course, Greg Warren, the member for Campbelltown, is here in the gallery with us this afternoon. Thank you for coming, Greg, and for representing Luke Foley. There are the fantastic people from local government in our area, like Bill Saravinovski, Nick Katris, Andrew Tsounis, Joe Awada, Dominic Sin and Tarek Ibrahim. To the local Aboriginal community and leaders from many different organisations from Canberra and from further afield, whom I can see in the gallery, thank you so much for rallying and being here today, led, of course, by the queen, Anne Martin. To the state party leaders and premiers I have had the pleasure of serving with—Bob Carr, Morris Iemma, my good friend Nathan Rees, Kristina Keneally, who I see around the place, John Robertson and our future Premier, Luke Foley—I say thank you.
The support and encouragement from my federal colleagues was remarkable throughout the campaign. To our leader, Bill Shorten, and to Tanya Plibersek: it has been difficult to put into words the confidence and inspiration you provided in the campaign. The campaign you ran with everyone else was about people, and that is why it was so successful. To Tony Burke, my neighbour, Jenny Macklin, my old friend, Jenny McAllister, for braving the Hurstville prepoll—and, trust me, that is braving a prepoll—and to the many people who called, like Stephen Jones and so many others in the federal team: thank you so much for welcoming me and making me feel part of who you are. I make a very special mention of Anthony Albanese and Carmel Tebbutt, whose belief in me goes back a long time—political mentors and close friends, both.
Throughout the campaign there was support and lots of cheering from the New South Wales branch of the Labor Party, by way of the unstoppable Kaila Murnain, Rose Jackson, John Graham and Pat Garcia, who are here today, and from the union movement, by way of Mel Gatfield, Mark Boyd and Erin Watt at United Voice, as well as Michael Tull and Sarah Hunt from the CPSU. My campaign team was led by a young man I now call a friend, Ed McDougal. People put their lives on hold, as everyone did in all of our campaigns—people like Leon Pun; Di Ford, Cheryl Han, Rheuben Freelander, Louay Moustafa, Kalista Kaval, Mark Buttigieg and his wonderful wife, Kirsten Andrews, Ross Bennett and the ever present Maria Pasten, Mitch Wilson, Irene Macbeth and the others.
To the great members of the Australian Labor Party: your devotion to our cause, to social justice and to equity continues to energise me. To the branch members of Barton: what an amazing group of people you are—people like Daryl and David, the Barton campaign's own 'odd couple'. Irene, Di, Luna, Jannice, Binna, Chris, Lewis, David, Sue, Ron, Alice, Esta, David, Robin, George, and Fran Rees—there are too many on the list to mention. There are people like Robin, Ron, Lewis, Kallista, Alice and many local leaders of organisations.
In conclusion, to the incredible Young Labor team—Lewis, Chris, Shannon, Oliver, Luke, James, Zac, Isabella, Ella and 300 additional people who worked on the campaign: thank you. To the supporters in our community like Peter and Elizabeth Antonopoulos and Bill Mougios, I thank you. The fact is that I cannot name everyone. But to all of you: your help, the early mornings—and let there never be another winter campaign—and your hard work were appreciated.
To my children, Binni and Willuari: my pride and love for you is more than all the stars in the sky. To my partner in life, the late Rick Farley: I do not know, Rick, what you think about me sitting in this place, but I do know that our country is a poorer place for having lost you.
To the people of Barton: you have put your faith in me, and I will not let you down. When I entered state politics all those years ago I made two promises to those who had elected me—that I would always work hard and that I would always do my best. Today, in this chamber, I make those same promises again to the people of Barton, to my party, to my colleagues in this place and to the people of Australia.
I spoke earlier of what it was like to be a young Aboriginal girl in the 1960s, sitting in a classroom and being told that my capacity was limited by my race and that my potential was capped by expectation. Thanks to voters in Barton I hope that there are young people who sit in classrooms—like Chloe Noak from my home town of Leeton, who is here today—whose imaginations are not so limited. If I can stand in this place, so can they. Never let anyone tell you that you are limited by anything.
In 1927 a Wiradjuri man named Jimmy Clements, or Nangar, and his friend John Noble walked for a week over the mountains to Canberra from Brungle Mission—that mission is where my father comes from. They had decided that they wanted to attend the opening of the provisional parliament. When the local police saw their attire they were asked to move on, but the crowd in front of Old Parliament House would not hear of it. They stood up for Nangar and John, and eventually they stayed.
I would like to think of the electorate today as a bit like that crowd. Thanks to them, there are more Aboriginal voices in this place than ever before: Bonner, Ridgeway, Wyatt, Lindgren, Lambie, Peris, Dodson, McCarthy—and, thanks to the good people of Barton, Burney.
The SPEAKER: Just before I call the honourable member for Fisher, I remind the House that this is the honourable member's first speech, and I ask the House to extend to him the usual courtesies. I call the member for Fisher.


As readers of my ramblings will know I'm a huge Tom Burke fan. Ever since I saw him in (frankly not a great TV series) called POW back in 2003 or so, I have enjoyed watching his career grow, and it's great that he is now a household name - it makes life so much easier for me to say "Athos in the Musketeers" or "Cormoran Strike" when asked the question..."who??"
I have been reading various versions of Schiller texts, including the MacDonald translation that Tom will be using for Don Carlos. One of the most interesting "comparison" texts I've read so far was MacDonald's "Joan of Arc" versus a wonderful translation by Major-General Maxwell called "Schiller's Maid of Orleans." It is the same tale, one quite modernistic in it's language, the other very antiquated, almost Shakespearean in style. I'm not sure when it was published, but the inscription inside is dated 1897, and I have my good friend Nikki to thank for buying it for me. It's a quaint little book to be treasured.
Reading these texts on my own (rather being lectured) allowed me the freedom of taking what I found of value out of the writing. Not, what is Schiller telling me, but, what am I taking from this? It was most interesting, so I stepped up a gear and read some various articles about Schiller, including the introduction from Oxford World Classics, Don Carlos & Mary Stuart, by Professor Lesley Sharpe. Her informative introduction looked at both the significance of the play and how it fitted in with the history of drama. Schiller wrestles with the ideas of a struggle for a more tolerant and humane society, and it is an interesting concept to come to terms with. (It was only after I finally decided to go to Exeter that I realised Professor Lesley Sharpe is an Emeritus Professor at Exeter university!) Suddenly the idea of going was becoming more exciting, an interesting subject with a bit of Tom thrown in...but Exeter is a long way away for a 90 min talk!
Now, I'm not one to delve into detail about my private life online. Suffice to say, things not going too well with "father-in-law" so we're taking good weeks with bad weeks. This week seemed to be a safe week for me to risk driving to the other end of the country. Exeter can be a bit of a pricey place to stay on your own (normally I'd be sharing a room with a fellow Tom fan, but no-one on the WA group had said they were going, and I can't be relied on to organise to go anywhere at the moment without cancelling last minute) however, it was the perfect time of year to grab a bargain priced room at the university. So no more excuses, time to get in the car and have a good night being educated and entertained.
It was a 5-10 min walk to the theatre which sits atop of a steep hill. As I staggered into the bar, I was asked if I was ok. Yes, I replied, at least once you've given me a pint I will be. £4.50! £4.50!? It was a £1 a pint at Preston...no wonder I didn't spend much time in lectures! Anyway, as I supped on my beer and read through some Schiller notes I'd made, I heard a familiar voice. Tom had walked in and was greeting some people. Tom wandered over to the bar and I thought, I know those faces too, it's the WA group, so I wandered over to say hello, at which point Tom turned round and came over and said hi to me! Bless him...that certainly made the 5 hour drive all the more worthwhile.
The free event was put on by the Northcott Theatre and featured Professor Gert Vonhof, Associate Professor in German at Exeter, specialising in German Poetry from 1750-1850 and an authority of Friedrich Schiller; the director Gadi Roll and Tom, who plays Rodrigo, Marquis of Posa. Don Carlos is a story told against the backdrop of the Spanish Inquisition, it is therefore a tale of ruthlessness, power and passion. Tom and Gadi last worked together in 2007 in a production of Ödön von Horváth's Don Juan Comes Back From the War. It was clear from the evening they were good friends and enjoy working together, so it was interesting to hear their thoughts on the play, and their ideas and insight for creating a unique and dramatic staging of a theatre production. After hearing what they had to say, I'm really excited to see the play in October and to return to the Northcott.
In a first for the theatre, the event was live streamed, so rather than writing about what was said, I've attached a link below to Exeter Northcott Theatre's Facebook page. The link below should work until Northcott remove their video! Note it only starts playing at about 12:30 otherwise you sit watching Tom's static face... which is obviously not a problem!!!!
After the Q&A's ended I headed back to the bar and sat with the rest of Tom's fans. Judi Spiers came over to say hello and we managed to persuade her to sit and chat with us! Tom also joined us all and chatted for a short while before leaving with Gadi. It was a lovely end to the evening and after they left, I ambled back to my room, watching the students larking about, and I was transported back to my student days when I would go to the theatre and come back to my digs to do a write up for the next day's journalism lecture. Well, at least I didn't have to worry about that this time...instead I could just make a cuppa and watch the world go by!
Nuffield Southampton - 23rd October to 3rd November and Rose Theatre, Kingston 6th to 17th November.


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text:
Major Trade Show Requires Proof of Vaccination to Attend
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has announced proof of vaccination is required for in-person attendees of CES 2022.
"Based on today's science, we understand vaccines offer us the best hope for stopping the spread of COVID-19," says CTA president and CEO, Gary Shapiro. "We all play a part in ending the pandemic through encouraging vaccinations and implementing the right safety protocols."
CTA is also assessing the acceptance of proof of a positive antibody test as an alternative requirement but no decision has been made yet.
CTA will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation and will announce additional or modified protocols closer to the show, which will take place Jan. 5-8, in Las Vegas.
In-person attendees will experience a host of new technologies from global companies, hear about the future of technology from thought leaders and collaborate face-to-face with other attendees at the 2022 event. It will also feature new categories showcasing how the industry is evolving, including space tech, food tech and non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. The show will highlight advancements in artificial intelligence, augmented/virtual reality, gaming and computing, digital health, automotive and transportation, home entertainment, smart home and more. Audiences will hear from industry leaders during live keynotes, including General Motors CEO Mary Barra and T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert.
For those who may be unable to travel to Las Vegas, CTA will again create a digital event that will run in parallel with the in-person program.
CES, an acronym for Consumer Electronics Show, is considered among the most influential tech events in the world, featuring every aspect of the tech sector.
This entry was posted in Breaking News and tagged in CES 2022, Consumer Electronics Show, Consumer Technology Association, COVID-19, CTA, electronics, events industry, health and safety, Las Vegas, pandemic, technology, vaccination, vaccination passport.