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Unified Quest Army Future Game
We are in the midst of a uniquely challenging time in our Army's history, although frankly it seems like we can always say that.
We still have a significant number of troops in combat in Afghanistan and continued involvement in the Philippines, the Horn of Africa and other places around the world and ensuring their success is our main effort. North Korea and Iran remain challenges we cannot ignore. We are on the front edge of a drawdown in an era of fiscal austerity. Lastly, our national strategy is shifting to focus on the Asia-Pacific region and broadening to a construct of "prevent, shape and win."
At the Army's Training and Doctrine Command, we consider these challenges and our national strategy, and determine how we might best shape the future force. One way to accomplish this is through our "Unified Quest" series of seminars, workshops and symposia.
Results from the UQ series will inform our revision of the strategic concepts found in the Army Capstone Concept and the Army Operating Concept. Results will also help us implement Unified Land Operations Doctrine (ADP 3.0), particularly in consideration of doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, and facilities (DOTMLPF).
The capstone event of this year's Unified Quest is the "Army Future Game." This war game will examine the role of the Army as a decisive, adaptive force across a range of military operations. During the war game, held June 3-8 at Carlisle Barracks, two working groups will address operational scenarios set in 2020 in the PACOM and CENTCOM theaters. Free-play "Red Teams" will employ anti-access and area denial operations within an overarching hybrid strategy to enable a rigorous examination of key proposed concepts. Additionally, a strategic working group composed of more than 60 senior leaders and subject matter experts will examine key strategy and policy issues relevant to shaping the Army of 2020 and informing the Quadrennial Defense Review.
In the Army Future Game we are going to wrestle with some critical challenges. For example, we've steadily improved our integration and interoperability of special operations and conventional forces over the last decade of combat. A key issue is how this integration should evolve to best defeat future threats. Additionally, we'd like to develop thoughts on how we accomplish this at home station, at our national combat training centers, and in regional engagement activities.
We'll also consider how we overcome the hybrid strategy of adversaries that combine the capabilities of conventional, terrorist, criminal, proxy, and irregular organizations and forces. To do this, our scenarios will cause our "Blue Forces" to closely examine how innovations across DOTMLPF might help defeat hybrid strategies.
Overall, we'll examine about a dozen of these kinds of issues. This analysis will provide us strategic and operational insight and potential implications for Joint and Army concepts. Ultimately, we'll develop recommendations to posture both the institutional and operational Army to successfully execute their roles during the 2018-2030 timeframe.
This event will help leaders shape our Army as the operational environment changes, and as we transition our national strategy. We'll see the next step of this process in July, when the Chief of Staff of the Army leads a senior-leader seminar to review the insights and recommendations of the Army Future Game. At that point, I'll bring you up to date with what we think we have learned. In the meantime, if you have thoughts on integrating special operations and conventional forces, or how we might defeat hybrid strategies, then please join in the conversation. The more voices in the discourse, the better chance we'll have of getting this right.
Categories: innovation - Iraq - Afghanistan - war games - doctrine - training
rmihara
I would argue that the vital national interests of the U.S. could be better articulated than they have been in recent national security strategies and the 2012 defense strategic guidance. I think it is because they are not directly and systematically addressed in the guidance documents that the services have struggled in charting their long-term. In the absence of a clear basis for prioritization, the services have pursued options which are optimal to the operational areas of emphasis in the defense strategic guidance, etc. For the U.S. Air Force and Navy, the operational solutions are relatively straightforward and familiar. Air-Sea Battle is but a recent formulation of established service-based ways and means designed to meet the policy pivot towards the Asia-Pacific region, the global commons, and an acknowledgement that the kind of easy port access offered for our wars in Southwest Asia cannot be presumed upon.
The Army has decided to explore the option of preparing for hybrid conflict, but there are potential problems with this that ought to be considered. First, the construct of hybrid conflict is highly contingent, as the term implies. So, preparing for it over the long-term runs up against the dynamic character of warfare, hybrid or otherwise. Because the character of hybrid conflict is so contingent, its relative significance to U.S. interests will also be variable and could very well decline in importance(if one were to accept that it is highly important to American interests now). Second, a commitment to preparing for the breadth of threat aspects encompassed by hybrid conflict tends towards profligacy and hubris. The U.S. Army has long held to the mantra of being the best-led, best-trained, and best-equipped land force in history. How will it reconcile that identity with the stress and strain of maintaining readiness for hybrid conflict during a period of declining budgets?
Preparation for hybrid conflict is ultimately more about capability and less about capacity. The irony could be that in the pursuit of broad capability the U.S. Army could arrive at a hollow force through a shallowness of capacity or, by way of compromises in policy execution, a lack of proficiency in essential capabilities. A conscious focus on enduring national interests could better mitigate the risk of a hollow army than by focusing on hybrid conflict.
The lists of national interests vary slightly depending on who you ask, but I would offer the following list of interests for guiding capability and capacity development:
1. Defend the Homeland
2. Prevent Great Power Conflict on Eurasia
3. Protect Access to Strategic Raw Materials
4. Protect a Liberal International Economic System
5. Promote Stable and Responsible State Structures
The challenge for the Army is in quantifying the risk of any given force structure and doctrine in terms of these interests (or any alternative list). As Mr. Jones suggests in his reply (my apologies to him for appropriating his argument!), the "opportunity costs" for the nation may not justify having a standing force oriented on hybrid conflict. It might be more efficacious to build an army around something more discrete and reflective of landpower's unique contribution to securing vital interests.
I should emphasize that none of this is to say that the effort invested in the UQ events has been unintelligent. On the contrary, the resources invested have been impressive, and there has been a sustained commitment to draw upon insights from the field, academe, etc. It is only to suggest that the Army does not truly understand the events' ultimate value to the nation until the capabilities it desires can be described in terms of the long-term risks the nation incurs by acquiring those capabilities.
Historically America focused on two vital national interests:
1. Maintain access to resouces and markets.
2. Not allow any single enemey, or enemy coalition, to dominate the Eurasian landmass.
Based on these vital interests, and in accordance with our geostrategic strength and the express will of our populace and founding principles of our nation, the primary task for the Army in times of broad, messy peace as we have enjoyed for the past 25 years, is TO STAND DOWN. The Army's mission in time of peace is to be prepared to expand to a warfighting force in times of war. The Cold War forced a continental European geostrategic perspective onto America, and thus the need to sustain a large peacetime army through the Cold War. That threat is gone (for now) and we are freed of that mission, so the Army's #1 job is to effectively mothball itself to hybernate through the peace. The Army has never liked that reality and always fought that reality, but has always ultimately had to live that reality. The Cold War ran so long, though, that we all seem to have forgotten that reality.
Many argue that the Army was not prepared for WWI or II due this approach; yet our Army was a decisive land force in both conflicts and America was never seriously threatened in either. Allowing allies to fight their own wars is not a bad thing, it is an American thing. Helping allies then win those wars is an American thing as well. It is an approach that has saved countless American lives and dollars, and that also did not enable allies to rationalize that they could skimp on their own militaries as our current policies do.
Post Cold War we added a new, and I believe very dangerous, vital interest. The idea that we make ourselves safer when we make others more like us. It is extremely idological and arrogant and it fails to recognize that every culture is very different, and that values and forms of governace vary and evolve at different rates everywhere. America's founding principles are sound, but we stopped selling those in 1950, and began selling American modern values in about 1990. No country would have been more likely to go to war with 2012 America over a demand to adobt 2012 forms of American "enduring and universal values" and form of democracy than the America that existed prior to 1945. Should we blame others if they push back as well?
I think we need to drop this modern "vital interest" of forcing modern American values and forms of governance onto others. It is very judgmental and mistakes the foundations of stability. It is not the nature of our governance and values that makes Amerian stable, it is the fact that they are OURS. That both are heavily evolved and tailored of, by and for this particular nation. They fit us awkwardly, and others not at all. If we most prosthelytize, then I suggest this modification: "We make ourselves safer when we are perceived as the nation that helps others to be more like themselves."
So, the Army meets to wargame how to fight the peace. Wrong mission. Other services and SOF have broad peacetime missions, but the Army is more than any other a warfighting force. Perhaps much of the Air Force as well (how much air power is needed in peace, when we have so much naval and Marine air?). We need to take a hard look at what our nation needs and provide that in a manner rooted in our history and prepared for the present and the future.
Consider what happens when Presidents do not need to go to Congress and ask for not just the permission to engage our Army some place, but to first fund the creation of that very army. But for the large standing army necessary for waging Cold War and carried over into the following peace:
1. Would we have escalated Vietnam into the major conflict it became?
2. Would we have invaded Iraq to change Saddam's regime?
3. Would we have lingered in Afghanistan to attempt to create a new state IAW with what we believed to be acceptable governance?
Such adventurism has not made America stornger or safer. It is not the Army's fault we did those things, but having too large an Army standing by ready to go certainly enabled some bad decisions over the past few generations. Time to get back to our roots. When we buy excessive or inappropriate military power at the expense of other national programs or debt reduction, we make our nation weaker, not stronger. We need to War game that.
We live in dynamic times, it is time for a dynamic response. It needs to start at the very top though, but until then, the military needs to selflessly lead the way. Is it the SECDEF's job to protect the department or the nation? Time to volunteer for major cuts and to shame congress into doing the same across the board. We must defend our nation from ourselves first, no others truly pose much of an existential threat.
In reply to by rmihara
Please suggest some recommended vital interests the military should be prepared to defend that are addressed in the Defense Strategic Guidance. Of course our adversaries will seek to exploit our perceived weaknesses as adversaries have done throughout history. The DSG addresses asymmetric threats and more traditional threats, and most admit that none of us know what the future will present, so you need a military that can address a wide range of threats. Many SWJ members are convinced all future threats will be non-state actors, but that is dangerously near sighted. We can't wargame everything, but if we can prevail in a significant hybrid fight, then for the Army it would seem they would have sufficient capacity and capability to address a wide range of unpredictable threats. What do you think we're missing?
This diverges a bit from what Gen. Cone is asking for from the SWJ community. However, I think what has been abandoned in advance of these scenario-driven exercises is the need to determine what is sufficient for securing vital national interests. Instead of defining that threshold, the Army has sought to be competent across all of the primary mission areas outlined in the defense strategic guidance (January 2012) and has invested its intellectual energy in exploring scenarios which (1) best fit the focus of the current presidential administration [i.e. Asia-Pacific region, etc.] and (2) highlights the need for a desired force structure. Intelligent threats will always seek to attack our weaknesses. Preparing an army principally on that convention is shadow boxing. The target is a mirage because the future conditions of conflict are so unknowable.
The Army's experimentation ought to be premised on an understanding of what the nation's enduring interests are. This is the escape from tactical and operational myopia. Anti-access/area denial, as an example, is a perennial issue that has primarily risen to prominence because of contemporary obsession with China. The critical issue is not learning how to answer transitory aggregations of operational methods (hybrid, 4G, etc.) as applied by hypothetical threats. The matter at hand, for the Army and her sister services, is how to best protect what is truly vital and also be able to scale up to advance other important interests. It is a matter of determining where the line is for achieving acceptable sufficiency in capability.
Having defined sufficiency, the Army can then move forward to address challenging and relevant scenarios to guide doctrine development and force modernization without incurring as a great a risk of giving in to tacit assumptions and hidden biases. When strategically-based, venues such as the Army Future Game could then provide the military with the basis to better inform leaders at the policy-level by giving them a proper picture of what is in the realm of the possible and hopefully avoid fatally flawed military misadventures.
GEN Robert Cone
I would like to thank everyone for your collective feedback. Your thoughts are shaping our approach to the game.
Our preparation of the Army for current and future challenges is fundamentally based upon a close examination of the lessons of the past, supported by rigorous analysis founded in plausible & challenging scenarios. I expect future conflicts to be complex, characterized by a range of threats that are likely to blur the distinctions of past conflicts and challenge us in new ways. Our adversaries will seek to attack our will to fight, avoid our preferred methods of war, and exploit both strategic and other levers to set conditions that force us to fight where they see advantage. History and recent experience indicates that this sort of complex environment can be created deliberately or by happenstance as multiple opportunists join the fight.
We will include scenarios that likely place us at disadvantages compared to today, such as the inability to secure basing and overflight. We will also examine challenges to capabilities where we currently have competitive advantage or even overmatch, such as low and high technology threats and anti-access/area denial techniques.
Your comments about 'words and narratives' are interesting. We are investigating how we effectively address friendly, adversary and neutral viewpoints.
Again, thank you for the feedback please keep it coming. Following the AFG, I plan to come back to this forum and share the insights and recommendations it produces.
GEN Cone
In reply to by gian gentile
Gian,
No arguments. I spoke to temporal, operational effects rather than larger, long-term strategic effects in Iraq. At a strategic level we removed the natural buffer between Shia Iran and the Levant and Sunni Arabian Penninsula of a problematic Saddam-led Iraq with a vision of replacing it with a democratic buffer built in our image; but that was a decision far above any military leader.
Civilian and Military leaders alike need to develop a greater appreciation that these conflicts are largely "lost" or "won" at the policy/strategy level long before the first Military commander receives an order to plan or act. Even after those first decisions are made, there comes along an array of off-ramps for policy makers to take, but too often by that point they are waiting for some military victory to somehow overcome that initial unwinable concept, so the offramps are not taken, and the conflict drags on. Certainly military force can temporarily suppress the ability of some popualce to resist or revolt, but if the overall strategic construct is fatally flawed such populaces will act out again once conditions are ripe.
As an aside and not to move in a divergent direction from General Cone's post, but I am unclear as to what "success" we have had in Iraq, as Bob Jones asserts. What I ask have we the United States gained in Iraq in terms of appreciable strategic and policy goals. To be sure one can point to operational successes, but operational success is not an end in itself in war. In short for the entire American blood and treasure spent as well as the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed, maimed, and displaced what has this war gotten us?
I would suggest to General Cone that as we think about the future we ought to do it based on an honest and objective assessment of the recent past in Iraq and Afghanistan. If we think that military force as it has been applied in Iraq and Afghanistan has been successful in a Clausewitzean political sense, then we are looking into the future on the wrong basis.
Lastly Bill M said that the we were slow to learn in Iraq. But I disagree. In fact the evidence shows quite conclusively that at the tactical level we learned and adapted very quickly from the start in Iraq. The key point here and related to General Cone's post is that in war an army can learn and adapt perfectly, but then still lose the war.
The American army has come to believe that if it just "understands" the situation, that if it is a learning organization then voila any war can be won or conflict resolved. But this attitude is reflective of the continuing darker side of the Army, a side that since the Vietnam war has buried itself in the tactics and operations of war, but has lost the bubble about war's totality.
Just to tag onto Bill's post a bit. It is not the change in the threat from "regular" to "irregular" that (IMO) causes us such problems, it is our inability transition our own thinking in terms of how our purpose for action changes from when one is fighting some largely conventional force to defeat their legal security forces, and equally to being able to sort out the many divers purposes for action of various non-state actors that are apt to emerge to fill the vacuum our actions have created. In Iraq (far more hybrid and complex than Vietnam, I believe) we faced Sunni Resistance, Shia Revolution, Kurdish Separatists, State-based UW actors from Iran, Non-state UW actors from AQ; and then the guerrilla fighters recruited by AQ from insurgent populaces across the region. All looking very much the same, yet all there for very unique purposes demanding tailored solutions for effective resolution.
Far more than the surge, I think much of our success in Iraq was simply that our boundaries largely matched with these various factions, so while the conflict as a whole was a hybrid mess of discrete purposes for action, many commanders only had to deal with primarily one aspect of the problem, so tailored solutions emerged more appropriate to each. (Of note, in Afghanistan the Revolutionary Taliban [Big T] and the Resistance Taliban [little t] distinction is one we fail or refuse to recognize, so we pound away at the resistance driving the roots deeper as we trim the branches; and largely ignore the revolutionary issues between the Northern Alliance- based government we put into power, and the Taliban-based government we drove into exile. We attack the symptoms while we ignore the problem, and certainly do not distinguish by purpose for action.)
Our thinking is so canalized by our dated doctrine and our own ideological framing of the conflict that we can't see the forest for the trees.
So, for my input, please make "purpose for action" a major focus for such a wargame. It is not if one is "regular" or "irregular" in costume, or how one dances that matters, it is understanding why one came to the party in the first place that holds the keys to finding some natural stability. Or, if artificial stability forced through security forces (as exists in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and as has fallen in other ME states recently) is the goal, be honest about that goal and focus on it. Sometimes suppression is good enough, but less so in the modern age than it was in the eras of most of the histories our doctrine is based upon.
GEN Cone,
Thank you for posting in SWJ. Some initial thoughts on the wargame and beyond. In the first part of your post you mentioned the broader approach of shaping and preventing, which I think we have been doing moderately well since the end of WWII. Of course we'll probably never know how many conflicts we deterred with our capacity building efforts, presence, treaties and so forth. What has changed (since the end of the Cold War) is we're now in a multipolar world again, and not only see the emergence of powerful states (economic and otherwise), but also more powerful non-state actors, so "our (U.S. only)" ability to shape and deter even without defense cuts is on a downward slope. If we can effectively lead then "our (including our network of allies and partners)" ability acting in a unified way to shape and prevent is greatly improved. After years of doing coalition operations we still aren't good at for a lot of reasons, one of the most significant reasons is our inability to rapidly share information and intelligence to other than NATO allies. Not sure how you wargame this, but it needs to be addressed at the most senior levels.
GPF and SOF are better integrated now than when we started this conflict, but it still isn't where it needs to be. I think SOF has a pretty good idea of how GPF operates, but the opposite isn't true. SOF is still often significantly degraded (freedom of action) by GPF battle space owners. There are no simple fixes, but a start would be mandating that GPF leaders from Bn and up receive education on special operations so they understand why SOF need to operate outside the norm of GPF operations to maximize thier effectiveness.
As for defeating hybrid threats, I can't think of a conflict that characterized a hybrid conflict more than the Vietnam War. Tactically we prevailed, but for reasons I can't explain between the end of the Vietnam War and 9/11 the Army lost that mindset (not the skills). The Army that invaded Iraq in 2003 was very slow on the uptake when it came to shifting from fighting soldiers to militias. I have to assume it was the training leading up to the conflict. Our Army has the skills and equipment to prevail in a hybrid conflict, but they need training scenarios that encourage anticipating and adapting rapidly based on the threat presented. The Army should never again deploy to NCTC and simply fight tank on tank battles, but at the same time they still need to be the best in the world in those tank on tank battles. Scenarios should be unpredictable, soldiers should be put in situations where they are forced to adapt. This isn't hard, it is really just some minor changes in training and powering down to the lowest levels possible. You can trust them if you train them well, don't save money on the training end when the cuts come.
Vitesse et Puissance
Thu, 05/17/2012 - 12:31pm
In reply to by Charles Cameron
Charles Cameron's post does raise the interesting question as to how deeply one should go into the kitbag of qualitative methods to conduct such a time-sensitive and politically sensitive effort as Unified Quest. In point of fact, one could set off a time and a group of participants explicitly to conduct an exercise in "storytelling" (as understood in the qualitative methods genre). There is a risk that such a thing would be misunderstood - and the real question would be, "What insights do I expect from doing this particular exercise as opposed to doing something else ?"
Only in that way can one really say whether the experiment - and as far as I know, there is little or no precedent - has worked or not. But I can think of a couple of contributors to SWJ who would seem aptly suited for such an endeavor.
In the Introduction to his autobiography, <A HREF="http://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/omar-hammami-abc5ab-mane1b9a3… Story of an American Jihaadi</A> [link downloads safe copy in .pdf] posted today, <b>Omar Hammami</b> (Abu Mansur al-Amriki) writes:
<blockquote>I find the advice of Abu Muscab as-Suuri that we should document our history extremely important for a number of reasons: 1) events are happening more rapidly in the age of Globalization, 2) the war of narratives has become even more important than the war of navies, napalms, and knives, 3) with the internet, recording events and spreading reports of them has become extremely easy (so we should take whatever we can get).</blockquote>
The emphasis on narrative as "more important than ... navies, napalms, and knives" in his reason #2 is what catches my attention here, and it reminds me of a recent article in SWJ by <b>Mehar Omar Khan</b>, a graduate of Pakistan Army's Command and Staff College in Quetta, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies, both at Fort Leavenworth, KS.
Khan <A HREF="smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/war-and-words-the-menace-of-meaning">wrote</A>:
<blockquote>We deal in the utilitarian view of the thing called "word", and happily leave the romance of language to the "wretched" minds of the poets and preachers. To us soldiers, words have uses but we do not like to "waste" our time on the subtle thing called "meaning".</blockquote>
<blockquote>While the conventional militaries attempt to snuff the life out of words in favor of spicy graphics, checklists, and fancy-looking campaign plans, insurgents sleep with words, and pet them with care we shower on our dogs. While the conventional militaries fight on the back of machines worth heaps of gold, insurgents hunt for words and are invariably hungry for ideas.</blockquote>
I'm one of the "wretched minds" Khan mentions, a poet and scholar of religion, so my question for GEN Cone and those who are planning Unified Quest is: how will words and narratives – not so much in terms of propaganda and deception but as recruitment lit, as moral suasion, as scripture, and as poetry and song -- figure into your game?
Thanks for the opportunity to ask.
mike_denny
I agree with Dave, it is excellent to see senior leaders reaching out to the community. I guess the CAC blogs didn't really kick off as expected.
I hope that in these war-gaming series junior leaders 0-3 and below, E-8 and below who recently returned from overseas environments are integrated and leveraged. I'd hate for these future conflicts to be mostly assembled from retired GO's, ORSA specialists, and think-tank "futurists".
It would be interesting to work through hybrid scenarios where the US Army does not have air superiority, or is unable to use FOBs of any kind due to enemy threat.
Will any unclass versions of the results be published?
Dave Maxwell
I think it is interesting (and good) that GEN Cone posts on Small Wars Journal and uses it as a tool to communicate. Since he is posting here, he most likley is reading it so all of you disruptive thinkers out there who want to be able to influence senior leaders take heart in that someone is listening (or reading!).


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A: The retention time of the major peak for chlorpheniramine maleate in the chromatogram of the Assay preparation corresponds to that of the Standard preparation, as obtained in the Assay for chlorpheniramine maleate.
B: The retention time of the major peak for pseudoephedrine hydrochloride in the chromatogram of the Assay preparation corresponds to that of the Standard preparation in the Assay for pseudoephedrine hydrochloride.
Mobile phase, System suitability solution, and Chromatographic system— Proceed as directed in the Assay for chlorpheniramine maleate under Chlorpheniramine Maleate and Pseudoephedrine Hydrochloride Extended-Release Capsules.
Standard preparation— Dissolve an accurately weighed quantity of USP Chlorpheniramine Maleate RS in water to obtain a solution having a known concentration of about 1 mg per mL. Transfer 1.0 mL of this solution to a 100-mL volumetric flask, add 80 mL of Mobile phase, dilute with water to volume, and mix.
Assay preparation— Transfer an accurately measured volume of Oral Solution, equivalent to about 1 mg of chlorpheniramine maleate, to a 100-mL volumetric flask. Add about 80 mL of Mobile phase, dilute with water to volume, mix, and filter.
in which C is the concentration, in mg per mL, of USP Chlorpheniramine Maleate RS in that Standard preparation; V is the volume, in mL, of Oral Solution taken for the Assay preparation; and rU and rS are the chlorpheniramine peak responses obtained from the Assay preparation and the Standard preparation, respectively.
Standard preparation— Dissolve an accurately weighed quantity of USP Pseudoephedrine Hydrochloride RS in water to obtain a solution having a known concentration of about 1.5 mg per mL. Transfer about 1.0 mL of this solution to a 10-mL volumetric flask, add 8 mL of Mobile phase, dilute with water to volume, and mix.
Assay preparation— Transfer an accurately measured volume of Oral Solution, equivalent to about 15 mg of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, to a 100-mL volumetric flask. Add 80 mL of Mobile phase, dilute with water to volume, mix, and filter.
in which C is the concentration, in mg per mL, of USP Pseudoephedrine Hydrochloride RS in the Standard preparation; V is the volume, in mL, of Oral Solution taken for the Assay preparation; and rU and rS are the pseudoephedrine peak responses obtained from the Assay preparation and the Standard preparation, respectively.


Click all those skeeters before they touch your skin, the farther from the skin you kill them, the higher the points. If a skeeter reaches your skin, it\'ll drain your blood. Avoid spiders and bees. There are also special items to help you more. Have fun!


The words "Just get over it" won't help you.
Well it's true. And that better life includes the ability to value yourself enough to believe—without guilt—that what happened to you is significant and deserving of attention. You're worthy. Worthy to take time to initiate the healing process. You're not over-stating the impact of sexual abuse after-math when you pause life to confront the trauma head on.
People may make thoughtless comments such as, "Things happen. Just deal with it." Or "I've had junk happen to me as a kid too, and you don't see me falling apart." Both of which were said to me, I might add. Although these comments and others like them send a message that infers it's a waste of time to revisit the past, nothing could be further from the truth. Ignore the ignorance and keep pursuing your wholeness.
What are you doing to pursue your healing?


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Brother Gearmotors, a division of Brother International Corporation that offers a range of ultra-reliable, sub-fractional AC gearmotors and reducers for the food and beverage, packaging and material handling industries, will use Promat 2019 as the opportunity to introduce a best-in-class five-year warranty for all standard products.
The lengthy guarantee reportedly solidifies Brother's commitment to producing only the highest quality gearmotors and reducers and represents the longest, most comprehensive warranty in the industry. This year, Brother Gearmotors will be located at Promat booth #N6219.
The five-year warranty shows Brother Gearmotors' confidence in the effectiveness and durability of its range of products. In the U.S., Brother Gearmotors parts are distributed and serviced from its centrally-located plant in Bartlett, TN. In addition to offering quick delivery, the state-of-the-art facility features on-site technology that not only provides expedited shipping, but also offers accessorizing and customizing for gearmotors such as sprockets, pulleys, connectors, extension cables and custom labeling.
For more information, visit www.BrotherGearmotors.com.


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Latest News From The Blog
Book Review: Shadow of Night, Deborah Harkness
I'd been looking forward to reading the sequel to Harkness' debut novel, A Discovery of Witches, the wonderfully titled, Shadow of Night, for a while. The first book was a surprisingly elegant and original addition to the plethora of "supernatural" books causing a glut in the marketplace and it ended with a marvellous cliff-hanger and the promise of time-travel to one of my favourite historical periods, Elizabethan England. What was not to anticipate?
But, when I first started reading Shadow of Night, I thought there must be some mistake – for while Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont do tumble into the 1500s and meet up with such his torical luminaries as Christopher Marlowe, Walter Raleigh, Shakespeare, Queen Lizzie the First and others, the first 100 or so pages did not live up to the expectations created in DoW. I found them clumsy, over reliant on dialogue between said historical "greats" and structured so as not to make too much sense in terms of plot and character development.
While Matthew is quickly settled into his old life among his artistic and mostly aristocratic familiars, the "School of Night," Diana is literally a fish out of water and flounders around trying to negotiate between her scholarship and academically developed understanding of the past, of history, and living in the period. All well and good, right? But while Harkness takes advantage of Diana's adjustments, using them to explore and explain the early Renaissance to the uninitiated reader, because so much of this "settling in" occurs in the form of conversation, it's both incredibly disjointed, and becomes a barrage of new information that was difficult to follow. Not so much because of the history or the time in which the action is set, but due to the fact it appeared to steer so far from the main plot. For some reason, the first hundred pages appear to be all over the place and while I thought I knew why Diana and Matthew had taken the plunge into the past (to find Diana a witch-tutor and to discover more about the manuscript Ashmole 782), their motivations seem to become lost in a mire of clever banter, odd characters popping in an out of the house (that also take the plot in strange directions and don't really serve the main story eg. the old witch), both from the past and imagined, and mis-directions. I don't know whether it was me, or if the first part of the book is hard to follow, but I almost didn't continue. Even the characters of Diana and Matthew, of whom I'd grown very fond, appeared to change into something that made them almost unrecognisable and worse, shallow.
Fortunately, once Diana and Matthew leave England and journey to France, the book improves and the plot appears to slowly reveal itself to be coherent and quite exciting. On the trail of the witch teacher and the unbelievably elusive Ashmole 782, they encounter danger, become embroiled in supernatural and real world politics, and discover aspects about each other that surprise, frighten and delight and all against the backdrop of Elizabethan England, Prague and France.
Some parts of the book are stronger than others and it still feels like a great deal of time is wasted running hither and thither, but once she hits her stride, Harkness does a terrific job of bringing the period to life through smells, sights, sounds as well as the food and clothing, never mind her descriptions of the streets and general geography of the places Diana and Matthew inhabit. From the second half of the book onwards, I also really enjoyed the witchcraft elements of the tale – the way power is divided, drawn upon and shared and how Diana (finally) begins to understand what she is and how to wield her abilities is imaginative and entertaining.
At one stage, I thought I was going to leave the series with this book but a strong finish has ensured that I'm keen to know what happens to this powerful pair who threaten to unravel, or at least challenge, the laws that have governed human and supernatural relations for centuries.
Overall, a good read, but be patient and do persevere if, like me, you find the first hundred or so pages indulgent and thus a struggle, because it's ultimately worth it.
Tags: Christopher Marlowe, daemons, Deborah Harkness, Discovery of Witches, France, Prague, Renaissance England, Shadow of Night, Shakespeare, vampires, Walter Raleigh, witches
sue knight	on August 15, 2012 at 7:25 am
yes, I agree Karen. The first book was so wonderful that I forgave and forgot the slow start of this one. I did keep saying to myself WHY arent they going after Ashmole harder.I loved it once they got to Europe and now I cant wait for the next one !

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


There are incredible destinations in Europe known worldwide such as Amsterdam and its canals, London for its shopping, its museums and atmosphere or Paris the City of Light. Europe also has thousands of hidden treasures.
From Rothenburg in Germany to Preko in Croatia and Faial in The Azores, discover a selection of the finest unknown destinations in Europe and book your hotel, apartment, B&B, villa at the best price guaranteed as well as your best activities in Europe.
Civita di Bagnoregio is actually two remote towns. Civita is on a hill accessible only by a long stone walkway that begins at the end of the road from neighboring Bagnoregio. Once, Civita was the larger community and Bagnoregio the satellite.
Today, Civita has only about 6 year-round residents, so few that Civita is nicknamed "the Dying City." Many of the buildings in Civita are being purchased by rich Italians who come here for vacation. However the town suffers constant erosion of its volcanic rock into the valley below.
Civita is a charming medieval city, almost utterly untouched by the Renaissance. (The facade of the church was remodeled during the Renaissance, but the city is otherwise entirely medieval.) The city's most famous native was the 13th Century philosopher and saint Bonaventure. Despite its nickname, during the tourist season, Civita bustles with day trippers.
Immerse yourself in medieval life. Take a trip to a thousand years of history that seems to pass in a moment! Let Rothenburg ob der Tauber bring the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to life before your eyes.
The holy city clings to the steep rocky cliffs at a dizzying height, displaying layer upon layer of houses and chapels. Down from the castle which crowns this audacious construction, it's a sheer drop of some 150 metres with at the bottom the meandering river Alzou. On the Way of Saint James, the basilica of Saint-Sauveur and the crypt of Saint-Amadour, both featured on UNESCO's World Heritage List, can be admired by visitors once the 216 marches of the Pilgrim's Stairs have been climbed. But the jewel of the sanctuary is kept in the Chapel of Miracles, one of eight chapels built against the rocks. It is the Black Madonna, which has been worshipped here for over a thousand years.
The most recognisable and astonishing natural site is Lake Bohinj, the biggest lake in Slovenia. The twenty-four villages in and above the valley hide the attractive riches of the past, the cheerfulness of the present and the mystery of the future. (©YourEDENExperience).
Faial Island (the blue island) is part of the Azores central group, located about 66 miles from Terceira, 4.5 miles from Pico and 11 miles from S. Jorge. The surface area of Faial Island is approximately 67 square miles (173 km2). The island has about 15.000 inhabitants and its main municipal seat is located in the city of Horta. Different colours of blue decorate the houses, divide the fields and line the roadsides, giving Faial the name of Blue Island.
Positano is a village and comune on the Amalfi Coast (Costiera Amalfitana), in Campania, Italy, mainly in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast. Positano was a port of the Amalfi Republic in medieval times, and prospered during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. By the mid-nineteenth century, however, the town had fallen on hard times. More than half the population emigrated, mostly to America.
Tellaro is a small fishing village, perched on a cliff on the east coast of the Gulf of La Spezia in Liguria, northern Italy. It is a frazione of the comune of Lerici. It has been rated as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.
Tellaro has been the destination for many Italian and foreign artists. Mario Soldati made it his home in the last years of his life.
Cavtat is the largest and the only urban centre in Konavle that has been built up deliberately. It is located on the peninsula of Rat, which surrounds the well protected and accessible bay together with the peninsula of Sustjepan. In its harmonious architecture, the centuries-old natural, spiritual and material affiliation to the Dubrovnik Republic can be observed.
Santana is known for the traditional homes constructed with sloping triangular rooftops, and protected with straw. These were mainly rural homes, used by local farmers, during the settlement of the island, with white-paintd walls, red doors and windows with blue trim. Most of the surviving buildings are tourist attractions.(©CC).
The trulli, the characteristic cone-roofed houses of Alberobello, Apulia, make up one of the 50 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Italy.
The name derives from the late Greek word for dome (τρούλος; in Italian, cupola), and refers to the ancient stone houses with conical roofs, constructed with the abundant limestone from the plateau of Apulia's Murge zone.


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https://www.darientimes.com/news/education/article/Louisiana-education-board-kicks-off-14981107.php
Louisiana education board kicks off superintendent search
Melinda Deslatte, Associated Press
Updated 2:20 pm EST, Thursday, January 16, 2020
FILE - In a Thursday, July 17, 2014 file photo, Superintendent of Education John White speaks after his meeting with Gov. Bobby Jindal about public school testing, in Baton Rouge, La. White, who helped strengthen the role of charter schools, backed a taxpayer-funded tuition voucher program for private schools and oversaw overhauls of the state's school accountability efforts, announced Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020 that he is stepping down as Louisiana's education superintendent. less
FILE - In a Thursday, July 17, 2014 file photo, Superintendent of Education John White speaks after his meeting with Gov. Bobby Jindal about public school testing, in Baton Rouge, La. White, who helped ... more
Photo: Melinda Deslatte, AP
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana's statewide public school board began its search for a new education superintendent Thursday shortly after members took their oath of office for their new four-year term.
A headhunter firm could be in place before the end of the month.
The state's long-time education leader, John White, announced last week that he's leaving in mid-March.
The 11-member Board of Elementary and Secondary Education agreed Thursday to form a four-member panel that will nominate candidates for superintendent, recommend minimum qualifications and outline a process for decision-making.
The search panel's work will be discussed at the board's regular monthly meeting, set for Jan. 28-29.
Louisiana's education superintendent oversees and sets policies governing more than 700,000 public school students across the state. White has been in the position since 2012.
White's been a strong proponent of charter schools, helped create a taxpayer-financed voucher program that sends students to private schools and oversaw a revamp of accountability and school grading efforts. During his tenure, Louisiana's high school graduation rates have improved, along with student performance on other national metrics and tests.
But the state remains behind the national average in education rankings.
White's resignation is effective March 11.
The superintendent often was at odds with Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat allied with teacher unions and traditional public school leaders that objected to the expansion of charter schools, the voucher program and some accountability measures championed by White.
On his monthly radio show Wednesday, Edwards said White's exit "gives us an opportunity to really look at public education in the state of Louisiana (and) make some decisions about what we want it to look like going forward."
But the governor's influence in the decision-making can extend only so far.
The education board hires the superintendent, and Edwards only has three appointments to that board. The remaining eight elected members were backed by business organizations that regularly clash with the unions and that supported many of White's priorities as superintendent.
Edwards said he'll be talking to board members, seeking a "champion for education" in the superintendent's job.
As for White's exit, Edwards thanked him for his service, but acknowledged: "I did not shed a tear."
Follow Melinda Deslatte on Twitter at http://twitter.com/melindadeslatte
Corbin developer gives update of project
A time for opportunity
Jimmy's Southside is only store left in shopping complex


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Drawing Africa Closer Together – Jean R. AbiNader
Updated April 15, 2015 12:49 PM EST
Morocco-MCC MOU and African Innovation Foundation Prizes Exhibit Continent's Links
At the third Morocco-US Strategic Dialogue, held recently in Washington, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Kingdom of Morocco signed an MOU that, in the words of the joint statement, is "designed to share expertise and lessons learned with other select countries in Africa."
The two parties agreed to cooperate "with the goal of reducing poverty in Africa, including a focus on promoting the adoption of new technologies and innovative business models to promote entrepreneurship." What this means, in fact, is that the US can ask Morocco to provide technical assistance in Africa, directly to countries eligible for an MCC compact or with countries "seeking to attain Compact-eligibility by supporting targeted policy and institutional reforms."
The reform agenda inherent in an MCC compact is part of the "no free rides" conditions on the funding that include performance based metrics, regular auditing, and stakeholder involvement throughout the duration of the project. Morocco's first compact was not only the largest awarded by the US government at the time, it helped shape subsequent MCC thinking about compact development. For example, the MOU stated that collaboration "may facilitate sharing of lessons of Morocco's experience; increase regional, private sector investment; and serve as a pilot for South-South cooperation."
This coincides with Morocco's growing economic integration with Africa as a result of years of "economic diplomacy" spearheaded by King Mohammed VI. Although there is no obligation for a country to accept Morocco's technical assistance, it is certainly clear – since the Kingdom has now been approved for a second compact negotiation – that its experience is valued by the MCC.
The MOU was signed by MCC Deputy Chief Executive Officer Nancy Lee and Morocco's Minister Delegate of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Mbarka Bouaida. Ms. Lee commented that "This MOU demonstrates the value we place on Morocco's experience and our desire to facilitate sharing the benefits of that experience with other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our new partnership advances MCC's interest in regional cooperation which will be an important driver of growth. The agreement will allow us to have a broader systemic impact that sustains and expands the value of our compacts beyond the compact projects themselves."
One indication of how Morocco's performance has influenced the MCC is the specific reference in the MOU to Power Africa, a US government program for sub-Saharan Africa. Morocco is not part of the program, but it was Morocco's achievement of providing access to power for more than 95 percent of the country in less than 10 years that convinced MCC to highlight the power sector as a key area for potential cooperation.
Innovation Rewarded
Another highly visible indication of the successful impact of Morocco's pivot to Africa is the announcement of the top 10 entrepreneurs in Africa by the African Innovation Foundation (AIF) from a pool of 925 applications from more than 41 countries. The awards ceremony will be held in Morocco may 12-13, hosted by Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Minister of Industry, Trade, Investment, and the Digital Economy.
In announcing the event, Minister Elalamy said, "We have a strong commitment with AIF to unlock the innovation potential of the continent. The ambition is to make Africa a juncture of innovation and prosperous nations. In Morocco, the commitment to promote research and innovation mobilizes both the government and private sector decision makers who join their efforts to make the national innovation system a force for development."
The top 10 winners, who will share $150,000 in prizes, are quite diverse in their innovations. The Moroccan winner, Adnane Remmal, has made a natural alternative to livestock antibiotics that reduces health hazards to animals and humans at no extra cost to farmers. Other innovations addressing the needs of Africa include: an agri-business funding model that links returns to profits; an educational "box" that enables children to learn first-hand the principles of science and electronics by building, measuring, and experimenting; a measuring device for ensuring the accuracy of machines used to detect TB, the third-leading cause of death in Africa; and a water distillation system that can use solar energy.
Once again, Morocco is putting substance behind its mission as an African country. Its potential MCC technical assistance partnerships, hosting the AFI recognition of innovators making a difference in the lives of Africans, and the King's upcoming trips to five African countries demonstrate its continued commitment to being a full player in the future of the continent and a platform for regional economic integration.


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Glasgow Green cordoned off after 16-year-old girl seriously sexually assaulted
Police have launched an investigation following the incident, which occurred last night.
Laura FergusonJournalist
(Image: Steven Coyle)
Glasgow Green has been cordoned off to the public following the serious sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl last night.
Emergency services attended the scene near East Footway of Kings Drive in the city's east end after receiving reports of the incident at around 7.50pm.
Police Scotland have confirmed that an ongoing investigation has been launched into the incident.
A section of Glasgow Green remains cordoned off to the public today while officers continue their enquiries.
Emergency services launch major search of River Clyde after man went missing
Appeal to trace man, 23, missing from Paisley for six days
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "An investigation is under way following the serious sexual assault of a 16-year-old female in Glasgow Green on Saturday, 15 August 2020. Enquiries are ongoing.
"Police were contacted around 7:50pm. The incident occurred in an area near the East Footway of Kings Drive."
For more breaking news visit the Glasgow Live homepage, or to get in touch with us, email news@glasgowlive.co.uk or reach us on Facebook and Twitter.


For all of this year and most of last, I was a slave to M.A.C's Face Prep + Prime SPF 50. Much as I love this I hate the packaging. I always end up squeezing too much out and then it goes to waste.
This is not the review for it as I've only used it a couple of times. So I need to see if it breaks me out, which I really hope it doesn't as this is holding up as well as M.A.C's Primer.


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The Japan Art Association
Prince Takamatsu
All Laureates
Theatre/Film
Grant for Young Artists
All recipients
Martha Argerich was born in Buenos Aires in 1941. She gave her debut concert at the age of eight, performing a concerto by Mozart, and works by Beethoven and Bach. The family moved to Europe in 1955, and Argerich studied with Friedrich Gulda in Switzerland, and later with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and Stefan Askenase. Her professional career was launched when at the age of 16 she won two major piano competitions: the Geneva International Music Competition and the Bolzano Competition.
In 1965 she won the Seventh International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, performing Chopin's Etude, op.10. no. 1 in C major. In the same year she made her first recording, including works by Chopin, Brahms, Ravel, Prokofiev, and Liszt. Her technique is considered among the best of her time, and she is often compared with Vladimir Horowitz. Her performances are frequently referred to as impassioned and uninhibited. She says, "Some people play according to plan, but I don't. Instinct and intuition are extremely important."
Since the 1980's Argerich has focused on concertos and chamber music performance that stress the interaction between musicians, rather than solo concerts. She often performs with Nelson Freire, Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich, Gidon Kremer and Mischa Maisky. She says her preference is related to "not only feeling lonely on stage during solo concerts, but also because I don't like to be observed very precisely."
Argerich is noted especially for her recordings of 20th century works by composers such as Rachmaninoff, Messiaen and Prokofiev. In her large repertoire she says that she particularly loves Schumann, Prokofiev, Ravel, Stravinsky and Bach.
Argerich still admires her mentor Gulda. She played at the "In Joyful Remembrance of Gulda" concerts that were held in Japan in January 2005, joined by two sons of Gulda.
Argerich is also recognized for her devotion to fostering young talent. She frequently appears as member of the jury of important competitions. The first International Martha Argerich Piano Competition took place in Buenos Aires in September 1999. She created the Beppu Argerich Music Festival in Japan with the objective of promoting young Asian musicians and fostering creativity in young people. The Martha Argerich Project in Lugano, Switzerland has attracted both established and emerging artists.
Martha Argerich was born in Buenos Aires in 1941. She gave her debut concert at the age of eight, performing a concerto by Mozart, and works by Beethoven and Bach. The family moved to Europe in 1955, and Argerich studied with Friedrich Gulda in Switzerland, and later with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and Stefan Askenase.
Her professional career was launched when at the age of 16 she won two major piano competitions: the Geneva International Music Competition and the Bolzano Competition. In 1965 she won the Seventh International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, performing Chopin's Etude, op.10. no. 1 in C major. In the same year she made her first recording, including works by Chopin, Brahms, Ravel, Prokofiev, and Liszt.
Her technique is considered among the best of her time, and she is often compared with Vladimir Horowitz. Her performances are frequently referred to as impassioned and uninhibited. She says, "Some people play according to plan, but I don't. Instinct and intuition are extremely important."
Since the 1980's Agerich has focused on concertos and chamber music performance that stress the interaction between musicians, rather than solo concerts. She often performs with Nelson Freire, Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich, Gidon Kremer and Mischa Maisky. She says her preference is related to "not only feeling lonely on stage during solo concerts, but also because I don't like to be observed very precisely."
Argerich still admires her mentor Gulda. She played at the "In Joyful Remembrance of Gulda" concerts that were held in Japan this January, joined by two sons of Gulda.
Argerich is also recognized for her devotion to fostering young talent. She frequently appears as member of the jury of important competitions. The first International Martha Argerich Piano Competition took place in Buenos Aires in September 1999. She created the Beppu Argerich Music Festival in Japan with the objective of promoting young Asian musicians and fostering creativity in young people. The Martha Argerich Project in Lugano, Switzerland has attracted both established and emerging artists.
1941 Born 5 June in Buenos Aires, Argentina
1949 Debut concert at the age of 8, played Mozart, Beethoven and Bach
1955 Family moved to Europe. Studied under Gulda, Magaloff, Lipatti and Askenase
1957 Won the Buzoni and Geneva International Music Competitions
1965 Won the International Chopin Competition
1966 First concert in the U.S.A. at the Carnegie Hall
1967 First recording with Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado
1970 First visit to Japan, beginning of frequent visits and concerts
1980's Joint concerts with Kovacevich, Freire and with violinists and cellists such as Rostropovich, Maisky and Kremer
1996 Decorated with the Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Letters by the government of France
1997 Appointed a member of Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome
1998 Assumed the post of General Director of the Beppu Argerich Music Festival
1999 Opened the Martha Argerich International Piano Competition in Buenos Aires
2001 Awarded Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli International Prize
2002 Opened the Martha Argerich Project in Lugano, Switzerland
2005 Invested with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette
Argerich and Friedrich Gulda in 1955 (from left)
©The Sankei Shimbun
With Gidon Kremer and Mischa Maisky
Copyright © Japan Art Association Reserved.


Mumbai, Apr 03 (ANI): A cargo truck hit a drainage tank in Mumbai's Chembur area due to which three people including a woman and two children fell inside the drainage tank and were trapped. One child has been rescued so far and rescue operation is on to save the woman and another child.
Fire brigade officials and local people are presently carrying out the rescue operation.


Try something different! Our ever-popular Sun Circle will have a dynamic effect on your space. The Sun Circle comes complete in a dramatic combination of two colours: Antique Grey and Barley.
Square offs kits are now also available, creating a 3m x 3m square.


Have revisited Ray Dalio's Principles. He talks about the "the one thing" to focus on. This is not a novel concept but I have mostly seen it talked about in the context of opportunities. Warren Buffet has a similar idea where he talks about two lists. One where all your life long career goals are listed. The second list is basically the top five of those life long lists. The idea is to complete drop the remaining 20 and ruthlessly focus on the 5.
Ray Dalio's idea applies the same principle to eliminating your biggest weakness. Your top weakness. If this is not already obvious to you, he recommends looking at your past mistakes and pains to see if there is a common thread that caused these. Once you know your biggest weakness he recommends 2 paths to fixing it. First one is working on it yourself and the second one is finding people who are good at what you are weak in and getting their help. The second route is more effective as everyone has natural areas of strengths and weakness. It's hard to fix a weakness naturally embedded in you with your own effort alone.
While it's not realistic to fix all your strengths and you'd be better off improving in areas you are naturally good at fixing your top weakness pays off.
What's the one weakness you'd want to eliminate going into 2019?
Principles as a whole is a great read as well. Check it out.


text:
Das eisenzeitliche Orkadische Rundhaus () entstand auf Orkney ab etwa 700 v. Chr. als Untergruppe des auf dem schottischen Festland und den Hebriden (Dun Vulan) verbreiteten "Atlantic Roundhouse" und ist ein Vorläufer der Brochs. Die von Ian Armit in "einfach" und "komplex" unterteilten Rundbauten wurden aus Trockenmauerwerk errichtet. Typischerweise haben sie Durchmesser zwischen 6 und 15 Metern und sind auf den Hebriden mit Middens vergesellschaftet.

Das älteste orkadische Rundhaus war von 700 bis 200 v. Chr. in Gebrauch und wurde neben der Megalithanlage von Quanterness an der Basis des Wideford Hill entdeckt. Ein weiteres frühes Rundhaus mit einer etwa fünf Meter starken Außenwand stammt von etwa 600 v. Chr. und wurde in Bu, in der Nähe von Stromness ausgegraben. Diese Struktur bietet architektonisch bereits eine Verbindung zu den radial unterteilten Wheelhäusern und den späteren Brochs. In Howe, auf dem Hügel zwischen Stromness und dem Loch of Stenness wurde ein weiteres Rundhaus ausgegraben. Es war mit Mauern und Gräben umbaut.

1970 schätzte der Archäologe Chris Musson, dass es in Großbritannien 200 Rundhäuser gab. Eine in Großbritannien ansässige Archäologiegruppe schätzt heute, dass es über 4000 gab.

Literatur
 Gordon Barclay: Farmers, Temples and Tombs (Birlinn 2005); ISBN 1-84158-380-4
 Euan W. Mackie: The Roundhouses, Brochs and Wheelhouses of Atlantic Scotland C.700 BC-AD 500: Architecture and Material Culture: Orkney and Shetland Isles 2002 ISBN 978-1-84171-459-2

Weblinks
 Beschreibung engl.
 Atlantic Roundhouses

Archäologischer Fachbegriff
Lokale Bauform
Geschichte Schottlands im Mittelalter
Orkney

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
using System.Collections.Generic;

namespace TeamCityTheatre.Core.Models {
  public class ArtifactDependency {
    public string Id { get; set; }
    public string Type { get; set; }
    public IReadOnlyCollection<Property> Properties { get; set; }

    public override string ToString() {
      return string.Format("Id: {0}, Type: {1}", Id, Type);
    }
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


According to Megan Monroe, 'algorithms don't produce answers, they produce probabilities. She goes on to state that a 'decision is simply a probability paired with a threshold.' In order to arrive at a future in which computers are entrusted with critical decisions, we need to create a near future in which humans and computers can arrive at data-driven decisions together.
Today I will take a look at how Big Data is used to make decisions in the Development domain. One of my first blogs back in October 2015 was talking about how data science can be used for social good. In my Big Data for Informatics course a few weeks ago, I led an online group discussion about an article in this domain. I chose "The emerging role of Big Data in key development issues: Opportunities, challenges and concerns" by Nir Kshetri. This article is in the December 2014 issue of the journal Big Data & Society.
My presentation addressed the main theme's of the article, the purpose and author's intent in writing the article, the methodology used, main findings and two questions to continue the online conversation. In the first four weeks of this course, we looked at the societal and cultural impacts of Big Data and some of the ethical and legal questions that arise when using Big Data. We also looked at the big picture and seen some examples in the marketing and public health domains.
Four main themes arise from Kshetri's research. Theme 1: Data is increasingly used as a metric of human well-being.Theme 2: Big Data (BD) helps to understand the extent and nature of issues pertinent in developing countries. Theme 3: Examining the 'digital divide' helps us understand this dimension of BD in development. Theme 4: It's important to understand past, current and future research of using BD in development to address issues and challenges that may arise. In the presentation I go into more detail about these and other ways Big Data is used in the development context.
You can find my presentation in its entirety from the "Portfolio" section, "Big Data Informatics – Fall 2016" link in my blog. As always I welcome your comments on the blog or any other pertinent research in this Development context.


text:
Former Debenhams workers roundly reject €3m Government deal
Former Debenhams workers have overwhelmingly rejected a package of supports proposed by the chairman of the Labour Court in response to the liquidation of the retailers's Irish operation last year.
As the Irish Times reports, mandate trade union on Wednesday said 91 per cent of its members had voted against the proposals in a ballot.
It said 430 former Debenhams' workers took part in the ballot with 393 rejecting the initiative while 37 supporting it.
The offer proposed the establishment by Government of a €3 million training, upskilling and business start-up fund to help the former workers. However, the union said the proposals "crucially, prevented the workers from accessing cash from the fund".
The elected shop stewards from Debenhams will now meet to determine the next steps in their campaign for a fair redundancy package and changes to legislation to ensure workers are not treated like this in the future," Mandate said.
The proposals formed part of a recommendation drawn up by mediator and Labour Court chairman Kevin Foley following extensive engagement with the workers, Mandate, liquidators KPMG and various Government agencies in an attempt to resolve the long-running dispute over redundancy payments.
Mr Foley found that a 2016 collective agreement for enhanced redundancy payments for staff no longer legally applied and that the current legal framework limited the scope for the liquidators to contribute to a resolution of the dispute which has been running since last spring.
He maintained that the main preferential creditors of the Debenhams Ireland liquidation were the Department of Social Protection and the Revenue Commissioners, with a debt owed of approximately €18 million.
The State has paid out €13 million in statutory entitlements to the former employees.
government,
Debenhams,
Ireland,
Former Debenhams workers disappointed at €3m training package
Debenhams workers prepare to mark 150 days on picket as they reject €1m offer


text:
Appeal launched after woman assaulted on train near Shenfield station
Beth Wyatt
The British Transport Police have launched an appeal for witnesses
Witnesses who saw a man inappropriately touching a woman on a train near Shenfield station are being urged to come forward.
A British Transport Police appeal has been launched after the incident on November 22, which took place between 9.20 and 9.25am.
The 31-year-old victim, from Billericay, was sitting alone on the train when the man sat down next to her.
After he touched her and attempted to kiss her, the woman pushed him away and fled the carriage.
The train was travelling between Shenfield and Billericay on its way to Southend.
Det Con David Bishop said: "This was clearly a distressing experience for the victim and I would urge anyone with information to come forward and speak to us."
The man, thought to be a similar age to his victim, was described as having dark skin and wearing a dark grey coat.
Anyone with information should call 0800 405040 or text 61016, quoting the reference B2/LNA of 27/11/2013.
Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.


The Chebyshev equioscillation theorem describes a striking pattern between a continuous function on a closed interval, and its best approximating polynomial of degree n. Although it is a result of great influence in the theory of polynomial approximation, the theorem is usually omitted from the undergraduate numerical analysis course because of its somewhat complicated proof. Our aim in this paper is to use applets to motivate and illustrate the theorem and its proof.
This article uses Java for several interactive mathlets. Click on the link to install the Java plug-in if necessary. The article is given in two forms.
The HTML version uses PNG images for mathematical expressions.
The XML version uses MathML (the Mathematics Markup Language) for mathematical expressions.
The mathematical expressions look better.
Expressions can be resized, and in general behave like the surrounding text.
In some cases expressions can be exported into other applications.


My name ist Anup Kumar Bhattacharya and I'm full-time freelance web er.
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text:
བོད་ཡིགहिंदी中文
Preliminary teachings begins
Bodh Gaya, 11 January 2003: The three-day preliminary teachings of the Kalachakra puja by His Holiness the Dalai Lama begins tomorrow at one in the afternoon. His Holiness will teach on the 37 Practices of Bodhisattva and Lamp of the Path to Enlightenment.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama attended the prayers this morning at the Kalachakra temple. Later in the afternoon, His Holiness visited the Sujata Academy and had a darshan of the Korean Buddhist temple at Dangeshwari, some 20 kilometers from Bodh Gaya. His Holiness was warmly welcomed there by the abbot and incharge of the temple as well as the students of the academy, local villagers and pilgrims. His Holiness returned to the Maitreya Project at around 4:30 p.m.
Preparation of the Kalachakra Mandala began this afternoon at the Kalachakra temple.
More than 1,200 foreigners have registered so far for the Kalachakra puja. The registration will be open for few more days. Over 70 media persons from all over the world have accredited for covering the Kalachakra puja to-date. The press registration will continue every morning until January 19th outside the Mahayana Guest House.
A two-day Bodh Mahatsav, organized by the State Tourism Department of Bihar Government, inaugurated this late afternoon in Bodha Gaya.
Kalon Thubten Lungrig, Kalon for Religion and Culture, and Mr. Jigme Jungney, Additional Secretary of the Department of Home, met with the representatives of the Lhasa Market, Patna, in Bodh Gaya yesterday. The Kashag has sanctioned Rs.3,000/- for each shop of Lhasa Market affected in the fire incident on the morning of 7th January. Out of the total of 108 shops of Lhasa Market, 102 shops were gutted in the fire affecting 56 families. The Kalon has expressed grieve and sympathy to the affected families on behalf of the Kashag.
Photo News: His Holiness the Dalai Lama Enjoys the View of Snowy Dhauladhar Range from his Official Residence
Two Tibetan monks held incommunicado for five months; Chinese government's poultry and pig farming projects in Drakgo
Around a dozen Tibetans arbitrarily detained and tortured, second Buddha statue dismantled in Drakgo crackdown
"Cultural Revolution like crackdown": China demolished a sky-high Buddha statue and 45 huge prayer wheels in Drakgo, Tibet
Quarterly meeting of Cross party group on Tibet held in London
Pandemic could end in 2022 only if people work together, says WHO's Director-General
Sikyong Congratulates New European Parliament President H E Roberta Metsola
Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering and Parliamentarian Namgyal Dolkar Attend 73rd Republic Day Celebration of India in Dharamshala


text:
← A few books I've been reading
Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen
Posted on January 1, 2022 | 1 Comment
The title of Jonathan Franzen's latest novel is very apt–all the characters are at crossroads in their lives and every chapter ends with another messy situation so the reader is repeatedly reminded of the title. In some cases, a character is literally at a crossing in the road at the end of a chapter. The story is told by five members of the Hildebrandt family, and it's set in the early 1970s in a suburb of Chicago.
The Hildebrandts are a hot mess. The father, Russ, is the assistant minister in a local congregation. By a vote of the teens he was kicked out of Crossroads, the touchy-feely teen group run by a charismatic student minister. Ah, the 70s. Russ is out of touch and the teens find him a little creepy. (This includes two of his own kids.) He's devastated, questioning his calling and his parental skills. He feels much better after he begins an affair with a parishioner. Wife Marion, a brilliantly written character, has a gritty back story that she's kept secret from everyone, but like many big secrets, it's the black cloud over her life. She lives in fear for her soul.
The children have their own travails. They form alliances, betray confidences, try out risky behavior and generally behave like teenagers trying to navigate to adulthood. But this is not just a domestic novel about suburban angst. It's a momentous novel about religious faith and what we owe the people in our lives. Every Hildebrandt, except maybe the eight-year old, pines for goodness but misses the boat. They yearn for their faith to show them the road, for the right to live selfishly without guilt, for guidance in making life-changing decisions. So much delicious angst is contained in these pages, so much schadenfreude, such an overstuffed novel.
I enjoyed it immensely! Lots to think about and a good winter read.
One response to "Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen"
sheilaklewis | January 1, 2022 at 6:02 pm | Reply
thanks Rosalind, for the juicy review on a complex family drama – a chance to "escape" our own family dramas in the haven of fiction. Happy New Year!


Malå has always been a great destination for families. With short distances between wildlife, shopping and events it saves a lot of time on the family vacation.
Wellcome to Malå in Gold of Lapland!
Discover, explore and experience Malå - We will guide you right to your favorite activity!


text:
Jan 22, 2013 6:54pm PT
Director Christina Voros is here to educate rather than titillate, aiming to remove the unsavory stigma from an unusual leisure activity.
By Guy Lodge
Guy Lodge
@guylodge
'Blithe Spirit' Review: Flat, Dated Resurrection of Noël Coward Farce Proves Some Things Are Better Left Dead 3 days ago
'Stand!' Review: Canadian Musical Treatment of the Winnipeg General Strike Has Sincerity in Spades 2 weeks ago
'Sweat' Review: A Fitness Influencer Sees an Imperfect Reflection in Magnus von Horn's Poised, Impressive Drama 2 weeks ago
James Franco continues to build the most singular resume of any Hollywood leading man by producing this diverting docu on the online BDSM scene, though he's safely offscreen throughout. Viewers may understand why after seeing the extreme fetish equipment hauled out for display here, from standard-issue riding crops to whirring anal drills. Still, director Christina Voros is here to educate rather than titillate, aiming to remove the unsavory stigma from an unusual leisure activity. It remains to be seen who will get the message, as scene after scene of explicit sadomasochistic activity will keep the pic confined to the fest circuit.
Presenting "Kink" at Sundance in the horror-heavy Park City at Midnight section arguably builds expectations of shock value that run counter to Voros' intentions of demystifying the BDSM world, but even the most wholesome approach to this subject is going to yield some wincing from the uninitiated. Coming in at a brisk but decidedly adequate 80 minutes, the pic takes the structural form of a typical day of filming in the San Francisco offices of Kink.com, the world's largest producer of online BDSM video content.
The tone, therefore, is cheerfully businesslike, as though auds might be considering a position at Kink.com themselves: Voros and her interview subjects are frank about the practical hows, wheres and whys of the business. None of it is particularly erotic in its presentation, but those looking for an eyeful will get one, as the camera takes in a plethora of exposed bodies — covering a range of ages, genders and sexualities — in sundry dominant and submissive states, in such reconstructed settings as a public restroom or abattoir.
Peppered throughout are soundbites from the participants explaining their personal relationship to BDSM, with one citing the "therapeutic nature of porn" and another claiming "fallen little-lady syndrome." Vietnamese performer Van Darkholme's reasoning that the seed was planted for him by a Catholic boarding-school education, with nun-administered corporal punishment, is about as dark as the film's psychology gets. The general emphasis is on healthy stability and personal gain: "I am the strongest person in the world," beams one woman after a particularly grueling round. "Look what I just handled."
The consistently celebratory stance of "Kink" is commendable, but also feels somewhat limiting: There's a defensive tone to some of the testimonies, and it'd be interesting to hear from a few subjects with more conflicted BDSM histories, if only to help viewers better understand the potential challenges of the lifestyle, and the difference between good and bad practice. Meanwhile, the "don't try this at home" warning with some of the more severe, prop-led setups goes without saying.
That tech credits are strictly functional seems appropriate, playing into the film's twin preoccupations with authenticity and normalization.
Production: A James Franco presentation. Produced by Franco. Co-producers, Miles Levy, Vince Jolivette, Tim Lewis. Directed by Christina Voros.
Crew: Camera (color), Voros, Dave Malloure, Kim Parker; editor, Ian Olds; sound, Joe Stillwater, Kevin Walker, Greg Mailloux; re-recording mixer, Ryan Billia; associate producer, Jessica Lee Wright. Reviewed at Sundance Film Festival (Park City at Midnight), Jan. 19, 2013. Running time: 80 MIN.
With: With: Peter Acworth, Maitresse Madeline, Chris Norris, Tomcat, Princess Donna, Van Darkholme, Jessie Lee, Five Star, Orlando, Matt Williams, John Paul.


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Teesside students have been making great efforts to keep their local food bank well stocked by donating hundreds of food items to the cause.
Secondary schools in the borough joined forces with Prior Pursglove College in Guisborough, as well as Redcar and Cleveland College, to run a fundraising day. Almost £3,000 was raised in addition to the food donations, which included tinned goods, cereal, pasta and rice.
She went on to say that the staff at the food bank was especially grateful for the donations of cash, as it could be used to keep their delivery van on the road.
One student, 11-year-old Eve Robinson, said that she had been taken aback by the size of the distribution centre and hadn't realised how many local people needed help with everyday essentials, like food.
There is a concern that when families are living on a tight budget, a balanced diet can become a secondary concern, with parents and children alike suffering as a result of poor nutrition.
Increased access to nourishing food would be one way of addressing this, while increasing the availability of healthy tuckshop foods in Teesside would be another action to ensure that youngsters get all of the vitamins that they need to develop.


OCCK, Inc., Transportation, which includes CityGo Buses, Paratransit services and 81 Connection, will open late Wednesday because of inclement weather and road conditions.
CityGo will begin running regular routes at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Peak routes will start as normal beginning at 12:30 p.m. Most paratransit routes also will begin at 9 a.m.
81 Connection will not run the morning route from Belleville to Salina. The afternoon routes will run as scheduled.
Transportation services will resume normal operating hours on Thursday.
For more information, call 826-1583 or visit occk.com or salinacitygo.com.


The cryptocurrency industry is on a roll of scaling back operations and letting go of manpower, with the Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange Huobi the latest entrant into this growing list, as reported by the South China Morning Post on December 26.
According to SCMP, a spokeswoman for the cryptocurrency exchange said that Huobi is, "optimising staff," thereby shaving off the worst –performing employees. However, this is far from an 'employee exodus' and new staff is being hired for its emerging markets and core teams.
There's no doubt that this year has been overrun by the bears, leading to the collective crypto market to lose over 80 percent of its value, causing companies like the 1,000 member-strong Huobi Exchange to cut manpower.
SCMP reported that a Bitmain employee based in Beijing said that the layoffs will be spread across the several divisions of the mining equipment manufacturer, but he was unsure about the number of jobs that would be cut.
Manpower reductions are growing within the cryptocurrency industry, especially after a disastrous November which saw the collective market cap drop by over $100 billion in one month.
ETCDEV a development team of Ethereum Classic [ETC] announced the closure of its operations following financial difficulties, Tron subsequently offered to build a rescue fund for them and a developer migrated from ETC to TRX.