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First results for Newport Masonic Hall's 200 club.
January 23, 2014 Anthony Halse
On Saturday 18th January at the Jasper Tudor Lodge the first draw of NMH '200 club' was made. The winner of £150 first prize was WBro. Paul Salter with number 58. Second prize of £50 went to WBro. Brian Nicholls with number 6.
This draw will be held monthly and proceeds raised will be for the restoration fund of Newport Masonic Hall. The monthly cost is £5 and the prize money will be £200 per month with larger sums at Christmas and the summer. Should you wish to enrol to this very worthwhile cause or require more details please contact WBro. Haydn Bishop on 01291 421198.
100th Birthday Celebration of Mrs Rosalie Lewis
Mrs Rosalie Lewis celebrated her 100th Birthday on the 27th November 2013, at the Albert Edward Prince of Wales Court, Porthcawl. Her late husband Bro. Cliff Lewis was a member of Homfray Lodge No 1562 and graduated to the Grand Lodge above in 2001. They had been married for 65 years.
Just over 3 years ago, W.Bro Selwyn Gardiner, a PM and Almoner of Homfray Lodge, succeeded in obtaining a place for Rosalie in the Porthcawl Care Home run by the RMBI. You may already know there are another 16 such facilities in England & Wales.
W.Bro. Selwyn (pictured right), W.Bro. Henry Chivers (middle), IPM, and W.Bro. T. John Moses (left), attended her celebrations which started at 10.30am. Rosalie was surrounded by 4 generations of her family and it was a lovely morning. During the day many of her old friends and neighbours visited.
The staff at the home are marvellous; they do care and are a credit to the RMBI. They arranged a wonderful spread and birthday cake. Children from the local primary & junior schools came and sang for her. A small group of sixth formers, from the local Comprehensive sang a few songs from their upcoming Xmas show, which was very professional – a credit to their teachers & school.
They had lunch with Rosalie and although she relies on a wheelchair, her general health is good but her mind is razor sharp. She was a community nurse with Monmouthshire County Council for 46 years and kept them entertained over lunch, with the stories of her exploits in the Welsh Valleys, during her working life.
Rosalie spoke of her gratitude to Freemasonry in general & the RMBI in particular, and of how moving to Porthcawl had been a life-changing moment for her. Rosalie said that Selwyn had made it all possible – she is now very happy.
In the latest edition of "Freemasonry Today" page 67 – there is an article reporting on the 40th Anniversary of the opening of the home at Porthcawl and also the 100th birthday of Lina Joshua. The joint celebrations were held in September 2013. In fact, three residents celebrated their 100th in 2013 and Rosalie is the youngest of the trio.
This article courtesy of W.Bro. T. John Moses.
50 years and still going strong!
WBro. Oswald Lovering who has been a Freemason for just over 50 years received a certificate and a Veterans lapel badge at the St Mellonius Lodge meeting where he is the Senior Past Master having attained the Chair in 1973. When asked what he thought of reaching such a milestone he replied 'firstly I'm glad I've lived this long'. WBro 'Ozzy' is the grand age of 85 and still enjoys an active participation in Lodge activities. Over 50 brethren attended the meeting which was very light hearted and enjoyable. Pictured with Ozzy (above) The RW Provincial Grand Master the Rev. Malcolm C. G. Lane and (below) The Assistant Provincial Grand Master WBro. Robert Arundel.
An honour and a surprise! At the Silurian Installation the Worshipful Master proffered the gavel to the RW Provincial Grand Master as a token of courtesy only to be informed that he would be keeping it for a little while as he had Provincial business to perform.
The Lodge Wardens were then replaced by the Provincial Wardens and the RW Provincial Grand Master then promoted WBro Vernon Edwards (pictured) to Past Provincial Junior Grand Warden in recognition of all his hard work as the Provincial Charity Steward. A promotion richly deserved considering the success of the Festival where over £1.2 million was raised over a five year period for the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys.
Jasper Tudor Brethren reach 25 year milestone.
January 3, 2014 Anthony Halse
At the December meeting of the Jasper Tudor Lodge a presentation was made by WBro. John Challenger (background) to WBro. Jonathan Roberts (left) and Bro. Mike Willis both celebrating 25 years in Freemasonry. They were co-initiates and have both enjoyed their membership of the Lodge and Freemasonry in general. Although Mike has never taken the chair he has been a stalwart member and often travelled great distances to attend his Lodge as he has lived in several parts of the country. WBro. Jonathan is well known to us all as he is quite a prolific Mason and currently holds the rank of Provincial Director of Ceremonies in the Mark degree. The Lodge presented them with engraved tankards to celebrate this milestone and hopefully they will continue to enjoy their membership for many years to come.


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Contemporary Conversations: Artistic Practice in Response to the Present — Paula Wilson
5:30 PM (EDT)
FREE; registration required
Multimedia artist Paula Wilson's densely layered, colorful, and often monumental works bring together a variety of painting, collage, filmic, installation, and print techniques. As a black biracial woman born in Chicago, IL and living in the American desert, Wilson's multifaceted work resists a singular viewpoint. Her dense layering of color, image, pattern, and materials acts as a visual metaphor for the complex stratum of histories and cultures, both real and imagined. Join the artist, along with Mitra Abbaspour, Haskell Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Princeton University Art Museum, for a conversation about her process, her interest in mythology, nature, race as inspiration in her work, and the artist residencies she co-founded in Carrizozo, New Mexico. With an introduction by Martha Friedman, Director of the Program in Visual Arts. Part of the series "Contemporary Conversations: Artistic Practice in Response to the Present," a partnership between the Art Museum and the Lewis Center for the Arts.
The conversation is free and open to the public. Presented on Zoom Webinar; registration required.
Join the Conversation with Paula Wilson
(When prompted, click to sign in as "attendee")
This event will include live closed captions in both English and Spanish. English captions are available directly in the Zoom toolbar by clicking the "CC" icon. To access Spanish-language captioning, open Streamtext, where you can select "Spanish" to see the live captioning.
(Para acceder a los subtítulos en varios idiomas, ingrese al seminario web de Zoom durante un evento en vivo, luego abra un navegador web separado para visitar esta página donde puede seleccionar" español "o el idioma de su elección.)
If you are in need of access accommodations in order to participate in this event, please contact the Lewis Center at 609-258-5262 or email LewisCenter@princeton.edu at least 2 weeks in advance of the event date.
Spanish-language live closed-captioning for this program is made possible by the Rapid Response Magic Project of the Princeton University Humanities Council.
Visual artist Paula Wilson. Photo by Angie Rizzo.
PAULA WILSON is a multimedia artist whose densely layered, colorful, and often monumental works utilize a variety of painting, collage, filmic, installation, and print techniques. As a black biracial woman born in Chicago, Illinois, and living in the American desert, Wilson's multifaceted work resists a singular viewpoint. Her dense layering of color, image, pattern, and materials acts as a visual metaphor for the complex stratum of histories and cultures, both real and imagined. Explorations of myth, race, and the natural world inform her work. Based in Carrizozo, New Mexico, Wilson is co-founder of the artist organizations MoMAZoZo and the Carrizozo Artist in Residency (AIR). She is a recent recipient of a Princeton Hodder grant for Fall 2020.
Photo courtesy Princeton University Art Museum
MITRA ABBASPOUR joined the Princeton University Art Museum in 2016. She previously served as an Associate Curator in the Department of Photography at The Museum of Modern Art and an Assistant Curator at the California Museum of Photography, in addition to having served as a guest curator for a number of exhibitions at various institutions. Exhibitions she has curated or co-curated at the Museum include Helen Frankenthaler Prints: Seven Types of Ambiguity (2019), Frank Stella Unbound: Literature and Printmaking (2018), Making History Visible: Of American Myths and National Heroes (2017) and, selections of previous work includes, Re-Orientations: Islamic Art and the West in the 18th and 19th Centuries (2008), Lori Nix: Some Other Place (2003-04) One Ground: 4 Palestinian & 4 Israeli Filmmakers (2003), and Common Borders: Casa Blanca, Riverside and La Frontera (2002).
At MoMA, she led the curatorial branch of an interdisciplinary research initiative that resulted in the print and digital publications Object : Photo: Modern Photographs 1909-1945. She has authored numerous essays on contemporary artists in this field, most recently contributing to monographs of Reza Aramesh, Lalla Essaydi, Dor Guez, Hassan Hajjaj, and Shirin Neshat and has also taught courses both in her specialization, the modern and contemporary Middle East and, general area specializations—Islamic art, modern art, and the history of photography—at The Cooper Union, Hunter College, and Brooklyn College.
Photo by Paola Ferrario/Art in America
MARTHA FRIEDMAN is a New York-based sculptor who works with solid and plastic materials to form, deform and test the boundaries of the physical world. Often building towering sculptures out of unstable materials, interjected with malleable elements, the works are infused with a sense of subverted ambition, precariousness, irony, and humor. Friedman's recent works have included collaborations with choreographers and dancers Susan Marshall and Silas Riener, extending her work into a visceral and flexible dimension, exploring material sculpture, the human body, and the relationships that can exist between the two.
Friedman began teaching at Princeton in 2009, and was appointed full time Lecturer in 2011. Friedman served as Acting Director of the Visual Arts Program 2013-14, and was appointed Director of the Program in July 2017. She teaches introductory and advanced sculpture courses, and the program seminars for majors, providing foundation for their thesis projects. With Susan Marshall, Friedman has twice co-taught "Body as Object", an innovative course on the intersection of sculpture and dance. Friedman has previously taught at institutions including Cooper Union, Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, Wesleyan University, and Yale University.
Friedman's work has been reviewed in publications including Art in America, Artforum, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Modern Painters, Hyperallergic and others. Solo exhibitions of her work have been held at The Henry Museum, Seattle, WA (2018-2019), The Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York (2017); Institute of Fine Arts New York University, New York (2016-17); Locust Projects, Miami (2015-16); Wallspace, New York (2012, 2009, 2007); the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, MI (2010); DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln, MA (2010); and Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago, IL (2010). Her work has been included in numerous group exhibitions, nationally and internationally. Select examples include Frieze New York Sculpture Park, curated by Tom Eccles, New York; Museum on the Seam, Jerusalem, Israel Museo D'Arte Contemporanea Roma, Rome; and The Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow. A solo exhibition of Friedman's work is forthcoming at Jessica Silverman Gallery in San Francisco.
Born in Detroit, Friedman earned her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1998 and her MFA from Yale University School of Art in 2003. Friedman lives and works in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Back To Events Calendar
Lewis Center for the Arts
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Princeton University Art Museum and Lewis Center for the Arts present Contemporary Conversations: Artistic Practice in Response to the Present with Paula Wilson
Martha Friedman

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
InfoWorld Recognizes the Open Source Software Driving the Change of Pace in Technology
The 2017 Best of Open Source Awards (Bossies) showcase the top innovative products available to software developers and IT organizations today
Framingham, Mass. – September 27, 2017 – InfoWorld—the technology media brand committed to keeping IT decision-makers ahead of the technology curve—announces the winners of its 2017 Best of Open Source Software Awards, better known as the Bossies. Each year these awards recognize the software products that bring the most innovation and reinvention to IT departments, ranging from software development tools to data analytics software. The 68 winners in this year's Bossie Awards are the tools and technologies that are answering IT's questions and allowing businesses to excel in this changing period of digital business.
The 2017 awards recognize the top open source projects in five categories (Software Development, Cloud Computing, Databases and Analytics, Machine Learning, and Networking and Security), encompassing established tools and newcomers. This year's winning projects were selected by InfoWorld editors and expert contributors, who have direct experience with open source technologies and currently work in IT and software development. These expert contributors and their first-hand familiarity with cutting-edge technologies are the foundations of InfoWorld's product reviews and product awards.
"If you're looking for something to blame for the blistering pace of change in information technology, look no further than open source," said Doug Dineley, executive editor of InfoWorld. "Open source is reinventing how we develop software, analyze data, and build scalable systems right before our eyes. InfoWorld's Bossie Awards celebrate the projects that are leading the way."
InfoWorld's 2017 Best of Open Source Software Award winners:
Kotlin Native
Scala Native
Awless
Linkerd
Moby and LinuxKit
OpenFaaS
Zipkin
Databases and Analytics
Apache Arrow
Apache Kudu
Apache TinkerPop
CockroachDB
CrateDB
Cruise Control for Kafka
JanusGraph
MapD
Apache MXNet
Caffe2
CatBoost
CoreML
GNU Octave
Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit
XGBoost
Bitscout
IsThisLegit
Ncrack
Phinn
Securitybot
Security Graph Language
StrutsHoneypot
VersionEye
To learn more about the 2017 Best of Open Source Software Award recipients, visit InfoWorld.com.
About InfoWorld Best of Open Source Software Awards
Each year, InfoWorld's Bossies (Best of Open Source Software awards) recognize the best open source software for businesses and IT professionals. InfoWorld's central mission has always been to identify the most innovative products available to developers and IT organizations. Increasingly, those products — ranging from software development tools to cloud infrastructure software to big data platforms — come from open source projects. Bossie winners are chosen by InfoWorld editors and reviewers.
About InfoWorld
InfoWorld is the leading resource for content and tools for keeping IT decision-makers "ahead of the technology curve." The InfoWorld Expert Contributor Network provides a unique perspective in the market; our editors provide first-hand experience from testing, deploying and managing implementation of emerging enterprise technologies. InfoWorld's Web site (InfoWorld.com) and strategic marketing services provide a deep dive into specific technologies to help IT decision-makers excel in their roles and provide opportunities for IT vendors to reach this audience. InfoWorld is published by IDG. Company information is available at www.idg.com.
Follow InfoWorld on Twitter: @InfoWorld #Bossies2017
Follow IDG on Twitter: @IDGWorld
Join InfoWorld on LinkedIn: http://www.infoworld.com/linkedin
Like InfoWorld on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InfoWorld
IDG connects the world of tech buyers with insights, intent and engagement. IDG is the world's leading media, data and marketing services company that activates and engages the most influential technology buyers. Our premium brands, including CIO®, Computerworld®, PCWorld® and Macworld®, engage the most powerful audience of technology buyers providing essential guidance on the evolving technology landscape. Our global data intelligence platform activates purchasing intent, powering our clients' success. IDG Marketing Services creates custom content with marketing impact across video, mobile, social and digital. We execute complex campaigns that fulfill marketers' global ambitions seamlessly with consistency that delivers results and wins awards. IDG is the #1 tech media company in the world, per comScore.*
*Source: comScore Media Metrix, Desktop Unique Visitors, Worldwide, January 2017
Stacey Raap
Senior Marketing & Research Specialist
IDG Communications, Inc.
stacey_raap@idg.com


power lines.  I don't know the height precisely, but this should do.
correctly, that I saw that boat heading out of Back Creek on Dec.
9, as I was heading in.  Were you out doing sea trials that day?
of the association.  And I can send you membership info.
> from the water with the antenna attached?


text:
Waytha Moorthy: No plans to relocate Orang Asli from Kuala Koh
R. Loheswar
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department P. Waytha Moorthy visits the 'red zone' in Kuala Koh, Gua Musang June 13, 2019. — Bernama pic
KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 — Putrajaya has no plans to relocate the Batek Orang Asli from their homes in Kampung Kuala Koh, Kelantan, Senator P. Waytha Moorthy said today.
The minister in the Prime Minister's Department refuted Kelantan Deputy Mentri Besar Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah who yesterday claimed that the Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa) planned to move the Batek tribe out of Kampung Kuala Koh.
"Jakoa never brought up the matter of moving the Orang Asli in Bateq to a new location be it in meetings or through the media.
"I as the minister in charge of the welfare of the Orang Asli categorically deny what YAB Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah said.
"While the government empathises with their plight, it is illogical to move these people from their natural habitat as they are more comfortable where they are," Waytha said in a statement.
Waytha said the department is currently building houses for the Orang Asli, adding that 16 have been constructed so far.
He said the department will continue to do so until every family in the village has a new house.
He also said Jakoa will work with the Health Ministry and Kelantan health agencies to provide immunisation shots and vaccines to the Orang Asli, especially children.
The Batek Orang Asli have been infected with measles, a childhood disease that has claimed the lives of 15 villagers to date.
Waytha also announced a gotong-royong and health camp to clean up the village to prevent the measles contagion from spreading and infecting the community whose immune systems are at risk.
"The local community and NGOs are participating in the gotong-royong to clean up the surrounding areas and bring it back to healthy living conditions.
"The health camp will involve lectures and sermons to raise awareness on health, hygiene and how to prevent infectious diseases from spreading in the future.
"In the meantime, Jakoa together with the Kelantan Health Department will provide the Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation Unit (BAKAS) once the area is declared disease free. For now, the Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources will provide treated water for the residents," he said.
Related Articles Health minister: Seven measles cases in Terengganu, four in Pahang Imaret to install water treatment system in Kuala Koh following measles outbreak Kelantan deputy MB: Orang Asli community to be moved out of Kuala Koh
Doctors: While birth control protects Orang Asli women from high-risk pregnancies, they must not be forced
Kadir Jasin: Zahid made Najib BN adviser just to have company in the dock


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Is Capitalism 2.0 a Mirage? (Part 2 of 2)
February 1, 2011 /13 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Charles H. Green
Yesterday, in Part 1 of 2 of this blogpost, I noted that Capitalism 1.X is under attack for its very legitimacy. One approach to fixing the problem is to change the dogma and the ideology—what I called the approach of Capitalism 2.0. An approach like this is taken in two new writings by major strategic thinkers.
I quoted Umair Haque on his approach to Capitalism 2.0:
The outlines of an updated economic paradigm…include two fundamental axioms:
…first…through the act of exchange, an organization cannot, by action or inaction, allow people, communities, society, the natural world, or future generations to come to economic harm. [italics are Haque's]
And I quoted Porter/Kramer from Shared Value:
The purpose of the corporation must be redefined as creating shared value, not just profit per se.
These are exciting, heady statements. They are directionally right, and very inspiring to most of us. I believe each work makes a very positive contribution to business thinking.
There's only one problem. The authors are still using the language of ideology.
Beware of Closed Systems
Haque wants an axiom. Unfortunately for Haque, I don't know of any organization for whom it is axiomatic that they cannot do any of the things he lists. Calling something "axiomatic" simply doesn't make it so.
Porter and Kramer, in their treatment of Shared Value, use the word 'must' in a similar way ("The purpose of the corporation must be redefined as creating shared value, not just profit per se"). But the result is the same. Nobody 'must' do anything, as the human race perversely insists on proving time and again.
Karl Marx, in the Communist Manifesto, declared communism inevitable. Capitalism 1.5 had the same flavor. Haque's ironic use of "Manifesto" and the language of 'axioms' suggest the same pull of logical necessity. But axioms are abstract, not empirical–they don't drive action, unless someone chooses to act on them. And Porter's 'must' has no causal force; it is exhortation dressed up in the words of logical necessity.
There is a beauty in such simple, powerful idea systems, a beauty well-loved by economists, mathematicians, physicists and strategists. The problem is–they are closed systems. That's OK for math and physics. But for most other fields, once you get outside a closed system, things eventually degrade.
Inevitability Isn't
Marx was wrong about communism's inevitability. Greenspan was wrong about large companies' inclination to self-regulate based on reputation. Friedman was wrong about the gyroscopic capabilities of the Invisible Hand.
If Porter and Haque believe that they have discovered an ideology as attractive, powerful and self-sustaining as those were, then we're probably just looking at another shiny-object, perpetual-motion, too-good-to-be-true closed system.
In fact, it was our unquestioned belief in the closed-system aspect of Capitalism 1.X that helped cause Capitalism 1.X to fail. It all sounded so good that we wanted to believe it–until long after the writing was on the wall. Not for the first time, the charm of dogma blinded us to facts on the ground until it became not just overwhelming, but undeniable. We're left thinking, "What were we thinking?" and the answer is, we weren't. We were just believing.
The search for another compelling but unrealistic logic is likely to be equally misguided.
Both Porter-Kramer and Haque argue that systemic adoption of Capitalism 2.0 will lead to higher systemic profitability. This is certainly true. But the heart of the matter is not a systemic issue—it is whether individual companies will make decisions that are not profitable to themselves in the short term. And this is where ideology gets in the way:
What should, and will, a company do if an initiative is profitable in Capitalism 2.0 terms–but not profitable in Capitalism 1.X terms? Not every business problem is simply a failure of imagination, even if many–even if most–are. The problem of the commons remains unsolved.
I'm not optimistic that Porter can find a profit that is "imbued with a social purpose…that arises…out of a deeper understanding of competition and economic value creation." I think that's a circle that can't be squared.
But it is also not necessary. The answer lies in sober thinking about how social change happens; not in a new Idea System.
Haque is most productive not when he's offering ringing phrases, but when he's offering examples of new business opportunities that are not only holistically profitable, but profitable as well in today's simple quarterly income statement terms–examples like Threadless and Nike's Considered Design.
Porter is today more famous for his early Five Forces model than for his value chain model, but the latter has probably had more impact. Similarly, his solid thinking today on clusters and the proper role of regulation may end up having more impact than his heroic effort to cognitively re-conceive competition.
There is richness in both works, worthy of a lot of thoughtful reading.
The Other Solution: Dial Back the Dogma
Ironically, it was Marx who said, "The point is not to understand the world, but to transform it." Ideologues and dogmatists insist on the primacy of theory. Change agents are more pragmatic.
Parts of our society are addicted to dogma and ideology. Business, under Capitalism 1.X, is one; others are politics, academia and particularly economics. But it's not the norm.
The legal profession isn't dogmatic, apart from a general belief in advocacy. Education has many sub-currents but not one unifying theory. The practice of medicine, other than the Hippocratic Oath, is more practical than ideological.
If ideology is ultimately empty calories, then what is to be done? How else can we get to the alternate vision of business that both Porter and Haque so clearly, and rightly, envision?
First, we need to give up our addiction to ideology. What's needed is not another intellectual home run, but a dogged effort to get better at getting along—on all social dimensions, not just those of business.
What can you do? Here are a few examples:
1. People with visible responsibility can start talking about civic and moral virtues, instead of the virtues of an abstract system which magically does the heavy lifting for us.
2. Porter, Kramer and Haque as writers–and all of us as readers–can use the rich and stimulating examples they have uncovered as a challenge to our imaginations, and a spur to creative thinking. The power of what they've written lies more in their examples and simple models than in the attempt at a Unifying Theory.
3. Measurements are powerful in business; many managers believe that management requires it. We can all support global attempts at Integrated Reporting accounting, combining traditional financial accounting with other socially-relevant measures. New vocabularies seriously drive new dialogues.
4. Trade associations can shift emphasis from narrow sectarian lobbying to offering education and perspective on increasing the long-term viability of their industries.
5. Business strategists and economists can look to outside functional arenas; negotiation and bargaining experts know how to integrate zero-sum oppositional positions with shared interests;
6. Politicians can rediscover bi-partisanship and compromise, rather than scorched-earth zero-sum competitive games; citizens can hold them accountable by re-discovering the same.
7. Elections and legislation are heavily controlled by corporate interests in the United States today. This is not long-term healthy even for business. Business organizations can collaborate with other groups to pursue campaign finance reform, thus putting stakeholder collaboration into serious practice.
8. Business education, mainly MBAs, can start emphasizing long-term sustainable collaboration, rather than Capitalism 1.X. Ethics courses are no good if they're contradicted by 1.X courses in competitive strategy down the hall.
9. News media can try to stay sober, serious, thoughtful and responsible, not giving in to pure entertainment; business can play a role along with consumers in helping media resist the pull in that direction.
There is no unifying ideology; if Santa Claus can't pull it off, why should we expect strategists and economists to do so?
But there are still guidelines.
"Be the change you want in the world."
"The best way to make someone trustworthy is to trust them."
"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."
"Don't argue over who gets the slice of the pie, focus on making the pie bigger."
Maybe even, "Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you."
When Gerstner took over IBM he said, "The last thing IBM needs is a vision." The last thing capitalism needs right now is a new ideology. Business needs simply to take its seat among other social and political institutions, and to play nicely in the sandbox alongside them.
Tags: capitalism, ideology, Michael Porter, trust, Umair Haque
https://trustedadvisor.com/public/iStock_000009776207XSmall.jpg 423 284 Charles H. Green http://trustedadvisor.com/public/trusted_advisor1.png Charles H. Green2011-02-01 06:00:112011-01-31 21:00:38Is Capitalism 2.0 a Mirage? (Part 2 of 2)
Is Capitalism 2.0 a Mirage? (Part 1 of 2) A New Cybercrime…Spying On Your Spouse?
PART 1 of 2 When Lou Gerstner took over IBM at a time of corporate crisis, he was asked if...


text:
Q: Accidently removed ubuntu boot option, how to add it back I have a dual boot, windows 10 and ubuntu 18 computer. I was trying to disable secure boot for ubuntu and I accidently removed it from the boot so now it boots to windows, used to boot to ubuntu by default. How do I add it back?
In the bios setup->boot sequence->add boot option->file name I have:
EFI directory, and under that I have Microsoft, boot, and ubuntu. And under ubuntu I have:
Fxupx64.efi
Grub64.efi
Grub.cfg
Shimx64.efi
Mmx64.efi
Boot64.csv
Not sure if it's one of these or if I need to do anything special

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


We love our family...they are all well and growing in life.
I fish for a living, both in a lure maker( Cat's Tails Tackle), and licensed all species guide in the Hayward Lakes area of Wisconsin...I will probably never retire ! We love our northwoods home.
Roger Williamson added a comment on his Profile.
Roger Williamson added a comment on his Profile. New comment added.
Roger Williamson posted a message.
Happy Birthday Rog ! We are close to each other..I live by Moose Lake ! Maybe we should meetup?
Happy Birthday Tom...have a fine day!
Roger Williamson posted a message. New comment added.
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Happy Birthday neighbor !! Have a nice day Jean !
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Roger Williamson has a birthday today. New comment added.


I realise that haven't commented on this blog about RCS in a while, although I've had numerous exchanges on Twitter over the past couple of months since the Joyn announcement. I've also had a chance to talk to various operators and vendors, both through general briefings and under-NDA private consulting engagements.
So this is a bit of an update on recent thoughts & conversations I've been having. The timing seems appropriate, given that next week there is both a legacy-view IMS conference in Spain, and for real telecoms thought-leadership, my own Future of Voice / Telco-OTT Strategies workshop with Martin Geddes (details here, sign up here).
That said, I'm not going to give away all of my new analysis about RCS in this post, just certain strands - the full story is reserved for my consulting and workshop clients, or paying subscribers to @DApremium on Twitter.
If you are interested in a consulting workshop about Joyn/RCSe please get in touch. I am particularly interested in hearing from COOs, CFOs or others having to make investment decisions, who need a counter-argument or "bear case" to set against the position of internal or vendor RCS advocates.
Note: One or two commentators on Twitter have accused me of having confirmation bias (giving disproportionate weight to data that confirms existing beliefs), so I've been very consciously "open-minded" about this whole area. At MWC I made sure I had a couple of Joyn demos without preconception or prejudice, and I seen the official GSMA "pitch" several times at conferences & webinars. Some of my opinions have shifted slightly, but overall I am still broadly negative.
It's too early to judge based on results - we've only had Vodafone Spain launch, albeit in a very limited beta/trial fashion (5-10k downloads and very mixed reviews according to Google Play, especially as some comments seem to be from internal VF folk). German operators have talked about May as a target date, and "summer" seems to be the timeframe for a broader European launch. Overall, there have been many delays and slippages - it's interesting to compare each GSMA presenter's charts at conferences with the previous ones to see what dates have moved. France, Italy and South Korea are all allegedly launching in H1'2012 as well - I'm willing to bet that at least one misses that date, especially for a full, all-MNOs, interoperable launch.
That said, one thing that seems to be clear recently is that RCS is being driven very heavily "from the top". There's definitely tighter marketing and messaging. I'm expecting to see IMS conference speeches with "See? We were right all along!" self-congratulatory (and very premature) messages. And to be fair, Joyn as a brand isn't bad, even if some amusing acronyms are possible.
There's also a sense of urgency and committment which is (just) the right side of desperation. There are a lot more companies with "skin in the game", albeit with different levels of financial imvolvement. (Notably though, most vendors are dual-purposing their solutions for both IMS/RCS and also TelcoOTT-type use cases). The concept of "fake it till you make it" is understandable from a marketing point of view, but the mantra of "it's just there, it just works" is a huge liability, if it isn't/doesn't.
In my view, a better strategy would have been to target RCS at specific niches or use-cases, rather than pretend (against all evidence and realistic expectation) that it's going to suddenly become "ubiquitous". (I wrote a piece about "the death of ubiquity" a while back). Nobody in the industry believes RCS will be everywhere - and certainly not on a 2-3 year timeframe - so it is credibility-damaging to assert it anyway. Not to mention the increasing share-of-wallet that will accrue to fragmented rather than ubiquitous telecoms services & capabilities.
What's it for? And why will people use it?
There are still very mixed messages about whether RCS is supposed to be a competitor to so-called OTT players, or something else entirely. I've yet to hear a single compelling reason why any existing user of WhatsApp or Kakaotalk or Facebook or BBM would be persuaded to switch to Joyn, and for which use-cases.
The usual argument seems to be that "not everyone has smartphones" or "not everyone downloads WhatsApp, so this is a service for everyone else". Both of these arguments are completely specious - I cannot think of a single successful technology or service that was driven by late-adopters, especially a communications service which relies on Metcalfe network-effect square/exponential laws, and which is heavily driven by popular individuals as trend-setters or social "hubs". Plus, downloading apps is no longer onerous. Some people even view it as fun. (I suspect a lot of IMS engineers still have old Symbian phones, which might explain a few things).
Put another way - this late-adopters-first approach sounds like an attempt to "cross the chasm", but backwards.
Nevertheless, the force being applied to try to "make RCS a success" is commendable. I've met a number of people from operators recently - even from disruptive Telco-OTT business units - who seem to have had an edict handed down that they MUST have RCS compatibility. That said, it's fair to say I've spoken to a few supposed "converts" who have been singing its praises through gritted teeth.
Attitudes also seem to be different in the US to Europe.
In Europe, the story is muddled. RCSe is being pitched as an OTT-beater (by some), SMS 2.0 (by others), an easy option for late-adopters without smartphones or Facebook (uh huh) and a variety of other mostly unconvincing stories. There's quite a lot of general skepticism about IMS, and an awareness of awkward practicalities such as 50-90% prepay users who buy phones unlocked without operator apps (and who SIM-swap a lot).
In the US, the approach is about much tighter coupling of RCS to VoLTE, to create a completely new personal communications experience for all-IP mobile networks. There's much more homogeneity in the user base (mostly on long contracts), less fragmentation among service providers, and a mentality that they can make IMS work. [We should see the re-unification of the now-divergent RCSe and full RCS in RCS5.0. At some point].
There's also more emphasis in the US on using RCS as a developer platform. In my view, it's a bigger bet, but a rather more coherent one, especially as 4G has become a marketing issue and the CDMA operators are being forced to LTE anyway. So they really need VoLTE or a VoIP alternative, and thus they seem to think that RCS might as well come along for the ride. Some of the demos and mockups I've seen (eg from Summit and D2) even look quite slick.
But it's also heavily interdependent on other issues - for example, if VoLTE struggles with radio issues (eg voice quality, cell handover or battery consumption) then RCS is tightly coupled and gets delayed as well. LTE outages on Verizon have also been blamed on the IMS core, which doesn't bode well.
And delay is critical here, because the longer it takes, the greater a foothold Apple, Google, Facebook and others (Microsoft/Skype?) will have. I can't see Apple ever putting a full, native RCS capability in its devices - they might do a server-side cludge via iCloud, but put a new telco comms client (and IMS!) on an iPhone to compete with iMessage and FaceTime, much less a SIM-free WiFi iPad or iPod? No, that seems implausible, especially in the short term.
Google is already allowing Android OEMs to implement RCS and presumably will do its own variants within Motorola (for now), but I'm unconvinced they'd put it in the basic Android build - again, not least because it's used increasingly in non-SIM/non-telco devices like tablets, and it won't want to sideline Google Voice, G+, GTalk, GMail and its various other comms properties.
There's also a sub-story with Google's involvement in WebRTC - it knows that much P2P communications isn't going to remain a "service" or even an "app" for long - it's going to be a simple feature of the browser, and that any service will need to be something provided over and above simple transport of voice, message or video. (WebRTC is a large-but-silent elephant in the communications services room. It'll take a few years to hit mobile in a big way, but has the potential to be the single biggest disruptor for the entire industry).
Facebook's 400m mobile users makes the Joyn story of "it's just there, it just works" look ridiculous already. It's already much more widely available than RCS will ever be (including down to featurephones with Facebook Zero, Java and even USSD / SIM toolkit applications - as well as being on PCs and tablets everywhere). If the telecom industry wants something "ubiquitous" it needs to go well beyond IMS-capable devices.
Overall, I've got more sympathy for the US RCS approach, because at least there's a consistent story - and, critically, there's a clear developer angle. I think that RCS/RCSe/Joyn has very little chance of success (anywhere) as a messaging app but I can just about buy into the API story, at least in concept if not execution.
I can envisage certain B2C use-cases for video-share, such as customer support ("No, connect the wire to that socket"), or perhaps C2C mashups with a map ("I'm in the pub... where are you exactly? Look, I'll just send you a navigation widget"). But the problem with all of these - as with all other telco APIs - is convincing developers that this is the best route to solving the problem, something that is going to get ever-harder as the same features start appearing in HTML5 as well as native app plaforms. And I suspect that HTML5 - and even the telcos' own WAC-type device APIs - will be "just there" and should "just work" at least as well.
Some of what companies like Solaimes are doing around "thin client" RCS, with the bulk of the work done in the cloud, and just a much lighter app (or browser) on the device makes sense, especially as it makes it easier to do RCS-as-OTT implementations - something I think is critical if it's to succeed at all. I'm less convinced that the phonebook / contact-list is where you would want to anchor such services on the phone, though.
One of the biggest failings of the current crop of RCSe concepts is tying the app to the SIM card - firstly because many devices don't have SIMs, and secondly because there needs to be the ability to download 3rd-party apps onto phones running on networks which haven't signed up. (eg a Vodafone Joyn app on a 3UK phone).
Increasingly, people will also have multiple connected devices, and will start to want the same experience on all of them. If I've got a Vodafone SIM in my iPhone, an Orange one in my tablet, an unlocked MiFi with various national SIMs, a PC on WiFi, an MVNO-powered smart-grid electricity gadget, and a dual-SIM Android for travelling, I won't want to have a dozen separate RCS accounts. And that's even before I try porting them when I churn.
RCS is already usable over WiFi, so it will have to be OTT at least some of the time, especially on devices that don't have a SIM card. So that begs the question - why not have it OTT all of the time?
This plays into a critical theme. What's the interconnect business model (between operators) for RCS/Joyn? It's not something I've heard discussed openly anywhere.
Does an operator "terminating" messages or video-sharing get paid by the "originator"? On what basis? And if I start a chat with another person, but *they* upgrade the session to video or sharing, who's the originator anyway? Or is RCS going to be a "bill and keep" service where there is no commercial arrangement? How does it change for OTT-style RCS?
It could be that the reason I haven't heard anything is because RCS is going to be free at retail in perpetuity - and therefore will also be free between operators, so interconnect billing isn't needed. But that would be most unlike any other area of the telecoms industry, which mostly hasn't even been able to grasp the idea of "freemium" to any extent.
It's notable that some of the smaller European operators seem to be the most skeptical of RCSe, and I wonder if that's because they're worried that they become "net exporters" and end up having to pay out cash, just to deliver a service they can't even monetise directly with end-users.
In any case, re-hacking the wholesale billing and mediation side of operators' IT stack to handle RCS can't be too palatable for many, especially if they're currently in the middle of a transformation/upgrade cycle anyway. Add in dealing with RCS in the network policy and charging (eg how do you treat the "OTT" bits of RCSe traffic when it's sent to/from a PC?) and it becomes an even more expensive exercise.
The assumption behind Joyn is that the main use-case is similar to SMS - domestic peer-to-peer messaging between friends, for example. While that's also true for a lot of BlackBerry BBM use and (in certain countries) WhatsApp and some other Internet services, it's much less true for platforms like Skype which have a large international component.
Because RCS will only get adopted slowly (I think it will be doing very well if it achieves over 2% global active use, or over 10% for any country/operators, by end-2014) its uptake is likely to be much more community driven, or by specific niche use-cases. It will take a long time (if ever) to be expected to be available as a default by users.
One group that needs to be addressed, if RCS is really going to compete with Internet peers, is the international user base. Firstly: does it work, and secondly, does it cost extra? This brings the interconnect question right back to centre stage. To use an example, a friend of mine in London currently uses WhatsApp primarily to chat and exchange videos/photos/links with her girlfriend who's studying in the US (with a local US SIM). Alternatively, they use Skype for long calls or videocalls. The alternative - paid per-message international SMS or IDD voice - is clearly not a viable option.
Will RCS make any different to that scenario, where perhaps one user is on Orange, and the other on AT&T? Neither telco will want to risk cannibalising IDD telephony and international SMS revenues today, so can they construct a mechanism to allow Joyn-type apps to compete for that use case? If not, they can't expect RCS to be a realistic competitor to WhatsApp, Skype and its peers: "free IM... as long as your buddies aren't abroad" is a poor fit with user expectations.
As I noted above, this is a snapshot of my current thinking, on a few areas that RCS/RCSe/Joyn needs to address. Overall, the technology is starting to look a bit more like a complete proposition, but it was already much too little, too late at end-2011 and it's now even later.
In 2012 we've already had Instagram annointed as "the next big thing", we've seen new services like Pinterest spring up as flavour of the month, and only yesterday I heard about astonishingly fast viral growth to 30m users of "Line" a new Japanese messaging app. It's added 20m just in the extra time that RCS launch in Spain has been delayed.
The idea that RCSe will be a "Top 10" success against such a fast-moving competitive background is improbable - and even if it does, getting beyond a short-term "one-hit-wonder" must have lottery-scale odds. I really can't see how it might stay the favoured, coolest messaging app given the furious pace of evolution by startups who actually employ designers and behavioural psychologists, and who can roll out an updated version tomorrow.
There is a (small) chance that RCS might evolve to be the next "lowest common denominator" communications platform alongside telephony, SMS, email and postal services. But even if it does, it's far from clear that such ubiquitous forms of communication can retain more than a tiny fraction of today's telecom market - especially as WebRTC takes hold. Every user is building their favoured personal "wardrobe" of fashionable communications services. The share-of-wallet of the telecoms equivalent of basic, proletarian Marks & Spencer underpants isn't going to be very high.
I'm running out of terms for RCS - I've used "dead" and "zombie" already in the past. So I think I'll just stick with "inanimate". It's still not moving, and it's certainly not capable of running after its competition with much vigour.
Which operator app-level collaborations actually work?
I've just been having an email exchange with a client about telco collaborations.
The net result is a question I'm struggling with - have any recent multi-telco collaborations at the app or service level actually borne fruit?
There have been plenty of trials, initiatives, and pilots. WAC, OneAPI, in-country attempts at collaborative payment platforms (eg PayForIt in the UK), API exposure (eg in Canada) or IM connectivity (various).... but I'm struggling to think of anything new that has proven substantive so far.
The possible exceptions are for M2M (which is still quite slow-moving & actually involves a lot of in-the-network techniness rather than app skills), and a few security-type things like content-filtering for kids, alerts (eg tsunami warnings), or stolen-phone disablement, which are often driven by regulators anyway.
SMS, MMS and roaming don't count as they're all old, albeit with a few modern tweaks like roaming steering or local partnerships. But that's not app/service level really anyway.
Various collaborations between operators and non-operators are successful (eg 3UK/Skype, initial AT&T/Apple, Facebook Zero + various).
Yes, there's a bunch of new stuff just starting - Joyn/RCSe, payment collaborations in various places like New Zealand, identity stuff, talk about federating telco CDNs and so on.
But are there any recent examples of these type of collaborative arrangements actually working?
Coming up in 3 weeks' time is the next of my & Martin Geddes' workshops on the Future of Voice (and messaging), in Mayfair in Central London.
This time around, however, we're running two days rather than one - bookable separately or together. The first day is FoV, but the second is the first workshop specifically on Telco-OTT services, as covered in my recent report.
There's a lot of rhetoric about how operators should "deal with OTT", but I'm the only person to publish and speak specifically about how operators can and should become OTT players themselves. I've examined more than 100 different telco Internet-based offers, spanning a wide variety of service segments, and have advised operators around the world on opportunities and risks.
As before, these are small, interactive workshops - not just hours of slides. With a maximum of 25 attendees, there will be break-out group exercises, Q&A sessions with Martin & myself, roundtable debate and plenty of opportunities for networking. We carefully curate the attendees, to give a mix of operators (incumbent & challenger), vendors of different types, developers, consultants and sometimes regulators and investors.
The cost per delegate is £700 for one day, or £1000 for both days, plus 20% UK VAT.
Day 2 (April 27th) is the first public workshop on Telco-OTT services. I'll cover some of the key themes explored in my recent report, plus additional insights gleaned in recent months of engagement with various clients, plus meetings at MWC and other events. It will span fixed and mobile OTT services, from mobile VoIP to online video, and from femtocells to cloud SaaS.
As well as #TelcoOTT services and voice & messaging, many of my meetings over the last month or two have been about WiFi - specifically, its evolution as a carrier-driven technology for offload and other purposes. I've been speaking with various operators, vendors and industry associations. I also participated in a recent webinar (sponsored by iPass, a client of mine) about this theme.
1) Market participants from the cellular side of the industry are mistakenly assuming that "offload" is the only, or most important, use of WiFi on a handset - often without a decent definition of what offload actually means.
2) Some market participants know that there are multiple use-cases for WiFi, but are actually engaged in trying to subvert this so that their needs and requirements are better-served than those of end-users.
The problems can be largely summed up with a single word: "seamless". The cellular industry has an unhealthy obsession with getting rid of "seams", not understanding that sometimes they are valuable and worth keeping (or even worth adding deliberately).
Sometimes, seamless is good - for example, when a mobile phone user is moving and moves from one cell-tower to the next mid-call, without noticing. Having your phone automatically hook up to WiFi when you get home is good too.
But in other cases, seamlessness is a mixed blessing - for example in the case of international roaming. While it undeniably convenient at one level for handsets to transparently connect to a visited network, the downside is that this can lead to "bill shock", anticompetitive pricing or conditions - especially for the dark art of data roaming. This is why the European Commission is currently trying to re-introduce seams, potentially allowing users to select a separate roaming provider to their home operator. It is also why so many users create their own seam - switching off data roaming entirely.
And finally, there are times when seamless connection is outright bad - for example, if a device is "forced" to use a specific network, when the user or perhaps an app would prefer a different one. This is especially relevant for WiFi, where there are frequently various options for connection, with different ownership, speed, price, security and features. Most WiFi use is private connectivity (it's WLAN - ie wireless ethernet), not offload, and operators have no business becoming involved in it.
Think about an iPhone versus an iPod Touch. Any WiFi use on the iPod is by definition private - it can't be offload as it doesn't have a cellular radio to offload from. Therefore the same use on an iPhone should also be considered as private WiFi access, not offload, and outside of telco visibility and control.
Some of the proposed standards even suggest switching on the device WiFi non-consensually by the network (see this post of mine about OMA), while others such as the 3GPP's ANDSF tries to push or enforce preferences for network selection.
While for certain use-cases this might be beneficial (eg a Kindle-type device connecting to WiFi in the background, with no user intervention), in other cases it will lead to a significant restriction in user freedoms, and may directly inhibit some innovative business models. For example, O2 UK is exploring an onload model for WiFi, aiming to capture users from other network operators, rather than offloading its own subscribers' cellular traffic. There is plenty of scope for conflict where the device (and its SIM-driven seamless connection policies) contradict an app the user has empowered to make its own WiFi decisions.
Another angle on seamlessness comes from a venue-owners' perspective. Imagine that you run a cafe, with WiFi available for customers as perk (pun, apologies!) for their patronage. Your customers like it, some of them connect their phones or laptops, and come back regularly for coffee. Others ignore the WiFi sign for various reasons - perhaps because they are chatting rather than browsing Facebook or doing Skype video calls. Now imagine the same cafe with seamless WiFi. All customers' phones connect automatically. The net result is congestion - users get a poor experience, the cafe owner needs to upgrade the broadband connection, and meanwhile the atmosphere of the venue changes as people spend more time on their phones than with their friends. That is not a positive outcome for seamlessness and automated WiFi log-on. In some cases a little friction is a *positive* for loyalty and promotion - it gives the marketeer a better image of customer-friendliness, while limiting their extra capex/opex. The same is true of airline frequent flyer schemes, which gain loyalty despite the fact it can be hard to actually redeem points for flights.
There are also other insidious aspects here - various vendors I've spoken to have products that can monitor a user's entire handset WiFi experience, tracking which access points you connect to, perhaps enforcing policies even where those APs are not operator-owned or -affiliated. While there are some corner-case exceptions here (eg the perennial content-control for kids use case), this is not acceptable for massmarket use. Indeed, for many enterprises, an attempt by a carrier to check up on private WiFi use could constitute an unacceptable security breach.
Overall, many of the operators and standards bodies involved in carrier WiFi need to go back to the drawing board and start again. Their connection-management designs need to recognise that seams must sometimes remain visible to users, or applications acting on their behalf.
Another way to think about it is that seam=border . And borders can be crossed in many ways - a simple signpost by the roadside (eg in Schengen Europe), basic passport checks, more involved arrival cards, paid visas, deliberate illegal entry (smuggling). Or you can be taken across against your will, blindfolded in the back of a van.
Personally, I don't want my WiFi "trafficked" across borders without my consent. Seamless WiFi has its uses, but it should not be viewed as a universal target or "obvious truth" by the cellular industry.


text:
G.M. Tamás
political philosopher and writer, Budapest
G.M. Tamás is a philosopher and writer. He was elected Director of the Institute of Philosophy of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences 1991–1995, and taught for two years at the University of Budapest. He has held visiting appointments at various institutions, including Columbia University, New York; Oxford; École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales; Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin; Georgetown; Yale; and the New School, New York. His work focuses on political philosophy and political theory, and he is known as a radical Left-wing figure and activist. He has published widely, his work has been translated into fourteen languages. Selected publications include: Kommunismus nach 1989 (2015); Postfascism şi anticomunism (2014); Innocent Power (2012); Telling the Truth about Class (2006); Les Idoles de la tribu (1989); and L'Oeil et la main (1985). Tamás lives and works in Budapest. [Last updated 2016]
There is a Crack in the Museum of History. Is That How the Future Gets in?
The Versailles Complex and the Myth of Post-communism


text:
Matters Arising from the Identification of the Body is a science fiction / crime novella by Simon Petrie. It was published by Peggy Bright Books in 2017.

Plot summary
The novella is set on the Saturnian moon Titan. It concerns an investigation into the troubling death, by exposure to Titan's atmosphere, of a young woman, Tanja Morgenstein, the daughter of wealthy and influential industrialist Joshua Hainan. The investigation, conducted by caseworker Guerline Scarfe, begins with an evidence-supported presumption that the death was a suicide, but anomalies are uncovered as the various persons of interest in Ms Morgenstein's life are interviewed.

Awards and nominations
 2017 shortlisted Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Novella
 2018 nominated Ditmar Award for Best Novella or Novelette
 2018 winner Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Novella or Novelette

References

2017 short stories
New Zealand science fiction
Australian science fiction

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Michel Roux Jr is the owner & two-star Michelin chef at the London restaurant Le Gavroche, MasterChef judge, host of the BBC's Saturday Kitchen and author of The French Kitchen & other cookbooks.
Recipe donated by Michel Roux Jr for Veg Power. Recipe and portrait photography from "The Marathon Chef" by Michel Roux Jr.
I love this recipe. It's fresh, easy to make and full of lots of good stuff. There are ingredients in there that kids adore like honey and peanut butter and it's fun for them to make. It's recipes like this that are great for introducing children to cooking and with such a variety of ingredients and flavours - tangy grapefruit, crunchy carrot, beansprouts and peanut butter, savoury and sweet soy - it's a joy!
With the back of a fork, mix the honey and peanut butter together, gradually adding the lime juice, soy sauce and sesame oil. Check the seasoning and set aside.
Peel the grapefruit and separate into segments. Slice the spring onions and radishes. Shred the cabbage and blanch in boiling, salted water for 10 seconds. Refresh, drain and dry well. Peel the carrot and cut into very fine julienne strips. Put these in iced water to curl for an hour.
Just before serving, toss the vegetables in the dressing and serve in the leaves of the round lettuce. Decorate with grapefruit segments and the drained carrot julienne.
Get the kids to make the dressing – squeezing the lime then mixing it with the peanut butter, soy sauce and seasoning is bound to keep them happy for a while. They can also have a go at peeling the grapefruit and separating it into segments.


text:
REVIEW: Tell Me Straight at The Chiswick Playhouse
The social issues of the present have got human beings questioning their own identities more than ever; sexuality, mental health and internalised prejudice being a very small portion of these topics.
'Tell me straight' is a powerful piece of new writing by Paul Bradshaw, which dynamically explores these ideas, and that prejudice and homophobia are inheritably internalised within us all. After being performed in various small theatres around London, director Imogen Francis has brought this coming of age piece back on its feet in an immersive yet uncomplicated way.
The writer, Paul Bradshaw, also plays the central character of the play, known as 'he' (as we never find out his real name). This character embodies a millennial gay man who is trying to break his self-destructive cycle by adopting a 30-day detox from sex, fast food and alcohol to gain a new and healthier perspective of life. His newly found sobriety forces him to become more self-aware and examine his relationships with dating, sex, his friends, and his own self-respect. As an audience, we quickly become aware that this character has a certain soft spot for men who identify as straight; the 'forbidden fruit. These male characters are multi-roled by actor George Greenland. It becomes apparent that these men are struggling with their identities; using him as a scapegoat to figure out their own sexuality Throughout the piece, we meet men who constantly disappoint the central character, leaving him to question his own identity, strengths, and why these other men are not ready to commit and confront their sexualities.
There is very little to critique in this production. The writing and direction are quick, clever and honest. Both actors play their roles with class, sensitivity, humour and intellect. The black box staging at the Chiswick playhouse really lends itself to this intense and immersive style of work. The moments when Bradshaw broke the fourth wall and spoke directly to the audience were my personal highlight; it felt very inclusive, personal and not at all out of place. It is a very stripped back production; no use of set and minimal props. The lighting by Chloe Stally Gibson is very naturalistic, suitable and not at all excessive or distracting. The use of stagecraft is excellent; Bradshaw remains on stage for the entirety of the one-act play and Greenland barely leaves. I liked this touch from Bradshaw and Francis, as it heightened the idea of the central character exposing himself and his emotions for love and validation at all times; in this case, it was to the audience. Greenland's versatility in this production is sensational; he plays a vast array of men and each character is so different that it's hard to believe they are all played by the same actor.
For any theatre-goer who is looking to be mentally challenged about the ongoing questions we ask ourselves mixed with a good belly laugh, then this is the type of honest and stripped back theatre you should be watching. Every moment is engaging and as an audience member, you experience an array of emotions within the 75 minutes of action. 'Tell me Straight' is running until the 26th of February at the Chiswick Playhouse.
Review by Isabella Kirkpatrick
Rating: ★★★★★
Seat: E1 | Price of Ticket: £17.50
Labels: Isabella Kirkpatrick, review, Tell Me Straight, the Chiswick Playhouse


text:
require 'test_helper'

#
# == LegalNoticesController Test
#
class LegalNoticesControllerTest < ActionController::TestCase
  include Devise::Test::ControllerHelpers
  include Rails.application.routes.url_helpers

  setup :initialize_test

  #
  # == Routes / Templates / Responses
  #
  test 'should get index' do
    @locales.each do |locale|
      I18n.with_locale(locale) do
        get :index, params: { locale: locale.to_s }
        assert_response :success
        assert_not_nil assigns(:legal_notices)
      end
    end
  end

  test 'should use index template' do
    @locales.each do |locale|
      I18n.with_locale(locale) do
        get :index, params: { locale: locale.to_s }
        assert_template :index
      end
    end
  end

  test 'should get index page targetting legal_notices controller' do
    assert_routing '/mentions-legales', controller: 'legal_notices', action: 'index', locale: 'fr' if @locales.include?(:fr)
    assert_routing '/en/legal-notices', controller: 'legal_notices', action: 'index', locale: 'en' if @locales.include?(:en)
  end

  #
  # == Menu offline
  #
  test 'should render 404 if menu item is offline' do
    @menu.update_attribute(:online, false)
    assert_not @menu.online, 'menu item should be offline'

    @locales.each do |locale|
      I18n.with_locale(locale.to_s) do
        assert_raises(ActionController::RoutingError) do
          get :index, params: { locale: locale.to_s }
        end
      end
    end
  end

  private

  def initialize_test
    @locales = I18n.available_locales
    @setting = settings(:one)
    @menu = menus(:legal_notice)

    @subscriber = users(:alice)
    @administrator = users(:bob)
    @super_administrator = users(:anthony)
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Michael Giacchino 'Up' with an Oscar
Reposting a reedited version of one of my old write-ups on Michael Giacchino's UP score
With swinging rhythms, mute trumpets, clarinets and xylophones in 'UP with Titles', Michael Giacchino takes us back in time, sets up a laidback mood and builds curiosity in a listener who just returned from listening to his music at its bombastic best in 'Star Trek'. The moment the piano hits the first four notes of the gorgeous main (Ellie's) theme on Piano in 'We're in the club now', it is evident that this is the main theme of the movie that is going to be rechristened itself into various forms; that is going to be played on every single instrument of the orchestra and that is going to be hummed by every single member of the audience who come out of the cinema hall after watching the movie.
The main Ellie motif is packs so many varied emotions - nostalgia, romance, grief, and solitude in it. These are exactly the emotions that Ellie leaves behind for Carl. It is the heart and soul of the score of 'UP', which is so evident in the very next track 'Married life' where the theme is floated on a waltz rhythm, swaying its way through the emotional highs and lows of the life journey of Carl. Every soloist in the orchestra gets his few seconds of fame by playing the theme for most memorable and also painful moments in Carl's life. The mood shifts in those 4 minutes of montage masterpiece are carefully underpinned by a shift in the instruments, a shift in the tempo of the theme and a shift in the emotions spilled by the backing arrangements.
It is in 'Carl Goes Up', for the first time in the score, the string section wakes up (so does we the listeners, wake up to the sudden appearance of an enchanting string section that sounds refreshing and uplifting after umpteen solo versions of the theme) to a brisk swirling and stirring for Carl who gears up to fly high with his house. Carl attempts to liberate himself from the loneliness and the darkness that has now completely engulfed his life. It is in this piece, the main theme moves on from solo instruments to a group of violins as Carl moves out from loneliness to an adventuresome journey in his life. After the initial hullaballoo created by string section for taking off, a serene peace sets in as Carl's fly becomes steady and stable. The orchestra descends down in its volume playing its final notes and leaves its way to a solo guitar to play the main theme piece to sound that serene peace when Carl relaxes in his chair looking at Ellie's portrait.
The full orchestra show up for the first time with a dominant brass section in '52 Chachki Pickup' playing an edge of the seat action cue for hiccups he has in floating his house against the storms. 'Paradise Found' is an ambient piece with soothing strings cascading one over the other to reveal a picturesque beauty of the place that Carl and Ellie always wanted to visit together. 'Walkin' the House' has a comical rhythm to it and it is setup to the rhythm in which Carl's pulls his floating house with Russell hanging along.
The moment I heard the pulsating rush in the riff that plays on strings in the beginning of the next track, I thought of Michael Giacchino's earlier works '100 Mile dash' from 'The Incredibles' and '100 Rat Dash' from 'Ratatouille' and when immediately saw this track's name I smiled. Yes, it is another dashing theme; it is 'Three Dogs dash' this time. Two of the other dashing themes are my all time favorites in term of orchestration and here is another one. There is at least one scene in every Pixar movie where things dash each other and Michael Giacchino puts a connecting link to all the movie scores through a similar musical riff.
In 'Kevin Beak'n' enters the bird Kevin, which is one of the principal characters of the movie. It has got its own beautiful theme which is established here, which sways to its characteristics. The Congo drums adding a unique rhythm to the way Kevin moves, bass clarinets plays the main theme for Kevin's salient features. Giacchino often uses different drums and Chinese percussions instead of usual Timpani's in his action cues and such percussions along with the malicious flute melody work well in 'Canine Conundrum' that is played when Carl and Co are chased by Muntz's dogs.
Until I heard 'The Nickel tour' I was thinking of the theme that got introduced in 'Up with Titles' as a one-off piece. In this track, the theme reprises in its orchestral form and I understood the complete beauty of the theme in this track. In the immediate next track 'The Explorer Motel', the same theme turns darker. The first high rush, bombastic action cue arrives in 'Escape from Muntz Mountain', and from the name it is very clear that Carl is escaping from Muntz, who wants the bird Kevin. The music slavishly twists and turns according to the visual action, and in spite of the randomness that could easily creep in such action cues the composer maintains coherence with catchy riffs and ostinatos keeping it as a one homogenous piece and easy listen even off the visuals.
'Giving Muntz the bird' starts on a happy note with Kevin's theme and suddenly darkness spreads over as Muntz is chasing to take the bird from Carl. The Muntz's theme (the theme from the track 'Up with Titles') turns completely dark in this track. As Muntz's devilish intention become clearer, the theme gradually moves on from soothing string section to the darker parts of the audacious brass section.
'Stuff we did' made me realize how terribly I missed the main theme of the movie thus far. The theme reappears to evoke nostalgia and the chords and counter melodies helps the theme in bringing the emotion to complete effect.
Don't believe the negativity in the title 'Memories can weigh you down' of this track, the sound is anything but negative. All this while, I was lying on my bed and listening to the soundtrack on my iPod. When I heard the whole orchestra freaking and breaking out playing the reprise of the main theme that we didn't hear for quite some time, in its most energetic form, I got goose bumps all over. The love theme is played like a fanfare theme in all its glory with brilliant counter melodies and harmonies. It sounds like Carl has pumped up all his energy from his memories of Ellie to fight Muntz. And that glorious streak continues in 'The small mailman returns'.
'He's got the bird' and 'The Spirit of Adventure' follows up with Carl's high energy and his actions to encounter Muntz to win Kevin. It is a freaking roller coaster ride of action music that alternates between Ellie's and Muntz's themes in which the whole orchestra is playing with an adrenaline rush, pumping more and more energy and pace into the music.
'It's just a house' starts with the theme we heard in 'Walkin' the house' and soon moves on to a spirited orchestral version of Ellie's theme. At the end of all things, Carl understands that the memories of Ellie is more important than the house and leaves the house behind. The theme as it progresses grows weaker and weaker and finally leaves way to the overpowering orchestra to take over Ellie's theme. In 'Ellie's badge' the theme returns to its original simplistic form.
'Up with End titles' is a compilation of all major motifs from the movie. Ellie's theme, Muntz's theme, House theme is all connected into one seamless music piece. In spite of having listened to them in various forms all through the soundtrack, when all the major themes from the movie parade one after the other with a new orchestration, it is hard to skip.
The OST of 'UP' is one wholesome soundtrack. I can listen to each and every track of this score without skipping. The last Hollywood movie OST that I could say the same about was that of 'Wall-E'. 'UP' music has created a lot of curiosity in me about the movie. I am sure my admiration and liking to this score will be even greater after watching the movie. My only grouse is that the score is not released in CD; it is only available for digital download on amazon.com and on iTunes.
Now, here is one of my favourite cues from 'Up' which wasn't a part of the Original Soundtrack release. It is a dramatic music piece scored for the scene in which Carl Fredrieksen is shown doing his daily chores alone after Emilie's death. Conventionally any composer would have played the Emilie's theme on a sober scale in a solo piano to evoke a sense of loneliness but for the way this scene is cut showing the boredom of Carl, this approach works and makes us feel that he has learnt to get on with his life. The grand bangs fit aptly as we witness how the surroundings of Carl's house have changed for worse.
Michael Giacchino – It's time for an Oscar. Of course I expect something big from James Horner for James Cameroon's 'Avatar'. But considering that it is a sci-fi movie, I doubt if it would outdo the simplistic charm of your score for 'UP'.
Labels: 2009 Background Score Awards, Michael Giacchino, Oscar, Pixar, Their Scores, Thoughts on Scores, UP
Ravi Krishna said...
Just wanted to mention - the "Carl's Daily Chores" piece you mentioned isn't composed by Michael, it's a source cue called "Habanera" from the opera Carmen. But I think Giacchino adapted it as an instrumental to fit the scene in the film.
Vijay Kumar said...
Suresh, I did think about your earlier piece when I saw MG take the oscar. You were among the first to 'nominate' him. Such a simple, no-nonsense yet endearing score.
Ravi Krishna - Thanks for that. I didn't know. It suited the visuals so well.
Vijay Kumar - True. From the day one, I have been rooting for MG to win the Oscars...
Hathim said...
Hi suresh, i really like ur post on the soundtrack of Up. Ans also i really liked the last cue u mentioned.
Anyway, i like to write stories, so with inspiration from ur blog and many others, i have started one. Please read my post..
http://thedreamingpen.blogspot.com/2010/02/love-of-sweet-sixteen-i.html
and the next part of this story is also available. Please read & comment.
Muthuvel said...
Hm, when Giacchino won it, I too got reminded about your early post on Up score. A very early prediction. Great!
BTW, got to watch 'Avatar' only recently, what with Satyam being housefull all-the-time, and the score was such a disappointment for me coming from James Horner. I felt he just recycled his brilliant Titanic score all over again and put it here. If there were choral voices there, he replaces them with tribal chants here. How much ever apt it was for the visuals of Cameron, the memories of the ship-sinking movie while visually I was in Pandora was not at all comfortable.
Muthuvel - The score apart from being best for the film, is an Oscar friendly material.
Yes, 'Avatar' soundtrack does sound like many of Horner's earlier works but the score works perfectly for the film. I loved this soundtrack though it wasn't as quirky or extraordinary as it was expected. While watching the film, i wasn't too conscious about the score's similarities with that of the earlier ones.
Jack Kirby said...
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人必須心懷希望,才會活的快樂,日子才過得充實,有意義,有朝氣,有信心。........................................
Appreciation of a Score


Today's workout is a Full Body Workout with Cardio Intervals. I filmed this workout in sections so you can complete it together, or in parts. For the cardio intervals I chose running, but I have also included a Jump Rope Interval Workout and/or a Bombshell Cardio Fat Burn Workout, that can be used for the cardio portion of this workout.
Completing one round of this workout, with the cardio intervals, takes 20 Minutes. Equipment: 2 Dumbbells, Interval Timer, and a treadmill or jump rope. If you don't have weights you can complete this routine with body weight only. I planned on filming this workout outdoors, and using a track, but we got an unexpected rain storm today.
I am re-incorporating running into my workout program. I want to get my 5K speed back, and use my training as a solid foundation for a Half Marathon this fall. I have done two Half Marathons, both with limited training, and I would like to see what I can do with the proper running foundation.
I hope you enjoy this workout! Let me know what you think of the format. Do you like having the sections split so you can combine/repeat as needed, or do you prefer one longer video?
BenderFitness Q&A: How to Run Faster, How Many Calories Do you Need, Fave Exercises & More!
Really fun workout Melissa. I combined them all together with 2 round of cardio in between for about a 20 min wo. I also incorporated your week 4 bodyrock routine ! You are fantastic !
How many rounds did you do ?
I like all of your workouts and I like how you switch up the format too.
Whenever I do this jump rope video I turn on the St. Patrick's day radio on Pandora. It's so fun to jump to that. Try it! My kids love it and do it with me. The music makes them move fast and laugh loud too.
Thanks for all the videos. Melissa!
love that you give alternate cardio option, I sprained my ligament in my knee now I can't run intill I fix it some how:) Thanks for the options!
Great workout Melissa! I've been following you now for the past couple of weeks and am loving your workouts! Loved today's!
Thank you for an awesome workout Melissa!!!
So glad I found your workouts! Loving all of them!
How do you train for a faster 5k? I run 3 to 4 days a week and want my speed to increase as well. What do you recommend? My fastest was 29:30 but it's been around 32. Need help on what to do.
I didn't realize they were showing up small. When I click on them from my computer they are full screen. I will look into that! Thanks for the heads up!
Love the breakdown of each video! Keep up the awesome work! I love working out with you!!


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text:
David Makovsky
What will Netanyahu discuss with Trump?
The Israeli PM's 4 main agenda items include asking the US to tighten -- not scrap -- the Iran nuclear deal
Benjamin Netanyahu, right, with his wife Sara Netanyahu, boarding a plane to the US, at Ben-Gurion Airport, on February 13, 2017. (Avi Ohayun/GPO)
On February 15, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold his first working meeting with President Donald Trump. The administration just took office and is not fully staffed up, so it has yet to announce its full array of Middle East policies. Yet the early timing of the visit is undoubtedly important for both leaders.
Although the Obama administration had a very close defense relationship with Israel, the bruising tension between the president and Netanyahu on core policy issues left its mark. Trump campaigned on setting a different tone with Israel, insisting he would rejuvenate the bilateral relationship in both substance and attitude. An early meeting without any expectation of major announcements is an opportunity to demonstrate a new, friendlier mood and establish a solid rapport.
For his part, Netanyahu sees the visit as a symbolic opportunity to show the world that he is a much-desired visitor in the new Washington. He will be the fourth world leader to meet with Trump, coming just on the heels of visits by the leaders of bedrock US allies Britain, Japan and Canada. (The Jordanian king's recent meeting was conducted on the fly as part of a previously scheduled visit to Washington.) Netanyahu likely hopes to get a better grasp of President Trump's thinking and, more important, influence Washington's calculus on critical issues precisely at a time when policies are still in flux.
WHAT ISSUES WILL NETANYAHU BRING TO WASHINGTON?
The prime minister will probably focus on four issues during his White House visit:
1. Enforce the Iran nuclear deal rather than scrapping it.
Judging by the recent confirmation hearings for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis, the Trump administration seems to believe that the deal should be scrupulously enforced rather than scrapped. This fits with the apparent view of Israeli national security officials. Both governments see the advantages of delaying Iran's nuclear program for ten to fifteen years. Yet Netanyahu is no doubt keen on understanding what steps Trump plans to take now in preparation for challenges in the longer term, when the agreement's key provisions expire and Iran becomes a threshold nuclear state.
2. Use a deal with Russia to marginalize Iran in Syria.
Netanyahu likely assumes that Trump wants to cut a deal with Moscow on fighting the Islamic State in Syria. This prospect does not worry Israeli officials, who seem to believe that Washington will need to come up with an enticing package to ensure a cooperative relationship with the Russians. In Israel's view, the ideal package would drive a wedge between Moscow and Tehran in Syria, where the two outside players do not share identical interests despite Russia's continued military assistance to the Iranians. In particular, Tehran is more wedded to keeping Bashar al-Assad in power, so that could be a breaking point with Moscow.
Alternatively, Netanyahu may push for a subtler compromise that limits Iran and Hezbollah's movements in southern Syria, particularly along the Golan Heights. Israel would also want other standard concerns to be enforced, such as preventing the transfer of advanced weaponry from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon and closing down Syrian military-industrial production financed by Iran.
3. Bring Israeli-Sunni cooperation out from under the table.
A common set of threats has created strategic convergences between Israel and its pragmatic Sunni neighbors in Egypt, Jordan, and the Gulf states. All of these governments are worried about Iranian regional influence, radical jihadist threats, or both. As a result, Israeli-Arab security cooperation has steadily increased in recent years, though much of this activity is still conducted under the table.
Netanyahu wants to make this cooperation more overt and will likely seek Trump's assistance in this regard. One of his arguments for doing so is that it would foster a regional approach to the peace process, giving the Palestinians political cover to make concessions that they could not make in a bilateral context. Yet Arabs remain suspicious about Israel's actual willingness to make concessions to the Palestinians. They may also believe that as long as they are receiving security benefits from covert cooperation with Israel, they have no reason to make this activity public and risk paying a price with their own peoples.
To address these perceptions, Netanyahu may try to gain points with Sunni leaders during his Washington visit, perhaps by quietly advocating issues they care about (e.g., increasing economic aid to Egypt). In doing so, he would likely argue that U.S. support for the stability and security of Sunni states is the best way to curb Iran's hegemonic aspirations.
4. Play for a solid single with the Palestinians instead of a home run, at least for now.
The Israeli-Palestinian issue has lost the salience it had at the start of previous U.S. administrations, in large part because Arab states are so distracted with their own regional crises. Even so, President Trump has insisted that he wants to reach a grand deal between Israelis and Palestinians. Yet current leadership constraints suggest that the chances of hitting a homerun on this issue are bleak — an all-or-nothing approach guarantees nothing and may even be counterproductive. Moreover, Netanyahu will likely try to convince Trump that the Obama administration's tougher approach toward Israel on peace issues forced the Palestinians into a more uncompromising stance, since they did not want to be outflanked by the United States.
Yet the current impasse has its risks as well. The situation could easily drift toward greater radicalization and violence, or spur a new Palestinian campaign for a "one person, one vote" solution in Israel and the West Bank — an arrangement that Israel can never accept.
Since a final two-state outcome cannot yet be implemented, and since ongoing stagnation threatens to produce nonstarter one-state outcomes, the best hope is to maintain the viability of the two-state approach through more limited initiatives. Any such strategy would need to balance complex politics on both sides of the ledger. On the Palestinian side, President Mahmoud Abbas is eighty-one years old and has no identifiable successor, so his people are on the cusp of murky succession politics. And in Israel, Netanyahu is one of the only members of his governing coalition to publicly favor a two-state solution. In fact, his coalition just passed a law that would enable Israeli settlers in the West Bank to force Palestinians to yield their land in certain instances for unwanted compensation. Netanyahu's attorney-general has said he would not defend the law in the courts and expects it to be overturned, yet its passage speaks volumes about the pressures that are pushing the government toward a more rightward trajectory.
Recently, after King Abdullah of Jordan met with Trump, Netanyahu's right-wing rivals were caught off guard by a White House statement suggesting that new Israeli settlements do not contribute to peace. This may have pleased Netanyahu, who quietly favors a more differentiated policy on settlements in order to avoid expanded construction in areas that could change the current Israel/West Bank situation into a de facto one-state reality. The Obama administration's policy of opposing all new settlement construction provided an anchor of sorts for Netanyahu, enabling him to keep his right-wing rivals in check. If Trump abandoned that opposition entirely, Netanyahu would come under more pressure to expand the settlements.
One mechanism that could help Netanyahu in this regard is the 2004 letter that President George W. Bush sent to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in the context of Israel's planned pullout from Gaza. At its core, the letter differentiated between settlements, acknowledging that a large majority of settlers live in large blocs located mainly inside the West Bank security barrier, while a large majority of Palestinians live outside these areas.
Trump may want his own letter, but the Bush letter could be an important baseline. Going forward, Washington and Israel could agree on a similarly differentiated approach to settlements in order to begin shaping the demographic and geographic contours of a two-state solution. This would require Israel to restrict construction to select areas inside the security barrier that comprise some 8 percent of the West Bank, while making a very clear commitment not to build outside the barrier. It would also require coordination with the United States, much like when Sharon quietly sought the Bush administration's tacit endorsement in shaping the barrier's route before bringing it to his cabinet for approval.
Washington could also encourage Israel to allow more Palestinian governance and economic projects in defined segments of Area C, a sparsely populated zone that comprises 60 percent of the West Bank but remains under full Israeli control. Such concessions would require serious American diplomatic cover. In return, the Palestinians would need to stop funding "martyrs foundations" that provide stipends to relatives of those who kill Israelis or foreigners, instead encouraging the formation of more grassroots peace groups in the West Bank.
Finally, the two leaders are certain to discuss the idea of relocating the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv. If asked, Netanyahu will likely assert that moving the embassy to West Jerusalem is not tantamount to prejudging the status of East Jerusalem, which Israel has committed to negotiating with the Palestinians. In recent interviews, Trump has indicated that the United States will not discuss this issue publicly at this time.
To be sure, neither leader is likely to put forward any concrete agreements on such issues during this initial meeting. Rather, their wide-ranging discussion of key topics will probably be foundational, setting the basis for which decisions will need to be made in the months ahead.
The above, republished here with permission, is based on remarks delivered by Ziegler Distinguished Fellow David Makovsky at a Washington Institute Policy Forum on February 8. His views on these issues are spelled out in greater length in the Transition 2017 paper "Toward a New Paradigm for Addressing the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict," coauthored with Dennis Ross. Read Robert Satloff's remarks from the same event.
David Makovsky is the Ziegler Distinguished Fellow and director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process at The Washington Institute. He recently concluded a ten-month stint as a senior advisor on Secretary of State John Kerry's peace team.
David Makovsky is the Ziegler Distinguished Fellow and director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process at The Washington Institute. He recently concluded a ten-month stint as a senior advisor on Secretary of State John Kerry's peace team.
The Israeli Minister's 'Holocaust' Remark and the American President's Tweet
Jonathan Muskat
Trump used racist language. Now what?
David E. Weisberg


Kenyans have taken to various social media platforms to make fun of the new uniform for Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) customs officers.
Jewish prisoners during the world war.
The blue and yellow regalia has been linked to prison attire or pajamas, while others have gone a step further as to speculate on a large number of funds paid to procure the uniforms.
Kenya Police uniforms also recently got changed by the government which angered many Kenyans on social media but compared to the new Zambian Police uniforms, Kenyans have nothing but love for the new Kenya Police uniform.
Vera Sidika and Otile Brown Back Together Again?!?