If Romance is in the air, we have made finding Romantic breaks in County Durham with self catering cottages and apartments easy - just take a look at our great selection of romantic County Durham holiday rental and letting accommodation.
Check out the accommodation, availability and book online a big selection of romantic self catering cottages and apartments in County Durham available direct from independent owners and leading holiday operators.
We have 1 romantic holiday cottages, apartments, lodges and bungalows listed in County Durham. You can refine your search by using the County Durham Map or by searching by County Durham town.


Motion Control – Low Cost, High Precision XYZ and θ Alignment Stages!
Posted in Stages - Linear, Stages - Manual, Stages - Rotary Comments Off on Motion Control – Low Cost, High Precision XYZ and θ Alignment Stages!
Posted in Stages - Linear, Stages - Manual, Stages - Rotary Comments Off on Motion Control – Low Cost, High Precision Manual XYZ and θ Alignment Stages from OES!


Dear Samantha, nice to meet you and thanks Chris to introduce each other.
Permit me than to introduce myself and what I'm trying to do.
I'm italian, photographer and visual artist, class 1961, living in Chile since 2006 following, and sharing, my chilean husband's decision to get back to live in his own country.
This is my normal life and my job.
Follow here, instead, my green curriculum against plastic waste.
Plastic has been invented in 1950 decade and in around 60 years humanity made up such a disaster.
Now, since the developed countries are a step ahead, the question is: how long does it takes these less-developed countries to create awareness within the consumers?
b) packaging, bottles and any container are produced and sold by a market which is considered private from the economic point of view: why the same private market cannot be charged of its own recycling instead of the public administration?
In a city, this Municipality garbage collection model (public) has been for years the only way to get rid of the waste buy now, since the environment is almost saturate, we must change and revert the paradigm.
(*) on this point I support Bernardo Javalquinto who started the campaign here in Latin America long time ago.
Coming here back on 2006, after the typical tourism syndrome, I realized that Chile, even if famous for the incredible landscapes, is not a green country at all.
People is not educated to be green, almost nobody recycle, pollution is something you start to live with.
Of course, personal carbon footprint was (and it is still) a unknown concept and talking about plastic the situation is even worst: people feel it as something easy to use and throw away, with new the toy "the economic boom", everybody is concentrated in consume: 1000s of parties are celebrated using disposable plastic dishes and table cutlery, at the supermarket plastic bags are "benefits" and, at the end of the cash, there is a young guy or girl who put everything you bought in 10/20/30 plastic bags: eggs, lemons, cheese wrapped in plastic and than again in separated plastic bags!
Struggling, trying to understand what to do, wondering myself how arise awareness, I first started to speak with anyone, one by one, common people, very frustrating almost nobody was able to understand my attitude against plastic.
Second step was writing: I wrote 100s emails to press, schools, also to distribution channels asking them to stop to use at least plastic bags.
Something start happen, not only due to my effort so I hope, but I'm sure I made my contribution.
But when finally I could see photos of the Pacific Garbage Patch, I realize that any little step I could have done was nothing comparing to that disaster.
In that moment, I realized that the only possible solution is to revert the paradigm: distribution channel must be charged to recollect any recycling material they sell, packaging or part of the goods (as for instance bottle of shampoo). As I said, barcode is the last bulwark of control: after that there is only the environment. With barcode we can make a control per gram at sale.
And that, of course, even if Chile would accept this change, it was not enough and that every country in the world has to oblige distribution-channels and fast-food to do the same.
Sorry to say it is only in Spanish but I'll translate as soon as possible, apologizing I say: I'm doing all this beside my job obligation.
Concluding: since Chile is now in full election period, I sent this proposal to some Candidates to be President of the country in hope to be effective.
Bernardo Javalquinto offered immediately his support. Only one of them replied in person but nobody talked about the problem nor the possible solution.
After this result, I understood the idea was not enough, so that I decided to present it in person to the people I knew.
Starting from the closer academic professors in my agenda, one after one, I presented the idea to 15 prestigious figures. Reached that point I convoked this first meeting on next Dec. 19 which, I hope, nobody will miss.
By the way, accepting any kind of result, I made up a plan B, which is an art performance, that I'm going to propose to ARCIS the most active University in the artistic sense.
Samantha, this is what I'm proposing and doing, I'd love to know that as well in Europe there is someone who can promote this idea, which I say it is almost only matter of "space and will".
I hope I have been able to express myself clearly, in case of need please write me back for clarification.
Thanks to everybody for the time and attention you gave me.


text:
Q: How to do this with a fast method? I'm building a webpart for SharePoint 2010 that itereates through the whole site collection of a SharePoint site, and for each file within a document library it will save a value for each user registered at that site. Just for the record, there are over a hundred of users.
So far, I've tried the following code:
public static void CalculateValues(MyDataContext db, string siteUrl)
{
        SPWebCollection webCollection = new SPSite(siteUrl).AllWebs;

        Guid docLibFeatId = new Guid("00bfea71-e717-4e80-aa17-d0c71b360101");

        List<int> user_ids = (from u in db.Users
                           select u.Id).ToList();

        foreach (SPWeb web in webCollection)
        {
            foreach (SPList list in docLibraryColl)
            {
                if (list.TemplateFeatureId == docLibFeatId && !list.Hidden)
                {
                    SPDocumentLibrary docLib = (SPDocumentLibrary)list;

                    SPFolder root = docLib.RootFolder;

                    TrackingUtility.GetFolderNode(db, user_ids, web, root);
                }
            }

            web.Dispose();
        }
}

public static List<SPFolder> GetFoldersInFolder(CogitoRecommendationsDataContext db, SPFolder folder)
{
    List<SPFolder> result = new List<SPFolder>();

    SPFolderCollection subFolders = folder.SubFolders;
    foreach (SPFolder subFolder in subFolders)
    {
        result.Add(subFolder);
    }

    return result;
}

public static void GetFolderNode(CogitoRecommendationsDataContext db, List<int> user_ids, SPWeb web, SPFolder folder)
{
    List<SPFolder> folders = GetFoldersInFolder(db, folder);

    for (int j = 0; j <= folders.Count - 1; j++)
    {
        SPFolder folderNode = folders[j];

        foreach (var id in user_ids)
        {
            SPUser spUser = web.AllUsers.GetByID(id);

            SaveValue(db, spUser, web, folderNode.UniqueId, SPAuditItemType.Folder);
        }
        SPFolder subfolder = folder.SubFolders[j];

        GetFolderNode(db, user_ids, web, subfolder);
    }
}

So, when I execute the CalculateValues method, it takes too long for it to finish, and sometimes it doesn't even finish, because it throws an OutOfMemory exception (maybe there's some undisposed object?).
Does anyone know about a faster way for doing this? I really don't know what else to try.

A: You won't be able to make this function run quicker if you have to access each item individually.
Your best bet is to leverage SharePoint's search engine.  This would give you a fast index into all the documents and the values you need to pull.  For each document value you need to calculate, add a managed metadata property in central admin.
The only downside is this won't provide up-to-the-minute results.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


"Education May Cut Dementia Risk, Study Finds" - New York Times. 2/10/2016.
New research findings published in the *NEJM* indicate that the risk of dementia has been decreasing over the past 3 decades for Americans with at least a high school education. Some connect this trend to the adoption of healthier lifestyles. Others worry that increasing rates of obesity and diabetes may offset factors leading to this downward trend. Kenneth Langa says these findings suggest that "even without a big breakthrough in medication or a vaccine that would stop the Alzheimer's process, we can do things that lower the risk of dementia long-term." Michael Hurd, who projected in 2013 that the cost of dementia care in the US would more than double by 2040, says the causal relationship between education and dementia is still a "major puzzle," and it's too soon to say what these new findings mean for future dementia care costs.
"Can Dementia Be Prevented? Education May Bolster Brain Against Risk" - NPR. 2/12/2016.
"Education tied to lower dementia risk: study" - Globe and Mail. 2/16/2016.


text:
Information, Please!
Do ya know the name of this movie?
By SweetlySouthern, September 6, 2007 in Information, Please!
SweetlySouthern
Set during WW2 when the hotels are booked and a blond woman needs a room. She tells the desk clerk she's a war hero's wife and gets the room. Later that night, the soldier comes unexpectantly into his room and finds a woman in his room. They have to carry on the charade of being married and while doing so they fall in love. At the end she surprises him in the same hotel room. I can't remember any of the actors names, just that I really liked the movie. please notify me if you know this movie!!
cmvgor
Yo, SS;
At present I do not have the movie title you're looking for. However, I will make a search and see
if I can learn anything useful.
In return, I'd like to ask if you can help me solve the irritating problem of having TCM print multiple
duplicates of the stuff one logs in on their Forums and Threads. I see you have a similar problem.
Please let me know if you are able to solve it.
Overview for Music in Manhattan (1944)
Brief Synopsis:
An actress's publicist starts a rumor that she's a war hero's secret bride.
MPAA rating:
Runtime Listing: 80-81, mins.
Color/BW: Black and White
Sound: Mono (RCA Sound System)
Click for TCM Bio
(Frankie Foster)
(Stanley Benson)
Phillip Terry
(Capt. Johnny Pearson)
Raymond Walburn
(Professor)
(Mrs. Pearson)
Patti Brill
(Gladys)
Nilo Menendez
Minerva Urecal
(Landlady)
Don Dillaway
(Major Hargrove)
Edmund Glover
(Officer)
>>Complete Cast and Crew
John H. Auer
Premiere Information:
New York opening: week of 6 Oct 1944
mid-Mar--late Apr 1944
Duration (in mins):
Duration (in feet):
Alternate Title:
Cocktails for Two
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company:
Engaged song and dance team Frankie Foster and Stanley Benson take their act to Broadway, but when ticket sales are insufficient to support the show, Frankie decides to fly to Washington, D.C. to ask Mr. Bradley, the trustee of her father's estate, for her inheritance. Upon discovering that the flight to Washington is full, the Professor, Frankie's friend and fellow performer, tells the ticket agent that Frankie is married secretly to war hero Johnny Pearson and must fly to Washington to see her husband receive a medal. The hoax works, and Frankie is issued a ticket under the name of Mrs. Pearson. At the Washington airport, she is met by a chauffeur, who drives her to a hotel, where she is greeted as Mrs. Pearson and ushered to her room. Later that night, Johnny returns to his hotel room and is surprised to find Frankie sleeping in his bed. After Frankie wakes up and begins to scream upon finding a man in her room, Johnny thinks that an innocent mistake has been made and aware that there is a shortage of hotel rooms in the city, offers to sleep on the couch. In the morning, Frankie visits Mr. Bradley, and after he denies her request for the money, she hitchhikes back to New York. There, newspaper headlines heralding Frankie's marriage to a war hero have resulted in a sell-out for the show. Upon discovering the reason for her sudden popularity, Frankie intends to tell the audience the truth, but changes her mind when she realizes that it would kill the show. Meanwhile, Johnny reads about his "wife's" smash success and follows her to New York, and when Frankie returns home that night, she finds Johnny in her bed. Although Frankie tries to explain the situation to Johnny, he accuses her of using the war for her personal publicity campaign and pretends to fall asleep. The next morning, however, Johnny accepts Frankie's apology and agrees to leave after taking a shower. Johnny's plans are derailed when his mother, Mrs. Pearson, arrives at Frankie's door and announces that news of her son's marriage helped speed her recuperation from a serious illness. Concerned about his mother's health, Johnny asks Frankie to play along with the ruse. After Mrs. Pearson informs the newlyweds that she plans to stay for the entire week, however, Stanley, who lives in the same building as Frankie, climbs into her bedroom window. When Mrs. Pearson knocks on the bedroom door, Stanley hides under the bed, and after she leaves, he escorts Johnny down the fire escape and into his apartment. The next day, pictures of the newlyweds are plastered over the front page, prompting the Professor to suggest that they end the hoax by getting married and then having the marriage annuled. Frankie and Johnny follow the Professor's advice, and after a quick ceremony, Johnny signs a document consenting to an annulment and hands it to Frankie. Frankie, who has fallen in love with Johnny, breaks into tears and runs out the front door and into Mrs. Pearson. After Johnny informs his mother that he is leaving on a speaking tour and that he and Frankie have decided to separate, Mrs. Pearson tries to reconcile the couple by telling her son that Frankie is pregnant. When Johnny, who has fallen in love with Frankie, finds a note to her from Stanley addressed to "my wife," he thinks that Frankie has married Stanley. After the show that night, Stanley senses that Frankie has fallen in love with Johnny and releases her from their engagement. Shortly afterward, Johnny, thinking that Frankie is pregnant with Stanley's baby, bursts into the dressing room, slugs Stanley, and storms out the door. After completing his speaking tour, Johnny returns to Washington and receives a letter from his mother explaining the whole situation. Johnny asks the hotel operator to contact Frankie, and when she answers the phone, she tells Johnny that she is in love with him and has torn up their annulment. In response, Johnny says that he is packing his bags to come to her, but when he opens the door to his bedroom, he finds Frankie already in his bed, waiting for him
Wow! A "thank you" 11 years after the fact. That's got to be a new record. Well done, sir or madam.
Yes, nice to see credit given where credit was due. This clearly is one of the best examples of better late then never I have ever witnessed.
Gershwin fan
LocationCity of Mahagonny
On 5/25/2018 at 3:19 PM, LawrenceA said:
And only a "thank you." You'd think after a decade he'd have a little more to say...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Think You Spend A Long Time At The Computer? Think Again.
Archaeologists working on a shipwreck in Greece have discovered what they believe to be 2,000 year old body of a man next to an early form of computer.
Shipwreck With Link To Today's Technology.
The discovery of the remains of a man right next to an early kind of analog computer was made at a shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera. It is believed that the now badly corroded analog computer device known as the 'Antikythera mechanism' was originally used for calculating planetary movements.
Although the shipwreck was actually discovered as far back as 1900 this is the first time that archaeologists have been able to uncover the remains of some of the crew.
About the Device – The 'Antikythera Mechanism'.
Ever since the discovery of the Antikythera Mechanism which is widely believed to be the world's first computer, some more adventurous theories have speculated that the device was of extraterrestrial origin. Most scientists accept now that it represents very much an early earthly foray into what we know as computers.
Even though the brass and wood device was found with many other artefacts in the wreck back in 1900 it was ignored until 1951, after which it was studied by many scientists.
Looks Like The Workings of an Alarm Clock.
Even though noted physicist Richard Feynman is reported as saying that the remains of the device look like "the inside of a modern wind-up alarm clock" it was designed to monitor celestial events, seasons and festivals. The Antikythera Mechanism consists of at least 30 bronze gears in a wooden container the size of a shoebox. A crank in the mechanism made the gears rotate dials and rings which have inscriptions and annotations of Greek zodiac signs and Egyptian calendar days on them.
Similar astronomical clocks didn't reappear in Europe until the 14th century and it is thought that the knowledge needed to build a device like this had simply been lost through time, perhaps due to its specialised nature and / or the cost of building it.
This goes to show that the computers we use in the workplace today actually have their origins thousands of years ago, and although today's technological developments now appear to move very quickly, it actually took us a very long time just to get to this point.


Cross Hands residents turned out in force on Friday night to an open evening organised by Nia Griffith MP to see the plans for the development on the West tip site where the former Kwiksave store used to be. At the event which was held in Cross Hands Club residents kept the developers' representatives busy with their questions for the full four hours of the display. The plans include a supermarket and petrol station, together with 230 homes. Work is expected to begin on clearing the site this spring.
Hywel Humphreys of Carmarthenshire County Council's regeneration department explained that there is space set aside for a new medical centre and said that the adjacent plot may be used for a residential home, depending on an analysis of need in the locality and the area required for the medical centre.


text:
Q: how to maintain post variables inbetween pages Possibly stupid question time:
On many websites, when a user submits a form, the information is checked, and if it is incorrect they are redirected back to the form, with all/most of the information still intact and entered into the form. E.g. they type in the wrong password, but after the redirect, their username is still intact in the form. I want to know the best method in which this can be done.
I did some testing:
post1.php:
<?php
$_POST['user']='name';
header('Location: post2.php');
?>

post2.php:
<?php
if(!empty($_POST['user'])){
    header('Location: post3.php');
    //echo 'post: '.$_POST['user'];
}
else{
    echo 'nope post2.';
}
?>

post3.php:
<?php
if(!empty($_POST['user'])){
    echo 'post: '.$_POST['user'];
}
else{
    echo 'nope post3.';
}
?>

When using a form on post1.php, I could get post3.php to echo 'nope post3.' which shows that post values don't stick around after a redirect. However, when using the current version of post1.php, I could only get post2.php to echo 'nope post2.', meaning that setting $_POST variables manually doesn't work, or I could on the validation page enter $_POST['var']=$_POST['var'] and it would save the post variable through one more redirect.
I know this could be done using SESSION variables, but I feel like that could get messy quickly.
and before you comment about security risks, I obviously wouldn't do this with any sensitive information.
tl:dr; How do I best send variables back to the page the form is on after form validation fails?

A: I think as you mention using $_SESSION is more appropriate in this case. When You put something like:

$_SESSION['formVariables'] = $_POST;

then You can refer to these variables when you will be back on form1.php page.
The best solution would be to do validation on same page as the form by including validation script before the form and then if all is correct redirect to relevant page.
Is there any particular reson why you want to do validation on different page than form?


Concurrent Technologies participates in a number of strategic alliance programs.
Concurrent Technologies is an Affiliate Member of the Intel IoT® Solutions Alliance. A global ecosystem of more than 800 industry leaders, the Alliance offers its Members unique access to Intel technology, expertise, and go-to-market support—accelerating deployment of best-in-class solutions.


JEREMY Corbyn led a vigil for the victims of the Christchurch terrorist attack in Finsbury Park yards from where Darren Osborne murdered Makram Ali.
Scores of people squeezed into the pavement area outside the Arsenal shop in Finsbury Park as a show of unity with the victims of an attack on two mosques in New Zealand where 50 people were massacred.
In his manifesto, the alleged killer Brenton Tarrant referenced Darren Osborne, who rammed a van into a group of worshippers outside the Muslim Welfare Centre in Finsbury Park in 2017 killing grandfather Makram Ali.
At the vigil on Friday March 15, Mr Corbyn said: "When any of us are attacked we are all attacked. In exactly the same way a crazed person killed Makram Ali just down the road from here, this was an Islamaphobic attack.
Friday's vigil was called by the Stand Up to Racism group.
The Muslim Welfare Centre's chief executive Toufik Kacimi said: "I was full of sorrow when I heard about the attack. People went to pray, something so peaceful.
"I saw the attack here a year and a half ago and I know the terrible feelings of sadness they must be feeling.
"A man said to this attacker 'hello brother' as he came into the mosque. He was then shot dead. It is terrible.
"But it is great to see so many people here now, all together here against racism and Islamophobia.
"This is the real spirit of the British people. People like Darren Osborne and the attacker in New Zealand have tried to divide us, they want to drive a wedge between us.
A string of other speakers on the night condemned the attacks, including Islington council leader Richard Watts, Cllr Rakhia Ismail and Finsbury Park Mosque Imam Mohammed Kozbar.


Katy Days is where it all began.
The Vogts Sisters made their first appearance last year with their entry in Katy Days Got Talent, singing Down Along the Dixie Line.
They made it into the Top Ten Finals and won the attention of Russell Head, who went on to record their first CD this past fall.
Now the girls are returning to the Main Stage, this time for their own performance. They're looking forward to sharing some old and new songs with you and will have CD's for sale of Old Time Noise.
Make plans to join the fun at the park. Bring your family. See the crafts and eat some delicious food from the park vendors. Then stop by the Main Stage at 1:30 for some great music. Benches are available but you may want to bring lawn chairs so you can sit in the shade.


text:
Der Savena ist ein italienisches intermittierendes Fließgewässer (Einzugsgebiet ca. 175 km²), das bei Firenzuola, in der Metropolitanstadt Florenz aus einer breiten, durch viele Berge überragten Schlucht (Sasso di Castro – 1276 m; Monte Bastione 1190 m, Monte Luario 1140 m, Monte Freddi 1275 m) kurz nördlich vom Futapass entspringt; es ist der reichste Nebenfluss des Idice, zu dem es wenigstens 2/3 der Wassermenge beiträgt, besonders im Sommer, der wiederum in den Reno mündet. Der Reno und der Savena grenzen das Gemeindegebiet von Bologna im Norden und im Süden ab.

Wortherkunft
Eine Bemerkung zum Wortschatz: die läufende Betonung des Wortes fällt auf der drittletzten Silbe: Sàvena (praktisch nur die Bologneser sprechen es auf Anhieb richtig aus). Abgesehen von der Bedeutung des etruskischen Wortes Sàvena (wörtlich: "Wasserlauf") bezeichnet der bekannte Dichter Dante Alighieri schon im 13. Jahrhundert die Bologneser als diejenigen, die das Land zwischen Reno und Savena bewohnen.

Der Wasserlauf
Wenige Kilometer nach seiner Quelle tritt der Savena in die Metropolitanstadt Bologna ein und schneidet ein ziemlich enges und gerades Tal ein, das steile Wände aufweist, führt durch Pianoro und durch die südöstliche Umgebung von Bologna. Heutzutage endet sein Lauf in den Bach Idice bei San Lazzaro di Savena, ungefähr 55 km nach der Quelle. Seine durchschnittliche Strömungsgeschwindigkeit beträgt ca. 6 m³/s, seine kleinste hingegen 0,3 m³/s, bei Hochwasser kann sie sogar 150 m³/s erreichen, aber in den schwerwiegenden Überflutungen (einmal alle 100 Jahre) sind auch 400 m³/s oder mehr zu erreichen, wie in der Überschwemmung vom 4. November 1966 der Fall war, als der Wasserlauf bei Rastignano und San Ruffillo überschwemmte.

Literatur
 Domenico Benni e Gilmo Vianello, Il torrente Savena la sua valle i suoi mulini (Gruppo Studi Savena Setta Sambro, 2001)
 AA.VV., I mulini della Valle del Savena (Provincia di Bologna, 2000)

Weblinks

 Gruppo di studi Savena Setta Sambro, storia tradizione natura dell'Appennino bolognese
 Parco dei Gessi Bolognesi e Calanchi dell'Abbadessa
 Consorzio Idice Savena Setta
 Consorzio della Chiusa di San Ruffillo e del Canale di Savena

Natura-2000-Gebiet

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Azure Recommendations API's Parameter I would like to make a recommendation model using Recommendations API on Azure MS Cognitive Services. I can't understand three API's parameters below for "Create/Trigger a build." What do these parameters mean?
https://westus.dev.cognitive.microsoft.com/docs/services/Recommendations.V4.0/operations/56f30d77eda5650db055a3d0

EnableModelingInsights Allows you to compute metrics on the
  recommendation model.  Valid Values: True/False
AllowColdItemPlacement Indicates if the recommendation should also
  push cold items via feature similarity.  Valid Values: True/False
ReasoningFeatureList Comma-separated list of feature names to be
  used for reasoning sentences (e.g. recommendation explanations).
  Valid Values: Feature names, up to 512 chars

Thank you!

A: That page is missing references to content mentioned at other locations.  See this page for a more complete guide...
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/machine-learning-recommendation-api-documentation/
It describes Cold Items in the Rank Build section in the document as...
Features can enhance the recommendation model, but to do so requires the use of meaningful features. For this purpose a new build was introduced - a rank build. This build will rank the usefulness of features. A meaningful feature is a feature with a rank score of 2 and up. After understanding which of the features are meaningful, trigger a recommendation build with the list (or sublist) of meaningful features. It is possible to use these feature for the enhancement of both warm items and cold items. In order to use them for warm items, the UseFeatureInModel build parameter should be set up. In order to use features for cold items, the AllowColdItemPlacement build parameter should be enabled. Note: It is not possible to enable AllowColdItemPlacement without enabling UseFeatureInModel.
It also describes the ReasoningFeatureList in the Recommendation Reasoning section as...
Recommendation reasoning is another aspect of feature usage. Indeed, the Azure Machine Learning Recommendations engine can use features to provide recommendation explanations (a.k.a. reasoning), leading to more confidence in the recommended item from the recommendation consumer. To enable reasoning, the AllowFeatureCorrelation and ReasoningFeatureList parameters should be setup prior to requesting a recommendation build.


text:
All entries for January 2021
Out of Sight, Out of Mind?
Photo Credit: Knut Bry/Tinagent
Written by: Henrik Kjellmo Larsen & Eleanor Gordon
A Policy of Silence?
After the fire that destroyed the Moria Reception and Identification Centre on the Greek island of Lesvos, on 08 September, the 13,000 migrant-residents were moved into a quickly assembled new camp in Kara Tepe. Within a month this camp was already being referred to as 'worse than Moria', which had itself been described as 'hell on earth'.
After the fire, European Commission (EC) Home Affairs Commissioner, Ylva Johanson, said there would be 'no more Morias', recognising that the poor conditions were partly responsible for the developments which led to the fire.
Whether or not conditions in the camp would improve and the Commissioner's assurances honoured will now be difficult to ascertain in light of a recent General Operation Regulation of the Temporary Reception Facilities in Greece passed on 30 November. This regulation prohibits all workers operating in a refugee camp, including government civil servants and volunteers, from publicly sharing any information about the residents or the conditions in the new camp. Kara Tepe is thus continuing a dangerous trend of hiding harm with a policy of silence.
'Living Hell'
Moria was designated a 'hotspot' due to the overwhelming surge of migrants arriving on Lesvos in 2015. The 'hotspot approach' was intended to allow for a quicker Registration and adjudicate of asylum application and provide additional support to ensure dignified shelters and services.
However, when the EU-Turkey statement was signed in 2016, the vastly understaffed Greek asylum service meant asylum claims could not be processed quickly enough. The camp became a bottleneck, severely and perpetually overcrowded, with the 3,000-person capacity far exceeded by up to 20,000 people.
As a consequence, Moria, built as a short term transit camp but without even meeting the UNHCR standards of a transit camp, essentially became a camp for long-term residency where many migrants effectively remained trapped in deplorable conditions for months and sometimes years. Some described the camp as 'the worst refugee camp on earth', as 'a living hell', and a prisonlike place where the lack of food, poor sanitation, limited water and electricity supply and prevalent violence, earned the camp a reputation of being 'the moral failure of Europe'. These deplorable camp conditions contributed to a number of fires in the camp, including the fire which destroyed the camp, resulting from technical faults and growing desperation among migrant residents.
Over a period of 18 months, we, two scholars, one of whom has extensive field experience from Lesvos, conducted interviews with humanitarian actors working in Moria on the causes and effects of these poor camp conditions. Invariably, research participants described the conditions as deplorable, and as intended to both deter humanitarian actors and, moreover, prospective migrants hoping to enter the EU. Many were also critical of how information about these conditions was being carefully managed in order to avoid public scrutiny.
Information Control
Humanitarian actors described being prevented from taking photos or video footage in and around the camp by the police: 'If they get your camera, they delete everything'. This could be an indication of a desire to hide what is going on in Moria, and in so doing to keep it away from media scrutiny.
A number of humanitarian actors also regarded the recent, high-profile arrest of Salam Aldeen, a prominent NGO manager in the field, because he shared pictures and information and was an unrelenting critic of the terrible camp conditions and the treatment of migrants. His arrest was regarded by other humanitarian actors as intended to silence those seeking to document and share what they perceived to be wrongdoing by the Greek authorities. Many also regarded his arrest and the broader practice of policing humanitarian aid workers as intended to deter other volunteers from offering humanitarian assistance.
Humanitarian actors also said that when official visitors came, they would only be shown a small part of the camp, and only after it had been cleared and cleaned. These visits, during which journalists are not allowed in, were effectively staged to present the camp in a very particular way to avoid criticism and public scrutiny. However, a difficult balance needed to be maintained between avoiding criticism, while maintaining the spectre of deterrence by ensuring the message was communicated to migrant groups particularly, as well as to domestic groups hostile to migration, about the poor conditions. As one of our research participants (a humanitarian volunteer working in the camp) said in 2019:
They don't want to keep the camp so bad so that Greece reputation is completely ruined. When Angelina Jolie and the pope visited, they cleaned up the camp a little bit. Journalists are not let in… They don't want to show the worst part of the camp, but they want to make sure it's bad enough to not want to come.
Official communication thus becomes a balancing act between presenting a powerful show of deterrence for migrants, as well as those who might want to help them, and evading criticism for failing to meet the international humanitarian standards. This difficult balance is maintained by limiting disseminated information and keeping audiences separate. Paradoxically, the less that is actually known about Moria, the more these dual messages are able to be managed: criticisms can be avoided, and the spectre of detention is all the more powerful because of the element of the unknown.
The Camp as Carceral Space
Prisons also perform this balancing act of communicating different messages to different audiences, and similarly do so by controlling and limiting information that is disseminated.
It is no coincidence that Moria has been referred to repeatedly by our research participants as 'prison-like'. This is not just because it looked like a prison with its perimeter fences, barbed wire and gates, checkpoints and police guards. Nor is it just because the camp became a space of indefinite confinement. It is also because residents were segregated, contained and screened from outside communities, their movements strictly controlled and curtailed, and information about them tightly controlled.
Carefully managing information about groups in carceral spaces – through segregation, containment and curtailing communication channels – also helps protect the presentation of these groups as deviant and in need of control and punishment. Their continued segregation and containment, in often deplorable conditions, can thus be justified.
In effect, rendering migrants invisible enables a discourse to be constructed and maintained around the migrant left relatively unchallenged by a lack of evidence to the contrary. Segregation and control of information about migrants and how they suffer is also an effective governing technique, helping to dehumanise, facilitate indifference towards them and reduce acts of solidarity.
Hiding the Harm
With the policy of silence being legislated in Greece, under the General Operation Regulation, the Greek government is authorising an environment where the suffering of migrant remains unseen hidden from society. When suffering cannot be seen, when it is confined behind prison-like barriers, and when it is kept from public scrutiny by destroying camera footage, it is easier to dehumanise and to deny that human rights violations and other harms have occurred.
Efforts to hide the suffering enables dehumanisation and reduces the migrant to a number it enables them to be presented as someone who represents a danger, rather than someone who's in danger.
In turn, this justifies entrapping migrants in deplorable camp conditions and, paradoxically, helps justify disinterest in the harms they suffered, thus allowing harms to continue under the shroud of silence.
Gordon, E. and Larsen, H.K. (2020) 'Sea of Blood': The Intended and Unintended Effects of the Criminalisation of Humanitarian Volunteers Rescuing Migrants in Distress at Sea', Disasters. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/disa.12472.
Henrik Kjellmo Larsenis a PhD candidate in The School of Social Science at Monash University. He spent four months as a field coordinator doing search and rescue on Lesvos in 2015 and has spent the last six years working in the field of criminalisation of humanitarian workers, security, global governance and human rights. His research, practise and field work focus on violent borderwork, human rights and mental health of emergent groups and spontaneous volunteers in disaster areas.
Eleanor Gordonis a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Development at Monash University. She spent 20 years working in the field of conflict, security, justice and human rights, including 10 years working in conflict-affected environments with the UN and other international organisations. Her research, teaching and practice focuses on inclusive approaches to building security and justice after conflict.
Mouzayian Khalil : 26 Jan 2021 10:10 | Tags: Displacement Humanitarian Crises Migrants Moria | Comments (0) | Close comments | Report a problem
Harnessing Networks For Good
Written by Prerna Aswani
Project Lead, inHive (prerna@inhiveglobal.org)
Networks are inherently complex. And increasingly, I can't help but think that like social media, networks are a tool that can be used both for good and bad: networks can catapult positive social change, but also have complex power dynamics embedded within them. On one hand, they are by definition exclusionary: they are usually based on members having a shared characteristic or history that others do not. These types of affiliation can grow out of all sorts of shared traits or experiences, whether it be profession, religion or educational experiences. Yet networks, as forms of social organising and mobilising also have the power of giving voice to those who are repeatedly and institutionally unheard and marginalised. The current social, economic and political climate requires us to increase our investment in harnessing the power of networks for positive social disruption and to think more deeply about networks and inclusion.
Networks for social change
By being part of a larger group, collective or network, those from historically and institutionally marginalised communities can find a safe space to express themselves and connect with a community with whom they can resist oppression. Organisations and movements that create and strengthen networks for women and minorities have enabled these marginalised voices to be taken seriously.
I have seen first-hand how these dynamics emerge through the Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Adalat (BMMA), a national mass organisation of Muslim women in India, who run centres to support women to resolve marital disputes. They provide members a sanctuary, as well as a route to tackle the multiple ways in which they have been oppressed.
Their oppressions are multifaceted and intertwined. As lower middle class women living in a highly patriarchal society, their marital grievances often go unheard both within the family and their wider communities. At the same time, as Muslim women, they belong to a minority religion in a country where family law is governed by religious tenets through Muslim Personal Law. This law enables matters of family and marriage to be legally governed by the Shariat.
Speaking to members in the Mumbai branch, they shared with me how on a personal level they felt empowered as a result of being part of this organisation, and that it has led to substantive change in their daily lives. By taking their marital disputes to the women's centre run by BMMA, individual women have been able to negotiate a greater voice in their communities and families with the support of the collective. Furthermore, on a collective level, the BMMA has successfully advocated for women's rights in national law by connecting with other organisations, movements and networks. They recently won a case in the Supreme Court of India to criminalise the practice of Triple Talak, where a Muslim man could legally divorce his wife by saying Talak (Divorce) three times.
The darker side of networks
The BMMA is just one example of where individuals who are marginalised along multiple identity lines come together not only to empower one another in navigate their personal challenges of marginalisation, but also effectively confront institutional discrimination.
Yet as we celebrate the power of networks that give rise to organisations, movements and other forms of collective action for their capacity to catalyse social and institutional change, we cannot ignore the ways in which networks can and have historically reinforced the unequal power structures that govern the world today. 'Old boys networks' are renowned for giving their members considerable advantages: job offers, business deals and other opportunities are unequally distributed within these networks, which by design exclude all but the upper echelons. These powerful networks are often affiliated with former pupils of elite schools and universities, hence the notorious reputation of alumni networks as elite and exclusionary.
My own work at inHive seeks in order to tackle this challenge, by democratising access to networks for young people who have traditionally not had access to them. Our work is one part of a much larger tradition of movements building and mobilising through networks. Yet it can't be denied that on the whole, elite networks still wield the greatest social, economic and political capital. Networks of minorities and excluded groups absolutely develop a greater sense of empowerment for its members, but for the most part they tend to have lower levels of influence than established 'old boys' clubs'.
inHive building Alumni Networks with Health Poverty Action in Rwanda
And even within networks, movements and other forms of organising of minorities and the oppressed, complex power dynamics exist. Consider for example various anti-imperial and anti-colonial movements, where often older elite men exercised their power to silence women. Despite their vital contributions to the joint efforts, women's interests are often falsely presented as distracting in the fight against the main enemy, leading to their side-lining at best, and exploitation, abuse and violence at worst. These dynamics were present in the recent Rhodes Must Fall protests, when women, queer and trans people were leading the conceptualisations of the underlying tenets, but were pushed out of the organising roles and the protest frontline due to misogyny, and trans- and homophobia.
The Black Lives Matter movement is a powerful show of how historically marginalised groups coming together to mobilise collective action can have a huge impact. The movement has actually served as an accelerator for alumni of hundreds of schools and universities campaigning to decolonise the curriculum, my own alma mater included. By creating networks across initiatives and causes, solidarities and synergies emerge to amplify calls for change.
The presence of minority networks is both an encouraging success and a sign that more work still needs to be done. Rather than separate networks of the elite and marginalised, we need to build connections and linkages that are based on equality, openness and active listening to enable social change. Unlike the old boys' clubs that exist solely for the benefit of their members, we need to invest in more networks that commit to intersectional and social change.
Note: there are important distinctions between organisations advocating for social change, groups formed around certain causes and networks, and differing internal power dynamics within each. However, for the broad focus of this article around democratising these different types of structures for social change, I consider them in unison.
Prerna is passionate about youth development, access and social mobility. She is a development consultant with a diverse set of experiences. Having spent her early career in economic consulting and then transitioned to the social sector, within the education and youth development space, she has experience of working with stakeholders across the private and third sectors.
Mouzayian Khalil : 13 Jan 2021 10:09 | Tags: Communities Exclusion Inclusion Networks Social Change | Comments (0) | Close comments | Report a problem
Dec | Today | Feb


text:
SWITCH TO ELECTRIC POWER TO GET YOUR TWO-WHEELED THRILLS
HighLifeChannel March 25, 2019
Electric cars are becoming part of the everyday motoring landscape, and so are EV motorcycles and scooters. The reason electric power is ideal for these jam-busters is most of these vehicles are used for shorter commuter journeys, often in cities and built-up environments where pollution is at its worst. Light weight also means a scooter or motorcycle is perfectly designed to make the most of a battery-powered set-up when it comes to range and quick re-charging.
There are plenty of options out there for those who want to go down the two-wheel EV route and something to suit every rider's tastes. One of the pioneers of the EV motorcycle is Zero, a US-based firm, that started out producing bikes for commuters as an alternative to a lightweight 125- or 250cc machine. Now, Zero offers the FX, SR and DSR lines so you have the pick of that original compact off-road style commuting bike, a mid-size naked street bike in the SR and something with an adventure flavour with the DSR.
Just as importantly as the variety in its range, Zero's bikes have a claimed range of up to 359km (224 miles). That's more than most petrol-fuelled motorcycles can manage on a brimmed tank and there's an equally compelling reason for choosing a Zero or other EV two-wheeler for city riding: instant power.
The best battery-powered two-wheelers
Unlike petrol-engined motorcycles where you usually need a fistful of revs to get going, battery-powered two-wheelers enjoy almost instant torque the moment you twist the throttle. This is because electric motors give full power the moment they start turning instead of having to build to a peak. It makes getting away from traffic lights and filtering through congested streets very easy, especially with the smooth delivery of most EV motorcycles.
On the open road, you will sacrifice some range for greater speed, but that's the case with any fuel source. Vitally, the latest breed of EV motorcycles come with plenty of performance and the handling to match. Zero's SR/F is easily a match for the best mid-sized naked machines, such as the Yamaha MT-07 or Suzuki GSX-S750. However, the Zero's considerably higher price at €23,090 means you'll need to use it a lot to offset the price over its petrol-engined rivals.
EV motorcycling experience
However, motorcycling is rarely about simple numbers and much more about experiences, and EVs offer a different experience in almost every sector. The Energica Ego process beyond doubt that battery power and superbike dynamics go together very well. It looks sensational and this Italian-built bike has the handling, brakes and specification to tempt many away from similarly rapid machines costing about the same €23,000.
For a very different take, even Harley-Davidson is getting in on the EV act with its LiveWire that borrows its style from the company's flat trackers of the 1970s. Costing from €30,000, it's expensive but has all of the traditional Harley virtues coupled to a 110-mile emissions-free range and a turn of speed few would expect of this style of bike.
Scooters with a removable battery pack
That zero emissions point will not be missed by many motorcyclists as more cities introduce Low Emissions Zones. When two-wheelers are already the ideal form of transport to beat congestions, a bike with no tailpipe pollution is even more attractive and the cost-savings will also help to offset any additional upfront purchase price over a petrol-fuelled motorcycle.
And it's not all about motorcycles. There are plenty of EV scooters out there to choose from, including the classically styled Vespa Eletrrica. Looking every inch the dolce vita Vespa, it has a 100km (60-mile) range and takes four hours to fully charge, so you can plug it in while at work ready to ride home in the evening.
A different take on charging comes from Kymco with its Many 110 that it has developed in partnership with Ionex. This design has a core battery permanently fitted so the scooter can always be used, but it also comes with a removable battery pack that can be charged at an Ionex station while you continue to ride.
Treading the middle ground between lightweight scooters and motorcycles is BMW C-Evolution maxi-scooter. It costs around €13,000 and has a range of 100km (62 miles), as well as a 47bhp motor for performance that's on a par with the best super-scooters in the class. Crucially, used values of this machine and other EV two-wheelers are bearing up well due to popularity, which means the cost of ownership is very similar to a petrol alternative.
If that still doesn't convince you, there are cheaper EV scooters such as the NIU M+ from just €2000 with a 130km (80-mile) range and 3.5-hour charging time. Like many EV two-wheelers, this includes a plug-in vehicle grant in several European countries that is deducted from the purchase price, offering a further enticement to switch to electric power to get your two-wheeled thrills.
engined
Gucci Captures Florence Welch's Bohemian Spirit For Latest Jewellery Campaign
ETHICAL JEWELLERY IS BASELWORLD'S ULTIMATE LUXURY
MAKING THE CASE FOR ALTERNATIVE FUEL
HighLifeChannel Mar 04
ELECTRIC AND HYBRID CARS AT THE LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW
HighLifeChannel Dec 06
Mercedes-Benz Rolls Out Fuel-Cell SUV to Tackle Tech Hurdles
HighLifeChannel Oct 10
New electric Smart ForEase concept unveiled for Paris
Bay Palms Book
Wider 165 motor yacht Project Cecilia is launched
Highest earning solo musician in Forbes rich list
Carlsberg beer becomes one of the first breweries to abandon plastic rings
The multi-million-dollar paintings that could be about to make art market history
The Invite To The Louis Vuitton Men's Show Is A Sparkly Michael Jackson Glove
SUSTAINABLE GIN FROM GRASSE
Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace
Lost Cimabue masterpiece worth more than $6M found in French woman's kitchen


text:
Q: How to get my custom validation workign with 2 parameters (Asp.net mvc 3) I have a ViewModel that holds Date, Hour and minute as a string, each of these have a textbox for entering values into them, what I then want is a custom validator that ensures that if a value is entered into one of the fields then the rest have to be filled out as well, otherwise they can be empty, its all or nothing!
I have made a little test project here, but its not workign the way it should, I have followed http://www.devtrends.co.uk/blog/the-complete-guide-to-validation-in-asp.net-mvc-3-part-2 but I think my issues are clientside, as I cant see any value on the Params if I do a breakpoint in chrome.
The View:
@model validationproject.Models.DateTimeViewModel

@{
    ViewBag.Title = "ViewPage1";
}

ViewPage1

@using (Ajax.BeginForm("CreateDateTime", "Home", new {}, new AjaxOptions {HttpMethod = "Post"}))
{

    @Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.Date, new {@Id = "date"})

    @Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.Hour, new {@Id = "hour"})

    @Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.Minute, new {@Id = "minute"})

    @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.Date)
    @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.Hour)
    @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.Minute)

}

JQuery validator file
$.validator.unobtrusive.adapters.add(
            'fulldaterequired',
            ['part1', 'part2'],
            function (options) {
                options.rules['fulldaterequiredcheck'] = options.params;
                options.messages['fulldaterequiredcheck'] = options.message;
            }
        );

$.validator.addMethod(
        'fulldaterequiredcheck',
        function (value, element, params) {

            if (!value && (params['otherproperty1'] || params['otherproperty2'])) {
                return false;
            }
            return true;
        }
    );

My Viewmodel
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations;
using System.Web.Mvc;

namespace validationproject.Models
{
    public class DateTimeViewModel
    {
        [Display(Name = "Date")]
        [FullDateRequired(("Hour"), ("Minute"))]
        public string Date { get; set; }

        [Display(Name = "Hour")]
        [FullDateRequired(("Minute"), ("Date"))]
        public string Hour { get; set; }

        [Display(Name = "Minute")]
        [FullDateRequired(("Hour"), ("Date"))]
        public string Minute { get; set; }
    }

    [AttributeUsage(AttributeTargets.Property, AllowMultiple = false, Inherited = true)]
    public sealed class FullDateRequired : ValidationAttribute, IClientValidatable
    {
        private const string DefaultErrorMessage = "{0} is required.";
        public string OtherProperty1 { get; private set; }
        public string OtherProperty2 { get; private set; }
        public FullDateRequired(string otherProperty1, string otherProperty2)
            : base(DefaultErrorMessage)
        {
            OtherProperty1 = otherProperty1;
            OtherProperty2 = otherProperty2;
        }
        public override string FormatErrorMessage(string name)
        {
            return string.Format(ErrorMessageString, name);
        }
        protected override ValidationResult IsValid(object value, ValidationContext validationContext)
        {
            var otherProperty1 = validationContext.ObjectInstance.GetType().GetProperty(OtherProperty1);
            var otherProperty2 = validationContext.ObjectInstance.GetType().GetProperty(OtherProperty2);
            var otherProperty1Value = string.IsNullOrEmpty((string)otherProperty1.GetValue(validationContext.ObjectInstance, null));
            var otherProperty2Value = string.IsNullOrEmpty((string)otherProperty2.GetValue(validationContext.ObjectInstance, null));

            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty((string)value) && (!otherProperty1Value || !otherProperty2Value))
            {
                return new ValidationResult(FormatErrorMessage(validationContext.DisplayName));
            }
            return ValidationResult.Success;
        }
        public IEnumerable<ModelClientValidationRule> GetClientValidationRules(ModelMetadata metadata, ControllerContext context)
        {
            var clientValidationRule = new ModelClientValidationRule()
            {
                ErrorMessage = FormatErrorMessage(metadata.GetDisplayName()),
                ValidationType = "fulldaterequired"
            };
            clientValidationRule.ValidationParameters.Add("otherproperty1", OtherProperty1);
            clientValidationRule.ValidationParameters.Add("otherproperty2", OtherProperty2);
            return new[] { clientValidationRule };
        }
    }
}

A: Your javascript contains 'part1' and 'part2' which should be 'otherproperty1' and 'otherproperty2' as defined in your viewmodel. The correct script should be:
$.validator.unobtrusive.adapters.add(
        'fulldaterequired',
        ['otherproperty1', 'otherproperty2'],
        function (options) {
            options.rules['fulldaterequiredcheck'] = options.params;
            options.messages['fulldaterequiredcheck'] = options.message;
        }
    );

        $.validator.addMethod(
    'fulldaterequiredcheck',
    function (value, element, params) {
        if (value == '' && ($('#' + params['otherproperty1']).val() != '' || $('#' + params['otherproperty2']).val() != '')) {
            return false;
        }
        return true;
    }
);

Add this to your view (inside the form) to show errormessages when you press the submit button:
    @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.Date)
    @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.Hour)
    @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.Minute)

    <input type="submit" />


text:
Keeping our customers satisfied is our main priority
Canadian Franchise Association
Awards of Excellence in Franchising
Our hard work has paid off! Merry Maids has been recognized for excellence in franchise operations. Winning The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) Award of Excellence in Franchising reflects the positive relationship between the franchise system and franchisees.
The CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising is restricted to CFA franchise system members who have a minimum of three years' experience and operate at least six franchises. In addition, it's the highest achievement a Canadian franchise can receive from the CFA.
The competition is fierce every year and it truly takes a team effort to win. We are proud to be the winner of an award demonstrating our strength in teamwork, communication and a dedication to superior franchise relations.
2018 Women's Choice Award
Merry Maids has been recognized in The United States as the Top Home Cleaning Service. We owe it to our fantastic teams who uphold our high standard of service around the globe. Whether it's our customer service, providing a quality clean, or just taking one thing off our clients' busy to-do list, we're honoured to be recognized for our efforts.
See firsthand why we're an award-winning service. Call us today at 705-725-1170!


The Malta National Aquarium is home to a large variety of marine life from different parts of the world. There are 26 display tanks in total which together contain just under a million litres of water.
Hiding away in Salina, on the outskirts of St. Paul's Bay, Bird Park Malta is one of the island's best kept secrets!
There are currently eight incredible dolphins at the marine park - three of these are bottlenose calves who were born and raised there. All these dolphins have been trained using positive reinforcement technique which means no form of restraint has been used. This motivates them mentally and physically.
This is a unique opportunity to interact with some of the wonderful animals at the Marine Park. There are currently three remarkable sea lions, eight amazing dolphins and some beautiful parrots. All these animals have been trained using positive reinforcement technique which means no restraint has been used. This motivates them both physically and mentally.
Golf Courses are held at the Royal Malta Golf Club which is part of Malta's most exclusive Sports Club.
To see the various places of interest in Gozo, the Hop On Hop Off Tour is perfect. Hop off at any of the numerous stops then hop back on again when you are ready.
To see the various places of interest in the South of Malta, the Hop On Hop Off Tour is perfect. Hop off at any of the numerous stops then hop back on again when you are ready.
This guided horse trek makes its way through the agricultural village of Bidnija, Wardija hilltop village and the surrounding countryside. You'll enjoy some of the best views of the Northern Coast.
What better way to view some of the most spectacular coastlines in Malta, as well as its beautiful sunsets, than on horseback?
The Malta Jeep Safari is a full day activity. You will be collected from your accommodation at around 07:30 and taken to the jeep safari terminal.
Mediterraneo Marine Park is a great way for adults and children to enjoy and understand more about the marine life and its inhabitants at close quarters, as well as different types of birds and reptilian species through edutainment.
This unique, exciting waterpark is located in Mellieha, at Malta's largest sandy beach. It has a 4.5m high iceberg to climb and jump off or slide down, a Saturn rocker and two large trampolines to bounce on.
Learn more about these remarkable birds from an experienced trainer who will introduce you to them and tell you all about their personalities and lifestyle.
Popeye Village Fun Park was originally built as the set of the 1980 musical Popeye starring the late great Robin Williams, and has now been converted into a park for the entire family.
Kids driving you up the wall? Well, we have just the thing, not a wall but the next best thing!
Tennis Courses are held at Malta's most exclusive Sports Club. Tennis facilities provided at the club include 17 hard courts and 2 clay courts.
Scuba diving for the beginner. For all the family.
Witness and feel the history and culture and experience it in this unique, fascinating multi-dimensional way with amazing effects such as 3D images, moving seats, water spray, air blasts and leg ticklers!
The Valletta Photography Tour is a fantastic way to see incredible sites while learning the techniques you need for photography. This amazing 4 hour tour will take you around the most beautiful and interesting places in Valletta.
This is a crazy fun filled thrill! A must!
Adventure on the not so high seas for all the family!


text:
Mike Portnoy & Steve Vai Used To Sneak Into Bars To See Twisted Sister at 15 yrs Old-Jay Jay French
Canada's The Metal Voice recently spoke to Twisted Sister Guitarist Jay Jay French. In the interview Jay Jay French was asked about why Mike Portnoy and Steve Vai were chosen to induct Twisted Sister at the Metal Hall of fame gala 2023. Also how Mike Portnoy ended up filling in on drums after A.J. Pero died.
Full interview here
French said, "Mike Portnoy and Steve Vai are going to induct us (Metal Hall of Fame) and the reason why they are going to induct us is, they used to sneak in and see Twisted Sister when they were 15 years old in the bars in Long Island. This is Steve Vai and Mike Portnoy, two of the greatest rock musicians on the planet. " He continued, "Now when A.J. died, for those of you who don't know, A.J. was in a band called The Adrenaline Mob and that was his side gig when Twisted wasn't on the road. He was on the road with Adrenaline Mob and he died in the tour bus of Adrenaline Mob in a parking lot in Poughkeepsie, New York, he had a heart attack. A.J. also replaced Mike Portnoy who was in Adrenaline Mob. So A.J. dies and the day after there was a memorial show in New Jersey. Adrenaline put on the show and I went because they asked me to appear on behalf of Twisted Sister and play a song with Adrenaline Mob. And I'm sitting there and Mike Portnoy was there and Mike Portnoy and I were in the dressing we'd never met officially and we're both crying because A.J. just died 24 hours before. We're both like crying you know but anyway um Mike looked at me and says man uh what are you guys gonna do because we had a tour lined up and I went I don't know ? I don't know if we haven't even discussed it. He said well look I'm not touring this summer and if you need a drummer call me I'm available. So we attended A.J.'s wake a couple of days later and we're all sitting around his father-in-law's house in Staten Island discussing the future of the band and I went you to know Mike Portnoy offered his services should we decide to continue. Now at that point the whole European Festival tour was set up that summer so we all these promoters are now calling to find out because we're headlining 15 festivals and we're telling them give us some time because we can't process this is too traumatic. We were so Blown Away by Mike's offer and we thought about it and said you know what oh we'll take you up on it. "
The Metal Hall Of Fame is a non-profit organization that enshrines forever those iconic musicians, artists, music industry executives who are responsible for making hard rock and heavy metal music what it is today. Their contribution to the genre is invaluable, and they keep inspiring fans throughout the world, from generation to generation. A special Rocavaka meet-and-greet with Snider, Rocavaka's brand ambassador, will take place after the induction ceremony where limited-edition Snider numbered Rocavaka bottles will be made available for purchase and signing. Tickets are $35 in advance or $45 at the door via www.metalhalloffame.org
Top 10 Best & Definitive Cover Songs by Hard Rock/Metal Bands-w/ Gus G, Ex Ozzy, Firewind Guitarist


text:
Chase Simon, né le  à Détroit au Michigan, est un joueur américain de basket-ball. Il évolue aux postes d'ailier et d'arrière.

Biographie

Au mois de , il fait son retour dans le championnat de France en s'engageant pour une saison avec la JDA Dijon. À l'issue de cette dernière, il prolonge son contrat pour deux saisons supplémentaires.

Palmarès

Notes et références

Liens externes

Naissance en mars 1989
Naissance à Détroit (Michigan)
Joueur américain de basket-ball
Joueur de basket-ball des Chippewas de Central Michigan
Joueur de basket-ball des Titans de Détroit
Joueur du KK Šiauliai
Joueur du ASK Siarka Tarnobrzeg
Joueur du Bàsquet Manresa
Joueur du Maccabi Ashdod (basket-ball)
Joueur de la Jeunesse laïque de Bourg-en-Bresse
Joueur de l'Anwil Włocławek
Joueur de la JDA Dijon


text:
Pyre Review — Revolution by Sport
I can't recall a sports video game that captures the feelings that develop before and after a team-based contest like Pyre does. Although the rules and intricacies of Pyre's fictional sport are fascinating, developer Supergiant Games' greatest accomplishment lies in how it subverts role-playing game conventions to up the emotional ante and affect roster options, as when two party members, due to bad blood, refuse to compete at the same time. By the conclusion of this game, you take away a deeply personal win-loss record that can have world-altering effects on Pyre's fantasy setting, including one possibility that speaks to a compelling type of political resistance.
As the mysterious Reader (think head coach), you lead a group of exiles on a mission to win Rites, three-on-three competitions where the object is to throw an orb into the opposing team's fiery goal until the fire is extinguished. Every so often, a team member has an opportunity to return home to the Commonwealth, a place of prosperity, by winning what the game calls a Liberation Rite. Once a character is freed from exile, he or she is effectively retired and can no longer play on your team.
The catch is that only characters who have been leveled up a particular amount can be eligible for liberation. This rule means that if you stick to a favorite trio to increase your odds of winning Rites, you will have to do without a preferred athlete permanently if you are the victor of a Liberation Rite — an ingenious punishment for following the old RPG standard of leveling up with abandon. This set-up creates questions about how your strategy must change after you lose an essential piece of your team (a parallel might be losing, say, Kevin Durant to season-ending injury). Pyre forces you to learn how to use characters who seem less appropriate for your system. As such, the game works as a believable simulation of maximizing talent as a coach, with all the pride and frustration that comes with the job between significant matches.
At the same time, you are not required to win matches in Pyre. Here, the game deviates again from the norm: in most RPGs, losing a battle means you can't progress. But Pyre continues even when you lose, which can set up a variety of emotionally charged situations. Before one Liberation Rite, one of your team members may plead with you to allow the opposition to win, as her sister plays for the other team and has an opportunity to be forgiven of her past misdeeds. In another case, if you win and choose to liberate a character before he has an opportunity to fulfill a promise to friends, you will be told about his guilt, so losing in that case might seem more fulfilling. Or what if you win every Rite with the exception of contests against a specific team? You then become acquainted with a nagging status that the New England Patriots must bear: a dynasty that nonetheless can't defeat its archenemy (in the Patriots' case, the New York Giants). With a storytelling fervor inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, Supergiant Games homes in on the friendships, rivalries, and other connections that make sports a lesson in theater and psychology.
Prye's emphasis on motivation and ego shines the brightest with a character named Volfred Sandalwood. At first, Volfred seems like nothing more than an intelligent control freak, as he goes on and on about you and your team fitting into a plan to overthrow the powers that be in the Commonwealth, so that no other person will have to suffer the injustice of being exiled. But as your journey develops, Volfred develops humility under your authority. By game's end, you can choose to set Volfred free, and if you do, the Commonwealth undergoes a nonviolent intellectual revolution. This fantasy scenario stands opposed to the adolescent hero-ball resistance presented in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, showcasing how rules-based competition can change society via individuals who inspire unity by speaking truth to power.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged coaching, dungeons & dragons, pyre, revolution, supergiant games, volfred sandalwood, wolfenstein II on November 6, 2017 by Jed Pressgrove. 2 Comments
Female Protagonists: How An Indie Revolution May Never Happen
Note: "AAA" is in quotation marks throughout this piece because of its presumption of high quality.
I have no great expectations for Ubisoft — or any other "AAA" company, for that matter. Don't get me wrong: I want big-budget games to be good, especially the ones that I spend money on. But I have zero faith that a "AAA" game will inspire a revolution in regard to any worthwhile or interesting idea.
Anyone who keeps up with game writing knows that "AAA" female protagonists is a highly discussed topic. This discussion often comes in three forms:
1. Some people say a "AAA" game should have a female protagonist for purposes of representation and/or a new approach to a series. In response, some people say the company/developers/artists should have the freedom to do what they want with protagonists, while others dismiss the concern about female protagonists as something not worth thinking about, sometimes via insults and generally immature attitudes. The latest highly anticipated "AAA" game to inspire such a discussion is Assassin's Creed: Unity, which was announced by Ubisoft at E3 (which has gone from a necessary informative event that excited me as a youngster to the most annoying game-related thing of the year that clogs up my Twitter feed, generally rendering any attempt to talk about games outside of a marketing context as futile, unwanted, and irrelevant). Even Time featured an article about the lack of playable female characters in Assassin's Creed: Unity.
2. Some people say a "AAA" game needs to handle its female protagonist in a different way. In response, some people do the exact same thing I described above. Others argue that perhaps the female protagonist in question is a good thing. The latest highly anticipated "AAA" game to inspire such a discussion is Rise of the Tomb Raider — another E3 announcement. Leigh Alexander wrote the most interesting piece on this subject.
3. Some people point out a "AAA" game will or might feature a female protagonist. This discussion doesn't typically result in as much heated debate. The latest highly anticipated "AAA" game to inspire such a discussion is the Zelda Wii U game announced by Nintendo at E3.
At this point in the year, it's fairly obvious that if you're talking about female protagonists, you're talking about "AAA" female protagonists. While I don't begrudge people for having these discussions … OK, that's dishonest. Frankly, the "AAA" focus is a disservice to any current discussion about female protagonists. At the same time, it's not impossible to understand why these discussions occur. Ubisoft is the reigning king of moronic PR. Male protagonists do tend to dominate "AAA" games. Leigh Alexander makes several fair points about how male and female "AAA" heroes are treated. And even I, the guy who hates E3, am intrigued by the idea that the new Zelda could star, well, Zelda.
Meanwhile, I highly doubt an indie revolution in regard to female protagonists can occur if the misleading "AAA" bias continues. When the most reassuring article about female protagonists focuses on "AAA" games featured at E3, we have a problem. In a world where we can read about indie games more than ever, it seems counterintuitive to say indies don't receive the credit they deserve, but it's true. Braid, Journey, and company have accomplished virtually nothing for indie games from a critical standpoint. Sure, people write and read about indies a lot. Yet discussions overwhelmingly lean toward what's happening in the "AAA" sphere. The discussion about female protagonists is prime evidence of this trend.
Nevermind the question of whether it's even a good idea for an immoral game series like Grand Theft Auto to include female protagonists. How about the fact that indies are doing things with female protagonists that critics rarely reference? When Rise of the Tomb Raider comes out, many will discuss Lara Croft's therapy sessions for post-traumatic stress disorder, but will many bother to mention that The Cat Lady featured a female protagonist talking about her life and depression in therapy sessions? What if the new Zelda stars Zelda? Will anyone mention Shipwreck, the Zelda-inspired indie game starring a female protagonist? Indies even have trouble getting attention for doing completely different things with female protagonists. Last year, writers were happy to talk about Choice: Texas, a then-unreleased indie game about abortion featuring multiple female protagonists, when they could deem it a potentially controversial game. However, since going live on May 14, Choice: Texas can't seem to get much attention from anyone. So much for controversy in regard to indie female protagonists, right?
Indeed, going by the current dialogue, readers will be lucky if they learn anything other than what big game companies announce, or fail to announce, at E3 in regard to female protagonists. The impression I get from many commentaries is that "AAA" games must function, at all costs, as the vanguard for female protagonists in gaming. Sounds like a nice prophecy to me: if "AAA" games do somehow spark a fantastic new trend in female protagonists, many can be happy that they, in a small way, contributed to the cause. An indie revolution is truly impossible when people look to the big studios for every answer to their critical concerns about female characters.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged AAA, assassin's creed unity, choice texas, e3, female protagonist, indie, revolution, rise of the tomb raider, shipwreck, the cat lady, therapy, ubisoft, wii u, zelda on June 12, 2014 by Jed Pressgrove. Leave a comment


text:
The registered offices of Ermua Town Council are at Marquis of Valdespina Street, number 1, Ermua (48260), Bizkaia.
For further information you can contact us by telephone on (+34) 943 179 010, or contact the website administrator at the following e-mail address: administrador_web@udalermua.net.
Copyright © 2006, Ayuntamiento de la Villa de Ermua (Ermua Town Council). All rights are reserved.
The intellectual property rights to the website, graphic design, codes, and information sent by e-mail from " http://www.ermua.es " are the property of Ermua Town Council.
The said Town Council is exclusively entitled to exercise the right to exploit this copyright, in any way and, especially, the rights of reproduction, distribution, public communication and transformation.
The right to partial reproduction of its contents is granted, provided that that the conditions indicated below are respected, expressly forbidding all actions which have not been expressly authorized by Ermua Town Council.
CONDITIONS FOR PARTIAL REPRODUCTION
• It must be compatible with the purposes and interests of Ermua Town Council.
• It must be carried out with the sole aim of obtaining the information contained therein and not for any commercial purposes or for other than individual or private use.
• None of the contents provided on the website must be modified in any way.
• No items (graphics, icons, images, etc.) available on the website or sent by e-mail must be used, copied or distributed separately from the text or the rest of the accompanying contents.
• Any items reproduced must not be subsequently forwarded to third parties or installed on a server connected to the Internet or to a local network.
UPDATING THE WEBSITE
Ermua Town Council reserves the right to update, modify or eliminate the information contained on the pages of its website and even limit or deny access to such information.
The information contained on these website pages is accurate at the date of the last update and has to be considered as guidance for the individual user, concerning the procedures and services and other information contained in these pages.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR WEBSITE CONTENTS
Ermua Town Council does not accept any responsibility resulting from the incorrect use of the contents and reserves the right to update them whenever it considers appropriate, to eliminate them, to limit or prevent access to them, either temporarily or permanently.
Ermua Town Council does not accept responsibility for any information not contained on these website pages and, therefore, not produced by Ermua Town Council or published under its name.
Ermua Town Council is not responsible for any discrepancies that might arise between the printed version of its documents and the electronic version of the same published on its website pages.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR LINKS
Ermua Town Council does not accept responsibility for and information contained on third party website pages connected by means of hypertext links or which are not managed directly by our www.ermua.es website portal administrator.
The links that appear on the pages of www.ermua.es are exclusively for informative purposes and no responsibility is accepted for their content.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR SECURITY
Ermua Town Council does not accept responsible for possible security errors that may occur by using versions of browsers which are not updated, or the consequences that may arise from the malfunctioning of the browser, either by inappropriate configuration, the presence of computer viruses or any other cause beyond the control of Ermua Town Council.


text:
Rush Limbaugh To Sandra Fluke: OMG JK!
By Lindsay Cross | March 4, 2012
Rush Limbaugh, conservative pundit and professional shit-stirrer created quite a controversy last week when he referred to an intelligent, educated woman arguing for women's reproductive health as a "slut" and a "prostitute." Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown University law student was barred from testifying before Congress during the birth control debate. Instead, she participated in a mock hearing, giving a thoughtful defense of the new policy mandating that health plans cover birth control. This is where she earned the ire of the talk radio host.
In the media firestorm that followed Limbaugh's offensive comments, even President Obama weighed in. He called Fluke himself to thank her for speaking out. Of course, he wasn't the only one who jumped in the debate. Twitter was a buzz with some truly disturbing social commentary, expanding upon Limbaugh's original remarks with even more vitriol. [tagbox tag="slut-shaming"]
Now, in a surprising turn of events, Rush has issued an apology of sorts. After losing three corporate sponsors from his radio program, Limbaugh apparently had a change of heart and released the following statement:
For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week. In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke.
I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress. I personally do not agree that American citizens should pay for these social activities. What happened to personal responsibility and accountability? Where do we draw the line? If this is accepted as the norm, what will follow? Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit? In my monologue, I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone's bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a Presidential level.
My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices.
I mean, I guess this is an apology. At the very least, it's the best that we should expect to see from a man notorious for being offensive and "absurd."
Not to beat a dead horse Mr. Limbaugh, but this might be the very reason that labels like "slut" and "prostitute" aren't funny. They aren't jokes. And if you were attempting to be humorous, you very obviously failed. Even worse, those who listen to you and trust your opinion probably weren't joking when they criticized her appearance and suggested that she be sterilized.
Our culture has a problem with using this insulting descriptions of women as punchlines. Young men think it's okay to joke with women using terms that are meant to degrade a female's sexuality. If want to know how strong the word "slut" is in our national psyche, whisper it in a high school cafeteria. These words have power. By playing them off like a joke, Rush tells young men that it's acceptable for them to describe females in this way, as long as their "joking."
Do I think that Rush really meant to add a "JK" at the end of that whole "prostitute" business? No. I think it's how he's trying to solve a problem that's costing him money. But if we accept this whole "I was just joking," excuse, it makes it okay for others in the media to make despicable comments and then brush them off as failed humor.
Sandra Fluke might choose to accept Rush's pseudo-apology. That's her own choice. But as a woman and a citizen, I don't accept that calling someone a slut is funny.
Related Itemsdaughtersgender biassandra flukesexismslut-shamingsocial media
← Previous Story Who Is This Cute Pop Singer?
Next Story → One Of Many Advertisers To Drop Rush Limbaugh Awesomely Cites His Daughters
Ryan Reynolds Says He Won't Push "Gender Normative Ideas" on Kids With Blake Lively
Disturbing TikTok Shows Teens Mocking Death Of Kobe Bryant and 13-year-old daughter
Side-By-Side Notes To Doctors At Same Practice Show Gender Bias From Sales Rep


text:
'use strict';
process.env.NODE_ENV = 'test';
let app = require('../app.js');
let request = require('supertest').agent(app.listen());

describe('PostController', function () {
  describe('create', function () {
    it('should be able to create a post', function (done) {
      request
      .post('/post')
      .expect(201)
      .end(function (err, res) {
        if (err) { return done(err); }
        res.body.should.have.properties(['id', 'title', 'content', 'created_at']);
        done();
      });
    });
  });
  describe('read', function () {
    it('should be able to create a post', function (done) {
      request
      .get('/post/0')
      .expect(200)
      .end(function (err, res) {
        if (err) { return done(err); }
        res.body.should.have.properties(['id', 'title', 'content', 'created_at']);
        done();
      });
    });
  });
  describe('list', function () {
    it('should be able to list posts', function (done) {
      request
      .get('/post')
      .expect(200)
      .end(function (err, res) {
        if (err) { return done(err); }
        res.body[0].should.have.properties(['id', 'title', 'content', 'created_at']);
        done();
      });
    });
  });
  describe('update', function () {
    it('should be able to update a post', function (done) {
      request
      .put('/post/0')
      .expect(201)
      .end(function (err, res) {
        if (err) { return done(err); }
        res.text.should.equal('update');
        done();
      });
    });
  });
  describe('delete', function () {
    it('should be able to delete a post', function (done) {
      request
      .delete('/post/0')
      .expect(204, done);
    });
  });
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Exposed Seam Blazer Jacket by Maison Margiela.
This jacket is part of the SS19 collection.
The jacket features english style 2 vent back, snap button placket, zig-zag stitch details, white piping along arms and body and 2 front flap pockets.


text:
Prostanthera oleoides is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to central Queensland. It is an open, erect shrub with four-sided branchlets, narrow elliptic, oblong or egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and mauve flowers with purple to dark mauve markings.

Description
Prostanthera oleoides is an open, erect shrub that typically grows to a height of  with four-sided branchlets. The leaves are dark green above, paler below, narrow elliptic, oblong or egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base,  long and  wide on a petiole  long. The flowers are arranged in leafy groups of eight to fourteen near the ends of branchlets, each flower on a stalk  long. The sepals are greenish red, forming a tube  long with two lobes, the upper lobe  long and the lower lobe  long. The petals are mauve with purple to dark mauve markings and  long, forming a tube  long with two lips. The central lower lobe is  long and the side lobes are  long. The upper lip is egg-shaped,  long and wide with a central notch.

Taxonomy
Prostanthera oleoides was first formally described in 2015 by Trevor Wilson and Barry Conn in the journal Telopea, based on material collected in the Blackdown Tableland National Park.

Distribution and habitat
This prostanthera occurs on the central Queensland sandstone belt in the Blackdown Tableland, Expedition and Chesterton Range National Parks where it grows in soil derived from sandstone, on and below sandstone escarpments.

Conservation status
This mintbush is classified as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992.

References

oleoides
Flora of Queensland
Lamiales of Australia
Plants described in 2015
Taxa named by Barry John Conn


text:
Home/Rumors
2 reasons not to panic if the NY Jets don't trade for Deebo Samuel
NY Jets, Deebo Samuel / Cindy Ord/GettyImages
NY Jets, Elijah Moore / Jim McIsaac/GettyImages
2. The NY Jets already have their WR1 on the roster
The Deebo Samuel trade rumors and the Jets' attempt to trade for Tyreek Hill have led many to believe that the team is looking to find an alpha at the wide receiver position. However, would you believe me if I told you that the elite receiver the Jets are searching for is already on their roster?
That's right. Elijah Moore, the team's second-round selection from last year's draft, is the real deal. The former Ole Miss receiver flashed in his first NFL season despite an anemic offense.
After getting off to a slow start, Moore exploded in the middle portion of the season. From Week 7 to Week 12, Moore caught 34 passes for 459 yards and found the end zone six times.
Over a 17-game regular season, those numbers equate to 96 receptions, 1,180 yards, and 17 touchdowns. To me, that looks like elite receiver production.
I know I am cherry-picking his statistics a bit, but Moore has the tools to reach elite-receiver status. His route-running, play speed, and mental toughness set him apart from most young receivers in the league.
Next. NY Jets trade for Deebo Samuel in 7-round 2022 NFL Mock Draft. dark
On the Jets roster, Moore has risen to the top of the wide receiver hierarchy, and, with all due respect to Corey Davis, Moore should enter camp as the Jets' featured outside target. Good health permitting, Moore is primed for a breakout season in his second year.


Disunity is bad but pluralism is good. The story of EU policy on Burma illustrates this point. Disunity is normal: sovereign states with varied histories and traditions might be expected to disagree. The remarkable thing is that in the end, on Burma as on much else, the EU manages to achieve a common policy. The policy may even be better for being the product of disagreement and debate. Unfortunately the EU tends to do its disagreeing in public but when it reaches a sensible consensus often conceals the fact.
On Burma the disagreements start with the name. EU documents refer to Burma/Myanmar. Can one really have a policy on a country when one cannot agree on the name?
This disagreement is in fact not so unreasonable. On one side is the argument that if the UN, its neighbours and some people in the country call it Myanmar, the EU should follow suit. But the argument on the other side is also strong: an early act of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), one of the nastier manifestations of the military in its 50-year term of office, was to change the official name in English to Myanmar. The SLORC claimed that this name had the advantage of including minorities not from the predominant Bamar (or Burman) ethnic group. But this argument is largely false since 'Burma' is in fact a colloquial form of 'Myanmar' and the one the British rulers opted for. Furthermore, Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters gave the name political significance by refusing to follow the SLORC's decree. The lady now uses Myanmar when speaking the Burmese (or Myanmar) language, thereby offending some of her supporters, but insists on using Burma in English, thereby offending some generals. Too much energy has been wasted on this rather unimportant issue.
On the more critical issue of sanctions there are respectable cases to be made both for and against. Let us leave aside the EU's visa bans and asset freezes on members of the regime, which have certainly discomforted those targeted. The arguments against broad sanctions are that they corrupt and distort an economy; they impoverish people; they often create illegal trade from which the primary beneficiaries are those in power; and they provide a convenient alibi for the government's own economic mismanagement. If sanctions bite, the intention is that they will hurt people and thus encourage them to overthrow the government through elections or revolution. That makes them particularly ineffective when dealing with military regimes. Besides, it is contact, not isolation that brings about change. Trade leads to more extensive relations with other countries; it opens countries up, eventually creating the middle class that is essential for democracy.
But there are also valid arguments on the other side. The damage done to the Burmese economy by EU sanctions has always been small compared with the damage inflicted by the military government. Spending on health and education has been minimal, while the defence budget as a proportion of GDP – officially 4.9 per cent, though the true figure is certainly much higher – surpasses that of any other country in the Association of South-East Asia Nations (Indonesia and the Philippines both spend 1 per cent, Malaysia and Thailand 1.5 per cent, Vietnam 2.5 per cent and Singapore 3.6 per cent, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies).
The sanctions did have one powerful effect, namely, to signal to European companies that the Burmese regime was unacceptable, and that they should stay away. Almost universally, they took this advice. The sanctions also gave moral support to the opposition, thousands of whose members have been beaten and locked up.
The arguments of those who opposed sanctions nevertheless had an impact on what the EU did. Its sanctions were designed to limit direct damage to the livelihoods of ordinary Burmese. They were selective and targeted on the extractive industries – mainly timber and gem stones – where the military and their cronies are dominant (though the sanctions' effectiveness was impaired by some of these goods being rebadged and exported via Thailand).
The EU matched sanctions with a commitment to provide humanitarian support, not just at the time of cyclone Nargis in 2008, but on a continuing basis, with an emphasis on health and rural poverty. The US chose a very different path, applying an enormous and complex web of sanctions to Burma, similar to those in force against Iran. The US blocked World Bank lending and cut off Burmese banks from the international financial system. Congressional restrictions obliged the Global Fund (which ran programmes to fight malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS) to pull out of Burma in 2005. The EU led a consortium to replace the work of the Global Fund. In sympathy with those who argued against having anything to do with the Burmese regime, the EU ran all its programmes through NGOs.
Western sanctions were probably not the main cause of the thaw in Burma. When authoritarian regimes decide upon profound reform, foreign pressure may be a factor but is often less important than the ambitions of key leaders. Mikhail Gorbachev pursued glasnost and perestroika because he was a communist patriot. In South Africa, F W de Klerk saw that his country had no future with apartheid. U Thein Sein, who became Burma's president in March 2011, appears to be a man who wants the best for his country, and who knows that he cannot tackle poverty and under-development without first engaging in political reform and reconnecting Burma to the world.
Perhaps change would have happened without sanctions. But if so it would have happened differently. It is hard to imagine that representatives of the National League for Democracy (the NLD, the party led by Aung San Suu Kyi) would have spent hours in the Ministry of the Interior going through lists of political prisoners if their release had not been one of the conditions for suspending sanctions. And would the NLD have even been there at all? It was always an EU demand that all political forces should participate in the political process. That was code for Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD, as well as Burma's too-often forgotten ethnic minorities.
Then there is the China factor. Burma's leaders were becoming worried about not only their economic dependency on China – a major trading partner and source of investment – but also their reliance on its diplomatic protection in international organisations. They wanted to balance the ties to Beijing with closer ties to the West, and that required reforms that would persuade the EU and the US to remove sanctions.
As it turns out, Western sanctions provided not only the opposition with a card it could play, but also reformists within the government. A government trying to reform cannot easily show benefits to sceptical conservatives, at least in the early stages. But greater respect from foreign powers – Hillary Clinton, David Cameron and Catherine Ashton have been among the recent visitors – and the removal of sanctions are visible rewards that a government can point to when it is fighting difficult internal battles.
In the case of Burma the opposition has been a cause worth supporting. Not only Aung San Suu Kyi herself, but also her supporters are fully committed to democracy and the rule of law. She has shown that she is ready to compromise – contrary to the propaganda persistently put about by the regime. Her approach to the government, the constitution and the parliament has involved many compromises. And on the question of sanctions, she and her party have, understandably, been somewhat ambiguous. She believes that Burma has a long way to go before it is free and democratic, and she has not called for the US to end all sanctions. But she has gone along with the EU's suspension of sanctions and favours responsible foreign investment to create jobs.
On certain points, such as corruption and the fair conduct of elections, Aung San Suu Kyi remains immovable. This should be welcome; too many countries in Asia have become accustomed to a kind of semi-democracy, in which elections are held but are not particularly fair, in which the rule of law functions but not in quite the same way if you have friends in high places, and in which corruption is a part of the system. It is good that for once that a senior political figure in Asia is supporting high standards. If the Burmese are lucky, eventually she will prevail – and hopefully set an example to other Asian countries.
The Burmese government's announcement this month that it is scrapping press censorship suggests that it is still bent on reform. But in June, violence between the Muslim Rohingya minority and Buddhists in the western province of Rakhine left dozens dead and nearly a hundred thousand homeless. Burma's leadership continues to ignore the basic rights of Rohingyas. The opposition says too little about their plight – and some of its leaders have even questioned whether the Rohingyas belong in Burma. Several other ethnic conflicts continue to fester in various corners of the country. Further EU development aid should be conditional not only on continuing progress on human rights, but also on the regime seeking to achieve reconciliation with the ethnic groups.
The EU can offer its own expertise – from countries such as Spain – in building political structures that accommodate minorities. The EU should also encourage the army to retreat from political life, while recognising that this process will inevitably be slow. In Turkey the army has spent more than 50 years – with many ups and downs – gradually relaxing its grip on the political system. One suspects that Egypt's generals will continue to control large swathes of that country's economy for several years to come.
This year the EU has, to its credit, stepped up aid and opened an office in Rangoon. Its policy on Burma has looked a bit messy: in the past, pursuing sanctions but not across the board, and giving aid but not working with the government; and now, suspending rather than lifting sanctions while not insisting that every single political prisoner should first be released – while continuing to press the case of those who remain. Messy is what you expect when 27 countries debate and compromise. But the common line forged by the EU has helped to change Burma for the better.