Process Improvement Consultation - Reed City, Michigan - H & R Screw Machine Products, Inc.
As the precision and complexity of manufactured products and assemblies increase, maintaining a stable supply chain is a critical factor for virtually every manufacturer. Getting the parts on time is not enough; problems with quality and consistency can wreak havoc on a production line and overburden even the most well-equipped Quality and Purchasing departments.
At H & R Screw Machine Products, we have helped multiple manufacturers shore up their supply chain with innovative solutions and world-class precision and quality. In the project highlighted here, a major supplier to the appliance industry was involved in an exhaustive search for a manufacturer that could supply them with critical high volume machined components. They needed to develop a long-term relationship with a manufacturer that could provide the quality and quantity they needed, with the ability to grow and expand as the product line expanded. Our expertise in process improvement put us in a strong position; in fact, it was a major factor in leading this customer to choose H & R as their partner.
To understand what this customer needed, we first had to find out what went wrong and why. Our initial consultations focused on their experiences with their previous supplier. This gave us a clear picture of their expectations and allowed us to develop a plan that would accommodate their needs. Our focus centered on engineering process improvements and methodologies that would eliminate the possibility to repeat any of the previous issues. This was followed by a detailed review to validate the process parameters we created. The end result was a partnership that provided everything this customer needed to keep their operation running with no disruption due to poor quality or missed deliveries. Our efforts with this client lead to a long term relationship that is still going strong today.
For more information, or for a consultation on improving your supply chain, contact us directly.
Supplier needed a long-term partner to solidify quality and inventory.


text:
Command HQ
In this fast-paced game of strategic global conquest from award-winning game designer Dan Bunten, you'll control your own superpower as you attempt to outguess and overcome opposing superpowers in World Wars I, II, III IV, and V!
Developer: Ozark Softscape Publisher: Retroism, Nightdive Studios
Tags: Strategy (27), Retro (8), Classic (5), 1990's (5)
Category: Single-player
Release date: Jan 1, 1990
Peak concurrent players yesterday: 11
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
locksmiths 0Comments 1View 0Likes
Crystal Palace 2-1 West Ham: Jordan Ayew nets brilliant late winner to beat Hammers
HomeAll PostslocksmithsCrystal Palace 2-1 West Ham: Jordan Ayew nets...
Ayew's goal was his second late winner against West Ham this season
Jordan Ayew scored a sensational 90th-minute winner to help Crystal Palace come from behind and beat West Ham at Selhurst Park.
The striker danced through the Hammers defence on the edge of the box and then brilliantly beat goalkeeper Roberto with a calm chip.
West Ham had taken the lead through Robert Snodgrass before Cheikhou Kouyate equalised against his former club.
Match-winner Ayew set up Kouyate's goal with a knock-down which allowed the midfielder to sweep home a volley from seven yards.
Palace climb up to eighth with the win but West Ham fall to 17th, just a point above the relegation zone as pressure increases again on manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Ayew magic grabs deserved three points for Palace
Roy Hodgson's Palace are now just three points off the European places after a winner that could hardly have come in more spectacular fashion.
Ayew drove in from the right wing, beat Declan Rice with a drag-back and dribbled around two more defenders before showing brilliant composure to send Selhurst Park delirious.
The Ghanaian unsurprisingly said afterwards it was one of the best goals he has scored in his career and Hodgson said it would "live long in the memory".
A dreary first half did not hint at what was to come later, but the winner was deserved reward for Palace's second-half performance.
Ayew and Luka Milivojevic had both gone close before Snodgrass' opener which came against the run of play.
That said, the Scotland international could have scored again moments before Ayew's goal if not for an excellent block from Jairo Riedewald.
Palace have rarely grabbed the headlines this season but they now go into the second half of the season with 26 points and the chance of just a second top-10 Premier League finish.
Pressure back on Pellegrini's stuttering Hammers
West Ham have won three of their past 13 matches
When Snodgrass put West Ham in front the Hammers were en route to a second successive Premier League win which would have moved them well clear of the drop zone.
Instead, not helped by wins elsewhere for Southampton and Aston Villa, they are looking worryingly over their shoulders once again.
They have had 12 days without a match since their win at Southampton but have followed those three points with defeat – as they did when they beat Chelsea last month.
Pellegrini was reportedly facing the sack had his side lost at Southampton and will have to face more questions about his position after this defeat.
They only had two shots on target in the 90 minutes and will wonder how Ayew was able to beat so many defenders for the winner.
The Hammers have two days to recover before a difficult game against Leicester at London Stadium on Saturday before they host Bournemouth on New Year's Day.
Injuries mount for Palace
The only negatives for Palace were further additions to their growing injury list.
The Eagles were already without five first-team players – Scott Dann, Gary Cahill, Joel Ward, Andros Townsend and Jeffrey Schlupp – before striker Christian Benteke was ruled out of this game with a muscle injury Hodgson said would sideline the Belgian a "few weeks".
Full-back Patrick van Aanholt was then substituted in the second half after pulling up with what looked to be a hamstring injury.
Hodgson said he will try to sign "a few" players in January to bolster their squad.
Man of the match – Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace)
The winner from Ayew (left) could be a contender for goal of the season and capped an excellent performance
'We need to recover soon' – manager reaction
Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson, speaking to Match of the Day: "It was a fantastic effort. I thought Jordan Ayew did ever so well to set up the first goal. The second was one of those wonderful individual efforts that will live long in the memory, get lots of airings on TV.
"He deserves that. A fine rewards for his performance today and this season so far.
"The whole performance was one of character."
West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini, speaking to Match of the Day: "Disappointed because I think today was similar to Palace at home, where we lost in the last minute.
"It was a tight game, unfortunately for us we didn't keep that score because we dropped inside our box, allowed them to have possession.
"We need to recover as soon as we can. We need to play our home game where we are not having good results – we have two games in a row there and I hope we start winning."
Ayew the late goal specialist – the best stats
Crystal Palace recorded a Premier League double over West Ham for just the second time, having previously done so in the 2013-14 season under Tony Pulis.
The team scoring first hasn't won any of the last six Premier League meetings between Crystal Palace and West Ham (D3 L3), with the Eagles coming from behind to win 2-1 in both meetings this season.
Crystal Palace are unbeaten in their last three London derbies at Selhurst Park in the Premier League (W2 D1) – their longest such run since between March 1993 and September 1994 (also three games).
76% of Crystal Palace's goals in the Premier League this season have been scored in the second half of games (13/17), including eight of their nine at Selhurst Park.
Ayew has scored 21 goals in the Premier League, with 20 of those being netted in the second half (95%) – the highest such ratio of any player with 20+ goals in the competition's history.
Snodgrass has scored four league goals against Crystal Palace – only against Bristol City (five) has he netted more in English league competition.
Kouyate became the fourth player to score for both the Eagles and West Ham in the Premier League, after Iain Dowie, Michael Hughes and James Tomkins.
Wilfried Zaha completed 12 dribbles for Crystal Palace in this game; the most by a player in a Premier League outing since Chelsea's Eden Hazard in February (13 versus Huddersfield).
Both sides are back in action in two days time. Crystal Palace travel to Southampton on 28 December (15:00 GMT kick-off) while West Ham host Leicester later the same day (17:30 GMT kick-off).
burglar alarm installation kilburn
Tags: 21, Ayew, beat, brilliant, Crystal, Ham, Hammers, Jordan, late, nets, Palace, West, winner
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Happy Birthday Images in German, How to say Happy birthday Wishes and Quotes in German Language. Birthday 2018 German Greetings.
Happy Birthday is one of the special event to celebrated with friends, mother, sister, brother and relatives. We always become so excited for our Birthday or friend's Bday. Kids get real happiness on this day as they get many gifts from relatives, friends and other guests. Some friends who can't meet us on that day, they express their blessings by sharing or updating Whatsapp Status. We can remind our all contact list friends by using these Happy Birthday Images In German for Whatsapp.
A Very Glittery Happy Birthday Images In German filled with a nicely wrapped birthday present, cute flowers and doodles around it. Beautiful sparkly gold glitter Happy Birthday with a very artistically drawn cake with candles on top of it. Happy Birthday Images In German.
I hope you liked my article about Happy Birthday Images in German.


VATS (Vehicle Anti-Theft System) is the original GM starter interrupt anti-theft system. Characterized by the resistor found in the blade of the ignition key, VATS was used on many GM makes and models from the mid 1980s through the early 2000s.
We started to see VATS-equipped vehicles beginning in the 1980s. The systems are easily identified by the "resistor" mounted in the metal blade of the ignition key. There are fifteen different resistor values available. In order for the engine to start, the correct "resistor" must be read by the VATS control module via the ignition lock cylinder. The ignition lock cylinder must also be rotated to the "crank" position. If the incorrect code is read, the system will not allow the engine to start for four minutes, even if the correct code is received after. The security light will remain on or a message will be displayed on the Driver Information Center (depending on the model) when this occurs.
It is normal for the warning light to be on during bulb check and off when the engine is running, with no message displayed on the Driver Information Center (DIC). When the system detects a fault, the warning light will illuminate or a message will be displayed on the DIC, depending on the model. If a fault occurs while driving, the engine may or may not start after turning the ignition off. If a fault occurs when trying to start the vehicle, the vehicle probably won't start.
There is no relearn procedure for the VATS system unless the VATS control module is replaced. A new VATS module will learn the resistor code the first time it is powered up in the car. Once the module learns its code, there is no way to re-learn it. New ignition keys must always be matched to the learned code in the VATS control module. If all keys are lost and the VATS code is unknown, then trial and error must be used to find the correct VATS code, though, in some cases, the VATS code may be available from your local General Motors parts department.
Anti theft alarm goes on when i open the door for no apparent reason. any ideas would be much appreciated.


Henry Hughes King, age 96 went to be with the Lord, October 7, 2014 in Graham, Texas. Services will be Thursday, October 9, 2014 at 11:00am at McMillan-Satterwhite Funeral Home with Pastor Wayne Harden officiating. Interment will follow at Cottonwood Cemetery, Bryson, Texas.
Henry was born March 6, 1918, Jack County, south of Bryson to Ellis and Maudie Mae King. Henry was preceded in death by his parents and 7 brothers and sisters.
He served our country with honor in World War II; stationed in the Philippines, he was captured by the Japanese. By his faith and will to live, survived what many soldiers didn't; the 85 mile Bataan Death March and 3-1/2 horrifying years as slave labor in a POW camp.
He returned, received his degree, and worked for Texas Instruments and Motorola for over 30 years. He started Paradise Trade Days swap meet which was located near his home place. Henry served the Veterans of Foreign Wars as Commander of Post #8567 locally, and was recognized nationally.
Henry leaves his loving companion and caregiver Glenda Scheriger of the home, many nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews.
Expressions of sympathy may be made to the VFW, Graham, Texas.


iPod touch iPod Touch as Dedicated Jailbroken iDevice?
Discussion in 'Jailbreaks and iOS Hacks' started by Saint.Icon, Jun 15, 2014.
As they're cheap in the refurb store (as low as $180 or so for the recent camera-less model), I'm considering picking up an iPod Touch to mess around with jailbreak software, and for a GBA/DS replacement for gaming.
I've got an Air, Mini, and iPhone 5S, but they're all used for iOS development, and because of that I need them stable and on the latest iOS. An iPod touch would be purely a "fun" device, and essentially just for games, occasionally music, and similar things.
Is the Touch (Likely 32GB 5th Gen) recommended for this kind of use? I know a refurb will ship with an older version of iOS 7, so it should be easily jailbroken. I've been out of the jailbreak scene since iOS 5, so I'm not all that familiar with what's available anymore. Is it worth it?
You never know with what ios version it will ship with.
You might get lucky or maybe not and then you wont be able to JB it.
Let's just assume I get it with a jailbreakable version of iOS. Is it a good option for what I want, or not so much?
No. Talk about a dice roll.
I would try to help further but I noticed he got banned.
But it would a good option if he wanted to JB the itouch.


text:
Commercial shipping within the Great Barrier Reef is subject to stringent management arrangements.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, along with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and Maritime Safety Queensland, administer special measures under international and domestic law to regulate ship activities.
The main measures used to avoid and mitigate risks are:
Mandatory vessel monitoring and reporting
Navigation markers
Ship routing
Shore-based monitoring
Emergency response arrangements
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority and Maritime Safety Queensland have response plans in place to respond to shipping incidents.
The North-East Shipping Management Plan has also been developed to help protect Australia's north-east marine environment through enhanced ship safety in the Great Barrier Reef, Torres Strait and Coral Sea regions. The plan was developed by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority in close consultation with a range of organisations and government agencies, including GBRMPA.
Other potential risks
Ship-sourced pollution
There are many types of ship-sourced pollution that can impact on the Great Barrier Reef. The discharge of these wastes within the Marine Park is subject to strict regulations: sewage, grey water, oil, bilge, garbage and marine debris, and air emissions.
Ballast water is used to stabilise ships during cargo loading and unloading. The introduction of exotic marine species via ballast water is an environmental concern as it can threaten local biodiversity, fisheries and aquaculture.
All international vessels intending to discharge ballast water anywhere inside the Australian territorial sea, including the Marine Park, must manage their ballast water in accordance with national requirements.
These vessels must exchange ballast water for clean water from the deep ocean outside Marine Park boundaries, prior to arrival in Great Barrier Reef ports or waters.
The Australian Government's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has a range of management strategies to deal with this threat.
More than 250 exotic marine pests have been introduced into Australian waters via ballast water discharges and ship hull fouling, including mussels, sea-stars, and different types of crabs. Fifteen introduced species have been recorded at Queensland Ports.
Most overseas bulk carriers arriving in Queensland ports are from temperate waters. Ships originating from warmer waters present a greater risk of introducing marine pest species to the Reef.
The Ship anchorage management in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area project finalised in July 2013 carried out an environmental impact assessment of ship anchorages and a cost-benefit analysis of potential ship anchorage options.
It also identified viable environmental management strategies.
The project was funded by the Australian Government and carried out by Gutteridge Haskins and Davey Pty Ltd. The project findings are being incorporated into the North-east Shipping Management Plan.


As one of Microsoft's leading global partners, Insight offers unmatched expertise in delivering and deploying Microsoft® hardware, software and cloud solutions.
Insight will help you with everything from consulting and implementation to enterprise agreements and software lifecycle management. Need a great collaboration tool? We're also the leading reseller of Surface Hub.
Through a collaborative approach, Microsoft, together with Insight will assist our clients to navigate change in a turbulent world.
Discover products designed to help you work better, play harder and share more, whether at home, in the office, or on the go.
We can help you with everything from consulting, implementation, enterprise agreements or software lifecycle management.
An easy way to find what's new regarding forthcoming Microsoft Webinars, Microsoft Office, Licensing and Open.
Insight is in the top 1% of all Microsoft partners.
We've earned 16 Microsoft competencies that represent our best-in-class capabilities and unmatched expertise and commitment.


We are a group of friends from different nationalities (Spanish, Thai, and Italian) sharing a passion for good food and drinks, and, especially, for Spanish gastronomy and wines. Apart from our passion we share a similar background, with wide experience in the hospitality, restaurant and service industries, having all of us worked in different countries such as Thailand, the UK, France, Italy, Hong Kong, and (of course) Spain. We aim to bring our love and expertise on Spanish food and wine to Bangkok, and to share the amazing gastronomy and culture from Spain with locals and foreigners residing in this buzzing and lovely city. We're looking forward to welcoming you in our "casa"... ¡Hasta pronto!
"El Rinconcito de Juan", opened in 2005, is the result of many years of effort. The restaurant, located in one of the most popular neighbourhoods of the Spanish capital, offers a gastronomic experience focused on the homemade traditional Spanish cuisine. Its most popular dishes are the "huevos rotos" (broken fried eggs) with various garnishes, the fried cheese with raspberry jam or the Spanish croquettes with different flavours.
Moreover, the restaurant offers a great selection of wines, including 30 Spanish wines coming from different Denominations of Origin in the country. The restaurant incorporates new dishes and wines to the menu periodically, without losing its essence but providing its customers with new flavours, culinary innovations and always offering a homemade approach.
Rubén González is a real restaurant and gastronomy lover. While he was studying his Bachelor Degree in Tourism and Hospitality, he worked for different bars and restaurants in Madrid. It was during this time when he really discovered this world, in which he has been involved for almost 20 years. In 2003, he helped a friend to open a bar/restaurant, in which he was in charge of the establishment of the business, its operations and its management. This experience led him to open his very own business "El Rinconcito de Juan" a couple of years later.
Apart from his entrepreneurial skills, he has engaged in different courses, trainings and specialisations on gastronomy and its different techniques. He graduated from an "Advanced Course in Professional Cooking and New Culinary Techniques" from the prestigious Escuela Superior de Hosteleria de Sevilla. Furthermore, he has complemented this course with different wine tasting courses organised by the Escuela de Hosteleria de Madrid.
One of Rubén's main objectives is to continually reinvent and update himself, by trying and experimenting new techniques and concepts regarding gastronomy. He has competed in several local "Ferias de la Tapa" (tapas contests) in Madrid. In 2013, he got both the first and the second prizes at one of these competitions with two of his creations: "Black rice arancini with squid leg and tartar sauce" and "Madrilenian squid sandwich with wasabi mayonnaise and squid-inked black bread".
Now, he has embarked on a new project of managing the kitchen at "El Tapeo – Spanish Eatery and Wine Bar" in Bangkok. While he will still manage his restaurant in Madrid, he will travel to Bangkok as often as possible, in order to train our home- based staff and make sure that the menus and standards of the plates at the Thai branch keep up with the level of his original venture.
Raised in San Sebastian, arguably the top gastronomic mecca in the Basque Country and Spain overall. Joseba holds over 30 years of kitchen experience. Apart from the Basque Country, he was formed in some of the most prestigious cooking schools in Madrid, France, Italy and Germany. His big step to move to the United States proved highly successful. In his over 10 years experience in this country he owned, managed, and run the kitchen in several restaurants, focusing on Basque and regional Spanish cuisine. In 2001 he became a Eurotoques Maitre Cuisinier (Master Chef of the European Union) and he was nominated four times for the James Beard Foundation Award in the category "Best Chef in Northwest USA".
He has spent the last decade in different countries in South East Asia, where he has worked for several restaurants and companies as a head chef, hospitality consultant and even gastronomy lecturer at universities. Now he has joined El Tapeo – Spanish Eatery and Wine Bar where he will bring his expertise in Spanish cuisine and tapas to the Thonglor buzzling neighbourhood.


text:
Theatre Things
Carn's Theatre Passion
LondonTheatre1.com
LondonTheatreDirect.com
London theatres
Review: Kes at Brockley Jack Studio Theatre
Published on May 9, 2018 July 22, 2018 by Liz
At just under 70 minutes, Kes – adapted by Robert Alan Evans from Barry Hines' 1968 novel A Kestrel for a Knave – isn't a long play, but in the hands of director Kate Bannister and the dream team at the Brockley Jack, even that brief amount of time flies by. The theatre's latest in-house production is, in fact, something of a masterclass in every sense: performance, design and direction all come together to tell a great story really, really well.
That story is all about Billy Casper, who at 15 years old already knows he's unlikely to ever get out of the northern mining town he calls home. Bullied by his older brother Jud, ignored by his mother (except when she can steal the wages from his paper round) and victimised by most of the teachers at his school, Billy's life offers very little to look forward to, until the day he finds a wild kestrel and decides to raise and train her. Through Kes he discovers a freedom, friendship and passion that he's never known before – but all it takes is one bad decision to put his precarious new happiness in jeopardy.
Photo credit: Timothy Stubbs Hughes
We never actually see Kes, obviously (bird of prey plus small pub theatre would probably be a bad idea; you certainly wouldn't get me in there), but her presence is very powerfully felt, thanks to two spellbinding performances from Simon Stallard and Rob Pomfret, who both interact with the young kestrel as if she were right in front of them, and to some wonderfully evocative sound design by Jack Barton. And it's not only the bird who's conjured into life by the production's design; Karl Swinyard's set perfectly encapsulates each aspect of Billy's uninspiring everyday world down at floor level, but opens up on higher ground – with the help of some beautiful lighting from Ben Jacobs – to reveal the vast rural landscape where Kes flies free. When she soars through the air, it's not only Billy's heart that lifts.
In a production that clearly doesn't believe in limits, perhaps it should come as no surprise that two actors doesn't equate to only two characters. Alongside Simon Stallard's sympathetic and touchingly innocent Billy, Rob Pomfret plays a dizzying array of other roles, from a bullying headmaster to Billy's mum, slipping from one to the other with ease. Perhaps most interestingly, though, he also plays Billy: an older, wiser version, who tries to protect his younger self from the heartbreak he knows is to come. It works both ways, however, and in looking back and confronting the pain he felt all those years before, the older Billy is also reminded of the joy that came before it – and it's this emotion that lingers longest as the play comes to an end.
2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Barry Hines' novel, and I can think of no better way to mark the occasion than with this exquisite production. For some, Kes will bring back memories of the book; for others, it offers an introduction to this timeless story. Either way, it's a must see.
Kes is at the Brockley Jack Studio Theatre until 19th May.
Can't see the map on iPhone? Try turning your phone to landscape and that should sort it. I don't know why but I'm working on it… 😉
Categories London theatre, Reviews•Tags Barry Hines, Brockley Jack Studio Theatre, Kes, literature, London, review, Robert Alan Evans, theatre
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Just finished this project for a round wall corner, it is a two sided cabinet base with a rust finish. We use a process to speed up the rust. Once we have the color we like it will get a clear coat to maintain the finish and color.
This is an internet station we just finished up for a client, It will be located in a park in Chicago.
Getting ready for Spring, We just finished up some trellis work for a customer. It was done out of wood and steel. The wisteria shouldn't tear this apart so easy.


PenTest Lab Disk 2.100: This LiveCD is configured with an IP address of 192.168.2.100 - no additional configuration is necessary.
Your second system will use the BackTrack (v.2) LiveCD as provided by remote-exploit.org. A copy of the LiveCD can be downloaded from remote-exploit.org. This disk is configured to obtain an IP address through DHCP - thus no additional configuration is required. All tools necessary to exploit Disk 2.100 can be found on the BackTrack Disk. No additional installations will be necessary.


text:
The largest chart of the Malacca Straits printed in the Eighteenth Century
By ?LARKEN, James or James MYNDE, after HERMANUS OHDEN, Pieter, and Gerrit de HAAN, 1760
A new and correct chart of the straits of Malacca with the coast of malacca & part of the Island of Sumatra. Showing the Soundings, Islands, Rocks, & Sands, in the Straits from the Second degree of South Latitude, to degrees 30 Minutes of North Latitude.
Asia Southeast Asia
Author: ?LARKEN, James or James MYNDE, after HERMANUS OHDEN, Pieter, and Gerrit de HAAN
Publisher: W. and I. Mount and T. and T. Page
Publication date: 1754–1761
Physical description: Engraved chart on three sheets, with fine original hand-colour, sheet 3 with split to centre-fold skilfully repaired, watermark of Lubertus van Gerrevink and Jean Villedary, dated by Churchill 1766 (Churchill 411).
Dimensions: 722 by 1587mm. (28.5 by 62.5 inches).
The largest separately-issued chart of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore published in the eighteenth century; based on Dutch East India Company manuscript information, thus making it the most accurate chart of the region published to date; and a graphic illustration of growing English interest in the region, which would come to full fruition by the end of the eighteenth century.
The chart
The chart is on the unusually large scale of approximately 20 English Leagues to 11.5cm or approximately 5 miles to 1cm, thus making it the largest chart published of the Straits in the eighteenth century. The chart depicts the whole of the strait from Penang Island (Hojong Salangs) to the Tudjuh Archipelago (Is. Toejoe); Singapore and the islands to her south are shown, as is a large portion of the east coast of the Malay peninsula; the scale allows for great detail, with many toponyms and geographical features appearing for the first time.
Although the chart is neither dated nor bears a surveyor or ship's captain's name, we can be reasonably confident that it is based on a Dutch, most probably a Dutch East India Company (VOC), manuscript chart dating from the mid-eighteenth century. This is because many Dutch toponyms are used, there are both Dutch and English League scale bars, and 'The Company's Settlements' (ie the VOC) are mentioned on the chart. Further, the sinking of the Dutch East Indiaman Rysdam in 1727 is marked off the east coast of the Malay peninsula.
A search of the Dutch National Archives, has revealed an almost identical Dutch manuscript chart (4 Velh 156, 1,6) by Pieter Hermanus and Gerrit de Haan, dated 1759. The manuscript chart is on the scale, covers the same geographical area, and bears the same nomenclature and information on VOC activity, as the present work.
"Pieter Hermanus Ohdem, Naval Lieutenant and 'instructor in mathematics and navigation' at the 'Académie de Marine' in Batavia
[ Jakarta], was appointed as examiner of sea-charts on 17 January 1753. In this position he was expected among other things, to compare all the copies of maps that were given to the ships [i.e. VOC vessels] with the officially approved originals and to confirm this with his signature. This map was afterwards included in the first volume of Gerrit de Haan's 'Ligtende zeefakkel' " (De Roever).
Hermanus held the position in Batavia until 1760, when Gerrit de Haan took over the role. It is possible that on Hermanus' return to Amsterdam the chart or a copy similar was acquired or seen by the English, eventually finding its way into print through the firm of Mount and Page.
The copying and publishing of, especially Dutch, manuscript charts of far eastern waters was not uncommon in England during the late seventeenth and eighteenth century. John Thornton, the publisher of 'The English Pilot, The Third Book (Oriental Navigation)'; the first English pilot devoted to Oriental navigation, relied heavily on Dutch material for his work. A record from 1703 reports that 17 manuscript charts by Thornton were taken from an English East Indiaman, the Canterbury, by two French ships off the coast of Malacca. The charts, now housed in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, show clear signs of direct copying from Dutch material, including the nomenclature.
The chart bears very little direct association with any other printed charts published at the time. By the middle of the eighteenth century, the Dutch dominance in chart production was beginning to wane, with the likes of the English and French beginning to issue sea pilots for the orient: John Thornton had issued the first English attempt in 1703, with the firm of Mount and Page (the publisher of the present chart), continuing to issue his work, with minor variations, for the remainder of the century. In 1745 the French hydrographer J. B. Après Mannevillette issued his 'Le Neptune Oriental', a highly influential work for navigating the waters of the Far East. The work includes a chart of the Malacca Strait 'Plan Particulier du Détroit de Malaca…'. A further French hydrographer, Jacques-Nicolas Bellin, issued his own chart of the strait in 1755, 'Carte reduite des detroits de malacca, sincapour, et gouverneur…. MDCCLV'. The lessening of Dutch control over the East India trade was epitomized by the publication by Johannes van Keulen (II) in 1753, of the sixth part of his seminal sea pilot the 'Zee Fakkel': the so called 'Secret Atlas'. This contained many charts of far eastern seas that the VOC had endeavoured to keep away from their rivals, such as the English and French East India Companies, for much of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The pilot contains the 'Zee-Caart van het Eyland Sumatra Met de Straaten Malacca, Sincapoera, Banca en Sunda…', which covers much the same area as the present chart. Of all the charts listed above only van Keulen's work — having evidently been drawn from similar Dutch sources — bears some similarities to the present map (especially to the Malacca and Sumatran Straits).
The chart's Dutch lineage is not only marked by the delineation of coasts and nomenclature, but also in the recording of Dutch activity. This is demonstrated in the marking of VOC settlements, most obviously Malacca. However, two other sites are also highlighted: a legend to Penang Island (Hojong Salangs) – the island that would, later in the century, be chosen by the British as their base in the straits – states "The Company [ie VOC] had formerly a settlement here"; and to Sumatra on the river Siak, "The Company's last Settlement" is marked, (the "last" in the legend is most likely a mistranslation from the Dutch and should St Laurence, 1759'. The 1761 edition of their, 'English Pilot. The Third Book… Oriental Navigation', still bears the imprint: 'W. & J. Mount and
T. Page & Son [ie Thomas Page [III]', however, 'A chart of Havana Harbour', dated 1762, bears the later imprint of John Mount and Thomas Page only.
The firm of Mount and Page is often characterised by stasis, lazily reissuing the same navigational works, especially the English Pilot, throughout the eighteenth century, eventually losing market share to the more innovative chartmakers, such as Robert Sayer, Thomas Jefferys, and William Heather. However, the present chart and others published by the firm in the 1750s and 1760s belie that narrative.
The present chart would appear to be a companion piece to two other separately issued charts by Mount and Page of Far Eastern waters:
1. A New Correct Chart of the Coast of China from Latitude 12 o North to 26 o Including Formosa, Hayman and the Philippine Islands Sold by
W. & J. Mount and T. and T. Page on Tower Hill.
2. A Chart of the Island of Sumatra and Java with those of Banka, Billiton &c. Likewise the Straits of Banka, including the Rocks, Sands, Soundings, from the degree fifty Minutes, to Six degrees ten Minutes of South Latitude.
All three charts bear stylistic similarities: in the treatment of coastline and nomenclature, and are all clearly derive from similar Dutch manuscript charts of the area. The first of these, the chart of the coast of China, shows both Lantao and Hong Kong Island as clearly separate. A Dutch manuscript chart dated "1759" has recently come to light at Christie's auction house, showing just one island in the area occupied by Hong Kong and Lantao. Assuming the three Mount and Page printed charts were produced at roughly the same time, this together with manuscript chart of the Malacca Straits in the Dutch National Archive, gives a tentative terminus post quem of 1759. Each of the three charts bear a large elaborate cartouche, which are all engraved in the same style. Although the engraver's imprint is not present on any of the charts, the engraving may be attributed to either James Mynde (1702–1771) or James Larken (1732–1774). James Mynde had a large studio on Tower Hill, and engraved several charts for the Mount and Page firm in the 1750s and 1760s, for example 'This draft of the Bay and Harbour of Gaspee in the Gulf of St. Laurence taken in 1758… [1759]' — the earliest of Captain Cook's published charts; Mynde would later become engraver to the Royal Society. James Larken was taken on as an apprentice by James Mynde on February 7th, 1749 for £35 and made Freeman of the Stationers Company on September 5th, 1758. He would later engrave charts for Mount and Page's, 1764 work, 'A Compleat set of new charts… of the Coast of Portugal and the Mediterranean Sea', the charts for which bear a striking resemblance to the present work.
We have been unable to find an example of the present chart appearing at auction or in a dealer's catalogue since World War Two, and we have only been able to trace three institutional examples: two in the British Library, and one in the National Library of Spain. One of the examples in the British Library is contained in a folio, together with the two companion charts – those of the China Seas, and Sumatra and Java. The three charts would appear to have never been incorporated into any of the firm's English Pilots. The British Library holds a composite atlas of 16 charts (M.M&P‑11a), the majority bearing the imprint of W. & J. Mount & T. & T. Page, which cover the sea coasts of North and South America. It is conceivable that the present chart and others which bear the same imprint were intended to be part of a new maritime atlas or pilot of the world, which never came to fruition.
C.A. Gibson-Hill, "Notes on the History of the Old Strait, 1580–1850, Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 27, No. 1 (165), pp. 163–214
Malacca chart: Cartographic Items Maps K.MAR.VI.34.
China chart: Cartographic Items Maps K.MAR.VI.(33.)
Sumatra and Java chart: Cartographic Items Maps K.MAR.VI.35.
The earliest extant chronological table of Chinese Emperors
Wang Zhiyuan after Huang Shang, 1247.
China in the Southern Song Dynasty
ANONYMOUS, 1136.
Homage to the first ruler of the first Chinese dynasty
One of the oldest surviving maps of China


text:
How to Make TV Wi-Fi Capable? (Effective and Affordable Solutions)
Thomas Gomez Blog December 13, 2022 No Comments
Connecting Your TV to Wi-Fi
1. Using a Streaming Stick
2. Using an Android TV Box
3. Using a Blu-Ray Player
4. Using an HDMI Cable
5. Using a Wireless Wi-Fi Adapter
Even though smart TVs have become trendy recently, many households still have old, non-smart TVs.
Digital non-smart TVs are an upgrade to the analog models but are somewhat limited as you still cannot access the internet on your television.
The good news is that you can make your TV Wi-Fi capable so you can download various apps and stream your favorite shows and movies.
Keep reading to find out more!
BEST SOLUTIONS
Use a streaming stick (Google Chromecast, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV 4K, Nvidia Shield TV).
Use an Android box.
Use a Blu-ray player.
Use an HDMI cable (connect your TV to a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop).
Use a Wi-Fi adapter (USB Wi-Fi dongle).
You can make your TV Wi-Fi capable by:
A streaming stick is a Wi-Fi-enabled media device or player that connects directly to your TV's HDMI port.
The device allows you to connect your TV to Wi-Fi to watch TV shows, movies, music, and other entertainment content.
The best part is that streaming sticks are easy to set up, and most support Alexa or Google Assistant for hands-free voice control.
Popular streaming sticks and boxes include:
Amazon Fire TV Stick
Here's how to set up an Amazon Fire TV Stick:
Plug your streaming stick into your TV's HDMI port.
Plug the power adapter into your wall outlet.
Connect the power adapter to the streaming stick via a USB cable.
Turn on your TV.
Select the appropriate HDMI input.
Pair the supplied remote with the Fire TV stick by pressing the Home button for 10 secs.
Follow on-screen instructions to connect to Wi-Fi.
Sign in or register an Amazon account.
Download your favorite apps and games
Setting Up Fire TV Stick 4K
Best TV Streaming Devices to Buy
Another simple way to make your TV Wi-Fi capable is to use an Android TV box.
An Android TV box is a Wi-Fi-enabled set-top box that connects to your non-smart television, allowing you to watch on-demand videos, surf the internet, play games, and view other content.
Android TV boxes are standalone devices that operate using the Android operating system or similar alternatives, hence the name.
They convert your regular TV into a smart Android TV, making it Wi-Fi-capable so you can stream online content.
Setting up an Android TV box is relatively easy. You only need to:
Connect your Android TV box to your TV via an HDMI cable.
Turn on your Android TV box.
Insert the batteries into the supplied remote control.
Turn on your television.
Select the appropriate HDMI input source on your TV menu.
Pair the remote with the Android TV box.
Follow the on-screen instructions.
Connect to your wireless network.
Log in to your Google account.
Download your preferred apps and games
Setting Up an Android TV Box
Best Android TV Boxes of 2022
Blu-Ray players are becoming popular in many households, thanks to their ability to play High Definition 4K media.
The latest models are Wi-Fi-enabled, allowing you to connect your non-smart TV to the internet via these devices.
Nevertheless, your TV must have an HDMI port to connect to the internet via a Blu-Ray player.
Here's how to connect a Sony Blu-ray disc player to Wi-Fi:
Turn on your TV and Blu-Ray disc player.
Connect your Blu-Ray disc player to your TV via a high-speed HDMI cable.
Press the Source/Input button on your TV's remote to select the appropriate HDMI input source.
Press the Home button on your Blu-Ray disc player remote.
Press the arrow keys on the remote and scroll to the setup icon.
Navigate to Network Settings and press OK.
Go to Internet Settings and press OK.
Go to Wireless Setup and press OK.
Highlight Scan and press OK.
Select your wireless network from the results list.
Enter your network password to connect to Wi-Fi.
How to Connect a Sony Blu-ray Player to Wi-Fi
If you want to make your TV Wi-Fi capable but don't want to spend on pricey streaming gadgets, consider using an HDMI cable.
You only need to connect your TV to a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop, tablet, or smartphone via an HDMI to access the web on your TV.
The HDMI cord mirrors everything on your smartphone or tablet to the big screen so that you can cast your favorite shows onto your TV.
Here's how to connect a laptop to the TV via HDMI to make it Wi-Fi-capable:
Power on your laptop.
Connect your laptop to Wi-Fi.
Plug the HDMI cable into your TV and the other end into your laptop's HDMI port.
Press the Input/Source button on your TV's remote control.
Select the appropriate HDMI input source.
Play your favorite movies on the web on your laptop and watch them on your TV.
How to Connect a Laptop to a TV Using an HDMI Cable
Many modern TVs, particularly smart models, have a built-in wireless adapter for Wi-Fi connections.
This wireless adapter might malfunction, forcing you to connect your smart TV to your network via an Ethernet cable.
The good news is that installing a USB wireless Wi-Fi adapter can make your TV Wi-Fi capable again.
Wireless LAN adapters or Wi-Fi dongles work with most smart televisions so long as the TV has a functioning USB port, allowing you to connect to your Wi-Fi network.
Besides, they are plug-and-play, meaning you only need to plug the adapter into the USB port without further configuration.
Nevertheless, wireless Wi-Fi adapters only work with smart TVs and won't turn your regular TV into a smart TV.
Question: How do I add Wi-Fi to my TV?
Answer: You can use a USB Wi-Fi adapter or a streaming stick to add Wi-Fi to your non-smart TV. You can also add Wi-Fi to your regular TV via a gaming console or a compatible Blu-Ray player. Your TV must have a wireless adapter, Wi-Fi-enabled streaming stick, or Android TV box to connect to your Wi-Fi network.
Question: How can I turn a regular TV into a smart TV without Wi-Fi?
Answer: You can make it a smart TV using Amazon Fire TV Stick, a compatible gaming console, Google Chromecast, Apple TV, or an Android TV-based media player. You need to set up your phone to work as a mobile hotspot to use your TV without Wi-Fi. You can use Google Chromecast or a similar device to screencast or mirror your phone's screen.
Question: Can an old TV connect to Wi-Fi?
Answer: Yes, an old TV can connect to Wi-Fi even if it is not internet-enabled. You can use an HDMI cable, Blu-ray player, gaming console, or a dedicated streaming device to hook your old TV to Wi-Fi. Once connected, you can download your favorite streaming apps, surf the web, view photos, and play online games.
Question: Can you make an older TV a smart TV?
Answer: You can make an older TV a smart TV using a streaming stick with a dedicated operating system. You can also convert an older TV into a smart TV by using a Wi-Fi-enabled Android TV box, Google Chromecast, Apple TV streaming box, Blu-Ray player, or a gaming console. You must configure the devices to work with your TV for seamless internet connectivity.
Question: Can I get the internet on my TV through HDMI?
Answer: You can get internet on your TV through HDMI so long as it is HEC-compatible. HDMI Ethernet Channel (HEC) supports the transfer of internet signals through an HDMI cable. It supports fast, stable, and secure data transfer from the source device to your TV. However, connecting your TV to the internet through HDMI requires a third-party device such as a laptop, Blu-Ray player, or gaming console.
Best Ways to Make TV Wi-Fi Capable
15 Best Projectors Under $1000
TV Has Sound But No Picture (Troubleshooting Tips)
Why Is My TV Suddenly Saying No Signal? (Troubleshooting Tips)


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Home > English > Website archives > Rainbow of Crisis > IRAN: BUSH ISOLATED, UNDER PRESSURE.
IRAN: BUSH ISOLATED, UNDER PRESSURE.
Monday 5 June 2006, by Phyllis BENNIS
The Bush administration's "offer" to join direct talks with Iran reflects Washington's international isolation on the Iran issue; the offer itself is simultaneously very significant and entirely fake.
The Bush administration's decision to participate in talks with Iran is a direct result of its failure to win even a modicum of international support for its military and economic threats, as well as a rising chorus of influential military, retired diplomats, and other elite voices within U.S. policy circles. Bush's plummeting approval ratings (down below 30%) and the increasing media and public focus on the abject failures and U.S. war crimes in Iraq have also played a key role in challenging the attack-Iran cabal. The uniformed military services tend to oppose a military strike against Iran since they are more aware of the potential consequences; the pro-war contingent appears to believe that "regime change," based on the Iraq model, would somehow succeed. Whether they actually still believe that the Iranian population would welcome a U.S. attack or the overthrow of the regime with sweets and flowers remains uncertain, but Cheney's longstanding leadership of the attack-Iran club makes the White House climb-down particularly significant.
On the other hand, Washington's "offer" to negotiate with Iran only after Iran agrees to verifiably abandon all enrichment activity means that it is not yet a serious proposal. What happens to Iran's enrichment program - which is legal for civilian nuclear power use under the terms of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) - is supposed to be the result of negotiations; imposing a its abandonment as a precondition means the U.S. is not yet serious about diplomacy. Initially, Iran welcomed the U.S. offer but rejected the preconditions. But European pressure has remained intense, since it has been clear that the "E-3" negotiators (France, UK and Germany) could not offer Iran the one thing Tehran was clear that it needed for negotiations to succeed: a security guarantee that it would not be the target of U.S. attack or destabilization "regime change" efforts. Only the U.S. itself could provide such a guarantee. But the Bush administration has not indicated any willingness so far to consider a security arrangement; earlier public State Department statements that "security guarantees are not on the table" remain on the table.
The U.S. also gave in to Europe's proposal to offer a package of incentives, including a light-water reactor and guaranteed supplies of fuel, designed to entice Iran into giving up its enrichment program. Without a U.S. security guarantee Iran will likely reject that offer. Washington also agreed to take the issue off the Security Council agenda. And no sanctions were included in the package. But a day later the U.S. renewed its threats to return to the Council in the future if Iran does not agree to suspend its enrichment program. Although Bush claimed that Russia and China now accepted the U.S. threat to return to the Council, neither Moscow nor Beijing made any new statement that actually softened their longstanding opposition to sanctions. Earlier administration announcement of plans to build an "anti-missile shield" to protect Europe from Iranian missiles have gained no traction in Europe or among the U.S. public.
While international governmental pressure on Iran continues, there remains a significant split between the non-proliferation focus of Europe (willing to consider sanctions) and to a lesser degree Russia and China (preferring enticements), and the ideologically-driven "regime-change" approach of the U.S. (favoring regime change, including military attack). So far the Bush administration has failed to win broader support even for an anti-Iranian "coalition," let alone a unified Security Council resolution, but this White House has shown its willingness before to move recklessly and unilaterally despite global opposition. So there is no room for complacency or assumptions that an attack on Iran won't happen because the military is against it or because it is so obviously dangerous.
Right now Israel appears willing to follow the Bush administration's lead on Iran, rather than moving precipitously on its own. But despite his coalition government, Olmert remains significantly weakened at home, lacking the military credentials that made his predecessor, Ariel Sharon, so popular. Facing potential opposition to his U.S.-backed plan to permanently annex major blocs of settlements while withdrawing only 20% of the settlers from some parts of the West Bank, Olmert's bellicose anti-Iran rhetoric may serve him well. During Olmert's visit Bush restated his pledge to defend Israel if it is attacked by Iran; some analysts saw that as a subtle warning to Israel not to take the military initiative against Iran. But Olmert also claimed that he and Bush saw "eye to eye" on Iran. Whether Olmert might decide that he requires more than threats against Iran to stay in power, and how far he might be willing to act on his rhetoric, remain unclear.
Members of Congress and other policymakers, even some strongly opposed to a military strike on Iran, have been reluctant to challenge directly the Bush administration insistence that for diplomacy to work, "everything must remain on the table." Some opposition appears to be strengthening in recent days. But it is still necessary to make clear to policymakers that some things indeed MUST be taken publicly off the table, made off limits from the beginning. Threats of war crimes (launching a preventive war or using nuclear "bunker-busters" or any other nuclear weapon or even threatening a nuclear strike on a non-nuclear state - all of which are war crimes) must not be considered acceptable components of the U.S. diplomatic arsenal.
Our immediate demand must be for direct U.S. talks with Iran based on international law and treaties and with no preconditions. The goal of such talks: an end to U.S. threats of "regime change" and real U.S. security guarantees for Iran, normalization of relations between the U.S. and Iran, and a weapons of mass destruction-free zone throughout the Middle East, in which all countries in the region verifiably agree not to seek nuclear weapons, and Israel's unacknowledged but provocative nuclear arsenal (the only existing nuclear weapons in the Middle East) is brought under international supervision and destroyed. The Blix report, significantly, also called for declaring regions free of weapons of mass destruction - "particularly and most urgently in the Middle East."
Rainbow of Crisis
A Fascist Odor of the New Coalition
Palestinian Students' Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel (PSCABI)
The war on civilians
The Dangers of False Optimism in the Middle East
Netanyahu Chooses Warehousing
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Can China Save the World From Depression?
A Logical Defeat for the Left
Obama and two States
Israeli Government Obstinance Following Netanyahu's Return from Meeting in US with Obama
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Zublin a sister company to Servodan and part of the Niko group, founded in Switzerland in 1986 have been producing leading motion detectors, sensors and LED lights for over 30 years.
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If you need more information than what is contained here please feel free to contact us.


text:
<?php

namespace LTF;

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
use Illuminate\Database\Query\Builder;

/**
 * LTF\FootballCompetition
 *
 * @mixin \Eloquent
 * @property integer $id
 * @property \Carbon\Carbon $created_at
 * @property \Carbon\Carbon $updated_at
 * @property integer $comp_id
 * @property string $comp_name
 * @property string $comp_region
 * @property string $comp_logo
 * @property integer $comp_season_id
 * @property string $comp_season_name
 * @property integer $comp_lastmatch_id
 * @property integer $comp_nextmatch_id
 * @method static Builder|FootballCompetition whereId($value)
 * @method static Builder|FootballCompetition whereCreatedAt($value)
 * @method static Builder|FootballCompetition whereUpdatedAt($value)
 * @method static Builder|FootballCompetition whereCompId($value)
 * @method static Builder|FootballCompetition whereCompName($value)
 * @method static Builder|FootballCompetition whereCompRegion($value)
 * @method static Builder|FootballCompetition whereCompLogo($value)
 * @method static Builder|FootballCompetition whereCompSeasonId($value)
 * @method static Builder|FootballCompetition whereCompSeasonName($value)
 * @method static Builder|FootballCompetition whereCompLastmatchId($value)
 * @method static Builder|FootballCompetition whereCompNextmatchId($value)
 */

class FootballCompetition extends Model
{
    /**
     * @var string
     */
    protected $table = 'football_competition';

    /**
     * @var bool
     */
    public $timestamps = true;

    /**
     * @var array
     */
    protected $fillable = [
        'comp_id',
        'name',
        'region',
        'image_path',
        'image_name',
    ];

    public function match()
    {
        return $this->hasMany(FootballMatches::class, 'comp_id', 'comp_id');
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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text:
March 22, 2017 By WillDeaver Leave a Comment
There are three usual candidates brought up when people talk about the saddest piece of music ever written: Mozart's wind serenades (particularly the 'Gran Partita'), the final movement of Tchaikovsky's 'Pathetique' symphony, and this cycle of songs by Franz Schubert. Of the three, this is the one I'd nominate as the winner of that prize. Mozart's serenades are too peaceful and wistful to really qualify as despairing; they express unutterable sadness, true, but they seem to understand it and come to terms with it. Tchaikovsky's final symphony movement certainly has the despair part down (it is, after all, the last artistic testament of a man who may or may not have committed suicide shortly thereafter), but its openly weeping melody lacks the quiet nuances of sorrow Schubert was able to express in this work.
This piece, like Schubert's earlier work in the same vein Die schöne Müllerin, is essentially an unstaged tragic Opera for one singer. At the very least, it corresponds to Opera the way the great concept-album Rock Operas of our own day correspond to Musical Theater. It was based on a cycle of twenty-four poems by Wilhelm Müller, whose work had already provided the text for Die schöne Müllerin. These poems, like Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther, dealt with the intersection between romantic heartbreak and existential despair (it was a very popular theme in European literature at the time, especially in Germany). Indeed, although not actually based on Goethe's work, this song cycle does a much more effective job of musicalizing Goethe's theme than the actual Werther opera by Jules Massenet.
These poems were incredibly depressing to begin with (example: in one the narrator finds a graveyard and wishes to join the dead there, but ruefully observes "there was no room at the inn"). But Schubert's contribution takes their sadness to a whole new level of eloquence and depth. Some songs, like the first, "Gute Natch" ('Good Night'), are calm and solemn, even stately, but with an ocean of sadness suggested under the surface. Others, like "Die Wetterfahne" ('The Weathervane'), are angry and palpably bitter, the narrator cursing the world for what it has done to him. Still others, like "Der Lindenbaum" ('The Linden Tree'), are full of heartwrenching longing for past happiness that cannot be reclaimed. There is even one desperately upbeat song, "Mut!" ('Courage!'), sung by the narrator in a futile attempt to raise his spirit. Throughout, the songs feature Schubert's legendary gift for sheer melody, but with a depth of sorrow he never approached anywhere else in his work.
And while Die schöne Müllerin at least ended with the catharsis of an operatic suicide, this cycle concludes with its most haunting song of all, "Der Leiermann" ('The Organ-Grinder'), as the narrator encounters the haunting image of an ignored, penniless organ grinder still relentlessly cranking his instrument. This is sadder than any tragic Opera I know of, partly because it deliberately denies the listener any real catharsis. That said, I hope my description of its almost infinite sadness has not convinced any of my readers that this work is not worth listening to, because for all its sorrow, this is still one of the greatest pieces of music ever written and one everyone really should hear before they die.
Filed Under: Classical and Opera reviews


text:
Tag: Chautona Havig
BLOG, Celebrate Lit Publishers, Celebrate Lit Tour, Favorite, Kindle, Purchase
The Nutcracker's Suite by Chautona Havig Review and Giveaway
November 29, 2021 November 29, 2021 Babbling Becky L
Book: The Nutcracker's Suite
Author: Chautona Havig
Genre: Christian Christmas Historical Mystery, Fairytale retelling
"Time to dance, sugarplum."
A painter at the Meyer's Toys factory, Clarice Stahl, knows something is
strange about the way so many men come and go through Mr. Meyer's
office, especially one in particular.
Then murder strikes a little too close to home and uncorks a barrel of
secrets.
When mob king, Mario Topo's, enforcer goes missing the race is on to
prove he's behind the murder. Police and mobsters alike are after Milo
Natale and he who finds Milo first might determine the enforcer's fate.
A race through the city, a new friend… or more… a new life in the
offing. Milo and Clarice must find who killed Topo's man and why before
the police arrest him for murder or Topo's men bump him and Clarice off,
This next book in the Ever After Mysteries combines "The Nutcracker
Suite" with a murder mystery set in the heart of 1920s Rockland.
Totally Terrific!! Chautona Havig can write any genre she undertakes. In The Nutcracker's Suite, though, she outdoes herself in presenting a suspenseful mystery mashing together a retelling of the Nutcracker, a 1920s Prohibition mob mix-up, and a romance with faith interspersed. I was glued to my seat until I finished, at turns laughing out loud and terrified. I get the distinct impression the author is having a blast with the creation of this story! As a result, the reader has a rollicking good time.
I've read several Havig novels, and The Nutcracker's Suite just vaulted to the top and into my list of Top Ten CF Novels of 2021!! The mystery kept me guessing and I never did quite figure it out!! Well-done!! I must admit, I loved Havig's use of sarcasm, especially as it relates to Clarice's thoughts. I hope there will be a book for Lily in the future.
I received a copy of the book from the author through Celebrate Lit. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
"His ability to think dashed out and into the street where he was certain, it would be run over by a police car."
"The lies are piling up faster than finished nutcrackers."
"Did she just lie with the truth?"
"Not married, but I'll remember that if I ever find a nice girl." He didn't say, "like you," but Milo heard it and wanted to tie the man's throat in a knot for it."
"Keep her safe. If you aren't a man of faith, become one and then pray until you can't think anymore, but keep her safe." It was a fool's promise, but Milo made it. "I will."
"…feelings always demanded an audience, even at the expense of truth."
"Topo. It means mouse. I'm the attic mouse."
"Every word the man spoke sat on a paragraph of threats."
"People dying have a way of interfering with one's shopping."
Magnificent!! A Rollicking Good Time IF You Survive Suspense
Author of the bestselling Aggie and Past Forward series, Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours, and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It's a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.
More from Chautona
Here Are Several Fun Facts & a Secret about The Nutcracker's Suite
You'd think that while writing a book based on the fairy tale of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, I'd have heard "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" in my head as I wrote. Well, I guess for a brief moment I did, because at some point, someone actually says that. "Dance, sugar plum!"
But Tchaikovsky isn't who played in my head as I wrote. Over and over, word after word, my fingers did their bourres and glissades across my keyboard to one, rather unexpected song. "Ballerina" (I prefer the version sung by Buddy Clark. You can listen HERE.)
However, there are so many elements of the original ballet's story in mine. I thought I'd share a few of them.
Let's talk about the cast of characters.
Clarice Stahl is our "leading lady." It's kind of obvious where I got her name since the original character was Clara Stahlbaum.
Clarice works for Mr. Dieter Meyer, the owner of Meyer's Toys. He gives her the job of painting nutcrackers. So, it's not too difficult to see the connection to Uncle Drosselmeyer who gives Clara the nutcracker, no?
All of 1925 Rockland is in the clutches of mob king, Mario Topo. For those not fluent in Italian, can you guess what "topo" is in that language? Remember… he's the mob "king."
But I think my favorite name of all is Emiliano (I call him Milo) Natale (Christmas in Italian… just sayin') who is known as "the nutcracker." He's an enforcer for Mr. Topo, and that means he squeezes people until they crack and do what Topo wants. Let's hope he repents!
Yes, I had a boatload of fun coming up with this stuff! How'd you guess?
I have a secret to confess about this book. I'm writing this post when I'm only about a quarter of the way done. I went to get the synopsis for this tour and went, "oops!" You see, I forgot that I'd planned to make Milo going missing a big part of the plot.
Guess who has to flex? I'd better get back to it. They need to figure out who killed our victim… and why. And before Clarice is next!
Debbie's Dusty Deliberations, November 26
Blogging With Carol, November 26
Texas Book-aholic, November 27
For the Love of Literature, November 28
By the Book, November 28
Babbling Becky L's Book Impressions, November 29
Inklings and notions, November 29
For Him and My Family, November 30
Rachael's Inkwell, November 30
deb's Book Review, December 1
Bizwings Blog, December 1
Locks, Hooks and Books, December 2
Genesis 5020, December 2
Ashley's Clean Book Reviews, December 3
Simple Harvest Reads, December 3 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
Connie's History Classroom, December 4
Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, December 4
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, December 5
Connect in Fiction, December 5
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, December 6
Mary Hake, December 6
The Meanderings of a Bookworm, December 7
Through the fire blogs, December 7
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 8
Lots of Helpers, December 8
Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, December 9 (Author Interview)
Back Porch Reads, December 9
To celebrate her tour, Chautona is giving away to three winners one Prize box each including a paperback of The Nutcracker's Suite, themed goodies, and a $10 Amazon Gift Card in each!!
https://promosimple.com/ps/13cfb/the-nutcracker-s-suite-celebration-tour-giveaway
Tagged #6 The Ever After Mysteries, 1920s Mob Era, 5 stars, Chautona Havig, Christian Historical Fiction, Christmas Novel, Doll Factory, Fairytale Retelling, Mystery, One of My top Ten Faves for 2021, Romance, Suspense, The Nutcracker's Suite4 Comments
BLOG, Celebrate Lit Tour, Favorite
Penelope's Pursuit by Chautona Havig Review and Giveaway
October 11, 2021 October 11, 2021 Babbling Becky L
Book: Penelope's Pursuit
Genre: Historical Romantic Suspense
Are mail-order-brides changing their minds or is something sinister going on in Kansas?
Ten years ago, Penelope's sister ran away as a mail-order bride, and it was the last their family ever heard from her. Now, with their parents dead and Penelope all alone, the young woman has one goal. Find her sister.
It took enough grit for Henry to write to Miss Mildred Crenshaw about finding him a wife in the first place, but when the stage arrives and no bride steps off, the whole thing feels like a confidence scheme. Investigation, however, sends chills down his spine as he realizes women are leaving the east for the west but many never arrive at their destinations.
Is it any wonder that Penelope doesn't trust the man who abducts her from the clutches of her new friends and rides off into the sunset? Is his explanation reasonable? Can she convince him to help her find her sister?
And is she about to fall in love with a homesteader on the untamed prairies of Kansas?
Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It's a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.
Mail Order Brides: Do We Romanticize the Past?
Although I recall reading about mail-order brides in school… somewhere… Patricia MacLachlan's Sarah, Plain and Tall was my first introduction to the idea of advertising for or requesting the services of a matchmaker to find a wife. The book and the subsequent movie showed the difficulties of such a marriage and left us all with a satisfactory ending.
Some years later, while doing a bit of research, I discovered another side of the coin—a horrifying picture of what happened to some gullible young women and the unscrupulous people who used such matchmaking schemes as a means for human trafficking. It sickened me, as it should anyone.
All my ideas for mail order bride novels ended up as wadded up balls of mental paper and in the wastepaper basket of my mind. A few years passed, and I came up with a twist on mail order brides, one that will see the light of day if I ever have time to write it. A few more years passed, and a series of books featuring a matchmaking service for mail-order brides and the Homestead Act resurrected those ideas. I smoothed a couple out, reconsidered, and decided against writing them.
I'd have to miss the opportunity to join the series.
My mind never does follow orders well. Within minutes of that decision, I had a story. What would happen if there was some funny business going on with girls going west? How could I combine a satisfactory ending where two people came to a meeting of the minds and hearts in the midst of fighting something that ugly?
Penelope's Pursuit was born.
Is my story idealized? Probably. I'll be frank with you. I'm okay with that, too. See, sometimes all we need is a reminder that mankind is sinful and in need of a Savior before the story turns into how things should have been. After all, fiction mirrors reality, but it is also an escape.
I hope Penelope's escape to the west and her pursuit of her sister encourages you to turn to the Lord for every decision, in every trouble, and with every praise possible in between.
"Penny will always be pretty because she does some of the most beautiful things I've ever seen." I love this line in Penelope's Pursuit by Chautona Havig. So many people today base their self-image on how they look. But one point Havig makes clear is that beauty comes from within and spreads outward.
There's just something about mail-order bride stories that appeals to a great audience. The western factor. The unknown. The strangers-to lovers trope.
Chautona Havig sets out to satisfy that reading itch, but also has another purpose in mind: showing that alongside all the romance we assign this genre and period, there was a dark side. Sometimes mail-order brides were used as another way to further nefarious activities that we think of as modern-day issues. Solomon says, "There's nothing new under the sun."
I loved the tone that Havig sets for this book. I found Penelope very easy to identify with, and Reuben is a gem! Both are stubborn, but with good hearts. Their care for others drives them to do unusual things that they wouldn't otherwise dream of doing. How many of us can say we love others that well?
Havig carefully weaves her faith message into the story in snippets, and it doesn't feel preachy, but natural.
I was so thankful to see that there are two more mail-order bride books by Havig to come, as she set the bait quite nicely.
If you enjoy westerns, mail-order bride stories, realistic historical romances and tales with faith interwoven, you might enjoy Penelope's Pursuit as much as I did.
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. All opinions are my own, voluntarily given.
Magnificent! Truly a Different side to the usual Mail-order Bride story!
Debbie's Dusty Deliberations, October 9
Blogging With Carol, October 9
Texas Book-aholic, October 10
Babbling Becky L's Book Impressions, October 11
Abba's Prayer Warrior Princess, October 12
Lots of Helpers, October 13
For Him and My Family, October 13
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, October 14
Joanne Markey, October 15
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 17
Mary Hake, October 17
Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, October 18 (Author Interview)
The Meanderings of a Bookworm, October 19
Vicky Sluiter, October 19
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, October 20
Connie's History Classroom, October 21
Blossoms and Blessings, October 21
Splashes of Joy, October 22
To celebrate her tour, Chautona is giving away the grand prize package of $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!
https://promosimple.com/ps/11fe1/penelope-s-pursuit-celebration-tour-giveaway
Tagged 5 stars, Chautona Havig, Christian Historical Romance, Mail-order Brides, Penelope's Pursuit, Suspense, The Other Side of Mail-Order Brides10 Comments
Celebrate Lit Tour, Favorite
Hashtag Rogue (Agency Files #5) by Chautona Havig
September 21, 2019 Babbling Becky L
Book: Hashtag Rogue
Genre: Fiction / Contemporary / Suspense
Something is terribly wrong in The Agency. Again.
Flynne Dortmann: computer specialist extraordinaire. The right arm of every agent in The Agency. And totally untrained for agent duty.
So when no one takes a threat seriously, Flynne does the only thing she can think of.
With money she has no authorization to use, a gun she's never fired in her hip pocket, and more zip-ties than any agent should be allowed to carry, Flynne takes on protective detail for an unwilling client. #Rogue.
Mark Cho hasn't had a chance to get used to being Marco Mendina—head of the Eastern US Agency. Not only that, every sign points to someone knowing he isn't who he appears to be. His agency is in trouble. His agents may be in danger, and with an office girl gone rogue, deciding what problem to tackle first is a problem in itself.
Not to mention, he misses his office assistant with her emoji-speak, killer tech skills, and sharp instincts.
Click here to grab your copy!
Hashtag Rogue, by Chautona Havig, is a very unique Christian Romantic Suspense novel. When her secret agent boss doesn't act to protect a coworker, valley girl/teen slang slinger Flynne Dortmann acts solo. What a wild ride this is! At times I was confused, which I believe could have been avoided by reading previous books in the series. On the other hand, it is a good author who can weave a crooked trail to land a believable ending. Sometimes a narrative simply needs time to play out, when it all makes sense. I would say this book can stand alone on that premise.
Two things I do know. One is that I will be hunting down the rest of The Agency series.
The second? Chautona Havig can allow real subject matter( violence, swearing, gangs, human trafficking) in her books while still being very uplifting. Not only does Havig talk seamlessly about faith, but her real sound bites on swearing are hilarious. « A sailor's dictionary of unsavory words flew at him… » and
« …until Mark had exhausted his supply of swearing— both foreign and domestic. » I doubled over from these descriptions as Havig creatively expressed her characters' blue language.
#Gobuythisbooknow
#Ilovedit
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit and the author. This did not affect my opinions, which are my own.
5 Stars = Superior Reading
Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It's a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her on the web and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.
Erika ordered her eyes to open. They declined the offer. Once more, and with as much of a mental drill sergeant tone as she could muster, she demanded the possibility of sight.
Neither eyelid gave so much as a twitch.
Resigned, she then tried to ascertain the reason for said incorporation by the lids of her eyes. Her brain, too, had gone AWOL. White noise replaced rational thought, grit, replaced natural eye moisture, and if the sensation coming from her tongue could be trusted, she'd transformed into a cottonmouth.
Except that I can't slither. I know I can't.
That, Erika decided, was improvement. It just had to be rational thought. Oh, God please.
A question arose. Do I pray? The moment she asked, Erika nodded—inwardly, anyway. I do. Not sure since when… maybe that'll come next.
Clarity formed when a voice broke through what might or might not have been consciousness. "Oh, thank whatever you're supposed to thank—don't want to be, like, totes offensive if I'm not supposed to say, 'God,' but I was afraid you had flat-lined."
"Flynne?"
"Yay! She lives!"
Why do I feel like that's supposed to be "He lives?"
"So, can you sit up if I help you?"
Bile churned in Erika's gut. Her eyes felt like they bugged, but she wasn't even confident she could see anymore. Then Flynne's purple, green, and blue hair came into view. She glared, wrestling her mouth into contortions and fighting back the urge to vomit. "Please!"
It came out more like, "Mmmweeeeeffff"
"Can't understand you." Flynne's eyes narrowed.
Perspiration formed on Erika's forehead, neck, and in every other uncomfortable place. Cold, clammy perspiration.
"Do you promise not to scream if I take this off?" She tapped the tape.
Erika just nodded with vehemence that nearly lost her what breakfast she'd eaten.
Again, Flynne's eyes grew even narrower than the first time. "Okay…" Eyes wide, the girl ripped off her high-top converse and pulled a sock from her foot. "So help me, if you scream, I'm stuffing this in your mouth—supes gross." She wriggled it for effect—just in case Erika didn't catch the utter disgustingness of it.
Once more, Erika nodded and pleaded. You're so going to regret threatening me with that.
If Satan wanted to recruit torturers to relieve demons, Flynne would have been perfect for the job. She worked the tiniest corner of the duct tape free. Erika choked and grimaced. She jerked her head hard to the right. Flynne stared. Once more, she jerked it.
"You want me to rip it off? That'll hurt!"
But the moment Flynne said "rip," Erika began bobbing her head fast enough to ensure she drowned in vomit within seconds. Flynne had mad ripping skills, however. In less than three seconds, the tape jerked free—and so did the contents of Erika's stomach.
All over Flynne's bare foot and Converse shoes. The moment she stopped heaving, Erika glared up at the girl and moaned, "That's payback for this."
The battle of the glares began. Flynne broke the silence that followed first. "If you weren't Keith's girlfriend and religious, I'd swear at you. Consider yourself cussed out." Before Erika could choose between the half-dozen scathing remarks fighting for preeminence, Flynne froze. "Wait. You called me, like, every name in the book. I thought you religious people couldn't do that!"
The churning began again. "I did?" If she could have gagged, she would have. If she could have puked she might have. "Do I want to know what I said?"
Without hesitation, Flynne rattled off every inappropriate word Erika had spent the last few months working to eradicate from her vocabulary. "Then you got all sesquipedalian on me."
"Sesquatch-what?"
Flynne turned a little green herself as the stench of partially digested breakfast assaulted her olfactory system. "Sesquipedalian." At Erika's doubtful look, Flynne went into action. She removed her other shoe, disappeared outside, returned with clean feet and ready to do business. "For your information it's a big word that means, 'a big word.'"
"No offense, Flynne, but you aren't exactly known for your erudition."
The girl gave a fine imitation of a puppy cocking its head—a blue, green, and purple-haired puppy. "That's not one of the word-of-the-day words I've had. C'mon… let's get you cleaned up and inside."
She peeked her head outside, scanned the area, and looked back at Erika. "No one's in the neighborhood that I can tell, but you'd be smart not to go all screamo on me or anything that would call the cops."
"And why's that?"
Flynne tried to be surreptitious, but Erika caught her eying a white Camry on the other side of the garage before answering, "Because I can get you out of here before they arrive, and you don't want to be awake when I'm driving fast."
Something deep in her gut—something other than the renewed churning that hinted she might lose what was left of the contents of her stomach—hinted that Flynne might not be exaggerating. But I'm not going to let her know that. It'd serve her right if I puked all over that car. What'd she do with hers, anyway?
After throwing a dark look at her, Flynne stalked from the garage and returned a few minutes later with a roll of duct tape slid over her arm like a grunge bracelet gone wrong. "You're already in hot water with the Big Guy for your potty mouth, so don't add lies. Stuff it or stick it?"
"If you tape my mouth and I vomit, you'll be responsible for my death. Just sayin'."
"Then don't make noise." Flynne glared at her. "I'm just trying to help here. Just sayin'."
Didn't know you had that much grit. The woozy, stomach-revolting-on-every-side feeling returned in time for Erika to make a decision. "I'm not going to scream. I don't want to puke in a cop car, either. But if you don't get me inside where I can be comfortably horizontal with a bowl by my side, I'm going to puke all over you and enjoy every second of it." Her stomach rumbled. Mostly.
That perked Flynne up for reasons Erika couldn't fathom. She hooked her tape-free arm under Erika's and said, "Then let's go, Kokomo!"
That's way too old-school—like fifty years old school. A vague memory poked through the cloud cover of her mind. "I think Keith gave me vitamins or drugs to combat after-effects. I think I need those."
Not until Flynne had her tucked up on a couch in the family room, a bright red mixing bowl on the floor beside it and a glass of water on the coffee table, did Flynne bother to answer. "Sorry. I was freakazoiding when I left the Agency and just got what I thought I needed to get you safe. I'm not trained for this."
"Then call Keith. He'll come. He is trained, and he'll take care of me."
Even as she said it, Erika knew it was futile. Flynne had it in her head that this was necessary. So, she could wait. The Agency would take care of her job, her bills, and Flynne could learn that being an agent wasn't a good career choice. Everything would be just fine for a few days—until Flynne got over herself.
The first epithet marched across the stage of her mind, stepped up to the mic and tapped it, ready to let loose. Erika groaned.
As if propelled by itself, the red bowl appeared at her lips. "I'm sorry! I don't know what I'm doing. The stuff these guys have to do—totes amazeballs!"
"I was groaning at my language. Can you be quiet for a minute or two while I pray? It's totes impossible to take repentance seriously when you're puffy hearting your cray-cray amazeballs."
"Coolio. Sure thing."
I just lost fifty IQ points. I know it. Let's start with prayers for rejuvenated little gray cells and move onto repentance after that. Okay, Lord?
Among the Reads, September 18
All-of-a-kind Mom, September 18
As He Leads is Joy, September 19
April Hayman, Author, September 19
Emily Yager, September 20
CarpeDiem, September 20
Babbling Becky L's Book Impressions, September 21
Moments With Mercy, September 21
EmpowerMoms, September 22
Connect in Fiction , September 22
Texas Book-aholic, September 23
Betti Mace, September 23
For Him and My Family, September 24
Stephanie's Life of Determination, September 24
Aryn The Libraryan ? , September 25
Hookmeinabook , September 25
janicesbookreviews, September 26
D'S QUILTS & BOOKS, September 26
A Reader's Brain, September 27
Bettie Rushlow, September 27
Inklings and notions , September 28
Adventures of a Traveler's Wife, September 28
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 29
Debbie's Dusty Deliberations, September 30
Blogging With Carol, September 30
Lots of Helpers, October 1
Mary Hake, October 1
Tagged 5 stars, Chautona Havig, Christian, Hashtag Rogue, Romantic Suspense, Security Agents, The Agency Files4 Comments


text:
Q: PyGame Sprites Occasionally Not Drawing I am trying to make a basic card game using PyGame. I am currently just trying to draw a single card to the screen. The weird thing is, occasionally it will draw and occasionally it won't. Below is my code:
import pygame
from pygame.locals import *
from socket import *
import sys
import os
import math
import getopt
import random

def load_png(name) :
    # Loads an image and returns the image object
    fullname = os.path.join('/home/edge/Downloads/Playing Cards/PNG-cards-1.3', name)

    image = pygame.image.load(fullname)
    if image.get_alpha is None :
        image = image.convert()
    else :
        image = image.convert_alpha()

    return image, image.get_rect()

class Card(pygame.sprite.Sprite) :
    def __init__(self, suit, val) :
        pygame.sprite.Sprite.__init__(self)
        self.suit = suit
        self.val  = val
        self.image, self.rect = load_png(val + '_of_' + suit + '.png')
        screen = pygame.display.get_surface()
        self.area = screen.get_rect()
        #self.rect.inflate(-.5, -.5)

def main() :
    pygame.init()

    pygame.display.set_caption('Card Game Thingy')

    screen = pygame.display.set_mode( (1250, 650) )
    background = pygame.Surface(screen.get_size() )
    background = background.convert()
    background.fill( (0, 0, 0) )

    x = Card('diamonds', '2')
    cardSprite = pygame.sprite.RenderPlain(x)

    screen.blit(background, (0, 0) )

    cardSprite.draw(screen)
    clock = pygame.time.Clock()
    # Game Loop
    while True :
        clock.tick(60)
        for event in pygame.event.get() :
            if event.type == QUIT :
                return
            elif event.type == KEYDOWN :
                if event.key == K_DOWN :
                    return

        cardSprite.draw(screen)

if __name__ == '__main__' :
    main()

A: You have to update the display in every loop in the while loop with
pygame.display.update()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
"Keeping the Faith" Roadshow Comes to Singapore to Explore Best Practices and Challenges in Promoting Inter-Belief Harmony
April 30, 2015 November 24, 2015 Faith Delos Reyes
Singapore, 30 April 2015—The Human Rights Resource Centre today presented its latest research study, "Keeping the Faith: A Study of Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion in ASEAN," at the National University of Singapore. The event was hosted by the Centre for Asian Legal Studies (CALS), headed by Professor Andrew Harding.
During his remarks as Guest of Honour, H.E. Bilahari Kausikan,
Ambassador-at-Large and Policy Advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, speaking in his personal capacity, argued for a practical approach to human rights and for the recognition "that not all rights are compatible or capable of simultaneous realization." He then highlighted the important role of the state in maintaining the balance among conflicting belief systems. He observed that the conception of rights that is predominant in the west is one in which rights are held by the individual against an overly powerful state. "But the essential problem in much of the rest of the world, and in my view certainly in Southeast Asia as regards freedom of belief, arises when the state is too weak to hold the balance between competing belief systems or too timid to be willing to resist political pressures to privilege one belief system over another." Thus, Ambassador Kausikan said that it is a matter of determining the most urgent priority—which will vary according to specific circumstances. "You cannot—or at least only very rarely can—do everything simultaneously, particularly when the state is weak."
According to Mr. Eugene Tan, Associate Professor of Law at the Singapore Management University and author of the report on Singapore, the state's neutral stance in mediating conflicts and its firm commitment to having all parties take part in regular dialogues have helped trust- and confidence-building, ensuring that different beliefs co-exist harmoniously in Singapore. Tan, however, cautioned that intrusive government regulation could stifle religious groups' ability to engage each other as well as hamper society's effort to nurture resilience against forces that seek to divide in the name of religion. "Governments have to provide ample space for people to practise their faith as well as be fair and even-handed in how they treat the various religious and belief systems, including those who subscribe to none," he said.
Dr. Jaclyn Neo, lead researcher of the study, pointed to the implications on regional peace and security of states' failure to deal with concerns relating to freedom of religion or belief within their respective countries. She stressed the important role of ASEAN, noting positively that the ASEAN Foreign Ministers had committed in September 2014 and again in January 2015 to work with the international community to fight against extremism, radicalism and terrorism and, most importantly, address its root causes. Aside from governments taking a more active role, Dr. Neo said that religious adherents and religious networks could also contribute to inter-belief harmony. "In ASEAN, a religion that is the minority in one country is the majority religion in another. One possibility that could be explored is for religious adherents to assist their co-religionists in another state in bridging disagreements with other belief systems."
The Study, consisting of 10 country reports and a Synthesis Report, is the product of experts and researchers working in the fields of law, government, human rights, and/or academia, who are mostly citizens of ASEAN Member-States. The HRRC's regional road show kicked off during the ASEAN People's Forum in Kuala Lumpur earlier this April. The next dialogues are planned to be held in Bangkok and Bandung on 11 May.
All, ASEAN, News, Singapore, Vulnerable Groups. permalink.
At the ASEAN Peoples Forum in Malaysia, eliminating intolerance, discrimination and hatred based on religious beliefs remains key to the agenda
Practical, not ideological, approach needed on human rights