The Malaysian Army Chinese Veterans Association (MACVA) was officially set up on 31st August 2016, and then, it extended its membership drive to include all Army, Navy and Air Force personnel on 7th November 2017 under the auspices of the Malaysian Armed Forces Chinese Veterans Association (the MACVA acronym was however retained). It is today, a platform for our Armed Forces Chinese Veterans from all ranks to reminisce, recall or highlight stories of their contributions, no matter how big or small but always for the king and country. Some of these recalled events may or may not have been logged into the records of the national or military archives, but anecdotes and recollections are shared publicly whenever Veterans get a chance to congregate, socialize or just simply meet. One can also ask logically, if not for MACVA where else can these Veterans share such knowledge and experiences? MACVA is today a Veterans' platform for all members to speak up credibly as to how they saw things while they were still actively serving.
MACVA has a mix of pensioned and non-pensioned soldiers, sailors and flyboys as life members. It is also a setup filled with commissioned officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force, irrespective of whether or not they belonged to the SSC, Regular Service Commission, Quartermaster, Special Duty, PD list or Reserves, but together, all are landing a hand pushing forward for MACVA to become that credible voice of society it objectivised from the onset of its formation.
Many interesting anecdotes have been intimated, and they make interesting reading and discussion, but most importantly they serve to remind all Malaysians that all service personnel, even those quickly forgotten SSC and PD list officers, had contributed and made huge sacrifices one way or another for King and country.
The following SSC and PD list Officers' accounts should be logged, if not anywhere, at least in the MACVA Archives – Lest We Forget.
At one of MACVA's earliest gatherings, I met a gentleman, I was told he was a well-off successful businessman and is an army Veteran. He walked with a very slight limp. He is popularly addressed as Captain (Capt) Tong, and I gathered later that he is Capt Tong Lye Heng (Rtd), a SSC Officer of the Royal Ranger Regiment (RRR). I also learnt that he had seen action when he was in the service, shot by the Communist Terrorists (CT) and had survived the ordeal. He is today one of the founding members of MACVA.
Capt Tong Lye Heng (Rtd).
Capt Tong celebrated his 71st (Chinese) birthday on 20th February 2018, my wife and I were invited guests for the event. At the birthday party, sitting adjacent to our table was an elderly gentleman dressed in batik, seated upright and conversing engagingly with the other members in his table, mostly Ranger Veterans. I wondered quietly who that gentleman was.
Peaking the birthday celebrations, Capt Tong went on stage to state that his 71st birthday was very significant because he was shot by the CT's in 71 (the year 1971), and also because an important friend had accepted his invitation to attend this particular birthday function. He spontaneously called upon a "Dr Yong" to come forward to join him at the stage, I scanned my sights for the reciprocating acknowledgement, and then my wondering was no more. The senior gentleman was in fact Dr Yong. Though truly taken by surprise; Dr Yong nevertheless acceded to Tong's insistent calls.
Then, as if undertaking a testimony during a church congregation, Tong affirmed graciously, loudly and firmly to the crowd that he owes his life today to this Dr Yong Boon How, a National Service Professional Duties Officer who left as a Major (Maj) from the Malaysian Medical & Dental Corps (MMDC). Tong testified that Dr Yong had gone way beyond the call of duty and training to help save a badly wounded comrade injured in operations.
One of the dinners hosted by Capt Tong (2nd Left) for Dr Yong (2nd Right).
I attended two more dinners after that birthday celebrations, each time joining Tong entertaining Yong; I had noticed throughout, strong friendship and sincere gratitude Capt Tong showered towards Dr Yong. In that last entertainment dinner, Capt Tong had, as a matter of fact, sounded out that someone should write an article on this brave doctor on his tour of duties. Dr Yong however protested sheepishly that it should be Capt Tong's story that should be officially cited in the military archives, he was after all the wounded combatant who suffered gunshot injuries in the frontline. Well, only then did I hear this rhythmic call ringing out from the two in a song – "No Yong No Tong, No Tong No Yong".
Tong born on 19th February 1948 in Melaka, completed his secondary education after passing his Overseas School Certificate examinations in St David High School in 1967. He was sure he still had the family support and advantage to continue his studies in medicine if he had chosen to; however, voluntarily he chose to join the army instead.
Tong (squatting extreme right) during the RMC days.
Tong underwent his initial officer cadet training at the Royal Military College (RMC) in Intake 15 on 6th March 1969 under the SSC scheme. He completed Officer Cadet Training on 9th October 1969 and was despatched to 1st Ranger Battalion, based in Kem Lapangan Terbang, Sibu in Sarawak, as a Second Lieutenant (2nd Lt).
On his very first day of reporting for duty to his Commanding Officer (CO), Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Syed Abdul Aziz bin Syed Razak, the young and naive 2nd Lt Tong had volunteered a report that he had an officially registered marriage to Annie Goh Kim Choo, the registration undertaken after he had completed training and while he was on leave prior to being posted to this 1st Ranger Battalion. He went on to explain that a full official wedding ceremony had not yet been held – in Tong's own words it's only a "nikah gantung" or a hanging marriage in a direct English Language translation.
The wedding celebrations finally fulfilled.
The marriage announcement did not please his CO, whether it is out of love or merely to qualify for the marriage allowances, both these reasons were unimportant to his CO. Tong was not sure if it was a summary punishment, but in an immediate order he was tasked and despatched right away to the frontline forward base in Katibas, Sarawak, located at the Kalimantan Border. This remote location required quite some hours of a small boat ride upstream the river. Tong spent the next 6 months in this jungle location, assigned as a Platoon Leader of 'A' Company 1st Ranger Battalion under Capt Fabian Wong (another bravery cited officer who eventually retired as a Lt Col from the Joint Intelligence Directorate). Tong was living on rationed food and missing his first Chinese New Year away from home. This was truly his first test of character and a real exposure to the needs and sacrifices of a military personnel, and more so when the tasks were carried out in remote jungle locations far away from any civilisation. Any welcome breaks, in the form of getting back to civilisation, came only as and when he had to attend the requisite Officers Company Weapon and the Young Officers Tactical Courses.
2nd Lt Tong is his Mess Kit.
Capt Tong & Lt Col Fabian Wong.
In the meantime, a new 7th Ranger Battalion was formed on 10 May 1970, at Quetta Camp in Kluang, Johor with an initial batch of 202 recruits taken in to form 2 rifle companies. This battalion shifted to a new camp at Camp Batu Tiga, Jalan Mersing, Kluang in Johor. The Battalion's complement was made out with the transfer of rifle companies from each of the 8th Malay, 2nd Ranger, 3rd Ranger and 4th Ranger regiments. With the transfer of these companies, 7th Ranger achieved its full regimental strength. 2nd Lt Tong was transferred to this new battalion from the 1st Ranger Battalion after his Sarawak stint.
On joining the Battalion, Kluang was soon devastated by severe floods; Tong was immediately appointed the Military Liaison Officer (MLO) for the next two months to help coordinate and manage the flood evacuation activities in Kluang District. After his civic duties and soon after the floods, he was immediately deployed to Klian Intan, Perak, under command of the Tactical Headquarters (HQ). Tong was reassigned to the frontline as a Platoon Leader and was operationally active at most time while posted in Klian Intan. The operation there was codenamed OPS KOTA - involving search & destroy activities.
2nd Lt Tong (far right) with Lt Col Loh Lai Fook (centre).
Tong's Account - Search and Destroy OPS KOTA.
2nd Lt Tong during OPS KOTA.
In one of the many activities carried out, and after spending an approximate three months in jungle under the search and destroy operations at the Kampung Lallang, Grik vicinity, Tong received specific instructions from his CO, Lt Col Hussein Bin Mohd Ali Piah, to detach his platoon to a prearranged pickup point off the main road, his platoon was then earmarked for their break – a scheduled Rest & Recreation (R&R). The pick-up and exchange point nominated at a main road was about a 10 hour hike by foot in complete combat outfit and equipment. This exchange was scheduled for the dawn of 9th June 1971.
Capt Dr Yong Boon How & 2nd Lt Peter Yeow C C.
Tong was further informed that because his fellow colleague 2nd Lt Peter Yeow C C had not yet return from the Signal Officer Course he had attended, Tong was to act and take over Peter Yeow's platoon as the relief, so there was no R&R for Tong himself. His immediate task was to lead this new platoon, a deployment of 26 soldiers, back safely into the same operational area, which will again involve another 10 hours journey on foot. The primary task for this new platoon, when positioned, was to set up an ambush point at a location within Kampung Lallang.
The 26 soldiers of the platoon were all new to Tong, he had no time to assess or get to know the soldiers personally or ability wise, as he would have done so in his normal and routine practices, but then he was also the relief in this instance. The soldiers, whom he was familiar with, those that had spent 3 months in the jungle together with him earlier, were already on their way back for their R & R. He would know exactly who, where and how to deploy these familiar men accordingly. Tong nevertheless was willing to go ahead with the task at hand with this new batch, as instructed by the HQ.
From the exchange point at the main road, Tong led his new platoon, hiking on foot to his pre-assigned location. While on passage, Tong had noticed, when they came across a river bank, there appeared a slight break in the thick canopy of the jungle that allowed some sunlight to stab through the jungle covers which brightened the river banks. With sunlight piercing through, he even noticed a number of river otters frolicking playfully in the water. He and his platoon were still about an hour's journey from the pre-assigned area at this point of their journey, so they just carried on without much more thought put to that delightful scene.
Tong had kept the Location Map with sentimental value attached.
On arriving at the assigned operations area, Tong quickly assessed, drew up and then guided his platoon to set out a rectangular defence perimeter, as it was already getting dark, darkness can also come unassumingly quick within minutes in any jungle terrain. Tong was convinced that his selected location was very well camouflaged and he could build his location defence using the natural surroundings to protect his platoon for the night against any eventualities. He was himself assured that the selected location would also serve as the designated ambush location that he had been instructed to set up.
In describing the setup of the defence perimeter, Tong pointed out that outwardly towards the east and west directions, these locations were well protected naturally by very deep overlooking ravines on both sides. With sentries placed strategically and overlooking from the top, any movements or intrusions below would easily be spotted from above. These locations were also an added advantage for the planned ambush set up later.
Tong decisively fortified his north and south locations of his perimeters with sentries 3 rows deep, for if any direct attack were to suddenly appear it can only occur through these passable north to south routes or vice versa. Towards the north is the Malaysia Thailand Border. Such north to south routes were rampantly used by the CT to infiltrate or retreat from Malaysia for their terror or counter terrorist activities organized by the Malaysian Armed Forces respectively.
As added knowledge and personal advantage, Tong had just recently returned qualified in the Intelligence Officer's (IO) Course. All that he had been taught, guided and learnt were still fresh in his memory at that point of time. While on passage with his new platoon moving into the assigned location, he had put his military intelligence, appreciation and observation skills into good practice. He had already noticed that there were quite some indications and also inconspicuous signs of the CT presence in the vicinity – pebbles and stones physically rearranged, deliberate broken twigs or branches above eye level, routes, tracks, paths, etc. were all observed and noted. Expecting trouble, the platoon leader had ordered that no tents were to be pitched for the night. All sentries and soldiers were to be put on full alert and they were to make do with only body ponchos protecting them from the chill and the jungle moisture throughout the night.
On the morning of 10th June 1971, immediately after the morning stand-to, Tong set out early and quickly to further fortify his entire defence perimeter and the ambush location set up. He proceeded first to the south location and ordered that claymore mines be immediately placed forward of the perimeter, a first-line-of-defence mechanism. He then ordered that light machine gun locations be placed in tiers and at strategic locations. As his orders were being executed, he proceeded to look into the defense fortifications in the north sentry position, to provide similar reconnaissance and instructions there. He had already scheduled himself to return later to the south sentry positions to ensure that his instructions were properly executed, and specifically as ordered.
After he had completed his reconnaissance and instructions at the north perimeter posts, he was on his way back headed towards the south position as planned. As he was passing the central point of his entire rectangular defense perimeter, a sudden gunshot burst was heard from a distance coming from the south. A whizzing sound and then Tong felt a sharp piecing pain on his left hip; he was hit from that single burst of gunfire. He fell to the ground wounded and bleeding, but still conscious and lucid; he quickly made a "contact report" to HQ. A fire fight ensued while Tong was wounded on the ground still shouting out orders.
Left - The trousers 2nd Lt Tong wore when he was shot on 10 June 1971. The hole in the trousers was where the bullet hit him, while the stains near the hole are blood stains from the wound. Right - Claymore Mine.
Capt Tong had learnt very much later, that his most southerly outpost sentry had initially spotted two bogeys in sling arms unaware of the presence of the Ranger Battalion in the vicinity – the Battalion position was well camouflaged. That particular sentry had attempted to detonate the claymore mines, sadly the mines failed to detonate. The sentry then hastened into the light machine gun position and began squeezing the trigger, however, urgency or panic could have got the better of him. The sentry had not realised the weapon was still locked in the "Safe" mode instead of either "Rapid Fire" or "Automatic". (A safety catch is a mechanism in all guns that is designed to prevent accidental or careless firing of the weapon. When in the "Safe", a gun cannot fire at all). During that split second scramble and indecision, one of the intruders was able to engage his weapon first and fast; his single shot hit and wounded Platoon Leader 2nd Lt Tong.
Only two CT's were initially sighted, it was never possible to tell hidden within that very thick forest if there were more of them hidden behind the two forward point men. The CT's often send groups of armed men in a party of two to undertake their reconnaissance, before deploying their main fighting force. As the fire fight ensued, Tong with the aid of his Second in Command had requested artillery strikes to bombard the already predetermined south locations, as close as they were allowed to without endangering his own platoon, to deter any further intrusions. As Tong recalled, he could hear the shell projectiles whizzing above their heads, followed by sounds of deafening explosions.
Tong was bleeding profusely; efforts were made to stop the loss of blood from the wound with whatever first aid they can master at site. Tong had called in to the HQ to advise that he himself was badly hit. A medical evacuation (medevac) was necessary and urgent. Demoralised and also surprised, Tong was first instructed by HQ that he should be evacuated on foot back to the main road, some 10 hours journey away. Tong was well aware and had summed up consciously that he would not survive his wound or the journey ordeal on foot if he had followed through those instructions. Tong protested his chances of survival and countered that the only alternative left was through a helicopter medevac.
Tong quickly recalled the delightful scene where the otters were frolicking. He remembered that break in the jungle canopy, he was confident that a helicopter medevac via winching is possible at that location, even if a chopper landing was impossible. He pushed back to HQ for a helicopter medevac. HQ agreed and Tong was moved to this river bank position to facilitate the medevac.
As the firefight ensued, Capt Ngo Kim Seng, the 'C' company 2nd in-command who was operating approximately four to five map squares (one map square is one kilometer squared) north of Tong's location, came charging all the way to render assistance in the event of heightened or expanded enemy actions. According to Capt Ngo, he and his men came running all the way from his location within two hours, covering almost four to five map squares in that dense jungle to reach Tong. It was Capt Ngo and his platoon that assisted in the medevac activities.
Two hours later, a single Nuri helicopter arrived at the scene, and then, what appeared to be a medical assistant (medic) was winched down from the chopper. The chopper and the medic were targets for the CT, attracting gun fire from underneath the canopy of the forest. Despite that, the brave medic was ably winched down from the helicopter. And when the offloading of the medic was done, the Nuri helicopter retreated in haste and out of sight.
Capt Tong (standing 1st from the right) and Capt Dr Yong (next to Tong) were from the 7th Ranger.
The medic, Capt Dr Yong Boon How, proceeded to quickly treat and administer first aid to Tong, who was already pale looking by then. Dr Yong gave Tong a shot of morphine and administered Intravenous fluids (IV), which Tong himself believed helped stabilised his medical situation. Tong and Yong were both from the 7th Ranger serving in the Klian Intan area so they were both well acquainted with each other. After the first medical assistance was administered on the ground, the patient and doctor could only wait for the next step - the helicopter to return for the air medevac itself.
After a while, the same Nuri helicopter reappeared at the scene and winched Tong up into the chopper. It then flew away only to return later in order to pick Dr Yong up, this time accompanied by an Allouette helicopter. From the Allouette chopper that was circulating above, Lt Norman Sta Maria provided machine gun cover fire incessantly while the rescue operations were in progress.
Though already badly wounded and pale – the sounds of helicopter rotors, one hovering while the other circulating, the rescue operations, the fire fight from air and on ground and the medevac winching – these were all reminiscent of movies depicting the Vietnam War era, Capt Tong still recalls even today. With Tong and Yong already winched up, they were both airlifted to the Klian Intan medical facilities as a first stop. On arrival at Klian Intan, Tong and Yong were quickly transferred from the Nuri to the Allouette helicopter; speed in the arrival to the Hospital was paramount. Dr Yong flew with the wounded Tong to the Penang General Hospital. In Penang, Tong was rushed in to be immediately operated upon with massive blood transfusions and according to the doctors; the bullet missed his spine by about an inch, the urgent operations and the transfusions had saved his life. The chopper pilots, the Lt Norman air cover, the medic, the assistance from Capt Ngo and his men and finally the platoon leader's own knowledge of the jungle had all blended into one perfectly timed human miracle on that day.
Tong was treated at the Penang General Hospital for about three months, and then spent another month at the Armed Forces Hospital, Terendak Camp in Melaka for further recuperation. Four months after the incident, he returned to the Sungai Petani HQ to resume duties. However, as he was no longer Medically Fit Everywhere (FE) for any further combat duties, he was not assigned to the frontlines again; instead he handled administration, tactics and intelligence in the war effort from then on. Tong was classified Base Everywhere (BE). Medical BE or Limited Everywhere (LE) classifications also impact one's military career.
2nd Lt Tong (far right) together with brother officers at the 7 Ranger retraining programmes.
Post Injury Activities After having served as Platoon Leader in the 1st Ranger and 7th Ranger Battalions, Tong on return from medical leave was confined to only base duties. His first appointment after recovering from his injury was the Ketua Bahagian Tinggal 7th Ranger Battalion, or OIC Rear Party, Camp Lapangan Terbang, Sungei Petani. His main Regiment was already detached for OPS GERAKAN KHAS, OPS KG OPAL, OPS KUBANG and OPS LUNDU in East Malaysia. (These operations were launched after 15 of 7th Ranger's soldiers were ambushed and killed; three were wounded along the Lundu/Bau Road, Sarawak). As rear party, Tong was tasked with the duties to transfer, receive, identify family, inform and deliver on the funerals of eight of his fallen comrades.
As the 7thRanger Battalion was formed to be a mechanised unit eventually, Tong's next posting was as 7th Ranger Battalion Motor Transport officer for a spell.
After the Motor Transport Officer stint, Tong was appointed as the 7th Ranger Battalion Intelligence Officer. During this period, Tong had worked closely with the Police Special Branch in Kulim, compiling some years of data to be superimposed with current Grade "A" operational intelligence. Tong was able to piece together what appeared to be a centre of gravity in CT operations for that area. He helped devised OPS SEDAR to strike the enemy in the Gunung Bongsu location, working with his CO equipped with his new findings. Though it took some time before it became a fruitful operation, Tong exclaimed that "We managed to kill two CT's in that operation," this was perhaps the retribution that Tong had quietly sought, to strike back at the enemy who almost took away his life. He had after which decided, with all his limitations in full fitness and promotional opportunities, there was little scope left for him to advance in the Armed Forces. Most importantly, the killing of the two CT's near Dublin Estate, Kedah at the end 1975 had convinced him that his efforts as Intelligence Officer had paid off handsomely, and a closure for him against the CT's fulfilled. His sojourn in the military has run its course; it was timely for him to call it a day from the Malaysian Armed Forces.
After that last event, Capt Tong applied for and was honourably discharged. After being medically boarded for his injuries, he left the Ranger Regiment on 9th October 1976. His disciplined life in the army had taught him incredible lessons that have helped him adapt to the civilian life after the army. He had joined the plantation industry as a manager from 1979-1996. When he was in the army, he had learnt valuable lessons in people and team management as head of a platoon and OIC. "That experience translates perfectly to managing a plantation," he said. After 17 years in the plantation industry he switched occupation to work in the maritime bulk carrier shipping sector. Now, he runs his own cargo shipping company and is a contented businessman today.
Yong was born on 11 December 1938 in Georgetown, Penang. He had his early education in Anderson School, Ipoh, Sultan Sulaiman English School, Kuala Terengganu and Penang Free School in Penang. Yong was a troop leader and a Queen Scout while schooling. Yong graduated in his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) qualifications from the Nagpur University, India in 1967. While in Nagpur, he was the Nagpur Foreign Association President in 1967 and also the outstanding Jaycee of the year in 1964. He returned to serve a one year Housemanship at the Penang General Hospital and was posted to the Kota Bharu General Hospital in Kelantan for a spell. He was then appointed the Medical Officer in Charge (MOIC) in Kuala Kerai, Kelantan, and then, it was time to fulfil his National Service requirements. Having already served in the rural areas, signing up for military service to complete his National Service was actually a Hobson's choice.
Dr Yong while with Terendak Hospital Melaka.
Dr Yong joined the Malaysia Medical & Dental Corps (MMDC) on 1st February, 1971 in the 11th MMDC Intake to fulfil his National Service requirements. He was despatched to the Armed Forces Hospital, Terendak Camp in Melaka for indoctrination and familiarisation trainings and then tasked to the 7th Ranger Battalion based in Kluang, Johor. After reporting and formalisation in the Kluang Base, he was sent right away to the 7thRanger Battalion stationed at Sungai Petani and Klian Intan.
Dr Yong (2nd from right) with the CO Lt Col Hussein Ali Piah (3rd from right).
After serving the 7th Ranger Battalion for 6 months, Dr Yong had a second tour in the Armed Forces Hospital, Terendak Camp in Melaka. In his final years of his military service he was attached to KD HANG TUAH and KD MALAYA as the Medical Officer and Senior Medical Officer (SMO) respectively in the Royal Malaysian Navy Base in Singapore.
Dr Yong in Mess Kit in Terendak Camp.
He completed his National and Short Service on the 29th February, 1976. Dr Yong was awarded the Malayan Academy of Family Physician (MAFP) whilst he was in private practice until he retired recently in Terengganu. Dr Yong was the Rotary Club Kuala Terengganu President from 1992-1993.
Dr Yong Boon How married Dr Deepti Das, a Specialist Radiologist who is now in private practice in Singapore. Incidentally, she was the first qualified lady radiologist in Malaysia. They have two sons, Dr Joy Yong Chi-liang and Dr Robin Yong Chi-weng, both now residing and practising in Adelaide, Australia.
Dr Yong in Klian Intan.
On arrival at the 7th Battalion base in Sungei Petani, Dr Yong reported for official duty there. He was told he would be sent out to the Klian Intan operational area immediately. While waiting for his transport to Klian Intan, he had noticed a new supply of 12 bottles of IV fluids on a trolley. With approval, Dr Yong collected 6 IV bottles and placed them into his bag and made his way to Klian Intan.
Dr Yong Interacting with other Relevant Security Bodies.
While attached to the 7th Ranger Battalion in Klian Intan, Dr Yong had attended to the town people daily as part of the military hearts and minds project. This was apart from his routine medical coverage provided for the entire 7th Ranger Battalion; there were no civilian doctors in the area during that period.
Klian Intan Clinic where Dr Yong operated. Hearts & Mind Family Day Visit to Clinic.
On 10th June 1971, Capt Dr Yong was informed in his Klian Intan clinic that a fellow Ranger comrade had just been shot in his left thigh by the CT deep in the jungle. As a helicopter cannot land, due to the tall trees in thick canopied jungle, he was asked if he would be prepared to be winched down from a helicopter to render first aid and assistance to the wounded in a medevac operation. Dr Yong said he had no idea what winching down from a chopper was all about, he was never trained nor exposed to do so. Incidentally, this was before winching was part of the training for military doctors. He nevertheless was quite prepared in order to rescue a fellow comrade in need. On agreement, his sergeant placed a white Red Cross arm band over his left arm sleeve and he proceeded with the task at hand.
The Nuri helicopter flew over a river bank deep into the jungle and immediately winched Dr Yong down from a maximum permissible height. Yong recalled that he could see the tree tops swinging violently coaxed by the force of chopper rotor blades and small figures at the river bank in anticipation; he was just admiring the view not realizing at all that he and the chopper were target gunfire from the CT. He was nonetheless successfully lowered and the Nuri chopper hastened away quickly out of sight. Dr Yong proceeded immediately to the wounded comrade; he was pale and lifeless due to a massive blood loss. Dr Yong did not initially recognise that it was his fellow officer colleague 2nd Lt Tong that was wounded and immediately administered a shot of morphine and IV to replace fluids and stabilise Tong. Dr Yong recalls today, had he not collected those 6 bags of IV Fluids, this story would have been written differently.
Two helicopters came back, the Nuri helicopter winched Tong and Yong on board. Yong recalls, my helicopter was fired upon by the CT again, Lt Norman Sta Maria returned fire from the Allouette helicopter that was circulating around to provide cover. Dr Yong flew with the wounded officer to Klian Intan and then transferred the wounded to the Allouette chopper for the medevac to the Penang General Hospital, where the patient was operated upon with massive blood transfusions. On arrival and landing at the Hospital Padang, Tong was immediately handed over to the capable hands of the Penang doctor and surgeon, who both apparently had instinctively delayed their trip home when they heard the rotors of the Allouette approaching the hospital. Yong handed over his patient to expert care of the hospital, his task was completed.
Dr Yong made his way back to Klian Intan in civilian clothes, and by bus. When he had offered to pay his bus fare, the conductor had said, "No need, doctor." Dr Yong was taken by surprise that the bus conductor had recognised him, but had assured himself silently that the conductor could also have been one of his patients treated under his efforts in the hearts and minds project. He was not unaware also, it was common for Communist sympathisers to mingle freely amongst citizens in Klian Intan. Whoever that conductor was it was immaterial then, as Dr Yong also recalled, the shooting incident was already broadcasted over southern Thailand the following day over the CT radio network. He noted, news was indeed current and had traveled fast, he was glad he could return to duties unscathed anyway.
Post that eventful day, Dr Yong soon learnt that a large CT camp was located and reported in the Malaysian Thailand border. A large scale military operation was to be launched, and a few battalions had already surrounded the location ably supported by the military artillery. The 7th Ranger Battalion was sent in to comb through the location (mopping up), and this was supposedly a secret operation. However Dr Yong noted coyly, the Sungai Petani Township was flooded with military vehicles and men buying instant noodles and salted fish. The usual ration were too heavy to be carried in the jungle terrain during such operations, the secret operations was a clear give away in town if any, he had thought to himself. The CO and MO were also required to go into the jungle with the troops instead of being housed at the base camp this time around. Dr Yong remembers clearly, "We had hiked the whole day in a difficult terrain and different weather conditions; we were most of the time soaked in rain water. While in the jungle terrain, Dr Yong's tent was hit by a collapsing dead tree, he was lucky that he was not in the tent at that moment. The troops were supplied rations by air. In recollection, Dr Yong recalled that they had received rations dropped from the air but it was too late for the choppers to make another sortie to deliver the needed fuel – "we had plenty of food but were short on fuel". The operation lasted from 17th September until 5th October 1971 and the end results were, "there were no contacts made".
A Map Memento presented to DR Yong by 7th Battalion.
On completion of the operations Dr Yong's CO, Lt Col Hussein bin Mohd Ali Piah, had intimated to him that all times there were two men keeping a close watch on the Doctor's safety throughout the operations. Dr Yong is still emotional each time he recalls the event. How could he forget, his stomach could not handle normal food after two weeks of rations for he suffered from severe abdominal colic and diarrhea for a while.
The Klian Intan posting, the IV episode, the eventful Tong incident and the jungle operations had taught Dr Yong the difficulties and hardship the troops on the ground faced and the risk of being ambushed daily. He appreciates their hard lives, theirs are true sacrifices. Dr Yong was the first doctor in Malaysia who carried out his duty at the frontline instead of the basecamp.
His last two postings were to KD HANG TUAH as the MO and KD MALAYA as the SMO. Tun Abdul Razak was on board KD HANG TUAH when the frigate sailed from Port Klang to Penang; Dr Yong was the MO onboard. Dr Yong sailed in a variety of naval vessels in West and East Malaysia. He also experienced a Jackstay transfer with the Indonesian navy in a joint exercise.
Dr Yong Onboard a RMN Patrol Craft. Onboard a RMN Ship being introduced as part of the Navy Team.
Dr Yong as SMO in KD MALAYA.
1.	Tong Lye Heng completed his tour of duties in the rank of Acting Capt.
2.	Tong Lye Heng received a General Service Medal or Pingat Perkhidmatan Am (PPA) for all his contributions throughout.
3.	Tong Lye Heng was medically boarded for his wounds and injury, with the assistance of Dr Nadarajah. He was assessed by the board that he sustained a 10% disability function, which then equated approximately to RM60.00 per month medical benefits. That figure inflated to be RM115.00 per month in 1996 as seen in this unclaimed cheque.
5.	There are no military citations found for Dr Yong Boon How.
Recorded by Lt Soon Tet Leong RMN (Rtd) for the MACVA Archives.


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This data-design link is taken into account from the early stages of app development itself. Vishwas Mudagal, chief executive officer, GoodWorkLabs, a product development startup, that caters to companies including Flipkart, Hindustan Unilever and Commonfloor, follows a data-driven approach while designing apps.
"It starts with user research. We do a questionnaire to understand how accurate our thinking is. We then come up with a report, correct our assumptions and go to the next process of learning. We also do competition analysis. We analyse 3-4 competitors to know better," he said.
Investors too are keen on making startups understand the need for data driven design early on. "Our advice to startups is - 'You should focus on user experience. Design should not be an afterthought'," said Alok Goel, managing director, SAIF Partners. SAIF Partners recently organised a design conference `DesignUp', to discuss various design-related topics.DesignUp saw participation from more than 250 people. If young startups are on one side of the spectrum, mid-stage startups need to continuously innovate on design to stay ahead of the over-crowded market. Data helps too.
"There is a problem of too much  too many people and too many similar things. To stand out in the crowd, you need to deploy this. Design and data have found a happy meeting ground. The idea is to continuously figure out what people want and then make it," said Jay Dutta, Venture Advisor, SAIF Partners.
Design, these days, is certainly "as much a science as an art", said Mudagal. "UX (User Experience) and now customer experience, both are extremely data driven.Not a one-time process, it a continuous process."


This design can be used in a live or studio application. For both live and studio you have an option of building a front drum surround which is what I recommend for live. In the studio you can use a drum surround to block the drum bleed into the studio area (if you are recording a full band). The drum surround is a separate download.
Build the same as above but add plexiglass to the top of the drum surround.
Click on Image or here to download file.
This design is for a stand alone drum surround.
Options for this are to build it with the above drum platform size in mind and add plexiglass for the space between the top of the drum surround the the drum platform canopy.
This eBook has the fundamental process for tuning your sound system using an analyzer and a 1/3rd octave graphic EQ. Now a days we spec into sound systems a "Driverack" processor that takes care of all this but its good to know what its doing.
The next section covers knowledge of board functions.
The Last section covers the knowledge of what it takes to create a mix.
The object is that sound system engineers should know, how sound behaves in the "air" and how sound behaves in a "wire"
This is a good test to give prospective sound system engineers.


London's Chinatown is a bustling hub of restaurants, bars and businesses and within this wonderful part of London is the fabulous Genting Casino Chinatown London. Open 24 hours a day, visiting the casino will enable you to enjoy some of the very best gaming and slots you'll find in London, all within a fabulous relaxed environment. Games include Blackjack and Roulette, as well as authentic Squeeze Baccarat and you'll also find all of your favourite slots here too with £10,000 jackpots.
There are also a number of electronic gaming tables too including Double Spin Roulette, Electronic Baccarat, 3-5 Win Poker and Sabre Multi-Win Roulette.
As well as the traditional IGT slots, such as Lobstermania and Cleopatra, which offer £4000 jackpots, at the Genting Casino Chinatown London there are IGT Multi Game machines that offer a choice of nine games each. In addition, there are a number of Novomatic Super V+ Gaminator machines that offer titles, such as Book of Ra and Beetle Mania and jackpots of up to £10,000. There are also a range of Spielo Diversity slots that offer the widest range of games with progressive jackpots of up to £10,0000.
Like all Genting casinos, the Genting Rewards Scheme is on offer to everyone. The program is very popular thanks to its simplicity. Players are rewarded every time that they spend money in the casino on slots, food or drink and are given points. These points are collected and then can be used to add to their slots balance or can be used to discount food and drink at the casino.
Dining at the casino is a delight and offers some of the best Pan Asian cuisine in London. Employing only the finest speciality chefs and using only the highest quality ingredients, all dishes are cooked fresh to order. There is a bar too that serves a wide range of drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic and is the perfect place to relax away from the excitement and buzz of the table.


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'There's space for you at the table': Meet your editor-in-chief and managing editor
SaMya Overall and Dina Kaur
Editor in Chief Sa'Mya Overall (left) and Managing Editor Dina Kaur (right) pose with issues of The State News in which their respective stories were the covers on Aug. 24, 2022. —
Photo by Rahmya Trewern | The State News
Leading the student newspaper is a task that is both daunting and exciting.
On one hand, we're faced with the responsibility of leading over fifty student journalists to deliver the MSU community quality, accurate and relevant news daily.
On the other hand, we have the opportunity to shape our coverage to ensure it speaks not only to students who make up the majority of MSU's campus, but students that look like us.
According to the fall 2021 enrollment report, Michigan State University's total undergraduate student body is 67.6% white, compared to 26.1% students of color. This means out of 38,574 undergraduates in fall 2021, only 2,802 were Black and 2,841 were Asian American or Pacific Islander.
Just 5,643 students may look like us at the large university that is Michigan State.
As two women of color, leading The State News carries a heavier weight. We've experienced the prejudice and discrimination that comes with being a Black woman and an Asian American woman – both at MSU and in our lives outside of college.
We were impacted by police brutality in the Black community and mass shootings in the Asian American community. And yet, we've watched as our stories were told inaccurately by people who didn't look like us and didn't experience life like us – locally, nationally and globally.
We promise that won't be the case at The State News.
We strive to make a concentrated effort to actively seek out and listen to that 26.1%. Student news coverage is only relevant when it reaches all of the student body, not just the majority.
The State News is your student newspaper. What matters to the student body matters to us. And when groups like Black Student Alliance (BSA), Native American Indigenous Student Organization (NAISO), Asian Pacific American Student Organization (APASO), Culturas de las Razas Unidas (CRU) and more speak out, The State News will be ready to listen.
Editor in Chief Sa'Mya Overall (right) and Managing Editor Dina Kaur (left) pose with summer issues of The State News on Aug. 24, 2022. —
Rahmya Trewern | The State News
Our roles as editor-in-chief and managing editor gives us the platform to share these stories directly from those who experience them. We hope it implements a layer of trust – we want you to feel comfortable sharing your stories.
But we also hope to serve as role models for all the students of color at MSU. There's a place for you in the higher seats at the organizations you dream to work for. There's space for you at the table. Your voice belongs in that room.
So utilize The State News this year. Share your stories. Talk about your pain. Express your joy. Be comfortable in your skin and demand the space you deserve.
Faculty and student committee demand social-consciousness, transparency from MSU's investments
Alex Walters and Hannah Holycross
No foul play suspected in Knob Hill apartment fire
How community members are aiming to reform East Lansing sex education
Hannah Woehrle and PJ Pfeiffer
And know that at least two independent, female, student journalists of color are rooting for you from behind the scenes.
We hope we do you proud, MSU.
This story is part of our 2022 Welcome Week print issue. Read the entire issue here.
Share and discuss "'There's space for you at the table': Meet your editor-in-chief and managing editor " on social media.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Data Controller processes the Users' Personal Data in a proper manner and shall take appropriate security measures to prevent unauthorized access, disclosure, modification or destruction of the Personal Data. Data processing is carried out using computers and/or IT enabled tools, following organizational procedures and modes strictly related to the purposes indicated. In addition to the Data Controller, in some cases, the Data may be accessible to certain categories of employees involved with the operation of the site (administration, sales, marketing, legal, system administration staff) or external parties (such as third-party technical service providers, mail carriers, hosting providers, IT companies, communication agencies) appointed, if necessary, as Data Supervisors by the Controller. The updated list of the Supervisors may be requested from the Data Controller at any time.
The Data are processed at the Data Controller's operating offices and in any other place where the parties involved with the processing are located. For further information, please contact the Data Controller.
The Data are processed for the time necessary to provide the service requested by the User, or as stated by the purposes outlined in this document, and the User can always request their suspension or removal.
The User's Data are collected in order to enable the Controller to provide its services, as well as for the following purposes: analytics, contacting the User, interaction with social networks and external platforms.
By filling in the Contact Form with his/her Data, the User consents to their use to reply to requests for information, quotations, or of any other type as specified in the Form header. The following Personal Data are collected: e-mail address, name and surname, telephone number.
The services included in this section enable the Data Processing Controller to monitor and analyse web traffic and to keep track of the User's behaviour.
The User's Personal Data may be used for legal purposes by the Data Controller, either in Court or in the stages leading to possible legal action arising from improper use of this Application, or its related services, by the User.
For operation and maintenance purposes, this Application and any third party services may collect System Logs, i.e. files that record interaction with this Application and may contain other Personal Data (such as the IP User Address).
More details concerning the processing of Personal Data may be requested from the Data Controller at any time, by using the contact information for this purpose.
Users have the right, at any time, to know whether their Personal Data have been stored and can consult the Data Controller to learn about their contents and origin, to verify their accuracy or to ask for them to be supplemented, cancelled, updated, corrected, or transformed into anonymous format, as well as to block any personal data held in violation of the law, as well as to oppose their processing for any and all legitimate reasons. Requests should be sent to the Data Controller.
Any information concerning a natural or legal person that is, or can be, identified, even indirectly, by reference to any other information, including a personal identification number.
Information collected automatically from this Application (or that of third-party services used in this Application), which can include: the IP addresses or domain names of the computers used by the User connecting to this Application, the URI addresses (Uniform Resource Identifier), the time of the request, the method used to submit the request to the server, the size of the file received in response, the numerical code indicating the status of the server's reply message (successful outcome, error, etc.), the country of origin, the features of the browser and the operating system used by the User, the various time details per visit (e.g. the time spent on each page of the Application) and the details about the path followed within the Application, with special reference to the sequence of pages visited, and other parameters about the operating system and the User's IT environment.
The individual using this Application, who must coincide with or be authorized by the Data Subject, to whom the processed Personal Data refer.
The natural person, legal person, public administration and any other body, association or organization with the right, also jointly with another Data Controller, to make decisions related to the purposes, the methods of processing the Personal Data and the means used, including the security measures concerning the operation and use of this Application. Unless otherwise specified, the Data Controller is the owner of this Application.
The hardware or software tool by which the Users' Personal Data are collected.
Notice to European Users: this privacy statement has been drawn up in fulfilment of the obligations under Art. 10 of EC Directive no. 95/46/EC, and under the provisions of Directive no. 2002/58/EC, as revised by Directive no. 2009/136/EC, on the subject of Cookies.


In 2007 at the age of 19, Samantha was diagnosed with IGM Nephropathy, which progressed to Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis, a leading cause of kidney failure in adults. Currently, her kidneys are functioning at 15%, compared to normal kidney function which is typically 60-100%. In May of 2017 Samantha was told that she had gone from Stage 4 to Stage 5 kidney failure and would have to start in-home dialysis.
Now Samantha is waiting for a kidney transplant. She has to depend on the generosity of the community in the hopes that someone will say yes to donation and help to save her life.
There are currently over 116,000 people waiting for an organ transplant in the United States, and 10% of this list lives right here in New York.


World Casino Index is produced in conjunction with a number of different industry experts. Authors for this website have in-depth knowledge of gaming topics that span online, brick and mortar, casino, skill game, and every other imaginable facet of casinos and the games held within them.
We thank you for visiting World Casino Index and strongly encourage you to visit us again in the future as we continue to develop and cultivate the most dynamic and insightful gaming content available online today. Our aim is to be the most comprehensive resource anywhere in the world, and your visits help us to come one step closer to that goal with each added article and piece of content.


This week is a little quieter week in Church. As usual, we have home groups on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and Celebrate Recovery on Thursday. This Sunday, we have Sunday Service and next Sunday it's time for Prayer and Communion.
Celebrate Recovery is entering a new phase. We do a restart with some open "try it out" meetings on Thursday evenings. After Easter we plan to get started with step groups again but if you are interested in testing CR for one evening it's a good time to do that on Thursday.


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Evaluating COVID-19's Behavioral Health Impact on the Economy
by Irv Lichtenwald , CEO of Medsphere Systems Corporation 02/02/2021 Leave a Comment
Irv Lichtenwald, President & CEO of Medsphere Systems Corporation
We're now in a new year and new presidential administration. At least three companies are producing effective COVID-19 vaccines, which are being administered to healthcare workers, teachers, and the elderly. By summer, hopefully a large majority of the population in most countries will be vaccinated. From where the world now stands, we can see an end to prolonged isolation, trauma, fear, grief, and economic torpor.
But out of the woods, we are not.
The virus mutates, perhaps more rapidly than expected. Maybe the existing vaccines will handle all variants. One can hope.
Of course, as everyone knows, hope is not a strategy, so strategy divided up into carefully analyzed tactics are a very good idea about now. One of those tactics needs to be dealing effectively with the mental health fallout from almost a year of living in the world COVID-19 has created.
What does that fallout look like?
Back in August, the CDC compared anxiety and depression from 2019 to mid-2020 and found the former had tripled and the latter had quadrupled. Similar studies by the Boston University School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins found that depressive symptoms and psychological distress were higher than during Hurricane Katrina and similar devastations.
If you have a fairly mobile job like software developer or marketing manager—the kind of job that requires little more than a cell phone and an internet connection—your sense of stability may not be all that upended. However, if your job is customer-facing and garners hourly wages, your life has probably been shaken up dramatically, making those already most vulnerable even more so.
According to mental health professionals, however, what you do for a living may not be the primary concern when it comes to how people respond to COVID-19. The invisibility of the virus makes it more pernicious. When a tornado or hurricane pass, life can return to normal, but a virus enables some to deny its very existence and others to fear and resent both the virus deniers and the virus itself.
"You can't see it, you can't taste it, you just don't know," said Charles Benight, an academic who specializes in post-disaster trauma. "You look outside, and it seems fine."
Evaluating the COVID-19 pandemic from a behavioral health perspective elevates two questions: How will the economy get back to normal if people are still afraid to engage in normal daily activity? AND What does COVID-19 reveal about our existing mental health system?
It's the Virus, Stupid
As a campaign consult for presidential candidate Bill Clinton in 1992, James Carville boiled the keys to winning down to three short messages, one of which was, "It's the economy, stupid."
In 2021 we might say, "It's the virus, stupid." Getting the American economy back up and running requires managing the virus in both real and perceived ways related to public and mental health.
Even while the federal government can fund programs that provide counseling and treatment on an individual basis (the stimulus bill Congress passed in December includes $4.25 billion for substance abuse and mental health treatment), the primary concern related to the economy is creating confidence in the safety of the public sphere.
"Consumer confidence matters," writes Christos Makridis in Forbes. "… concerns about getting infected are closely linked with spending behavior, including going out to eat, going to the gym, and traveling. For example, 22 percent of those who are very confident that they can protect against the virus went out to eat in the past 24 hours, whereas only 11 percent of those who were less than very confident went out."
In other words, remove the anxiety and fear from basic decisions like going out to eat and people will more often go out. This comes as a surprise to no one. So how do we do that?
In a nutshell, by pressing forward with a comprehensive program that promotes masks and social distancing while rolling out vaccines as rapidly as possible. These efforts require at least several more months of hunkering down.
But a full psychological recovery from COVID-19 is a much longer project and dovetails with how the virus may have exposed the disconnection and ad-hoc nature of our existing mental health system.
A Leaky Boat in a Typhoon
Those who spend every day working in America's behavioral health sector have been telling us for a long time that the system, as it is sometimes called, has few systemic traits. The sizeable homeless populations in virtually every American city attest to the fact that the mentally ill and addicted fall through the cracks all the time.
So, a boat that was only kept afloat by the furious bailing of committed crew members is now in a powerful typhoon.
"If history is any indicator," says the American Psychiatric Association's Joshua Morganstein, "we should expect a significant tail of mental-health effects, and those could be extraordinary."
In a position paper on the repercussions of COVID-19, the Lancet says, "The economic breakdown that is likely to occur in the aftermath of the pandemic could exacerbate healthcare disparities and will probably disproportionately affect socially disadvantaged patients … Sooner or later, health systems will be faced with widespread demand to address these COVID-19-related mental health needs."
Also, note a few complicating factors unmentioned in the previous perspectives, namely that the country has been roiled by months of protests, political unrest and questionable tweets.
Admittedly, leaning on a broken mental health system to reduce fear and anxiety enough that citizens feel comfortable enough to fully engage economically is not a great place to be. Still, with the existing federal funding, states can take the lead in creating consumer confidence.
The first course of action is probably to expand facilities and providers. In many of America's more rural areas—Alaska and Oregon, as well as most of the Rocky Mountain states and much of the deep south—services are few and far between.
The Center for American Progress calls for the continuation of expanded funding even after the virus abates, and also a more concerted effort to make sure all citizens have health insurance and that insurance includes mental health care.
These are only a few of the numerous recommendations made for improving America's healthcare system. Of course, those recommendations have been made countless times before. Will this time be different? Maybe, because of dollars. This time it looks like the healing of America's economy has to also include also healing America's psyche
Irv Lichtenwald is president and CEO of Medsphere Systems Corporation, the solution provider for the CareVue electronic health record.
Tagged With: behavior, Behavioral Health, Depression, Electronic Health Record, health insurance, Health Systems, Medsphere, Mental Health, Public Health, Substance Abuse
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Treat in Place: Protecting Nursing Home Patients From Hospital Readmission »


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https://dwpdigital.blog.gov.uk/2014/10/27/for-staff-with-staff-improving-the-digital-back-office/
For staff, with staff - Improving the digital back office
Posted by: Michael Tattersall, Posted on: 27 October 2014 - Categories: Carer's Allowance Digital Service
When the Carer's Allowance Digital Service (CADS) project went through discovery (long before I joined the team), they were asked to build and iterate a first class customer facing service but also begin the transformation of the Carer's Allowance digital 'back office' process. Work commenced on that transformation with the building of the Carer's Allowance Staff Access (CASA) tool.
CASA is a replacement for the twisting unseen 'pipes' that the digital transaction slips and slides its way through and a replacement for the big pool the transaction ends up in. Sounds fairly easy but it has been a long road. The CADS team has had to break new ground in many areas within the DWP to implement this new infrastructure.
But anyway, onto some of the CASA benefits that the Carer's Allowance Unit should see: -
Automation of a data input task that previously took 6 hours a day to complete; this has been solved with 3 clicks of a button.
CASA uses data, that the customer has input, to produce a summary sheet that staff previously had to manually complete.
The layout of the system is easier for staff to navigate than the previous system.
CASA is built to Government Digital Service and DWP accessibility standards
The output used by Carer's Allowance staff now has a more logical processing flow.
Sounds like obvious stuff? Well, it kind of is. The beauty of CASA is that it's not doing anything radical in terms of what it delivers, its meeting the needs of the Unit and staff. Previously the Unit has been restricted by the IT infrastructure it used, which meant that it couldn't change any processes after the customer clicked submit on their digital transaction. Simply put, CASA makes the Carer's Allowance digital processing simpler and faster, meaning they can focus on processing claims and making decisions quickly for customers of the digital service.
The building of CASA has been driven by the Carer's Allowance Unit requirements. The Carer's Allowance staff have had direct input at every stage to shape and form how it will look and how they will interact with it.
CASA went 'Live' on 21/10/2014. Just because the service has gone live, however, doesn't mean the CADS team is done; the first release of CASA is the Minimal Viable Product. Work has already begun to iterate CASA with the help of the Carer's Allowance staff and provide yet more improvements to processing digital claims which benefit the Carer's Allowance Unit and its digital customers.
Hopefully the work carried out by the CADS team will pave the way for other areas of DWP to transform its IT infrastructure.
Discovering our Discovery: Scoping the Secure Communications Project at DWP
Comment by Leigh Mortimer posted on on 27 October 2014
Great blog Michael. Immensely proud of all the work you and the team did to make this happen. It was quite the journey to deliver CASA (I know I've aged rapidly) but I think we have done the hard yards here to make it easier for others needing to do something similar not just in DWP but across other government departments.


text:
Q: Console application consuming wcf service I have a c# asp.net web application/projct which is working well. Later I added a wcf service as new item to this proj. Then I add a new simple Console application to this solution to consume the wcf. It works fine in my local. (My local server name is A. Using
[http://A/MyProjName/wcfSendRpt.svc] OR [http://localhost/MyProjName/wcfSendRpt.svc] both Okay).
Then I published my web application( with the wcf service) to live server B. (B just host this only web-application. ) Both [http://B/wcfSendRpt.svc] OR [http://localhost/wcfSendRpt.svc] works fine.
Then I deployed my Console application to server B. ( I just copied the exe and config files to sever B). I changed the endpoint address in config file from [http://A/MyProjName/wcfSendRpt.svc] to [http://B/wcfSendRpt.svc] like below
<endpoint address="http://B/wcfSendRpt.svc" binding="basicHttpBinding"
          bindingConfiguration="BasicHttpBinding_IwcfSendRpt"
          contract="nsSendRpt.IwcfSendRpt" name="BasicHttpBinding_IwcfSendRpt" />

But it doesn't work. the error from event log is like below:
Unhandled Exception: System.ServiceModel.FaultException`1[System.ServiceModel.Ex
ceptionDetail]: An error occurred while executing the command definition. See th
e inner exception for details.

Server stack trace:
   at System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannel.ThrowIfFaultUnderstood(Message
 reply, MessageFault fault, String action, MessageVersion version, FaultConverte
r faultConverter)
   at System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannel.HandleReply(ProxyOperationRunt
ime operation, ProxyRpc& rpc)
   at System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannel.Call(String action, Boolean on
eway, ProxyOperationRuntime operation, Object[] ins, Object[] outs, TimeSpan tim
eout)
   at System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannelProxy.InvokeService(IMethodCall
Message methodCall, ProxyOperationRuntime operation)
   at System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannelProxy.Invoke(IMessage message)

Exception rethrown at [0]:
   at System.Runtime.Remoting.Proxies.RealProxy.HandleReturnMessage(IMessage req
Msg, IMessage retMsg)
   at System.Runtime.Remoting.Proxies.RealProxy.PrivateInvoke(MessageData& msgDa
ta, Int32 type)
   at CAScheduledService.nsSendRpt.IwcfSendRpt.SendRpt(String statementdate)
   at CAScheduledService.Program.Main(String[] args)

My console application is very simple: the code is like below
class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            nsSendRpt.IwcfSendRptClient ss = new IwcfSendRptClient();
            string a = ss.SendRpt(System.DateTime.Now.ToString("yyyyMMdd"));
            ss.Close();
        }
    }

I need your help to solve this. And I am pretty new in wcf. Is this wcf service in my web application is restful?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


West Conshohocken, Pa : ASTM International, ©2000.
Electric insulators and insulation -- Congresses.
Online-Ressource (, vii-x, , 3-211 Seiten) : Illustrationen, charts, Diagramme, tables.
"ASTM special technical publication 1376. - "ASTM Stock : STP1376. - "The ASTM Symposium on Electrical Insulating Materials: International Issues (1999) took place in Seattle, WA, on March 15, 1999, and led to this STP"--Overview. - Includes bibliographical references and indexes. - Electronic reproduction; W. Conshohocken, Pa; ASTM International; 2011; Mode of access: World Wide Web; System requirements: Web browser; Access may be restricted to users at subscribing institutions.
Add tags for "Electrical insulating materials : international issues". Be the first.


text:
AA MEMBERSHIP
WINTER HUB
AA Life
AA Jobs
Kildare student's app aims to keep us safe
26 Jan 2018 Posted by Chris Jones
Many of us get breaking stories from Twitter and news apps, but what if you want a specialised service that lets you know about alerts from the emergency services and Met Éireann as soon as they are announced? Kildare student Jack Jordan thinks he has the answer.
A Transition Year student at Scoil Dara in Kilcock, Jack has developed a mobile app called ÉIRElert, which is designed to alert users of weather warnings and emergency situations. It provides updates in real time and offers advice on what to do next.
"During Hurricane Ophelia in October 2017, I realised there was no one centralised place for people to get up-to-date information on what they needed to know," he says. "With this in mind, I launched this app."
As well as the live alerts, there's a well-researched 'Actions' section which contains practical advice for what do to in a variety of emergency situations, from major weather events and flooding to terrorist attacks and nuclear incidents.
The app also provides a list of links to useful websites, such as An Garda Síochana, the National Ambulance Service, ESB Powercheck and AA Roadwatch.
"Our live updates come from trusted sources," says Jack, "normally well-known journalists as well as members of the emergency services. A large proportion of the app's built-in information comes directly from the Office of Emergency Planning. The rest comes from other government agencies and even some from the UK authorities."
Jack says that the app is for everyone, but he hopes that it will be especially useful for older people who might need a one-stop shop for all the information they need in an emergency, or for emergency planners and local councils that need to provide people with information in a time of disaster.
At the minute, ÉIRElert is updated and maintained by Jack alone, but he is ambitious about its future: "The ultimate goal is to expand into other countries and have a team available 24/7 to push live updates to the app," he says. "I would also love to forge partnerships with government agencies to promote the app as a modern solution to information handling."
Looking further ahead, Jack hopes that his passion for the emergency services will help him forge a career in that area. "I think I might go to the UK and do studies in emergency services or law enforcement. It's always been something I'm interested in and I think I could make a difference there.
"Long-term, my ambitions are to join the emergency services or law enforcement, make a difference in people's daily lives and keep people safe."
ÉIRElert is available now for iOS and Android.
Written by Chris Jones
130,000 Motor Breakdowns Reported to AA Rescue in 2019
Additional Electric Vehicle Incentives Needed, AA Highlights
Over 1,000 Motorists Experience Hospital-Run Breakdown
1 in 6 Motorists Taking Hungover Driving Risk
AA Urges Additional Caution as Christmas Traffic Levels...
Copyright The AA (Ireland) 2019


Saraya joins the "Japan Sustainable Palm Oil Network" (JaSPON) as a board member in order to promote the use of RSPO certified oil.
Supporting the Osaka Summit Kansai Promotion Cooperation Council for the success of the G20 Osaka Summit.
Green Corridor Project SARAYA No. 7 Forest acquired!
New addition of the 7th SARAYA Forest to the Green Corridor Project.
Sanistar Water, the safe, reliable disinfection method with slightly acidic electrolyzed water has updated its website.
Another step in developing the food value chain (FVC) in East Africa.
Gains Extreme Sports Jelly now includes the "Informed-Choice" logo to ensure that you are consuming a safe, effective product.


text:
O conhecimento sobre a localizaçao  da Terra no universo tem sido moldado por 400 anos de observações telescópicas, e expandiu-se radicalmente no último século. Inicialmente,  acreditava-se ser a terra o  centro do universo, que consistia apenas os planetas visíveis a olho nu e uma esfera distante de estrelas fixas. Após a aceitação do modelo heliocêntrico, no século XVII, as observações de William Herschel e outros mostraram que o Sol e a Terra estavam dentro de um vasto disco, em forma de galáxia de estrelas, mais tarde revelou ser sóis como o nosso. Por volta do século XX, as observações de nebulosas espirais revelaram que nossa galáxia era apenas uma das milhares de milhões em um universo em expansão, agrupado em complexos e superaglomerados. Por volta do século XXI, a estrutura geral do universo visível estava se tornando mais clara, com superaglomerados formando em uma vasta teia de filamentos e vazios. Superaglomerado de galáxias, filamentos e vazios são provavelmente as maiores estruturas coerentes que existem no Universo. Em escalas ainda maiores (mais de 1000 megaparsecs) no Universo se torna significado como homogêneo que todas as suas peças têm em média a mesma densidade, composição e estrutura.

Uma vez que não se acredita haver "centro" ou "borda" do universo, não há nenhum ponto de referência específico com o qual traçar a localização geral da Terra no universo. A Terra está no centro do universo observável, pois a observação deste é determinada  em relação a sua distância da Terra. Pode ser feita referência para a posição da Terra em relação a estruturas específicas, que existem em várias escalas. Ele ainda é indeterminado se o universo é infinito, e há especulações de que nosso universo pode ser apenas um dos incontáveis trilhões dentro de um maior multiverso, no entanto, nenhuma evidência direta de qualquer tipo de multiverso, já foi observada, e alguns argumentaram que a hipótese não é falsificável.

Ver também

 Ordens de magnitude (comprimento)
 Pálido Ponto Azul
 Powers of Ten
 Galaxy Song

Universo
Terra

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Bo Sanchez, Faith and Spirituality
Join The Feast
"The church is a field hospital after the battle." – Pope Francis These pages are on fire. Born out of almost 40 years of ministry, Bo Sanchez shares the DNA of a simple movement that started as a tiny group that met in his parents' garage, and today has expanded to 285 Feasts all over the world. Watch out: the…
Leadership and Career
The Fired Up Life
Inspirational, Marriage and Family Life, P75 Books!
How do you cope with seeing a loved one's life erased by Alzheimer's? Cindy Reynes took up a second degree to become a nurse. But when her mother got afflicted with Alzheimer's disease, she chose not to practice her profession and instead become her mom's primary caregiver. While caring for her mom, she faced the greatest challenge a daughter can…
The Adventures of Toby Squint and Leon
Stories with Bible-based values that every kid will love!
Audio Books, Inspirational, Leadership and Career
How Underdogs Can Become Overcomers
How Can Underdogs Become Overcomers? JPaul Hernandez was a twentysomething trapped in credit card debts and purposeless living. After a series of wrong decisions, he hit rock bottom with the stress of his problems eating him up. It wasn't an easy journey, but through hard work, grit, training, the guidance of coaches and mentors, and God's unending grace, he was…
Family Goals: Embracing the Imperfections of Family Life
Wouldn't it be great to have a perfect family? But now and then we get stuck with issues and problems that make it imperfect. Sometimes it can seem like downright hell! Our family means the world to us, but they're the same people who get on our nerves. We want to improve the situation, but the very people we want…
Leadership and Career, P75 Books!
Success Beyond Success
Start Your Journey to Success and Significance Success without living for something bigger than yourself is meaningless. Yet, you cannot be significant without becoming successful because you cannot give what you do not have. Wherever you are in life right now - whether you've hit rock bottom or are longing for something more - let this book be your guide…
Saint John Paul the Great: His Five Loves
"Jason Evert has synthesized the life and teaching of Pope John Paul II around the motives that mark a saint's life: what great loves moved him to be the witness to the Gospel, the apostle to the modern world, a mystic who was also philosopher and pastor? Reading this book, those who knew him will find themselves smiling and nodding;…
Taken by Love
Ultimately, it all comes down to love. The collection of personal stories and reflections in this book, Taken By Love, trace the author's experiences of encountering the immense love of God — from her conversion to her entry into the renewal; her life of discipleship in community and on mission; and her experience of God's love even amidst sickness. It tells of amazing miracles…


St Albans is an ancient Roman city with a wealth of historical attractions to visit. You can enjoy the bustling street market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, walks in beautiful Verulamium Park, local theatres, wonderful boutique shops, restaurants and bars. Whether you are visiting for historic interest, or purely for fun, you will be amazed at what you can find to do in and around St Albans.


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What Would a No-Deal Brexit Mean for U.K./U.S. Relations? 6 Things to Keep in Mind
With the recent changing of the guard at 10 Downing Street, a no-deal Brexit is now the operative scenario. Come October 31, it's likelier than not that the United Kingdom will crash out of the European Union before inking a formal trade agreement with the bloc.
This historic event could have all sorts of first-, second-, and third-order ramifications, the extent of which no one really knows for sure. As American business leaders hedge their bets about the future of U.S.-U.K. relations following the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, it's time to take a step back and ask precisely what a no-deal scenario might mean for the countries' famed "special relationship."
Spoiler alert: The implications aren't all bad. Indeed, a no-deal Brexit could lay the groundwork for an unprecedented period of growth and opportunity in transatlantic relations — if U.S. political leaders are willing to work together to pursue it.
1. A Trade Deal Could Come Together Quickly
On a recent visit to London, U.S. national security advisor John Bolton expressed optimism that a U.S.-U.K. trade deal could come together quickly after October 31, especially on key manufacturing goods. That bodes well for negotiations, at least.
2. The Two Countries May Grow Closer Out of Necessity
More broadly, the U.S. and U.K. administrations see eye to eye on a number of key political issues, making it more likely that they'll find common ground on issues of mutual interest. This is a significant change from a status quo marked by tension between the governments of President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Teresa May.
3. The U.S. May Gain Some Leverage Over the U.K.
If the U.K. crashes out of the E.U. without first inking a trade deal with the bloc, the U.S. may find itself in a position of strength — that is, dealing with a United Kingdom desperate to make a deal with one of its largest trading partners.
4. The Irish Backstop May Hold the Key
In the end, the Irish backstop — the assurance that the U.K. won't reimpose a hard border on the Ireland-Northern Ireland frontier — may prove key to negotiations between the E.U. and U.K. Prime Minister Johnson has taken a hard line against the backstop, leaving E.U. ministers questioning his commitment to negotiations.
According to the National Review, multiple British ministers have put in overtime on North American turf this summer, working furiously to shore up relations ahead of the U.K.'s expected crash-out. But it may be for naught. In the United States, Congressional Democrats are cool to any U.S.-U.K. trade deal that violates the Good Friday agreement, as a hard border surely would. They have the votes to block it, should things go that far.
Is a No-Deal Brexit Really in the Cards?
Let's back up a bit. When we say that a no-deal Brexit is the "operative scenario" for relations between the United Kingdom and the Continent, it's not the only scenario that could obtain between now and the end of October. Indeed, both sides have real incentives to make one last push to ink a substantive trade and customs agreement before it's too late.
Still, while we shouldn't assume that a no-deal Brexit is assured, we also can't pretend that it isn't the odds-on outcome. It's worth reiterating that newly installed Prime Minister Boris Johnson appears in no mood to back down from his tough stance on the Irish backstop, which many within and without his government believe is a poison pill for E.U. negotiators.
One thing is for certain: The events of the next few months will determine the trajectory of the U.S.-U.K. relationship — and the relative strength of the two countries' economies — for years to come. That's reason enough to pay attention.
What Happens If My Dog Bites A Person
Revealed: The World's Most Awesome Dinosaur Museums


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Tindwari es un pueblo y nagar Panchayat situado en el  distrito de Banda en el estado de Uttar Pradesh (India). Su población es de 9544 habitantes (2001).

Demografía
Según el  censo de 2001 la población de Tindwari era de 9544 habitantes, de los cuales el 54% eran hombres y 46% eran mujeres. Tindwari tiene una tasa media de alfabetización del 53%, inferior a la media nacional del 59,5%: la alfabetización masculina es del 64%, y la alfabetización femenina del 41%. En Mataundh, el 19% de la población tiene menos de 6 años.

Referencias

Localidades del distrito de Banda


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9 Comments by WHB Resident
Changes in PILOT payments in the works
Amazing...last year, all I heard was how we needed property tax relief. Councilman Nuzzi comes up with a practical solution, and now he's getting criticized. What is wrong with everyone?
Here's a suggestion to all of those who know so much better - get off the computer, stop writing letters and whining, and go run for public office since you know all the answers.
" Nov 8, 08 9:06 AM
Town euthanizes Tank and Dolce
If the woman who got attacked had died from her wounds, would everyone feel better about putting these two beasts down? Come on, does someone have to die before bleeding heart animal lovers agree to euthanize animals that savagely and unnecessarily attack an innocent person walking down the street? Take a look at the pictures of the poor woman who was mauled by these two dogs for no reason - maybe you'll feel differently. Or maybe you'd feel differently if it was your mother or child that it happened to.
The Town did the right thing by putting them down. The only thing they did wrong was waste taxpayer money for 2 and a half years feeding and caring for two dogs that should have been put down right away.
I love animals, but Dolce and Tank were dangerous and needed to go." Jan 9, 09 10:20 AM
Pope holds swing vote on Nuzzi proposal
How anyone can argue that this cut is a bad idea is beyond me.
And to "number19," what you said above makes absoultely no sense. The cuts will simply save $96,000 a year. If the boards were 7 members for the next 7 years, the Town would have spent $96,000 more a year than if they were 5 member boards. It's not rocket science." Jan 16, 09 2:50 PM
Nuzzi proposes cutting the size of regulatory boards
to dagdavid and foodie, do your research. if these cuts happen the democrats lose 3 members, republicans lose 2, and conservatives lose 1.
mr. schepps, there's a lot more to concealing my identity than having "no guts." i have a family and a life, and i don't want it interfered with because of my comments and the people who react to them. people like you are EXACTLY why i conceal my identity. don't worry about who is making the comments, it's irrelevant." Jan 20, 09 12:08 PM
Southampton Town restructures its finance department, hires new comptroller
Once again, the comments get more and more tangential, and less to the point. This is a simple case of 4 board members playing politics, and one board member doing the right thing. If you think it's anything else, you're on another planet. This issue is quite simple (and mr. z, littleplains and a few others have hit the nail right on the head) - the Comptroller has failed at his job and should be fired, not given a new position at $100k a year. WAKE UP PEOPLE, we're supposed to be cutting costs, not adding them. And adding them to support someone proven to be incompetent? What world are the 4 members of the board who supported this living in? They obviously have never run a business, because if they knew what they were doing, they would follow Nuzzi's lead and clean this mess up.
Absolutely pathetic." May 28, 09 10:21 AM
Southampton Town Board incumbent Christopher Nuzzi (R,I,C)
Turkey Bridge - may I make two recommendations? 1. Get a life. 2. Find a hobby. This hobby of being an obnoxious political sycophant isn't helping anyone, including yourself.
Feel free to dislike Chris Nuzzi all you want. I don't always agree with him either to be honest - I don't care about that. But, you're worse than a 5 year old! And I happen to know how old you are! It's really sad.
I don't waste my time on these sites, nor did I bother reading more than a few of your 129 comments because I do a lot more productive things with my time. I vote, I stay involved, and I give back,,,but seriously...you should be embarassed for yourself.
I hope that you find a new hobby after election day, but unfortunately for the public, I won't bank on that..." Nov 3, 09 4:43 PM
Group Pushing For Religious Boundary Files Suit Against Southampton Town, Westhampton Beach And Quogue
I make every effort to refrain from getting caught up in these comments on 27east, but this eruv thing has me livid. CDwyer made a comment above that I think is so perfectly said, I can't top it: "This has nothing to do with civil rights, bigotry, tolerance, etc. Nothing is impeding their ability to practice their religion... except their own religion."
I don't give a CRAP how big the poles are or what they're made out of....that's not the point at all. If the eruv proponents want an area where they can bend the rules of their religion, fine. Make a map, draw a border and say "OK, you can do whatever is typically not permitted, within this boundary" and be done with it (yes, I think this entire concept is bizarre and ridiculous, but I understand that's just my opinion). Can I deal with looking at poles tied to larger poles? Yes. Do I like a mixed composition of races, religions, etc. in my community? Absolutely! Do I have any patience for a religious group stirring up controversy about their need for the community to accomodate their needs to exist in that community? NO. Knock it off. We're not going to stand for this obnoxiousness." Jan 18, 11 1:06 PM
p.s....Kudos to any elected official who takes a stand against this and to the several hundred Jewish neighbors of mine who have formed the JPOE (Jewish People Opposed to the Eruv). " Jan 18, 11 1:09 PM
Pell Refuses To Recuse Himself From East Quogue Dock Application
Pell is obviously relatively dim-witted. I can see both sides to this story, but if he has any common sense he can make a logical and easy decision here - stay out of it and recuse yourself. It's obvious that Pell has a majorly biased and personal issue with Dockers. He made his decision on any future applications submitted by Docker's clear during his campaign, demonstrating his inability to hear the facts and make an educated decision. His lack of intelligence and objectivity is dangerous." Jan 22, 12 11:22 AM


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Q: Setting the Player's Best time in an iOS App I have used user defaults to save the player's best time. Right now, I am only able to save the Player's last played timing through the use of the following code. I want the time to be the best time only if it is more (greater than) the previous time. Could anyone please let me know how can I do that? Will appreciate your help! Thanks!
func setBestTime(with time:String){
    let defaults = UserDefaults.standard
        defaults.set(time, forKey: "bestTime")

}

func getBestTime(){
    let defaults = UserDefaults.standard

    if let time = defaults.value(forKey: "bestTime") as? String {
        self.bestTimeLabel.text = "Best Time: \(time)"
    }
}

A: First of all you should store the best time as a Double as it will be a lot easier for you to to do what you want here. And then all you have to do is compare the stored value with the new one to determine which one to store:
func setBestTime(with time: Double){
    let defaults = UserDefaults.standard
    let previousBestTime = defaults.double(forKey: "bestTime")
    defaults.set(time > previousBestTime ? time : previousBestTime, forKey: "bestTime")
}

func getBestTime(){
    self.bestTimeLabel.text = "Best Time: \(UserDefaults.standard.double(forKey: "bestTime"))"
}

A: I would rather store the time as a number (like Int or Double). This allows you to compare times (easily), which is useful for your goal.
Besides, I would advice you to keep the get and set functions simple, instead of having them also do some UI-related things.
So, your get and set functions could be like this:
func setBestTime(with time: Double) {
    let defaults = UserDefaults.standard
        defaults.set(time, forKey: "bestTime")
}

func getBestTime() -> Double? {
    let defaults = UserDefaults.standard

    if let time = defaults.value(forKey: "bestTime") as? Double {
        return time
    }
    return 0.0 // If there is no time stored, return some default value.
}

As you see, they do nothing more or less than you would expect from their names.
So, now you want to save the new time only if it's greater than the saved time. How to do that, depends on where in the rest of you code you call these functions. You could do something like this:
// Setup
let oldBest = getBestTime()
self.bestTimeLabel.text = "Best Time: \(oldBest)"

// After the player has played a game
// I assume you get the new time from somewhere
let newTime = ...

// Set new best if applicable
if newTime > oldBest {
    // So, the player has a new best, let's save that
    setBestTime(with: newTime)
    // Make the UI display that new best time
    self.bestTimeLabel.text = "Best Time: \(newTime)"
}

Hope this will inspire you!


DYNE TECH is a manufacturer of RF and Microwave components and sub system for the telecommunication, military, commercial industries. They specialize in large scale production of filters, duplexers, power dividers and couplers. DYNE TECH works for government institutions and cooperates with the Suncheonhyang university for its research activity.


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La Fuente del Bombillo es una fuente monumental neoárabe de la ciudad española de Melilla. Está situada en la Calle García Cabrelles del Ensanche Modernista, y forma parte del Conjunto Histórico Artístico de la Ciudad de Melilla, un Bien de Interés Cultural.

Historia
Fue construida según proyecto del ingeniero Tomás Moreno Lázaro por el contratista Francisco Tortosa en 1916 e inaugurada el 6 de septiembre de 1916 por el general Federico Monteverde. Es restaurada en el 2005, y nuevamente en el 2021.

Descripción
Consta de dos torres almenadas blancas con puertas en arcos de herradura que flanquean y sobresalen de los dos nichos bajo también arcos de herradura con piletas, con una pared frontal con los mismos arcos. En el pilar situado entre los nichos se encuentra el Escudo de Melilla. Las paredes, a excepción de las de las torres, están alicatadas de azulejos con lacería típica del arte árabe.

Referencias

Enlaces externos

Conjunto Histórico de Melilla


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Desperate Congresswomen Of Hysteria Lane
November 15, 2006 by Ann Coulter
In the past week, there are 476 documents on Nexis heralding the magnificent achievement of Nancy Pelosi becoming the FIRST WOMAN speaker of the House.
I thought we had moved beyond such multicultural milestones.
The media yawned when Condoleezza Rice became the first black female secretary of state (and when Lincoln Chafee became the first developmentally disabled senator).
There were only 77 documents noting that Rice was the first black woman to be the secretary of state, and half of them were issues of Jet, Essence, Ebony or Black Entrepreneur magazine.
A New York Times profile of Rice at the time waited until the last sentence to note in passing that Rice was "only the second woman, and the first black woman, to hold the job." (In a separate column by me, it was noted that Rice was the "first competent woman" to hold the job.)
Not everyone ignored Secretary Rice's achievement. Gore's campaign manager, Donna Brazile — the last black person to hold a prominent role in any Democratic presidential campaign — told Newsweek that when she watched President Bush nominate Rice, "I had chills up and down my spine." Brazile said: "I never thought in my lifetime I'd see an African-American woman being nominated as secretary of state. George Bush made that happen."
On MSNBC's "Hardball," even Al Sharpton said of Rice's appointment, "I don't think you can sneeze at the fact that she has made a tremendous achievement as the first black woman in history to be a State Department head."
Rice was not the first black secretary of state because Bush had already made Colin Powell the first black secretary of state. That was back during Bush's first term, when Rice was the first female national security adviser.
Bush also named Alberto Gonzales the first Hispanic attorney general. He made an Arab-American, Spencer Abraham, secretary of energy; a Cuban-American, Carlos Gutierrez, secretary of commerce; an Asian-American, Elaine Chao, secretary of labor; and a retarded-American, Norman Mineta, secretary of transportation. It was as if Mariah Carey and Tiger Woods had children and they all joined the Bush Cabinet.
The whole place has been lousy with women since the first Bush term, including Gale Ann Norton, secretary of the interior, Ann Veneman, secretary of agriculture, and Margaret Spellings, secretary of education. For a while there, it looked as if Bush might become the first president whose entire Cabinet's menstrual cycles were synchronized.
In a rare article taking note of Bush's "Benetton-ad presidency," Time magazine's Joe Klein said of Bush's second-term appointments: "It took Bush a month before he named a standard-issue white male."
By contrast, John Kerry hired only white males for top positions in his presidential campaign, a fact so embarrassing that even the media eventually took notice. In Kerry's defense, almost all of his and Teresa's domestic servants appear to have been people of color, although we still don't have a final head count on the place in Aspen.
But when Nancy Pelosi — another Democrat who married a multimillionaire — achieves the minor distinction of becoming the first female speaker of the House, The New York Times acts like she's invented cold fusion.
There were two major articles breathlessly reporting Pelosi's magnificent achievement as first female speaker and an op-ed by Bob Herbert, titled "Ms. Speaker and Other Trends." Beatifying Pelosi as "the most powerful woman ever to sit in Congress," Herbert began: "Sometimes you can actually feel the winds of history blowing." There was a major Times profile of Pelosi, gushing that Pelosi was "on the brink of becoming the first female speaker." (Isn't she just the most independent little gal?)
So in addition to bringing back a cut-and-run national security strategy, tax-and-spend domestic policy and a no-enforcement immigration policy, the new Democratic Congress is apparently ushering in a return to feminist milestones.
I warned you people about what might happen if "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" ever caught on, and now you've got no one but yourselves to blame. Happy now?


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