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THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF LINGUISTICS.
December 28, 2005 by languagehat 25 Comments
Joel of Far Outliers has a post quoting the late University of Hawai'i professor Donald M. Topping at length on linguists and endangered languages; Topping makes disturbing and important points:
Surprisingly, a major obstacle to the success of the Micronesian linguistics project is one that was unanticipated, and may be fairly assigned to the linguists themselves. That is the problems presented by the "new" orthographies. Mr. Leo Pugram, Coordinator for Curriculum and Instruction in Yap, made the following statement, "When the new orthography was established, it was a time for problems, confusion, and hatred for the new orthography. This still exists today on Yap."
Obviously, the linguists left their mark: the "new orthography." The complaint articulated so bluntly by Mr. Pugram was echoed by nearly every other Micronesian educator who attended the Guam conference…
Where then, are the linguists? Have they played a role? Do they now? Each of the three languages in question was described and lexified by nonnative linguists during the 1950s and early sixties. At the time of their work these linguists issued the call of alarm about the precarious status of the languages. Their calls, however, appeared to fall on deaf ears, for there was little response. It took the coming of another generation of young people who were not afforded the opportunity to learn their heritage language at home before the threat of total language loss became real.
Joel has a follow-up post quoting another University of Hawai'i linguist, Kenneth L. Rehg, on the same subject:
…we set out to promote literacy in the Micronesian languages, but some of our efforts had just the opposite effect. Disputes over orthographies, unrealistic expectations concerning standards, an insufficient understanding of the literacy needs of these communities, and reliance on external funding all hindered progress toward that goal. Consequently, I have come to believe that if the linguistic community is serious about documenting and supporting the threatened languages of the world, we must move such endeavors into the mainstream of our discipline.
Incidentally, Joel recently made his 1,000th post: congratulations!
Michael Farris says
The difference between what linguists might want in a writing system and what natives are used to/want should never be underestimated. A good practical rule is that if a language has an orthography that's even remotely usable and/or accepted by native speakers then linguists should forget their phonemic scruples and run with it.
I like the approach used in the recent Muskogee/Mvskoke/Creek dictionary which gives prominence to the the fairly strange (but established and fairly standardized) conventional orthography and gives a more precise linguist oriented system (basically devised by Mary Haas) afterward.
language hat says
if a language has an orthography that's even remotely usable and/or accepted by native speakers then linguists should forget their phonemic scruples and run with it
I couldn't agree more.
Out of curiosity, does the Muskogee/Mvskoke/Creek orthography you describe use the English alphabet, or an indigenous one?
It uses the Roman alphabet but:
– doesn't indicate pitch (important, especially in some aspect distinctions) for example kērris represents both /ki:łłés/ (I'm learning [it]) and /kî:łłes/ (I know it) (nb. r is used for /ł/, a lateral fricative like welsh ll)
– isn't always consistent in distinguishing short and long vowels, especiall /o/ and /o:/ u always represents short /o/ but o can represent either short /o/ as in cuko /cokó/ 'house' or long /o:/ as in cokv /có:ka/ 'book'.
– has some counterintuitive letter choices, r as a lateral fricative, v for short /a/ and the values you'd expect for the letters e and i are reversed, that is e = /i/ and i = /e(y)/
There's some other stuff, but that gives you an idea. Still, all in all its quite usable and Creek as one of the five civilized tribes has one of the more extensive written legacies among NAMerican languages. If I could change anything about it, it would only be to add some optional circumflexes (falling pitch) for aspect marking. Most falling pitch doesn't need to be indicated but I think would be a good idea for writers to be able to mark some.
David Waugh says
The requirements of linguists (or learners) and those of native speakers are often different. Native speakers do not require more than a hint as to the phonetic realisation of a word (look at Chinese) and may indeed find a close phonemic transcription of their language quite off-putting. If it accurately transcribes one dialect it will alienate the speakers of all the others. Imagine the endless disputes and namecalling that would be caused by any attempt to make the spelling of English more accurate phonologically.
Andrew Dunbar says
I found it interesting that you've chosen to use the Hawaiian spelling "Hawai'i" rather than the English spelling "Hawaii" (or possibly "Hawai'i"). Usually you speak out against this sort of thing. There is no 'okina in the English alphabet.
I wonder if this might be the spelling that the University of Hawaii uses?
(Less interesting is that you've used a punctuation mark rather than the true ʻokina which is a letter – you notice this when selecting with the mouse etc. Unfortunately the true ʻokina is not in most fonts so this is a common workaround.)
I'm afraid all it reflects is my lazy inclination to copy-and-paste; if I'd typed it out, I would have spelled it Hawaii, unless I went to the trouble of checking the university site… *checks site*… yup, they do include the mark, so if I were feeling picky I might have included it anyway. But I would have used a simple apostrophe.
Tim May says
OK, this is very confusing… Andrew Dunbar, the first "Hawai'i" in your comment should have a left single quotation mark in it, as in Joel's post? And Hat, did you change the spelling in your post after this exchange? Because they're all apostrophes now.
The one in my post looks like a single open quote to me. I haven't changed anything. But embrace your confusion! Chaos is good!
the first "Hawai'i" in your comment should have a left single quotation mark in it, as in Joel's post
I'm using a different computer now and on both of them I see a left single open quote. Cutting and pasting from one page into a "find" box in the other matches. Maybe on your setup the fonts are causing differences?
Linguists can't win here. For every group who dislike linguists because they burdened a community with a new orthography there's a group who complains that young people don't speak the language probably because the linguists didn't write it down correctly. I have had both these accusations levelled at me by different people in the same community.
Sorry, pressed "post" too quickly. Michael, it's not that simple. There may already be more than one orthography to choose from (in Arnhem Land there was the "Government orthography" and the "Missionary orthography").
We can go the way of practical orthgraphy first, then a phonemic guide of some sort, but this lengthens and complicates the entries, which can be an issue in producing learner's materials.
Underspecified orthographies create headaches for revitalisation materials too.
Joel says
The official spelling adopted by the University of Hawai'i system is with the 'okina, but only for the place name, not for English derivatives like Hawaiian or Hawaiiana. It's a bit of a problem for handling search terms online, of course, so some people use the uglier keyboard `, while others resort to the less intrusive apostrophe, and others leave it out altogether. I don't think the 'okina is very common in business usage.
There is a special Hawaiian font set used by a lot of Hawaiian language sites that remaps the ÿ into an ', but that really looks awful (Hawaiÿi) if you don't have those fonts available for your browser. The same font set remaps the umlaut vowels as macron vowels.
I like your approach to this matter. I would love to know more about it.
God forgive me, Hannah, but I suspect you of veing a spambot.
I agree — that's why I deleted the URL from her effort. I'm not sure why I didn't delete the whole comment as usual; maybe I was seduced by the unusual elegance, politeness, and just plain grammaticality of the comment.
Christopher Culver says
"A good practical rule is that if a language has an orthography that's even remotely usable and/or accepted by native speakers then linguists should forget their phonemic scruples and run with it."
Simply not true for Chinese. John DeFrancis spent his entire career showing how the ortography accepted and use by native speakers in China is detrimental to widespread literacy, and there is legitimate research showing that changing to full romanisation, repugnant as it might be to those proud of their system, has tremendous benefits.
Maybe on your setup the fonts are causing differences?
This is really peculiar. I'm getting different results in different browsers. And it's not a question of the font – I'm actually getting different characters in Konqueror and Mozilla. (It's not Konqueror universally replacing U+2018 with U+0027, either – it shows up fine in Joel's post, and in his comment above.)
' U+0027 APOSTROPHE
' U+2018 LEFT SINGLE QUOTATION MARK
ʻ U+02BB MODIFIER LETTER TURNED COMMA
(Your ʻokina (U+02BB) came through fine, although it doesn't display in the font.)
The majority of Languagehat readers, who aren't interested in character set issues, should probably skip this comment.
Joel's post is in UTF-8. It includes left and right single and double quotation marks (' ' " "). Hat's site is in ISO 8859-1 (Latin 1). Latin 1 doesn't contain characters for any of these quotation marks. In order to use them in ISO 8859-1 HTML, they ought to be represented by HTML entities. That happens automatically when I paste them into this comment text box.
However, the quotation marks from Joel's post in Hat's post above are not represented by HTML entities. Nor can they be represented by their proper Unicode characters, which don't map to anything in ISO 8859-1. Instead, for some reason, they appear as codepoints 91, 92, 93 and 94. These are either unassigned or control characters (what with the different versions of standards, it's a little hazy). In any case, they're not supposed to be used like this – this page is not valid ISO 8859-1. I don't know why this substitution has occurred, but apparently it's common enough that the browsers turn them into quote marks when they encounter them. Unfortunately, while Mozilla (and probably IE) map them to the original left and right forms, Konqueror uses the neutral vertical forms, ' and " (which are, after all, present in Latin 1), thus turning Andrew's comment above into nonsense.
Claire, yeah, there's about a thousand factors to be taken into consideration. But I stand by my statement, a sub-par orthography from a linguist's point of view that is widely accepted by native users is better than a linguistically perfect one that will alienate native users (in the link in question the decision to always mark glottal stops with q seems more or less insane and I'm not surprised the orthography wasn't accepted). And yes, I realize it can be hard to actually figure out what native users will find acceptable (and that people might tell the linguist one thing and actually do something else).
When there's no widely accepted orthography and/or competing orthographies then the linguist needs to proceed with caution instead of rushing ahead with a system that makes it easy for the linguist. In terms of trying to help native users create written traditions for a vital language, the linguist's concerns about phonemic accuracy should come last. In preservation/revitalization efforts, again the linguist's concerns are not paramount and parallel practical / linguist orthographies may be the way to go.
"the ortography accepted and use by native speakers in China is detrimental to widespread literacy … changing to full romanisation, repugnant as it might be to those proud of their system, has tremendous benefits."
I kind of agree in the abstract, but …
– as long as most Chinese users prefer hanzi then that's what they've got and non users of the language (like me, and I presume you) don't really have any say
– romanization is a process not an event, Vietnamese romanization took generations and was a grass roots movement with a long period of mixed usage (some magazines and books in nom and some in quoc ngu)
– the best way to promote script reform (or literacy in the first place) is through _authors_ that is train and produce romanized authors and let them produce and promote romanized materials (and expect it to take a while)
– I've noticed a news item or two from the pinyin site about legal restrictions to romanized chinese words/names/signs if there wasn't some attraction there then there wouldn't be legal restrictions.
Michael, I think we're basically in agreement. I was reacting to the absoluteness of your first post. Perhaps we are also looking at this from different angles, from the point of view of producers of materials versus consumers of them?
For example, someone confronted with a word that's not in the dictionary doesn't necessarily know if it's just a variant spelling or a word that's not there. If there are more than a few of them it quickly turns people off looking things up. In my experience fluent speakers with reasonable literacy don't care that much about spelling in texts, but then again most of the people I work with are either not fluent speakers or not very literate.
I'm not particularly prescriptivist in general (my fieldwork motto is "whatever works") but "spelling doesn't matter" as a general rule is not one I've found to be particularly effective, particularly in lexicography.
Scott Martens says
I have some ideas about where a "predictive science of language vitality" might go. The thing I've noticed watching my parent's fist language go off to extinction is how they characterize it as "things don't happen in Plautdietsch anymore". As soon a day-to-day life can only be discussed with other speakers of the same language by relying on their knowledge of some shared second language, there is real endangerment. I suspect that's what is happening in Polynesia.
As for writing standards – I think that where there is a script people will identify with, and it isn't harder to master than a second language, it's probably better to go with trying to standardize it than creating a new linguistically better system. But I think the principal issue is identification rather than entrenched users. People prefer a writing system that they can identify as their own. Part of the problem with linguistically sound writing is the notion that some linguist thought it up.
China should have a standardized syllabic writing system indigenous to it rather than characters. (In fact, it already has half of such a system in the fanqie scheme used in 19th century dictionaries.) The Cree should use a standardized form of syllabics rather than a Roman scheme foisted on them by linguists. There are usually ways to make existing but inconsistent schemes at least work somewhat better without abandoning them entirely.
Kyler Malakai says
pick up the cards When handling the cards in a handheld game, here are a few craps dice game Christ its a miracle I was even born! (mutters under his breath .
Internet Archive links to Topping's paper and to Rehg's followup. Both papers are excellent and non-technical (at least by LH standards).


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Description Lichen with blue-gray terminal portions of lobes and shiny white on the lower surface.
Habitat Igneous, metamorphic, and metasedimentary rocks; warm and moderately wet summers, moderately cold and moderately dry winters, and a short freeze-free period.
Threats Highway construction, recreation, balsam wooly adelgid, air pollution.
Rock gnome lichen, Gymnoderma lineare, occurs in rather dense colonies of narrow straps or small scales, called squamules. The only similar lichens are the squamulose species of the genus Cladonia. Rock gnome lichen has terminal portions of the strap-like individual lobes that are blue-gray on the upper surface and generally shiny white on the lower surface; near the base they grade to black. In rock gnome lichen, the sparingly branched squamules are dark greenish mineral grey on the lower surface, becoming white to brownish toward the tips, tapering to the blackened base. The squamules are nearly parallel to the rock surface, but the tips curl away from the rock, approaching or reaching a perpendicular orientation to the rock surface. The fruiting bodies (apothecia) are borne at the tips of the squamules and are black. The apothecia are borne singly or in clusters, usually at the tips of the squamules but occasionally along the sides; these have been found from July through September. The apothecia are cylindrical in shape and radial in symmetry. The primary means of propagation of this lichen appears to be asexual, with colonies spreading by clones.
G. lineare is the only member of its genus occurring in North America; the other two species occur in the mountains of Japan and Eastern Asia, including the Himalayas.
The rocks on which this lichen grows are of several types, including igneous, metamorphic, and metasedimentary rocks such as quartz diorite, garnet-rich biotite, muscovite and quartz schist, quartz phyllite, metagraywacke, metaconglomerate, and metarkoses containing feldspar and chlorite, amphibole, hornblende, and feldspar gneiss. The general area has warm and moderately wet summers, moderately cold and moderately dry winters, and a short freeze-free period. Annual rainfall at four occupied sites has ranged from 41 to 102 in (104.1 to 259.1 cm), with snowfall ranging from 4 to 101 in (10.1 to 256.5 cm). Average winter temperatures range from 5° to 48°F (-15° to 8.9°C), and average summer temperatures range from 49° to 73°F (9.4° to 22.8°C).
Rock gnome lichen is primarily limited to vertical rock faces where seepage water from forest soils above flows at very wet times. It appears that the species needs a moderate amount of light but that it cannot tolerate high-intensity solar radiation. It does well on moist, generally open, sites with northern exposures, but needs at least partial canopy coverage where the aspect is southern or western. It is almost always found growing with the moss Andreaea and/or Grimmia in these vertical intermittent seeps. This association makes it rather easy to search for, due to the distinctive reddish brown color of Andreaea that can be observed from a considerable distance. Most populations occur above 5,000 ft (1524 m) in elevation. Common associates of this species include the endangered Geum radiatum and Houstonia purpurea ssp. montana. The high-elevation coniferous forests adjacent to the rock outcrops and cliffs most often occupied by the species are dominated by red spruce (Picea rubens ) and a species of concern, Fraser fir (Abiesfraseri ), with northern hardwoods such as sugar maple (Acer saccharum ), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis ), mountain maple (A. spicata ), mountain ash (Sorbus americanus ), and beech (Fagus grandifolia ) mixed in.
Rock gnome lichen is endemic to the southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia and occurs only in areas of high humidity, either at high elevations, where it is frequently bathed in fog, or in deep gorges at lower elevations. In Tennessee it is apparently restricted to the Great Smoky Mountains and Roan Mountain.
Only 35 populations of rock gnome lichen are currently known to exist. Five populations are known to have been extirpated. The remaining populations are in Mitchell (two populations), Jackson (five), Yancey (four), Swain (one), Transylvania (four), Buncombe (four), Avery (two), Ashe (two), Haywood (one), and Rutherford (one) Counties, North Carolina; Greenville County (one), South Carolina; Rabun County (one), Georgia; and Sevier (seven) and Carter (part of this one population is on the state line with Mitchell County, North Carolina) Counties, Tennessee.
Although some populations are declining and vanishing for reasons that are, in many cases, not clearly understood, there are several major threats to the remaining lichen populations. Five historically known populations of this species have been completely extirpated. The reasons for the disappearance of the species at most of these sites are undocumented; however, one is believed to have been destroyed by highway construction. Most of the formerly occupied sites are subjected to heavy recreational use by hikers, climbers, and sightseers. In addition, the coniferous forests, particularly those dominated by Fraser fir at the high-elevation sites, are being decimated by the balsam wooly adelgid, an exotic insect pest, and possibly by air pollution. Widespread mortality of mature fir due to the balsam wooly adelgid has resulted in locally drastic changes in microclimate, including desiccation and increased temperatures.
Numerous lichen species are known to be sensitive to air pollution. Documented declines of lichen species have been recorded in the forests of Europe and nearby large industrial cities around the world. Research indicates that rock gnome lichen colonies in the poorest health have a higher content of sulfur compounds than colonies which appeared to be healthy. Furthermore, the species appears to have specific environmental needs, such as a narrow pH range and sulfur deposits. Initial research indicates there is a high likelihood that current and previous air pollution levels, especially from sulfates, may be contributing to the decline of this species.
Only eight of the remaining 35 populations cover an area larger than 21.5 sq ft (2 sq m). Most are 10.8 sq ft (1 sq m) or less in size. It is unknown what constitutes a genetic individual in this species, and it is possible that each of these small colonies or patches consists of only a single clone. Over the past decade several of the currently extant populations have undergone significant declines, some within as little as one year. Although al but five of the remaining populations are in public ownership, many continue to be affected by collectors, recreational use, and environmental factors. Although no populations are known to have been lost as a result of logging operations, it is interesting to note that most of the remaining stream corridor populations occur in areas of old-growth forest.
In addition to the efforts taken to conserve habitat sites in the national forests, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service have cooperatively funded investigations of the lichen's response to air pollution at different sites.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 18 January 1995. "De-termination of Gymnoderma lineare (Rock Gnome Lichen) to be an Endangered Species." Federal Register 60 (11): 3557-3562.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1997. "Recovery Plan for Rock Gnome Lichen (Gymnoderma lineare ) (Evans) Yoshimura and Sharp." Atlanta, Georgia. 30 pp.
"Rock Gnome Lichen." Beacham's Guide to the Endangered Species of North America. . Encyclopedia.com. 7 Apr. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.


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The new Ireland shirt is reminiscent of a classic Irish rugby shirt with a simple design and a familiar shade of green puma calls "power green". The design is also complemented by a new Irish rugby logo which also mirrors something of a retro look.
After a long relationship with rugby shirt manufacturer Canterbury of New Zealand, the IRFU have recently announced a new partnership with sports band Puma.
Puma has historically been associated with athletics and football however a move into the world of rugby has been successful with teams such as Bath and Harlequins wearing Puma.
Puma have also grown its rugby boot sales over the last few years, showing the brand is committed to Rugby. We hope that this commitment means that we will see Puma continuing to work closely with the Irish rugby team and ensure that performance and style can be successfully mixed.
Rugby shirts have moved on since the heavy-duty cotton shirts worn a decade ago. Now a lot of investment goes into the technology of a modern rugby jersey.
The new Irish rugby jersey is said to benefit from the work puma does with the Ferrari F1 team ensuring that moisture is kept to a minimum keeping the player dry. Pumas "pumaflex" panels are also used to ensure that total movement is not hampered by the shirt allowing a player to twist and turn in the shirt with little friction.
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](https://github.com/golang/go):
      The Go programming language

* [
      avelino
      /
      awesome-go
](https://github.com/avelino/awesome-go):
      A curated list of awesome Go frameworks, libraries and software

* [
      spf13
      /
      hugo
](https://github.com/spf13/hugo):
      A Fast and Flexible Static Site Generator built with love by spf13 in GoLang

* [
      astaxie
      /
      build-web-application-with-golang
](https://github.com/astaxie/build-web-application-with-golang):
      A golang ebook intro how to build a web with golang

* [
      rapidloop
      /
      rtop-bot
](https://github.com/rapidloop/rtop-bot):
      A Bot for Remote Server Monitoring over SSH

* [
      go-gomail
      /
      gomail
](https://github.com/go-gomail/gomail):
      The best way to send emails in Go.

* [
      deiwin
      /
      picasso
](https://github.com/deiwin/picasso):
      A Go image composer

* [
      joushou
      /
      sshmux
](https://github.com/joushou/sshmux):
      SSH multiplexer

* [
      coreos
      /
      etcd
](https://github.com/coreos/etcd):
      A distributed consistent key-value store for shared configuration and service discovery

* [
      gogits
      /
      gogs
](https://github.com/gogits/gogs):
      Gogs(Go Git Service) is a painless self-hosted Git Service.

* [
      d4l3k
      /
      go-pry
](https://github.com/d4l3k/go-pry):
      An interactive REPL for Go that allows you to drop into your code at any point.

* [
      tj
      /
      go-config
](https://github.com/tj/go-config):
      Simpler Go configuration with structs.

* [
      go-kit
      /
      kit
](https://github.com/go-kit/kit):
      A standard library for microservices.

* [
      huichen
      /
      wukong
](https://github.com/huichen/wukong):
      高度可定制的全文搜索引擎

* [
      astaxie
      /
      beego
](https://github.com/astaxie/beego):
      beego is an open-source, high-performance web framework for the Go programming language.

* [
      cockroachdb
      /
      cockroach
](https://github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach):
      A Scalable, Geo-Replicated, Transactional Datastore

#### javascript
* [
      gloomyson
      /
      StarCraft
](https://github.com/gloomyson/StarCraft):
      HTML5 version for StarCraft game

* [
      black-screen
      /
      black-screen
](https://github.com/black-screen/black-screen):
      A terminal emulator for the 21st century.

* [
      nodejs
      /
      node
](https://github.com/nodejs/node):

✨Future Node.js releases will be from this repo. ✨

* [
      simplaio
      /
      rucksack
](https://github.com/simplaio/rucksack):
      A little bag of CSS superpowers, built on PostCSS

* [
      pakastin
      /
      deck-of-cards
](https://github.com/pakastin/deck-of-cards):
      HTML5 Deck of Cards

* [
      yoannmoinet
      /
      nipplejs
](https://github.com/yoannmoinet/nipplejs):
      A virtual joystick for touch capable interfaces.

* [
      lesschat
      /
      request
](https://github.com/lesschat/request):
      记录HTTP请求,并把结果展现出来 - http://request.lesschat.com

* [
      getify
      /
      You-Dont-Know-JS
](https://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS):
      A book series on JavaScript. @YDKJS on twitter.

* [
      facebook
      /
      react
](https://github.com/facebook/react):
      A declarative, efficient, and flexible JavaScript library for building user interfaces.

* [
      mbostock
      /
      d3
](https://github.com/mbostock/d3):
      A JavaScript visualization library for HTML and SVG.

* [
      sadasystems
      /
      private-message
](https://github.com/sadasystems/private-message):
      a tiny tool which enables you to easily send and recieve encrypted messages via Github

* [
      joakimbeng
      /
      unistyle
](https://github.com/joakimbeng/unistyle):
      Write modular and scalable CSS using the next version of ECMAScript

* [
      postcss
      /
      postcss
](https://github.com/postcss/postcss):
      Transforming styles with JS plugins

* [
      angular
      /
      angular.js
](https://github.com/angular/angular.js):
      HTML enhanced for web apps

* [
      rackt
      /
      redux
](https://github.com/rackt/redux):
      Predictable state container for JavaScript apps

* [
      gajus
      /
      react-css-modules
](https://github.com/gajus/react-css-modules):
      Seamless mapping of class names to CSS modules inside of React components.

* [
      airbnb
      /
      javascript
](https://github.com/airbnb/javascript):
      JavaScript Style Guide

* [
      bendc
      /
      animateplus
](https://github.com/bendc/animateplus):
      CSS and SVG animation library

* [
      jquery
      /
      jquery
](https://github.com/jquery/jquery):
      jQuery JavaScript Library

* [
      joni2back
      /
      angular-filemanager
](https://github.com/joni2back/angular-filemanager):

 Material design javascript file and folder explorer navigator browser manager in AngularJS (with PHP and Java FTP connectors)

* [
      TryGhost
      /
      Ghost
](https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost):
      Just a blogging platform

* [
      webpack
      /
      webpack
](https://github.com/webpack/webpack):
      A bundler for javascript and friends. Packs many modules into a few bundled assets. Code Splitting allows to load parts for the application on demand. Through "loaders" modules can be CommonJs, AMD, ES6 modules, CSS, Images, JSON, Coffeescript, LESS, ... and your custom stuff.

* [
      timurnurutdinov
      /
      Framer-Inventory-for-Sketch
](https://github.com/timurnurutdinov/Framer-Inventory-for-Sketch):
      Sketch plugin to generate FramerJS prototypes. Just have your motion done.

* [
      t4t5
      /
      sweetalert
](https://github.com/t4t5/sweetalert):
      A beautiful replacement for JavaScript's "alert"

* [
      mafintosh
      /
      airswarm
](https://github.com/mafintosh/airswarm):
      Network swarm that automagically discovers other peers on the network using multicast dns

#### ruby
* [
      Homebrew
      /
      homebrew
](https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew):

 The missing package manager for OS X.

* [
      jekyll
      /
      jekyll
](https://github.com/jekyll/jekyll):
      Jekyll is a blog-aware, static site generator in Ruby

* [
      rails
      /
      rails
](https://github.com/rails/rails):
      Ruby on Rails

* [
      discourse
      /
      discourse
](https://github.com/discourse/discourse):
      A platform for community discussion. Free, open, simple.

* [
      michelson
      /
      chaskiq
](https://github.com/michelson/chaskiq):
      Newsletter Rails engine

* [
      ankane
      /
      groupdate
](https://github.com/ankane/groupdate):
      The simplest way to group temporal data

* [
      sass
      /
      sass
](https://github.com/sass/sass):
      Sass makes CSS fun again.

* [
      cantino
      /
      huginn
](https://github.com/cantino/huginn):
      Build agents that monitor and act on your behalf. Your agents are standing by!

* [
      opf
      /
      openproject
](https://github.com/opf/openproject):
      OpenProject is a web-based project management system built on Ruby on Rails

* [
      newrelic
      /
      centurion
](https://github.com/newrelic/centurion):
      A mass deployment tool for Docker fleets

* [
      gitlabhq
      /
      gitlabhq
](https://github.com/gitlabhq/gitlabhq):
      GitLab is version control for your server

* [
      twbs
      /
      bootstrap-sass
](https://github.com/twbs/bootstrap-sass):
      Official Sass port of Bootstrap 2 and 3.

* [
      AyuntamientoMadrid
      /
      participacion
](https://github.com/AyuntamientoMadrid/participacion):
      Consul - Gobierno abierto del Ayuntamiento de Madrid

* [
      elastic
      /
      logstash
](https://github.com/elastic/logstash):
      logstash - transport and process your logs, events, or other data

* [
      mattbrictson
      /
      airbrussh
](https://github.com/mattbrictson/airbrussh):
      Airbrussh pretties up your SSHKit and Capistrano output

* [
      KrauseFx
      /
      fastlane
](https://github.com/KrauseFx/fastlane):
      Connect all iOS deployment tools into one streamlined workflow

* [
      mitchellh
      /
      vagrant
](https://github.com/mitchellh/vagrant):
      Vagrant is a tool for building and distributing development environments.

* [
      DarthSim
      /
      carrierwave-bombshelter
](https://github.com/DarthSim/carrierwave-bombshelter):
      Protects your carrierwave from image bombs

* [
      codekitchen
      /
      dinghy
](https://github.com/codekitchen/dinghy):
      faster, friendlier Docker on OS X

* [
      kilimchoi
      /
      engineering-blogs
](https://github.com/kilimchoi/engineering-blogs):
      A curated list of engineering blogs

* [
      caskroom
      /
      homebrew-cask
](https://github.com/caskroom/homebrew-cask):
      A CLI workflow for the administration of Mac applications distributed as binaries

* [
      apotonick
      /
      trailblazer
](https://github.com/apotonick/trailblazer):
      A new architecture for Rails.

* [
      rapid7
      /
      metasploit-framework
](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework):
      Metasploit Framework

* [
      CocoaPods
      /
      CocoaPods
](https://github.com/CocoaPods/CocoaPods):
      The Cocoa Dependency Manager.

* [
      tmuxinator
      /
      tmuxinator
](https://github.com/tmuxinator/tmuxinator):
      Manage complex tmux sessions easily

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Webinar of Sustainable Banking: Now and the Way Forward (只有英文版)
Join our Chairman and President, Dr. Ma Jun, on the Webinar of Sustainable Banking: Now and the Way Forward. The online webinar is held on 26 June 2020 (Friday) at 5pm- 6pm HKT/ 10am- 11am BST. The webinar is organized by Our Hong Kong Foundation and co-organized by Hong Kong Green Finance Association. International field experts would have a panel discussion on the future trends of sustainable banking in Hong Kong and around the world in view of the risks and opportunities of the industry.
The role of banks in addressing sustainability challenges such as climate change
The latest developments and trends shaping sustainable banking
Key challenges and opportunities for sustainable banking in Hong Kong and around the world
Key policy instruments for sustainable banking in the global market and how they are being used
Please click LINK to register to secure your place.
Guest of Honour:
Mr. Joseph H.L. Chan, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, The Government of Hong Kong SAR
Mr. Stephen Wong, Deputy Executive Director and Head of Public Policy Institute, Our Hong Kong Foundation
Ms. Pratima Divgi, Regional Director, CDP Worldwide
Mr. Jonathan Drew, Managing Director, Sustainable Finance, Real Assets & Structured Finance, HSBC
Dr. Ma Jun, Chairman and President, Hong Kong Green Finance Association
Professor Christine Loh, Chief Development Strategist, Institute for the Environment, HKUST; Visiting Professor, Anderson School of Management, UCLA
Professor Colin Mayer, Peter Moores Professor of Management Studies, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford; Academic Lead, Future of the Corporation Programme, The British Academy
17:00-18:00 HK
https://ourhkfoundation.org.hk/form/zoom/event.php?id=zoom200626bank

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
The 1924 German federal election may refer to:

 May 1924 German federal election
 December 1924 German federal election

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


To place the story forward.
When I started making videos, I realized quite quickly that the story prevailed over the equipment I was using. One of the director's roles is to choose a narrative angle. They are very often multiple options regarding that element and that is the beauty of my work. Enough talking, I let you discover some examples of videos I have worked on in recent years.
My name is Wissame, this is my story.
I have spent the last seven years pursuing a very simple objective: combine my love for people' invisible experiences with my active listening skills in order to produce powerful video content.
The camera was always just an excuse to start a conversation.
I eventually made it as a full-time filmmaker. Eventually.
From my experience in dealing with clients, I understand that it is difficult to get a clear image of what is involved in the video production process. This is the reason why I decided to create a dedicated page to it on my website in order to breakdown what we could call the 'Three Steps Process'.


text:
Archive | BHP Billiton
Native Americans seek to stop Rio Tinto, BHP copper mine plan – by Nick Toscano (Sydney Morning Herald – January 13, 2021)
January 15, 2021 in Aboriginal and Inuit Mining and Oil/Gas, BHP Billiton, Copper, International Media Resource Articles, Mining Conflict and Opposition, Rio Tinto, United States Mining
https://www.smh.com.au/
Australian mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP are facing fresh opposition from Native American groups over a plan to build an enormous copper mine in Arizona in the United States.
Apache Stronghold, a non-profit group, has filed a lawsuit in the US District Court in Phoenix to stop the US government from transferring a 980-hectare parcel of land at Oak Flat, Arizona, to the mining giants' joint venture, Resolution Copper.
Resolution, which is 55 per cent owned by Rio Tinto and 45 per cent owned by rival BHP, says its proposed copper mine has the potential to supply nearly 25 per cent of US copper demand for 40 years. Continue Reading →
SolGold boss wants to end the brawl with BHP and Newcrest – by Peter Ker (Australian Financial Review – January 6, 2021)
January 7, 2021 in BHP Billiton, Copper, Gold and Silver, International Media Resource Articles, Junior Exploration Sector, Latin America Mining
https://www.afr.com/
SolGold managing director Nicholas Mather wants to repair his fractured relationship with BHP and Newcrest Mining after an acrimonious year that culminated in a massive protest vote against his re-election to the board of the high-profile copper explorer.
BHP and Newcrest both own more than 13 per cent of SolGold and last year made public their respective concerns about Mr Mather's approach to governance and funding of the Brisbane-based company, which has discovered several prospective copper and gold targets in Ecuador.
BHP and Newcrest were not the only SolGold shareholders with concerns about Mr Mather, with 44.7 per cent of the company's register voting against his re-election to the SolGold board shortly before Christmas. Continue Reading →
The 100-Day War: An oral history of BHP's hostile takeover bid of PotashCorp – by Alex MacPherson (Saskatoon StarPhoenix – November 13, 2020)
November 16, 2020 in BHP Billiton, Canadian Media Resource Articles, Potash/Phosphate, Saskatchewan Mining
https://thestarphoenix.com/
Ten years after it happened, the Saskatoon StarPhoenix spoke with key players in what was at the time the biggest business story in the world.
It was ten years ago that BHP Billiton tried to buy Saskatchewan's most iconic company. The Anglo-Australian mining giant's hostile takeover bid for Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. in the late summer and fall of 2010 was the biggest business story in the world at the time.
Tens of billions of dollars were at stake, not to mention a former Crown corporation at the heart of an industry that has long been considered the backbone of Saskatchewan's identity, history and economy.
PotashCorp owned five of the nine potash mines then operating in the province, and employed thousands of people. It was also a global success, with operations around the world. And it was not for sale. Continue Reading →
UK court blocks lawsuit against BHP over Brazil dam burst – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – November 9, 2020)
November 10, 2020 in BHP Billiton, Canadian Media Resource Articles, Iron Ore, Latin America Mining, Mining Environmental Accidents, Pollution, Tailing Dams and Abandoned Mines, Vale
https://www.mining.com/
The High Court of Manchester, northwestern England, blocked on Monday a £5 billion ($6.6bn) lawsuit against BHP over a devastating dam collapse at an iron ore mine in Brazil in 2015, which killed 19 people and became the worst environmental disaster in the country's history.
The suit, filed last year by 235,000 Brazilian people and groups including indigenous tribes and the Catholic Church, claims the world's no. 1 miner was "woefully negligent" in the run-up to the Samarco dam failure.
The claimants were seeking compensation for physical and psychological injury, property damage, moving costs, loss of earnings, loss of water supply and lost fishing income. Continue Reading →
BHP takes copper pledge – by Esmaire Iannucci (MiningWeekly.com – November 2, 2020)
November 2, 2020 in Australia/New Caledonia/Papua New Guinea Mining, BHP Billiton, Copper, International Media Resource Articles, Latin America Mining
https://www.miningweekly.com/
PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Major BHP has committed its copper operations in Chile and Australia to the Copper Mark voluntary programme, designed to hold the copper industry accountable to responsible practices in critical areas including environment, community, human rights and governance issues.
The Copper Mark is a credible assurance framework to demonstrate the copper industry's responsible production practices and contribution to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals.
"We know that our long-term sustainability credentials are important to our customers and increasingly important to end consumers of copper products, such as buyers of electric vehicles and copper intensive consumer durables," says BHP group sales and marketing officer Michiel Hovers. Continue Reading →
BHP thinks big on nickel after Musk dangles supply contract – by Brad Thompson (Australian Financial Review – October 13, 2020)
October 14, 2020 in Australia/New Caledonia/Papua New Guinea Mining, Battery Technology Innovation/Electric Vehicles, BHP Billiton, Nickel
BHP fanned speculation that it is closing in on an off-take deal with Elon Musk's Tesla after moving to boost nickel production while reducing carbon emissions in Western Australia.
Eddy Haegel, the boss of BHP's reborn Nickel West business, said it would continue to acquire prospective nickel tenements in WA after investing in new and existing mines and boosting processing capacity.
Nickel West has also started commissioning work at its delayed nickel sulphate plant at Kwinana, south of Perth, as it doubles up on the battery metal. Continue Reading →
Resurgent WA nickel attracting battery and car manufacturers (Australian Mining – October 13, 2020)
October 13, 2020 in Australia/New Caledonia/Papua New Guinea Mining, BHP Billiton, International Media Resource Articles, Nickel
Battery manufacturers and automakers are increasingly looking to invest in nickel projects to secure supply and the resurgent West Australian sector stands to benefit, according to Mincor Resources managing director David Southam.
Talks between miner BHP and electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla over a potential nickel deal were last week reported by Bloomberg.
Both parties declined to comment but it hasn't stopped the speculation being a key point of discussion at the annual Diggers and Dealers mining conference in Kalgoorlie. Continue Reading →
Why Rio Tinto and China are at loggerheads (The Economist – October 10, 2020)
October 8, 2020 in Africa Mining, Asia Mining, Australia/New Caledonia/Papua New Guinea Mining, BHP Billiton, International Media Resource Articles, Iron Ore, Latin America Mining, Rio Tinto, Vale
https://www.economist.com/
China does not like to feel jealous of Japan. But in the case of iron ore it has plenty to envy. Back in the 1960s, when Japan was building up its steel industry, the world's supply of the stuff was so fragmented that Japan could play off producers in Australia and Brazil against each other.
China, now the world's biggest steelmaker, does not have that luxury. Though it imports 70% of the world's iron ore, most of this comes from three companies that in the intervening six decades have become titans.
They are Rio Tinto and BHP, two Anglo-Australian firms, and Vale, a Brazilian one. They have brought about consolidation in the industry. They benefit from high barriers to entry. None is keen to undercut the other two. That puts them in a far stronger position vis à vis Chinese customers than their predecessors were with the Japanese. Continue Reading →
Tesla is in talks with top miner BHP over nickel-supply pact – by Yvonne Yue Li and David Stringer (Bloomberg News – October 6, 2020)
October 7, 2020 in Australia/New Caledonia/Papua New Guinea Mining, Battery Technology Innovation/Electric Vehicles, BHP Billiton, International Media Resource Articles, Metals and Manufacturing, Nickel
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/
Tesla Inc. is in talks with BHP Group on a nickel deal as the electric-car maker targets higher production and seeks to avoid a supply crunch, according to people familiar with the matter.
Talks are held up on pricing, and no final agreement has been reached so far between the automaker and BHP, the world's largest miner, said one of the people, requesting anonymity because the talks are private.
The discussions come as Tesla works to raise the amount of the metal used in vehicle batteries to improve performance, and as it makes a push into in-house cell production. Continue Reading →
BHP expands nickel search with SensOre – by Vanessa Zhou (Australian Mining – September 22, 2020)
September 22, 2020 in Australia/New Caledonia/Papua New Guinea Mining, BHP Billiton, International Media Resource Articles, Nickel
BHP has hired SensOre to target mineral deposits in support of its Nickel West operations in Western Australia. SensOre will apply its data cube and discriminant predictive targeting (DPT) technology on commodity-specific deposits as part of resource exploration with the major miner.
BHP chief executive Mike Henry has often reiterated the company's intention to develop its growth options, particularly in future-facing commodities such as copper and nickel.
"… In the case of nickel and copper we would like more resource, although another thing that (BHP chief financial officer Peter Beaven) often talks passionately about is the potential for us to unlock more options within the resource that we already have, though a focus on innovation," he told investors during BHP's financial year results release in August. Continue Reading →
BHP nears completion of Nickel West plant – by Salomae Haselgrove (Australian Mining – September 16, 2020)
September 16, 2020 in Australia/New Caledonia/Papua New Guinea Mining, Battery Technology Innovation/Electric Vehicles, BHP Billiton, International Media Resource Articles, Nickel
BHP has confirmed that it will open its Nickel West sulphate plant in Western Australia this financial year after the development was delayed.
The delay means the first product from the plant is now expected in the second half of the 2021 financial year, a year behind the original schedule.
The facility that is located at the Kwinana nickel refinery is expected to produce 100,000 tonnes of nickel sulphate per annum during its stage one development. Continue Reading →
BHP says traditional owners free to weigh in on cultural heritage inquiry – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – September 16, 2020)
September 16, 2020 in Aboriginal and Inuit Mining and Oil/Gas, Australia/New Caledonia/Papua New Guinea Mining, BHP Billiton, International Media Resource Articles
Mining giant BHP (ASX, LON, NYSE: BHP) has told Australian Aboriginal groups to freely speak their mind about the way it manages cultural heritage as the miner readies to appear before a federal inquiry launched following rival Rio Tinto's (ASX, LON, NYSE: RIO) destruction of two 46,000-year-old sacred shelters.
Both companies have been criticized for having gag clauses in land agreements preventing traditional owners from publicly objecting to developments.
"BHP has confirmed to traditional owners that it does not regard any term of its agreements with them as preventing them from making public statements about cultural heritage concerns," it said in the statement. Continue Reading →
BHP's Road To Reduced Emissions Should Be Electric – by David Fickling (Bloomberg News – September 3, 2020)
September 4, 2020 in BHP Billiton, Green Mining, International Media Resource Articles
(Bloomberg Opinion) — As oil companies flesh out plans to cut carbon emissions, their peers in the mining sector risk being left behind.
BHP Group, Rio Tinto Group and Vale SA are already among the world's largest emitters, thanks to the vast amounts of carbon spewed out turning their key product of iron ore into steel. Among producers with listings on major developed exchanges, only Royal Dutch Shell Plc sits higher than the big three miners in terms of so-called Scope 3 emissions.
(This describes pollution generated when a company's products are used, such as when gasoline is burned in a car or steel is produced in a mill. It comprises the vast majority of total emissions in the resources sector.(1)) Continue Reading →
BHP CEO eyes pivot to potash, but Nutrien chief warns new mines make 'no sense' – by Gabriel Friedman (Financial Post – August 31, 2020)
September 1, 2020 in BHP Billiton, Canadian Media Resource Articles, Potash/Phosphate, Saskatchewan Mining
https://financialpost.com/
Potash is one of the few "future-facing" commodities that BHP Group, one of the world's largest miners, expects to produce in the future, according to Mike Henry, the chief executive of BHP Group.
Henry said that when the company takes stock of the "megatrends" occurring in the world, such as decarbonization and the electrification of vehicles, it sees potash, a fertilizer salt that enriches crop quality and quantity, as a smart bet.
"I've been clear that BHP needs to increase its exposure to future facing commodities and that includes things like copper, nickel and potash," Henry said in an exclusive interview with the Financial Post. Continue Reading →
BHP maps out priorities in quest for 'future-facing' commodities – by Nick Toscano (Brisbane Times – August 31, 2020)
August 31, 2020 in Australia/New Caledonia/Papua New Guinea Mining, BHP Billiton, Copper, International Media Resource Articles, Nickel
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/
The head of Australian mining giant BHP says new plans to boost exposure to the "future-facing" commodities nickel and copper will focus first on exploring for new deposits and finding ways to extract more from existing assets, rather than looking for acquisitions.
As BHP embarks on a clean-up of its portfolio by seeking to sell several coal mines, quit thermal coal and exit the Bass Strait oil and gas fields, it has also laid out plans to lift exposure to commodities that chief executive Mike Henry believes will be increasingly required to meet the world's evolving needs, such as the manufacture of clean energy technologies.
Asked whether BHP would seek acquisitions to secure more options in commodities like nickel, copper and potash, Mr Henry said "maybe", but only if the right opportunities presented. Continue Reading →


text:
package ae_fluids.gui;

import net.minecraft.entity.player.EntityPlayer;
import net.minecraft.entity.player.InventoryPlayer;
import net.minecraft.inventory.Container;
import net.minecraft.inventory.IInventory;
import net.minecraft.inventory.Slot;
import net.minecraft.item.ItemStack;
import net.minecraftforge.fluids.FluidStack;
import net.minecraftforge.fluids.FluidTankInfo;
import ae_fluids.items.MEFluidCell;
import ae_fluids.tiles.METankTileEntity;

public class METankContainer extends Container {

	private METankTileEntity meTankEntity;

	private class MEFluidCellSlot extends Slot {

		public MEFluidCellSlot(IInventory inventory, int slot, int xOff, int yOff) {
			super(inventory, slot, xOff, yOff);
		}

		@Override
		public boolean isItemValid(ItemStack itemStack) {

			return itemStack.getItem() instanceof MEFluidCell;
		}

	}

	public METankContainer(InventoryPlayer playerInventory, METankTileEntity meTankEntity) {
		this.meTankEntity = meTankEntity;

		addSlotToContainer(new MEFluidCellSlot(meTankEntity, 0, 8, 18));

		bindPlayerInventory(playerInventory);

	}

	@Override
	public boolean canInteractWith(EntityPlayer entityplayer) {
		return true;
	}

	@Override
	public ItemStack transferStackInSlot(EntityPlayer player, int i) {
		Slot slot = (Slot)this.inventorySlots.get(i);

		ItemStack stackInSlot = slot.getStack();
		if (stackInSlot == null) return null;
		if (i == 0) {
			if (!this.mergeItemStack(stackInSlot, 1, 37, true)) return null;
		} else {

			if (!(stackInSlot.getItem() instanceof MEFluidCell) || !this.mergeItemStack(stackInSlot, 0, 1, false)) return null;
		}

		if (stackInSlot.stackSize == 0) {
            slot.putStack(null);
		} else {
            slot.onSlotChanged();
		}
		return stackInSlot;
	}

	protected void bindPlayerInventory(InventoryPlayer inventoryPlayer) {
        for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
                for (int j = 0; j < 9; j++) {
                        addSlotToContainer(new Slot(inventoryPlayer, j + i * 9 + 9,
                                        8 + j * 18, 44 + i * 18));
                }
        }

        for (int i = 0; i < 9; i++) {
                addSlotToContainer(new Slot(inventoryPlayer, i, 8 + i * 18, 102));
        }
	}

	public FluidTankInfo[] getFluidTankInfo() {
		return meTankEntity.getTankInfo(null);
	}

	public FluidStack getFluid() {
		return meTankEntity.getFluid();
	}

}


Some time ago I received a questionnaire from National Express, which concerned the possibilities to improve quality of service. One of the questions concerned the introduction into the carrier's fleet a personal entertainment system. I was very surprised by the question and started searching informations about this topic, and I came across ... Funtoro. Funtoro it is a kind of convenience, or otherwise saying an extra service.
Funtoro has already been introduced by Lux Express (Eurolines partner), so the service is not what you should expect something in the distant future, it's already running. So what enables you Funtoro during the journey? Please continue reading.
With Funtoro you can watch your favorite movies coming alive on widescreen monitor with high picture quality. Touch the screen and choose your way of entertainment regardless other passengers´ choice. Every passenger has his own monitor and own headphones and everybody can enjoy the content without disturbing the others. It´s up to you – you can choose your favorite movie, TV channel, music, pictures or connect gamepad. You can follow the road using the picture from front view camera if you are sitting at the back of the coach. Do you want to know, what is your current position or how many kilometres is to the final destination? Just one touch and you get the view on the coach position on navigation map or position within the planned route with information about the distance to next stop or final destination..


text:
Hong Kong and China: One Country, One System
15 November 2020 One Hong Kong lawmaker, Claudia Mo, said it was "the death-knell of Hong Kong's democracy fight." But she was part of it: one of the fifteen remaining pro-democracy members of the Legislative Council (Legco) who resigned on Thursday in protest at the expulsion of four other democratically elected members of the pseudo-parliament. …
Hong Kong and China: One Country, One System Read More »
Assange Hearing
The cost of being a whistle-blower is going up. When Daniel Ellberg stole and published the 'Pentagon Papers' in 1971, revealing the monstrous lies that the US government was telling the American public about the Vietnam war, he was arrested and tried, but the court set him free. When Edward Snowden released a vast trove …
Assange Hearing Read More »
In an emergency, the good thing about a dictatorship is that it can respond very fast. The bad thing is that it won't respond at all until the dictator-in-chief says that it should. All the little dictators who flourish in this sort of system won't risk their positions by passing bad news up the line …
Coronavirus Read More »
30 Minutes in Salisbury
Salisbury is a nice old English town with a fine cathedral, only an hour and a half from London by train, but it doesn't see many Russian tourists in wintertime. It's not as cold as Moscow, but Russians tend to prefer Mediterranean destinations for holiday breaks in early March – unless, of course, they are …
30 Minutes in Salisbury Read More »
Pakistan Election
"Look, we have no other choice," Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said last May. "These games have gone on too long. Something has to change." Then he left to be with his wife Kulsoom, who is on life support while receiving treatment for cancer in England. But last week he and his daughter Maryam …
Pakistan Election Read More »
Half the Jobs Are Going
"The notion that Uber in London is a mosaic of 30,000 small businesses linked by a common 'platform' is, to our minds, faintly ridiculous," said one of the judges on the employment tribunal. So the tribunal ruled that Uber's 30,000 drivers in London were actually employees, and therefore entitled to be paid the minimum wage, …
Half the Jobs Are Going Read More »
Brussels Bombs
Belgium may be a boring country, but it still seems extreme for a Belgian politician to say that the country is now living through its darkest days since the end of the Second World War. Can any country really be so lucky that the worst thing that has happened to it in the past seventy …
Brussels Bombs Read More »
A Scottish Neverendum
10 March 2014 A Scottish Neverendum? The referendum on Scotland's independence is only six months away, and suddenly the cautious sparring between the Conservative-led coalition government in London and First Minister Alex Salmond's pro-independence government in Edinburgh has turned into open war. London won the first battles, and the "No" side will probably win the …
A Scottish Neverendum Read More »
8 April 2013 The Passing of Margaret Thatcher By Gwynne Dyer Margaret Thatcher was the woman who began the shift to the right that has affected almost all the countries of the West in the past three decades. She died in London on Monday, 34 years after she became Britain's first female prime minister and …
Margaret Thatcher Read More »
Economics, Environment / By Gwynne Dyer
12 December 2011 Euro Crisis: Barking Up the Wrong Tree By Gwynne Dyer One senior European politician said angrily that British Prime Minister David Cameron was "like a man who comes to a wife-swapping party without his wife," and there was some truth in that. Britain does not even use the euro currency, shared by …
Euro Crisis Read More »


The Rolling Stones on January 18th, 1983.
It would make a great soap opera. Will Mick Jagger turn his back on the Rolling Stones now that he has made a solo album and had a hit single (his remake of "Dancing in the Streets" with David Bowie)? Are the other Stones mad at Mick? Was Charlie Watts upset by some of the sessions for the band's new album? And how did Steve Lillywhite, the British producer best known for his successes with U2, Big Country and other thoughtful-but-with-it U.K. groups, wind up behind the board? And what on earth is the next Stones album — a crucial one, their first since signing a multimillion-dollar deal with CBS — going to sound like? And, finally, are the Stones still the Stones?
The last question, at least, is easily answered. Late in October, in a New York studio at some ridiculous hour of the morning, a typical Stones session was in progress. Well, it was sort of a session. Engineers were carrying out instructions, making minuscule adjustments in various mixes while Keith Richards and Ron Wood jammed over in a corner. Mick Jagger, not seeming too involved, took a quick tour through the place, then said goodbye to "the boys." He was leaving for a holiday in India, and he didn't take any telephone calls after his departure.
In another room, mixes — possibly final mixes — of the Stones' new material were being played. The group's twin-guitar firepower hasn't sounded half as grungy or as lethal since Exile on Main Street. With the exception of a ballad, a reggae-style number and two funk tunes with big, booming bass parts courtesy of guitarist Wood, this is shaping up as an album of driving, uptempo rockers. It's all in a more contemporary vein than Stones purists are used to — there isn't one remotely Chuck Berry riff to be heard anywhere, and the closest comparison might, in fact, be to Hüsker Dü.
Jagger and Richards finally settled on Lillywhite, who had produced U2's first three albums and both of Big Country's LPs, as well as records by Joan Armatrading and other British popsters. At the end of February, Lillywhite met with the Stones in Paris, where the band had been laying down tracks. According to Richards, they had about thirty songs. Lillywhite agreed to produce the new album and began working on it in early April.
One of Lillywhite's trademarks is his booming drum sound, and the Stones' new songs feature Charlie Watts crashing and bashing with more fury than he's mustered in years. According to Richards, however, that was more because of the influence of engineer Jerden. "Charlie's not a guy who really likes to tune his drums; he's a rhythm man," said Keith. "But Dave would tune his set every day, depending on what song we were doing — which was great." Watts, for whatever reason, reportedly became a bit acerbic during some of the sessions.
Wood sounds much more integrated into the Stones' creative process on the new recordings. On earlier albums, he was filling in, listening to and playing off of Keith, and keeping some of his opinions, and abilities, to himself. On the new album, he plays acoustic and electric guitars, bass, keyboards and, on one song, drums.
This is a story from the December 5, 1985 issue of Rolling Stone.


text:
On Anniversary of Prank Call the Real David Koch Wants to "Stop Union Power" in Wisconsin
Submitted by Mary Bottari on February 21, 2012 - 9:35am
One year ago this week, blogger Ian Murphy of the Buffalo Beast pranked Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker by posing as billionaire David Koch on a phone call. As the crowds at the Capitol protesting Walker's bill to end collective bargaining were increasing in size and volume, the fake Koch inquired how Walker's efforts to "crush that union" were going. Walker's fawning response helped rocket the Wisconsin protests into the national media limelight.
Now the real David Koch reveals that crushing unions is indeed at the top of his agenda. In an interview with the Palm Beach Post, Koch talks about Walker, unions and the historical importance of the Wisconsin recall fight.
"We have spent a lot of money in Wisconsin. We are going to spend more."
Koch didn't know that when he sat down with Palm Beach Post reporter Stacey Singer that he was talking to a native Wisconsinite and University of Wisconsin graduate, who follows state politics closely. Singer knows that residents filed over one million signatures to recall Walker (almost half of the people who voted in the last statewide election) and that a spring recall election is likely.
Although the interview was slated to be about Koch's charitable efforts to cure cancer, Singer got in a few questions about the Wisconsin fight. To his credit, Koch answered the questions expansively, for the first time giving America his views on Scott Walker and his battle with Wisconsin's working families.
Koch acknowledges working hard on behalf of Walker. "We're helping him, as we should. We've gotten pretty good at this over the years," he says. "We've spent a lot of money in Wisconsin. We're going to spend more."
Koch may be referring to the efforts of AFP, his Americans for Prosperity Foundation, a 501(c)(3) "charitable" organization, which is up on air with another $700,000 TV ad-buy in defense of Walker and his budget. AFP is also sponsoring astroturf rallies around the state that few attend. While most Americans understand fighting cancer as a "charitable" activity, it is harder to see AFP's ads in defense of Walker in this light.
But Koch may also be referring to expenditures we don't yet know about. "If Koch is willing to spend $700,000 on issue ads, there is no telling how much he will spend to directly aid Walker when the recall is scheduled," warns Wisconsin Common Cause Director Jay Heck.
"There Will Be No Stopping Union Power"
While Walker has consistently framed the collective bargaining issue as a fiscal necessity -- "Wisconsin is broke" -- refreshingly, Koch states the obvious. He tells us the fight in Wisconsin is about "stopping union power."
"What Scott Walker is doing with the public unions in Wisconsin is critically important. He's an impressive guy and he's very courageous," Koch told the Palm Beach Post. "If the unions win the recall, there will be no stopping union power." The reporter adds: "As Koch speaks, he repeatedly uses the phrase 'union power' as though it's interchangeable with the word 'Bolshevik' -- a new red scare for a new century."
As CMD's Lisa Graves has reported, the Kochs' mistrust of unions can be traced to their father, Fred Koch, who raved that the National Education Association was a communist group and that public-school books were filled with "communist propaganda." He even suspected President Eisenhower and spoke of the "pro-communist" Supreme Court.
"Koch seems to be driven by his hatred for unions. Anyone who equates unions and Bolsheviks has some pretty extreme views," says Common Cause's Jay Heck. "It emphasizes how Walker has decided to align himself with some extreme elements outside of the state."
Koch-Funded Ads on Air, But No Ads from Critics
A year ago, Walker asked the fake Koch to help defend Wisconsin senators facing recall for their collective bargaining votes. AFP got the message and delivered, going up on air to defend the collective bargaining bill and Walker's austerity budget, which generated six straight months of job loss starting in July, the month Walker's budget kicked in. Walker was elected on a promise to create 250,000 jobs in the state. According to the most recent data, while the nation added 853,000 jobs over the last six months of 2011, a steady growth of 0.7 percent, Wisconsin lost 35,600 jobs, a loss just over one percent. No other state lost that many jobs.
But AFP's newest ad fails to mention the striking impact the budget has had on jobs in the state, nor do they mention teacher layoffs, increased class sizes or cutbacks in services. Instead, AFP and the right-wing MacIver Institute have tried to convince voters that Walker ended collective bargaining "abuses" and saved the state money without any "mass layoffs."
As Walker travels around the nation giving policy address after policy address at Koch-funded institutions (the Texas Policy Foundation, Arizona's Goldwater Institute, Florida's James Madison Institute), he complains ceaselessly about the "union ads" being run against him and the efforts of "out of state unions" to unseat him. He follows his speeches with high-dollar fundraisers that have netted $250,000 checks from out of state billionaires like Bob Perry of "swift boat" fame.
In reality, there are no union ads on TV in Wisconsin or any other ads critical of Walker, only pro-Walker ads from AFP and the Walker campaign. Walker has successfully raised $12 million with this gambit and has spent some $7 million on television already, but unions and independent expenditures groups have yet to spend a nickel on television. Given that six Walker aides and associates have been indicted in a wide-ranging criminal investigation being run out of the Milwaukee District Attorney's office, the lack of ads is surprising.
Federal Reserve Forecasts More Job Loss in WI
In his conversation with the fake David Koch over a year ago, Walker said Wisconsin is "ground zero, no doubt about it." For once, Walker was right. Wisconsin is the only state in the nation to suffer six straight months of job loss. Worse, the state is only one of six forecast to continue this damaging contraction.
These predictions arise not from the Bolsheviks or the unions, but from the staid Philadelphia Federal Reserve. Economists there say "there is little prospect that such trends will reverse. Given the Contractionary policies implemented in the budget, this is no surprise."
Given the impact of his policies, to many observers Walker's recall election will be a bellwether on whether or not Americans will allow policymakers to force them to bear the blame and the brunt of the Wall Street financial crisis, which tanked state revenues, or if another view of Wisconsin's future will prevail.
Mary Bottari
Mary Bottari is a reporter for the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD). She helped launch CMD's award-winning ALEC Exposed investigation and is a two-time recipient of the Sidney Prize for public interest journalism from the Sidney Hillman Foundation.
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Anonymous replied on February 21, 2012 - 11:40am Permalink
Koch Family Values
Poppy garnered the family fortune building refineries for comrade Stalin came back to USA as a Capitalist anti communist even trying to pass off Eisenhower as a commie sympathizer Even Hollywood couldn't dream this family up they with their money try to subvert Democracy and install a plutocracy that answers to only Mammon.
sarno replied on February 23, 2012 - 10:24am Permalink
David Koch article
The great thing about our country is one can support the causes one believes in. Thank you for showing the wonderful causes David Koch supports. We need to honor successful people like Mr. Koch who use their money to the betterment of society.
Northerner replied on February 25, 2012 - 6:22pm Permalink
reply to sarno
The not so great thing about America, especially since the Citizens United decision from the Supreme Court, is that people with enormous amounts of money (like Mr. Koch) can legally flood the airwaves with ads from their so-called super pacs. The huge amount of power for indoctrinating the ill-informed that this gives them certainly is not what was intended by the "Founders" (who seem to mean so much to conservatives). I see nothing to "honor" about behind the scenes political machinations. If David Koch, or anyone else, wants to sway elections by funding organizations like the Tea Party, or by creating super pacs, he/she should have the character and honesty to stand up (as the Founders did) and state his/her case openly and in public. Working behind the scenes to take over elections or infiltrate governments is NOT the American way.
Environment ALEC Exposed Secrecy Politics Activism International Climate Change Wisconsin Marketing Economy Human Rights Health Journalism Lobbying Public Relations Corporations Iraq Right Wing Democracy Media Propaganda Ethics War / Peace U.S. Congress U.S. Government


My entry for the Daily Paintworks Challenge. The Challenge this week was to paint a statue. My reference photo was taken outside the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, where there is this larger than life horse monument. We spent a few weeks there while my daughter showed her horse. Took a while to get used to the heat of Oklahoma in August. At 106 degree high temperatures, this statue was smoking red hot!
It certainly does inspire! Well done! I love the fact that you painted this as a result of your daughter's horse show event. That's wonderful that she does that, and that you've commemorated the event so beautifully with this painting!
Love the tones in the bronze! I'll bet it was smoking hot! That kind of heat is just way too miserable for me. We hit some super duper hot days here last spring and summer as well and I just wilt.


text:
Internal post
MTO SHOCK NEWS: Man Who WON The Lottery JACKPOT . . . Dies Of Cancer . . . Just THREE WEEKS After Winning!!!
A New York man named Donald Savastano was one of the LUCKIEST and UNLUCKIEST men in the world. You see, earlier this month, Donald won the Merry Millionaire scratch-off lottery for $1 million.
But shortly after he won – he got bad news. Doctors diagnosed him with STAGE 4 CANCER – and he was given only a few weeks to live.
Donald died last Friday.
He claimed his winnings in January and chose the lump sum payment of $661,800.
"Being a self-employed carpenter, I didn't really have a plan for retirement," the 51-year-old self-employed carpenter explained to WBNG-TV at the time.
"The money will help with that. I don't have any other extravagant plans. I'll buy a new truck, pay off some debt and invest for the future."
Donald was sold the ticket by Danielle Scott, who said a friend of Donald's came and told her that he was very ill in hospital.
She said:
"He was self-employed, he didn't have insurance, he hadn't been feeling good for a while I guess, and when he got the money he went into the doctor."
"He had a friend come and talk to me, and they told me that he was very sick and that he had brain and lung cancer and that he was in the hospital and they didn't think he was going to make it."
Savastano grew up on Long Island and learned the carpentry trade from his dad, according to an obituary published on Sunday by Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home in Oneonta.


text:
<?php

namespace Rooty\TorrentBundle\Form\Filter;

use Symfony\Component\Form\AbstractType;
use Symfony\Component\Form\FormBuilder;
use Rooty\TorrentBundle\Form\Extension\ChoiceList\TorrentStatus as Status;

class TorrentFilterType extends AbstractType
{
    public function buildForm(FormBuilder $builder, array $options)
    {
        $builder
            ->add('title', 'text', array (
                'attr' => array(
                    'class' => 'input-xlarge',
                    'placeholder' => 'Название',
                ),
                'required' => false,
            ))
            ->add('status', 'choice', array (
                'attr' => array(
                    'class' => 'input-xlarge'
                ),
                'choice_list' => new Status(),
                'empty_value' => false,
                'required' => false,
            ))
            ->add('order_by', 'hidden', array(
                'attr' => array(
                    'class' => 'order_by'
                ),
                'data' => 't.title',
            ))
            ->add('order_direction', 'hidden', array(
                'attr' => array(
                    'class' => 'order_direction'
                ),
                'data' => 'ASC',
            ));
    }

    public function getName()
    {
        //return 'rooty_torrentbundle_torrentfiltertype';
        return 'search';
    }
}


Last weekend saw off-road racers from across the country come together to fight for the number one title at the Tatts Finke Desert Race and the MBL Sea Lake Mallee Rally ARB 450.
The Tatts Finke Desert Race is an off road, multi terrain two-day race for bikes, cars, buggies and quads through desert country from Alice Springs to the small Aputula (Finke) community. "Finke" as it is commonly known, is one of the biggest annual sporting events in the Northern Territory and has the reputation of being one of the most difficult offroad courses in one of the most remote places in the world.
Team Mickey had a number of racers running on legendary Mickey Thompson tyres. Check out the Team Mickey results below.
The MBL Sea Lake Mallee Rally ARB 450 marked Round 2 of the ARB Off Road Racing Series. Mickey Thompson Tires are proud to be a key sponsor for the series and were thrilled to see so many competitors kitted up with legendary Mickey Thompson tyres.
Check out the Team Mickey results below.
Congratulations to everyone who competed in these great off-road racing events and thanks to all the organisers and staff. Both events were packed full of action and we're looking forward to the next event, which will be Round 3 of the Australian Off Road Racing Championship at Waikerie, SA (22-24 July). See you there!


text:
The Lessons of Monsters: As Learned from Cultural Demons Krampus and Namahage
February 1, 2018 by Chris Kullstroem
What lessons can we learn from monsters across cultures? In 2013, I asked myself this very question when setting off to travel abroad for a year. Like so many Americans, I had long been fascinated with monster characters, the horror genre and all things spooky since growing up celebrating Halloween every year. But as much as I loved the ghosts and ghouls that rose from their graves every October thirty-first, at the age of 34, I decided to see what other creatures roamed realms outside the United States. After all, there are countless entities around the globe wreaking havoc on the living. I had no doubt that I would find them just as nightmarishly mesmerizing.
"Krampus is the evil companion of St. Nicholas," I was soon told.
In Salzburg, Austria, 34-year old Bertram explained his own cultural heritage. Bertram knew that I had come to the city specifically for Krampus: the beast that terrorizes people throughout Austria and southern Germany each winter. Through couchsurfing—an organization in which people invite travelers to stay with them in their homes—Bertram and I had met online. He had hosted dozens of travelers over the years, but this was his first encounter with someone who had come specifically for a monster. On my first night there, my host described what it meant to grow up with the custom.
"When I was a kid," he said, "Krampus would come to our house every December fifth. Saint Nicholas was with him to give candy to my sister and me, and Krampus would stand in the background, looking menacing and terrifying. He was there to warn us to stay on good behavior the rest of the year."
I pictured the scene, thinking back to my own childhood, Christmas days. They were all sadly monster-free. I couldn't help but feel jealous.
Over the next four weeks, hundreds of Krampuses ran through Salzburg. Ogrish and hairy, with massive horns rising over their heads, they took to the streets lined with Christmas markets and holiday shoppers. Unlike the unobtrusive ones Bertram knew as a child, these wilder, untamed beasts beat people who had specifically gathered to see them. Each Krampus had its own weapon: a bundle of sticks, horse tail or cow tail. Bertram joined me on one of these "laufs" (translating to "runs"). We stood on a packed sidewalk and stared at demon after demon that ran towards us with seemingly no mercy. After a few of them wailed on the people around us but left the two of us pleasantly unscathed, I felt a hand on my back as Bertram pushed me towards the attacks. In a matter of seconds, what felt like a short whip thrashed my thigh, and I jumped at a sharp sting throbbing through my jeans.
"Ouch!" I cried, then shoved Bertram playfully. "Hey!" The pain, however, had already dissolved.
Betram laughed. "Hey, you came here for this, didn't you?!"
From then on, I made sure to bolt behind him against further attacks, leaving my host to withstand the full force of Krampus onslaught.
Fast forward a few months, and I learned about a strikingly similar creature in northern Japan. Twenty-four-year-old Hikaru had grown up with annual visits from a character known as the Namahage.
"The Namahage go door to door on December thirty-first," Hikaru told me. We sat on his living room floor over bowls of rice and eggs. "They stand in the doorway and shout 'Are there any cry babies here?'" he said, making his voice low and ominous. "Then they charge through the house looking for the kids. Every year, they would find me hiding in the closet and drag me out, threatening to steal me away."
I gaped at the story, wide-eyed over my rice. The Namahage were clearly more dangerous than any Christmas demon that glared at kids from behind the safety of a saint. The Namahage were just as ogrish, but covered with straw rather than fur, with wide, cruel eyes and teeth painted onto their wooden masks.
Hikaru went on to describe the legend of the Namahage: centuries ago, the creatures were said to kidnap women from the town of Oga. The villagers eventually challenged the Namahage to a test: if the creatures could construct a staircase made of one thousand steps back to their home in the Snowy Mountains before sunrise, they could take their women. If they failed, however, the demons would have to leave Oga for good. The Namahage agreed. Hard at work, they were about to lay the final, thousandth step when a villager mocked the sound of a rooster crowing. It was still the dead of night, but the noise suggested morning had arrived. The Namahage were fooled and left Oga without its women, but returned every December for their children instead.
"When the Namahage came for me," Hikaru explained, "my parents would offer a tray of food and sake, and beg them to let me go. Eventually they did, but growled a warning to stay on good behavior."
Hikaru smiled at the memory. He revealed absolutely no trace of being traumatized in a way that, I knew, I surely would have been.
That weekend, my host and I drove to a Namahage festival held each February. In the town of Oga, a reenactment portrayed a typical, home visit from the demons. Masks and costumes were set out on display in a museum dedicated to them, each hand-made from over the centuries. Hikaru and I were even given the opportunity to try on authentic Namahage outfits.
"I can't believe more people don't want to do this," I said.
Through my demonic mask, which fit over my face like a hockey mask, Hikaru looked proud and defiant in his wicker-based outfit beside me. He shrugged, then posed for a few pictures.
Hikaru and Chris © Chris Kullstroem
"Look!" he later called excitedly. After sundown, we had watched dozens of the cultural demons dance around a bonfire in a field on site. It was colder than I had ever known—the single-digit temperatures felt like something more suitable for Antarctica than Japan. But it didn't deter the hundreds of visitors from enjoying the show.
"Those are the nine hundred and ninety-nine steps the Namahage built in the woods," Hikaru said, leading me across the snowy field.
My frozen face smiled, thawed from his enthusiasm.
I would go on to visit eleven countries that year. I stayed with more than a dozen host families and, together, danced with skeletons in parades, admired demons and devils in all sorts of shows and displays. After returning to the U.S., I published a book about the adventures: Drawn to the Dark: Explorations in Scare Tourism around the World.
It appeared that cultural monsters did, indeed, have much to teach. Every one of them demonstrated an inherent desire in people to share their stories, to pass on their cultural traditions and connect with others. Krampus and Namahage may have different tactics for ensuring children stay on good behavior, yet both reveal how people growing up with those customs develop deep, nostalgic bonds to them. Bertram and Hikaru were proud to share something that was part of their family heritage and a tradition in their communities. Before my arrival, Bertram hadn't attended a lauf in several years, and Hikaru had never made the trip to the festival dedicated to the Namahage. But upon making a new friend, both reveled in revisiting an old, monstrous one, and were happy to share an adventure that transcended across cultures.
Win a copy of Drawn to the Dark: Explorations in Scare Tourism around the World by Chris Kullstroem
The talented Chris Kullstroem has offered a copy of her amazing book about scare tourism for a lucky #FolkloreThursday newsletter subscriber this month!
'Since we were children, images of closed closet doors, darkened basements, and stairways spiraling down into the blackness have terrified us—and yet, they have fascinated minds young and old for generations. If the unknown holds so much to fear, then why is it that cultures around the world continue to seek out and celebrate the mysteries of the dark? Inspired by a lifelong fascination with monsters and fear culture, writer Chris Kullstroem left her job and home to experience firsthand some of the world's most legendary scare shows. Her travels were conducted exclusively through Couchsurfing, a network that pairs travelers with local hosts at no cost. Under the guidance of her hosts and locals, Kullstroem saw it all: attractions like the Day of the Dead, the haunts of New Zealand, and even the legendary Krampus brought to life in the streets of Austria. Chronicled with insightful detail, Drawn to the Dark explores why so many find thrills in forms of fright. Each international, eerie enactment evokes a sense of wonder and awe, demonstrating powerful emotions that transcend language and culture to reveal a connection that we all share in our draw to the dark.'
Sign up for the #FolkloreThursday newsletter to enter (valid February 2018; UK & ROI only).
The book can be purchased here.
Categories: Folklife, Folklore Books, Regional Folklore, WinterTagged: Austrian folklore, calendar customs, Christmas, Cultural Demons, dark tourism, February, folk festivals, folklife, folklore festivals, folklore tourism, Japanese Folklore, Krampus, Krampus run, Krampuslauf, Namahage, Scare Tourism, winter, winter folklore
Chris Kullstroem
Chris Kullstroem is a life-long Halloween, horror, and dark tourism fanatic. She has researched haunted attractions, cemeteries, ghost tours and other forms of scare-based tourism in the United States, Canada, Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Her writing focuses on how entertaining scare attractions blend history, theater and social interaction, and what they can teach us about ourselves and the world around us. Her website is www.monstersandbooks.com.