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__label__wiki	0.793777	0.793777	My Instagram feed has been taken over by an algorithm, and yours will be next Melody Hahm Yahoo Finance May 24, 2016 Something was terribly amiss when I woke up today. My morning ritual of Instagram-scrolling seemed different from how I remembered it. The first post on my feed was a seven-hour-old photo of my acquaintance (whom I met on a college tour eight years ago) giving the double-bird salute. There was no way that was the most recent photo on my feed. In disbelief, I kept refreshing the page. I follow a lot of travel accounts that make sure to post around the clock; there were bound to be beauteous shots of Machu PIcchu or Bora Bora to give me my morning jolt of inspiration. But the double-bird salute remained. Here’s why: In a blog post titled “See the moments you care about first” on March 15, Instagram first announced feeds would soon no longer be chronological and would instead be generated by algorithms. My Instagram feed apparently fell into the “test bucket” that’s among the first feeds to try out this new algorithm. But let’s be honest: Brett, the double-bird guy, posing at a black-tie gala is not really the first moment I care to see or even the second. After Instagram announced the impending algorithmic filtering, an uproar ensued. And, of course, Instagram took to Twitter to try to quell the madness, which influencers like Kendall Jenner exacerbated by insisting Instagram shouldn’t fix something that isn’t broken. We're listening and we assure you nothing is changing with your feed right now. We promise to let you know when changes roll out broadly. — Instagram (@instagram) March 28, 2016 This move shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering its parent company Facebook (FB) revamped its news feed in 2009 by rolling out an algorithm that prioritized posts that had more audience engagement. And Twitter (TWTR), of course, reorganized its stream to show older, popular tweets for people who hadn’t used the service for a while. To be clear, Instagram emphasizes that “all the posts will still be there, just in a different order.” That order is dictated by the user’s relationship to the poster and the timeliness of the post. An Instagram spokesperson told Yahoo Finance the company is “still testing the algorithmic feed and hasn't rolled it out broadly” but would not share just how many of Instagram’s 400 million users fell into the test bucket like I did. The company did, however, say it would introduce the algorithm to a single-digit percentage of user groups before introducing it on a broader level. “During the testing period we are not providing an option to toggle back to the chronological version,” Instagram told Yahoo Finance. Facebook’s default option is its algorithm that shows you top stories. But you can actually change the setting to “most recent” — and yes, it permanently stays that way even when you log back on. Broader implications Instagram has become Facebook’s revenue powerhouse. The app is expected to bring in revenue of $3.2 billion, according to a report from Credit Suisse. Though Facebook doesn’t break down the financial performance by its properties (which also includes Whatsapp), Instagram contributed 11% — or $572.5 million — of the social media behemoth’s $5.24 billion first-quarter 2016 revenue.With many brands heavily relying on Instagram to stay relevant and even perpetuate their popularity (take Byrdie Beauty or Kylie Jenner’s lip kit), this algorithmic change will likely hit fledgling brands the hardest. In the past, a user might have scrolled until she recognized the last post she had seen. Now with posts in non-chronological order, the heavily liked and engaged posts will always lead in the feed. The change won’t affect Instagram’s ad products, which already rely on similar targeting techniques. But Instagram will be able to pepper in more ads if the algorithm gets users to stay on Instagram longer. While CEO Kevin Systrom told The New York Times the change will happen slowly and “it’s not like people will wake up tomorrow and have a different Instagram,” that certainly wasn’t my experience. But it won’t keep me off of Instagram, either. Facebook uses parking fees to influence commuter habits Al Jazeera charts digital course through choppy waters 11 self-made millionaires reveal the best advice they ever got Jesse Tyler Ferguson reveals he and his husband are expecting	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1189
__label__wiki	0.817893	0.817893	Home » Authors » 10 Facts about Chris Crutcher 10 Facts about Chris Crutcher Monday, December 21st 2015. \| Authors Let’s find out the interesting information about the American author and a family therapist on Facts about Chris Crutcher. He was born on 17 July 1946. In 2000, American Library Association gave Margaret Edwards Award to Crutcher. He got it due to the lifetime contribution for writing books for the teens. Get other facts about Crutcher by reading the following post: Facts about Chris Crutcher 1: the date and place of birth Crutcher was born in 17 July 1946 in Dayton, Ohio. His father was a B17 bomber pilot in World War II. His mother is a homemaker. His father retired from flying, several weeks after Colfer was born. The family decided to move to the Cascade, Ohio. It was the hometown of his mother. Then his father decided to involve in a wholesale business of oil and gas. Facts about Chris Crutcher 2: the college time Crutcher was enrolled to Eastern Washington State College after he graduated from high school. He left the college by earning a BA in psychology and sociology. Chris Crutcher Author Facts about Chris Crutcher 3: a teaching certificate He got a teaching certificate after he decided to go back to Eastern Washington State College. Facts about Chris Crutcher 4: the teaching activity Crutcher began his teaching career after he got the teaching certificate. He was a teacher in some primary and secondary schools in Washington and California. Chris Crutcher Book Facts about Chris Crutcher 5: the writing career In 1983, Running Loose was the debut novel of Crutcher. The novel talks about a senior in high school who had to experience several loops. Facts about Chris Crutcher 6: a child and family therapist Crutcher also worked as a child and family therapist. He began this job after he completed the first book. Chris Crutcher Facts about Chris Crutcher 7: the themes of his novels If you check most novels of Crutcher, they present the personal problems experienced by the teenaged athletes. Find facts about Charlie Higson here. Facts about Chris Crutcher 8: the protagonist Most protagonists depicted in the novels of Crutcher include the swimmers and teenage athletes. Most of them are male. The caring journalism teacher or even wise Asian-American coach is occurred as the supporting characters in the novels. Chris Crutcher Facts Facts about Chris Crutcher 9: the controversial writing His books are often banned, challenged and eliminated from classrooms and libraries because he had controversial writing. Get facts about Charles Perrault here. Facts about Chris Crutcher 10: books There are various books that Crutcher has written such as Period 8 (2013), Angry Management (2009), Deadline (2007), Whale Talk (2001) and The Crazy Horse Electric Game (1987). Facts about Chris Crutcher Do you like reading facts about Chris Crutcher? tags: Chris Crutcher, Facts about Chris Crutcher Related For 10 Facts about Chris Crutcher 10 Facts about Cliff McNish Facts about Cliff McNish present the information about a famous author. As an author, Cliff McNish is recognized as 10 Facts about Anne Frank Facts about Anne Frank talk about the famous author in the world who died at the age of 15 10 Facts about Barbara Kingsolver Facts about Barbara Kingsolver discuss the works of the notable American poet, essayist and novelist. She was born on 10 Facts about Denis Diderot Let me show you the interesting Facts about Denis Diderot in the following post below. He was known as 10 Facts about Charles Perrault 10 Facts about Darren Shan 10 Facts about Avi the Author 10 Facts about Christopher Paul Cur	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1195
__label__cc	0.550297	0.449703	Find Weed Shops Find Recreational and Medical Marijuana Dispensaries, CBD Suppliers and Grow Shops Near You! Weed Blog Weed News ☉ Log In ☉ Register England’s medical cannabis wall is tumbling down Max 420 June 29, 2018 0 Comments Faced with the exigent needs of really sick kids, the government of England has said it is preparing to allow emergency use of medical cannabis within the next two weeks. English patients who could benefit from cannabinoid therapies have little access to the types of formulations found in established medical cannabis markets like Canada, California,… FDA Approves GW Pharma’s Epidiolex FDA Approves GW Pharma’s Epidiolex {$excerpt:n} According to a press release, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved GW Pharma’s drug Epidiolex for the treatment of rare forms of epilepsy. Just a few months ago, news broke of a very encouraging FDA panel assessment, which indicated a positive outlook for the drug’s approval.… Medical cannabis will be in Maltese pharmacies "within a week" The first batch of medical cannabis could be in Malta “within a week” after Aurora announced it has begun shipping two strains of medical cannabis to Malta – Pedanios 22/1, and Pedanios 20/1. They began shipping the products yesterday. “We are very pleased that through Pedanios, Aurora is the first supplier of medical cannabis to… Estonia’s cannabis flag is a major symbol of changing attitudes in Europe A small town in Estonia recently announced they would be placing a hemp leaf on their flag, a traditional crop for the region. And while it may be tempting to think of this as simply local flavor, this decision says a lot about changing attitudes towards cannabis in Europe, writes Calvin Hughes. Kanepi, a region and a… Top 10 Common Findings Detected During Cannabis Laboratory Assessments: A Guide to Assist with Accreditation Top 10 Common Findings Detected During Cannabis Laboratory Assessments: A Guide to Assist with Accreditation {$excerpt:n} With the cannabis industry growing rapidly, laboratories are adapting to the new market demand for medical cannabis testing in accordance to ISO/IEC 17025. Third-party accreditation bodies, such as Perry Johnson Laboratory Accreditation, Inc. (PJLA), conduct these assessments to… How to break into Europe's untapped cannabis markets, according to the experts How to break into Europe’s untapped cannabis markets, according to the experts {$excerpt:n} With a rapidly changing and geographically inconsistent legal landscape for cannabis in Europe, defining an optimal market entry strategy can be a serious challenge for licensed producers in North America and other countries hoping to wheel and deal in Europe. Still,… German Public Health Insurer Takes First Look at Cannabis Coverage German Public Health Insurer Takes First Look at Cannabis Coverage Techniker Krankenkassen (or TK as it is also frequently referred to) is one of Germany’s largest public or so-called “statutory” health insurance companies. It is companies like TK that provide health insurance to 90% of the German population. TK is also on the front lines… Quality Plans for Lab Services: Managing Risks as a Grower, Processor or Dispensary Quality Plans for Lab Services: Managing Risks as a Grower, Processor or Dispensary {$excerpt:n} This article is the first in a series that will look into the risks any user of laboratory services (growers, processors or dispensary owners) will face from the quality systems in place in the laboratory. I will discuss specific risk… British seize CBD from 12-year-old epilepsy patient at Heathrow airport A brief standoff between a 12-year-old medical marijuana patient and the United Kingdom government ended Monday with law enforcement officials seizing cannabis oil—“smuggled openly” from Canada, where the drug is legal—from the parent of an epileptic child at Heathrow Airport in London. Twelve-year-old Billy Caldwell, a native of County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, at one point suffered… The Four Pillars of Cannabis Processing The Four Pillars of Cannabis Processing {$excerpt:n} Cannabis extraction has been used as a broad term for what can best be described as cannabis processing. A well-thought-out cannabis process goes far beyond just extraction, largely overlapping with cultivation on the front-end and product development on the back-end1. With this in mind, four pillars emerge… Europe needs time to warm to cannabis, but hope is slow and steady wins the race Preventing Mold & Fungus in Cannabis with Data Analytics Food Safety: What it Means and How ERP Helps Edibles Manufacturers The CBD craze is about to roll over Europe London professor appointed chairman of Europe medicinal cannabis body Practical Advice on How to Avoid a TCPA Suit PharmLabs Accredited to ISO 17025 Copyright Find Weed Shops © 2020. All Rights Reserved EN NL ES IT DE FR PT RU EL PL Sign up for Find Weed Shops	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1201
__label__wiki	0.632512	0.632512	About FLM The Skipper Long Island On The Fly — Main Menu —Community News FEATURE STORY RECENT Fly Tying - Flies Conservation Tips & Tactics Blogs - The Skipper - Long Island On The Fly Cal sea lions majorly impacting Oregon steelhead Skip April 5, 2019 FEATURE STORY, Slide No Comments on Cal sea lions majorly impacting Oregon steelhead In 2008 NOAA Fisheries authorized Oregon, Washington and Idaho wildlife authorities to begin trapping and removing sea lions shown to repeatedly prey on salmon at the dam. The removal program was designed to reduce impacts on protected salmon. Photo courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Wild Willamette Oregon winter steelhead post best return in three years By Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife / Press Release / April 3, 2019 SALEM, Oregon – Wild Willamette winter steelhead, an iconic run that is considered by many to be the most imperiled fish in Oregon, are posting some their best returns in three years. ODFW’s biologists hope this is the beginning of a turnaround, and evidence the fish are responding positively to the removal of one of their most voracious predators – California sea lions. To date, more than 2,400 winter steelhead have crossed Willamette Falls into the upper river and its tributaries on their way to spawn, in what’s shaping up as the best return in years. Based on passage numbers to date, ODFW is projecting the total return this year will come in around 3,200 winter steelhead. That would be nearly double last year’s return of 1,829 fish, and nearly a fourfold increase from the record low return of just 822 fish in 2017. We’re excited to see some of the best winter steelhead returns in recent years,” said Dr. Shaun Clements, ODFW senior policy analyst. “We’re encouraged by the fish numbers and by the success in implementing the sea lion removal program. We’ve definitely been able to reduce predation this year and provide some relief to the fish.” California sea lions were consuming up to 25 percent of the run The California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) is a coastal eared seal native to western North America. It is one of six species of sea lion. Its natural habitat ranges from southeast Alaska to central Mexico, including the Gulf of California. Wikipedia. ODFW biologists have been monitoring Willamette wild winter steelhead for a number of years and have shown that California sea lions were consuming up to 25 percent of the winter steelhead run. Biologists warned that unless something was done to protect the steelhead from such heavy losses to predation, the fish were in imminent danger of going extinct. Sea lions are federally managed, so in 2017 ODFW applied to the National Marine Fisheries Service for authorization to remove California sea lions from Willamette Falls. Following a year-long public review and comment process, an authorization was granted last November. Trapping began a month later in mid-December, and ODFW has since removed and euthanized 13 California sea lions. Many of these animals had been present in the vicinity of Willamette Falls since last August and almost all had been coming to the Falls for a number of years. The 11th sea lion was removed on March 13. With the removal of this animal, there were no sea lions on the lower river for six days, and the steelhead were free to move through the lower river and over the falls without being preyed upon by sea lions. This respite from the sea lions took place during a warming trend when daily crossings increased from double to triple digits Lots of steelhead were moving into the Willamette, and, for the first March in many years, there were no sea lions hunting them. Unfortunately, the respite was short-lived, as more California sea lions have since moved into the area. On March 22, two more California sea lions were trapped and euthanized. Male Chinook (King) salmon in spawning colors. Image courtesy of renown illustrator Thom Glace. We typically see an increase in sea lion abundance at the Falls in April as additional animals move in to feed on the more abundant spring Chinook,” said Clements. “We always expected it would take 2-3 years to fully manage predation at this site but we’re encouraged by the early results.” ODFW will get a final count on winter steelhead at the end of May, when the spawning migration typically ends Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Contact: Dr. Shaun Clements, (503) 947-6212 Rick Swart, (971) 673-6038, Michelle Dennehy, 503-931-2748 Cal sea lionsChinook salmonmDr Shaun ClementseuthanizedFeature Storiesfly fishingOregonOregon Department of Fish and Wildlifepredatorspress releaseSlidesteelhead troutWillamette Steelhead Strong Arm Merkin, a permit fly for all seasons A Martin Scorsese film? No, RIO’s Simon Gawesworth’s Industry News: St. Croix no longer second tier with pro fly fishing guides Industry News: Atlanta, The Fly Fishing Show Copyright © 2016 - FlyLife Magazine Another Site by Moka Graphics	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1209
__label__cc	0.605031	0.394969	Forget Williams Companies, Kinder Morgan Is a Better Dividend Stock Comparing Williams Companies (NYSE: WMB) to Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI) is a lesson that higher dividends don't always equate to better companies. Williams currently sports a tempting 6.8% yield ahead of Kinder Morgan's 5.2%, but Kinder Morgan could be the better dividend stock to buy. Here's why. Dividend comparison One of the biggest concerns with high-yielding energy stocks is if they can sustain their current dividend distributions. A great way to find out is by comparing a company's distributable cash flow (DCF) to its dividend distributions. Kinder Morgan's DCF for the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2019 was $3.639 billion, or $1.60 per share. It paid dividends of $0.75 per share during that time frame, making the dividend coverage ratio 2.13. Williams had year-to-date DCF of $2.469 billion and year-to-date distributions of $1.382 billion, making its dividend coverage ratio 1.79. Both companies have healthy dividend coverage ratios that can sustain current distributions. In terms of future dividends, Kinder Morgan plans on increasing its annual dividend 25% in 2020 from a current annual distribution of $1.00 per share to $1.25 per share. At the stock's current price, this would result in a yield of 6.25%. Williams reaffirmed the strength of its dividend in 2020, stating, "20[20] Guidance will improve free cash flow and maintain strong dividend coverage." Williams increased its annual dividend by $0.16 per share in 2018 and again in 2019. That said, both stocks have a rocky past of dividend cuts. Kinder Morgan slashed its dividend by 75% at the end of 2015 as a result of the oil downturn. Williams followed suit in mid-2016, cutting its dividend by 68%. Both companies have since raised their dividends, but brutal dividend cuts such as these taint the strength that dividend investors look for in a long-term investment. Williams and Kinder Morgan both achieve the vast majority of their cash flow from fee-based or regulated customers. Williams achieved record fee-based revenue in Q3 2019 and Kinder Morgan generates 91% of cash flow from regulated or fee-based sources. Cash flow from dependable and predictable customers is a big thing to look for in midstream companies. Williams and Kinder Morgan are leaders in this metric, giving investors peace of mind. Both companies have also decreased their spending, leaving more capital to pay down debt and dividends. Williams' capital expenditures decreased 37% and Kinder Morgan decreased capital expenditures by 22% when comparing the nine months ended 2018 to the nine months ended 2019. Williams' Q3 2019 debt-to-adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, debt, and amortization (EBITDA) ratio was 4.47, and Kinder Morgan expects to end 2019 with a net debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 4.6. These ratios are somewhat high compared to competitors such as Enterprise Products Partners or Magellan Midstream Partners, but the efforts by both companies to cut spending could prove to be a step in the right direction. Up until this point, the comparison between Williams and Kinder Morgan has resulted in a virtual tie. Kinder Morgan separates itself from Williams with its ability to decrease spending and "use internally generated cash flow to fully fund dividend payment and [the] vast majority of growth capital expenditures." That growth is largely targeted in the Permian Basin and Bakken formation, the largest U.S. shale plays. One of Kinder Morgan's goals is to take advantage of the oversupply of natural gas in the Permian Basin that pushed spot prices at the West Texas Waha hub negative in April 2019 and again in May 2019. Large shipments of gas are dangerous without pipelines, but storing natural gas instead of transporting it can be expensive, leaving many producers' hands tied without pipelines. In response to buyers who are champing at the bit to transport gas out of the Permian, Kinder Morgan is building two main pipelines, one of which went into service in September. The second is expected to go into service in early 2021. Kinder Morgan's growth prospects are exciting, but Williams isn't without its share of powerful revenue drivers. Q3 2019 results were 7% higher than Q3 2018, primarily due to a 28% EBITDA increase in Atlantic-Gulf revenues and a 17% increase in Northeast gathering and processing. The large Atlantic-Gulf increase was driven primarily by two projects, the Atlantic Sunrise and Gulf Connector, which are expansion projects to Williams' 10,000-mile-long Transco Pipeline. The Transco Pipeline system is one of the most valuable North American pipelines, delivering gas from Appalachia's Marcellus-Utica shale to the Gulf of Mexico. Expansion projects such as the Gulf Connector project are aimed at positioning Williams to be a supplier of natural gas to liquefied natural gas (LNG) titans like Cheniere Energy's (NYSEMKT: LNG) Corpus Christi Liquefaction Project, the second largest project of its kind in Cheniere's portfolio.Cheniere has gained approval from the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for its third and final liquefaction train after commissioning the second train in July, putting Williams behind a solid growth story. According to Williams', Transco, alone, is expected to generate $2.5 billion in annual fee revenue by 2022. Kinder Morgan gains the edge because it's taking advantage of Permian customers willing and ready to sign contracts with minimum 10-year terms. Williams is just a whisker behind in second place, a high-yielding dividend stock that plays the U.S. natural gas market well by simply building on its successes such as the Transco pipeline system. Arguably the biggest causes for concern for both companies are the 2015/2016 dividend cuts and somewhat high debt-to-EBITDA ratios when compared to other large North American midstream companies. That being said, investors looking for a company that has exhibited years of calculated capital spending, and as a result is poised to benefit from continual growth in the Permian Basin and the Bakken, could consider Kinder Morgan as a potential investment. 10 stocks we like better than Kinder Morgan David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Kinder Morgan wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Daniel Foelber owns shares of Cheniere Energy, Kinder Morgan, and Williams Companies. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Kinder Morgan. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. $WMB 22.6298 ▼1.65% $KMI 21.0000 ▲0.33% Williams Companies, Inc. (The) You follow WMB Follow WMB More posts about Williams Companies, Inc. (The) WMB −1.65% Why Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (WMB) is Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Again Have you been searching for a stock that might be well-positioned to maintain its earnings-beat streak in its upcoming report? It is worth considering Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (WMB), ... Love Dividends? 3 Stocks You Might Want to Buy Many investors have fallen in love with dividend stocks because they not only provide them with income but also tend to produce market-beating total returns. As a result, dividend lovers are always... LNG Exports Exploding LNG exports are exploding. This is good news for pipeline operators like KMI and WMB which are carrying the gas to export facilities. “Davidson” submits: Disclosure: The information in this blog ... Williams (WMB) Completes Gateway Project Way Before Due Date Williams Companies Inc. WMB recently completed the construction of its Gateway expansion project ahead of schedule. The project was expected to come online by November 2020. This is certa... These Were the 10 Best Energy Stocks of 2019 Energy stocks delivered disappointing returns once again in 2019. The average one in the S&P 500 only produced about an 11% total return as measured by the Energy Select SPDR ETF , which is an e... 5 Rock-Solid Dividend Stocks to Buy Yielding at Least 5% With interest rates falling this year, it's gotten a bit tougher for yield-seeking investors to get an attractive payout. Many rate-sensitive investments -- including lots of higher yielding divide...	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1212
__label__cc	0.613621	0.386379	Clemenza's Scrapbook By Mihail, August 31, 2005 in Fan Fiction Mihail 1 Adriano crouched on the rooftop of the general store, hunting rifle in one hand, cigarette in the other. He was too nervous to smoke his more favored cigar. He checked his watch, an Davidu 86 Naib It's authentic... Real enough... I like it. lowzeewee 0 Burseg Meh, I had a burst of inspiration and want to write. I doubt I'll be able to duplicate that for a long time. :-X Well, I had another want to write about the Mafia. Here goes; I'm pretty rusty. ;) New York City, 1948 Joey Lazzaro cocked the snub-nosed .38 and lifted it up to his head. He was in a dark alley in Hell's Kitchen; the police would take their time to get there. It wasn't the best of neighbourhoods, sadly. As he held the gun at his head, he though over why he had come to this decision. The roaing twenties with the millions coming in from illegal liquor were over, so were the wild forties with the war and the black market in rationed goods. He was broke, and worse, in debt $10,000 to a loan shark of the Erminio family; a big thug named Romano Guglielmo. With one final smile from knowing the fact that Romano would never get his ten grand back, Joey pulled the trigger. Pehhh! went the gun. Joey swayed for a second, then dropped onto the wet pavement, half of his head blown off. Raindrops mixed with the blood, creating a large puddle that stretched its tendrils to both sides of the alleyway. In his hand was clutched the smoking gun. A day later... Vito Lazzaro stood over his younger brothers' stiff, cold body. A white sheet covered everything from the neck down, and a white towel the gruesome side of his face, or what was left of it. Beside Vito stood his close friend, a man known only as the Papillon. He was called the Butterfly because he had no other name; an orphan since the age of 4, he had chosen the name after fluttering away from the nets of the law several times. He told no one his real name, and, in all truth, nobody wanted to know. Now he stood stony-faced beside his good friend and grieving brother Vito. After confirming that the stiff was indeed Joey and departing the morgue, Vito turned to Papillon, enraged. "Papi, I need to find out which dasher drove him to this. Both in his and my interests. I want you, Papi, to poke around. It shouldn't be to hard, my brother was a sociable person. Capiche?" Papillon patted him on the should reassuringly. "I got it, Vito. We'll find out who that dasher was, and then we'll make him suffer niiice and slow." Vito smiled sadly. "Thanks, Papi, you're a real pal. At times, I think you're the only one I can really trust. Well, we better get busy, eh?" Papillon managed a weak smile. "Don't talk like that, pal! You get me really down. Okay, lets go." The two men parted ways, each walking in his own direction in New York City... "Tell...me...what...I...need...to..KNOW!" Papillon roared in the thugs' face, hoisting him up by the collar of his shirt. The thug only squealed in fright and screeched, in a heavy Russian accent, "My boss will get you for this! I am Pavel Sergeyovich! Donch you know who I am?" Papillon shrugged, pulling the rim of his fedora lower, so that it shielded his face. "As you wish, pal. But remember this: Utter one word, and I'll feed you to Joe Adonis' tiger, capiche?" With this, he slammed his knee into the thugs stomach, winding him. Papillon let go of the man, who fell to the ground in a heap, clutching at his stomach. Papillon sneered at the curled-up form, then went and retrieved a rusty iron bar from the ground. Jerking one dirty, greasy hand from its position of clutching the solar plexus, Papillon raised the iron bar above his head - and brought it down, hard, on 3 fingers. The thug screamed out in pain as the bones shattered from the blow. They would not be able to be fixed. "Tell me! NOW!" Papillon demanded once again. "Oh no! Please... Please don't kill me! Please oh please oh please oh - AAAHH!" The thug screamed in pain once again as the iron bar struck another blow onto the broken fingers, and then on the other hand. "That's it! I'll tell you! I'll tell you! Word on the street is that Joey owed a bigshot loan shark big moola! Erminio family, his name was something-something Guglielmo! PLEASE, LET ME GO!" "Thank you for the information, son," Papillon said, and brought down the iron bar onto the thugs' head. Several drops of a dark, warm liquid trickled onto his loafers. "Aww, crap, these loafers were new!" Papillon groaned, and angrily struck another blow to the Russians' head. Before leaving, Papillon dumped the body and iron bar into a nearby dumpster. He wasn't afraid of cops or the law; things like this always happened. A drunken quarrel, a disagreement over how much would be paid for a shipment of heroin. Now he only had to deliver the good news to Vito. This is the first part of a short battle piece I wrote out of boredom. It is something between Mountain War and Warlords - the setting and climate being that of Mountain War, and with me as the leader of the defenders(Warlords) The mountain pass was the only safe way into the region of Old Latvia from Old Lithuania, and whoever controlled it controlled who would and would not received access to the hot springs several miles into Old Latvia. At this moment, Clemenza	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1216
__label__wiki	0.605918	0.605918	SpaceX Discussion Thread 1101 replied to Skylon's topic in Science & Spaceflight "1000, as all seats would be “coach” & no toilets, pilot area or food galley needed. " That would be an ICBM that could MIRV Tsar Bombas, then.... Breaking Ground DLC aircraft challenge 1101 replied to Klapaucius's topic in Challenges & Mission ideas Have you tried changing the rotor pitch? I made a similar addition to my multi fuselage design, but by far the biggest improvement was to change the pitch of the blades. I got up to 101m/s on a design that previously got 80 or so. Best to constantly change it during flight, the altered pitch produces basically no thrust at low speeds. Experiments with the P-38 thing led to some improvements in speed, but testing of smaller motors gave this (Proof of concept, about 5-6 minutes of electricity, no fuel cells): Somehow it was able to fly through the big R&D bridge: Amusingly, landing turned out to be too much of a challenge. Approach started on the opposite bearing to this: First 'nice' design: There really isn't much speed in this thing. Was trying to use a P-38 style design with props rotating opposite directions, as KSP does seem to give a realistic torque effect. Also really nose heavy and gets through the batteries in about 90s, uses fuel cells to give endurance. Does there seem to be 'something' venting from the top of the first stage earlier in the stream? T + 1:48 for example.... Tsunami about to smash an airport... what would you do? 1101 replied to AeroGav's topic in Science & Spaceflight So... I just did a flood response course a few weeks back, and as a guideline our instructor said to assume that 'floodwater' is about 50% water. The other 50% is whatever was formerly on the floor, every bit of debris, rubbish, excrement, hypodermic needle, disease, dirt, assorted chemicals, animals (alive, maybe) plus the contents of the drains. Obviously a tsunami is faster moving than your average (British) flood but the rule would hold for the water, where the hydraulic features aren't trying to kill you. The water can pin you under a vehicle (or a plane why not), against a fence, in a tree, inside a building if or when it gets in and that's just off the top of my head. If you're unlucky it could pull you down a manhole, the lid of which will be elsewhere. So, my vote, is in the building, as far away as possible. Nope! Rope is almost as good at getting you drowned as the water itself. The possible future American "space force" 1101 replied to vger's topic in Science & Spaceflight Sure. You don't need stealth though, when you can get 4,000 tons into orbit.... http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/realdesigns2.php#id--Project_Orion--Orion_Battleship https://www.deviantart.com/william-black/journal/Hard-SF-Feature-04-Scott-Lowther-504258455 The er, 'highlights', of which can be summarized as hundreds of RV nukes, and Naval guns. ALIEN SKIES: A 6.4-scale playthrough of GPP/Rald 1101 replied to CatastrophicFailure's topic in Mission Reports Now re-reading this, up to the first Rald stranding. It is a very good thread! galileos planet pack gpp 1101 replied to sevenperforce's topic in Science & Spaceflight Of course people will take it as doomsday stuff. But that isn't all bad. For starters, while it could be dismissed, there would still be the fact that someone had a really good guess on the effects of a large eruption such as that. And no one in 400AD or so could see worldwide events such as that, or do the cause effect analysis of volcanic winter. The funny possibility exists, of course, that mainstream science/literature types would dismiss it, but some crazy conspiracy site somewhere would guess at the truth. And everyone else worldwide would be like 'That's Crazy!' when it is in fact true. Didn't see the idea mentioned, so here is my idea: Rather than encoding mathematics or anything like that, describing the past/future. My presence may change human history but it is likely that nothing we have done as a species changes geological events. So, describe a significant, distinct catastrophe, and get it in, for example, the Book of Revelation. The 'Boxing Day' Tsunami of 2004 is a large enough event that could be used. Tambora's 1815 eruption and subsequent 'Year without a summer' could also work, as an example of holy wrath. Modern scholars could look at it and say that the author was just describing (actual) past events, but a detailed or sequential enough description might work: "and then His wrath poured forth, and with it brought destruction through clouds of glowing fire. Those many leagues away could hear, the sky turned red and for a year none on his creation had summer" Or something like that. If around the time of the King James translation, encoding an actual, working Bible Code could work similarly. Use all major events you can think of to increase probability of it being detected, and possibly used: Tambora 1815 Krakatoa 1883 Tunguska 1908(?) San Fransisco Earthquake 1906 1960 Peru Earthquake Mt St Helens 1980 (include detail of lateral blast) 2004 Earthquake and Tsunami 2010 Haiti Earthquake 2011 Japan Earthquake 2013 Chelyabinsk Meteor And so on. I'm unlikely to influence human history, possibly include WW1 & 2, Moon Landing, Russian Revolution, French Revolution, Loss of the Titanic, Tenerife Airport Disaster, Lockerbie Disaster, 9/11 etc. Even if history does change, if all those are included but I got everything else right, then the conclusion that a time traveler was involved could be reached. If further back, i.e. before 0 AD or so, obvious problem is that your religion could die out first. My spaceplane keeps flipping out! 1101 replied to mrhexed's question in Gameplay Questions and Tutorials It looks like the flip starts when you turned on timewarp, which is known to give such effects on occasion. Also, you may want to use bigger wing parts/control surfaces near the back, which should give more authority there as well as pull the center of lift further back. Prior to that, though, your speed was really dropping off, so you may need more engines or less mass... flipping out rapier engine help my spaceplane keeps flipping out! Drag coefficient of my rocket 1101 replied to Azerty's topic in Science & Spaceflight Sorry to add a whole extra thing to think about, but the Drag Coefficient will also change depending on Mach number. It usually increases towards M = 1, then decreases again after and levels out after M = 1.2 or so. And the speed of sound itself changes with temperature, which varies depending on where in the atmosphere you are (decreases, then increases). Kilauea erupting 2018 1101 replied to 1101's topic in The Lounge Well, they have raised their bars a bit in the on the spot hazard mitigation - no casualties from this event. The USGS have an absurd number of volcanoes to watch, including KIlauea, and have a good understanding of what is going on. To be fair that has been learned the hard way, for example with Mt St Helens (38 years ago to Yesterday!). As for other countries, I can't overly say because I don't follow those as much, but the impression I get is that it really is a cultural thing. Places like Merapi for example seem to have a lot of people who are unwilling to move or can't move for a long period of time if a lengthy evacuation notice is placed. The reasons for that probably stray too close to politics for this forum. Planning for floods, I can relate to that as I live near places that flood from tides or rain - and ultimately it does come down to prediction as much as anything else. If you can evacuate prior to the event, things can be rebuilt afterward. Evacs and resupplying for people who can't immediately ultimately comes down to relatively low cost, low risk approaches like wading with a boat and a team of first responders. Yeah, you need a helicopter for Hawaii. And I believe some of the affected area in Hawaii is actually on a 1955 lava flow, so yes it has been affected before. I was surprised too, but this explains it: from https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/faq_lava.html Hazard map available here. The main argument I've seen is that people build in floodplains, earthquake zones, tornado areas, hurricane areas etc too, but that feels more like a lack of geohazard planning being a species wide thing. Xeelee Sequence 1101 replied to DAL59's topic in The Lounge The Destiny's Children books (Coalescent, Exultant, Transcendent) should make sense by themselves, more or less. I started with the big 'Xeelee: Omnibus' book, which has Raft, Timelike Infinity, Flux and Ring.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1218
__label__cc	0.699012	0.300988	Previous 1 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 21 template Next She spent the first day packing her belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases. On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things. On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candlelight, put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar, and a bottle of Chardonnay. When she had finished, she went into each and every room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimp shells, dipped in caviar, into the hollow of the curtain rods. She then cleaned up the kitchen and left. When the husband returned with his new girlfriend, all was bliss for the first few days. Then slowly, the house began to smell. They tried everything; cleaning and mopping and airing the place out. Vents were checked for dead rodents, and carpets were steam cleaned. Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which they had to move out for a few days, and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool carpeting. Nothing worked. People stopped coming over to visit ... Repairmen refused to work in the house ... The maid quit. Finally, they could not take the stench any longer and decided to move. A month later, even though they had cut their pr ice in half, they could not find a buyer for their stinky house. Word got out, and eventually, even the local realtors refused to return their calls. Finally, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place. The ex-wife called the man, and asked how things were going. He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely, and said that she missed her old home terribly, and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house back ... Knowing his ex-wife had no idea how bad the smell was, he agreed on a price that was about 1/10th of what the house had been worth...But only if she were to sign the papers that very day. She agreed, and within the hour, his lawyers delivered the paperwork. A week later, the man and his new girlfriend stood smirking as they watched the moving the moving company pack everything to take to their new home ... including the curtain rods. A blonde lady motorist was about two hours from San Diego when she was flagged down by a man whose truck had broken down. The man walked up to the car and asked, "Are you going to San Diego? " "Sure, " answered the blonde, "do you need a lift? " "Not for me. I'll be spending the next three hours fixing my truck. My problem is I've got two chimpanzees in the back which have to be taken to the San Diego Zoo. They're a bit stressed already so I don't want to keep them on the road all day. Could you possibly take them to the zoo for me? I'll give you $100 for your trouble. " "I'd be happy to, " said the blonde. So the two chimpanzees were ushered into the back seat of the blonde's car and carefully strapped into their seat belts. Off they went. Five hours later, the truck driver was driving through the heart of San Diego when suddenly he was horrified!! There was the blonde walking down the street and holding hands with the two chimps, much to the amusement of a big crowd. With a screech of brakes he pulled off the road and ran over to the blonde. "What the heck are you doing here? " he demanded, "I gave you $100 to take these chimpanzees to the zoo! " "Yes, I know you did," said the blonde, "But we had money left over, so now we're going to Sea World!" Airbag Contest a Success! DETROIT -- With third-quarter sales sluggish and its share of the domestic market down 11 percent since 1993, General Motors unveiled a new instant-win airbag contest Monday. The new airbags, which award fabulous prizes upon violent, high-speed impact with another car or stationary object, will come standard in all of the company's 1997 cars. "Auto accidents have never been so exciting," said GM vice-president of marketing Roger Jenkins, who expects the contest to boost 1997 sales significantly. "When you play the new GM Instant Win Airbag Game, your next fatal collision could mean a trip for two to Super Bowl XXXI in New Orleans. Or a year's worth of free Mobil gasoline." Though it does not officially begin until July 1, 1997, the airbag promotion is already being tested in select cities, with feedback overwhelmingly positive. "As soon as my car started to skid out of control, I thought to myself, 'Oh, boy, this could be it--I could be a big winner!'" said Cincinnati's Martin Frelks, who lost his wife but won $50 Sunday when the Buick LeSabre they were driving hit an oil slick at 60 mph and slammed into an oncoming truck. "When the car stopped rolling down the embankment, I knew Ellen was dead, but all I could think about was getting the blood and glass out of my eyes so I could read that airbag!" "It's really addictive," said Sacramento, CA, resident Marjorie Kamp, speaking from her hospital bed, where she is listed in critical condition with severe brain hemorrhaging and a punctured right lung. "I've already crashed four cars trying to win those Super Bowl tickets, but I still haven't won. I swear, I'm going to win those tickets--even if it kills me!" Kamp said that as soon as she is well enough, she plans to buy a new Pontiac Bonneville and drive it into a tree. GM officials are not surprised the airbag contest has been so well received. "In the past, nobody really liked car wrecks, and that's understandable. After all, they're scary and dangerous and, sometimes, even fatal," GM CEO Paul Offerman said. "But now, when you drive a new GM car or truck, your next serious crash could mean serious cash. Who wouldn't like that?" Offerman added that in the event a motorist wins a prize but is killed, that prize will be awarded to the next of kin. According to GM's official contest rules, odds of winning the grand prize, a brand-new 1997 Cutlass Supreme, are 1 in 43,000,000. Statistical experts, however, say the real chances of winning are significantly worse. "If you factor in the odds of getting in a serious car accident in the first place--approximately 1 in 720,000--the actual odds of winning a prize each time you step in your car are more like 1 in 31 trillion." Further, even if one is in an accident, there is no guarantee the airbag will inflate. "I was recently broadsided by a drunk driver in my new Chevy Cavalier," said Erie, PA, resident Jerry Polaner. "My car was totaled, and because it was the side of my car that got hit, my airbag didn't even inflate. But what really gets me is the fact that the drunk driver, who rammed my side with the front of his 1997 Buick Regal, won a $100 Office Depot gift certificate. That's just wrong." John invited his mother over for dinner. During the meal, his mother couldn't help noticing how beautiful John's roommate was. She had long been suspicious of a relationship between John and his roommate and this only made her more curious. Over the course of the evening, while watching the two interact, she started to wonder if there was more between John and the roommate than met the eye. Reading his mom's thoughts, John volunteered, "I know what you must be thinking, but I assure you, Julie and I are just roommates." About a week later, Julie came to John and said, "Ever since your mother came to dinner, I've been unable to find the beautiful silver gravy ladle. "You don't suppose she took it, do you?" Julie said, "Well, I doubt it, but I'll write her a letter just to be sure." So he sat down and wrote: "Dear Mother, I'm not saying you 'did' take a gravy ladle from my house, and I'm not saying you 'did not' take a gravy ladle. But the fact remains that one has been missing ever since you were here for dinner." Several days later, John received a letter from his mother which read: "Dear Son, I'm not saying that you 'do' sleep with Julie, and I'm not saying that you 'do not' sleep with Julie. But the fact remains that if she was sleeping in her own bed, she would have found the gravy ladle by now. Love, Mom" Auto Acronyms... Auto Acronyms What car names really stand for: AUDI: Accelerates Under Demonic Influence BMW: Big Money Works CHEVROLET: Cheap, Hardly Efficient, Virtually Runs On Luck Every Time DODGE: Drips Oil, Drops Grease Everywhere Dirty Old Dude Goes Everywhere FIAT: Fix It All the Time FORD: Fast Only Rolling Downhill, Found On Road Dead Backwards Driver Returns on Foot, Fix Or Repair Daily GMC: Garage Man's Companion, Great Mexican Cadillac HONDA: Had One, Never Did Again HYUNDAI: Hope You Understand Nothing is Drivable and Inexpensive JEEP: Just Expect Essential Parts MG: Might be Good PONTIAC: Poor Old Nut Thinks It's A Cadillac SAAB: Swedish Automobiles Always Breakdown TOYOTA: Too Often Yankees Overprice This Auto VOLVO: Very Odd-Looking Vehicular Object I got a good one here... Teaching by example is not a lost art... A woman walked into the kitchen to find her husband stalking around with a fly swatter. "What are you doing?" She asked. "Hunting Flies" He responded. "Oh. Killing any?" She asked. "Yep, 3 males, 2 Females," he replied. Intrigued, she asked. "How can you tell them apart?" He responded, "3 were on a beer can, 2 were on the phone." Here's some news: Seems that George Bush and Colin Powell had had enough of the talliban and bin ladin so they go to Afganistan for a meeting. They tell the talliban that if they don't get bin ladin they are going to bomb the place back to the time before Adam and Eve. bin ladin says "now guys, we can settle this once and for all without all this blood shed. Here is what we'll do. We'll settle this with a dog fight to the death. If our dog wins y'all go back to the U S of A and we'll go about our business. If your dog wins we'll stop terrorism and make the deserts green with crops." George looks over at Colin and winks. " Whata ya think, Colin ??" Colin says" I'm with you master". So the deal is struck. In 3 years they will return for the final dog fight. 3 years later on the plains of Afganistan. bin ladin rolls out the meanest deadliest looking wolflike dog ever to walk the planet. It's 4 feet tall at the shoulders and weighs 300 pounds. It takes 4 camels to hold it back. George Bush says "not bad bin ladin. Hey Colin, have the boys bring out Rover" So CP goes back to the chopper and has 4 Marine Special Forces and 4 Navy Seals drag Rover out. They set him on the ground a couple feet away from the wolf. bin ladin is beside himself laughing at the giant Dachund that Colin Powell is holding by a silver chain. This dog is 20 feet long with his belly dragging on the ground. George Bush says " ok on 3 we let them go" one, two, three. sic 'im Rover". There is a very great snapping and crunching sound. When it is all quiet and the dust settles, the wolf is gone except for a few hairs laying on the ground. The giant Dachund is still standing but with a bit more of his belly resting on the ground. bin ladin says " how could that long fat dog eat my wolf.??" George Bush says " well we had to work hard to get the stem cell research going but we finally succeeded in breeding a Dachund with a Florida Alligator". Come with us bin laddin ms. Rice wants to meet you. haha THE YEAR'S BEST [actual] HEADLINES OF 2004: Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says [no, really]? Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers [now that's taking things a bit far]! Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over [what a guy]! Miners Refuse to Work after Death [no-good-for-nothin' lazy so-and-sos]! Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant [see if that works any better than a fair trial]! War Dims Hope for Peace [I can see where it might have that effect!] If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile [you think]? Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures [who would have thunk it]! Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide [they may be on to something]! Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges [you mean there's something stronger than duct tape]? Man Struck By Lightning Faces Battery Charge [he probably IS the battery charge]! New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group [weren't they fat enough]? Kids Make Nutritious Snacks [Taste like chicken?] Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half [Chainsaw Massacre all over again!] Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors [Boy, are they tall!] Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead Jim and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool, Jim suddenly jumped into the deep end. He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there. Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled Jim out. When the Director of Nursing became aware of Edna's heroic act, she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she now considered her to be mentally stable. When she went to tell Edna the news she said, "Edna, I have good news and bad news. The good news is you're being discharged; since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life of another patient, I have concluded that your act displays soundness of mind. The bad news is that Jim, the patient you saved, hanged himself in his bathroom with the belt to his robe right after you saved him. I am so sorry, but he's dead." Edna replied, "He didn't hang himself, I put him there to dry. How soon can I go home?" A pompous minister was seated next to a hillbilly on a flight across the country. After the plane was airborne, drink orders were taken. The hillbilly asked for a whiskey and soda, which was brought and placed before him. The flight attendant then asked the minister if he would like a drink. He replied in disgust, "I'd rather be savagely raped by brazen ***s than let liquor touch these lips." The hillbilly then handed his drink back to the flight attendant and said, "Heck, me too. I didn't know we got a choice." A fire fighter is working on the engine outside the station when he notices a little girl next door in a little red wagon, with little ladders hung off the sides, and a garden hose tightly coiled in the middle. The girl is wearing a fire fighter's helmet. The wagon is being pulled by her dog and her cat. The fire fighter walked over to take a closer look. "That sure is a nice fire truck," the fire fighter says with admiration. "Thanks" the girl says. The firefighter looks a little closer and notices the girl has tied the wagon to her dog's collar and to the cat's groin. "Little Partner", the fire fighter says, "I don't want to tell you how to run your rig, but if you were to tie that rope around the cat's collar too, I think you could go faster." The little girl pauses, then replies thoughtfully, "You're probably right, but then I wouldn't have a siren." Two men were driving through Tennessee when they got pulled over by a State Trooper. The Trooper walked up to the car and tapped on the window with his nightstick. The driver rolled his window down and Whack the Trooper hit him in the head with his nightstick. "What the heck was that for?" "Your in Tenn. son your suppose to have your license out when we get to the window" "I'm sorry officer I'm not from around here" The Trooper runs a check on his license, he's clean and gives his license back and walks around to the passengers side and taps on the window with his nightstick. The passenger rolls his window down and Whack the Trooper hits him in the head with his nightstick. "Just making your wish come true" the Trooper replies "Making what wish come true?" Because I know your type, 2 miles down the road your going to turn to your buddy and say "I wish that jerk would have tried that stuff with me" Actual Classified Ads in the Newspaper FREE YORKSHIRE TERRIER. 8 years old. Hateful little dog. Bites FREE PUPPIES: 1/2 er Spaniel, 1/2 sneaky neighbor's dog. FREE PUPPIES Part German Shepherd, part stupid dog FREE GERMAN SHEPHERD 85 lbs. Neutered. Speaks German. FOUND DIRTY WHITE DOG. Looks like a rat ... been out a while..better be a reward. COWS, CALVES: NEVER BRED. Also 1 * bull for sale. NORDIC TRACK $300 Hardly used, call Chubby California grown - 89 cents lb. JOINING NUDIST COLONY! Must sell washer and dryer $300 WEDDING DRESS FOR SALE. WORN ONCE BY MISTAKE. Call Stephanie. (AND THE BEST ONE) FOR SALE BY OWNER: Complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica. 45 volumes. Excellent condition. $1,000 or best offer. No longer needed, got married last month. Wife knows everything. TEXAS CHILI COOK-OFFS.... NOTE: Please take time to read this slowly. If you pay attention to the first two judges, the reaction of the third is even better. For those of you who have lived in Texas, you know how True this is! They actually have a chili cook-off about the time the rodeo comes to town. It takes up a major portion of the parking lot at the Astrodome! You will likely want to read this behind closed doors because, if you are like me, you will be howling out loud. INEXPERIENCED CHILI TASTER Notes >From An Inexperienced Chili Tester Named FRANK, who had moved to Texas from the East Coast: "Recently, I was honored to be selected as a judge at a chili cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table asking directions to the beer wagon, when the call came. I was assured by the other two judges (Native Texans) that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy, and besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting. So I accepted." Here are the scorecards from the event: CHILI # 1 MIKE'S MANIAC MOBSTER MONSTER CHILI JUDGE ONE: A little too heavy on tomato. Amusing kick. JUDGE TWO: Nice,smooth tomato flavor. Very mild. FRANK: Holy crap, what the ** is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put the flames out. I hope that's the worst one. These Texans are crazy. __________________________________________________ _______ CHILI # 2 ARTHUR'S AFTERBURNER CHILI JUDGE ONE: Smokey, with a hint of pork. Slight Jalapeno tang. JUDGE TWO: Exciting BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to be taken seriously. FRANK: Keep this out of the reach of children I'm not sure what I am supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver. They had to rush in more beer when they saw the look on my face CHILI # 3 FRED'S FAMOUS BURN DOWN THE BARN CHILI JUDGE ONE: Excellent firehouse chili! Great kick. Needs more beans. JUDGE TWO: A beanless chili, a bit salty, good use of peppers. FRANK: Call the EPA, I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now get me more beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back; now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I'm getting ---- -faced from all the beer. __________________________________________________ __________ CHILI # 4 BUBBA'S BLACK MAGIC JUDGE ONE: Black bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing. JUDGE TWO: Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a chili. FRANK: I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Is it possible to burnout taste buds? Sally, the barmaid, was standing behind me with fresh refills; that 300 lb. She is starting to look HOT just like this nuclear waste I'm eating. Is chili an aphrodisiac? __________________________________________________ _____ CHILI # 5 LINDA'S LEGAL LIP REMOVER JUDGE ONE: Meaty, strong chili. Cayenne peppers freshley ground, adding considerable kick. Very Impressive. JUDGE TWO: Chili using shredded beef, could use more tomato. Must admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement. FRANK: My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can no longer focus my eyes. I pass some gas and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from a pitcher. I wonder if I'm burning my lips off? It really T’s me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. __________________________________________________ ______ CHILI # 6 VERA'S VERY VEGETARIAN VARIETY JUDGE ONE: Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance of spice and peppers. JUDGE TWO: The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and garlic. Superb. FRANK: My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulfuric flames. I soled myself when I passed some gas and I worried it will eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that Sally. She must be kinkier than I thought. Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my bottom with a snow cone! CHILI # 7 SUSAN'S SCREEMING SENSATION CHILI JUDGE ONE: A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers. JUDGE TWO: Ho Hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chili peppers at the last moment. I should take note that I am worried about Judge Number 3, He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably. FRANK: You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with chili, which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava-like stuff to match my ** shirt. At least during the autopsy they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing, it's too painful. Screw it, I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I'll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my stomach. __________________________________________________ __ CHILI # 8 BILLY BOB'S SMOKIN BUTT CHILI JUDGE ONE: A perfect ending, this is a nice blend chili, safe for all, not too bold but spicy enough to declare it's existence. JUDGE TWO: This final entry is a good, balanced chili. Neither mild or hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge Number 3 passed out, fell over and pulled the chili pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor Frank, wonder how he'd have reacted to a really hot chili?	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1219
__label__cc	0.620891	0.379109	The 25 Most Anticipated Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of 2015 2014 has been an exceptional year for sci-fi and fantasy literature. If you’ve missed my best of 2014 list, no worries. No reason to wax nostalgic. 2015 looks to be an excellent year for genre fiction. Although the three most anticipated books in the genre (Winds of Winter, Doors of Stone, Skybreaker) are unlikely to be released in 2015, there’s still a ton to look forward to. Here’s some of the best sci fi and fantasy books of 2015. The books on this list are ordered by expected date of release. (I can’t get over how cool some of the cover art is). Some of the descriptions come from Goodreads. Golden Son by Pierce Brown (Red Rising Trilogy, #2) Pierce Brown’s debut novel, Red Rising, is a genre-bending YA fan favorite. In an age where the Earth is dying, a miner on the interior of Mars named Darrow must find and extract enough precious elements to some day tame the surface of the planet so as to make it habitable for humans. These miners are known as Reds. These Reds are mankind’s last hope. And with the sequel, Golden Son, being published so soon, it’s best to start now. This series is certainly on my to-read pile. Come to think of, it’s sitting on my desk now… Release date: January 6th, Del Rey (Random House) Hardcover \| Paperback \| eBook \| Audible Book #1 – Red Rising: Firefight by Brandon Sanderson (Reckoners, #2) Brandon Sanderson is no stranger to genre fiction. The #1 New York Times bestselling author has multiple series under his belt – The Stormlight Archive, Mistborn – and he’s even coauthored the last few Wheel of Time books with fantasy legend Robert Jordan. Reckoners follows the events ten years after Calamity, a burst in the sky that gave ordinary individuals extraordinary abilities. These individuals are known as Epics. Release date: January 6th, Delacorte Press Hardcover \| eBook \| Audible Book #1 – Steelheart: The Providence of Fire by Brian Staveley (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, #2) Brian Staveley’s first book in his new fantasy series, The Emperor’s Blades hit the scene strong last year. Many reviewers ranked it quite high on their best of year lists. And as such, it’s at the top of my to-read-list. For fans of George R.R. Martin and Douglas Hulick, this title is for you. Release date: January 13th, Tor Books Book #1 – The Emperor’s Blades: Unbreakable by W.C. Bauers (The Chronicle of Promise Paen, #1) W.C. Bauers breakthrough novel is pretty extraordinary in that it gives incredible depth to the future of warfare. Promise Paen is a damaged, but accomplished soldier, who sees visions of her dead mother in the presence of her ancient semiautomatic heirloom. I’m currently making my way through an ARC of this now. The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan (The Powder Mage, #3) Brian McClellan’s series, The Powder Mage, follows Field Marshall Talas and his powder mages after they stage a coup against the king and send corrupt aristocrats to the guillotine. This also provokes a war with the Nine Nations. Don’t miss the exciting conclusion to the trilogy! Release date: February 10th, Orbit Book #1 – Promise of Blood: Paperback \| eBook \| Audible Half the World \| Half a War by Joe Abercrombie (Shattered Sea, #2-3) Joe Abercrombie is perhaps best known for his ‘The First Law’ trilogy. But his new trilogy, Shattered Sea, admittedly a YA series, is receiving huge applause. And he’s releasing the second and third installments this year! Release date: February 12th, Harper Voyage Half the World: OUT NOW Hardcover \| Audible Preorder Book #3 – Half a War: Expected release date: July 28th, Harper Voyager Book #1 – Half a King: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (A Darker Shade of Magic, #1) “From V.E. Schwab, the critically acclaimed author of Vicious, comes a new universe of daring adventure, thrilling power, and parallel Londons, beginning with A Darker Shade of Magic. Kell is one of the last Travelers—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes—as such, he can choose where he lands.” Release date: February 24th, Tor Books Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne (Star Wars: Empire and Rebellion, #3) For any and all fans of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, it was tragic to learn that suddenly, once Disney took over creative rights of the franchise, none of the books were true canon. Rather all these books were relegated to the status of “Legends”. Well, for better or worse, the new films and direction have ushered in a new range of novels. Don’t miss Heir to the Jedi, perhaps the most anticipated of the unveiled lot. Release date: March 3rd, LucasBooks The Mechanical by Ian Tregillis (The Alchemy Wars, #1) “My name is Jax. That is the name granted to be by my human masters. I am a clakker: a mechanical man, powered by alchemy. Armies of my kind have conquered the world – and made the Brasswork Throne the sole superpower. I am a faithful servant. I am the ultimate fighting machine. I am endowed with great strength and boundless stamina. But I am beholden to the wishes of my human masters. I am a slave. But I shall be free.” Release date: March 10th, Orbit Clash of Eagles by Alan Smale (The Hesperian Trilogy, #1) “It’s The Last of the Mohicans meets HBO’s Rome in this exciting and inventive debut novel from Sidewise Award-winner Alan Smale that will thrill fans of alternate history, historical fiction, and military fiction. In a world where the Roman Empire never fell, a legion under the command of general Gaius Marcellinus invades the newly-discovered North American continent. But Marcellinus and his troops have woefully underestimated the fighting prowess of the Native American inhabitants. When Gaius is caught behind enemy lines and spared, he must reevaluate his allegiances and find a new place in this strange land.” This is definitely on my to-read list. Currently sitting in my ARC pile. Release date: March 17th, Del Rey The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu (The Dandelion Dynasty, #1) “Wily, charming Kuni Garu, a bandit, and stern, fearless Mata Zyndu, the son of a deposed duke, seem like polar opposites. Yet, in the uprising against the emperor, the two quickly become the best of friends after a series of adventures fighting against vast conscripted armies, silk-draped airships, soaring battle kites, conspiring goddesses, underwater boats, magical books, as a streetfighter-cum-general who takes her place as the greatest tactitian of the age. Once the emperor has been overthrown, however, they each find themselves the leader of separate factions—two sides with very different ideas about how the world should be run and the meaning of justice.” Release date: April 7, Simon & Schuster The Vagrant by Peter Newman (The Vagrant, #1) “The Vagrant is his name. He has no other. Friendless and alone he walks across a desolate, war-torn landscape, carrying nothing but a kit-bag, a legendary sword and a baby. His purpose is to reach the Shining City, last bastion of the human race, and deliver the sword, the only weapon that may make a difference in the ongoing war. But the Shining City is far away and the world is a very dangerous place.” Release date: May 1st, Harper Voyager Hardcover \| Paperback \| Audible Sword of the North by Luke Scull (The Grim Company, #2) “In The Grim Company, Luke Scull introduced a formidable and forbidding band of anti-heroes battling against ruthless Magelords and monstrous terrors. The adventure continues as the company—now broken—face new dangers on personal quests….” Release date: May 5th, Roc Hardcover Book #1 – The Grim Company: The Liar’s Key by Mark Lawrence (The Red Queen’s War, #2) “Prince of Fools, The Red Queen’s War: Book One had all “the hallmarks of [Mark Lawrence’s] storytelling and writing style which made The Broken Empire trilogy such an incredibly addictive read” (Bibliosanctum.com). Now, The Liar’s Key continues the story of the unusual fellowship between a rogue prince and a weary warrior…” And that cover seriously sold it for me. Starting this series immediately. Release date: June 2nd, Ace Book #1 – Prince of Fools: Nemesis Games by James S.A. Corey (Expanse, #5) Here’s a series everyone should keep their eyes on. It’s currently my favorite SciFi series on the scene, and since its been picked up for a straight-to-series run on SyFy it’s skyrocketed in popularity. In many ways this is considered by fans as a Game of Thrones in space. There’s nine books announced, and they come out on yearly basis. Don’t miss it. The Expanse should hit television sometime in 2015 also, so this is perhaps THE most anticipated of the books on this list. Release date: June 2nd, Orbit Book #1 – Leviathan Wakes: The Price of Valor by Django Wexler (The Shadow Campaigns, #3) “In the latest Shadow Campaigns novel, Django Wexler continues his “epic fantasy of military might and magical conflict” following The Shadow Throne and The Thousand Names, as the realm of Vordan faces imminent threats from without and within.” Release date: July 7th, Roc Book #1 – The Thousand Names: Time Salvager by Wesley Chu “In a future when Earth is a toxic, abandoned world and humanity has spread into the outer solar system to survive, the tightly controlled use of time travel holds the key maintaining a fragile existence among the other planets and their moons. James Griffin-Mars is a chronman–a convicted criminal recruited for his unique psychological makeup to undertake the most dangerous job there is: missions into Earth’s past to recover resources and treasure without altering the timeline. Most chronmen never reach old age, and James is reaching his breaking point.” Release date: July 7th, Tor Books Queen of Fire by Anthony Ryan (Raven’s Shadow, #3) Raven’s Shadow is an extremely popular series, that you either love or hate. The first book was one of my favorite reads in a while. The second book, eh… Not so much. But still, I need to find out what happens to Vaelin Al Sorna, and you do too probably. Book #1 – Blood Song: Hardcover \| Paperback \| eBook Armada by Ernest Cline “Zack Lightman is daydreaming through another dull math class when the high-tech dropship lands in his school’s courtyard-and when the men in the dark suits and sunglasses leap out of the ship and start calling his name, he’s sure he’s still dreaming. But the dream is all too real; the people of Earth need him. As Zack soon discovers, the videogame he’s been playing obsessively for years isn’t just a game; it’s part of a massive, top-secret government training program, designed to teach gamers the skills they’ll need to defend Earth from a possible alien invasion. And now…that invasion is coming. As he and his companions prepare to enter their ships and do battle, Zack learns that the father he thought was dead is actually a key player in this secret war. And together with his father, he’ll uncover the truth about the alien threat, race to prevent a genocide, and discover a mysterious third player in the interplanetary chess game he’s been thrown into.” Release date: July 14th, Crown Publishing The Dinosaur Lords by Victor Milán Does this really need a description? Good or bad, you know you’re intrigued. Expected release date: July 28th, Tor Preorder: Hardcover \| eBook The Spider’s War by Daniel Abraham (The Dagger and the Coin, #5) “The epic conclusion to The Dagger and The Coin series, perfect for fans of George R.R. Martin.” But obviously, start with book one if you haven’t already. Expected release date: August 4th, Orbit Paperback \| eBook Book #1 – The Dragon’s Path: The End of All Things by John Scalzi (Old Man’s War, #6) “Hugo-award winning author, John Scalzi returns to his best-selling Old Man’s War universe with the direct sequel to 2013’s The Human Division Humans expanded into space…only to find a universe populated with multiple alien species bent on their destruction. Thus was the Colonial Union formed, to help protect us from from a hostile universe. The Colonial Union used the Earth and its excess population for colonists and soldiers. It was a good arrangement…for the Colonial Union. Then the Earth said: no more.” Expected release date: August 11th, Tor Books Book #1 – Old Man’s War: Fool’s Quest by Robin Hobb (The Fitz and the Fool, #2) Here’s a book many genre fans look forward to. Robin Hobb’s FitzChivalry Farseer saga is one of the best fantasy series out there. And although I claim above that it’s book 2 of The Fitz and the Fool, it’s really the 2nd book within the third trilogy of his lifespan (so really the 8th book) But be wary. This series will suck you in and drain your soul. It’s beautiful and tragic. Expected release date: August 11th, Del Rey Book #1 – Assassin’s Apprentice: (Gentleman Bastard, #4) Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastard series is another highly popular fantasy saga that has fans chomping at the bits. But be warned, these books come with a strong language warning. Expected release date: September 17th, Gollancz Preorders currently unavailable Book #1 – The Lies of Locke Lamora: Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, #5) This is the fifth release in Brandon Sanderson’s international bestselling Mistborn series, but a direct sequel to The Alloy of Law which takes place some centuries after the original trilogy. Now we follow Wax & Wayne. This book is interesting in that, as it was just recently announced, Sanderson wrote it and it’s sequel at the same time. The guy’s so prolific he can’t help it. Notice this is his second appearance on the list. Expected release date: November 19th, Gollancz Book #1 – The Final Empire: Tags best fantasy books 2015, best science fiction books 2015, Books, Fantasy, sci-fi, Science Fiction, top scifi fantasy books 2015 Exodus: Gods and Kings (MOVIE REVIEW) Are You Ready for Ant-Man, Marvel’s Latest Franchise? 48 thoughts on “The 25 Most Anticipated Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of 2015” Pingback: THE MOST ANTICIPATED SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY BOOKS (Link) Pingback: Promise of Blood rock7ch Every time I see george rr martin liked the book in the cover t makes doubt about reading a book; are all my favorite characters getting killed, again? Not necessarily, no. Sad to see only one female author here. Perhaps you should branch out a bit? I do like a lot of your picks including Robin Hobb. VE Schwab is also on the list. I was sad to see that also. I didn’t even notice it, honestly, until earlier in the year a group of angry Twitter feminist SJW’s tried to blog shame me. The list isn’t of my own choosing. I scoured the web in search of the most talked about, blogged about, anticipated SciFi/Fantasy. These are the books that I came up with. A lot coming up to look forward to! I recently read a book I would like to recommend titled The Evolution of Robert Carr by Paul K. Lovett. I love books that present sci fi concepts to me in a way I can really believe. Human enhancement through robotics and AI is not only plausible, it is probable and probably will happen sooner than we all think. This book combines some really smart and detailed scientific concepts, with the fast pace of a thriller, and the heart and humor of a “coming of age” tale. Definitely check this one out when you get a chance! Here’s a link: http://www.paulklovett.com/. Pingback: What Are You Reading? (August 2015) \| Geekritique Brandon R. Reed Reblogged this on beakers, beers, and books and commented: What a great line-up of 2015 sci-fi/fantasy novels. This is definitely going to be a great year! Shout out to Geekritique for putting together a list that will keep me busy this winter. cheers! Awesome list. Makes me excited about upcoming reads. I see a lot to like. The covers are exciting, too. May I put a link on my website wwwscifibookreview? Thanks for the drop by. Absolutely. I’d love that. Thanks for the love. Pingback: The Expanse, #5: Nemesis Games (BOOK REVIEW) \| Geekritique omartrinidad Why you did not include in the list “The Water Knife” by Paolo Bacigalupi or “Seveneves” by Stephenson or “Aurora” by Kim Stanley Robinson? ¬¬ I really like to read “Armada”. Because that would be a list of 28. This is based on a mix of books from a bunch of most anticipated lists. And when this was created those didn’t rank as high. Pingback: The 25 Most Anticipated Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of 2015 \| Shade Tree Book Reviews and Blog robwired Reblogged this on Robwired and commented: 25 recommendations from the dimensionally transcendental. Thank you for breezing into my blog post. Nice to welcome a new visitor. You may want to check out The Skull Throne (Demon Cycle) by Peter Brett, This is the fourth Book and it will be released March 31st. His first book the Warded Man in the series was pretty well liked. Golden Rising was great, even better than Red Rising in my opinion. Firefight started a little slow, but did not disappoint. Looking forward to reading the other books you have posted for the year. I’ll have to give that a shot! ishallakam I’ll second the Skull Throne. I started the Demon Cycle around June of 2014, and I’m now anxiously waiting to get to book 4. Pingback: Happy One-Year Anniversary to Geekritique! \| Geekritique Pingback: What Are You Reading? (February 2015) \| Geekritique Pingback: Random Shots for January, 2015 \| Mike Blessing's Heresies and Blasphemies Pingback: Ah, the weekend! \| spalanz ToddR Have you read any of Jeff Salyard’s books – “Veil of the Deserter” or “Scourge of the Betrayer”? Definitely a best of 2014 and the third book coming in November is one that I am anticipating for 2015. No, I haven’t heard of them. You’ve given me homework, thank you. edlikesfezzes Reblogged this on I Am the Flipping Walrus! and commented: This list looks pretty awesome… I was debating whether to search out Unbreakable, I guess I will. Is it too late to make New Year’s resolutions? I want to resolve to read all of these. Dude, so am i. Reblogged this on The Ninth Raconteur. Ashley Dominique I absolutely can not wait for Golden Son. Red Rising was easily my favorite book of last year and possibly one of my all-times now. I’m interested in Armada as well. I really need to get around to it. I got a free copy some months back and never got around to it. vichetchou Reblogged this on Vichet and commented: romeorites So 2015 looks like its going to be another awesome year for book releases. I have my eye on a few of those titles and more. After reading ready player one a couple of weeks ago, I can’t wait to try a new book by Ernest Cline! So much to look forward to. I wish my backlog weren’t so long. I do have to admit that the Dinosaur Lords does look intriguing. Yeah I’m in the same position amigo. morabitom I’m really excited for Armada, I hadn’t heard the synopsis before. So, Ernest Cline writes an awesome book that obsesses over the 80’s, and then writes a book that sounds heavily inspired from The Last Starfighter? I’m kind of happy he’s running with a theme. 🙂 impossiblegirl123 I’m really looking forward to a Darker Shade of Magic and Armada. I heard someone compare the latter one to Ready Player One, even though the premise isn’t similar, and that’s a good sign in my opinion. Either way it seems like it’s going to be another good year for books 🙂 Well Armada is written by the same author as Ready Player One. Oh so that’s what I got mixed up. I don’t know why I thought it was by different people. spalanz Thanks for this, always good to get recommendations on upcoming stuff! That Powder Mage series sounds particularly awesome, and I think I’m also going to hunt out the Expansion series, too! I can’t say I’ve read the Powder Mage series, but you’re right. It DOES sound awesome. The Expanse is one of my favorites. Highly recommend it. Rabindranauth Happy New Year, man! Rothfuss Tweeted yesterday that ‘logistically’, The Doors of Stone can’t happen this year, so that’s definitely out. The Thorn of Emberlain has also been delayed at least once, so I wouldn’t bet on it dropping in 2015 either. Here’s some stuff not included here folks may like to know about: 13th Jan – Michael Moorcock – The Whispering Swarm 3rd Feb – Neil Gaiman – Trigger Warnings 4th August – China Mieville – Three Moments of an Explosion: Stories With Moorcock and Mieville on the horizon, 2015’s already looking better than last year for your average fantasy junkie 😀 Ah great, knew I missed something. I’ll probably add em later. We’ll see. New Gaiman and Moorcock! Awesome Leave a Reply to Geekritique Cancel reply	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1244
__label__cc	0.717237	0.282763	You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘acting’ tag. Nadia Giordana Interviews Me, Sid Korpi March 19, 2012 in Uncategorized \| Tags: acting, actor, attack of the moon zombies, author, B-Movie, baby boomer, career change, Christopher R. Mihm, examiner, Good Grief, house of ghosts, nadia giordana, nonconformist nuptials, proof positive, self-acceptance, Sid Korpi, two right feet, wakes, weight loss \| Leave a comment Interview with multi-talented baby boomer, Sid Korpi Nadia Giordana Baby Boomer Examiner Sid Korpi, film and stage actress, social dance instructor, and pet chaplain, is far too talented and accomplished for this author to take credit for anything more than being an inspiration and catalyst for her recent weight loss, something she’d wanted to do for a long time. That’s good enough for me. Already athletic, fit, and beautiful, Sid became inspired after reading Thinking Skinny and decided to get healthier still. Losing those extra pounds gave her the edge she needed to pursue a film career with creative Minneapolis filmmaker, Christopher R. Mihm. I might also add that the same is true of the content in this article. Other than my questions, the words are Sid’s, and I would be remiss if I didn’t credit her as being co-author of this article. She is, in addition to the talents listed above, a gifted author and editor. I recently had a private interview with Sid, and this is how it went: Nadia: Sid, Your life, long before we met has been a personification of the principles that I share in my upcoming book, Reinventing New Chapters in Your Life at any Age—and that I live by. I’d like to talk with you about each of the seven steps and hear your unique take on them. We’ll start with #1) Reshaping a healthier body and attitude. Sid, what was it about Thinking Skinny that resonated with you as you embarked on this new chapter in your life? Sid: When I learned that I was up for a major role in my first feature film, Chris Mihm’s marvelous B&W 1950s-drive-in-style creature feature B-movie, Attack of the Moon Zombies, (www.sainteuphoria.com) I knew what wound up 30-feet tall on the silver screen was going to be forever-after how I’d be seen. I also knew cameras notoriously add 20 pounds to one’s appearance, and given that, though fairly fit, I was already on the high end of “normal” as far as weight charts went, I really wanted to drop those 20 just to come out even. I’d lived the diet yo-yo my entire life and vowed this was to be the end of that self-destructive cycle. I had your book, Thinking Skinny, on my shelf and was drawn to it. I read it in one sitting, let its contents sink in overnight, and awoke the next day ready to lose weight in a sensible, permanent way. I went to a website that calculated how many calories I needed to attain my goal weight, designed and printed out a chart on which I’d henceforth record all I’d eaten each day—because writing it all down made eating a conscious rather than reflexive act. This wasn’t a “diet.” I know better than to ever tell myself that I “can’t” have something; I’m so rebellious, that would simply ensure I ruminated on said high-calorie item until I broke down and had too much of it. I planned to lose between one and two pounds per week, and I did just that by still eating whatever I wanted to, just in more reasonable portions. I also eat many small meals a day, which keeps my metabolism stoked continuously and wards off my “gorging” out of starvation. In several months’ time, I’d lost roughly 25 pounds and am approaching two years at this new weight. I knew I could see myself onscreen and not cringe, except for my scary-looking 1950s bangs, and those were on purpose. (You can see what I’m talking about in the official trailer at www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkMF0oGubho . ) People have been raving over the positive change in me, which is very nice, but more importantly, I can rave over that change—because it’s my opinion of me that matters most. The best part now is that “moving” (my new, less-punitive term for exercise) is its own reward. For instance, I consider myself fortunate when the lot is mostly full and I can park on the sixth level of a parking ramp and use the stairs instead of the elevator to get where I’m going. I can confidently say I have the energy of someone nearly half my age. To initially attain and now maintain my weight loss, I also record how much (and what kind of) exercise I get each day. The same website I mentioned earlier gives approximations of calories burned doing several dozen different activities, even housework, so I can monitor that, too. I’ve bought a quality pedometer and wear it religiously every day and record my mileage walked each week. It’s keeping both my four West Highland white terriers and me healthy and committed to getting in two-to-three-mile walks almost every day. You know you’ve made a permanent life change when, instead of say, reluctantly dragging yourself to a gym because you “have to,” you feel absolutely gypped when you don’t “get to” walk/dance/do Pilates, etc. for at least a few minutes every day. Nadia: I can wholly relate to feeling gypped when I don’t “get to” ride my bicycle or take a long walk. Now let’s move on to #2) Realigning relationships and spiritual self: To use your own words from a previous interview we had on this subject, you’ve suffered a tsunami of loss with regard to your family, friends and relationships. How did you manage to get through it and go on? Sid: In a few years’ time, I lost my mother, stepfather, uncle, three cats, three dogs, a cockatiel, two of my best women friends and my 15-year marriage. Talk about wiping out everyone you loved and who you thought loved you! I’ll be honest with you; I cried my heart out every single day for more than two years. That’s not hyperbole, just a cold fact. There were times I wondered why I was left here when so many of my loved ones were on the Other Side. I even had thoughts of suicide during these darkest of days. As a matter of fact, these thoughts became so pervasive at one point, I went to the hospital emergency room one Sunday, hoping I could be kept under observation overnight until I could get started on an antidepressant prescription the next day, when I’d already had an appointment with a psychiatrist. (Clinical depression runs in my family and several of my relatives have attempted/succeeded at committing suicide, so I believed I had just cause to worry about being alone at that time.) What happened, however, still boggles my mind. I spoke to the ER doctor about all this and, instead of receiving any validation or compassion for what I was going through, he said, “This isn’t a hotel. Go home and call us if you actually have a ‘plan’ to kill yourself.” I was summarily asked to leave the hospital. I had hit my proverbial “rock bottom.” If ever there were someone who was made to feel absolutely worthless, absolutely unworthy of the most basic human compassion, it was I right then. Yet, standing in the doorway of that hospital, more completely alone than I’d ever been in my life, something profound happened that changed me forever. I still remember vividly this sensation I had deep in my chest, at my physical core, of a tiny little flame like that of a candle. I was overwhelmed by a certainty that that core light represented the part of me that belonged to, indeed was one and the same as, the greater Universe and was necessarily just as valuable and worthy of love as all that is eternal. It came to me in rush that I’d just been presented with an astounding opportunity to learn an invaluable life lesson. I learned that, despite being stripped of every external source of support and compassion, I was still worthwhile. I was still worthy of love. I was still valuable even if the only person who could or would consistently show me this was myself. I stood there and wept with gratitude for the lesson I’d been brought, despite how painful it had been in its presentation. I even forgave that heartless doctor and silently thanked him for his callous rejection. I know now never to turn outward to find validation of my worth. I know, too, never to doubt that I deserve love as much as any other living being. I know, moreover, I need to get that love and acceptance from myself first and foremost, and usually, similar support from others follows. I joined Emotions Anonymous soon after this event, to rebuild my lost community with people who would understand my struggles and not judge. Through this 12-step program, I learned to give up control over my emotions and give them over to my Higher Power. I never again considered suicide. As I became strong, I was able to help others as I helped myself. I stuck with EA for more than two years and to this day remain close friends with several of the people I met through this literally life-saving program. Nadia: Let’s talk about #3) Redirecting thought patterns toward the possibilities: I’d love to hear how you do this Sid. You’ve had such an eclectic career, and several interesting businesses. Obviously, you are in tune with “possibilities” in a way not found in many other people. Sid: On a lark, I once visited a psychic at the Renaissance Festival who told me, almost apologetically, as she read my tarot cards that she saw that I would always be changing from one thing to the next, usually with little to no financial reward, and never settle on one thing as my career. I expect she thought I’d be chagrined about that “news,” but instead I said, “Oh, sure, I know that. That’s what I love most about myself!” I am very driven by the need to personally challenge myself. I’ll often start some new creative endeavor—like designing jewelry, writing a novel, or singing with an early-jazz band—and always see it through to some kind of completion. However, once I win some award or recognition for it (a blue ribbon at the Bemidji Art Fair, a first-place-for-extended-fiction award and publication in the Close to the Ground: Powderhorn Writers Anthology, and a gig at the Minnesota State Fair, respectively) I feel I can move on to the next thing. “Been there, done that, moving on now” is a kind of creative mantra for me. I can only stick with things that inherently provide variety, such as my 15 years running my Proof Positive writing/editing business, which never has me composing or reading the same thing twice. Put me in a cubicle, expect me to follow corporate edicts, and make me punch a time clock and you may as well pronounce me brain-dead on arrival. I’ve structure my life so it will always be interesting for me. Nadia: Then there is#4) Rediscovering the magic in your life: How do you stay young at heart and maintain the fun and excitement in your life? Sid: I am childfree by choice and have instead opted to retain much that is childlike in me. The world can sometimes be a downright frightening place, and I feel I’m on a mission to remind adults around me of the importance of playing; of having fun, being creative, joyful, and downright silly; and not giving a fig what others think of them for doing so. I’ve been known to wear a mini dress and go-go boots out dancing to a ’60s band, a poodle skirt and saddle shoes when it’s a ’50s band, and so on. I’m my own walking/dancing retro vignette. People around me either gravitate toward the energy and sense of fun or they back away slowly, shaking their heads; either is just fine by me. I don’t need everyone to like or even understand me. Case in point, I just turned 50 in January, and I threw myself a birthday wake. I rented a coffin, in which I lay as my friends and family “eulogized” me. I’d frequently pop up to laugh at their jokes or throw marshmallows at anyone who got too into “roasting” me. We held this in a church basement and had a reception of Jell-O salads and tater tot hot dish among the delicious items in the Church Basement Ladies potluck buffet. Afterward, we played board games. Frankly, it was awesome! I did this because I firmly feel we’ve got it wrong when we hold back on telling our family of choice what we think of them and what influence they’ve had on us and the world in general until their respective funerals. That’s just a bit too late. Sure, I think my mother’s spirit enjoyed the 21-squirt-gun salute we gave her at her memorial service (which devolved into a water fight, just as she would have wanted), but it’s important to share these things with our loved ones while they’re here, too. I try to be a role model for authentic eccentricity. Thanks to this event, I got to learn that I have a sort of fan club of four 20-something young ladies who all say they want to be me when they grow up. I quickly correct them and say, “There’s no ‘growing up’ involved if you really want to be like me.” Nadia: #5) Removing lingering regrets: Each of us must find ways to do this. How have you managed? Sid: Most of us are more likely to be kinder to strangers than we are to ourselves. To correct that inequity, start by admitting your mistakes without blaming others in any way for your actions, even if they’re deeply involved. You’re no one’s victim as long as you learn and grow from any experience. Forgive yourself for things you were too afraid to do, for opportunities you missed, and take baby steps toward finding and freeing your inner courage—and reward those steps. Forgive yourself for wishing and hoping you could change someone else to attain the love and acceptance you could/should have been giving yourself all along. Forgive yourself for accepting responsibility for things that really were beyond your control. The fact is you’ve screwed up in the past; you’ll no doubt screw up again in the future. Just try not to keep screwing up in the exact same ways over and over. That’s nuts. Instead expect to screw up once in awhile in unique ways in your attempts to try out new ways of being. It keeps things interesting and proves you’re still growing, evolving, and becoming your finest you. Nadia: #6) Rewrite a new life chapter: Sid, when I first heard you tell the story of how you set your sights on appearing in a Christopher Mihm film, and how you went about that, it was obvious to me that you set a goal and focused through to completion. Would you tell it to the readers here? Sid: I had read about this local filmmaker who was dedicated to making black-and-white, 1950s-style horror movies in honor of his dead father, with whom he’d always watched these kinds of films as a kid. His stepdaughter had also been diagnosed with cancer and while she fought to recover (she’s since passed her five-year cancer-free marker—yeah!), he thought to himself something like, “What the heck am I waiting for? I’ve always said I wanted to make one of these movies. The time to do it is now.” That attitude and those circumstances really resonated with me. My husband and I attended the world premiere of Chris’s third movie, Cave Women on Mars. I’d never been so grateful that I wasn’t lactose intolerant in my life (it was so terrifically cheesy, you see). I determined then and there that before I died I had to have something to do with one of this guy’s movies. So I decided to stalk him. Actually, all that entailed was one email, but “stalking” sounds more melodramatic. In my email, I mentioned that I was willing to be an extra, a prop mistress, a dead body, whatever he needed. I downloaded a photo of my high school theater trophy that named me Outstanding Dramatic Performer of 1980, with the caption “Proof I’m talented.” I’d also read that he liked to write his movie scripts with places in mind where he knew he could shoot rather than have to build sets or scout locations. So, I offered him the use of our third floor dance studio, which is decorated like a ’50s malt shop, and invited him to visit it sometime. A month or so passed before he finally responded, but he took me up on my offer to check out the room. Worried we might be serial killers or something, Chris brought along his star of Cave Women on Mars, Dan Sjerven, as his bodyguard. They wound up hanging out with us for three hours. We all knew an important, meant-to-be connection had been made. Two movies later, my husband and I were given walk-on roles in Destination: Outer Space with one line apiece—actually the exact same line. We each got to say, “Greetings, Wise One.” I helped out as “script Nazi” after our scene was shot (i.e., reading the robot’s part and making sure leading man Josh Craig remembered all his lines). Perhaps it was then that Chris noticed I could actually speak more than three words of his purposely clunky dialogue in succession and tucked away that knowledge for future reference because he gave me a leading role in his next movie, Attack of the Moon Zombies. Initially, his lovely wife, Stephanie, was supposed to play Administrator Ripley and I was to be Dr. Rutherford, a much smaller part. But as Chris wrote the screenplay, Ripley’s role got a lot bigger, and Stephanie, who had just had a baby and was working full-time, said she didn’t want to have to memorize that much dialogue. She told Chris, “Give the role to Sid.” That’s the nice version of how it happened. If you ask me, I think it was really because Ripley needed to have a bit of “bitch” in her and Chris knew I could definitely bring that to the table more than the truly sweet-at-heart Steph. Anyway, long story short, the movie rocked the world, I was nominated for a Best Actress in a Zombie Movie Dead Letter award from MailOrderZombie.com, and I was subsequently cast as Leigh, the eccentric dog lady/haunted-home owner, in Mihm’s current film, House of Ghosts. This movie—an homage to director William Castle of The Tingler, House on Haunted Hill and 13 Ghosts fame—was actually filmed in our house though, ironically, not in the third-floor malt shop. That’s going to be featured in this summer’s giant-spider movie. Nadia: And now #7) Reveal and live your intentions: Sid, please bring me up to date on your activities, there must be some new things in your life now, and on the horizon. Sid: A few years back, I made a deal with myself that I wouldn’t audition for any plays anymore because of the time commitment and would only do them if they sort of fell into my lap—so I’d know they were meant to be. That philosophy got me the roles of Gertrude in Steve Martin’s comic play The Underpants, Mrs. Ellie Banks in Father of the Bride, and Jeri Neal in The Dixie Swim Club. Since making these Mihm movies, I’ve been in two short independent films with burgeoning filmmakers Timothy Printup and Katie Cragoe, Treasure Box and Breaking for Home, each starring opposite the talented young actress Kira Pontiff. I’m thrilled to have been a part of their maiden voyages into moviemaking and really respect that they set a goal to do these two films in two months and made it happen. I always want to support and encourage those who actually follow through on their dreams. My costar in House of Ghosts, Justen Overlander (Ray), a hilarious writer/actor/director himself, offered me the role of Goldie in his new movie, The Bequeather. It’s a comedy along the lines of Young Frankenstein set in the 1950s—my favorite era! We start filming in May, and I couldn’t be happier to be working with Justen and Mike Cook, another of my costars from Attack of the Moon Zombies and House of Ghosts (Dr. Edwards/Harlan, respectively) in this new movie. And as I mentioned earlier, Chris Mihm is working on a giant spider movie, as part of a drive-in double feature. I know I’m to be in it in some capacity, but I don’t know exactly what my role will be yet. I’m game for anything. I’ve even offered to let his son’s tarantula climb on me. We’re opening up our 1886 Victorian home to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Home Tour at the end of April, in time to promote the May 23, 2012, premiere of House of Ghosts at the Heights Theatre in Columbia Heights, Minn., the oldest continuously operating movie theater in the state. It has an awesome Wurlitzer pipe organ that comes out of the ground and is played before the movie. I’m busy promoting the heck out of this event and seeking the perfect vintage evening gown from a thrift store to wear on the red carpet that night. There’s a fashion war going on among the diehard Mihmiverse fans that are planning to dress up for the event, and I can’t be outdone. And yes, we take our premieres very pseudo-seriously. Who wouldn’t? There’s going to be free cake for heaven’s sake! In between all of that stuff, I’m sure I’ll “work” now and then, too. Nadia: I can appreciate your willingness to risk failure.You “get it,” and the potential rewards are unbelievable if you can let go of this fear. What advice do you have for others who seek to follow their passions as you have yours? Sid: I’ve often joked that I’ve failed at more things in my lifetime than most people do in a dozen lifetimes. But the word in need of redefining there is “failed.” I’ve only failed at anything if its success is measured in dollar signs, brand-new sports cars and vacation homes in the Bahamas. For me, success is measured by how many of my various talents I’ve been able to explore in unique ways, regardless of the fiscal payoff, and how much my creativity has added to the value of my life and the lives of those around me. For instance, the book I was spiritually guided to write after my tsunami of loss, Good Grief: Finding Peace After Pet Loss, has won four literary awards—including “Best Self-Help Book of the Year” from Premier Book Awards—and I continually hear from people about how much it has helped them navigate their grief after losing a beloved animal companion. Is it a New York Times Bestseller? Nope. But its topic has staying power; it continues to sell at a fairly steady pace and is even coming due for a second edition printing. I risked a lot of my own money to get it published and have earned back every penny and am now actually a little in the black. Writing it has led to my getting public speaking gigs, too, which represents another modest revenue stream. Anyone can follow my circuitous path to creative fulfillment. The first thing you have to do is decide that personally providing your household with financial security is a low priority for you. (Inheriting a huge trust fund or marrying a zillionaire can help here.) That doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t be responsible, respect money, and even aspire to be rich beyond all imagining—heck, it may even be in your cards to wind up this way, so you should be ready for that possibility, too. You just have to be OK with the uncertainty that risk-taking brings with it and value what the process itself will bring you more than you do a steady paycheck. To ensure domestic harmony, make sure your life partner is on board with this plan, of course. My darling hubby has a quasi-reliable income (after a 20% pay cut across the board two years ago at the company where he works, that is) to ensure we’ll at least cover the mortgage payment. Though not getting me off the hook for pulling my own financial weight, this frees me up to do a bit more of my soul-feeding stuff without too much guilt that I’ll render us homeless. Lest you think I lie around eating bonbons all day, however, I’ll have you know I also operate several other home-based businesses: Proof Positive Editing, my bread-and-butter proofreading/freelance writing/wordsmithing business for the past 15 years; Nonconformist Nuptials, wherein I write and officiate wedding ceremonies for those who balk at the traditional, cookie-cutter approach; and Two Right Feet Dance, through which my husband and I teach beginning social dances like swing, rumba, waltz, etc. Our motto is “Forget Fred and Ginger—we’ll have you dancing like Fred and Wilma in no time!” (This makes particular sense because we have a Flintstones shrine in our basement that has been on TV and in the newspaper.) Each of these brings in a little bit of money, costs me almost nothing to operate, and lets us write off sections of our home as tax deductions. I’ve even finally found a way to make a little bit of money from my acting. (Alas, there’s been no money so far in the much-beloved B-movie or community theater worlds in which I dabble, but I do these for my soul anyway.) I am paid to act through the Standardized Patient Program at the University of Minnesota. I’ve gotten to portray various patients for med students, dental students, psychiatric nursing students, veterinary students and even law students to practice their communication and practical skills. Over the past couple of weeks alone, I’ve gotten to portray a woman who is “itchy,” receive 12 head-to-toe physicals (it’s been confirmed that I’m quite healthy, thank you), AND settle a fictitious lawsuit through mediation for $5 million! I get to exercise my improvisation muscle and get paid a bit for it. Happy times! I’ve weathered this great recession better than most because, frankly, I’m used to being broke and subsequently had less to lose both financially and emotionally in the economic downturn. I believe I can adapt to change a bit more easily than most because I’ve always had to diversify or die. But above and beyond just being a means of survival, to me, each of these endeavors represents a different colorful thread in the gorgeous tapestry of my life. I don’t do beige. Instead, I say, “Bring on the rainbow hues!” Sid Korpi is the human caregiver to seven rescued pets, a compulsively creative person, and is known to act in B-movies for food. She is grateful to be married to an understanding man who thinks life with her and all the critters is an adventure. Her websites are www.goodgriefpetloss.comand www.tworightfeetdance.comand www.nonconformistnuptials.com. Continue reading on Examiner.com Interview with multi-talented baby boomer, Sid Korpi – National baby boomer \| Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/baby-boomer-in-national/interview-with-multi-talented-baby-boomer-sid-korpi#ixzz1pZHms3o8 Blog Talk Radio Show “Interviews With Extraordinary Women” Features Sid Korpi October 17, 2010 in Uncategorized \| Tags: acting, animal chaplain, animal chaplaincy, attack of the moon zombies, blog talk radio, christopher mihm, dance instruction, extraordinary women, Good Grief, interview with sid korpi, nadia giordana, nonconformist nuptials, Pet Loss, proof positive editing, Two Right Feet Dance \| Leave a comment Please listen in tomorrow, Monday, Oct. 18, 2010, at 4 p.m. Central time for host Nadia Giordana’s terrific blog talk radio show, “Interviews with Extraordinary Women.” In this interview, I’ll be attempting to explain my clearly eccentric approach to life, work and happiness. Call in with questions and join the fun, or give a listen to the show at a later time in its archived version. (I’ll post this soon on this blog’s Radio Interviews page.) Nadia’s description of the show follows: Actress Sid Korpi on “Attack of the Moon Zombies” and Other Stuff My guest today is the multitalented, Sid Korpi. We’ll be talking about all the interesting things she’s done in her life. Among them: English teacher, Journalist/freelance writer, Prize-winning novelist, co-author of a book on Reflexology, Jewelry designer, Actor/member of a comedy troupe, Game inventor, Aerobics/fitness instructor, Singer with an early jazz band/band, Halloween party mogul—Morticia Stewart’s Party Kits, Murder mystery dinner theater playwright/actor/host and more. We’ll find out which of those hats shes wearing most often these days, and where you can see her public performances. My Career in Mihm Movies October 10, 2010 in Uncategorized \| Tags: 1950s, acting, Attack of the Mo, attack of the moon zombies, B-Movie, Christopher R. Mihm, drive-in movie, horror movie, moon, movie, Sid Korpi, zombies \| 2 comments Last night was my first on-camera scene in “Attack of the Moon Zombies.” Director @Christopher R. Mihm tortured me during closeups, reminding that my head will be 90 feet high when the movie is shown at the drive-ins! Such intense mental cruelty! (You’d think he was my sibling or something!) The shoot took several hours longer than expected, thanks to my costar Dr. Edwards’ and my dueling hungry-tummy grumbles and subsequent giggle fits by us all (even though those beastly men will try and blame it all on me because I’m a girl, sort of!). Learn more about the movie and the upcoming Oct. 30 Mihm Movie Marathon in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and check out the possibility of becoming an associate producer at his website <www.sainteuphoria.com>	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1250
__label__wiki	0.605911	0.605911	Greenplum Database Administrator Guide Information about configuring, managing and monitoring Greenplum Database installations, and administering, monitoring, and working with databases. The guide also contains information about Greenplum Database architecture and concepts such as parallel processing. This section provides an overview of Greenplum Database components and features such as high availability, parallel data loading features, and management utilities. This section describes basic system administration tasks performed by a Greenplum Database system administrator. Securing Greenplum Database includes protecting access to the database through network configuration, database user authentication, and encryption. This section covers data definition language (DDL) in Greenplum Database and how to create and manage database objects. Greenplum Database relies on even distribution of data across segments. This section provides information about manipulating data and concurrent access in Greenplum Database. This topic provides information about using SQL in Greenplum databases. External tables provide access to data stored in data sources outside of Greenplum Database as if the data were stored in regular database tables. Data can be read from or written to external tables. The topics in this section describe methods for loading and writing data into and out of a Greenplum Database, and how to format data files. The topics in this section cover Greenplum Database performance management, including how to monitor performance and how to configure workloads to prioritize resource utilization.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1253
__label__cc	0.739683	0.260317	A Visit to Dhondt-Grellet December 22, 2019 in Regions & Producers by Vicki Denig It’s a sunny September morning in Paris and the city is barely awake. Sunday mornings in Paris are always quite somber, as most dwellers are recovering from their booze-soaked parties the night before. We too, are shaking off the lingering moments of our Saturday night fête. With a bag of pastries in one hand and a baguette in the other, we load into the rental car and pray that our stomachs will settle. We’ve got a big day ahead of us, but first, we must make it through the two hour drive to Epernay. No rest for the weary- we’ve got a big day in Champagne ahead of us. As the car coasts along the péripherique and takes us out of the city, the landscape instantly changes. Lines of Haussmanian style buildings and bouts of polluted fog are replaced with vast open plains and crisp, clean air. I immediately roll the window down, stick my arm into the breeze, and take a deep breath in. This is la belle France, as they say. We approach the small village of Epernay and the scene is like something out of a movie. Church bells are ringing, locals faire la bise with passing friends, and groups of elderly men congregate on the corners smoking pipes and hand-rolled cigarettes. We pull out of the village and are immediately surrounded by rolling green vines as far as the eye can see. Small clusters of red rooftops dot the countryside, signifying that there are indeed small clusters of life that inhabit this sparkling emerald terrain. We pull the car over to snap some shots of the breathtaking view in front of us, climb back into the car, and in just a matter of minutes, find ourselves pulling in the parking lot of the Dhondt-Grellet house. Though this isn’t your typical ‘Champagne house.’ No, this is actually a house-- a literal family house that has undoubtedly been inhabited by the same lineage of people for generations. We get out of the car and are greeted by an old man, whose French is so muffled and throaty, I can barely make out what he’s saying. A tall, young man runs up behind him, saves me from my lack of comprehension, and immediately introduces himself as Adrien Dhondt. “Sorry, that’s my grandfather,” he laughs, and I am relieved to hear the clarity in his voice. “So, what can I do for you guys?” I explain who we are, that we’re here from Verve Wine to snap some shots of the estate, see the cellar, and be on our way. Though after a few minutes of chatting, it’s clear we won’t be leaving anytime soon. Adrien is tall and powerful, with a strong, stoic build and large bulging limbs. He wears Nike sneakers and a backwards Yankees cap-- this is not what I was expecting to see when I arrived at a traditional Champagne house. We descend into the cellar and he shows us around, pointing out where wines are aging and talks to us about the surrounding terroir. He pulls a wine from a stack of dusty bottles, illuminates the flashlight on his iPhone, and shows us the lees settling into the neck. Although I’ve read about this process countless times in wine textbooks, there’s something so unique about seeing it with your own eyes and holding it in your bare hands. Like a child, I snatch the bottle from his hand, fascinated. We all laugh, and I blush at my childlike naivety. 📷 : Vicki Denig Back in 1986, Adrien’s parents Eric Dhondt and Edith Grellet stopped selling grapes to négociants and began estate bottling. Today, Adrien-- who is only in his late twenties-- has taken over winemaking at the house. Adrien works with vineyard across the Côte des Blancs, all of which he farms organically and biodynamically. His vineyards are situated in the villages of Cramant (Grand Cru) and Cuis (Premier Cru). In Cramant, he works with three lieu-dits: Le Bateau, Les Longues Verges, and La Garenne. In Cuis, he farms nine plots, many of which are dominated by old vines. Adrien’s choice to farm organically and biodynamically (non-certified) is based on his belief that these practices lead to healthy microbial life within the vineyards. All soils are plowed and composts are made at the domaine. No herbicides or insecticides are used. After a brief moment of silence, Adrien suggests we taste some wines together and I stall. We received strict instructions to come to the house, get our photos, and leave promptly, as we are not to be a burden during such a busy time at the winery. It is September, after all, meaning that harvest is just around the corner. I ask Adrien when their pick will begin, and he responds with a slight chuckle, ‘Ha! In fact, we’ve just begun today,’ he says. I notion that we must go, and Adrien shoots me a baffled look, almost offended. “I mean, are you sick? Why would you not want to taste?” I begin to realize that it’s essentially rude to show up to a Champagne house and not accept a pour when it’s offered. I look to the floor and respond, “Well, if you aren’t counting the slight hangover we’re nursing, I’d say we’re pretty OK.” Adrien laughs. “You’re not the only one,” he says and flashes a smile, then scurries off to grab three glasses. We taste through Adrien’s five wines and they are every bit as delicious as I remember them to be. ‘Dans un Premier Temps’ is the family’s traditional Brut NV which represents all three villages he works with. The wine is a 50/30/20 blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, finished with 6 g/L dosage. Crisp and easy-drinking, this is breakfast wine. We are pleased. We move onto ‘Les Terres Fines,’ which is his 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs, made exclusively from Chardonnay from Cuis. No dosage is added here. Fruit for ‘Cramant’ comes from Cramant and Chouilly, making this cuvée entirely comprised of Grand Cru fruit, vinified in barrel and steel. The texture here is wild, and I actually find myself closing my eyes to savor the fine bubbles that coat my tongue. ‘Les Nogers’ is made from Adrien’s old vines in Cuis, and ‘Le Bateau,’ as to be expected, blows our minds. These vines were planted by Adrien’s grandfather back in 1951. I think of the old man who greeted me in the parking lot and what it must have been like for him to work these same soils nearly 70 years ago. I smile, sip the wine, and savor it even more. 📷 : Jonathan Poff “Hey, do you guys have plans this afternoon?” Adrien asks, breaking me out of my day dreams of the house’s past. “Why don’t you stay and have lunch with my family?” We look at each other, shrug our shoulders, and accept the invitation. Pourquoi pas? I’m no stranger to harvest meals in France, so I know that this is going to be an hours-long affair. We take a seat at the table with three generations of Dhondts, the second-generation of whom is scurrying around like a chicken with her head off at the realization that a vegetarian has joined the table. I assure her that whatever vegetables have been prepared will be just fine (ha, vegetables in France… that’s a story for another day), and that I’m really here for the company. We sit around the table and are joined by Adrien’s sister and her husband, who have just welcomed a new baby into the family only six days ago. Adrien beams with pride, mentioning that this new addition has made him a first-time uncle. The pride radiating from his grandparents’ face is evident, and although they’re pleased to host Adrien’s new American friends, it’s clear that this tiny little baby is the star of the show. We eat a traditional hearty harvest lunch of grilled meats, potato gratin, and fresh salad, all washed down with a Lapierre Morgon magnum. I’m always so interested to see what winemakers drink when not working in their own cellars. I would have happily accepted any pour that was put in front of me, though I have to say, I am definitely not mad about the Lapierre mag. We finish our meal, walk a few steps over to the cellar, and see that the madness has officially begun; the first round of grapes has just been brought back from the vineyards. Adrien scales the press and we stand in the cellar in awe. He invites us to join him atop the press, where buckets of Chardonnay are being thrown into the machine. I ask if I can help toss a basket in, and his colleague laughs with disdain. Ready to prove him wrong, I reach for a bucket and am immediately rooted to the ground. These bins are heavy. Adrien bends down, grab one side of the bucket, and we toss the fruit in together. I squeal with delight, and again, his cellar worker rolls his eyes at me, yet manages to crack a smile. Success. Adrien and I continue to work in tandem and dump the buckets of freshly picked fruit into the press, and after just ten minutes, my arms are shaking. This is truly back-breaking labor. I’ve always enjoyed my career as a writer, but after just a few minutes of this physical work, I’ve never appreciated my computer more. After all of the fruit is loaded in, we realize that we’ve been with the Dhondts for over four hours-- and are naturally 90 minutes late for our next appointment. We kiss each family member goodbye and thank them for their hospitality, and they make us promise that we’ll come back and visit again. French hospitality is not new to me. I’ve been lucky enough to experience it so many times in my young life, though it is never, ever lost on this jaded New Yorker. This small family embodies everything it means to be true vignerons: they are true farmers who work the land that means so much to them and aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty for the sake of sharing what they have with the world. As much as I love the juice in their bottles, it’s their passion, hospitality, and undeniable joie de vivre that gives me butterflies. Like the press full of fruit that we’ve just left in their cellar, I leave feeling full, fresh, and ready to produce something special. And that to me is the true essence of Champagne. Adrien Dhondt and Verve's Vicki Denig 📷 : Jonathan Poff Three Producers Making Good Wine from Classic Grapes In Not-So-Classic Regions We’ll never turn down a glass of White Burgundy or well-made Sancerre. However, this year, Drink More (Not Less) Beaujolais Beaujolais never gets old. In 2019, we preached the gospel of the region, yet still feel like Eat. Drink. Travel. Repeat. Voyager c’est vivre: to travel is to live. We’re making this our mantra for the New Year (and	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1257
__label__wiki	0.766085	0.766085	Porträt / By Evan Moffitt Inside Out: Harmony Hammond’s Queer Art of Bondage In the artist’s first US survey at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, abstract paintings and sculptures evoke women’s bodies in pleasure and pain There are few artists more overdue for attention than Harmony Hammond, the pioneering lesbian feminist whose first US institutional survey opened this month at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut. A prolific painter and sculptor for over five decades, Hammond is perhaps best known as co-founder of both A.I.R., launched in 1972 as the first artist-run gallery in the US dedicated to the work of women artists, and of Heresies: A Feminist Publication of Art & Politics (1977–93), which transformed the emergent discourse of feminism in the arts. Her book Lesbian Art in America: A Contemporary History (2000) is an academic classic. But it is in Hammond’s own artworks that her politics take clearest shape: across the four galleries of this compact exhibition, abstraction is a direct invocation of women’s bodies and the work they produce. Intense textures lend her paintings and sculptures an erotic charge; here, surface is a window onto the interior self. One early painting, The Black Leaf (1976), is a useful starting point: a lozenge-shaped canvas coated in black wax medium that Hammond gouged out in a herringbone pattern, revealing a raw dermis of red oil paint beneath. The work’s stitch-like motif not only invokes the ‘women’s craft’ of basket and textile weaving, which Hammond considers the anthropological genesis of abstract art, but through its visceral execution carries a powerful political message. Writing of the scraped and torn paintings of Louise Fishman and Joan Snyder in a 1977 issue of Heresies, Hammond remarked: ‘The reversal of the usual additive process of painting refers to the violation of the traditional painting surface and also to the physical and psychic violation of women.’ Harmony Hammond, Untitled, 1995, straw, acrylic, oil on canvas (diptych). Courtesy: Alexander Gray Associates, New York © 2018 Harmony Hammond / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS); photograph: Herbert Lotz Violence is always close at hand in Hammond’s work. Daubs of red on the acrylic and straw coat of one untitled canvas from 1998 resemble blood on matted fur. A nearby diptych sports a gruesome gash where its panels have been joined together (Untitled, 1995). As material for basket weaving , straw has gendered connotations; it also invokes the land, another gendered and colonized body. Sieve (1999) features a rusted metal sheet riddled with bullet-sized holes affixed to a canvas slathered in red oils. The work makes obvious reference to the 1950s spacialism of Lucio Fontana, whose slashed and punctured canvases ruptured the modernist picture plane and extended the declarative flatness of abstract painting into real space. Hammond goes further still: her pierced canvases are not just three-dimensional but appear almost to be flesh incarnate, with holes a Doubting Thomas might finger. Harmony Hammond, ‘Material Witness: Five Decades of Art’, 2019, installation view detail, Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. Courtesy: the artist and Alexander Gray Associates, New York © 2018 Harmony Hammond There is a similarly fleshy quality to Hammond’s sculptures, though they appear not freshly wounded but healing. Hug (1978), the earliest work on view from her series ‘Wrapped Sculptures’ (1973–84), features two nesting ladders bundled in cloth painted black and shimmering bronze. Though their forms are faintly recognizable, their diminutive size and excess padding render them useless for their original purpose. Instead, we might take Hammond’s title as an invitation to loop our arms around or through their rungs; or, laid horizontally, they could serve as bedframes or stretchers. As Hammond has argued, these sculptures are not bandaged bodies but, rather, their tender innards: skeletons wrapped thinly in meat and skin. ‘Their associations with female body parts and orifices […] conveyed the interior female body – the muscle, tissue, membrane, fluid,’ she wrote in Lesbian Art in America. ‘Intended to create a lesbian sensual presence in the world, they were not about mummifying, binding, bandaging or protection, but about making something out of itself from the inside out, with the insides showing on the outside.’ In the 1980s, Hammond’s art strayed further outside, to the rural landscape of northern New Mexico, where she relocated in 1984. The results were mixed: highly evocative of the countryside, the works lacked nuance in their address of the social and economic conditions there. Take Inappropriate Longings (1992), for instance: at more than five metres long, it’s the largest work in the show and features a motley patchwork of torn and scuffed linoleum flooring, rust-red paint and muddy latex, into which a homophobic slur has been scratched. The triptych foregrounds a weather-beaten trough filled with dead leaves. The work isn’t so much an abstract reference to poor and conservative rural communities in the US as it is an assemblage of its refuse. Harmony Hammond, Blanco, 2012–2013, oil and mixed media on canvas. Courtesy: Alexander Gray Associates, New York © 2018 Harmony Hammond / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS); photograph: Jeffrey Sturges These days, though, Hammond is at the very top of her game: the most recent works in the exhibition are also arguably the strongest. Blanco (2012–13), a white monochrome painting criss-crossed with grommeted canvas straps, is a sly and sexual send-up of minimalist tropes, like an Agnes Martin in a straitjacket. (At another glance, it resembles a barn door.) Hammond seems to delight in the constrictions of painting and achieves a masterful range of chroma and texture. It is a model of strength through vulnerability – and of how we might escape the moral and political straitjacket of our time. Harmony Hammond: Material Witness, Five Decades of Art runs at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum until 15 September Main Image: Harmony Hammond, Bandaged Grid #1 (detail), 2015, oil and mixed media on canvas. Courtesy: Alexander Gray Associates, New York © 2018 Harmony Hammond / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS); photograph: Jeffrey Sturges Evan Moffitt Evan Moffitt is associate editor of frieze, based in New York, USA. Aldrich Museum How Grindr Changed Gay Life Forever Pedro Almodóvar Looks Death in the Face How Susana Pilar Channels Death and Diaspora Don’t Buy What Virgil Abloh Is Selling The Must-See Exhibitions in New York This Autumn Postcommodity and the Unfinished Business of Building a Fairer Chicago John Armleder and Christian Marclay on the Art of Disruption The Shows to See During New York Pride Frieze Writer’s Prize 2019 What We’re Reading This Summer The Lesbians Who Started it All The Sun Never Sets: Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim’s Landscapes of Light More Porträt How Käthe Kollwitz Invented a New Art of Protest A Collar, A Tie and an Eton Crop: Who Was Nancy Morris? When in Doubt, Go Out Why Alasdair Gray’s (1934-2019) Weird Visions Cannot Be Canonized As Pharoah Sanders Tours the US, What Are the Origins of His ‘Searching Sound’? Günther Uecker Nails It Again	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1263
__label__cc	0.651373	0.348627	Latin America stands up to Monsanto The market with the biggest potential for growth, as far as corporate agriculture is concerned, is putting its foot down and saying no. Chile, Colombia and a growing number of other Latin American countries are taking a stand against Monsanto and its ilk by rejecting advancements to further convert their sustenance to the patented seed stocks owned by the biotechnology cabal, a move that could be a major game-changer on the GMO front. New reports indicate that a coalition of family farmers and others in Chile has successfully put a stop, at least temporarily, to efforts by Monsanto to gain more patent rights. Truth-Out.org reports that grassroots opposition by indigenous farmers and rural communities was enough to block a bill known as the “Monsanto Law,” which would have allowed agribusiness companies the right to patent any seed they develop, modify or even just discover. Colombian Supreme Court declares seed bio-piracy unconstitutional Similar reports have emerged out of Colombia, where biotech companies had previously outlawed the use of non-certified seeds, or seeds that are not patented and owned by a corporation. Following the confiscation and destruction of some 70 tons of non-certified rice seeds by the government, local farmers banded together to contest the unjust law, resulting in its eventual scrapping by the nation’s Supreme Court. All throughout Central and South America, in fact, resistance to transgenic technology and bio-piracy is growing, and governments are being forced to address the issue. Despite the fact that nearly three-quarters of global GMO production currently takes place in Latin America, the tides appear to be turning as awareness grows about this monumental threat to food sovereignty. “From Mexico’s Rio Grande in the north to Argentina’s fertile pampas in the south, indigenous and peasant communities are rising up against government legislation that would apply brutally rigid intellectual copyright laws to the crop seeds they are able to grow,” writes Don Quijones for Testosterone Pit. “The reason why this should be of vital interest — not only to GMO producers and Latin American growers, but also food growers and consumers around the world — is that Latin America is currently the epicentre of the GMO movement, accounting for anywhere between 60 and 70 percent of total global GMO production.” Mexican president calls for ban on GM corn Mexico is partaking in this resistance as well, where traditional maize varieties are increasingly threatened with elimination by genetically modified imposters. Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto recently issued a call for a complete ban on transgenic corn, according to reports, which would cripple the efforts of companies like Monsanto in expanding south of the U.S. border. Even with countries like Argentina and Brazil already onboard — Argentina grows most of the world’s GM soybeans, raking in more than $30 billion annually in revenues — the biotechnology industry is discovering that a silent majority is rising up against it in surprising numbers. And if momentum continues to build, it very well could spell an end to this reckless imperialism that is destroying both humanity and the planet. “In Latin America, the epicentre not only of the GMO markets but also of the fair trade movement, the rural resistance has begun,” added Quijones. “And the stakes could not be higher: for the continent’s millions of small holders and peasant farmers, what they are fighting for is nothing short of basic self-sufficiency and survival.” – The 10 point plan to defeat GMOs – Great news: Monsanto abandons plans for GMOs in Europe – Monsanto exec gets ‘Nobel Peace Prize’ of food – World leaders denounce Monsanto exec winning World Food Prize – Monsanto to outlaw GMO labeling worldwide through TPP – Obama signs ‘Monsanto Protection Act’ written by Monsanto-sponsored senator – Failed Monsanto GMO corn pushed on African countries with help of Bill Gates Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/045001_Latin_America_Monsanto_GMOs.html Monsanto caught manipulating the media and academics Bayer acquires GMO giant Monsanto for $66 billion Are the Olympics worth the cost? Rio Olympics overshadowed by corruption, zika and incompetence Boost for biotech as big pharma faces patent cliff Rio de Janeiro is out of money ahead of Olympic Games	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1271
__label__cc	0.601261	0.398739	Posts Tagged ‘ Grant Avenue ’ On Saturday afternoon, Scott and I wandered into 140 Maiden Lane – Frank Lloyd Wright‘s sole contribution to San Francisco architecture. We were unaware of the building’s cultural significance when we entered it. We were merely curious if the building’s interior matched its plain yet elegant exterior. We were surprised to find an architectural marvel inside. Visiting 140 Maiden Lane was a serendipitous detour. I had been leading the way to Britex, my favourite fabric store, when beautiful voices beckoned. We walked along Grant Avenue and turned left onto Maiden Lane, where a tenor and a soprano were performing for passersby. They stood in the middle of the street. As they sang, their operatic voices reverberated off the surrounding buildings. We listened to several arias, and then Scott tipped the buskers as we walked past them towards Britex’s back door. A century ago, if voices beckoned visitors onto Maiden Lane (which used to be called Morton Street), the voices likely would have belonged to prostitutes, and the visitors likely would have been johns. The 1906 earthquake destroyed the Morton Street red-light district. But I digress. Across the street from Britex, a large “goop MRKT” banner fluttered in the wind above 140 Maiden Lane. “goop MRKT” is a pop-up curation of Gwyneth Paltrow‘s lifestyle brand. Scott told me that he had noticed 140 Maiden Lane before but it had always been closed or vacant. The building’s tall exterior wall of tan brick is relieved by a metal gate hung below a brick arch. As the gate was open, we walked through the arch into a lovely atrium merchandised with tasteful art, books, and clothing. The space itself seemed to be the main attraction for many of the visitors I observed. A large white circular ramp spirals up from the atrium to a mezzanine like a giant nautilus shell. A drop ceiling features 120 white acrylic domes which conceal the building’s pitched glass roof. A hanging planter floats over the atrium like a verdant flying saucer. A small plaque near the door reads “This structure [is] designated by the American Institute of Architects as one of 17 American buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright to be retained as an example of his architectural contribution to American Culture – 1960.” Scott and I peeked behind wooden doors to find hidden offices and a decommissioned dumbwaiter. We opened drawers full of fancy soaps for sale. Eventually, we left and went to Britex. The next day, I returned to 140 Maiden Lane with a prospective client. We had hit it off while exploring the newly-renovated San Francisco Museum of Modern Art so I was happy to share this discovery with him. He seemed taken with the black walnut built-in furniture and fixtures, so we sat in silent appreciation of our surroundings. Before we left, I asked a clerk to tell us about the building’s history. She told us that gift shop owner V.C. Morris commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to renovate 140 Maiden Lane in the late 1940’s, and that the circular ramp in the atrium served as a physical proof of concept for the architect’s interior design of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. She advised us that “goop MRKT” is open at 140 Maiden Lane only until May 22, so there are a few days left to enjoy the space before it closes. 1906 San Francisco Earthquake American Institute of Architects Britex goop MRKT Morton Street Solomon R Guggenheim Museum V.C. Morris	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1283
__label__cc	0.696691	0.303309	Cuba facing hard time still \| Guyana News and Information Discussion Forums Cuba facing hard time still Gloomy indicators: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2...-as-finances-worsen/ ksazmaSmooth Operator Dem too wicked. Obama tried to throw dem a bone and they repaid him by targeting US diplomats with ultrasound weaponry. BasemanSenior Member Cuba should throw a few bones to Trump. Make some gestures and see what happens. Cuba will do well if the open up in a controlled manner! Last edited by ksazma 12/29/188:26 AM Baseman posted: Wouldn't matter. Trump doesn't care for shitholes from shithole countries. Bibi HaniffaGNI Queen I’m hearing that a jet with millions of dollars of cash and Gov’t documents left Ogle airport this morning. Wonder if they gone to Cuba. MitwahSenior Member Bibi Haniffa posted: You need help to stop listening to those little voices in your head. Mitwah posted: Here you go with the personal attacks again. Last edited by Mitwah 12/29/189:29 AM You sound like a broken record. Here you go with the personal attacks again. So why was BRB asking you to name him a Mental Health Clinic in your hood? Most times you will post: I’m hearing...….. DrugbSenior Member That old fellow can't help himself. It is in his genes. Dude you are a special kind of sicko. Here you go with your personal attacks. DjangoModerator Last edited by Django 12/29/189:36 AM Oh..skites..Pradoville 2 nearby Ogle Airport, looks like someone using spy equipment,info gathered are sent to inform the diaspora via GNI. Won't be too long before Admin ban you again. Keep on with your nonsense. PrashadSenior Member Last edited by Prashad 12/29/189:39 AM Cuba needs to bring some of its technology up to date. They have a very educated workforce. For example; A man can build a complete car windscreen in his backyard. They have to develop ways to be self-sufficient in renewable energy, building construction materials (such as good paint that does not wash out from a building with the hard Cuban rain) and food refrigeration. The people are not free also. For example; when Prashad lived in Guyana he put up an antenna in his yard to catch Radio Antilles, Barbadoes radio stations and Suriname Radio stations. A Cuban can get sentenced to 6 months in jail if he puts up an antenna in his yard to listen to American radio stations. The Cuban government is a skont. I am going out for breakfast. When I come back we gonna shoot the breeze. Why did you address me as "Dude"? RayAdmin I don't think you like posting here VishMahabirSenior Member And.....speakin of jets and airports.... Lips, unless you having an amnesia moment....perhaps you remember the exploits of President Donald Ramotar and his buddy (and I dont mean Roger)... Cash-jet pilot found guilty for cocaine, money laundering – faces life sentence Oct 06, 2018 News 0 Comments Convicted: Khamraj Lall Guyanese-born Khamraj Lall, was convicted this week on several charges ranging from cocaine distribution to money laundering. Lall was found guilty last Thursday of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, money laundering, structuring monetary instruments, and conspiracy to commit money laundering and structuring, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced yesterday. Lall, 51, of Ringwood, New Jersey, was convicted on all eight counts of a superseding indictment following an eight-day trial before U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson in Trenton Federal Court. According to documents filed in the case and the evidence at trial, from April 2011 through November 2014, Lall, a private pilot, smuggled hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Guyana to New Jersey and New York on his privately owned jet aircraft and then laundered the proceeds. The accused, who owed a private jet charter business called Exec Jet Club in Gainesville, Florida, used the proceeds of his cocaine empire to purchase jet planes, houses, and cars. He also paid more than $2 million in cash stuffed in suitcases to a Florida contractor to build an airplane hangar in Guyana. The Government of Guyana has since taken possession of the hangar at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport at Timehri. According to the justice.gov, over a three and a half year period, Lall also made (or had others make) 1,287 cash deposits totaling approximately $7.5 million into more than 20 different bank accounts in New Jersey and New York, much of it in $20 bills. In order to avoid detection and circumvent bank reporting laws, all 1,287 deposits were for amounts less than $10,000. In November 2014, Lall was flying one of his jets from the United States to Guyana and stopped in Puerto Rico to refuel. An outbound search of the plane revealed $470,000 in cash stuffed into a suitcase hidden in the tail of the plane, and another $150,000 in cash hidden under a seat. The conspiracy to distribute cocaine carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life in prison, and a $10 million fine. The counts for money laundering and conspiracy to launder money each carry a potential penalty of 20 years in prison. The counts of structuring and conspiracy to structure cash carry a potential penalty of 10 years in prison. US authorities had moved to seize the cash, two planes and other properties related to Lall. The investigations involved several agencies. U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents and task force officers of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John R. Tafur; the Morristown, New Jersey, police department, under the direction of Chief Peter Demnitz; special agents and staff of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael; the Drug Enforcement Administration-Rochester, New York, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt; the Federal Aviation Administration, Law Enforcement Assistance Program; and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations Center under the direction of Richard T. Booth, with the investigation leading to the conviction. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan M. Peck and Thomas S. Kearney of the Criminal Division in Newark. In Guyana, Lall was well known with his 2014 arrest in Puerto Rico a shock. He is said to be the owner of the Kaylees gas station, East Bank Demerara. He ran a limousine service and said to have flown former President Donald Ramotar. The cases involving Lall had spanned from Puerto Rico to New York to New Jersey. Ray posted: Banna, in between tax stuff and all...where do you get the time to read everything here?? Mits can’t help being baited. VishMahabir posted: De banna gat analytics now ksazma posted: He is not being baited. He always throws the first punch. When posters respond to him, he plays victim. Tax time is around the corner. He will take time off. Shut yuh poke. What the man do wrong? His response is appropriate for BS lies. Your buddy does ten times worse and you turn a blind eye. Last edited by caribny 12/29/181:30 PM Gilbakka posted: Yes this is the country that your heroes Cheddi and Janet would have had us emulate. Thank God for Hoyte that this didn't happen. Cuba has beaches so the 2nd largest tourist industry in the Caribbean. This mitigates their plight. Now what would Guyana have done with US boycotts and our insignificant economy, meaning that others would have also complied? No it went to Charrandass. Safe keeping just in case Clive Thomas is allowed to pounce before the elections. Note that I said "allowed". Its Harmon, Jagdeo's buddy, who is holding him back. Left to Bibi we would believe that Jagdeo is a monk who spends all day giving alms to the poor. We do recall Irfaan's rage when he wasn't allowed into his former ministry where he had documents that he needed to burn. Ksazma ... David Granger is getting regular medical treatment through the Cuban government. What rule did I violate? If a woman calls you "Dude", is that not a bait for "friendsing" or wuh? "Personal attacks" can be very subjected. Some peeps are very thin skin. "What does Faint of Heart" expression means? Demerara_Guy posted: They still a skont. Obama was virtually on the ground in Havana and they were whipping protesters into vehicles to suppress them. That is skontology. I can’t tell you man. Nowadays I really don’t give a shit about what anyone says. Careful. DG is a man who was loyal to a God who daily did what Havana and Moscow told him to do, the most crucial being becoming a constructive supporter of the Burnham dictatorship. Yes when Moscow told communist parties to cooperate with socialists Cheddi did as he was told. I call lots of dudes dude. Does that mean ....... caribny posted: Doesn’t matter. Since I came to America, I don’t have any fear of subjection. They still a skont. Obama was virtually on the ground in Havana and they were whipping protesters into vehicles to suppress them. That is skontology. "scratching my head" ... I have to check the meaning in the dictionary. You do have a focused tendency to create lies and distortions. Last edited by Mitwah 12/29/183:27 PM In Canada, the slang for a bundle of half-dried fish or twigs used for fuel or fire is F aggot. Dude is not a Canadian slang. Guy, bloke, mate, bhai are more popular. What’s personal. You write worse than this of other posters and their family. You hear too damn much for your own good. But Maybe it’s in your head, the lies. Try Vraylar. No YOU are a special needs kind. Elections will be free and fair - -President assures US congressional team Man gets 15 years for killing 19-year-old wife - -following retrial East Bank gets new $143.5m magistrate’s court - -will ease burden on Providence Citibank officials on exploratory visit to Guyana Financial Intelligence Unit, CANU sign MoU - -will enable parallel investigations Mon Repos cattle farmers left stranded after GuySuCo sells their pasture - -no notice was given CCJ to weigh whether 37 years too harsh a sentence for man who sexually assaulted child thrice Two men freed of Pomeroon boat collision killing	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1286
__label__wiki	0.719366	0.719366	‘Hello Kitty’ Will Make Its Hollywood Debut by mllkat \| March 5, 2019 Well Hello, Kitty. Yes, one of the world’s most well known felines will be soon be making its Hollywood debut. Sanrio, the Japanese company behind the iconic feline, has granted film rights to the Warner Bros. label New Line Cinema and Flynn Picture Company to develop the character’s first English-language feature film. Along with Hello Kitty, the studio has also been granted the use of other popular characters including Gudetama, My Melody and Little Twin Stars. Details of the partnership are unclear at this time other than Beau Flynn will produce and Wendy Jacobson will executive produce for Flynn Picture. The search for a writer for the project is reported to be under way. This should be exciting news for Hello Kitty fans as it will soon have US feature film to go along with its appearance in comic books, TV series, video games and a number of Japanese language animated films. Not to mention the huge amount of merchandise with the Hello Kitty brand. Are you excited to see either an animated or “live action” Hello Kitty movie in a theater near you? Share that excitement with us at GVNation. Source: Hollywoodreporter.com mllkat I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 15 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1287
__label__cc	0.648551	0.351449	Samhita Karnati @samhitakarnati Learning to Rank for Job Search What we learned from experimenting with “smart” relevance ranking. Handshake’s mission is to democratize opportunity by making sure that every student, regardless of where they go to school or who they know, can find a meaningful career. At the core of Handshake’s student product is a job search engine, where our 14 million students and young alumni can discover jobs from more than 300,000 employers. Towards the end of last year, our data and platform teams decided to experiment with fundamentally different ways to power job search. Here, we’ll discuss how we approached the problem, the service we built, and what we learned from the process. How We Currently Do Job Search As with typical search engines, we index our documents, which are job postings in our case. The documents are stored in an inverted index, which allows for quick, full-text search. An inverted index maps all the unique tokens in a document to a list of the documents in which they each appear. We store our indexed documents in Elasticsearch. When a user types in a query, we break down that query into tokens and look up the tokens in the inverted index. After stemming and removing stopwords, we use numerous strategies to look up the tokens in the inverted index, including partial-word and fuzzy word matching. Finally, the search engine ranks the job postings and returns the results. To rank the postings, we use Elasticsearch’s tf-idf scores; however, we’ve also tried to improve this ranking using other things we know about students. For example, when a student creates an account on Handshake, we ask them to select their preferred industries, locations, and job roles or occupations,. We then boost the scores of the postings that match their preferences. Current search architecture. What is Learning to Rank? Learning to rank (LTR) is the application of machine learning to relevance ranking. LTR is typically used as a reranking layer on top of an existing search engine, which means that after the search engine returns the top x documents, the LTR service simply reranks those x documents before returning the results. This architecture is preferred over replacing the whole search engine with the machine learning model for two reasons. First, traditional search engines are typically good enough at returning a set of relevant documents (measured by recall and precision). Our goal is to improve how the documents are ranked. We do not need to train a machine learning model to do both tasks, so we use LTR to specifically improve relevancy ranking. The second reason for using LTR as an additional layer is for performance; reranking 500 or 1000 postings is much quicker than reranking tens of thousands of postings. Implementing LTR for Job Search We considered two different implementations of LTR: using the Elasticsearch LTR plugin and creating our own service using Ranklib (the library of reranking algorithms that the Elasticsearch LTR plugin is built on). We decided to go with the latter option, as it would not make us dependent on a specific version of Elasticsearch and allows for more configurability. The Data and Model Independent of the overall architecture, LTR relies on a supervised machine learning model, which must be trained. We used Ranklib to train the model, requiring that we use QID (query-ID) file format for both the training set and the data to rerank. In QID files, we assign an ID to each query and indices to each (one-hot encoded) feature. In our case, the queries are not driven by keywords that a user might type in, but rather by the user’s personal, pre-selected job preferences. To build a training set, we assigned a relevance score to each job based on the behavior of the student upon seeing it: 0 — no action, 2 — clicked on the job, 3 — favorited the job, 4 — applied to the job. Using the users’ behavior theoretically allows the model to find latent patterns that we would not be able to detect. The features are characteristics of the jobs or employers and the user — like whether or not the employer belongs to the user’s preferred industry, or whether or not the employer is hiring students from the user’s school year. We used this training set to train models using each of Ranklib’s eight reranking algorithm implementations, settling on LambdaMART for the MVP reranking service as it had the best NDCG@10 score. The Reranking Service With our trained model, we set out to make a service we could use as the reranking layer of our search architecture. The original idea was to write a Go service that would execute the Ranklib bash command for every search. However, we realized how inefficient this would be as every request would require a jvm be spun up to execute the Ranklib jar. To solve this problem, we decided to write a Java service. Not only did this help with efficiency, but it also allowed us to make some customizations allowing for easier integration with our main app. For example, writing our own API instead of using Ranklib’s rerank method allowed us to pass a JSON object of jobs to rerank, instead of a file in QID format. Search architecture with reranking service. The best way to know if our reranking service performed better than only using Elasticsearch would be to deploy it to production and see if more students were clicking on and applying to jobs. We are currently evaluating productionizing this service and comparing it against newer options that we believe could perform better (more to come on that later!). It’s important to note that machine learning does not solve everything. And while using machine learning to solve relevance ranking sounds great, there are many other low-investment ways to improve how we show jobs to students. For example, we can make sure that we are collecting more accurate and up-to-date preferences from students so we can use our current framework to show them the best jobs possible. Or we could empower users to make better searches, and therefore find better results, by providing more helpful search keyword recommendations. One of the biggest takeaways from this project, which will help inform the future of search at Handshake, is that many students are still in an exploratory mode. They are unsure of what they are looking for, or, at the very least, are unsure of how to translate their goals into search keywords. In fact, 59% of searches use no keywords, relying on filters and our job ranking. Handshake is uniquely positioned to help these users as we focus exclusively on early talent. In the coming months, we will be rethinking how we approach job search to determine the best way to help all of our users find and build meaningful careers. https://medium.com/@purbon/learning-to-rank-101-5755f2797a3a http://times.cs.uiuc.edu/course/598f14/l2r.pdf https://www.ebayinc.com/stories/blogs/tech/measuring-search-relevance/ https://opensourceconnections.com/blog/2017/02/14/elasticsearch-learning-to-rank/ If you have thoughts on any of the topics discussed here, feel free to reach out (@samhitakarnati on Twitter)! Elasticsearch Data Science Search Job Search Job Search Ranking Designing a search experience your users will come back for: a guide for web platform owners Lionel Martin ✏️ Advanced annotation tools in Deep Learning: training data for computer vision with Supervisely Supervise.ly 10 Best Search Tool Extensions In Chrome Web Store Christian Stewart ✔️ Career Fair: What 100 recruiters say to do to stand out. BeeHyve	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1289
__label__wiki	0.868992	0.868992	Baltimore leaders: 'We are proud and privileged to call Baltimore home' Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels, nine other city leaders co-author open letter published by 'The Baltimore Sun' in which they 'reject the recent unfair and ungenerous characterizations of our great city and its region' / Published July 29, 2019 Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels and nine other leaders of anchor institutions in Baltimore co-authored an op-ed published by The Baltimore Sun today praising Baltimore as a vibrant, creative city populated by Americans who "deserve respect, support and steadfast partnership from elected officials at every level." The letter—published two days after President Donald Trump took to Twitter to deride U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings' congressional district, which includes much of Baltimore, as "a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess" and a "very dangerous & filthy place"—was signed by Daniels; Kevin Plank, founder, CEO and chairman of the board at Under Armour; Eddie Brown, chair, CEO, and founder of Brown Capital Management; Lisa Hamilton, president and CEO at Annie E. Casey Foundation; Michael Hankin, president and CEO at Brown Advisory; Freeman Hrabowski, president of UMBC; Tim Regan, president and CEO at Whiting Turner; Kurt Schmoke, president of the University of Baltimore; Bill Stromberg, president and CEO at T.Rowe Price; and David Wilson, president of Morgan State University. "We see the promise of Baltimore because we are fortunate to work, serve and live here, alongside our colleagues, employees, students and neighbors," they wrote. More from The Sun: We are proud and privileged to call Baltimore home. Baltimore is a city of creativity, optimism, and determination. Home to leading public and private research universities, world-class medical institutions, and a diverse business community, Baltimore is a city where both artists and start-ups thrive. From creating one of the nation's first racially integrated library systems to producing today's modern medical and technological breakthroughs, our city has a proud legacy of leadership in improving lives and setting a national example for a stronger tomorrow. It's no wonder we are often named as a place where millennials are moving and staying. This is a city where people not only want to live, but love to live. That is why we, as leaders of 10 of Baltimore's anchor institutions, reject the recent unfair and ungenerous characterizations of our great city and its region. Like so many cities across America, Baltimore is a place of paradox, at once vibrant and full of promise and yet also burdened by the weight of generations of racial and economic inequities, deindustrialization, and disinvestment. Like other cities of our size and history, we face urgent challenges with crime, housing equity and our education system. But like all Americans, Baltimoreans deserve respect, support and steadfast partnership from elected officials at every level. Read the op-ed in its entirety in The Baltimore Sun Posted in Voices+Opinion Tagged president ron daniels	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1293
__label__wiki	0.711818	0.711818	Home CompaniesB2B How Midtown Alliance Helps 1.2 Square Miles Be a Tech Business Beacon B2BB2CCommunityCompaniesOrganizations How Midtown Alliance Helps 1.2 Square Miles Be a Tech Business Beacon by Renay San Miguel October 4, 2016 by Renay San Miguel October 4, 2016 0 comment Yesterday, the American Planning Association named Midtown Atlanta as one of only five neighborhoods nationally to receive the honor of 2016’s list of Great Places in America. This announcement would be enough to make Midtown Alliance President/CEO Kevin Green‘s month. Yet, less than a month ago, NCR Corporation, already committed to relocating its global headquarters from Gwinnett County to a new Midtown tower – and the 3,600 jobs that come along with it – said it would build a second tower to house 1,800 more employees. The smile barely had time to leave Green’s face when Honeywell, on the very next day, announced it would choose Midtown for both its new Software Development Center and the headquarters for its $10 billion-a-year Home and Building Technologies business. That’s 830 more future jobs, bringing the total to 6,230. Where does all that good news fit into the 38-year history of Midtown Alliance, a non-profit group of private sector leaders and community-minded individuals with the goal of making a 1.2 square mile section of the city attractive to Fortune 500s, tech startups, and the people who work for them? Midtown today TechSquare before “It’s a huge landmark,” Green told Hypepotamus, “considering the fact that NCR doubles down while still in construction with Phase One, and then they announce Phase Two. That’s great validation that they made the right choice.” Green also argues that the last two years of Midtown announcements make it one of the country’s leading innovation districts, an urban design strategy championed in the early 2000s by Brookings Institution scholar Bruce Katz. Mix anchor institutions like universities and large companies with entrepreneur-friendly resources such as tech incubators and co-working spaces, and then sprinkle them throughout livable, walkable areas, and you have the 21st century recipe for economic vitality. “Midtown is the poster child for that,” Green said, who added that 25 percent of the city’s tech jobs are now in Midtown, which makes up .8 of one percent of the city’s total land area. “Tech Square has been on a slow burn, and all of a sudden the fuse has been lit faster, and we’re seeing an explosive growth of jobs and economic activity. I think we’re going to look back on this in 100 years and say this was a pivotal time for the city and the state.” That innovation district foundation was laid for Midtown in 2000 with the completion of the first Blueprint Atlanta, the Alliance’s community-driven master plan for what all interested parties hoped the district would look like in the future, including office/residential development, transportation and public safety improvements. Before Blueprint Atlanta, Midtown was a scary area to either avoid or drive through as quickly as legally possible. “There were some beacons of development, but even if you looked down Peachtree Street, you saw boarded up, abandoned retail,” said Green, an Emory University graduate. Suddenly, Midtown – defined by the Alliance by the Downtown Connector on the west, Piedmont Park to the east, the Savannah College of Art and Design on the north and Emory University Hospital Midtown to the south – found itself the subject of the biggest rezoning initiative in the city’s history. Nearly $5 billion in new investment, along with the zoning regulations, started sparking transformations. “The good news is, when you build a building, you have to adhere to the special zoning, which means you have to bring the building up to the street,” Green said. “You’ve got to build out the streetscapes to our standards, which means wide sidewalks, active uses of the street level, differentiating your bottom two floor’s facade, planting large caliper trees, all of which lends itself to the walkable district we’ve got today.” Around the same time that Blueprint Atlanta was approved, Green says Georgia Tech’s leadership provided the other catalyzing moment for Midtown with the establishment of Tech Square, “which at the time was a bunch of weedy vacant lots.” Thanks to that vision, Tech Square became “the urban front door of Georgia Tech, creating an ecosystem focusing on technology and the talent” that has proven to be so attractive to legacy companies and startups. How attractive? In addition to NCR and Honeywell, here are just some of the company moves to Midtown that have kept Green in a good mood for the past two years: Equifax expansion/relocation from OTP, 800-plus jobs. GE Digital’s global digital operations center, 400 total jobs. Kaiser Permanente tech campus in Pershing Point Plaza, 900 jobs. WorldPay’s corporate HQ relocation to Atlantic Station, 1200 total jobs. Sage Software’s North American HQ relocation, also Atlantic Station, 400 jobs. Keysight Technologies software development center in Tech Square, 250 jobs. Then there are the corporate innovation centers/accelerators recently founded in or near Tech Square, hoping to fish in the Georgia Tech talent/idea stream: Coca-Cola, Home Depot, Delta, Anthem, AT&T, Worldpay, NCR, Panasonic, Southern Company. That’s 70,000 jobs, 20,000 residents, 20 high rise construction sites, and another 20 projects in the pipeline, including Georgia Tech’s futuristic, collaborative high performance computing center, Coda, which breaks ground in November. “It really helps to have an organization whose job it is to wake up every day and say what needs to be done, to have that organization that’s plugged into the Georgia Techs, the residential community, the other NGOs and cultural attractions, and have everyone presenting consensus positions on what needs to happen,” Green said. Blueprint AtlantaEquifaxGE DigitalHoneywellKevin GreenMidtown AllianceNCRWorldPay Renay San Miguel Kovered Hits High Note Monetizing and Marketing Musicians CMO Breakfast to Welcome Waffle House Exec Bert Thornton How To Build Wellness Programs Your Startup Employees...	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1295
__label__wiki	0.73526	0.73526	Big Metal 6th Edition By Kaptain Carbon Big metal month returns for 2018. This was a column I started to devote not only keep up with big name releases but also take a breather from releases that 10 people will probably hear. This also gives me a chance to keep myself up to date with the bigger labels and a mainstream approach to heavy music. It is also a different way for me to fish out any albums that would be interesting for full length review. I think I found one while the rest are sort of scary and too busy to talk to me. I think Watain would be more scary and sinister without a big budget video and polished sound but whatever, this is black metal with high overhead. For a band that was becoming the embodiment of everything 80’s parents thought their kids were listening to, Watain has certainly fallen into big company with a new album from Century Media. Despite the big explosive videos, this Swedish band has been riding on a rollercoaster with large name albums with decent mi-fi black metal. You could do much worse than Watain in terms of black metal to listen to as much as you could probably do much better. In the end, you get explosions so whatever. Between the Buried and Me exists as a champion among progressive metal fans who are still doing double albums in a time when its hard to get people to pay for one album. If we ever get to the point where the record industry is looking for ways to entice fans into paying for music, it is going to come by the way of noise loving cassette culture and progressive metal fans who love triple albums. I have always enjoyed the structure and consistency with this band despite them getting into the territory of never being able to release one album at a time. Black Veil Brides existence in this world perhaps mirrors the disdain/popularity of other glam metal bands of the 1980’s. Despite this song being simple power rock with a video that is the cringy daydreams of moody adolescence, one can not deny the presence of a band like this on old metrics of popularity. To be honest, this is probably how Motley Crue looked back in the 1980’s so I guess Black Veil Brides will be cool in another 30 years. What about the music? Well, whatever. We are far beyond the tunnels of the underground so we might as well enjoy ourselves. It is always odd writting about Tribulation n a column like this as they were sort of an up and coming spooky black/death back in the halcyon days of 2009. Now look at them. All grown up with weird music video that doesn’t really suit their style all to themselves. For the last two records, Tribulation have been getting bigger and sort of awkwardly cast out from their original fans and new ones who do not know what to do with them. Regardless, their music has always been the same and enjoyable. If you like spooky progressive black / death with a band that takes care of their wardrobe, it is time to get glamourous. Let us be honest, I have very little idea what is going on in the first 30 seconds of this video and even less interest in what is happening after that moment. While Machine Head has sort of wormed its way out of the whole Nu Metal bubble, the band has been a standard bearer for the groove/thrash/nu metal sound throughout the 00’s. Now in 2018, we get to relive what it was probably like in the late 90’s with big hooks and angry vocals. Do not come expecting anything relevant in a current metal sound rather what an alternate history would have looked like had nu metal never become uncool. You know what, I never really listened to this band and I know they have a long catalog. From my research, Arkona has been consistently making Russian influenced folk metal much to the enjoyment of fans who probally have medevial weapons somewhere in their house. From the sound of their single “V pogonie za beloj ten’yu’ and most of their new record Khram, Arkona is pretty solid and consistent with their sound which is funny as their outfits are way more elaborate than others in this article. Well, maybe not Tribulation and most certainly not BVB. Tags: Hollywood Metal, Kaptain Carbon Categorised in: Metal DUNGEON SYNTH DIGEST XX MORDHEIM – City of the Dammned Heavy Metal 2019: Upcoming Releases ROCK OF AGES II – Bigger & Boulder Dungeon Synth Compilation VIII: On Old Misty Roads AYREON – The Theory of Everything	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1297
__label__cc	0.734364	0.265636	Hop-Picking Diary George Orwell's diary about tramping and hop-picking, 1931 Note on the text Orwell’s notes 19.9.31 to 8.10.31 Posted on 8 October by orwelldiaries Ginger and I went to kip in Tooley Street, owned by Lew Levy who owns the one in Westminster Bridge Road. It is only sevenpence a night, and it is probably the best sevenpenny one in London. There are bugs in the beds, but not many, and the kitchens, though dark and dirty, are convenient, with abundant fires and hot water. The lodgers are a pretty low lot – mostly Irish unskilled labourers, and out of work at that. We met some queer types among them. There was one man, aged 68, who worked carrying crates of fish (they weigh a hundredweight each) in Billingsgate market. He was interested in politics, and he told me that on Bloody Sunday in ’88 [1] he had taken part in the rioting and been sworn in as a special constable on the same day. Another old man, a flower seller, was mad. Most of the time he behaved quite normally, but when his fits were on he would walk up and down the kitchen uttering dreadful beast-like yells, with an expression of agony on his face. Curiously enough, the fits only came on in wet weather. Another man was a thief. He stole from shop counters and vacant motor cars, especially commercial travellers’ cars, and sold the stuff to a Jew in Lambeth Cut. Every evening you would see him smartening himself up to go ‘up West’. He told me that he could count on £2 a week, with a big haul from time to time. He managed to swoop the till of a public house almost every Christmas, generally getting £40 or £50 by this. He had been stealing for years and only been caught once, and then was bound over. As always seems the case with thieves, his work brought him no good, for when he got a large sum he blued it instantly. He had one of the ignoblest faces I ever saw, just like a hyena’s; yet he was likeable, and decent about sharing food and paying debts. Several mornings Ginger and I worked helping the porters at Billingsgate. You go there at five and stand at the corner of one of the streets that lead up to Billingsgate into Eastcheap. When a porter is having trouble to get his barrow up, he shouts ‘Up the ‘ill!’ and you spring forward (there is fierce competition for the jobs, of course) and shove the barrow behind. The payment is ‘twopence an up’. They take on about one shover-up for four hundredweight, and the work knocks it out of your thighs and elbows, but you don’t get enough jobs to tire you out. Standing there from five till nearly midday, I never made more than 1/6d. If you are very lucky a porter takes you on as his regular assistant, and then you make about 4/6d a morning. The porters themselves seem to make about £4 or £5 a week. There are several things worth noticing about Billingsgate. One is that vast quantities of the work done there are quite unnecessary, being due to the complete lack of any centralised transport system. What with porters, barrowmen, shovers-up etc, it now costs round about £1 to get a ton of fish from Billingsgate to one of the London railway termini. If it were done in an orderly manner, by lorries, I suppose it would cost a few shillings. Another thing is that the pubs in Billingsgate are open at the hours when other pubs are shut. And another is that the barrowmen at Billingsgate do a regular traffic in stolen fish, and you can get fish dirt cheap if you know one of them. After about a fortnight in the lodging house I found that I was writing nothing, and the place itself was beginning to get on my nerves, with its noise and lack of privacy, and the stifling heat of the kitchen, and above all the dirt. The kitchen had a permanent sweetish reek of fish, and all the sinks were blocked with rotting fish guts which stank horribly. You had to store your food in dark corners which were infested by black beetles and cockroaches, and there were crowds of horrible languid flies everywhere. The dormitory was also disgusting, with the perpetual din of coughing and spitting – everyone in a lodging house has a chronic cough, no doubt from the foul air. I had got to write some articles, which could not be done in such surroundings, so I wrote home for money and took a room in Windsor Street near the Harrow Road. Ginger has gone off on the road again. Most of this narrative was written in the Bermondsey public library, which has a good reading room and was convenient for the lodging house. The diary ends here. [1] Bloody Sunday: this took place in London on 13 November 1887 (not 1888). Some 10,000 protestors marched to Trafalgar Square where a number of speakers (including George Bernard Shaw) were to address them. They were protesting about conditions in Ireland and demanded the release from prison of an MP, William O’Brien. Some two thousand police and four hundred soldiers opposed them (although the latter did not resort to the use of their bayonets of firing rifles). Peter Davison Posted in Uncategorized \| Tagged Bermondsey, Billingsgate, Bloody Sunday, bugsfires, Eastcheap, fish, fish guts, fits, flower seller, Ginger, Harrow Road, hot water, Irishmen, kip, labourers, Lambeth Cut, Lew Levy, lodging house, market, porters, public library, shover-up, theft, Tooley Street, Westminster Bridge Road, Windsor Street, writing \| Leave a comment Posted on 19 September by orwelldiaries On the last morning, when we had picked the last field, there was a queer game of catching the women and putting them in the bins. Very likely there will be something about this in the Golden Bough. It is evidently an old custom, and all harvests have some custom of this kind attached to them. The people who were illiterate or thereabouts brought their tally books to me and other ‘scholars’ to have them reckoned up, and some of them paid a copper or two to have it done. I found that in quite a number of cases the farm cashiers had made a mistake in the addition, and invariably the mistake was in favour of the farm. Of course the pickers got the sum due when they complained, but they would not have if they had accepted the farm cashier’s reckoning. Moreover, the farm had a mean little rule that anyone who was going to complain about his tally book had to wait till all the other pickers had been paid off. This meant waiting till the afternoon, so that some people who had buses to catch had to go home without claiming the sum due to them. (Of course it was only a few coppers in most cases. One woman’s book, however, was added up over £1 wrong.) Ginger and I packed our things and walked over to Wateringbury to catch the hoppickers’ train. On the way we stopped to buy tobacco, and as a sort of farewell to Kent, Ginger cheated the tobacconist’s girl of fourpence, by a very cunning dodge. When we got to Wateringbury station about fifty hoppers were waiting for the train, and the first person we saw was old Deafie, sitting on the grass with a newspaper in front of him. He lifted it aside, and we saw that he had his trousers undone and was exhibiting his penis to the women and children as they passed. I was surprised – such a decent old man, really; but there is hardly a tramp who has not some sexual abnormality. The Hoppers’ train was ninepence cheaper than the ordinary fare, and it took nearly five hours to get us to London – 30 miles. At about 10 at night the hop-pickers poured out at London Bridge station, a number of them drunk and all carrying bunches of hops; people in the street readily bought these bunches of hops, I don’t know why. Deafie, who had travelled in our carriage, asked us into the nearest pub and stood us each a pint, the first beer I had had in three weeks. Then he went off to Hammersmith, and no doubt he will be on the bum till next year’s fruit-picking begins. On adding up our tally book, Ginger and I found that we had made just 26/- each by eighteen days’ work. We had drawn 8/- each in advances (or ‘subs’ as they are called), and we had made another 6/- between us by selling stolen apples. After paying our fares we got to London with about 16/- each. So we had, after all, kept ourselves while we were in Kent and come back with a little in pocket; but we had only done it by living on the very minimum of everything. Posted in Uncategorized \| Tagged apples, beer, bins, buses, Deafie, farm, fruit-picking, Ginger, Golden Bough, Hammersmith, hop-fields, hop-picking, hoppickers' train, hops, illiteracy, Kent, London Bridge, money, payment, pub, scholars, sex, tally book, tobacco, tobacconist, train, tramps, Wateringbury \| 1 Comment 2.9.31 to 19.9.31 X* Hops are trained up poles or over wires about 10 feet high, and grown in rows a yard or two apart. All the pickers have to do is to tear them down and strip the hops into a bin, keeping them as clean as possible of leaves. In practice, of course, it is impossible to keep all the leaves out, and the experienced pickers swell the bulk of their hops by putting in just as many leaves as the farmer will stand for. One soon gets the knack of the work and the only hardships are the standing (we were generally on our feet ten hours a day), the plagues of plant lice, and the damage to one’s hands. One’s hands get stained as black as a negro’s with the hop-juice, which only mud will remove,** and after a day or two they crack and are cuts to bits by the stems of the vines, which are spiny. In the mornings, before the cuts had reopened, my hands used to give me perfect agony, and even at the time of typing this (October 10th) they show the marks. Most of the people who go down hopping have done it every year since they were children, and they pick like lightning and know all the tricks, such as shaking the hops to make them lie loose in the bin etc. The most successful pickers are families, who have two or three adults to strip the vines, and a couple of children to pick up the fallen hops and clear the odd strands. The laws about child labour are disregarded utterly, and some of the people drive their children pretty hard. The woman in the next bin to us, a regular old-fashioned East Ender, kept her grandchildren at it like slaves. – ‘Go on, Rose, you lazy little cat, pick them ‘ops up. I’ll warm you arse if I get up to you’ etc. until the children, aged from 6 to 10, used to drop down and fall asleep on the ground. But they liked the work, and I don’t suppose it did them more harm than school. As to what one can earn, the system of payment is this. Two or three times a day the hops are measured, and you are due a certain sum (in our case twopence) for each bushel you have picked. A good vine yields about half a bushel of hops, and a good picker can strip a vine in about 10 minutes, so that theoretically one might earn about 30/- by a sixty hour week. But in practice this is quite impossible. To begin with, the hops vary enormously. On some vines they are as large as small pears, and on others hardly bigger than peas; the bad vines take rather longer to strip than the good ones – they are generally more tangled – and sometimes it needs five or six of them to make a bushel. Then there are all kinds of delays, and the pickers get no compensation for lost time. Sometimes it rains (if it rains hard the hops get too slippery to pick), and one is always kept waiting when changing from field to field, so that an hour or two is wasted every day. And above all there is the question of measurement. Hops are soft things like sponges, and it is quite easy for the measurer to crush a bushel of them into a quart if he chooses. Some days he merely scoops the hops out, but on other days he has orders from the farmer to ‘take them heavy’, and then he crams them right into the basket, so that instead of getting 20 bushels for a full bin one gets only 12 or 14 – i.e. a shilling or so less. There was a song about this, which the old East End woman and her grandchildren were always singing: ‘Our lousy hops! Our lousy hops! When the measurer he comes round, Pick ‘em up, pick ‘em up off the ground! When he comes to measure He never knows where to stop; Ay, ay, get in the bin And take the fucking lot!’ From the bin the hops are put into 10-bushel pokes[1] which are supposed to weigh a hundredweight and are normally carried by one man. It used to take two men to hoist a full poke when the measurer had been taking them heavy. With all these difficulties, one can’t earn 30/- a week or anything near it. It is a curious fact, though, that very few of the pickers were aware how little they really earned, because the piece-work system disguises the low rate of payment. The best pickers in our gang were a family of gypsies, five adults and a child, all of whom, of course, had picked hops every year since they could walk.[2] In a little under three weeks these people earned exactly £10 between them – i.e., leaving out the child, about 14/- a week each. Ginger and I earned about 9/- a week each,[3] and I doubt if any individual picker made over 15/- a week. A family working together can make their keep and their fare back to London at these rates, but a single picker can hardly do even that. On some of the farms nearby the tally, instead of being 6 bushels to the shilling, was 8 or 9, at which one would have a hard job to earn 10/- a week. When one starts work the farm gives one a printed copy of rules, which are designed to reduce a picker more or less to a slave. According to these rules the farmer can sack a picker without notice and on any pretext whatever, and pay him off at 8 bushels a shilling instead of six – i.e. confiscate a quarter of his earnings. If a picker leaves his job before the picking is finished, his earnings are docked the same amount. You cannot draw what you have earned and then clear off, because the farm will never pay you more than two thirds of your earnings in advance, and so are in your debt till the last day. The binmen (i.e. foremen of gangs) get wages instead of being paid on the piecework system, and these wages cease if there is a strike, so naturally they will raise Heaven and earth to prevent one. Altogether the farmers have the hop-pickers in a cleft stick, and always will have until there is a pickers’ union. It is not so much use to try and form a union, though, for about half the pickers are women and gypsies, and are too stupid to see the advantages of it. As to our living accommodation, the best quarters on the farm, ironically enough, were disused stables. Most of us slept in round tin huts about 10 feet across, with no glass in the windows, and all kinds of holes to let in the wind and rain. The furniture of these huts consisted of a heap of straw and hop-vines, and nothing else. There were four of us in our hut, but in some of them there were seven or eight – rather an advantage, really, for it kept the hut warm. Straw is rotten stuff to sleep in (it is much more draughty than hay) and Ginger and I had only a blanket each, so we suffered agonies of cold for the first week; after that we stole enough pokes to keep us warm. The farm gave us free firewood, though not as much as we needed. The water tap was 200 yards away, and the latrine the same distance, but it was so filthy that one would have walked a mile sooner than use it. There was a stream where one could do some laundering, but getting a bath in the village would have been about as easy as buying a tame whale. X The hop-pickers seemed to be of three types: East Enders, mostly costermongers, gypsies, and itinerant agricultural labourers with a sprinkling of tramps. The fact that Ginger and I were tramps got us a great deal of sympathy, especially among the fairly well-to-do people. There was one couple, a coster and his wife, who were like a father and mother to us. They were the kind of people who are generally drunk on Saturday nights and who tack a ‘fucking’ on to every noun, yet I have never seen anything that exceeded their kindness and delicacy. They gave us food over and over again. A child would come to the hut with a saucepan: ‘Eric, mother was going to throw this stew away, but she said it was a pity to waste it. Would you like it?’ Of course they were not really going to have thrown it away, but said this to avoid the suggestion of charity. One day they gave us a whole pig’s head, ready cooked. These people had been on the road several years themselves, and it made them sympathetic. – ‘Ah, I know what it’s like. Skippering in the fucking wet grass, and then got to tap the milkman in the morning before you can get a cup of tea. Two of my boys were born on the road’ etc. Another man who was very decent to us was an employee in a paper factory. Before this he had been vermin-man to Lyons, and he told me that the dirt and vermin in Lyons’ kitchens, even in Cadby Hall, passed belief. When he worked at Lyons’ branch in Throgmorton Street, the rats were so numerous that it was not safe to go into the kitchens at night unarmed; you had to carry a revolver.[4] After I had mixed with these people for a few days it was too much of a fag to go on putting on my cockney accent, and they noticed that I talked ‘different’. As usual, this made them still more friendly, for these people seem to think that it is especially dreadful to ‘come down in the world’. Out of about 200 pickers at Blest’s farm, 50 or 60 were gypsies. They are curiously like oriental peasants – the same heavy faces, at once dull and sly, and the same sharpness in their own line and startling ignorance outside it. Most of them could not read even a word, and none of their children seemed ever to have gone to school. One gypsy, aged about 40, used to ask me questions such as, ‘How far is Paris from France?’ ‘How many days’ journey by caravan to Paris?’ etc. A youth, aged twenty, used to ask this riddle half a dozen times a day. – ‘I’ll tell you something you can’t do?’ – ‘What?’ – ‘Tickle a gnat’s arse with a telegraph pole.’ (At this, never-failing yells of laughter.) The gypsies seem to be quite rich, owning caravans, horses etc. yet they go on all year round working as itinerant labourers and saving money. They used to say that our way of life (living in houses etc.) seemed disgusting to them, and to explain how clever they had been in dodging the army during the war. Talking to them you had the feeling of talking to people from another century. I had often heard a gypsy say, ‘If I knew where so and so was, I’d ride my horse till it hadn’t a shoe left to catch him’ – not a 20th century metaphor at all. One day some gypsies were talking about a noted horse-thief called George Bigland, and one man, defending him, said: ‘I don’t think George is as bad as you make out. I’ve known him to steal Gorgias’ (Gentiles’) horses, but he wouldn’t go so far as to steal from one of us.’ The gypsies call us Gorgias and themselves Romanies, but they are nicknamed Didecais (not certain of spelling). They all knew Romany, and occasionally used a word or two when they didn’t want to be understood. A curious thing I noticed about the gypsies – I don’t know whether it is the same everywhere – was that you would often see a whole family who were totally unlike one another. It almost seems to countenance the stories about gypsies stealing children; more likely though, it is because it’s a wise child etc. One of the men in our hut was an old deaf tramp we had met outside West Malling spike – Deafie, he was called. He was rather a Mr F.’s aunt[5] in conversation, and he looked just like a drawing by George Belcher,[6] but he was an intelligent, decently educated man, and no doubt would not have been on the road if he could hear. He was not strong enough for heavy work, and he had done nothing for years except odds jobs like hopping. He calculated that he had been in over 400 different spikes. The other man, named Barrett, and a man in our gang named George, were good specimens of the itinerant agricultural labourer. For years past they had worked on a regular round: Lambing in early spring, then pea-picking, strawberries, various other fruits, hops, ‘spud-grabbing’, turnips and sugar beet. They were seldom out of work for more than a week or two, yet even this was enough to swallow up anything they could earn. They were both penniless when they arrived at Blest’s farm, and I saw Barrett work certainly one day without a bite to eat. The proceeds of all their work were the clothes they stood up in, straw to sleep on all the year round, meals of bread and cheese and bacon, and I suppose one or two good drunks a year. George was a dismal devil, and took a sort of worm-like pride in being underfed and overworked, and always tobying from job to job. His line was, ‘It doesn’t do for people like us to have fine ideas’. (He could not read or write, and seemed to think even literacy a kind of extravagance.) I know this philosophy well, having often met it among the dishwashers in Paris.[7] Barrett, who was 63, used to complain a lot about the badness of food nowadays, compared with what you could get when he was a boy. – ‘In them days we didn’t live on this fucking bread and marg, we ’ad good solid tommy. Bullock’s ’eart. Bacon dumpling. Black pudden. Pig’s ’ead.’ The glutinous, reminiscent tone in which he said ‘pig’s ’ead’ suggested decades of underfeeding. Besides all these regular pickers there were what are called ‘home-dwellers’; i.e. local people who pick at odd times, chiefly for the fun of it. They are mostly farmers’ wives and the like, and as a rule they and the regular pickers loathe one another. One of them, however, was a very decent woman, who gave Ginger a pair of shoes and me an excellent coat and waistcoat and two shirts. Most of the local people seemed to look on us as dirt, and the shopkeepers were very insolent, though between us we must have spent several hundred pounds in the village. One day at hop-picking was very much like another. At about a quarter to six in the morning we crawled out of the straw, put on our coats and boots (we slept in everything else) and went out to get a fire going – rather a job this September, when it rained all the time. By half past six we had made tea and fried some bread for breakfast, and then we started off to work, with bacon sandwiches and a drum of cold tea for our dinner. If it didn’t rain we were working pretty steadily till about one, and then we would start a fire between the vines, heat up our tea and knock off for half an hour. After that we were at it again till half past five, and by the time we had got home, cleaned the hop juice off our hands and had tea, it was already dark and we were dropping with sleep. A good many nights, though, we used to go out and steal apples. There was a big orchard nearby, and three or four of us used to rob it systematically, carrying a sack and getting half a hundredweight of apples at a time, besides several pounds of cobnuts. On Sundays we used to wash our shirts and socks in the stream, and sleep the rest of the day. As far as I remember I never undressed completely all the time we were down there, nor washed my teeth, and I only shaved twice a week. Between working and getting meals (and that meant fetching everlasting cans of water, struggling with wet faggots, frying in tin-lids etc.) one seemed to have not an instant spare. I only read one book all the time I was down there, and that was a Buffalo Bill. Counting up what we spent I find that Ginger and I fed ourselves on about 5/- a week each, so it is not surprising that we were constantly short of tobacco and constantly hungry, in spite of the apples and what the others gave us. We seemed to be forever doing sums in farthings to find out whether we could afford another half ounce of shag or another two-pennorth of bacon. It wasn’t a bad life, but what with standing all day, sleeping rough and getting my hands cut to bits, I felt a wreck at the end of it. It was humiliating to see that most of the people there looked on it as a holiday – in fact, it is because hopping is regarded as a holiday that pickers will take such starvation wages. It gives one an insight into the lives of farm labourers, too, to realise that according to their standards hop-picking is hardly work at all. One night a youth knocked at our door and said that he was a new picker and had been told to sleep in our hut. We let him in and fed him in the morning, after which he vanished. It appeared that he was not a picker at all, but a tramp, and that tramps often work this dodge in the hopping season, in order to get a kip under shelter. Another night a woman who was going home asked me to help her get her luggage to Wateringbury station. As she was leaving early they had paid her off at eight bushels a shilling, and her total earnings were only just enough to get herself and her family home. I had to push a perambulator, with one eccentric wheel and loaded with huge packages, two and a half miles through the dark, followed by a retinue of yelling children. When we got to the station the last train was just coming in, and in rushing the pram across the level crossing I upset it. I shall never forget that moment – the train bearing down on us, and the porter and I chasing a tin chamberpot that was rolling down the track. On several nights Ginger tried to persuade me to come and rob the church with him, and he would have done it alone if I had not managed to get it into his head that suspicion was bound to fall on him, as a known criminal. He had robbed churches before, and he said, what surprised me, that there is generally something worth having in the Poor box. We had one or two jolly nights, on Saturdays, sitting round a huge fire till midnight and roasting apples. One night, I remember, it came out that of about fifteen people round the fire, everyone except myself had been in prison. There were uproarious scenes in the village on Saturdays, for the people who had money used to get well drunk, and it needed the police to get them out of the pub. I have no doubt the residents thought us a nasty vulgar lot, but I could not help feeling that it was rather good for a dull village to have this invasion of cockneys once a year. The passage between crosses (at least the substance of it) has been used for an article in the Nation. Or hop-juice, funnily enough. [1] pokes: sacks (compare ‘a pig in a poke’). [2] walk: Orwell originally wrote work. [3] 9/- a week each: £18 at today’s values – far less than the theoretical earnings of 30/- (thirty shillings, say £60 today) referred to earlier. [4] Names omitted when first printed in 1968. [5] Mr F.’s aunt: the aunt of Flora Finching’s deceased husband in Dickens’s Little Dorrit. Left in Flora’s care, she was simply known as ‘Mr F.’s Aunt’. Her major characteristics are described as ‘extreme severity and grim taciturnity; sometimes interrupted by propensity to offer remarks in a deep warning voice, which, being totally uncalled for by anything said by anybody, and traceable to no association of ideas, confounded and terrified the mind’. One interjection might have had a special appeal for Orwell, who lived at Henley-on-Thames as a child: ‘Mr F.’s Aunt, after regarding the company for ten minutes with a malevolent gaze, delivered the following fearful remark: “when we lived at Henley, Barnes’s gander was stole by tinkers”’ (ch.13). [6] George Belcher (1875-1947), a Royal Academician whose books of drawings included Characters (1922), Taken from Life (1929), and Potted Char (1933) [7] the dishwashers in Paris: Orwell worked as a dishwasher – a plongeur – in 1929; see Down and Out in Paris and London, published in 1933, two years after his hop-picking experiences. Peter Davison Posted in Uncategorized \| Tagged accommodation, apples, bacon dumpling, bacon sandwiches, Barrett, binmen, black pudding, Blest, bread, Buffalo Bill, bullock's heart, bushel, child labour, children, Cockney accent, costermongers, Deafie, Didecais, drum, East Enders, faggots, families, farm, fires, food, fried bread, fruit-picking, George, George Bigland, Ginger, gypsies, holiday, hop-fields, hop-juice, hop-picking, hops, illiteracy, labourers, lambing, latrine, leaves, Lyons, margarine, money, orchard, payment, pea-picking, pig's head, plant lice, Poor box, prison, quart, rats, spike, spud-grabbing, tea, Throgmorton Street, tobacco, tramps, union, village, vines, water, Wateringbury, West Malling, workhouse \| Leave a comment Posted on 1 September by orwelldiaries …went off to work, and Ginger and I went down to Chambers’ farm, a mile or two away, to ask for work. When we got to the farm they had been hanging a cat, a thing I never heard of anyone doing before. The bailiff said that he thought he could give us a job and told us to wait; we waited from eight in the morning till one, when the bailiff said that he had no work for us after all. We made off, stealing a large quantity of apples and damsons, and started along the Maidstone road. At about three we halted to have our dinner and make some jam out of the raspberries we had stolen the day before. Near here, I remember, they refused at two houses to give me cold water, because ‘the mistress doesn’t allow us to give anything to tramps.’ Ginger saw a gentleman in a car picnicking nearby, and went up to tap him for matches, for he said, it always pays to tap from picnickers, who usually have some food left over when they are going home. Sure enough the gentleman presently came across with some butter he had not used, and began talking to us. His manner was so friendly that I forgot to put on my cockney accent, and he looked closely at me, and said how painful it must be for a man of my stamp etc. Then he said, ‘I say, you won’t be offended, will you? Do you mind taking this?’ ‘This’ was a shilling, with which we bought some tobacco and had our first smoke that day. This was the only time in the whole journey when we managed to tap money. We went on in the direction of Maidstone, but when we had gone a few miles it began to pour with rain, and my left boot was pinching me badly. I had not had my boots off for three days and had only had about eight hours sleep in the last five nights, and I did not feel equal to another night in the open. We decided to make for West Malling spike, which was about eight miles distant, and if possible to get a lift part of the way. I think we hailed forty lorries before we got a lift. The lorry drivers will not give lifts nowadays, because they are not insured for third party risks and they get the sack if they have an accident. Finally we did get a lift, and were set down about two miles from the spike, getting there at eight in the evening. Outside the gates we met an old deaf tramp who was going to skipper in the pouring rain, as he had been in the spike the night before, and they would confine him for a week if he came again. He told us that Blest’s farm nearby would probably give us a job, and that they would let us out of the spike early in the morning if we told them we had already got a job. Otherwise we should be confined all day, unless we went out ‘over the wall’ – i.e. bolted when the Tramp Major was not looking. Tramps often do this, but you have to cache your possessions outside, which we could not in the heavy rain. We went in, and I found that (if West Malling is typical) spikes have improved a lot since I was last in. The bathroom was clean and decent, and we were actually given a clean towel each. The food was the same old bread and marg, though, and the Tramp Major got angry when we asked in good faith whether the stuff they gave us to drink was tea or cocoa.** We had beds with straw palliasses and plenty of blankets, and both slept like logs. In the morning they told us we must work till eleven, and set us to scrubbing out one of the dormitories. As usual, the work was a mere formality. (I have never done a stroke of real work in the spike, and I have never met anybody who has.) The dormitory was a room of fifty beds, close together, with that warm, faecal stink that you never seem to get away from in the workhouse. There was an imbecile pauper there, a great lump of about sixteen stone, with a tiny, snouty face and a sidelong grin. He was at work very slowly emptying chamberpots. These workhouses seem all alike, and there is something intensely disgusting in the atmosphere of them. The thought of all those grey-faced, ageing men living a very quiet, withdrawn life in a smell of W.Cs, and practising homosexuality, makes me feel sick. But it is not easy to convey what I mean, because it is all bound up with the smell of the workhouse. At eleven they let us out with the usual hunk of bread and cheese, and we went on to Blest’s farm, about three miles away; but we did not get there till one, because we stopped on the way and got a big haul of damsons. When we arrived at the farm the foreman told us that he wanted pickers and sent us up to the field at once. We had now only about 3d left, and that evening I wrote home asking them to send me 10/-; it came two days later, and in the mean time we should have had practically nothing to eat if the other pickers had not fed us. For nearly three weeks after this we were at work hop-picking, and I had better describe the different aspects of this individually. * No: a bit worse if anything. ** To this day I don’t know which it was. Posted in Uncategorized \| Tagged apples, bailiff, bathroom, blankets, Blest, bread, butter, cat, chamberpots, Chambers, cheese, Cockney accent, cocoa, cold water, damsons, dinner, farm, food, Ginger, homosexuality, hop-fields, hop-picking, hops, jam, job, lorry, Maidstone, matches, money, palliasses, picnickers, raspberries, smell, spike, tea, towel, Tramp Major, tramps, West Malling, work, workhouse \| Leave a comment Posted on 30 August by orwelldiaries Next morning the clergyman coming to early service caught us and turned us out, though not very disagreeably. We went on through Sevenoaks to Seal, and a man we met advised us to try for a job at Mitchell’s farm, about three miles further on. We went there, but the farmer told us that he could not give us a job, as he had nowhere where we could live, and the Government inspectors had been snouting round to see that all hop-pickers had ‘proper accommodation’. (These inspectors,* by the way, managed to prevent some hundreds of unemployed from getting jobs in the hop-fields this year. Not having ‘proper accommodation’ to offer to pickers, the farmers could only employ local people, who lived in their own houses.) We stole about a pound of raspberries from one of Mitchell’s fields, and then went and applied to another farmer called Kronk, who gave us the same answer; we had five or ten pounds of potatoes from his fields, however. We were starting off in the direction of Maidstone when we fell in with an old Irishwoman, who had been given a job by Mitchell on the understanding that she had a lodging in Seal, which she had not. (Actually she was sleeping in a toolshed in somebody’s garden. She used to slip in after dark and out before daylight.) We got some hot water from a cottage and the Irish woman had tea with us, and gave us a lot of food that she had begged and did not want; we were glad of this, for we had now only 2½d left, and none too much food. It had now come on to rain, so we went to a farmhouse beside the church and asked leave to shelter in one of their cowsheds. The farmer and family were just starting out for evening service, and they said in a scandalised manner that of course they could not give us shelter. We sheltered instead in the lych-gate of the church, hoping that by looking draggled and tired we might get a few coppers from the congregation as they went in. We did not get anything, but after the service Ginger managed to tap a fairly good pair of flannel trousers from the clergyman. It was very uncomfortable in the lych-gate, and we were wet through and out of tobacco, and Ginger and I had walked twelve miles; yet I remember that we were quite happy and laughing all the time. The Irishwoman (she was sixty, and had been on the road all her life, evidently) was an extraordinarily cheerful old girl, and full of stories. Talking of places to ‘skipper’ in, she told us that one cold night she had crept into a pigsty and snuggled up to an old sow, for warmth. When night came on it was still raining, so we decided to find an empty house to sleep in, but we went first to buy half a pound of sugar and two candles at the grocer’s. While I was buying them Ginger stole three apples off the counter, and the Irishwoman a packet of cigarettes. They had plotted this beforehand, deliberately not telling me, so as to use my innocent appearance as a shield. After a good deal of searching we found an unfinished house and slipped in by a window the builders had left open. The bare floor was beastly hard, but it was warmer than outside, and I managed to get two or three hours’ sleep. We got out before dawn, and by appointment met the Irishwoman in a wood nearby. It was raining, but Ginger could get a fire going in almost any circumstances, and we managed to make some tea and roast some potatoes. When it was light the Irishwoman… * Appointed by the Labour Government. Posted in Uncategorized \| Tagged accommodation, apples, candles, church, clergyman, early service, evening service, farm, food, Ginger, Government inspectors, grocer, hop-fields, hop-picking, hops, hot water, Irishwoman, job, Kronk, lychgate, Maidstone, Mitchell, potatoes, raspberries, Seal, Sevenoaks, sugar, tea, theft, tobacco \| 1 Comment When we had gone a mile or two we came to an orchard, and the others at once went in and began stealing apples. I had not been prepared for this when we started out, but I saw that I must either do as the others did or leave them, so I shared the apples; I did not however take any part in the thefts for the first day, except to keep guard. We were going more or less in the direction of Sevenoaks, and by dinner time we had stolen about a dozen apples and plums and fifteen pounds of potatoes. The others also went in and tapped[1] whenever we passed a baker’s or a teashop, and we got quite a quantity of broken bread and meat. When we stopped to light a fire for dinner we fell in with two Scotch tramps who had been stealing apples from an orchard nearby, and stayed talking with them for a long time. The others all talked about sexual subjects, in a revolting manner. Tramps are disgusting when on this subject, because their poverty cuts them off entirely from women, and their minds consequently fester with obscenity. Merely lecherous people are all right, but people who would like to be lecherous, but don’t get the chance, are horribly degraded by it. They remind me of the dogs that hang enviously round while two other dogs are copulating. During the conversation Young Ginger related how he and some others on Trafalgar Square had discovered one of their number to be a ‘Poof’, or Nancy Boy. Whereupon they had instantly fallen upon him, robbed him of 12/6d, which was all he had, and spent it on themselves. Evidently they thought it was quite fair to rob him, as he was a Nancy Boy. We had been making very poor progress, chiefly because Young Ginger and the Jew were not used to walking and wanted to stop and search for scraps of food all the time. On one occasion, the Jew even picked up some chipped potatoes that had been trodden on, and ate them. As it was getting on in the afternoon we decided to make not for Sevenoaks but for Ide Hill spike, which the Scotchmen had told us was better than it is usually represented. We halted about a mile from the spike for tea, and I remember that a gentleman in a car nearby helped us in the kindest manner to find wood for our fire, and gave us a cigarette each. Then we went on to the spike, and on the way picked a bunch of honeysuckle to give to the Tramp Major.[2] We thought this might put him in a good temper and induce him to let us out next morning, for it is not usual to let tramps out of the spike on Sundays. When we got there however the Tramp Major said that he would have to keep us in till Tuesday morning. It appeared that the Workhouse Master was very keen on making every casual do a day’s work, and at the same time would not hear of their working on Sunday; so we should have to be idle all Sunday and work on Monday. Young Ginger and the Jew elected to stay till Tuesday, but Ginger and I went and kipped on the edge of a park near the church. It was beastly cold, but a little better than the night before, for we had plenty of wood and could make a fire. For our supper, Ginger tapped the local butcher, who gave us the best part of two pounds of sausages. Butchers are always very generous on Saturday nights. [1] tapped: obtained – in effect, begged [2] Tramp Major: official in charge of day-to-day organisation and discipline of the tramps in the workhouse. Peter Davison Posted in Uncategorized \| Tagged apples, baker, bread, butcher, cigarette, fires, homosexuality, honeysuckle, Ide Hill, Liverpool Jew, meat, orchard, potatoes, sausages, Scotch, Sevenoaks, sex, spike, teashop, Trafalgar Square, Tramp Major, tramps, Workhouse Major, workshouse, Young Ginger \| Leave a comment The next day in the afternoon four of us started out for the hop-fields. The most interesting of the men with me was a youth named Ginger, who is still my mate when I write this. He is a strong, athletic youth of twenty six, almost illiterate and quite brainless, but daring enough for anything. Except when in prison, he has probably broken the law every day for the last five years. As a boy he did three years in Borstal,[1] came out, married at eighteen on the strength of a successful burglary, and shortly afterwards enlisted in the artillery. His wife died, and a little while afterwards he had an accident to his left eye and was invalided out of the service. They offered him a pension or a lump sum, and of course he chose the lump sum and blued it in about a week. After that he took to burglary again, and has been in prison six times, but never for a long sentence, as they have only caught him for small jobs; he has done one or two jobs which have brought him over £500. He has always been perfectly honest towards me, as his partner, but in a general way he will steal anything that is not tied down. I doubt his ever being a successful burglar, though, for he is too stupid to be able to foresee risks. It is all a great pity, for he could earn a decent living if he chose. He has a gift for street selling, and has had a lot of jobs at selling on commission, but when he has a good day he bolts instantly with the takings. He is a marvellous hand at picking up bargains and can always, for instance, persuade the butcher to give him a pound of eatable meat for twopence, yet at the same time he is an absolute fool about money, and never saves a halfpenny. He is given to singing songs of the Little Grey Home in the West type,[2] and he speaks of his dead wife and mother in terms of the most viscid sentimentality. I should think he is a fairly typical petty criminal. Of the two others, one was a boy of twenty named Young Ginger, who seemed rather a likely lad, but he was an orphan and had had no kind of upbringing and lived the last year chiefly on Trafalgar Square. The other was a little Liverpool Jew of eighteen, a thorough guttersnipe. I do not know when I have seen anyone who disgusted me so much as this boy. He was as greedy as a pig about food, perpetually scrounging around dustbins, and he had a face that recalled some low-down carrion-eating beast. His manner of talking about women, and the expression on his face when he did so, were so loathsomely obscene as to make me feel almost sick. We could never persuade him to wash more of himself than his nose and a small circle around it, and he mentioned quite casually that he had several different kinds of louse on him. He too was an orphan, and had been ‘on the toby’ almost from infancy. I had now about 6/-,[3] and before starting we bought a so-called blanket for 1/6d and cadged several tins for ‘drums’. The only reliable tin for a drum is a two-pound snuff tin, which is not very easy to come by. We had also a supply of bread and margarine and tea, and a number of knives and forks etc., all stolen at different times from Woolworth’s. We took the twopenny tram as far as Bromley, and there ‘drummed up’ on a rubbish dump, waiting for two others who were to have joined us, but who never turned up. It was dark when we finally stopped waiting for them, so we had no chance to look for a good camping place, and had to spend the night in long wet grass at the edge of a recreation ground. The cold was bitter. We had only two thin blankets between the four of us, and it was not safe to light a fire, as there were houses all round; we were also lying on a slope, so that one rolled into the ditch from time to time. It was rather humiliating to see the others, quite younger than I, sleeping soundly in these conditions, whereas I did not close my eyes all night. To avoid being caught we had to be on the road before dawn, and it was several hours before we managed to get hot water and have our breakfast. [1] Borstal: A town in Kent which developed a system designed to reform young offenders through punishment, education, and job training. It was applied more widely to a series of such institutions but was abolished by the Criminal Justice Act, 1982, and replaced by youth custody centres. [2] Little Grey Home in the West: sentimental song, composed 1911, words by D. Eardley-Wilmot; music by Hermann Lohr. It was popularised in the First World War by the Australian baritone, Peter Dawson, who fine voice readily overcame the disadvantages of acoustic recording and shellac discs. [3] 6/-: six shillings and, later in the sentence, 1/6 = one shilling and sixpence or 18 pence. In pre-metric currency, one pound sterling (£1) was divided into twenty shillings and each shilling into twelve pennies – so £1 = 240 pence. It is difficult to give precise equivalents of value with today’s prices because individual items vary considerably. However, rough approximation can be gained if prices in the 1930s are multiplied by forty to suggest current values. Thus, six shillings is equivalent (roughly) to £12 today. Peter Davison Posted in Uncategorized \| Tagged Borstal, bread, Bromley, drums, Ginger, hop-fields, hop-picking, hops, Little Grey Home in the West, Liverpool Jew, louse, margarine, prison, tea, Trafalgar Square, Woolworth's, Young Ginger \| Leave a comment A Clergyman's Daughter A Day in the Life of a Tramp by George Orwell British Pathé – Kent hop-picking footage Buy the diaries in hardback (Harvill Secker) Buy the diaries in paperback (Penguin) Defining Moment: The Kent hopping tradition draws to a close (Financial Times) History of Hop-Picking (Bromyard Hop Festival, Herefordshire) Hop Pickers' Holiday (YouTube) Hop-picking (BBC Kent) Hop-picking by George Orwell Hop-picking in Kent, 1929 (YouTube) Hopping Down in Kent (Museum of Kent Life) Orwell and other writers’ treatment of hop-picking by Ron Bateman (Orwell Society) Orwell Diaries 1938-42 blog The Orwell Prize The Orwell Prize on Twitter The Road to Wigan Pier diary blog The Spike by George Orwell	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1305
__label__cc	0.512997	0.487003	Idahoans: Boundless Examples of Humanity Events in Charlottesville and hateful vandalism at our own Anne Frank Memorial are glaring reminders of the work that must continue. But, the immeasurable kindness that fills our communities is Idaho’s bedrock. We do not have to look far to see the depth of compassion among Idahoans. It is far too large to quantify, but these are some examples of the types of acts of kindness seen regularly in our communities and the examples being set by Idahoans who contribute to Idaho’s exceptionalism: We live in a state abounding with the seemingly endless service of Idaho veterans who have returned home after having already given so much of themselves, often injured and shaped by foreign wars, in service to our nation and continue to serve other veterans and Idahoans. They are frequently the first ones to welcome home veterans and ensure veterans are respectfully honored. They are there with listening ears, open hearts and helping hands. We live in a state where vandalism of the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in Boise has been countered with resources poured in to repair and enhance the Memorial, and Idahoans move forward with a positive spirit of renewal and inclusiveness. We live in a state that consistently ranks high in measures of community service. In its annual Volunteering and Civic Life in America, the Corporation for Community and National Service further confirmed the prevalent service in Idaho communities concluding that Idaho ranks fifth in the nation for volunteer service. We live in a state where Idahoans have come together and gone above and beyond to help neighbors rebuild after a devastating wildfire. We live in a state where a fellow Idahoan saw a need and created a center to assist senior citizens with everything from errands to heating their homes. We live in a state where efforts are underway to provide for the Marilyn Shuler Classroom for Human Rights expansion at the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights to broaden educational opportunities to negate bullying and abusive behavior. We live in a state where a teenager led local efforts to provide homeless Idahoans with lunch, haircuts, coats, sleeping bags and other essentials. We live in a state where a gentleman has helped refurbish wheelchairs for disabled veterans and has passed the sense of serving others well onto his children, and another Idahoan has spent countless hours over the past approximately twenty years helping to calm the nerves of veterans awaiting health services. These are just a very small tip of the iceberg of the unquantifiable sense of service and giving that pervades Idaho. Hateful acts have left scars on our great state and nation and we have much still to do to ensure that cruelty has no home here in Idaho, or anywhere in our nation. I am deeply proud of the people of Idaho who are daily examples of kindness and encouragement. Thank you to all of you who are making our state “too great for hate.” GUEST COLUMN SUBMITTED BY U.S. SENATOR MIKE CRAPO Previous articleProgressives ignore the “inconvenient” violence Next articleIdaho’s image outside of Idaho The Martyrs of North Idaho	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1317
__label__wiki	0.771907	0.771907	'Avengers: Endgame' Artwork Spotlights Fan-Favorite Captain America Moment 'Birds Of Prey': Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn Meets Ewan McGregor's Black Mask In New Image 'Avengers: Infinity War' Concept Art Shows Off Comic-Accurate Iron Spider Look For Tom Holland Costume Designer Jacqueline Durran Confirmed For Matt Reeves' 'The Batman' Watch The Official CCXP Trailer For Ryan Reynolds' Video Game Movie 'Free Guy' Tessa Thompson Reveals Fate Of Valkyrie After ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ by Noah Villaverde on September 29, 2018 Tessa Thompson made her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok. Critics and fans alike immediately fell in love with Thompson’s portrayal as the reluctant, yet lovable heroine that helped Thor, Loki and the Incredible Hulk rescue all the Asgardians from the threats of Hela. As Asgard ends up in pieces, we eventually lead straight into the events of Avengers: Infinity War, where a major amount of Asgardians are completely decimated and characters like Valkyrie and Korg are nowhere to be found. ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ Italy Set Photos Feature Tom Holland With Zendaya, Jacob Batalon & More Avengers: Infinity War famously ends with Thanos succeeding in his plans to get his hands on all six Infinity Stones and ends up snapping and wipes out half of all existence in the universe. Some fans are concerned that Valkyrie was one of the victims in this snap, but Tessa Thompson is reassuring fans that she is doing alright: No, she’s in one piece and THRIVING 🤺 https://t.co/AUuyAMoCbf — Tessa Thompson (@TessaThompson_x) September 29, 2018 The surviving members of the Avengers and the Guardians include Iron Man, War Machine, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Captain Marvel, Rocket and Nebula. All of our surviving heroes are gonna need all the help they can get to restore their reality and stop Thanos once and for all. Perhaps Valkyrie can come in to help save the day… What are some of your favorite Valkyrie moments from Thor: Ragnarok? Do you hope that wherever she currently is right now, she is having the time of her life despite half of all existence being erased? Will she reunite with Thor and the Hulk? Sound off in the comments below, and be sure to continue following Heroic Hollywood for all the latest news in the MCU. ‘Venom’: Tom Hardy Questions The Heroism Of Spider-Man Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, Avengers: Infinity War stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Peter Dinklage, Benedict Wong, Pom Klementieff, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt, Danai Gurira and Letitia Wright. Avengers: Infinity War is now available to own on Digital HD, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD. Noah Villaverde Cinema lover. Saxophone player. Coffee consumer. Chronic complainer. Oh, I also write. #TeamHeroic Fan Spots Hidden ‘The Eternals’ Easter Egg In ‘Thor: Ragnarok’	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1319
__label__wiki	0.94144	0.94144	Kitty Rose Kitty Rose: Live At The Ryman 1 April 1972 Wild Affair Productions For some music industry reason, it took 35 years to find, clean up, and release this wonderful old-school country show from an obscure talent who should have made it big. There’s a story in the press kit about someone spilling a bourbon and Coke on the master tapes, but that could only improve the sound of a REAL country session. Kitty Rose (Katherine Chase in real life) has a big female voice similar to Patsy Cline’s and a rollicking country sound that speaks more to ranching than romance. The wreckage of failed relations isn’t a big part of her style, her regard of men never as close as her love of horses. Opening number “(I Ain’t No) Pretty Little Thing” sounds like the perfect 1960s country song — self-deprecating, personal, and danceable if all you can muster is a sedate foxtrot. “Ira’s Song (All my Horses are in Heaven)” is touchingly romantic, a bit teary, but the sort of sad song that always feels good when they’re trying to kick you out, but you can still afford one more long-neck. “Easy Keeper” and “Bucking Hay” are a pair of country work songs, and the penultimate cut “Trouble” brings the bonhomie of a barn dance to the CD. While Miss Rose has the country sound down solid, she spent much of her career in other genres, and then retreated to rural California to live the life she sang about. She carries an amazing tune, and for a live recording, this sounds studio clean and CD perfect. Kitty Rose: www.kittyrose.com Carl F Gauze Emmy Lou Harris feminist country Kitty Rose - Live At The Ryman 1 April 1972 Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo (Ace Fu). Review by Aaron Shaul. In The Absence of Truth (Ipecac). Review by Bob Ham. Live in West Hollywood (Hopeless). Review by Brian Kruger. This could be the best alt-indie-country-rock I’ve heard in a long, long time… Electric Frankenstein/The Hookers Listen Up, Baby! Split CD (Man’s Ruin). Review by David Lee Beowülf Say It Loud (Sparrow Records). Review by Daniel Mitchell. The Deluxtone Rockets The Deluxtone Rockets (Tooth And Nail). Review by Jason Feifer What is there left to say about this band? They’ve given us some of the fines… Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream Rose Petralia doesn’t care if you don’t dig Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, she thinks they’re dreamy. Closer Than You Florida Ska, Volume 2 (Citrus). Review by Andrew Chadwick Nutrajet Protection EP (Twenty Stone Blatt). Review by Brian Kruger. Daena Jay Subdivision EP (Catbeach Music). Review by Carl F Gauze.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1330
__label__wiki	0.874774	0.874774	Apple Doubled Down on Swift in iOS 13. Are iOS Developers Doing the Same? by Nate Swanner October 10, 2019 5 min read AppleApple iOSObjective CSwiftSwiftUI According to new data surrounding iOS 13, Apple’s use of its Swift programming language has more than doubled within its operating system. That’s fantastic news for iOS developers, but are those same technologists following Apple’s lead and actually using Swift? Developer Alexandre Colucci has been tracking Swift’s use in iOS versions since the language was first introduced (which coincided with iOS 8.4.1). At the time, iOS was still completely reliant on Objective-C. Colucci tracks the number of binaries using the newer language, which “might contain a single line of Swift code and are not necessarily entirely written in Swift.” All told, 141 binaries in iOS 13.1 used Swift, more than double the 66 binaries using the language in iOS 12. Colucci lists all the binaries utilizing the language, which is telling: Many new or updated services, such as Sidecar or Find My, use Swift in distinct ways, suggesting Apple’s own engineering teams are using the language more frequently for new projects internally. iMessage also uses the language, and so does the new-look Books app. Calculator, which was the first app to utilize Apple’s language in iOS 9, is still using it, too. Music and Podcasts both have a healthy dose of Swift, as well. There are also a ton of core libraries accessing Swift, plus many private frameworks for various services such as News and Stocks. Reminders and Health, both redesigned for iOS 13, have heavy dollops of the language. (Speculatively, we wonder if Reminders and Health are also SwiftUI apps; they look and act the part.) In a survey of developers, JetBrains found 53 percent of “Swift and Objective-C developers” are Swift-only, with an additional 31 percent coding in both languages. Only 15 percent are holding out on making the move to Swift. Of that crowd, 61 percent say “most of” their codebases are in Swift, with 24 percent saying they use both languages in their code, but favor Objective-C. Though Apple has doubled down on its use of the language, Colucci didn’t note how many total binaries are in iOS 13.1, so we don’t have a wide-angle view of how prevalent Swift really is within the operating system. Again, using the language doesn’t mean the binary is full of Swift, so it’s impossible to know total usage. Each iteration of Swift has made further use of the language possible, and the recent release of version 5.1 is no exception. A major feature, module stability, makes it “possible to create and share binary frameworks that will work with future releases of Swift.” Like every other release of the language since version 3, it’s a line in the sand that makes future versions more stable and usable, but older versions less attractive. Examining Colucci’s charting further, we find Swift and iOS really began their true melding with iOS 11.1, which had 32 binaries using the language compared to seven in iOS 10.1. Version 11 was released in September 2017, around the time Swift 4 was released. As we noted, Swift 3 was a turning point, making backwards compatibility almost impossible. In that vein, Swift 4 was the first stable, major release of the language, which is why we’ve seen its use in iOS increase two-fold every year since. Expect more of the same moving forward. Apple made a big bet with SwiftUI, saying it’s now the favored user interface paradigm for its various platforms… especially for cross-platform apps. If apps such as Health and Reminders are any indication, the future of iOS, tvOS, macOS, watchOS, and iPadOS rely on Swift. If there’s a new countdown, it’s how long it will take Apple and its developer ecosystem to significantly discontinue use of Objective-C. We can’t see the language disappearing any time soon, but we also wouldn’t be surprised if Apple announced iOS 15 was “mostly” Swift. iOS Developer Jobs and Swift Are in Decline – Should You Worry? How Swift and Kotlin Destroyed Dropbox’s Terrible C++ Pipe Dream Python Strong, Kotlin and Swift Have Brightest Future: SlashData Oracle Hiring Cloud Experts, Despite Cloud Chaos Survey Results: You’re Not Sold on Augmented Reality – Yet Sage IT Inc - Bentonville, AR Lead IOS Developer cyberThink, Inc. - Charlotte, NC Matlen Silver - Boston, MA NextXap, Inc. - Sunnyvale, CA IRIS Software, Inc. - Austin, TX Swift Developer Explore the most common moves for a iOS Developer. Android iOS Developer	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1333
__label__wiki	0.734302	0.734302	© Alexandr Melentev © Quentin Chaillet © Bondok Max © Omar Taher © Hossein Yadollahpour © Jin Hao Villa © Frederico Laruccia © Phil (Duc) Nguyen © John Jak Pagan © Fabrizio Meli © Mikhail Buleyko © Stefan Kang Chun Yih There is a winner amongst the winners! Congratulations to our winner! The decision wasn't easy at all but our jury faced this tough task and found the winner amongst the winners! Congratulations to Mikhail Buleyko, our 3D Artist of the Year 2018! He convinced our jury with his very detailed and astonishing 'Rusty Skies'. A huge thank you goes out to all participants of our 3D Artist of the Month contest and an even bigger one to our twelve winners of 2018! It was a pleasure to do the interviews with you and to read all those unique stories about your ways of working in the cg industry and your passion behind it. Keep the good work up and we are looking forward to stunning entries for the upcoming year. New submissions will be published in our gallery on January 2nd, so stay tuned for that! The winner receives 500 RenderPoints worth 500€ to explore our massive cloud computing power. The winning picture will be featured on the back cover of the 3D Artist magazine! The winner will be our exclusive jury member for the 3D Artist of the Year 2019 election! The winning picture will be featured on the back cover of the 3D World magazine! Alexandr Melentev "Subjectwise, I really enjoy drawing environments, cities and nature – the bigger the scale, the better. I’ve always been fond of fantasy literature and fairy tales, so the gradual shift towards that aesthetic came naturally." > Read the full interview Quentin Chaillet "I simply love doing characters! It involves so many different aspects, you always learn something new with every character you make – whether it’s modeling, clothing, grooming or look development." Bondok Max "As a freelancer, I’m currently focused on look development, lighting and asset modelling, but I try to involve myself in as many disciplines as possible." Omar Taher "As a big fan of Jurassic Park, I’ve always wanted to make a project related to it, so when I stumbled upon Jeff Delgado’s sketch, I thought it would make for a cool 3D piece." Hossein Yadollahpour "On first glance, it seemed simple enough as a project, but the closer I looked, the more challenging it turned out to be, because I wanted to work as closely to the references photo as possible." Jin Hao Villa "I enjoy 3D sculpting, and shading/rendering the most for reasons I cannot fully explain. I just really like working on collectibles and statues. But as long as the base concept is cool and fun, the specifics of a job are secondary to me. Variety is the spice of life, after all!" Frederico Laruccia "I realized I hadn’t seen a good CGI scorpion since ‘The Mummy’, and that one wasn’t even that good. As vehicles and robots are so common these days, I was happy to try something a little different." Phil (Duc) Nguyen "I like working and progressing with a team. The exchange with people from other departments helps me to continue learning new things and further improve as an artist." John Jak Pagan "When I first saw the concept art by Khang Le, I thought: Wow, this is something new. And there’s so much that tells a story in this single image." Fabrizio Meli "At the end of the day, you have to be passionate about 3D! Every time I see a spider now, I try to take a macro photo of it. After all this time closely studying the anatomy and physiology of spiders, I developed a strong sense of appreciation." Mikhail Buleyko “The scene takes place at the end of the 20th century in East Eurasia, somewhere along the Russian-Chinese border. The whole planet is filled with toxic waste and poisonous mist covers the land. What is left of humanity survives by climbing as high as possible, hastily building structures out of concrete and rusty metal atop the remnants of a now extinct civilization." Stefan Kang Chun Yih “If you carefully focus on their eyes, you can clearly see the difference in their intentions. On the crocodile’s part, it’s an expression of failure that we all can relate to, but also embodies the spirit to never give up. With the little bird, in contrast, you can feel a humble and very safe position, even in light of the danger in front of it." We're very happy to introduce to you our high-class RebusFarm 3D Artist of the Year 2018 jury! With their expertise in the 3D industry, they will take a close look at all our winners and elect the winner of the year, who will be announced at the end of December. Manny Fragelus Manny Fragelus is founder and program director of CGMA and CGWorkshops. Besides leading the academic direction for both schools Manny is also the host of the popular webinar series "Industry Sessions". This series gives participants the opportunity to interact directly with some of the best artists in the industry, ranging from the entire character art team from Naughty Dog to a panel with some of the best FX artists from Blizzard, MPC and ILM. Manny has over 17 years of experience working in the games, films and animation industry. His recent job was modeling lead at Dreamworks Feature Animation for the last 11 years. Jeff Mottle CGarchitect Jeff Mottle is the founder of CGarchitect Digital Media Corporation, the leading online magazine and user community for architectural visualization professionals. He also co-founded the CGschool, that caters exclusively to architectural visualization professionals. Having worked in the industry since 1996, Jeff has been involved in developing and speaking at conferences around the world. He is immersed in many areas of the industry and actively pursues initiatives that help promote the growth of the field, including CGarchitect's yearly Architectural Visualization competition and 3D Awards. Rob Redman Pariah Studios & 3D World Rob Redman is editor at 3D World magazine and he is creative director at a boutique animation and VFX studio in the UK called Pariah Studios, working across TV, print and film. The studio has worked on projects for the music industry, international technology brands and governments. While not in the studio Rob can be found presenting at events from Siggraph and FMX to THU TV, or running training courses. His background in photography lends itself to his love for realistic rendering and building physically based material. Ralph Huchtemann RebusFarm Ralph, who originally completed a degree in mechanical engineering at RWTH Aachen, started in the 3D business in 1995 by founding the 3D animation company RebusMedia and working as a successful 3D artist. During that time he produced hundreds of animations and visualizations for B2B communication and commercials. About ten years later Ralph founded RebusFarm to solve the problem of lacking computer power that 3D artists are experiencing in general. He started with a clear vision of how to approach the issue. Carrie Mok Carrie is editor of 3D Artist magazine, one of the top publications in the world for CG tutorials, behind-the-scenes access on the tools and technology behind the biggest movies and games, and industry insight. She has been working on the magazine since 2015, interviewing key industry figures in VFX, animation and games from ILM, MPC, Double Negative, Epic Games and more, and bringing the spotlight to the inspiring art and techniques of professional artists. Vasilis Koutlis Designer & 3D Photographer The instigator of both xDream3D and VWArtclub was born in Athens, in 1979. He studied furniture design and decoration. He began his occupation with 3D art in 2002 and in 2007 the idea of xDream3D was born. He managed to acquire partners from all over the world and various collaborators trust him with their ideas as he rewards them with his detailed designs. Not a moment goes by without him thinking of a beautiful image, thus he is never concerned with time but only with the design’s quality. Rusko Ruskov VP Production and Delivery, Chaos Group Rusko Ruskov is an industry renowned expert on 3D visualization with over 10 years of professional experience in rendering, movie and broadcast media VFX, automotive, product and character design. He leads Chaos Group’s 3D visualization team and is responsible for the product’s performance excellence of V-Ray since its early days. 3D artist with great passion for innovative technologies that blur the line between reality and art, Rusko has been a guest speaker at industry conferences such as Siggraph, Siggraph Asia, FMX, Animago, CG Event, and has juried at many rigorous and renowned CG competitions. Lyudmil Vanev Sales Engineer Team Lead, Chaos Group Lyudmil Vanev is a CG professional with more than 10 years’ experience in everything CG, working on projects in architectural visualization, animation and visual effects. Lyudmil joined the Chaos Group CG team in 2014, after working as a CG specialist and compositor at some of the biggest VFX studios in Bulgaria. Several years and tens of thousands of air miles later, he's established and leading the Sales Engineer Team - a specialist outfit where he’s focused on helping companies and professionals get the best out of V-Ray rendering engine.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1335
__label__wiki	0.695503	0.695503	Compatible taper-volume models of Quercus variabilis Blume forests in north China Conghui Zheng (1-2), Yuzhong Wang (1), Liming Jia (2), Euan Gordon Mason (3) , Songpo We (2), Caowen Sun (2), Jie Duan (2) Published: May 08, 2017 - Copyright © 2017 SISEF Compatible taper and volume models were created for Quercus variabilis Blume (cork oak) forests in North China. 174 trees were felled to obtain stem analysis data. Linear mixed effects analyses were used in modelling. Firstly, a bark thickness model was built. Then diameter at breast height over bark (DBHob) for the inner layers of the 174 trees could be calculated, based on which a total volume model was built. The estimated volume and a specific parameter restriction were then substituted into a polynomial taper model, finally the taper model was fitted and compatible taper and volume models were obtained. Four sets of models based on different data sets were separately built and compared through coefficients of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), value of Akaike’s information criterion (AIC), residuals plots and histograms of residuals. Models based on data of the analyzed stems without ramicorns and simultaneously with relative diameter under 1.5 were chosen as the most precise. Further testing of the chosen models using the jackknife method for the bark thickness and total volume models and a validation data set for the taper model verified that those models can be used to predict bark thickness, diameter at a specific point along the stem, merchantable volume and total stem volume of cork oak forests in North China within specific tree diameter at breast height and height ranges. Quercus variabilis Blume, Dummy Variable, Box-Cox Transformation, Linear Mixed Effects Models, Compatible Taper-Volume Model Compatible taper-volume models are flexible tools for estimating total and merchantable tree volume that can meet the demands of market trends as product specifications change. A compatible taper-volume estimation system contains a taper equation and a total volume equation. The taper equation can provide estimations of diameter at a given height up a tree and merchantable tree volume ([8]), and the total volume equation can easily estimate the total volume of a tree. Both models require diameter at breast height over bark (DBHob) and height as inputs. Compatible taper-volume estimation systems allow the volume computed by integration of the taper equation from the ground to the top of the tree to equal that calculated by a total volume equation. Taper and volume estimation systems can be divided into two types: Type (1), the total volume model is directly derived through integration of the taper equation; Type (2), equation form of the total volume model is independent from the taper equation. For type (1), two methods can be used to estimate parameters of the two models: Method (1), firstly fit the taper equation, then the volume model with its parameters can be directly obtained by integration ([26]); Method (2), after obtaining the total volume equation through integration of the taper equation, the two models are fitted simultaneously to get their parameters by seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) or full information maximum likelihood (FIML) procedures ([18], [3], [36], [33]). For type (2), there are also two methods to estimate the parameters: Method (1), firstly estimate the total volume equation using the total volume observations, then substitute the estimated total volume from the volume model and a specific parameter restriction into a taper model, so that a compatible taper model can be estimated ([13], [25], [9], [28]); Method (2), simultaneous estimation of parameters of taper and volume models using SUR or FIML ([8]). Type (2) can provide an easily applied total volume model which can rapidly estimate tree volume ([8]), so this type is often preferred. Method (1) for Type (2) was especially useful when simultaneous estimation caused difficulty in achieving convergence, while Method (2) for Type (2) could make a reasonable compromise among the components in the system in the process of minimizing the sum of square errors ([10], [8]). Method (2) for Type (2) is more difficult when equations in the system have different numbers of observations. In this case, weights may be needed ([9], [8]). Some researchers compared the two methods and found that similar results were obtained ([10]). Method (1) for Type (2) also could make the system more flexible in application, i.e., for users who would like to use an existing volume table or volume equation to estimate volume; they can just use the taper model to obtain the diameter predictions ([9]). A large number of compatible taper-volume systems based on type (1) have been created for oak species in Greece, America, Denmark, Spain and Mexico ([14], [45], [43], [36], [19]). Simple equations ([14], [45], [19]), variable exponent equations ([43]) or segmented-polynomial equations ([36]) were chosen for taper modelling. There has been no similar research for Quercus variabilis Blume, an important broadleaf tree species in North China, prior to the study reported here. The objective of our study was to develop a suitable compatible taper and volume estimation system including a polynomial taper equation and a total volume model basing on type (2) using Method (1), which can describe the stem profile well and provide accurate estimates of the stem volume of Quercus variabilis Blume (cork oak) forests in Northern China. 174 trees from 104 plots with an area of 20 × 20 m for cork oak natural forests and plantations in North China were used in this study, 57 of those trees were from plantations (including 31 average trees and 26 dominant trees), and the other 117 trees were from natural forests (including 60 average trees and 57 dominant trees). These plots were created in the following locations with different site conditions and age distributions: Gao-Luo forestry station, Qi-Jiahe forestry station, Bei-Tan forestry station and Heng-He forestry station of Zhong-tiaoshan region in Shanxi province, collective forests of Da-Geliao village in Xingtai city of Hebei province, Si-Zuolou forestry station and Xi-Shan forestry station in Beijing. Measured and computed variables were as follows: (1) single tree variables including diameter at breast height over bark (DBHob), total tree height (H); (2) two perpendicular diameters inside-bark (dib) of every five rings of each disc, starting with the outermost ring, at 0.0, 0.5, 1.3 and 1.5 m above the ground and then every 1.0 m along the remainder of the stem which were measured and averaged. For the outermost layer of those stem analyzed trees, diameters outside-bark at those same heights were also measured; (3) log volumes were calculated using the Huber’s formula ([12]) where the top section was treated as a cone. Inside-bark total stem volumes (vib) were obtained by summing the log volumes and the volume of the top of the tree. Each tree contributed to the data set with as many height-diameter measurements from the stem analysis data as possible. Total stem volume (vib), diameter at breast height over bark (DBHob) and height (H) were repeated for each analyzed stem defined by 5 ring measurements ([30]). The data with DBHob equals to 0 (or H < 1.3 m) were deleted from the data set because the total volume under bark model (vib) would rely on DBHob as an independent variable. Finally, a total of 2358 bark thickness observations, 12814 diameter-height observations and 1299 volume observations from the 174 trees were obtained. Four alternative modelling strategies were tried, because (1) a few analyzed stems (“trees”) had ramicorns and (2) some of the small analyzed stems had very high values of relative diameter (Rd, which is equal to dib/DBHib where dib is the diameter under bark at height h in cm, DBHib is the diameter at breast height under bark in cm, and h is the height from ground in m). Therefore, four sets of compatible bark thickness-taper-volume model systems were built, one for each dataset type: (i) System 1, using all the data of the analyzed stems; (ii) System 2, using data of analyzed stems without ramicorns; (iii) System 3, using data of analyzed stems with a Rd less than 1.5; (iv) System 4, using data of the analyzed stems without ramicorns and simultaneously with a Rd less than 1.5. Descriptive statistics for those data sets are shown in Tab. 1. Each model system included three models, i.e., a bark thickness model, a volume model and a taper model. Two dummy variables were used in System 1: Rddummy (Rddummy = 1 when Rd < 1.5, and 0 otherwise) and branch (branch = 1 when the tree has ramicorns, and branch = 0 otherwise). The dummy variable Rddummy was used in System 2, and dummy variable branch was used in System 3. Tab. 1 - Summary statistics of four data sets used for modelling. (bt): bark thickness; (vib): stem total volume under bark; (dib): diameter under bark at height h; (h): height from ground; (H): total tree height; (DBHob): diameter at breast height over bark, breast height is 1.3 m height above the ground; (Rd): relative diameter, equal to dib/DBHib. age (year) of Rd DBHob (cm) H (m) bt (cm) 1, 3 2358 16-84 0.01-1.50 3.8-39.9 5.0-21.0 0.0-3.5 2, 4 2059 16-84 0.02-1.50 3.8-22.6 5.0-18.2 0.0-3.0 vib (m3) 1 1299 5-84 1.00 0.3-39.9 1.4-21.0 0.00001-0.649 2 1201 5-84 1.00 0.3-23.1 1.4-18.2 0.00001-0.224 3 1035 5-84 1.00 1.6-39.9 1.4-21.0 0.0002-0.649 4 937 5-84 1.00 1.6-23.1 1.4-18.2 0.0002-0.224 dib (cm) 1 12814 5-84 0.01-12.00 0.3-39.9 1.4-21.0 0.1-41.0 2 11336 5-84 0.01-12.00 0.3-23.1 1.4-18.2 0.1-25.5 3 11419 5-84 0.01-1.50 1.6-39.9 1.4-21.0 0.1-41.0 4 9942 5-84 0.01-1.50 1.6-23.1 1.4-18.2 0.1-25.5 For bark thickness models and volume models from the above-mentioned four systems, all data were used for model fitting. Before modelling, some explanatory and response variables (V) were transformed to new variables (tV) by Box-Cox transformation to make frequency distributions of those variables (tV) as close to normal distributions as possible. The following equation expresses a Box-Cox transformation ([40] - eqn. 1): \begin{equation} tV= \begin{cases}\frac{ V^{ \lambda }-1 } { \lambda } & \text{if}\;\; \lambda \neq 0 \\ log_{e}V & \text{if} \;\;\lambda = 0\end{cases} \end{equation} where V was the original response or explanation variable, tV was the response or explanatory variable after Box-Cox transformation, λ was the parameter in the Box-Cox transformation. To establish bark thickness models and volume models, linear mixed effects analyses were used on transformed variables with the tree number (tree.no) as random effect. Model form was expressed as in eqn. 2 (see below - [35], [42]). The autocorrelation was addressed using three residual autocorrelation structures: a first-order autoregressive structure [AR(1)], a moving average structure [MA(1)] and combination of first-order autoregressive and moving average structures [ARMA(1.1)]. For bark thickness models of the four systems, tdibn, Rhn, natural, dominant, branch (for System 1 and System 3) and their interaction terms were chosen as possible explanatory variables and tbt is the response variable, where tdibn is equal to (tdib)n (n=1, 2, …, 5), tdib is the transformed diameter under bark at height h by the Box-Cox method (cm), Rhn is equal to (Rh)n (n=1, 2, …, 5), Rh is the relative height and equal to h/H, where h is height from ground (m), H is total tree height (m); natural and dominant are dummy variables to define the forest origin and the tree size, respectively: natural = 1 when the origin was a natural forest, natural = 0 in the case of plantations; dominant = 1 when the tree is dominant, dominant = 0 otherwise); tbt is the transformed bark thickness by the Box-Cox method (cm). The dummy variable Rddummy was not used in System 1 and System 2 because the data used for fitting the tbt model were all with a Rd<1.5 (Tab. 1). For volume models of the four systems, tDBHob, tH, td2h, natural, dominant, branch (for System 1 and System 3), Rddummy (for System 1 and System 2) and their interaction terms were chosen as possible explanatory variables, while tvib was the response variable, where tDBHob, tH, and tvib are transformed diameter at breast height over bark, transformed total tree height and transformed stem total volume under bark by the Box-Cox method, respectively (cm, m, m3), td2h is the transformed d2h by the Box-Cox method, d2h is equal to DBHob× DBHob×H; the other variables have the same specifications as in the bark thickness models. DBHob of inner layers of the 174 trees were calculated by eqn. 3 (see below), where bark thickness (bt) could be obtained from the bark thickness model. Model parameters were estimated by the ordinary least squares method (OLS - eqn. 2): \begin{equation} Y=X \beta +Z \mu + \varepsilon \end{equation} where Y is the vector of the response variable; X is the vector of fixed-effect regressors; Z is the vector of random-effect regressors; β is the vector of fixed-effect coefficients; μ is the vector of the random-effect coefficients; ε is the vector of errors. DBHob (diameter at breast height over bark, cm) was obtained as follows (eqn. 3): \begin{equation} DBH_{ob}=DBH_{ib}+2 \cdot bt \end{equation} where DBHib is the diameter at breast height under bark (cm), breast height is 1.3m height from ground, and bt is the bark thickness (cm). For each model system, an overall merit-based method was used to select model explanatory variables. Regression equations for bark thickness models and volume models with different variable combinations were compared. Four sets of optimal base equations were obtained by examining the coefficients of determination (R2) and root mean square errors (RMSE); then the Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) was used to successively determine the best random-effects combination and the best residual autocorrelation structure for each optimal base model to obtain four sets of optimal tbt models and tvib models. For those optimal models, residual distribution homogeneity and model bias were visually checked by residual plots with loess regression lines overlaid on the plots. For an unbiased model, a loess line should be flat and located at the zero value on the vertical axis in the residual plot ([17]). Normality of residuals was checked with histograms of residuals and by using a Shapiro-Wilk test (probabilities of type I error or p-values < 0.05 indicate a departure from a normal distribution). Finally, bt models and vib models were obtained by back-transforming tbt models and tvib models (see eqn. 4, where exp is the natural exponential function, other notations have the same meanings with those in eqn. 1) and the residuals were also examined (eqn. 4): \begin{equation} V= \begin{cases} ( \lambda \cdot tV +1)^{1/ \lambda } & \text{if} \;\;\lambda \neq 0 \\ exp(tV) & \text{if} \;\;\lambda = 0 \end{cases} \end{equation} For taper modelling of the four systems, a subset of data (80%) from the analyzed stems were randomly selected for the fitting phase, while the remaining data were used for model validation ([28], [3], [33]). Using the fitting data, the estimated total volume by the previously built total volume model (vib model) and a specific parameter restriction (see eqn. 7 below) could be substituted in a polynomial taper model (see eqn. 5 and eqn. 6 below - [13]), then the parameters of the taper models could be fitted by ordinary least squares (OLS - eqn. 5, eqn. 6, eqn. 7): \begin{equation} dib^{2}= {\frac{Vv } { ( \pi /40000) \cdot H}} \cdot \left (c_1 Z_1 + c_2 Z_2 + c_3 Z_3 + c_4 Z_4 + c_5 Z_5 + c_6 Z_6 \right ) \end{equation} \begin{equation} Z_{n}= \left ({\frac{ H-h} { H}} \right )^n \end{equation} \begin{equation} {\frac{ c_1} {2 }} + {\frac{ c_2} { 3}} + \dotsb + {\frac{c_{n}} { n+1}} =1 \end{equation} where dib is the diameter under bark at height h (cm), h is the height above the ground (m), H is the total tree height (m), Vv is the estimated stem total volume under bark from a total volume model (m3), ci terms are model parameters (i=1, 2, 3, …, 6). To make taper modelling simpler, statistic Y can be calculated according to eqn. 8 (see below) and then the Y models were fitted firstly, i.e., the estimated values of total volume obtained by the vib model and a specific parameter restriction (see eqn. 7) were substituted into eqn. 8 instead of into eqn. 5. Linear mixed effects models (Y) with variables Zn (n=1, 2, ..., 6), dummy variable Rddummy (for System 1 and System 2) and dummy variable branch (for System 1 and System 3) as fixed factors and with tree number (tree.no) and dummy variable natural as random factors were fitted. Whether or not to include any particular estimated parameter was decided by the significance of a t-test. The autocorrelation was also addressed using the above-mentioned three residual autocorrelation structures. Then dib models can be obtained by eqn. 9 and the residuals were also examined (eqn. 8, eqn. 9): \begin{equation} Y=\frac{ ( \pi /40000) \cdot dib^2 H} {Vv} = c_1 Z_1+c_2 Z_2+c_3 Z_3+c_4 Z_4+c_5 Z_5+c_6 Z_6 \end{equation} \begin{equation} dib= \sqrt { {\frac{40000 \cdot Vv \cdot Y } { \pi H }}} \end{equation} Similarly, the R2, RMSE , AIC value, residual plots with loess regression lines overlaid on the plots and histograms of residuals of the Y models and dib models were tested. Then four sets of optimal regression equations (Y models and dib models) were selected. To sum up, four sets of data (with a bark thickness model, a volume model and a taper model in each of them) were used for modelling and the most suitable set was then selected using the above-mentioned statistics and residual plots. Optimal model system evaluation After the selection of the optimal model system, representing essentially the best dataset, the transformed bark thickness model (tbt) and the transformed volume model (tvib) in it were tested by the leave-one-out Jackknife method ([39], [38]). The residual ranges and prediction ranges of the models and their corresponding jackknife tests were compared. Mean biases (Bias) and mean absolute biases (MAD) of the back-transformed vib model were also assessed for each diameter classes. For the taper model in the optimal model system, the predictive performance of dib model was evaluated using the validation data set. The residual ranges and prediction ranges based on the validation data set were compared with those based on the fitting data set. Mean biases (Bias) and mean absolute biases (MAD) which were computed respectively using the fit data and validation data were assessed by position (percent relative height, i.e., 5%, 10%, 15%, …, 95%). Finally, the fitting and validation datasets were combined, the taper model (Y and dib) was refitted and the corresponding statistics and plots were examined again ([28]). Four sets of models The p-value, R2 and RMSE of eight models (tbt, tvib, Y, bt vib and dib) in each model system are shown in Tab. 2. R2 values were higher than 0.85 for all the models and values of RMSE of all the models were low compared to the ranges of response variables (Tab. 1, Tab. 2). Probabilities of type I errors of all the models were lower than 0.05 (Tab. 2). Overall, models in System 4 had higher R2 and lower RMSE (Tab. 2). The loess curves of models in System 4 were closest to the x-axis, followed by those of System 2, then those of System 3, and models in System 1 with the biggest deviation from the x-axis; this means that models in System 4 had much lower bias than those in the other three systems. Therefore, System 4 was the optimal model system (only some of the residuals plots are shown in this paper, see below). Tab. 2 - Values of fitting statistics for eight models in four modeling systems. (bt): bark thickness; (vib): stem total volume under bark; (dib): diameter under bark at height h; (tbt) and (tvib): transformed values of bt and vib by the Box-Cox method; (Y): calculated according to eqn. 8; (p-value): probability of type I error in Shapiro Wilks test (for the tbt and tvib models) and probability of type I error in Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (for the Y models); (R2): coefficient of determination; (RMSE): root mean square errors. Transformed models tbt (cm), tvib (m3) or Y Back-transformed models bt (cm), vib (m3) or dib (cm) RMSE bt (cm) 1, 3 < 2.2e-16 0.90 0.22 0.86 0.24 2, 4 9.646e-13 0.94 0.15 0.92 0.15 vib (m3) 1 3.343e-12 0.99 0.061 0.99 0.006 2 9.195e-08 0.99 0.043 0.99 0.003 4 2.14e-06 0.99 0.044 0.99 0.003 dib (cm) 1 < 2.2e-16 0.91 0.32 0.97 0.84 2 < 2.2e-16 0.91 0.32 0.97 0.67 Equation forms, coefficients and standard errors of coefficients of the models in System 4 are shown in Tab. 3, Tab. 4 and Tab. 5. All the coefficients were significant at α=0.001 confidence level and standard errors of coefficients were small compared to the coefficients (Tab. 3, Tab. 4 and Tab. 5). A first-order autoregressive structure [AR(1)], a moving average structure [MA(1)] and a combination of first-order autoregressive and moving average structures [ARMA(1.1)] were respectively elected as the best to address the autocorrelation of the tbt model, tvib model and Y model, respectively (Tab. 3, Tab. 4 and Tab. 5). Predicted value ranges and residual ranges of those models are also shown in Tab. 3, Tab. 4 and Tab. 5. Residual plots of the bark thickness model (bt), volume model (vib) and taper model (dib) in System 4 fitted to the combined datasets are shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, respectively. In general, the loess lines are represented by flat lines located at the baselines, except for the trees with a relative height (Rh) higher than 0.9 for the residual plot of the taper model. Heteroscedasticity was not obvious in the transformed bark thickness model (tbt), transformed volume model (tvib) and the taper models (Y and dib), while a weak heteroscedasticity could be detected in the back-transformed thickness model (bt) and in the back-transformed volume model (vib). Low p-values of the Shapiro Wilks tests or Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests (Tab. 2) and histograms of residuals (data not shown) suggested that residuals of the models in System 4 did not have a normal distribution. Skewness was not detected in these distributions, but kurtosis was. Tab. 3 - Summaries for the tbt and bt models in System 4. The type III sum of squares was used in those models. (bt): bark thickness (cm); (tbt) and (tdib): transformed values of bt and dib by the Box-Cox method, i.e., tbt=(bt0.538-1)/ 0.538, tdib=(dib0.716-1)/0.716; (dib): diameter under bark at height h (cm); (Rh): relative height and equal to h/H; (h): height from ground (m); (H): total tree height (m); (natural): dummy variable (natural = 1 for natural forests; natural = 0 for plantations); (ai): model parameters (i=1, 2, 3, ..., n); (SE): standard errors of coefficients; (ρ): the parameter for first-order autoregressive structure [AR(1)]; (σ2): the residual variance; (σai2): the variance for the random effects. (*): p<0.001. Equation form Coefficients (± SE) Predicted value range/ Residual range (Entire data) Jackknife tbt tbt = a0 + a1 · tdib5/104 + a2 · dib4/103 + a3 · tdib3/102 + a4 · tdib + a5 · Rh + a6 · Rh2 + a7 · Rh3 + a8 · Rh4 + a9 · natural a 0 -0.881 ± 0.058* (-1.58, 1.22)/ (-0.61, 0.56) (-1.60, 1.24)/ (-0.64, 0.60) a 1 -0.277 ± 0.071* a 2 0.669 ± 0.160* ρ 0.403 σ2 0.025 σa02 0.013 bt bt = (0.538 · tbt + 1)(1⁄0.538) - - (0.03, 2.56)/ (-0.60, 0.74) - Tab. 4 - Summaries for the tvib and vib models in System 4. The type III sum of squares was used in those models; (tvib), (tH) and (td2h): transformed values of vib, H and d2h by the Box-Cox method, i.e., tvib=(vib0.18-1)/0.18, tH=(H0.81-1)/0.81, td2h=[(d2h)0.21 -1]/0.21; (d2h): equal to DBHob·DBHob·H; (DBHob): diameter at breast height over bark (cm); (H): total tree height (m); (vib): stem total volume under bark (m3); (bi): model parameters (i=1, 2, 3, ..., n); (SE): standard errors of coefficients; (θ): the parameter for moving average structure [MA(1)]; (σ2): the residual variance; (σbi2): the variance for the random effects. (*): p<0.001. tvib tvib = b0 + b1·td2h + b2·tH b 0 -4.488 ± 0.007* (-4.296,-1.244)/ (-0.218, 0.180) (-4.290,-1.233)/ (-0.243.0.216) b 1 0.125 ± 0.002* b 2 -0.021 ± 0.005* θ 0.467 σb02 0.002 vib vib = (0.18·tvib+1)(1⁄0.18) - - (0.0003.0.245)/ (-0.020, 0.018) - Tab. 5 - Summaries for Y and dib models in System 4. The type III sum of squares was used in those models. (dib): diameter under bark at height h (cm); (h): height from ground (m); (H): total tree height (m); (Y): calculated according to eqn. 8; (Zn) (n =1, 2, ..., 6): calculated according to eqn. 6; (Vv): estimated stem total volume under bark from stem total volume model (m3); (ci): model parameters (i=1, 2, 3, ..., n); (SE): standard errors of coefficients; (ρ): the parameter for first-order autoregressive structure [AR(1)]; (θ): the parameter for moving average structure [MA(1)]; (σ2): residual variance; (σci2): variance for the random effects (including natural and tree.no.). (*): p<0.001. Predicted value range / Residual range Entire data Fit data Validation data Y Y = c3·Z3 + c4·Z4 + c5·Z5 + c6·Z6 + [8·(1-(c3⁄4)-(c4⁄5)-(c5⁄6)-(c6⁄7))]·Z7 c 3 33.972 ± 1.545* (0.00, 4.04)/ (-1.18, 1.48) (0.00, 4.05)/ c 4 -125.749 ± 8.907* c 5 229.692 ± 18.913* c 6 -211.380 ± 17.418* θ -0.359 σc32 0.050; 8.117 σc42 0.210; 24.145 dib dib = [(40000·Vv·Y)/(π·H)](1/2) - - (0.00, 24.39)/ (-2.94, 3.03) (0.00, 24.40)/ Fig. 1 - Loess residual plot of the back-transformed bark thickness model in System 4. The solid horizontal line indicates the baseline, while the red dotted line represents the loess curve. Fig. 2 - Loess residual plot of the back-transformed total stem volume inside bark model in System 4. The solid horizontal line indicates the baseline, while the red dotted line represents the loess curve. Fig. 3 - Loess residual plot of the back-transformed diameter inside bark model in System 4. The red closed circles represent the residuals under the condition of relative height > 0.9 and the black open circles represent the residuals under the condition of relative height <0.9. The solid horizontal line indicates baseline and the green dotted line indicates loess curve. Evaluation of the models in System 4 Predicted value ranges and residual ranges from the Jackknife validations for the transformed bark thickness model (tbt) and the transformed volume model (tvib) in System 4 were similar with those obtained from fittings and are shown in Tab. 3 and Tab. 4. Scatter distribution in residual plots from fittings and that from the jackknife validations were similar, as well as the frequency distributions in histograms of residuals (data not shown). Moreover, frequencies, mean bias (Bias) and mean absolute deviation (MAD) of the back-transformed volume model (vib) were tested and the corresponding results are listed in Tab. S7 (Supplementary material). The overall values of Bias and MAD were 0.09·10-3 m3 and 1.76·10-3 m3 (Tab. S7 in Supplementary material). Both Bias and MAD in different DBHob classes had an increasing trend with increasing DBHob. However, all the values of Bias and MAD were very small compared to the magnitudes of predicted values (see Tab. S4 and Tab. S7 in Supplementary material), so the vib model could provide accurate prediction within the DBHob range of 1.6 to 23.1 cm and within the H range of 1.4 to 18.2 m. The box plot of residuals in each diameter class for the vib model is shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 - Box plot of residuals versus diameter at breast height over bark class for the volume inside bark model in System 4. Residual plots, predicted value ranges, residual ranges, Bias and MAD of the taper model fitted with the entire data set and the fitting data set were very close to each other, while the corresponding statistics of the taper model fitted with the validation data set were a little different (Tab. S5 and Tab. S8 - Supplementary material). All the values of the Bias and MAD were small compared to the magnitude of predicted values (see Tab. S5 and Tab. S8 in Supplementary material). For the dib model built using the entire data, the overall values of Bias and MAD were 0.06 cm and 0.45 cm, and the Bias and MAD in different relative height classes (Rhg) respectively ranged from -0.04 to 0.40 cm and from 0.29 to 0.60 cm (Tab. S8 in Supplementary material). This dib model could provide accurate predictions within a DBHob range of 1.6 to 23.1 cm and within an H range of 1.4 to 18.2 m. Fig. 5 shows a box plot of residuals versus relative height (Rh) for the dib model. Fig. 5 - Box plot of residuals versus relative height for the taper model in System 4. Equation form of total volume model Various forms of volume models have been reported in the literature, such as the model represented by eqn. 10 (see below) proposed by Schumacher & Hall in 1933 ([1], [9]), eqn. 11 ([25]), eqn. 12 ([8]), eq. 13 ([16]) and eqn. 14 ([28]). These equations are shown below (eqn. 10 to eqn. 14): \begin{equation} V=a_{1} \cdot DBH^{a_{2}} \cdot H^{a_{3}} \end{equation} \begin{equation} V=a_1+a_2 \cdot DBH^2 \cdot H \end{equation} \begin{equation} V=a_1 \cdot DBH^2 \cdot H \end{equation} \begin{equation} V=DBH^2 / (a_1+a_2 / H) \end{equation} \begin{equation} V=e^{a_{1}} DBH^{a_{2}} \left [H^{2} /(H-1.3) \right ]^{ a_3} \end{equation} where V is the volume, DBH is the diameter at breast height, H is the total height, ai terms are model parameters, e is the base of the natural logarithm. Some of the volume models have a conceptual basis in the geometry of solids of revolution and have a constant form factor ([1]). In fact, the form of a tree depends upon the actual tree size, e.g., there was a downward trend of form factor along with increased tree height in our study. Some volume models in some studies explicitly represented change of a form factor, which was defined as a function of diameter at breast height, total height, stem height at a predetermined fraction of diameter at breast height outside bark, or the ratio of this height to total height ([1], [37]). However, there is always a problem of heterogeneity in those nonlinear volume models. For removing heterogeneity of variance, weighted non-linear regression was usually used to estimate parameters ([28]). However, computing a suitable weighting variable was awkward. Another simple and common way of removing heterogeneity of residual variance is performing a transformation to stabilize variance. In our study, the Box-Cox transformation was used, then the linear mixed effect equation of the transformed volume was built and no heterogeneity was detected. Meanwhile, bias of the back-transformed volume model was found to be small, and so no correction factor was used in this study. Additionally, an overall merit-based method was used to select model explanatory variables for the volume model, so the volume model did not have a conceptual basis in the geometry of solids of revolution and did not explicitly represent change of a form factor. In the application of a mixed effect model, when a sub-sample of the dataset is available to calculate the random effects, users can calibrate the coefficients of the linear mixed effect model (“lme” - [44]) and then obtain unbiased predictions. However, predicting the random effects is hard for users. Actually, in our study the bias was found small enough, even though just the fixed effect was considered in prediction; thus, there was no need to calibrate the random effect before using the “lme” volume model. Population predictions of volume for a new tree can be obtained using fixed effect coefficients. Similar features can be found in the bark thickness model, which was also a linear mixed effect equation using variables transformed by the Box-Cox method. The simple taper model According to several studies in the literature ([8], [32], [15]), taper equations can be grouped in three types: (1) simple taper equations ([4], [22], [6], [7], [31], [13], [9], [41]); (2) segmented taper equations ([27], [5], [34], [10], [18]); (3) variable exponent taper equations ([20], [29], [2], [23], [21]). Some researchers have pointed out that segmented taper equations and variable exponent taper equations can sometimes provide more flexible descriptions of tree profiles than simple taper equations; variable exponent taper equations usually have the least bias and best predictive abilities among the three kinds of models ([20], [29], [28], [32]). For simpler equations, the presence of larger residuals located in the lower bole (the stump region) is pronounced in some studies ([15]). However, a shortcoming of variable exponent taper equations is that they cannot be analytically integrated to calculate total stem or log volumes ([8], [33]). Additionally, segmented taper equations and variable exponent taper equations suffer from statistical complexity, difficulties in parameter estimation and difficulties of being understood and correctly used by forest managers. Therefore, when simplicity of use is an objective, the simple taper model would be a good choice, despite its lower accuracy in the lower bole ([26]). A polynomial taper equation ([13]) was used in this study. Larger residuals were only found at about 90% of stem height (Fig. 3, Fig. 5). The poorer performance observed in predictions at the stem top is negligible from a practical point of view ([11], [15]), as the top part of cork oak is usually collected for bio-fuel. As we are interested only in the middle part of the bole, a simple taper model can be used for practical purposes ([32]). Ramicorns and relative diameter Branches are an important aspect of tree form because they affect stem utilization. A ramicorn branch is a steep-angled branch diverging less than 30° from the main stem and significantly smaller than the main stem ([46]). In this study, the number of trees with ramicorns was very small. Additionally, the values of relative diameter for most of the computed trees in the data set were under 1.5, which is consistent with those in other studies ([5], [1], [8], [32], [24], [33], [15]). A few small trees estimated from inner rings had very high values of relative diameter (up to 12.0). These were very tiny “trees”, with ages of 5 years and a diameter at breast height under 1.0 cm. We built four sets of compatible taper-volume model systems using all the data (Model system 1), using data of stems without ramicorns (Model system 2), data of stems with a Rd less than 1.5 (Model system 3) and data of stems without ramicorns and simultaneously with a Rd less than 1.5 (Model system 4). Performances of models using those four datasets were compared though the R2, RMSE, residual plots and histograms of residuals. It turned out that models in System 4 had the best performances, followed by System 2 and System 3, while models in System 1 had the worst performances (Tab. 2). Although a dummy variable (branch) to define ramnicorn trees was introduced in System 1 and System 3, performances of those models were still not good enough, partly because of the small number of sample trees with ramicorns. More data of trees with ramicorns need to be collected in order to get more integrated and accurate models. Performances of models in System 2 were much better than those of System 1 and System 3, and just a little poorer than those of System 4. However, System 2 contained the data of stems with a Rd bigger than 1.5, which were not common in practical application. Therefore, models in System 4 were selected as the most appropriate in terms of precision, lack of bias and practical application. They can be used to predict bark thickness, diameter at a specific point along the stem, merchantable volume and total stem volume of cork oak forests in North China within the specific ranges of DBH (1.6-23.1 cm) or H (1.4-18.2 m). In System 4, data from four big trees were removed because they had ramicorns. Due to the small sample size for big trees, more big trees should be measured in the future to obtain a compatible taper-volume model system with a larger useable diameter span. It should be noted that if models created using System 4 are used for predictions of stems with ramicorn branches, then errors would be likely greater than those reported here. Therefore, we suggest that models created with System 4 can be used for predictions of stems without ramicorn branches and simultaneously with a relative diameter less than 1.5. Linear mixed effect equations with tree number as random factor were used for bark thickness and volume modelling using variables transformed by the Box-Cox method to minimise heteroscedasticity. Using the polynomial equation reported by Goulding & Murray ([13]), linear mixed effect equations with tree number and natural (a dummy variable specifying the stand origin) as random factors were fitted during taper modelling. Four sets of compatible taper-volume models systems using different data sets were established and compared. The models in System 4 had superior coefficients of determination (R2), root mean square errors (RMSE) and lack of bias than models from the other three systems and thus were selected as the most suitable in this study. Furthermore, the models in System 4 had good performances in jackknife validation or independent data set validation. Heteroscedasticity was not obvious in the transformed bark thickness model, transformed volume model and the taper model, while a weak heteroscedasticity could be detected in the back-transformed bark thickness model and back-transformed volume model. Residuals of the models in System 4 did not follow normal distribution. Skewness was not detected in these distributions, but they were slightly kurtotic. Within the specified ranges of DBH (1.6-23.1 cm) or H (1.4-18.2 m) tested in this study, the compatible taper-volume models system can be used for predicting diameter at a specific point along the stem, merchantable volume and total stem volume of cork oak forests in North China. This research was jointly supported by scientific and research base construction projects of Beijing Municipal Education Commission (SYSBL2009), forestry science promotion project of the State Forestry Bureau (2011-44), open fund project of Beijing Forestry University “985” advantage subject innovation platform (000-1108003), special fund project for forestry public service industry and research (201004021) and China Scholarship Council. We acknowledge the strong support from Zhong Tiaoshan National Forest Authority, Xingtai County Forestry Bureau, Si Zuolou forestry station and Xi Shan forestry station in Beijing. Conghui Zheng and Yuzhong Wang have equally contributed to this work and should be regarded as co-first authors. Bailey RL (1994). A compatible volume-taper model based on the Schumacher and Hall generalized constant form factor volume equation. Forest Science 40 (2): 303-313. Bi HQ (2000). Trigonometric variable-form taper equations for Australian eucalypts. Forest Science 46 (3): 397-409. Brooks JR, Jiang L, Ozçelik R (2008). Compatible stem volume and taper equations for Brutian pine, Cedar of Lebanon, and Cilicica fir in Turkey. Forest Ecology and Management 256 (1): 147-151. Bruce D, Curtis RO, Vancoevering C (1968). Development of a system of taper and volume tables for red alder. Forest Science 14 (3): 339-350. Cao QV, Burkhart HE, Max TA (1980). Evaluation of two methods for cubic-volume prediction of loblolly pine to any merchantable limit. Forest Science 26 (1): 71-80. Demaerschalk JP (1972). Converting volume equations to compatible taper equations. 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A compatible taper/volume estimation system for Pinus patula at Sao Hill forest project, Southern Tanzania. Forest Ecology and Management 27 (2): 109-115. Martin AJ (1981). Taper and volume equations for selected Appalachian hardwood species. Research Paper NE-490, Northeast Forest Experiment Station, USDA Forest Service, Broomall, PA, USA, pp. 22. Max TA, Burkhart HE (1976). Segmented polynomial regression applied to taper equations. Forest Science 22 (3): 283-289. Muhairwe CK (1999). Taper equations for Eucalyptus pilularis and Eucalyptus grandis for the north coast in New South Wales, Australia. Forest Ecology and Management 113 (2-3): 251-269. Newnham RM (1992). Variable-form taper functions for four Alberta tree species. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 22 (2): 210-223. Nunes L, Tomé J, Tomé M (2010). A system for compatible prediction of total and merchantable volumes allowing for different definitions of tree volume. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 40 (4): 747-760. Ormerod DW (1973). A simple bole model. The Forestry Chronicle 49 (3): 136-138. Oytunemre S, Nuray M, Hakki Y, Mehmet M (2008). Stem taper functions for Abies nordmanniana subsp. bornmulleriana in Turkey. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 23 (6): 522-533. Ozçelik R, Brooks JR (2012). Compatible volume and taper models for economically important tree species of Turkey. Annals of Forest Science 69 (1): 105-118. Parresol BR, Hotvedt JE, Cao QV (1987). A volume and taper prediction system for bald cypress. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 17 (3): 250-259. Peng H, Lu Y (2012). Model selection in linear mixed effect models. Journal of Multivariate Analysis 109: 109-129. Pompa-García M, Corral-Rivas JJ, Hernández-Díaz JC (2009). A system for calculating the merchantable volume of oak trees in the northwest of the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. Journal of Forestry Research 20 (4): 293-300. Rustagi KP, Loveless RS (1991). Improved cubic volume prediction using a new measure of form factor. Forest Ecology and Management 40 (1-2): 1-11. Sánchez-González M, Cañellas I, Montero G (2007). Generalized height-diameter and crown diameter prediction models for cork oak forests in Spain. Forest Systems 16 (1): 76-88. Sánchez-González M, Tomé M, Montero G (2005). Modelling height and diameter growth of dominant cork oak trees in Spain. Annals of Forest Science 62 (7): 633-643. Sakia RM (1992). The Box-Cox transformation technique: a review. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society 41 (2): 169-178. Sharma M, Oderwald RG (2001). Dimensionally compatible volume and taper equations. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 31 (5): 797-803. Su X, Yan X, Tsai CL (2012). Linear regression. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Computational Statistics 4 (3): 275-294. Tarp-Johansen MJ, Skovsgaard JP, Madsen SF, Johannsen VK, Skovgaard I (1997). Compatible stem taper and stem volume functions for oak (Quercus robur L and Q. petraea (Matt) Liebl) in Denmark. Annales Des Sciences Forestières 54 (7): 577-595. Temesgen HT, Monleon VJM, Hann DWH (2008). Analysis and comparison of nonlinear tree height prediction strategies for Douglas-fir forests. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 38 (3): 553-565. Thomas CE, Parresol BR (1991). Simple, flexible, trigonometric taper equations. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 21 (7): 1132-1137. Xiong JS, Mckeand SE, Whetten RW, Isik FT (2014). Genetics of stem forking and ramicorn branches in a cloned loblolly pine family. Forest Science 60 (2): 360-366. Tab. S1 - Summary statistics of four data sets used for modelling. Tab. S2 - Values of fitting statistics for eight models (tbt, tvib, Y, bt, vib and dib). Tab. S3 - Results of tbt and bt models. Tab. S4 - Results of tvib and vib models. Tab. S5 - Results of Y and dib models. Tab. S6 - The estimated taper function (red dotted curve) and the basic taper data for each system. Tab. S7 - Frequencies, Bias and MAD of the vib model in system 4. Tab. S8 - Frequencies, Bias and MAD of dib model in system 4. Conghui Zheng Yuzhong Wang Hebei Engineering and Technology Center of Forest Improved Variety, Hebei Academy of Forestry, Shijiazhuang 050000 (China) Liming Jia Songpo We Caowen Sun Jie Duan Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Silviculture and Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083 (China) Euan Gordon Mason School of Forestry, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8140 (New Zealand) euan.mason@canterbury.ac.nz Zheng C, Wang Y, Jia L, Mason EG, We S, Sun C, Duan J (2017). Compatible taper-volume models of Quercus variabilis Blume forests in north China. iForest 10: 567-575. - doi: 10.3832/ifor2114-010 Rupert Seidl Received: May 16, 2016 Accepted: Feb 22, 2017 First online: May 08, 2017 Publication Date: Jun 30, 2017 Nonlinear mixed model approaches to estimating merchantable bole volume for Pinus occidentalis Bueno-López S, Bevilacqua E The use of tree crown variables in over-bark diameter and volume prediction models Özçelik R, Diamantopoulou MJ, Brooks JR vol. 7, pp. 132-139 (online: 13 January 2014) Height-diameter models for maritime pine in Portugal: a comparison of basic, generalized and mixed-effects models Gómez-García E, Fonseca TF, Crecente-Campo F, Almeida LR, Diéguez-Aranda U, Huang S, Marques CP Estimation of stand crown cover using a generalized crown diameter model: application for the analysis of Portuguese cork oak stands stocking evolution Paulo JA, Faias SP, Ventura-Giroux C, Tomé M Effects of different mechanical treatments on Quercus variabilis, Q. wutaishanica and Q. robur acorn germination Liu Y, Hou L, Li Q vol. 8, pp. 728-734 (online: 05 May 2015) Modeling stand mortality using Poisson mixture models with mixed-effects Zhang X-Q, Lei Y-C, Liu X-Z vol. 8, pp. 333-338 (online: 05 September 2014) Simplified methods to inventory the current annual increment of forest standing volume Marziliano P, Menguzzato G, Scuderi A, Corona P Estimating biomass of mixed and uneven-aged forests using spectral data and a hybrid model combining regression trees and linear models López-Serrano PM, López-Sánchez CA, Díaz-Varela RA, Corral-Rivas JJ, Solís-Moreno R, Vargas-Larreta B, Álvarez-González JG Allometric relationships for predicting the stem volume in a Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. plantation in Bangladesh Khan MNI, Faruque O vol. 3, pp. 153-158 (online: 15 November 2010) Alternative methods of scaling Eucalyptus urophylla trees in forest stands: compatibility and accuracy of volume equations Miguel EP, Péllico Netto S, Azevedo GBD, Azevedo GTDOS, Rezende AV, Pereira RS C Zheng Y Wang L Jia EG Mason S We C Sun J Duan Quercus variabilis Blume Dummy Variable Box-Cox Transformation Compatible Taper-Volume Model Page Top Introduction Material and methods - Measurements - Model building - Optimal model system evaluation Results - Four sets of models - Evaluation of the models in System 4 Discussion - Equation form of total volume model - The simple taper model - Ramicorns and relative diameter Conclusion Acknowledgements References Fig. 1 - Loess residual plot of the back-transformed bark thickness model in System 4. The solid horizontal line indicates the baseline, while the red dotted line represents the loess curve. Fig. 2 - Loess residual plot of the back-transformed total stem volume inside bark model in System 4. The solid horizontal line indicates the baseline, while the red dotted line represents the loess curve. Fig. 3 - Loess residual plot of the back-transformed diameter inside bark model in System 4. The red closed circles represent the residuals under the condition of relative height > 0.9 and the black open circles represent the residuals under the condition of relative height <0.9. The solid horizontal line indicates baseline and the green dotted line indicates loess curve. Fig. 4 - Box plot of residuals versus diameter at breast height over bark class for the volume inside bark model in System 4. Fig. 5 - Box plot of residuals versus relative height for the taper model in System 4. Tab. 1 - Summary statistics of four data sets used for modelling. (bt): bark thickness; (vib): stem total volume under bark; (dib): diameter under bark at height h; (h): height from ground; (H): total tree height; (DBHob): diameter at breast height over bark, breast height is 1.3 m height above the ground; (Rd): relative diameter, equal to dib/DBHib. Tab. 2 - Values of fitting statistics for eight models in four modeling systems. (bt): bark thickness; (vib): stem total volume under bark; (dib): diameter under bark at height h; (tbt) and (tvib): transformed values of bt and vib by the Box-Cox method; (Y): calculated according to eqn. 8; (p-value): probability of type I error in Shapiro Wilks test (for the tbt and tvib models) and probability of type I error in Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (for the Y models); (R2): coefficient of determination; (RMSE): root mean square errors. Tab. 3 - Summaries for the tbt and bt models in System 4. The type III sum of squares was used in those models. (bt): bark thickness (cm); (tbt) and (tdib): transformed values of bt and dib by the Box-Cox method, i.e., tbt=(bt0.538-1)/ 0.538, tdib=(dib0.716-1)/0.716; (dib): diameter under bark at height h (cm); (Rh): relative height and equal to h/H; (h): height from ground (m); (H): total tree height (m); (natural): dummy variable (natural = 1 for natural forests; natural = 0 for plantations); (ai): model parameters (i=1, 2, 3, ..., n); (SE): standard errors of coefficients; (ρ): the parameter for first-order autoregressive structure [AR(1)]; (σ2): the residual variance; (σai2): the variance for the random effects. (): p<0.001. Tab. 4 - Summaries for the tvib and vib models in System 4. The type III sum of squares was used in those models; (tvib), (tH) and (td2h): transformed values of vib, H and d2h by the Box-Cox method, i.e., tvib=(vib0.18-1)/0.18, tH=(H0.81-1)/0.81, td2h=[(d2h)0.21 -1]/0.21; (d2h): equal to DBHob·DBHob·H; (DBHob): diameter at breast height over bark (cm); (H): total tree height (m); (vib): stem total volume under bark (m3); (bi): model parameters (i=1, 2, 3, ..., n); (SE): standard errors of coefficients; (θ): the parameter for moving average structure [MA(1)]; (σ2): the residual variance; (σbi2): the variance for the random effects. (): p<0.001. Tab. 5 - Summaries for Y and dib models in System 4. The type III sum of squares was used in those models. (dib): diameter under bark at height h (cm); (h): height from ground (m); (H): total tree height (m); (Y): calculated according to eqn. 8; (Zn) (n =1, 2, ..., 6): calculated according to eqn. 6; (Vv): estimated stem total volume under bark from stem total volume model (m3); (ci): model parameters (i=1, 2, 3, ..., n); (SE): standard errors of coefficients; (ρ): the parameter for first-order autoregressive structure [AR(1)]; (θ): the parameter for moving average structure [MA(1)]; (σ2): residual variance; (σci2): variance for the random effects (including natural and tree.no.). (*): p<0.001. Tab. S1 - Summary statistics of four data sets used for modelling.Tab. S2 - Values of fitting statistics for eight models (tbt, tvib, Y, bt, vib and dib).Tab. S3 - Results of tbt and bt models.Tab. S4 - Results of tvib and vib models.Tab. S5 - Results of Y and dib models.Tab. S6 - The estimated taper function (red dotted curve) and the basic taper data for each system.Tab. S7 - Frequencies, Bias and MAD of the vib model in system 4. Tab. S8 - Frequencies, Bias and MAD of dib model in system 4. Zheng et al. (2017). iForest 10: 567-575. - doi: 10.3832/ifor2114-010	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1340
__label__wiki	0.701094	0.701094	iKON ALBUM "WELCOME BACK" / Music album packaging Discipline: Packaging "iKON" is a seven boys group who made a "come back" after undergoing two survival tv shows. "WELCOME BACK" was the message that fans have wanted to send to the members. The motif for the album was basketball. REAL RED and CREW BLACK were used to express the core value of the crew that enjoys hip-hop anywhere at anytime. The character of iKON was expressed in the overall design of the album, from the outer box decorated with graffiti-style logos, to the WELCOME PACK that contains a photo book and disc board with basketball graphics and stickers designed based on street-culture elements. TARGET REGIONS Asia SJ S (Creative Direction), Hyunju Lee (Art Direction), Hyunju Lee, Hyona Park, Seul Ki Kim (Graphic Design)	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1341
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__label__cc	0.712125	0.287875	Loan and security agreement This First Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement (this “Amendment”) is entered into this 4th day of March, 2019 by and among (a) SILICON VALLEY BANK (“Bank”) and (b) (i) XOMA CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation (“XOMA”), (ii) XOMA (US) LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“XOMA US”), and (iii) XOMA TECHNOLOGY LTD., a Bermuda exempted company (“Bermuda Borrower”; together with XOMA and XOMA US, individually and collectively, jointly and severally, the “Borrower”), whose address is 2200 Powell Street, Suite 310, Emeryville, California 94608. A.Bank and Borrower have entered into that certain Loan and Security Agreement dated as of May 7, 2018 (as the same may from time to time be amended, modified, supplemented or restated, the “Loan Agreement”). B.Bank has extended credit to Borrower for the purposes permitted in the Loan Agreement. C.Borrower has requested that Bank amend the Loan Agreement to (i) extend the Draw Period End Date and (ii) make certain other revisions to the Loan Agreement as more fully set forth herein. D.Bank has agreed to so amend certain provisions of the Loan Agreement, but only to the extent, in accordance with the terms, subject to the conditions and in reliance upon the representations and warranties set forth below. Now, Therefore, in consideration of the foregoing recitals and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which is hereby acknowledged, and intending to be legally bound, the parties hereto agree as follows: 1.Definitions. Capitalized terms used but not defined in this Amendment shall have the meanings given to them in the Loan Agreement. 2.Amendments to Loan Agreement. 2.1Section 2.3 (Fees). Section 2.3 is hereby amended by (i) deleting “and” appearing at the end of subsection (c), (ii) deleting “.” appearing at the end of subsection (d) and replacing it with “; and”, and (iii) inserting the following to appear as subsection (e) thereof: “(e)Modification Fee. A fully earned, non-refundable modification fee of Twenty-Three Thousand Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($23,750.00) (the “Modification Fee”). The Modification Fee shall be fully earned as of the First Amendment Effective Date and is due and payable on the earliest to occur of (i) the Term Loan Maturity Date, (ii) the payment in full of the Term Loan Advances, (iii) the occurrence of an Event of Default, and (iv) the termination of this Agreement.” 2.2Section 13 (Definitions). The following terms and their respective definitions set forth in Section 13.1 are amended in their entirety and replaced with the following: ““Draw Period End Date” is March 31, 2020.” ““Obligations” are Borrower’s obligations to pay when due any debts, principal, interest, fees, the Final Payment, the Prepayment Premium, the Unused Term Loan Fee, the Modification Fee, Bank Expenses, and other amounts Borrower owes Bank now or later, whether under this Agreement, the other Loan Documents (other than the Warrant), or otherwise, including, without limitation, any interest accruing after Insolvency Proceedings begin and debts, liabilities, or obligations of Borrower assigned to Bank, and to perform Borrower’s duties under the Loan Documents (other than the Warrant). ““Warrant” is, collectively, (a) that certain warrant to purchase stock dated as of May 7, 2018 by and between XOMA and Bank, and (b) that certain warrant to purchase stock dated as of the First Amendment Effective Date by and between XOMA and Bank, in each case, as may be amended, modified, supplemented and/or restated from time to time.” 2.3Section 13 (Definitions). The following new defined terms are hereby inserted alphabetically in Section 13.1: ““First Amendment Effective Date” is March 4, 2019.” ““Modification Fee” is defined in Section 2.3(e).” 2.4Section 13 (Definitions). The following term and its definition set forth in Section 13.1 is deleted in its entirety: ““Milestone Event” means delivery by Borrower to Bank of evidence satisfactory to Bank, in Bank’s sole but reasonable discretion, after the Effective Date, but on or prior to March 31, 2019, that Borrower has received at least Twenty Million Dollars ($20,000,000.00) in unrestricted and unencumbered gross cash proceeds from milestone/licensing payments for the period commencing on the Effective Date and ending on or prior to March 31, 2019.” 3.Limitation of Amendments. 3.1The amendments set forth in Section 2 above are effective for the purposes set forth herein and shall be limited precisely as written and shall not be deemed to (a) be a consent to any amendment, waiver or modification of any other term or condition of any Loan Document, or (b) otherwise prejudice any right or remedy which Bank may now have or may have in the future under or in connection with any Loan Document. 3.2This Amendment shall be construed in connection with and as part of the Loan Documents and all terms, conditions, representations, warranties, covenants and agreements set forth in the Loan Documents, except as herein amended, are hereby ratified and confirmed and shall remain in full force and effect. 4.Representations and Warranties. To induce Bank to enter into this Amendment, Borrower hereby represents and warrants to Bank as follows: 4.1Immediately after giving effect to this Amendment (a) the representations and warranties contained in the Loan Documents are true, accurate and complete in all material respects as of the date hereof (except to the extent such representations and warranties relate to an earlier date, in which case they are true and correct as of such date), and (b) no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing; 4.2Borrower has the power and authority to execute and deliver this Amendment and to perform its obligations under the Loan Agreement, as amended by this Amendment; 4.3The organizational documents of Borrower delivered to Bank on the Effective Date remain true, accurate and complete and have not been amended, supplemented or restated and are and continue to be in full force and effect; 4.4The execution and delivery by Borrower of this Amendment and the performance by Borrower of its obligations under the Loan Agreement, as amended by this Amendment, have been duly authorized; 4.5The execution and delivery by Borrower of this Amendment and the performance by Borrower of its obligations under the Loan Agreement, as amended by this Amendment, do not and will not contravene (a) any law or regulation binding on or affecting Borrower, (b) any contractual restriction with a Person binding on Borrower, (c) any order, judgment or decree of any court or other governmental or public body or authority, or subdivision thereof, binding on Borrower, or (d) the organizational documents of Borrower; 4.6The execution and delivery by Borrower of this Amendment and the performance by Borrower of its obligations under the Loan Agreement, as amended by this Amendment, do not require any order, consent, approval, license, authorization or validation of, or filing, recording or registration with, or exemption by any governmental or public body or authority, or subdivision thereof, binding on Borrower, except as already has been obtained or made; and 4.7This Amendment has been duly executed and delivered by Borrower and is the binding obligation of Borrower, enforceable against Borrower in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, liquidation, moratorium or other similar laws of general application and equitable principles relating to or affecting creditors’ rights. 5.Ratification of Intellectual Property Security Agreements. XOMA hereby ratifies, confirms and reaffirms, all and singular, the terms and conditions of a certain Intellectual Property Security Agreement dated as of May 7, 2018 between XOMA and Bank (the “XOMA IPSA”), and acknowledges, confirms and agrees that the XOMA IPSA (a) contains an accurate and complete listing of all Intellectual Property Collateral, as defined in the XOMA IPSA, and (b) shall remain in full force and effect. XOMA US hereby ratifies, confirms and reaffirms, all and singular, the terms and conditions of a certain Intellectual Property Security Agreement dated as of May 7, 2018 between XOMA US and Bank (the “XOMA US IPSA”), and acknowledges, confirms and agrees that the XOMA US IPSA (a) contains an accurate and complete listing of all Intellectual Property Collateral, as defined in the XOMA US IPSA, and (b) shall remain in full force and effect. Bermuda Borrower hereby ratifies, confirms and reaffirms, all and singular, the terms and conditions of a certain Intellectual Property Security Agreement dated as of May 7, 2018 between Bermuda Borrower and Bank (the “Bermuda Borrower IPSA”), and acknowledges, confirms and agrees that the Bermuda Borrower IPSA (a) contains an accurate and complete listing of all Intellectual Property Collateral, as defined in the Bermuda Borrower IPSA, and (b) shall remain in full force and effect. 6.Ratification of Perfection Certificates. XOMA hereby ratifies, confirms and reaffirms, all and singular, the terms and disclosures contained in a certain Perfection Certificate of XOMA dated as of May 7, 2018, as amended as set forth on Schedule 1 attached hereto (the “XOMA Perfection Certificate”) and acknowledges, confirms and agrees the disclosures and information XOMA provided to Bank in the XOMA Perfection Certificate have not changed, as of the date hereof. XOMA US hereby ratifies, confirms and reaffirms, all and singular, the terms and disclosures contained in a certain Perfection Certificate of XOMA US dated as of May 7, 2018, as amended as set forth on Schedule 2 attached hereto (the “XOMA US Perfection Certificate”) and acknowledges, confirms and agrees the disclosures and information XOMA US provided to Bank in the XOMA US Perfection Certificate have not changed, as of the date hereof. Bermuda Borrower hereby ratifies, confirms and reaffirms, all and singular, the terms and disclosures contained in a certain Perfection Certificate of Bermuda Borrower dated as of May 7, 2018, as amended as set forth on Schedule 3 attached hereto (the “Bermuda Borrower Perfection Certificate” and collectively with the XOMA Perfection Certificate and the XOMA US Perfection Certificate, the “Perfection Certificate”) and acknowledges, confirms and agrees the disclosures and information Bermuda Borrower provided to Bank in the Bermuda Borrower Perfection Certificate have not changed, as of the date hereof. Borrower hereby agrees that all references in the Loan Agreement to the “Perfection Certificate” shall hereinafter be deemed to be references to the Perfection Certificate, as defined herein. 7.Integration. This Amendment and the Loan Documents represent the entire agreement about this subject matter and supersede prior negotiations or agreements. All prior agreements, understandings, representations, warranties, and negotiations between the parties about the subject matter of this Amendment and the Loan Documents merge into this Amendment and the Loan Documents. 8.Counterparts. This Amendment may be executed in any number of counterparts and all of such counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. 9.Effectiveness. This Amendment shall be deemed effective upon (a) the due execution and delivery to Bank of this Amendment by each party hereto, and (b) Borrower’s payment to Bank of Bank’s legal fees and expenses incurred in connection with this Amendment. In Witness Whereof, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment to be duly executed and delivered as of the date first written above. BORROWER By: /s/ PETER SLETTELAND Name: Peter Sletteland Title: Vice President By: /s/ TOM BURNS Name: Tom Burns Title: Chief Financial Officer XOMA (US) LLC XOMA TECHNOLOGY LTD. The undersigned hereby certifies, to the best of his or her knowledge, that the information set out in the XOMA Perfection Certificate is true, complete and correct. Email: burns@xoma.com The undersigned hereby certifies, to the best of his or her knowledge, that the information set out in the XOMA US Perfection Certificate is true, complete and correct. The undersigned hereby certifies, to the best of his or her knowledge, that the information set out in the Bermuda Borrower Perfection Certificate is true, complete and correct. Amendments to XOMA Perfection Certificate The XOMA Perfection Certificate is amended by inserting the following text to appear as new Section 15 thereof, immediately following Section 14 thereof: “15.BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP INFORMATION a.Is the Company any of the following: a public company or an issuer of securities that are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or that is required to file reports under Section 15(d) of that Act; an investment company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Company Act of 1940; an investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940; or a pooled investment vehicle operated or advised by a regulated financial institution (including an SEC-registered investment adviser)? Yes ☒ No☐ If yes, no further information is required for Sections 15(b), 15(c) or 15(d) below. If no, continue to Section 15(b). b.Is the Company a pooled investment vehicle that is not operated or advised by a regulated financial institution? Yes ☐ No☐ If yes, skip to Section 15(d) below. If no, continue to Section 15(c). c.Does any individual, directly or indirectly (for example, if applicable, through such individual’s equity interests in the Company’s parent entity), through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, own 25% or more of the equity interests of the Company: If yes, complete the following information. If no, continue to Section 15(d) below. For US Persons, Social Security Number: (non-US persons should provide SSN if available) For Non-US Persons: Type of ID, ID number, country of issuance, expiration date Percentage of ownership (if indirect ownership, explain structure) d.Identify one individual with significant responsibility for managing the Company, i.e., an executive officer or senior manager (e.g., Chief Executive Officer, President, Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Chief Operating Officer, Managing Member or General Partner) or any other individual who regularly performs similar functions. If appropriate, an individual listed in Section 15(c) above may also be listed here. Amendments to XOMA US Perfection Certificate The XOMA US Perfection Certificate is amended by inserting the following text to appear as new Section 14 thereof, immediately following Section 13 thereof: (vii) (viii) Yes ☐ No☒ Thomas Burns 384 Riviera Dr., San Rafael, CA 94901 Amendments to Bermuda Borrower Perfection Certificate The Bermuda Borrower Perfection Certificate is amended by inserting the following text to appear as new Section 14 thereof, immediately following Section 13 thereof: (ix) (xii)	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1349
__label__wiki	0.629517	0.629517	Examining the Factors that Influence ICT Adoption in SMEs: A Research Preliminary Findings Author(s): Japhet Eke Lawrence (Nigerian Defence Academy, Nigeria) Source title: Information Diffusion Management and Knowledge Sharing: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Information Resources Management Association (USA) Keywords: Communications Theory / Information Resources Management / Information Science Reference / Library & Information Science View Examining the Factors that Influence ICT Adoption in SMEs: A Research Preliminary Findings on the publisher's website for pricing and purchasing information. Many opportunities have been made available through the use of Information communication technologies (ICT) in organizations in general, and particularly in Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with the early adopters' successes well publicized. Thus, many organizations not taking advantages of the ICT are currently examining their options. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that influence SMEs' decision in adopting ICT in business. The diffusion theory, the technology acceptance model and information richness will provide the theoretical foundation for this study. Currently in the data collection phase, the owner/manager or someone responsible for IT employed by the SMEs will be surveyed in this cross-industry study. Preliminary results from the study are reported as well as sample questions resulting from the study to be used in the final survey questionnaire. A Study on Green Characteristics of RFID using Innovation Diffusion Theory Ramakrishnan Ramanathan, Lok Wan Lorraine Ko, Hsin Chen, Usha Ramanathan. © 2020. 12 pages. Using Diffusion of Innovations Theory to Encourage Workers to Make Healthy Food Choices and Engage in Physical Activity Debra N. Weiss-Randall. © 2020. 14 pages. Establishing a Media Literacy Cognate at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: A Comparative Analysis of Existing Courses and Potential of Implementation Jayne Cubbage. © 2020. 18 pages. Japhet Eke Lawrence. © 2020. 20 pages. Online Communities of Practice and Web 2.0 Amir Manzoor. © 2020. 28 pages. Information Sharing and Communications with Mobile Cloud Technology: Applications and Challenges Shantanu Pal. © 2020. 19 pages. Information and Communication Technologies as Drivers of Social Unrest Martha Garcia-Murillo, Moinul Zaber, Marcio Wohlers de Almeida. © 2020. 22 pages.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1351
__label__cc	0.742399	0.257601	A Gripping Narrative on the New Reality of Wildfire By Erica Sánchez Vázquez / On September 4th, 2019 Photos from the book Firestorm, now available in paperback, offer a glimpse into the new reality of wildfire. Rampant Wildfires Will Affect Our Drinking Water By Edward Struzik / On October 2nd, 2017 In a world of bigger, hotter fires, it is time to think of forests as vital infrastructure, and to invest in preserving these resources for the future On Wildfires and Pollution By Jason Leppig / On August 22nd, 2017 A new study from the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres suggests that naturally caused forest fires emit three times as much pollution as previously... Adjusting to Forests that Won't Stand Still By Richard Waring, Joe Landsberg / On January 30th, 2017 For a long time we ecologists thought that we could predict not only how forests would grow but also how their composition was likely to change over time. And we could predict the effects of management actions: for example, If we chose to thin stands of...	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1353
__label__cc	0.669081	0.330919	Tag Archives: Coach House Antiques Prince Edward Island, Uncategorised, Victoria-by-the-Sea The Seaside Village of Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI August 15, 2016 barbara-99 10 Comments Victoria Harbour, PEI Victoria-by-the-Sea, a small fishing village, is located just off the Trans Canada Highway near Crapaud, about half way between Charlottetown and Summerside on PEI’s south shore. With a year round population of less than 200, summer brings a lot of visitors to this tiny, quaint village that is neatly laid out in a square grid. The village is very logically designed and it would be impossible to get lost! Founded in 1819, Victoria was once a bustling seaport with schooners and steamboats making regular visits. Today, the life of the seamen is still evident and you can see fishing boats coming and going and landing their daily catches. Setting Crab Traps Arriving Back in Port Sailboats are a common sight in and around Victoria. Sailing into Victoria A number of small pleasure craft find their way into the sheltered local harbour in the summer months. Pleasure Craft Docking in the Harbour It’s quite extraordinary that this tiny village boasts no less than four lighthouses and it certainly attests to its long history with the sea. The one in the photo below is the Seaport Lighthouse, built in 1879. It is the most recognizable of the four because it sits just adjacent to the harbour and is hard to miss. Seaport Lighthouse The second lighthouse known as Leard’s Back Range was built in 1878 and sits in a field just to the entrance of the village. Leard’s Back Range Lighthouse The third lighthouse is known as the Wright’s Back Range and was built in 1894. Wrights Back Range Lighthouse The fourth lighthouse – Wright’s Front Range – is very small (only 3.7 metres in height). Built in 1903, it sits on the edge of an Island red cliff. Wright’s Front Range Lighthouse Water plays a big role around the Island for obvious reasons (we are, after all, an Island). Locals and tourists alike enjoy the sports of kayaking and paddleboarding out from the harbour. Paddleboarding in Victoria, PEI It’s not uncommon to see kiteboarders out skimming the water around the shores of Victoria. The village is flat terrain and easy to stroll around. Look for interesting styles of houses like this one next to an antique shop. Almost every house has hanging or sitting baskets of colorful flowers. Many of the homes have cozy verandahs. A Cozy Verandah Houses are in a myriad of colors. Colorful houses in the seaside village A favorite house in the village is this turquoise colored home with its dormers. The Turquoise House When I started my early morning stroll through the village, it was very foggy and, as the fog started to lift, it gave way to some very soft lighting for photos. The photo below is of a home with Queen Anne Revival influences found on Nelson Street. This property was once known as Dunrovin, one of the first tourist homes on PEI. For many years, the Wood family ran this tourist business that included accommodations in both the house and cottages on the property. At the time of writing, the cottages are being restored and will operate under the name of Victoria Cottages. Stately Architecture in Victoria, PEI The Orient Hotel, built in 1900, welcomes summer guests to its bed and breakfast on Main Street. This local landmark is known for its colorful array of chairs on the front verandah that invite guests to stop and pause awhile. The Orient Hotel In the center of the village, on Main Street, you will find the old community hall that has been turned into a summer playhouse theatre. Each year, the playhouse features two to three plays and a Monday night concert series all of which are popular with both tourists and locals. Victoria Playhouse Look for some quaint shops throughout the village, many of them in older traditional homes. Michael Stanley Pottery There are several casual eating establishments in the village. The Landmark Café is the oldest restaurant still in operation and is just adjacent to the Victoria Playhouse Theatre on the corner of Main and Howard Streets. Landmark Café More restaurants and shops can be found along the harbour at the foot of Main Street. Harbour Shops and Restaurants Perhaps you’ll stop by the Lobster Barn for a PEI lobster roll. Lobster Roll from the Lobster Barn If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll want to drop in to the Island Chocolates factory on Main Street where you can watch chocolates being made onsite and, of course, buy a sweet treat or two. Island Chocolates Chocolates from Island Chocolates Be sure to stop by The Studio Gallery on Howard Street to check out the work of various Island artists. The Studio Gallery And, if antiques are your passion, you will need to browse through the Coach House Antiques shop on Russell Street. Coach House Antique Shop You will definitely want to plan some beach time while visiting Victoria. There is a lovely little park within walking distance to the village that provides access to the beach. Beach Time in Victoria, PEI No matter where you look in Victoria, you will find intriguing land and seascapes. Victoria Landscape Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI Church in Victoria, PEI Some of the most amazing sunsets can be found over Victoria. Sunset in Victoria The Confederation Bridge makes a stunning backdrop for a magnificent sunset. Sun Sets Behind the Confederation Bridge And, if you are lucky enough to be in Victoria at sunset when the tide is low, take a walk on the sandbars and maybe do a little beachcombing. Walking the Sandbars at Sunset Victoria-by-the-Sea is a charming seacoast village in Canada’s smallest province and is worth a visit. Whether it’s theatre, dining, water sports, local craft shopping and antiquing or simply spending a day enjoying the beach and warm waters of the Island’s south shore, you can easily spend a day or more in this historic coastal village. Bittersweet Rose of VictoriaCoach House Antiquescrab fishingfishingIsland ChocolateskayakingkiteboardingLandmark Cafélighthouseslobster fishinglobster rollMichael Stanley PotterypaddleboatingPEIsailboatingsunsetsThe Gallery StudioThe Lobster BarnThe Orient HotelVictoria HarbourVictoria PlayhouseVictoria-by-the-Sea	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1354
__label__cc	0.587594	0.412406	Home FOOD & DRINK Cooking Books for foodies Books for foodies Stuff a gastronome's stocking with one of these by Terese Allen Last week at a gathering I told some new acquaintances about a book club I'm in, a group that discusses cookbooks and other food literature. "But what kind of 'food literature' is there besides cookbooks?" one of them asked. I was reminded that, unlike the eat-seeking gastronomy addicts in my reading circle, not everyone knows how jammed library catalogs are these days with titles on food history, food politics, food fiction, food humor, food art and food memoir (not to mention actual recipe collections supplemented with the aforementioned). Among these is an impressive accumulation of publications by local authors. 'Tis list-making season, so below is a list of some recently issued ones. Think of them as gift ideas for the history buffs, politicos, fiction hounds, comics, art lovers, nostalgists - and oh, yes - cooks in your life: Apple Betty and Sloppy Joe: Stirring Up the Past with Family Recipes and Stories, by Susan Sanvidge et al. (Wisconsin Historical Society Press). Four sisters from Oshkosh pay droll, heartwarming homage to Mom's cooking in a collection that will resonate especially with baby boom Midwesterners. As noted on the title page: "No garlic was harmed in the production of this book." It's scheduled to be in stores by Dec. 15. Six Spices: A Simple Concept of Indian Cooking by Neeta Saluja (Jones Books). A Madison-based, first-time author gives us this elegantly straightforward approach to a complex cuisine. With full-page color photos, lucid recipes and helpful overviews on technique, it's worthy of the coffee table or a spot front and center on the kitchen countertop. Potluck! Home Cooking from Wisconsin's Community Cookbooks, by Toni Brandeis Streckert (Trails Books). "Bits of living, still-unfolding history can be discovered in the recipes found between the pages of community cookbooks," says the author, a Madison writer. Her thoughtful compilation proves how Wisconsin's "potluck culture" celebrates and strengthens community and heritage. Brewed Awakenings: An Illustrated Journey to Coffeehouses in Wisconsin (and Beyond), by Jeff Hagen (Itchy Cat Press). Another little chuckle-inducing treasure from the artist who portrayed Wisconsin fish fries in Fry Me to the Moon. A Recipe for Success: Lizzie Kander and Her Cookbook, by Bob Kann (Wisconsin Historical Society Press). Geared for grade-schoolers but of interest to anyone curious about one of Wisconsin's first "celebrity chefs," this is a biography of the woman who wrote The Settlement Cook Book, the most profitable charity cookbook ever published. Madison Originals Cookbook (Madison Originals). With a foreword by Odessa Piper, this collection offers recipes from local, independent restaurants. Also in the category of food-related writings: Renewing the Countryside: Wisconsin (Renewing the Countryside), an engaging compilation of essays about sustainable living endeavors around the state, with many "food stories" about organic farmers, artisan cheesemakers, farm-to-school programs and the like; Odd Wisconsin: Amusing, Perplexing, and Unlikely Stories from Wisconsin's Past, by Erika Janik (Wisconsin Historical Society Press), a quirky, winking guide to the weird in Wisconsin; operative here is the "Palatable Peculiarities" chapter (whiskey-stuffed cat's bladder, anyone?) Then there is In a Pickle: A Family Farm Story, by Jerry Apps (Terrace Books), a poignant tale about a small-town pickle factory, from Wisconsin's guru of rural life. And last but not in the least bit serious - Mustard on a Pickle, a children's book written by Mount Horeb's own master of mustard, Barry Levenson, and illustrated by Chris Miles (Chapter Eleven Press).	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1355
__label__cc	0.673305	0.326695	Motian Songbooks WRFR Show Links 2 July 22, 2019 WRFR Radio Show 3-5pm 93.3FM Uncle Paul's Jazz Closet David Friesen's 1984 Amber Skies Page from Paul Motian's 1978 Band Book and back cover 'Amber Skies' courtesy Palo Alto Records I have a 1978 rehearsal cassette with David Friesen, Charles Brackeen and Paul Motian and the 1984 album of Friesen's that Paul Motian played on to feature on this week's show. This is the official page for the Paul Motian Archive. Uncle Paul's Jazz Closet is a radio show on WRFR, a community radio station in Rockland, Maine. The show is dedicated to jazz drummer Paul Motian. Your host is Paul's niece and caretaker of his archive, Cindy McGuirl. Each week, the show centers around a theme such as early influences, particular compositions, a time period or Motian's work with specific players. The show also features readings from his archive including journals, an unpublished autobiography, and interviews. In put and questions from the community are welcome. Photos: The photos in this blog are copyrighted by the photographers. Please ask the photographer's permission before using them in other places. The show is live on Mondays from 3-5pm EST except there is no show the last Monday of the month. You can stream it online at the WRFR website or click Podcasts to listen online. Set lists and other info will be posted on this page.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1364
__label__cc	0.548194	0.451806	Tag Archives: West Coast jazz MASTERY: JON DE LUCIA, GREG RUGGIERO, AIDAN O’DONNELL, STEVE LITTLE, RAY GALLON (CITY COLLEGE, APRIL 15, 2016) I first met Jon De Lucia at a concert celebrating tenor legend Ted Brown’s birthday. The concert was held at Michael Kanan and Stephanie Greig’s The Drawing Room, so I knew the very gracious young man traveled in the best company. Photograph by Richard Daniel Bergeron But I hadn’t heard him play. It turns out that my ignorance of Jon — altoist, clarinetist, and imaginative composer / improviser — was a serious loss, which I remedied on April 15, 2016. Slightly after noon on that day, Jon gave a graduate recital at City College of New York — a degree requirement so that he could receive his Master’s in Jazz Studies. With him (and alongside him) were Greg Ruggiero, guitar; Aidan O’Donnell, string bass; Steve Little, drums. Pianist Ray Gallon joined in for two performances. Aidan, Jon, Steve, and Greg at City College A Master in Jazz Studies is what Jon De Lucia is, and as I write this he hasn’t even worn the robes or gotten his diploma. Jon’s recital lasted about an hour, and he and his ensemble performed seven improvisations — most of them his own arrangements and reinventions over moderately familiar chord sequences (with one glorious ballad). But this wasn’t an afternoon of thin contrefacts, so that the members of the audience could say in two bars, “Oh, that’s LADY BE GOOD.” “Again.” No, Jon showed off his craft, his subtle gift for creating luxurious melodies, actual songs. As you’ll hear, some of the music had a dreamlike serenity — elusive and lovely; at other points I thought of the dear seriousness of Fifties West Coast jazz, or dance movements from early modern classical yet with a strong pulse. It was delicate yet pointed, light-hearted but never effete. Jon’s music didn’t fit easily into stylistic boxes (which is delightful): his lines soared, his solos had their own internal logic; the music breathed and rang and glistened. Not only is he a wonderfully seductive altoist, his tone sweet and tart, avoiding avian flurries of notes or post-Parker harshness, he is a master of that unforgiving horn, the clarinet. I was thrilled to be in the audience. And once you’ve heard only a few minutes of this music, you will understand why. PRELUDE TO PART FIRST: CONFLAGRATION: I’M GLAD THERE IS YOU (a breathtakingly gorgeous performance): VALSE VIVIENNE: RONDO A LA RUSSO, featuring Aidan O’Donnell: THE Q 25 BLUES, inspired by a bus and its route: LOST AND FOUND, by Hod O’Brien, its title a sly wink at its origin, as is the riff that sets up Steve’s solo passages: Now I see that Jon and friends have gigs in Manhattan and Brooklyn — information you can find out here and there is more information at his website. I salute him and his colleagues, and look forward to hearing more. Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Irreplaceable, It's All True, Jazz Titans, Pay Attention!, Swing You Cats!, That Was Fun!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love, Wow! Tagged Aidan O'Donnell, Benny Goodman, Bill Russo, Charlie Parker, City College of New York, graduate recital, Greg Ruggiero, Hod O'Brien, Jazz Lives, Jimmy Dorsey, Jon De Lucia, Michael Kanan, Michael Steinman, Ray Gallon, Stephanie Greig, Steve Little, Ted Brown, The Drawing Room, West Coast jazz HOT JAZZ FOR SALE: HOLLYWOOD’S “JAZZ MAN” RECORD SHOP That’s the title of an irresistible new book by Cary Ginell. If I’m going to spend time with a new jazz book, I want it to be original, not a recycling of other writers. An ideal book is full of first-hand narrative, it’s well-documented, without a limiting ideology, enjoyably written, full of surprises. Ginell’s book was particularly interesting to me because I knew something about West Coast jazz (the pre-Chet Baker variety) but not much about this fabled record shop. From the years I spent in New York record stores, I know that each one was its own anthropological microcosm, an eccentric cosmos in itself. So I was prepared to learn a great deal about this manifestation of jazz culture when I opened this book. But I didn’t expect to enjoy myself quite so much. On the surface, Ginell’s book is the story of a record shop — as it passes from one set of owners to another, a dozen moves, from 1939 to 1984. But that record shop also had its own label, a spiritedly unusual clientele, and it was a thriving part of the West Coast jazz scene. The book floats along from one first-hand story to another, and some famous names pass through its pages (not simply as casual mentions): Orson Welles, Jelly Roll Morton, Kid Ory, Bunk Johnson, Nesuhi and Ahmet Ertegun, Dave Stuart, Don Brown, Lu Watters, Reb Spikes, Bill Russell, Marili Morden (the seductive although restrained amorous cynosure of the traditional scene), Duke Ellington, Turk Murphy, George Avakian, the Firehouse Five Plus Two, Joe Venuti, the Rolling Stones, Bukka White. But some of the most satisfying moments are frankly impossible to imagine: the story of Stravinsky coming to the Jazz Man Record Shop, listening happily to King Oliver (and not buying anything). The tale of Harry “the Hipster” Gibson and his son — the only anecdote in the world bringing “the Hipster” and “Hare Krishna” into the same paragraph. And then there’s the terrible story of Don Brown, a Johnny Dodds’ Black Bottom Stompers record, and a hammer . . . avert your eyes. Ginell is a clear, enthusiastic writer; his narrative moves eagerly along. It’s clear he isn’t a chronicler-for-hire (we all know those people, who assemble the facts without having their heart in the subject); he is someone deeply involved in the shop, the music, and the scene from 1971 on. But the book isn’t about him, nor is he trying to prove a particular point. The book concludes with a useful bibliography, discography of the JAZZ MAN label, and an index. It’s beautifully illustrated with clear reproductions of many rare photographs, advertising flyers, letters, and fascinating paper ephemera. Better yet — in addition to the book, Ginell has put together a fine CD anthology — including Morton, Bunk, Watters, Johnny Lucas, Pud Brown, Ory, Pete Daily, Darnell Howard, Bukka White (a previously unissued recording), George Lewis, Joe Venuti, Jack Teagarden, Jess Stacy, and others. I found the book / CD combination a delightful experience and predict that you will, too. To purchase the book, you can visit http://www.lulu.com; for the CD by itself, visit http://www.originjazz.com (which has a link to Lulu), or contact the author directly at originjazz@aol.com. And thanks to Bob Porter for pointing me to this book. Posted in "Thanks A Million", Irreplaceable, Jazz Titans, Pay Attention!, Swing You Cats!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love Tagged Ahmet Ertegun, Bill Russell, Bob Porter, Bukka White, Bunk Johnson, Cary Ginell, Chet Baker, Dave Stuart, Don Brown, Duke Ellington, Firehouse Five Plus Two, George Avakian, George Lewis, Hare Krishna, Harry "the Hipster" Gibson, Igor Stravinsky, Jack Teagarden, Jazz Lives, JAZZ MAN, Jelly Roll Morton, Jess Stacy, Jimmie Noone, Joe Venuti, Johnny Dodds, Johnny Lucas, King Oliver, Lu Watters, Marili Morden, Michael Steinman, Nesuhi Ertegun, Orson Welles, Pud Brown, Reb Spikes, record shop, San Francisco Jazz, The Rolling Stones, Turk Murphy, West Coast jazz SWING SCENES A friend sent me links to two YouTube videos I wouldn’t have otherwise found — posted by “swingscenevideos”: what they have in common is the presence of Jonathan Stout and that they both swing mightily in their own fashion. Jonathan Stout leads a small hot group called the Campus Five — and he’s posted half-hour shows on YouTube, beautifully recorded and presented, on the “famouspictures” channel. Here’s a more informal combo performing THERE’LL BE SOME CHANGES MADE led by Western Swing guitarist and singer Dave Stuckey — featuring Corey Gemme on cornet, Dan Barrett on valve trombone, Chris Dawson on piano, Wally Hersom on bass, and Jonathan on drums rather than his customary guitar. (Fine drumming, there!) With the Campus Five, Jonathan offers a swinging version of JAMMIN’ THE BLUES (complete with their own take on the famous Illinois Jacquet – Jo Jones duet near the end). The band is Albert Alva, tenor; Jim Ziegler, trumpet; Richard Geere, piano, Art Gibson, bass; Josh Collazo, drums: While I’m asleep on the East Coast, these scenes are going on out West, which is very reassuring. Posted in Swing You Cats! Tagged Albert Alva, Art Gibson, Chris Dawson, Corey Gemme, Dan Barrett, Dave Stuckey, famouspictures, Illinois Jacquet, JAMMIN' THE BLUES, jazz blog, Jazz Lives, Jim Ziegler, Jo Jones, Jonathan Stout, Jonathan Stout and the Campus Five, Josh Collazo, Michael Steinman, Richard Geere, swing, swingscenevideos, Wally Hersom, West Coast jazz, YouTube JAVA JIVE I’d love to have heard the conversation between Eddie South and Big Sid Catlett as they so politely posed for photographer Carl Mihn in September 1944 when they were both leading bands at the Streets of Paris nightclub in Los Angeles, California. Eddie and Sid would have known each other from Chicago, but something tells me they didn’t always meet over coffee. Cream and sugar, anyone? Some rugelach? This photograph was originally published in BAND LEADERS (March 1945, p. 21) in a photo spread called “Hollywood Is Hep.” It appears here through the kind permission of the AB Fable Archives. Tagged AB Fable Archive, Anthony Barnett, BAND LEADERS, Big Sid Catlett, coffee, Eddie South, jazz blog, Jazz Lives, Michael Steinman, Sidney Catlett, West Coast jazz	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1365
__label__wiki	0.874877	0.874877	News: Jaguar announce cutting edge race car with a heritage sponsor Jaguar announce cutting edge race car with a heritage sponsor  11th October 2019 Panasonic Jaguar Racing have unveiled their new season six all-electric race car, the Jaguar I-TYPE 4 featuring an all new powertrain and drivers Mitch Evans and Briton James Calado and new partner and lubricant specialist Castrol, with whom Jaguar have enjoyed great historical successes. Jaguar racing car will carry the Castrol badge once again Together, they won at Daytona in 1990 with this car, driven by Andy Wallace, Jan Lammers and Davy Jones and of course were sponsors of the TWR efforts with the purple liveried cars for the victories at Le Mans in 1988 and 1990 and the wins in the World Sportscar Series. Fast forward to this year and Panasonic Jaguar Racing have today revealed their brand-new all electric racecar to challenge for season six of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship with the return of a very familiar logo on the side of the car. The team’s official launch, which took place in front of VIPs, media, partners and fans was at Jaguar’s brand-new design studio in Gaydon, Warwickshire – the most advanced automotive design centre in the world. The announcement included news of of a new sponsor for season six of the Formula E championship - Castrol! A name synonymous with the heydays of Jaguar's victories in motorsport with the cars engineered and run by Tom Walkinshaw Racing. The Castrol Press department said: "Over the years, Jaguar Racing and Castrol have enjoyed extraordinary motorsport success, including victory at the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours and the 24 hours of Daytona.Using Castrol’s e-fluids, will allow Jaguar and Castrol to collaborate, learn and win on the track, and further develop advanced technology and e-fluids for the award-winning Jaguar I-PACE and future road-going Jaguar vehicles." Jaguar Enthusiasts' Club members interested in asking questions of the engineer from the TWR era of Jaguar's racing should check out our #AskAllan feature here. The Jaguar I-TYPE 4, featuring an all new motor, gearbox, inverter, rear suspension and dampers has seen its overall weight reduced offering improved handling and performance. The lightest and most efficient powertrain the team has ever produced, the Jaguar I-TYPE 4 has a lower centre of gravity and will allow the team to push towards even more points, podiums and wins in season six. The new powertrain also features a new vehicle control module - which increases the processing capacity and allows faster rate of software development – this puts Jaguar at the forefront of battery electric vehicle innovation. James Barclay, Panasonic Jaguar Racing Team Director said: "The start of a new season is an exciting time for the team. After months of hard work we are excited to show the world the new Jaguar I-TYPE 4. We have applied all of our experience in Formula E to date and our latest innovations into the new racecar and the development team have created what we believe will be our most competitive Formula E car to date. We’ve learnt how to win as a team and we are hungry for more in season six. We can’t wait to get racing!" I know we are looking forward to season 6, especially the London round which involves an indoor/outdoor track through the Excel Arena! Season 5 proved a great leap for Jaguar, going into the final weekend with Driver Mitch Evans still in with a shout to win the overall championship. All hoping he can go another step closer to bringing Jaguar back to the top of the racing world again. Two more winning additions to team! Tiny these two additions may be, but they are huge for all fans of Jaguar. Racing have partnered with leading toy manufacturers the LEGO Group and Scalextric to create mini versions of the electric cars. The LEGO® Speed Champions set featuring the Formula E Panasonic Jaguar Racing GEN2 car and Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY will be available to buy from 1 January 2020. The Jaguar I-TYPE Scalextric will be on sale from Spring 2020. We are sure these will be a hit with Jaguar fans so look out for them in a store near you soon! What are the dates? Season 6 kicks off in November, right the way through until July 2020. The provisional dates are: JEC newsletter For regular updates about JEC and all things Jaguar, sign up for our newsletter By signing up you will receive from us: Event and Club information, Information on the latest Club products, special offers and services and information on member benefits. We may use information you provide us to predict what communications you might be interested in receiving. You can of course unsubscribe at any time, details are in every newsletter.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1366
__label__cc	0.73961	0.26039	Please take few minutes to go through different steps (step 3 is time critical step) STEP 1: Read this appeal Read through the account of funeral (on June 30th) from a visitor and appeal to help the family (if you have not read it already) Few hours ago my family visited Divyendu Sinha’s funeral. We saw many hundreds of people across the cross section of races whose lives Divyendu and his family touched. It was heart breaking to see his wife and two teenage sons who lost their loved one in a senseless attack. What is tragic is they have to bear the loss with the images of the the brutal attack done in front of their eyes, for no reason, no provocation while they tried to stop helplessly. Those who came up and gave eulogies are from the cross sections, from his past PhD student who said how he used to enjoy Indian food at their home, to his manager at Siemens who could not control his grief and sorrow and pledged to do his best to see the family through, to the faculty member at College of Staten Island who want to start a scholarship (or funding) program in his name and many friends who accounted their memories and his scholarship. The priest who conducted the ceremony has done a great job of informing the ceremony procedure to those who are not acquainted. Though this loss is primarily to his family and to his close relatives and friends, but it is also that of larger community. If one family is insecure, it is insecurity for all of us. It could be anyone of us. We do not know the motives of those who attacked, it could be racial, it could be first easy target they found to perpetrate their gruesome violence and perhaps Indian Americans in their view are easy targets. The bigger issue is whether the administration will handle this fairly. Given the past history, such as family of Geetha Angara from Holmdel, NJ who was brutally murdered at work place is still waiting for justice even after more than five years shows it is imperative that community come together to bring justice. What next? While we are attentive to this now, it cannot be a matter of first few days. The family has to continue and they would need support, emotionally, financially and legally. The family has to go on and there are two teenagers who needs to go to college. (Please see the websitehttps://justicefordivyendufamily.wordpress.com/how-you-can-help/ ). We have to ensure that justice is done to the family and community can play a big role in showing support. Many times these cases are diluted with the affected getting little support in the end. This case has to be pursued effectively in both criminal and civil courts. The civil courts have to pursued to ensure that the family is compensated adequately for the loss of sole incoming member of the family. In helping them we are helping ourselves. We have to come together as a community and be their larger family. STEP 2: Contribute to Children Education trust & Family General Fund 1) Please consider making generous contributions to scholarship funds for the children of Dr. Sinha. Checks can be made out to the “Aashish Sinha Trust Fund“ and/or “Ravi Sinha Trust Fund“ and mail to: Koam Tac 116 Village Blvd, Suite 200 2) You can also contribute using credit card to a General Fund for helping the family with their expenses through VHP America. IT IS TAX DEDUCTIBLE. a) Go to: http://ess.vhp-america.org/dms/contribute.php b) Under Donation Cause (right side), select ‘Donor Specified‘ c) Under Specifics say, Dr. Sinha Family General Fund. STEP 3: Contact County Prosecutor (Time Critical Step) Contact Middlesex county prosecutor Honorable Bruce J. Kaplan informing him the outrage of the community and urge that his office to examine all information such as facebook pages where they believed to have boasted about their brutal act, pattern of past actions (even bullying or harassing) against certain communities. (click here for Prosecutor’s Press release stating that his office will seek them to be try them as adults) Honorable Bruce J. Kaplan, Prosecutor Public Safety Bldg, Floor 3 25 Kirkpatrick Street Phone: 732-745-3332 Press 1 + Ext 3333 Email: Prosecutor@co.middlesex.nj.us, bruce.kaplan@co.middlesex.nj.us Note: Ralph Cretella is the assistant Middlesex County Prosecutor handling the case and Superior Court Judge Roger W. Daley in New Brunswick (Ph: 732-519-3115) is the judge handling the case in Family Court. Also, anyone with information about attack is asked to call Officer Greg Morris of the Old Bridge Police Department at 732-721-5600 or Investigator Paul Miller of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-4466. STEP 4: Contact Old Bridge Mayor Contact Old Bridge Mayor urging him to do everything possible to bring the criminals to justice. Honorable Mayor James T. Phillips Township of Old Bridge 1 Old Bridge Plaza Phone: 732-721-5600, ext 2040 (Mayor’s assistant) Email: Mayor@oldbridge.com STEP 5: Join Facebook and Twitter Consider joining Facebook and Twitter so that we can communicate with you. Community involvement is critical for justice to the family. Join Facebook: JusticeFor DivyenduFamily (click to join) Join Twitter: divyenducase (click to join) STEP 6 : Sign Petition Click link below to sign Online Petition to Governor, State Attorney, County Attorney, Old Bridger Mayor and Indian American NJ legislator Upendra Chivukula http://www.petitiononline.com/divyendu/petition.html STEP 7: Please spread the word (also write comments on this website pages) 74 Responses to How you can help cash Johnson is a baboon says: RACIALLY PROFILE ALL JIGABOOS NIGGERS AND SPICS! THEN THIS WON’T HAPPEN AGAIN. Bunch of filthy NIGGERS and spics. Cowardly ghetto scum who got off easy by a shitty hippie jury. FUCK NIGGERS! FUCK SPICS. Everyone need to know of this great spell caster that brought my boyfriend back to me within 48 hours he took away all my years of sadness in just 48 hours i am living with my boyfriend now in peace and he treats me with so much respect. you can reach this great man Dr Ohen on his email drogbohighspiritualspellcaster@gmail.com or call him on +2348175561250 Chunguang Jin says: I am so sorry for the horrible crime. My deepest condolence to the wife and her two kids. Sunil & Beena Thomas says: Prayers from our family to the Sinha family during these dark times. Unfortunately, tragidity seems to hit many of us unexpectedly. This was a senseless crime. Only God knows what was in the minds of these assailants, whether it was race based or if they found a victim at random. Whatever the reason, may they burn in hell for these crimes. We, as a community of Indians, need to be vigilent against crimes against us, as a race. An attack on one of us, is an attack on all of us. I, for one, will do everything to demand that prosecutors handle this crime swiftly and harshly. It is for God to forgive, man’s law seeks justice and punishment of criminals. May we pray that justice be done. Pankaj Vyas says: PLEASE JOIN THE INDIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY OF OLD BRIDGE FOR A DISCUSSION ON WORKING TOGETHER TO SECURE AND STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITIES Time: 10:15am – 12:45pm Where: George Bush Senior Citizen Center Directions: http://www.oldbridge.com Bias Incidents and Hate Crimes: How to identify and address them as a community? Bridging the Gap: How can community members collaborate with local law enforcement agencies to enhance public safety? RSVP preferred by September 22nd, 2010 to CitizensofOldBridge@gmail.com THIS EVENT IS ORGANIZED BY THE CITIZENS OF OLD BRIDGE (COBNJ), SOUTH ASIAN AMERICANS LEADING TOGETHER (SAALT) AND THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS SERVICE IN COLLABORATION WITH OLD BRIDGE TOWNSHIP, MIDDLESEX COUNTY PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE, OLD BRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT, SOUTH ASIAN BAR ASSOCIATION NEW JERSEY (SABA-NJ), ASIAN AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION FUND (AALDEF), MANAVI, THE SIKH COALITION AND INDIAN AMERICAN DEFENSE LEAGUE Dave Makkar says: REPLY TO ATTORNEY GENERAL’S BLATANT & SHODDY RESPONSE 8-19-10 Read AG response on Flickr on the demand for State Investigation Re: Dr Sinha’s murder on 6-25-10 in a racial attack in Old Bridge demand for State Investigation to Gov Christie 7-06-08 & to Div of Criminal Justice 7-20-10 along with Demand for Recusal to Prosecutor Kaplan 8-08-10 AND your response dated 8-6-10 post marked 8-11-10 received on 8-13-10 # 201004677 Dear Lt. McGrath: It is very disgusting to see AG office like Gov Christie is taking Dr Sinha’s murder as a minor burglary. It took AG office almost a month to react and then took 5 more days to mail their blatant and shoddy response. We can very well understand when Gov Christie has the sanity to say “thank you for sharing your thoughts” to the demand of State Investigations by Bias Crime Unit at Attorney General’s Office. His attorney General’s office after 1 month is writing oh! we got some communication from Governor’s office and we are looking into it; is no surprise to us. It looks like the administration from Gov Christie down to Mayor Phillips know it too well that time is the great healer and public memory is too short especially the memory of Indians is too short. For that reason Prosecutor Kaplan’s office under pressure from politicians and parents of the juveniles involved in murder may have manipulated the Court date to Sep 23, 2010 for oral arguments just to get permission to try the teenagers as Adults. It is very surprising looking at the sensitivity of the matter why County Prosecutor ’s office under a tainted Bruce Kaplan never approached the Court for early hearing? The Court date of Sep. 23rd is almost 3 months after the arrest. This is the same Superior Court where a Judge Longhi through his law clerk can call an Attorney representing an Indian at 8.30 AM in the morning that Judge wants to see you at 10.30 AM because Police Union may be in collusion with Prosecutor Kaplan’s office has filed an Emergency Motion to stop the Internal Investigation Records being disclosed to the Indian who has accused the police officers of brutality and criminal wrong doings under racial bias. It is sickening to read in Suburban News 8-19-10 that Mayor Philips has awarded whole sale promotions to officers who may have failed in their fiduciary duties to control law and order in Old Bridge which ultimately lead to the brutal murder of Dr Sinha. It is corruption NJ style; only state where Police Unions are allowed and Politicians are allowed to accept campaign funds from these Unions. So how these Politicians can take any actions against their en-block voters and financial masters is a million dollar question. This question was raised to Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan in the presence of Mayor Jun Choi, Senator Barbara Buno, Assemblyman Barnes & Police Chief & Dy Chief of Edison in a police brutality case against an Indian. As usual the Patrolman who brutally beat up the Indian under racial bias in front of 40 witnesses whom Prosecutor Kaplan declared are not credible witnesses; was cleared of all charges in an Internal Affair Investigations. These Investigations are nothing but big fraud on the Tax Payers by unionized Politicians, Law enforcement officials and bureaucrats of New Jersey . Mayor Philips actions of promoting his Police Officers are devoid of humanity, morality and ethics. How could he give out whole sale promotions without conducting a review of his 104 Police Officers by State Police Superintendent or Attorney Generals office for break down in law and order in Old Bridge which lead to the brutal murder of Dr Sinha? It looks like Police Promotions has some thing fishy may be some influential parents of the juveniles who wants Old Bridge Police to make a very weak prosecution case with the help of politicians are behind this whole sale promotions which is nothing but bribery in our opinion. Considering all the above facts and facts known to AG office from previous correspondence once again we demand that all investigations related to the brutal murder of Dr Sinha under racial bias must be handled by Bias Crime Unit of Attorney General’s Office. Impartial investigations by Attorney General’s office will send the right message on the street that there is accountability for crimes committed against minorities and it is safe for the minorities to raise their families in New Jersey. Devendra ‘Dave’ Makkar Old Bridge Mayor to lay off 31 cops. Didn’t he say he was hiring more at the candle light night. I don’t feel comfortable replying to individuals with no identity. If you have a strong character why don’t you come in the open and protest against the Mayor’s action? I will join you in that protest. It is easy to make annonymous comments than taking action. Old bridge Mayor to lay off 31 cops Check here for further updates on some changes in the Old Bridge township — http://suburban.gmnews.com/news/2010-08-19/Front_Page/Old_Bridge_welcomes_Volkert_as_new_chief.html I also recommend forwarding this public letter, which is posted by Dave on this blog here, to share with the community and keep up this momentum until an action is taken and justice is brought to Dr. Divyendu Sinha’s family members. It is sickening to see Mayor Philips awarding whole sale promotions to officers who may have failed in their fiduciary duties to control law and order in Old Bridge which ultimately lead to the brutal murder of Dr Sinha. It is corruption NJ style; only state where Police Unions are allowed and Politicians are allowed to accept campaign funds from these Unions. So how these Politicians can take any actions against their en-block voters and financial masters is a million dollar question. This question was raised to Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan in the presence of Mayor Jun Choi, Senator Barbara Buno, Assemblyman Barnes & Police Chief & Dy Chief of Edison in a police brutality case against an Indian. As usual the Patrolman who brutally beat up the Indian under racial bias in front of 40 witnesses was cleared of all charges in a Internal Affair Investigations. These Investigations are nothing but big fraud on the Tax Payers. Residents of Old Bridge & entire Indian community of USA must demand an explanation from Mayor Philip how could he give out whole sale promotions without conducting a review of his 104 Police Officers by State Police Superintendent or Attorney Generals office for break down in law and order in Old Bridge which lead to the brutal murder of Dr Sinha. Mayor Philipps should be ashamed of himself on one more count. He should have waited for the Court appearance of all the Juveniles responsible for Dr Sinha’s murder and the verdict of the judge to try them as adults. It looks like Police Promotions has some thing fishy may be some influential parents of the juveniles who wants Old Bridge Police to make a very weak prosecution case are behind this whole sale promotions which is nothing but bribery in my opinion. I appeal to Indian community living in all 50 states of USA please unite and demand Federal Investigations into the brutal murder of Dr Sinha because Gov Christie thinks it is a simple burglary case. Christie has the insanity to say “thank you for sharing your thoughts” to the demand of State Investigations by Bias Crime Unit at Attorney General’s Office. His attorney General’s office after 1 month is writing oh! We got some communication from Governor’s office and we are looking into it. Dave Makkar OPEN LETTER TO PROSECUTOR BRUCE KAPLAN Hon. Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan Middlesex County Prosecutor Email:prosecutor@co.middlesex.nj.us Subject: Let Attorney General Office Conduct Robust Investigation of Dr. Sinha’s Murder in Old Bridge , Middlesex County Prosecutor must Recuse from the investigations Dear Hon. Bruce Kaplan: Thanks for acknowledging my mail of Aug. 6, 2010 in the matters of Dr. Sinha’s brutal murder. I want to further add that any investigations by Old Bridge Police under County Prosecutor’s Office is an insult to the victims; Late Dr Sinha, his 2 children age 12 & 16, wife & entire community of Indian origin living in New Jersey and America. In Old Bridge multiple twp agencies have failed in their fiduciary duties. The School teachers & principle have failed to report abnormal behavior of these teenagers involved in the murder to law enforcement agencies. School Board has failed to supervise the School staff and has ignored incident of bullying and racism in the schools. Above all 104 Police Officers of Old Bridge Twp must be investigated and interrogated separately to find out what went wrong in ensuring law & order including neighborhood patrolling to prevent such crimes. Why they took no actions on the complaints of Racial Harassment by some members of Indian Community? All of them can not take a stand that they were unaware what the teenagers were doing in the town. I refuse to accept that no one has children who are not intimately known to the teenagers who committed this heinius crime of murdering an innocent person. All of this indicates Prosecutor’s Office has also failed to supervise Old Bridge Police Department. If not suspension at least Prosecutor’s Office could have ordered Old Bridge Police Chief be sent on Departmental Leave till Dr. Sinha Murder investigations are completed. If found guilty of negligence in his duties he will be suspended. Here again Prosecutor’s office has failed to do what is morally, ethically and legally right. It looks like you and the administration know it too well that time is the great healer and public memory is too short especially the memory of Indians is too short. For that reason your office under pressure from politicians may have manipulated the Court date to Sep 23, 2010 for oral arguments just to get permission to try the teenagers as Adults. It is very surprising looking at the sensitivity of the matter why your office has not approached the Court for early hearing? The Court date of Sep. 23rd is almost 3 months after the arrest. This is the same Superior Court where a Judge Longhi through his law clerk can call an Attorney representing an Indian at 8.30 AM in the morning that Judge wants to see you at 10.30 AM because Police Union may be in collusion with Prosecutor’s office has filed an Emergency Motion to stop the Internal Investigation Records being disclosed to the Indian who has accused the police officers of brutality and criminal wrong doings under racial bias. Dr. Sinha’s senseless murder has brought so many India American families of NJ like my family under constant fear especially when they are aware of the fact that majority in their town’s Police departments treat Indians with contempt and racial bias. This is the reason Edison Police Union’s members or supporters or keith and kin could call Indian’s are cockroaches, animals, illiterates and illegal go home.” You as Prosecutor failed to ensure Equal Status to Indians by not taking any action against this Police Union. Only an impartial investigations by Bias Crime unit at Attorney General’s office can send the right message on the street that there is accountability for crimes committed against minorities and it is safe for the minorities to raise their families in New Jersey. More over Police Departments, School Boards along with Teachers, Twp Council and County Prosecutor’s office are accountable and they can and must be held accountable for incidents like senseless brutal murder of Dr Sinha by few teenagers of his own town. This senseless killing of a great individual should not go in vain. Let the 5 16-17 year old ADULTS suffer tremendously for this. Let their parents and families suffer tremendously for this crap they produced that they refer to as their “sons.” They should have raised them better. I pray that the family will get through this and that full support is given by the community. I hope the next time a group of low lifes try that they get shot. Jai Mata Di While I didn’t know this man or his family, it is easy to see from his biography as well as from the notes of his friends and colleagues that this is a terrible loss for our extended community. I truly enjoy and respect the various neighbors that I have who are of Indian decent. They are lovely, family-oriented people who strive to work hard and help their children gain opportunities and education. On the contrary, the thugs who did this awful violence are beastial criminals whose actions have so badly damaged racial relations that we will now forever be on guard against the senseless hatred and crime that they bring with them. My heart goes out to this beautiful family and I want them to know that I stand with them both in sorrow and honor of this fine man. Suresh U. Kumar says: By Suresh Kumar, Citizens of Old Bridge, NJ As the crow flies, I live less than half a mile from the spot where Dr. Divyendu Sinha was murdered. As was widely reported in the media, the good professor, an IIT graduate and father of 2 teenagers, was brutally assaulted by a group of 17 year old kids on June 25, 2010 as he was taking a walk with his family late at night very close to him home at Old Bridge, NJ. He died on June 27th as a result of the injuries caused by blunt force trauma. Fortunately, his wife was unharmed and his children suffered only minor injuries. I had met Dr. Sinha just once, in 2005 when he and his wife, on the invitation of one of my executives who is family friend of the Sinhas, had attended the inauguration function of the new office of my company. Since that first meeting, I am ashamed to say, although I live just a stones throw from his home, I did not bother to contact him. It could be due to this feeling of guilt that for the past 2 weeks, the thought of what can we learn from and how can we try to prevent such incidents from being repeated has engaged my mind. It is perfectly understandable that the Asian Indian community all over the US is outraged that such an inexplicable crime can happen in this country. But what are the learning lessons for the Asian Indian community? First, a tragedy of this magnitude affects many stakeholder groups- most of then legitimate such as family, friends, co-workers, members of the Indian American as well as local community, the media and non-profit organizations. But, sad as it is often many of the loudest voices come from individuals and groups who seek to leverage the tragedy to promote their own petty causes. While, I realize that it will be a mistake to make broad generalizations as to the motives of such people, one of the leaning lessons for me from Dr. Sinha murder has been that as a community we have to be careful about this small but vocal people who have hidden agendas. While their concern may well be genuine, since they represent the narrow interests of a small group of people, their help may well turn out be a hindrance. With the Dr. Sinha case, I found that there are three broad groups of stakeholders whose roles we need to examine more carefully. Having been active in the Asian Indian community for almost 2 decades now, I must say that the majority of the people and groups I discuss below have good intentions and genuine concerns. But you know what they say about the few bad apples… The first group consists people with political inclinations, let’s call them the “Political Folks” such as those who are close to powers that be at the local or state levels, seeking to curry favors with their benefactors or people in the opposition camp seeking to find a wedge issue to propel them on the center stage, even if it is only for a brief moment. The objective of such people is to demonstrate that they have a following in the community. The danger of this group is that they either blindly take the side of the local authorities or oppose them without reasonable cause. The second group of people is those who have a right-wing religious agenda – let’s call them “Religious Folks”. These people are the consummate conspiracy theorist, who comes out of woodwork when they smell blood and prematurely seek to paint the tragedy invariably as an attack on our religion and culture. While like most people, I do not rule out the possibility of a bias crime, assuming that this is indeed the case by linking this incident to all past incidents that also are suspected to be bias crimes is stretching things a little too far. Rather than suspecting the motives and competency of the local authorities from the start, it would be strategically and legally prudent that, if in good faith we allow time for the case to work its way through the legal system. What does the actual evidence indicate? What were the motives for attackers? What is the past history of the criminals? – are few of the key questions, the answers to which can help guide us better than assumptions based on raw emotions. If at the end of this process, we feel there is a miscarriage of justice we can always seek alternate approaches. The third group that vies for a piece of the limelight is those who represent various social and cultural associations- lets call them the “Association Folks”. As an aside I find it quite strange almost every one of the Association Folks I have met are “office bearers”, causing one to wonder if they ever have a following. The association folks have a simpler agenda as compared to the other groups- they just want to get the spouse or children of the victim to attend a public event such as a memorial service or a candle light vigil and be on stage for the important occasion with VIP’s when the cameras roll. Here is the real problem: these three groups, instead of working together, vie with each other to uphold their point of view. Having visited the Sinha household a couple of times since his passing, I have found representatives of these groups working hard to gain the favor of the family of the victim. They often give the family conflicting advise, pulling them in different directions at a time when what they need most is to be left alone to come to grips with their loss and think thru the alternate plans of action. Perhaps the most damage these people do is that they drown out the voices of most of the other stakeholders, lets call them this group “The Common Folks”- the people and organizations who may really be in the best position to help by virtue of proximity to the events and family, knowledge of the political and legal systems, skill and experience in dealing with similar incidents and commitment to securing justice for the family of the victim. Since the common folks do not have a ‘hidden’ agenda they generally keep a low profile and are not interested in forcing their views on the other groups or the family, their voices and ideas usually do not see the light of the day. That to me compounds the tragedy. Given this complex social reality, how should the Indian American community take pre-emptive actions to reduce the possibility of reoccurrence of such incidents? The community has rightfully demanded that the attackers be tried as Adults – a demand that has been acknowledged by the public prosecutor – and that the possibility of a bias crime be thoroughly investigated. All this is justifiable, but I believe that it will be a mistake to see this unfortunate incident in the limited context of a crime against the Indian American or even the larger Asian American community. As Dr. Martin Luther King so eloquently put it “An injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere”. The killing of Dr. Sinha, I believe, is quite simply a crime against humanity. Under different circumstances the victim could have been of any other race or ethnicity. Rather than circling the wagons around our ethnic, cultural, regional or religious sub-groups, I believe that it may serve the community better if we were to use this incident to promote integration with and strengthen our ties with all members in the communities we live and work in. At the local level we have formed an informal Google group called Citizens of Old Bridge, NJ (http://groups.google.com/group/COBNJ) and met with the Mayor and Police Chief a couple of times. We have found them to be receptive to our suggestions. This incident has forced us to explore ways to get more involved with the common activities and events in the communities we live in. We are in the process of forming neighborhood watch groups and getting to learn more about joining the Auxiliary Police. Based on the feedback from the community members, we now know that there is a need for all is to get to know more of our neighbors, beyond just those who live next door to us. Perhaps its time that the Indian American community in addition to celebrating our cultural festivals, get involved with local block parties and mainstream cultural celebration such as Memorial Day, July 4th and Veterans Day, etc. Given that the attackers were all high school children, we have suggested to the Mayor to examine introducing topics such as cultural assimilation, role of immigrants, tolerance and respect for minority communities into the educational system at a early stage. We believe that education of children is key to developing a respect for diversity. We know now that the only way for us to be really safe wherever we are, is to watch out for our neighbors knowing they in turn they will also watch out for our families. We have been advised by the local law enforcement officers that in order to detect patterns of anti-social activity and harassment, all such acts have to be reported to the police. Not reporting seemingly trivial incidents of anti-social activity only emboldens the criminals, leading to more serious crimes. Perhaps the most important lesson for the Indian American community is this: whenever such an incident occurs, we have to express our outrage and show our solidarity regardless of the location, ethnicity, race or religion of the victims. We have to ask ourselves this question: If instead of Sinha the victims last name was either Lee or Leroy, would our outrage and reaction have been the same? Sure, none of the suggestions, listed above is easy to implement and none can guarantee that such an attack will not happen again. I have no doubt, however, that any of the lessons we have learned over the past few weeks will be a good place for the Indian American or for that matter any minority community to start. Therefore, amidst the pall of gloom that hangs over the Indian American community, I believe there are a few rays of hope; some understanding that could help reduce and better deal with such unfortunate incidents in the future. In my humble opinion, these are some of the larger learning lessons from the death of Dr. Sinha. We ignore it at our peril. Defend yourself Well says: I hate to use this sad and grievous occasion to make this point, and do not mean to take away from the gravity of the situation. You sound very much like one of those “types” who you accuse of being political and having agendas and axes to grind. However, I believe those “types” that you rant about are very important to the existence and well being of every community. There is no need to cast aspersions on the motivations of others as you have done extensively in your diatribe. Any well meaning help to the individuals, families or the community should be welcomed! This is a site to leave thoughts to the family and for fellowship. I understand your views, but find it inappropriate that you write such a long dialogue of your theory of “stakeholders” here. If you started a Google site, then go there for your essay, and be succinct in your advertisement of it. To the family – our thoughts are with you during this time. To say that it is difficult or unfair is a grave understatement. We feel helpless in the face of your pain, and will give our word to honor the memory of Dr. Sinha in our daily actions and response. Our prayers and thoughts are with you. Yashpal Verma says: Some good and detailed observations on the various parties that are involved. I concur that we should point out those who are interested in promoting themselves taking advantage of this unfortunate event. As you have pointed out if these partisan people control the conversation, then the true voices of the community will not be heard. Even as we demand justice, we have to be vigilant. Vinson Palathingal says: Very thought provoking observations indeed. Let’s hope that your article brings the community together and makes us act with one voice, one purpose and one religion without the usual agendas. Divyendu’s murderers should be punished to the maximum extent possible and should not be given any consideration because of their age. Kids killing people for fun is a bigger crime and a bigger social issue than some one murdered in a hostile environment. They are mad dogs gone on a killer rampage and should be treated just like that. N. K. Singh says: Mr. Kumar’s thoughts are right on the money! I have seen the events he has experienced happen in other instances too. I concur with his excellent suggestions to help us avoid such events in the future. It will be sad if we did not learn from this tragedy. I pray for the family. Murali Shastri says: I concur and agree with the thoughts penned and shared by Suresh U Kumar. Suresh and I have been involved with a couple of other residents in the Trans-old-Bridge area in this matter (together). In the course of the last few disturbing weeks following the cowardly and heinous attack on Dr. Sinha leading to his tragic and premature demise, we have been doing our part in trying to get some additional traction from the authorities concerned and keep a continued focus – by meeting with the Mayor, the police chief, the councilmen and women as well as to have a ‘balanced perspective’ of the situation on hand. What I have personally seen and heard is, while there are many well meaning folks who are actively involved in the issue in various flavors, there have been points repeatedly raised which will not stand up to scrutiny. These are prehaps voiced with the strong emotional feelings that some may have but they will become distractions, to say the least; OR they may even actively prejudice those who are not currently prejudiced leading to the dilution of the situation or saner inputs due to the vehemence and persistence of some viewpoints which may be considered ‘extreme’ or ‘irrational’ (i.e. ‘out there’ viewpoints). This said, I feel that perphaps, in this forum, the expansive write up could’ve been edited for brevity and published in full elsewhere (which I believe is the original plan for this article). I would like to thank all who responded for and against my write up. My original article- which was an sharing of experiences and learning lessons at a local level- was intended for a news magazine. I have realized that the full version may not have been appropriate for this web-site. Therefore I would like to withdraw my original post and replace it with the abridged version given below. I am sticking my neck out because I sincerely believe that this debate is needed. I appreciate your understanding: Personally and on behalf of all my friends who are part of Citizens of Old Bridge, NJ” group ((http://groups.google.com/group/COBNJ), I would like to convey our deepest sympathies to the family and pray that they get peace and justice without delay. While the community has responded strongly, I believe that it will be a mistake to see this unfortunate incident in the limited context of a crime against the Indian American or even the larger Asian American community. As Dr. Martin Luther King so eloquently put it “An injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere”. The killing of Dr. Sinha, I believe, is quite simply a crime against humanity. Under different circumstances the victim could have been of any other race or ethnicity. Rather than circling the wagons around our ethnic, cultural, regional or religious sub-groups, I believe that it may serve the community better if we were to use this incident to promote integration with and strengthen our ties with all members in the communities we live and work in. At the local level we have met with the Mayor and Police Chief a couple of times. We have found them to be receptive to our suggestions. This incident has forced us to explore ways to get more involved with the common activities and events in the communities we live in. We are in the process of forming neighborhood watch groups and getting to learn more about serving as volunteers with the Auxiliary Police. Based on the feedback from our American friends, we now know that there is a need to get to know more of our neighbors, beyond just those who live next door to us. Perhaps its time that the Indian American community, in addition to celebrating our cultural festivals, also get more involved with local block parties and mainstream cultural celebration such as Memorial Day, July 4th and Veterans Day, etc. Given that the attackers were all high school children, we have suggested to the Mayor to examine introducing topics such as cultural assimilation, role of immigrants, tolerance and respect for minority communities into the educational system at an early stage. We believe that education of children is critical to developing a lasting respect for diversity. We know now that the only way for us to be really safe wherever we are, is to watch out for our neighbors knowing they in turn they will also watch out for our families. We have been advised by the local law enforcement officers that in order to detect patterns of anti-social activity and harassment, all such acts have to be reported to the police. Not reporting seemingly trivial incidents of anti-social activity only emboldens the criminals, leading to more serious crimes. Perhaps the most important lesson for us at Old Bridge and perhaps for the Indian American community at large is this: whenever such an incident occurs, we have to express our outrage and show our solidarity regardless of the location, ethnicity, race or religion of the victim. I have asked myself: if the victims’ last name was either Lee or Leroy, would my outrage and response have been the same? After this incident, I have no doubt whatsoever. With Prayers for the family and the community, Suresh U. Kumar Bhavani Prasad Yerrapalli from Bangalore, India says: I don’t know where to start – really stunned by this incident. May Divyendu’s soul rest in peace. I hope God gives his family the courage to go through these sad moments. I really I’m amazed/thankful at the Indian community helping out this family which is in dire straits and also fighting for the justice for the family and Indian Americans at large. Again – let god give strength to the family in these moments and wish all the luck in getting justice from the system. Amitav Sahay says: I knew Dibyendu at IIT Kharagpur; he was my senior. He was very kind, guiding newcomers like me on how to transition to hostel life and engineering studies from the sheltered life we used to live at home. He was an immense source of encouragement and guidance through our two years together before he graduated. I fondly remember him as being studious, direct, very helpful and very down-to-earth. My deep condolences and support to Dibyendu’s family who I have never met. May this B-wing, IIT Kgp Nehruite RIP. Amitav 1985 IIT Kgp. Nehru Hall. Shibojyoti Dutta says: It is sad and dismal to see such brutal events in a civilised world. The fundamental need of security is breached and the offence is avoidable. Hence, it calls for justice to culprits involved in the same – one life is lost jeopardising the life of dependants and troubling thousand others. No mercy should be shown to those guilty of the crime. B Shantanu says: My deepest condolences…I just cannot understand what could prompt such an unprovoked and brutal assault on a gentle family man… Deeply shocked and saddened. Subrata Ghosh says: Sitting in Kolkata, I only pray to God that the two young children can recover from their shock and continue with their studies so as to be the same as their father if not surpass him. Message about his funeral proved that there is some humanity still left. This is the only hope for us to survive in this world. I am outraged by this heinous crime and want to first of all convey my heartfelt condolences to the Sinha family. No amount of sympathy and words can ever be enough to compensate for the horrific and unimaginable loss they have suffered. I can just imagine how quickly how the wheels of justice would turn if a bunch of Indian teenage kids were to beat to death a white man walking with his family – there would be non stop TV shows demanding the death penalty for all. I think it is about time we started defending ourself a bit more aggressively – both as a community and as families and individuals. Perhaps taking more precautions, carrying weapons that are allowed by law and things like that. I for one would hate to be killed like a helpless sacrificial lamb fueled by racist hate and anger while the justice system argues over technicalities. Nilima De says: We have to mobilize the community and bring awareness across the diaspora about the heinous nature of this crime. The perpetrators must be brought to justice. This incident is receiving a lot of attention among the American public. We must keep up the momentum. That will pressure the authorities into taking swift and fair action against the criminals. This will serve as a lesson to others who harbor thoughts of hate. PLM says: God Bless this family. What kind of a world do we live in now? This is so horrific. My heart goes out to family and friends. Ashwin & Meena Shah says: We are so saddened by this event. Our condolences to the Sinha family. I hope the criminals are punished for what they have done. These murderous individuals and their families need to learn the value of precious life. It’s about time they learnt that everyone has a right to live. Mohana says: This is horrendous and horrifying. Prayers from Australia says: Charging the thugs who did this as children is just wrong. Teenagers should be held accountable for their acts. I hope that judiciary of NJ will set an example here so that such heinous acts do not happen again. Ram from Rochester, NY says: If these perpetrators are being tried as kids, their parents should pay restitution and also be jailed along with their children. The parents should be, at least, forced to pay for the schooling of Divyendu’s children. These perpetrators should never get out of jail and should rot there for the rest of their lives. They are lucky to be tried in a country that does not believe in an “eye for an eye”. Imagine as to what would have happened to them if they were in a country that believes in revenge. My heart goes out to the Sinha family. I met Divyendu, only briefly, as a former colleague at Kodak, and even during that brief meeting, I was impressed by his gentle demeanor. This whole tragedy is an outrage and reflects poorly on the value of life. Rajani, from Oman says: I’m shocked to read this account…..I do not know what words can console the Sinha family. Its time law makers and justice givers all over the world seriously think about the roles of the families when school going children indulge in this kind of behavior…whether the perpetrators are tried as adults or children….their families also need to suffer more direct consequences of raising barbaric animals. Letting these teen-age murders go without proper punishment is practically same as “growing monsters in our own backyards”. Unless the police protects and the judiciary punishes, there is NO safety for the public, whether Indian or Non-Indian. This case can not be ignored. A family trial is not a solution which is a work around to let the criminals escape. A public trial is mandatory and a proper jury must be run to give serve better justice. Please check http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/article-29509.html for a step-by-step guide for a criminal trial procedures. We must do a candle light vigil and mobilize the community and bring quick attentions to several media channels such as TV, Print Press, Radio and Internet news groups and all kinds of mailing lists. mrs. patil sumita says: I am really sorry for what happened…my deepest symphathy to family…..tears came to my eyes… Hemlata Vasavada says: We are deeply sorry for the loss that Sinha family has suffered, especially the way Dr. Sinha was murdered. There are no words of consolation at a time of such sorrow, but our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family. I had thought Joel Kline was diffrent from Rush Limbah and Glen Beck, but his column proves otherwise. I am sorry for what happened to Mr. Sinha…May his soul rest in peace. I will keep his family in my prayers. Thank you for setting up this site. I sincerely wish that justice happens to the family. I have family that lives right down the street from where this happened. When I first heard of this terrible crime my heart sank. I do not know the victim or family but this could happen to anyone. My heartfelt condolences go out to the Sinha family. May these savage criminals be tried as adults as they should be and handed the highest punishment in the land. Ambreesh Chawla says: just disgusted with what has happened. May god rest his soul and give strength to his family, wife and sons. The utmost punishment will be given to those responsible from above. a facebook page demanding Justice for Divyendu’s Family should be created and people can be linked to all this information there as well. Word will spread very fast through facebook. Three names of these savages who committed this heinous crime are … Christian Tinli Cash Johnson Julian Daley -Look up their Facebook profiles. These thugs deserve no less than thirty years in prison. Thanks for sharing their names. I visited their facebooks. Very sad that children turn out to be so cruel. Do you know other three people names? I heard that there are three other Caucasians involved in this case. Giovanni Arana says: more like 30 years hard labor. My deepest condolences to the Sinha family.Guilty should be hanged.Forget the age. Hunter of these wild animals says: My deepest condolences to the bereaved family of the Sinha’s. These are difficult times for the family and be rest assured justice will be brought to you, one way or the other. But, if all this outrage of so many people will not convince the US Justice system to try these wild animals as adults and give them life sentences, then they need to be hunted down and shown a taste of their own actions. May be then the US Justice system will wake up and give justice to ALL, not just their own kind. Shame on the parents of these 5 boys, which I doubt if they even exist. These must have been born to nobody and probably have no homes or parents or family. Such individuals do not deserve to exist in America, may be Siberia prison. WBFB Canada says: The WBF canada condemns this cowardly act in 21st century America. Twitter:http://twitter.com/wbfcanada I am not able to sleep properly ever since I heard this news. I could not imagine the impact on the kids who witnessed this brutality. If the justice is not served to the fullest, Mr. Sinha’s kids should work hard and become cops or lawyers or politicians in the near future so by the time these criminals come out, kids can put them back behind bars again. VoP says: Do you know how these killers get instigated? Read this and protest against such racist journalists. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1999416,00.html?artId=1999416?contType=article?chn=us Anurag Chaturvedi says: I can’t find words to describe the feeling of frustration and helplessness I felt when I heard about this tragic incident – I never had the pleasure of knowing Dr. Sinha personally but I do feel very strongly about the need for the community to come together – this can happen to any of us – just imagine what would happen if it was you instead of Dr. Sinha, what would you want the community to do – we can’t afford to remain silent, please join me in signing the online petition, it takes only a few seconds to show support, please do so – I know there are a lot more than 1668 Indians out there in NJ…. Mani Sankar says: Please do not insult animals by calling these gangsters animals. Animals show love and affection and attack only when they are attacked or threatened. These 5 boys are rougues of the 1st order and should be tried as adults only and should be given max punishment possible under the law or beyond the law (modify the law suitably) Nirav Jhala says: My heart goes out to Divyendu’s parents, wife and kids. A brilliant person with a great heart (I can vouch for it as a classmate at IIT) has been taken away from his family and the community by these ‘animals’ – rightly called so. Please spread this as far and wide as you can and muster support for the petition. Let us get justice for Divyendu and get those ‘animals’ what they deserve. May his soul rest in eternal peace. Mandar says: Prosecutor should charge them as adults, they need maximum punishment so example is made to others who may be down the path of cruelty. OB resident says: These animals have taken away our sense of security. I am horrified to walk outside my home at night. I am now afraid of teenagers and of having my elderly parents go out for their daily walk. I have been a resident of OB for 15 years and until this incident never considered moving. The parents and high school bear the responsibility for these criminals. Both created them. We need to stick united as a community to make sure these murderers stay out of our town. They need to be taught a lesson in ADULT jail, for a long time. The rumor in town is that some are good atheletes of the high school. Any monkey can be trained how to throw a ball. Not everyone was blessed with the intelligence of the man. Old Bridge residents are horrified and it will take a very long time to heal. The parents and high school administration need to stop rearing these bullies. Courses on human virtues should be part of their curriculum. Bullies should be punished regardles of how good they play sports. For the family, I dont think there are sufficient words to say how sorry I am for their loss. Please note the community is with you although you many not know most of us. We care and are morning with you. When is the proesecutor scheduled to make the decision to charge them as adults? Is this something that happens in court and is open to the public? Kate Perry says: I am so sickened by what happened to this man & his family. Some kids are totally out of control and these five must pay for their actions by being taken out of society for a very long time. I can’t even imagine what would make them commit such a horrific act. My condolences to the family, friends & colleagues of Mr Shinha, may he rest in peace. Sugrutha says: From nj.com: “Kaplan said he is considering whether to move to have the five juveniles tried as adults, where they would face harsher penalties than in Family Court. Under the law, the prosecutor’s office has 30 days to file the motion in Family Court. Ultimately, the decision rests with a judge.” In NJ kids as young as 14 have been tried as adults, these were 16 and 17. Also please remember this was not non-contact killing with a gun, it was contacted and personal muder involving vicious physical attack. So these boys are even more dangerous. We have less than 30 days and we have to make sure that the case is transferred from family to regular court. In family court they will walk away with time less than 10 yaers to be served in a jeuvanuile facility. These boys belong in a state prison and for a long time like 25 to 35 years. FelixC says: Speaking about our Judiciary System. You know their defense lawyers are going to say “These are some bright, innocent kids, who are college bound, have a whole bright future in front of them, but just mistakenly did something wrong just at the spur of the moment. They should be given a second chance to live out their lives in order to do penance to the society….” Bah, bah, bah… this kind of bull that we all heard so often from defense lawyers. And ultimately, our defunct system is just going to put them into juvenille correction centers, (where they would be cured into hardcore criminals), then thrown back to the society and the cycle starts all over again. I read somewhere that the teen-agers were taken to family court. We need to make sure that they are tried as adults in this capital crime. Otherwise it will send a wrong signal that teens can get away with these kind of murders. We have to make sure that they are tried as adults for a minimum of second-degree murder charge, and that they get the maximum sentences. This is the only way to protect innocent people from depraved kids that are out to muder them. Prayers from Canada says: It brings tears to my eyes to read of such a horrific incident. I am truly sorry for your loss. My prayers are with your family at this time. I cannot believe in this day and age, teenagers commit such atrocious acts of violence. It pains me. And I can understand how no one feels secure in your town, or anywhere for that matter. I pray that justice will be served for you. can't believe this is happening in NJ in 2010 says: As a 49 year old with a similar family profile living in a nice neigbhorhood in NJ, I can’t but empathize with what he and his family are going through. These savages-black,brown,white or yellow must be given the death penalty. Mr.Satyanarayana, Thanks for setting up this website. Hope you can set up a bank account to which people can donate online. This will help people in giving selflessly and instantly. This will work better than mailing a check as the family in grief may not even think about cashing it. Please contact me if you need help in doing so. Please publish this information so people can give from far and wide. Sneha Mehta says: Dear Sinha family,Our deepest condolences on this tragic loss of life. May Ishwar grant you the strength to go thru this very difficult time.. We are with you in your fight to get the justice. Disgusted in Old Bridge says: To the Sinha family – please accept my deepest condolences for the horrific loss of your husband and father. Please know that all of Old Bridge is horrified by what happened to him. It was a totally horrific, senseless crime and we will never understand what caused these animals to do what they did. I am writing t0 the prosecutor’s office also to DEMAND that they be tried as adults and receive the maximum penalty for this crime. I pray for all of you that you will some day have peace. May your memories of him bring you happiness and comfort during this most difficult time. Thank you to all who have put together this website. I will be sharing it with my family and friends. Outraged in NJ says: I am horrified that the Prosecutor is protecting these animals!! They wanted to act like adults right?? They were supposedly using their car as a weapon just a few minutes before this to chase and harass another person driving down the road…Then they decide to beat someone up just for fun and you are gonna charge them as children?? Send a message to these thugs and future thugs that” if they choose the action, they choose the consequencce”. Look at their Fb pages and look at the way they talk and what they say…then tell me they are children…everyone knows who they are anyway. Make them pay restitution to the family the rest of their lives with jobs they do while rotting their “star athlete” butts in prison…better yet since you are charging them as minors, make their families pay since they are responsible for raising these animals…..To the family who so tragically lost their husband, brother, son and father so needlessly, I pray for God to comfort you and turn your deep pain and sorrow into loving memories of your loved one….Dont try to make sense of this, just stay strong and know that a community of people you know and dont know are here for you……. Well, I am sure if the victim was a white man, and the perpetrators were indian teenage kids, we would be seeing an entirely different reaction from the prosecutor. Well wisher in Weehawken says: This is sickening. I pray that the Sinha family receive the support and divine grace they need to emerge whole from this tragedy. I have written to the prosecutor to ask that he show the Sinha family and the people of NJ that justice prevails over inhuman brutality. There can be no excuses for these cruel young people. R.I.P., Divyendu Sinha. Supporter of Divyendu's Family says: My condolences the Sinha Family. I live in Old Bridge and am horrified by this act. We, as a community, need to support this family and post this information on sites such as nj.com , topix.com and other sites. I will do my best to spread the word and post on sites. Excellent job to the group that got this website together quickly. Supporters says: We are sorry to hear about the loss and please accept our condolences. As we all sock/angry and want to support the Mr. Sinha’s family, I would like to share some of my thoughts: These kids are bully at the OB High School. They bother the others and disturb the teachers in the class rooms. They are getting away from the punishment because of good football players. Unfortunately, school system supports these kids since they do want to loose them for their own self interest. My son and other person whom we know were also the victim of one them in the school. They are in the school not for the educations. They are there to spread the fear among the students and the community. There is no gain but, they enjoy doing it. At last but not least, please keep us inform about the petition. We all are waiting for it to sign. Let us know know what else we can do. Mohini Singh says: My heart goes out to the entire Sinha family and “may his soul rest in heavenly peace.” How many more unsolved killings [as in the case of “Dr. Geetha Angara] of hapless & innocent Indo/Americans lives does it take to stop these people? And yet another, New Jersey’s cold blooded monsters filled with RACIST RAGE … has to be brought to JUSTICE and SWIFTLY! Pingback: Horrific Attack on Indian Family in New Jersey \| Justice for Divyendu's Family Thank you for informing us about the funeral and providing information on how we can help. I am glad we can take some solace that the community (not just Indian but people of all races living here) are coming together in support of the family and in support of justice. Please keep us updated on how we can provide help (I will be sending a check for the college fund for the children). Leave a Reply to FelixC Cancel reply	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1367
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__label__cc	0.521307	0.478693	Registration of new users Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman About Ukraine Higher economic education - the key to success! 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It should be interpreted as the "brain centre" of the company providing information and methodological support to financial decisions and co-ordinating specific management sub-systems.In order to attain objectives of the optimisation of financial decisions and the maximisation of the company value, a financial controller operates budgeting, strategic planning, management accounting, financial diagnostics, risk management, financial communication, internal consultancy and control technologies. Major Tasks of the Institute: the exercise of innovative activities and the pursuit of studies in the field of the corporate finance and controlling; the international scientific co-operation with partner universities, firms and foundations on the basis of the implementation of joint research projects and programmes in the field of the financial controlling; the co-ordination of the implementation of the interdisciplinary and inter-departmental scientific studies in the field of corporate finance and controlling; the organisation of workshops, conferences and roundtables dedicated to pressing issues of the development of the corporate finance and controlling; the implementation of results of the scientific research into the teaching process in order to provide more profound training to specialists in the financial controlling; the improvement of the scientific qualification of the research and teaching staff by involving them into the implementation of the scientific research projects, the creation of conditions for the accumulation of the scientific knowledge and the intellectual property by Master, post-graduate and doctoral students; the transfer of the scientific research results within the scope of the co-operation with the business circles; the development of the innovative entrepreneurship environment. Scientific Research and Events Organised by the Financial Controlling Institute Starting from 2010, the Institute has been engaged into the research in the field of the Formulation of the Concept of Financial Controlling in Ukraine in accordance with the plan of the research work. Starting from 2011, the employees of the Institute are involved into the empirical research in the field of Chances and Problems of the Financial Controlling in Ukraine within the scope of the research co-operation with the Controlling Department of Justus-Liebig-Universitaet Gieben (Germany). The Institute has also set up the co-operation with the Finance and Controlling Department of Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen (Germany) Together with German colleagues, we conduct the research into issues of the value-oriented controlling at enterprises that operate in transitional economies. The Institute initiated the discussion roundtables serving as a forum for the professional dialogue between researchers and practitioners in the field of the corporate finance and controlling. Roundtables are regularly held in the Institute for the discussion of pressing issues of the development of the financial controlling. These events have become a logical continuation of a series of scientific discussions on the financial controlling initiated in 2008 at the international symposium "Controlling in Business: Theory and Practice". Fellows of the Institute: Natalia Babiak, Candidate of Sciences in Economics, Associate Professor. She defended her Candidate's thesis on the "Depreciation Policy and Its Impact on the Financial and Business Activities of Enterprises".Since 2006, she has worked as an associate professor with the Enterprise Finance Department. She co-authored 3 textbooks and published more than 20 research papers and education methodology publications. The following falls within the sphere of her scientific and practical competencies: corporate finance, strategic financial controlling, cost controlling. She is a financial controlling consultant in the corporate sector. She is a member of the Controllers' Association. Contact details: natali.babyak@gmail.com Dmytro Stashchuk, In 2010, he graduated from KNEU's Master programme in Financial Controlling. He used to work as a financial analyst for a rating agency. He is a post-graduate student with the Enterprise Finance Department. His scientific and practical interests cover the risk controlling and the rating assessment of businesses. He used to be a multiple winner of national scientific paper contests in the field of the risk management. Contact details: dstaschuk@gmail.com Olha Dymnich, Assistant Professor of the Insurance Department of the Finance and Economics Faculty of KNEU She graduated from the Finance and Economics Department of Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economics University in 2001 with a diploma with honours.She studied under the inclusive education programme in the Konstanz University (Germany), the Philipps-University in Marburg (Germany) and the Vienna University of Economics and Business (Austria). She used to work as a re-insurance director for an insurance company. She has more than 10 research papers and has participated in scientific and practical conferences a number of times. The area of her scientific and practical interests covers controlling in the fields of insurance and re-insurance. Contact details: d_olga79@mail.ru Last redaction: 30.03.17 all announcements » Mailing address: 54/1 Prospect Peremogy 03057 Kyiv Ukraine Admissions: 380 (44) 456-31-62 Found a bug on the site? © State University Kyiv National Economic University Vadym Hetman Developed at the agency «Wizardry»	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1377
__label__cc	0.592055	0.407945	Benchmark Methodology Themes Key Findings 2016 Apparel & Footwear The companies' average overall score across the benchmark methodology's seven themes, which were selected to capture the key areas where companies need to take action to eradicate forced labor from their supply chains: commitment and governance; traceability and risk assessment; purchasing practices; recruitment; worker voice; monitoring; and remedy. There are a total of 22 indicators across the seven themes. For each theme a company can score a total of 100 points. Overall Score 2016 Apparel & Footwear Commitment and Governance Traceability and Risk Assessment Purchasing Practices Worker Voice 50 Theme Score Seventeen out of 20 companies have a process to create corrective action plans with first-tier suppliers found to be in violation of the company's standards. Most of the corrective action plans include potential actions taken in case of non-compliance, such as stop-work notices or supplementary training, a means to verify remediation and/or implementation of corrective actions, and potential consequences if corrective actions are not taken. A number of companies verify suppliers' corrections of non-compliance through follow-up audits. Gap specifies it monitors progress with corrective action plans through follow-up visits and on-site meetings with unions (where unions are present in a factory). Ralph Lauren send field monitors to verify the corrections. A number of companies focus on preventing the issues from re-occurring. For example, as part of a corrective action plan, Under Armour requires suppliers to create a management system that includes the creation of policies, procedures, training, communication, accountability, and a review and update process. Further, Under Armour may direct and require manufacturers to engage firms to help support and document the remediation of identified issues and to enhance and build sustainable compliance systems. Companies including PVH and Lululemon specify their corrective action plans include a root-cause analysis, and H&M reports that, when compliance with standards is lacking, it sets up strategies and projects aiming to improve compliance for the specific issue both on individual factory level as well as from a holistic perspective. Some companies support their suppliers in correcting issues of non-compliance. For example, Nike collaborates with factory managers to take corrective actions and remediate problems. Given both the progress of the sector in a number of areas and the fact that grave human rights violations persist, it is disappointing that only two companies disclose a process for responding to complaints and/or reported violations of standards, and only six companies provide examples of outcomes of these remedy processes. Primark provides an example of a situation where workers from Pakistan were suspected to be in forced labor in a supplier factory in UAE. The company states it investigated the issue, confirmed multiple breaches of its code of conduct, and immediately addressed the breaches, including repatriation of one worker, all at a cost to supplier. Adidas discloses that in 2013 and 2014 it worked with its suppliers in Taiwan to remedy poor working conditions for migrant labor by eliminating wage deductions made by employment agencies, returning passports and bank books, and relocating migrant workers to safer and higher quality dormitories. SEE METHODOLOGY Corrective Action Plans The company has a process to create corrective action plans with suppliers found to be in violation of applicable regulations and/or the company's standards, with the goal of improving conditions and achieving compliance. The company's corrective action plans include potential actions taken in case of non-compliance; a means to verify remediation and/or implementation of corrective actions; timelines for remediation; and potential consequences if corrective actions are not taken. The company's corrective action plans include: (1) potential actions taken in case of non-compliance, such as stop-work notices, warning letters, supplementary training and policy revision. (2) a means to verify remediation and/or implementation of corrective actions, such as record review, employee interviews, spot-checks or other means. (3) potential consequences if corrective actions are not taken. High: 100 Remedy Programs The company has a process to provide remedy to workers in its supply chain in cases of human trafficking and forced labor. In its public reporting the company provides examples of outcomes of this process. The company discloses: (1) a process for responding to the complaints and/or reported violations of policies and standards. (2) examples of outcomes of these remedy process. Remedy: Notable Example Hanesbrands Hanesbrands prioritizes grievances received through its mechanism and assigns them to trained investigators in local countries, who provide recommendations to the headquarter. For issues of particular severity, senior management will be engaged throughout the process and help make disciplinary decisions. A typical investigation lasts 14-30 days. The complaining party is usually contacted multiple times throughout the process, in their local language, to provide additional information, and is informed of the final outcome. Adopt a victim-centered approach to remedying workers in the supply chain found to be in situations of forced labor, and report outcomes of this approach. Depending on the circumstance, approaches might include repatriation, access to health support, consultation with relevant local authorities and NGOs, and working with local victim service-provision organizations. KnowTheChain ®2019 KnowTheChain A project of Humanity United. \| Privacy, Legal and Other Policies. \| FAQs Investors representing $5 trillion sign KnowTheChain investor statement on forced labor – other investors should follow suit	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1379
__label__wiki	0.735239	0.735239	Home ▶ Vol 41, No 1 (1998) ▶ Paley The winter diet of elephant in Eastern Cape Subtropical Thicket, Addo Elephant National Park R.G.T. Paley, G.I.H. Kerley Koedoe \| Vol 41, No 1 \| a244 \| DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/koedoe.v41i1.244 \| © 1998 R.G.T. Paley, G.I.H. Kerley \| This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0 Submitted: 31 July 1998 \| Published: 31 July 1998 R.G.T. Paley, University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa G.I.H. Kerley, University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa PDF (4MB) Direct observational methods were used to establish the winter diet of elephants in Eastern Cape Subtropical Thicket in the Addo Elephant National Park, thereby determining which plant species were most at risk from elephant herbivory. A total of 70 species were identified as food plants for elephants, with the grass Cynodon dactylon and the succulents Portulacaria afra and Platythyra haeckeliana dominating, both in terms of frequency of feeding events and volume consumed. In view of the fact that elephants represent 78 of the herbivore biomass in the park, it appears likely that elephant feeding restricts the availability of forage for other browsers. Due to the limited time frame of this study, further research is needed to provide a comprehensive record of the elephant diet for all seasons of the year. elephant, Addo, diet, succulents, winter. 1. Elephants respond to resource trade-offs in an aseasonal system through daily and annual variability in resource selection Timothy J. Fullman, Gregory A. Kiker, Angela Gaylard, Jane Southworth, Peter Waylen, Graham I.H. Kerley Koedoe vol: 59 issue: 1 year: 2017 doi: 10.4102/koedoe.v59i1.1326	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1383
__label__wiki	0.620798	0.620798	Thought you might appreciate this item(s) I saw at International Clinical Psychopharmacology. OnabotulinumtoxinA for the treatment of major depressive disorder a phase 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adult females Brin, Mitchell F.a,,b; Durgam, Sureshc; Lum, Arlenea; James, Lynna; Liu, Jeena; Thase, Michael E.d; Szegedi, Armine aAllergan, Irvine, California bUniversity of California, Irvine cFormer Allergan Employee, Madison, New Jersy dPerelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania eAllergan, Madison, New Jersy, USA Received 21 March 2019 Accepted 4 September 2019 Supplemental Digital Content is available for this article. Direct URL citations appear in the printed text and are provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal's website, www.intclinpsychopharm.com. Correspondence to Mitchell F. Brin, MD, Allergan, 2525 Dupont Drive; T2-3; Irvine, CA 92623-9534, USA, Tel: +714 246 4429; fax: +714 796 3250; e-mail: Brin_Mitchell@Allergan.com This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CC-BY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal. International Clinical Psychopharmacology: January 2020 - Volume 35 - Issue 1 - p 19-28 doi: 10.1097/YIC.0000000000000290 This 24-week double-blind placebo-controlled multicenter randomized phase 2 trial evaluated efficacy and safety of onabotulinumtoxinA (onabotA; BOTOX) vs. placebo for major depressive disorder (MDD) [NCT02116361]. Primary endpoint was the change in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS); secondary endpoints were Clinical Global Impressions-Severity and 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale at week 6. A total of 255 adult females were treated. OnabotA 30 U approached significance compared to placebo on MADRS (mixed-effect model repeated measures least-squares mean difference: −3.7; P = 0.053) and reached significance [least-squares mean differences: −3.6 to −4.2; P < 0.05 (two-sided)] at weeks 3 and 9. Secondary endpoints were also significant at several time points. At week 6, onabotA 50 U did not separate from placebo in any parameters. OnabotA was generally well-tolerated: the only treatment-emergent adverse events reported in ≥5% in either onabotA group, and more than matching placebo were headache, upper respiratory infection, and eyelid ptosis. OnabotA 30 U, administered in a standardized injection pattern in a single session, had a consistent efficacy signal across multiple depression symptom scales for 12 or more weeks. OnabotA 30 U/placebo MADRS differences of (observed ANCOVA) ≥4.0 points (up to week 15) and ≥2.0 points (weeks 18–24) agree with the 2-point change threshold considered clinically relevant in MDD. OnabotA is a local therapy and is not commonly associated with systemic effects of conventional antidepressants and may represent a novel treatment option for MDD. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common chronic condition (Kessler et al., 2003) that can lead to substantial disability and high economic cost (Merikangas et al., 2007; Baldessarini et al., 2017). Despite estimations that antidepressant treatments (ADTs) were prescribed to ~12% of adults (≥20 years old) and ~23% of women 40–65 years old in the United States from 2005 to 2008 (Kit et al., 2012), patients with MDD frequently lack adequate response to standard ADTs (Fava, 2003). In the STARD study, approximately two-thirds of patients with MDD failed to achieve depression remission following initial treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Those who did not enter remission began a second treatment step from the following options: switching to another ADT, augmentation with an additional ADT or cognitive therapy, or cognitive therapy alone. Of those who completed a second treatment step, only 31% achieved remission (Rush et al., 2006; Warden et al., 2007). This lack of adequate response after multiple treatment steps is of clinical interest because patients with MDD are less likely to respond and more likely to relapse as treatment steps are added (Warden et al., 2007), indicating a need for additional, novel treatment options for MDD. In addition to issues involving inadequate response and rates of remission, standard oral ADTs are associated with multiple sexual and gastrointestinal adverse events (AEs), which can result in decreased adherence, increased discontinuation, and potential relapses (Pollack, 1987; Remick et al., 1989; Baldessarini and Marsh, 1990; Clayton and Mcgarvey, 2006). In fact, AEs are a leading cause of discontinuation in the first few months of ADT (Demyttenaere et al., 2001). Therefore, a nonsystemic treatment option providing relief from depressive symptoms not associated with systemic AEs would be of high clinical value. A nonsystemic intervention would also lower the risk of drug–drug interactions, which are of particular concern in patients with MDD due to the high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities that have been reported to exceed 35% (Thaipisuttikul et al., 2014). A treatment that is effective, after each exposure, for multiple months is also useful to support increased adherence due to less frequent dosing (Medic et al., 2013). Local injections of onabotulinumtoxinA (BOTOX; onabotA) result in muscle relaxation through a multistep process that includes binding to nerve terminals, internalization, and cleaving SNAP-25 (synaptosomal-associated protein-25 kD), one of the SNARE (soluble NSF-attachment protein receptor) proteins critical for synaptic vesicle fusion to the inner surface of the cellular membrane (Rossetto et al., 2014). Impacted synaptic vesicles can neither release their neurotransmitter contents into the synaptic cleft (e.g. acetylcholine from motor neurons; CGRP from sensory neurons) nor undergo SNARE-mediated delivery of receptors or ion channels carried as vesicular cargo into neuronal membranes (e.g. TRPV1 and P2X3 in nociceptors) (Burstein et al., 2014). Previous studies indicate a single session of therapeutic injections of onabotulinumtoxinA into facial muscles in the glabellar region may represent a novel, well-tolerated treatment option for MDD (Finzi and Wasserman, 2006; Wollmer et al., 2012; Magid et al., 2014, Finzi and Rosenthal, 2014). OnabotA corrugator and procerus injections have an acceptable record of safety (Brin et al., 2009), and in the published MDD trials, the only common treatment-emergent AEs were temporary and local to the treatment site (headache and injection site irritation) (Wollmer et al., 2012; Finzi and Rosenthal, 2014). The results of these studies indicated onabotA may produce antidepressive effects lasting several months following a single-treatment session, which may increase treatment adherence compared to daily medication. The objective of this Phase 2 study was to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and duration of effect of a single-treatment session of onabotA compared to placebo for the treatment of MDD in adult females (NCT02116361). This study was conducted from April 2014 to December 2016 at 32 sites in the United States in compliance with ICH-E6 Good Clinical Practice guidelines, and the protocol was approved by Institutional Review Boards at each study center. All patients provided written informed consent. OnabotA is not labeled for MDD by the FDA and is still under investigation. This was a 24-week multicenter randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled 2-dose cohort parallel-group study of 30 units (U) and 50 U onabotA in outpatient female patients with MDD. Two different injection paradigms were tested to evaluate the antidepressant effects of differential dosing of onabotA to the procerus and corrugator muscles. The total dosage (30 U or 50 U) was divided into six or eight glabellar injections, respectively (Supplementary Fig. 1, Supplemental digital content 1, http://links.lww.com/ICP/A66). All injections were intramuscular (IM) except the most lateral corrugator subcutaneous injections of the 50 U dosing paradigm. All injections were 0.1 mL containing 5 U of study drug except those given in the procerus muscle (0.2 mL, 10 U of study drug) in the 50 U cohort. Participating sites were randomized before study initiation to administer only one dose cohort during the trial (i.e. 30 U sites or 50 U sites), due to the treatment paradigms having a different number of injections depending on dose. Patients were screened 7–14 days before randomization, and all injections were administered in a single-treatment session at baseline (Day 1). Randomization occurred 1:1:2 to onbotA 30 U, onabotA 50 U or placebo using blocks within strata and center [30 U onabotA vs. 30 U placebo (1:1), or 50 U onabotA vs. 50 U placebo (1:1)]. The present Phase 2 study only included female patients, and the rationale for this was three-fold: an attempt to reproduce the previous studies of onabotA for MDD, which enrolled a predominantly female population (77–93% of total patients) (Wollmer et al., 2012; Finzi and Rosenthal, 2014; Magid et al., 2014); an effort to keep the study design streamlined since there were two doses each with matching placebo being investigated because previous MDD studies utilized higher doses in males (Wollmer et al., 2012; Finzi and Rosenthal, 2014; Magid et al., 2014); and the higher prevalence of MDD in females, which have nearly twice the rate of 12-month prevalence compared to males (Hasin et al., 2018). Adult females (18–65 years) with moderate to severe MDD (single episode or recurrent) who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) based on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) were eligible for inclusion (Sheehan et al., 1997). Patients were in a current major depressive episode lasting ≥4 weeks, and had a 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale [HAMD-17] (Hamilton, 1960) score ≥ 18 and Clinical Global Impressions – Severity (CGI-S) subscale score ≥ 4 (Bridge et al., 2007). Patients were excluded if they met any of the following criteria: taking concurrent ADTs or herbal/homeopathic remedies targeting depressive symptoms (within 2 weeks); had any prior treatment with intravenous ketamine, electroconvulsive therapy, vagus nerve stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, or deep-brain stimulation; any depot antipsychotic (within 12 weeks), or dermal filler injected into forehead (within 48 weeks), acupuncture to forehead muscles (within 4 weeks); or had any prior treatment or immunization to botulinum toxin; investigator-judged failure to adequately respond to ≥2 ADTs of different drug classes (any previous depressive episodes) or use of psychotropic drugs after screening; any medical condition that exposed patients to undue risk of significant AEs; a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of any axis I disorder (non-MDD), except for stabilized generalized or social anxiety disorders or specific phobias not requiring treatment or were not the primary focus of treatment within 24 weeks; or any drug or alcohol abuse (within 12 weeks) or dependency (within 24 weeks); or a suicide risk. Intermittent or unstable use of cognitive behavioral therapy or interpersonal psychotherapy was prohibited, but a stable therapy paradigm that was established ≥12 weeks before screening and maintained throughout the study was allowed. Study treatment Study medication (onabotA) consisted of 100 U of Clostridium botulinum toxin type A, 0.5 mg of human albumin, and 0.9 mg of sodium chloride in a sterile, vacuum-dried form without preservative. One Unit corresponds to the calculated median lethal intraperitoneal dose (LD50) in mice. Placebo contained 0.9% sodium chloride in an identical form, and reconstitution procedures for placebo or onabotA were identical. Reconstituted study medication that was not administered immediately was kept in the vial (stored 2–8°C), and vials not used within 4 h were discarded. Each study center only had access to one dosage of onabotA with matching placebo, and study centers were randomized before site initiation. At baseline (Day 1), eligible patients were randomized (1:1) to onabotA 30 U or matching placebo (30 U sites), or onabotA 50 U or matching placebo (50 U sites) using randomized blocks within strata within center. Patients were stratified according to duration of their current major depressive episode (<24 weeks vs. ≥24 weeks). Study medication was labeled with medication kit numbers, and an automated response system provided the site with the medication kit number(s), which assigned treatment groups for each randomized patient. Of the two dose-injection paradigms evaluated, the 30 U dose group was similar to the injection paradigm used in previous studies, which demonstrated that depressive symptoms were reduced following onabotA 29 U treatments in the glabellar region (Wollmer et al., 2012; Finzi and Rosenthal, 2014). The 50 U dose group received an increased dose (by two-fold) in the procerus, which was based on the strong procerus response reported in the most common glabellar activation patterns (Almeida et al., 2010; de Almeida et al., 2012), and the rationale that this would more effectively relax corrugator muscles and maximize disruption of the neural feedback circuitry potentially involved in depression. A total dose of onabotA 15 U into the corrugator muscles for the 50 U group was chosen in an effort to achieve complete abolishment of corrugator muscle activity with this dose and injection paradigm (Pribitkin et al., 1997). To maintain study blinding, an independent drug reconstitution was assigned at each site for study drug preparation. Due to the potential cosmetic effects of study treatment, remote telephone raters performed the same efficacy assessments as clinic staff without direct patient contact. To evaluate blinding, the patient, investigator, and remote-rater were separately asked to indicate which treatment they believe was received (blinding index) at study exit. After randomization and treatment, a safety follow-up telephone call was conducted at week 2, and in-clinic and remote raters efficacy assessments were conducted at weeks 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 21. For the primary efficacy variable, Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) (Montgomery and Åsberg, 1979) total scores, clinician-rated assessments were conducted before the remote-rater assessments to control for potential sequence effects. Starting from week 9, relapse was defined as a responder with a MADRS total score ≥18 or CGI-S score ≥4 or judged by the investigator at week 12 or later, and those patients were required to exit the study. Patients were also discontinued if they required concomitant medication treatment for depression or a change in their cognitive therapy regimen (from screening) at any time during the study. Efficacy parameters Primary efficacy was assessed by MADRS total score changes at week 6 from baseline for each treatment group (onabotA 30 U or 50 U) compared to matching placebo using a mixed-effect model for repeated measures (MMRM) with unstructured covariance. Secondary efficacy parameters included changes in clinician-rated CGI-S and HAMD-17 total scores, which were analyzed by analyses of covariance (ANCOVA). Statistical analyses and determination of sample size are discussed in the Supplementary text, Supplemental digital content 1, http://links.lww.com/ICP/A66. Physical examinations, clinical laboratory tests (hematology, chemistry, urinalysis), urine pregnancy tests (females of childbearing potential), and monitoring of AEs, vital signs, and suicide risk [patient and clinic Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)] (Posner et al., 2011) were conducted. The female clinical version of the Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire Short Form 14-item Version (CSFQ SF-14) (Clayton et al., 1997a, 1997b) was administered. Patient disposition and characteristics The modified intent-to-treat (mITT) population consisted of 255 patients who received treatment and were randomized as follows: onabotA 30 U (n = 65), 50 U (n = 65), or matching placebo [30 U (n = 58) and 50 U (n = 67)]. Of the mITT population, 220 completed through week 9 and 139 completed through week 24 (Supplementary Fig. 2, Supplemental digital content 1, http://links.lww.com/ICP/A66). Premature discontinuation rates were comparable for combined placebo (44.5%) and combined onabotA (47.7%) patients. Per-protocol exit (relapse at or after week 12) rates were onabotA 30 U (7.7%) and matching placebo (13.6%); onabotA 50 U (10.8%) and matching placebo (13.0%). Overall the discontinuation reasons and rates were similar among groups (Supplementary Table 1, Supplemental digital content 1, http://links.lww.com/ICP/A66). Patient baseline characteristics are summarized in Supplementary Table 2 (Supplemental digital content 1, http://links.lww.com/ICP/A66) and overall were generally comparable across treatment groups. Efficacy assessments OnabotA 30 U approached statistical significance at the primary endpoint [P = 0.053; MMRM, mLOCF, week 6; least-squares mean difference (LSMD)= −3.7] (Fig. 1a), but the symptom improvement was significant [at level P < 0.05 (two-sided)] at weeks 3 and 9 (Table 1). In weeks 3–9, onabotA 30 U effect sizes were 0.348–0.521. For the ANCOVA (observed data), LSMDs from baseline to week 15 ranged from −4.0 to −5.9 but leveled off from weeks 18–21 (Fig. 1b). Prevalence of missing assessments at week 12 makes statistical comparisons after this timepoint descriptive and should be interpreted with caution. Additionally, the study design and requirement for patients to exit in the event of relapse may have positively selected for those who responded well to treatment after week 12. Change from baseline to week 6 in Clinic Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale total score (modified last observation carried forward, mixed-model repeated measuresa, modified intent-to-treat population) Change from baseline in MADRS total score for (a) mLOCFa MMRMb clinic visits centered around week 6 for 30 U, and observed data ANCOVA, modified intent-to-treat for (b) 30 U treatments and (c) 50 U treatments. amLOCF was used to impute missing values for follow-up visits. bThe MMRM model used for combined dose cohort included treatment (BOTOX vs. placebo), visit (weeks 3, 6, and 9), treatment-by-visit interaction, dose cohort (30U vs. 50U), and investigator center as fixed effects; baseline clinic MADRS total score, duration of illness, and number of previous depression episodes as covariates; and patient was included as a random effect. The same model with dose cohort excluded was used for each dose cohort. Within each dose cohort, sites with fewer than 10 patients were combined into one pseudo-site. The ‘observed data' (without imputation for missing values) and P-values were obtained from an ANCOVA on the response variable. The model used within each dose cohort included treatment (onabotA vs. placebo) and investigator center as fixed effects, with baseline clinic MADRS total score, duration of illness, and number of previous depression episodes as covariates, each included as continuous rather than categorical variables. Within each dose cohort, sites with fewer than 10 patients were combined into one pseudo-site. ANCOVA, analysis of covariance; MADRS, Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale; LS, least squares, mLOCF, modified last observation carried forward; MMRM, mixed-model repeated measures; U, units; mITT, modified intent-to-treat. OnabotA 50 U did not separate from placebo for 15 weeks following treatment (observed data, ANCOVA), but changes appeared numerically better than placebo in weeks 18–24 (Fig. 1c). Remote-rater MADRS results were similar to the trends observed in the in-clinic scores. In the onabotA 30 U group, improvement was greater with onabotA treatment compared to placebo at every visit and at week 6 treatment difference = −5.6 (P = 0.034) (Supplementary Fig. 3a, Supplemental digital content 1, http://links.lww.com/ICP/A66]. OnabotA 50 U did not separate from placebo or appear numerically improved until week 12 in the remote-rater results (Supplementary Fig. 3b, Supplemental digital content 1, http://links.lww.com/ICP/A66). Treatment with onabotA 30 U consistently reduced CGI-S scores from baseline to week 24 (Fig. 2a), and reached significance at P < 0.05 (two-sided) for weeks 3 (observed data, ANCOVA; LSMD: −0.4; P = 0.046), week 6 (−0.5; P = 0.036), week 12 (−0.5; P = 0.050), week 15 (−0.8; P = 0.004), and week 21 (−0.5; P = 0.046). Similar to the primary efficacy variable, onabotA 50 U did not show significant treatment/placebo differences from baseline through week 15 in CGI-S scores changes (Fig. 2b), but did demonstrate a numerically greater symptom improvement compared to placebo, which became evident in weeks 18–24 (but as previously stated, these data should be interpreted with caution). OnabotA 30 U numerically reduced HAMD-17 total scores (observed data, ANCOVA) compared to placebo from baseline to week 12, but statistical significance at level P < 0.05 (two-sided) was only reached at week 15 (P = 0.032), and the differences leveled off from weeks 18–24 (Fig. 3a). Treatment with onabotA 50 U did not reduce HAMD-17 total scores (improve depressive symptoms) compared to placebo from baseline to week 15, but a numerically greater depressive symptom reduction vs. placebo was observed from weeks 18–24 (Fig. 3b). Change from baseline in CGI-S score (observed data, ANCOVA, mITT population) for (a) 30 U and (b) 50 U treatments. The data used are ‘observed data' (without imputation for missing values) and P-values were obtained from an ANCOVA on the response variable. The model used within each dose cohort included treatment (onabotA vs. placebo) and investigator center as fixed effects, with baseline clinic CGI-S total score, duration of illness, and number of previous depression episodes as covariates, each included as continuous rather than categorical variables. Within each dose cohort, sites with fewer than 10 patients were combined into one pseudo-site. ANCOVA, analysis of covariance; CGI-S, clinical global impressions-severity; LS, least squares; mITT, modified intent-to-treat; U, unit. Change from baseline in HAMD-17 score (observed data, ANCOVA, mITT population) for (a) 30 U, (b) 50 U treatments. The data used are ‘observed data' (without imputation for missing values) and P-values were obtained from an ANCOVA on the response variable. The model used within each dose cohort included treatment (onabotA vs. placebo) and investigator center as fixed effects, with baseline clinic HAMD-17 total score, duration of illness, and number of previous depression episodes as covariates, each included as continuous rather than categorical variables. Within each dose cohort, sites with fewer than 10 patients were combined into one pseudo-site. ANCOVA, analysis of covariance; HAMD-17, 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale; LS, least squares; mITT, modified intent-to-treat; U, units. Few patients were withdrawn from the study due to rescue interventions, and these rates were similar between the onabotA groups (n = 2; 1.5%) and placebo groups (n = 3; 2.4%). Blinding assessment results are presented in Supplementary Table 3, Supplemental digital content 1, http://links.lww.com/ICP/A66; the highest proportion of patients who believed their treatment was real medication was in the onabotA 50 U group. Clinician and remote raters consistently showed lower frequencies of belief their onabotA patients received onabotA compared to patients. Mean durations to study exit were 131.7 and 129.4 days, for combined onabotA and placebo groups, respectively. Common AEs are summarized in Table 2. The only treatment-emergent AE that occurred in ≥10% of patients in any group was headache; eyelid ptosis and upper respiratory tract infection were the only AEs occurring in ≥5% in any onabotA group and greater than the placebo group. Although eyelid ptosis is a known local effect of onabotA injections, headache may be related to the procedure, as the incidence was similar for onabotA and placebo in the pooled 30 U and 50 U groups in the current study (onabotA, 15.4%; pbo, 15.2%), as well as in registration GL studies (Brin et al., 2009). Most AEs were considered unrelated to treatment, comparable across treatment groups, and consistent with previously published trials using a similar injection paradigm in both patients with MDD and nondepressed populations (Brin et al., 2009; Wollmer et al., 2012). Reported rates of systemic AEs, including gastrointestinal effects, were low, generally balanced across treatment groups, and did not include any sexual side effects. Additionally, suicide risk and sexual functioning (measured with the C-SSRS and CSFQ scales, respectively) rates were similar among treatment groups (Supplementary Table 4, Supplemental digital content 1, http://links.lww.com/ICP/A66). Summary of adverse events occurring in ≥2% of patients in either onabotA groups (safety population) Following a single-treatment session, neither onabotA 30 U nor 50 U demonstrated statistically significant superiority over placebo at the primary endpoint, but onabotA 30 U showed consistent numerical improvement in depressive symptoms compared to placebo up to week 15 with statistical separation from placebo for MADRS changes at weeks 3 and 9. OnabotA 30 U/placebo MADRS differences (observed, ANCOVA) of ≥4.0 points (up to week 15) and ≥2.0 points (weeks 18–24) agree with the 2-point MADRS change threshold generally considered clinically relevant in MDD trials (Montgomery and Moller, 2009). OnabotA 30 U effect sizes from weeks 3–9 ranged from 0.348 to 0.521 and were comparable to those observed in oral ADTs (Turner et al., 2008). Treatment with onabotA 30 U significantly [at level P < 0.05 (two-sided)] reduced CGI-S scores compared to placebo at each visit from week 3–21, except at weeks 9 and 18. Numerical decreases in both CGI-S scores and HAMD-17 total scores with 30 U onabotA treatment compared to placebo were observed through the end of the study. These results indicate that a single-treatment session with onabotA 30 U may have long-acting effects on depression symptoms up to 18 weeks post-treatment, which may increase adherence compared to treatments administered daily or weekly. Treatment with onabotA 50 U did not improve depressive symptoms in the primary or second efficacy assessments. This lack of superiority to placebo may be partially attributed to high placebo response, which was considerably higher than the 30 U matching placebo response. Possible reasons for the heightened placebo response in the 50 U matching group include a greater number of injections, which is consistent with more invasive procedures corresponding to greater placebo response, possible differences in sites that administered the 50 U dose vs. 30 U dose, and potentially heightened expectations of results if patients were aware that the typical dose given in the glabellar region for cosmetic purposes was lower and at fewer injection sites. Notwithstanding the potentially clinically meaningful differences in onabotA 30 U and 50 U dose efficacy results at later timepoints, these results should be viewed with caution to prevent overinterpretation as a pharmacologic effect in MDD, given the enriched population and lack of separation between onabotA 50 U and matching placebo before required patient discontinuation in the case of lack of response at week 12. It should be noted that the results presented herein correspond to onabotA, a specific formulation of botulinum neurotoxin type A. Different formulations of botulinum neurotoxin type A have distinct safety and efficacy profiles and clinical doses expressed in units are not interchangeable from one botulinum toxin product to another. Previous investigator-initiated trials of onabotA for MDD treatment indicated statistically significant improvement in depressive symptoms compared to placebo (Wollmer et al., 2012; Finzi and Rosenthal, 2014, Magid et al., 2014). Key differences in the designs of the present and previous trials exist, which may explain the lack of significant changes observed with onabotA 30 U treatment in some measures and/or timepoints. The present study had the largest sample population to date for an onabotA MDD trial, investigated only female patients, did not select for prior ADT resistance, or allow concomitant use of additional ADTs. A previous study of onabotA effects on MDD indicated that the antidepressive effects persisted for at least 24 weeks (Magid et al., 2014), which exceeds the duration of cosmetic effects on glabellar lines (approximately 12–16 weeks). This led investigators to hypothesize the efficacy in reducing depressive symptoms was not completely related or attributed to the paralytic effects, and the results presented herein agree with this hypothesis. One potential theory for the reduction of depressive symptoms with onabotA treatment is the ‘facial feedback hypothesis', which states that expressive behavior can alter emotional states, likely through afferent sensory modulation (Izard, 1990, McIntosh, 1996). Corrugator muscles, which are activated during negative emotions (e.g. fear, anger, and sadness) (Ekman and Friesen, 1978), are relatively over-reactive in patients with depressive disorders (Schwartz et al., 1976). Imaging studies have shown that when subjects, without a history of psychiatric illness, mimicked angry expressions, they demonstrated decreased left amygdala activity after treatment with botulinum toxin in the glabellar region in addition to reduced functional coupling between left amygdala and dorsal brainstem (Hennenlotter et al., 2009). The decreased activity may be attributed to the reduction in motor nerve activity associated with dynamic facial expressions and/or proprioceptive sensory input following local treatment. Furthermore, facial somatic sensory afferents synapse in the descending trigeminal nucleus with monosynaptic connections to amygdala (Burstein and Potrebic, 1993), hypothalamus (Malick and Burstein, 1998), nucleus accumbens (Burstein and Giesler, 1989), and thalamus (Burstein et al., 1990), suggesting a pathway for facial afferents to directly influence limbic networks. Limitations of this study included a relatively small sample size in each treatment group, lack of generalizability to male patients, and the study design, which effectively created two parallel studies with different treatment sites and different investigators. The exploratory and descriptive nature of data after week 12, because of the decreased number of observed values due to high attrition rates, partially due to the study design that required relapsed patients to exit, thereby positively selecting responders, is also a noted limitation. To prevent compromising of blinding by drawing attention to the neuromuscular effects of onabotA treatment, this trial did not assess any correlations between muscle contraction or effect on facial muscles, and efficacy in treating MDD. The results presented herein are preliminary and thus require further assessment. The onabotA 30 U drug/placebo differences exceeding those generally considered clinically relevant supports moving forward to the next phase of clinical development. Future studies should consider assessment of efficacy of MDD treatment in males and mixed gender populations and its use as an adjunctive treatment to standard ADTs. The efficacy in treatment-resistant patient populations, those with known adherence issues, or sensitivity to AEs related to oral ADTs may also be informative because of the unmet treatment needs in these groups. Elucidating the potential role for this treatment in the management of MDD is important because of its many advantages, including low reported systemic adverse effects, particularly those seen with standard oral ADTs (e.g. sexual dysfunction and gastrointestinal), established safety profile, and the potential for increased compliance compared to daily oral medications because of the long-lasting effects of a single-treatment session. The limited drug/drug interactions of the local onabotA treatment allow it to be used with medications for comorbid conditions or as an adjunctive treatment with conventional ADTs. OnabotA 30 U consistently reduced depressive symptoms throughout the 24-week observational period following a single-therapeutic session. Both onabotA treatments were well tolerated with most AEs similar to placebo and consistent with previously reported data for comparable doses in both depressed (Wollmer et al., 2012; Finzi and Rosenthal, 2014; Magid et al., 2014) and nondepressed patients (Brin et al., 2009). Additionally, headache and eyelid ptosis were temporary, local to the treatment site, and well tolerated as reported in previous onabotA trials with facial injections, including chronic migraine (Brin et al., 2009; Diener et al., 2014). OnabotA is a nonsystemic intervention with relatively low incidence gastrointestinal and no sexual side effects reported, which may offer safety and tolerability advantages compared to currently available ADTs. The long-lasting effects of a single-injection session may increase treatment adherence compared with the use of a daily oral ADT. A Phase 3 clinical trial is planned for the further assessment of botulinum toxin type A as a treatment for MDD. Writing assistance and editorial support for the preparation of this article was provided by Cherisse Loucks, PhD and Erika von Grote, PhD of Allergan (Madison, New Jersey). Data disclosure statement: Data reported in this article are available within the article (and/or) its Supplementary materials, http://links.lww.com/ICP/A66. Allergan will share de-identified patient-level data and/or study-level data, including protocols and clinical study reports, for Phase 2–4 trials completed after 2008 that are registered on ClinicalTrials.gov or EudraCT. The indication studied in the trial must have regulatory approval in the United States and/or the European Union and the primary manuscript from the trial must be published before data sharing. To request access to the data, the researcher must sign a data use agreement. All shared data are to be used for noncommercial purposes only. More information can be found on http://www.allerganclinicaltrials.com/. This study was supported by funding from Allergan (Madison, New Jersey). Role of the sponsors: Allergan was involved in the study design, collection (via contracted clinical investigator sites), analysis and interpretation of data, and decision to present these results. Clinical Trial Number: NCT02116361. A.L., L.J., M.F.B., J.L., and A.S. are full-time employees of Allergan plc. S.D. is a previous Allergan plc full-time employee. M.E.T. has received grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Alkermes, Forest Laboratories (an Allergan affiliate), National Institute of Mental Health, Otsuka, PharmaNeuroboost, and Roche; has acted as an advisor or a consultant for Alkermes, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cerecor, Eli Lilly, Forest Laboratories, Gerson Lehman Group, GlaxoSmithKline, Guidepoint Global, Lundbeck, MedAvante, Merck, Neuronetics, Novartis, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals, Otsuka, Pamlab, Pfizer, Shire, Sunovion, and Takeda; has received royalties from American Psychiatric Association, Guilford Publications, Herald House, and W. W. Norton & Company; and holds equity in MedAvante Inc. Almeida ART, Kadunc BV, Marques ERMC. Glabellar wrinkles: a pilot study of contraction patterns. 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J Psychiatr Res. 2012; 46:574–581 antidepressant; BOTOX; depression; major depressive disorder; onabotulinumtoxinA (onabotA); toxin Supplemental Digital Content ICP_35_1_2019_10_15_BRIN_2864_SDC1.pdf; [PDF] (425 KB) OnabotulinumtoxinA for the treatment of major depressive disorder: a phase 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adult females International Clinical Psychopharmacology35(1):19-28, January 2020. Keyword Highlighting Highlight selected keywords in the article text. onabotulinumtoxinA (onabotA) toxin antidepressant, BOTOX, depression, major depressive disorder, onabotulinumtoxinA (onabotA), toxin Articles in PubMed by Mitchell F. Brin Articles in Google Scholar by Mitchell F. Brin Other articles in this journal by Mitchell F. Brin	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1388
__label__cc	0.656348	0.343652	From Issue 5 By Lauren Anne Smith, Managing Editor\|December 17, 2019 Coach Romano receives intel from the press box. Before Zander Romano came to Prep, he grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and made his way to Jackson by playing football and baseball at Millsaps College. He spends his free time with his German Shepard Bella and playing golf with friends. Romano has been apart of the Prep family for four years and is the head coach of the junior high football team and varsity baseball. When Coach Romano is not on the field, you can catch him in the classroom teaching Psychology and college prep chemistry. The junior high football team had a great year, ending the season 6-2 with a huge win against JA. Although baseball starts up in the spring, the coaches and the team have already started setting goals. Romano claims that “every season we prepare and work to add to our state championship collection. That is the standard we set.” Coach Romano, when asked why he started coaching, said he, “Just felt like [he] needed to give back to the sports that taught [him] many life stories.” For Coach Romano, the most memorable moment of being a coach is not a game but graduation day. “It’s amazing seeing the people I coach develop both on and off the field.” Prep stars in MAIS All-Star Game Young Athletes to Watch Clay, Trap, Skeet team competes at MSSP Qualifier MRA defeats Jackson Prep 48-33, ending seven-year title streak Patriots advance to championship and look to continue streak College basketball season gears up Young Athletes to Watch: Nathan Werne and Emma Reeves	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1390
__label__wiki	0.842806	0.842806	Judo Info Online Dojo Masahiko Kimura Biography The Man Who Defeated Helio Gracie By Jim Chen M.D. In 1937 Masahiko Kimura won the All Japan Championship at age 20. For the next 13 years he was undefeated before he retired. 5th Dan at age 18 Kimura (5’6″, 170cm; 85kg, 187lbs) was born on September 10, 1917 in Kumamoto, Japan. At age 16, after 6 years of judo, he was promoted to 4th dan. He had defeated 6 opponents (which were all 3rd and 4th dan) in a row. In 1935 at age 18 he became the youngest ever godan (5th degree black belt) when he defeated 8 consecutive opponents at Kodokan. Kimura 4 Lifetime Losses In the spring of 1935 at the Kohaku Shiai (Kodokan Red-White Team Competition), Kimura defeated 8 opponents. In his 9th fight he lost to Miyajima (a student from Meiji University) by Haraigoshi. In May of 1935 Kimura fought Kenichiro Osawa at the 5th dan division championship. Kimura attacked with an Ouchigari to Osotogari combination. Osawa countered Kimura with such force that Kimura suffered a concussion. In his second match at the 5th dan championship he fought Kenshiro Abe (5’5″‘, 168cm; 156lbs, 71kg). Abe was so skillful that Kimura felt as if he was fighting a shadow. Every throw he tried (Osoto, Seoi) had no effect at all. Abe countered with Uchimata, Hanegoshi, and Sasae tsurikomi ashi. He was so quick and powerful that Kimura was thrown off balance many times. There was no question that Abe had beaten Kimura squarely. Abe went on to win the 5th dan division. In the fall of 1935, Kohaku shiai 5th dan division Kimura beat his first two opponents with ease. His third opponent was Hideo Yamamoto (165 cm, 5’4″; 65kg, 143 lbs; 24 years old). Kimura moved forward and walked right into a Deashiharai which scored a Waza-ari. After this he tried to lead with his opposite foot. However, Yamamoto was skillful with both sides and caught Kimura for Ippon with Kouchigari. Yamamoto continued to defeat 4 more opponents. Wushijima, two time All Japan Champion Revenge Against Abe, Osawa, and Yamamoto Kimura was extremely disappointed with his four losses in 1935. He considered quitting the sport, but through the advice and encouragement of his best friends Funeyama and Kai he began training with a new found determination. All through the nights he practiced against a tree to perfect his special Osotogari. After six months his waza was so sharp that a daily randori at Kodokan would result in 10 people with concussions. It was not unusual for his opponents to request “no osotogari” before practice. Kimura met Osawa at the Metropolitan Police Dojo. Here he threw Osawa for Ippon with ease. Kimura met Abe at Kodokan and asked him to randori. Abe gracefully accepted. The 500 mat dojo was silent except for the two judoka. During the 20 minute practice Abe was thrown many times with Seoinage, Osotogari, and Ouchigari. Disgusted Abe eventually quit. Wushijima sensei arranged a match for Hideo Yamamoto and Kimura at Mitsubishi Dojo in Tokyo. Yamamoto was no match for the much improved Kimura and lost by Ude-garami. All-Japan Champion (1937-1939) In October 1935 Kimura won his first major title, the All-Japan Collegiate Championships. He won the tournament with Deashi Harai, Ude-garami, Osoto-otoshi, Osoto-gari, Ude-garami, and Kuzure-Kamishiho-gatame. At the very same tournament 2 years later (the tournament was held every two years) Kimura again won in an impressive fashion. His six wins were with Osotogari (three times), Ude-garami, Kuzure-Kamishiho-Gatame, and Ippon Seoinage. Kimura was the first student allowed to compete in the professional division at the All Japan Judo Championships held in October 1937. Kimura defeated his first two opponents here with Osotogari. Eventually he made his way to the finals against Masayuki Nakajima (5th dan , 27 years old, 170cm, 82kg), a two time champion. In the first 15 minutes of the 40 minute match neither scored a decisive point. In the second period Kimura scored a Waza-ari with Ipponseoinage. Kimura had felt he had won the match and relaxed ever so slightly. Nakajima reacted immediately with left Ken-ken Uchimata and also scored. The second period ended with the two at a draw with waza-aris. In the last 10 minute period Nakajima was taken down where Kimura applied Kuzure-Kamishiho-Gatame and won the championship. After the victory Kimura slapped his face to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. That night he had a very large meal of 13 bowls of rice. When reporters questioned Kimura about his big win he told them that winning his first All Japan Title was his most memorable experience. Even the night after the tournament Kimura was again training. He did 500 push ups, bunny hop 1km, and 500 karate chops before he went to bed. He did not sleep well that evening. Rather he kept reliving the moments of his championship match. He was troubled by the fact that he had lost a waza-ari by ken ken Uchimata. He felt this could have easily been ruled ippon in the other fighter’s favor. Therefore Kimura concluded that to maintain his title for the next 10 years he would have to train harder than the other judoka. Kimura trained 9 hours a day and did 1000 push-ups compared to 3-4 hours and 300 push ups of his rivals. Kimura was also victorious at the All Japan Championships held on October 16-17, 1938 at Kodokan. In the preliminary round Kimura won with Ouchigari for ippon. In the Semi-final he fought Tashiro, who was known for his kanibasami. Tashiro tried his kanibasami many times but with no effect. Kimura attacked with a powerful osotogari which injured Tashiro’s right shoulder. In the final match Kimura met Ogawa (180cm 110kg). Ogawa had defeated the runner-up from last year Nakajima by decision. Ogawa attacked with the Uchimata unsuccessfully, but both of them fell to the mat. Kimura immediately moved to pin Ogawa with Kuzure-kamishiho-gatame.. At the 1939 All Japan Championships Kimura won with Osoto-gari, Osoto-otoshi, Osoto-makikomi, and Tsuri-komi goshi. In the Semifinal round he defeated Ochi 5th dan with Osoto-otoshi. In the final match he fought Tokizane 5th dan. Kimura told Tokizane before the match that he was going to throw him with Osoto-gari. During the fight Tokizane was extremelly defensive. Kimura circumvented the defenses with a Osoto-gari to Osoto-otoshi combination. With this last victory Kimura had won the last 3 consecutive All Japan Championships and was awarded with the Championship Flag. Kimura is the only person in the world to ever possess the flag. Kimura at age 24 with the Emperor’s tanto gift after winning the Ten-Ran Shiai Ten-Ran Shiai 1940 The Ten-Ran shiai was a special tournament held in the presence of the Japanese Emperor. There were 52 competitors in the amateur group and 32 professionals. Isamu Fujiwara 5th dan won the amateur defeating Yasuichi Matsumoto 5th dan, one of Kimura’s toughest rivals, with left uchimata. Kimura defeated his first three opponents with Ushirogoshi, Osotogari, and Osotootoshi. In the semi-final Kimura met Iwao Hirosei 5th dan (165 cm, 5’4″; 82kg, 180lbs) for the third time. In the previous two matches Kimura had won by wazaris with Osotogari. Hirosei, who was All Japan champion in 1941 (Kimura was in the Army) was well known for his Right and Lefty HaraiGoshi. Kimuras first 5 attempts of Osotogari were unsuccessful. Finally on the sixth try Kimura broke Hiroseis defences with a Osotogari to osotootoshi combination. Takahiko Ishikawa 5th dan was Kimura’s final round opponent. In the two previous meetings Kimura had won with Osotogari and Tsurikomi goshi for ippons. This time Ishikawa only lasted 42 seconds when he was thrown with Ippon-Seoinage for ippon. 1947 West Japan Judo Championship In the preliminary round Kimura defeated Toshiro Daigo, 5th dan (All Japan Champion 1951, 1954, current 9th dan, 179cm, 5’11”; 90kg, 198lbs) with Osoto-gari to Kuzure-kamishiho-gatame. To determine a final champion a round robin was set up between Masahiko Kimura (All Japan Champion 1937, 1938, 1939, 1949), Yasuichi Matsumoto (184cm, 6’11/2″, 84kg, 184 lbs. All Japan Champion 1948), and Yoshihiko Yoshimatsu (All Japan Champion 1952, 1953, 1955, 180cm, 5’11”; 115kg, 253lbs). Kimura beat Matsumoto by decision over two overtimes. Matsumoto lost to Yoshimatsu by Tateshiho-gatame. Kimura defeated Yoshimatsu with ippon-seoinage. His award for the tournament was the equivalent of 10,000 US Dollars. Kimura throwing Tokuharu Itoh (1949) 1949 All Japan Judo Championships At age 32 Kimura competed in his last All Japan. In his first match he defeated the champion of the East Japan Judo Championships Hatori 5th dan (170cm, 5’6″; 110kg, 242 lbs) with Ude-garami. Next, he beat Yoshimi Osawa 5th dan (current 9th dan, 165cm, 5’4″; 68kg, 150 lbs) with Kuzure-kamishiho-gatame. Osawa was considered to be one of judo’s best technicians. Osawa had also defeated Matsumoto by uranage in a 1948 Fukoka meet. He won his semi-final match by decision (Ippon-seoinage, however out of bounds) over Itoh 7th dan (190cm, 6’4″; 100kg, 220lbs) who was runner-up in 1934 and 1948. Takahiko Ishikawa was set to fight Kimura in the finals for the fourth time. The fight lasted through three overtimes with neither scoring the minimum wazari. Eventually Mifune, 10th dan, declared both of them champions. Ishikawa went on to win the title in 1950, was runner up in 1952, and 3rd in 1951, 1953 at age 36. Ishikawa sensei was truly a great fighter who was still dominating through his mid 30’s. Kimura (top) applying the ude garami to defeat Helio Gracie in their match in Brazil in 1951. Ultimate Fight in Brazil 1951 In July 1951 Kimura and two other fellow Japanese Judoka were asked to compete in Brazil. Kimura at age 34 was accompanied by a 240 pound (110kg) college champion Yamaguchi (6th degree black belt at the time) and Kado (5th degree black belt). It was to be a Judo/Jiu-jitsu fight. Kado accepted a challenge from Helio Gracie — Brazilian champion for 20 years. The loser was determined by tapping out due to a choke or armbar, or by being knocked out of commission. Ippon (clean powerful throws) or osaekomi (pinning) would have no effect on the results of competition. During Kado’s fight he threw Gracie several times. Gracie, who was in excellent condition, demonstrated ukemi, breaking the throws with little injury. After 10 minutes of frustration, Kado decided to apply a choke. However, the masterful Gracie applied his own choke rendering Kado unconscious. With Kado’s passing-out, Gracie was declared the winner and became a national hero of Brazil! Weeks later, Gracie challenged the remaining two team members, either Yamaguchi or Kimura, to a match. Yamaguchi refused for fear of injury, however Kimura accepted the challenge. There were 20,000 spectators present. A coffin was brought in by Gracie’s followers. Presumably, Kimura was to be killed by Gracie. On the day of the match, the President and Vice President of Brazil attended at ringside. During the fight, Kimura threw Gracie repeatedly with ippon-seoinage (one arm shoulder throw), osotogari (major outer reap), and haraigoshi (sweeping hip/loin). He also included painful suffocating grappling techniques such as kuzure-kamishiho-gatame (modified upper four corner hold), kesa-gatame (scarf hold), sankaku-gatame (triangle hold). Gracie proved to be a formidable opponent refusing to surrender after 12 minutes of grueling fight. Kimura then took Gracie down with an osotogari followed by kuzure-kamishiho-gatame. During the battle that followed, Gracie bridged out of the pin and right into Kimura’s ude-garami (chicken-wing arm lock). The arm bar must have been painful but when Gracie refused to surrender, Kimura applied yet more pressure, and as a result Gracie suffered a broken left elbow. Even with the broken elbow, Gracie still refused to give up, so his corner “threw in the towel”. Kimura was declared the winner by TKO. Although Kimura won the actual fight, it was acknowledged that Gracie had great fighting spirit and will. Kimura later applauded Gracie’s tremendous will to win. Kimura Was Choked Into Unconsciousness Kimura joined the Japanese Army in January 1943. Through special arrangement, he was allowed to teach Judo once a week at Asakura High School. Kimura was known to be a heavy drinker. One day before class, he drank up to three liters of sake. At the end of session, he taught Shime-Waza. Initially, he demonstrated the techniques, then he allowed the students to choke him. Since he was somewhat intoxicated, he was choked into unconsciousness by the student. Without defense, even Judo greats can be chocked into unconsciousness by a white belt student. Professional Judo Shortly after defending his All Japan Judo title in 1949, Kimura accepted the position as chief Judo instructor for the metropolitan police in Tokyo. The commencement of the position would begin in April 1950. In February 1950, Wushijima sensei contacted Kimura, inviting him to participate in “professional Judo”. Kimura accepted because he felt in debt to the generosity of his sensei. Also, Kimura’s wife was sick from tuberculosis and Kimura needed money for medicine. In total, 32 Judoka joined the undertaking. Kimura became the first professional Judo champion by defeating Yamaguchi with Ippon Seoinage. However, after a short-lived existence, the endeavor failed, due to a lack of business acumen. During this crisis, which included no income from professional Judo and his wife’s illness, Kimura and two other Judokas decided to have a Professional Judo tour in Hawaii. While touring in Hawaii, Kimura was able to buy Streptomycine and PAS for his wife. Eventually, she recovered from TB. They had a happy marriage and raised their son and daughter. The Duel of the Century Kimura on left with the karate master Mas Oyama on the right Rikidozan was considered to be the greatest professional wrestler in Japan. He quit Sumo after achieving Seki-Waki, third highest rank. After WWII, he was involved in many street fights and was defeated once by a wrestler named Harold Sakada . Within two years training in Hawaii, Rikidozan became the best professional wrestler in Japan. He was famous for karate chopping, yet he received only brief training by Mas Oyama. It was decided that the “Duel of the Century” was to be held between Kimura and Rikidozan on December 25, 1954. Before the fight, Kimura told reporters that professional wrestling was show business, not real fights. The “choreography” was decided by Kimura, Rikidozan, and Koto. Kimura would allow Rikidozan to attack with karate chop, and he would throw Rikidozan with Judo. The first fight would end in a draw. After that, they would each win one, on a rotation basis. This Duel of the Century was scheduled for 60 minutes. After 15 minutes, Rikidozan tried to attack with karate chop. Kimura signaled, “Be my guest.” Instead of a phony chop to the chest, Rikidozan chopped to the neck, stunning Kimura. Rikidozan, wearing boots, then kicked Kimura’s head. Kimura was KOed. Hours later, Kimura’s gangster supporters offered to kill Rikidozan. Mas Oyama was among the volunteers. (Kimura was a mentor and good friend.) Kimura declined the offer to avoid unnecessary killing. Through meditation, the “death” that appeared in his head signified that Rikidozan would someday die violently. Ten years later, Rikidozan was killed by a small-time gangster, with a tanto, in a bar. Valetudo in Brazil 1959 Kimura went to Brazil in 1959 to have his last Professional Judo/Wrestling tour. He was challenged by Aldemar Santana. Santana was champion of Gracie Jiujitsu, Capoeira, and boxing. He was 27 years old, 6 feet and 205 lbs. In 1958, Santana knocked out Helio Gracie in a fight lasting 3 hours 45 minutes. Kimura threw Santana with Seoinage, Hanegoshi, Osotogari; then, he applied Ude-garami, and won the match. Shortly after, Santana challenged Kimura to have a rematch for Vale-tudo. (Everything goes, as it is equivalent to Ultimate Fighting Championship.) On the day of the competition, there were 10,000 spectators present. From the beginning, Kimura realized that Santana punched and kicked much better. The only chance was newaza. Kimura made a mistake, and tried to throw Seoinage. Since both of them were soaked in sweat, without Judogis, Kimura fell to the mat. Santana followed with a straight punch and head-butt to Kimura’s stomach, not once or twice, but three times. Kimura was stunned; however, he maintained his nerve and waited for his chance to counter. When Santana tried to head-butt for the fourth time, Kimura punched Santana’s forehead-between the eyes-with all his strength. Santana, his face covered in blood, retreated. Kimura got up from the mat and chased Santana. The fight lasted for 40 minutes with a draw, as both of them were exhausted, unable to do complete damage. Kimura was 42 years old at the time. Shichidan from Age 30 to 75 Kimura returned to teach Judo at Tokushoku University in 1960. He trained a few world-class Judokas, Douglas Rogers (Canadian, silver-medalist at Tokyo Olympics), Masaki Nishimura (bronze-medalist at Munich Olympics), and Kaneo Iwatsuri (All Japan champion 1970). His shichidan rank was frozen after disputes with Kodokan over becoming a professional wrestler, refusal to return the All Japan Judo Championship Flag (Kimura was told that he could keep the flag if he could win three consecutive championship), and issuing dan ranks while in Brazil. Kimura died of lung cancer at age 75. Still hospitalized, shortly after surgery, he had started to do push-ups. Kimura demonstrating osotogari JudoInfo.com note This previously unpublished article was put online for the first time by the Judo Information Site on August 6, 2001, with the permission of the author Jim Chen, M.D.. Information for the article comes from the following sources: Ghost of Judo (Kimura’s first autobiography published in 1969), My Judo (Kimura’s second autobiography published in 1985), Judo 100 Year History (two different books), Secret Documents of Japanese Judo (published in 1972 by Koto, one of the best Judo historians), Kindai Judo and Karate Marching into 21st Century by Mas Oyama. Helio Gracie recently described his performance in the 1951 fight with Kimura as “like a kid, helpless against Kimura” (on the Japanese documentary History of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu). As Carlos Gracie reportedly said after the fight (according to Historia do Jiu-Jitsu atraves dos Tempos, citing Rorion Gracie), “Helio nunca esperava derrotar Kimura. A razão para esta luta era ver como Kimura poderia supera-lo tecnicamente” [Helio never expected to win. The reason for the fight was to see how Kimura would be able to overcome him technically]. Helio Gracie also admitted in an interview that during the fight he was choked unconscious and would have died if Kimura had not released the choke. Toshiro Daigo: “I had the opportunity to fight Kimura once at the 1947 Kyushu vs. Kansai individual meet… he let me attack him in the beginning, but threw me with Osoto-gari and pinned me. He was a powerful player.” Kimura pinning Yoshimi Osawa (1949) Yoshimi Osawa: “I competed against Kimura at the 1949 All-Japan, his last All Japan facing him in the second round, he beat me with Kuzure-kamishiho gatame. …I remember during practice sessions he would regularly throw me outside the mat onto the hardwood floors.” Japanese famous writer Tomita (son of Tomita, 8th dan — one of the four Guardians in the early Kodokan) praised Kimura as the best Judo player in the Showa era. Tomita wrote “Kimura No mae Ni Kimura Naku, Kimura No Ato Ni Kimura Nashi.” Meaning: there never was a player like Kimura before or since. For more information on Masahiko Kimura please see this excerpt from “My Judo” by Masahiko Kimura, another biography by Jim Chen with more photos, the latest article by Jim Chen, or see the videos of the Gracie match. Also read the Interview with Helio Gracie where he reveals that Kimura had choked him unconscious. Change is inevitable. Growth is optional. Osoto Gaeshi (Major Outer Reversal) Technique Ouchi Gaeshi (Major Inner Reversal) Technique Kosoto Gari (Small Outer Reap) Technique Kosoto Gake (Small Outer Hook) Technique Hiza Guruma (Knee Wheel) Technique Copyright © 2020 Judo Info. All rights reserved. Powered by WordPress. Theme: Explore by ThemeGrill.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1392
__label__wiki	0.635578	0.635578	Gender Equality, HIV and AIDS: Challenges for the Education Sector The book shows that while gender inequalities in society generally, and particularly within the education sector, are driving aspects of the HIV epidemic, educational settings can be empowering and bring about change. It examines different expectations of what HIV education programmes and education settings can do to transform unequal gender relations and protect young people against HIV and AIDS and contribute to care for those affected and infected. It warns that an uncritical acceptance that education is a "social vaccine" protecting young people from HIV infection can be misleading and demonstrates that, to be effective, HIV and AIDS education must be based on a sensitive understanding of social and cultural context and the complexities of young people' lives. The book illustrates the importance of democratic learning environments informed by evidence-based policy, implemented with strong leadership for transforming deeply held values and beliefs regarding sexual behaviour and sexuality. enregistrerEnregistrer Gender Equality, HIV and AIDS: Challenges for the ... pour plus tard Gender Equality and A Challenge for the Education Sector Sheila Aikman, Elaine Unterhalter and Tania Boler Gender Equality, HIV, and AIDS Oxfam GB, founded in 1942, is a development, humanitarian, and campaigning agency dedicated to finding lasting solutions to poverty and suffering around the world. Oxfam believes that every human being is entitled to a life of dignity and opportunity, and it works with others worldwide to make this become a reality. From its base in Oxford in the United Kingdom, Oxfam GB publishes and distributes a wide range of resource materials for development and relief workers, researchers and campaigners, schools and colleges, and the general public, as part of its programme of advocacy, education, and communications. Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam International, a confederation of 13 agencies of diverse cultures and languages, which share a commitment to working for an end to injustice and poverty both in long-term development work and at times of crisis. For further information about Oxfams publishing, and online ordering, visit www.oxfam.org.uk/publications For information about Oxfams development, advocacy, and humanitarian relief work around the world, visit www.oxfam.org.uk Sheila Aikman, Elaine Unterhalter, and Tania Boler Front cover: Children at play on their way home from school in Kitwe, Zambia. (Annie Bungeroth/Oxfam) The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the publishers. First published by Oxfam GB and ActionAid in 2008 Oxfam GB 2008 A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library. All rights reserved. Reproduction, copy, transmission, or translation of any part of this publication may be made only under the following conditions: with the prior written permission of the publisher; or with a licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd., 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 9HE, UK, or from another national licensing agency; or for quotation in a review of the work; or under the terms set out below. This publication is copyright, but may be reproduced by any method without fee for teaching purposes, but not for resale. Formal permission is required for all such uses, but normally will be granted immediately. For copying in any other circumstances, or for re-use in other publications, or for translation or adaptation, prior written permission must be obtained from the publisher, and a fee may be payable. The information in this publication is correct at the time of going to press. BEBC Distribution, PO Box 1496, Parkstone, Dorset, BH12 3YD, UK tel: +44 (0)1202 712933; fax: +44 (0)1202 712930; email: oxfam@bebc.co.uk USA: Stylus Publishing LLC, PO Box 605, Herndon, VA 20172-0605, USA tel: +1 (0)703 661 1581; fax: +1 (0)703 661 1547; email: styluspub@aol.com For details of local agents and representatives in other countries, consult our website: or contact Oxfam Publishing, Oxfam House, John Smith Drive, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 2JY, UK tel +44 (0) 1865 472255; fax (0) 1865 472393; email: publish@oxfam.org.uk Our website contains a fully searchable database of all our titles, and facilities for secure on-line ordering. Published by Oxfam GB, Oxfam House, John Smith Drive, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 2JY, UK Printed by Information Press, Eynsham. Inners printed on recycled paper made from 100% post-consumer waste. Cover printed on FSC accredited 75% recycled paper. Oxfam is a registered charity in England and Wales (no 202918) and Scotland (SCO 039042). List of contributors ix Part 1: Gender, Education, and HIV Mapping the Challenges 1 Essentialism, equality, and empowerment: concepts of gender and schooling in the HIV and AIDS epidemic 11 Elaine Unterhalter, Tania Boler, and Sheila Aikman 2 Girls education and vulnerability to HIV infection in Africa 33 James Hargreaves and Tania Boler 3 Gender inequality in primary education in the context of HIV and AIDS: a challenge for Uganda 45 Doris M. Kakuru 4 Violence against girls: are schools doing enough to protect them against HIV and AIDS? 60 Fiona Leach 5 The gendered impact of AIDS on orphans and education in KwaZulu-Natal, South Tania Boler Part 2: Building the Evidence Base to Meet the Challenges 6 The road less travelled: gender-based interventions in the education-sector response to HIV 105 7 One finger cannot kill a louse working with schools on gender, sexuality, and HIV in rural Zambia 129 Gill Gordon 8 Mobilising care: accounts of gender equality, schooling, and the HIV epidemic in Durban, South Africa 150 Elaine Unterhalter, Amy North, Robert Morrell, Deevia Bhana, Debbie Epstein , and Lebo Moletsane 9 Development, gender, HIV and AIDS, and adult education: challenges in Thailand 169 Usa Duongsaa 10 Engaging the community to promote gender equity among young men: experiences from Yari Dosti in Mumbai 184 Sujata Khandekar, Mahendra Rokade, Vilas Sarmalkar, Ravi K. Verma, Vaishali Mahendra, and Julie Pulerwitz 11 Building multi-sectoral partnerships to deliver gendered HIV education in schools: the Nigerian experience 202 Omokhudu Idogho Conclusion: HIV and AIDS and gender the challenges for empowerment and change 215 An edited collection is always more than the sum of its parts, and this book is no exception. Many teachers, learners, writers, readers, administrators, and activists have contributed to the ideas we have brought together. Unfortunately we cannot list them all, but we want to highlight some particular contributions without which the book would never have gone beyond the sketchy outline the three of us discussed one day in a snatched coffee break between meetings. First and foremost our thanks go to all the authors. They have worked with us over many months, often to tight time schedules, and we very much appreciate their involvement with this project and commitment to our approach. The Beyond Access team are a second group to whom we owe special thanks. The Beyond Access project aims to develop and circulate knowledge about gender equality and education for policy makers, researchers, and practitioners. Sheila and Elaine have co-ordinated the project since 2003, and a number of chapters in this collection were first presented as papers at Beyond Access seminars. We are grateful to all those who helped make Beyond Access happen, and we particularly want to record our thanks to the UK governments Department for International Development (DFID) for the first phase of our funding and to Chloe Challender, Rajee Rajagopalan, and Amy North, who were so central to the achievements of the project. We owe thanks to all those in Oxfam GB, ActionAid, and the Institute of Education who supported our work on this book through general encouragement, responses to queries, and critical commentaries, particularly our close colleagues Tom Noel, David Archer, Akanksha Marphatia, Debbie Gaitskell, and Jenny Parkes. The book would never have been brought to completion without the support and dedication of the Oxfam Publishing Team, especially Claire Harvey and Katie Allan, Kevan Ray who guided the process, and Jackie Smith for her excellent copy editing.We are enormously grateful for this help, for the insights of the anonymous readers, for the meticulous work done by Amy North and Helen Poulsen as editorial assistants on a number of chapters, and for the attention to detail given by Sophie Crawford in preparing several chapters for publication. Lastly, our families saw each of us through another book project with kindness and good humour. Their warm support sustained our collaboration, and we are enormously grateful for their care and consideration. Sheila Aikman is Senior Lecturer in Education and Development at the School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia. Prior to this she was Oxfam GB Global Education Adviser, working with Oxfam education programmes across sub- Saharan Africa and Asia. She has researched and written extensively on indigenous education and gender equality in education and co-directed the Beyond Access: Gender, Education and Development project with Elaine Unterhalter. Deevia Bhana is an Associate Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She works in the areas of gender, sexuality, HIV, and AIDS. Tania Boler is Head of Research at Marie Stopes International, an international NGO specialising in sexual and reproductive health. Prior to this, she was at UNESCO and ActionAid where she researched and published extensively on the education sector response to HIV and AIDS. Her books include The Politics of Prevention: A Global Crisis in AIDS and Education (with David Archer, 2008, Pluto Press). David Clarke is a freelance consultant currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. He was Senior Education Adviser in the DFID AIDS Team in London before deciding to work independently. He has worked in more than 50 countries and has recently undertaken consultancies on the education response to HIV in India, Indonesia, and Cambodia. Usa Duongsaa is Lecturer at the Faculty of Education, Chiangmai University, Thailand. She is also co-founder of the AIDS Education Programme in Thailand, the Asia-Pacific-based Positive Learning Working Group, and the international non-profit non-government organisation Constellation for AIDS Competence. Debbie Epstein is a Professor at Cardiff Universitys School of Social Sciences and is currently training as a psychotherapist. She has published widely in the fields of sexuality, gender, race, and education in the UK and in South Africa. Her books include Silenced Sexualities in Schools and Universities (with Sarah OFlynn and David Telford, Trentham 2003) and Schooling Sexualities (with Richard Johnson, Open University Press 1998). She also works on issues to do with globalisation and higher education and edited the World Year Book of Education 2008 (with Rebecca Boden, Rosemary Deem, Fazal Rizvi, and Susan Wright). Gender Equality, HIV, and AIDS: A Challenge for the Education Sector Gill Gordon is a Senior Technical Advisor in sexual and reproductive health and prevention of mother-to-child transmission at the International HIV/AIDS Alliance. She has been providing technical support to a programme in rural Eastern Province of Zambia to increase the capacity of teachers in basic primary schools to teach pupils aged 10 to 15 sexuality and life-skills. She has also supported a programme in Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, working on young peoples sexual, reproductive, and psychosocial health and rights. James Hargreaves is an epidemiologist conducting research into social influences on peoples health. He has recently published papers on socio- economic influences on the spread of HIV and TB. He was a key member of the research team running the Intervention with Microfinance for AIDS and Gender Equity study. IMAGE was a prospective matched and randomised community-intervention trial that sought to explicitly examine the role of a community-based poverty alleviation and gender-empowerment programme in changing sexual behaviour and preventing intimate-partner violence and HIV infection. Omokhudu Idogho is the International HIV and AIDS Coordinator (Programmes) with ActionAid International, based in Johannesburg. In this position he leads on ActionAids womens-rights-centred community- mobilisation approach to achieve HIV and AIDS universal access. Prior to this position, Dr Idogho was the Head of Programmes in ActionAid Nigeria, where he provided a strategic leadership steer to the Education, HIV, and AIDS themes, and supported cross-cutting elements of Womens Rights and Governance Programmes. Doris Kakuru is a Researcher and Lecturer at Makerere University, Uganda. Her research on gender, education, HIV, and AIDS began in the early 2000s, and she has published widely on the subject. Her current research focuses on the educational challenges of orphans living in child-headed households. Sujata Khandekar is a founder member and Director of a non-governmental organisation called CORO (Committee of Resource Organisation) for Literacy in Mumbai, India. A gender activist and a researcher, Sujata has worked extensively with both men and women on promoting gender equality, especially in grassroots communities. Currently she is pursuing her doctoral research on the construction of masculinities among Dalit young men in low-income communities in Mumbai, India. Fiona Leach is Professor of International Education at the University of Sussex, UK. She has worked in the field of education and development for many years, and before becoming an academic was a teacher and adviser in Africa. She has published widely in the field of gender and education, and has carried out several studies on gender violence in African schools. She is author of Practising Gender Analysis in Education (Oxfam, 2003) and co-editor of Combating Gender Violence in and around Schools (Trentham, 2006). Vaishali Sharma Mahendra is a Senior Programme Officer in the HIV and AIDS Programme at the Population Council in New Delhi. She has 15 years of work experience in the field of sexual health, HIV, and AIDS. Her main areas of research and programme development include HIV prevention with vulnerable populations including youth; promotion of gender equity and sexual health with young men and women; HIV-stigma reduction; and integration of sexual health and HIV. Relebohile (Lebo) Moletsane is Director of the Gender and Development Unit at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa. She has extensive experience in teaching and research in the areas of curriculum studies and gender and education, including gender-based violence and its links to HIV and AIDS and AIDS-related stigma, as well as a focus on girlhood in the era of AIDS in Southern African contexts. Robert Morrell is Professor of Education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He works in the area of men and masculinity studies and has edited Changing Men in Southern Africa (University of Natal Press/Zed Books, Pietermaritzburg/ London, 2001) and co-edited (with Lahoucine Ouzgane) African Masculinities (Palgrave/University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, New York/Pietermaritzburg, 2005) and (with Linda Richter) Baba: Men and Fatherhood in South Africa (Cape Town, HSRC, 2006). Amy North is a researcher based at the Institute of Education, University of London. She is currently working with Elaine Unterhalter on a project looking at the way in which global declarations concerning gender equality, education, and poverty are interpreted and acted on in different sites at local, national, and global levels. Previously she was the Policy Officer for the Beyond Access: Gender, Education and Development Project, and has worked with education advocacy networks in Kenya, Bangladesh, and Tanzania. She also has wide experience of working on gender issues and with civil-society organisations in Latin America. Julie Pulerwitz is Director of the HIV/AIDS & TB Global Program at PATH. Prior to this, she was Research Director of the Horizons Program/Population Council, a 10-year global HIV and AIDS operations research programme funded by USAID. Her main areas of research and programme development include HIV/STI prevention, behaviour-change communication, gender and male engagement, and HIV-related stigma. Dr Pulerwitz and colleagues developed the Gender Equitable Men (GEM) Scale, and she has led evaluations of male engagement, gender equity, and HIV/violence-prevention projects in Brazil, Ethiopia, Namibia, and Tanzania. Mahendra Rokade is currently working as Project Director of CORO (Committee of Resource Organisation) for Literacy, a Mumbai-based NGO. Mahendra co-ordinated the operations research on addressing unequal gender norms as a strategy to reduce sexual risk behaviour among young men and violence against women in low-income communities of Mumbai, done by CORO in collaboration with Population Council New Delhi and Institute of Promundo, Brazil. Vilas Sarmalkar is a founder member of CORO (Committee of Resource Organisation) for Literacy, a Mumbai-based NGO. Vilas led the community- based campaign for the programme Yari Dosti, to promote gender equality among young men as a strategy to reduce sexual risk behaviour among young men and violence against women in low-income communities of Mumbai. Elaine Unterhalter is a reader in Education and International Development at the Institute of Education, University of London. Together with Sheila Aikman she co-ordinates the Beyond Access: Gender, Education and Development project. Her books include Gender, Schooling and Global Social Justice (Routledge, 2006), Beyond Access (with Sheila Aikman, Oxfam, 2005) and Amartya Sens Capability Approach and Social Justice in Education (with Melanie Walker, Palgrave, 2007). Ravi Verma is Regional Director of the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), Asia Regional Office (ARO) based in New Delhi. He has worked extensively on promoting gender equity; working with men and boys; and reducing HIV vulnerabilities and gender-based violence. This book examines the challenges of working for gender equality in the education sector as it engages with HIV and AIDS. Applying a gender-equality lens highlights a range of responses on which those who work in education systems policy makers, planners, teachers, and learners need to reflect and act if they are to reduce girls and boys vulnerability, change behaviour, and challenge some of the unequal gender relations that are driving the AIDS epidemic. The book provides a comprehensive approach to thinking about gender and gender equality in education, from an appreciation of the way in which girls and women are becoming disproportionately infected with the HIV virus, to an analysis of the assumptions about gender and women that underpin much writing on the epidemic and the educational responses. While gender inequalities in society generally, and particularly within the education sector, are driving aspects of the AIDS epidemic, and can limit prevention and care, the book argues that there are actions that have been taken in every sector be it government, community, or school initiatives to confront and transform gender inequalities. These actions enhance work in combating the spread of HIV and caring for people who are infected and affected. The challenges of working on gender inequality in education in the context of the epidemic need to be acknowledged, but once some of their dimensions are known, the assumptions, fear, and stigma can be discussed and begin to be addressed. In the short span of 25 years, the HIV virus has spread to all regions of the world, infecting over 65 million people globally (UNAIDS 2006). The epidemic has been fuelled by gender inequalities. It has hit hardest in sub-Saharan Africa: although the region is home to only ten per cent of the worlds population, 61 per cent of all people with HIV are from this region and 57 per cent of all infected people are women (UNAIDS 2007). Despite the number of new HIV cases (incidence) per year having peaked in the late 1990s, there are still over 22.5 million people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa and over 11 million orphans (ibid.). In sub- Saharan Africa the major means of transmission is through heterosexual sex, and in many African countries the epidemic is categorised as a generalised AIDS epidemic meaning that over one per cent of the general adult population is HIV- positive. However, there is diversity in the severity of the epidemic in Africa, with the worst-affected countries located in the southern region, including South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, where prevalence rates are in excess of ten per cent of the adult population. Although the prevalence rate has levelled off in some countries, this simply means that the number of AIDS-related deaths equals the number of new infections disguising the thousands of people who are becoming infected or dying every day. UNAIDS estimate that only one in six people in need of treatment in the region is currently receiving it (ibid.). After sub-Saharan Africa, Asia has the largest number of people living with HIV: latest estimates suggest that in 2007 over 4.9 million adults in Asia were living with HIV. Despite relatively low prevalence rates and concentrated epidemics (defined as below one per cent of the adult general population), the sheer size of many Asian countries has resulted in a large number of HIV infections. For example, India has a prevalence rate of 0.36 per cent (defined as a concentrated epidemic), which equates to about 2.5 million adults living with HIV. Although, overall, the actual number of people living with HIV in Eastern Europe is small, concentrated epidemics are growing at alarming rates. Of particular concern are Ukraine and the Russian Federation, where HIV is spreading fast through injecting drug use, especially among young people: over 75 per cent of new infections in Russia are in people under the age of 30 years (UNAIDS 2006). The number of people living with HIV in Latin America has risen to an estimated 1.6 million, and although across the region the majority of countries have prevalence rates of less than one per cent, the prevalence among specific groups, such as men who have sex with men, and sex workers, is often very high (UNAIDS 2007; www.avert.org/aidslatinamerica.htm). Generally, worldwide, those people who are already living marginalised vulnerable lives are less likely to be able to protect themselves from HIV infection. Poor people are the least powerful, and often the least able to effect change, to receive appropriate treatment, or to have their voices heard about how the epidemic is affecting their lives (Hargreaves and Boler 2006). Stark gender inequalities often compound this. Women are increasingly more likely to become infected with HIV than men. How has this epidemic which is preventable been able to spread uncontrolled across the globe, already claiming the lives of 25 million people? The answer lies in the fact that HIV is a sexually transmitted disease or is associated with injecting drug users, and sex and drugs remain taboo issues, which reflect deep divisions between people and expose gendered relations in particularly destructive forms. HIV shines a light on the contradictions between societal expectations in many countries not to have sex, and the reality that many people have many sexual partners over their lifetime. HIV also disproportionately affects groups in society who are already highly stigmatised and viewed as immoral: injecting drug users, sex workers, and men who have sex with men. It exposes some of the gendered power which often characterises interactions concerning sex, drug use, and stigma. HIV destroys the bodys immune system, and after several years the body is too weak to fight off infection and succumbs to an onslaught of opportunist infections and tumours collectively known as AIDS. The gradual debilitation and eventual death (in the absence of treatment) of AIDS sufferers further stigmatises the virus, sexual activity, and people who are associated with those who have been infected. Transmission of the virus can be prevented through a variety of different behavioural strategies including use of condoms, reduction in number of sexual partners, abstinence from sexual intercourse, and use of sterilised needles when injecting drugs. The education sector is considered key to developing these protective strategies, and education is sometimes referred to as a social vaccine (Global Campaign for Education 2004). The term is extremely useful, in that it captures the way in which education is an important site for developing knowledge, understanding, and social relations that are important both for prevention of the virus and for assisting people to care for those who are infected and affected. But the term also carries assumptions that schooling is a place where relationships are problem-free, and behavioural change is easily injected into people, like a vaccination. Schools are complex places. Pupils and teachers may be divided by class, race, ethnicity, or gender. They are certainly divided by age. There are differences between managers, planners, and policy makers, and diverging and converging networks of relationships with parents, communities, employers, non-government organisations (NGOs), and a wider citizenship. School may offer the protection of a vaccine, but this is not achieved only by a simple act of injecting training, materials, or monitoring into schools. These may be a necessary part of addressing the epidemic, but on their own they are insufficient. Despite the dissemination of knowledge on the causes and nature of the epidemic, behaviour change has not occurred at the scale needed to curb its spread. Shifts towards more equal gender relations are associated with preventing the disease, but changes in gender relations and gendered power relations are difficult to effect, and education is one sector where these difficulties are writ large. The starting point for producing this book comes from the work of Beyond Access: Gender, Education and Development, a joint project of the Institute of Education, University of London and Oxfam GB, with three years of funding from the Department for International Development (DFID) (www.ioe.ac.uk/ efps/beyondaccess; Aikman and Unterhalter 2005; Aikman and Unterhalter 2007). This project examined policy, practice, and research with a wide network of people around the globe to identify new knowledge and document good practice. HIV and AIDS was a theme which cut across all the work on gender and education and was a particular focus in each of the five international seminars hosted by the project between 2002 and 2005. This volume brings together some of the papers commissioned by the project as well as contributions from key researchers, policy makers, and practitioners in the field of HIV and AIDS and The book draws on research and experience from many different levels and parts of the education system. It brings together an international group of writers from different disciplinary and methodological backgrounds, experi- ences, and practices. Their work ranges from small-scale qualitative studies which elicit rich description of the gendered lives of students and teachers in the context of HIV and AIDS, to discussions of the literature in the field, and analysis of the policies of international agencies, national and local governments, and NGOs. The chapters provide many points for discussion from multiple perspectives. The book is intended for audiences who wish to contribute to policy, develop new knowledge through research, and change In bringing this work together we have tried to be alert to the varied characteristics of the HIV and AIDS epidemic as it has developed in different settings around the globe. However, a majority of chapters are concerned with contexts within sub- Saharan Africa, and Southern Africa in particular. This is because sub-Saharan Africa has the largest number of people living with HIV in some countries, over ten per cent of the adult population. Hence this has been the setting for some of the most extensive research and documentation of educational challenges and responses. Here heterosexual transmission has been the main mode of spreading the virus for some time, and a number of the chapters in the book deal with issues concerning sexualities, family relationships, and the cultural delineation of gender inequalities, which have a bearing on the way schooling can address the epidemic. In Asia, on the other hand, research has focused on specific groups at risk of HIV such as injecting drug users, sex workers, and men who have sex with men; it has not looked extensively at schooling. Our book reflects this, as the chapters providing case studies of Thailand and India deal with adult education initiatives, rather than schooling. While the book maintains a strong focus on the formal education system and schools in particular, it also recognises the importance of non-formal education and education for adults, and the need for comprehensive strategies and practices that engage the wider community in which education and schooling take place. Some of the chapters investigate the ways in which policy and programme interventions that serve to promote gender equality at school and in other educational contexts can contribute to reducing the vulnerability of young people (girls and women in particular) to HIV infection. Reducing vulnerability entails understanding different dimensions and frames of vulnerability, such as that of the impact of HIV and AIDS on children and especially orphans (see Boler, this volume), the way in which schooling can expose vulnerable young people to violence and increased risk of contracting HIV (see Leach this volume), and looking to change the behaviour of dominant groups (see Khandekhar et al., this volume, which discusses young men and their concepts of masculinity). The UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team on Education (UNESCO 2006) calls for an examination of current practices to ensure relevant, effective, inclusive, and qualitative learning about HIV and AIDS. There is an urgent need for fine- grained studies of what good teaching and learning about HIV and AIDS looks like in classrooms and schools. Research in schools in Durban and Gauteng in South Africa, in Maputo, Mozambique, and in Uganda shows how teachers attitudes sometimes undermine the equality and respect which are needed to support forms of empowerment of both girls and boys in relation to negotiating sex (Morrell and Ouzgane 2005; Thorpe 2005; Kakuru 2006). Nonetheless a number of initiatives also point to the ways in which teachers are contributing to change, as this book documents (see Unterhalter et al., this volume). There is a growing need for the insights gained from these local initiatives to be used in policy making and planning at national and international levels. The book is divided into two sections. The first outlines some of the ways in which gender inequalities in schools and in the social relations that surround school have exacerbated the epidemic. Chapter 1 sets the scene for the chapters which follow by providing a brief overview of the AIDS epidemic and the gender dynamics embedded in it. It considers some of the assumptions about gender often associated with the epidemic, and draws on debates in feminist theory to elucidate the different concepts under discussion. It then considers ways in which schooling, education, and learning themselves are not socially neutral places but highly gendered social spaces, and what this can mean for the educational experience of young people. The chapter poses questions about how and why the education sector has responded to the HIV epidemic in terms of particular orientations with regard to policy and planning, and maps some of the challenges to ensuring greater responsiveness and a more transformative agenda. In Chapter 2 James Hargreaves and Tania Boler undertake a systematic review of literature on young people, risk, and HIV, and consider what the research evidence indicates about whether school does provide a form of protection against HIV infection. Doris Kakuru (Chapter 3) looks at the extensive national-level response by the government of Uganda and examines what success there has been in taking energetic policy commitments down to the level of the school. In Chapter 4 Fiona Leach alerts us to emerging research on forms of violence that girls and boys encounter in school, and the gender dynamics embedded in these. She considers some of the links between these studies, illuminating the hierarchical and often violent school environment and the need for HIV and AIDS education to address these broad contexts of gender differentiation and power in sexual relationships for it to be effective. In the last chapter of this section, Chapter 5, Tania Boler presents data from a study of orphans in South Africa, drawing out gender differences in terms of educational outcomes for orphaned boys and girls, and providing new evidence to link gendered patterns of parental death with increased sexual vulnerability. All the chapters in this first section warn that too optimistic an approach involving turning to schools to protect against HIV and AIDS must be tempered by an acknowledgement of the forms of gender, class, and race inequalities that are associated with the provision of education. The second section of the book addresses some initiatives that have attempted to change the marked gender inequalities in schooling that either exacerbate or fail to ameliorate the effects of the epidemic. David Clarke (Chapter 6) reviews the international response by multilateral and bilateral organisations, showing how money can be linked to addressing gender equality in policy, planning, and practice. In Chapter 7 Gill Gordon looks at work in eastern Zambia, where schools have become the hub for a participatory approach that engages community groups, teachers, and students in analysing and understanding the complex and specific social factors that put them at risk of unsafe sex. The programme supports participants in developing actions to overcome factors that prevent them from leading enabling and healthy lives. In Chapter 8 Elaine Unterhalter, Amy North, Rob Morrell, and their co-authors chart how teachers in South Africa have responded with care and concern to the ravages of the epidemic on their schools, and how this suggests the emergence of new gendered identities. The chapter looks at the opportunities that the school itself provides for proactively engaging with the epidemic, even though old hierarchies are slow to change. Chapters 9 and 10 by Usa Duongsaa and Sujata Khandekar and colleagues look at adult education and the non-formal sector. Duongsaa, drawing on her work in Thailand, takes the case of a young woman Pimjai to illustrate the way in which HIV and AIDS, poverty, and lack of education are putting women at risk of infection. Pimjai provides an inspiring example of determination to overcome stigma and inequality through counselling others and becoming an advocate for womens rights. Khandekar examines a research and community-mobilisation programme for young men in Mumbai. Through participatory research with community youths, the programme sets about changing concepts of masculinity and ways of understanding gender, power, and identity in order to address violent gendered behaviour by young men which puts them and their partners at risk of HIV and AIDS. Omokhudu Idogho in Chapter 11 charts the development of HIV and AIDS-education projects and programmes in Nigeria through an examination of different partnerships that have been driving change. This chapter outlines the importance of, as well as the tensions and challenges involved in, bringing together the health and education sectors to form multi-sectoral partnerships. It warns that until womens-rights organisations join the partnership, the unequal gendered power relations which underpin the HIV and AIDS epidemic will continue. In our conclusion we assess what can be expected of the education sector with regard to gender equality, HIV, and AIDS. We contrast the optimistic approach which assumes that behaviour change can be taught in school or educational settings as if it were immune to the gender relations of the wider society, and the pessimistic approach whereby the inequalities within schools place young people at severe risk, unable to challenge or counter these forces. We consider some of the research, policy, and practice challenges of persistent gender inequalities, and the indications that steps can be taken to make gender equality a reality in the face of the ravages of the epidemic. Aikman, S. and E. Unterhalter (2005) Beyond Access: Transforming Policy and Practice for Gender Equality in Education, Oxford: Oxfam GB. Aikman, S. and E. Unterhalter (2007) Practising Gender Equality in Education, Oxford: Oxfam GB. Global Campaign for Education (2004) Learning to Survive: How Education For All would Save Hundreds of Young People from AIDS, Brussels: Global Campaign for Education, available at: www.campaignforeducation.org/resources/Apr2004/Learning%20to%20Survive%20final%20 2604.pdf (last accessed February 2008). Hargreaves, J. and T. Boler (2006) Girl Power: The Impact of Girls Education on HIV and Sexual Behaviour, Johannesburg: ActionAid. Kakuru, D. (2006) The Combat for Gender Equality in Education: Rural Livelihood Pathways in the Context of HIV/AIDS, Wageningen: Wageningen Academic Publishers. Morrell, R. and L. Ouzgane (2005) African Masculinities: Men in Africa from the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present, New York and Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Thorpe, M. (2005) Learning about HIV/AIDS in schools: does a gender equality approach make a difference?, in S. Aikman and E. Unterhalter (eds.) Beyond Access: Transforming Policy and Practice for Gender Equality in Education, Oxford: Oxfam GB. UNAIDS (2006) Report on the Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic, Geneva: UNAIDS. UNAIDS (2007) HIV and AIDS in Latin America, www.avert.org/aidslatinamerica.htm. UNESCO (2006) Quality Education and HIV and AIDS, Paris: Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Education, UNESCO. Gender, Education, and HIV Mapping the Challenges 1 Essentialism, equality, and empowerment: concepts of gender and schooling in the HIV and AIDS epidemic The HIV and AIDS epidemic is often described as a feminised epidemic. The term refers to some features of the epidemiology, in that in many countries which are experiencing generalised epidemics,1 the numbers of women infected are significantly higher than the numbers of men. During the early years of an HIV epidemic, the virus is contained within certain key populations such as men who have sex with men, sex workers, and injecting drug users. This type of epidemic is known as a concentrated epidemic and is typical of the epidemics found in most parts of Europe, North America, South America, and Asia. In these regions, the greatest burden of infection is among men. However, in sub-Saharan African countries experiencing generalised HIV epidemics, women now make up 57 per cent of infections, with some 17 million women living with HIV at the end of 2003 (UNAIDS 2007). The situation is particularly acute among young people in Southern Africa, with studies suggesting that young women are two to seven times more likely to be infected with HIV than young men are (Glynn et al. 2001; Gregson and Garnett 2000; Macphail et al. 2002). The term feminised epidemic is also sometimes used as shorthand to signal that unequal gender relations are associated with HIV infections, as either cause or consequence. The reports of UNESCO, the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team on Education, and the Global Campaign for Education urge us with generalisations to recognise that gender issues are key to the problem of HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS IATT on Education 2006c; Global Campaign for Education 2005a). What these reports point to is that many women cannot act to protect themselves by requesting men to use condoms or requiring men to reduce their numbers of sexual partners. Such forms of female vulnerability are seen as a manifestation of the gender issues at the heart of the epidemic. In addition, the term gender issues often signals that many women who are infected or affected take on extra burdens of care within households, without shifts in gender relations within the family, community, or society (Voluntary Service Overseas 2006). However, the term feminised epidemic, despite its usefulness in directing attention to some aspects of womens needs, is also immensely problematic, in that it associates the actions of women, not men, with the epidemic, and suggests that all women are similarly vulnerable, ill, or burdened with responsibility. While in many countries these terms apply to a large number of women, it is important to scrutinise these over-generalised and one-dimensional characterisations. In this chapter we place the feminised epidemic within the context of a broader examination of concepts of women and gender associated with research and policy on education, HIV, and AIDS. But before turning to an exploration of these important distinctions, some background on the education-sector response to the epidemic is necessary. The education-sector response to the epidemic One of the most frustrating dimensions of the current HIV and AIDS crisis is that it is fairly well acknowledged that enough is known about how to prevent the further spread of the virus and yet, globally, some 6,800 new infections continue to occur daily (UNAIDS 2007). Despite increasing amounts of money being spent on school-based HIV and AIDS education, the results have been disappointing for a number of possible reasons, including: lack of understanding of the social factors which affect sexual behaviour especially in different cultural contexts; structural barriers, such as poverty and gender inequality, which may hamper behaviour change; low-quality and under-resourced educational institutions, hindering the quality of provision of HIV and AIDS education; insufficient funding spent on equipping and supporting AIDS educators with the skills and resources they need; insufficient attention to international evidence on the characteristics of effective HIV education programmes. As the epidemic first began to spread around the globe in the 1980s, HIV and AIDS were considered to be a problem demanding a response first and foremost from the health sector. But as it became clearer through the 1990s that there was not and not likely to be a medical vaccine to protect against the HIV virus, the education sector needed to find ways to respond. As students and teachers died from the disease, the viability of education systems came under threat. Education came to be seen as having an urgent role to play in reaching young people and children with messages about the epidemic (Shaeffer 1994). The response was a sporadic implementation of different programmes such as life-skills, reproductive-health programmes, and other health interventions. These were introduced with little knowledge of their impact and a growing awareness of acute problems of lack of teacher knowledge, understanding, and commitment. Essentialism, equality, and empowerment Many programmes lacked connection with the real choices and social pressures that young people experienced (Coombe and Kelly 2002). Sometimes gender was considered in these initiatives. Often it was not. AIDS has drastically changed the demands on educators, schools, and students, posing formidable challenges to education systems that are already over- stretched and under-resourced. These new challenges like the epidemic are complex and require new ways of thinking and responding. Research and thinking about the role of the education sector in the epidemic are fairly nascent, controversial, and ambiguous. There are divergent understandings and positions taken on questions such as: the extent to which AIDS is undermining the provision of education in high-prevalence countries; the role of education in protecting young people from HIV; what messages should be taught, how, and to which age groups. Often the pressure to align education appropriately with an assessment of the nature of the epidemic and the response means that gender issues are ignored. Actions being taken by ministries of education indicate different degrees of progress in developing overarching HIV and AIDS strategies to guide policy and practice change (Global Campaign for Education 2005b; UNAIDS IATT on Education 2008). Zambia, for example, has carried out an assessment of the needs of the education sector and developed a comprehensive national response for HIV and AIDS education. Other countries, such as Brazil, Senegal, and Thailand, have illustrated what can be done with political leadership and commitment to confront HIV through a dual policy of HIV-prevention programmes and free access to anti-retroviral medication (UNAIDS 2006). By 2004, 72 per cent of ministries of education reported having established HIV and AIDS management structures with senior staff represented (UNESCO 2006b). But planning still suffers from a lack of reliable national data and a lack of linking and collaboration between key government departments such as health, social welfare, and finance. This situation impacts on the conceptualisation of approaches, the operationalisation of plans at sub-national levels, and the availability of funding for plans. The International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) in Paris now offers courses for education ministry staff in how to confront HIV and AIDS in their work, and how to make the management of HIV and AIDS a routine function within the education system. But structural and historical barriers to good communication between and across government still persist, despite examples of goodwill and specific initiatives. The extent to which gender is a major concern in approaches to planning often depends on how seriously gender policies are being promoted elsewhere in a ministry of There has been considerable focus on planning for and managing a stable and strong education system that can respond to the ravages of the disease in terms of its impact on student and teacher numbers. But there is considerable debate about the extent to which HIV and AIDS are affecting teachers. HIV and AIDS have, unequivocally, led to increased levels of morbidity and mortality among young adults in many parts of the world. Although all sectors of society have been affected, one sector in particular has been the focus for attention and controversy: teachers (Bennell 2005; Kelly 2000b). Sub-Saharan Africa is already facing a serious teacher shortage, and AIDS-related sickness and mortality is exacerbating this problem. Long before an HIV-positive teacher dies, she or he is likely to be ill, and therefore absent from school, for substantial periods, leading to teacher shortages or classes being taught jointly. A lack of HIV-related workplace policies compounds the problem, as there is often no sick pay, no access to treatment, and inadequate teacher-replacement policies. AIDS mortality also substantially increases the education wage bill, as attrition costs are high and death benefits soar. During early phases of the epidemic, it was reported that in sub-Saharan Africa, teachers were actually more at risk of HIV than the general population. This trend now appears to be changing; indeed, teachers may be changing their behaviour faster than the general population. The problem is that there simply are not enough data on HIV rates among teachers, or about the associated gender dynamics, to estimate accurately the impact of the epidemic on the provision of education. It is clear that the impact will be felt differently in different contexts. Excellent planning is needed to manage teacher absence and to increase recruitment and support. Similar skills are needed to assess and support children. UNAIDS estimated in 2007 that every day over 1,000 children under the age of 15 become infected with HIV (UNAIDS 2007). Some of the negative effects of this on childrens education relate to observations that without anti-retroviral treatment, children with HIV have weaker language skills and poorer visual-motor functioning than their peers, as well as particular socio-emotional developmental needs, and sometimes erratic attendance patterns (Jukes 2006). Barnett and Whiteside documented falling enrolment ratios in KwaZulu-Natal where infection rates were high, suggesting that children were not attending school in significant numbers because they were ill (Barnett and Whiteside 2002). Unfortunately we know little about the gender dimensions of these effects. Adequately supporting children who have been orphaned through AIDS is a matter for cross-ministry planning and co-operation, so that orphans can be fully integrated into national education systems in a way which overcomes stigma, poverty, the need for counselling, and the needs of other family members. As Doris Kakuru shows in this volume, girls are particularly likely to take on extra work burdens when parents and other carers are sick, obliging them to drop out of school. Research into understanding the educational needs of orphans and vulnerable children has mainly focused on the impact which orphanhood has on enrolment in school, with less attention given to other dimensions of their vulnerability (Boler and Carroll 2003). However, it is necessary to understand some of the dynamics that result when there are considerable numbers of orphans in classrooms. Very particular professional practice and insight is required from teachers, which schools do not always support. Kathryn Wiggins, in a study of men and women teachers and their interactions with orphans attending a school in South Africa, analysed the ways they used loving and lecturing as styles to perform gender identities and encourage learning among orphans, and the tensions these generated with other school practices relating to punishment and examination success (Wiggins 2007). Clearly there is much to be gained from detailed attention to some of the gender issues involved in the support of orphan children. There is also considerable debate over the role of education in protecting young people from HIV. The evidence varies from country to country, over time, and across regions. There has been increasing evidence which seems to suggest that formal education helps individuals protect themselves against HIV infection, although exactly why or how is not clear, as levels of infection seem to be lower even where schooling includes no specific programmes aimed at preventing HIV (Coombe and Kelly 2001). This may be because most schools offer opportunities for learning about AIDS, even if not necessarily from teachers or through the official curriculum. They also offer non-HIV and AIDS-related skills and knowledge about information-handling and changes in affective and socio- cultural routines which can boost girls and boys self-confidence and status. The notion of education as a social vaccine has given impetus to school-based efforts to change behaviours that put people at risk, and to ensuring that all girls and boys attend school. Studies of changes in legislation have shown that one of the most important ways of ensuring attendance is to abolish school fees and other hidden costs that prevent girls and those from the poorest families going to school (UNESCO 2006b, 71). The need to pay for schooling puts girls at increased risk of infection as they may rely on getting the necessary funds through exploitative relationships with older men, such as sugar daddies, or selling sex to pay for school books (Hunter 2002; Leach 2006). While there is little understanding about how simply going to school might reduce HIV vulnerability, there are also divergent views on how much schooling is needed: is primary schooling enough, or is it secondary education that really matters? Girls, it is suggested, get the greatest payoff from secondary schooling, which makes a difference to their confidence and ability to try out different approaches to sexuality and negotiate safer sex (Burns 2002; Hargreaves and Boler 2006; Grown et al. 2005). For boys, it seems that schooling needs to be combined with promoting alternative visions of masculinity (i.e. not characterised by risk-taking and domineering sexuality), and that out-of-school actions are as important for building such cultures as those in school (Morrell 2006; Walker 2005). By far the greatest efforts from the education sector have been in terms of developing and delivering education programmes to teach about HIV and AIDS in the expectation of changing behaviours and the spread of HIV (Kelly 2006). With strong support from UNICEF, many ministries of education have developed life-skills courses which include material on HIV and AIDS. NGOs and non-state education providers have been implementing formal and non- formal HIV and AIDS programmes for children and young people, often in innovative ways that deal with questions of gender and power. However, this work is largely small-scale and un-co-ordinated, and many of the experiences and learning undocumented. Curriculum design and delivery of HIV and AIDS education remains contested terrain, with debates on whether to mainstream HIV and AIDS across the curriculum, or have it as a stand alone topic. The position of gender in these different approaches is not clear-cut. In the majority of classrooms, the emphasis continues to be on learning facts from a medical perspective rather than tackling the more problematic area of acquiring new attitudes, discussing sexual relationships, and adopting safer behaviours. In high-incidence countries such as Botswana and South Africa, life skills are a compulsory part of the school curriculum, and wider issues about gender and rights are on the syllabus, although unevenly addressed in lessons (Magnani et al. 2005; Rooth 2005; Langley Smith 2002; Phaladze and Tlou 2006). But in many countries, even where HIV and AIDS programmes or life-skills programmes exist, young people are not receiving them because of a combination of factors such as lack of training and capacity of teachers and school heads, teachers unwillingness to engage with what they feel are sensitive topics, and already overcrowded curricula which mean that teachers are under pressure to teach other subjects (UNESCO 2006b). It can be seen that the education-sector response to the epidemic has been marked by sporadic action, lack of systematic research, and generally inadequate attention to gender. In this context a number of common sense assumptions circulate about what the term gender means. In the next section we examine three different ways in which the term is used, draw out some of the benefits and difficulties associated with these meanings, and then examine what some of the consequences are for developing strategies for the education sector. Contrasting approaches to gender in writing on HIV and AIDS and education There are three widely circulating, but generally undefined meanings associated with the term gender in the context of discussions of HIV and AIDS and education. We have defined these as essentialism, which stresses that concern with womens vulnerability must lie at the heart of education responses; equality, the view that schools need to be concerned with addressing unequal gender power relations; and empowerment, the view that existing gender relations and identities need to be transformed, entailing changes not only within schools but also in the wider society. The underlying idea in work that draws on an essentialist view is that all women are vulnerable and all men are sexually predatory and domineering in relation to household decision-making. Thus, for example, the Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on education viewed gender in its Toolkit for mainstreaming HIV and AIDS in the education sector in the following terms: [Higher infection rates for women are]...in part because of the greater biological vulnerability of women, to a large extent it is also due to traditional gender roles that reinforce the subordinate role for women in all matters including sexual relations and to the lower social and economic status of women, which increases their dependence on men. In many cultures, men are expected to demonstrate masculine behaviours such as having frequent and multiple sexual relations and engaging in violence. Such behaviour not only makes women vulnerable, but also puts men at a greater risk of HIV infection. (UNAIDS IATT on Education 2008, 53) It can be seen from this passage that the document refers to women only in terms of vulnerability and subordination, and to men in terms of sexual promiscuity and violence. It is implied that this is age-old behaviour traditional gender roles and that it is sanctioned by culture. What this wording fails to make clear is that not all men and women conform to these stereotypes, that it is not tradition, but history and social relations at work in forming relationships with these characteristics, and that many women and men question and contest identities of vulnerability or violence. To some extent, statistics about HIV transmission support the assumptions of essentialism. Biologically, young women are at a double disadvantage in terms of becoming infected with HIV. During sex, women are at least one and a half to four times more likely to become infected than men; it also appears that the younger the woman, the more likely she is to contract the virus, as her reproductive system may not be fully mature (Glynn et al. 2001). In addition, the likelihood of becoming infected during sex increases if somebody has untreated sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which affects women particularly as these infections are more likely to go undiagnosed. Young women are also vulnerable to HIV during violent sex because of possible damage to the female genital tract. But a counter to the essentialist argument is that sexual behaviours are themselves influenced by a wide array of cultural, community, economic, and social factors. One of the biggest problems with discussing why women are vulnerable to HIV is the level of complexity involved in human sexual relations (Aggleton 2004). Sexual behaviour also changes within relationships. For example, people might use condoms at the beginning of a relationship but over time as trust grows stop using them. The general criticism that all girls and women are not the same in their sexual behaviours can be extended to other areas of social life. Essentialism is not helpful in understanding the ways in which different groups of girls access and progress through school, their responses to the teaching and the curriculum, or their lives as adults. There are clearly significant differences for girls with regard to a familys wealth, the extent of education provision, social relations concerning marriage, womens work, and involvement in decision-making. Wide variations in these dimensions mean that the explanatory value of essentialist arguments is not very wide-ranging. A further critique of the essentialist argument, which depicts only womens vulnerability, is that it suggests women are passive, that their actions are characterised by weakness, and that they are properly located in feminised realms the family, the household, the womens organisation, and in some accounts primary schooling. To stray beyond these into public spaces the workplace, political contests, secondary and higher education is to invite danger and attack. It is clear that these assumptions are inaccurate and serve to further subordinate women. But these problems notwithstanding, essentialist arguments circulate widely. A second approach to discussing gender in the context of HIV and AIDS is to stress the importance of equality. In this group of writings, gender equality may mean equal levels of provision of schooling or training. Thus gender describes girls and boys, and their different biological and social characteristics. This is sometimes analysed as viewing gender as a noun, an external descriptive category. Gender is given by biology or social norms, and observing this is merely about describing and noting differences (Unterhalter 2007). The objective of gender policy from this perspective is that whatever is planned for one group should be provided equally to the other. Thus for example, the IATT Toolkit quoted above suggests that work on sexual and reproductive health and AIDS should include: Encouraging both men and women to discuss and address issues related to sex and sexuality and other factors that enhance vulnerability, such as drug Improving access to information, counseling and support for girls and boys and men and women (UNAIDS IATT on Education 2008, 54). It is evident that there is concern that the toolkit should be disseminated to both men and women, girls and boys. This is an important aim, but there is little concern with the gendered power relations that might make it difficult for the two groups to discuss or address sex and sexuality honestly; or the barriers, for example of time or official sanction, that mean girls or boys do not gain access to the same amounts or form of counselling and support. The concern with gender equality in provision, understood simply as the same amounts given to boys and to girls, thus masks the deep structures of inequality that make dissemination or interventions so difficult. A second approach to gender within the equality frame is to assert that gender equality is about addressing unequal power relations; hence gender is not just a description of girls and boys, but signals particular structures of exclusion, discrimination, or subordination. An assessment of gender that is alert to forms of power relations associated with income, wealth, political and social power, and the cultural forms through which these are addressed, generally cannot be made without taking account of other forms of social division linked to class, race, ethnicity, or location. An example is the document Building a gender friendly school environment: a toolkit for educators and their unions prepared in 2007 for Education International. This discussed gender in the following Learning institutions play an important part in teaching modeling and reinforcing gender roles. The environment within a learning institution is an important factor in the development, sanctioning and reinforcement of gender roles and identities. The opportunities given to learners, the ways learners treat one another, and how educators treat learners and their colleagues are all elements of the learning environment all of which are influenced by the prevailing gender roles in the society. Reinforcement of unequal gender roles and disrespect for girls and women experienced constantly over time in learning institutions can lead to dominance of males over females. This can lead to men taking advantage of the power differences between men and women and result in gender-based physical, sexual and verbal violence. (Pulizzi and Rosenblum 2007) It can be seen that in this definition social norms have particular consequences in which women are subordinated. Unequal power relations lie behind what often appear as essentialist features of womens vulnerability. These power relations are not only inscribed in public institutions where they are open to discussion and amenable to collaborative struggles for change, but they are also part of everyday actions and intimacies that are private and difficult to disentangle from emotional expression, and thus much harder to name and transform. At an epidemiological level, there are three broad factors that influence vulnerability to HIV infection in epidemics where heterosexual transmission is the main mode of infection: level of sexual activity, the HIV status of a sexual partner, and the likelihood that HIV is transmitted during sex. These factors are only the immediate risk factors for infection. They are also associated with a wide range of social, political, economic, and cultural processes, often coloured by gender power relations. Gendered power relations between women and men which are sanctioned, taken for granted, and very difficult to contest are the context out of which risks emerge and make it difficult for change to occur. Gendered power relations are clearly at work when we analyse which women become infected with HIV. Women who are more sexually active are more vulnerable to HIV infection. A number of important behavioural traits are related to this, notably the age at which young women first start to have sex, their overall number of sexual partners, the frequency with which they have sex with these partners, and the type of relationships they have (for example serial monogamy or concurrent sexual partnerships). Generally engaging in sex at an early age, or having multiple sexual partners, are not simply a matter of choice and desire. In some societies economic and social relations mean that young girls are married to much older men. Social requirements for a transfer in money or goods to a brides family generally mean that younger men do not have enough income accumulated to marry, and families look to older men as appropriate husbands. Women may have little capacity to ensure that they can delay the age of their first sexual relationship, that men have few sexual partners, or that their access to status or wealth is not linked to sexuality. These constraints are particularly acute when the position of women is generally low, when women are prohibited from owning land, or when they have few opportunities for employment or decent work conditions. Sex workers are a group who are extremely vulnerable to HIV infection throughout the world. Women working in the sex industry, which is generally unregulated, may have very little control over whether they can insist on condom use or on limits to the number of clients they work with. One serious risk factor for young women in Africa is having sexual partners who are much older than themselves: older men have had a longer time to become infected, and age-mixing is an important but neglected dimension of the AIDS epidemic in Africa (Gregson et al. 2002; Kelly et al. 2003). If new generations of young men and women were to have sex only with individuals of their own age group, HIV would not spread to this group and they would remain free of HIV infection. In practice, young women in most sub-Saharan African settings form partnerships with older men as well as with young men from their own peer group, and this is key in propagating infection from one generation to the next. Evidence from epidemiological studies shows that inequalities between older men and younger women affect how often a woman has sex, the type and frequency of sex, and whether condoms are used or not (Luke 2005). Gendered power relations mean that a woman often cannot request the use of a condom without inviting the comment that either she is accusing her partner of unfaithfulness or she is unfaithful. Secondary school and teacher training courses are generally not free in most countries in Africa, and a number of studies document how young women begin sexual relationships with older men or sugar daddies in return for fees (Hunter 2002; Leach 2006). In a number of societies in Africa and Asia when a man dies, it is required that his wife is married to his brother. The inequalities inherent in these relationships make it difficult to negotiate about sex. Analyses which focus on gendered power relations generally view school as a site which reproduces the power relations of the wider society. The assumption is that schools mirror unequal gender relations, privileging the learning needs of boys, who progress through primary school in larger numbers. Boys have access to more school space and more teacher encouragement (Page 2004; Raynor 2008; UNESCO 2007). Schools also reproduce the sexual hierarchies which drive the HIV epidemic, being sites where gender-based violence has been noted, as Leach reports in this volume. Teachers often encourage a hard masculinity linked to sexual conquest and multiple partners (Morrell 2003; Duffett 2006; Martino and Kehler 2006). However, the depiction of schools simply as mirrors of unequal gender relations in the wider society is one-sided. The stress on structures of gender inequality leads to a denial of the forms of agency and action that women and men take, or the relational ways in which structure and agency intermesh. Schools do not only reproduce unequal gender relations, but provide a context in which girls and boys may, under different conditions, act to continue these inequalities, or learn and act to change them. Thus, viewing schools only as places where gender inequalities are not questioned, and abuse and violence is condoned, overlooks the complicated ways in which children and adults make sense of gender and violence, negotiate meanings around sexuality and power, and attempt to take action for change. For example, Jenny Parkes, in a detailed study of childrens gendered negotiations with experiences of violence and crime in a South African township, noted how girls and boys were both attracted and repelled by these processes and how school could offer languages and practices to support resistance (Parkes 2005; 2007). Charlotte Watts and colleagues, in a randomised control trial looking at the effects of different interventions protecting women from sexual violence in South Africa, concluded that attending adult education classes with other women was the most significant effect (Pronyk et al. 2006). These works suggest that analysing unequal power relations and working on structures of inequality may be necessary, but not sufficient in understanding gender and processes of change. Studies which focus on empowerment consider gender to be formed by relationships that are neither reducible to gender roles and structures of inequality, nor simply the outcomes of the actions of men and women. As formulated in the work of Nelly Stromquist, for example, empowerment is concerned with a personal dimension which stresses self-confidence and self- expression, a cognitive dimension which focuses on the development of emancipatory knowledge, an economic dimension which ensures access to resources, and a political dimension which ensures participation in relations of power (Stromquist 1995). Naila Kabeers discussion of empowerment stresses the importance of concern with womens access to resources, agency and action, and valued outcomes. In adapting these ideas of empowerment to develop a research project with ActionAid, working with NGOs on girls education and protection against HIV and AIDS in Tanzania and Nigeria, the following gender empowerment framework was developed: We understand girls as active agents, who think about their lives, articulate their views and act. These girls are engaged in social relations with boys, parents (mothers and fathers), teachers, education officials, men and women in their communities, the implementing partners to bring about change. Thus although we see each girl as important, we acknowledge the networks of social relations in which they live. At present a range of forces constrain the opportunities for education and empowerment of these girls. They live in societies that are stratified by gender, class, ethnicity, religion etc. These social divisions, which each have complex histories and dynamics, currently entail forms of discrimination, inequality, and poverty. We see the girls lives as being constrained by a range of forces which press down through the exercise of various forms of power but girls have some spaces and opportunities and act back in a range of ways, with different outcomes. In conducting the research we wish to document how girls work with others to bring about change, and what changes in the power dynamics they can make, through expanding opportunities for action at the individual and community level, through taking particular actions and engaging in forms of discussion. (ActionAid 2007) HIV is one feature of the environment in which girls live, as are gendered structures of inequality. But this framework is seeking to look at the ways in which social relations are formed and girls and boys, women and men act both to contest the harmful effects of inequalities (which might include vulnerability to HIV), and to work to make a decent life, even in conditions where AIDS is prevalent. The critiques of this approach argue that it is not easy to sustain the mobilisation of women and girls, or to develop work with government that is structured around long-term programmes of political accountability for girls education (Chapman and Miske 2007); that a celebration of empowerment without a realistic assessment of its consequences may invite a backlash (Odora-Hoppers 2004); and that evaluations of empowerment often do not keep all the features of the framework in play (Kabeer 1999). Unfortunately, very few projects which focus on empowerment have been fully researched, but Jo Manchester has drawn out some of the implications of womens activism to demand attention to gender issues in the epidemic, showing how empowering this has been, even for women who are HIV-positive (Manchester 2004); and Chinouya (2007) has shown some of the empowerment effects of womens local organisations. What these studies of adult women show is that empowerment might be effected among school children, even in societies marked by gender inequalities, but that it cannot be effected only through seeking to transform schools. Connections need to be made for example with the health sector, womens organisations, and church groups; and changes need to be effected not just in education but in wider political, economic, and social relations. Essentialism, equality, and empowerment are found to different degrees in policy writings and the work of researchers in analysing gender, HIV and AIDS, and education. Essentialism, because of the congruence between these ideas and certain common sense views about men and women, is a widespread view, as is the notion that interventions for girls and boys must be equal. Concerns with changing unequal gendered power relations and nurturing empowerment are both less researched and less evident in the policy literature. We now turn to an assessment of how these different approaches to viewing the problem of gender shape our understanding of the education sectors response to the HIV and AIDS Essentialism, equality, and empowerment in the assessment of the education-sector response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic Gender has only sporadically been a feature of the education sectors response to HIV and AIDS. Many aspirations in policy and practice about the ways in which education might help control or ameliorate the epidemic have been based on assumptions about schooling, education, and learning that offer only partial accounts of this complex relationship. For example it is assumed in many policy documents developed in response to the epidemic that schools are neutral spaces in which learning and teaching takes place as intended by those who develop curricula or train teachers. Thus, although successive issues of UNESCOs EFA Global Monitoring Report have commented on how conditions in schools affect the quality of learning, the general assumption is that improving pupilteacher ratios, deepening understanding of childrens learning needs, and effective monitoring will yield considerable improvements (UNESCO 2005; UNESCO 2006b). However, much sociological work on schools highlights how they are marked by race, class, and gender division (Chisholm 2004; Doggett 2005, Mirembe and Davies 2001). These social divisions intersect, so that individuals are located within systems of discrimination and subordination which constrain the ways in which they can act to bring about change for themselves and their societies. Thus girls and boys trying to negotiate and articulate their aspirations to complete school are working within histories and gendered relations of poverty, schooling, and sexuality that place enormous constraints on what they can achieve, even were they to receive outstanding teaching and support. This is not to say that schools cannot provide young people with some of the knowledge and confidence to overcome these constraints, but they generally cannot do this in isolation from other organisations and other forms of social relations located in families, friendship networks, and religious, cultural, or political groups . There are two ways in which gender, HIV, and education have been linked in policy documents and the work of commentators. The first, the optimistic view, sees gender relations as outside of school, constraining who does and does not attend, the kinds of negotiations about sex that take place between young people and adults, and the form of care and support in families. School is a neutral space. It can support work to combat the epidemic in relatively straightforward ways. School can give pupils key knowledge to combat HIV and AIDS and to help develop appropriate relationships in order to use that knowledge. For example, schools can instill openness to information, confidence to speak up to claim rights, and status in a society. In this view school can help change some of the unequal gender relations that drive the epidemic. This idea, with its emphasis on school as cause for optimism and HIV protection as effect, often assumes that gender is a descriptive term denoting girls and boys, but not signalling further dimensions of social relationships. This approach is associated with the view that behaviour change can be taught in schools or other education settings. From this perspective, HIV-prevention messages focus solely on reducing the number of sexual partners, delaying the age at which young people first have sex, and encouraging condom use. It is often overly simplistic and based on the assumption that individuals have control over their behaviour, and that sexual behaviour is rationally determined (Coleman et al. 1966). The second view is more pessimistic. It sees unequal gender relations as deeply entrenched within schools, undermining even the most well-conceptualised HIV prevention. Gendered attitudes diminish teachers capacity to teach the relevant lessons with equality and respect, either because teachers find it difficult to talk about sex, or because their actions contradict the lessons they give. There are different kinds of gender dynamics at work within schools. For example there are a number of studies that highlight how teachers talk to pupils and what they say. Sometimes teachers off-the-cuff comments regarding what is desirable in sexual relations undermine safe-sex messages (Kent 2004; Chege 2006; Pattman and Chege 2003). Relationships between teenage pupils also point to a gender dynamic in how boys talk about girls who do and do not have sex, placing girls in an impossible situation where they are the object of scorn if they have sex with fellow pupils and also if they do not (Makoni 2006; Mirembe and Davies 2001). The hidden curriculum, which confers particular status on certain spaces in the school, and certain activities, like sport or beauty contests, undermines straightforward academic messages about sex or HIV (Kent 2004; Thorpe 2005; Bhana and Epstein 2007; Casely-Hayford 2008; Vavrus 2003). Assumptions within a school about girls capacity to learn and progress in high-status subjects might contribute to boys ideas as to whether girls can negotiate sexual relations or express their views. Cultures of masculinity associated with sport, music, or particular areas of academic prowess that do not challenge some of the gendered relations in which these are located risk perpetuating the kinds of unequal sexual relations which are contributing to the spread of the epidemic (Duffet 2006; Reddock 2006). In addition to the different views on what the effects of teaching about gender and HIV in schools are, ideological and religious agendas are being advanced under the banner of HIV prevention. This has come to the fore with the explicit funding from the USA of abstinence-only HIV and AIDS education. On the one side there are those who stress that sexual abstinence is the only 100 per cent safe prevention method against HIV infection, while, on the other side, there are those who argue that abstinence-only education not only does not work, but is unrealistic, as well as constituting an abuse of human rights. At a simple level, the term abstinence can be (and often is) used in two different ways: sexual delay among children and young people; and delayed sex until marriage. Very few educators or practitioners would argue against encouraging sexual delay, in many circumstances, for children. From a medical point of view, there are good physical and psychological health reasons for encouraging and/or enabling some young people to delay sexual debut, but there exist no parallel health-related reasons for delaying until marriage (despite the US governments claim to the contrary). There is nearly universal consensus that children should not be having sex until they are physically and emotionally mature. With regard to young people, however, the situation is not so clear. There is abundant evidence that some early sex is coercive, resulting from peer and/or partner pressure (often highly gendered), financial necessity, and other demeaning forces. In these cases, delay until individuals are empowered to make fully informed and mutually respectful choices is welcomed from many points of view. Conflict still exists between public-health concerns and those that are driven by particular ideological positions. The two major constituencies advocating abstinence-only education (the Catholic church and the US government) are referring explicitly to a second interpretation of delay complete sexual abstinence until marriage that is clearly ideologically motivated. Panic about HIV has unfortunately allowed such viewpoints to gain scientific legitimacy through the use of slogans such as risk elimination versus risk reduction, in which it becomes impossible to argue that abstinence does not eliminate risk of HIV (Boler and Ingham, forthcoming). Certainly, if people abstain from sex, then risk of HIV is eliminated, but the bigger question is: can and should people be told to abstain and provided with little else, or should they be fully informed and empowered to make choices (one of which may be to abstain)? It can be seen that these different positions on abstinence invoke different ideas about gender. The simple injunction to abstain sees gender largely in biological terms, while the approach of considering empowerment and negotiations about sexuality emerges from notions of gender as socially powerful but contestable. Deeply entrenched features of the hidden curriculum, youth culture, or adult prejudice shape gendered languages which make it difficult to change ideas or actions. In this view gender inequality within schools is contributing to the HIV epidemic, and educational opportunities paradoxically place young people at severe risk. The policy implications here are much more difficult to prescribe at a national level. It requires leadership and management of gender-equality initiatives at school level, drawing in teachers, pupils, support services, and communities to change the social relations of learning and attend to gendered school cultures and out-of-school social relations. This is not a quick-fix approach. The argument this book is advancing is that neither the optimistic nor the pessimistic view is complete on its own. We do believe schools are significant spaces for empowerment and change for all who work in them, and that learning is a powerful way to develop reasoned choices about what individuals want from their lives and how they can realise this. However, we cannot ignore the ways in which schools, education systems, and the people who work in them are shaped by complex histories that limit the extent to which they are able to bring about change. To do this is to fail to be attentive enough to the conditions that will help practices in schools contribute to change. It is important to understand how individuals and social groups living with very different conditions negotiate and bring about change in relations of gender and other inequalities, and how the optimism of the first perspective can be tempered by the realism of the second to improve policy and practice in the face of a horrific epidemic. We have drawn out some differences between two ways of viewing gender: in essentialist terms, as an age-old feature of the identities of girls and boys; and merely commenting on equal levels of provision for girls and boys. We have distinguished these two approaches from more transformational strategies that document and try to change unequal gendered power relations, acknowledging that women and men have the capacity for empowerment and change, but that multi-dimensional approaches are needed. The challenges for the education sector are twofold. Strategies are needed to ensure adequate levels of provision for the needs of learners and teachers that take account of both prevention and care, regardless of gender. But meeting these needs is only a partial response to the epidemic. 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UNESCO (2005) EFA Global Monitoring Report 2004, Paris: UNESCO. UNESCO (2006a) Focus, Education Today 15. UNESCO (2006b) EFA Global Monitoring Report 2007, Paris: UNESCO. United Nations (2005) The Millennium Development Goals Report 2005, New York: United Nations. Unterhalter, E. (2007) Gender, Schooling and Global Social Justice, London: Routledge. Vavrus, F. (2003) Desire and Decline: Schooling Amid Crisis in Tanzania, New York: Peter Lang. Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) (2006) Reducing the Burden of HIV and AIDS Care on Women and Girls, London: VSO. Walker, L. (2005) Men behaving differently: South African men since 1994, Culture, Health and Sexuality 7(3): 22538. Wiggins, K. (2007) Loving or Lecturing? An Exploration of the Role of Male and Female Teachers in Response to the Educational Needs of Orphans of HIV and AIDS and Vulnerable Children in a South African Community, MA dissertation, University of London (Institute of Education). 2 Girls education and vulnerability to HIV infection in Africa AIDS has been a reality in many parts of the world for more than 25 years. As the epidemic evolves and matures across areas of eastern and southern Africa, researchers have tried to keep pace with its changing course. Evidence often conflicts within and across countries and can at times lead to a frustrating situation in which the response is forced to rush ahead of the evidence. In the field of education and HIV and AIDS, there have been two opposing points of view in which some have argued that individuals with higher levels of education are more vulnerable to HIV (Kelly 2006), whereas others argue that more education (especially girls education) protects against HIV infection (see Global Campaign for Education 2004). In the middle of this debate is growing evidence of the feminisation of the epidemic, in which girls and women are becoming disproportionately infected with the virus. Although there are a number of reasons why women might be more vulnerable to infection (see Glynn et al. 2001), many have suggested that underlying gender inequality leaves women vulnerable to HIV. One of the pivotal responses to this claim has been to promote universal girls education in order to reduce HIV vulnerability.1 However, one underlying assumption is that higher levels of education reduce HIV vulnerability for girls. Yet the evidence varies considerably from country to country, over time, and across regions. Moreover, there is little understanding about how simply going to school might reduce HIV vulnerability, or how much schooling is needed: is primary schooling enough, or is it secondary education that really matters? This chapter attempts to answer some of these questions by first discussing relevant results from recent systematic reviews of the evidence and then going on to discuss in detail the probable reasons behind these trends and potential responses to them. Findings from the reviews We and other authors have recently conducted systematic reviews of the association between educational attainment and HIV and sexual behaviour in Africa (Hargreaves and Glynn 2002; Hargreaves and Boler 2006; Hargreaves et al. 2008). Here we focus on the findings shown in those reports concerning young women. Therefore we include in our discussion studies reporting on the association between, on the one hand, an indicator of education (such as school attendance, years of schooling, or grade attained) and, on the other, indicators of sexual behaviour and/or prevalence or incidence of HIV infection among populations where young women were a key group. A number of other criteria were also applied in the reviews, summarised in Table 1 below. Table 1: Criteria for inclusion in the systematic review Excluded Included Outcome variable = HIV prevalence or reported sexual behaviour Exposure variable = educational attainment or attendance in school Grey literature from NGOs, UN agencies, Peer-reviewed articles in academic etc. journals Men-only studies Women-only studies Studies on both men and women reported Studies on mixed-sex groups as long as they also adjusted for gender Purely descriptive studies (e.g. no Results adjusted for the possible adjustment for possible confounders confounding effects of other variables such as age) (at the bare minimum: age, gender, and setting) Studies that adjusted for factors on the causal pathway (overadjusted) were also included, though this is not strictly Fewer than 500 individuals in the study More than 500 individuals in the study Sample drawn from high-risk and Sample broadly representative of the minority groups general population Western and northern Africa Southern, eastern, and central Africa Girls education and vulnerability to HIV infection in Africa For the purposes of this chapter we deemed education to have had either a positive impact (more education, less risk), negative impact (more education, more risk), or no impact. The impact of education on HIV rates Among the articles reviewed, the outcome variables, education systems, populations, and ages are all different, making comparison highly complicated. However, initial studies seemed to suggest that the more educated women are, the higher their risk of HIV (supporting the theory that more education leads to higher economic status, higher levels of mobility etc.) (Hargreaves and Glynn 2002). If this is the case, does this mean that the many different organisations campaigning for girls education as the social vaccine against HIV might be misdirected? In a later paper, however, the studies were re-analysed and new data were added, considering the period in which they collected data to see if like an evolving epidemic the impact of education on HIV was also evolving (Hargreaves et al. 2008). This evidence suggested that, before 1996, more education was often related to higher HIV vulnerability. However, after 1996, more education was either not related to HIV vulnerability or was indicative of lower HIV vulnerability. Further, some studies examined the impact of education on HIV rates over time (either as cohort studies or serial cross-sectional surveys). With few exceptions, the relationship between education and HIV was changing in the same direction: the negative impact of education on HIV (i.e. more educated, more HIV) was weakening over time. This might be caused by decreasing HIV vulnerability among more educated groups or by increasing vulnerability in the least educated groups. These findings suggest that the following is happening: although girls education may be linked to higher HIV vulnerability early in the HIV epidemic, this can be expected to change over time as the epidemic matures, with rising HIV vulnerability among uneducated groups and decreasing vulnerability among educated groups. The impact of education on sexual behaviour The reviews also examined the impact of girls education on sexual behaviour such as age of first sexual activity (or sexual debut) and use of condoms (Hargreaves and Boler 2006; see Figure 1). This set of outcomes was more complicated to compare than data for HIV, as the outcomes can be measured in a variety of ways. For example, surveys vary from asking about condom use during last sexual activity to condom use in the last six months, twelve months, etc. To further complicate the analysis, it should be noted that these are reported sexual behaviours. It is impossible to know whether a person is telling the truth or saying something that sounds socially desirable. In terms of sexual debut, there were seven articles that explicitly explored the link between young womens educational attainment and age of sexual debut. Five of these articles showed that more educated young women were more likely to delay sexual debut. The remaining two articles showed no association between education and sexual debut. Although these results suggest a strong positive benefit of education, it is also possible that the relationship works in the opposite direction, and that girls who are more sexually active are more likely to drop out of school (because they become pregnant, for example). All the studies on the impact of girls education on condom use showed strikingly similar findings and provided by far the most conclusive and powerful message: more girls education increases the chances that young women use condoms. Not a single study suggested that women with less education were more likely to use condoms. The findings across the studies demonstrates very clearly how girls education can help women to negotiate safer sex. This finding also flies in the face of an increasingly vocal minority who are claiming that condoms do not work in Africa. Figure 1: Selected articles reporting associations with condom use The results from the reviews raised a number of questions. The first is to do with the extent to which the impact of education on HIV and sexual behaviour is the same for men and women. Although the review focused on girls education, it was also possible to study ten gender-disaggregated studies. Seven out of the ten articles showed that the impact of education on HIV rates did not differ between men and women, and the remaining three articles showed highly mixed results. Similarly, the impact of education on sexual behaviour was broadly similar for men and women. Given these findings, it seems that the impact of education on HIV vulnerability does not differ remarkably between men and women. A second question which arose from the review was whether or not secondary schooling or primary schooling had the largest impact on HIV vulnerability. The review found only six studies which differentiated the results by primary and secondary schooling. The results from these six studies are shown in Figure 2 below. It seems that, in most cases, secondary education had a greater impact on reducing HIV vulnerability for women than primary education (evidenced by increased condom use and reduced HIV rates). Figure 2: Impact of girls education on HIV vulnerability Taken together, these data suggest that as an epidemic matures, having more education reduces vulnerability to HIV. This is the case for both men and women, and it seems that the more education the better. The beneficial effects of education have been shown to work within an individuals lifetime but have also been passed through generations. These findings are useful but do not quite go far enough. What is actually happening? What are the underlying mechanisms? Possible mechanisms Attending school and gaining a higher level of education can influence sexual behaviours in a number of different ways. These pathways are not independent, but for the sake of simplicity can be categorised as follows: 1. Contact with school-based HIV and AIDS education 2. Psychosocial benefits of education 3. Economic and lifestyle impacts of education 4. Power within sexual relationships 5. Social and sexual networks. School-based HIV and AIDS education As government and non-government responses to HIV and AIDS gather pace across sub-Saharan Africa, access to HIV-prevention messages has increased dramatically, and the information vacuum that existed a mere ten years ago is more and more of a rarity. Although HIV-prevention messages have taken advantage of a wide range of different media and have targeted many different sub-groups, research by ActionAid shows that the most trusted source for young people to learn about HIV is through schools and teachers (Boler 2003). A recent survey conducted jointly by the Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD) at the University of KwaZuluNatal and ActionAid shows that 85 per cent of countries with a high HIV prevalence2 have established some sort of HIV and AIDS curriculum in primary schools (Badcock Walters and Boler 2004). Although the report also highlights the shocking implementation gap, it seems reasonable to conclude that attending school can increase a young persons contact with school-based HIV and AIDS education and thus reduce his or her vulnerability to infection. Psychosocial benefits of education Behavioural science and cognitive science have long emphasised the importance of not only providing information on how to change behaviour, but also trying to strengthen womens confidence and capacity to act on these messages. General education, even in the absence of school-based HIV and AIDS education, might help to improve such qualities. Conversely, the least educated members of society may have relatively low self-esteem, self-efficacy, and a negative outlook on the future (Marmot 2003). Consequently, they may be less likely to protect their health by having fewer sexual partners or using condoms. This will be particularly true when peer pressure is exerted in ways contradictory to HIV- prevention messages. A common example of this is being pressured by peers to have sex at an early age. Economic and lifestyle impacts of education Numerous studies have shown that increased education has a positive impact on economic prospects for both men and women, as more highly educated individuals are more likely to find regular employment and earn higher wages (Case and Deaton 1999). These economic benefits in turn influence a wide range of factors, including the spread of infectious diseases; more educated individuals are often more geographically and socially mobile. In this scenario, the more education a person receives, the greater his or her vulnerability to HIV might be. Women with increased education may be more likely to form partnerships with more highly educated and richer men, who may have multiple partners and/or engage in commercial sex, thus increasing womens vulnerability to HIV infection. Greater mobility also puts young women of higher socio-economic status in contact with larger social and sexual networks, which could, in theory, increase their number of potential sexual partners. On the flip side, among the poorest communities the economic opportunities afforded by a higher education may prevent women from entering into activities that carry a high risk of infection, such as commercial sex work or other relationships that are entered into primarily to provide resources. In this respect, girls education might help protect women from HIV infection. Power within sexual relationships The ways in which girls education might affect HIV vulnerability can be considered on both an absolute and a relative scale. While absolute levels of education might drive the pathways described above, the level of a young womans education relative to her male partners level of education also has important consequences. In many African settings, it remains socially acceptable for men to have many sexual partners, but unacceptable for women to do so (Luke 2003; Varga 1997). Within these same settings, women are often more likely to leave school early, be unemployed, and earn low wages (Gilbert and Walker 2002). These women are therefore entering into sexual relationships characterised by a significant power imbalance. Such power imbalances within relationships are compounded by the common practice of young women going out with much older men. Older men might be seen to be better options as boyfriends and husbands by women and commu- nities because they are in a better position to provide material support. Gifts and money are seen by many as an intrinsic component of any sexual relationship (Kaufman and Stavrou 2002), thus further increasing womens economic dependence. Both the inferiority in age and the economic dependence of women decrease their power to negotiate within sexual relationships. What implications does this power imbalance within relationships have for HIV vulnerability? The problem is that it is often the men who dictate when to have sex and how. Since many men prefer not to use condoms (MacPhail and Campbell 2001), their wishes within an unequal relationship are very likely to prevail. Sexual violence is an extreme manifestation of this power imbalance within relationships and may particularly affect women who have not received much education, who in turn are less able to negotiate within a relationship. Each of the scenarios above suggests that education is a positive factor in reducing HIV vulnerability for young women but this is not always the case. Power imbalances within relationships are never more obvious than in relationships between teachers and students. Although the evidence is currently mostly anecdotal or qualitative in nature, an increasing number of studies suggest that some male teachers in African schools abuse their higher position of power to initiate sex with female students (Wellesley Centers for Research on Women 2003). For the economic and power-related reasons cited above, it may even be the case that some female students and their parents encourage such relationships. Whatever the circumstances, the gross power imbalance between a teacher and a student can place a young woman in a position of high vulnerability. Social and sexual networks Another potential pathway between girls education and HIV vulnerability is related to factors associated with going to school, rather than overall educational attainment. Attending school influences the social network of a young person, affecting the group of people with whom he or she has contact. In turn, these contact patterns may influence the formation of sexual partnerships. Research suggests that HIV vulnerability is influenced by the size of a persons sexual network and an individuals position within that network (Doherty et al. 2005). The effects could be either positive or negative. On the positive side, being at school might limit the pool of potential sexual partners and thus reduce the number of partners. It is also plausible that young women at school are more likely to choose boyfriends within school who are of a similar age and are therefore less sexually experienced than older men (thus reducing their vulnerability to HIV infection). Some studies have also shown that being at school can lead to positive communication, group bonding, and group negotiating within social networks, which in turn can create more positive attitudes towards sex and HIV (Campbell 2003; Campbell and MacPhail 2002). This group negotiation is thought to occur both within gender groups and across them. School attendance may also encourage the formation of peer groups that understand about HIV and have more positive attitudes towards safer sex (Gregson et al. 2004). Conversely, young people who drop out of school are more likely to enter into adult sexual networks where older partners with more experience and power dictate the rules of sexual Of course, attendance in school is not always uniformly a good thing for girls. Sometimes schools are institutions that allow gender inequality and discrimination to thrive. They can become places that tolerate violence and sexual abuse, whether by older boys or by teachers. A recent report by ActionAid suggests that sexual violence within schools is a serious problem in a number of countries (ActionAid 2003). Early in the epidemic, when more highly educated women were more vulnerable to HIV, it is likely that the third pathway was the main mechanism through which education was impacting on HIV: more highly educated people used their higher status and economic powers to have more sexual partners. A strong possibility now is that coming from a richer household means a girl stays in school longer and independently means she can protect herself from HIV. In this scenario, the effects of being in school may be confounding the underlying issue, which is poverty. As the AIDS epidemic has matured, the opposite impact of education is taking place; more highly educated women have lower vulnerability to HIV. Unfortunately, studies have rarely examined what the underlying mechanism for this might be. In general, there is a dearth of evidence on why girls education influences HIV vulnerability. The results from the study of the impact of education on sexual behaviour suggest that more education results most notably in increased condom use, so it is very possible that this is the reason why more educated women are now able to protect themselves from HIV. This still leaves us with little understanding of how more education leads to more condom use in the first place. Some exploratory work in South Africa suggests that the creation of positive social networks in school might create enabling environments for condom use (Hargreaves 2006). If this is the case, women will still need a certain level of power within sexual relationships in order to benefit from these social networks. It is very important to understand what the mechanisms underlying the relationship between girls education and HIV vulnerability might be. It is possible that there is nothing specific about being in school that affects HIV vulnerability. It could be that girls who stay longer in school come from different social backgrounds and that these background characteristics affect HIV rates. Some of the studies above did control for these background characteristics (e.g. economic status), which suggests that education is having an effect independently of economic status. In turn, this suggests that the impact of education is also operating through some of the psychosocial pathways. Identifying these mechanisms is hugely important in informing our prevention messages more broadly. Early in the AIDS epidemic, higher levels of girls education were associated with better economic prospects and more mobility. It is likely that these factors increased womens vulnerability to HIV. However, as the epidemic has evolved, the relationship between girls education and HIV has also changed. Now, more highly educated girls and young women are more likely to be able to negotiate safer sex and reduce HIV rates. The more education the better although even the most educated women are still vulnerable to infection. It is not certain what some of the underlying mechanisms might be, but the data on sexual behaviour suggest that increased condom use among more highly educated women might be the answer. However, even if the reason is increased condom use, the question still remains, why are more educated women more able to negotiate safer sex? It may be through more positive attitudes towards condoms being fostered in social networks in school, and/or more power and balance within relationships over how to have sex. Furthermore, if more highly educated women are changing their behaviour because of HIV, then clearly HIV messages are also having an effect. What seems to become clear is that education can play a key role in enabling girls and women to process and apply messages that they hear about HIV and AIDS. It is likely that girls outside of school do receive some of the same messages (e.g. through radio, religious groups, etc.), but education can make a difference by providing girls and women with the capacity to apply the messages in their own lives. What is less clear is what kind of education can help build this capacity, and how to ensure that all girls have the opportunity to benefit from This chapter was based on the ActionAid International report Girl Power (2006).3 Oxfam and the authors are grateful to ActionAid for permission to use material from this report. 1 For example, UNAIDS Global Coalition on Women and AIDS, Global Campaign for Education, Global AIDS Alliance. 2 Out of 71 countries around the world. 3 J. Hargreaves and T. Boler (2006) Girl Power: the impact of girls education on sexual behaviour and HIV, ActionAid International. Available at: www.actionaid.org.uk/100296/hiv__aids.html ActionAid (2003) Global Education Review, London: ActionAid. Badcock Walters, P. and T. Boler (2004) Education Sector Global Readiness HIV and AIDS Survey: Policy Implications for Education and Development, London: Actionaid. Boler, T. (2003) The Sound of Silence, London: ActionAid. Campbell, C. (2003) Letting Them Die: Why HIV/AIDS Prevention Programmes Fail, Oxford: James Currey. Campbell, C. and C. Macphail (2002) Peer education, gender and the development of critical consciousness: participatory HIV prevention by South African youth, Social Science and Medicine 55: 33145. Case, A. and A. Deaton (1999) School inputs and educational outcomes in South Africa, Quarterly Journal of Economics 114(3): 104784 Doherty, I.A., N.S. Padian, C. Marlow, and S.O. Aral (2005) Determinants and consequences of sexual networks as they affect the spread of sexually transmitted infections, Journal of Infectious Diseases 191 Suppl 1: S4254. Fylkesnes, K., R.M. Musonda, M. Sichone, Z. Ndhlovu, F. Tembo, and M. Monze (2001) Declining HIV prevalence and risk behaviours in Zambia: evidence from surveillance and population based surveys, AIDS 15: 90716. Gilbert, L. and L. Walker (2002) Treading the path of least resistance: HIV/AIDS and social inequalities: a South African case study, Social Science and Medicine 54(7): 1093110. Millions of Young People from HIV/AIDS. Glynn, J.R., M. Carael, B. Auvert, et al. (2001) Why do young women have a much higher Suppl 4: S5160. Gregson, S., N. Terceira, P. Mushati, C. Nyamukapa, and C. Campbell (2004) Community group participation: can it help young women to avoid HIV? An exploratory study of social capital and school education in rural Zimbabwe, Social Science and Medicine 58(11): 211932. Hargreaves, J.R. (2006) The Social Epidemiology of HIV Infection: A Study Among Unmarried Young People in Rural South Africa in 2001, University of London. Hargreaves J.R. and T. Boler (2006) Girl Power: The Impact of Girls Education on HIV and Sexual Behaviour, London: ActionAid International. Hargreaves J.R. and J. Glynn (2002) Educational attainment and HIV-1 infection in developing countries: a systematic review, Tropical Medicine and International Health 7(6): 48998. Hargreaves J.R., C.P. Bonell, T. Boler, D. Boccia, I. Birdthistle, A. Fletcher, P.M. Pronyk, and J.R. Glynn (2008) Systematic review exploring time trends in the association between educational attainment and risk of HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa, AIDS 22(3): 40414. Kaufman, C. and S.E. Stavrou (2002) Bus fare, please: the economics of sex and gifts among adolescents in urban South Africa, New York: Population Council. Luke, N. (2003) Age and economic asymmetries in the sexual relationships of adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa, Studies in Family Planning 34(2): 6786. MacPhail, C. and C. Campbell (2001) I think condoms are good but, aaai, I hate those things: condom use among adolescents and young people in a Southern African township, Social Science and Medicine 52: 161327. Marmot, M. (2003) Self esteem and health, British Medical Journal 327(7415): 5745. Varga, C.A. (1997) Sexual decision-making and negotiation in the midst of AIDS: youth in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, Health Transition Review (supplement) 7: 4567. 3 Gender inequality in primary education in the context of HIV and AIDS: a challenge for Uganda In the past decade, access to primary education for pupils in Uganda has increased, leading to the achievement of gender parity in enrolment (i.e. an equal number of girls and boys attending school). However, gender inequalities in school and classroom participation, attendance, and learning outcomes persist (Kakuru 2003; Kasente 2003; Okuni 2003; Kakuru 2006; Kakuru 2007). Over the years, various measures have been implemented to address the inequalities. A number of factors have been considered responsible for the persistence of educational inequalities, including the influence of patriarchal beliefs, values, and practices (Kwesiga 2003). HIV and AIDS have been blamed for reinforcing existing forms of social inequalities, including gender inequalities (Barnett 2004; Mohlahlane 2006; Kakuru 2007). Gender inequality has been described as a form of denial of equal treatment and opportunity (Unterhalter 2003; Aikman and Unterhalter 2005; Subrahmanian 2005). It is reinforced by poverty which perpetuates unequal access to national, community, and household resources. It is multi-faceted and has numerous causes, and numerous consequences for the economy and social relations. One feature of gender inequality is unequal gender power relations due to the patriarchal nature of cultural beliefs, values, and practices. Gender inequality is a cause as well as a consequence of HIV and AIDS. In order to explore these issues I draw on small-scale research in rural Uganda that examines the persistence of gender inequalities in the education sector in the context of efforts to address the epidemic. I will argue that although Uganda has done a great deal of work in terms of expanding access to primary education, this has not resulted in gender-equality gains at the grassroots level. One of the reasons for this is a fundamental disjuncture between policy and practice in terms of the education sectors response to HIV. In particular, the Presidential Initiative on AIDS Strategy for Communicating to Young People (PIASCY), with its focus on abstinence and the moral judgements associated with it, has created problems that have acted as barriers to improvements in gender equality. The study reveals inequalities in childrens opportunities to advance to upper primary, and consequently to secondary education. Prior to the implementation of universal primary education (UPE) in Uganda, the tuition-fees requirement was assumed to be the major cause of disparities in school dropout, as those who could afford it continued with schooling, and those who couldnt dropped out. The government of Uganda has achieved remarkable success through the education-promotion campaign launched in 1996 (Cameron 2005). In fact, Uganda has almost achieved gender parity in primary-school enrolment, with national rates at 49.6 per cent for girls and 50.4 per cent for boys (Ministry of Education and Sports 2005). However, one of the greatest challenges for the Ministry of Education and Sports since the implementation of UPE is still school dropout. For example, there was an increase in dropout rates from 12 per cent to 20 per cent between 2001 and 2004, while completion rates declined (Cameron 2005). This is attributable to a multiplicity of factors. Education and HIV prevalence in Uganda Formal education in Uganda was introduced by missionaries in the 1880s and supported by the colonial government until 1925. Thereafter, the government took full responsibility, but only a few people had access to education. The need to improve equality in access to education was first pointed out in the Castle Commission of 1963,1 and later emphasised by the 1992 Government White Paper on Education, which recommended the introduction of UPE. UPE was implemented in 1997, and this led to a rapid expansion of primary education. Primary-school enrolment increased from 2.7 million in 1997 to 7.3 million in 2003, constituting an estimated 85 per cent of all children of primary-school age (Ministry of Education and Sports 2004). The general increase in enrolments was accompanied by a rise in enrolment in areas with the highest illiteracy rates, and a growth in enrolment among girls, children with special needs, and rural children. However, despite the successes of UPE, some children still had no access to school, due to social, economic, and environmental reasons including gender inequality and the consequences of HIV (Ministry of Education and Sports 2004). Primary-school attendance, participation, and completion rates are still inadequate (McGee 2000; Cameron 2005; Kakuru 2006). HIV prevalence Uganda has made great progress in reducing the national adult HIV prevalence rate from a high 29 per cent in the 1990s to a current 6.5 per cent (Uganda AIDS Gender inequality in primary education in the context of HIV and AIDS Commission 2006). But currently in some districts there appears to be a rise in HIV infection, with prevalence increasing from six to eight per cent in the last three years (Ministry of Health and ORC Marco 2006; UNAIDS/WHO 2006). Although by December 2006, the national adult HIV prevalence rate still stood at 6.5 per cent (UNAIDS/WHO 2006), there were indications that the rate is increasing among certain subgroups of the population. For example, Shafers (2006) analysis of antenatal clinic-based surveillance and general-population cohort data shows that between 2001 and 2004, Ugandas HIV prevalence increased from 5.6 per cent to 6.5 per cent among men, and from 6.9 per cent to 8.8 per cent among women. Shafer also shows that prevalence data from 24 antenatal clinics reflect an increase in ten sites, a decline in seven sites, and no change in seven other sites. The rising HIV prevalence is blamed on complacency and decreased intensity of prevention programmes, gaps in funding, and fluctuating political commitment (Ministry of Health and ORC Marco 2006). This all points to a need to acquire new prevention strategies, and intensify those that exist. The response of the education sector to HIV and AIDS The education sector has an important role to play in addressing HIV. Education has the potential to reduce both prevalence and stigma, as schools are able to reach millions of young people before they become sexually active. Schools can provide knowledge as well as protection, thereby reducing overall vulnerability to HIV infection (International Institute for Educational Planning/UNESCO 2003). In order to intensify the fight against HIV and AIDS, achievement of gender equality in the education context should be prioritised (ibid.), but exactly how gender inequality presents challenges to the education sector in addressing HIV and AIDS has not generally been clearly documented. Shortfalls in attendance due to gender inequality, HIV, and poverty Gender is a key feature of shortfalls in school attendance, participation, and completion (Kwesiga 2003; Bitamazire 2005). Although gender equality is one of the objectives of UPE, a recently concluded study shows that inequality persists (Kakuru 2006). One of the major factors fuelling gender inequality in primary education is the impact of HIV and AIDS on household livelihoods. In Zimbabwe and Swaziland, studies show that HIV and AIDS have a negative impact on childrens living arrangements and schooling (Mushunje 2006; Poulsen 2006). Children from households with good economic status are significantly more likely to attend primary as well as secondary school, with boys enjoying a five per cent higher probability than girls (Deininger 2003). The tuition-fee requirement for all secondary-school pupils (in place until January 2007) was one factor which deterred very poor parents from supporting children to complete primary school, as they recognised they would never be able to enrol in secondary school. This particularly affected orphaned children and adolescents who had not managed to make progress in primary school and were in the lower grades, despite being teenagers. In a context of AIDS-induced poverty, fewer girls than boys were able to advance to the secondary level of education. By 2005, there was a gender imbalance in total secondary-school enrolment of 55:45 per cent in favour of boys (Ministry of Education and Sports 2005). Unfortunately, even after the current implementation of universal secondary education (USE) in Uganda, it is most likely that the Ministry of Education and Sports will continue to face challenges similar to those faced in implementing UPE with regard to the achievement of gender equality in school completion, with gender inequality and HIV exacerbating the experience of poverty. Thus despite some successes in expanding access to education, inequalities, and in particular gender inequalities, persist. Although Uganda has seen some success in tackling HIV rates, this has not been associated with corresponding improvements in school attendance or participation by girls, and, alarmingly, there is evidence that infection rates are rising. What policies and processes in the Ministry of Education are associated with these developments? Policies and processes The response of Ugandas education sector to HIV and AIDS is part of the countrys multi-sectoral approach to HIV and AIDS prevention and mitigation. Within this approach, HIV and AIDS activities and programmes have been mainstreamed in all government ministries, including the Ministry of Education and Sports. The national strategic framework for HIV and AIDS activities 20012005/6 was developed out of a consultation process among stakeholders working towards HIV and AIDS prevention and care. The framework was inspired by the understanding that HIV and AIDS need multi-pronged responses that should be integrated into all aspects of developmental work, service provision, and government plans and activities. The response of the Ministry of Education and Sports to HIV and AIDS consists of an effort to fit into the national HIV and AIDS strategy. The education-sector response to HIV and AIDS includes the policy that guides workplace interventions, and prevention education carried out through schools and institutions. The response focuses on capacity-building, provision of information on the impact of HIV and AIDS, and strong co-ordination at national and district levels. The work is guided by an assurance that commu- nication on behavioural change is effective in the education system at all levels. Age-appropriate prevention messages are passed on to young people through curricular and extra-curricular activities. Efforts have also been put into curriculum development and delivery and enhancement of knowledge and skills among teachers and pupils. Various activities and programmes have been implemented (Ssemakula 2004). The PIASCY programme is one major initiative to provide information, education, and communication (IEC) in schools. This is a nationwide school- based HIV-prevention curriculum aimed at reaching every single pupil in the countrys estimated 14,000 primary schools. Through PIASCY, abstinence and life- skills education are promoted among school-aged children. Teachers are given manuals that include chapters on how HIV is transmitted, how to protect oneself from infection, how to say no to sex, and how to avoid sexual violence. There is a PIASCY curriculum for primary and secondary education. Plans are also under way to develop guidelines for teachers on how to deal with HIV and AIDS challenges in schools. However, this programme has been criticised for putting too much emphasis on abstinence and ignoring the importance of advocating safer sex among sexually active adolescents (see Cohen and Tate 2005). The Ministry of Education and Sports should be commended for the various initiatives put in place to address the AIDS pandemic. However, the threat of possibly rising HIV prevalence rates amidst the current preventive efforts implies that more needs to be done. The extent to which existing HIV-prevention messages in school are relevant to the life situations of their intended audience, and the ways in which they are understood, given existing forms of gender inequality, are two issues that must be addressed. Researching the impact of HIV on gender inequality in the educational context To understand some of these issues, a small-scale study was conducted by the author as part of her doctoral research (University of Wageningen) in Luwero district in central rural Uganda between June 2004 and June 2005. It focused on how the impact of HIV and AIDS on rural households contributes to the persistence of gender inequalities despite the introduction of UPE. The research was ethnographic by design, involving three primary schools and their surrounding villages. Two of the schools were government-owned, and the third was a private school. The two government schools were slightly different in terms of size and quality of education. One was bigger and had better infrastructure and human resources. The private school did not have better facilities but had better-trained and motivated teachers. People in the area depend on subsistence farming. They grow crops for food, and some households have a little surplus for sale. Many households had experience of HIV and AIDS; either they had lost a family member to AIDS, or a member of their family had become infected with the virus, or they were hosting a child or children affected and made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS, or at least supporting or neighbouring an AIDS-afflicted household. I worked at each of the schools as a teacher and researcher. I observed lessons and other school activities such as assemblies, prayers, general cleaning, and sports. I selected 36 AIDS-afflicted households to participate in the study, and eight of these were used for in-depth study. Data-collection methods included participant observation, life stories, and in-depth interviews. Key informants included representatives of the Ministry of Education and Sports, local council leaders at village, sub-county, and district levels, and representatives of NGOs working in HIV and AIDS and girls education. I conducted focus groups and conversations within households and with teachers and school children. In addition, I collected and analysed secondary data from a variety of relevant Reduced opportunity for girls to attend school Girls in the households studied are denied equal opportunities in several ways. For example, HIV causes cash and labour shortages, and girls are required to work in the household to produce food and cash, as well as to take care of young, elderly, and sick members. There was a gender-biased division of household labour that interfered with girls schooling. For example, women and girls undertook most household tasks. They also contributed labour for food preparation and associated tasks during village funerals and feasts. Men on the other hand were expected to make contributions in terms of cash, but rarely fulfilled their obligations. As the consequences of HIV and AIDS bite deep, household labour shortage is the order of the day. Girls have less bargaining power within the household than boys. Whereas all pupils undertook household tasks before school, boys could easily just refuse, unlike girls. Boys also had fewer responsibilities, and this was an advantage because they normally left the house before girls. Girls therefore did the last- minute tasks which were often identified only when the boys had already left. This is a demonstration of failure of the household to provide equal opportunities for all children to be at school in time for learning. The situation is of course worse in AIDS-afflicted households, where loss of labour has led to an increase in childrens participation in household chores, and where children also join in with cropping and income-earning activities before school. It is thus not surprising that gender inequalities in primary schooling persist, and their persistence is reinforced by the impact of HIV and AIDS on rural households. Some children from AIDS-affected households experienced food and income insufficiency. In addition, they alleged that they were mistreated at home. Sometimes when we come from school, we dont find any food to eat at home. Instead, we are allocated work to do. Even when you have a problem to tell the adults at home, nobody can listen to you before you complete the task allocated (Orphan, Tumo) This quotation shows that there were differences in childrens access to basic needs like food. This was particularly true for girls who lived with relatives as fostered children. They were engaged in all sorts of household chores and sometimes went without food, especially when they were out fetching water at meal times. None of the parents/guardians admitted to discriminating between their own and fostered children, although it was a common complaint among the children. Such girls were therefore vulnerable to giving in to the temptation of exchanging sex for gifts and money, which often led to their dropping out of In the study area, inequality in primary education was perceived to take various forms, and the impact of the HIV epidemic featured in each of them. For example, the study findings show that girls were less able to attend school than boys, due to gender imbalances in the household division of labour. Girls were automatically required to fill any labour gaps resulting from illness of a household member or a funeral in the neighbourhood, even if this meant missing school for days or weeks. Girls from households with a bed-ridden AIDS patient(s), those whose parents had died of AIDS (and were therefore fostered by relatives), and those whose households had fostered orphans were most vulnerable to irregular school attendance. The following statement is an example of a typical explanation for irregular attendance: If there is a sick person at home, I cannot go to school until the patient recovers. In case the person wants something to eat or drink, I have to improvise even if there is nothing in the house. Sometimes our patient soils her bed and I have to clean it because I am the outsider in the home. (13-year-old orphan girl at Tulo) This quotation shows that in that particular household there was discrimination between biological and fostered children. Orphans in particular bear a disproportionate burden of labour. Such discrimination was also reflected in the provision of opportunities to attend school. AIDS and related orphanhood contributed to inequalities in opportunities to attend school daily. Girls were more likely to be late for school than boys, due to last-minute requests. Girls in AIDS-affected households normally arrived at school later than other children, and therefore faced associated consequences in learning and achievement, as well as punishment by teachers. All schools that participated in this study had strict schedules, and all children were equally required to adhere to them. However, it was not always possible for everybody to fulfil the promptness requirement. Children in all three schools walked varying distances to school. Whereas variations in distances walked can be perceived as a justification for differences in tardiness, it is not the sole reason for the observed gender differences. In reality, gender differences in tardiness can largely be attributed to the household livelihood situation, including the unequal division of labour. Girls often pointed out that it was quite common for them to be asked to undertake some last-minute tasks before they left for school. Such tasks include fetching water, food from the garden, or something from the shop: Usually I wake up and plan my time knowing it takes about 50 minutes to reach school. Then sometimes just before I set off, someone calls me and sends me to the well or to the shops. Remember the shops are not near! Or they can ask you to go to collect food from the garden. And by the time I return, if its already too late I decide to stay at home that day. (11-year-old schoolgirl at Tumo) I stay in a home with little children who depend on me for assistance in many ways because my aunt is never at home. She wakes up early to go to work in her gardens every day. I have to do all the household work alone, which includes taking care of the children. I fetch water, clean the house, cook the food, and wash the dishes for everybody. On week days, I have to do all this including cooking food for the little ones before I go to schoolIn case one of them [children] is sick, I have to stay at home and sometimes my aunt tells me to take the sick child to the health centre for treatment instead of going to school. Meeting childrens needs In the schools studied, it was discovered that apart from tuition fees, childrens survival in education depended on their ability to have their material and non- material needs met. Pupils were in need of materials such as stationery, clothes, and meals, as well as intangible things such as psychosocial support. Psychosocial needs were particularly pressing for orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS who were fostered by relatives or lived in child-headed households. Girls were vulnerable to school dropout as a result of pregnancy. Some of them were tempted to engage in sexual relations with older men in the village in order to satisfy their material needs. Such girls thought these things would make them happy, but were unable to access them because of their household economic situation. Next to one of the schools, there was a bicycle/motorcycle taxi (commonly known as boda-boda) stage. The boda-boda cyclists were identified as posing the biggest temptation for schoolgirls, since they got a daily income and could afford to buy small gifts for the girls. This explains why pregnancy was found to be a major cause of dropout among girls in the study schools. In a study of secondary-school children in Masaka, Uganda, Hardon (2005) found that girls engagement in commercial sex was linked to the need to prove themselves as normal adolescents. However, this did not come up in the Luwero research. Girls and their parents/guardians perceived their engagement in commercial sex as a desperate measure, because parents and guardians were unable to fulfil their childrens desire for material things: We as parents try to give children equal opportunities, but girls get spoilt easily. Girls of these days dont have patience. They want to have shoes and nice clothes. Thats why I think girls need to study when they are still young. We have children here who are 16 years and are still in primary schools. They meet many men on the way who disturb [seduce] them. Our children get spoilt because they delay in primary schools, yet they have no patience. They lose hope quickly and think that the easy means for them to have shoes is through accepting money from someone. All mothers are worried because girls dont listen. (Parent at Tumo) The desire for material items such as shoes was also driven by the need to earn some prestige and peer influence: Some children are proud and abuse others. Many children at school dont have shoes. Some people have shoes but dont want to wear them every day. The few who put on shoes usually abuse us and even step on us. For example on speech day, I came and I also participated in singing, but other children shouted at me saying, You are embarrassing us. Moreover, some girls who were shouting at us got money to buy shoes from boyfriends. There is a girl who missed PLE [Primary Leaving Examinations] the other year [2003] after she got pregnant; but she used to wear shoes every day. (Girl orphan at Tulo) Going to school without shoes attracted some form of harassment and embarrassment specifically in upper classes. The above quotation shows that it was not unusual for some schoolgirls to get gifts like shoes from men, and that pregnancy sometimes occurred. Many girls who had dropped out of school due to pregnancy got married at a young age. For boys in difficult economic situations, the major cause of dropout was the temptation to work for money through providing labour or engaging in some petty trade. However, boys generally found it easy to re-enrol in school. Girls vulnerability to school dropout is higher than that of boys, since it is associated with sex for commercial gain, leading to pregnancy. Free education alone does not protect against this. AIDS-induced poverty In the villages studied, there was a connection between household livelihoods and the teaching/learning environment. Many households had suffered loss of labour and income due to AIDS-related morbidity and mortality. Indeed, household sizes for many had increased due to the constant influx of orphans as foster children. Such households were literally overwhelmed as they became increasingly vulnerable to food and income insecurity whenever they had to take on an extra member. Their poverty became more serious as a result of HIV and AIDS. They experienced a sort of AIDS-induced poverty. In response, AIDS- afflicted households tend to reduce their expenditure on education and also increase childrens involvement in income-earning. Reduced expenditure on education compelled affected children to go to school without the required learning materials such as stationery, lunch, and clothing. Whereas boys had opportunities to earn income either through providing labour or engaging in petty trade, girls were confined to the household, where their tasks were essential to daily survival. Boys, in effect, had access to income to spend on their school needs, unlike girls. Gender inequalities in access to financial capital/income to cater for school and individual needs also yielded inequalities in classroom participation and learning outcomes. Implications for HIV prevention and care The persistence of gender inequality as a result of AIDS-induced poverty is a challenge for the education sector in various ways. Gender inequality contributes to the social conditions that facilitate the spread of HIV and AIDS. These include poverty, unequal access to information, inadequate access to health care, and discrimination. The role of education in HIV prevention is hampered by the nature of gender inequalities, because they affect sexual attitudes, practices, and behaviour. Females tend to remain more vulnerable to HIV infection despite the existence of HIV-prevention programmes. For example, school AIDS-education messages continue to be undermined by society-wide gender relations and associated educational inequalities. Consequently, such messages do not make the intended impact. Some girls continue to engage in sexual relationships with older men, not necessarily because they are ignorant of the consequences. The major existing school-based programme PIASCY is implemented by teachers in school assemblies, without much community involvement. Schools could partner with the community in implementing AIDS and sex education, as a means to discourage adult males who lure girls into sex. Increased community involvement could reduce the scare about community complacency regarding HIV and AIDS education messages, since it acts as a constant reminder of the reality of AIDS and the need to take precautions (Kakuru and Mulder 2007). In rural areas such as Luwero, the consequences of the interface between HIV and poverty fall differently on schoolchildren of different sexes. The education sector faces the challenge of how to counteract processes in households and schools that perpetuate gender inequalities, which undermine the effectiveness of responses to the epidemic. The Ministry of Education and Sports has put in place measures to educate children about the dangers associated with engaging in sexual relations. For example, various messages are displayed on posts in school compounds. Most HIV-prevention messages in schools are abstinence-orientated: choose to abstain, say no to sex, virginity is healthy, say no to bad touches, and say no to gifts for sex. Despite the fundamental importance of knowledge in the fight against HIV, and despite the fact that access to HIV and AIDS information is a human right (Cohen and Tate 2005), safer-sex information is withheld from primary-school children in Uganda. In fact Cohen and Tate (2005) document a recent removal of condom-use information from the HIV and AIDS curricula on the grounds that pupils received too much or unnecessary awareness. The reason for the emphasis on abstinence at the expense of safer sex in primary schools is to avoid conflict between the two strategies. The Luwero research shows that some primary-school pupils are sexually active and are thus in need of this information. The emphasis on abstinence seems to be based on the assumption that all childrens life situations are similar. The differences in childrens individual values and circumstances, such as economic disadvantage and desperation, are ignored. There is a need to promote widespread awareness of HIV and AIDS while bearing in mind that one size does not fit all. The Ministry of Education and Sports must revise the existing HIV-education messages to avoid excluding children who are already sexually active. The increasing rate of school dropouts has implications for childrens vulnerability to HIV and AIDS. Large numbers of children who have dropped out of school, many of them girls, are not accessing the prevention messages associated with the school-based initiatives. Teachers are not yet trained well enough on how to deal with problems experienced by children who are affected and made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. The research revealed the gendered nature of childrens psychosocial and material needs, of which teachers were generally ignorant. The challenge for the education sector is not only how to adjust primary teacher education to the rural context of HIV and AIDS, but also how to educate the current teachers about the best ways of dealing with children affected and made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. There are particular challenges entailed in supporting girls and boys for which teachers need sustained support. Some of the measures that Uganda has taken to address HIV and AIDS in the education sector include mainstreaming concern with HIV and AIDS in all government ministries, the national strategic framework for HIV and AIDS activities 20012005/6, and PIASCY, through which abstinence and life-skills education are promoted among school-aged children. But these measures do not take account of contextual issues such as gender inequalities in schools and the wider society. Despite government efforts to achieve gender equality, even after the implementation of UPE, the problem of childrens access to school is still far from being solved, and the consequences of the HIV and AIDS epidemic entail extra effort in particular sectors. Although girls are enrolled in schools in large numbers, they continue to drop out at high rates, are unable to attend school daily, and often do not participate fully in classroom activities. Gender parity therefore does not guarantee equality in any way. HIV is both a cause and a consequence of girls dropout and irregular attendance. HIV in the family is a cause of dropout because of its tendency to reduce household income, which requires girls to stay at home to seek employment or take on domestic and caring work. In addition, girls who are not attending and learning at school are more vulnerable to HIV because they have less access to information about HIV and may be more vulnerable to beginning sexual relationships with men in return for money or gifts. The persistence of gender inequalities despite UPE is sustained by problems associated with poverty, discrimination, and girls vulnerability. PIASCYs focus on abstinence fails to address the particular circumstances in which young people are living, including their economic circumstances, their own values, and the cultural beliefs and practices within their families, communities, schools, and broader society. Epstein (2005) argues that Ugandan culture does not fit easily with the message of abstinence, and that policy makers are demonstrating a degree of hypocrisy in promoting this policy. In addition, there is no evidence from any country to support the argument that abstinence is effective in reducing HIV infection rates; indeed, there is evidence to suggest that condoms have helped to control Ugandas epidemic. There is a need to mitigate the impact of AIDS on the education sector in general and on children in particular. This requires a multi-pronged approach capable of addressing the obstacles in communities and families alongside the in-school factors. One way forward is to forge a partnership between communities and schools, with common objectives such as facilitating girls schooling and reducing everybodys vulnerability to HIV infection. This could in the long run break the vicious cycle of HIV and gender inequalities in schooling and society. The implication of this is that the governments HIV-prevention strategy must be linked in with broader poverty-reduction and gender-equality strategies, with the aim of enabling more girls to stay in school longer. 1 Castle was appointed in the first year after independence by the new government; see Uganda, Ministry of Education and Sports (1999): The Ugandan experience of universal primary education, Dakar: Association for the Development of Education in Africa. Aikman, S. and E. Unterhalter (2005) Introduction in S. Aikman and E.Unterhalter (eds). Beyond Access: Transforming Policy and Practice for Gender Equality in Education, Oxford, Oxfam GB, Barnett, T. (2004) HIV/AIDS and Development Concern Us All, Journal of International Development 16 (7), 9439. Bitamazire, G. (2005) Status of Education for Rural People in Uganda, presentation at the Ministerial Seminar on Education for Rural People in Africa 79 September 2005, Addis Ababa. Cameron, L. (2005) Primary Completion Rates, technical paper WP-09-01, Washington, DC: Education Policy and Data Centre, Academy for Educational Development. Cohen, J. and T. Tate (2005) The less they know, the better: abstinence-only education programs in Uganda, Human Rights Watch 17 (4A). Deininger, K. (2003) Does the cost of schooling affect enrolment by the poor? Universal Primary Education in Uganda, Economics of Education Review 22 (3), 291305. Epstein, H. (2005) God and the fight against AIDS, New York Review of Books 52(7), available at: www.nybooks.com/articles/17963 (last accessed January 2008). Hardon, A (2005) Confronting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa: policy versus practice, International Social Science Journal 57 (186), 6018. International Institute for Educational Planning/UNESCO (2003) HIV/AIDS: A Strategic Approach, Paris: International Institute for Educational Planning /UNESCO. Kakuru, D.M. (2003) Gender Sensitive Educational Policy and Practice: Uganda Case Study, background paper for the UNESCO EFA Global Monitoring Report 2003/4. Kakuru, D.M. (2006) The Combat for Gender Equality in Education: Rural Livelihood Pathways in the Context of HIV/AIDS, Wageningen: University of Wageningen. Kakuru, D. M. (2007) HIV/AIDS, childrens rights and gender equality in Ugandas Universal Primary Education, International Journal of Learning 14(2): 13748. Kakuru, D.M. and M. Mulder (2007) The Need to Involve the Community in Implementing Sustainable School HIV/AIDS Education Programs in Uganda, unpublished working paper. Kasente, D. (2003) Gender and Education in Uganda, background paper for the UNESCO EFA Global Monitoring Report 2003/4. Kebba, A. (2006) Antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa: myth or reality?, Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 52(5): 7479. Kwesiga, J. C. (2003) Review of the 2005 Education Gender Parity Millennium Development Goal in Uganda and Proposed Strategies for Achieving this Target, Kampala: UNICEF Uganda Country Office. McGee, R. (2000) Meeting the international poverty targets in Uganda: halving poverty and achieving universal primary education, Development Policy Review 18(1): 85106. Ministry of Education and Sports (2004) The National Report on the Development of Education in Uganda at the Beginning of the 21st Century, report on the 47th session on the International Conference on Education, Geneva, Switzerland, 811 September 2004. Ministry of Education and Sports (2005) 2005 Education Statistics Abstract, available at: www.education.go.ug/statistics_abstracts.htm (last accessed July 2007). Ministry of Health and ORC Marco (2006) Uganda HIV/AIDS Sero-behavioural Survey 20042005, Calverton, Maryland: Ministry of Health and ORC Marco. Mohlahlane, R. (2006) Gender, the Girl Child and Strategies for Action, paper presented at the regional workshop on good practices in education-sector responses to HIV and AIDS in Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa, 1214 September 2006. Mushunje, M. T. (2006) Challenges and opportunities for promoting the girl childs rights in the face of HIV/AIDS, Gender and Development 14(1): 11525. Okuni, A. (2003) EFA policies, strategies and reforms in Uganda: assessment of the current potential for sustainable progress towards achieving the EFA goals by 2015, background paper for the UNESCO EFA Global Monitoring Report 2003/4. Poulsen, H. (2006) The gendered impact of HIV/AIDS on education in South Africa and Swaziland: Save the Childrens experiences, Gender and Development 14(1): 4756. Shafer, L. A. (2006) HIV Prevalence and Incidence are No Longer Falling in Uganda a Case for Renewed Prevention Efforts: Evidence from a Rural Population cohort 19892005, and from ANC Surveillance, paper presented at the XVI International AIDS Conference 1318 August 2006, Toronto, Canada. Ssemakula, J. B. (2004) Ugandas Ministry of Education and Sports Response to the HIV/AIDS Epidemic, International symposium on HIV/AIDS workplace policies and programmes for the public and the private sectors, Dar-Es-Salaam, 2628 May 2004. Subrahmanian, R. (2005) Gender equality in education: definitions and measurements, International Journal of Educational Development 25(4): 395407. Uganda AIDS Commission (2006) The Uganda HIV/AIDS Status Report July 2004December UNAIDS/WHO (2006) The AIDS Epidemic Update 2006, Geneva: UNAIDS/WHO. Unterhalter, E. (2003) The capabilities approach and gendered education: an examination of South African complexities, Theory and Research in Education 1 (1): 722. Yamano, T., Y. Shimamura, and D. Sserunkuuma (2006) Living arrangements and schooling of orphaned children and adolescents in Uganda, Economic Development and Cultural Change 54: 4 Violence against girls: are schools doing enough to protect them against HIV and AIDS? It is now generally acknowledged that HIV prevalence rates among school-going youth are significantly lower than among those out of school, and that education reduces vulnerability to HIV infection in some way (Hargreaves and Boler 2006; Pridmore and Yates 2005; Jukes and Desai 2005). This is an especially important finding for girls, being the group at most risk. However, we need to avoid over- stating claims about the link between schooling and HIV, as the nature of this relationship is not well understood. Even if we do accept that schooling has an impact on vulnerability to HIV in some complex and not fully understood way, it is important to consider the extent to which schools are actively working to protect students, girls in particular, from exposure to the virus, rather than merely passing on messages about safe sex. This chapter focuses on one particular aspect of schooling that has been largely ignored in assessments of the link between schooling and exposure to HIV. This is the existence of sexual violence in schools, which until recently was an under- researched and poorly recognised global phenomenon. The chapter discusses some of the findings of a small number of school-based studies of gender violence in developing countries, most of which were conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. This research concentration on Africa can be explained in part by the high level of donor funding for education in the region, and in part by the urgent need to examine the effectiveness of locating HIV and AIDS awareness-raising programmes in schools. We need to recognise, however, that the problem is confined neither to Africa nor to developing countries but is a global phenom- enon, as a recent collection of country case studies testifies (Leach and Mitchell There is an expanding literature in the developing world on the way in which the school provides an important arena for the construction of masculine and feminine identities (Dunne et al. 2005; Pattman and Chege 2003; Kakuru 2006). This chapter provides evidence to suggest that, by promoting certain norms and practices which reinforce gender hierarchies, and by failing to tackle violent incidents that result from this unequal gender regime, school authorities are in Violence against girls: are schools doing enough to protect them against HIV and AIDS? fact encouraging male sexual violence against girls. This inaction not only presents risks to girls sexual health, it also undermines health messages, including those about HIV, being passed on in schools. As research in Uganda reveals, the messages imparted through the AIDS curriculum about safe sex, negotiated sex, and equal partnership in sexual relationships are in conflict with, and neutralised by, an informal school culture which permits widespread sexual harassment and abuse of girls (Mirembe and Davies 2001). The chapter concludes that schools could do much more to reduce the vulnerability of both girls and boys to HIV by working vigorously to eliminate sexual violence and gender inequalities within their walls. Links between sexual violence and other forms of violence The presence of violence in schools has been acknowledged for some time, and various studies have been carried out, in both industrialised and developing countries (e.g. Smith 2003; Akiba et al. 2002; Ohsako 1997). Such studies have uncovered a wide range of violent behaviours, including physical and verbal assaults, the use of guns and knives, gang fights, damage to school property, arson, and rape. However, they tend to conceptualise school violence in terms of male delinquency and youth crime, failing to make the link between the violence observed and the gendered nature of schooling (one exception is the AAUW 2001 Hostile Hallways study in the USA; see also the Bullying. No Way! website in Australia). Most studies of bullying (e.g. Olweus 1993, Smith et al. 2004) and corporal punishment (e.g. Hart 2005) also fail to apply a gender lens; hence the policies and interventions designed to address abuses in school ignore this important dimension (exceptions are Duncan 1999, on sexual bullying, and Humphreys 2006 and Morrell 2001, on corporal punishment). We need to recognise that all acts of violence are gendered in some way (Leach and Humphreys 2007), regardless of how they are labelled. Gender interacts in different settings with other social markers, such as class, race, caste, ethnicity, and religion, to create multi-layered patterns of discrimination. Violent acts may be prompted by a complex response to perceived difference, in which gender may not always be the most salient feature. The failure to recognise the gender dimension of school violence has meant that some forms of sexual violence have remained largely hidden. These include homophobic violence (see for example Meyer 2006; HRW/IGLHRC 2003) and the sexual abuse of boys by Catholic priests in religious schools (see for example John Jay College 2004, in the USA). Even in societies where sexual matters are almost never discussed in the media, the sexual abuse of children, e.g. by clerics in koranic schools, has now been acknowledged (Anderson 2004; Murphy 2005). Student violence against teachers, which usually comprises male students behaving violently towards young female teachers, is also emerging as a serious issue for school authorities (see West 2007, in Australia). Research into sexual violence has tended not only to exclude consideration of boys as victims of violence but also to treat girls and boys as homogeneous and oppositional groups. There may in fact be as much variation in attitude and behaviour concerning sex, sexuality, and sexual violence within groups of girls or boys as between girls and boys. Nevertheless, the evidence is clear that girls are overwhelmingly the target of sexual violence, and it is here that their vulnerability to HIV is greatest. This chapter focuses on this issue, while not wishing to undermine the importance of other forms of violence, or to deny the fact that boys, as well as girls, can be victims of physical and sexual violence. At the same time, we need to recognise the links between differing manifestations of violence in educational institutions. An environment which tolerates one type of violence against children is likely to condone others. So, for example, the often excessive and unauthorised use of corporal punishment in schools may help to legitimise sexual abuse. Indeed, the two can be linked: in schools where sexual relationships between teachers and schoolgirls are tolerated, a girl may have sex with a teacher to avoid being beaten, whereas a girl who has resisted a teachers advances may risk being singled out for punishment (Leach et al. 2003). Difficulties of definition and scope of sexual violence We have no clear picture of the scale of sexual violence in schools around the world (Mirksy 2003). There are numerous reasons for this. First, it is a sensitive area to investigate, and those in positions of authority have been reluctant to recognise that schools, the very place where we expect our children to be most protected, can be an unsafe environment. Relatively few studies have been carried out and many of these have small sample sizes, making it impossible to generalise. Second, different studies are defined variously as investigations of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, sexual violence, or bullying,1 and terms may be used interchangeably or inconsistently. How violence is conceptualised and labelled inevitably has a bearing on the data gathered. In an attempt at clarification, in this chapter sexual violence is taken to be a blanket term, which includes sexual harassment and sexual abuse (whether of a physical, verbal, emotional, or psychological nature), sexual assault, and rape. In turn, sexual violence is considered part of a broader cycle of gender violence which also includes more subtle forms of violence, what Debarbieux et al. (2003) in a French study called incivilities or micro-violence. Subtle messages about gender conformity and gender power relations, and the penalties for not conforming, are passed on through the daily informal practices and hidden curriculum of schooling. Third, there is the question of finding an appropriate research methodology for exploring sensitive matters of sex and sexuality. Data collected in a one-to-one interview may deliver very different findings from an anonymous questionnaire. In interviews, whether as individuals or in groups, girls are likely to under-report their experiences of sexual violence, given societal disapproval of women engaging in pre-marital sexual activity (despite evidence that in many settings age at first sexual experience is very young). In contrast, it is widely believed that boys tend to over-report sexual activity (Mensch et al. 2003), as male sexual experience is often considered a rite of passage to adulthood. It is also a source of competitiveness and bragging between boys. Both boys and girls are also likely to respond differently depending on whether the researcher is male or female.2 Anonymous surveys which probe sensitive personal topics using questionnaires present other difficulties, including inexplicable inconsistencies both within and across countries. For example, Mensch et al. (2003) noted that in one survey of pre-marital sex in sub-Saharan Africa, 13 per cent of young women aged 2024 in Zimbabwe who had never married reported sexual experience before the age of 20, in contrast to 43 per cent in Zambia. Whether there is a genuine difference of behaviour between girls in the two countries or merely a greater willingness to acknowledge sexual behaviour in Zambia is debatable. Finally, there is massive under-reporting of sexual violence. It is well known that women and girls often remain silent for fear of the stigma attached to it and because they expect to be blamed for having invited the attack. In one study of over 2000 girls and young women aged 13 and above in Ghana (Coker-Appiah and Cusack 1999), two-thirds of all those who had experienced sexual violence (not just in school) had not reported the incidents, due to feelings of shame and a belief that no action would be taken against the culprits. Another deterrent is the widespread attitude that a woman was asking for it by dressing or behaving provocatively, as noted in the African context by Wible (2004), Terefe and Mengistu (1997), and Pattman and Chege (2003). However, this attitude is not confined to Africa: a 1998 survey in the UK of attitudes towards violence, sex, and relationships among 2000 young people aged 1421 found that more than half thought that women provoke violence, for example by the way they dress or by flirting.3 Levels of sexual violence will of course vary between countries, locations, and schools. Individual students within any one school or class will also have differing experiences, with some having no exposure at all while others may be subjected to violence routinely. Social class, race, ethnicity, religion, physical appearance, personality, and (dis)ability are all factors which influence exposure: factors which are poorly captured in the studies carried out to date. This makes mapping tight connections between forms of sexual violence and experience of HIV difficult (but not impossible) to explore. Scale of the problem Although it is impossible to gauge the scale of sexual violence in schools with any certainty, there is compelling evidence that many girls across the world experience varying degrees of sexual violence in school. The recently published report of the two-year UN global study of Violence against Children (United Nations 2006) has added significantly to existing knowledge and confirmed just how widespread all forms of violence are in schools. Recent studies in Europe, including in Scandinavia (Sunnari et al. 2003), the UK (Duncan 1999; Osler 2006), and Eastern Europe (e.g. UNICEF 2005, in Kosovo, and Zdravomyslova and Gorshkova 2006, in Russia) provide valuable new insights into gendered aspects of violence in schools. Looking at the research across the developing world, in sub-Saharan Africa there are now studies in at least ten countries (USAID 2003; Wible 2004). These focus almost exclusively on heterosexual violence by male students and teachers against female students, although the studies by Burton (2005) in Malawi and Rossetti (2001) in Botswana also report some boys being sexually abused. Backed up by frequent media reports, they confirm that sexual violence in the region is widespread and that teachers, albeit a small minority, are frequent perpetrators. The public nature of teachers sexual advances to girls in school without fear of being disciplined suggests that it has become, if not endemic, at least accepted as a normal part of school life. Indeed, some teachers state openly that they consider sex with schoolgirls to be a perk of the job, what Botswana teachers call harvesting (Bennell et al. 2001). We also know that this tends to be worse in rural schools and in schools serving poor communities. This is because such schools are often staffed with less well-trained or even untrained teachers, with male rather than female teachers, and with less competent head teachers (Dunne et al. 2005). This documentation of sexual violence in a number of schools in Africa needs to be read alongside figures on high prevalence rates of HIV and AIDS. Although we do not have data on causal relations, the connection merits further research. The issue of girls as perpetrators of violence, which has emerged as a less well- recognised but significant aspect of violence in schools in the West (e.g. Duncan 2006; Chesney-Lind and Shelden 2004), is as yet not directly addressed in the African literature. However, one phenomenon that is highlighted (e.g. Leach and Machakanja 2000) is that of adult men (sometimes called sugar daddies, a term which belies their exploitative intent) who prey on girls for sex. In searching for evidence of sexual violence, we should not ignore the Asian region simply because the evidence is thin. This is a particularly difficult topic to investigate in societies where matters of sex and sexual abuse are rarely discussed either in public or in private, and where female sexuality and sexual purity are fiercely guarded. However, a few exploratory studies have been carried out recently in South Asia, for example in Nepal (Standing et al. 2006), Pakistan (Brohi and Anjaib 2006), and India (Leach and Sitaram 2007). These have highlighted girls fear and experience of harassment on the way to and from school, especially when using crowded public transport, rather than in school itself. One UNICEF study in Nepal also indicated that 9 per cent of children had experienced severe sexual abuse (kissing of sensitive parts, oral sex, and penetration) and 18 per cent of the abusers were teachers (UNICEF 2006), although it is not known whether the children who were abused were boys or girls. In East Asia, evidence is also emerging of teachers sexually abusing students (e.g. French 2003 in Japan, and Tang 2002 in Hong Kong, cited in United Nations 2006).Whether there are any connections between these contexts and those where HIV is a risk requires investigation. In Latin America, where school violence has usually been framed as the product of youth gangs involved with guns and drugs, some evidence of sexual violence comes from Brazil (Abramovy and Rua 2005), while a World Bank study in Ecuador (World Bank 2000) reported 22 per cent of adolescent girls being sexually abused in school. The UN World Report on Violence against Children (2006) also cites a desk study indicating that many girls in Latin America experience sexual coercion from teachers, sometimes with threats that their grades will suffer if they do not co- operate (UNICEF 2006). Levels of HIV infection in Latin America are lower than in Africa, and the extent to which different forms of sexual violence link with different patterns of infection is suggestive. Research evidence from sub-Saharan Africa This section provides a brief overview of some of the studies from Africa. In particular it focuses on evidence of sexual violence by teachers against female students, for it is these relationships that put girls at risk of HIV infection, not least because they are likely to involve multiple partners (although Bennell [2003] disputes the claim that teachers constitute a high-risk group for HIV, citing lack of reliable mortality data, erroneous stereotyping of the African teacher as predominantly male, married, and living apart from his wife or partner, and media sensationalism as the cause of exaggerated projections of AIDS-related deaths among teachers). The studies show considerable variation in the reported frequency of incidents of sexual violence. Rossettis (2001) survey of 560 secondary-school students in Botswana revealed the highest levels of sexual violence by teachers. Using a combination of questionnaire, interviews, and focus-group discussions, she found that 67 per cent of girls said they had been sexually harassed by teachers, including unsolicited touching, patting, and pinching; dirty jokes and sexual innuendoes; pressure for dates; and whistles. Twenty-five per cent said they had been subjected to such harassment on a regular basis, and 20 per cent (112 girls) said teachers had asked them to have sexual relations; almost half of these (47 girls) accepted, mainly because they feared lower grades if they refused. In another survey in Botswana by Rivers (2000) using structured interviews, 800 students aged 1316 living in remote areas were asked about unwanted sexual activity. This revealed lower but still significant levels of sexual harassment, with 40 per cent of girls and 28 per cent of boys reporting having been made uncomfortable by talk about sex or being touched in a sexual manner without their consent, usually by their peers. Only three girls reported having sex with their teachers, despite the fact that 27 per cent had visited a teachers home, in contravention of Ministry of Education regulations.4 One study in Ghana (Brown 2002), which was framed in terms of sexual abuse and based on interviews and focus-group discussions, produced much lower figures than either of the Botswana studies, possibly because it included a younger age group. Out of a total of 490 students aged 717 (of whom 75 per cent were female), 11.2 per cent (47 girls and five boys) reported having been sexually abused at school, mostly by other students. Out of the total sample, 14.9 per cent reported having been subjected to unwelcome sexual advances at school, 15.7 per cent to requests for sexual favours, and 10.8 per cent had been fondled, touched, grabbed, or pinched in a sexual way. Only three admitted that they had been abused by a teacher, while 4.5 per cent said that they had been threatened by a teacher that their school life would suffer if they did not have sex with them. Although most of the studies carried out have been at the (junior) secondary level, two other recent studies have included, and reported separately on, the primary level. They provide disturbing evidence that sexual violence is widespread here too. Wibles (2004) small study of gender-based violence in Benin, based on participatory workshops followed by individual interviews with 30 primary and 40 secondary schoolgirls, reported that over half the primary pupils had experienced inappropriate touching, inappropriate requests and/or offensive jokes and gestures, while 40 per cent said they experienced pressure for sex and 33 per cent thought that teachers engaged in such behaviour. At the secondary level, the figures were somewhat higher, and 63 per cent identified teachers and other school personnel as most often responsible. A much larger interview survey in Malawi (Burton 2005) of 4,412 children aged 918 also found that unwanted physical touching, forced sex, and bullying were common among the younger age group, although not all incidents took place in school, and the perpetrators were said to be mostly other students. Of the 1,650 children aged 913 in the sample, 71.5 per cent reported having been bullied (53.5 per cent at school or on the way to school), 9.3 per cent had been touched on the genitals or breasts against their will (of whom 56.8 per cent at school), 6.6 per cent had experienced forced penetrative and non-penetrative sex (of whom 71.1 per cent at school). For the majority, this targeting occurred more than once. Disturbingly, a much higher number of younger children reported knowing someone who had been sexually abused by a teacher in return for good grades (83.6 per cent) than older children (33.8 per cent), suggesting that perhaps teachers targeted younger children due to their greater vulnerability or their likelihood of being free of the HIV virus. Not surprisingly, levels of sexual violence in school mirror to a large extent those in the wider society. South Africa therefore presents a picture of extreme sexual violence in schools, as documented most disturbingly in the Human Rights Watch report Scared at School (Human Rights Watch 2001), which found that sexual harassment and abuse of girls by teachers and students was widespread, and that girls were raped in school toilets, empty classrooms, and hostels. In another study, which focused on rape among a sample of 11,735 South African women aged 1549 in 1998, out of the 159 women who had been victims of rape as children (those below the age of 15), 33 per cent said that they had been raped by teachers (Jewkes et al. 2002). Another setting where girls are particularly vulnerable is in Namibia, where many secondary-school students have to live in school hostels or boarding houses because their homes are in remote areas with scattered populations. One prominent manifestation of adolescent male violence is the ritual of hunting, where boys break into the girls hostels at night and rape them; gang rape is referred to as the tournament (Kandirikirira 2002). Such violence is perceived by boys and men to be a form of masculinity-affirming entertainment, which, through the inaction of parents, teachers, and hostel wardens, has come over the years to be seen as normal boys-will-be-boys behaviour. Even if students do not have to live in hostels, some have to travel long distances to school. In Zimbabwe, some of the girls interviewed lived as far as 15km from the school and they sometimes took lifts with truck drivers (Leach and Machakanja 2000), while in Malawi it was reported that girls had affairs with mini-bus drivers so as to get free lifts to and from school (Leach et al. 2003). Sexual violence against girls is also a significant problem in refugee camps, as evidenced by the scandal of humanitarian aid workers and teachers in camps in West Africa engaging girls in transactional sex (UNHCR/Save the Children UK 2002). Evidence from elsewhere confirms that, where communities experience high levels of civil unrest, lawlessness or war, female students are likely to be at particular risk. In Nepal during the recent Maoist insurgency, the fear of abduction and rape and the use of girls as sex slaves by both government and Maoist armed forces were serious deterrents to girls continued schooling (and also led to an increase in child marriages) (Standing et al. 2006). The above brief account provides a convincing, if varying, picture of sexual violence against girls, and most strikingly of the widespread practice of teachers demanding sexual favours of schoolgirls. Although the total numbers involved may not be as high as media reports sometimes suggest, the fact that any teacher is able to abuse with impunity the trust placed in them by parents and education authorities, by offering to trade high grades, exam questions, money, or promises of marriage for sex is a shocking indictment of the low level of professionalism and accountability in many school systems. Despite the evidence from these sources of the scale of teachers sexual misconduct, it is in fact from boys gratuitously aggressive performances of masculinity (Butler 1990) in their school and community that girls face the greater risk on a daily basis. In one qualitative study in Zimbabwe (Leach and Machakanja 2000), 34 out of 50 girls (68 per cent) in three co-educational junior secondary schools who were asked to describe their experiences of violent behaviour by boys reported having their breasts or buttocks groped, grabbed, or pinched, and even being hit or beaten. Some girls described how they were regularly ambushed by groups of boys while leaving school, with other boys looking on and laughing. Girls also reported having to suffer demeaning obscenities, sexist comments, and name-calling. Showing condoms or pornographic pictures and drawings in class were other ways in which boys embarrassed girls. In a follow-up study (Leach et al. 2003) in Ghana and Malawi, girls gave examples of boys cornering them in the school grounds or intercepting them on the way to the toilets, where they would try to fondle their breasts or peek at them. Beyond the school gates, in many sub-Saharan African countries, older men are found to target schoolgirls in the belief that they are less likely to be infected with the HIV virus or, worse, that they can be cured of AIDS by having sex with a virgin. Older men engaging young girls in sexual relationships has a cultural history in parts of Africa (Luke and Kurz 2002), but the risk of contracting AIDS in this way makes such a practice life-threatening. It is well known that for many girls, staying on in secondary school is a struggle because of the requirement to pay fees, and this makes them an easy target. In Leach and Machakanjas (2000) Zimbabwe study, out of a total of 112 girls interviewed in four schools, 103 girls (92 per cent) said that they had been propositioned by adult men, whether strangers, neighbours, or relatives, and over half said that they had experienced unsolicited physical contact or assault from strange men or out-of-school boys, of whom 13 had been grabbed or pinched on the breast and seven grabbed by the buttocks (18 per cent). Why does sexual violence exist in schools? Violence in schools cannot be divorced from violence in the home, the community, and the workplace. The school, alongside the family, is a prime site for the construction of gender identity and the institutionalisation of a socially sanctioned gender hierarchy framed by a compulsory heterosexuality (Mirembe and Davies 2001; Dunne et al. 2006). The structures and practices which guide and regulate behaviour during the school day through explicit and implicit rules, norms, and symbols reinforce and perpetuate the unequal gender relations already reproduced in the home. Teacher tolerance of male students domination of classroom space at the expense of girls participation in lessons, the celebration of masculine competitiveness, and the allocation of more public and higher-status tasks and responsibilities to male students and teachers all teach children that masculinity is associated with aggression and superiority, while femininity requires obedience, acquiescence, and making oneself attractive to boys (Leach and Machakanja 2000; Dunne et al. 2006). The vignette from Uganda in Box 1 gives some indication of how unpleasant an aggressively masculine school environment can be for girls. Box 1: How gendered practices can undermine HIV messages An ethnographic study* of an elite co-educational government boarding school in Uganda revealed extensive gendered practices which undermined the HIV messages contained in the new AIDS curriculum and neutralised Ugandan schoolchildrens relatively high knowledge of the disease. These gendered practices included: preference for male pupils and male teachers in leadership roles restricted access for girls to high-status knowledge, e.g. science the use of different disciplinary measures on boys and girls strict policing of girls sexuality by the school authorities, e.g. what to wear, how to sit in public, how to talk to boys sexual harassment of girls by boys, which went unchallenged by staff boys control of classroom language and physical space, which forced girls to face insults whenever they spoke up or to remain silent continued overleaf Box 1: How gendered practices can undermine HIV messages continued Outside the classroom, girls were routinely subjected to unsolicited touching, groping, and pinching by boys. Intense competition over girls meant that a girl who refused a boys sexual advances risked taunts, abusive language, and/or assault. This sexual harassment was reinforced by sexually explicit graffiti on school walls. The study showed that social conformity to ideals of male domination, leadership, and manhood, and a perceived male entitlement to sex, was integral to the school culture. Yet, central to the official AIDS message in the Ugandan curriculum was that negotiation and partnership in sexual relationships are essential to HIV prevention. This, however, requires equal power and status between partners. The endemic harassment in the school denied girls the right to make choices or voice independence in relationships. The study suggested that a better understanding of patriarchy and gender roles in Uganda, and their contribution to the AIDS epidemic, was needed if schooling was to play an effective role in teaching about HIV and AIDS. Equally important was for the Ministry of Education to address gender inequality within schools and to promote democratic learning in sex- and AIDS-education programmes within the curriculum. The researcher concluded that there was an urgent need to: address a wide concept of sexual health, including positive aspects (such as sexual orientation and the good sides of sex) within the school curriculum teach sex education in single-sex groups to give pupils greater freedom to discuss sensitive issues and greater control of their learning adopt a whole-school approach (human rights, family planning, democratic learning) that challenges the social injustices brought about by gender discrimination initiate teacher-training courses that explore ways in which gender discrimination can be challenged within schools embark on serious gender-mainstreaming initiatives offering equal opportunity for all. R. Mirembe (1998) AIDS Education and Gender in Ugandan Schools, unpublished PhD thesis, University of Birmingham (adapted from Gender Violence in Schools newsletter No. 1, www.sussex.ac.uk/education/1-4-30-3.html) This male privileging leads to violence because, as part of the gender socialisation process in schools, students learn to recognise, and to police, the boundaries of acceptable gender behaviour. Those who transgress these boundaries may be targeted for punishment, both by teachers and students (boys who do not conform are also at risk). While teachers indirectly regulate gendered behaviour through disciplinary measures, students resort either to overtly violent means or less visible forms of violence which are normalised as teasing, playing, or gossiping (Dunne et al. 2006). For example, a boy who is perceived as cowardly or effeminate, or a girl who does not behave sufficiently modestly or who scorns a boys advances, may be punished by being bullied, victimised, or gossiped about in a malicious or destructive way. Teachers often consider student- initiated incidents as not worthy of reprimand, and so, by tolerating or ignoring them, they are implicitly sanctioning violence and ensuring that it becomes accepted in adolescent relationships and thus perpetuated into adulthood. The perception that male violence against women is acceptable is surprisingly widespread among adolescents.5 The role of peer pressure in sustaining male violence is observed in the Zimbabwe study (Leach and Machakanja 2000). Having girlfriends, or at least being seen to have girlfriends, and boasting about winning girls through (hetero)sexual prowess were important means of enhancing a boys status in the peer group (physical prowess in fighting being another). It should not be surprising that, if boys initial overtures to girls (usually through writing a love letter) are rejected, their demands for attention can be unsolicited and aggressive. Observing male teachers making sexist or derogatory comments to female students and teachers, and engaging in unnecessary and unsolicited physical contact with girls during lessons, provides an unhelpful role model for boys. Girls were not exempt from peer pressure; for example the study found that they made themselves attractive to boys and developed a recognisably pliant femininity. However, girls can be confused by their desire to adopt the modern forms of femininity portrayed so compellingly through media images, while still conforming to traditional expectations and roles. Having a boyfriend and receiving gifts may give a girl a desirable status within the female peer group, but it is also risky as she may be labelled loose or a prostitute. Bastien (2005) suggests that sexual violence against girls may be symptomatic of the frustrations and confusions brought on by such tensions between modernity and tradition in shaping adolescent gender and sexual identities, since, when the gender boundaries become blurred, boys and men may attempt to symbolically and physically solidify their status. This suggests that it is misleading to assume that girls relationships with boys and older men are always coercive and that female agency plays no part in informal school life. Many girls may decide to have sex on the grounds of physical attraction or feelings, but for others, poverty may make this an unavailable luxury. Some boys in the above cited studies were of the opinion that it was often girls who made sexual advances, in particular with a view to obtaining gifts or money. There is indeed a large literature on transactional sex between adolescent girls and older men (e.g. Luke and Kurz 2002), especially in South Africa (Dunkle et al. 2004; Hunter 2002), and also between school-going adolescents (Nyanzi et al. 2000, in Uganda). Many girls find it harder to continue their education than boys, not only because of family poverty and preference for educating boys, but because of the difficulty of obtaining casual work. Opportunities to obtain a small regular income through gardening, farming, washing cars, portering, and so on are unlikely to be available to girls, while the demands of domestic chores and the social disapproval of unmarried girls working outside the home impose further constraints. The desire to complete their schooling and improve their lives may therefore oblige some girls to rely on their only economic asset, their body. Under such circumstances, a relationship with an older man (or men) may appear as a rational, even an attractive, choice, albeit one which places them in a dependent relationship, which men can all too easily exploit. Sexual violence, along with other forms of violent behaviour including unauthorised corporal punishment, is facilitated by government failure to implement regulations on teachers professional conduct, punish perpetrators, and enforce child protection and anti-discrimination laws where they exist. In many parts of the world, there are poor levels of accountability in the educational system and a lack of good management and professional commitment, whether due to poor training, low salaries, poor support from the authorities, poverty, or other factors. Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa suggests that teachers who exploit their authority by having sexual relations with students are rarely expelled from the teaching profession, even in cases where a girl is made pregnant; at most, an offending teacher will be transferred to another school (Leach et al. 2003; Dunne et al. 2006). High levels of bureaucracy, apathy among officials, ignorance by parents and students as to how to lodge a complaint, and a reluctance to believe students who make allegations are contributory factors. To complicate matters, not all parents, teachers, and girls in sub-Saharan Africa disapprove of teachers or older men having sexual liaisons with schoolgirls, whether for economic or cultural reasons (Leach et al. 2003). The consequences for girls of sexual violence in schools High levels of sexual violence, and fear of such violence, have a number of consequences for girls schooling, some with a direct impact on their exposure to HIV. Dropout inevitably means lost opportunities for cognitive development, for future careers, and for improved socio-economic status. There are of course many reasons for girls and boys choosing to, or being obliged to, leave school family poverty, early marriage, societal perceptions that girls do not need as much education as boys, and the requirement for girls to look after orphan siblings or ailing parents in AIDS-afflicted households. However, violence also plays a part. A girl who experiences sexual violence at school may start missing lessons and may finally drop out; sustained verbal abuse or malicious gossiping may be sufficient for her to wish to leave. In sub-Saharan Africa in particular, parental fear that girls will be exposed to the predatory sexual behaviour of male teachers and students at school is exacerbated by media reports and may persuade parents to remove their daughters (Leach et al. 2003). If adolescent girls drop out of school, the evidence of higher prevalence rates among out-of-school youth suggests that their vulnerability to HIV will increase. The risk of sexual impropriety is even more serious for a girl in South Asia, where the fierce control of female sexuality and fear of family scandal means that the slightest hint of a girl being exposed to inappropriate contact with men or even young boys outside the family can be enough for her to be withdrawn from school. Moreover, the level of secrecy and denial around any incident of even mild harassment involving a girl is likely to be much higher than in sub-Saharan Africa, and therefore the more difficult it is to assess the scale of the problem. According to Leach and Sitaram (2007), some officials in India admit to hearing of occasional cases of teachers having sexual relations with girls, and of schoolgirl rape, but nobody wants to talk openly about it. Likewise, despite rising HIV rates in India and an estimated 55,000 children aged 014 with HIV in 2003 (Ministry of Women and Child Development, India 2007), there is little attempt to increase knowledge of the nature and cause of the disease among children either in or out of school. Low achievement Evidence also exists to confirm that violence in schools, however defined (sexual violence, bullying, corporal punishment), has harmful psychological effects on children, leads to stress which distracts them from learning, and lowers their motivation to do well. Lower achievement may increase the risk of dropout and undermine future economic prospects. Wible (2004) reported that girls in Benin believed that avoiding advances by teachers creates a hostile and intimidating learning environment and contributes to poor performance. Some girls also report that the fear of attracting unwanted attention either from the teacher, or from male students not wanting to be outshone by a girl in class, deters them from participating actively in lessons (Dunne et al. 2005; Human Rights Watch 2001). In a study from Ghana (Leach et al. 2003), 79.2 per cent of girls reported that they were troubled by boys aggressive behaviour and 39.5 per cent felt it affected their studies. Some countries in sub-Saharan Africa have very high teenage pregnancy rates (Chilisa 2002; Kadzamira et al. 2001; Mensch et al. 1999). Studies in Ghana in 1997 indicated that 41 per cent of all junior secondary-school dropouts are caused by pregnancy (cited in FAWE 2004), while Chilisa (2002) estimates that in Botswana about 3 per cent of newly enrolled girls (1,200 girls) drop out of school (or are expelled) annually due to pregnancy. Despite legislation in many countries permitting girls to return to school after giving birth, socio-economic circumstances, stigma, and head teachers reluctance to allow young mothers back for fear of setting a bad example to other girls prevent many young mothers from doing so. Gordon (2002), in an unpublished study in Zimbabwe, interviewed 36 young women who had dropped out of school due to pregnancy. She found that the psychological, emotional, social, and economic costs to the girls were high: the majority were rejected by their parents, the fathers of their children, their teachers and their peers, and were labelled as loose and immoral. Some attempted illegal abortions and others contemplated suicide. Her findings suggest that unmarried teenage mothers usually live in poverty, and are often forced to enter sexual relationships with older men in order to support themselves and their child(ren). Their circumstances and their lack of self-esteem increase their indebtedness to sexual partners who provide them with the material benefits that they cannot earn for themselves. This makes it much more difficult for young women to insist on condom use and hence makes them more vulnerable to HIV, which, if pregnancy follows, may result in an HIV-positive baby. Risky friendships Mensch et al. (1999) cite several studies which argue that the expansion in school enrolments in sub-Saharan Africa, mostly in co-educational establishments, has led to increased sexual activity among adolescents as schooling removes young people from the supervision of traditional carers and exposes them to daily interaction with the opposite sex and to peer pressure. Ironically, however, while parents fear the close proximity of boys within school, an aggressive institutional atmosphere may make genuine friendship between a girl and a boy difficult, and encourage girls who feel vulnerable to seek protection and/or comfort from older boys and men outside the school. This goes against the view (Hargreaves and Boler 2006) that one benefit of girls education is the greater likelihood of girls choosing boyfriends within the school who are of a similar age and are therefore less likely to be infected with HIV than older men. However, many of the boys interviewed expressed views that older men, including teachers, were more attractive sexual partners to girls (and presented unfair competition to themselves) because of their ability to offer material support (Leach and Machakanja 2000). Clearly, the connection between friendships and HIV is, like the role of the peer group in encouraging risky sexual behaviour, complex, and requires further research. Health, psychological, and social impacts In addition to educational impacts, there are negative consequences of sexual violence in terms of the health, state of mind, and social relations of the person who has become the victim of the violence. The immediate risk of physical harm and of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, may be accompanied by psychological damage, including impairment of emotional development and long-term mental distress and ill-health, which can contribute to physical ill- health. Sexually abused children often develop eating disorders, depression, insomnia, feelings of guilt, anxiety, and suicidal tendencies. They may react by engaging in such dysfunctional behaviours as self-harm, use of psychoactive substances, and highly aggressive behaviour, often of a sexual nature (WHO et al. Negative impact on portrayal of women and girls in society Girls interviewed in Wibles study (2004) in Benin believed that sexual violence in schools, especially that perpetrated by teachers, damages the social fabric of the school and devalues it in the eyes of the community. To boys, the knowledge of teacherschoolgirl relationships creates the impression that all girls are materialistic and that they seek preferential treatment by selling their bodies to teachers to compensate for their lesser abilities. This breeds resentment and scorn in boys, who are then more likely to act aggressively towards girls. Boys sometimes accuse girls of being friends with the teacher when they see that a girl has taken what they think is their place among the passing grades (Wible 2004: 17). The perception that girls are seen as achieving on the basis of their sexuality rather than their intellect does nothing to promote more equal gender relations or more consensual sexual relationships. This in turn aggravates the already widely held view in many societies that women are inferior to men, that they are the property of men, and that they are expected to gratify male sexual desire. This can only increase their exposure to sexual violence and to HIV. This chapter has provided an overview of the scale and nature of sexual violence in schools, focusing primarily on studies from the sub-Saharan African region, where the HIV prevalence rate among adolescent girls is alarmingly high. It has also highlighted some of the methodological and practical problems of trying to accurately assess the level of sexual violence in schools. It notes that the scale is probably grossly under-estimated, due to the reluctance of young women to report incidents and also of young men to report homophobic violence and that poverty plays a major role in exposing young girls to sexual violence and sexual health risks. The question was posed at the start of the chapter as to whether schools could do more to protect students, especially girls, from exposure to HIV. From the evidence provided, the chapter concludes that the unsafe and hostile environment created in many schools by widespread sexual violence targeted especially at girls (and at boys who do not conform to dominant versions of masculinity) reduces the potential benefits of schooling and contributes to truancy, low achievement, and dropout, and to a range of negative health, psychological, and social impacts. In particular, the institutionalisation of male privilege and hierarchy, peer pressure to conform to certain types of gendered behaviour, and the tolerance of other forms of school violence such as bullying and corporal punishment encourage the view that violence against young women is acceptable. A school culture based on unequal and at times violent gender relations undermines the messages about safe sex and sexual health contained in lessons on HIV and AIDS. It also serves to present coercive relationships and forced sexual encounters both within and outside the school as the norm, making it difficult for young women to exercise choice, articulate expectations of sexual fidelity from male partners, and insist on condom use. This increases their vulnerability to HIV infection. The claim that schooling helps build up girls capacity to act on HIV-prevention messages and influences the level of power within sexual relationships is therefore difficult to reconcile with the evidence. As Hargreaves and Boler (2006) recognise, we just do not know enough about the underlying mechanisms through which girls education might affect HIV vulnerability. However, it would seem that a school environment dominated by an aggressive and competitive heterosexuality is likely to act as a disincentive to girls continuing their education, whereas a more collaborative, egalitarian, and supportive school culture in which boys and girls mutually support each others learning is more likely to keep both groups in school, strengthen shared interests and understandings, and develop the more mutually responsive and respectful relationships that the HIV and AIDS messages seek to impart. The evidence suggests that education authorities could do much more to reduce the vulnerability of both girls and boys to HIV by meeting more fully their responsibilities to protect children and by working vigorously to eliminate sexual violence and gender inequalities inside their schools. Education officials, head teachers, and teachers need to report and, where appropriate, take action against any perpetrator of violence, whether student, teacher, or other adult. Effective school leadership and greater awareness among teachers of the harmful effects that their decisions, actions, and inactions may have in reinforcing stereotypical gender views are crucial. This requires that much greater attention be paid to gender awareness-raising during pre-service and in-service training and to ensuring that trainee teachers are familiar with, and understand the implications of, the principles of professional and ethical conduct. Despite the claims made about the impact of HIV and AIDS education on adolescent sexual behaviour, schools face a huge challenge in trying to implement it in meaningful ways within an authoritarian and often violent school environment. To be effective, HIV and AIDS education must address the broader context of gender differentiation and hierarchies, power in sexual relationships, and the effects of stigma and discrimination. Much has been written about the need for schooling to promote life skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and interpersonal and communication skills. To do this requires moving from the authoritarian school culture, which dominates in much of the world, to a more open and democratic culture which creates space for pupils, teachers, and parents to discuss such issues openly. Such a school culture cannot accommodate the continuing use of corporal punishment as a form of discipline, since this encourages the perception among young people that violence of any kind is permissible, and expected, in school. Such a culture requires effective, transparent, and accessible procedures and mechanisms for children, parents, and carers to report incidents of violence affecting children both in and outside school. The above survey of the field also suggests that more research is needed into all forms of violence in school, as well as into the link between education and HIV. If we are to capture young peoples views and concerns honestly and explore effective ways of changing adolescent sexual behaviour, we need to develop new research methodologies. These might include some of the participatory methodologies that have already been tried out with children and young people such as peer-led focus-group discussions, diary and narrative essay writing, memory work, drama, and arts-based visual work, including photography and video documentary (see Leach and Mitchell 2006 for examples). In this way, we may come to a better understanding of how to assist young people to protect themselves against sexual violence and HIV and AIDS. 1 The term sexual harassment applies to any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature intended to offend, humiliate, or intimidate, including sexual advances and remarks with sexual connotations. It tends to be associated with adults, although some studies reviewed here use the term. In contrast, sexual abuse is a legal term which refers to the sexual exploitation of a child by an adult by virtue of his/her superior power, and for his/her own benefit or gratification.Bullying is the label given to peer-on-peer violence in schools in much of the industrialised world. 2 See Zwiers and Morrissette (1999), Jones (2003), and Christensen and James (2000) for a general discussion about interviewing children. Several studies in African countries (Leach et al. 2003; Wible 2004) found that while girls (and sometimes boys) were reluctant to talk of their own personal sexual experiences, especially where teachers might be involved, they were on the whole happy to comment on the sexual activities of others or to talk impersonally about issues of sexuality. 3 Zero Tolerance Trust, Respect Campaign, www.zerotolerance.org.uk/campaigns/camp.php?pg=61 (last accessed August 2007). 4 The methodology used in this study is questionable. Students were interviewed individually, with the researcher instructed to ask the closed-item questions exactly as they were written on the schedule and not to add anything (intimidating to say the least!). 5 In a survey conducted in Johannesburg with 30,000 youth (CIET 2000), one in four males claimed to have had sex without the girls consent before the age of 18, and at least half of those interviewed, both female and male, believed that forced sex was not sexual violence, it was just rough sex. The survey by the Zero Tolerance Trust among 2000 young people in the UK found that one in two boys and one in three girls thought it acceptable to hit a woman in certain circumstances (e.g. if they nag), that both boys and girls found forced sex more acceptable than hitting, and that half knew someone who had been sexually assaulted (www.zerotolerance.org.uk). 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(2004) Making Schools Safe for Girls: Combating Gender-Based Violence in Benin, US Academy for Educational Development, www.aed.org/ToolsandPublications/upload/g18937english.pdf (last accessed August 2007). World Bank (2000) Ecuador Gender Review: Issues and Recommendations, Washington DC: World Bank. Zdravomyslova, O. and I. Gorshkova (2006) The usual evil: gender violence in Russian schools, in F. Leach and C. Mitchell (eds.), Combating Gender Violence in and around Schools, Stoke-on- Trent: Trentham, 7189. Zwiers, M.L. and P.J. Morrissette (1999) Effective Interviewing of Children, Philadelphia: Accelerated Development and Taylor & Francis. 5 The gendered impact of AIDS on orphans and education in KwaZulu-Natal, This chapter examines the gendered dimensions of the impact of AIDS on orphans education, drawing on data from KwaZulu-Natal, one of the provinces in South Africa with extremely high levels of HIV infection. In sub-Saharan Africa, there are currently an estimated 11.4 million children orphaned by AIDS,2 and 1.2 million in South Africa alone. If a child is orphaned, what difference does it make if the child is a boy or a girl? How is education affected differently if the mother dies or if the father dies? Methodological issues and the question of impact The impact of HIV and AIDS refers to the consequences of increased chronic illness and death due to HIV and AIDS (Barnett and Whiteside 2002). Each person is embedded in a network of family, peers, communities, and society. As a person becomes ill and dies, there are important consequences for his or her family particularly for any dependants such as children or the elderly. When enough individuals become infected with HIV, the consequences begin to affect whole communities. The next development some researchers argue is that whole societies begin to feel the impact of unprecedented levels of death (Whiteside Politically, the potentially devastating impact of AIDS epidemics around the world has been used to mobilise resources and action. The international donor community has been lobbying African governments, arguing that the very institutions holding society together are under threat: health systems, education systems, and industries (Coombe 2000; Kelly 2000). However, these systemic impacts have been difficult to show empirically (Bennell et al. 2002; Barnett and Whiteside 2002). One possible reason for this is that many of these systems are already dysfunctional, and although AIDS is making matters worse, the systems still continue to function (or dysfunction) (Badcock-Walters et al. 2003). Given the complexities which determine the extent to which an education system is functioning, the shortage of any longitudinal data partly explains why to date there has been little evidence of systemic impacts. The gendered impact of AIDS on orphans and education in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa It has been easier for researchers to show the consequences of increased illness and death at the household level by surveying affected households. Questions such as what happens to children when one or two parents die? (Ainsworth and Filmer 2002; Bicego et al. 2003; Foster 1997) and what is the effect of adult death on household levels of income? (Barnett and Whiteside 2002; Wyss et al. 2004; Yamano and Jayne 2005) are asked. Whiteside among others argues that the impact of HIV and AIDS is felt as an immediate and severe shock (short-term impact); and later by more complex, gradual, and long-term changes (long-term impact) (Barnett and Whiteside 2002; Whiteside 1998). For instance, when a parent dies, a child might have to move house a sharp and perceptible consequence. A few years later, that child might drop out of school because of emotional stress and poverty both of which were indirectly triggered by their parent dying. There is a need to see how short-term and long-term impacts feed into each other. The only way to do this is through longitudinal studies. Orphans and education in South Africa Given the low level of access to anti-retroviral treatment in South Africa, for the majority of HIV-positive people, the infection inevitably leads to death, preceded by chronic illness (Cohen 2002; Coombe 2000; Kelly 2000). In South Africa, the main mode of transmission of HIV is through sexual intercourse (UNAIDS 2002). Consequently, most of those who are dying are adults in the most productive part of the human life cycle (both in terms of procreation and economically). According to the Actuarial Society of South Africas model, there are an estimated one million children in South Africa whose mother has died and 2.13 million children whose father has died (Giese 2004). Upon the death of a parent, a coping system is activated in which the extended family traditionally takes over responsibility for the welfare of the orphans (Foster 1997). Given the rise in the number of orphans, it appears that these coping systems are becoming over- stretched (Nyambedha et al. 2003; Foster 2004). In many cases, orphans are being cared for by grandparents (Bicego et al. 2003; Foster 1997; Ntozi and Nakamany 1999), or looking after themselves evidenced by the increase in the number of child-headed households (Gregson et al. 2001; Sengendo and Nambi 1997). The physical well-being of children is also at risk, with sick parents less likely to take children for immunisations or for more general health-care services (Foster 1998; Shetty and Powell 2003; Mishra et al. 2005). Although the rapid increase in the number of orphans in South Africa cannot be disputed, it is far from clear whether or not these orphans are disadvantaged in ways which will undermine their well-being. One group of researchers in South Africa has recently argued that the psychological impacts of AIDS on children may have been exaggerated and based on assumptions which are supported neither by research in psychology nor by the realities of growing up in Africa (Killian 2004; Pharoah 2004; Richter 2004). Drawing from psychological literature on resilience, Killian argues that between 50 and 66 per cent of children growing up in circumstances of multiple risk overcome their adverse conditions and show strong signs of coping and resilience (Killian 2004). The author goes on to argue that resilience is often over- looked in the literature on orphans and is an important process in adapting successfully, despite difficult circumstances. Clearly, it cannot be assumed that orphanhood automatically undermines the well-being of children, and its effects are likely to be context-specific. Yet there is a dearth of evidence on the circumstances under which orphanhood might lead to adverse outcomes. Barnett and Whiteside review the literature on the impact of HIV and AIDS on household levels of poverty. They conclude that impact will depend on (1) the number of AIDS cases a household experiences; (2) the characteristics of dead individuals; (3) community attitudes; and (4) the households wealth (Barnett and Whiteside 2002). The implication is that future impact studies should take into account these socio-demographic factors. Moreover, the authors suggest that more longitudinal research is needed to understand how the impact of parental illness and death is felt by households. Finally, they and others criticise the small sample sizes of many impact studies (ibid.; Booysen and Arntz Three different sets of researchers have analysed data from around 19 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). One group found that orphans in Africa live, on average, in poorer households than non-orphans (Case et al. 2003). Conversely, Bicego et al.s analysis of the data suggests that orphans are no more economically disadvantaged than non-orphans (2003). The answer may be that impact will be felt differently in different countries, and at different times (Ainsworth and Filmer 2002). However, these contrasting results from the same datasets are also due to the different ways in which the researchers measured the variables. In South Africa, a longitudinal study in Free State showed that AIDS-affected households were poorer at baseline, but also that over a six-month period their household expenditure and income decreased more rapidly than unaffected households (Bachmann and Booysen 2003). Although this study shows the importance of using longitudinal data to understand the dynamic nature of the impact of AIDS, the baseline survey did not differentiate between the stages of impact that the households were experiencing. Impact of AIDS on orphans education Internationally, a received wisdom has sprung up which claims that girl orphans are more educationally disadvantaged than boy orphans, and that the death of a mother has more of an impact on education than the death of a father. However, several systematic reviews and analyses of multiple datasets suggest otherwise. Four different groups of researchers have analysed DHS data from a number of countries in order to explore cross-country correlations between enrolment and orphanhood (Ainsworth and Filmer 2002; Bicego et al. 2003; Case et al. 2003; Monasch and Boerma 2004). In one of the largest of the four studies, Ainsworth and Filmer (2002) compared DHS data from 28 countries and argue that it is impossible to make cross-country generalisations, because the relationship between orphanhood and economic status is not uniform.Although orphanhood has an effect on enrolment in some countries, by far the more important factor was poverty. Case et al.s 2003 analysis of the same datasets suggests that orphans are less likely to be enrolled in school, even once economic background is controlled for. Combining both DHS and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, Monasch and Boerma (2004) analyse datasets from 37 countries and also find that in 30 of these countries orphans are less likely to be enrolled. Like other researchers, they found no clear pattern relating to the type or sex of the orphan. A recent systematic review on the impact of orphanhood on educational outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa (Schierhout et al. 2004) found 17 studies, of which 12 were household studies and the remaining five were school-based surveys. Across the 17 studies, Schierhout et al. generalised that orphans have lower enrolment than unorphaned children, especially older orphans. However, it is not always the case that orphans are educationally disadvantaged in terms of a range of educational outcomes (Bicego et al. 2003; Gould and Huber 2002). In terms of gender, although some evidence exists that girls educational outcomes are more affected by being orphans, evidence also exists that boys are affected too (Schierhout et al. 2004; Case and Ardington 2005; Urassa et al. 2001), and that any gender differences among orphans simply reflect underlying gender differentials in enrolment (Ainsworth and Filmer 2002). Similarly, although some studies show that maternal death has a greater impact than paternal death (Bicego et al. 2003; Case and Ardington 2005; Nyamukapa and Gregson 2005), contrary evidence exists that paternal death has a similar effect (Schierhout et al. 2004). Some researchers have found dual orphans to be particularly educationally disadvantaged (Bicego et al. 2003), while others suggest dual orphans might actually be advantaged because of the scholarship criteria of many NGOs (Bennell et al. 2002; Mishra et al. 2005). The other dimension to the debate is whether orphans are disadvantaged because they are poorer (Ainsworth et al. 2002; Serpell 1999) or through some other factor such as increased stigma and discrimination (Schonteich 1999). One study suggests that orphans particularly maternal orphans were angry and depressed when having to live with a foster family, and that this in turn impacted on their education (Sengendo and Nambi 1997). A demographic approach is taken by Case et al., who argue that educational outcomes for orphans depend largely on the degree of relatedness of the child to the head of the household (Case et al. 2003; Case and Ardington 2005). The importance of socio- demographic factors was also highlighted by Gould and Huber (2002) and Mishra et al. (2005), who show that children from one-parent households could be as disadvantaged at school as orphans. Research into which educational outcomes are affected by orphanhood also yields mixed results. The majority of the studies have focused on enrolment (Ainsworth and Filmer 2002; Case et al. 2003; Serpell 1999; Carr-Hill and Peart 2003; Carr- Hill et al. 2002; Booysen 2001), while others have also included primary-school completion (Nyamukapa and Gregson 2005), school fees (Case and Ardington 2005), delayed enrolment (Ainsworth et al. 2002), and attendance (Bennell et al. 2002; Schierhout et al. 2004; Gould and Huber 2002). Many of the researchers contributing to this literature are not educationalists but rather researchers who are interested in childrens well-being, and see the impact of AIDS on education as both a way to assess well-being and a way to estimate the long-term economic impact of the AIDS epidemic. Although some of this research has yielded important results, one of the limitations of many studies is that the prevailing educational policy context has been ignored. As Carr-Hill and Peart (2003) point out, the impact of AIDS on enrolment has been masked in many countries by the concurrent policy of abolishing user fees in primary education, which causes a huge surge in the number of children enrolling in primary schools. This increase can hide a decrease in enrolments among orphans. Implications of the literature Despite the establishment of democracy, growing up in South Africa still remains, for many, a difficult and vulnerable period. Apartheid undermined the African family structure through forced labour migration, which historically led to high numbers of children being fostered or living in female-headed households. Children are facing multiple vulnerabilities, with only a minority living in a two-parent nuclear family. This pre-existing vulnerability of many children in South Africa is increased through the impact of AIDS. How the impact is felt will depend on how households respond, which in itself is determined by complex factors such as resilience, fostering, and local customs relating to child-rearing. The impact of AIDS on children is a dynamic process and can thus be observed at different stages: from when a parent becomes ill, to when the parent dies, and the longer-term impact after parental death. Although there are many ways in which AIDS impacts on children, the bulk of the research focuses on studying the well-being of orphans, as this sub-group is one of the easiest groups of vulnerable children to identify. This remains one of the most easily identifiable approaches to studying the impact of AIDS. Research has attempted to untangle the links between poverty, HIV, gender, and childrens well-being, but a lack of longitudinal data has obstructed an understanding of the causal mechanisms underlying the impact of AIDS on children. Clearly, a need exists for longitudinal studies that combine strong socio-economic indicators as well as detailed demographic information. Existing studies of the impact of AIDS on education have produced very mixed results. Links between orphanhood and enrolment are not straightforward, and seem to depend on a number of different factors. What is surprising though is how few studies have looked into the possible mechanisms through which HIV and AIDS impacts on educational outcomes. The only factors which have been investigated are poverty, relationship to head, and family composition. More longitudinal studies are needed to understand these potential mechanisms and also to investigate the sequence of events that leads to educational disadvantage. Many studies have relied on sampling through schools, which excludes some of the most disadvantaged children who have already dropped out of the formal education system. Sample sizes have also, on occasions, been small. There is a need for large-scale household surveys. The research agenda also needs to be broadened to look at a wider range of educational outcomes not just enrolment. These outcomes need to be looked at by age and gender, taking into account the overarching policy context. A study of orphans educational outcomes in KwaZulu- Natal, South Africa In response to some of the gaps identified above, a research team from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine collaborated on a longitudinal study of households and children in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The remainder of this chapter describes the findings vis--vis the gendered impact of being an orphan on educational outcomes.3 The research took place in KwaZulu- Natal, where just over one-fifth of South Africas 44.8 million inhabitants live. Data from the census in 2001 show that the largest population group in the province is Black South African (84.9 per cent), followed by the Indian population (8.5 per cent) (Census 2001). KwaZulu-Natal has experienced a very severe HIV and AIDS epidemic, with prevalence rates increasing from an estimated 7.1 per cent in 1990 to 36.5 per cent in 2000 (UNAIDS 2002). Recent analysis of a demographic surveillance system of a rural population in northern KwaZulu-Natal (Africa Centre Demographic Information System) suggests that AIDS is now the leading cause of death in adulthood: responsible for 48 per cent of deaths in 2000 in the study region (Hosegood et al. 2004). Although KwaZulu-Natal is not the poorest of South Africas nine provinces, two-fifths of its residents live in poverty (Carter and May 2001). KwaZulu-Natal Income Dynamics Study (KIDS) Research design and questionnaire The study analysed educational outcomes of a cohort of children who were surveyed in 1998 and 2004. The cohort included 1635 children who were aged between 7 and 20 in 2004 (school-going age), and who formed part of a wider household survey known as the KwaZulu-Natal Income Dynamics Study, or KIDS. KIDS is a panel of households which has been re-interviewed twice since it was first surveyed in 1993. During the first wave (KIDS 1), the sample was representative at the national and provincial levels, and, at the time, KIDS 1 was the first fully representative household survey to be conducted in South Africa (Roberts 2000). Given the sweeping changes in policy since 1993, a group of economists at the University of Natal (now the University of KwaZulu-Natal) and elsewhere decided to revisit the households in 1998. The white and coloured populations were excluded from the 1998 wave because of doubts over the representativeness of the small and highly clustered samples of these population groups interviewed in 1993, and their low response rates. In 2002, plans for a third wave of data collection were developed between the University of KwaZulu- Natal, University of Wisconsin, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (by Ian Timus and the author). KIDS covers an 11-year span the same 11-year period which has seen huge increases in AIDS-related death in the region (Hosegood et al. 2004). KIDS is therefore perfectly placed for analysing the long-term gendered impacts of parental death. All three waves of KIDS have collected demographic and household expenditure data. In addition, the 2004 wave collected detailed information on childrens schooling. This dataset has been linked to official statistics on schools in order also to study the role of school factors in determining educational outcomes. Logistic regression modelling4 is used to control for confounding factors and identify causal pathways. In this way, the educational outcomes of children orphaned by 2004 are compared with the educational outcomes of non-orphaned children in 2004, controlling for a wide range of socio-demographic and economic factors. The findings are structured around the living conditions of orphans (under the age of 21 in 2004) and then how educational outcomes of orphans compare with unorphaned children. Orphans, fostering, and gender in KwaZulu-Natal A very high number of children in the study are orphans more than one-third (see Table 1). The most common type of orphan is a paternal orphan (when the father has died). The table below shows the number of orphans by age group: it is obvious that the older the children, the higher the proportion of orphans. This is expected, because the proportion of children who are orphaned can only increase with age. Table 1: Percentage of children aged 7 to 20 in 2004 according to parental survival and residency status by age group Parental status All ages Percentages of children by age group (Number) 7 to 10 11 to 15 16 to 20 Parents alive 1072 71.5 66.9 60.8 Parents resident 376 19.1 26.0 23.0 Father absent 380 30.8 21.8 19.6 Mother absent 56 4.2 2.9 3.4 Both absent 260 17.4 16.2 14.7 Orphaned child 555 28.5 33.1 39.2 Paternal orphan 352 18.6 21.1 24.4 Paternal orphans, living with mother 238 12.0 14.5 16.7 Fostered-out paternal orphan 114 6.6 6.7 7.7 Maternal orphan 109 5.9 6.8 7.2 Maternal orphan, living with father 16 0.5 1.3 1.0 Fostered-out maternal orphan 93 5.4 5.5 6.1 Dual orphan 94 4.0 5.2 7.7 Overall, orphans tend to live in poorer households than other children, but they also tend to come from urban areas and to have relatively educated parents.For example, 34 per cent of all unorphaned children are classified as very poor,5 compared with 41 per cent of orphaned children. In particular, it is the paternal and dual orphans who are living in the poorest households. In families where children are living with their father (because the mother is either absent or dead), less than 23 per cent fall into this extremely poor category. This suggests that living with a father can have protective benefits. Maternal orphans are not living in poorer households. Identifying which children are orphans is not a straightforward process. It involved cross-checking parental status between the waves of data collection. Through this longitudinal approach it was possible to identify a significant number of orphans who would not have been categorised correctly if only the data from 2004 had been used. The main reason for this appears to be that respondents tend to say a step- parent of an orphan is erroneously their real parent. It is possible that this bias is particular to Zulu culture but, given the awkwardness involved in talking about death in most countries, it is likely that under-counting of orphans is fairly commonplace. Indeed, this under-counting of orphans has been pointed out by a number of demographers who term it the adoption effect referring to the phenomenon of step-parents adopting orphaned children (Brass 1975; Hill 2000; Timaeus 1991). Although this bias is fairly well recognised in demographic research, it has largely been ignored by AIDS researchers. Gendered differences in fostering patterns In many ways, orphans are living in different conditions from unorphaned children. Paternal and dual orphans live in poorer households. The research shows that fostering of children will depend on the gender of the surviving parent. If the father dies, then most children continue to live with the mother. However, if the mother dies, most children are not living with their father. These children might have been fostered out or as is common among unorphaned children may never have resided with their father. There are, therefore, strong gender dimensions to the fostering arrangements of orphans. However, these fostering patterns need to be interpreted within a context where only a minority of children are living in a nuclear family with both their parents. Absence of the father is very common, as is sending children to live with relatives. In the former case children are living in more impoverished households, whereas in the latter case children appear to be relatively advantaged. These results indicate that the common assumption that fostering has a negative impact on children needs to be revisited. More qualitative studies are needed to understand the circumstances and gendered reasons why a child might be fostered out, and the sexual division of labour between fostered and non-fostered children. Gendered impact of AIDS on educational outcomes There are striking gender differences both in terms of which parent dies and how children are affected. Table 2 summarises the main results from the study and collates the main ways in which orphanhood impacts on education in KwaZulu- Natal by gender, age group, and educational outcome. Table 2: Summary of gendered findings Educational Paternal or Gender of child Age group Timing of outcome maternal death orphan effect effect? Delayed Both Boys and girls Under 9 Short-term only Attendance Paternal Boys only 1113 Short-term and Repetition Paternal Girls only 1115 Short-term only Primary- Paternal Girls only 1316 Short-term only Dropout Paternal Girls only 1620 Medium-term and long-term The KIDS 3 study found that a father dying has a larger impact on educational outcomes than if a mother dies, especially for girls. When a mother dies, there is a small negative effect on younger children (both boys and girls) in terms of delayed enrolment into primary school (see Table 2), but the impact is much smaller than if a father dies. Boys are also affected, but in different ways: for boys, being orphaned leads to poorer daily attendance and delayed enrolment, whereas for girls the impact is on primary-school completion, repetition, dropout, and delayed enrolment. Nevertheless, the results presented here suggest that orphanhood has worse implications for girls than boys: after all, dropping out of school is a worse outcome than poor attendance. Although the impact of orphanhood on education is more severe for girls, the overarching gender inequality in educational outcomes must also be considered. In South Africa, boys generally perform worse than girls, and on outcomes such as repetition or primary-school completion girl orphans perform no worse than unorphaned boys. This is demonstrated in Figure 1 by examining the differences between boys and girls in completing primary school. Girls appear to be completing primary school earlier than boys, which also fits in with the finding that girls are less likely to repeat a grade than boys. Boys, in general, are disadvantaged educationally compared with girls. Figure 1: Percentage of boys and girls aged 11 to 16 in the KIDS panel who have completed primary school These results were analysed using logistic regression modelling. Researchers looked at what the effects were for girls and boys of the death of a father, mother, or both parents. The results from this modelling (Table 3) show that when a parent dies, primary-school completion is adversely affected, but only if a father dies and only for girls. If a father dies, a girl aged 13 to 16 is 3.85 times more likely not to have completed primary school, compared with similar girls whose fathers have not died (see final column, third row). AIDS impacts disproportionately on girls education, especially if the father dies. But why is this happening? Is it because of poverty? Further modelling shows that poverty explains some, but not all, of the relationship between orphanhood and educational outcomes. Even once poverty was controlled for in the analysis, being orphaned was associated with negative educational outcomes for girls on all the relevant educational outcomes (Boler 2006), as measured through delayed enrolment into primary school, repetition rates, primary-school completion, and dropout. In other words, girl orphans were disadvantaged on the whole spectrum of educational outcomes regardless of their level of poverty. The finding that poverty does not completely explain the impact of AIDS on education highlights the importance of not simply relying on economic interventions, such as cash transfers of bursaries, in responding to the orphan crisis. The disadvantage faced by orphans in KwaZulu-Natal is not purely econ- omic in nature; there are other factors which influence orphaned girls to drop out of school. In fact, it appears that one of the main reasons why girl orphans are disadvantaged at school is because of increased rates of pregnancy and sexual Table 3: Odds of not having completed primary school in 2004 for boys and girls aged 13 to 16 in 2004, by sex, age and survival and residency status of parents Both boys and girls Boys only Girls only Odds ratio P Odds ratio P Odds ratio P Father resident 1 1 1 Father absent 1.45 0.17 1.16 0.68 2.20 0.09 Father dead 1.84 0.04 1.11 0.78 3.85 0.01 Mother resident 1 Mother absent 0.88 0.60 0.63 0.16 1.23 0.61 Mother dead 1.45 0.25 1.62 0.28 1.19 0.72 13 1 2.21 0.03 2.21 0.07 14 0.57 0.03 1.56 0.32 15 0.27 <0.01 0.42 0.04 16 0.13 <0.01 0.33 <0.01 0.13 0.01 Girls 0.31 <0.01 *The P value in the table shows what the probability is that the result is the result of random chance. If the P value is below 0.05, this means that the probability is less than 5 per cent that the effect is due to chance, or, in other words, the effect is significant at the 5 per cent significance level. Sexual vulnerability as a reason for dropping out of school In addition to poverty, the study looked at other reasons why orphaned girls are more likely drop out of school and found that the main reason for older girls is pregnancy, as shown in Figure 2. This finding has important ramifications. First, it challenges the dominant idea that staying in school reduces sexual vulnerability and sexual activity. It suggests, instead, that the relationship might be operating in the opposite direction that those who are sexually active are more likely to drop out of school. Of 37 girls in the study who had been pregnant and had dropped out, 23 (62 per cent) stated that they had dropped out because they were pregnant. In other words, the majority of girls are getting pregnant and then dropping out of school, rather than dropping out first and then becoming pregnant. Second, it appears that although the South African government has policies in place to protect and support the educational rights of teenage mothers, as schools are legally not allowed to refuse Figure 2: Reasons for dropout for boys and girls in KIDS 3 study to enrol them, in reality, pregnancy is still a major cause of dropout. As part of wider efforts towards Education for All, schools need to look more closely at how to retain female students who become pregnant. The study suggests that girl orphans are more sexually vulnerable than their female peers who are not orphaned. However, it is not clear if as Jewkes et al. argue (2001) the determinants of teenage pregnancy are unique to South Africas specific cultural and historical context, or if they are more generalisable. Exploratory discussions with researchers in the field suggest the following possible explanations for why paternal death might increase the probability of pregnancy: Paternal death might decrease the social capital available to girls, which increases their sexual vulnerability. Fathers may play an important role in protecting their daughters from sexual relationships and if they are not present, boys and men might be more likely to try to have sex with the girls. A psychological reaction to parental death by the girls might be an urge to create new life. Children are psychologically scarred through parental death and likely to behave in socially deviant ways (perhaps boys through truancy and girls through having sexual relationships). Girls might be seeking substitute father figures through boyfriends. In order to examine some of these hypotheses, in-depth qualitative studies are needed, as well as more studies which explicitly focus on the determinants of teenage pregnancy. This finding on pregnancy also shows the importance of linking together studies of sexual health and education outcomes with strong economic data. Many household surveys focus on one of these areas (according to the research interests of the group), but may inadvertently foster a one- dimensional view of the impact of AIDS and thus over-emphasise the poverty or educational dimensions while ignoring some of the social dimensions. In effect, a vicious cycle has been set up in which AIDS impacts on the daughters of dead men to make them more sexually vulnerable (increasing their risk of HIV), which in turn impacts negatively on their education. The resulting reduction in educational attainment may in turn further increase the risk of HIV infection, as HIV vulnerability has shifted from more educated to less educated populations. A similar cycle is set up with the economic pathway in which, when a father dies, the household becomes more economically vulnerable, which causes girls to drop out. The resulting lower levels of education increase the economic vulnerability of the girl, which in turn will increase her risk of HIV infection. This study has shown strong gender differences in terms of how the educational outcomes of orphans differ. In KwaZulu-Natal, a father dying has a larger impact on educational outcomes than if a mother dies. This study has been instrumental, therefore, in highlighting the importance of fathers in determining the well-being of children. This importance goes beyond an economic role and is likely to include psycho-social factors. However, it should be noted that, broadly speaking, the family structure in South Africa differs from many other African countries, and it may therefore be the case that the importance attributed to fathers in this analysis is not generalisable across the region. In poorer countries, the economic role of fathers may be more important as a determinant of educational outcomes. Similarly, in countries where most children live with their father, the impact of the father dying may be even larger than in South Africa. Orphaned children are, on the whole, performing worse than unorphaned children. The other important gendered finding of this study is that orphanhood affects boys and girls in different ways: for boys, being orphaned leads to poorer daily attendance and delayed enrolment, whereas for girls the impact is on delayed enrolment, as well as on primary-school completion, repetition, and dropout. Although the impact of orphanhood on education is more severe for girls, the overarching gender inequality in educational outcomes must also be considered. In South Africa, boys generally perform worse than girls, and on outcomes such as repetition or primary-school completion, girl orphans perform no worse than unorphaned boys. Any South African response should therefore address boys low educational outcomes and not merely target girls. This gender pattern is different from that of many other African countries where girls generally perform worse than boys, and therefore the gender patterns identified in this analysis are unlikely to be replicated in all countries across the continent. One of the most important findings from the studies is that the impact of orphanhood negatively affects childrens education for reasons which are not wholly economic; particularly through increased sexual vulnerability and pregnancy for older girls. 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Building the Evidence Base to Meet the Challenges 6 The road less travelled: gender-based interventions in the education-sector response to HIV (From The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost) Gender roles and relations have a significant influence on the course and impact of the HIV epidemic in every region of the world. Understanding the influence of gender roles and relations on individuals and communities ability to protect themselves from HIV and effectively cope with the impact of AIDS is crucial for expanding the response to the epidemic. (UNAIDS 1998) This chapter takes stock of the experience of nearly two decades of responding to HIV through the education sector and considers how gender issues have been addressed. It seeks to identify what interventions might be effective, and points to the steps that need to be taken by ministries of education to put these in place. In summary, it concludes that responses to HIV need to prioritise maximising the synergies between concerns with gender, education, and the HIV response. In particular there are lessons to be learned from gender-disaggregated data, and consideration of the ways in which masculinities and femininities shape experiences of education. There is a long way to go in most education systems in relation to developing an evidence base through monitoring and evaluation of gender issues and developing gender-sensitive practices in administration and in learning about HIV. However, there are some islands of good practice which give pointers to developments that can take place. Since HIV is spread primarily through sex, addressing gender norms, the societal scripts or messages that dictate what is appropriate or expected behaviour for males and females, is increasingly recognised as an important strategy to prevent the spread of HIV infection (Pulerwitz et al.).An effective response to the epidemic must be built on understanding those influences in their social context. HIV vulnerability and risks are gender-specific (see Box 1) and specific attention to related gender issues will be a hallmark of an appropriate education programme. Box 1: HIV vulnerability and risks are gender-specific Unequal power relations give women a subordinate position and make them socially dependent on male family members: women have less access to health care, employment, education, information, etc. Thus women are in a poorer position to control when, with whom, or in what circumstances they have sex. The ideology of fidelity, love, and trust within marriages/relationships often leads couples of all ages to neglect or abandon condom use. Marriage and long-term relationships are proving high-risk conditions for long-term partners, especially women, to contract HIV. Acceptance of double standards for men and women normalises men seeking multiple partners and encourages men to go into sexual circulation without commitment to sexual Early marriage forces girls to have sex before their bodies are fully developed, which heightens the risk. Young girls are forced or lured into unsafe sex with HIV-positive men, because the men assume the girls are not HIV-positive and/or they mistakenly believe that sex with a virgin can cure HIV. Young women are kept ignorant about sexual matters as this is often viewed as a sign of purity and innocence. In sexual relations, both men and women often learn to prioritise mens sexual pleasure and disregard womens sexual agency. Common attitudes about gender differences that associate masculinity with risk-taking, aggression, and disregard for possible damaging consequences reinforce mens neglect of sexual safety and promote sexual irresponsibility. Expected masculine behaviours interfere with the ability of boys/men to clarify incomplete knowledge about sex, and discourage them from expressing uncertainty and exploring safer sexual behaviour. Both men and women often have expectations of masculine behaviour that discourage boys/men from discussing problems and feelings, and exclude them from active participation in caring practices (for the young, the elderly, the ill). As a result, men more readily deal with sexual and HIV situations using violence, or with high-risk actions, dissociating themselves from both the problem and the solution. Homophobia inhibits many men from taking responsibility for their sexual practices, associating unsafe practices with other kinds of men, rather than the risk activity of sexual intercourse itself. Men who live as heterosexuals but also have sex with men are often ill-prepared to practise safer sex. Source: Norwegian Working Group on HIV/AIDS and Gender (2001) HIV/AIDS and Gender: An Awareness Folder, Oslo. The road less travelled: gender-based interventions in the education-sector response to HIV Sophisticated gender analysis is required The data on HIV infection rates among women and men have led to a discourse on the feminisation of the epidemic, a potentially misleading concept, since the spread of HIV among women is not fully a result of female agency, as exemplified by increasing numbers of monogamous married women infected by their husbands. A strong focus on women and HIV is convergent with a developing emphasis on girls education (Department for International Development 2005), coinciding with specific attention to girls education and HIV (UNICEF 2005). Enrolling and retaining girls at school, particularly until secondary level, will contribute to reducing their vulnerability to HIV. Whether these insights are considered in the formulation of national policies and strategies and whether these enable sustained progress towards gender equality in education and appropriate HIV education should be continuously and objectively reviewed. Concern with girls education can be considered as necessary, but not sufficient for comprehensive changes in the status of women. The strong emphasis on girls education risks neglecting the contribution that boys and men make to gender inequality at school and in wider society.A more holistic perspective on education would analyse the social practices of males as well as females.A more sophisticated gender analysis is required; one which includes attention to aggressive male behaviours, sexuality, and violence to women. Research in sub-Saharan Africa has found that many young men view violence against women, including verbal threats and coercive sex, as a socially acceptable dimension of male authority (Barker and Ricardo 2005). The prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV) in and around the school setting should be a concern from an Education for All perspective, as well as for preventing HIV. In some contexts, girls may be subject to routine sexual advances from older male students and even from male teachers (Leach et al. 2000, Leach, this volume). In the vicinity of schools, girls may be preyed on by older men, so- called sugar daddies who seek sex in return for gifts or money to pay school fees (ibid.). The role of masculinities in encouraging and legitimising violence to obtain sexual access or dominance may be reinforced in school through peer interactions and conversations (Kenyway and Fitzclarence 1997). The study of masculinity is emerging as an important issue in education (Dillabough 2006) revealing multiple and competing forms. This has facilitated the emergence of a broader understanding of equity issues in educational discourse and practices. However, in many countries school-related GBV goes unchecked in the face of indifference from school administrators, the larger community, and the Ministry of Education (USAID 2004). By failing to punish sexual aggression or turning a blind eye to teachers having sexual relationships with their pupils, schools may foster harmful gendered practices which will likely stay with a child through to adult life (Leach et al. 2003). There is evidence that GBV has short- and long- term consequences, including physical and psychological damage as well as social repercussions, including school drop-out (USAID 2007). Transmission of HIV by males who have sex with males constitutes a field of gender analysis and response that is seldom included in education-sector practice. Similarly the nexus between homophobia, bullying, and HIV-related stigmatisation is one that is conspicuously neglected in contexts where this ought to be a social-policy issue. The UK is one of a very few countries that have recently taken a policy stand on homophobia in schools (Department for Children, Schools and Families 2006). It is hard to evade the conclusion that only when education policies and strategies are more fully informed by a more comprehensive gender analysis that includes an understanding of masculinities will educational opportunity for all become a reality rather than an aspiration, and the education response to HIV become meaningful to the learner. The persistence of gender inequality in education is a result of inequitable societal norms and values, and the education system may function as a means of reproducing them (Clarke 2005). How then should Ministries of Education develop a more comprehensive response? The continuum of response WHO (WHO 2003) has identified a range of technical approaches for integrating gender into HIV programmes that form a continuum, including harmful responses that negate any potential programme improvements through incorporating discriminatory gender distinctions. In addition the following approaches are identified: Do no harm. This approach involves the elimination of damaging assumptions and stereotypes concerning men and women. It constitutes a first step along the continuum. Gender-sensitive programmes. Gender-sensitive responses involve the recognition that the various HIV-related needs of men and women are often different, not only because of physiology, but more importantly on account of gender norms and relations. Transformative interventions. These are interventions that seek to transform gender roles and create more gender-equitable norms and relationships. They seek to change the underlying conditions that cause gender inequalities. Interventions that empower. Empowering interventions are those which seek to equalise the balance of power between men and women. This continuum of response is highly applicable to the education sector in relation, not only to HIV education, but also to education service delivery in general. It is important that Ministries of Education understand the different approaches and are able to place themselves on the response continuum. Whether their position is appropriate to the context of the epidemic is the next question, and this involves the ministry understanding the gendered factors of vulnerability and risk among the student population, and what education can do about them. The role of education in HIV prevention It is now routinely asserted that in the absence of a vaccine or a cure for HIV, education constitutes one of the priority approaches to HIV prevention and for dealing with its adverse social consequences, especially among young people (UNAIDS IATT on Education 2003). The education sector has become important in the national multi-sectoral response to the epidemic as it offers a cost-effective vehicle for providing knowledge (World Bank 2002), shaping attitudes and, under certain conditions (Kirby et al. 2006), the development of skills on a large scale. Most importantly, it can provide significant learning before most young people are exposed to sexual risk, the main mode of HIV transmission. Hence it can play a role in supporting behaviours that assist them in remaining uninfected. Experience gathered over more than a decade in education-sector responses to HIV permit the identification of four key benefits arising from effective programmes. These are: vulnerability reduction; risk reduction; reduction in HIV-related stigma and discrimination; and impact mitigation on children and staff. Vulnerability to HIV is highly context-specific. Responses need to be prepared based on comprehensive assessments of child and adolescent vulnerability to social situations that may expose them to HIV. Children and adolescents who are especially vulnerable need to be identified.Vulnerability reduction can be achieved through increasing access to education for poor children at all levels, especially for girls, and putting in place strategies to ensure that they attend, complete, and achieve learning outcomes. Schools and places of learning help to reduce vulnerability to sexual exploitation by increasing the social connectedness of students (UNAIDS IATT on Education 2003). Vulnerability can also be addressed through education, which aims to promote gender equality through changing discriminatory gender norms and harmful practices of masculinity. Interventions such as child-friendly schools may also contribute to vulnerability reduction. Vulnerability reduction through education is in part a structural intervention, but may also include specific targeted interventions to raise awareness of vulnerability factors as well as contribute to changing norms and behaviours. Risk reduction can be achieved through life-skills education which specifically addresses those risks that confront a target group. Not all adolescents are at the same risk. Thus, age-appropriate programmes need to be based on assessments of risk and identify those adolescents most at risk. These represent a priority for HIV-specific resources and are typically children out of school (UNICEF et al. 2007). School-based programmes offer a very large target population and provide an opportunity for interventions to reach a very large number of young people before or around the time when they become sexually active and engage in high-risk behaviours. They encourage young people to delay the onset of sexual activity, while reducing the number of partners and increasing the use of condoms by young people who are already sexually active. School-based programmes are less useful in contexts where the majority of adolescents are out HIV-related stigma can be reduced through education programmes which can contribute to dispelling myths and misconceptions about HIV, as well as building compassion for those infected and affected. Education programmes that involve people living with HIV appear to be particularly effective in reducing stigma. Workplace policies have a key role in addressing HIV-related stigma and discrimination. In generalised epidemics over time, HIV can impact on the supply of education staff; the demand for education among affected families, especially where orphaning has taken place; and the quality of education service delivery. In these contexts, impact mitigation is critical to safeguard the functions of the sector. The balance of interventions should be tailored to match the nature and dynamics of a national HIV epidemic. In all cases, the highest priority needs to be given to HIV prevention through education programmes that aim to reduce vulnerability and risk to HIV. These programmes need to be evidence-based, considering the factors of vulnerability and risk behaviours of the target group and what constitutes an effective response in delivering an intervention. There is a strong tendency for education responses to HIV to be developed outside the education mainstream on the margins of curriculum and practice. This is due to the perception that HIV is a health issue and not an educational issue. It may also be because funding tends to be external and accessed through HIV budgets rather than education-assistance budgets. A third factor is that many educators tend to stigmatise HIV education and frequently do not understand the specialised field. What needs to be better understood is that HIV education responses can contribute significantly to improving the general quality of education, educational access, and equity. They need to become part of the educational mainstream. The gender dimensions of HIV and education This potential of the education sector must be assessed together with its complex relationship with gender inequalities. Education policies that aim at gender equality are contested. Educational opportunity is strongly affected by gender, with girls and women having less access to education in most countries. The school is a gendered environment where girls can be exposed to discrimination and violence (Leach et al. 2000). An understanding of gender is central to understanding HIV vulnerability and risk. These assessments are true as much inside the education sector, with its potential to contribute to protection against the epidemic, as outside. On top of the difficulties entailed in negotiating gender inequality in education, the role of education in tackling HIV is imperfectly understood by those who most need to take action. Although the ministry of education is pivotal in responding to HIV, many ministries are not yet fully engaged in tackling HIV (World Bank 2004c). Not all HIV-related education interventions are effective (Kirby et al. 1994). Most countries have tended to develop a piecemeal approach to HIV in the education sector, based on small-scale projects, often donor- funded and driven. These have often led to a fragmented set of interventions requiring considerable investments in terms of co-ordination and scaling up. How then should ministries of education develop a comprehensive response to HIV which takes account of the gender dimensions of the epidemic? A ministry of education has to respond to the following key questions: 1. How can the education system be most effectively and efficiently harnessed for HIV prevention and for building coping skills in the context of a generalised epidemic? 2. How can the education system safeguard itself in the face of threats to education demand and supply arising out of the impacts of HIV on sector personnel, children, and the community? 3. How can the rights of all children and education staff who are either infected with or affected by HIV be assured? 4. How can education build competencies across society to prevent HIV- related stigma and discrimination? The questions are straightforward enough; however, an evidence-based approach is required to arrive at the most appropriate solutions to the problem, and one that takes adequate account of gender dynamics. Thus to what extent are girls and boys vulnerable through contextual, environmental, and social factors to HIV exposure? To what extent are children and young adults at risk from HIV transmission on account of their behaviours? How is risk-taking conditioned by gender? What role does the social construction of masculinity play? What beliefs and practices promote the stigmatisation of people living with or affected by HIV? How are stigma and discrimination affected by gender norms and practices? How is the education system responding strategically to gender inequality? What needs to be done to build capacity to develop, implement, and sustain an effective response, and how do HIV interventions mesh with this? What is the extent of the threat to education service delivery posed by the current and projected national HIV epidemic, and what are the gender dynamics? Which impacts can be prevented and which are unavoidable and will need to be mitigated? Which interventions will be most cost-effective? The evidence base on gender and the education response to HIV is woefully inadequate in terms of providing a clear guide to which interventions are likely to be effective. A number of key interventions can be identified where gender can be addressed. These are: education-sector policy; institutional capacity; the curriculum; and teacher training. Education-sector policy A coherent, comprehensive, and scaled-up response to HIV is considerably more problematic to achieve without a specific policy in place. Policy is required to define priorities, rights, entitlements, and responsibilities with regard to the HIV response in the education sector. It should specify clearly responsibilities for implementation and monitoring/review. An important aspect of having a policy in place is that it demonstrates ownership by the ministry of the issue and the response. It permits greater accountability by civil society, assuming of course that it is readily accessible to all through a national dissemination process. Policy on HIV for the education sector needs to be fully aligned with existing sector policies as well as other national policies on HIV and AIDS. An initial exercise therefore is often needed to review existing policy to establish how it currently supports and conditions the education response to HIV. Policy, once approved, needs to be disseminated across the entire sector. Guidance and resources need to be made available to schools for implementation. Systems need to be in place to monitor and review periodically the implementation and its intended outcomes in the sector. Education-sector policy on HIV may be contained in a range of instruments which include the National AIDS Policy (e.g. Bangladesh; see Directorate General of Health Services et al. 1996), National AIDS Law (e.g. Cambodia), Policy Framework for Children and AIDS (e.g. India; see National AIDS Control Organisation 2007), National HIV/AIDS Strategy (e.g. Indonesia; see Office of the Co-ordinating Minister for Peoples Welfare and National AIDS Commission 2003), or in education-sector-specific policy (Namibia; see Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture and Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Employment Creation 2003). It is the latter which will provide the most detailed policy guidance for the sector. Putting in place a specific education-sector policy for HIV is a litmus test of a governments political engagement with the issue and its technical capacity to respond to the challenge. A key component of any education-sector policy on HIV is a comprehensive workplace policy consistent with ILO and UNESCO guidance (International Labour Organization and UNESCO 2006). Such a document should address issues of sexual abuse (Kelly and Bain 2005). It should clearly specify respon- sibilities for implementation and monitoring/review. An important aspect of having a policy in place is that it demonstrates ownership by the ministry of the issue and the response. It also permits greater transparency and accountability to civil society. In developing a policy, a number of gender issues need to be considered. First, in terms of HIV prevention, what are the needs of young people (e.g. knowledge and skills, vulnerability and risk reduction) that can be met through school education? How are these gendered? At which age should HIV education be introduced in the curriculum? How should HIV education be included in the curriculum and the co-curriculum? What should be the content, pedagogy, and time allocation? Should girls and boys be taught separately or together? What teaching and learning resources will be required? Are any different resources required for boys and girls? How do teachers need to be prepared to teach effectively about HIV (through in-service and pre-service training)? What are the gender considerations that must be addressed with regard to pre-service and in-service training? How are parents/guardians and the community, including people living with HIV and AIDS, to be involved? How can gender power relations in the community be addressed? How can schools be made safer places (from abuse, violence, exploitation, HIV transmission through accidents, HIV- related stigma, and homophobia, etc.)? How can the ways in which schools might encourage harmful gender divisions be addressed? How can schools be made healthier places of learning? What gender-related interventions are needed such as providing separate toilets for boys and girls? Treatment, care, and support What are the issues concerning the education of HIV-positive children? Do girls and boys have different needs? Why? What are the issues concerning the education of children whose parents are living with HIV or who have lost a parent/parents to AIDS? Does the loss of a father or mother have different implications, and what might appropriate policy be? What are the issues concerning teachers continuing to work while living with HIV? Are the issues different for men and women teachers? How do schools provide linkages with health services for testing and counselling and anti-retroviral therapy (ART)? What are the gender differences entailed, for example, in making transport to health centres easier for men or for women? Why? How do schools provide linkages with social services (for children infected and affected by HIV and AIDS)? Do social services have different policies for boys and girls? Workplace support What kinds of policy support does a teacher living with HIV need, in order to continue working at school? Are there differences for men and women? Do any codes of professional ethics or conduct protect staff and students from sexual harassment? How are these implemented? How do teachers need to be supported to enable them to remain uninfected by HIV? How do assumptions about masculinity and femininity affect this? How should schools ensure that there is no HIV-related discrimination in schools/education? How does this work with wider gender-equality policy? How can teachers unions support teachers with regard to their work and HIV and AIDS? Are there different issues about work and pay for men and women? Management of response Who in the ministry of education is responsible for the implementation of its response to HIV and AIDS? How is gender analysis implemented? What additional capacity needs to be built or existing capacity strengthened to respond to HIV effectively? What capacity is required to mainstream gender and HIV? Once approved, policy needs to be disseminated across the entire sector. The Ministry of Education and Youth in Jamaica, for example, developed a national workshop-based dissemination process for its education-sector policy (Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture 2001) involving its HIV Resource Team (UNESCO 2005). It has also placed the policy on its website. Implementation concerns the whole sector, and systems need to be in place to monitor and review periodically implementation and its associated outcomes in the sector. The challenges of policy implementation are graphically illustrated by research undertaken in Kenya which found that most schools were not implementing the Education Sector HIV Policy (Republic of Kenya 2005), and most teachers did not know about the policy (CfBT 2006). Comprehensive evidence on how education policy on HIV has best addressed gender issues is as yet unavailable. Relatively few countries have developed specific detailed policies on HIV for the education sector, and even fewer have done detailed work on gender in those policies. Through a rapid content analysis, it was found that gender is addressed inconsistently, but in all cases there is limited coverage of gender-related issues and specific interventions. Table 1: Gender component of education-sector policy on HIV in selected Country Gender in education-sector HIV policy South Africa (1999) No mention. Jamaica (2001) No mention. Namibia (2003) Zero tolerance of sexual abuse, harassment, exploitation, and assault of students. Appropriate systems and safeguards to be put in place. Kenya (2005) Principle of gender responsiveness. Application of all aspects of the policy should be responsive to the different needs of women and men, boys and girls. Learning institutions will create rape and sexual harassment awareness through sensitisation among girls and boys, men and women, to enhance safety, protection, and prompt action on post-exposure prophylaxis where available. Recruitment and deployment of staff. The ministry of education will ensure that partners and spouses are not separated unnecessarily. Sierra Leone (2005) Gender sensitivity is a guiding principle. Strategy for building gender-sensitive workplace HIV and AIDS peer education. Development and distribution of age-specific and gender- sensitive background and curriculum materials to all schools and institutions. countries continued Uganda (2006) Ensure that access to information, communication, and education on HIV and AIDS is universal and appropriate, taking cognizance of the age, gender, culture, and religion of beneficiaries of the sector. Gender is a guiding principle. Ensure that vulnerabilities and susceptibilities are analysed in the context of men and women, as well as promoting sensitivity to unique challenges experienced by both sexes in the sector as a result of their differences and the existing social expectations. In particular, the unique factors affecting women and the girl child in context of HIV and AIDS will be given special focus. Sexual harassment, abuse, exploitation, or assault of fellow students or learners are prohibited and shall be severely punished. UNESCO Gold Star Not a single reference to any gender-related issue or response in (2005) this hypothetical state, developed to exemplify best practice. Sources: Department of Education 1999; Government of Sierra Leone 2005; UNESCO 2005. It can be seen that gender is a key concern in only a handful of education-sector policies on HIV. Within these there is considerable diversity in how the sector will respond at all levels of the education system to institutionalise the HIV response. Institutional capacity In a central ministry of education, gender-analysis capacity needs to be developed with a full-time focal point or co-ordinator, or the establishment of a team within a unit specialising in HIV to deal with policy and implementation, including monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and tackling any abuse of pupils in schools. In education regions/districts there needs to be similar capacity developed with emphasis on implementation, including M&E. In curriculum-development centres (school health/life skills/HIV education), capacity in gender analysis needs to be supported and sustained. In teacher training institutions gender analysis and research skills need to be developed. In schools (school management boards, parentteacher associations, school principals, nodal or focal teachers, and peer educators), capacity to ensure that schools are, at a minimum, gender- sensitive in the teaching and learning environment (UNICEF 2002) needs to be developed. A whole-school approach is most likely to be successful in achieving this. Teacher training is a key area for investment. Teachers need to be trained to be more aware of their responsibilities as role models and not to abuse their position, while pupils need access to counselling services. School cultures need to be less authoritarian and more open and democratic (Leach 2004). The curriculum is likely to be the main vehicle for school-based HIV education. Six key sets of issues need to be addressed (UNAIDS IATT on Education 2003): understanding the nature of HIV infection, knowing which behaviours to avoid, knowing how to avoid risk, adopting attitudes of respect for human rights, understanding the nature and dynamics of human relationships, and skills development. These factors are often described from a bio-medical perspective. In developing a clear understanding of the gender dynamics in each of these areas, each needs to be put in a social context to develop understanding of gender norms, sexuality, and risk-taking behaviours. These will vary significantly from context to context. To develop a relevant and appropriate curriculum, there needs to be a compre- hensive knowledge base on HIV-related vulnerability and risk behaviours of children and young people.An assessment of the motivation, knowledge, and skills of the teachers who would deliver the HIV-related curriculum is also needed. HIV should be integrated into a wider skills-based health programme.1 The curriculum content should address age, gender, and culturally appropriate HIV-prevention methods, and promote non-discriminatory behaviours and attitudes to people living with HIV. It should address gender inequality and power issues, including violence and non-consensual sex, and stigma and discrimination. Good-quality teaching and learning materials need to be developed and used at all levels in the education system. The provision of good-quality teacher training to implement the curriculum as designed is an essential component of the response. Classroom teaching may require separate sessions for boys and girls,as is the current practice in India in the Adolescence Education Programme. In other contexts it may be possible to address the needs of both boys and girls in mixed groups (Schneker and Nyirenda 2002). In practice, it is likely that a combination of both single and mixed groups may be the most effective to meet their different practical and strategic gender needs. The evidence base is weak in this regard, and more research is required into gender and the pedagogy of HIV-preventive education. The UNAIDS Interagency Task Team on Young People has undertaken a systematic review of the evidence from developing countries on preventing HIV in young people (UNAIDS IATT on Young People 2006). It concluded that there is a sufficiently strong evidence base to support the widespread implementation of school-based interventions that incorporate the characteristics of effective programmes, which have been derived from available research results. There is strong evidence that these programmes reduce sexual risk behaviour. Nearly all school-based programmes have strong evidence for increasing knowledge (Kirby et al. 2006), though this can be contentious (Stover and Johnston 1999). The actions needed to achieve effective curriculum-based HIV education programmes are presented below in Table 2, with comments on how to enhance this dimension from a gender perspective. The original table paid scant attention to gender, and an attempt has been made to rectify this, highlighting the centrality of gender to curriculum development, goals and objectives, teaching and learning approaches, and methods and implementation. However, the majority of curriculum-based programmes have paid limited attention to the issues. This is exemplified in the Sourcebook of HIV Prevention Programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa (World Bank 2004a). In 13 different programmes, only two (from Senegal and Zambia) explicitly mention gender. The Senegal programme (GEEP) attempts to be transformative in that it challenges young peoples attitudes on gender. The Zambian programme (CHEP) includes gender-specific objectives and strategies. In drawing up the table I have synthesised good practice, but implementation remains to be researched. Table 2: Actions for effective curriculum-based HIV education programmes Developing the curriculum Actions Enhancing the centrality of gender Involve multiple people with different Should involve gender specialists backgrounds in theory, research, and HIV Assess relevant needs and assets of target Assessment should involve comprehensive group gender analysis Use a logic model to develop the curriculum Curriculum-development process should which specifies the health goals, the risk, be informed by analysis of gendered and the protective factors affecting those vulnerability, risk, and protective factors behaviours, and the activities addressing those risk and protective factors Design activities consistent with Community values need to be assessed community values and available resources from a gender perspective (such as staff time, staff skills, facility Harmful norms need to be addressed space, and supplies) Pilot-test the programme The pilot programme needs to be assessed for evidence of its effectiveness The assessment needs to be conducted on a gender-sensitive basis Content: curriculum goals and objectives Focus on clear health goals such as the To be informed by gender analysis of prevention of sexually transmitted practices that protect against STIs and HIV infections (STIs) and HIV Focus narrowly on specific behaviours To be informed by gender analysis (e.g. of leading to those health goals (such as which behaviours may be easy/difficult for abstaining from sex or using condoms or girls and boys) other contraceptives) Give clear messages about these behaviours and address situations that might lead to them and how to avoid them Address multiple sexual-psychosocial risk To be informed by gender analysis of and protective factors (such as knowledge, forms of risk and strategies to overcome perceived risks, values, attitudes, perceived this norms, and self-efficacy) Create a safe social environment in which Undertake a gender analysis of how young youths can participate men and young women use the learning environment and which processes encourage participation by all Include multiple activities in which youths To be informed by gender analysis of can participate activities Use instructionally sound teaching methods To be informed by gender analysis of how that actively involve participants, that help learners engage with instructions participants personalise the information, and that are designed to change each group of risk and protective factors Use activities, instructional methods, and To be informed by gender analysis of behavioural messages that are appropriate widely used approaches and how these to the culture and sexual experience of the can change Cover topics in a logical sequence Take care that attention is given to topics that address girls and boys Secure at least minimal support from Support to be sought from government appropriate authorities, such as ministries and civil-society organisations that have an of health, school districts, or community interest in promoting gender equality Select educators with desired To be informed by gender analysis. characteristics, train them, and provide Monitoring and evaluation to be gender- them with monitoring, supervision, and sensitive If needed, implement activities to recruit To be informed by gender analysis of how and retain youths and overcome barriers to information circulates and how parents their involvement (e.g. publicise the consent to the participation of their sons programme, obtain consent from youths and daughters and parents) Implement virtually all activities as To be evaluated from a gender perspective designed looking at gender-disaggregated data and what the impact has been on girls and boys Little is known about how ministries of education are addressing issues of mas- culinity and femininity through the curriculum, and with what outcomes. Teaching and learning resources dealing with masculinity have been developed in a number of contexts, including India (UNESCO 2006), Brazil, and Mexico (Instituto Promundo 2002), but little is known about the use of such materials in school settings. There are promising programmes such as the Conscientising Male Adolescents Programme in secondary schools in Nigeria, which uses a process of dialogue and enquiry to question and challenge existing gender norms and practices (USAID 2007). The importance of involving students and teachers in researching gender norms and practices preparatory to developing the HIV curriculum cannot be overstated. This is critical for evidence-based curriculum development.A multi-country study (UNICEF 2002a) undertaken in Africa investigating childrens perspectives on gender, sexuality, and HIV education provided a wealth of information revealing how boys and girls construct gender differences, the presence of sexual double standards, conflict between tradition and modernity, boys power over girls, the activities of sugar daddies and mommies, and problematic relations with adults. How this has been translated into curricular practice across the seven participating countries is unclear, however, and would require follow-up research. Research on gender issues relating to HIV-prevention education curricula remains the exception rather than the rule. A rare example concerns the development of Primary School Action for Better health (PSABH) in Kenya (Maticka-Tyndale et al. 2004). Analysis of focus-group discussions with young people led to the articulation of a sexual script that makes playing sex appear necessary and inevitable for Kenyan young people. Importantly, however, girls do not appear to be as powerless, nor do boys appear as powerful, as portrayed in some research. Knowledge of the content of the sexual script and the points where alternative directions can be taken has provided insights into potential strategies for developing HIV-prevention programming. Placing such programming within the context of existing scripts may support young people in developing new normative patterns of sexual encounter which may reduce young peoples vulner- ability to HIV infection. The fundamental importance of including gender at all stages of the curriculum- development process on HIV education is clear enough. The way forward is for ministries of education to invest more in building gender-related technical capacity to carry out some of the processes detailed below. Complementary approaches to curriculum-based HIV-prevention programmes typically involve the co-curriculum. These include peer-education programmes, school anti-AIDS clubs, ministry of education information, education, and communication (IEC) strategies, and the promotion of youth-friendly health services for STI treatment, voluntary counselling and testing, and condom distribution. However, while a number of these activities are documented, little is said about their gendered dynamics. Anti-AIDS clubs target youth and out-of-school activities. There is a lack of research on anti-AIDS clubs from a gender perspective. It is clearly much needed to ensure programme effectiveness. One multi-country study (UNICEF 2002a) in sub-Saharan Africa found that boys dominated activities in school anti-AIDS clubs, while in Zimbabwe and Zambia it was reported that girls who joined these clubs were often seen as bad girls who were actually chasing boys. Research points to the need to pay more attention to teachers, since they are the means by which HIV-education programmes reach students (Gallant and Maticka-Tyndale 2004). Effective HIV educators need to be developed through pre-service and in-service training to teach a skills-based approach to HIV prevention. This requires the adoption of participatory teaching methods and classroom management skills, a major challenge in education systems that retain didactic teacher-centred pedagogy and where class sizes are large. Enhancing teachers content knowledge of HIV is an important facet of teacher training, as is developing confidence to handle sensitive and taboo topics with ease in the classroom. To bring about a more transformative approach, gender-awareness training specifically designed to help teachers examine and confront their own biases and stereotyping and promote gender equality is clearly needed in both pre- and in-service training (USAID 2007). Teacher motivation and commitment to the programme are critically important factors in programme success. Guidelines for teachers on HIV in all education institutions need to be prepared, disseminated, and used. Teachers guides prepared from a gender perspective should be available to support the implementation of the HIV curriculum. These need to include attention to developing awareness about HIV and gender, and developing pedagogic skills for use in the classroom. Teachers unions should be involved in supporting gender equality and HIV education efforts. In generalised HIV epidemics, ministries of education need to respond to the losses of human capital by taking measures to manage the impact of HIV and mobilise partners such as workers organisations in this endeavour. In the case of education systems, teachers unions are key organisations that can be mobilised to help address both the impact of HIV and also HIV prevention. It is important for ministries of education to ensure an appropriate gender balance and to monitor attrition rates of the teaching stock from a gender perspective. Gender- disaggregated data in this respect would be useful. Gender also needs to be taken into account in designing strategies for HIV prevention among teachers, and teacher recruitment. The most noticeable impact on the system in high-impact contexts is the permanent loss of teachers through death, employment change, retirement, or chronic illness. HIV tends to exacerbate existing attrition rates.A less direct form of impact is temporary teacher loss through illness or occasional and compassionate leave to attend funerals of colleagues or family members. Temporary absences will be harder to measure than permanent loss, and since teacher-attendance records are often neglected, this form of impact may be underestimated (ibid.). These constitute dimensions of the impact of HIV on the supply of education that also include the losses of education managers, teacher educators, and other key staff. The gender dimensions of these need to kept under review. The recent expansion of access to anti-retroviral therapy (ART) through initiatives such as the WHO Three by Five initiative and PEPFAR has important implications for the supply of teachers. Ensuring that teachers have access to treatment is an important area for policy development and capacity-building. ART can prolong life and productive service in the classroom. While costly, it will still be a cost-effective solution to teacher absenteeism through HIV illness and loss through early mortality. ART, if properly rolled out to all who require it (women and men alike), is likely to have a significant effect on the impact of HIV on the sector. The impact of HIV and AIDS on children has been comprehensively described, including the ability of children orphaned or made vulnerable by AIDS to continue to access and benefit from education. There are a number of ways in which HIV and AIDS impact on educational opportunities for children. In school, children who are either infected with or affected by HIV face possible discrimination by fellow pupils and by teachers. There is the reduced ability of affected families to pay for school fees, uniforms, books, and shoes, and the increased demand for child work at home or in the workplace, as well as the need for children to provide care for sick members of the household. In AIDS- affected households there may be a lower expected return on the investment in childrens schooling (Grainger et al. 2001). The learning capacity of children affected by HIV is negatively affected, by factors including poor nutrition, hunger, trauma, and emotional distress (Kelly 2005). Teachers often report that orphaned children are listless, excessively reserved and do not play or laugh as much as other children. It is of critical importance to make schools more responsive to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and to consider gender issues as part of this and enable these children to continue their education despite the challenges they face at home or in the community (USAID 2003). Human Rights Watch (2005) recommends the development of best practices for schools. Possible strategies identified include training teachers or guidance counsellors to address bereavement issues, supporting school-based peer-support groups, keeping schools open at night, liaising with community-based organisations to identify the most vulnerable children, and sensitising teachers to the needs of HIV- affected children. The World Bank OVC Toolkit for Sub-Saharan Africa advocates developing school-based psychosocial counselling services (World Bank 2004b), but gender as yet has not been highlighted. The UNAIDS IATT on Education recommends (UNAIDS IATT on Education 2004) training and support of teachers and village committees to identify vulnerable children and support them to go to school; empowering teacher parentcommunity associations to support schools to serve the needs of vulnerable children; establishing schoolcommunity campaigns to reduce discrimination related to HIV and AIDS; protection against sexual abuse and exploitation by focusing on safety and security in child-friendly schools; establishing and supporting clear codes of conduct and training for school staff; and developing comprehensive HIV and AIDS workplace policies compliant with the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS in the Workplace (International Labour Organization 2001). Gender is a key aspect of the context of HIV-affected vulnerable children and needs to be given a central place in developing appropriate interventions in response. The stigma and discrimination that children infected and affected by HIV face in school settings has been widely documented, for example in India (Human Rights Watch 2004) and in sub-Saharan Africa (Human Rights Watch 2005). It leads to discriminatory acts that can culminate in exclusion from education. In Rwanda, for example, children from families living with HIV are reportedly prevented from associating with or playing with others at secondary school (Perkins and Mulyanga 2005). The practice of isolating such students is apparently common, though not sanctioned by the school authorities. Verbal abuse in various forms by other students is also reported. A study of HIV- infected and affected children in South Africa found that most of the stories of discrimination at school related to other learners rather than teachers (Save the Children 2001). Through such HIV-related stigmatisation at school, educational inequity and the vulnerability of the children targeted are exacerbated. Strategies for success include tackling gender and racial stereotypes, and efforts should be made to counter prejudice against minorities that are discriminated against. Life-skills education and counselling to help HIV-infected and affected children cope with stigma should be promoted (Parker and Aggleton 2003). Workplace policies for the education sector should include zero tolerance for HIV-related stigma and discrimination. The impact of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV in the family and in the community can be profound and wide-ranging. It appears to be related to gender, class, and social status, with poor people generally most adversely affected. Associations of people living with HIV report the fear of revealing their HIV status because of the fear of being isolated and discriminated against by colleagues, humiliated by others, ousted from their jobs, and regarded as immoral. Addressing the stigmatisation of children and adults living with HIV or affected by HIV and AIDS is an area where education and teachers in particular can make a significant contribution to the multi-sectoral approach that is required to tackle this particular social phenomenon. Teachers have a potentially powerful role in combating HIV-related stigma and discrimination among the children they teach, the community they serve, and the profession to which they belong. In settings where there is high HIV prevalence, teachers are likely to be in contact with children affected by HIV, and have a clear duty to ensure not only that their own actions are non-stigmatising and non-discriminatory towards them in the school environment, but also to ensure that they seek to shape the values and behaviours of others in the same direction. Teachers who are gender-aware will have enhanced capacity to support children and adults. The potential for highlighting gender in developing an effective response to HIV is, despite islands of good practice, not yet realised. Ministries of education need to prioritise the following in developing their education-sector responses to HIV: consider putting gender education at the heart of the sector response to HIV; develop a comprehensive sector policy for HIV that provides a clear vision of how gender will be addressed in the HIV response; establish institutional capacity for a policy-based approach to gender and HIV, including monitoring and evaluation; ensure that the gender dimensions of vulnerability and risk are appropriately and adequately addressed in the HIV-related curriculum; invest in gender training in pre-service and in-service teacher training; put aside funding for evaluation studies to develop an evidence base to identify what works in gender and HIV education. There is an urgent need for governments to move along the intervention continuum towards more transformative approaches. Working along the WHO paradigm from policies that do no harm to those that are gender-sensitive is not technically difficult to arrange, but it does require political will and financial resources. There needs to be a concern with an evidence-based approach to curriculum development, informed by the views of the target population. Technical capacity and good administrative systems are critical to success. Robust gender-disaggregated monitoring and evaluation arrangements need to be put in place to verify whether policy objectives are met. Achieving and implementing gender-sensitive policy would be an enormous achievement and would likely make an important difference to the lives of young people. Beyond that, the move towards transformative initiatives would be of enormous significance. However, for the present, education ministries greatest challenge is to move towards mainstreaming HIV and gender, and from rhetoric to reality. 1 See FRESH (Focusing Resources on Effective School Health). FRESH resources are produced by WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO, and the World Bank. They are available from www.freshschools.org/ Barker, G. and C. Ricardo (2005) Young Men and the Construction of Masculinity in Sub-Saharan Africa: Implications for HIV/AIDS, Conflict and Violence, World Bank Social Development Paper No. 26, Washington DC: World Bank. CfBT (2006) An Analysis of HIV/AIDS Policy Formulation and Implementation Structures, Mechanism and Processes in the Education Sector in Kenya, Nairobi: CfBT. Clarke, D. (2005) Planning and Evaluation for Gender Equality in Education in the Context of HIV and AIDS, London: University of London Institute of Education. Department for Children, Schools and Families (2006) Homophobic Bullying: Safe to Learn: Embedding Anti-Bullying Work in Schools, London: Department for Children, Schools and Department for International Development (2005) Girls Education: Towards a Better Future for All, London: Department for International Development. Department of Education (1999) National Policy on HIV/AIDS for Learners and Educators in Public Schools and Students and Educators in Further Education and Training Institutions, Pretoria. Dillabough, J. (2006) Gender theory and research in education, in M. Arnot and M. Mac An Ghaill (eds.), The RoutledgeFalmer Reader in Gender and Education, Abingdon: Routledge. Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Government of Bangladesh (1996) National Policy on HIV/AIDS and STD Related Issues, Dhaka. Gallant, M. and E. Maticka-Tyndale (2004) School-based HIV prevention programmes for African youth, Social Science and Medicine 58: 133751. Government of Sierra Leone (2005) HIV/AIDS Policy for Education Sector, Freetown. Grainger, C., D. Webb, and L. Elliott (2001) Children Affected by HIV/AIDS: Rights and Responses in the Developing World, London: Save the Children. Human Rights Watch (2004) Futures Forsaken. Abuses Against Children Affected by HIV/AIDS, Human Rights Watch (2005) Letting them Fail. Government Neglect and the Right to Education of Children Affected by AIDS, New York: Human Rights Watch. Instituto PROMUNDO (2002) Program H, Rio de Janeiro. International Labour Organization (2001) The ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS in the Workplace, Geneva: International Labour Organization. International Labour Organization and UNESCO (2006) Improving Responses to HIV/AIDS in Education Sector Workplaces, Joint ILO/UNESCO Southern Africa Subregional Workshop, 30 Nov2 Dec, Maputo, Mozambique, Geneva: ILO. Kelly, M. (2005) The response of the educational system to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS, in G. Foster, C. Levine, and J. Williamson, A Generation at Risk: The Global Impact of HIV/AIDS on Orphans And Vulnerable Children, Cambridge: Cambridge Kelly, M. and B. Bain (2005) Education and HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean, Kingston: Ian Randle Kenyway, J. and L. Fitzclarence (1997) Masculinity, violence and schooling: challenging poisonous pedagogies, Gender and Education 9(1): 11734. Kirby, D., A. Obasi, and B. Laris (2006) The effectiveness of sex education interventions in schools in developing countries, in UNAIDS Task Team on Young People: Preventing HIV/AIDS in Young People, New York: UNAIDS. Kirby, D., L. Short, J. Collins, D. Rugg, L. Kolbe, M. Howard, B. Miller, F. Sonenstein, and L.S. Zabin (1994) School-Based Programs to Reduce Sexual Risk Behaviors: a Review of Effectiveness, Public Health Reports 109(3): 33961. Leach, F. (2004) School-Based Gender Violence in Africa: A Risk to Adolescent Sexual Health, in C. Coombe (ed.) The HIV Challenge to Education. A Collection of Essays, Paris: UNESCO, IIEP. Leach, F., P. Machakanja, and J. Mandoga (2000) Preliminary Investigation of the Abuse of Girls in Zimbabwean Junior Secondary Schools, Education Research Serial Number 39, London: the Abuse of Girls in African Schools, Educational Paper: Researching the Issues, Number 54, London: Department for International Development. Maticka-Tyndale, E., M. Gallant, C. Brouillard-Coyle, D. Holland, K. Metcalfe, J. Wildish, and M. Gichuru (2004) The Sexual Scripts of Young Kenyan people and HIV Prevention, Culture, Health and Sexuality 7(1):2741. Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture and the Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Employment Creation (2003) National Policy on HIV/AIDS for the Education Sector, Windhoek. Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture (2001) HIV/AIDS Management in Schools, Kingston: Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture. National AIDS Control Organisation (2007) Policy Framework for Children and AIDS, New Delhi: National AIDS Control Organisation. Office of the Co-ordinating Minister for Peoples Welfare and National AIDS Commission (2003) Indonesia National HIV/AIDS Strategy 20032007, Jakarta. Parker R. and P. Aggleton (2003) HIV and AIDS-related stigma and discrimination: A conceptual framework and implications for action, Social Science and Medicine, 57(1):1324 Perkins, N. and S. Mulyanga (2005) My Right to Belong. Stories of Stigma Reduction Efforts Across Africa, Nairobi: ActionAid International. Pulerwitz, J., G. Barker, M. Segundo, and M. Nascimento (2006) Promoting More Gender Equitable Norms and Behaviours Among Young Men as an HIV/AIDS Prevention Strategy, Horizons Final Report, Washington DC: Population Council. Republic of Kenya (2005) Education Sector Policy on HIV and AIDS, Nairobi. Save the Children (2001) The Role of Stigma and Discrimination in Increasing the Vulnerability of Children and Youth Infected with and Affected by HIV/AIDS South Africa. Schneker, I. and J. Nyirenda (2002) Preventing HIV/AIDS in Schools, UNESCO IBE Educational Practices Series No 9, Geneva. Stover, J. and A. Johnston (1999) The Art of Policy Formulation: Experiences from Africa in Developing National HIV/AIDS Policies, Washington DC: The Policy Project, Futures Group UNAIDS (1998) Gender and HIV/AIDS: Technical Update, Geneva. UNAIDS IATT on Education (2003) HIV/AIDS and Education: A Strategic Approach, Paris: UNESCO. UNAIDS IATT on Education (2004) HIV/AIDS and Education: The Role of Education in the Protection, Care, Support of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Living in a World with HIV and AIDS, Paris: UNESCO. UNAIDS IATT on Young People (2006) Preventing HIV/AIDS in Young People. A Systematic Review of the Evidence from Developing Countries, Geneva: WHO. UNESCO (2005) Overview: Good Policy and Practice in HIV and AIDS and Education, Booklet 1, UNESCO (2006) Masculinity for Boys: Resource Guide for Peer Educators, New Delhi: UNESCO. UNICEF (2002a) Breaking Silence: Gendered and Sexual Identities in HIV/AIDS Education,Young Voices Series, Nairobi: UNICEF. UNICEF (2002b) HIV/AIDS Education: A Gender Perspective: Tips and Tools, New York: UNICEF. UNICEF (2005) Girls, HIV/AIDS and Education, New York: UNICEF. UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNESCO (2007) Responding to the HIV Prevention Needs of Adolescents and Young People in Asia: Towards (Cost) Effective Policies and Programmes. USAID (2003) Increasing Learning Opportunities for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Africa, Africa Bureau Brief No 3, Washington DC: USAID. USAID (2004) Unsafe Schools: A Literature Review of Schools-Related Gender-Based Violence in Developing Countries, The Center for Research on Women at Wellesley College, Washington DC: USAID. USAID (2007) EQUATE Technical Brief: Gender Education and HIV/AIDS, Washington DC: USAID. WHO (2003) Integrating Gender into HIV/AIDS Programmes: A Review Paper, Geneva: WHO. World Bank (2002) Education and HIV/AIDS: A Window of Hope, Washington DC. World Bank (2004a) Sourcebook of HIV Prevention Programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa, Washington DC: World Bank. World Bank (2004b) The OVC Toolkit for Sub-Saharan Africa, Washington DC: World Bank. World Bank (2004c) Turning Bureaucrats into Warriors: Preparing and Implementing Multi- Sectoral HIV/AIDS Programs in Africa: A Generic Operations Manual, Washington DC: World 7 One finger cannot kill a louse working with schools on gender, sexuality, and HIV in rural Zambia Countries in Southern Africa have the highest HIV prevalence in the world, and recent figures for Zambia show a prevalence rate among 1549 year olds of 15.6 per cent (UNAIDS 2007a). However, the epidemic disproportionately affects women, with women making up 57 per cent of people aged 15 and above living with HIV (UNAIDS 2007b). Young women are particularly at risk of contracting HIV in Zambia. There are estimated to be more than twice the number of young women than young men living with HIV and AIDS in Zambia, while the HIV prevalence rate among young women aged 1419 is between three and six times that of young men in the same age group (Kaiser Family Foundation 2005). HIV prevalence peaks in older men aged 35 to 39 years (UNAIDS/WHO 2006). In addition, 85,000 children in Zambia were estimated to be living with HIV, and there were an estimated 630,000 AIDS orphans (Kaiser Family Foundation 2005). There is significant variation in the epidemics impact, with much higher HIV prevalence rates occurring in urban areas and, although prevalence rates appear to have stabilised somewhat in recent years, much work remains to be done in terms of developing an appropriate response (UNAIDS 2007a). Only 45 per cent of young people aged 1524 years correctly identified ways of preventing sexual transmission of HIV and rejected major misconceptions about HIV transmission (UNAIDS 2007b). Over 70 per cent of Zambians live in poverty, and social indicators show a decline, with life expectancy at about 33 years. Economic growth is insufficient to support population growth, and HIV and AIDS place a strain on government resources. HIV and AIDS will continue to ravage Zambian economic, political, cultural, and social development for the foreseeable future (US Department of State 2008). Poverty, migration, and urbanisation, combined with poor control of sexually transmitted infections, gender inequalities, and violence have all contributed to high prevalence. This situation calls for an urgent, integrated, expanded, and effective response to reduce HIV transmission and care for those living with HIV. Many HIV-prevention programmes have limited impact because they focus on biomedical facts and individual behaviour change and fail to address the multiple and complex factors that make people vulnerable to high-risk sexual activity. However, taking behaviour-change models and their frameworks as starting points for analysing and responding to these factors results in interventions and programmes of a very different nature, which are concerned with individual and group empowerment, social support, and the creation of health-enabling environments. Bandura (1996) argues that a combination of confidence, skills, and ownership of information increases young peoples ability to take control of their health, while the work of Freire (1993) emphasises the need for participatory educational approaches to enable young people to identify the factors that prevent them from adopting healthy behaviour, and to develop actions to overcome them. This includes actions which contribute to more enabling social environments such as the building of alliances with bodies or leaders who can contribute to a multi-sector response (Gillies 1998). This chapter investigates the potential of primary schools to be focal points for co-ordinated interventions that support and empower young people and create enabling social environments. Schools are part of national education structures which have the potential to reach large numbers of children at an age when they are developing their identities and the majority are free from HIV and not yet sexually active. Evidence from other sub-Saharan African countries shows some success in increasing knowledge and changing attitudes (Kirby et al. 2005), while other research questions whether the school can adequately address broad social dimensions of change such as gender and sexuality (Campbell and Mzaidume 2002; Plummer et al. 2004). This question is explored in this chapter through reflection on the experience of designing and implementing an HIV-prevention programme in rural Zambia. The International HIV/AIDS Alliance has been working with two NGOs, Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia and Young, Happy, Healthy and Safe (YHHS), and with the ministries of health and education in Chipata District in the Eastern Province of Zambia to improve young peoples sexual and reproductive health and well-being since 2003. The programme is entitled Training Teachers to Teach Pupils aged 1015 years about Sexuality and Life-skills in Zambia and will be referred to as the Teaching Sexuality and Life-skills programme in this chapter. The author has provided direction and technical support to the programme from its inception. The information in this chapter was generated through participatory assessments, activities, and reflection with the stakeholders listed above, and the views expressed in the chapter reflect a common understanding of the experience with the programme. The Teaching Sexuality and Life-skills programme has been working with men and women of different ages in One finger cannot kill a louse working with schools on gender, sexuality, and HIV communities and schools, using participatory methodologies to explore gender and sexuality over a period of around eight years, which has generated rich context-specific information on issues considered important by young and older community members. The chapter begins with a brief overview of the changing factors that influence male and female vulnerability to HIV in Zambia, and specifically rural Eastern Province, and their implications for interventions. This is followed by an introduction to the programme and discussion of some of the challenges experienced in its design and implementation. The chapter then considers the question of whether primary schools can provide an appropriate focal point for co-ordinated interventions to address HIV, and discusses some of the lessons learned and implications for policy. It argues that investing in primary schools and their communities can change some important social factors to support safer sexual behaviour. HIV vulnerability of young men and women in Zambia This section describes some of the factors that protect or put young people at risk of HIV infection in Zambia, with a focus on gender. While this section focuses on risk factors for women, this is not intended to imply that men are demons and women victims. Boys and men are also disadvantaged by some gender norms, and poverty disadvantages everyone. According to UNAIDS, the main drivers of the HIV epidemic in Zambia are concurrent sexual partners, transactional intergenerational sex, gender inequalities, poverty, stigma, and discrimination. In addition, women and girls are overburdened with caring for the sick and other dependants. Deep inequal- ities based on gender and age have contributed to an increase in the incidence of domestic violence, and as a result exposure to HIV has been exacerbated (UNAIDS 2007b). So there is a broad recognition that not only are women, on the whole, more vulnerable to HIV, but that men and women are vulnerable in different ways. Zambian society is essentially patriarchal, and culture and religion are male- dominated, in spite of some matrilineal groups. There is a clear difference in expectations and labour between men and women, and a number of norms and practices reinforce the inferior status of girls and women. These are reflected in derogatory language about women in songs, proverbs, and arts. Religious teaching in Zambia also reinforces the subordination of women, and submission to husbands is routinely taught by all religions (CEDAW 2004). The government of Zambia is promoting greater gender equality through its policies and programmes, and reports progress to CEDAW. Statutory laws which promote equality are gaining ground over those customary laws which lower the status of women. Research has shown that married women are at higher risk of HIV infection than their single counterparts (Altman 2004). Young people face contradictory messages about gendered identities and sexuality as they grow up. In Zambia, long- held values and norms are being challenged through diverse means, including through formal and informal education. This is happening with particular speed in urban settings where young people operate in a cash economy and interact with mass media and global networks. They have different leisure activities from young people in rural communities, and opportunities outside the home to form new types of sexual relationships. In rural areas, young people have fewer options for leisure, marriage, or sexual partners and may face a different set of challenges, including seasonal poverty; the need to engage in risky sexual behaviour in exchange for basic necessities; early marriage; and harmful traditional practices. Issues from Zambias rural Eastern Province The population of Eastern Province is predominantly Chewa. Chewa culture is the dominant cultural influence, Christianity to a lesser extent. In Chewa culture, lessons on sexuality and expectation of male and female behaviour are done in secret by alangizi and nyau puberty advisers during initiation courses. In this context, the correct way to perform sexually is taught very explicitly, using simulated sexual movements, songs, and dances. Boys and some girls are encouraged to practise for perfection in marriage. Discussing sexuality more openly outside this context with trained peers or in school is new and has been triggered by a recognised need to address the HIV epidemic. There has been some opposition to this openness, but the majority of community members, particularly younger ones, have appreciated this opportunity. Parents seem to be shy to talk about sex with their children the world over, and Zambia is no exception (Rasing 2003). Young people in Zambia are caught between norms and values and the reality of life in relation to sexual behaviour and relationships (Warenius et al. 2007). In rural Eastern Province, there are some contradictions between the norms and values of Chewa culture and state laws and religion, especially for males. For example, some aspects of Chewa culture encourage boys and girls to practise sex before marriage, and married men to have more than one wife, whereas Christianity promotes abstinence until marriage, and fidelity within it. Young men have tended to follow the Chewa culture because they find it more in tune with their preferences (Heslop 2007), but young and old alike are reluctant to talk about their sexual lives in their communities. In Chipata District, many organisations have received USAID funds to promote abstinence only prevention programmes, which has stigmatised sexually active young people. This has made it more difficult for young people to obtain condoms and negotiate their use (Gordon and Mwale 2006). Thus, while young people may get basic information about sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and pregnancy, they do not have opportunities to apply it to the realities of their own lives. Marriage and fertility are highly valued, and some of the norms related to being a responsible, respectful, and hard-working husband, wife, parent, and family member are protective against HIV. One finger cannot kill a louse is the translation of a Chichewa proverb used to teach that a husband and wife need to co-operate to make a good marriage. At marriage the husbands family pays lobola or bride price to the girls family. Young unmarried men typically have a number of sexual partners before they can afford to marry, and typically they marry girls about six years younger than themselves. A newly married couple are likely to have frequent sex without condoms, putting the wife at risk. Women may find it hard to leave an abusive marriage, because the lobola must be repaid. They are expected to accept polygamy in and outside marriage. This lowers their status, solidarity, and commitment to the marriage. Adultery by women is a reason for divorce in customary law, but this does not apply to men. However, as elsewhere in Zambia, Chewa boys tend to be aggressive in pushing for sex, while girls tend to be passive (Rasing 2003). Simpson (2007) links this to ideologies of masculinity which value aggression. Rasing cites research by UNICEF which showed that half of the girls interviewed said they had been forced to have sex at least once, whereas 15 per cent of the boys admitted to having forced a girl to have sexual contact. In addition, girls and women tend to be blamed for the transmission of HIV (Abrahamsen 1997). In participatory assessments carried out in Eastern Province, the following were highlighted as problems exacerbating womens vulnerability to HIV: poverty, sexual abuse, and costs of schooling. Economic poverty and inequitable sharing of resources in households may result in women and young people not having enough food or money to meet their needs. Everyone works on the farm, but men usually decide on the use of the food and income. Poverty and marginalisation of women and their families force women and girls into transactional sex that is sex for money, food, household goods, or other necessities often with men who are much older. Thirty-eight per cent of girls in Zambia had recently exchanged sex for gifts or money (Young, Happy, Healthy and Safe 2004; Murray et al. 2003). While research suggests that the longer girls stay at school the more likely they are to delay sex and protect themselves (Boler 2006), school is also seen as a risky environment because girls living in poverty may exchange sex to pay their fees or to buy food and goods to survive at school away from home (Gordon 2003). Girls also feel at risk of sexual abuse as they go about their daily business; for example, when walking to school, selling in the market, fetching firewood or water, or simply being alone at home or in a teachers office (Gordon 2005). The lack of accessible clinics, police posts, and victim-support units makes it difficult to take effective action after rape, and the legal system often reflects discrimination against women and blames the girl. This means that sexual abuse often goes unreported. Cases are often quietly settled with the payment of cattle to avoid the loss of resources to the mans family that would be incurred with a jail sentence. The international community has coined the term the feminisation of the epidemic, and this is disseminated through the media and programmes in Zambia, which reinforce mens tendency to feel that they are immune to HIV and to see women as responsible for spreading HIV. While the estimated number of young women aged 1524 years living with HIV is twice that of young men, the high prevalence of HIV infection in men aged 3539 years is rarely discussed. A Chichewa proverb says that men are like children in relation to sex, they cannot be expected to control themselves; and when questioned, some men will say I didnt use a condom because she didnt insist on it (Gordon 2003). Implications for HIV and education The context described above indicates that multi-faceted strategies are needed to create environments which support young peoples sexual health. It also demonstrates the importance of using participatory tools with community groups and stakeholders to analyse local contexts and enable the kind of critical reflection that can result in collective change and ownership. Young people need information about sex, and support to understand what this means in terms of their sexual relationships and their sexual behaviour. An HIV and AIDS education-programme response must be based on social analysis. The Teaching Sexuality and Life-skills programme was established in 2003 in mainly rural, basic primary schools, grades 49 in Chipata District, Eastern Zambia. The programme aimed to reduce sexually transmitted infections (including HIV), pregnancy, gender inequality, and sexual violence towards and among young people. It identified a three-pronged approach to bringing about sustainable change: empowering young people, and those who affect and influence the well-being of these young people, through their active engagement with new knowledge and values, and skills and confidence in decision-making, communication, and the ability to assert their rights; comprehensive and accessible education services; and building enabling environments which protect young people from unwanted and unsafe sexual activity. The programme was added to a broader community-based programme for young people, as a response to community requests to train teachers in primary schools in sexuality and life-skills. The ministry of education at district and headquarters level was involved in all aspects as a partner from the programmes inception; for example, in selecting schools, designing the curriculum, and training and monitoring. Experts from the curriculum-development centre attended all the curriculum- and materials-development workshops. The initial 13 schools were involved in developing and testing the materials, and a cadre of trainers was selected to train new schools. Five new schools were selected to implement the programme, using the training manual and materials. Mobilising communities In the past, in Zambia as elsewhere, much of the health education aimed at changing behaviour has taken the form of experts passing on information to a passive audience. However, there is increasing evidence to suggest that change is more sustainable when promoted through peer groups who can motivate and develop the skills and confidence for others to take action. People are most likely to adopt healthy behaviours if they see liked and trusted peers practising these behaviours (Campbell 2004). However, mobilising communities is often seen as complex because of diverse agency or NGO agendas and because of constraints on time and resources needed to build trust. In addition, there is still limited understanding of how peer-education programmes bring health benefits (Campbell and Mzaidume 2002). In the Teaching Sexuality and Life-skills programme, the Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia carried out awareness-raising sessions with communities on the sexual and reproductive health needs of young people. A group of adults and young people were trained to carry out a participatory needs-assessment and planning process. Groups of men and women of different ages and key stakeholders used a range of participatory learning and action tools to describe their vision of good sexual and reproductive health, analyse and solve problems, and plan actions to reach their goals. Through this process they also identified individuals who could influence and provide ongoing support to young people, from across the community, including traditional leaders and counsellors (alangizi and nyau), parents, teachers, health-centre staff, government officials, NGO workers, and religious leaders. A steering group comprising leaders, sector workers, NGOs, and young people was established to co-ordinate accessible services for young people and other activities, including workshops to discuss gender and sexuality values and practices, how they are changing, and their impact on peoples sexual and repro- ductive health, well-being, and rights. For example, the project held workshops with the alangizi and nyau to explore local practices relating to puberty and consider what changes were needed and what new information and skills young people required to grow up safely.Young people were trained as peer educators to facilitate interactive sexuality and life-skills training, and strong working relationships were established with the school and health centre. Peer-learning groups of different kinds were set up within which trust could be built and sensitive issues discussed and analysed. These included groups of out-of-school youth, traditional counsellors, and parents. They also included teachers. Primary schools as the hub for formal and informal education Links with schools led to the collective decision that the programme should train teachers to provide sexuality and life-skills education in primary schools, starting at the age of ten years. From this, schools themselves became recognised as important hubs or focal points for the programmes diverse range of teaching and learning activities about sexual and reproductive health and HIV and AIDS, which encompassed the surrounding community. Gradually more and more people participated in interactive sessions and found them helpful. They gained confidence from participation and learning new skills, and some groups even developed proposals for funding for livelihood projects with the ministry of agriculture. Over time, the majority of community members appreciated the teaching because they learned more about the topics and found them helpful themselves. Collective pressure for change built as more groups and individuals participated in the interactive sessions and found them beneficial. A curriculum and learning materials for sexuality and life-skills education in the primary school were developed, drawing on the results of the assessment and research into the impact of sexuality and HIV-prevention curricula, and characteristics of successful programmes. These include creating a safe environment for pupils; focusing on clear goals for preventing pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV; emphasising healthy and non-risky behaviours; and using instructionally sound teaching methods that employ appropriate activities and messages related to culture, age, and experience, and actively involve participants and help them to personalise the information (Kirby et al. 2005). The curriculum was developed by a diverse team, drawing on different backgrounds, which designed activities and material consistent with community values and available resources. After initial training in sexuality, gender, and sexual and reproductive health awareness, the teachers conducted an in-depth participatory needs assessment with their pupils. Teachers, ministry of education officials, curriculum development specialists, and NGO staff then used the findings to develop the curriculum and pupils materials, using questions, stories, and situations from the pupils. Topics and content were matched to the questions and issues that the pupils had brought up. These have been arranged through the grades in a spiral curriculum, building successively on previous learning, based on the developmental needs of the pupils. The training of teachers was integrated with the development of the curriculum and learning materials, and two training and reference manuals entitled Preparing to Teach Sexuality and Life-skills and Teaching Sexuality and Life- skills were developed to enable the trained teachers to train others. Learners books entitled Our Future: Sexuality and Life-skills for grades 45, 67, and 89 were developed with the teachers and learners and tested in the classroom. Feedback from the pupils after lessons and workshops was incorporated into the materials. Male and female teachers and pupils were equally involved throughout the whole process. The Our Future pupils books provide factual information about puberty, friendship, marriage, rights, gender, sexuality, reproduction, sexually transmitted infections, HIV and AIDS, and drug use. They contain interactive learning activities and illustrations, which engage young people in reflecting on and practising the values and skills needed to develop caring and loving relationships, make good decisions, solve problems, and seek help. All the materials have an explicit commitment to developing positive values such as co-operation, kindness, politeness, trustworthiness, courage, respect, and confidentiality. The three elements of internalising values (or virtues), understanding facts, and developing life-skills make a holistic package. In response to pupils fears about sexuality education, an initial set of lessons was developed, entitled Learning about Sexuality and Life-skills Safely; this included guiding rules, rights, trust, talking about sexuality safely, interaction between boys and girls and teachers, and where to seek help if abused or harassed. Stories and role plays allowed pupils to practise skills and rehearse how they would deal with difficult situations. Importantly, the topics and stories designed to trigger discussion are authentic to the pupils lived experience and based on their context and needs. As a Zambian curriculum specialist commented, The materials are very strong because they include topics suggested by learners, teachers, parents and other stakeholders. The materials are tailored to the needs in the actual environment (Anson Banda personal communication 2006). Integration is a hallmark of the programme. The activities build on skills taught in the core curriculum, such as writing stories or poems, acting in drama, analysing local culture and language, and using maths or science. Homework activities aim to actively link the school with parents/carers and the community, through activities that contribute to the well-being of others and provide the opportunity to participate in community life, which in turn can become a protective environment. Box 1: Examples of gender topics introduced into key curriculum areas Knowledge: information about the Convention Against all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which the government of Zambia has signed. Critical-thinking skills: activities to describe gender norms and practices, explore their positive and negative effects, and identify aspects that pupils would like to change, using drama to rehearse new behaviours. Virtues: exploring concepts of justice and courage in improving gender equality and relations. Sexuality lessons are monitored using an adapted ministry of education format, which involves observation of classes and feedback by pupils and teachers. The parentteacher associations are involved in the monitoring, and parents are invited to learn about sexuality and life-skills, attend pupils lessons and give feedback, and get involved in homework and community activities such as drama with sexuality messages. Schools developed a policy for sexuality and HIV and AIDS. Are schools the best place to teach sexuality and life-skills? This section examines the success of the Teaching Sexuality and Life-skills approach, in which the primary school is the focal point for co-ordinated interventions on gender, sexuality, and HIV. As primary enrolment is high and over-age enrolment still a major feature of Zambian schools, schools have the potential to reach large numbers of young people. Also, as statistics from other sub-Saharan countries (e.g. Tanzania; see Plummer et al. 2007) indicate, a large percentage of pupils in the upper grades of primary schooling are aged between 15 and 17 years and likely to be sexually active. Campbell (2004) identifies a number of challenges in schools-based peer education in South Africa, including the regulated nature of the school environment, rigid teacher control, didactic teaching methods, and a focus on biomedical aspects rather than social issues. Male-dominated activities and negative, stigmatising learner attitudes towards HIV undermined the learning (ibid.). Plummer et al. (2007) note that large-scale, innovative, integrated, and multi-faceted adolescent sexual and reproductive health interventions are urgently needed in sub-Saharan Africa. But Plummer recognises that while using schools and health facilities may maximise intervention coverage and sustainabilitythe impact of the use of these structures on intervention content and delivery is not well documented (ibid.). However, there are examples of school-focused interventions that use the school curriculum to address HIV and AIDS and tackle issues of sexual harassment, as documented by Mirembe (2006), but this is not on the scale envisaged by Plummer. Mirembe in his work in Uganda stresses the importance of teachers using democratic practices to challenge injustices, and of students, through their active participation, working out for themselves possible and manageable solutions (ibid. 225). In the Teaching Sexuality and Life-skills programme, teachers and pupils acknowledge that sexual activity, gender-based abuse and harassment, and HIV transmission occur in and around their schools because of factors including lack of parental supervision of young adolescents, and teachers posted without their spouses who have power to attract pupils and reward sexual favours. While relationships and behaviour within the school reflect those in the wider social environment, there are ways in which the school environment can become a place that respects rights and protects students. Pre-service and in-service teacher training now includes topics such as commu- nicating, protection, ethics, and rights. But this training needs also to challenge the culture of authority, hierarchy, and social control in the majority of schools so that teachers not only learn about gender equality and rights but practise it in their lives (Aikman and Unterhalter 2007). Working with the whole school and community is necessary in order to create a climate that promotes child protection and does not accept abuse. Robust school and ministry policies are also needed, which encourage pupils to report abuse and take sufficient action on cases to deter teachers from abuse. There are positive signs of change in Zambia. For example, when elders carry out their puberty teaching, it no longer entails boys and girls leaving school for a month and being expected to carry out practices which put them at risk of HIV infection (Young, Happy, Healthy and Safe 2006). There are also examples of teachers being instrumental in preventing early marriage and enforcing the policy that allows girls to return to school after a pregnancy (ibid.). Teachers can be change agents in the school and community through acting as positive role models and teaching important information, values, and skills on sexuality in a way that mirrors their own behaviour and challenges negative norms and behaviours. Sexual abuse of students by teachers is increasingly being documented (Dreyer 2004) and discussed (Leach, this volume). Teachers, especially young female teachers, may themselves be exploited and abused by staff of ministries or training colleges who have the power to exploit institutional practices (see Teni-Atinga 2006). In the Teaching Sexuality and Life-skills programme, teachers participated in a five-day workshop using experiential learning activities to share their own experiences of gender and sexuality as they were growing up, and in their personal and professional lives. They drew maps and acted role plays to generate discussion on why schools are a high-risk environment for HIV transmission for pupils and teachers. Acknowledging their own contribution to this situation, they used a problem-solving carousel to identify their roles and actions to make the school a safer place for everyone (see Box 2). Box 2: Some examples of workshop activities Teachers acted a role play showing a girl pupil who had sexual relationships with a sugar- daddy who bought her essentials, a boyfriend who helped with homework, and a teacher who gave her good grades. Using a technique called hot-seating, participants asked the characters questions to understand why they behaved as they did. This revealed the sources of power that males exercise over girls. However, the girl also had some agency in selecting partners who met her needs for progress with a possibility of pleasure. The actor-teacher was not able to resist the beauty and offer of undemanding love. Teachers acknowledged that this situation is not uncommon and can have negative consequences for pupils and teachers. In the fishbowl activity, male and female teachers asked each other all the questions they always wanted to ask the opposite sex about gender and sexuality but were afraid to ask. This revealed a lot of mutual concerns and misunderstandings, which increased empathy and motivation for gender change. In contexts such as Eastern Province, Zambia, many teachers do not know much about the reality of their students lives, and therefore their concerns, questions, and experiences. Training sessions indicated that teachers were invariably surprised at the extent of young peoples sexual knowledge and experience, the sophistication of their questions and concerns, and their level of risk of HIV infection. The evidence from the Teaching Sexuality and Life-skills programme and its carefully constructed training programmes indicates that the school can be an appropriate, enabling, and safe environment for sexuality education. It requires, however, the active involvement of students in designing the content and approach to the lessons. And it calls for a child-protection policy for the school to which all staff, students, and community sign up. And the programme reinforces the conclusion of Plummer et al. (2007), from work on adolescent sexual health in Tanzania, that given the right training and ongoing support, opportunities for self-reflection and interrogation of their own attitudes and experiences relating to gender and sexuality, teachers can be the right people to facilitate sexuality Some outcomes of the programme The programme has encouraged teachers to reflect on changes in their own lives, and those of their pupils and communities, through teachers support meetings and workshops since its inception. A mid-term review of the programme was carried out in 2006, after three years of programme activity in the initial 13 schools (Carnegie 2006). The reflections and the mid-term review showed that there have been very positive outcomes in cognitive and affective dimensions for teachers, students, and community members. Knowledgeable and skilled teachers The project helped teachers to bring together their personal and professional lives and to think in terms of we rather than them and us about their pupils and the members of the community, including those living with HIV. They were changed in an affective as well as cognitive way by the project activities. Many teachers and their supervisors appreciated their increased skills in using the interactive learning activities and felt able to talk more comfortably about sexuality with teachers, pupils, and family members. Teachers also reported that the training was very relevant to their own lives and had brought about positive changes. Seven months after the gender and sexuality training, a male teacher reported: The course has brought a great change. I have changed in empathy, sexually, how to avoid HIV, how to live positively, avoidance of stigma, and equity between myself and my wife. (International HIV/AIDS Alliance 2004) The teachers reported how the experience of carrying out the participatory needs assessment with their pupils profoundly shifted or deepened their understanding of young peoples lives. Their relationships with their pupils have changed from authoritarian and judgemental to more caring relationships. In school settings formerly characterised by hierarchical relationships and rote learning, teachers were more willing to listen to young people and respond to their views. One female teacher said: I have learnt to respect my pupils rights and discuss sexual and reproductive health topics with them without being shy. (ibid.) The pupils also noted changes in their teachers. One Grade 7 pupil said: Before the project, teachers used to be uncomfortable teaching about sexuality, but now they feel free and we no longer feel shy. We used to be afraid to talk to teachers when we had a personal problem, like one of us was pregnant, but now we are free to talk with them. The training process aimed to develop suitable teachers into a cadre of trainers who could be engaged as facilitators for school or college-based training. A group of nine teachers now have skills that are being recognised by other NGOs, schools, and colleges, which has created a demand for them to train in other initiatives. More confident, knowledgeable, virtuous, and skilful pupils Teachers reported changes that they had observed in their pupils after teaching the sexuality and life-skills classes for six months or a year. Some teachers who were transferred to new schools not involved in the project noticed a marked difference in pupils confidence, ability to talk about sexuality, relationships with their classmates, and use of life-skills such as communication and assertiveness. This motivated them to start the Sexuality and Life-skills programme in their new school. There is a marked improvement in the school environment in terms of the way in which students are co-operative, friendly, and care for and support each other. Students support each other in small groups, and bullying and sexual harassment have reduced. Sexual-abuse cases are being reported, and schools and communities report a reduction in early marriages, pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, rape cases, and absenteeism. Students are also able and willing to share sexuality and life-skills information with other pupils in other schools. The project has helped us to live in a proper way, taking proper decisions. We have learnt our rights and how to react to people who want to infringe our rights. We show our Sexuality Education book to our friends who dont go to school. We even show our parents our books. At first our parents were against the project. They said it was not appropriate. But after the project meetings, our parents now accept it. We used not to understand about puberty changes. Before the boys would touch the girls breasts and hips, but now they dont try. When a girl was pregnant we used to laugh at her, but we no longer do that. We used to laugh at physical changes in our friends, but now we dont. We encourage others to enjoy growing up. We are able to respect each other more. (Class 79 pupils in focus-group discussions at Chiwoko and Changkhanga Basic Schools) A safer school and local environment The parentteacher associations strongly support the programme and have requested that sexuality and life-skills education is extended to the whole community. Parents report more friendliness and respect in the home, and they are more accepting of the reality of young peoples sexuality. This has led to more relaxed relationships between parents and children and more co-operation between parents/guardians over problems such as early pregnancy. Parents in particular identified the impact of the project in achieving more equal gender attitudes and a reduction in early marriages. The project helps children to know what is good and what is wrong. It helps them to know the consequences and avoid risks. It helps modern children to grow up with knowledge and self-control. Traditionally women cannot say no. This project is changing that through sensitisation. Girls are now able to say no. Gender relations are changing. Early marriage was previously so common. Now the chief is advising head teachers not to allow parents to give their children in early marriage. (Parents and community leaders, focus-group discussion, Changkhanga Basic School) Parents used to say that talk about sex was an abomination and insulting. They used to hide information about sex and they would beat us if we talked about it. But now they support us. We are allowed to talk about sexuality. Parents no longer think it is a taboo. (Class 79 pupils, focus-group discussion, Changkhanga Basic School) Changes in the community We go to our teachers for help, especially our sexuality education teachers. We go to the health centre for help. It has a youth friendly corner. They do peer education and drama. Particularly the nurses are helpful. Mobilising the community and working with those individuals who have an influence on the lives of young people has played a major role in building a safe and supportive environment. Now only a minority oppose the teaching of sexual and reproductive health to young people. Some of the practices harmful to young people are changing, as described below, but the scale of the challenge should not be underestimated. One of the big successes has been the careful and sensitive work with the alangizi and nyau who have been responsive and willing to reflect on social change. They came together and agreed on how they needed to adapt their teaching to protect young people. They not only questioned cultural practices but considered new information, practices, and teaching methods. They have been very active and developed a picture book with key facts and songs on different topics. Alangizi who had been through training then trained their colleagues and presented their new practices to community leaders and stakeholders. Many alangizi now teach their new curriculum and have adapted their ceremonies so that young people stay in school and are not exposed to pressures to start sexual activity early. The chiefs, elders, and churches reinforce these changes. Regular meetings with the community have been important for responding to any emerging concerns about the project. The alangizi now work closely with the peer educators, schools, and community drama groups. The potential and challenges for expanding the programme nationally Ministry of education staff and teachers in the project district, and the minister for education, would like to see the initiative scaled up. However, moving from a successful programme at a relatively small scale to a national programme presents a series of challenges that need to be carefully addressed if scaling up is to be successful. These challenges are not new, and many a small-scale project has faltered at this stage. The Teaching Sexuality and Life-skills programme is showing considerable success, and further evaluations are expected over the coming year, but clearly this is a complex programme addressing complex issues. This section reflects on challenges at different levels and of different kinds for expanding the programme. Challenges at the policy level As this chapter has discussed, this programme is ambitious and multi- dimensional. Part of the challenge has been to engage the community and young people themselves from the very beginning, and to ensure their commitment and ownership of the programme. This approach is key to the success of the programme and to achieving changes in attitudes and behaviour. Changes in attitudes and beliefs, and changes in peoples sexual behaviour and practices, take time. Collecting valid data on sexual behaviour is difficult. This means that it will take time and careful nurturing for the programme to produce key impact data that can be used for advocacy for changes at the national policy level. While there is strong support for the programme, there is also competition for funding for HIV and AIDS and education programmes, most of which comes from international donors who have their own interests and strategies. In Zambia there are a number of initiatives working with schools producing curricula and learning materials and carrying out teacher training. NGOs, donors, and publishing houses are in competition for endorsement of their learning materials by the Curriculum Development Centre. Members of parliament have a major influence on what is acceptable in terms of curriculum content. With the Teaching Sexuality and Life-skills programme, the materials are more comprehensive and potentially controversial than other available sex- education materials, suggesting that there is a bigger task of awareness raising and advocacy to be done at the national level. The Curriculum Development Centre has strongly recommended the Our Future books for national use, subject to some adjustments to controversial topics and explicit language. Challenges at the programme level This programme has set out to work with schools, aware that they have many competing demands on their time and resources. Schools are struggling to carry out their core business adequately, because of sickness or absence of teachers, and struggling to meet parents expectations of good examination results. Then there are demands on schools from NGOs with different projects and material incentives for schools to become involved. It is important to understand this context from the start and recognise the constraints on head teachers, teachers, and community members who may be ambivalent or opposed to another new intervention. Integrating sexuality and life-skills into the core curriculum has been challenging because of the packed curriculum and concern with examination results. Integration will become easier when the new Zambian syllabus is rolled out across all schools in the next few years. This allocates 20 per cent of curriculum time to community studies, which teachers are expected to design with community members to address their priority issues. Some communities have already requested that the sexuality and life-skills teaching is included in community studies. Working with the government and government structures and agencies from the start is essential for the bigger impact of this programme. The NGO (YHHS) and government have brought different skills and resources to work together under a shared sense of ownership and responsibility. The school heads and ministry of education officials believe YHHS has been important in maintaining motivation and quality and in bringing additional funding for community work in the intervention. In any expansion of the programme to new districts, a shared commitment to the concept and values of the programme by an NGO, the schools, and the ministry at district, zonal, and national levels will be crucial for its sustained success. For primary schools to become thriving hubs, community mobilisation and engagement is also essential. Parentteacher associations are government structures that form the link between community and school. Their members are important players in the programme. A key strength of this programme is its implementation through a strong, functional partnership between a civil-society organisation and government, with the NGOs playing a key role in mobilising the community. Communities have requested that the Our Future books are translated into Chichewa, and a small group of parents and leaders trained to loan the books and teach others about sexual and reproductive health. Training is a major challenge to sustaining and expanding the programme. With constant turnover of teachers there is a need for ongoing training, particularly because of the high levels of transfers of teachers each year. Importantly, all stakeholders have recommended that the programme is included in pre-service teacher training to sensitise all teachers to sexuality and gender and mitigate the problem of teacher transfers. The quality, depth, and continuity of training will need to be maintained if the programme is expanded, in order to achieve the same results. A process that aims to change gender norms and behaviour, and relationships between teachers and pupils, and enhance the quality of the teaching/learning process will require investment in training and support for teachers. The programme in new locations will still be resource-intensive if the same good results are to be achieved.What the programme has achieved to aid this process is a group of skilled school-based core trainers who train others, not only in their own schools but in new schools as they come on board with the programme. As the programme grows, a network of trainers of trainers, mentors, model schools, and exchanges will provide a mesh of support across the country. These are big challenges for the Teaching Sexuality and Life-skills programme, but important because, as this chapter reminds us,one finger cannot kill a louse. Engaging young people, teachers, and communities in the analysis of the complex and specific social factors that either protect them or put them at risk of unsafe sex is essential for the design of effective HIV-prevention programmes. An approach based on developing critical thinking through participatory methods enables young people to develop their analysis and empowers them to take more control of their lives. Sexual and reproductive health education in the context of HIV needs to start from analysis of social issues, including gender and sexuality, and integrate new knowledge and skills and develop new values. Schools and their teachers are in a unique position to work not only with their students, but to become focal points and hubs where the surrounding community engage with the same range of issues and learning opportunities, and create safe and health-enabling environments. The success of this complex programme to change individual and collective behaviour that makes people vulnerable to high-risk sexual activity rests on the ownership, commitment, and motivation of the local school staff, the authorities, and the community. The Teaching Sexuality and Life-skills programme has shown that this kind of change can happen but that it takes time. Intensive community mobilisation with good resources, skills, and leadership has brought rewards; there has been active participation and support from community elders and teachers (alangizi and nyau). It also shows that the primary school can be a site for positive change in knowledge, norms, and behaviour at personal and societal levels. However, there are some major challenges in expanding, institutionalising, and sustaining this model of working. It has to be built through a strong partnership between government and civil society to ensure sustainability; and with and through existing government structures, strategies, and objectives. Through partnerships such as this at local and national levels, and through real synergies between practice and policy, commitment to childrens rights, democracy, and gender equality will be realised and consolidated, thus bringing Zambia closer to realising its aim of protecting all young people from HIV infection and re- infection, and caring for those living with HIV. The following materials developed on the programme are downloadable from www.aidsalliance.org Our Future: Sexuality and Life Skills Education for Young People. Books for pupils, Grades 45, 67, and 89. Our Future: Preparing to Teach Sexuality and Life Skills. An awareness-training manual for teachers and community workers. Our Future: Teaching Sexuality and Life Skills. A guide for teachers using Our Future pupils books, grades 45, 67, and 89. Abrahamsen, R. (1997) Gender dimensions of AIDS in Zambia, Journal of Gender Studies 6(2). Altman, L. (2004) HIV Risk Greater for Young African Bride, The New York Times, February 29. Bandura, A. (1996) Self-efficacy in Changing Societies, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Boler, T. (2006) Girl Power: Girls Education, Sexual Behaviour and AIDS in Africa, London: ActionAid. Campbell, C. (2004) Creating environments that support peer education: experiences from HIV/AIDS prevention in South Africa, Health Education, 104(4): 197200. Campbell, C. and Y. Mzaidume (2002) How can HIV be prevented in South Africa? A social perspective, British Medical Journal 324(7331): 22932. Carnegie, R. (2006) Mid-term Review of Initiative on Training Teachers to Teach Sexuality and Life-skills to Pupils aged 1015 years in Zambia, unpublished report, International HIV/AIDS CEDAW (2004) Report from Zambia on Progress in Achieving CEDAW Objectives. Dreyer, A. (2004) Working with teachers how can we challenge gender violence? Gender Violence in Schools Newsletters, available from Centre for International Education, University of Sussex. Freire, P. (1973/1993) Education for Critical Consciousness, New York: Continuum. Gillies, P. (1998) The effectiveness of alliances and partnerships for health promotion, Health Promotion International, 13: 121. Gordon, G. (2003) Training Teachers to Teach Sexuality and Life Skills Education to Pupils aged 1015 years in Zambia. Report on workshop on sexuality, gender and HIV/AIDS awareness, 613 August, 2003, unpublished report, International HIV/AIDS Alliance. Gordon, G. (2005) Comic Relief - Project Number CR1220: Working with Young People in Zambia to Improve their Sexual and Reproductive Health - end of project report, unpublished report, International HIV/AIDS Alliance. Gordon, G. and V. Mwale (2006) Preventing HIV with young people: a case study from Zambia, Reproductive Health Matters 14 (28): 6879. Heslop, J. (2007) Feedback on Fieldwork with HAPPY Project, Zambia, presentation to discussion group Revisiting mens engagement in HIV, gender, and sexuality, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, 30 November. International HIV/AIDS Alliance (2004) Annual Report on Training Teachers to Teach Sexuality and Life-skills to Pupils aged 1015 years in Zambia. Kaiser Family Foundation (2005) The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Zambia, www.kff.org/hivaids/upload/7369.pdf (last accessed January 2008). Kirby, D., B.A. Laris, and L. Rolleri (2005) Impact of Sex and HIV Education Programs on Sexual Behaviours of Youth in Developing and Developed Countries, FHI Youth Research Working Paper No. 2. Mirembe, R. (2006) Gender, AIDS and schooling in Uganda: a curriculum intervention, in F. Leach and C. Mitchell (eds.) Combating Gender Violence in and Around Schools, Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books, pp. 21726. Murray, N., M. Chatterji, D. London, and P. Anglewicz (2003) The Factors Influencing Transactional Sex Among Young Men and Women in Twelve Sub-Saharan African Countries, Washington DC: USAID Policy Project. Plummer, M., D.A. Ross, D. Wight, J. Changalucha, G. Mshana, J. Wamoyi, J. Todd, A. Anemona, F.F. Mosha, A.I.N.Obasi, and R.J. Hayes (2004) A bit more truthful: the validity of adolescent sexual behaviour data collected in rural Northern Tanzania using five methods, Sexually Transmitted Infection 80: ii49ii56. Plummer, M.L., D. Wight, J. Wamoyi, K. Nyalali, T. Ingall, G. Mshana, Z.S. Shigongo, A.I.N. Obasi, and D.A. Ross (2007) Are schools a good setting for adolescent sexual health promotion in rural Africa? A qualitative assessment from Tanzania, Health Education Research 22(4): 48399. Rasing, T. (2003) HIV/AIDS and Sex Education among the Youth in Zambia: Towards Behavioural Change, http://asc.leidenuniv.nl/pdf/paper09102003.pdf (last accessed January 2008). Simpson, A. (2007) Learning sex and gender in Zambia: masculinities and HIV/AIDS risk, Sexualities, 10(2) 17388. Teni-Atinga, G. (2006) Ghanaian trainee teachers narrative of sexual harassment: a study of institutional practices, in F. Leach and C. Mitchell (eds.) Combating Gender Violence in and Around Schools, Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books, pp. 199206. UNAIDS (2007a) 2007 AIDS Epidemic Update, Geneva: UNAIDS. UNAIDS (2007b) Zambia Country Profile, www.unaids.org/en/CountryResponses/Countries/zambia.asp (last accessed January 2008). UNAIDS/WHO AIDS (2006) Epidemic Update, December. US Department of State (2008) Background note: Zambia, www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2359.htm (last accessed April 2008). Warenius, L., K.O. Pettersson, E. Nissen, B. Hjer, P. Chishimba, and E. Faxelid (2007) Vulnerability and sexual and reproductive health among Zambian secondary school students, Culture, Health & Sexuality, 9(5): 53344. WHO/UNICEF/UNAIDS (2006) Epidemiological Fact Sheets on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections, Zambia 2006, www.who.int/GlobalAtlas/predefinedReports/EFS2006/EFS_PDFs/EFS2006_ZM.pdf (last accessed April 2008). Young, Happy, Healthy and Safe (2004) Participatory Assessment Report, Chipata: Young, Happy, Healthy and Safe. Young, Happy, Healthy and Safe (2006) Annual Report, unpublished programme report, 8 Mobilising care: accounts of gender equality, schooling, and the HIV epidemic in Durban, South Africa 1 Elaine Unterhalter, Amy North, Robert Morrell, Deevia Bhana, Debbie Epstein, and Lebo Moletsane The AIDS epidemic in South Africa is one of the most severe in the world. By the end of 2005, 5.5 million people were living with HIV in South Africa, and almost 1000 AIDS deaths occurred every day (Avert et al. 2006). The effects of the pandemic are highly gendered: women are estimated to comprise approximately 56 per cent of those infected with HIV, with the single largest group of women being those aged 1534 (Whiteside and Sunter 2000). In KwaZulu-Natal province it was estimated in 2000 (on the basis of survey data) that among 1519-year-olds, the vast majority of whom are in school, 15.64 per cent of African girls were likely to be HIV-positive, compared with 2.58 per cent of African boys (Morrell et al. 2001: 51). The impact of the epidemic on education has been devastating. Schools have had to deal with the effects of both teachers and learners being infected with or affected by HIV, while at the same time finding ways to enable learners to protect themselves from infection. This chapter examines the different ways in which two township schools in South Africa responded to the HIV epidemic over a six-year period (20002006). Central to its analysis is a concern with the extent to which the two schools have incorporated an understanding of gender into their responses to the epidemic, and the way in which the gender regimes within the schools have influenced and been affected by these responses. The chapter traces a shift from a reluctance to acknowledge the importance of gender equity in addressing HIV to more active and proactive engagement with gender and the impact of the epidemic. In doing so, it explores the way in which teachers and learners in both schools have responded creatively to ill health, bereavements, and poverty. The emergence of a strong ethos of care is docu- mented, while at the same time the frequency of sanctioned gender-based violence is noted. Poverty and poor resourcing have limited the transformative impact of interventions among learners and teachers, as have the continuing taken-for- granted gender inequalities in decision-making within the school. Over six years (20002006) researchers from universities in South Africa and the UK conducted a study in two township schools in the Durban area to explore the Mobilising care: accounts of gender equality, schooling, and the HIV epidemic in Durban ways in which they were affected by and responded to the HIV epidemic, violence, and gender inequality. The team used a number of qualitative methods to develop a thick description (Geertz 1983) of the schools in relation to gender, violence, and HIV. Initial exploration of the extent of existing HIV-prevention initiatives and anti-violence work in KwaZulu-Natal schools was accompanied by a review of research literature on HIV and AIDS, gender, and/or violence internationally. Two schools were selected for in-depth case-study research because of their location in working-class townships in Durban with high levels of poverty. To protect the anonymity of the schools and the teachers and learners referred to in this chapter, they have all been given pseudonyms. The schools were suitable for in-depth case study because in 20002001 they were functional, compared with others in the same townships that scarcely operated at this time because of crime and poor management. The principals and teachers in both schools agreed to take part in the study, and good working relations were established. A range of methods were used. In 20002001 two surveys were conducted in both schools to try to establish the extent of sexual activity among young people, and learners knowledge of HIV and AIDS. In the same period, a series of discussions with single-sex groups of learners in grades 9 and 10 took place to explore themes relating to understandings of violence and schooling. Subsequently, discussions were held with six to eight learners in each of the two schools. Teacher researchers (teachers who worked at the school and in addition gathered qualitative data) began to document aspects of each schools history, organisation, and day-to-day events, particularly with regard to violence and education about HIV and AIDS. Interactive methodologies were used to explore teacher and student responses to these issues and to encourage reflection on them. In 2001 the research team commissioned DramAIDE (Drama-in-AIDS Education), an HIV, AIDS, and sexuality education NGO based at the Universities of Natal and Zululand, to develop, implement, and evaluate an HIV, AIDS, and gender education project in the two schools. DramAIDE used drama to teach about life skills, gender, and AIDS-related themes, to learners and a group of teachers in each school. This intervention in the schools comprised 15 workshops spread over a month. These were adapted from the pilot programme Mobilising Young Men to Care and took on a wider gender-equity scope. In the workshops, participatory methods were used to enable students and staff to challenge assumptions, and work towards gender-equity and explore the issues raised by the HIV epidemic for themselves (Thorpe 2005). Thirty volunteer learners in each school were selected to participate. A researcher worked with DramAIDE to evaluate the processes and procedures in the intervention. The workshops at Dingiswayo School involved grade 8 learners, while those at Lillian Ngoyi School involved grades 9, 10, and 11. Teacher workshops on the same themes were also conducted, using similar drama methodologies. Six months later a further set of single-sex focus-group discussions and interviews were held with learners who had taken part in the DramAIDE project. These explored participants lives, reactions, and actions in relation to the DramAIDE project both within the schools and beyond, from their own perspectives. The following year, follow-up interviews and in-depth ethnographic observations took place at Lillian Ngoyi in April and May 2002 (Kent 2002; Kent 2004). Additional material from learners relating to understandings of gender, poverty, and sexuality was collected in 2003 in the form of a writing exercise on the theme of letters to and from a well-known agony aunt in a magazine (Unterhalter et al. 2004). In 2004 the research team returned to the schools to conduct a further series of interviews and assess the changes that had occurred. Discussions were held with teachers involved in taking Life Orientationclasses, and with those who had specific responsibilities for counselling. This involved reading out a prepared scenario (of a boy who has difficulties at home and who needs assistance) and asking the teachers to respond (Bhana et al. 2006). Group interviews were also conducted with some of the students. In Lillian Ngoyi, the students interviewed were peer educators: that is students who provide support to other students in the school on HIV and related issues. A last round of interviews and observations took place in both schools in 2005. About the schools Lillian Ngoyi and Dingiswayo High are located in the two largest townships in the Greater Durban Area. KwaMashu, where Lillian Ngoyi is located, is the older of the two, established in the wake of the Cato Manor removals from 1958 to 1965 (Moller et al. 1978: 3). Umlazi, where Dingiswayo High is situated, was con- structed a few years later (in the late 1960s). Initially there was little to distinguish one township from the other. Both attracted residents looking for job opportunities in the city; both were over-crowded, with household sizes of seven to eight people per tiny two-bedroom abode (Moller et al. 1978: 6; May 1986: 119); both initially were poorly resourced. From the start, both sprawling townships had high levels of crime that remain a feature to this day (Moller et al. 1978: 19; Ndabandaba 1987).2 Yet, relative to squatter camps, both townships were places where the better-resourced, frequently employed lived (May 1986: 31; Freund 1996: 131). The two schools share many similar features beyond that of their township locations. Both are coeducational. They are poorly resourced compared with middle-class, former white, suburban schools, though by national standards they have reasonably good facilities. Both are headed by African, Zulu-speaking male teachers who have been in office for over a decade. Both are considered to be among the better-run in their respective areas. They have good matriculation results, and thus attract more pupils than they can accommodate: both have well over one thousand learners. However, the ways in which they have interacted and dealt with their surroundings differ. At Dingiswayo, discipline and efficiency have been emphasised, and the school has little relationship with the surrounding community, operating rather like an island or a fort (Moletsane et al. 2002). Throughout the research period, corporal punishment continued to be practised, even though its use was prohibited by law in 1996. There was a zero-tolerance approach towards lateness, drug usage, and gangster entry into the school grounds (ibid.: 42). In contrast, at Lillian Ngoyi, corporal punishment has been resisted by learners, and outside organisations have an influence on the school, particularly through teacher membership of SADTU (South African Democratic Teachers Union) and through community organisations. Reflecting the legacies of the anti-apartheid struggles, which are still seen in the KwaMashu township, teachers in interviews with the research team often drew on discourses of democracy, liberty, and equality. The school environment appeared much freer than that in Dingiwayo, and teachers less authoritarian, and more able to talk informally and joke with learners. Nonetheless, efforts to ensure that the school was a safe place into which the violence of the surrounding township could not filter meant that strict codes of conduct were used to ensure that the students abided by the schools rules and regulations and not those from outside (Kent 2004: 62). The impacts of HIV and AIDS have been profound in the two townships. KwaZulu-Natal is the province with the highest HIV prevalence in South Africa. In 2000 this was estimated to be 36.2 per cent.3 High prevalence rates have not prevented those affected suffering from the harmful effects of stigma. This is tragically illustrated by the case of Gugu Dlamini, who was brutally murdered in KwaMashu township on 12 December 1999. It is believed that she was stoned to death by members of her community two weeks after publicly speaking about her HIV-positive status at a World AIDS Day event (Wright 2000 cited in Kent 2002). Violence is a daily reality for those living and working in KwaMashu and Umlazi. Kent (2002) describes KwaMashu as a dangerous place, noting that during her stay of 25 days one teacher witnessed a fellow teacher being raped and murdered close to his home. Teachers reported two cases of female students being physically abused. Between January and April 2002, three female students were raped (ibid.: 61). Such violence has a very clear gender dimension. In interviews with teachers and students throughout the period, many instances of rape, encounters with armed men, and accounts of violent incidents were reported (Morrell et al. 2001; Unterhalter et al. 2004). Distancing the epidemic During the initial phases of research in the two schools, it was clear that while general awareness of HIV was high among both teachers and learners, the HIV pandemic was, to some extent, seen as being external to the schools. It was perceived as being something that occurred outside the school gates, rather than affecting and being affected by practices within them. In early interviews at Dingiswayo the head teacher spoke about a child who had left school and may have had AIDS in her family. His tone was impersonal and official. He implied she was now somewhere both physically and socially very far from the life of the school. AIDS education, according to the guidance teachers at Dingiswayo, in these early interviews, was a distant scientific topic on which they requested technical assistance. At Lillian Ngoyi in this early phase there was sometimes a frisson when we spoke about AIDS, but action on this for a number of teachers was part of a wider community activism. General awareness of HIV within the schools was framed using narrow medical terms. It was not linked with any discussion of gender equity. The role played by gender inequalities in the HIV pandemic was unacknowledged. The disconnect in understandings of HIV and gender equality was demonstrated in the responses of teachers in both schools to the DramAIDE intervention. On the one hand, by and large, in both schools, the teachers understanding of the HIV messages from the DramAIDE intervention was astute. On the other, unless specifically probed, teachers responses were generally devoid of any engagement with gender-equity issues. The following comments by two Dingiswayo teachers illustrate their perceptions of what the intervention was about: It went very well because it was dealing with the issues, which the students are familiar with. AIDS, abuse, and things like that. After the training the students became enabled to talk about it to their peers. (Norma) And also it highlighted some of the issues in terms of how the teachers are supposed to get involved in terms of this killer disease. So it was sort of a reinforcement. It made us to be aware of the fact that we are like an integral partI think the teachers have more time with the kids. I think they are the ones who are supposed to teach the kids on how to, like to prevent this killer disease. (Bongi) Significantly, AIDS rather than gender equity was seen as the major point of the intervention. This limited understanding of the epidemic and its links with gender relations was also a feature of teaching. When teaching about HIV and AIDS after the intervention, teachers did not seem to be clearly addressing gender equality, although this had been a major focus of the intervention. Talking about her guidance lessons, a teacher at Lillian Ngoyi illustrated this as follows: I talked to the grade 10sabout AIDS in guidance [lessons]. I asked them, If you found out you are positive what would you do?. One boy said, No, Id go on with my partner because I know that she is positive as well. Will you use a condom? He said, No, I wontbecause I know that I have AIDS so whats the use?. But other boys, you know said, No, its wrong if you dont use a condom even if you know that you are positive. You have to use it to prevent re-infection. So I saw that [the intervention] had an impact on both boys and girls (Thuli) While Thuli showed a sophisticated understanding of HIV and AIDS, she said very little, for example, about the importance of gender equity and the use of condoms. The strategy was advocated mainly for self-preservation, rather than respect for the other persons dignity and equality in a relationship. By not questioning the learners stance, she displayed a level of ignorance regarding the importance of gender equity in relationships and its significance for the epidemic. The DramAIDE intervention exposed different practices by male and female teachers. In discussion some male teachers responded positively to the intervention; however, in later actions they actively undermined the gender- equity and HIV messages of the workshops. Mark Thorpe observed:In a Durban staffroom I watched a female teacher attempt to chastise a male colleague. He had passed her class whose students he knew on fairly familiar terms and commented:Oh, I am sorry for you allyou will not know the pleasures of flesh to flesh like our generation! (2005: 203). The female teacher had attempted to explain to her male colleague that while such remarks were intended to be humorous they served to undermine HIV education. However, this was brushed aside. Kent (2002) also heard similar remarks made jocularly by male teachers, which revealed considerable ambiguity and even hostility. Kents work in Lillian Ngoyi revealed other worrying ways in which teacher behaviour in the school not only undermined messages regarding HIV risk and safe behaviour, but also had damaging implications for gender equality within the school. Her analysis of space in the school explored the ways in which sexualities were performed by learners and teachers, exposing the ways in which masculinities and femininities were maintained and policed within the school and, as a result, how gender inequalities were reinforced (Kent 2002: 78). She shows how gender inequalities in the school are reproduced through the hierarchical school structure, where positions of power were given to men. Places where only men congregated were spaces where socially useful knowledge was exchanged, and these served to police subordinate females, as girls and female teachers were excluded (ibid.: 51). She noted that while teachers expected girls to be more mature and responsible than the boys, and blamed girls truancy on their involvement with boys, risk-taking and sexual activity (ibid.), activities and displays of hegemonic masculinity among boys were expected and accepted (ibid.: 50). Such double standards in terms of expectations sent out strong and dangerous messages to learners regarding appropriate forms of masculinity and femininity and their implications for behaviour and gender relations. The comments of many of the learners both boys and girls in both the DramAIDE intervention and the subsequent group discussions echoed these dominant assumptions about masculinity and femininity. In the sexualised environments of the schools, where sexual flirtation and flaunting were publicly sanctioned ways of expressing masculinity, many male learners appropriated either publicly in group discussions or privately in writing for research teams a discourse of rampant, uncontrollable, and often violent male sexuality. The research team found that while most of the learners in the schools knew about HIV and AIDS, and 70 per cent were able to identify unprotected sex as a cause, this knowledge was not associated with more particular understandings concerning the body, oneself, and relationships with others. In discussion groups with boys, while some appropriated AIDS knowledge, using it as a basis for enhancing their own power and status in the school, others found it difficult to express their feelings in what was for them a difficult and sensitive topic. Some ignored their vulnerability to the virus and continued to express their masculinity through exaggerated displays of heterosexuality, including the perception that it was normal, and expected to have lots of girlfriends. Similarly, Thorpe notes that gender-identity issues were a common concern in the DramAIDE workshops and that these often centred on adolescent assumptions about femininity and masculinity, including the attitude among boys that it was desirable to have several sexual partners. Young men expected to be told in detail about their girlfriends movements, but were very secretive about their own affairs. They regarded violence as an appropriate punishment for the bad behaviour of their girlfriends, and this attitude had been internalised by many girls too. There was a sense of risk inherent in male lifestyles, and an expectation that women could and should accept or tolerate this kind of behaviour (Thorpe 2005: 201). Such understandings of what it means to be male and female had a direct and visible impact on the relationships between girls and boys within the schools. Kent writes of the normalisation of sexual harassment in Lillian Ngoyi, which was rarely acknowledged as anything other than students having fun (Kent 2002: 589). She recounts how, when about to conduct an interview with a female student, she witnessed a boy run past and grab her groin before smiling and running on. When she asked the student council why the boy behaved in such a way, a male student claimed: Its ok to touch a woman like that, or touch her breasts. Its like a style to represent that youve grown, that you see herits a way of touching a lady (ibid.: 59). In such a context, and as a result of their own direct and personal experiences of violence and abuse, many of the girls interviewed by the research team viewed their knowledge of HIV as disabling, given their own vulnerability to rape and other forms of violence linked to their sexuality. They felt they lived under a constant threat of rape and felt pressure to have sex with their boyfriends, regardless of their knowledge about the links between unprotected sex and HIV and the use of condoms, explaining that a demand to use a condom was seen as a mark of mistrust. However, despite the overriding acceptance of the dominant models of masculinity and femininity within the schools, manifested through the discourse and behaviour of many teachers and learners, the picture that emerged was complex, and often contradictory. Gender identities and behaviours changed over the course of our research project. In a survey conducted by Morrell in 2001, for example, nearly 80 per cent of 450 students interviewed said that the DramAIDE intervention had caused them to change their behaviour. Teacher and learner responses varied both within and between schools. Thus not all teachers or learners, male or female, conformed to gender stereotypes or expected norms of masculinity or femininity. The discussions with girls revealed that despite their fears and concerns about rape and being pressurised into unprotected sex, girls were not simply passive respondents to male demands. Some girls acknowledged that having unprotected sex was not always the result of boys putting pressure on them: often girls demanded the same from their boyfriends, telling them if you trust me you wont use a condom. Girls described choosing to exchange sex for money, or having sex with someone to achieve a certain status. In the focus-group discussions and in personal writing, many girls refused aspirations to simply marry, viewing themselves as agents able to achieve an education, pursue successful careers, and make a productive social contribution (Morrell et al. 2001; Unterhalter et al. 2004). Meanwhile, the focus-group discussions with boys and the personal writing revealed that, although some boys were keen to boast of their sexual exploits, others, while not abandoning heterosexuality, sought to give it emotional content and to abandon notions of unbridled entitlement to the female body. Not all those interviewed felt that sex, or having multiple girlfriends, was obligatory. Boys letters to Dear Dolly spoke about anxiety and peer pressure in relation to hyper-masculinity (Unterhalter et al. 2004). For some, the DramAIDE intervention opened up new spaces for them to express and develop their voices of resistance, which were often silenced, subordinated, and marginalised elsewhere. However, the prevalence and strength of such voices varied considerably between the two schools. In Dingiswayo, the workshops reflected the rather disciplined atmosphere of the school itself: participants did not speak out of turn (Thorpe 2001: 39), and some learners particularly the girls did not answer any questions in a group context. Significantly even the most dominant girl in the school did not challenge the boys in their views (ibid.: 12). When they did speak out, the girls indicated a wish to preserve a good girl image, and to mirror their teachers concern with teaching them morally acceptable behaviour (Moletsane et al. 2002). However, in contrast, at Lillian Ngoyi, Thorpe noted the willingness of some of the female learners to express opinions and challenge the views of boys: I was struck by the lack of the victim image from some of the girls, such as one saying she went for status in a relationship, which was followed by a whooping like on an Oprah Winfrey show (2001: 18). Following the intervention, Lillian Ngoyi girls spoke enthusiastically about the way in which they had found it empowering. One of the girls asserted: Ive learned that if you like youve been abused, like raped dontahhh break the silence, you have to talk about it. Stand up and talk about and tell everybody that this and this and this and that people have abused me (Moletsane et al. 2002). Boys also responded positively to the intervention, talking about improved relationships with and respect for their girlfriends. As one explained: Im [now] speaking to my girlfriend. Last time I was not using a condom [when having] sex with her, but now I know that it is not good not to use a condom. Now I use a condom if I do it. Similarly, while among the staff at Dingiswayo there appeared to be a level of acceptance of gender inequality, at Lillian Ngoyi following the DramAIDE interventions more profound changes in gender discourses among some of the staff members seemed to have occurred. Male and female teachers spoke positively about girls enhanced confidence after the intervention, and expressed their eagerness to support girls and boys within the school. One male teacher explained:When you talk about HIV and AIDS all of us are willing to support no matter whether its male and female (ibid.). Such comments provided evidence of a willingness to engage with the issues, challenge accepted norms of behaviour, and move towards a deeper and more equitable understanding of HIV, gender, and relationships. The voices of resistance suggested that, despite the pervasive gender inequality within the schools, alternative views were possible, at least within the relatively safe spaces of the DramAIDE workshops and focus-group discussions and private writing. At the mid point of the study, these attitudes seemed to represent the seeds of change, the possibility of building more equitable and caring models of masculinity and femininity, and models of relationships. However, in the context of the continued practices of exaggerated displays of masculinity, sexual harassment, and the subordination and exclusion of women and girls from male spaces of power within the school, the extent to which these ideas would find the space to grow and bring about wider-reaching and more profound changes in both discourse and behaviour was not clear. An ethos of care In 2005, when the researchers returned to the schools, it was clear that the epidemic was no longer linguistically or conceptually distant. Some children and their parents and neighbours were ill or had died. Teachers and learners had found ways to deal and cope with the continued onslaught of the HIV epidemic. Both groups had adapted and changed aspects of their own attitudes and behaviour. Most striking was the way in which in both schools, an ethos of care was being increasingly adopted and valued. This was the most direct acknowledgment of the epidemic. As the toll that the pandemic was taking on members of the school communities increased, in the absence of trained counsellors within schools, increasingly teachers found themselves taking on roles of providing care and support to students. Teachers found themselves being called upon to provide logistical support for homeless and hungry learners,to intervene in cases of serious domestic assault, to deal with rape cases and to provide support to HIV infected and affected learners (Bhana et al. 2006: 13). In the under-resourced schools, where teachers were already overstretched by their regular teaching duties, providing such care and support was not always easy. However, despite a lack of training, support, and rewards, many of the teachers interviewed were performing vital care work, often making considerable personal sacrifices in order to do so. In many cases such care work involved supporting children affected by HIV. Teachers interviewed readily acknowledged HIV as a real problem within the schools. They saw it as a situation that was all around them, that could no longer be ignored, or viewed as something external to the school. One teacher at Lillian Ngoyi claimed: there are a lot of kids who are affected by HIV in this school. She explained: So I could see it now that in the class that there are cases, because you will find that certain individuals are absent, and when you ask them Why are you not coming to school?, they say My mother is sick; my father is sick. How sick is he/she? Sir she couldnt stand up on his own; she couldnt wash; she couldnt walk. Sometimes students themselves have been infected with the virus. Despite continued stigma which makes it difficult for those infected by the HIV virus to be open about their status, the teachers explained that often students find the confidence to confide in a teacher they trust. The same teacher explained how she helped a boy who had confided in her to learn to live with his HIV-positive status: And I stayed with him, I talked to him, I tried to counsel himAnd I remember it was before June last year when he said he doesnt feel that he would be able to write the exams. And I told him I called him and I even told him you know who will die first between the two of us? Because it was just the two of us. And I said Who will die first between the two of us? Is it you or me? And he said he doesnt know... And I became very much more happy [because the boy thought he might live a long life]And when I encouraged that boy, he did very well, because we talked about the food, we talked about the behaviour, we talked about everything. Another teacher described the satisfaction she felt in helping a girl find the confidence to tell her mother about her status: And that girl was happy about it. She came back to me and she has told her mother. So, the battle of trying to make her accept the situation and to try and break it out she told her mother. She came to me and she hugged me, and she told me thank you. Teachers in both schools have learnt to find ways to ensure that children who are suffering from abuse, sometime at the hands of relatives, feel able to confide in them. Sometimes this involves using their formal lessons as prompts for excavating the silences (Brink 1998, cited in Stein 1999: 6) among the learners concerning embarrassing or traumatic issues that confront them (Bhana et al. 2006). One male teacher from Dingiswayo explained: But it does happen that when you are presenting your lesson it is really about abuse, then they tend to have that confidence in you and they come and they confide in you their problems, the problems that they are experiencing in their homes. Ensuring that they provide emotional and material support to those who need it has required teachers in the schools to develop the skill to read the signs and identify those children who were having problems, even if they didnt come forward themselves. The same teacher described identifying a girl in need of So there was one student there eh a female student with a very you know pale shirt. Its like you can see you know that she is having a problem. So I had to take her out of the classroom and have a talk with her. So I ask her and it eventually came up that she doesnt have parents and she is living with an auntie who is not working. So, I talked to her. Then there were some other problems, which I identifiedin my mind I have to do something about this child. Ill have to get a shirt for herSo some problemsyou just identify children, because they dont come up themselves and tell you even if they do have problems. So in most cases we are the people who see that there is a problem here. Providing material support is another important dimension of care work for the teachers in the two schools. As the HIV epidemic has worsened, there has been a deepening of the poverty experienced by the poorest learners. In both schools, teachers recognised this poverty and its harmful effects and tried to help learners with uniforms or old clothing and tried to raise funds for learners most basic needs. Poverty, often combined with sickness or death in the family due to HIV, means that the teachers in both schools found that children were often coming to school hungry. They responded by starting a feeding scheme, providing the children with bread, peanut butter, and other food. HIV-affected learners have few social-support systems, and teachers increasingly filled the gaps. Teachers even described finding themselves helping with funeral costs and providing the finance to help learners go to see social workers. Teachers explained that in situations of great need they could not but respond. They saw their caring and support work as something they simply had to carry out, given the needs around them. As one explained: When the child has been hurt. When the child has been abused physically by whoever. When the child has just found out that she is HIV or he is HIV whatever youve got to hes crying hes desperate, thinks the whole world is falling, and youve got to be there. Providing care came with challenges and sacrifices. Teachers expressed their frustration at the obstacles they encountered when trying to help the pupils in their care. Some felt exasperated by the difficulty of obtaining outside help and treatment for those infected by HIV or affected by abuse. Others described the stress of having to deal with caring for learners on top of worrying about their own families: You end up working so hard but having to attend to so many things including your own family and your relatives and also going under the Some of the teachers interviewed acknowledged that they simply were not able to provide all the care that was required of them (Bhana et al. 2006). And a clear sense of frustration at the lack of support and training to help them deal with the range of situations they encountered in the school was common to almost all the teachers. As one explained:Well its a bit difficult because we as you put it we have not been trained to confront this but we do our ultimate best. Implications for gender relations The importance given to caring in the two schools has some important implications for gender relations. Care work, and the skills associated with it, have historically been understood as womens work. As such this has often been an undervalued, unrecognised, and invisible aspect of teachers especially female teachers work. However, in the two schools, the crisis precipitated by HIV, as well as the poverty and violence experienced by the students, has resulted in increased value being placed by the school management, not only on care work itself, but also on the feminine skills and characteristics associated with it. In both schools the femininities concerned with mothering and care have come to be validated, demanded, and creatively implemented with extraordinary vigour and a feeling of community connection. Moreover, as the demands for care have increased, many of the teachers interviewed, including the male teachers, have come to see care as being integral to their work (Bhana et al. 2006). In both schools, mens involvement in care work has increased. Male teachers engagement with emotional support has been acknowledged by pupils. Increasingly, male teachers have been providing significant levels of care by listening, advising, and actively assisting. Such involvement has required men to extend their emotional repertoires to include caring for the self and others. Thus there has been an emergence of some new forms of masculinity that include the ability to express emotion and offer care, in contrast to forms in which emotion and affect are eschewed. These responses of both male and female teachers suggest that a more holistic understanding of some aspects of the HIV epidemic is emerging. Teachers spoke explicitly about the links between poverty and HIV, and about the impact of violence and abuse. Although they failed to explore the links between gender inequality and HIV directly, many of the teachers appeared willing to engage with the some of gendered issues arising from the epidemic in the schools. However, the picture that emerges is not always a straightforward one. Contra- dictions in both the discourse and behaviour of some of the teachers were clear. Some, including those identified by pupils and staff as being particularly caring and supportive and leading the way in providing advice on HIV and related issues, expressed frustration at no longer being able to use corporal punishment to discipline the children. Others argued that the number of rights now held by children in the schools, and their awareness of them, was undermining what were seen as positive cultural practices, such as virginity testing: some of the kids they say, virginity testing it infringes their rights. They talk about their rights of not wanting to be tested, and yet that belief was a good one. The high levels of pregnancy among schoolgirls was another issue much discussed by staff members. While some teachers demonstrated great sympathy for girls who become pregnant, others were less certain that such girls should be allowed to attend school at all. Questions regarding sexual harassment or abusive relationships within the school also elicited a diversity of sometimes contradictory responses. On the whole there seemed to be a continued reluctance to acknowledge the existence of abusive relationships or sexual harassment within the schools. In addition, the teachers frustrations regarding the lack of support they received for their care work was an indication that although the feminine traits of care and concern for pupils in relation to issues such as HIV have become more valued within both schools, this is not necessarily reflected in the official structures and hierarchies. The continued low status of Life Orientation within both schools would appear to confirm this. Although teachers felt that its status was likely to improve, as it became compulsory in 2006, teachers explained that Life Orientation is looked down upon in comparison with more traditional subjects, particularly those that affect matriculation results. The low status of and lack of support for Life Orientation teachers, and other teachers taking on care responsibilities within both schools, raised questions about the sustain- ability of some of the changes that have occurred. As long as their care role is not officially recognised, rewarded, and supported, it is not realistic to expect teachers to continue to go beyond the call of duty and dedicate time and energy indefinitely to the multiple problems with which they are confronted. Despite the emerging concern with care and the increased recognition of the need to engage with the gendered issues arising from the HIV pandemic and its ramifications within the schools, gender hierarchies in both schools persist. Women were still the minority in management positions, and thus largely excluded from the structures of power and decision-making in both schools. There were some indications from teachers that this might be changing, albeit slowly. However, others seemed to accept the situation as normal, with one teacher describing the lack of women in management as something indigenous. The way in which some of the teachers were using care as a response to the epidemic did not go unnoticed or unappreciated by students. In Lillian Ngoyi, the peer educators interviewed spoke warmly about their teachers and the way in which as well as teaching they have tried to understand, respect, and support them. They confirmed that both female and male teachers have provided support in the school, mentioning in particular two teachers who were particularly supportive, and who they felt really made an effort to understand teenagers like themselves. One of these teachers is a woman, and the other is a man. Referring to the male teacher, one of the girls explains: Its like hes a manAnd in the meantime you see him as a teenager, girl. I dont understand this, but like he can talk like he can talk; he can advise us as like girls. In Lillian Ngoyi, the students themselves also clearly articulated the same ethos of care seen in the interviews with teachers. They spoke with pride of their role as peer educators, and the way in which this had enabled them both to raise awareness of issues around HIV and AIDS and to help and support other students. As one explained: Like Im proud of what weve achieved. Firstly we gained the respect and the trust of the learners. Ja. They like changed they like trusted us they were able like to tell us problems as I have said and uh we were not only looking at an aspect of HIV and AIDS, we also were like we looked at the aspect of poverty. Like we said that one of the things that Im proud ofwe were able us learners to sit down with the governing body and tell them look at the problem we have got. Learners coming from poor backgrounds, they come to school with empty stomachs and then to go back to school with empty stomachs. So we need you guys to help us. We need to start a feeding scheme or something. It has been successful and it has helped quite a lot a number of people. And uh another thing its like Im proud of, its like weve made a lot, although some of them do not come back and tell us like say, hey youve changed my life and everything, but I see that it has made a lot of people aware of the fact of HIV and AIDS. Other students spoke about how they had learned to empathise with others, and explained how they had helped students with relationship problems or provided support and advice to students with sick relatives. One girl described the pride she felt in helping a girl from Tanzania feel welcome in the school. In Lillian Ngoyi, the peer-education programme has clearly provided those involved with an invaluable space in which to develop, nurture, and value a collective concern with caring for and about others. As a mixed programme, which brings together boys and girls, it has also provided boys with a space to challenge and think beyond traditional expectations of masculinity and explore models of behaviour centred on care and respect for others, to show feelings of sympathy, even to cry. The interviews in 2005 revealed that many traditional preconceptions about HIV, masculinity, femininity, and the expected behaviour of and relationship between boys and girls persisted on the part of both sexes. However, the animated debates that took place between boys and girls within the group on such issues as virginity testing and the treatment of girls who are pregnant suggested an increased awareness of and ability to articulate and listen to alternative views. For girls and boys alike, the experience of being peer educators has clearly been an empowering one, and one which has enabled them to develop their own and others understandings of HIV and the way in which it is related to issues such as gender and relationships, and to the students own lives and behaviours. Yet despite their increased awareness of issues concerning gender and HIV, and the confidence with which they spoke about this, the confusion and preoccupations that girls and boys felt about their own lives and relationships were also clear. They spoke about their frustration that so many girls in the school were still falling pregnant, and about their despondency at how little they could help each other. One girl explained the continued pressure that girls were under to have unprotected sex: Ja, what I was going to add, and to their point, it is because the girls today just lack the self-confidence, they dont have the confidence. They dont believe to their selves, because if a boy promised a girl that if you dont want to do the sex with me, I will run away from you, and then the girl said oh okay lets do it. In Dingiswayo, where the peer-education programme had not been directly encouraged by the school principal and had ceased to function, the problems of peer pressure, the need to conform to expectations, and the difficulties of saying no came through even more strongly in the responses of the learners, in this case particularly those of the boys. One boy explained that theres a feeling that if youve never had sex youre not a man, youre not going to exist as a man. Another elaborated: Our friends say stuff we do not want to do, and we end up doing it. Like lets say ja Phumlani is one of my best friends, so if he says if he says Khumlani go and have sex its the right thing to do. I would say hai man. You lie, its not true. You know in a group of friends I will end up being pressurised because I want to do the coolest thing to do, and Ill end sleeping with a girl. Teachers from both schools reaffirmed the view that, despite their increased knowledge about HIV, girls and boys still felt under pressure to practise behaviour that they knew to be unsafe. At Dingiswayo, when a member of the research team commented on the articulate nature of the female learners interviewed, one teacher replied,I dont know how to put this, but they wouldnt be this assertive when they are with their boyfriends. At Lillian Ngoyi a teacher described her frustration at being told by girls that they could never have sex with a condom because If you feel you dont have money to buy clothes or whatever you like, you have got to enter into a relationship with an adult or a person who is working. Therefore you cant do it with a condom because hes got to give something back to you. These comments suggest that the ongoing impact of poverty and the persistence of generalised expectations concerning masculinity and femininity and how these must be performed mean that, despite their ability to articulate messages regarding empowerment, safe sex, and equality, the ability of many students to modify their own behaviour in a way that protects themselves and others may be limited. During the time span of the research project, it is clear that there have been important changes in the way in which the two schools have understood and responded to the AIDS epidemic, and the way in which they have drawn on ideas about gender equality in these responses. As the epidemic has progressed, and its effects in the schools have begun to be felt more keenly by both learners and staff, an initial reluctance to fully engage with the epidemic, and in particular its gendered dimensions, was replaced by a recognition of the need to creatively and proactively engage with the epidemic and related issues within the schools. In getting close to the epidemic, teachers and learners alike developed a strong ethos of care and support for those affected. As the importance of care came to be recognised and valued within the school, the femininities associated with care were increasingly validated and demanded by both men and women. Such changes opened space for the development of alternative visions of masculinity and femininity. Over time, these voices of resistance representing a questioning of the dominant forms of masculinity and femininity which were based on hyper-displays of masculine heterosexuality and the subordination and exclusion of women and girls from male spaces of power grew a little more pronounced. These changes represent a small step forward in understanding and responding to the epidemic and engaging with approaches to gender equality. However, at the same time, despite this articulation of alternative views concerning HIV and gender, in both schools more traditional visions continued to play a role in the formation of identities and social relations. Gender inequalities continue to be accepted and normalised in power structures within the schools. Both teachers and learners suggest that the ways in which gender identities are performed means gender-based harassment and discrimination have not yet been eliminated. The existence of multiple discourses and their contradictory nature allows for individuals to take up different positions at different times. This means that somebody can talk about gender equity while still engaging in abusive behaviour, or they can use the language of gender equity to articulate a position that points to trying to live differently. Examining such persistent inequalities further, and finding ways to address them, will be critical to ensuring that the emergent changes witnessed so far in the two schools can be built on and sustained, and their transformative potential realised. 1 This chapter synthesises research reported in a number of published studies (Morrell et al. 2001; Moletsane et al. 2002; Unterhalter et al. 2004; Epstein et al. 2004) and presents additional material. Morrell et al. 2008 is a full report on this study. 2 This evaluation was undertaken by Mark Thorpe. A report on his observations was written up as a working paper for the project (Thorpe 2001). 3 www.saps.gov.za/statistics/reports/crimestats/2006/_pdf/provinces/kwazulu_natal/ durban_south/umlazi.pdf (last accessed September 2007). 4 www.ukzn.ac.za/heard/resources/Stats/WEB%20stats_July04.pdf (last accessed May 2008) Avert/ UNAIDS/WHO (2006) Annex 2: HIV/AIDS estimates and data, 2005, in UNAIDS 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic. Bhana, D., R. Morrell, D. Epstein, and R. Moletsane (2006) The hidden work of caring: teachers and the maturing AIDS epidemic in diverse secondary schools in Durban, Journal of Education 28: 524. Epstein, D., R.Morrell, R. Moletsane, and E. Unterhalter (2004) Gender and HIV/AIDS in Africa south of the Sahara: interventions, activism, identities, Transformation 54, 116. Freund, B. (1996) Confrontation and social change: Natal and the forging ahead of Apartheid 194972, in R. Morrell (ed.), Political Economy and Identities in KwaZulu-Natal: Historical and Social Perspectives, Durban: Indicator Press. Geertz, C. (1983) Local Knowledge: Further Essays in Interpretive Anthropology, New York: Basic Kent, A. (2002) Lets Talk About Sex, Baby! Negotiating Space, Performance and Sexualities within a Compulsory Heterosexual School Regime in South Africa, in the Context of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic, unpublished dissertation, MA in Gender, Education and International Development, Institute of Education, University of London. Kent, A. (2004) Living life on the edge: examining space and sexualities within a township high school in greater Durban, in the context of the HIV epidemic, Transformation: Critical Perspectives on Southern Africa 54: 5975. May, J.D. (1986) A Study of Income and Expenditure and Other Socio-economic Structures in Urban KwaZulu: Umlazi, Durban: KwaZulu Finance and Investment Corporation. Mbali, M. (2004) AIDS discourses and the South African state: government denialism and post- apartheid AIDS policy-making, Transformation 54: 10422. Moletsane, R., R. Morrell, E. Unterhalter, and D. Epstein (2002) Instituting gender equality in schools: working in an HIV/AIDS environment, in Perspectives in Education 20(2): 3753. Moller, V., L. Schlemmer, J. Kuzwayo, and B. Mbanda (1978) A Black Township in Durban: A Study of Needs and Problems, unpublished paper, Durban: University of Natal, Centre for Applied Social Sciences. Morrell, R., E. Unterhalter, R. Moletsane, and D. Epstein (2001) Missing the message: HIV interventions and learners in South African schools, Canadian Women Studies 21(2): 905. Morrell, R., D. Epstein, E. Unterhalter, D. Bhana, and R. Moletsane (2008) Towards Equality? Gender in South African Schools During the HIV and AIDS Pandemic, Durban: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press. Ndabandaba, G.L. (1987) Crimes of Violence in Black Townships, Durban: Butterworth. Stein, P. (1999) Drawing the unsayable: cannibals, sexuality and multimodality in a Johannesburg classroom, Perspectives in Education 18(2): 6183. Thorpe, M. (2001) An Evaluation of the Intervention of DramAIDEs Programme: Mobilising Young Men to Care, in Two Township Schools in Durban, commissioned research, Durban, University of Natal. difference? in S. Aikman and E.Unterhalter (eds.), Beyond Access: Transforming Policy and Unterhalter, E., D. Epstein, R. Morrell, and R. Moletsane (2004) Be yourself: class, race, gender and sexuality in South African schoolchildrens accounts of social relations, Pedagogy, Culture and Society 12(1): 5372. Whiteside, A. and C. Sunter (2000) AIDS: The Challenge for South Africa, Johannesburg: Human and Rosseau. 9 Development, gender, HIV and AIDS, and adult education: challenges in Thailand Since the beginning of the HIV and AIDS epidemic in Thailand it is estimated that more than one million people have been infected with the virus (UNDP 2004). Concerted efforts to tackle the epidemic have meant that, after reaching their peak in the early 1990s, infection rates have fallen over the last decade. However, despite this, the prevalence of HIV in the country remains significant: more than one in every one hundred adults is currently infected (UNAIDS 2006). Such statistics highlight the scale of the epidemic in Thailand. However, HIV and AIDS is not only about statistics and how many people are infected, how many have access to treatment and care, how many pass away, or how many have access to learning about prevention. It is about people and how they are part of their communities and how they relate to each other, support each other and learn from each other. HIV and AIDS have a human face, and touch people personally. This chapter examines the HIV and AIDS epidemic in Thailand through the personal story of Pimjai, a woman living with HIV and AIDS in a rural northern community. Through an exploration of how Pimjai became infected, how she has dealt with her HIV-positive status, and how she worked to support those in her community infected and affected by HIV, it examines the linkages that exist between development issues, gender, and HIV and AIDS. It considers the way in which adult education can be used to curb the transmission of HIV and AIDS and to mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS on the lives of the women and men affected by it. Thailand a shining success? Thailand is often held up as a shining example of success in the global battle against HIV and AIDS. It is one of few developing countries in which public policy has had a real impact on preventing the spread of HIV on a national scale (www.avert.org/adisthai.htm). In the early 1990s a massive public awareness campaign on HIV and AIDS was launched, which took advantage of the countrys strong public communication infrastructure (UNDP 2004). Anti- AIDS messages were aired hourly on the six television networks and 488 radio networks across the country, and all schools were required to teach AIDS- education classes. Meanwhile the 100 per cent condom programme was initiated, targeting commercial sex establishments. Condoms were distributed free to brothels and massage parlours, and their use was made compulsory for sex workers and their clients. If brothels failed to comply, they could be closed down (www.avert.org./aidsthai.htm). These national efforts to control HIV have had impressive results. Commercial visits to sex workers were reduced by half, condom use was increased, and the number of new cases of HIV decreased, dropping from 143,000 in 1991 to 19,000 in 2003 (www.avert.org/aidsthai.htm). Since the 1990s, declining levels of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases have been recorded in the country (UNAIDS 2006). However, Thailands relative success in HIV and AIDS prevention and care must also be attributed to efforts made by non-government organisations, the Positive People Group and Network for people living with HIV and AIDS, and local responses from communities (UNAIDS 2001). Thailands record on providing treatment to those living with HIV and AIDS is also impressive. Since 2000, anti-retroviral drugs have been used in Thailand, and in 2003 the government made an official commitment to ensuring adequate treatment for all people living with HIV and AIDS. Most recently, the decision by the Thai government to use generic anti-retroviral drugs has reduced the cost of treatment for those infected with HIV, which has meant that treatment is increasingly reaching those who need it. According to the World Health Organisation, by the end of 2006 around 88 per cent of those who required treatment with anti-retroviral drugs in Thailand were receiving them (WHO 2007). Thailand has also had considerable success in scaling up prevention of mother-to-child transmission (UNAIDS 2006). Yet despite these successes, there is no room for complacency; the HIV epidemic in Thailand has never eased off in particular regions and among certain groups, and in recent years it is clear that prevention efforts have not kept pace with the changing face of the epidemic. Currently the majority of investments in HIV- related activities are for treatment, care, and support, with only around ten per cent being invested in prevention programming. According to UNAIDS, the Thai government has reduced its HIV-prevention budget by two-thirds in recent years (UNAIDS n.d.). Meanwhile, current trends suggest that infection rates could be on the rise, particularly among certain groups at high risk. Men who have sex with men accounted for approximately 20 per cent of HIV infections in 2003 and 45 per cent Development, gender, HIV and AIDS, and adult education: challenges in Thailand in 2005; infection rates among injecting drug users remain extremely high at around 3550 per cent and are thought to be increasing in some areas (www.avert.org). Other groups with high prevalence rates include migrant workers in the construction, agriculture, and fishing industries. In 2003 over ten per cent of brothel-based sex workers were living with HIV. Despite this, condom use during paid sex is decreasing: a study among female sex workers in Chang Mai, Bangkok, and Mae Hong Son found that condoms were used in only 51 per cent of commercial sex encounters (UNAIDS 2006). Although the 100 per cent condom programme is still officially in place, it appears no longer to be applied as strictly as it once was. Moreover, sex work has become increasingly common, and the number of establishments has risen. Many of these are not brothels and so are not covered by the 100 per cent programme, and it is thought that women who solicit sex in unofficial venues such as restaurants or bars often do not use condoms (www.avert.org). Young people are also increasingly affected by HIV, and AIDS is now the leading cause of death among young adults (UNDP 2004). Yet, due to unfortunate complacency and the resulting neglect of HIV and AIDS prevention during the Thaksin Shinawatra administration from 2001 to 2006, the lack of mass public information campaigns led to a decrease in awareness among young people. Pre- marital sex has become more common among young Thais, and this is often unprotected. Only 2030 per cent of sexually active young people use condoms (www.avert.org). The high levels of infection among identifiable high-risk groups are particularly alarming, and point to the need for targeted interventions addressing particular segments of the population. However, it is clear that as the epidemic has progressed, the spread of HIV in Thailand has become more varied. As Pimjais story shows, it affects diverse sections of the population, including those who do not engage in obviously high-risk behaviour, such as housewives. According to the Ministry of Health, more than one-third of infections in 2005 were among women who had been infected by their long-term partner (UNAIDS 2006). Pimjais story1 Pimjai is a woman who has been living with HIV and AIDS for more than 15 years. She has been open about her sero-status and working on HIV and AIDS issues for almost as long. In many ways Pimjais case is typical of that of an infected woman. She was born into a poor family in a rural community in Mae Rim District in northern Thailand. Her familys poverty meant that she had to leave her education early, and was able to complete only grade 4 at the local school. She did odd jobs to earn money as she grew up, including helping her father with welding work and building houses. When she was 22 years old, Pimjai fell in love and married a young man. Some time after marriage, her husband left to work in Bangkok, hoping to get a better job with better pay that would enable him to build a better life for his family. However, life and work in the capital did not turn out to be as easy as he expected, and he returned home. Pimjai and her husband continued to work with her father until her husband became sick with a series of illnesses that prompted a doctor to recommend a blood test for HIV. The blood-test result was positive. Pimjai, who was pregnant at the time, decided to have a blood test as well, and later learned that she was also HIV-positive. It was believed that her husband had picked up the HIV virus from sex workers that he had occasionally frequented while working away in Bangkok. On his return home, through unprotected sex, he had unintentionally infected Pimjai and possibly the unborn baby. Pimjai later miscarried. It wasnt easy for Pimjai to come to terms with being HIV-positive. At the time, HIV and AIDS was branded as a fearful and incurable disease. Posters and television and radio spots that continuously bombarded the public with messages such as AIDS kills and AIDS is incurable: you will die! resulted in widespread fear, stigmatisation, and discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS. Pimjai had her share of dark periods and she attempted suicide on several occasions. However, daily meditation, combined with good counselling, helped Pimjai to learn to come to terms with her HIV-positive status and to live with the virus. Although it took her some time before she could muster enough courage to tell her parents and siblings about her sero-status, when she did so, her disclosure was accepted by her loving family, which brought her great relief and inspired her to live positively. However, despite acceptance in the family, Pimjai faced severe discrimination in the community after disclosing her status. For example, when she went to the local food shop she had to buy her own bowl and spoon, and after she left the shopkeeper would sterilise the table and the chair where she had sat with hot water. Whenever she participated in community events, others isolated her from the group. At that time it was very rare for HIV-infected people to disclose their sero-status to the public, and Pimjai was the first one in the community to do so. She and her family felt left to face the situation alone (Duongsaa 2004). Supporting others: the Community Health Project As Pimjai learned to take care of herself and her husband who died peacefully in her arms she decided to form a small peer-support group to help other positive people in the community. The inspiration came from various sources: the loving acceptance and support from her own family; the comfort from meeting other people living with HIV in Chiangmai; and her experience of serving as volunteer with the Chiangmai Red Cross Centre and the Orchid Clinic, which taught her the joy of helping others. Thus the Community Health Project was born. Pimjais house in Mae Rim District of Chiangmai was used as the project office, with Pimjai herself serving as the project co-ordinator. Her father (who was the chair of local health volunteers in the village) served as the chair of the project committee, which consisted of representatives from the government and NGO sectors, as well as local community leaders. The Community Health Project received support from the AIDS Network Development Foundation, which provided a small grant to cover project activities and conducted workshops to train Pimjai and other HIV-positive people in proposal development, project-cycle management, basic accounting and book-keeping, evaluation, and report writing. It also conducted regular seminars which allowed Pimjai and other AIDS activists to meet and share experiences about HIV and AIDS-related issues. Through these activities Pimjai became increasingly competent at managing her group and providing assistance to her peers. After participating in a study visit to see savings groups and to see income-generating activities in southern Thailand, Pimjai was inspired to expand her project from health-focused activities and moral support to include economic assistance, networking, and advocacy. At present the Community Health Project is actively engaged in HIV and AIDS prevention, and care and support activities. This includes health services run by the group: doctors carry out weekly health checks, free milk for infants is provided daily, and throughout the year counselling, home visits, and career support are provided. While people living with HIV and AIDS remain the major group of clients, the project has reached out to other groups and is also working with community leaders, housewives, children infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS, people with disabilities, the elderly, and other marginalised groups. The project co-ordinates its work with the local schools, the health centres, the local government, NGOs, and other communities. The projects savings groups and income-generating activities, involving both people living with HIV and AIDS and other community members, are thriving and expanding to include neighbouring communities. Training is another key element of Community Health Projects work, and various monthly training workshops are held for different groups. These workshops concern issues relating to HIV and AIDS, but also other issues relating to problems emerging within the community. For example, workshops for the youth group have addressed issues relating to the natural environment as well as the role of peer education in HIV prevention. Adult group workshops have included workshops for housewives and their husbands, focusing on HIV prevention and condom use. Monthly community forums and other regular training sessions provide additional opportunities for community members to discuss and learn more about issues of concern to them. As it has expanded its focus and its membership base, the Community Health Project has become a well-known group, benefiting a wide range of community members. It has brought about improvements in the quality of life for people within the community, and it has also changed attitudes towards HIV and those infected and affected by it. There is now greater acceptance and understanding in the community, and virtually no stigmatisation or discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS. The project has received financial and technical support from several agencies, but has also made efforts to raise local resources. It has been showcased as an effective initiative by people living with HIV and AIDS, and is regularly visited by AIDS activists not only from Thailand but from Living positively Pimjai continues to learn and develop her own skills and knowledge through reading and sharing experiences with others. She keeps busy managing the project, providing counselling to peers and the public, co-ordinating support for those who need it, helping dying friends to pass away in peace and dignity, comforting grieving families, giving talks to schools and communities, and organising seminars to promote a better understanding of HIV and greater recognition of the capacities of people who live with the virus. She has also become active in the peoples movement at the national level, advocating for health for all and for peoples rights to participate in social and governance Pimjai has often publicly and proudly said Im thankful for being HIV-positive. She explains: If I had not had HIV I would have remained an ordinary housewife who was concerned only about how to make money and take care of my family. I would have continued to do welding in the community and would not have learned anything else. But, because of HIV, I have learned the real meaning of life. Life is not about being wealthy; it is about being useful. I have taken care of many HIV-positive friends. I have worked for many other people. I have travelled to many places, attended many meetings, met many interesting people, even shaken hands with the prime minister, given many presentations, welcomed many visitors, and had many opportunities for learning. Understanding risk: a participatory gender analysis During the past few years, the AIDS Education Programme (AEP) of Chiangmai University has been collaborating with the AsianSouth Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE) in developing and trying out a set of participatory tools for gender-orientated analysis of HIV risks and responses, which can be used to promote awareness of HIV and AIDS and gender in the community. These participatory techniques have been designed to help people, both men and women, to analyse the links between gender, development, and HIV and AIDS, and how these issues relate to themselves in their own contexts. The techniques used include the analysis of gender values and the way in which marriage partners are selected; an analysis of the time spent on mens work and womens work; the analysis of risky behaviours and connections between different groups in the community; gender roles and values in HIV and AIDS prevention and care; and gender differences in control of and access to resources in HIV and AIDS prevention and care. The tools have been used in workshops with small mixed groups of men and women in five countries in South Asia, seven countries in South-East Asia, and three countries in East Asia. For example, a workshop held in Chiangmai, Thailand, involved participants from Thailand, Viet Nam, Malaysia, China, and Indonesia. It sought to provide participants with skills in using participatory gender analysis to promote HIV and AIDS awareness in their areas of work. In doing so, it helped the participants explore their own perceptions and understandings of the links between HIV and gender. In each case the workshops have yielded startlingly similar results in terms of gender values and roles, womens burdens and vulnerabilities, misconceptions about risks, and differential access to and control over resources. They suggest that very similar patterns to those seen in Pimjais story may be observed in other Asian countries. Gender norms and values The workshops included exercises in which participants were asked to identify qualities or characteristics that were considered important in a marriage partner. In all workshops this revealed the persistence of traditional gender norms and expectations. Mens expectations about their spouse focused on virginity, beauty, patience, good cooking and house-keeping skills, fidelity, as well as their ability to take care of children. In contrast, womens expectations about their spouse included honesty, sincerity, creative thinking, being healthy (including sexual performance), good education, bravery, economic stability, and social status. When asked to list the qualities associated with being male, participants included being responsible, non-smoking, polite, highly educated, gallant, leaders, active, faithful, sympathetic, understanding, brave, healthy, emotional, vulnerable, money earners, sharing housework, having a stable occupation, enjoying a high position in society, and fathering children. Qualities associated with being female included being gentle, beautiful, nice, talkative, patient, responsible, good at house-keeping, hard-working, non-complaining, caring and understanding, being a mother, doing the cooking, and giving birth. This list of male qualities contains some characteristics vulnerability and being emotional that would seem to challenge traditional conceptions of masculinity. Overall, however, it is clear that men were perceived as being active and in the leading roles, whereas women were perceived as being passive and in the caring roles (Hallacy 1999). Identifying and reflecting upon these gendered expectations enabled participants to reflect on their own preconceptions regarding what it means to be a male or female, how this affects their own behaviour and relationships with others, and what this means for gendered relations and behaviour more broadly. The gender norms and values identified in these first exercises were reflected in the analysis of the time involved in mens work and womens work, where the patterns from different countries were almost the same. Participants agreed that mens work and womens work are different and that women spend more time working: generally women rise earlier than men to start housework, and go to bed later than men do. They recognised that womens roles are dictated by traditional cultural norms, that women do more domestic work and perform more time-consuming, repetitive work, and that even women who work outside the home like their spouse have an additional burden of household work that men do not have. Men on the other hand were perceived to engage in heavier work and more dangerous work, and to do more technologically demanding work that requires more skills and brings in more pay than womens work. Analysis of the ways in which men and women do different work and use their time differently enabled participants not only to understand how gender norms and values determine what work men and women are able to engage in, and how it is valued and rewarded differentially by gender, but it also permitted an exploration of how this affected mens and womens vulnerabilities to HIV infection. When asked to analyse the links between gendered patterns of time use and HIV risk, participants noted that men earn more money than women and retain part of their income for drinking and visiting sex workers, and that it was more acceptable for men than women to travel in relation to their work, thus experi- encing increased opportunities to engage in risky behaviours. It was also agreed that men have more time for social activities and recreation, and that men and women would not engage in the same recreational activities. Whereas men would go out of the house and have more time to visit friends, play sports and so on, womens recreation would usually take place in the home. Mens recreational activities outside the home present more opportunities to engage in behaviours that put them at risk of HIV transmission than the female recreational activities taking place within the home (ibid.). Initially, women participating in the workshop considered themselves and other ordinary women to be at low risk of HIV infection, even if they knew their spouse had frequented sex workers and they could identify sex workers as being at high risk of HIV infection. However, a participatory activity that involved making connections between different groups with different levels of HIV risk, followed by participatory reflection and discussion, revealed the way in which even those who were not engaged in any risky behaviours directly were not risk- free. The links which were made between the different groups from those viewed as high-risk by the participants, including drug users and prostitutes, to ordinary men and women showed how the housewives and young women could contract the HIV virus from their roaming husbands and boyfriends and would then be likely to pass it on to their babies. The exercise would typically end with the startled realisation of each of the participants that practically everybody was at risk, and that everybody could be affected by AIDS, including themselves (Duangsa and Duongsaa 1994). Rather than simply giving information about HIV and AIDS and risky behaviour, the activity enabled participants to situate themselves and their own actions and behaviour within the HIV problematic. It clearly demonstrated the importance of enabling people to relate to the issue of HIV by making it tangible, visible, and directly relevant to their lives, in order to build the kind of deeper awareness needed as a precursor to behaviour change. In addition, by exposing the links between groups, and revealing the extent to which HIV cuts across groups and communities, the exercise helped reveal the extent to which HIV is not just the problem of infected individuals but is rather a problem for the community more Gendered roles in prevention and care The participatory exercises revealed that in every country, men and women have different values and roles, and different information relating to HIV and AIDS prevention and care. Through the discussion of prepared statements regarding male or female behaviour and a list of the different resources linked to HIV prevention and care, and who controls and has access to them, participants were able to analyse how gendered patterns of behaviour and resource access affect mens and womens vulnerability to HIV differently, and how they are affected by Participants agreed that men have more knowledge about HIV and AIDS, are aware of how to put on a condom properly, and have more opportunities to have multiple sexual partners, to have sex with sex workers, and to buy and carry condoms. Women meanwhile have an unequal role in negotiating sexual issues, including condom use. They feel less comfortable discussing sex, sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV risks and protection, and are more vulnerable to sexual harassment and/or rape. They are normally expected to keep virginity until marriage (while men are expected to have sexual experiences before marriage) and are more likely than men to contract HIV from their spouse. In addition, women are the primary caretakers of people with AIDS in the family. Such different values and roles among men and women clearly reflect the influences of prevailing social and cultural values and norms already governing the usual gender roles and expectations of the two sexes in everyday life, and in all social interactions and relationships (Hallacy 1999). They have clear implications for HIV risk, and also result in the burden of caring for those infected and affected by HIV falling most heavily on women. The workshop enabled participants to develop an understanding of the way in which HIV and AIDS are related to sex, sexuality, education, economic status, and social status, and how all of these factors are connected to gender. It revealed how men and women are vulnerable to HIV transmission in different ways, because of different traditional gender norms and values which have been socialised through social expectations and attitudes which shape mens and womens roles in prevention and care. Understanding these gendered dimensions of the epidemic challenges us to find new approaches to HIV and AIDS education, and interventions that are more gender-sensitive and include gender messages that will challenge the prevailing traditional stereotypical gender norms and values. Learning from Pimjai Pimjais story is an extremely inspiring one. It demonstrates the enormous impact that grassroots initiatives can have, and also how dedicated and dynamic individuals such as Pimjai can play a significant role in improving the lives of those affected by HIV and in protecting others from infection. It shows us that everybody has the capacity to respond to the epidemic, and that this capacity can be nurtured and mobilised so that everybody can make a difference. It is also important in that it draws attention to the complex interplay between development, gender, and HIV and AIDS in Thailand, and the crucial importance of understanding and addressing these interconnections if HIV-prevention efforts are to be successful. Poverty and gender inequality, risk and vulnerability Pimjais infection with the HIV virus was intrinsically linked to her status as a poor, rural woman. In Thailand a process of uneven development and the unequal distribution of wealth and resources has placed increasing pressure on the environment and resulted in the loss of agriculture-based livelihoods. With few job opportunities, and faced by the prospect of continued poverty in their own communities, many young men like Pimjais husband (and young women too) migrate to work in the big cities. Pimjais family is typical. The husband was understood to be the head of the family, the one expected to migrate to the big cities to earn money to provide for family members. As a man, his relatively greater education and vocational skills made it possible for him to go looking for better job prospects in Bangkok. Meanwhile women in rural Thailand are more likely to be poor, to have less education, and less access to land, credit, cash, and social services. The fact that many women are dependent on men for their economic security means that they also have limited space for negotiating the terms of desirable relationships with their partners, including negotiating safe sex or no sex. Like most of the many women to have been infected by their husbands, Pimjai never thought she might be at risk of contracting HIV. She was faithful to her husband and she thought her husband would be faithful to her. Her husband, on the other hand, had been socialised into believing that it is fine for a man to be unfaithful to his wife. In fact it is seen as manly to patronise sex workers or to have multiple partners and not to use protection. And for migrant men alone in an alien city, the absence of community restrictions and sanctions, and the existence of peer pressure, make them more likely to indulge in drinking, using drugs, and frequenting sex workers. The sex workers with whom men like Pimjais husband engage in unprotected sex putting themselves and their partners at risk of HIV infection tend to be used as convenient scapegoats and branded as the cause of HIV transmission. However, they too are the victims of the same poverty and gender norms and values which make them vulnerable to infection in the first place. Most sex workers enter the trade because of poverty, and many are migrants. Some are trafficked, others are lured into the trade by promises of good work with good pay. The sex work that they carry out is itself an outcome of gender values that perceive women as objects to cater for the desires of men, a view that is reinforced by the continual portrayal of women as sex objects in the mass media. The portrayal of sex workers as bad women is contrasted with good women that is young women and housewives. This dichotomy is degrading to women and puts many women at risk of HIV. While it is considered normal for bad women to talk about sex, it is taboo for good women to know about or talk about sex and sexuality, especially young women. This limits many womens access to information and counselling related to sexuality. It also limits their desire or ability to negotiate with their partners about condom use, for fear of being regarded as having had previous sexual experiences, which would put them in the category of bad women. Early AIDS campaigns, which advised Thai men to use condoms when they had sex with sex workers, have resulted in many people seeing condoms as something to be used with bad women only: many men would not use condoms with their girlfriends or wives, and these good women would feel slighted if their boyfriends or husband used condoms with them. Paradoxically, although they were very successful at reducing transmission between sex workers and their clients in the short term, the failure of campaigns such as the 100 per cent condom programme to integrate a broader gender analysis may have in fact contributed to increasing womens vulnerability, limiting their ability to protect themselves effectively against HIV and AIDS. Poverty, gender inequality, and experiences of HIV As well as increasing their vulnerability to HIV, poverty prevents people who live with HIV and AIDS from having a good quality of life, by affecting access to information, treatment, facilities, and services, and general care and support. HIV and AIDS in turn often impact on poverty and the lives of poor people in an alarming way. The costs of health care can place an enormous burden on affected families, which is often compounded by decreases in income due to illness or loss of work; the depletion of family savings leads to loss of economic security; and earnings are forgone due to the deaths of relatively young family members at the height of their earning years. Increased economic hardship often results in reduced resources to meet the needs of women, children, and the elderly in the family. In many cases orphaned children become the economic burden of their grandparents, other relatives, or community. And when HIV hits, the burden of dealing with it tends to fall more heavily on women. In Thailand, traditional gender norms and values that portray women as nurturers and care-providers have resulted in women being expected to shoulder more responsibilities in caring for those infected with HIV in the family. As Pimjais story illustrates, the wife of a person living with HIV and AIDS usually goes to great lengths to earn money to provide treatment and care for the husband, often sacrificing her own as well as her childrens quality of life in the process. Unfortunately, when women themselves get infected, the reverse does not often occur. Providing information and building awareness Like Pimjai and her husband, many poor people in Thailand, particularly women, and especially those living in remote rural and ethnic communities, have little or no education. Despite national prevention campaigns, information regarding HIV and AIDS how to protect themselves from it, where to obtain free condoms, and where they can go for information, counselling, testing, and care does not always reach them. Ensuring that this information is made available and accessible to men and women is clearly essential to helping protect them from HIV and AIDS. However, Pimjais story shows that simply providing this information is not enough. Even when they are aware of HIV and the way in which it is transmitted, many women like Pimjai are unlikely to use protection with their partner. Pimjai simply did not expect her husband to be infected, and was not aware of the closeness of the links that existed between herself and the high-risk sex workers in the city. Moreover, the gender expectations within Thai society meant that, even if she had wanted to insist on the use of protection, her ability to negotiate the use of a condom is likely to have been limited. It is clear that education and HIV-prevention programmes must seek to build a deeper awareness of HIV that reveals the interplay between HIV, gender, and poverty and enables a more profound understanding of the way in which this affects the vulnerability of different groups including women like Pimjai to infection. In doing so, such programmes must challenge the gender inequalities and the associated behavioural expectations that place women as well as men at increased risk of contracting HIV. Pimjai is just one of a large number of women living with HIV and AIDS in Thailand and other countries in Asia. However, in many ways her story exemplifies the growing young and female face of the epidemic. Highlighting the interconnectedness of HIV and AIDS with development and gender issues, her story serves as a reminder of the urgent need to tackle the underlying causes of poverty and gender inequality if the struggle against the epidemic is to be won. Her story also functions as an inspiration for what can be done. Pimjais story demonstrates the crucial role that initiatives such as the Community Health Project can play in helping to protect men and women from infection and to improve lives of those living with HIV and AIDS through raising awareness and understanding of HIV, and providing men and women in poor communities with skills and training. Education for children, young people, and adults women and men is a basic need and a basic right that provides the foundation for seeking, processing, and applying knowledge and information throughout life. Conversely, lack of, or inadequate education and training opportunities for women and girls are intrinsically linked to their lack of empowerment and increased vulnerability to HIV and AIDS. It is essential therefore that more intensive and extensive efforts, with appropriate budgetary allocation, are made to empower women through equal access to education and vocational skills training. However, we must ask what kind of education is available, and whether this is literacy education, post-literacy education, basic education, or vocational skills training. Having facts and information alone is not sufficient to make men and women change behaviours, and knowledge alone does not necessarily lead to action. The participatory exercises outlined above were structured to help men and women to become aware of problems and to be able to relate themselves directly to them. Only then will people be willing to start to make real changes in their behaviours. To be truly useful, education, particularly adult education, needs to enable men and women not just to recite what HIV and AIDS is, what it does to the body, and what the main ways to prevent it are, but also to enable them to analyse their own personal risks and their own possible responses to these risks. They need to be able to personalise and localise the problem of HIV and AIDS before they become committed to taking action and finding solutions. Gender- sensitivity training must be a central part of this. We need to raise both mens and womens awareness of gender inequalities and how this affects our lives. In this way we can build an understanding of the way in which gender bias and behaviours can make us and those around us more vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. It is essential that we continue to work to develop wide-reaching participatory programmes which are grounded in the understanding that knowledge alone does not lead to action. These must be linked to advocacy and structural change and developed in partnership with other sectors, in close collaboration with poverty- alleviation measures focused on reducing migration, prostitution, drug use, and peddling, and also with concrete initiatives that promote womens empowerment and equality in economic, social, cultural, political, and legal sectors. In doing this we need to become more open and more accepting, with the focus on learning. Most importantly, we need to understand and accept our own limitations and, following Pimjais example, continue to educate ourselves and reach out to others. 1 The information for this case study comes from: Community Health Project (2005) Case Study of Community Health Project (CHP) Part 1: Leading The Way For Marginalized People With HIV/AIDS, and Community Health Project (2005) Case Study of Community Health Project (CHP) Part 2. AVERT HIV and AIDS in Thailand (n.d.) www.avert.org/aidsthai.htm, (last checked February 2008). Duangsa, D. and U. Duongsaa (1994) Using PRA to Promote AIDS Awareness, paper presented at the International Workshop on Socio-Cultural Dimensions of HIV/AIDS Control and Care in Thailand, Chiangmai, Thailand. Duongsaa, U. (2004) Development, Gender, HIV/AIDS and Adult Education: Linkages, Lessons Learned and Challenges, paper prepared for Beyond Access seminar, University of East Anglia, www.ioe.ac.uk/schools/efps/GenderEducDev/Usa%20Duongsaa%20paper.pdf (last accessed May 2008). Hallacy, J. (1999) Report on the Mekhong Sub-Regional Training Workshop on Using Gender- Oriented PRA to Promote HIV/AIDS Awareness, Hua Hin, Thailand. UNAIDS (2001) Development of and Lessons Learned from Positive People Groups and Network, Study Report: The Case of the Upper North, Thailand. UNAIDS (2006) Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, available online at: www.unaids.org/en/HIV_data/2006GlobalReport/default.asp (last checked February 2008). UNAIDS (n.d.) www.unaids.org/en/Regions_Countries/Countries/thailand.asp (last checked February 2008). UNDP (2004) Thailands Response to HIV/AIDS: Progress and Challenges, Bangkok, available at www.undp.org/hiv/pubs.htm (last checked February 2008). WHO (2007) Progress Report: Towards Universal Access: Scaling up Priority HIV/AIDS interventions in the Health Sector, available at www.searo.who.int/en/Section10/Section18/ Section2008_13202.htm (last checked February 2008). 10 Engaging the community to promote gender equity among young men: experiences from Yari Dosti in Mumbai Sujata Khandekar, Mahendra Rokade, Vilas Sarmalkar, Ravi K. Verma, Vaishali Mahendra, and Julie Pulerwitz This chapter describes experiences of community mobilisation in a research- based intervention programme called Yari Dosti (meaning bonding among men). Yari Dosti was initiated in 2003 to promote gender equity as a strategy to reduce behaviour that was putting young men at risk of HIV, and to reduce violence against women in low-income communities in Mumbai, India. Gender attitudes and behaviours are largely the reflections of social norms and practices that support and sustain them. Many of these gender norms lead young men to attach great value to sexual prowess, multiple sexual partners, authority, and aggression, thus increasing the risk of HIV and violence against women. Yari Dosti was developed out of the belief that risky sexual attitudes and behaviours among men can be changed by first understanding how men construct masculinity and gender attitudes, and then by working with young men and their community to highlight which aspects of their gendered attitudes and behaviour lead to risk for them and their partners, and helping them redefine appropriate social roles for men and women (i.e. gender roles). This approach, therefore, sees community engagement and mobilisation as integral to challenging and changing inequitable gender attitudes and behaviours. This chapter examines the design and process of research, exploring the links between gender and masculinity, sexuality, and risk behaviour. It then considers the approach, design, and implementation of the intervention based on the research findings. It examines the evaluation and monitoring framework using the Gender Equitable Men Scale (GEMS) and discusses scale-up strategies of this extensively evaluated and validated intervention. It ends with conclusions and lessons learned from the programme. Why is Yari Dosti significant? The Yari Dosti programme is significant and distinct in more ways than one. The significance of the research lies in both its concept and its methodology. In terms of Engaging the community to promote gender equity among young men the concept, its focus on construction of masculinity was its distinct feature. HIV and AIDS-related programmes have in the past predominantly focused on safe sex and condom use as a preventive strategy, whereas Yari Dosti focused on attitudes which lead to decisions related to (un)safe sex and condom (non)use. In terms of methodology, the involvement of grassroots activists in every stage of the research and intervention, especially as researchers, makes this a distinctive programme. This methodology has helped to reduce the gap between the researcher and the researched, and has facilitated an easy and natural transfer of ownership of the programme from the research organisation (which conceptualised the pro- gramme) to the implementing organisation. The distinctiveness of the programme also lies in the research questions which revolved around issues of gender, masculinity, and sexuality, without trivialising them. Questions related to HIV and AIDS were subtly embedded in a broader mesh of questions on gender and sexuality. This helped ensure that Yari Dosti was not seen as a potentially stigmatised HIV and AIDS programme. Working with men on issues of gender and sexuality is a challenge. Achieving the balance between positions of men as victims of masculinity and perpetrators of violence is a tightrope walk. The Yari Dosti programme has clearly indicated that it is possible to work with young men on issues of gender and sexuality, and that change in deep-rooted gender attitudes is possible. The research also explicitly indicates that involving grassroots activists and peers is a successful strategy for such research and intervention programmes. Young mens knowledge about sexuality It is estimated that there are 5.1 million people living with HIV in India (National AIDS Control Organisation 2006). Almost half of new HIV infections are believed to occur among young men below the age of 30 (NACO 2005). Most evidence suggests that knowledge about HIV and AIDS is low among youth (Apte 2004; Bhende 1994; Abraham and Deshpande 2001), and very few young men see themselves as vulnerable (UNAIDS 2000). Jejeebhoy (1998), in her study with Indian adolescents on sexual and reproductive behaviour, has concluded that whatever knowledge adolescents have is incomplete and An important factor influencing young mens HIV risk in India is that from very early in their lives they learn notions of masculinity that promote inequitable gender-related attitudes and behaviours. In addition, women learn to tolerate and also to reinforce these notions of masculinity and inequitable gender-related attitudes, which further increases womens vulnerability to HIV infections and violence. It is therefore argued that challenging prevailing social norms of masculinity (and femininity) is essential in promoting sexual health and reducing vulnerabilities for both young men and young women. As Bhende (2000) notes, very few interventions in India have attempted to influence or change norms and risky behaviour. Interventions dealing with issues related to sexuality are a challenge in the Indian context. Notions of immorality and taboos associated with sex and sexuality complicate and stigmatise issues relating to young peoples sexual health. As a rule, parents do not speak about sex-related matters with their children. Sex-education programmes in schools are often received with hostility by parents and also by teachers, which resulted in the imposition of a ban on sex education in schools by many states in India in 2007. It is only since the rise of HIV and AIDS that sexuality has been extensively discussed in the public domain, yet much of these discussions revolve only around condom use and safe sex. Any intervention encompassing gender and sexuality in relation to the HIV and AIDS epidemic is a challenging task in terms of both design and implementation. An intervention with out-of-school youth in a community context is particularly challenging, owing to the diverse nature of communities, survival issues, time availability, and many other reasons. However, in order to reach out to young men who are outside of any formal structures (education, employment etc.), community-based interventions become crucial. And the success of community-based interventions depends a great deal on the transfer of ownership of the programme to the community. The partnership and the researched communities The Yari Dosti programme is an example of meaningful partnership between CORO for Literacy (hereafter referred to as CORO), an organisation with a strong community presence in Mumbai; Vishwas Sanskruti Kala Manch (VSKM), a community-based organisation of young men and women using performing arts as a tool for change; the Population Council (Horizons Program), an international research organisation; and Instituto Promundo, a Brazil-based NGO. This partnership largely grew out of individual initiatives (for example, proactive communication and feedback on issues of common concern such as violence against women), similar organisational philosophies (seeing men as partners and not as obstacles in the fight against HIV and AIDS and violence against women; and generating programme ownership from within communities), and the felt need to learn and draw from each others strengths Community mobilisation CORO was part of all the research and intervention activities and was solely responsible for community-based mobilisation and the implementation of the Yari Dosti programme. CORO was established in 1989, when it was led by middle- class, upper-caste, well-educated activists in good employment. Subsequently it was transformed into an organisation led by young men and women from the communities where it operated, predominantly the Dalit (scheduled caste) and the minority communities. CORO provided the impetus to create VSKM, which, having worked on social issues and on issues relating to community women, was seen by the communities as going against the norm or comprising positive deviants. The Yari Dosti research team consisted of nine married and unmarried young male VSKM activists who were slightly older than the participants in the intervention. The researched communities The Yari Dosti intervention site included three large slum pockets in north-east Mumbai, covering a population of about 300,000. A large majority of the population are migrant workers from various parts of India, particularly the northern states and rural Maharashtra, and are a mix of Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. The slums are characterised by congested shanties with marginal employment or unemployment, low literacy rates, an absence of minimum basic amenities, a high prevalence of violence against women, and intense criminal activities. These communities were selected because their ethnic and religious mix represented a typical Mumbai slum. Young men who participated in the research are mostly second-generation migrants. Participants occupations ranged from being students to unemployed to marginally employed (engaged in marginal jobs as daily wagers). Participants groups were a mix of married and unmarried young men. Research on the lifestyle of young men The first step of the Yari Dosti programme was to conduct research with young men between the ages of 16 and 24, exploring links between gender and masculinity, sexuality, and risk behaviour. This research aimed to understand the lifestyle of young men in these communities. The data collected during the in- depth interviews and key-informant interviews provided information about young mens perception of masculinity, their upbringing, social networks, social habits, passions, daily activities, attitudes and behaviour related to sex, and their knowledge of and attitudes to HIV and AIDS. Training the research team The research began with training the research team and building their capacity to undertake qualitative research on gender and sexuality. It consisted of two components: deepening members understanding of gender and sexuality issues, and building skills in qualitative research methods. Individual research team members drawn from VSKM had varied levels of understanding about gender and sexuality issues. Most had worked on women-centred issues in a humanitarian framework, which had implications for their understandings of gender and sexuality. A humanitarian framework takes its opposition to violence against women from a welfare approach, and draws on attitudes suffused with well- meaning sympathy and kindness. Yari Dosti, however, is based on a human-rights framework, drawing on individuals right to dignity and right to freedom, which significantly broadens the scope of gender and sexuality issues. Deep-rooted unequal gender construction and its prominent reflection in the realm of sexuality made training processes extensive and elaborate, as well as a challenge for the trainers. The research team members had come with their own assumptions, beliefs, and normalised perceptions relating to gender and sexuality, which had never been challenged as directly as they were during the formative research training. They expressed popular justifications for gender inequality, and equitable views on gender relations only in limited domains (e.g. accepting a proposition to educate girls, but rejecting a proposition of a woman having the right to deny sex to her husband/partner). The training aimed to promote a space where team members could engage in self-reflection in order to look at issues of sex and sexuality in a more objective and non-judgemental way, which is a prerequisite in order to undertake research on gender and sexuality. The training was in the form of participatory, interactive discussions, and became a continuous and evolving process for all those involved in the research. Trainers observed a lot of giggling among team members when terms related to sexual organs, sexual acts, and same-sex behaviour were mentioned. To address this, one exercise consisted of asking team members to write down all the words related to sexual organs and sexual acts in local languages on a piece of paper, and then getting them to read each of these words aloud. This was followed by discussions about the local meaning and origin of each word, which helped team members to overcome their inhibitions and to view sex and sexuality as an important and serious aspect of human life. Intensive short-term training was later carried out on various relevant issues as and when they arose. Training on qualitative research methods was a relatively easy process, compared with the training on issues of gender and sexuality (probably owing to its emphasis on skills rather than perceptions). Team members familiarity with various communications strategies such as street theatre, interviewing, facil- itating meetings, and so on was useful when deploying qualitative research tools. Training sessions on qualitative methods were followed by field practice, and this experience was shared and approaches refined. The research data were collected mainly through 45 in-depth interviews with young men in the researched communities. The interviewees were identified through a social mapping (where different types of young men were approached) and then by using snowball techniques (where acquaintances of the original young men were then approached). Systems were put in place to check, re-check, and cross-check the collected data. Upbringing, lifestyles, hobbies, social networks, peer groups, perceptions of gender, violence, sexuality, sexual behaviour, and sexual experiences, knowledge and attitudes about HIV and AIDS were all explored during interviews. The research team members who carried out the interviews were initially sceptical about the willingness of respondents to divulge information about intimate behaviour and sexual experiences, but to their surprise they found young men to be quite eager to talk.Spicy discussions and gossip about sex were very common among young men. More non-judgemental, dispassionate, and serious discussions which addressed anxieties and misconceptions among young men were new to them. However, young men talked profusely about their anxieties and concerns related to sexual performance and sexual health, such as masturbation and night falls (wet dreams). The research team found that two major factors were helpful in getting respondents to open up about sex and sexuality. The first was that the interviewers were from a similar socio-economic background to the respondents. This helped to establish rapport quickly (instantly in many cases) between the interviewer and the interviewee, and it helped to reduce the degree of exaggeration by respondents in narrations, because the interviewers were familiar with the community situation. The second helpful factor was that the interviewers talked about their own dilemmas relating to sex and sexuality at the beginning of the interview, and described their own search for some reliable space to voice their concerns. With interviewers who were only slightly older than respondents, the former were seen by respondents as peers in whom they could confide, as well as individuals whom they could respect. Nevertheless, the data-collection phase was stressful for both interviewers and respondents. For some of the interviewers, stories gathered during data collection reminded them of their own past, while some respondents later reported having been anxious because they had disclosed very private and personal information to the interviewers. Ways of debriefing were created for interviewers and respondents which helped to reduce stress and also to strengthen bonding among the research team members. What does it mean to be a real man? Who do you think is a real man (asli mard)? was the question used as an entry point by the interviewers. This led to unpacking bundles of perceptions, beliefs, norms, and practices concerning gender and sexuality among young men in the researched area. This section looks at the findings which informed the design of the intervention. Real men: traits, attributes, and behaviour The data indicated that the respondents have no single construct of masculinity, but rather there is a continuum of masculinities ranging from feminine men to macho men, with the latter generally being preferred. Respondents described real men in terms of traits and physical attributes: real men should have good physique, be physically strong, able to have sex many times, and able to entertain woman sexually; attitudinal attributes: in a crisis situation one can prove his masculinityYou may come forward and take a lead in resolving it and prove your masculinity; and behavioural attributes:a real man must take responsibility for all his family members. Most important is that he should look after his parents well. The respondents ridiculed men with feminine characteristics and also men who have sex with men. But some of them also reported same-sex activity as their sexual debut. Some interviewees reported pleasurable experiences of having sex with men: one cant derive such a pleasure [in having sex with a man] from a sexual intercourse [with women]. Sexual prowess and using force to control women Aggression towards women and coercive sex were observed to be attributes of masculinity. This was seen as an expression of proving ones masculinity: one day my girlfriend and I were returning from roaming in the evening and the road was quite empty. I put my hand on her shoulder and then over her body and pulled her to the corner of the road and started kissing her. She was not ready and tried to avoid itI caught her hard, kept kissing her, removed her clothes and had sex with hershe kept refusing. Women were viewed as sex objects, and violence against women (physical and sexual) was perceived as the norm. Forms of sexual coercion ranged across a continuum, starting with non-physical tactics to try to have sexual contact with women such as teasing, jostling, and whistling, to youths who said that in a crowded area they would touch any part of a young womans body. Sexually coercive behaviour (verbal or physical) was seen as demonstrating sexual power, and was directed towards women who appeared to challenge mens masculinity. Young men categorised girls into good and hence marriageable (those who do not challenge their masculinity) and bad and hence deserving of coercion (those who challenge their masculinity). They also presupposed a womans refusal of sex to be consent (she wanted it but said no...all say no but dont mean no). Findings indicated that young men prove their masculinity through sexual power and coercion: unless a woman cries during sexyour masculinity is not proved. My friends challenged me. They said if you are a real man then engage that girl within eight days. When she said no to me, I said I have to show her I am the man and teach her a lesson. Risk-taking as a masculine trait? Lots of individual, group, or self-inflicted violence was reported. Risk-taking was equated with being masculine. Sexual activity was reported as one means of dealing with stress and frustration for young men. However, young men did not see themselves as being at risk or vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. The only risky sexual activity was perceived to be that with female sex workers, but not with men, hijras (transsexuals), casual partners, or wives. Young men reported that they used condoms, sometime two condoms, during sex with sex workers. Young mens low-risk perception is reflected in some of these quotes: why should I use condoms during sexual relations with my own wife or girlfriend? It is not needed. When somebody is sexually excited why would he spend time taking out a condom and putting it on his penis? condom reduces sexual pleasure Peer influence Peers were found to have the strongest influence on the young men. Other sources of information included doctors, gym trainers, pornographic films (popularly known as English films), media (TV and print media), voyeurism (watching live sex), community programmes, and school programmes. Many of the respondents reported that they had watched their parents having sex. This is common in slum communities, owing to the tiny sizes of houses. Groups of young men reported watching couples having sex during the night, and then narrating the details to their friends. From knowledge to action: developing the intervention Translating qualitative research findings into an intervention is a challenging task. The team of grassroots researchers was actively involved in this process, which ensured that the intervention would be relevant to and rooted in community realities in terms of content, methodology, and language. The intervention adapted Program H activities (developed by Instituto Promundo and partners), which had been successfully tested in low-income communities in Brazil (Pulerwitz et al. 2006). The research had indicated that the intervention needed to address the following areas: viewing women as mere sex objects, aggression towards women and coercive sex, low self-perception of risk, sexual anxieties, and substance abuse. Since peer pressure had emerged as the strongest influence on young men, it was decided that the intervention should be peer-led, and so it was designed to foster self-reflection on gender attitudes as well as offering alternative peer groups for young men who volunteered to be part of the programme. Working definitions of key concepts were developed. A gender-equitable man was defined in much the same way as Program H defined the concept as someone who: (1) supports relationships based on equality, respect, and intimacy rather than sexual conquest; (2) seeks to be involved as a domestic partner and father both in terms of child-care and household activities; (3) shares with his partner responsibility for reproductive health and disease prevention; (4) does not practise violence, and opposes violence in intimate relationships; and (5) questions homophobic tendencies and attitudes. It was at this point that the name Yari Dosti which means friendship [or bonding] among men was agreed upon. The intervention programme had two main components: group educational activities and a life style social-marketing campaign that reinforced the gender- equitable and HIV-prevention messages forming the basis of the group education activities. The Yari Dosti group educational component adopted a participatory format, and sessions were held once a week in a closed room in a community setting. These activities and exercises lasted two to three hours and continued over a period of six months. Here young men had the space to discuss issues of concern to them around gender, body, and sexuality. Exercises were planned to avoid preaching at young men about behaving well, and instead allowed interactions that could lead participants to self-reflection on gender attitudes. Men were understood as partners in change and not as obstacles to change, and were also seen to be complex beings rather than homogeneous members of a monolithic category. Formation of participants groups The team which had carried out the formative research then became the facilitators of the education groups. They set up pilot intervention groups, attracting participants through a pamphlet that described the programme and stated that the facilitators wanted to share both their own experiences and formative study findings (with young men in the community) on issues related to sexuality. In addition to a variety of community members, the intervention team sought to include participants from certain types of youth identified in the research:chamdinad (womaniser),bevada (alcoholic),tapori (vagabond), and others, as they often reported risky behaviours. Finally, 126 young men were enrolled to take part in the pilot intervention and divided into four different groups, each including a mix of religions, ethnicities, occupations, and educa- tional and marital status. Selected group exercises Working with the issue of violence, story lines depicting realities from communities were developed: Rahul liked his neighbour, a girl called Sunita, with whom he sometimes exchanged glances. One day, they went into an abandoned house and began to kiss. Rahul convinced her to take off her salwar-kamiz (local attire) and she agreed. She then got nervous and said she wanted to leave. Rahul told her that she had come this far, so they should go further. He continued trying to convince her to have sex, telling her that she was beautiful and that he really cared for her, but he did not physically force her. Is this violence? The stories were intentionally kept a little ambiguous or open-ended so that participants could reflect and debate, with the opportunity to change their positions if convinced by others arguments. Deliberations covered a range of issues, including consent, forced consent, respect in relationships, the right to refuse sex, assumptions made by partners in intimate relationships, socialisation of girls and boys, peer pressures, and emotional blackmailing as a form of violence. Participants invariably brought issues of violence against their mother or sister into the discussion. Towards the end of a session, the facilitators would help participants to arrive at a common understanding about what constitutes violence, and especially violence against women. Such exercises, instead of labelling young men as perpetrators, created spaces for self-reflection and helped them open up windows for change, however narrow they may be. Another exercise which generated meaningful and efficacious discussions was about sexual desire or excitement. The research had indicated that young men understood sex only as penetrative sex, with or without consent. Foreplay was described by young men as a waste of time. To address this, a session on the erotic body was utilised. Through participatory discussions and exercises, participants were able to reflect on how various parts of the body can give sexual pleasure and why respect for sexual partners and communication in intimate relationships is important. This session also explored stages of sexual pleasure, understanding your partners sexual desires and needs, and safe(r) sex. From reticence to free and open communication It is significant that, without any monetary incentive, participation remained high throughout the intervention. Participants did report that they were initially attracted simply because of the notion of talking about sex, but such attitudes gradually changed as the intervention progressed. Initial scepticism and wariness of the need to speak in a politically correct fashion were replaced by frank discussions of personal experiences (even intimate experiences). Most partici- pants said that these group discussions stimulated them to question their attitudes and behaviours. Some of them even expressed an interest in extending the sessions to their friends, and volunteered to form groups to carry out more exercises. The programme illustrates a successful approach to engaging young men in self-reflection about deep-rooted attitudes about sexuality and gender. The education groups were never described as being about HIV and AIDS prevention. Initial sessions focused on gender, the body, sexuality, and violence- related issues. As HIV and AIDS-related exercises were considered particularly taboo in the community, they were only introduced later at a point when the group had become receptive to discussions of these topics. Many participants, in fact, said that if exercises on HIV and AIDS had been part of the initial sessions, they might not have continued with the group, because of the stigma attached to the topic. However, eventually, HIV risk and violence against women became an integral part of group discussion. The approach taken by group facilitators was to illustrate links between inequitable gender attitudes, behaviour that increased risk of HIV infection, and violence against women. The interactions during these sessions indicated that discussing HIV prevention by focusing on high-risk/low- risk behaviours (the focus of many HIV and AIDS programmes) was not a particularly useful frame when approached from the perspective of intimate relationships, gender equality, and sexuality. It was observed that participants were very receptive to sessions involving scientific information (e.g. sessions on the body, diseases and related treatments, knowledge about HIV and AIDS, etc.). Facilitators always made efforts to broaden the scope of discussions, and exercises involving certain types of attitudes (e.g. sessions on gender, violence, sexual diversity, etc.) often generated quite heated discussions. Facilitators skills in communication and their field- work experience helped them to cope with such situations, as group discussions were marked not only by lively participation but also by major arguments. Facilitators also used their own techniques to develop strong group cohesion and sustain the motivation of participants. Theatrical performances, celebrations of personal events, home visits, and creative recap sessions were some of the strategies used. Life Style Social Marketing Campaign It emerged that participants were concerned about the stark difference between the environment during the classroom sessions (where the group had open discussions, and support for gender equity was developed among the whole group), and the external environment. Many participants expressed distress over the total absence of a supportive environment (i.e. supportive of their changing attitudes) outside the classroom. Therefore, the programme also attempted to encourage a supportive environment outside of the group sessions by implementing a Life Style Social Marketing Campaign. As with the group education component, the campaign was adapted from Program H by young men (in collaboration with the larger project team), and then implemented by the young men themselves. The campaign included interactive street plays, with audience discussions after the plays, and the distribution and discussion of IEC (information, education, and communication) materials, such as posters and comic strips. The formats promoted positive gender-equitable images of real men as possible alternatives to the prevailing ideas about what characteristics a real man should have. For example, textual messages on two posters designed for the campaign read: Sanju never hits his wife it does happen or Rahul never forces himself on his partner because he knows no from his partner really means NO. The slogan of the campaign was Soch sahi mard vahi (A real man thinks right). Street plays took up issues related to gender and sexuality that emerged from the research. Violence, respect for your partner, the gendered division of labour, and safe(r) sex were four major themes. Community perceptions of gender and sexuality were portrayed through various characters and were forcefully contested by an equitable and gender-sensitive male character. After each street performance, a group of CORO and VSKM activists interviewed viewers and assessed how well the message had got across. Outcomes: from denial of gender equality to challenging Impact on peer leaders The new roles as researchers and facilitators, in general, enhanced the prestige and status of the young men. However, in addition, they travelled long personal journeys of introspection, self-confrontation, and struggle to become gender- sensitised individuals. These journeys were not easy, and they mentioned difficult times when their friends isolated them, believing that they had changed. Their new realisations about gender and sexuality also changed the nature of their own intimate relationships: I have lost intimacy with friends (because of the change in my attitudes)... Losing friends makes me unhappy. In my relationship with my girlfriend the question Am I dominating? is always at the top of my mind now. This is very irritating sometimes. Admittedly, however, the quality of our relationship has improved. The intervention sessions have helped me become a listening person, a responsible person, and a thinking person. All this helped to better my performance in relating with people and attending to their issues. my participation helped me to look at things in its related context The Gender Equitable Men Scale There was a rigorous monitoring and evaluation system put in place for the programme. The Gender Equitable Men Scale (GEM Scale) was used to measure changes in the support for (in)equitable gender norms of the participants, and questions were asked about key additional outcomes, including violence and safer sex. External evaluators conducted interviews with participants and their close relatives. Pre-tests and post-tests were conducted with participants. Almost all the young men who had joined education groups consistently participated in the intervention. Some of the original participants who had dropped out were interviewed, in order to find out why they had dropped out. Findings indicate that those who had dropped out had done so because of pressures of job-hunting and other time constraints. The GEM Scale consists of 24 statements in five domains: (1) domestic life; (2) sexual relationships; (3) sexual and reproductive health; (4) violence; and (5) homophobia and relations with other men. The GEM Scale was originally developed and tested in Brazil (Pulerwitz and Barker 2008) and was again tested for its validity and utility for the Indian context before using it for evaluation of the pilot intervention. Some of the items in the GEM Scale (items were scored as agree/partially agree/do not agree) were the following: In my opinion, a woman can suggest using condoms just like a man can. If a guy gets a woman pregnant, the child is the responsibility of both. There are times when a woman deserves to be beaten. Men are always ready to have sex. A womans most important role is to take care of her home and cook for her I would never have a gay friend. Some pre- and post-test data using the GEM Scale are included in Table 1 to indicate positive change in support for gender equity. For example, the percentage of young men who said it is ok for a man to hit his wife if she refuses sex with him dropped from 28 per cent to 3 per cent after the intervention. Table 1: Proportion of participants who agree with GEM Scale statements Statements Pre-test Post-test data (%) data (%) A woman can suggest using a condom just like a man 58 89 I would be outraged if my wife asked me to use a condom 35 17 Women who carry condoms are easy 54 19 A man can hit a woman if she cheats on him 36 33 A man can hit a woman if she refuses sex 28 3 A woman should tolerate violence to keep family together 33 9 There are times when women deserve to be beaten 31 14 When the items were combined into the GEM Scale, there was an overall positive shift in support for gender-equitable norms (p <.05). There was also a significant reduction in harassment against women over the past three months reported by participants (80 per cent to 43 per cent; p <.05). Further, there were positive trends towards an increase in condom use, but these changes were not significant. For additional detail about this evaluation, see Verma et al. (2006). In-depth interviews with participants and their friends and relatives also demonstrated change among the young men. A participants mother reported that her son had started communicating with her and others in the family: My son was a very introverted type of person and rarely talked to us. But now he shares a lot of things with us. Many young men reported improved relationships with their girlfriends or partners: I was about to divorce my wife due to misunderstanding. These sessions restrained me from doing that. There was a variety of changes in attitudes and behaviours reported by the ...boys tease girls because they think its natural and rightful. I know this because I was one of them... After the session on erotic body, my views about sex have changedI dont think many of us in this community ever thought like this. Those who think that condom use reduces sexual pleasure are wrong. I also used to think so. But now I know each part of our body can give sexual pleasure. What is important is the understanding between the partners. It is very challenging to change deep-rooted gender attitudes in a short period of six months. Change in gender attitudes is a process, and facilitators found that the change process often started with denial of gender-inequitable attitudes and then moved from a justification of gender-based inequality to acceptance of the existence of gender-inequitable norms and practices. This acceptance further pushed participants to reflect on their attitudes and to explore ways to challenge these norms and behaviour. The Yari Dosti programme addressed gender attitudes of young men that commonly lead to sexually risky behaviour. The evaluation of the programme indicated a significant reduction in young mens support for inequitable gender norms related to safe sex and violence, and some change in related behaviours. Thus, addressing gender attitudes and norms can be important components of HIV and violence prevention strategies. Further, this programme, which utilised interactive group education and community-based behaviour-change communication, and included significant involvement from the community, was successful in meeting its main goals. It should be considered a useful HIV and violence prevention tool. The programme implementers feel that the programmes ability to address and change these gender attitudes was largely due to the importance given to the research component of Yari Dosti. It was crucial for understanding the con- struction of masculinities and the nature of unequal gender relations in these culturally mixed slum areas, and provided the basis for the development and adaptation of the intervention programme itself. The research indicated that there was no single construct of masculinity, but rather a continuum which ranged from constructions of feminine men at one end of the scale to macho men at the other and the latter being the preferred construct of young men in the community. For these young men, their peer groups were the strongest influence on their construction of masculinity, which was infused by support for coercive heterosexual sex and violence against women. The research indicated the need to work with young men to help them analyse their sexuality and construct a more positive masculinity and more positive gender attitudes. Only by tackling deep-seated inequalities of gender attitudes and practices will young people be able to protect themselves against HIV and AIDS. While this is a big task which takes time and commitment, experiences from the community-based intervention Yari Dosti suggest that it is possible to change young mens attitudes to and relationships with sexual partners and prospective sexual partners. Having well-trained researchers/facilitators was a crucial factor in Yari Dosti. Complex and taboo issues related to sexuality and gender were challenging for even the most well-trained facilitator to tackle, and changing their own deep- rooted gender attitudes was an evolving process. Hence continuous training and dialogue about dilemmas and issues that emerged in both their training and their facilitating was essential. Facilitators communication skills, their understanding of group dynamics, and adequate clarity about and internalisation of gender and sexuality-related issues were fundamental. Counselling was available to support facilitators throughout the intervention, because of stress felt by the facilitators when exploring these sensitive topics. What the Yari Dosti programme has also shown, however, is that young men without former professional research training can acquire skills and perspectives that serve as a foundation for roles as effective change agents related to gender and HIV/violence prevention. One of the key lessons from Yari Dosti is that ownership of the programme should rest with the community. Changing deep-rooted attitudes is a long process and needs to be supported from within the community. In this study local young men were involved from an early stage, which helped to make the transfer of ownership of the programme from the research organisation to the implementing organisation easy and natural. CORO has been engaged with community-based activities for the last 18 years, and COROs experience of grassroots work proved to be of immense importance to the programme. Encouraged by the results of the pilot intervention described in this chapter, Yari Dosti was expanded in 2005 to include 750 young men in the slum communities of Mumbai, and 750 young men from the rural communities of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. The intervention has now been adapted and tested in urban as well as rural contexts and is ready for further scale-up. A Yari Dosti manual is being adapted to work with school-going boys (aged 1218) in the public-school system. Further, based on feedback from the community, it was determined that there was a need to work also with young women to address inequitable gender practices and help reduce their vulnerability to violence and to HIV and AIDS. Sakhi-Saheli (meaning female friends), a research-based intervention, is currently being implemented by CORO in Mumbai slums with 549 married and unmarried young women (aged 1625). The study team included Sujata Khandekar, Mahendra Rokade, and Vilas Sarmalkar, all from CORO; Dr Ravi Verma, formerly of Horizons/Population Council, and Vaishali Mahendra, Horizons/Population Council, New Delhi; Dr Julie Pulerwitz, formerly of Horizons/PATH, Washington DC; and Dr Gary Barker, Instituto PROMUNDO, Brazil. For more details on this chapter, contact Sujata55@hotmail.com or rverma@icrw.org. Additional details about the study can be found at www.popcouncil.org. Abraham, L. and B. Deshapande (2001) Youth Sexuality: A Guide to Recent Literature, Mumbai: Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Apte, H. (2004) College men, sexual knowledge and pornography in Pune, in R.Verma et al. (eds.) Sexuality in the Times of AIDS: Contemporary Perspectives from Communities, New Delhi: Sage Bhende, A. (1994) A study of sexuality of adolescent girls and boys in underprivileged groups in Mumbai, Indian Journal of Social Work 55(4 SI): 55771. Bhende, A. (2000) Evolving a Model of AIDS Prevention Education among Under Privileged Adolescent Girls In Urban India, paper presented at a workshop on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health: Issues and Challenges, at the International Institute of Population Studies. Jejeebhoy, S. (1998) Adolescent sexual and reproductive behaviour: a review of the evidence from India, Social Science and Medicine 46(10): 127590. National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) (2005) www.nacoonline.org/vasco/indianscene/overv.htm (last checked July 2007). National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) (2006) HIV/AIDS Epidemiological Surveillance and Estimation Report for the Year 2005, New Delhi: NACO. Pulerwitz, J. and G. Barker (2008) Measuring attitudes toward gender norms among young men in Brazil: development and psychometric evaluation of the GEM Scale, Men and Masculinities 10: Pulerwitz, J., G. Barker, M. Segundo, and M. Nascimento (2006) Promoting More Gender- equitable Norms and Behaviors Among Young Men as an HIV/AIDS Prevention Strategy, UNAIDS (2000) Report on the Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic. Verma, R., J. Pulerwitz, V. Mahendra, S. Khandekar, G. Barker, G. Fulpagare, and S.K. Singh (2006) Challenging and changing gender attitudes among young men in Mumbai, India, Reproductive Health Matters 14(28): 110. 11 Building multi-sectoral partnerships to deliver gendered HIV education in schools: Partnership is one of those words that has had a central place in the develop- ment lexicon over the last two decades. The term is somewhat ambiguous, meaning different things to different people, depending on their operating context. Adams et al. (1995: 1) define partnership as a group of ... people (institutions) working together and maintaining equal power, while ActionAid International (2007) describes partnership as an arena of collective power in which people, organizations and networks come together with their knowledge, experiences, perspectives and resources in order to achieve commonly agreed objectives. Underlying most definitions is the recognition that partnership is a process of collective inputs from diverse groups in the quest to achieve shared goals. Partnership can also be seen as a political, social, and economic process. It is central to constructing, socialising, and negotiating the knowledge, ideologies, ideas, approaches, and perspectives needed to work jointly for a common purpose (Zewdie 2007). Partnership is a form of power in and of itself, but it is also a means to increase power, since a partnership provides the space and the structure for people, organisations, networks, and movements with similar views, beliefs, and commitment to come together to generate greater collective power and legitimacy (ibid.). This chapter views partnership as a group of people and institutions working together and pooling their knowledge, experiences, perspectives and resources in order to increase their collective power and achieve commonly agreed objectives. This kind of partnership can range from a continuum of collaboration to formal alliances. While collaboration implies co-operation at some stage, a formal alliance implies co-operation in all stages of the partnership. Partnerships to respond to HIV and AIDS have evolved over the last 25 years, from a single sector (health) to multi-sectoral partnership approaches such as that adopted in Nigeria. Considering that the HIV pandemic is now understood to be a gendered health, development, and human-rights issue (UNIFEM 2001), it is vital that partnerships responding to HIV and AIDS create synergies with existing Building multi-sectoral partnerships to deliver gendered HIV education in schools partnerships and coalitions campaigning for women rights, education rights, and social rights. The chapter explores the evolution of the partnership approach, focusing particularly on joint working between the womens rights, education, and HIV sectors, using Nigeria as a case study. It looks at attempts to provide gendered HIV and AIDS education programmes in schools. A strong gendered approach to HIV and AIDS education requires programmes that recognise and prioritise the practical and strategic needs of girls and boys. Lessons learned from emerging practice should be used to strengthen advocacy by education coalitions for good-quality gender-equitable policies that inform and promote HIV and AIDS education. The chapter is presented in three sections. The first section explores the historical shift from a health-sector-based AIDS response to a health-sector-led approach, and finally to the new multi-sectoral AIDS-response paradigm. A central critique of the health-sector response was the weak prioritisation of the strategic and practical needs of women in their programming. The second section looks at the practical experiences of various partnerships aimed at strengthening school- based HIV and AIDS response which recognise the differing realities of the epidemic for girls and boys. This section attempts to analyse how the socio- cultural constructs of gender, patriarchy, and power relations were brought to bear in the working of the partnerships and their objectives. The final section distils key lessons about the approaches and challenges that these partnerships faced in including a womens-rights perspective in their work. The chapter ends by examining what is needed to ensure that a gendered analysis of AIDS is integral to future advocacy and networking. The history of the partnership approach in the response to HIV and AIDS International context National responses to HIV and AIDS were launched in Nigeria in the 1980s and were driven and led by the health sector (Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health 1999). This health-sector-led response was drawn from a traditional public- health approach and was characterised by a strong focus on the technical aspects of the problem and epidemic. It did not focus on the social aspects of the drivers of the epidemic, such as the limited decision-making power of women in many sexual relationships. In the early 1990s there was an increasing realisation that in order to prevent and respond effectively to HIV and AIDS, governments needed the support of civil society. The response was still led by the health sector but was expanded to include a limited range of new actors from other sectors, such as civil-society organisations (CSOs) (ibid.). The CSOs were limited to the priority areas identified by the health sector often those programmatic areas which the Ministry of Health found difficult to implement. Typical areas of collaboration with CSOs included working with young people, especially girls in schools, or with female sex workers who were seen as engaged in an illegal occupation, making it impossible for the Ministry of Health to intervene directly. Although the AIDS response now included a wide group of partners, most of the civil-society partners at this stage still operated from within a public-health para- digm. Few of these early partners had the capacity to organise a gendered response to the epidemic. The limited success achieved with this mono-sector approach led to a deeper political and policy understanding of the wider socio-cultural drivers underpinning vulnerability to HIV infection, and the need for a broader response. While the health-sector-led response focused on dealing with the visible elements of the determinants of the epidemic, the social constructions that underpin womens sexuality and relational power were being ignored. In addition, the prevailing silence associated with sex and sexuality, as well as the stigma associated with inappropriate sexual behaviour, made it difficult for communities to engage in discussions and debates on the more social aspects of the HIV epidemic. As these more complex social and gendered dimensions of HIV were realised, it became reconceptualised as a developmental issue. In turn, this led to a slow but definite broadening of the types and ranges of partners involved in responding to HIV and AIDS. But despite an increasing number of development NGOs becom- ing involved, there was a distinct lack of engagement with groups championing womens-rights issues (Msimang 2003). This absence seems to be found in other regions of the world too; in 2005, womens rights and HIV and AIDS organisations working in central and eastern Europe concluded that they were still not collaborating at a meaningful level.1 But in some countries, organisations have managed to work together in partnership to develop broad gendered and community-based AIDS responses (including in Uganda, Senegal, and Thailand) (Allen and Heald 2004). The lessons gleaned from these success stories highlight the multiple benefits of basing the response to HIV and AIDS firmly in the context of womens-rights issues. These partnerships were driven by a wide range of highly mobilised and motivated actors from across civil society, government, and the private sector. In Uganda this led to extensive promotion of zero grazing (faithfulness and partner reduction) (Green et al. 2006). Innovative work by ActionAid Uganda on improving communication and relationship skills at the community level contributed to overcoming the silence surrounding the epidemic and its drivers (ActionAid Uganda 2000). This increased openness in Ugandan communities and willingness to talk about sex, sexuality, and the AIDS epidemic soon found its way into more formal spaces, including at the highest political levels as evidenced by open discussion about HIV and AIDS in both written policy documents and verbal statements. Open and more transparent communication enabled the examination of many of the social constructions which were simultaneously undermining womens rights and fuelling the epidemic. The open dialogue also led to the development of local strategies to transform the negative gender relationship between women and men (ibid.). Another key factor in the success of the approaches in Uganda, Senegal, and Thailand was the inclusion of a wide range of ministries, departments, and agencies within government which were involved in designing, implementing, and evaluating the response to HIV and AIDS. Each sector brought different strengths and it was recognised that the education system had a crucial role to play in educating young people about HIV prevention, care, and support, as well as a potential to transform gender stereotypes. Given this situation, in 2000, UNAIDS started promoting the concept of multi-sectoral broad-based partnerships for the design and operation of national AIDS responses within the framework of the three Ones: One strategy; One institutional arrangement; and One monitoring and evaluation framework. The Nigerian context In Nigeria, the original health-sector-led approach was initiated and driven by the Department of Public Health of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH). Over time, it became the National AIDS and STD Control Programme (NASCP), which involved a range of civil-society actors but was still under the leadership of the health sector. Civil-society partners at this time were mostly health-related organisations and included the Society for Family Health (SFH), the Society for Women and AIDS in Africa Nigeria Chapter (SWAAN), and the Association for Reproductive Health (ARFH) (Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health 1999). As the FMOH (at that time) had no mandate to intervene in schools, civil-society organisations started independently carrying out HIV and AIDS education programmes in schools. While these initiatives succeeded in increasing levels of knowledge about HIV and AIDS in schools, they lacked a social-support component to help young people to overcome the many blocks to talking openly about sex and sexuality, and learn skills to enable them to practise safer sex. With no reference to the social and gender dimensions to HIV it was therefore not surprising that HIV-prevalence rates continued to rise, increasing from 1.8 per cent in 1991 to peak at 5.8 per cent by 2001 (see Figure 1). Given this continued rise, the Nigerian government looked to Ugandas experience and transformed the National AIDS Programme (NASCP) into a National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA), which included a broad-based membership drawn from civil society, and the private and public sectors. Partners included the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs (FMOWA), and ministries of Health, Education, Agriculture, Defence, Labour, and Internal Affairs, including paramilitary services (National Action Committee on AIDS 2000). The newly formed NACA led the production of the first national multi-sectoral strategic plan the HIV and AIDS Emergency Action Plan (HEAP). Figure 1: HIV-prevalence rates in Nigeria, 19912005 Although several womens rights NGOs were now part of the partnership, in the first three years they had little meaningful engagement, due among other things to limited understanding of how womens rights interacted with the issue of HIV and AIDS. In addition, there was often pressure from funding agencies to technicalise their work to fit with NACA expectations. A review of the first multi-sectoral strategic plan2 showed a low prioritisation of gender issues. Partnerships in HIV and AIDS education in Nigeria From the early 1990s NGOs had been able to source small grants from donors and foundations, and they implemented a diverse array of HIV and AIDS education programmes in schools. Gender issues were not a serious concern, and educational materials focused more on biological differences. These programmes had limited funding and in many parts of the country faced significant resistance to sexuality education, as it was then known. This resistance by teachers as well as parents and education departments was based on a fear that explicit discussions about sex and sexuality would lead young people to experiment sexually. Many of these fears were based on social and cultural beliefs about the importance of a girls chastity, while encouraging male sexual experimentation. Box 1: The Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH) ARFH, based in Ibadan, responded to the dilemma of controversial terminology by coming up with the concept of Life Planning Education. This term was acceptable in that it suggested a broad process of educating young children to cope with life and its different ramifications, including growing up, getting married, and the reality of engaging in sex in the era of HIV and AIDS. (Unfortunately no evidence exists to suggest that this focused in any particular way on the unique needs of girls.) This concept has now been broadened to Family Life Education (FLE), which enjoys wider acceptance in Nigeria. The result was that many NGOs operated small pilot projects in schools where the leadership was more receptive, and experimented with terminology which would be acceptable (see Box 1). They often operated outside of the traditional school curriculum and school hours, for example in after-school clubs. Many NGOs used a peer-to-peer approach, training young people to reach out to their friends and classmates, often in one-to-one sessions (ActionAid International Nigeria and Society for Family Health 2002a). However, many of these approaches were poorly structured and lacked a rigorous analysis of gender relations and possibilities for negotiation of safer sex. Towards the end of the 1990s, a few of these programmes evolved to incorporate activities around youth-friendly health services, such as providing treatment facilities for sexually transmitted infections. They also began to work with the government on how to incorporate HIV and AIDS education into the curriculum (Action Health Incorporated 2002). These early partnerships between NGOs, schools, and donors helped to begin to locate debates on HIV in the context of the practical realities of schools and the lives of young people (ibid.). The expansion of HIV and AIDS education in schools started in 2000, based on a broader partnership between civil society and government. This process was helped by the emergence of democracy during the same period. The Oyo State Expanded Family Life Planning Education project, supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), was instrumental in triggering this expansion (see Box 2). A major milestone was the National Family Life and HIV Education (FLE) Policy and Curriculum, although power, gender, and vulnerability are poorly captured in the policy, curriculum, and operational guidelines. The policy remained focused on the biology and psychology of girls and boys, with no recognition of the evidence indicating that a girls first sexual experience will be often forced (Garcia Moreno 2003). Box 2: The Expanded Life Planning Education Partnership The Expanded Life Planning Education (ELPE) project took place in Oyo State public secondary schools. The project, which was supported by the UK Department for International Development, brought government and NGOs together in a unique partnership that was later to shape the integration of HIV into the education sector. This partnership included the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), and the Association for Reproductive and Family Health. The project provided the first example of a truly multi- sectoral partnership between various units of governments as well as between government and civil society. A variety of interventions was used, including advocacy with the religious and traditional institutions on the new societal challenges posed by HIV and the consequent need to respond; capacity-building at managerial and operational levels for education ministries, departments, and agencies; promoting community participation to ensure the social support needed to deal with the sensitivity of having AIDS education in schools; and building effective partnerships with relevant government agencies and between government agencies. In all these components, the importance of gender had limited recognition in the construction and programmatic elements of the partnership, with the exception of the peer-education component. Lessons from the partnership included the importance of including faith organisations and community leaders. To understand the challenges faced in scaling up gendered HIV and AIDS education within schools, it is important to understand the context of the epidemic in Nigeria. As in most of sub-Saharan Africa, in Nigeria the bulk of HIV infections are primarily transmitted through heterosexual sex. In Nigeria, vulnerability to HIV occurs within marriage either through serial relationships (multiple divorces) or concurrent (polygamous marriages) sexual networks. Though women are vulnerable as a result of these multiple relationships, this aspect of HIV prevention has rarely been discussed. Womens vulnerability to HIV infection was beginning to be understood as linked to their inadequate access to information, education, and sexual and reproductive health services; their experience of sexual violence and harmful practices (such as early and forced marriage); and a lack of legal capacity and equality in areas such as marriage and divorce (United Nations 2004). However, a gendered approach to HIV-prevention programmes was controversial because it raised questions about sexuality. Faith-based organisations upheld values and expectations that girls and women should be submissive sexually, and they believed that discussion of sexuality in relation to HIV and AIDS could threaten the fabric of the community. But for successful HIV and AIDS education programmes there needed to be debate about collective cultural identity and individual rights. With growing realisation of the need to enter into this political and gendered arena, members of the partnership leading the national response began to actively involve religious leaders and traditional institutions. With this broader partnership, the first national conference on Adolescent Reproductive Health took place, which provided an important arena for debate and led to the creation of a national strategic framework (Action Health Incorporated 2002). Although gender was an important issue at the conference, there was a stark absence of feminist organisations. Nevertheless, it cemented the partnership between civil society and faith leaders, and led to the 2003 Comprehensive Sexuality Policy and curriculum for children from primary to tertiary levels of education (Action Health Incorporated 2003). Box 3: The Civil Society Network on HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (CiSNAN) and Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA) These two coalitions, facilitated by ActionAid Nigeria, emerged in 2000. The education coalition emerged as a direct response to the need to achieve a coherent civil-society engagement with the Dakar 2000 Education for All conference. Conversely, the HIV and AIDS coalition emerged in response to the need for an organised civil-society platform to maximise the gains for poor and excluded people in the emerging multi-sectoral response to the epidemic. The two coalitions were unique in that they had a broad range of stakeholders that were connected to the two sectors. These included NGOs, traditional faith-based organisations, and professional organisations. Some of the members had interests across the two sectors and were active in both coalitions. While womens-rights organisations formed part of the initial membership, they were however not fully integrated into the day-to-day functioning of the coalitions. They have not managed to fuse their interest strongly with that of the wider coalition. Extensive internal dialogue in the two coalitions led to the development of a core position on a wide range of issues. This process of dialogue was important in managing the varying levels of motivation across the group. It ensured that gatekeepers such as parentteacher associations and religious and professional organisations had space to debate their fears and issues, as well as enabling the needed consensus which propelled some of the later success of the partnership. A key element of these core positions was HIV education in schools, including emphasis on a gendered perspective in building the education response to the epidemic. While the statements were clear, it is debatable how well they were operationalised, for example in the various strategic plans that the coalitions later shaped. During this period, two separate national coalitions were set up in Nigeria: the Civil Society Network on HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (CiSNAN) and the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA) (see Box 3). They drew membership from a wide range of interest groups across the country. ActionAid supported these two coalitions to link up and become a coherent platform for articulating policy options for HIV and AIDS education. This work demonstrated that civil society was a formidable force. Both CiSNAN and CSACEFA recognise gender as central to HIV and AIDS education and school-based programmes, and bring different comparative technical advantages in HIV and education. However, only a limited number of womens organisations and members of the womens rights movement joined this partnership or brought their particular expertise to bear on the work. Moreover, differences in approaches from public- health whole community approaches to gender-justice and womens-rights approaches limited the benefits of partnership. Moving from policy to practice Despite differences and tensions, the creativity and energy of the partnership approach in Nigeria was highly successful in developing policies and curricula with support from a wide range of stakeholders. However, when it came to scaling-up and implementation, a new set of challenges arose. There was no nationally resourced implementation plan, and each state was expected to finance and deliver not only on the new curriculum but also in terms of teacher training. This limited the extent to which the policy was accepted and prioritised. In many states, the already limited gendered aspect of the policy and its related curriculum were watered down. New partnerships were thus needed at the state level to leverage financial resources and to help overcome the fear and resistance of parents and religious and traditional institutions. This process of consensus-building was helped by the massive mobilisation of the faith-based response to the AIDS epidemic post-2001. This mobilisation process was led by ActionAid Nigeria in the Promoting Sexual Reproductive Health and HIV Reduction Programme (PSRHH), which was aimed at increasing the capacity for HIV and AIDS institutional and programming among some critical Islamic and Christian groups. The work focused on increasing the understanding of the faith-group leaders about young womens vulnerability, power, and patriarchy, and about how to promote enabling environments for tackling HIV and AIDS. While it was understood that faith- based organisations would have reservations, for example on condom use, it was important that they were part of the process and supported the elimination of practices such as violence against girls in schools, polygamy, and male infidelity in marriage. Faith groups also worked on reducing HIV stigma and accelerating the process of being openly HIV-positive (ActionAid International and Society for Family Health 2002b). This strategy served to reduce the silence surrounding HIV, sex, and sexuality, increasing wider understanding of the HIV epidemic and bolstering the commitment to provide gendered HIV and AIDS education through the school curriculum, especially at state level. Many of the faith groups worked within civil societygovernment partnerships to support the roll-out of the policy and curriculum at state level. In order to increase scale-up at the state level, the Capacity for Universal Basic Education Project (CUBE) was funded by DFID and implemented by the British Council and ActionAid Nigeria. Implementation in each state involved a level of curriculum adaptation and collaboration between partners, but there remained a common process, including integration of the sexuality-education curriculum and gender awareness into carrier subjects;3 development of the delivery scheme; training of teachers incorporating some basic sensitisation on gender and gender mainstreaming; production of resource materials (teacher-training manual and teaching aids); and the delivery and routine monitoring of the programme. While many of these materials highlight the gendered aspect of the epidemic, they also continue to foster negative gender stereotypes. Complex partnerships are needed to support gendered HIV and AIDS education in schools, but this gives rise to many challenges, not least the ongoing dynamics and change involved in partnerships themselves over time and place (from short- term relationships in individual schools to formal alliances between coalitions for issue-based advocacy). Raising recognition of womens vulnerability was a core issue, because of the complex socio-cultural context of Nigeria as well as the limited gender understanding and skills of the AIDS-in- school champions. Sustained effort and pressure from both civil society and the public sector is required. The gendered approach that the partnerships have managed to incorporate into their work has been the result of learning by doing. There has been an ongoing challenge of incorporating explicit statements on gender and HIV into practice on the ground, and into advocacy and campaign tasks. Lobbying around these has been less than systematic and co-ordinated. Getting the womens movement involved in AIDS-in-school partnerships has not been as easy as expected, because of complex ideological and practical differences in ways of working. Partnerships, as noted at the beginning of this chapter, are about groups and institutions working together and negotiating knowledge, ideas, and approaches.Building a common vision,let alone a common strategy,across different networks is not easy, and feminist and womens-rights groups struggled to see how their agenda fitted into what they perceived as the more technical approach of the HIV and education coalitions. It was important to invest in discussions and debates about what constitutes gendered HIV education in school, in order to be open to different approaches from different members and understand their perspectives. Time was needed for good communication between partners, and building consensus. It is also needed for taking learning from pilot school projects to the policy level and influencing policy directives. Moving from small pilots to national programmes demands a wide range of skills and knowledge. The skills needed for programme development and implementation in the pilot phase, and at the school and local education-system level, are different from those needed for influencing, advocacy, and network building. Views on sex, sexuality, and HIV and AIDS are shaped by culture, tradition, and patriarchy. Many teachers and policy makers in the education sector need to deal with their own attitudes and beliefs about these sensitive areas before they can confidently and effectively incorporate sexuality education and womens rights into their teaching. Similarly, the attitudes and behaviours of the teacher trainers need to reinforce the learning and behaviour change of the teachers. The curriculum both at college level and school level still needs to incorporate a gender-based analysis, and for this to be done well the Ministry of Womens Affairs needs to be closely involved. A key factor in taking forward this partnership agenda for gendered HIV and AIDS education in schools is secure funding. In the earlier stages, donor agencies funded small-scale civil-society projects which allowed experimentation and innovation with gender-sensitive school programmes. However, real success can be achieved only when the public-sector budgetary processes earmark monies for a gendered AIDS response in schools. This has started with support from some donors (such as DFID), but more can be done. In conclusion, the experience in Nigeria has illustrated how partnerships for gendered HIV and AIDS education in schools have developed over time and gone through various phases. This has been important and necessary, as the fears and resistance of critical stakeholders such as parents, faith groups, and traditional leaders are understood and managed. Partnerships are dynamic collectives of diverse organisations which continually evolve and change in shape, composition, and nature. The HIV and AIDS epidemic and the need for a coherent and strong gendered response in and through schools demands partnership of multiple and diverse stakeholders, themselves often part of complex networks and coalitions. Different partners bring different skills sets and competencies, and at different stages in the partnership different leaders may emerge. Civil-society organisations have been shown to be well placed to drive the initial phase of this partnership, and to confront and challenge the social and cultural practices concerning gender, sex, sexuality, and HIV and AIDS that make young people, especially girls, vulnerable to infection. They have been more able than government to take risks, and have the flexibility and independent funding to carry out labour-intensive work in pilot schools. But the impact at this level is often limited, the learning specific to the location, and the organisations themselves unable to challenge broader social and cultural beliefs and practices affecting womens vulnerability. Evidence-based advocacy and campaigning for broader awareness and policy change demands an alliance with other organisations and actors who can successfully influence political and financial agendas. The education and HIV and AIDS NGO sectors need to come together and be willing to share space and build a partnership and common agenda based on their comparative competences. Critical to the success of a civil-society partnership with broad consensus is the inclusion of faith-based organisations, traditional institutions, and collectives of parents. Partnerships also need to be learning organisations where capacity on issues of gender and womens rights is built together. Gendered HIV education in schools will always be a controversial and contested space where debate and dialogue is needed for long-term success. The government and the public sector are vital members of any partnership for HIV education in schools. The government must recognise too that it cannot deliver such a challenging programme alone, and that it needs civil society and its organisations to broker dialogue in such a sensitive and controversial area as gender, HIV, and sexuality education in classrooms. The next important move is for these partnerships to embrace the womens- rights movement and ensure that the members of the partnership for gendered HIV education in schools have all put womens rights and gender equality at the heart not only of their work but also of the way they work themselves. A strong multi-sectoral partnership, with a clear message about the changes needed to combat the HIV and AIDS epidemic, and strong monitoring and learning from good practice in schools, is critical for attracting secure funding and forging ahead to achieve long-term sustainable change in young peoples lives. 1 Report from the Seminar Women and HIV/AIDS in CEE, Bringing Different Communities Together to Advance Common Goals, available online at www.astra.org.pl/hiv_aids-report2.rtf 2 UNAIDS 2004a; 2004b. 3 See Joint Programme Review of the Plan in 2006. 4 Carrier subject is used in this context to mean integrating various elements of sexuality education into existing related subject areas, for example integrated science, physical and health education, or biology. Action Health Incorporated (2002) A Unique Partnership For Adolescents Well Being In Nigeria: A Documentation of the Process of Convening the First National Conference on Adolescent Reproductive Health, Abuja. Action Health Incorporated (2003) Enabling Access, Report of the Sexuality Education/Family Life Education Implementation Forum, 13 November 2003, Abuja. ActionAid International (2007) Partnership Principles and Guidelines for Staff, London: ActionAid ActionAid International Nigeria (2002) Memorandum of Understanding between FBO and PSRHH, ActionAid International Nigeria. ActionAid International Nigeria and Society for Family Health (2002a) Situation Analysis of HIV Prevention Among Young People in Nigeria, ActionAid International Nigeria and Society for Family Health. ActionAid International Nigeria and Society for Family Health (2002b) Policy and Advocacy Strategy, ActionAid International Nigeria and Society for Family Health. ActionAid Uganda (2000) HIV&AIDS Review Notes, (internal unpublished document). Adams, B., B. Bell, K. Crawford, D. Elias-Henry, C. Hansen, A. Kytwayhat, S. Penner, J. Reid, and T. Woods (1995) The Provincial Partnership Committee on Family Violence: Final Report, Regina, Saskatchewan: Family Violence Prevention Division, Health Canada, cited in www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/pubs/researchpartnerships/researchpartnerships_1_e.html (last accessed May 2008). Allen, T. and S. Heald (2004) HIV&AIDS policy in Africa: what has worked in Uganda and what has failed in Botswana?, Journal of International Development 16(8): 114154. Garcia Moreno, C. (2003) Sexual violence, IPPF Medical Bulletin. Green, E. C., D. T. Halperin,V. Nantulya, and J. A. Hogle (2006) Ugandas HIV Prevention Success: The Role of Sexual Behavior Change and the National Response, AIDS and Behaviour 10(4): 33546. Msimang, S. (2003) HIV&AIDS, globalisation and the international womens movement, in C. Sweetman and J. Kerr (eds.) Women Reinventing Globalisation, Oxford: Oxfam GB. National Action Committee on AIDS (2000) HIV&AIDS Emergency Action Plan-HEAP, National Action Committee on AIDS. Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health (1999) HIV Situational and Response Analysis, Abuja: Federal Ministry of Health. UNAIDS (2004a) Three Ones Key Principles: Coordination of National Responses to HIV/AIDS Guiding Principles for National Authorities and their Partners, Geneva: UNAIDS. UNAIDS (2004b) Landmark Agreement Reached in Fight against AIDS, UNAIDS Press Release. UNIFEM (2001) Turning the Tide: CEDAW and the Gender Dimension of the HIV&AIDS Pandemic, available at: www.unifem.org/index United Nations (2004) UN Special Rapporteur on the Right of Everyone to Highest Attainable Standard of Health,Report to the UN Commission of Human Rights, United Nations. HIV and AIDS and gender the challenges for empowerment and change At the beginning of this book we looked at different expectations of what schooling or other educational settings can do in response to two pressing and inter- connected problems. How can schools help transform unequal gender relations and thereby protect young people against HIV and AIDS, and how can they also contribute to caring for those who are infected and affected? Expectations of what education can do have changed with time, as understandings of the nature, dimensions, and language associated with the epidemic have developed. An initial concern that education programmes and school curricula should teach the bio- medical facts about the disease has shifted towards developing pedagogies that understand young peoples sexual behaviour and how this influences their vulnerabilities to contracting HIV, and build strategies for reducing risk, appreciating different points of view, and negotiation. But these shifts have not been easy to effect. Sexual behaviour is influenced by complex social and cultural identities and values, and this book has drawn some very stark pictures of how unequal and sometimes violent relationships enmesh men and women in disempowering and abusive situations which schools do little to change. How can education not only teach new knowledge about HIV but also support young people to act on that information and change their behaviour, appreciate some of the values associated with gender equality, and overcome the prejudice and stigma that so often attaches to people associated with the epidemic? In framing the argument for the book, we looked at different expectations of HIV- education programmes attempting to change sexual behaviour and knowledge about HIV and gender and help young people avoid risk. We looked at what we termed the optimistic view that behaviour change can be taught in schools or other education settings and that learning and teaching can be implemented as intended by those who develop curricula and train teachers. We also examined the view a more pessimistic one that unequal gender relations are deeply entrenched within educational settings themselves, which constrain the ability of students and teachers to change and bring about change. The chapters in this book urge us to lean towards optimism, by demonstrating that educational settings and institutions adult learning centres, schools, community education centres can be empowering, and the people who work in them, despite the existence of sometimes extreme hierarchies of gender in their society, can bring about change. The authors illustrate ways in which policy and programme interventions that serve to promote gender equality at school and in other educational contexts can contribute to reducing the vulnerability of all people to HIV infection. Schools can be places where, despite complex histories of discrimination, inequality, and poverty, children and adults can question gendered power relations and violence and develop new understandings and expressions of sexuality and social relations. Individuals have complex histories which influence and shape their identities and their actions, and acknowledging these may be one way to reflect on how to change those behaviours that put people at risk. Thus we argue against reducing issues of vulnerability to HIV to bald notions of all women as at risk and all men as predators (essentialism). We also suggest that too thin a reading of gender equality as sameness, with no regard for taken-for-granted power relations that structure what is possible and what is not, is not likely to take educational work on HIV and gender far enough. Another way of viewing gender equality as empowerment provides a direction that we believe needs to underpin all HIV education (Chapter 1). Empowerment here means a concern with confidence and self-expression, the development of emancipatory knowledge, access to resources, actions for transformation, and participation in relations of power. What do the chapters in this book tell us about how transformation and empow- erment happen? Under what circumstances and conditions can young people become self-confident, use new knowledge, and take decisions about their relationships and sexual behaviour? While there is evidence that, broadly speaking, HIV is less prevalent among more educated populations than was the case in the early stages of the epidemic, suggesting that education does offer some protection (Chapter 2), an uncritical acceptance that education is a social vaccine acting to protect young people from HIV infection can be misleading. The evidence in this book leads us to ask, rather, what is the nature of the knowledge, the learning environment, and the relationships between students and teachers? In other words, what kind of education and what conditions promote attitudes and behaviour which minimise risk? The first part of the book set the scene; it mapped the challenges and the terrain. The second part of the book provided the insights and recommendations for taking forward an empowering agenda for HIV education for gender equality. These are summarised below. Context and participation To be effective, HIV and AIDS education must be based on an understanding of the broader social and cultural environment in which gender differentiation and Conclusion: HIV and AIDS and gender the challenges for empowerment and change hierarchies, power in sexual relationships, and the effects of stigma and discrimination operate. It must address the complexities of young peoples lives, taking on board shifting forms of the family, and large numbers of children orphaned by the disease (Chapters 3 and 5). It requires developing an in-depth understanding of how the school, the teachers, and the students are located in this wider context, and what this means in terms of their vulnerability and risk to HIV, as well as opportunities for change. Education for behaviour change in the context of HIV and AIDS means challenging deeply held values and religious beliefs and practices regarding womens sexuality and sexual behaviour. The authors in Part 2 illustrate how, through working not only with teachers and students but also with key members of the community and its leadership (both religious and secular), these values and beliefs can change. Through participatory and inclusive approaches to programme design and collaborative decision-making, adult education and school-focused programmes can engender ownership across the community. Chewa elders in eastern Zambia, whose instruction at puberty put boys and girls at risk of HIV, themselves became active proponents of new ways of teaching (Chapter 7). We now have more evidence than ever before of schools as places of unequal gender relations and taken-for-granted assumptions about sexuality and gender violence, as researchers probe the culture and environment of the school from a gendered perspective (Chapters 3, 4, and 8). Violent or aggressive behaviour in the school mirrors similar behaviours in the wider society, and here too there is a need for carefully designed education programmes to transform masculinities which perpetuate violence against women, and coercive sex. In the slums of Mumbai, the changes which occurred through the Yari Dosti programme were the result of meticulous support which built ownership of the programme by young men themselves (Chapter 10). Poverty is the backdrop for much of the discussion of gender inequalities in this book. Economic poverty constrains the educational opportunities and life choices of the young people in the pages of this book. Despite the abolition of school fees in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, we still have instances of young girls engaged in transactional sex for commodities like shoes, for status, and for access to secondary school and higher grades. The unequal gender relations that have exacerbated the epidemic are themselves intensified by the injustices of global inequality and lack of income for the poorest people. Poverty also puts severe constraints on the quality of the education provision, reducing the time that poorly paid teachers are prepared to spend on complex subjects relating to HIV and gender, limiting the number of books available for children, and forcing governments to choose between the often competing demands for inclusion and equity. Addressing HIV and AIDS may, therefore, be in a queue for policy attention and resources along with programmes to redress regional inequalities, provide for the education of children with disabilities, or address the needs of refugees or internally displaced people. Schools as democratic spaces The second part of this book has expanded our understandings of what good teaching and learning about HIV and AIDS looks like in classrooms and schools. In Chapter 8, Unterhalter et al. illustrate the importance of teachers creative and proactive engagement with the epidemic. The extent to which teachers are able to recognise and change their own normalised gendered identities and behaviours is important for the way in which they teach and model safe behaviour. The research in schools in South Africa presents a perspective on the development of new caring relationships between teachers and students which makes way for new visions of masculinity and femininity. This kind of change is not instant, and needs ongoing support as teachers and facilitators themselves challenge their own beliefs and behaviours and bring their own learning and understanding to support their students. Peer groups, not only for students but for teachers too, are important for providing mutual support and mentoring (Chapters 7 and 10). Teacher training, both pre-service and in-service, must engage with issues of gender equality, HIV, and interactive, facilitative teaching and learning styles. The authoritarian culture that still dominates schools in much of the world needs to be transformed, and standards and codes of professional and ethical conduct implemented. Only then will students and learners feel confident to discuss and debate issues of sexuality and sexual behaviour on equal terms with teachers and facilitators and in open and democratic spaces (Chapters 4 and 10). Leadership and co-ordination As the chapters in this book have illustrated, there is a huge diversity of educational responses to HIV in terms of programme and project aims, design and implementation. Across the globe many education programmes have been developed outside of the formal education system and operate on the margins of the official curriculum and practice. Many programmes continue to treat HIV and AIDS as a health issue, and those that are more focused on improving the quality of education have only sporadically incorporated a gendered approach (Chapter 6). As Idogho (Chapter 11) documents in the Nigerian context, HIV and AIDS education programmes often develop in a piecemeal fashion with small- scale donor-funded programmes. In many countries this has produced a plethora of small-scale un-co-ordinated interventions developed and implemented by a range of different NGOs and by formal and non-formal education departments of Ministries of Education. But this has also created space for the development of innovative programmes that have flourished through strong and effective partnerships between civil-society organisations and local and national education authorities. In eastern Zambia, project schools and District Education Officers considered the work of the NGO as crucial for mobilising the community, maintaining motivation and, not least, providing additional funding (Chapter 7). Working with existing government structures such as parentteacher associations, in-service training mechanisms, and the education inspectorate and ministry strategic objectives was important for ensuring not only ownership but also sustainability. In the non-formal adult-education sector, described by Duongsaa in the Thai context (Chapter 9), small-scale programmes, however successful and supportive at the local level, need to be complemented by similar approaches in the formal school system and through vocational and skills training to develop a critical mass of people who, through their awareness and new knowledge, are changing their sexual behaviour and questioning the nature of their gendered relationships. Multi-sectoral partnerships The discussion of the development of partnerships and government response in Nigeria (Chapter 11) raises the question of how governments are responding to the diversity and lack of coherence across the sector. The Nigerian case indicates the complexities of building a strong national response; time needed for dialogue and building common ground; and negotiation of differences and developing consensus or not with civil society, donors, and government, often working together in a state of creative tension. The diversity of international donors with their own interests and strategies suggests that at times partnership may be no more than an aspiration. While there are a number of different initiatives for developing school HIV and AIDS curricula, learning materials, and teacher- training approaches that engage in a different way with NGOs, donors, and publishing houses (as described in Zambia in Chapter 7), collaboration and partnership may be overwhelmed by competition and turf protection. The bringing together of coalitions and NGO networks from across sectors, as well as linking across ministries, is important for good HIV education. The Nigeria case illustrates a trajectory of partnership development from within the health sector to include also the education sector. Now, Idogho (Chapter 11) raises the challenge to womens organisations to add their voice and experience to the campaigning and advocacy for HIV education which has gender equality at its core. Government too must secure the link through engaging Ministries of Women or Departments for Womens Affairs, where they exist. Ministries of Education have, with support from donors, adopted different strategies for mainstreaming gender equality through policies and workplace practices, often through establishing gender units within national and line ministries. However, the work of these units is not being seen or felt in education-sector responses to HIV. The capacity of ministry staff, teacher educators, and teachers in gender analysis, gender planning (and budgeting), and action for gender equality is low. Until it is improved across the education sector there is little hope of strong gender-equitable policies or transformatory practices for HIV and AIDS education. Putting gender at the heart of education- sector HIV responses will take time and money, which will be dependent in turn on political will and commitment as well as leadership. Leadership is needed from the top central government and heads of ministries as well as in the school through motivated and capable head teachers and religious leaders. Expertise in gender analysis is needed too, but should not just be tucked away in gender units with no resources and no status. Evidence-based policy making: from rhetoric to reality As Clarke reminds us in Chapter 6, without a specific policy in place it is very difficult to achieve a coherent, comprehensive, and scaled-up response to HIV and AIDS through education. Currently very few governments have developed specific detailed policies on HIV for the education sector, and those that have done so included limited coverage of gender-related issues and specific interventions. Developing a policy is an opportunity for discussion with and engagement of civil society in the development process. Having a policy is a means of demanding greater accountability from civil society and the myriad of small- scale projects that often do not prioritise the time or have the resources to document their learning or share their experiences. A policy should provide the framework needed for scaling up NGO and government collaborative programmes which have proved their effectiveness and quality through extensive monitoring and evaluation over time (such as described in Zambia). A policy is also important to guide curriculum development, teacher training, and workplace HIV policies at all levels of the system. Civil-society organisations and their national coalitions can use the statements of intent in policy documents to hold government accountable for their implementation. Idogho (Chapter 11) shows how slow progress has been, how limited the current resources and capacity are both for delivery and for monitoring and evaluation, and how much remains to be put in place. In Chapter 6 Clarke outlines some very concrete steps that governments can take, stressing, like Idogho, the importance of alliances with civil society and multi-sectoral approaches. Good policies are built on good knowledge and learning about what works well. There is an urgent need for well-documented and evaluated fine-grained studies of local initiatives that are built with the ownership and support of community, students, and teachers for policy making and planning at national and inter- national levels. Funding needs to be earmarked for evaluation studies to develop an evidence base on what works in gender and HIV education (Chapter 6). Longitudinal studies are needed to monitor and track changes in attitudes and behaviours, which takes time. This book set out to show that while gender inequalities in society generally, and particularly within the education sector, are driving aspects of the epidemic and contribute to limitations in the work of prevention and care, in every sector be it government, community, or school initiatives there are actions that have been taken to confront and transform gender inequalities. This will enhance work on prevention and support care for people who are infected and affected.We have not provided a blueprint to follow, as this book demonstrates that there is not one approach. But we do highlight some of the creativity, connection, and self- criticism that we think are key dimensions of the challenge for the education sector working on gender inequality in education in the context of the epidemic. We see this volume as a beginning: an acknowledgement that education is not a simple social vaccine, but it is an important social space for working towards gender equality and empowerment. Page numbers in italics refer to figures, as perpetrators 41, 62, 678, 107, tables, and boxes. Please note that f, t, or b 133, 1567, 1901, 193 after page numbers indicates material as victims 62, 64, 66 found in figures, tables, or boxes Brazil 13, 65, 120, 192, 1967 ActionAid 223, 38, 202, 204, 209b, 210, HIV and AIDS 211 effects of epidemic 5, 1415, 51, 84, Africa 88, 123, 15962 gender-equality issues 21, 40, 41, 120 infection 14, 114, 1234, 129, 160 HIV and AIDS prevalence rates 12, psychosocial issues 524, 556 33, 129 vulnerability issues 5, 889 research projects 348, 65, 120 see also orphans vulnerability issues 33, 35, 378, in learning about HIV and AIDS 205, see also named countries; sub-Saharan 206, 209b, 21011, 21213, 219, anti-retroviral therapy (ART) 13, 85, 114, in partnerships 146, 147, 204, 2057, 122, 170 20911, 21213, 219, 2201 Asia 2, 4, 11, 21, 65, 73, 175 Civil Society Network on Education for Association for Reproductive and Family All (CSACEFA, Nigeria) 20910 Health (ARFH, Nigeria) 207b Civil Society Network on HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (CiSNAN) 20910 Benin 66, 73 community involvement Botswana 2, 16, 64, 66, 74 in education 5, 55, 57, 123, 132, 1356 in gender issues 1301, 1758, 1929 boys and young men in education 15, 16, 21, 54, 712, 934, 95t in learning about HIV and AIDS gender-equality issues 21, 50, 712, 55, 1356, 1434, 1945, 198, 205 107, 120, 184 support groups 1724, 182, 2034 HIV and AIDS awareness 1856, in partnerships 57, 1867, 2034 1945, 198 in research projects 184, 185, 187 masculinity see masculinity issues condoms and condom use sexual behaviour 63, 689, 106b, 156, abstinence compared 55, 56, 133 1578, 179, 18992, 194 education relationship 356, 37, 39, and violence 412 gender issues 11, 21, 40, 74, 76, 155, life-skills programmes 16, 56, 110, 178 124, 143, 145, 151, 163 in long-term relationships 18, 106b, of orphans 14, 15, 48, 51, 878, 938, 133, 180 114, 123 in prevention strategies 3, 158, 170, and poverty 24, 48, 712, 87, 94, 171, 180, 185 1334, 217 CORO for Literacy 186, 187, 195, 199, psychosocial issues 39, 74, 75, 76, 156, religion relationship 24, 132, 217 research projects 1724, 346, 378, drug use 23, 4, 11, 19, 171, 177 4956, 8990, 937, 1502, 1549 Durban, South Africa 1501, 152, 153 school fees 15, 21, 46, 478 sex education 5, 55, 132, 1368, Eastern Europe 2, 204 vulnerability relationship 33, 378, Eastern Province, Zambia 130, 1328, 40, 42, 10910, 1334 13944 see also schools; teachers economic issues education, ministries of education relationship 39, 40, 41, 46, gender-sensitive responses 1314, 223, 478, 54, 94, 133 1078, 109, 11316, 121, 124, 125, 220 and orphans 86, 87, 88, 92, 94 HIV and AIDS responses 1216, 45, for women 39, 40, 133, 179, 180 479, 56, 10916, 125, 212, 220 see also poverty in learning about HIV and AIDS 12, Ecuador 65 16, 489, 55, 125, 135, 1446, 21920 in partnerships 23, 57, 205 adult education 5, 22, 1734, 1758, empowerment 181, 182, 219 defining 216 for behaviour change 3, 7, 12, 25, 48, from learning about HIV and AIDS 135, 215, 217 224, 76, 216 of boys and young men 15, 16, 21, 54, of women and girls 223, 27, 76, 108 712, 934, 95t young people 1345, 216 community involvement 5, 55, 57, 123, 132, 1356 gender equality condom use relationship 356, 37, 39, and boys and young men 21, 50, 712, 412 107, 120, 184 economic issues 39, 40, 41, 46, 478, defined 1819 54, 94, 133 and education 1822, 257, 3940, gender-equality issues 1822, 257, 4557, 11121, 1549, 1667, 3940, 4557, 11121, 1549, 1667, 21516, 220 21516, 220 and girls and young women 502, 120 and HIV and AIDS government policies 1314, 1312, effects of epidemic 12, 1415, 138b 478, 502, 56, 97, 122, 150, and HIV and AIDS 23, 1821, 23, 45, 15966 478, 4956, 935, 1547 effects on occurrence 1516, 35, in learning about HIV and AIDS 54, 3742, 11718, 130, 216 21617, 21920 see also learning about HIV and poverty relationship 24, 45, 48, 54, AIDS 712, 1801, 182, 21718 in power relations 3, 1922, 23, 45, sexual behaviour 106b, 216 payment for sex 15, 21, 523, 712, and sexual violence 601, 6971, 75, 1334, 157, 1656, 217 767, 1567 peer pressure 25, 26, 39, 53, 71, 74 and teachers 21, 1212, 124, 139, power relations 20, 21, 40, 157, 165 1545, 1623, 218 pregnancies 523, 74, 94, 957, vulnerability relationship 5, 11, 163, 165 1718, 109, 1767, 181 sex with older men 15, 21, 40, 54, Gender Equitable Men Scale (GEMS) 745, 107, 120, 133 184, 1968 sexual violence abuse by teachers 62, 64, 657, 68, 72, 107, 134, 13940 of care and support role 15, 19, 1623, consequences 725, 76 as victims 612, 63, 6577, 133, community involvement 1301, 134, 1567, 1901, 193 vulnerability issues 5, 15, 18, 33, of condom use 11, 21, 40, 74, 76, 155, 3940, 42, 56, 74, 109 education-sector responses 1314, governments 223, 1078, 109, 11316, 121, 124, gender-equality policies 1314, 125, 220 1312, 138b essentialism 1718, 23, 25, 27, 216 HIV and AIDS prevention strategies gender analysis 1078, 11617, 118t, 13, 26, 48, 56, 57, 170, 173 11920t, 1758, 220 in partnerships 1456, 147, 203, 204, of HIV and AIDS 1112, 105, 106b, 207, 208b, 213 1089, 11316, 125, 134, 2045 see also education, ministries of; health of learning about HIV and AIDS sector 1213, 16, 11721, 138b, 1758, 203, 2045, 20813 health sector 12, 23, 2036 of orphans 15, 87, 92, 935, 978, 123 in parental death 73, 87, 93t, 96, 97, abstinence approach 26, 45, 49, 55, 56, and religion 26, 61, 116t, 131, 132 behaviour-change approach 3, 7, 12, research projects 1724, 4956, 935, 1201, 1549, 1845, 18692, 1989 community involvement 1724, 182, of violence 21, 61, 623, 64, 131 see also gender equality; masculinity effects of epidemic 478, 502, 56, Ghana 66, 68, 73, 74 97, 122, 150, 15966 girls and young women effects on occurrence 1516, 35, in education 3742, 11718, 130, 216 access to education 45, 502, 54, 56 see also learning about HIV and effects on prevalence rates 1516, AIDS below 3940, 60 education-sector responses 1216, 45, low achievement 52, 73, 76 479, 56, 10916, 125, 212, 220 school dropouts 36, 524, 56, 723, as a feminised epidemic 1112, 33, 74, 957, 107 107, 134 empowerment 223, 76 gender-equality issues 23, 1821, 23, gender-equality issues 502, 120 45, 478, 4956, 935, 1547 gender issues 1112, 105, 106b, 1089, prevention strategies 3, 1213, 25, 39, 11316, 125, 134 130, 139, 1467, 181 see also health-sector responses 12, 2036 condoms and condom use learning about HIV and AIDS research projects 1724, 34, 35, 378, adult-education programmes 4, 4956, 1201, 1502, 1589 1734, 1758, 181, 182, 219 stigmatised 3, 47, 108, 110, 124, 153, awareness campaigns 55, 60, 122, 172, 174 151, 153, 1547, 165, 181, 182 support and support groups 1415, civil-society involvement 205, 206, 114, 124, 15966, 1724, 182 209b, 21011, 21213, 219, 2201 treatment programmes 13, 85, 114, co-curriculum projects 121, 207 122, 170 community involvement 55, violence relationship 5, 17, 106b, 131 1356, 1434, 1945, 198, 205 sexual violence 18, 21, 62, 64, 65, curriculum design 16, 49, 11721, 75, 194, 217 homosexuality 3, 4, 11, 106b, 108, 1701 drama used 77, 138, 144, 1512, 1545, 156, 157, 1589 Hong Kong 65 education-sector policies 12, 16, 489, 55, 125, 135, 1446, 21920 India effectiveness issues 1213, 35, community-based interventions 184, 423, 47, 546, 13841, 21819, 185, 1867, 1925, 1978, 199 gender-equality issues 1845, 18692, empowerment issues 224, 76, 216 funding 12, 26, 110, 212, 221 gender-equality issues 54, 21617, awareness issues 1856, 1945, 198 children infected 124 gender issues 1213, 16, 11721, education-sector policies 113 138b, 1758, 203, 2045, 20813 prevalence rates 2, 73, 185 peer-education programmes 115t, prevention strategies 185, 186 121, 1646, 192, 218 masculinity issues 120, 184, 1856, as a prevention strategy 256, 18792, 199 489, 557, 10912, 130, 139, 1467, 181 research projects 1845, 18692 religion relationship 26, 43, 116t, sexual behaviour 186 2089, 210, 220 sexual violence 65, 73, 185, 1901, 193 teachers role 11011, 11720, Instituto Promundo 186, 192 1212, 1367, 13940, 1412, 155, Inter-Agency Task Team on Education 218 (IATT, UNAIDS) 5, 11, 17, 19, 11718, workshops 135, 136, 140b, 1512, 123 International HIV/AIDS Alliance 130 multi-sectoral approach 1356, 1437, 202, 204, 205, 21013, 21920 International Institute for Educational partnership approach 2023, 205, Planning (IIEP) 13 20610 International Labour Organization (ILO) poverty relationship 12, 39, 545, 86, 113, 123 133, 161, 17981, 21718 and power relations 1819, 234, 40 prevalence rates 12, 467, 73 see also Jamaica 115 under named countries Japan 65 Kenya 115, 1201 peer-education programmes 115t, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 121, 1646, 192, 207, 218 education as a prevention strategy 256, 489, education in 14, 937, 1523 557, 10912, 130, 139, 1467, 181 learning about HIV and AIDS religion relationship 26, 43, 116t, 1512 2089, 210, 220 sexual violence in schools 1567, teachers role 11011, 11720, 1212, 163 1367, 13940, 1412, 155, 218 gender-equality issues 935, 1549 workshops 135, 136, 140b, 1512, HIV and AIDS 1734, 1758 children infected 160 Life Style Social Marketing Campaign, learning about HIV and AIDS 1512 India 192, 195 prevalence rates 14, 84, 90, 150, Malawi 2, 64, 667, 68 orphans 917 poverty 90, 151, 161 masculinity issues research projects 907, 1502, 1549 behaviour-change interventions 184, sexual behaviour of young people 185, 1867, 1928, 199, 217 957, 156, 1578, 163 and gender-identity issues 21, 25, 60, 105, 120, 1556, 166 KwaZulu-Natal Income Dynamics Study and peer pressure 71, 76, 107, 158, (KIDS) 907 179, 1912, 196 research projects 1845, 18792, Latin America 2, 65 1989 learning about HIV and AIDS and sexual behaviour 6, 106b, 107, adult-education programmes 4, 133, 156, 158, 1902 1734, 1758, 181, 182, 219 sexual violence relationship 679, 76, awareness campaigns 55, 60, 122, 151, 107, 185, 1901, 198, 217 153, 1547, 165, 181, 182 Mexico 120 civil-society involvement 205, 206, Mozambique 5 209b, 21011, 21213, 219, 2201 Mumbai, India 184, 186, 187, 199, 200, co-curriculum projects 121, 207 community involvement 55, 1356, 1434, 146, 147, 1945, 198, 205 curriculum design 16, 49, 11721, Namibia 2, 67, 115t 1368, 145, 207 National Action Committee on AIDS drama used 77, 138, 144, 1512, (NACA, Nigeria) 2056 1545, 156, 157, 1589, 195 Nepal 65, 68 education-sector strategies 12, 16, 489, 55, 125, 135, 1446, 21920 NGOs on HIV and AIDS 16, 223, 130, effectiveness issues 1213, 35, 423, 1356, 1456, 151, 170, 207, 219 47, 546, 13841, 21819, 2201 Nigeria empowerment issues 224, 76, 216 gender-equality issues 120 funding 12, 26, 110, 212, 221 gender issues 206, 207, 20813 gender-equality issues 54, 21617, HIV and AIDS 21920 community involvement 2034 gender issues 1213, 16, 11721, 138b, health-sector responses 2034, 1758, 203, 2045, 2089 2056 learning about HIV and AIDS 203, HIV and AIDS relationship 12, 39, 20610, 218 545, 86, 133, 161, 17981, 21718 multi-sectoral approach 202, power relations 21013, 219 and gender equality 3, 1922, 23, 45, prevalence rates 205, 206f 106b, 216 prevention strategies 223, 2034 HIV and AIDS relationship 1819, womens organisations 204, 206, 210, 234, 40 21112, 213, 21920 and partnerships 202, 203 North America 11 in schools 21, 40, 62, 64, 657, 68, 72 and sexual behaviour 11, 201, 25, 3940, 42, 76, 106b, 157, 165 and sexual violence 21, 40, 659, 76, discrimination 51, 878, 94, 123 106b, 133, 157, 191 economic issues 86, 87, 88, 92, 94 and women 11, 201, 40, 42, 76, 106b, education issues 14, 15, 48, 51, 878, see also empowerment gender issues 15, 87, 92, 935, 978, 123 numbers of 1, 84, 85, 91t Presidential Initiative on AIDS Strategy psychosocial needs 1415, 52, 856, for Communicating to Young People 92, 96, 123 (PIASCY, Uganda) 45, 49, 55, 56 research projects 917 Primary School Action for Better Health vulnerability issues 5, 15, 51, 845, 86 (PSABH, Kenya) 1201 Pakistan 65 religion partnerships education relationship 24, 132, 217 with civil society 146, 147, 204, 2057, gender issues 26, 61, 116t, 131, 132 20911, 21213, 219, 2201 in learning about HIV and AIDS 26, community involvement 57, 1867, 43, 116t, 2089, 210, 220 2034 and sexual violence 61, 634 defining 202 research projects governments 23, 57, 1456, 147, community involvement 184, 185, 187 2034, 2057, 208b, 213 education 1724, 346, 378, 4956, in HIV and AIDS responses 2023, 8990, 937, 1502, 1549 205, 20610 gender issues 1724, 4956, 935, multi-sectoral 23, 57, 1356, 1437, 1201, 1549, 1845, 18692, 1989 202, 204, 205, 21013, 21920 HIV and AIDS 1724, 34, 35, 378, and power relations 202, 203 4956, 1201, 1502, 1589 and womens organisations 23, 204, masculinity issues 1845, 18792, 206, 210, 21112, 213, 21920 1989 Planned Parenthood Association of methodologies 50, 63, 901, 1512, Zambia 130, 135 1845, 18790, 199 Population Council (Horizons Program) on orphans 917 186 sexual behaviour 34, 356, 63, 1578 sexual violence 634, 659, 1901, 193 and education 24, 48, 712, 87, 94, Russian Federation 2 1334, 217 Rwanda 124 gender equality relationship 24, 45, 48, 54, 712, 1801, 182, 21718 schools masculinity relationship 679, 76, dropout rates 46, 524, 56, 723, 74, 107, 185, 1901, 198, 217 957, 107 and power relations 21, 40, 659, 76, learning about HIV and AIDS 3, 12, 106b, 133, 157, 191 25, 38, 13641 protecting against 22, 49, 72, 767 peer-education programmes 121, 135, and religion 61, 634 138, 152, 1646, 207, 218 research projects 634, 659, 1901, power relations 21, 40, 62, 64, 657, 193 68, 72 in schools 41, 49, 607, 6977, 107, and sexual behaviour 245, 38, 401, 1567, 163, 217 violence 5, 21, 22, 60, 612, 6971, education in 98, 115t, 218 1078, 111 gender-equality issues 97, 98, 218 sexual violence 41, 49, 607, 6977, HIV and AIDS 107, 1567, 163, 217 learning about HIV and AIDS 5, see also teachers 16, 1389 Senegal 13, 204, 205 prevalence rates 2, 85, 124, 150 sex workers 2, 3, 4, 11, 201, 170, 171, orphans 15, 84, 856, 98 17980, 191 research projects 89, 1502 sexual violence in schools 67, 72 sexual behaviour see also KwaZulu-Natal abstinence promoted 26, 45, 49, 55, 56, 133 South America 11 age mixing 15, 21, 40, 54, 64 sub-Saharan Africa of boys and young men 63, 689, education 106b, 156, 1578, 179, 18992, 194 and HIV and AIDS 38, 129, 130 of girls and young women see under of orphans 87, 123 girls and young women sexual violence in schools 63, 64, and marriage 106b, 132, 133 657, 73, 756 and masculinity issues 6, 106b, 107, teacher shortages 14 133, 156, 158, 1902 gender-equality issues 107, 121 peer pressure 25, 26, 39, 53, 71, 74, HIV and AIDS 179, 1912 children infected 124 and power relations 11, 201, 25, and education 38, 129, 130 3940, 42, 76, 106b, 157, 165 orphaned children 84, 87, 123 research projects 34, 356, 63, 1578 prevalence rates 1, 4, 11, 14, 756 and schools 245, 38, 401, 156 prevention strategies 121, 129, 139 and sex education 55, 70b, 132, 1368, sexual behaviour 74, 138 1413, 144, 186 violence 107 of women 18, 20, 21, 180 see also named countries see also homosexuality; sexual violence Swaziland 2, 47 defining 623 gender-equality issues 601, 6971, Tanzania 223, 37f, 138, 141 75, 767, 1567 teachers girls and young women see under girls care and support role 1415, 124, and young women 15966 HIV and AIDS relationship 18, 21, 62, gender-equality issues 21, 1212, 124, 64, 65, 75, 194, 217 139, 1545, 1623, 218 HIV and AIDS UNAIDS 2, 131, 170, 205 see also Inter- effects of epidemic 14, 65, 110, 114, Agency Task Team on Education 122, 145, 150, 159 UNESCO 5, 11, 24, 113, 116t in learning about HIV and AIDS 11011, 11720, 1212, 1367, USA 26 13940, 1412, 155, 218 sexual abuse of students 62, 64, 657, violence 68, 72, 107, 134, 13940 defining 62 teacher training 11617, 1212, gender issues 21, 623, 64, 131 1367, 139, 141, 142, 146, 218 HIV and AIDS relationship 5, 17, Teaching Sexuality and Life-skills 106b, 131 programme (Zambia) 1301, 1348, in schools 5, 21, 22, 60, 612, 6971, 13946, 147 1078, 111 Thailand see also sexual violence adult-education programmes 1734, VSKM, India (Vishwas Sanskruti Kala 1758, 181, 219 Manch) 186, 187, 188, 195 gender-equality issues 1758, 1801 vulnerability issues HIV and AIDS children 5, 889 community involvement 1724, education relationship 33, 378, 40, 42, 10910, 1334 prevalence rates 169, 1701 gender equality relationship 5, 11, prevention strategies 13, 16970, 1718, 109, 1767, 181 orphans 5, 15, 51, 845, 86 support groups 1724, 182 women 5, 11, 17, 18, 35, 378, 131 poverty 179, 180 young people 5, 1314 see also under access to education 45, 46, 501, care and support role 1778, 1801 gender-equality issues 4557, 116t economic issues 39, 40, 41, 133, 179, 180 learning about HIV and AIDS 5, empowerment 22, 23, 27, 108 47, 489, 545, 61, 139 power relations 11, 201, 40, 42, 76, school dropouts 46, 524, 56 106b, 157 violence in schools 49, 61, 6970b sexual behaviour 18, 20, 21, 180 gender-equality issues 4557, 116t, vulnerability issues 5, 11, 17, 18, 35, 204, 205 378, 131, 133 HIV and AIDS see also girls and young women community involvement 55, 2045 womens organisations 23, 204, 206, 210, education-sector policies 45, 489, 21112, 213, 21920 55, 56 World Health Organisation (WHO) 108, learning about HIV and AIDS 5, 122, 125, 170 47, 489, 545, 61, 139 prevalence rates 467, 50 poverty 54, 55 Yari Dosti, Mumbai, India 1845, 18695, research projects 4956 198200, 217 sexual behaviour of girls 51, 523, 54 Young, Happy, Healthy and Safe (YHHS, Ukraine 2 Zambia) 130, 1456 young people effects on prevalence rates 130 abstinence promoted 26, 45, 49, 55, learning about HIV and AIDS 13, 56, 133 1301, 1348, 13946 empowerment 1345, 216 sex education 132, 1368, 1413, HIV and AIDS infection 2, 5, 11, 129, 144 171 vulnerability relationship 37f, learning about HIV and AIDS 12, 13, 1334 15, 26, 121, 1423 gender-equality issues 121, 1312, 133 in peer-education programmes 115t, HIV and AIDS 121, 1356, 1434, 1646, 192, 207, education-sector policies 135, sex education 5, 132, 1368, 1413, 144 learning about HIV and AIDS 13, vulnerability issues 5, 1314 121, 1301, 1348, 13946, 147 see also boys and young men; girls and prevalence rates 2, 129 young women masculinity issues 133 Zambia sexual behaviour 63, 1323, 138 education Zimbabwe 2, 47, 63, 67, 689, 71, 74, 121 community involvement 132, 1356, 1434, 146, 147, 219 Rapport sexuel Documents similaires à Gender Equality, HIV and AIDS: Challenges for the Education Sector Leadership Presentation _Kwekwe_ Lucia Mkandhla Gender Links Annapurna Dangeti dialog HIV VadiLa ZaLfa 2015 Inglés Juan Felipe Runza 07b Pregnant Women in HIV and AIDS (National) AIDSPhil AlthonyLim Praying for and About HIV and AIDS World Vision Resources alan barnwell done ITECH HIV s&d Facilitator's Guide (Final 6-05-07) Gail Hoad ARTCULO PATO Sharon Alva Dominguez rent essay Neem: A Hands-On Guide to one of the World's Most Widely Used Herbs Vicki Parsons UGANDA SCOUTS ASSOCIATION SVoice03 Conrad Natse Chapter 1-3 Noember 15.docx Mikhail Lamayo Plus de Oxfam Gender and Social Inclusion 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__label__cc	0.744568	0.255432	L’attentional bias nei disturbi dell’alimentazione: il ruolo del contenuto emozionale degli stimoli Journal Title: QUADERNI DI PSICOTERAPIA COGNITIVA Author/s: Monica David, Caterina Lombardo Year: 2013 Issue: 32 Language: Italian Pages: 18 Pg. 79-96 FullText PDF: 453 KB DOI: 10.3280/QPC2013-032006 Attentional bias in eating disorders: the role of emotional content of the stimuli The scientific literature has emphasized for years the role of the attentional bias in the aetiology and maintenance of psychopathology. The attentional bias can be defined as the change in the direction in which an individual focuses his attention in response to a salient stimulus, i.e. a stimulus related to the disease or perceived as threatening. The present review examines studies conducted in the field of eating disorders with the aim of evaluating whether results differ as a function of the paradigm used for assessing attentional bias or the emotional content of the stimuli. Most studies used the Stroop paradigm evidencing the different behaviour of patients with anorexia and bulimia nervosa: while the first group seem more focused on the body, the second responds also to the stimuli related to food. These results are probably due to the activation of different mechanisms. When facing with stimuli related to food, patients with anorexia nervosa activate a cognitive avoidance response while bulimia nervosa patients activate a craving response. Moreover, using different paradigms (odd-one-out and dot-probe), two different components of the attentional bias construct were recognized: speeded detection (to shift attention towards) and increased distraction (the difficult to divert attention from). However these paradigms, widely used in the field of anxiety disorders, have been seldom used in the field of eating disorders. Thus more studies are needed in order to draw definitive conclusions. Keywords: Attentional bias, eating disorders, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, body exposure, food exposure measuring shape and food concerns in eating disorders: A quantitative measure of psychopathology? International Journal of Eating Disorders, 8 (6): 681-7. Battagliese G., Lombardo C. (2011). L’attentional bias nella psicopatologia. Psicoterapia Cognitivo Comportamentale, 17 (1): 75-98. Blechert J., Ansorge U., Tuschen-Caffier B. (2010). A body related dot-probe task reveals distinct attentional patterns for bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 119 (3): 575-85., 10.1037/a001953DOI: 10.1037/a001953 Ben-Tovim D.I., Walker M.K., Fok D., Yap E. (1989). An adaptation of the Stroop test for Boon B., Vogelzang L., Janzen A. (2000). 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International Journal of Eating Disorders, 17 (3): 309-11., 10.1002/1098-108X(199504DOI: 10.1002/1098-108X(199504 Wells A., Mathews G. (1994). Attention and emotion: A clinical perspective. Hillsdale: Erlbaum. Williams J.M.G., Watt F.N., MacLeod C., Mathews A. (1988). Cognitive psychology and emotional disorders. Chichester: Wiley. Williams M.G., Mathews A., MacLeod C. (1996). The emotional Stroop task and psychopathology. Psychological Bulletin, 120 (1): 3-24., 10.1037/0033-2909.120.1.DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.120.1. Williamson D.A., Muller S.L., Reas D.L., Thaw J.M. (1999). Cognitive bias in eating disorders: Implications for theory and treatment. Behaviour Modification, 23 (4): 556-77., 10.1177/014544559923400DOI: 10.1177/014544559923400 Monica David, Caterina Lombardo, in "QUADERNI DI PSICOTERAPIA COGNITIVA" 32/2013, pp. 79-96, DOI:10.3280/QPC2013-032006	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1394
__label__cc	0.726596	0.273404	AQUA NON STOP COMFORT The knife grinder For almost all baler and loading wagon manufacturers: AQUA NON STOP COMFORT, the fully automatic knife grinder. Whatever it takes. Over 70 plates You can sharpen knives from virtually every manufacturer with AQUA NON STOP COMFORT. An outstanding feature of the fully automatic unit is conversion without tools in a negligible set-up time. The knives can be inserted exactly into the knife drawer provided – it is almost impossible to insert them "incorrectly". The templates allow the grinding stone to follow the knife contour exactly. This ensures that the original contour of the knife is maintained and the service life extended. The result: perfect chop quality.You can change the plates without a tool in less than one minute. Simple to operate. Settings can be made intuitively at the ergonomically designed control terminal, where the machine is switched off and on (in an emergency using the emergency stop switch), and the number of grinding cycles selected. The grinding pressure can be adjusted for different conditions using the rotary knob and the setting displayed on a pressure gauge. There are also diagnosis functions available for the service technician. High technology at the highest level. Compressed air is used to control the fully automatic unit. Operation of the lift table and grinding motor, and the picking of the knives is pneumatic. Various sensor and switches are used to control the sequence and guarantee operating safety. All processes and procedures are monitored and can be queried with a sensor scan for diagnosis purposes. Fully automatic. The knives are removed automatically. A safety switch ensures that the sharpened knives can be removed safely. The knife drawer has enough room for the full set of knives. Work tidily and efficiently. The abraded material is collected in a chip drawer. Two steps ensure the chips are separated reliably, so that the ambient air remains completely free of grinding dust. The chip drawer can be emptied at any time.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1396
__label__cc	0.668233	0.331767	You are at:Home»Last Guides Video Games»Guide Octopath Traveler which character to choose to start the game Guide Octopath Traveler which character to choose to start the game By Michael on juillet 22, 2018 Last Guides Video Games, Nintendo By starting a new game of Octopath Traveler, you will be faced with a crucial choice right from the start of your adventure. Choose from 8 different characters… 8 heroes with unique destinies, each with their own goals and objectives. While the initial choice does not affect the rest of the adventure, not all characters are equal from the start. Indeed, each of them has a skill, a special ability that has the effect of offering advantages to players. In this sense, some characters are more likely to be chosen at the beginning of the adventure… If you are undecided about this choice, we explain here why to choose one in particular. Which character to choose at the beginning of Octopath Traveler ? Caution, the following is indicative based on our gaming experience. If a character’s skill and unique action are not strong enough in your choice, then take the one you like the most, or has a style of play that suits you best. We will talk here about the character that we consider to be Octopath Traveler’s best starting choice. → The best character choice at the beginning of Octopath Traveler is Therion : Therion is a thief, his special action and skill give the players who choose him a very big advantage from the beginning of the adventure. Therion can steal items from almost all the people he meets in the towns. There is a percentage for each item to steal, but you can enjoy powerful and fast equipment in the game by simply using Therion’s special steal action which will save you many gold coins. Better than that, Therion’s hooking talent allows him to open all the purple chests without restriction which makes him the ideal starting choice. It is the only character in the game that has this quality, by choosing another starter you will have to revisit the areas of the game with Therion once recruited into the team to open the purple chests. Think about it ! tips guide and wiki Octopath Traveler Previous ArticleOctopath Traveler how to reduce the number of random battles (avoid random encounters) Next Article Guide Pokemon Go how to add friends and increase your friendship level Borderlands 3 gameplay video (weapons, locations, character skills) The Borderlands 3 gameplay was presented in detail in a dedicated event on May 1st. If you missed the event, we suggest you discover here the latest trailer of the game that makes a medley of what was presented for the gameplay. You will also… Astral Chain also available on PS4, PC and Xbox One ? août 18, 2019 0 One thing is certain, Astral Chain the new action game developed by the PlatinumGames teams will arrive on Nintendo Switch on August 30, 2019. The game has all the potential to be remarked when you know that it is under the supervision of Hideki Kamiya… Destiny 2 Warmind how to get the exotic sword Worldline Zero If you’ve embarked on Destiny 2 Warmind, the game’s second expansion, you should know that a certain quest will reward you with a powerful exotic sword. This is the Worldline Zero Sword. One weapon that Destiny fans will certainly want to unlock given its power… Fortnite season 10 new umbrella (glider) X victory royale reward (top 1) août 2, 2019 0 As with every new season of Fortnite Battle Royale, you will have the opportunity to unlock a new umbrella if you win a match (victory royale). For this season 10, you will have the opportunity to unlock the basic umbrella in a remixed version representing…	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1402
__label__wiki	0.599674	0.599674	katenews2day SYNDICATING THE RIGHT NEWS THAT MATTERS TO YOU EVERYTHING LAS VEGAS TAKE A LOOK AT LAS VEGAS! Women Predator KATE SPLURGE STORE 2,000-YEAR HISTORY OF THE SHROUD: HOW EDESSA CLOTH BECAME SHROUD OF TURIN SHAMELESS WORLD:RENATA SHAMROKOVA WHO STOLE $1 MILLION FROM HER HEDGE FUND BOSS TODD MEISTER TRYING TO RAISE MONEY ONLINE TO AVOID JAIL TIME, mESITER IS HUSBAND OF PARIS HILTON’S SISTER NICKY HILTON Hedge fund manager’s assistant who stole nearly $1m from her boss is now asking strangers to help her avoid jail by raising the money to pay back him back Continue reading → Share this:blog Posted in BUSINESS, CRIME, FINANCE Tagged American Express, Aruba, Donation, Meister, New York, Nicky Hilton, Paris Hilton, Renata Shamrokova, Social media REDDIT: 14 MOST INTERESTING AND WEIRD FACTS EVER 14 Of The Most Interesting Facts Ever Kyle Russell Jul. 12, 2013, BusinessInsider Already a site designed to surface interesting stuff, Reddit took it to the next level with a recent thread specifically asking for the most interesting/weird facts that people know. We’ve pulled out the best responses, with links to the Redditor who found each fact: Continue reading → Posted in EDUCATION & CULTURE, NEWS, Science, SOCIAL MEDIA Tagged Interesting and weird facts, Reddit, Social media ZIMMERMAN DEATH THREATS: SOCIAL MEDIA RUMBLING WITH THREATS OF VIOLENCE AND KILLING GEORGE ZIMMERMAN IF NOT FOUND GUILTY BY JURY…THANK THE LIBERAL MEDIA FOR MAKING THE CASE A RACE CARD FROM THE START. WND EXCLUSIVE Rumblings of ‘lynchings’ over Trayvon verdict ‘Threats that some supporters are making are absolutely chilling’ More than a year ago, noted Republican commentator Pat Buchanan warned that the outcome of the Trayvon Martin case, in which neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman is on trial for murder, could provoke rioting. “The public mind has been so poisoned that an acquittal of George Zimmerman could ignite a reaction similar to that, 20 years ago, when the Simi Valley jury acquitted the LAPD cops in the Rodney King beating case,” he warned. Continue reading → Posted in CRIME, NEWS, Politics Tagged Death threats, George Zimmerman, Pat Buchanan, Social media, Trayvon Martin, violence HILLARY’S FACEBOOK BUYING: STATE DEPARTMENT SPENT $630,000 ON ADS TO BOOST FACEBOOK ‘LIKES’, REPORT SAYS State Department spent $630G to boost Facebook ‘likes,’ report says Published July 04, 2013 FoxNews.com March 9, 2009: This photo shows State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. (AP) The State Department spent more than $630,000 on advertising campaigns to boost the number of Facebook “likes” for the agency‘s pages on the website, according to a report released by the agency’s inspector general. Continue reading → Posted in MEDIA, NEWS, Politics Tagged boost facebook likes, Facebook, Social media, State Department FACEBOOK SECURITY CHIEF MAX KELLY LEFT COMPANY IN 2010 TO WORK FOR NSA, HOW SILICON VALLEY HAS BECOME RECRUITING GROUND FOR NSA Former Facebook security chief is now working for the NSA Max Kelly left his post as Chief Security Officer at Facebook for the NSA in 2010, after having worked with the agency when Facebook joined Prism in 2010 The NSA is increasing recruiting from Silicon Valley and investing in start-ups Facebook recently revealed the NSA made between 9,000 and 10,000 requests for information in the latter half of 2012 It’s unclear whether Kelly is directly involved in the NSA’s Prism program Posted in MEDIA, NEWS, Politics, TECHNOLOGY Tagged Facebook, Kelly, Max Kelly, National Security Agency, New York Times, NSA, Silicon Valley, Social media KATENEWS2DAY TOP POSTS SWINIGING 60s MOTHER JILL DUDLEY WHO SEXUALLY ABUSED HER OWN TWIN BOYS AND GAVE THEM TO OTHER MEN FOR MORE SEXUAL ABUSE REVEALED IN NEW BOOK AUTHORED BY HER SONS 'TELL ME WHO I AM' HEDGE FUND DAD BRAVE DATING ADVICE: WHITNEY TILSON OF KASE CAPITAL TOLD DAUGHTERS TO 'KICK, BITE, PUNCH' ANY GUY WHO WOULD DARE ASK THEM TO 'GET DOWN ON THEIR KNEES' CHINESE COUPLE STRIPPED NAKED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET WHILE HAVING A BIG FIGHT...WHATEVER! NO REST FROM THE GRAVE: BRITISH ACTOR MARK LESTER IS THE REAL FATHER OF MICHAEL JACKSON'S KIDS PARIS AND PRINCE, CONFESSION MADE BY MJ ACCORDING TO FRIEND SEDUCTIVE THIEF: FLORIDA WOMAN SUBHANNA BEYAH ARRESTED, SEDUCED MEN AT FORT LAUDERDALE CLUBS, DRUGGED THEM THEN STEAL THEIR VALUABLES, ONE VICTIM WAS NY GIANTS SHAUN ROGERS WHO LOST $400K MOM HAD DAUGHTER TAKE NAKED PICS OF HER FOR INMATE BOYFRIEND: INDIANA MOM JODI ROBERTS ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY FORCING HER 9-YEAR-OLD TAKENAKED PICTURES OF HER TO SEND TO HER INMATE FIANCE JEREMIAH LA MASTER ZETAS DRUG LORD TREVINO MORALES WHO STEWED VICTIMS ALIVE INSIDE BARRELS OF BURNING OIL FINALLY CAPTURED IN NUEVO LAREDO,MEXICO EAST FARM ESTATE: FOR SALE THE AMAZING $26.5 MILLION 32-ACRE LONG ISLAND ESTATE WITH TWO VINEYARDS ON SITE 850,000 YOUNG IRANIAN GIRLS, AS YOUNG AS 10, MARRIED TO "ELDERLY MEN" TO PAY DEBT BILLIONAIRE BABIES: THE WORLD'S HOTTEST BILLIONAIRE OFFSPRING SID ROTH ‘IT’S SUPERNATURAL!’ SID ROTH’S IT’S SUPERNATURAL! TRUE STORIES OF MIRACLES RUSH LIMBAUGH: AMERICA’S NUMBER ONE TALK RADIO Make Schiff the Center of This So-Called Trial RUSH: It's critical to expose Adam Schiff in this, I think. If we're gonna start calling witnesses (we'll talk about that), get Schiff up there first. The post Make Schiff the Center of This So-Called Trial appeared first on The Rush Limbaugh Show. Drive-Bys Cling to GOP “Cracks” and “Copious Notes” RUSH: I think after yesterday, Romney and these other three are sensing the Democrats are blowing it. The post Drive-Bys Cling to GOP “Cracks” and “Copious Notes” appeared first on The Rush Limbaugh Show. Pencil Neck Hijacks Senate: We Can’t Trust the Ballot Box Because of Russia! RUSH: Folks, in a normal and sane world, Adam Schiff would have just stepped in it. The post Pencil Neck Hijacks Senate: We Can’t Trust the Ballot Box Because of Russia! appeared first on The Rush Limbaugh Show. What’s Next After Impeachment? RUSH: Will there be new Ukraine pop-ups? Will there be Stormy Daniels 3, Michael Cohen version 2.5? They've got 10 months. The post What’s Next After Impeachment? appeared first on The Rush Limbaugh Show. Democrats Have 24 Hours to Make a Case Without a Crime RUSH: Lord, can you imagine the tripe people are gonna hear? The post Democrats Have 24 Hours to Make a Case Without a Crime appeared first on The Rush Limbaugh Show. The Democrat Side: What They All Have in Common RUSH: Tulsi Gabbard, Hillary, Crazy Bernie, Fauxcahontas, Biden, Obama, Hunter Biden, Mini Mike, Mayor Pete, Amy Klobuchar, what do they all have in common? None of them can defeat Trump. The post The Democrat Side: What They All Have in Common appeared first on The Rush Limbaugh Show. Whistleblower Overheard Talking Trump Impeachment Two Weeks After Inauguration RUSH: Real Clear Investigations, “Whistleblower Was Overheard in '17 Discussing with Ally How to Remove Trump.” The post Whistleblower Overheard Talking Trump Impeachment Two Weeks After Inauguration appeared first on The Rush Limbaugh Show. The Chief Never Trumper Admonishes Both Sides RUSH: We must speak in civil ways. Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay. The post The Chief Never Trumper Admonishes Both Sides appeared first on The Rush Limbaugh Show. Trump’s Base Won’t Fall for This RUSH: You're very perceptive in your fear that this could be seen as positioning the Republicans as obstructing. They're trying that. The post Trump’s Base Won’t Fall for This appeared first on The Rush Limbaugh Show. Rush 24/7 Stack of Stuff RUSH: You will get specifically the stories that I talk about on the program and a select list of a few others that I intended to get to but ran out of time. The post Rush 24/7 Stack of Stuff appeared first on The Rush Limbaugh Show. FOX NEWS AMERICA FOX NEWS: AMERICA’S NUMBER ONE AND MOST TRUSTED NETWORK North Korea warns of 'abyss of doom' if 'old lunatic' Trump remains president Brazile says CNN™s Tapper betrayed her after debate flap Nasty notes that spurred Air Force general™s lecture written by â˜victimâ™ Woman killed ˜sugar daddyâ™ when relationship soured: prosecutors Exclusive: Undercover teams record grisly remote Faroe Islands whale slaughter Wrestler had 15 drinks a day, slept with 10,000 women, documentary reveals What critter has been found hidden in Van Gogh painting? Germany must legally recognize 'third gender' from birth, top court rules Lightning strike instantly kills two surfers 'Super mom' Sherri Papini filmed running to safety the morning she was found Ex-news anchor whose reporter girlfriend was killed on live TV wins election Tom Fitton: Mueller probe is 'fruit of the poison tree,' should be shut down Pence responds to attacks on prayer after Texas shooting LiAngelo Ball, two UCLA players arrested in China for alleged shoplifting Twitter apologizes for 'bisexual' technical glitch Author Gay Talese blasts Kevin Spacey accuser who 'ruined' actor's career WATCH: Tucker rips calls for gun control after Texas shooting WORLD NET DAILY NEWS In a scathing letter, 21 state attorneys general lashed out at the impeachment of President Donald Trump, calling it “ruinous” to the country. The attorney generals, who are all Republicans, sent the letter Wednesday as they asked the Senate to reject the Democrats' arguments. “As Attorneys General of 21 States whose citizens and Electoral College… The […] Carmine Sabia, The Western Journal Support for Democratic presidential primary candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders seems to be surging in the aftermath of the Jan. 14 debate, the last before voting gets underway at the Iowa caucuses later this month. National polling results released Wednesday by CNN reveal the radical progressive Vermont senator has shifted into the lead, with the support… The pos […] Andrew J. Sciascia, The Western Journal Democrats in Virginia won control of the state Assembly and Senate in the 2019 elections and, in conjunction with the Democrats who control the state's executive offices, immediately made it abundantly clear that they intended to legislatively impose an assortment of strict gun control measures upon lawful gun-owners in the state. It didn't take lo […] Ben Marquis, The Western Journal Snow and ice present their own sets of problems for people who have to deal with them during this time of year. They're a major inconvenience when you're trying to get somewhere, but they can quickly turn an annoying situation into a dangerous one if precautions aren't taken. Black ice is one major problem that… The post Man issues warning aft […] Amanda Thomason, The Western Journal Government 'hostility' to faith before Supremes The issue of government "hostility" to faith was before the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday as justices heard arguments over whether Montana can exclude church schools from a scholarship program for low-income families. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in comments during oral arguments, put the issue in focus. "Suppose the state said we're going to […] WND Staff Barack Obama's most impeachment-worthy offense Were President Trump actually guilty of the horrible things Adam Schiff has accused him on Wednesday, his particular offense would not make Barack Obama's top-10 list. Although the competition for most impeachment-worthy offense by Obama is a stiff one, let me offer my contender for the most offensive one of all. Much has been written… The post Barack O […] Jack Cashill Heaven forefend! Trump is 'impeached forever' Following the House of Representatives' vote on articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump last month, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., made the rounds of establishment news venues, triumphantly declaring that Trump had been "impeached forever." In dealing with a mind like Pelosi's, it's difficult to ascertain with certain […] Columnist at major paper claims '33' is White House secret code to evangelicals Few Americans don't already know that Twitter has become a home for unhinged comments. Take, for example, the claim that President Trump's lawyers's reference to the "33 days" that the House took to transmit the two articles of impeachment to the Senate was a "secret code" to reach out to evangelicals. Los Angeles Times… […] Derek Jeter: Yes, ONE guy didn't vote for him This week Major League Baseball announced that Derek Jeter was elected to the Hall of Fame. That, of course, is hardly a surprise. It's hardly a mystery that Jeter won the honor in his first year of eligibility. What is the shocker of the event is that it was not a unanimous choice. There was… The post Derek Jeter: Yes, ONE guy didn't vote for him […] IMPEACHMENT WEEK: It's OK to be bored, not OK to be white It's weeks like this that make me wish I had a job and didn't have to stay home watching TV. With the impeachment nonsense dragging into its 56th month, I have some random observations, only a few of which have anything to do with impeachment. 1) As tempting as it must be for Republican senators… The post IMPEACHMENT WEEK: It's OK to be bored, […] Glenn Beck’s News President Trump to attend March for Life in person, the first president in history to do so President Donald Trump is set to become the first president of the United States to speak in person at Friday's March for Life rally in Washington, D.C. What are the details? On Wednesday, March for Life organizers of the pro-life gathering tweeted out a call for supporters to attend the event set for Jan. 24. A few hours later, President Trump responde […] 'Go get another job!' — MSNBC hosts Maddow and Hayes are outraged that Democrats are bored by impeachment trial MNSBC hosts were outraged that Democratic politicians were bored and uninterested in the impeachment trial being conducted in the US Senate. Maddow began the segment calling it "odd" that some senators were falling asleep or walking out of the trial prematurely. "It's a terrible look to the public to the extent that the news reports are g […] University of Minnesota student jailed in China over tweets — including one comparing the president to Winnie the Pooh A University of Minnesota student has been jailed in China over social media posts that were considered insulting to the government leaders, including one comparing President Xi Jinping to Winnie the Pooh. Axios reported that 20-year-old Luo Daiqing had been arrested based on the review of a Chinese court document. Daiqing is charged with posting social medi […] Sen. Rand Paul invites President Trump to be his guest at Democrats' impeachment 'charade' Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has offered President Donald Trump a ticket to attend House Democrats' ongoing impeachment "charade" in the Senate, after the commander in chief told reporters he would "love to sit in the front row and stare in their corrupt faces."What are the details?During a press conference at the World Economic Forum in D […] Newest social media 'challenge' has fire officials alarmed, and one teen in Boston is facing charges over it A teenager is facing charges for participating in the latest stupid and potentially dangerous social media challenge. Officials saysay the "outlet challenge" can cause dangerous fires, damage to property, and can even harm the kids who attempt it. It has been popularized on the social media app Tik Tok, and involves placing a penny or another coin […] Watch: Joe Biden's sudden outburst after reporter asks about Bernie Sanders feud Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president Joe Biden appeared to lose his cool when a reporter asked him about his feud with fellow 2020 contender Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday, making headlines as video of the incident went viral.What are the details?In the clip, CBS News reporter Ed O'Keefe can be seen asking Biden after a […] WATCH: Eric Bolling calls out the hilarious irony of Hillary Clinton's swipe at Bernie Sanders In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday, failed 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton doubled down on her scathing assessment of former political rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), which she first expressed in an upcoming Hulu docuseries called "Hillary.""He was in Congress for years. He had one senator support him. Nobody […] Florida teen arrested for making race-based threats of violence on Twitter A Florida teenager was arrested for making threats of violence against several racial groups on Twitter. Nineteen-year-old Lazaro Lesteiro-Diaz was arrested on Tuesday after police were notified of the threats by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Police took the threats seriously because he was very specific about a location that he wa […] ‘Off the table’: Chuck Schumer torpedoes idea of Biden-Bolton impeachment witness trade The Senate's top Democrat said that the prospect of a trade-off agreement on calling Hunter Biden and former White House national security adviser John Bolton as impeachment trial witnesses is a no-go.Amid the heated Senate debate over calling witnesses Tuesday night, the Washington Post reported that "several Senate Democrats are privately discuss […] Virginia Dems, who are trying to make life harder for legal gun owners, squash GOP bill increasing punishments for using a gun during a crime While Virginia Democratic lawmakers continue to advance legislation limiting the rights of legal gun owners in the state, they're also opposing Republican gun legislation — including a bill that would impose harsher sentencing minimums on those who use guns during the commission of a crime, according to Bearing Arms.Virginia's House Public Safety C […] British scientists accidentally discover immune cell that 'may kill all cancer' A newly discovered immune cell that "may kill all cancer" has been discovered by British scientists by accident.According to the Telegraph, researchers at Cardiff University were analyzing a blood bank in Wales, looking for immune cells that could fight bacteria, when they discovered an entirely new type of T-cell.Now, the researchers are saying th […] Glenn Beck: Adam Schiff is a LIAR — and we have the proof On the radio program Wednesday, Glenn Beck didn't hold back when discussing the latest in a long list of lies issued by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) during the Democrats' ongoing endeavor to remove President Donald Trump from office. "I'm going to just come out and say, Adam Schiff is a liar. And he intenti […] Idaho state lawmaker to introduce bill banning biological males from competing against biological females in high school sports On the heels of Republican lawmakers in New Hampshire, Washington, Georgia, Tennessee, and Missouri looking to enact measures requiring public school athletes to compete according to their biological sex as opposed to their gender identities, an Idaho Republican is joining the fray.What are the details?State Rep. Barbara Ehardt of Idaho Falls said she will i […] Top Virginia gun rally lies debunked On Tuesday's episode of "Louder with Crowder," Steven Crowder debunked the top lies peddled by the mainstream media in the days that led up to the pro-gun rally on Monday in Richmond, Virginia. Monday's pro-gun demonstration proved to be quite different what the media predicted. Here are two of the top debunked lies:Media lie: Senate Bill […] AGAINST ALL ODDS: ISRAEL SURVIVES: TRUE STORIES OF MODERN DAY MIRACLE, A DOCUMENTARY HOW GOD PROTECTED AND SAVED ISRAEL DAILY MAIL ONLINE Deadly Chinese Coronavirus might ALREADY have reached UK Earthquake rocks the North East as residents report 'explosion' sound Ex-Speaker John Bercow's peerage is placed in jeopardy as he is accused of bullying staff Coastguard asks Beachy Head base jumpers to let them know when they plan to leap Photo editing wizard charges £15 to erase ex-partners from old pictures Are pre-cut spuds the best thing since sliced bread? Members of migrant smuggling ring who brought thousands of migrants into Britain are arrested Hilarious Instagram account reveals the lengths influencers will go to Boris Johnson hails 'new chapter' for Britain as Brexit withdrawal bill is passed by Parliament Borderline personality disorder sufferers discuss 'stigma' of illness Viewers feel sorry for Meghan's father after bombshell documentary TOM LEONARD: Billionaires engulfed in cyber hacking sensation Boris Johnson 'sent messages to Mohammed bin Salman over WhatsApp' prompting security concerns Watching Prince Charles with Meghan made me cry says Thomas Markle ZERO HEDGE FINANCIAL NEWS "Go Outside!" President Macron Filmed Yelling At Israeli Police In Jerusalem Church Altercation On Wednesday French President Emmanuel Macron toured Jerusalem's Old City with a police escort as he attended the Fifth World Holocaust Forum in Israel. He especially wanted to visit the Church of St Anne, just like some of his predecessors, given […] Wahrheit Macht Frei... Truth Sets You Free Authored by Finian Cunningham via The Strategic Culture Foundation, This week sees the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi Auschwitz death camp by the Soviet Red Army. But the momentous event is being overshadowed by renewed attempts by the Polish authorities – aided by American and German officials – to […] US Navy To Revive Flak Cannons To Combat Drone Attacks The proliferation of unmanned aircraft has frightened the U.S. Navy into developing a powerful airburst round to knock drones out of the sky, reported Military.com. The precision airburst munition, similar to anti-aircraft flak rounds used in World War II, is being designed to combat drones that are tar […] How The Military-Industrial Complex Gets Away With Murder In Contract After Contract Authored by Mandy Smithberger via TomDispatch.com, Call it a colossal victory for a Pentagon that hasn’t won a war in this century, but not for the rest of us. Congress only recently passed and the president approved one of the largest Pentagon budgets ever. It will surpass […] "The 2-Child Policy Has Failed": China's Birth Rate Hits Record Low As Growth Slows China finally abandoned its controversial one-child policy in November 2013. But more than six years later, millions of Chinese couples are still unwilling to have a second child. And that's a huge problem for the Communist Party, whose legitimacy in the e […] Deadly Distractions: Laying The Groundwork For The Next Civil War Authored by John Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute, “Pity the nation oh pity the peoplewho allow their rights to erodeand their freedoms to be washed away…” - Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet And so it continues. This impeachment fiasco is merely the latest in a never-ending series of distract […] Automation Nation: Walmart Deploys Robots To 650 Additional Stores America's largest retailer/employer is adding shelf-scanning robots to 650 more stores by August, expanding its total robotic fleet to 1,000 stores, reported Bloomberg. Walmart's push for robots comes at a time when labor-costs are eating into profits. The company will have trouble […] CNBC FINANCIAL NEWS Mainland Chinese stocks drop as much as 3.5% as coronavirus fears grip investors Investor sentiment has taken a hit this week as a coronavirus that has infected hundreds in China spreads. The WHO is reconvening Thursday to decide whether the virus should be classified as a global health emergency after coming to a split vote. Bernie Sanders' wealth tax would raise $1 trillion less than he estimates, Wharton study shows A study from the Wharton School finds that Sanders' wealth tax on will generate $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion less than claimed. Coulson Aviation in the U.S. state of Oregon said in a statement that one of its C-130 Lockheed large air tankers was lost after it left Richmond in New South Wales with retardant for a firebombing mission. ECB to launch first review since 2003 in a bid to tackle its inflation problem The central bank's first strategic review since 2003 will analyze why that is the case and whether that target, or how its calculated, needs to change. Chinese treasury futures surge as new virus spreads Chinese government bond futures surged on Thursday as investors' worries heightened over the spread of a new flu-like virus that has forced China to lock down a city of 11 million people. Coronavirus outbreak could 'significantly affect' travel volume to Australia, Moody's says Tourists from China now account for over 15% of total short-term inbound travelers to Australia, as compared with just 4% in 2003, according to Moody's. Tesla short sellers could help Elon Musk score a payday worth hundreds of millions Tesla is still one of the most heavily bet-against stocks in the U.S. even as the stock almost daily hits record highs. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan again calls for Trump to mediate on Kashmir dispute While Pakistan has always called for international mediation to the Kashmir dispute, India has maintained it is a bilateral issue. India's shadow lending sector is in a 'better position' after clean-up efforts, says bank chairman Rajnish Kumar, State Bank of India's chairman, acknowledged that India's shadow lenders — or non-bank financial companies — still face challenges, but he struck an optimistic tone about the future. Boeing wants to resume 737 Max production months before the planes return to service Boeing suspended production of the 737 Max this month as their grounding goes on longer than expected. Trump impeachment trial highlights: Bolton-Biden witness trade is 'off the table,' Schumer says Lead House impeachment manager Adam Schiff kicked off the trial proceedings with an overview of Trump's alleged abuses of power obstruction. 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July 25, 2013 SEX OFFENDER TARGET LIST: COUPLE JEREMY AND CAROLINE MOODY RANDOMLY PLAN TO KILL MORE SEX OFFENDERS FROM THEIR SEX REGISTRY HIT LIST, BOTH CHARGED WITH MURDER OF CHARLES PARKER July 25, 2013 THE $684 MILLION OBAMACARE ADVERTISEMENT BUDGET…PREPARE FOR HOLLYWOOD AND SPORTS CELEBRITIES TO ‘EDUCATE’ AMERICA ABOUT OBAMACARE THIS UPCOMING OCTOBER ENROLLMENT July 25, 2013 58-YEAR-OLD SHOE LADY MURDERED, 29-YEAR-OLD BOYFRIEND SUSPECT: GUINESS WORLD RECORD HOLDER FOR SHOES DARLENE FLYNN FOUND DEAD IN HER POOL AFTER FIGHT WITH EX-BOYFRIEND JUSTIN SMITH July 25, 2013 FOOTBALL PLAYER MOTORCYCLE CRASH: FLORIDA STATE FOOTBALL PLAYER NICK O’LEARY MIRACULOUSLY WALKED AWAY UNSCATHED FROM HORRIFIC MOTORCYCLE CRASH July 25, 2013 ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST RELEASED OFFICIAL CHINA OF ROYAL MEMORABILIA TO CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF ROYAL BABY PRINCE GEORGE July 25, 2013 Hidden Health Treasures Archives Select Month July 2013 (760) June 2013 (484) May 2013 (158) April 2013 (132) March 2013 (64) February 2013 (43) January 2013 (44) December 2012 (3) AMERICA BUSINESS CELEBRITY & ENTERTAINMENT CHRISTIANITY CRIME EDUCATION & CULTURE ENERGY EVERYTHING LAS VEGAS FINANCE FOOD Health Interests LIFESTYLE Love LUXURY MEDIA MILITARY NEWS OBAMACARE Politics PSYCHOLOGY Quote RELIGION Science SOCIAL MEDIA sports TECHNOLOGY TRAVEL WOMEN WORLD Viola Davis’s message to white women: ‘Get to know me’ But Davis does see a path forward: empathy and becoming educated on one another’s experiences. 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Faculty Full of 'Furor and Fear' Over Screening of Pro-Life Film 'Unplanned' Forty-four faculty members of King's University College, a Roman Catholic-affiliated institution of higher learning located in London, Ontario, have called on the school's chief executive officer to apologize for allowing the pro-life film "Unplanned" to be screened on campus. Tragic Update: Christian Pastor Kidnapped by Boko Haram Has Been Executed A Christian pastor who insisted that “God’s will must be respected” after being kidnapped by Islamic terrorists has been killed by his captors. Woman Snaps Incredible Viral Photo of Cloud of 'Jesus With His Arms Outstretched' A British woman has captured a remarkable photo of a cloud that appears to depict a heavenly figure looking down on the earth. TV Evangelist Jack Van Impe, Who Told His Audience About the End Times, Dies at 88 Popular TV evangelist Jack Van Impe, who was known for his preaching about the End Times has died at the age of 88. Iran Backtracks on Plan to Send Flight Recorders to Ukraine The Iranian official leading the investigation into the Ukrainian jetliner that was accidentally shot down by the Revolutionary Guard appeared to backtrack Sunday on plans to send the flight recorders abroad for analysis, a day after saying they would be sent to Kyiv. Liverpool Soccer Star's Baptism Brings Wife to Tears 'The Old Things Have Passed Away' Two Brazilian soccer stars, Roberto Firmino and Alisson Becker, now playing for Liverpool, took part in an emotional baptism ceremony that was posted on Instagram for the world to see. 'God Help Her': Christian Activist Mary Fatemeh Mohammadi Arrested in Iran During Protests Christian activist Mary Fatemeh Mohammadi was arrested on January 12 while protests were taking place in Tehran, the capital of Iran. URGENT PRAYER: Three Assyrian Christians Arrested in Southeast Turkey Three Assyrian Christians were detained by Turkish forces on January 9, according to a UK-based persecution watchdog. A second person has died from a new coronavirus that has caused an outbreak of pneumonia in central China, health authorities said. Violence Escalates in Beirut as Protesters Clash With Police Security forces fired tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets in clashes Sunday with hundreds of anti-government protesters outside Lebanon’s Parliament, as violence continued to escalate in a week of rioting. 'God Will Pull Us Through': How One Man Survived a War Zone, Finding Hope and Peace Through Christ The 1967 Arab-Israeli War and Jordan's 1970 crack down on the Palestine Liberation Organization led to much unrest in the Middle East. And for one young reporter it was a daily fight to stay alive. Operation Blessing Aids 9,000 Taal Volcano Victims: 'If There Are No Donated Relief Goods, We Don't Eat' The smoldering Taal Volcano in the Philippines could erupt again at any minute, killing those in the danger zone. Already tens of thousands of people have evacuated, most with only the clothes on their backs. What will they do now? Iran Government Feeling Pressure, Monitoring Contacts With 'Infidels' Western pressures and burgeoning protests inside Iran have caused the regime to closely monitor Iranian Christians and their house churches.Mike Ansari of Heart4Iran, a network of more than 100 ministries that reaches Christians of Iran through media and broadcasting said the government is keeping a close eye on the activities of Christians and also Muslims […] Is This the Latest Sign That Iran's Islamic Regime Is Creeping Closer to Collapse? Iran's supreme leader lashed out at Western countries as he led Friday prayers in Tehran for the first time in eight years, dismissing “American clowns” who he said pretend to support the Iranian nation but want to stick their "poisoned dagger” into its back. Open Doors USA: 260M Christians Were Affected by Extreme Levels of Persecution in 2019 Open Doors USA has released its annual World Watch list identifying the top 50 countries where it's most dangerous to follow Jesus Christ. CBN FINANCE Trump Scores Major Back-to-Back Trade Victories The US Senate has voted in a move that gives President Trump back-to-back victories on his trade agenda, approving the new United States-Mexico-Canada agreement Thursday and sending it to the president for his signature. US Employment Remains Strong, 145,000 Jobs Added in December U.S. employers added 145,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate held steady at 3.5%, signaling that the job market remains strong at the start of 2020 even if hiring and wage gains have slowed somewhat more than a decade into an economic expansion. 2019's $5.9T Stock Boom Was More Than Double the Spike Presidents Normally Get in a First Term Wall Street is hoping for another strong year after stocks in 2019 had its best return in six years. Economy Booming as Shopping and Stocks Set Records in 2019 Wall Street investors are looking to finish the year with a bang as stocks continue to set new records. How To Avoid Overspending This Holiday Season: Study Shows Effects on Non-Prime Consumers You've overspent during past holiday seasons, but you're determined not to let it happen this year. What's your plan to prevent painful post-holiday bills? A study from Elevate's Center for the New Middle Class (CNMC) may be able to help. 'It's Unbelievable': Consumer Confidence Soars as Economy Steadily Improves Financial markets globally and in the US are looking up. The DOW, S&P 500, and NASDAQ hit record-closing highs Tuesday as a stock rally extended into five straight sessions. Markets Are Soaring, but Boeing Is Not: Big Halt to 737 Max Production Could Hurt US Economy Markets appear to be responding to the positive trade news coming out of Washington. One potential drag on the economy could be Boeing's decision Monday to halt production of its 737 Max airplane. 9 Tips to Maximize Free Shipping on Your Holiday Shopping Are you a procrastinator who hasn't started your holiday shopping yet? If not, are you still hunting for deals even after Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and Green Monday? In any case, you still want to take advantage of online bargains and free shipping offers. Trump Scores US Trade Deal with China, Sunday's New Tariffs Dropped President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. and China have reached a Phase 1 trade deal, de-escalating a 17-month dispute between the economic powers. Fed Leaves Low Rates Alone and Sees No Moves in Near Future Chairman Jerome Powell made clear Wednesday that the Federal Reserve is prepared to keep its benchmark interest rate very low through at least next year - and possibly longer. World Leaders Flock to Jerusalem Ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Event More than 40 heads of state and global leaders are making their way to Jerusalem today to participate in the 5th World Holocaust Forum to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Israel's Security Agency Thwarted 560 Terror Attacks Last Year The Israel Security Agency, better known as Shin Bet, thwarted more than 560 major terror attacks on Israeli soil in 2019, it said Monday. IDF Kills 3 Palestinians Who Infiltrated Israel, Attacked Soldiers The Israeli military shot and killed three Palestinians Tuesday night after they were caught infiltrating Israel from Gaza, the IDF reported. Israel Warns Hamas Not to Disrupt Holocaust Event As World Leaders Gather in Jerusalem More than 40 world leaders and heads of state are making their way to Jerusalem this week to participate in ceremonies to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Social Media Outrage After Apple’s Siri Calls Israel a ‘Zionist Occupation State’ Apple users were shocked over the weekend when a simple question about Israel led to allegations of anti-Semitism. Israel Takes Battle Against Hezbollah Underground With New Tunnel Defense System On Sunday, Israel’s military began a major construction project on its northern border. It is the latest effort by the IDF to protect Israelis from the Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon. 20,000 Christians Flock to Jordan River to Get Baptized in the Footsteps of Jesus More than 20,000 Christian pilgrims flocked to the Jordan River this weekend to get baptized in the same spot where John the Baptist is said to have baptized Jesus. It's also thought to be the place where the children of Israel crossed over into the Promised Land and the site where Elijah ascended to heaven. Palestinian Newspaper: One Murder Can Stop Massive Holocaust Ceremony in Jerusalem This week, more than 40 world leaders including US Vice President Mike Pence, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and French President Emanuel Macron, will come to Jerusalem to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. New Israeli Anti-Diabetes Drug Could be a Game-Changer for Millions of Patients An Israeli company based in Jerusalem is developing a drug that could change the lives of countless people suffering from Type 2 diabetes. Police Quickly Break Up Unrest on Temple Mount Unrest broke out on the Temple Mount Friday morning when hundreds of Muslim worshippers reportedly began chanting and causing disturbances, a police spokesperson said. A First: Israel Lists Erdogan’s Turkey in Annual Threat Assessment Report For the first time, Israel included Turkey in its annual threat assessment report, citing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s aggressive actions in the Middle East and northern Africa as new challenges to the Jewish state. Israel Strikes Hamas Positions After Rocket Fire from Gaza The Israel Defense forces struck several Hamas targets Wednesday in response to four rockets fired by terrorists in Gaza. 'Your Faith is Rooted in Israel': Christian Birthright Trip Allows Thousands of College Students to Walk Where Jesus Walked Hundreds of American Christian university students embarked on a recent journey to Israel for a unique learning experience. It’s part of a program to increase their faith while also introducing them to a modern and vibrant Israel. Netanyahu Urges Europe to Reimpose Sanctions on Iran as Nuclear Deal Crumbles Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on European states to reimpose sanctions on Iran and said Israel will never allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Syria Says Israel Has Attacked an Airbase Used by Iranian Forces Syrian media says Israel carried out airstrikes Tuesday evening on a military airbase near Homs believed to have been used by Iran. 'A Weapon You Can't See or Hear': Israeli Breakthrough Can Thwart Missile Barrages Israel’s Defense Ministry revealed on Wednesday it will now begin using a powerful new laser technology to intercept missiles and protect citizens from terrorism. 'Jeopardy!' Question About Israel Went Viral, Now They Say It Was a Mistake “Jeopardy!" drew backlash on Friday over a question about the exact location of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. WHO Considers Calling Coronavirus Global Emergency, Death Toll Rises to 17 The World Health Organization is meeting to discuss whether to declare it a global health emergency as they did with Ebola, Swine Flu, Zika and two other coronaviruses: SARS and MERS. Disturbing Details About Deadly Virus from China as US Health Officials Launch Screening U.S. health officials are screening incoming passengers from China at JFK, LAX and SFO for a virus to prevents its spread. Congressional Gold Medal: A-L-S Hero Types with His Eyes While Getting Highest Honor Former pro football player and ALS activist Steve Gleason demonstrates amazing technology while receiving the Congressional Gold Medal Surge in ER Visits After New Marijuana Laws Take Effect It didn't take long for the negative consequences of new pot laws to take effect. Within hours of the new year, several people showed up in Illinois emergency rooms complaining of cannabis-related illnesses. Largest Decrease Ever in US Cancer Deaths: Here's Why Cancer rates are down. Way down. In fact, in the last 30 years, the number of people dying from cancer has fallen by nearly one-third. What does that mean in terms of the number of lives saved? Think of it this way. If the cancer death rate had remained the same, nearly three million more people would have died. Deadly Flu Season Shaping Up to Be One of the Worst in Recent History Cleveland Clinic physician offers tips on how to avoid the flu. Trump Launches Plan to 'Protect Our Families', Keep Teens from Getting Hooked on Vaping The Trump administration announced new restrictions on e-cigarettes Thursday in an effort to curb teenagers from vaping after a nationwide health scare in which scores of young people were hospitalized after vaping in 2019. Are You a Sugar Addict? Take This Quiz America's weight problem is getting worse. Health experts increasingly point to sugar addiction as the root problem, brought on by the consumption of highly processed foods. Lorie Johnson talks with author Molly Carmel about how to "break up with sugar." 'Find Your Weigh': A New Approach to Lasting Weight Loss Losing weight is one of the most popular of new year's resolutions people make. Most of us start off well but sometimes falter after a few weeks. Hero Mom Ignores Doctors Advice to 'Pull the Plug' on Daughter in Coma. She Woke Up 7 Months Later In a culture increasingly inclined to give up on life, an Ohio woman has her loyal family to thank for saving hers.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1408
__label__cc	0.65061	0.34939	kdoutsiderart Artists \| Theory \| Thoughts Art by Offenders: Strength, Vulnerability, and Forgiveness Above image: Lost Fruit \| Thornford Park Hospital, The Tolkien Trust Silver Award for Drawing The Koestler Trust’s sixth annual UK showcase this year takes the form of ‘The Strength and Vulnerability Bunker’, curated by Mercury prize-winning rapper, Speech Debelle. The national exhibition, which is moulded yearly by a different group or individual, displays work by prisoners, offenders on community sentences, secure mental health patients and immigration detainees. This year’s theme – the relationship between strength and vulnerability – was chosen as it threads together the work on display with Debelle’s music. Debelle’s political interventions (which include three albums pinpointing areas of social justice and injustice), make her the perfect candidate to provide a voice for those whose lives are being transformed by the power of art. “The Koestler Awards represent an injection of creativity, humanity and empowerment into the closed world of prisons” – Stephen Shaw, Prisons and Probation Ombudsman. This year’s exhibition has some strong, undeniably prison-centric, work. ‘Untitled’ by Patrick from HMP Leeds starkly shows the divide between the inside and outside. In it, a figure looks solemnly (although this is only an assumption, as all we can see is the back of his head) through the bars of what we can ascertain to be his cell. On the ‘outside’, skyscrapers loom above luscious green trees and two magpies – which symbolise joy in the well-known rhyme – perch on the prison boundary. There are, however, signs of life and hope within the confines of this prisoner’s cell. A butterfly rests on an arm, and two ladybirds and a spider scale the inside of the bars. Sleeping Brunnhilde \| Derbyshire Probation Service, The Anne Peaker Platinum Award for Sculpture ‘Not of the World’, by an inmate at HM Prison Cookham Wood, reflects “how far away the earth is when you’re locked up. Also, how far anything and anyone are from your reach in jail.” These are the artist’s own words. In the piece, a figure, plagued by darkness, looks longingly (again, maybe my assumption) towards the whole of the earth which sits uncomfortably out of reach on the horizon line. These two pieces quite obviously describe feelings of isolation, incarceration, and the loss of freedom. But there are more subtle pieces. ‘First Hour’, by an artist from Prison Littlehey and made entirely from chicken bones and glue, represents the feelings of a prisoner during the first hour of being ‘inside.’ Crouched over, the perfectly executed figure is both strong and incredibly vulnerable at the same time. Single chicken bones are extremely robust, but put them together as has been done with this sculpture, and they are fragile; the piece could topple or crack at any moment. The Dancers \| HMP Brixton, The Patrick Holmes Platinum Award for Oil or Acrylic Similarly to ‘First Hour’, other works on display are made out of any material that the artists could get their hands on. ‘Escape with a Book’, by an artist at HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Exeter is made entirely from soap, with the hands stained using tea bags. It was probably carved, as suggested by the exhibition host (an ex-offender employed to enhance the audience’s experience whilst gaining CV building skills), using a smuggled razor blade – something which makes it all the more intriguing. The artist was prepared to create this piece regardless of the rules. ‘Sleeping Brunnhilde’, by an artist from the Derbyshire Probation Service, was created using bread and PVA glue; such simple materials. The works on display were chosen from more than 7000 pieces of art created by prisoners, secure patients and immigration detainees, and each and everyone follows a personal journey reflecting on the meaning of both strength and vulnerability. The arts have been proven, more so in recent years, to be an incredibly effective way of engaging with offenders who are feeling isolated or alienated from mainstream education and employment. Creativity flourishes in prisons, more so than in any other institution; perhaps as a result of the physical incarceration. This exhibition provides an opportunity for the artists to have their talents showcased, and is an example of how prisoners work through their feelings – in this instance strength, vulnerability and forgiveness – as part of their rehabilitation. Creativity and self-expression can often be the key to increasing self-esteem and self-efficacy; all proven factors in reducing rates of re-offending. Not to mention, the works in this exhibition are absolutely fantastic to look at – these artists are incredibly talented. Maybe once they have served their sentences, they can shake off that label of ‘prisoner’ ‘convict’ or even ‘ex-criminal’ and ‘ex-offender’ and instead be known more positively as ‘artists.’ Garden of Eden, HM Prison Styal, Dalrymple Bronze Award for Sculpture The exhibition is running until 1 December at the Southbank Centre, London. Click here for opening times and other information. Exhibited artists on what the words ‘strength’ and ‘vulnerability’ mean to them “Without strength, you can’t go on. Without vulnerability, you can’t grow as a person. “ “Being able to take a ‘warts and all’ look at myself through art does leave me feeling vulnerable to emotions I’ve closed off for years. However, I feel I’m in a safe environment with supportive peers and tutors. That is the strength of art.” “Strength means to me, someone who keeps going and keeps trying, no matter what obstacles they may face. Vulnerability means to me, someone who is human. Everyone is vulnerable and we all deal with it every day.” Visit the Koestler Trust website Find out more about the Koestler Trust Awards The Arts Alliance is the national body for promoting arts in the criminal justice system. The Arts Alliance’s Evidence Library houses numerous reports and research findings on the effects of arts within the criminal justice system. Posted in: Exhibitions, Prison Art \| Tagged: koestler trust, outsider art, prison art Epiphanies! Secrets of Outsider Art Kate Bradbury: Squalls and Murmurations Archived Events: What's On Artists' Showcase Curatorial Questions German Expressionism and Outsider Art Outsider Art Curatorial Questions Outsider Art Round-Up Outsider Art: Theory and Thoughts Prison Art Psychological Theory and Art Visionary Environments @colinrhodes11 @_TheWhitechapel Thanks Colin, I’ll definitely be in touch at some point! 6 days ago @colinrhodes11 @_TheWhitechapel Hi Colin - it's part of my PhD research, early days but just re-familiarising myself with the material! 6 days ago Very useful afternoon spent at @_TheWhitechapel yesterday looking at archival material relating to their 2006 exhib… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 6 days ago RT @wabisabistar: Very pleased and excited to announce that I will be showing a variety of artworks with @outsidein_uk @LondonArtFair as pa… 1 week ago The latest post on the blog follows research into reviews of outsider art exhibitions - what is the relationship be… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 2 weeks ago Follow @kd_outsiderart I also write here… In addition to writing and editing kdoutsiderart.com, I have written - and still write - for a variety of publications and for several online platforms including Raw Vision Magazine, Pallant House Gallery Magazine, and Arts Professional. I also write exhibition reviews and critical and contextual essays for artist run projects. Click here for more of my writing.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1409
__label__cc	0.711604	0.288396	KRplus 최근 본 동영상 나중에 볼 동영상 지금 인기있는 관심 동영상 내 재생 목록 KRplus 에서 최고 영화/애니메이션 노하우/스타일 과학기술 Effective as of December 15, 2009. KRplus ("") recognizes that its customers, visitors, users, and others who use value their privacy. This Privacy Notice details important information regarding the use and disclosure of User information collected on the KRplus . KRplus provides this Privacy Notice to help you make an informed decision about whether to use or continue usingKRplus . This Privacy Notice is incorporated into and is subject to the KRplus Terms of Use. Your use of the KRplus Sites and any personal information you provide on the KRplus Sites remains subject to the terms of this Privacy Notice and our Terms of Use. Please note that any video, image, or other content posted at the direction of Users onto the KRplus Sites becomes published content and is not considered personally identifiable information subject to this Privacy Notice. 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__label__wiki	0.853913	0.853913	Published January 11, 2020 12:00 pm Porch pirate ends up with 2 pounds of Pez Click here for updates on this story Oklahoma City, OK (KFOR) — “It’s just bizarre. Completely bizarre,” says Carissa Massago, a Village woman. Massago is in complete shock after she opened up her Ring Neighbor’s app. “There it was… somebody running to our front door, grabbing a package out of our mailbox,” says Massago. After the man snatches the package, you can see him running away and then taking off in a dark-colored sedan. The quick crime, taking less than a minute, but long enough for the security camera to get a picture. “I was just in disbelief. Like, why would somebody run to our mailbox and grab something. It looked like they knew what it was,” she says. At first, this Village mother of two had no idea what was stolen. It turns out, the family won’t be missing much. “What about when you found out that all he got was Pez?” Massago answered, “I just started laughing.” The thief only got away with Pez, a candy. “The most random purchase.” Two pounds in all, at a cheap price, too. She only spent about $5 on the candy, and she says now, it’s all she can do not to laugh. “I would like to think that when he opened it, he was laughing too,” says Massago. The homeowner did file a police report and officers told her this kind of theft happens often. Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform. A month of snow leaves Newfoundland, Canada, in a state of emergency Antonio Brown’s former partner asks him to get help after police issue an arrest warrant for him These are the women who plan to testify against Harvey Weinstein	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1411
__label__wiki	0.771169	0.771169	Independent Indian: Work & Life of Professor Subroto Roy Life of MK Roy 1915:2012, Indian Aristocrat & Diplomat, Birth Centenary Concludes 7 Nov 2016 Thoughts, words, deeds: My work 1973-2014 Bibliography, Books, Public Lectures, Memoranda, Memoirs Buju’s Life & Paintings 14 Feb 1943:10 Jan 1998 (Draft 14.2.2018) India-Pakistan Diplomacy During the 1965 War: the MK Roy Files Solving a Problem of State Tyranny: Director General Siddhanta Das: Have Forest Service Officers been threatening ordinary citizens, seizing their property, then threatening them with arrest if they complain? If so, how many cases of wrongful seizure and wrongful imprisonment have WCCB caused among India’s villagers and forest dwellers since 1994? There is immediate need for an Ombudsman to independently review all cases in each of your Five Zones! My American years: Part One 1980-90: battles for academic integrity & freedom Become a US Supreme Court Justice! (Explorations in the Rule of Law in America) Fixing Washington: On Improving Institutional Design in the United States Philosophy of Economics: On the Scope of Reason in Economic Inquiry (1989) Apropos Philosophy of Economics Science, Religion, Art & the Necessity of Freedom (2004) A General Theory of Globalization & Modern Terrorism (2001) Physics & Reasoning (An Ongoing Tract) by Subroto Roy DRAFT 01.12.2017 Is “Cambridge Philosophy” dead, in Cambridge? Can it be resurrected, there? Case Study: Renford Bambrough (& Subroto Roy) preceded by decades Cheryl Misak’s thesis on Wittgenstein being linked with Peirce via Ramsey… Economics as a Beautiful Subject: Its Concepts & Principles Explained for Everyone (DRAFT)…. by Subroto Roy Rajiv Gandhi and the Origins of India’s 1991 Economic Reform Three Memoranda to Rajiv Gandhi 1990-91 Did Jagdish Bhagwati “originate”, “pioneer”, “intellectually father” India’s 1991 economic reform? Did Manmohan Singh? Or did I, through my encounter with Rajiv Gandhi, just as Siddhartha Shankar Ray told Manmohan & his aides in Sep 1993 in Washington? Judge the evidence for yourself. And why has Amartya Sen misdescribed his work? India’s right path forward today remains what I said in my 3 Dec 2012 Delhi lecture! Sonia’s Lying Courtier with Postscript 25 Nov 2007, & Addendum 30 June 2014 Much as I might love Russia, England, France, America, I despise their spies & local agents affecting poor India’s policies: Memo to PM Modi, Mr Jaitley, Mr Doval & the new Govt. of India: Beware of Delhi’s sleeper agents, lobbyists & other dalals “Haksar, Manmohan and Sonia” Modi & Monetary Theory: Economic Consequences of the Prime Minister of India Introduction and Some Biography Pricing, Planning & Politics: A Study of Economic Distortions in India (1984) Silver Jubilee of “Pricing, Planning & Politics: A Study of Economic Distortions in India” My (armchair) experience of the 1999 Kargil war (Or, “Actionable Intelligence” in the Internet age: How the Kargil effort got a little help from a desktop) Some Recent Articles Critique of Monetary Ideas of Manmohan & Modi: the Roy Model explaining to Bimal Jalan, Nirmala Sitharaman, RBI etc what it is they are doing (Drafts 4 August, 7 August 2019; 27 August, 28 August, 30 August, 31 August, 1 September 2019) S N Roy hears from Lytton: A 1922 case of British imperial racism in Indian governance (with lessons for today) [Draft text 12 August 2018] On being reunited with Arrow Hahn after a dozen years How the India-Bangladesh Enclaves Problem Was Jump-Started in 2007 Towards its 2015 Solution: A Case Study of Academic Impact on Policy Pakistan’s & India’s Illusions of Power (Psychosis vs Vanity) Delhi can never be improved — until the rest of India improves! On India’s Education Policy (1) My 13 Sep 2019 Advice to PM Modi’s Adviser: Let PM address each State Legislature, get all India Govt Accounting & Public Decision Making to have integrity (2) 16 May 2014 Advice from Rajiv Gandhi’s Adviser to Narendra Modi: Do not populate the “Planning Commission” with worthies, scrap it, integrate its assets with the Treasury. And get the nationalised banks & RBI out of the Treasury. Tell them to read my 3 Dec 2012 Delhi lecture with care. Clean Government Accounting & Audit is the Key to Clean Public Finances & a Proper Indian Currency for the First Time Ever My Recent Works, Interviews etc on India’s Money, Public Finance, Banking, Trade, BoP, Land, etc (an incomplete list) drsubrotoroy Index of Names and Subjects 15th Lok Sabha 1918 Influenza epidemic 1962 War Abdul Ghaffar Khan Academic economics Academic fraud AD Shroff Ahmadis Air warfare Alec Douglas Home Alexander Dubček Alfred Lyall America's Civil Rights Movement America's housing market America's impatience America's military-industrial complex America's mortgage crisis America's torture debate American academia American democracy American elections 2016 American financial crises anarchy and governance Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov Anglo-American relations Anglo-Russian Treaty 1907 Ann Dunham Anna Schwartz April Glaspie Archer Blood Asia and Latin America Asia and the West asymmetric information Atal Behari Vajpayee Athenian democracy Attorney fraud Bangladesh currency history Bangladesh India land Boundary Agreement 2015 Bangladesh's economy Barack Hussein Obama Senior Battle of Borodino Bayesian probability Bengal Constitutional Politics Bengal Legislative Council Bengal Primary Education Bill 1919 Bengal's Public Finances Bengali Adda Bengali modern literature Benjamin Strong Bhagwati-Sen spat Big Business and Big Labour BR Shenoy Brendan Whyte Bretton Woods institutions Britain in India Britain's Chilcot Inquiry Britain's Parliament Britain's immigrant communities Britain's monarchy British imperialism British military doctrine and traditions British philosophy British Universities Bulls and bears C Rajagopalachari C Rangarajan Caliphate Cambridge Univ Economics Cambridge University Philosophy Capital and labour Cardiff Business School Case by Case Philosophical Technique Chandrayan Charles Eliot Chiang Kaishek Chief Red Cloud of the Sioux China's exports China's macroeconomics China's savings rate China's Commonwealth China's dissidents China's expansionism China's History China's internal passports China's military China's nationalism China's Politics China's religions China's wars China-India Relations China-Pakistan relations China-Taiwan problem China-Tibet problem Chinese pilgrims to India Christian forgiveness Christopher Bliss Chumbi Valley Clausewitz Common Law and Equity Common markets Communist China Comparative Government Congress Party History Conservative Party Britain Constitutional monarchy Constitutional Politics Corpus Christi College Cambridge CPI-M CR Das Crash of 1929 Dabhol/Enron fiasco Demand theory Deposit multiplication DH Lawrence DH Lawrence's novels DH Lawrence's travels Dharma Kumar DHN Johnson Diplomatic protocols Diplomatic recognition Dogras Don Patinkin Dorjiev Double bind Dr Zakir Hussain Durand Line Dynamic competition East Turkestan Economic quackery Economic Theory of Growth Economic Theory of Interest Economic Theory of Value Economics and Energy Economics of energy Economics of exchange controls Economics of Exchange Rates Economics of housing markets Economics of information technology Economics of international trade Economics of migration Economics of Public Finance Economics of real estate valuation Economics of sports Economics of Unemployment EM Forster Embracery Enclaves Enclaves in International Law Enterprise and entrepeneurship Epistemology (Theory of Knowledge) Epistemology of Economics Expertise and democracy FA Hayek FCR Robinson Federal Reserve Bank of New York Federal Rule 60(b) Feroze Gandhi Fiat justitia pereat mundus Film and cinema Financial Repression Foreign exchange controls FR Leavis Frank Hahn Fraud on the Court Friedman Foundation Fuzlul Huq GDI Impuls Zurich General equilbrium theory George P Shultz Gilgit and Baltistan Girja Shankar Bajpai GK Gokhale Godhra and aftermath Gopi Arora Government accounting Government Budget Constraint Government of Afghanistan Graham Staines Grandfathers and grandsons Grandmothers and grandchildren Great Tremor of 2008 Gregori Perelman Growth rates (economic) Habeas Corpus for terrorist suspects Haileybury College Harry Johnson Hasidic Jews Hazel Atlas 322 US 238 Hindu political traditions Hindus and Muslims History of Indian National Congress Holocaust and its denial Incentive compatibility India Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement 2015 India in international law India's Big Business India's Cabinet Government India's credit markets India's demographics India's Government economists India's interest rates India's military doctrine India's NCAER India's nuclear tests India's protocols India's public health India's religions India's savings rate India's scientists India's stock and debt markets India's 1991 Economic Reform India's 2009 General Election India's agriculture India's Agriculture & Food India's airforce India's archives India's Army India's aviation India's balance of payments India's Bangladesh liberation war India's Banking India's Budget India's bureaucracy India's Capital Markets India's Caste/Ethnic Problems India's cinema India's civil unrest India's communists India's Constitution India's constitutional politics India's corporate finance India's corporate governance India's corruption India's cricket India's crimes India's culture India's currency history India's Democracy India's Diplomacy India's Economic History India's Economy India's education India's Election Commission India's Electorate India's emigrants to the West India's Energy India's Exports India's Families India's farmers India's Finance Commission India's Foreign Exchange Reserves India's Foreign Policy India's Foreign Service India's Foreign Trade India's Forest officials India's Government Budget Constraint India's Government Expenditure India's grassroots activists India's Health/Medicine India's higher education India's History India's independence India's Industry India's inflation India's Judiciary India's Jurisprudence India's Labour Markets India's Land India's Lok Sabha India's Macroeconomics India's migrant workers India's Military Defence India's mob violence India's Monetary & Fiscal Policy India's Money India's Moon mission India's Muslims India's Nationalism India's Naxal guerrilla rebels India's nomenclatura India's Panchayat local democracy India's Parliament India's Partition India's peasants India's Personality Cults India's Philosophy India's political lobbyists India's political parties India's Politics India's Polity India's pork-barrel politics India's poverty India's Presidency India's private TV channels India's Public Finance India's Rajya Sabha India's Reserve Bank India's Revolution India's Rule of Law India's secularism India's Space Programme India's sports India's State Assembly Constituencies India's State Finances India's Supreme Court India's tyrannies India's Union-State relations India's urbanisation India's zombie companies India-Bangladesh Enclaves India-Pakistan cooperation against terrorism India-Pakistan Enclaves India-Pakistan naval cooperation India-Pakistan peace process India-Pakistan wars India-Tibet Border India-United States business India-US Nuclear Deal India-USA interests India-USA Merchandise Trade Indian mathematics Indian National Congress Origins Indian Revolution Indira Gandhi's assassination Information Technology industry Interest group politics International immigration International monetary economics Introduction and Contents Iran's cinema Iran's disputed 2009 elections Iran's politics Iran's modern history Israel's nuclear weapons and policy Israel's security policy Israel-Iran conflict-resolution Israeli attack on Gaza Jagadish Chandra Bose James M Buchanan Jammu & Kashmir in international law Jean Drèze Jews for and against Zionism Jews in India JK Galbraith Joan Robinson John Neville Keynes Just war Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Kanchenjunga Karakorum Pass Karl Georg Zinn Kenneth Arrow Kesavananda Bharati Keynesian economics Knowledge and Scepticism KPS Menon Kuomintang Kutusov Labour Managed Firms Laddakh Lahore Resolution Lal Bahadur Shastri Land and political economy Law of the Sea applied to international terrorists Laws and customs of parliaments Laws of war applied to international terrorists Leaf World Lehman Brothers crisis Letters of DH Lawrence Liberalism/Libertarianism Lok Sabha TV MA Jinnah Manchu and Mongol Tartars Manchuria Manindranath Roy Margaret Thatcher's Revolution Martin Ricketts Marx and Engels Masculinity and femininity Master and Servant Law Maulana Azad Median Voter Mendacity in politics Metaphysics (Ontology) Michio Morishima Microeconomic foundations of macroeconomics Mihir Kumar Roy (MKRoy) Military doctrine Minoo Masani MK Gandhi MK Roy Mob violence and behaviour Mohammad Reza Shah Pehlavi Monarchy vs Republicanism Moral reasoning Mountains and trekking Mujibur Rahman Mumbai financial world Mumbai massacres Mumbai terrorist Kasab Mumbai's Police Mumbai/Bombay Munir Report Muslim and Hindu communalism Nani Palkhivala Nariman House massacre Natwar Singh NEFA Arunachal Nicholas Kaldor Nikita Kruschev Nominalism and Realism Non-Resident Indians Nuclear conflict Nuksaan Faida Analysis Obama Doctrine Occidentalists October 1929 New York Stock Market Crash OECD savings rates Open and Closed Societies Padma Desai Pakistan in international law Pakistan's civil war Pakistan's origins Pakistan's psychology Pakistan's 2005 earthquake Pakistan's constitutional politics Pakistan's currency history Pakistan's diplomacy Pakistan's emigrants to the West Pakistan's exports Pakistan's history Pakistan's judiciary Pakistan's military Pakistan's murder of Indian POWs Pakistan's nuclear weapons Pakistan's politics Pakistan's Rule of Law Pakistan's terrorist masterminds Pakistan's terrorist training institutes Pakistan, Balochistan, Afghanistan, Iran Pakistani expansionism Panics Paper money and deposits Parliamentary Backbenchers Parliamentary Backbenches Parliamentary Government Parliamentary law Pashtuns Patrick Geddes Patrick Minford PC Mahalanobis Perjury & Bribery in US Federal Court Personality Cults Pervez Hoodbhoy Peter Bauer Philip Cagan Philosophy of Economics Phoenix by DH Lawrence PN Haksar Political assassinations Political cynicism Political legitimacy Political mendacity Political oligopoly Poppy and morphine Pork-barrel politics Positive-Normative Distinction Power-elites and nomenclatura Practical wisdom Prague Spring of 1968 Princeton University Economics Department Principal-agent problem Public Choice/Public Finance Public property waste fraud Qadian QD Leavis Raghuram Govind Rajan Rai Bahadur Umbik Churn Rai Rajiv Gandhi's assassination Ram Janambhoomi RAND study of Mumbai attacks Ranjit Singh Rational decisions Redeposits Renford Bambrough Reverse-Euro Model for India RF Harrod Roy vs University of Hawaii Roys of Behala Russian spies in India Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyaya Satyam corporate fraud Satyendranath Bose Scepticism and Dogmatism Schizophrenia in economic policy-making Schizophrenia in international relations Science, Religion, Literature Sea voyages Secular governance Secularism in practice Sen-Bhagwati spat Senlis Council Serendipity and international relations Sheikh Abdullah Shyama Prosad Mukherjee Siddhartha Shankar Ray Sidney Hook Sidney Stuart Alexander Sindhis Singur and Nandigram Sinification Sinkiang Sino-Indian Border Sir Barnes Peacock Sir Henry Cotton 1845-1915 Slum dog millionaire Sonia-Manmohan regime Soraiya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary Soviet spies Space explorations Sri Lanka's civil war Sri Lanka's currency history Sri Lanka's economy St Paul's Darjeeling Statesmanship Stonewalling in politics Submarine warfare Subroto Roy Sudeten Germans Sukhamoy Chakravarty Sun Yatsen Sunnis and Shias Surendranath Roy Swaraj Party Swine flu supposed pandemic Tara Chand TE Lawrence Telangana flare-up Terence Hutchison Terrorist techniques Terrorist-hostage situations Theodore W Schultz Tiananmen Square protests Tolerance and Intolerance Trade-liberalization Trade-protection Uighurs UN/League of Nations Unconscious Mind United States as an economic union United States Civil War United States Library of Congress Unorganised capital markets US AfPak policy US Agriculture US China policy US Constitution 22nd Amendment US Court of Appeals for Ninth Circuit US District Court District of Hawaii US Federal Law & Jurisprudence US Federal Reserve System US Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Espionage US in World Trade US Military Doctrine US Monetary and Fiscal Policy US Pakistan policy US protectionism US Republicans and Democrats US-Iran relations USA Rule of Law USA, United States USA, United States polity Vallabhbhai Patel Virgnia Tech Wall Street financial crises Walter Bagehot Wei Jingsheng Westminster model William E (Ted) James (1951-2010) World Trade and Payments Zafrullah Khan Zainulabidin Zhou Enlai Zombie companies March 3, 2015 — drsubrotoroy Preface: This paper culminates my line of argument since our University of Hawaii Pakistan book in the mid 1980s, through my work on the Kashmir problem in the 1990s, published in The Statesman in 2005/2006 etc and in my undelivered Lahore lectures of 2011. https://independentindian.com/2011/10/13/my-seventy-one-notes-at-facebook-etc-on-kashmir-pakistan-and-of-course-india-listed-thanks-to-jd/ The paper has faced resistance from both Indian and Pakistani newspapers for obvious reasons. I would like to especially thank Beena Sarwar and Gita Sahgal in recent weeks for helpful comments. (And Frank Hahn, immediately saw when I mentioned it to him in 2004 that my solution was Pareto-improving…etc) The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists recently reported an Urdu book Taqat ka Sarab (‘Illusion of Power) published in Pakistan in December 2014 edited by the physicist Dr AH Nayyar. The book “aims to educate Pakistanis about the attitudes of their leadership toward nuclear weapons”. It says “Pakistan’s people have come to believe that the successful acquisition of nuclear capability means that their nation’s security is forever ensured”. Pakistani politicians, scientists and officials who created these weapons have used them to justify a “right to unlimited authority for ruling over Pakistan”. “Consequently, free discussion and honest opinion about nuclear weapons have been nearly prohibited, under the premise that any such talk poses a basic threat to national security.” Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri’s order to Indian forces to cross the Punjab border towards Lahore in 1965 in response to President Ayub Khan’s attack in Kashmir genuinely shocked Pakistan’s political and military establishment at the time. It may have continued to do so ever since. Everyone in Lahore for those few days in September 1965 was ready to battle the invasion of infidel India considered imminent when Indian forces reached the Ichogil canal. “Hindu-dominated India wants to occupy us and destroy the Pakistan Principle for which our martyrs died” has been the constantly heard Pakistani refrain. After 1965 it did not take long for Pakistan, via the ignominy of the 1971 surrender in Dhaka, to acquire by any means the technology to develop its own nuclear weapons, even under the noses of its American friends. Now Pakistan is said to have some 110 nuclear warheads, mostly in a disassembled state but with a few on fighter-jets in hidden air-bases in Balochistan (made by the USA decades ago) always at the ready, waiting for that Indian attack that will never come. It may all have been psychotic delusion. India has never initiated hostilities against Pakistan. Not once. Not in 1947, 1965, 1971, 1999, 2008. In 1971 India undoubtedly supported the Mukti Bahini, and I myself, as a schoolboy distributing supplies to refugees from East Pakistan/Bangladesh, was personally witness to Indian military involvement as of August 1971. Even so, hostilities between the countries formally began on 3 December 1971 with the surprise Pakistani air attack on Indian bases in Punjab and UP. Though India has never attacked first, the myth continues in Pakistan that wicked Hindu-dominated India wants to attack and suppress their country. What is closer to the truth is that the New Delhi elite is barely able to run New Delhi, and the last place on earth they would want to run is Pakistan. On our Indian side, the Indian military has been allowed a budgetary carte blanche for decades, especially with foreign exchange resources. (Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 28 February 2015 has allocated some 2,467 billion INR to the military.) Despite our vast spending, a band of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba terrorists tyrannized Mumbai for days on end while we seem perpetually without strategy against the People’s Republic of China’s recurrent provocations. The two world powers with traditional interests in India — Russia and Britain — place their long-term agents in Delhi’s high politics and places with impunity, getting done all they need to in particular cases. The USA, France, Israel and others follow suit – all mainly to do with selling India very expensive military weapons, aircraft etc. that they have in excess inventory. India now has the notorious distinction of being the world’s largest weapons’ importer. Yet we are hardly a trading or monetary superpower. We have large current account and budgetary deficits, and we are essentially buying whatever weapons, aircraft, shopping malls etc. that we do on foreign credit that we may or may not have. (Pakistan does the same.) India’s illusions of power have to do with boasting a very large military that can take on the imperialists. We do not realize the New Imperialism that may control Delhi is not of a Clive or Dupleix but of clandestine or open foreign lobbyists and agents who get done what their masters need to have done on a case-by-case basis. The result is a corrosion of Indian power, sovereignty, and credit, little by little, and may lead to a collapse or grave crisis in the future. Even the BJP/RSS Government of Mr Modi (let aside the Sonia-Manmohan Congress and official Communists) may not realize how it all came about. The way forward for both Pakistan and India is to seek to break the impasse between ourselves. And there is no doubt the root problem remains Kashmir, and the hysteria and terrorism it has spawned over the years. A resolution of these fundamental issues calls for some hard scholarship, political vision and guts. The vapid gassing of stray bureaucrats, journalists, diplomats or generals has gotten everyone precisely nowhere thus far. I have argued at length in previous publications that the de facto boundary that was the Ceasefire Line in 1949, and was later renamed the Line of Control in 1972, is indeed also the de jure boundary between India and Pakistan. Jammu & Kashmir came into existence as a legal entity on 16 March 1846 under the Dogra Gulab Singh, friend of the British during the Sikh wars, and a protégé earlier of the great Sikh Ranjit Singh. Dogra J&K ended its existence as an entity recognized in international law on 15 August 1947. (Hari Singh, the fourth and last Dogra ruler where Gulab Singh had been the first, desperately sought Clement Attlee’s recognition but did not get it.) Thanks to British legal confusion, negligence or cunning, the territory of what had been known as Dogra Jammu & Kashmir became sovereign-less or ownerless territory in international law on that date, with the creation of the new Pakistan and new India. The new Pakistan as of August-September 1947 immediately started to plan to take the territory by force, and sought to implement that plan as of 22 October. Had the Pakistani attackers not stopped to indulge in the Rape of Baramullah, they would have taken Srinagar airport by 26 October, and there would have been no Indian defence of the territory possible. As matters turned out, the ownerless territory of what had been Dogra Jammu & Kashmir came to be divided by “military decision” (to use the UN’s term) between the new Pakistan and new India. Kargil and Drass were taken by Pakistan and then lost. Skardu was held by India and later lost. Neither military ever since is going to permit the other to take an inch from itself either by war or by diplomacy. The de facto boundary over ownerless territory divided by military force is the de jure boundary in the Roman law that underlies all international law. Once both sides recognize that properly, we may proceed to the next stages. On the Pakistani side, recognizing Indian sovereignty over Indian territory in what had been J&K requires stamping out the LeT etc – perhaps not so much by force as by explaining to them that the fight is over, permanently. There is no jihad against India now or ever. Indian territory is not dar-ul-harb but dar-ul-aman: where more than one hundred million Muslim citizens of India freely and peacefully practice their faith. On the Indian side, if, say, SAS Geelani and friends, under conditions of individual privacy, security and full information, wish to renounce Indian nationality, become stateless, and apply for some other nationality (like Pakistani or Afghan or Iranian) while continuing to live lawfully and law-abidingly on Indian territory, do we have a problem with that? We can’t really. The expatriate children of the Indian elite have renounced Indian nationality in America, Britain, Australia etc upon far weaker principles or beliefs. India has many foreign nationals living permanently on its territory peacefully and law-abidingly (Sir Mark Tully perhaps the most notable) and can add a few more. The road would be gradually opened for an exchange of consulates between India and Pakistan in Srinagar and Muzaffarabad (leave aside vice-consulates or tourist offices in Jammu, Gilgit, Skardu, Leh). And the remaining Hurriyat, as new Pakistani nationals living in India, can visit the Pakistani consul in Srinagar for tea every day if they wish, to discuss Pakistani matters like Afridi’s cricket or Bilawal’s politics or whatever. The militaries and potentially powerful economies on both sides could then proceed towards real strength and cooperation, having dispelled their current illusions of power. Viz https://independentindian.com/2011/10/13/my-seventy-one-notes-at-facebook-etc-on-kashmir-pakistan-and-of-course-india-listed-thanks-to-jd/ Posted in Academic economics, Academic research, Afghanistan, Balochistan, Bangladesh, Britain in India, British foreign policy, British imperialism, Government of India, Government of Pakistan, India's airforce, India's Diplomacy, India's Foreign Policy, India's nomenclatura, India-Pakistan peace process, India-Pakistan wars, International diplomacy, International Law, International politics, Iran, Jammu & Kashmir, Jammu & Kashmir in international law, Kargil war 1999, Laddakh, Law, Laws of war, Laws of war applied to international terrorists, Narendra Modi, New Delhi, Pakistan, Pakistan in international law, Pakistan's civil war, Pakistan's diplomacy, Pakistan's history, Pakistan's nuclear weapons, Pakistan's politics, Pakistan's terrorist masterminds, Pakistan's terrorist training institutes, Pakistani expansionism, War, World History. 3 Comments » Pakistan’s Point of View (Or Points of View) on Kashmir: My As Yet Undelivered Lahore Lecture–Part I November 22, 2011 — drsubrotoroy 27 April 2015 from Twitter: “My Pakistani hosts never managed to go thru w their 2010/11 invitation I speak in Lahore on Kashmir. After ‪#‎SabeenMahmud‬ s murder, I decline” October 2015 from Twitter: I have started a quite thorough critique under #kasuri etc at Twitter of the extremely peculiar free publicity given in Delhi and Mumbai power circles to the dressed up (and false) ISI/Hurriyat narrative of KM Kasuri; the Musharraf “demilitarisation/borderless” idea that Mr Kasuri promotes is originally mine from our Pakistan book in America in the 1980s, which I brought to the attention of both sides (and the USA) in Washington in 1993 but which I myself later rejected as naive and ignorant after the Pakistani aggression in Kargil in 1999, especially the murder of Lt Kalia and his platoon as POWs. https://independentindian.com/2006/12/15/what-to-tell-musharraf-peace-is-impossible-without-non-aggressive-pakistani-intentions/ https://independentindian.com/2008/11/15/of-a-new-new-delhi-myth-and-the-success-of-the-university-of-hawaii-1986-1992-pakistan-project/ see too https://independentindian.com/2011/10/13/my-seventy-one-notes-at-facebook-etc-on-kashmir-pakistan-and-of-course-india-listed-thanks-to-jd/ I have also now made clear how and why my Lahore lecture (confirmed by the Pakistani envoy to Delhi personally phoning me of his own accord at home on 3 March 2011, followed the next day by the Indian Foreign Secretary phoning to give me an appointment to brief her about my talk upon my return) came to be sabotaged by two Pakistanis and two Indian politicians associated with them. (Both of the Indian politicians had bad karma catch up immediately afterwards!) Original Preface 22 November 2011: Exactly a year ago, in late October-November 2010, I received a very kind invitation from the Lahore Oxford and Cambridge Society to speak there on this subject. Mid March 2011 was a tentative date for this lecture from which the text below is dated. The lecture has yet to take place for various reasons but as there is demand for its content, I am releasing the part which was due to be released in any case to my Pakistani hosts ahead of time — after all, it would have been presumptuous of me to seek to speak in Lahore on Pakistan’s viewpoint on Kashmir, hence I instead planned to release my understanding of that point of view ahead of time and open it to the criticism of my hosts. The structure of the remainder of the talk may be surmised too from the Contents. The text and argument are mine entirely, the subject of more than 25 years of research and reflection, and are under consideration of publication as a book by Continuum of London and New York. If you would like to comment, please feel free to do so, if you would like to refer to it in an online publication, please give this link, if you would like to refer to it in a paper-publication, please email me. Like other material at my site, it is open to the Fair Use rule of normal scholarship. On the Alternative Theories of Pakistan and India about Jammu & Kashmir (And the One and Only Way These May Be Peacefully Reconciled): An Exercise in Economics, Politics, Moral Philosophy & Jurisprudence Subroto (Suby) Roy Lecture to the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Lahore March 14, 2011 (tentative) “What is the use of studying philosophy if all that does for you is to enable you to talk with some plausibility about some abstruse questions of logic, etc., & if it does not improve your thinking about the important questions of everyday life?” Wittgenstein, letter to Malcolm, 1944 “India is the greatest Muslim country in the world.” Sir Muhammad Iqbal, 1930, Presidential Address to the Muslim League, Allahabad “Where be these enemies?… See, what a scourge is laid upon your hate,… all are punish’d.” Shakespeare Dr Roy’s published works include Philosophy of Economics: On the Scope of Reason in Economic Inquiry (London & New York: Routledge, 1989, 1991); Pricing, Planning & Politics: A Study of Economic Distortions in India (London: Institute of Economic Affairs, 1984); and, edited with WE James, Foundations of India’s Political Economy: Towards an Agenda for the 1990s (Hawaii MS 1989, Sage 1992) & Foundations of Pakistan’s Political Economy: Towards an Agenda for the 1990s (Hawaii MS 1989, Sage 1992, OUP Karachi 1993); and, edited with John Clarke, Margaret Thatcher’s Revolution: How it Happened and What it Meant (London & New York: Continuum 2005). He graduated in 1976 with a first from the London School of Economics in mathematical economics, and received the PhD in economics at Cambridge in 1982 under Professor Frank Hahn for the thesis “On liberty & economic growth: preface to a philosophy for India”. In the United States for 16 years he was privileged to count as friends Professors James Buchanan, Milton Friedman, TW Schultz, Max Black and Sidney Alexander. From September 18 1990 he was an adviser to Rajiv Gandhi and contributed to the origins of India’s 1991 economic reform. He blogs at http://www.independentindian.com. Pakistan’s Point of View (or Points of View) (a) 1930 Sir Muhammad Iqbal (b) 1933-1948 Chaudhury Rahmat Ali (c) 1937-1941 Sir Sikander Hayat Khan (d) 1937-1947 Quad-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah (e) 1940s et seq Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi (f) 1947-1950 Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan, 1966 President Ayub Khan, 2005 Govt of Pakistan, 2007 President Musharraf, 2008 FM Qureshi, 2011 Kashmir Day India’s Point of View: British Negligence/Indifference during the Transfer of Power, A Case of Misgovernance in the Chaotic Aftermath of World War II (a) Rhetoric: Whose Pakistan? Which Kashmir? (b) Law: (i) Liaquat-Zafrullah-Abdullah-Nehru United in Error Over the Second Treaty of Amritsar! Dogra J&K subsists Mar 16 1846-Oct 22 1947. Aggression, Anarchy, Annexations: The LOC as De Facto Boundary by Military Decision Since Jan 1 1949. (ii) Legal Error & Confusion Generated by 12 May 1946 Memorandum. (iii) War: Dogra J&K attacked by Pakistan, defended by India: Invasion, Mutiny, Secession of “Azad Kashmir” & Gilgit, Rape of Baramulla, Siege of Skardu. Politics: What is to be Done? Towards Truths, Normalisation, Peace in the 21st Century The Present Situation is Abnormal & Intolerable. There May Be One (and Only One) Peacable Solution that is Feasible: Revealing Individual Choices Privately with Full Information & Security: Indian “Green Cards”/PIO-OCI status for Hurriyat et al: A Choice of Nationality (India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran). Of Flags and Consulates in Srinagar & Gilgit etc: De Jure Recognition of the Boundary, Diplomatic Normalisation, Economic & Military Cooperation. Appendices: (a) History of Jammu & Kashmir until the Dogra Native State (b) Pakistan’s Allies (including A Brief History of Gilgit) (c) India’s Muslim Voices (d) Pakistan’s Muslim Voices: An Excerpt from the Munir Report For a solution to Jammu & Kashmir to be universally acceptable it must be seen by all as being lawful and just. Political opinion across the subcontinent — in Pakistan, in India, among all people and parties in J&K, those loyal to India, those loyal to Pakistan, and any others — will have to agree that, all things considered, such is the right course of action for everyone today in the 21st Century, which means too that the solution must be consistent with the principal known facts of history as well as account reasonably for all moral considerations. I claim to have found such a solution, indeed I shall even say it is the only such solution (in terms of theoretical economics, it is the unique solution) and plan with your permission to describe its main outlines at this distinguished gathering. I have not invented it overnight but it is something developed over a quarter century, milestones along the way being the books emerging from the University of Hawaii “perestroika” projects for India and Pakistan that I and the late WE James led 25 years ago, and a lecture I gave at Washington’s Heritage Foundation in June 1998, as well as sets of newspaper articles published between 2005 and 2008, one in Dawn of Karachi and others in The Statesman of New Delhi and Kolkata. Before I start, allow me for a moment to remind just how complex and intractable the problem we face has been, and, therefore, quite how large my ambition is in claiming today to be able to resolve it. “Kashmir is in the Supreme National Interest of Pakistan”, says Pakistan. “Kashmir is an Integral Part of India”, says India. “Kashmir is an Integral Part of Pakistan”, says Pakistan. “Kashmir is in the Supreme National Interest of India”, says India. And so it goes, in what over the decades has been all too often a Dialogue of the Deaf. How may such squarely opposed positions be reconciled without draining public resources even further through wasteful weaponry and confrontation of standing armies, or, what is worse, using these weapons and armies in war, plunging the subcontinent into an abyss of chaos and destruction for generations to come? How is it possible? I shall suggest a road can be found only when we realize Pakistan, India and J&K each have been and are going to remain integral to one another — in their histories, their geographies, their economies and their societies. The only place they may need to differ, where we shall want them to differ, is their politics and political systems. We should not underestimate how much mutual hatred and mutual fear has arisen naturally on all sides over the decades as a result of bloodshed and suffering all around, and the fact must also be accounted for that people simply may not be in a calm-enough emotional state to want to be part of processes seeking resolution; at the same time, it bears to be remembered that although Pakistan and India have been at war more than once and war is always a very serious and awful thing, they have never actually declared war against the other nor have they ever broken diplomatic relations – in fact in some ways it has always seemed like some very long and protracted fraternal Civil War between us where we think we know one another so well and yet come to be surprised more by one another’s virtues than by one another’s vices. Secondly, with any seemingly intractable problem, dialogue can stall or be aborted due to normal human failings of impatience or lack of good will or lack of good humour or lack of a scientific attitude towards finding facts, or plain mutual miscomprehension of one another’s points of view through ignorance or laziness or negligence. In case of Pakistan and India over J&K, there has been the further critical complication that we of this generation did not cause this problem — it has been something inherited by us from not even our fathers but our grandfathers! It is two generations old. Each side must respect the words and deeds of its forebears but also may have to frankly examine in a scientific spirit where errors of fact or judgment may have occurred back then. The antagonistic positions have changed only slightly over two generations, and one reason dialogue stalls or gets aborted today is because positions have become frozen for more than half a century and merely get repeated endlessly. On top of such frozen positions have been piled pile upon pile of further vast mortal complications: the 1965 War, the 1971 secession of East Pakistan, the 1999 Kargil War, the 2008 Mumbai massacres. Only cacophony results if we talk about everything at once, leaving the status quo of a dangerous expensive confrontation to continue. I propose instead to focus as specifically and precisely as possible on how Jammu & Kashmir became a problem at all during those crucial decades alongside the processes of Indian Independence, World War II, the Pakistan Movement and creation of Pakistan, accompanied by the traumas and bloodshed of Partition. Having addressed that — and it is only fair to forewarn this eminent Lahore audience that such a survey of words, deeds and events between the 1930s and 1950s tends to emerge in India’s favour — I propose to “fast-forward” to current times, where certain new facts on the ground appear much more adverse to India, and finally seek to ask what can and ought to be done, all things considered, today in the circumstances of the 21st Century. There are four central facts, let me for now call them Fact A, Fact B, Fact C and Fact D, which have to be accepted by both countries in good faith and a scientific spirit. Facts A and B are historical in nature; Pakistan has refused to accept them. Facts C and D are contemporary in nature; official political India and much of the Indian media too often have appeared wilfully blind to them. The moment all four facts come to be accepted by all, the way forward becomes clear. We have inherited this grave mortal problem which has so badly affected the ordinary people of J&K in the most terrible and unacceptable manner, but if we fail to understand and resolve it, our children and grandchildren will surely fail even worse — we may even leave them to cope with the waste and destruction of further needless war or confrontation, indeed with the end of the subcontinent as we have received and known it in our time. 2. Pakistan’s Point of View (Or Points of View) 1930 Sir Muhammad Iqbal This audience will need no explanation why I start with Sir Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938), the poetic and spiritual genius who in the 20th Century inspired the notion of a Muslim polity in NorthWestern India, whose seminal 1930 presidential speech to the Muslim League in Allahabad lay the foundation stone of the new country that was yet to be. He did not live to see Pakistan’s creation yet what may be called the “Pakistan Principle” was captured in his words: “I would like to see the Punjab, Northwest Frontier Province, Sind and Baluchistan amalgamated into a single state. Self-government within the British Empire or without the British Empire, the formation of a consolidated North West Indian Muslim state appears to me to be the final destiny of the Muslims at least of Northwest India… India is the greatest Muslim country in the world. The life of Islam as a cultural force in this living country very largely depends on its centralization in a specified territory”. He did not see such a consolidated Muslim state being theocratic and certainly not one filled with bigotry or “Hate-Hindu” campaigns: “A community which is inspired by feelings of ill-will towards other communities is low and ignoble. I entertain the highest respect for the customs, laws, religious and social institutions of other communities… Yet I love the communal group which is the source of my life and my behaviour… Nor should the Hindus fear that the creation of autonomous Muslim states will mean the introduction of a kind of religious rule in such states…. I therefore demand the formation of a consolidated Muslim state in the best interests of India and Islam. For India it means security and peace resulting from an internal balance of power, for Islam an opportunity to rid itself of the stamp that Arabian Imperialism was forced to give it, to mobilise its law, its education, its culture, and to bring them into closer contact with its own original spirit and the spirit of modern times.”[1] Though Kashmiri himself, in fact a founding member of the “All-India Jammu & Kashmir Muslim Conference of Lahore and Simla”, and a hero and role model for the young Sheikh Abdullah (1905-1982), Allama Iqbal was explicitly silent about J&K being part of the new political entity he had come to imagine. I do not say he would not have wished it to be had he lived longer; what I am saying is that his original vision of the consolidated Muslim state which constitutes Pakistan today (after a Partitioned Punjab) did not include Jammu & Kashmir. Rather, it was focused on the politics of British India and did not mention the politics of Kashmir or any other of the so-called “Princely States” or “Native States” of “Indian India” who constituted some 1/3rd of the land mass and 1/4th of the population of the subcontinent. Twenty years ago I called this “The Paradox of Kashmir”, namely, that prior to 1947 J&K hardly seemed to appear in any discussion at all for a century, yet it has consumed almost all discussion and resources ever since. Secondly, this audience will see better than I can the significance of Dr Iqbal’s saying the Muslim political state of his conception needed “an opportunity to rid itself of the stamp that Arabian Imperialism was forced to give it” and instead seek to “mobilise its law, its education, its culture, and to bring them into closer contact with its own original spirit and the spirit of modern times”. Dr Iqbal’s Pakistan Principle appears here the polar opposite of Pakistan’s 18th & 19th Century pre-history represented by Shah Waliullah (1703-1762)[2] saying “We are an Arab people whose fathers have fallen in exile in the country of Hindustan, and Arabic genealogy and Arabic language are our pride” or Sayyid Ahmed Barelwi (1786-1831) saying “We must repudiate all those Indian, Persian and Roman customs which are contrary to the Prophet’s teaching”.[3] Some 25 years after the Allahabad address, the Munir Report in 1954 echoed Dr Iqbal’s thought when it observed about medieval military conquests “It is this brilliant achievement of the Arabian nomads …that makes the Musalman of today live in the past and yearn for the return of the glory that was Islam… Little does he understand that the forces which are pitted against him are entirely different from those against which early Islam had to fight… Nothing but a bold reorientation of Islam to separate the vital from the lifeless can preserve it as a World Idea and convert the Musalman into a citizen of the present and the future world from the archaic incongruity that he is today…” [4] 1933-1947 Chaudhury Rahmat Ali Dr Iqbal’s young follower, the radical Cambridge pamphleteer Chaudhury Rahmat Ali (1895-1951) drew a picture not of Muslim tolerance and coexistence with Hindus in a peaceful India but of aggression towards Hindus and domination by Muslims over the subcontinent and Asia itself. Rahmat Ali had been inspired by Dr Iqbal’s call for a Muslim state in Northwest India but found it vague and was disappointed Iqbal had not pressed it at the Third Round Table Conference. In 1933, reportedly on the upper floor of a London omnibus, he invented for the then-imagined political entity the name “PAKSTAN”, P for his native Punjab, A for Afghania, K for Kashmir, S for Sind, and STAN for Balochistan. He sought a meeting with Mr Jinnah in London — “Jinnah disliked Rahmat Ali’s ideas and avoided meeting him”[5] but did meet him. There is a thesis yet to be written on how Europe’s inter-War ideologies affected political thinking on the subcontinent. Rahmat Ali’s vituperative views about Hindus were akin to others about Jews (and Muslims too) at the time, all models or counterfoils for one another in the fringes of Nazism. He referred to the Indian nationalist movement as a “British-Banya alliance”, declined to admit India had ever existed and personally renamed the subcontinent “Dinia” and the seas around it the “Pakian Sea”, the “Osmanian Sea” etc. He urged Sikhs to rise up in a “Sikhistan” and urged all non-Hindus to rise up in war against Hindus. Given the obscurity of his life before his arrival at Cambridge’s Emmanuel College, what experiences may have led him to such views are not known. All this was anathema to Mr Jinnah, the secular constitutionalist embarrassed by a reactionary Muslim imperialism in that rapidly modernising era that was the middle of the 20th Century. When Rahmat Ali pressed the ‘Pakstan’ acronym, Mr Jinnah said Bengal was not in it and Muslim minority regions were absent. At this Chaudhury-Sahib produced a general scheme of Muslim domination all over the subcontinent: there would be “Pakstan” in the northwest including Kashmir, Delhi and Agra; “Bangistan” in Bengal; “Osmanistan” in Hyderabad; “Siddiquistan” in Bundelhand and Malwa; “Faruqistan” in Bihar and Orissa; “Haideristan” in UP; “Muinistan” in Rajasthan; “Maplistan” in Kerala; even “Safiistan” in “Western Ceylon” and “Nasaristan” in “Eastern Ceylon”, etc. In 1934 he published and widely circulated such a diagram among Muslims in Britain at the time. He was not invited to the Lahore Resolution which did not refer to Pakistan though came to be called the Pakistan Resolution. When he landed in the new Pakistan, he was apparently arrested and deported back and was never granted a Pakistan passport. From England, he turned his wrath upon the new government, condemning Mr Jinnah as treacherous and newly re-interpreting his acronym to refer to Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir, Iran, Sindh, Tukharistan (sic), Afghanistan, and Balochistan. The word “pak” coincidentally meant pure, so he began to speak of Muslims as “the Pak” i.e. “the pure” people, and of how the national destiny of the new Pakistan was to liberate “Pak” people everywhere, including the new India, and create a “Pak Commonwealth of Nations” stretching from Arabia to the Indies. The map he now drew placed the word “Punjab” over J&K, and saw an Asia dominated by this “Pak” empire. Shunned by officialdom of the new Pakistan, Chaudhury-Sahib was a tragic figure who died in poverty and obscurity during an influenza epidemic in 1951; the Master of Emmanuel College paid for his funeral and was apparently later reimbursed for this by the Government of Pakistan. In recent years he has undergone a restoration, and his grave at Cambridge has become a site of pilgrimage for ideologues, while his diagrams and writings have been reprinted in Pakistan’s newspapers as recently as February 2005. 1937-1941 Sir Sikander Hayat Khan Chaudhary Rahmat Ali’s harshest critic at the time was the eminent statesman and Premier of Punjab Sir Sikander Hayat Khan (1892-1942), partner of the 1937 Sikander-Jinnah Pact, and an author of the Lahore Resolution. His statement of 11 March 1941 in the Punjab Legislative Assembly Debates is a classic: “No Pakistan scheme was passed at Lahore… As for Pakistan schemes, Maulana Jamal-ud-Din’s is the earliest…Then there is the scheme which is attributed to the late Allama Iqbal of revered memory. He, however, never formulated any definite scheme but his writings and poems have given some people ground to think that Allama Iqbal desired the establishment of some sort of Pakistan. But it is not difficult to explode this theory and to prove conclusively that his conception of Islamic solidarity and universal brotherhood is not in conflict with Indian patriotism and is in fact quite different from the ideology now sought to be attributed to him by some enthusiasts… Then there is Chaudhuri Rahmat Ali’s scheme (laughter)…it was widely circulated in this country and… it was also given wide publicity at the time in a section of the British press. But there is another scheme…it was published in one of the British journals, I think Round Table, and was conceived by an Englishman…..the word Pakistan was not used at the League meeting and this term was not applied to (the League’s Lahore) resolution by anybody until the Hindu press had a brain-wave and dubbed it Pakistan…. The ignorant masses have now adopted the slogan provided by the short-sighted bigotry of the Hindu and Sikh press…they overlooked the fact that the word Pakistan might have an appeal – a strong appeal – for the Muslim masses. It is a catching phrase and it has caught popular imagination and has thus made confusion worse confounded…. So far as we in the Punjab are concerned, let me assure you that we will not countenance or accept any proposal that does not secure freedom for all (cheers). We do not desire that Muslims should domineer here, just as we do not want the Hindus to domineer where Muslims are in a minority. Now would we allow anybody or section to thwart us because Muslims happen to be in a majority in this province. We do not ask for freedom that there may be a Muslim Raj here and Hindu Raj elsewhere. If that is what Pakistan means I will have nothing to do with it. If Pakistan means unalloyed Muslim Raj in the Punjab then I will have nothing to do with it (hear, hear)…. If you want real freedom for the Punjab, that is to say a Punjab in which every community will have its due share in the economic and administrative fields as partners in a common concern, then that Punjab will not be Pakistan but just Punjab, land of the five rivers; Punjab is Punjab and will always remain Punjab whatever anybody may say (cheers). This, then, briefly is the future which I visualize for my province and for my country under any new constitution. Intervention (Malik Barkat Ali): The Lahore resolution says the same thing. Premier: Exactly; then why misinterpret it and try to mislead the masses?…” 1937-1947 Quad-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah During the Third Round Table Conference, Dr Iqbal persuaded Mr Jinnah (1876-1948) to return to India; Mr Jinnah, from being settled again in his London law practice, did so in 1934. But following the 1935 Govt of India Act, the Muslim League failed badly when British India held its first elections in 1937 not only in Bengal and UP but in Punjab (one seat), NWFP and Sind. World War II, like World War I a couple of brief decades earlier, then changed the political landscape completely. Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939 and Britain and France declared war on Germany on 3 September. The next day, India’s British Viceroy (Linlithgow) granted Mr Jinnah the political parity with Congress that he had sought.[6] Professor Francis Robinson suggests that until 4 September 1939 the British “had had little time for Jinnah and his League. The Government’s declaration of war on Germany on 3 September, however, transformed the situation. A large part of the army was Muslim, much of the war effort was likely to rest on the two Muslim majority provinces of Punjab and Bengal. The following day, the Viceroy invited Jinnah for talks on an equal footing with Gandhi…. As the Congress began to demand immediate independence, the Viceroy took to reassuring Jinnah that Muslim interests would be safeguarded in any constitutional change. Within a few months, he was urging the League to declare a constructive policy for the future, which was of course presented in the Lahore Resolution[7]…. In their August 1940 offer, the British confirmed for the benefit of Muslims that power would not be transferred against the will of any significant element in Indian life. And much the same confirmation was given in the Cripps offer nearly two years later…. Throughout the years 1940 to 1945, the British made no attempt to tease out the contradictions between the League’s two-nation theory, which asserted that Hindus and Muslims came from two different civilisations and therefore were two different nations, and the Lahore Resolution, which demanded that ‘Independent States’ should be constituted from the Muslim majority provinces of the NE and NW, thereby suggesting that Indian Muslims formed not just one nation but two. When in 1944 the governors of Punjab and Bengal urged such a move on the Viceroy, Wavell ignored them, pressing ahead instead with his own plan for an all-India conference at Simla. The result was to confirm, as never before in the eyes of leading Muslims in the majority provinces, the standing of Jinnah and the League. Thus, because the British found it convenient to take the League seriously, everyone had to as well—Congressmen, Unionists, Bengalis, and so on…”[8] Mr Jinnah was himself amazed by the new British attitude towards him: “(S)uddenly there was a change in the attitude towards me. I was treated on the same basis as Mr Gandhi. I was wonderstruck why all of a sudden I was promoted and given a place side by side with Mr Gandhi.” Britain, threatened for its survival, faced an obdurate Indian leadership and even British socialists sympathetic to Indian aspirations grew cold (Gandhi dismissing the 1942 Cripps offer as a “post-dated cheque on a failing bank”). Official Britain’s loyalties had been consistently with those who had been loyal to them, and it was unsurprising there would be a tilt to empower Mr Jinnah soon making credible the real possibility of Pakistan.[9] By 1946, Britain was exhausted, pre-occupied with rationing, Berlin, refugee resettlement and countless other post-War problems — Britain had not been beaten in war but British imperialism was finished because of the War. Muslim opinion in British India had changed decisively in the League’s favour. But the subcontinent’s political processes were drastically spinning out of everyone’s control towards anarchy and blood-letting. Implementing a lofty vision of a cultured progressive consolidated Muslim state in India’s NorthWest descended into “Direct Action” with urban mobs shouting Larke lenge Pakistan; Marke lenge Pakistan; Khun se lenge Pakistan; Dena hoga Pakistan.[10] We shall return to Mr Jinnah’s view on the legal position of the “Native Princes” of “Indian India” during this critical time, specifically J&K; here it is essential before proceeding only to record his own vision for the new Pakistan as recorded by the profoundly judicious report of Justice Munir and Justice Kayani a mere half dozen years later: “Before the Partition, the first public picture of Pakistan that the Quaid-i-Azam gave to the world was in the course of an interview in New Delhi with Mr. Doon Campbell, Reuter’s Correspondent. The Quaid-i-Azam said that the new State would be a modern democratic State, with sovereignty resting in the people and the members of the new nation having equal rights of citizenship regardless of their religion, caste or creed. When Pakistan formally appeared on the map, the Quaid-i-Azam in his memorable speech of 11th August 1947 to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, while stating the principle on which the new State was to be founded, said:—‘All the same, in this division it was impossible to avoid the question of minorities being in one Dominion or the other. Now that was unavoidable. There is no other solution. Now what shall we do? Now, if we want to make this great State of Pakistan happy and prosperous we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well-being of the people, and specially of the masses and the poor. If you will work in co-operation, forgetting the past, burying the hatchet, you are bound to succeed. If you change your past and work together in a spirit that every one of you, no matter to what community he belongs, no matter what relations he had with you in the past, no matter what is his colour, caste or creed, is first, second and last a citizen of this State with equal rights, privileges and obligations., there will be no end to the progress you will make. “I cannot emphasise it too much. We should begin to work in that spirit and in course of time all these angularities of the majority and minority communities—the Hindu community and the Muslim community— because even as regards Muslims you have Pathana, Punjabis, Shias, Sunnis and so on and among the Hindus you have Brahmins, Vashnavas, Khatris, also Bengalis, Madrasis and so on—will vanish. Indeed if you ask me this has been the biggest hindrance in the way of India to attain its freedom and independence and but for this we would have been free peoples long long ago. No power can hold another nation, and specially a nation of 400 million souls in subjection; nobody could have conquered you, and even if it had happened, nobody could have continued its hold on you for any length of time but for this (Applause). Therefore, we must learn a lesson from this. You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other places of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed— that has nothing to do with the business of the State (Hear, hear). As you know, history shows that in England conditions sometime ago were much worse than those prevailing in India today. The Roman Catholics and the Protestants persecuted each other. Even now there are some States in existence where there are discriminations made and bars imposed against a particular class. Thank God we are not starting in those days. We are starting in the days when there is no discrimination, no distinction between one community and another, no discrimination between one caste or creed and another. We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens and equal citizens of one State (Loud applause). The people of England in course of time had to face the realities of the situation and had to discharge the responsibilities and burdens placed upon them by the Government of their country and they went through that fire step by step. Today you might say with justice that Roman Catholics and Protestants do not exist: what exists now is that every man is a citizen, an equal citizen, of Great Britain and they are all members of the nation. “Now, I think we should keep that in front of us as our ideal and you will find that in course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the State’. The Quaid-i-Azam was the founder of Pakistan and the occasion on which he thus spoke was the first landmark in the history of Pakistan. The speech was intended both for his own people including non-Muslims and the world, and its object was to define as clearly as possible the ideal to the attainment of which the new State was to devote all its energies. There are repeated references in this speech to the bitterness of the past and an appeal to forget and change the past and to bury the hatchet. The future subject of the State is to be a citizen with equal rights, privileges and obligations, irrespective of colour, caste, creed or community. The word ‘nation’ is used more than once and religion is stated to have nothing to do with the business of the State and to be merely a matter of personal faith for the individual.” 1940s et seq Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi, Amir Jama’at-i-Islami The eminent theologian Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi (1903-1979), founder of the Jama’at-i-Islami, had been opposed to the Pakistan Principle but once Pakistan was created he became the most eminent votary of an Islamic State, declaring: “That the sovereignty in Pakistan belongs to God Almighty alone and that the Government of Pakistan shall administer the country as His agent”. In such a view, Islam becomes “the very antithesis of secular Western democracy. The philosophical foundation of Western democracy is the sovereignty of the people. Lawmaking is their prerogative and legislation must correspond to the mood and temper of their opinion… Islam… altogether repudiates the philosophy of popular sovereignty and rears its polity on the foundations of the sovereignty of God and the viceregency (Khilafat) of man.” Maulana Maudoodi was asked by Justice Munir and Justice Kayani: “Q.—Is a country on the border of dar-ul-Islam always qua an Islamic State in the position of dar-ul-harb ? A.—No. In the absence of an agreement to the contrary, the Islamic State will be potentially at war with the non-Muslim neighbouring country. The non-Muslim country acquires the status of dar-ul-harb only after the Islamic State declares a formal war against it”. “Q.—Is there a law of war in Islam? A.—Yes. Q.—Does it differ fundamentally from the modern International Law of war? A.—These two systems are based on a fundamental difference. Q.—What rights have non-Muslims who are taken prisoners of war in a jihad? A.—The Islamic law on the point is that if the country of which these prisoners are nationals pays ransom, they will be released. An exchange of prisoners is also permitted. If neither of these alternatives is possible, the prisoners will be converted into slaves for ever. If any such person makes an offer to pay his ransom out of his own earnings, he will be permitted to collect the money necessary for the fidya (ransom). Q.—Are you of the view that unless a Government assumes the form of an Islamic Government, any war declared by it is not a jihad? A.—No. A war may be declared to be a jihad if it is declared by a national Government of Muslims in the legitimate interests of the State. I never expressed the opinion attributed to me in Ex. D. E. 12:— (translation)‘The question remains whether, even if the Government of Pakistan, in its present form and structure, terminates her treaties with the Indian Union and declares war against her, this war would fall under the definition of jihad? The opinion expressed by him in this behalf is quite correct. Until such time as the Government becomes Islamic by adopting the Islamic form of Government, to call any of its wars a jihad would be tantamount to describing the enlistment and fighting of a non-Muslim on the side of the Azad Kashmir forces jihad and his death martyrdom. What the Maulana means is that, in the presence of treaties, it is against Shari’at, if the Government or its people participate in such a war. If the Government terminates the treaties and declares war, even then the war started by Government would not be termed jihad unless the Government becomes Islamic’. “Q.—If we have this form of Islamic Government in Pakistan, will you permit Hindus to base their Constitution on the basis of their own religion? A—Certainly. I should have no objection even if the Muslims of India are treated in that form of Government as shudras and malishes and Manu’s laws are applied to them, depriving them of all share in the Government and the rights of a citizen. In fact such a state of affairs already exists in India.” “Q.—What will be the duty of the Muslims in India in case of war between India and Pakistan? A.—Their duty is obvious, and that is not to fight against Pakistan or to do anything injurious to the safety of Pakistan.” 1947-1950 PM Liaquat Ali Khan, 1966 Gen Ayub Khan, 2005 Govt of Pakistan et seq In contrast to Maulana Maudoodi saying Islam was “the very antithesis of secular Western democracy”, Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan (1895-1951)[11] during his first official visit in 1950 to North America was to say the new Pakistan, because it was Muslim, held Asia’s greatest democratic potential: “At present there is no democracy in Asia which is more free and more unified than Pakistan; none so free from moral doubts and from strains between the various sections of the people.” He told his audiences Pakistan was created because Hindus were people wedded to caste-differences where Pakistanis as Muslims had an egalitarian and democratic disposition: “The Hindus, for example, believe in the caste system according to which some human beings are born superior to others and cannot have any social relations with those in the lower castes or with those who are not Hindus. They cannot marry them or eat with them or even touch them without being polluted. The Muslims abhor the caste system, as they are a democratic people and believe in the equality of men and equal opportunities for all, do not consider a priesthood necessary, and have economic laws and institutions which recognize the right of private ownership and yet are designed to promote the distribution of wealth and to put healthy checks on vast unearned accumulations… so the Hindus and the Muslims decided to part and divide British India into two independent sovereign states… Our demand for a country of our own had, as you see, a strong democratic urge behind it. The emergence of Pakistan itself was therefore the triumph of a democratic idea. It enabled at one stroke a democratic nation of eighty million people to find a place of its own in Asia, where now they can worship God in freedom and pursue their own way of life uninhibited by the domination or the influence of ways and beliefs that are alien or antagonistic to their genius.” [12] President Ayub Khan would state in similar vein on 18 November 1966 at London’s Royal Institute of International Affairs: “the root of the problem was the conflicting ideologies of India and Pakistan. Muslim Pakistan believed in common brotherhood and giving people equal opportunity. India and Hinduism are based on inequality and on colour and race. Their basic concept is the caste system… Hindus and Muslims could never live under one Government, although they might live side by side.” Regarding J&K, Liaquat Ali Khan on November 4 1947 broadcast from here in Lahore that the 1846 Treaty of Amritsar was “infamous” in having caused an “immoral and illegal” ownership of Jammu & Kashmir. He, along with Mr Jinnah, had called Sheikh Abdullah a “goonda” and “hoodlum” and “Quisling” of India, and on February 4 1948 Pakistan formally challenged the sovereignty of the Dogra dynasty in the world system of nations. In 1950 during his North American visit though, the Prime Minister allowed that J&K was a “princely state” but said “culturally, economically, geographically and strategically, Kashmir – 80 per cent of whose peoples like the majority of the people in Pakistan are Muslims – is in fact an integral part of Pakistan”; “(the) bulk of the population (are) under Indian military occupation”. Pakistan’s official self-image, portrayal of India, and position on J&K may have not changed greatly since her founding Prime Minister’s statements. For example, in June 2005 the website of the Government of Pakistan’s Permanent Mission at the UN stated: “Q: How did Hindu Raja (sic) become the ruler of Muslim majority Kashmir? A: Historically speaking Kashmir had been ruled by the Muslims from the 14th Century onwards. The Muslim rule continued till early 19th Century when the ruler of Punjab conquered Kashmir and gave Jammu to a Dogra Gulab Singh who purchased Kashmir from the British in 1846 for a sum of 7.5 million rupees.” “India’s forcible occupation of the State of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947 is the main cause of the dispute. India claims to have ‘signed’ a controversial document, the Instrument of Accession, on 26 October 1947 with the Maharaja of Kashmir, in which the Maharaja obtained India’s military help against popular insurgency. The people of Kashmir and Pakistan do not accept the Indian claim. There are doubts about the very existence of the Instrument of Accession. The United Nations also does not consider Indian claim as legally valid: it recognises Kashmir as a disputed territory. Except India, the entire world community recognises Kashmir as a disputed territory. The fact is that all the principles on the basis of which the Indian subcontinent was partitioned by the British in 1947 justify Kashmir becoming a part of Pakistan: the State had majority Muslim population, and it not only enjoyed geographical proximity with Pakistan but also had essential economic linkages with the territories constituting Pakistan.” India, a country dominated by the hated-Hindus, has forcibly denied Srinagar Valley’s Muslim majority over the years the freedom to become part of Muslim Pakistan – I stand here to be corrected but, in a nutshell, such has been and remains Pakistan’s official view and projection of the Kashmir problem over more than sixty years.[13] [1] EIJ Rosenthal, Islam in the Modern National State, 1965, pp.196-197. [2] A contemporary of Mohammad Ibn Abdal Wahhab of Nejd. [3] Francis Robinson in WE James & Subroto Roy, Foundations of Pakistan’s Political Economy: Towards an Agenda for the 1990s, 1993, p. 36. Indeed Barelwi had created a proto-Pakistan in NorthWest India one hundred years before the Pakistan Movement. “In the later 1820s the movement became militant, regarding jihad as one of the basic tenets of faith. Possibly encouraged by the British, with whom the movement did not feel powerful enough to come to grips at the outset, it chose as the venue of jihad the NW frontier of the subcontinent, where it was directed against the Sikhs. Barelwi temporarily succeeded in carving out a small theocratic principality which collapsed owing to the friction between his Pathan and North Indian followers; and he was finally defeated and slain by the Sikhs in 1831″ (Aziz Ahmed, in AL Basham (ed) A Cultural History of India 1976, p. 384). Professor Robinson answered a query of mine in an email of 8 August 2005: “the fullest description of this is in Mohiuddin Ahmad, Saiyid Ahmad Shahid (Lucknow, 1975), although practically everyone who deals with the period covers it in some way. Barelwi was the Amir al-Muminin of a jihadi community which based itself north of Peshawar and for a time controlled Peshawar. He called his fellowship the Tariqa-yi Muhammadiya. Barelwi corresponded with local rulers about him. After his death at the battle of Balakot, it survived in the region, at Sittana I think, down to World War One.” [4] Rosenthal, ibid., p 235 [5] Germans [6] Events remote from India’s history and geography, namely, the rise of Hitler and the Second World War, had contributed between 1937 and 1947 to the change of fortunes of the Muslim League and hence of all the people of the subcontinent. The British had long discovered that mutual antipathy between Muslims and Hindus could be utilised in fashioning their rule; specifically that organisation and mobilisation of Muslim communal opinion was a useful counterweight to any pan-Indian nationalism emerging to compete with British authority. As early as 1874, long before Allan Octavian Hume ICS conceived the Indian National Congress, John Strachey ICS observed “The existence side by side of these (Hindu and Muslim) hostile creeds is one of the strong points in our political position in India. The better classes of Mohammedans are a source of strength to us and not of weakness. They constitute a comparatively small but an energetic minority of the population whose political interests are identical with ours.” By 1906, when a deputation of Muslims headed by the Aga Khan first approached the British pleading for communal representation, Minto the Viceroy replied: “I am as firmly convinced as I believe you to be that any electoral representation in India would be doomed to mischievous failure which aimed at granting a personal enfranchisement, regardless of the beliefs and traditions of the communities composing the population of this Continent.” Minto’s wife wrote in her diary the effect was “nothing less than the pulling back of sixty two millions of (Muslims) from joining the ranks of the seditious opposition.” (The true significance of Maulana Azad may have been that he, precisely at the same time, did indeed feel within himself the nationalist’s desire for freedom strongly enough to want to join the ranks of that seditious opposition.) [7] “That geographically contiguous units are demarcated into regions which should be so constituted, with such territorial readjustments as may be necessary, that the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in a majority, as in the North-Western and Eastern zones of India should be grouped to constitute Independent States in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign”. [8] Robinson ibid, pp. 43-44. [9] In the “Indian India” of the Native Princes, Hari Singh and others who sent troops to fight as part of British armies (and who were nominal members of Churchill’s War Cabinet) would have their vanities flattered, while Sheikh Abdullah’s rebellion against Dogra rule would be ignored. See seq. And in British India, Mr Jinnah the conservative Anglophile and his elitist Muslim League would be backed, while the radicalised masses of the Gandhi-Bose-Nehru Congress suppressed as a nuisance. [10] An anthology about Lahore reports memories of a murderous mob arriving at a wealthy man’s home to be placated with words like “They are Parsis not Hindus, no need to kill them…” [11] An exact contemporary of Chaudhury Rahmat Ali. [12] Pakistan, Harvard University Press, 1950. [13] It is not far from this to a certain body of sentiments frequently found, for example, as recently as February 5 2011: “To observe the Kashmir Solidarity Day, various programs, rallies and protests will be held on Saturday (today) across the city to support the people of Kashmir in their struggle against the Indian occupation of their land. Various religious, political, social and other organizations have arranged different programs to highlight the atrocities of Indian occupant army in held Jammu and Kashmir where about 800,000 Indian soldiers have been committing atrocities against innocent civilians; killing, wounding and maiming tens of thousands of people; raping thousands of women and setting houses, shops and crops on fire to break the Kashmiris’ will to fight for their freedom…Jamat-ud-Dawah…leaders warned that a ‘jihad’ would be launched if Kashmir was not liberated through civil agitation…the JuD leaders said first the former President, Pervez Musharraf, and now the current dispensation were extending the olive branch to New Delhi despite the atrocities on the Kashmiri people….the Pakistani nation would (never compromise on the issue of Kashmir and) would continue to provide political, moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people.” Posted in Academic economics, Academic research, Asia and the West, Britain, Britain in India, Britain's Parliament, Britain's monarchy, British foreign policy, British history, British imperialism, British military doctrine and traditions, Economic Theory, FCR Robinson, Gilgit and Baltistan, Governance, Government of India, Government of Pakistan, India in international law, India's Constitution, India's Diplomacy, India's Foreign Policy, India's History, India's independence, India's Muslims, India's Nationalism, India's Rule of Law, India's secularism, India-Pakistan cooperation against terrorism, India-Pakistan peace process, Indian subcontinent, International Law, Iqbal, Iran, Islam, Islamic State, Jammu & Kashmir, Jammu & Kashmir in international law, Jurisprudence, Just war, Karakorum Pass, Kargil war 1999, Pakistan in international law, Pakistan's civil war, Pakistan's origins, Pakistan's constitutional politics, Pakistan's history, Pakistan's military, Pakistan's nuclear weapons, Pakistan's politics, Pakistan's Rule of Law, Pakistan's terrorist masterminds, Pakistani expansionism, Rational decisions, Reason, Regional cooperation, Secular governance, Secularism in practice, Srinagar, Statesmanship, Welfare Economics, World History. 1 Comment » My Seventy Four Articles, Books, Notes Etc on Kashmir, Pakistan, & of course, India (plus my undelivered Lahore lectures) October 13, 2011 — drsubrotoroy The most important of these are in the newspapers and/or at this site too. I will try to have everything reproduced here. 00) https://independentindian.com/2015/03/03/pakistans-indias-illusions-of-power-psychosis-vs-vanity/ 0) India-Pakistan Diplomacy During the 1965 War: the MK Roy Files, at this site 1) https://independentindian.com/2011/11/22/pakistans-point-of-view-or-points-of-view-on-kashmir-my-as-yet-undelivered-lahore-lecture-part-i/ 2) Law, Justice and Jammu & Kashmir (2006) https://independentindian.com/2006/07/03/law-justice-and-jk/ http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=152464726125 3) Solving Kashmir: On an Application of Reason (2005) https://independentindian.com/2005/12/03/solving-kashmir-on-an-application-of-reason/ 4) My (armchair) experience of the 1999 Kargil war (Or, How the Kargil effort got a little help from a desktop) 5) Understanding Pakistan (2006) 6) Pakistan’s Allies (2006) 7) History of Jammu & Kashmir 8) from 25 years ago, 9) Talking to my student and friend Amir Malik about Pakistan and its problems http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150297082781126 10) My thanks to Mr Singh for seeing the optimality of my Kashmir solution 11) Zafrullah, my father, and the three frigates: there was no massacre of the Hindu Sindhi refugees in Karachi in 1947 12) Conversation with Mr Birinder R Singh about my Kashmir solution 13) On the Hurriyat’s falsification of history 14) Letter from a young Pashtun whose grandfathers were in the 1947 invasion of Kashmir (which the Hurriyat says never happened) 15) More on my solution 16 ) A Hurriyat/Taliban Islamist emirate in the Valley subject to an Indian blockade would likely face famine. 17) There is no Kashmiri nationality and there never has been in the modern era of international law https://www.facebook.com/notes/subroto-roy/there-is-no-kashmiri-nationality-and-there-never-has-been-in-the-modern-era-of-i/10150255815456126 18) Of the Flag of Pakistan, and the Union Jack, and the Flag of India — August 14-15 1947 19) Talking about Kashmir in 1947 to Ralph Coti 20) Conversation with Prof. Bhim Singh about 1947 21) The LOC represents the division of ownerless, sovereignless territory won by military conquest by either side… 22) Talking to Mr Tauseef 23) J&K had ceased to exist as an entity in international law by August 15 1947, at most by October 22 1947 24) Would someone be kind enough to tell me which freedoms Indian Kashmiris are being deprived of? 25) Kunan Poshpora: I would say the evidence reported by the Verghese Committee itself was enough to indicate there had been rape 28 July 2011 https://www.facebook.com/notes/subroto-roy/kunan-poshpora-i-would-say-the-evidence-reported-by-the-verghese-committee-itsel/10150242580476126 26) Talking to Mr Rameez Makhdoomi about Kashmir 27) And, as you well know, General Hasnain is both Muslim and Kashmiri, besides being the Commanding Officer of 15 Corps. http://www.facebook.com/subyroy?sk=notes&s=40 28) Kashmir needs a Coroner’s Office! 29) A slogan for Kashmir: No exaggerations, no hallucinations, no cover-ups please: Just the plain facts & accountability 30) Towards a Spatial Model of Kashmir’s Political History 31) Why did Allama Iqbal say “India is the greatest Muslim country in the world…”? 32) Conversation with Mr Arif 33) Omar Qayoom Bhat: A Victim of State Repression in J&K 34) Good and evil in Kashmir over more than a millennium… 35) Letter to Mr Zargar (Continued) 36) From the Official Indian Army website re Human Rights Violations 37) A Facebook Discussion on Kashmir with the Lahore Oxford & Cambridge Society 38) Answering two central questions on the Kashmir Problem 39) Some articles on Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan, Afghanistan 40) Lar ke lenge Pakistan? Khun se lenge Pakistan? 41) On Pakistan & Questions of the Nature & Jurisprudence of Polities 42) On “state involvement” (January 2009) http://www.facebook.com/note.php? on Friday, April 22, 2011 43) My four main 2005-06 articles on the existence of a unique, stable solution to Kashmir 44) On the present state of the Pakistan-India dialogue 45) Mixed messages (from a Dec 2008 post on Pakistan just after the Mumbai massacres) 46) New Foreign Policy? “Kiss Up, Kick Down”? (October 2006) 47) Conversations with Kashmiris: An Ongoing Facebook Note 48) On Pakistan and the Theory & Practice of the Islamic State, 1949, 1954 49) A Modern Military (2006) 50) India’s Muslim Voices: Sir Sikandar Hyat Khan (1892-1942), Punjab Prime Minister 1941 51) Pre-Partition Indian Secularism Case-Study: Fuzlul Huq and Manindranath Roy 52) A Brief Note on Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and the Pashtuns 1971-2010 53) On the Existence of a Unique and Stable Solution to the Jammu & Kashmir Problem that is Lawful, Just and Economically Efficient 54) Seventy Years Today (Sep 4 2009) Since the British Govt Politically Empowered MA Jinnah 55) Justice & Afzal (Oct 14 2006) 56) A Brief History of Gilgit 57) India-USA interests: Elements of a serious Indian foreign policy (2007) 58) Ambassador Holbrooke’s error of historical fact 59) Of a new New Delhi myth & the success of the Univ of Hawaii 1986-1992 Pakistan project (Nov 15 2008) https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=247284116125 60) Was Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah (1905-1982), Lion of Kashmir, the greatest Muslim political leader of the 20th Century? 61) On Indian Nationhood: From Tamils To Kashmiris & Assamese & Mizos To Sikhs & Goans (2007) 62) India has never, not once, initiated hostilities against Pakistan (2009) 63) RAND’s study of the Mumbai attacks (Jan 25 2009) 64) Memo to the Hon’ble Attorneys General of Pakistan & India (January 16 2009) 65) On Hindus and Muslims (2005) 66) Iqbal & Jinnah vs Rahmat Ali in Pakistan’s creation (2005) 67) Have “mixed messages” caused a “double-bind” in the US-Pakistan relationship? 68) Pakistan’s Kashmir obsession: Sheikh Abdullah Relied In Politics On The French Constitution, Not Islam (Feb 16 2008) 69) Two cheers for Pakistan! (April 7 2008) 70) What to tell Musharraf: Peace Is Impossible Without Non-Aggressive Pakistani Intentions (Dec 15 2006) 71) India’s Muslim Voices (Dec 4 2008) 72) Saving Pakistan: A Physicist/Political Philosopher May Represent Iqbal’s “Spirit of Modern Times” (2007) 73) The Greatest Pashtun: Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890-1988) Posted in Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Academic research, Afghanistan, Air warfare, Aksai Chin, Asia and the West, BR Ambedkar, Britain in India, British imperialism, Comparative Government, Constitutional law, Constitutional Politics, Diplomacy, Diplomatic protocols, Diplomatic recognition, Dogras, Durand Line, Economic Theory, Gilgit and Baltistan, Government of Afghanistan, Government of India, Government of Pakistan, Gulab Singh, Himalayas, Hindu political traditions, Hindus and Muslims, Imperialism, India in international law, India's military doctrine, India's religions, India's Constitution, India's Foreign Policy, India's Military Defence, India's Muslims, India's Nationalism, India-Pakistan cooperation against terrorism, India-Tibet Border, Indian subcontinent, International diplomacy, International Law, International politics, Islamic State, Jammu & Kashmir, Jammu & Kashmir in international law, Pakistan in international law, Pakistan's civil war, Pakistan's origins, Pakistan's psychology, Pakistan's constitutional politics, Pakistan's diplomacy, Pakistan's history, Pakistan's military, Pakistan's nuclear weapons, Pakistan's politics, Pakistan's Rule of Law, Pakistan's terrorist masterminds, Pakistan's terrorist training institutes, Pakistan, Balochistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistani expansionism, Political Economy, Politics, Sinkiang. Leave a Comment » The 5-Minute Negative Feedback Loop 2011 Model of Kashmir’s Problemss June 14, 2011 — drsubrotoroy See also My Seventy-One Articles, Notes Etc on Kashmir, Pakistan, & of course, India (plus my undelivered Lahore lectures) Posted in India's civil unrest, India's History, India's mob violence, India's Partition, Jammu & Kashmir, Jammu & Kashmir in international law, Pakistan's psychology, Pakistan's history, Pakistan's military, Pakistan's politics, Pakistan's terrorist masterminds, Pakistan's terrorist training institutes, Pakistani expansionism, Politics, Torture, Tyranny, War. 2 Comments » Conversations with Kashmiris: An Ongoing Facebook Note January 24, 2011 — drsubrotoroy From Facebook: Subroto Roy regrets getting the sisters’ names wrong earlier; they were not Kulsooma and Yasmin but Akhtara, 19, and Arifa, 17. Their killings by terrorists in Sopore, and that of young Manzoor Ahmad Magray, 22, by the Army in Handwara within the week, mark a tipping point, for myself at least. Subroto Roy reflecting on the Lashkar-e-Toiba killing of the teenage Sopore sisters and the Indian Army killing of Manzoor Ahmad Magray in Handwara, all in one week, is reminded only of: Where be these enemies?… See, what a scourge is laid upon your hate,…all are punish’d. Subroto Roy says at Seema Mustafa’s Wall “Some of these comments seem to be addressed to me in a somewhat ill-mannered way. I am due to speak in Lahore next month on Kashmir and Pakistan, and have published quite extensively over 20 years perhaps on the subject, apropos the University of Hawaii volume Foundations of Pakistan’s Political Economy: Towards an Agenda for the 1990s etc. http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=247284116125&id=632437284 http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=171926377284&set=a.136688412284.112038.632437284 I am quite happy to engage in any conversation with any shade of opinion from the leader of the United Jehad Council onwards. But discussion needs to be in English not pidgin English or slang, it needs to be polite and well-mannered, and it needs to be as well thought out and well-informed as possible. I may be addressed as Dr Roy or Mr Roy by people I do not know. Subroto Roy says to Mr Changal, Apropos your “@mr roy…. i hope u carry a message that KASHMIRIS WIL NEVER LIKE TO B A PART OF INDIA”, I am given to understand that you as an individual have no wish to be an Indian national, which to me is fair enough. A lot of Indian nationals have travelled after all to the USA, Britain etc and there have gone about freely renouncing their Indian nationality and accepting that of another country. May I assume that if you, as an individual, were given such a choice by the Govt of India to formally renounce, on paper, in a private decision with full security and no fear of repercussions, your Indian nationality, you would do so? You may then become stateless in international law, following which the Govt of India could assist you as an individual to accept the nationality of some other country for which you were eligible, e.g. the Islamic Republic of Iran or the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan or the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. If that went through properly, the Govt of India could also give you full “Green Card” or PIO status vis a vis the Indian territory you may wish to live or work etc in. Ajmal Nazir ‎@ subroto sir…..I personally appreciate the kind of efforts you are putting to highlight the meseries that kashmiris are going through. May God succeed you in your efforts . However there are lot of realities that one need to understand before talking about Kashmir.This issue is not a demographical or political issue. This is an human issue where kashmiris suffer. Before going into any discussion , both Pakistan and India should understand that this problems is taking its toll on common kashmiri who is getting killed everyday. Kashmir is like a beautiful prison where one can survive but cannot live freely. It looks completely normal from outside. But unfortunately you cannot see the fear that is inside the hearts of common people. You cannot see the uncertainty in the minds of those people.I wish you could have feel the fear in the mind of mothers when their kids are outside. I wish you could have feel the fear in the eyes of kids, when they see these indian forces roaming in their fields. There is a check post in every corner of the street, where it is obligatory for us to go through checking. We have to prove our identity in our own homes. It is not happening only on 26th Jan (like it happens in your states ]. It happening everyday, every-hour and every-time.I wish you could feel the fear when we have to go through these checking. Everyday, we have to make sure that we come home before 6:00 pm otherwise you will be picked up and your name will get added into hundrends and thousands of disappeared people. There are so many fake encounters happening in valley that nobody from outside world knows. Try to listen to local news here and there is a separate sections which tells you about the number of people that got killed every 24 hours. In 90’s that list was always above 20 and there was no such news outside kashmir. There is no such family in kashmir that hasn’t suffer I am not talking about mental suffering, I am talking about where somebody got killed.I wish you could have seen the pain of those mothers who lost their innocent sons, I wish you could seen the hopelessness in the minds of those fathers, who lost their only sons. There are so many half widows in kashmir, whose husbands were picked by forces and they never came back. they are still waiting for their husbands to return. In every community , there is an orphanage, where you will find the so many orphan kids. i believe you will find the most numbers orphans in kashmir than in any other state. These suffering are not visible from outside.We need to feel like kashmiris to understand these problems You need to take little pain to find the actual realities in kashmir. Every kashmir including our pandiths brothers suffer. KAshmir issue is not the political issue, neither is it regional issue. This is a human issue . This issue is not related to the geographical demographies, it is related with the people who live there.These boundaries are of no meaning for those mothers and fathers, who suffer everyday. If Indian wants kashmir, you have to win the hearts of kashmiris, Treat us like humans, Give us basic human rights . Release kashmiris from this militarized prison. Let us decide what is good for us.. Give us the freedom to express our problems. Let us bring kashmiris youth in your national media and let them discuss this issue. India is a democratic country so i believe everybody has a right to express their feelings.Highlight our miseries and punish the culprits who have killed innocent kashmiris. How can you justify the killing of those small kids who pelt stones on the streets. Does indian constitution allow killings of kids if they pelt stones. If they damage property, arrest them but how can we kill those small kids.Even some where beaten to death.What about Tufail Matoo who got killed when he was going to tuition classes. He didn;t damage any property. There are so many untold stories in kashmir that nobody knows. Subroto Roy says to Mr Nazir, Thank you for the lengthy and pertinent statement which clearly reflects your experience as well as your hopes and fears. I have no hesitation in accepting your saying the situation in recent times has become intolerable for ordinary people. I believe it is the outcome of a process which has evolved over decades in which the peoples and Governments of India, the peoples and Governments of Pakistan, and the peoples and Governments of J&K too, have all contributed. It is something for which everyone is responsible, no single person or country or community can be said to be exempt (other than perhaps the gentle people of Laddakh). And all the facts of history and the present have to be understood, and yes felt as well — each and every clear fact. I hope to show how this may be done during my Lahore lectures next month. Cordial regards and thanking you once more. Subroto Roy says to Mr Changal, Thank you for the reply though you may have made a mistake with my identity: I am not Mr Subroto who has been a senior minister in Indonesia, but rather Dr Roy or Mr Roy as you please. No I do not think I am or would want to be blind to any atrocities by armed forces on civilians in any country, my own included. Apropos your statement “we reject the illegal n forceful occupation of kashmir by the cruel hindu india”, I shall be glad to hear the basis of your opinion. Re Hindus and Muslims and my opinion thereof, there is a lot of material to be found at my site and among my Notes. Cordially, SR Sajad Malik I just wud humbly like to ask you a question sir, Do you deny the disputed nature of kashmir? Subroto Roy Mr Malik, Thank you for the question. I think it was I who said twenty years ago, when I was almost as young as some of you are now “The core of the continuing dispute between Pakistan and India has been Kashmir, where vast resources have been drained from the budgets of both countries by two large armies facing one another for decades over a disputed boundary”. I do not think the Govt of Pakistan had used the word “core” until that time. Please see p 15 of the book Subroto Roy says to Mr Changal, I cannot know but perhaps you speak from terrible personal experiences as an individual at the hands of governmental machinery; I know what that can be like. I would agree it is important in this grave and mortal matter to go into the whole history piece by piece, frankly and candidly, with scientific honesty and freedom of inquiry and thought. That is the only real way to aim for complete agreement across the political spectrum in the subcontinent. Such an agreement is possible too, and the only real way forward for all, especially the people of J&K, your generation and the future. I am sure my Lahore lectures will be public immediately after they are delivered next month, which you may find of interest. Clearly we have a number of factual questions for one another whose answers may emerge in time. Rape is an evil thing, and I find what you mention is discussed here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunan_Poshpora_incident Thank you for your comment and suggestion. The solution I have proposed since 2005 is far better than the plebiscite idea you mention. But I am afraid you will have to make a study of my publications here at FB or at my site or in my books, or wait until the Lahore lectures. I also wonder if you are aware that Sheikh Abdullah and Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad offered a plebiscite when it was first mentioned in 1948 during the Pashtun tribal invasion from Pakistan but Pakistan balked. Subroto Roy says the solution he has proposed since 2005 is far better than the plebiscite idea often mentioned. Many are also unaware that Sheikh Abdullah and Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad offered a plebiscite when it was first mentioned in 1948 during the Pashtun tribal invasion from Pakistan but Pakistan balked. Ganai Danish: It was pandit nehru,who in 1952 addressed the public gathering in lal chowk sgr,promised that the people of jk will be given a chance to decide their future whether they want to be part of india or accede with pakistan.It is worth mentioning that it was india itself who took the case of disputed nature of kashmir to UN by passing a resolution in 1948.But 63 years passed, india is yet to fulfull its promise and has mulishly held on to the uncompromising stance that jk is an integral part of india. Subroto Roy: Mr Danish, Thank you for the comment. Pandit Nehru’s Lal Chowk speech may have been 1947/48 during the Pashtun invasion. There is a small pic at my site here https://independentindian.com/2009/03/28/india-is-not-a-monarchy-and-urgently-needs-to-universalize-the-french-concept-of-citoyen-some-personal-thoughts/ By 1952, Sheikh Abdullah had pioneered the J&K Constitution Ganai Danish Respected Dr Roy,1952 or 1948,that isn’t the question.The question is why india uses its military might to crush our movement.By calling itself the world’s largest democrac<z>y,its democracy is buried in kashmir.Our movement is indegenious,peaceful,genuine,and non violent and we will take it to its conclusion Subroto Roy Mr Danish, Thank you for the comment. The difference between 1948 and 1952 is vital because that is the time Kashmir made its decision, and it was a democratic decision led by Sheikh-Sahib who had — practically single-handedly — awoken the Muslim masses from their slumber and oppression under the Dogras. Sheikh Abdullah paid the penalty for that most heavily– being jailed by the Dogras numerous times because of it. But even so I think you have raised a critically important question — which is how it is that your generation has become so utterly alienated and disaffected with their political experience of repression, war, terrorism etc that they want to free themselves of it. Ganai Danish It is very true that late sheikh abdullah traitor fought against dogra rule but he did such a blunder that whatever happened in kashmir since 1989 to 2010,sheikh is responsible for this.He sold kashmir to india and sold the blood of martyrs that were in favour of accession to pakistan.It was the same traitor’s son farooq abdullah who signed noozle to Shaheed Maqbool bhat,the first martyr of kashmir.It was the same farooq abdullah’s leadership in 1989 who killed 1 lac kashmiris and brought POTA,AFSPA,PSA and so on in kashmir.It was the same traitors son omer abdullah who killed 112 innocents in kashmir in just 4 months.So far as the imprisonment is concerned.,It is Syed Ali shah geelani,a vetern leader of kashmir,who spent more than 22 years in jail and is still under house arrest. Subroto Roy says to Mr Danish, Thanks for this point of view of which I know less than I should. I am glad we have reached a stage so quickly where we may discuss different interpretations of factual events. I reaoet what I have said to Mr Nazir, that I have no hesitation in accepting your saying the situation in recent times has become intolerable for ordinary people. I believe it is the outcome of a process which has evolved over decades in which the peoples and Governments of India, the peoples and Governments of Pakistan, and the peoples and Governments of J&K too, have all contributed. It is something for which everyone is responsible, no single person or country or community can be said to be exempt (other than perhaps the gentle people of Laddakh). And all the facts of history and the present have to be understood, and yes felt as well — each and every clear fact. I hope to show how this may be done during my Lahore lectures next month. Cordial regards and thanking you once more. Sajad Malik ‎@ Mr. Roy, you mean Sheikh Abdullah “offered” Plebiscite? well this is a news to me; as i am wondering on what authority wud they do that? All i have been knowing till now is, Plebiscite was in the offing, had Nehru not insisted that the tribes men from NWFP leave Kashmir and at the same time Jinnah insisting that for the plebiscite to happen, Indian forces need to be out of kashmir first. Subroto Roy says to Mr Malik, Yes, Sheikh Abdullah and Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad offered a plebiscite when it was first mentioned and it was the Pakistanis who balked. Re. “disputed territory” and “core issue”, as I said yesterday, I do not have to admit it because I may have been the first to say so twenty years ago when I was almost as young as some of you are now “The core of the continuing dispute between Pakistan and India has been Kashmir, where vast resources have been drained from the budgets of both countries by two large armies facing one another for decades over a disputed boundary”. I do not think the Govt of Pakistan had used the word “core” until that time. Please see p 15 of the book You may perhaps see that it is a leap of logic from saying Pakistan and India have a disputed boundary to saying as you suggest “So what is the problem if a Kashmiri asks Azadi sir?”. 🙂 Subroto Roy says to Mr Malik: Mr Malik, Indeed as I have said Sheikh-Sahib and Bakshi did so; you would have to know how ghastly and vicious the tribal invasion from Pakistan was starting on October 22 1947, and how the Rape of Baramulla had proceeded (with Kashmiri women of all communities, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu, being abducted by lorry en masse to be sold in markets in Peshawar etc), to know that Sheikh Abdullah and Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad could confidently predict the outcome at the time of any such plebiscite, which would explain why Liaquat Ali Khan (who had condemned Sheikh as a “Quisling of India”) would have ignored it. I say this having read reports from the original newspapers at the time, and have today asked the editor of that national newspaper to produce a set of reprints of all articles published from, say, the 1946 Cabinet Mission to the Jan-Feb 1949 ceasefire, since all this material is unknown by all the parties, and making it known would contribute to resolving this grave and mortal problem. Do please explain what you mean or Sheikh meant by “Siyasi Awaragardi”; also I would certainly be grateful to learn of your view and that of your friends on the history of J&K between, say, 1952 and the 1965 War. Sajad Malik: Mr Roy, I have been lately reading a piece done by Haroon Rashid. He pens down all that Kashmiri’s suffered at the hands of tribesmen..looting and arson, even killing of a lady running a convent. He outrightly rejects rape, (anyway thats altogether a diffrent debate). Sheikh Abdullah, wen released from the prison (Imprisoned by Nehru,for taking the plebscite front) scorned his ownself for taking up Plebscite front and termed it as “Siyasi-Awaragardi” (Political Intrigue). For your further enlightment here Mr. Roy;- 1951: Indian holds elections and tries to impose its democratic institution in Kashmir. It is opposed by the United Nations. They pass a resolution to declare elections void and stress on plebiscite. India ignores the opposition blatantly. Sheikh Abdullah wins unopposed and rumors of election rigging plague Kashmiri politics. 1952: Sheikh Abdullah signs the Delhi Agreement on July, 1952. It chalks out state-centre sharing of power and gives abidance to Kashmir to have its own flag. Sheikh Abdullah creates Kashmir centric land reforms which create resentment among the people of Jammu and Ladakh. Delhi Agreement provides the first genuine erosion in international resolution of Kashmir. Nehru’s Speech: ”On August1952, Jawahar Lal Nehru gives a negating speech contradicting the settlement provided in the Delhi Agreement: “Ultimately – I say this with all deference to this Parliament – the decision will be made in the hearts and minds of the men and women of Kashmir; neither in this Parliament, nor in the United Nations nor by anybody else” 1953-1954: Sheikh Abdullah takes U turns and procrastinates in conforming the accession of Kashmir to India. Sheikh Abdullah is jailed. In August, Bakhshi Ghulam Muhammad is installed in place of Sheikh Abdullah. He officially ratifies Kashmir’s accession with India. On April, 1954, India & Pakistan both agree in appointment of a Plebiscite Administrator. 1956-1957: On 30th October, 1956, J&K Constituent Assembly adopts a fresh constitution, and dissolves the Constituent Assembly, which further defines the relationship of Kashmir with the Indian Dominion. UN strongly condemns the developments and passes a resolution stating such attempts will not result in any final resolution. On 26th January, 1957, the new constitution is made enforceable. Kashmir is now a Republican-Democratic state under Indian Union. 1964: Sheikh Abdullah is released from jail. Jawahar Lal Nehru sends Sheikh Abdullah with a delegation to Pakistan in an effort to find a resolution discourse for Kashmir. In the meantime, masses in Kashmir protest against the implementation of Article 356 & 357, which allows Indian central authority over constituting legislative powers in Kashmir. The special status of Kashmir continues to get eroded. 1965-1971: The nomenclature is changed from ‘Sadr-e-Riyasat’ to Governor and from Prime Minister to Chief Minister. The Governor is now no longer elected locally, and is installed as per the orders of the President of India. This amendment lightens off Kashmir from its special titles. Free & fair elections in the guise of democracy are championed as just causes, and Indian mainstream parties are allowed to contest in the elections. However, these elections aren’t well received by the public. In many cases, international watchdogs accuse India of rigging elections. In 1967, Jammu Autonomy Forum is constituted with the aim of institutionalizing regional autonomy. Excerpts, “chronology of Kashmir conflict” by Naveed Qazi” Subroto Roy says to Mr Sajad Malik: thank you for this brief chronology which I shall certainly study more carefully. Am I to understand that you and perhaps others with you deny the Rape of Baramullah? Perhaps you mean that the thousands, but thousands, of Kashmiri women of all three communities who were abducted against their will by the tribesmen in lorries and later sold in Peshawar and other markets were not raped but taken in matrimony at their new destinations? Sajad Malik: Mr Roy, I am not denying anything. All I am saying is that Haroon Rashid (BBC) is rejecting it and that I maintain, its a separate debate. The thing which we are discussing here is that India has no legitimate authority over Kashmir. It’s military might, deciept, savagery has not been able to turn a leaf in Kashmir, despite tens of thousands been killed, despite all the laws it sought from the “once wicked” Britian. I am not a political analyst nor a strategist but with full conviction Mr. Roy, m telling you Kashmir can never be India. Smell our land it smells saffron, m not sure what it smells in India. Comment not intended to hurt your or any Indian’s emotions Mr. Roy. If it inadvertently does, I apologise. Subroto Roy: Mr Malik, Thank you; no not at all, there is absolutely no need for you to apologise in this discussion for anything. Clearly there are many factual disagreements here, as to what happened precisely, who said and did what precisely, and so on, and an exchange of views and references is always constructive. From what you say, you may find of interest these two articles of mine from 2006; the former is “History of J&K” and the latter contains a Brief History of Gilgit too: You may also like to see my FB Note giving Sheikh Abdullah in his own words for you and others to judge, here and also Sheikh-Sahib, and Dr Zakir Hussain and Maulana Azad and others here: Your statement “Kashmir can never be India” is perhaps intended to be controversial as it appears to beg the question, though of course you may agree some Kashmiris are Indians and wish to be Indians, and I may agree some Kashmiris are not Indians and do not wish to be Indians and also some Kashmiris are Indians and do not wish to be Indians; there may also be some Kashmiris who are not Indians but who wish to be Indians. Cordially. Mr Malik, you are quoting from perhaps Dr Zakir Hussain or Sheikh Abdullah, not from my words. Secondly, are you saying Pakistan did not invade J&K in 1947? Britain did? I would agree there was a British-induced coup d’etat in Gilgit, but I trust you do not deny the whole history of the (then new) Pakistan’s military and political forces causing the vicious and ghastly Pashtun invasion along the Nowshera Road commencing October 22 1947. Modern Pakistan’s most eminent historians may agree with me I am afraid as to what happened as a matter of fact! You and I may not be able to progress much with conversation at this rate if our factual histories are so far apart as at present.. 🙂 But rest assured, all may become clear after my Lahore lectures next month, or at least all of my analysis and assessment of what happened and prescription of what may be best done now for everyone. I shall try to comment further on your statement later in the day. Sajad Malik Sir, I am not saying Britian carried out the invasion laughs. All, m saying is, General Gracey was heading the Pak army at the time of invasion and there has been no evidence so far, to establish a link b/n Pak army and the tribes men. I can furnish to you the reference of what I assert. shall inshallah pray for your lahore lecture, and hope our thinking and understanding converge as per the aspirations of me, the prime stake holder..and a kashmiri. (smiles) Subroto Roy Mr Malik, I am grateful for the clarification 🙂 — though as I have said, there was a British-induced coup in Gilgit, and you may also find my article “Pakistan’s Allies” of interest about the US and UK seeing themselves in battle against the old USSR etc. Suppose I said to you and your friends that in fact Sheikh-Sahib (and his mentor at the time Jawaharlal Nehru) were influenced by socialism and, at one remove perhaps by Soviet communism — and that is why they were against the Dogra regime? While the Hurriyat’s predecessor, Muslim Conference, were opposed to Sheikh Abdullah, and because the Dogras were also opposed to Sheikh-Sahib, the Muslim Conference’s Hamidullah Khan as of May 22-24 1947 said they wanted to not only preserve the Dogra regime but make him an international sovereign so he could be called “Your Majesty” instead of merely “Your Highness”? :)! And in that they were, oddly enough, joined by many in the Hindu and Sikh minorities who saw the Dogras as protecting them from Sheikh Sahib’s secular majoritarianism, as well as by perhaps British Conservatives like Churchill as well as Mr Jinnah…. History yields some unusual and paradoxical things…. 🙂 Re your offer to furnish a reference that “there has been no evidence so far, to establish a link b/n Pak army and the tribesmen” I would be most grateful for this. The classic work on it has been by the late General Akbar Khan of the Pakistan Army who was an author of the invasion, http://openlibrary.org/books/OL15997912M/Raiders_in_Kashmir. I have yet to own a copy of this book though am aware of its contents. I am most grateful for your good wishes for Lahore! I certainly need them, and I assure you, if you send me an email at my site, I shall send you a copy of what I say there as soon as possible after it is said. And indeed, I completely agree with you that the ordinary people of J&K of all communities have suffered most from this terrible and awful state of affairs, and their material and moral wellbeing needs most important and urgent relief. Cordially. I wrote & publicized a document “An Economic Solution to Kashmir” in Washington back in 1993, which referred for the first time to ideas of a condominium, an Andorra solution etc….This seemed at the time a logical result of the UH Manoa Pakistan project. But in retrospect it has seemed naive and uninformed. I’m afraid I think Mr Kasuri has been overoptimistic about the robustness of the near-agreement he suggests was reached some years ago. . Posted in India in international law, India's religions, India's Constitution, India's History, India's independence, India's Land, India's Military Defence, India's Muslims, India's Nationalism, India's Partition, India's Polity, India's Rule of Law, Jammu & Kashmir, Jammu & Kashmir in international law, Jurisprudence, Just war, Pakistan in international law, Pakistan's history, Pakistan, Balochistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistani expansionism, Sheikh Abdullah. 1 Comment » On Pakistan and the Theory & Practice of the Islamic State: An Excerpt from the Munir Report of 1954 From REPORT of THE COURT OF INQUIRY constituted under PUNJAB ACT II OF 1954 to enquire into the PUNJAB DISTURBANCES OF 1953 “Munir Report” It has been repeatedly said before us that implicit in the demand for Pakistan was the demand for an Islamic State. Some speeches of important leaders who were striving for Pakistan undoubtedly lend themselves to this construction. These leaders while referring to an Islamic State or to a State governed by Islamic laws perhaps had in their minds the pattern of a legal structure based on or mixed up with Islamic dogma, personal law, ethics and institutions. No one who has given serious thought to the introduction of a religious State in Pakistan has failed to notice the tremendous difficulties with which any such scheme must be confronted. Even Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, who must be considered to be the first thinker who conceived of the possibility of a consolidated North Western Indian Muslim State, in the course of his presidential address to the Muslim League in 1930 said: “Nor should the Hindus fear that the creation of autonomous Muslim States will mean the introduction of a kind of religious rule in such States. The principle that each group is entitled to free development on its own lines is not inspired by any feeling of narrow communalism”. When we come to deal with the question of responsibility we shall have the occasion to point out that the most important of the parties who are now clamouring for the enforcement of the three demands on religious grounds were all against the idea of an Islamic State. Even Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi of Jama’at-i-Islami was of the view that the form of Government in the new Muslim State, if it ever came into existence, could only be secular. Before the Partition, the first public picture of Pakistan that the Quaid-i-Azam gave to the world was in the course of an interview in New Delhi with Mr. Doon Campbell, Reuter’s Correspondent. The Quaid-i-Azam said that the new State would be a modern democratic State, with sovereignty resting in the people and the members of the new nation having equal rights of citizenship regardless of their religion, caste or creed. When Pakistan formally appeared on the map, the Quaid-i-Azam in his memorable speech of 11th August 1947 to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, while stating the principle on which the new State was to be founded, said:— “All the same, in this division it was impossible to avoid the question of minorities being in one Dominion or the other. Now that was unavoidable. There is no other solution. Now what shall we do? Now, if we want to make this great State of Pakistan happy and prosperous we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well-being of the people, and specially of the masses and the poor. If you will work in co-operation, forgetting the past, burying the hatchet, you are bound to succeed. If you change your past and work together in a spirit that every one of you, no matter to what community he belongs, no matter what relations he had with you in the past, no matter what is his colour, caste or creed, is first, second and last a citizen of this State with equal rights, privileges and obligations., there will be no end to the progress you will make. “I cannot emphasise it too much. We should begin to work in that spirit and in course of time all these angularities of the majority and minority communities—the Hindu community and the Muslim community— because even as regards Muslims you have Pathana, Punjabis, Shias, Sunnis and so on and among the Hindus you have Brahmins, Vashnavas, Khatris, also Bengalis, Madrasis and so on—will vanish. Indeed if you ask me this has been the biggest hindrance in the way of India to attain its freedom and independence and but for this we would have been free peoples long long ago. No power can hold another nation, and specially a nation of 400 million souls in subjection; nobody could have conquered you, and even if it had happened, nobody could have continued its hold on you for any length of time but for this (Applause). Therefore, we must learn a lesson from this. You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other places of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed— that has nothing to do with the business of the State (Hear, hear). As you know, history shows that in England conditions sometime ago were much worse than those prevailing in India today. The Roman Catholics and the Protestants persecuted each other. Even now there are some States in existence where there are discriminations made and bars imposed against a particular class. Thank God we are not starting in those days. We are starting in the days when there is no discrimination, no distinction between one community and another, no discrimination between one caste or creed and another. We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens and equal citizens of one State (Loud applause). The people of England in course of time had to face the realities of the situation and had to discharge the responsibilities and burdens placed upon them by the Government of their country and they went through that fire step by step. Today you might say with justice that Roman Catholics and Protestants do not exist: what exists now is that every man is a citizen, an equal citizen, of Great Britain and they are all members of the nation. “Now, I think we should keep that in front of us as our ideal and you will find that in course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the State”. The Quaid-i-Azam was the founder of Pakistan and the occasion on which he thus spoke was the first landmark in the history of Pakistan. The speech was intended both for his own people including non-Muslims and the world, and its object was to define as clearly as possible the ideal to the attainment of which the new State was to devote all its energies. There are repeated references in this speech to the bitterness of the past and an appeal to forget and change the past and to bury the hatchet. The future subject of the State is to be a citizen with equal rights, privileges and obligations, irrespective of colour, caste, creed or community. The word ‘nation’ is used more than once and religion is stated to have nothing to do with the business of the State and to be merely a matter of personal faith for the individual. We asked the ulama whether this conception of a State was acceptable to them and everyone of them replied in an unhesitating negative, including the Ahrar and erstwhile Congressites with whom before the Partition this conception was almost a part of their faith. If Maulana Amin Ahsan Islahi’s evidence correctly represents the view of Jama’at-i-Islami, a State based on this idea is the creature of the devil, and he is confirmed in this by several writings of his chief, Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi, the founder of the jama’at. None of the ulama can tolerate a State which is based on nationalism and all that it implies; with them millat and all that it connotes can alone be the determining factor in State activity. The Quaid-i-Azam’s conception of a modern national State, it is alleged, became obsolete with the passing of the Objectives Resolution on 12th March 1949; but it has been freely admitted that this Resolution, though grandiloquent in words, phrases and clauses, is nothing but a hoax and that not only does it not contain even a semblance of the embryo of an Islamic State but its provisions, particularly those relating to fundamental rights, are directly opposed to the principles of an Islamic State. FOUNDATIONS OF ISLAMIC STATE What is then the Islamic State of which everybody talks but nobody thinks? Before we seek to discover an answer to this question, we must have a clear conception of the scope and function of the State. The ulama were divided in their opinions when they were asked to cite some precedent of an Islamic State in Muslim history. Thus, though Hafiz Kifayat Husain, the Shia divine, held out as his ideal the form of Government during the Holy Prophet’s time, Maulana Daud Ghaznavi also included in his precedent the days of the Islamic Republic, of Umar bin Abdul Aziz, Salah-ud-Din Ayyubi of Damascus, Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, Muhammad Tughlaq and Aurangzeb and the present regime in Saudi Arabia. Most of them, however, relied on the form of Government during the Islamic Republic from 632 to 661 A. D., a period of less than thirty years, though some of them also added the very short period of Umar bin Abdul Aziz. Maulana Abdul Haamid Badayuni stated that the details of the ideal State would be worked out by the ulama while Master Taj-ud-Din Ansari’s confused notion of an Islamic State may be gathered from the following portion of his interrogation :— “Q.—Were you also in the Khilafat movement ? Q.—When did the Khilafat movement stop in India ? A.—In 1923. This was after the Turks had declared their country to be a secular State. Q.—If you are told that the Khilafat movement continued long after the Turks had abolished Khilafat, will that be correct? A.—As far as I remember, the Khilafat movement finished with the abolition of the Khilafat by the Turks. Q.—You are reported to have been a member of the Khilafat movement and having made speeches. Is it correct ? A.—It could not be correct. Q.—Was the Congress interested in Khilafat ? Q.—Was Khilafat with you a matter of religious conviction or just a political movement ? A.— It was purely a religious movement. Q.— Did the Khilafat movement have the support of Mr Gandhi ? Q.— What was the object of the Khilafat movement ? A.— The Britisher was injuring the Khilafat institution in Turkey and the Musalman was aggrieved by this attitude of the Britisher. Q.— Was not the object of the movement to resuscitate the Khilafat among the Musalmans ? A.—No. Q.— Is Khilafat with you a necessary part of Muslim form of Government ? Q.— Are you, therefore, in favour of having a Khilafat in Pakistan ? Q.— Can there be more than one Khalifa of the Muslims ? Q.— Will the Khalifa of Pakistan be the Khalifa of all the Muslims of the world ? A.— He should be but cannot be.” Throughout the three thousand years over which political thought extends, and such thought in its early stages cannot be separated from religion, two questions have invariably presented themselves for consideration : — (1) what are the precise functions of the State ? and (2) who shall control the State ? If the true scope of the activities of the State is the welfare, temporal or spiritual or both of the individual, then the first question directly gives rise to the bigger question: What is the object of human life and the ultimate destiny of man? On this, widely divergent views have prevailed, not at different times but at one and the same time. The pygmies of equatorial West Africa still believe that their God Komba has sent them into the forest to hunt and dance and sing. The Epicureans meant very much the same when they said that the object of human life is to drink and eat and be merry, for death denies such pleasures. The utilitarians base their institutions on the assumption that the object of human life is to experience pleasant sensations of mind and body, irrespective of what is to come hereafter. The Stoics believed in curbing and reducing all physical desires, and Diogenes found a tub good enough to live in. German philosophers think that the individual lives for the State and that therefore the object of life is service of the State in all that it might decide to undertake and achieve. Ancient Hindu philosophers believed in the logic of the fist with its natural consequence, the law of natural selection and the struggle for survival. The Semitic theory of State, whether Jewish, Christian or Islamic, has always held that the object of human life is to prepare ourselves for the next life and that, therefore, prayer and good works are the only object of life. Greek philosophers beginning with Socrates thought that the object of human life was to engage in philosophical meditation with a view to discovering the great truths that lie in nature and that the business of the others is to feed the philosophers engaged in that undertaking. Islam emphasises the doctrine that life in this world is not the only life given to man but that eternal life begins after the present existence comes to an end, and that the status of a human being in the next world will depend upon his beliefs and actions in this world. As the present life is not an end in itself but merely a means to an end, not only the individual but also the State, as opposed to the secular theory which bases all political and economic institutions on a disregard of their consequences on the next life, should strive for human conduct which ensures for a person better status in the next world. According to this theory Islam is the religion which seeks to attain that object. Therefore the question immediately arises : What is Islam and who is a momin or a Muslim ? We put this question to the ulama and we shall presently refer to their answers to this question. But we cannot refrain from saying here that it was a matter of infinite regret to us that the ulama whose first duty should be to have settled views on this subject, were hopelessly disagreed among themselves. Apart from how these learned divines have expressed themselves, we conceive of Islam as a system that covers, as every systematic religion must, the following five topics :— (1) the dogma, namely, the essentials of belief ; (2) the cult, namely, religious rites and observances which a person must perform ; (3) ethics, i. e. rules of moral conduct ; (4) institutions, social, economic and political ; and (5) law proper. The essential basis of the rules on all these subjects is revelation and not reason, though both may coincide. This coincidence, however, is accidental because human reasoning may be faulty and ultimate reason is known only to God, Who sends His message to humanity through His chosen messengers for the direction and guidance of the people. One must, therefore, accept the dogma, observe the cult, follow the ethics, obey the law and establish institutions which God has revealed, though their reason may not be apparent—nay even if they be opposed to human reason. Since an error by God is an impossibility, anything that God has revealed, whether its subject be something occult or preternatural, history, finance, law, worship or something which according to human thought admits of scientific treatment as for instance, birth of man, evolution, cosmology, or astronomy, has got to be accepted as absolute truth. The test of reason is not the acid test and a denial of this amounts to a denial of the supreme wisdom and designs of Allah—it is kufr. Now God has revealed Himself from time to time to His favoured people of whom our Holy Prophet was the last. That revelation is contained in the Qur’an and covers the five topics mentioned above. The true business of a person who believes in Islam is therefore to understand, believe in and act upon that revelation. The people whom God chooses as medium for the transmission of His messages are rasuls (messengers) or nabis (prophets). Since every action or saying of a prophet is, in the case of our own Holy Prophet it certainly was, prompted by Allah, it has the same degree of inerrancy as the formal revelation itself, because prophets are ma’sum, incapable of doing or saying something which is opposed to Divine wishes. These sayings and actions are sunna having the same infallibility as the Qur’an. The record of this sunna is hadith which is to be found in several books which were compiled by Muslim scholars after long, laborious and careful research extending over several generations. The word hadith means a record of actions or sayings of the Prophet and his companions. At first the sahaba. i. e. people who had lived in the society of the Prophet, were the best authority for a knowledge of the sunna. Later people had to be content with the communications of the tabi’un, i. e. successors, people of the first generation after the Holy Prophet who had received their information from the sahaba, and then in the following generations with the accounts of the so-called successors of the successors (tabi’ul-tabi’un), i.e. people of the second generation after the Holy Prophet, who had concerted with the successors. Marfu’ is a tradition which contains a statement about the Prophet ; mawquf, a tradition that refers only to the sayings or doings of the sahaba ; and maqtu’ a tradition which does not at most go further back than the first generation after the Holy Prophet and deals only with sayings or doings of tabi’un. In some of the ahadith the actual word of God is to be found. Any such tradition is designated Hadith-i-Qudsi or Ilahi as distinguished from an ordinary Hadith-i-Nabvi. A very large portion of sayings ascribed to the Prophet deals with the ahkam (legal professions), religious obligations, halal and haram (what is allowed and forbidden), with ritual purity, laws regarding food and criminal and civil law. Further they deal with dogma, retribution at the Last Judgment, hell and paradise, angels, creation, revelations, the earlier prophets. Many traditions also contain edifying sayings and moral teachings by the Holy Prophet. The importance of ahadith was realised from the very beginning and they were not only committed to memory but in some cases were reduced to writing. The work of compilation of hadith began in the third century after the Hijra and the Sihah Sitta were all compiled in that century. These are the musannifs of — (1) Al-Bukhari, died 256/870, (2) Muslim, died 261/875, (3) Abu Dawud, died 275/888, (4) Al-Tirmizi, died 279/892, (5) All Nasa’i, died 303/915, and (6) Ibn-i-Maja, died 273/886. According to modern laws of evidence, including our own, the ahadith are inadmissible evidence of sunna because each of them contains several links of hearsay, but as authority on law they are admissible pro prio vigore. The merit of these collections lies not so much in the fact that (as is often wrongly stated) their authors decided for the first time which of the numerous traditions in circulation were genuine and which false but rather in the fact that they brought together everything that was recognised as genuine in orthodox circles in those days. The Shias judge hadith from their own stand-point and only consider such traditions reliable as are based on the authority of Ali and his adherents. They have, therefore, their own works on the subject and hold the following five works in particularly high esteem— (1) Al-Kafi of Muhammad b. Yaqub Al-Kulini, died 328/939, (2) Man La Yastahdiruhu’ul-Fakih of Muhammad b. Ali b. Babuya Al-Kummi, died 381/991, (3) Tahdib Al-Ahkam, (4) Al-Istibsar Fi-Ma’khtalafa Fihi’l-Akhbar (extract from the preceding) of Muhammad Altusi, died 459/1067, and (5) Nahj Al-Balagha (alleged sayings of Ali) of Ali b. Tahir Al-Sharif Al-Murtaza, died 436/1044 (or of his brother Radi Al-Din Al-Baghdadi.) After the ritual, the dogma and the most important political and social institutions had taken definite shape in the second and third centuries, there arose a certain communis opinio regarding the reliability of most transmitters of tradition and the value of their statement. The main principles of doctrine had already been established in the writings of Malik b. Anas, Al-Shafi’i and other scholars regarded as authoritative in different circles and mainly on the authority of traditional sayings of the Holy Prophet. In the long run no one dared to doubt the truth of these traditions and this almost conclusive presumption of truth has since continued to be attached to the ahadith compiled in the Sihah Sitta. We have so far arrived at this result that any rule on any subject that may be derived from the Qur’an or the sunna of the Holy Prophet is binding on every Musalman. But since the only evidence of sunna is the hadith, the words sunna and hadith have become mixed up with, and indistinguishable from, each other with the result that the expression Qur’an and hadith is not infrequently employed where the intention is to refer to Qur’an and sunna. At this stage another principle, equally basic, comes into operation, and that is that Islam is the final religion revealed by God, complete and exhaustive in all respects, and that God will not abrogate, detract from or add to this religion (din) any more than He will send a fresh messenger. The din having been perfected (Akmalto lakum dinokum, Sura V, verse 3), there remains no need for any new code repealing, modifying or amplifying the original code; nor for any fresh messenger or message. In this sense, therefore, prophethood ceased with the Holy Prophet and revelation stopped for ever. This is the doctrine of the cessation of wahi-i-nubuwwat. If the proposition that Muslim dogma, ethics and institutions, etc., are all based on the doctrine of inerrancy, whether such inerrancy lies in the Qur’an, the sunna, ijma’ or ijtihad-i-mutlaq, is fully comprehended, the various deductions that follow from it will be easily understandable. As the ultimate test of truth, whether the matter be one of a ritual or political or social or economic nature, is revelation and revelation has to be gathered from the Qur’an, and the sunna carries almost the same degree of inerrancy as revelation and the only evidence of sunna is hadith, the first duty of those who desire to establish an Islamic State will be to discover the precise rule applicable to the existing circumstances whether that rule is to be found in the Qur’an or hadith. Obviously the persons most suited for the purpose would be those who have made the Qur’an and hadith their lifelong study, namely, among the Sunnies, the ulama, and among the Shias, the mujtahids who are the spokesmen of the hidden Imam, the ruler de jure divino. The function of these divines would be to engage themselves in discovering rules applicable to particular situations and they will be engaged in a task similar to that in which Greek philosophers were engaged, with only this difference that whereas the latter thought that all truth lay in nature which had merely to be discovered by individual effort, the ulama and the mujtahids will have to get at the truth that lies in the holy Book and the books of hadith. The ulama Board which was recommended by the Basic Principles Committee was a logical recognition of this principle, and the true objection against that Board should indeed have been that the Board was too inadequate a mechanism to implement the principle which had brought that body into existence. Ijma’ means concurrence of the mujtahids of the people, i.e., of those who have a right, in virtue of knowledge, to form a judgment of their own, after the death of the Holy Prophet. The authority of ijma’ rests on the principle of a divine protection against error and is founded on a basal tradition of the Holy Prophet, “My people will never agree in error”, reported in Ibn Maja, By this procedure points which had been in dispute were fixed, and when fixed, they became an essential part of the faith and disbelief in them an act of unbelief (kufr). The essential point to remember about ijma’ is that it represents the agreement of the mujtahids and that the agreement of the masses is especially excluded. Thus ijma’ has not only fixed unsettled points but has changed settled doctrines of the greatest importance. The distinction between ijma’ and ijtihad is that whereas the former is collective, the latter is individual. Ijtihad means the exerting of one’s self to the utmost degree to form an opinion in a case or as to a rule of law. This is done by applying analogy to the Qur’an and the sunna. Ijtihad did not originally involve inerrancy, its result being always zann or fallible opinion. Only combined ijtihad led to ijma, and was inerrant. But this broad ijtihad soon passed into special ijtihad of those who had a peculiar right to form judgments. When later doctors looked back to the founding of the four legal schools, they assigned to their founders an ijtihad of the first rank (ijtihad-i-mutlaq). But from time to time individuals appeared who returned to the earliest meaning of ijtihad and claimed for themselves the right to form their own opinion from first principles. One of these was the Hanbalite Ibn Taimiya (died 728). Another was Suyuti (died 911) in whom the claim to ijtihad unites with one to be the mujaddid or renewer of religion in his century. At every time there must exist at least one mujtahid, was his contention, just as in every century there must come a mujaddid. In Shia Islam there are still absolute mujtahids because they are regarded as the spokesmen of the hidden Imam. Thus collective ijtihad leads to ijma’, and the basis of ijma’ is divine protection against error—inerrancy. ESSENTIALS OF ISLAMIC STATE Since the basis of Islamic law is the principle of inerrancy of revelation and of the Holy Prophet, the law to be found in the Qur’an and the sunna is above all man-made laws, and in case of conflict between the two, the latter, irrespective of its nature, must yield to the former. Thus, provided there be a rule in the Qur’an or the sunna on a matter which according to our conceptions falls within the region of Constitutional Law or International Law, the rule must be given effect to unless that rule itself permits a departure from it. Thus no distinction exists in Islamic law between Constitutional Law and other law, the whole law to be found in the Qur’an and the sunna being a part of the law of the land for Muslim subjects of the State. Similarly if there be a rule in the Qur’an or the sunna relating to the State’s relations with other States or to the relations of Muslim subjects of the State with other States or the subjects of those States, the rule will have the same superiority of sanction as any other law to be found in the Qur’an or the sunna. Therefore if Pakistan is or is intended to be converted into an Islamic State in the true sense of the word, its Constitution must contain the following five provisions:— (1) that all laws to be found in the Qur’an or the sunna shall be deemed to be a part of the law of the land for Muslims and shall be enforced accordingly; (2) that unless the Constitution itself is framed by ijma’-i-ummat, namely, by the agreement of the ulama and mujtahids of acknowledged status, any provision in the Constitution which is repugnant to the Qur’an or sunna shall to the extent of the repugnancy be void; (3) that unless the existing laws of Pakistan are adapted by ijma’-i-ummat of the kind mentioned above, any provision in the existing law which is contrary to the Qur’an or sunna shall to the extent of the repugnancy be void; (4) that any provision in any future law which is repugnant to Qur’an or sunna shall be void; (5) that no rule of International Law and no provision in any convention or treaty to which Pakistan is a party, which is contrary to the Qur’an or the sunna shall be binding on any Muslim in Pakistan. SOVEREIGNTY AND DEMOCRACY IN ISLAMIC STATE That the form of Government in Pakistan, if that form is to comply with the principles of Islam, will not be democratic is conceded by the ulama. We have already explained the doctrine of sovereignty of the Qur’an and the sunna. The Objectives Resolution rightly recognised this position when it recited that all sovereignty rests with God Almighty alone. But the authors of that Resolution misused the words ‘sovereign’ and ‘democracy’ when they recited that the Constitution to be framed was for a sovereign State in which principles of democracy as enunciated by Islam shall be fully observed. It may be that in the context in which they were used, these words could not be misunderstood by those who are well versed in Islamic principles, but both these words were borrowed from western political philosophy and in that sense they were both wrongly used in the Resolution. When it is said that a country is sovereign, the implication is that its people or any other group of persons in it are entitled to conduct the affairs of that country in any way they like and untrammelled by any considerations except those of expediency and policy. An Islamic State, however, cannot in this sense be sovereign, because it will not be competent to abrogate, repeal or do away with any law in the Qur’an or the sunna. Absolute restriction on the legislative power of a State is a restriction on the sovereignty of the people of that State and if the origin of this restriction lies elsewhere than in the will of the people, then to the extent of that restriction the sovereignty of the State and its people is necessarily taken away. In an Islamic State, sovereignty, in its essentially juristic sense, can only rest with Allah. In the same way, democracy means the rule of the demos, namely, the people, directly by them as in ancient Greece and Rome, or indirectly through chosen representatives as in modern democracies. If the power of the people in the framing of the Constitution or in the framing of the laws or in the sphere of executive action is subject to certain immutable rules, it cannot be said that they can pass any law that they like, or, in the exercise of executive functions, do whatever they like. Indeed if the legislature in an Islamic State is a sort of ijma’, the masses are expressly disqualified from taking part in it because ijma’-i-ummat in Islamic jurisprudence is restricted to ulama and mujtahids of acknowledged status and does not at all extend, as in democracy, to the populace. OTHER INCIDENTS OF ISLAMIC STATE ACCORDING TO ULAMA In the preceding pages we have attempted to state as clearly as we could the principles on which a religious State must be built if it is to be called an Islamic State. We now proceed to state some incidents of such State, with particular reference to the ulamas’ conception of it. LEGISLATURE AND LEGISLATION Legislature in its present sense is unknown to the Islamic system. The religiopolitical system which is called din-i-Islam is a complete system which contains in itself the mechanism for discovering and applying law to any situation that may arise. During the Islamic Republic there was no legislature in its modern sense and for every situation or emergency that arose law could be discovered and applied by the ulama. The law had been made and was not to be made, the only function of those entrusted with the administration of law being to discover the law for the purposes of the particular case, though when enunciated and applied it formed a precedent for others to follow. It is wholly incorrect, as has been suggested from certain quarters, that in a country like Pakistan, which consists of different communities, Muslim and non-Muslim, and where representation is allowed to non-Muslims with a right to vote on every subject that comes up, the legislature is a form of ijma’ or ijtihad, the reason being that ijtihad is not collective but only individual, and though ijma’ is collective, there is no place in it for those who are not experts in the knowledge of the law. This principle at once rules out the infidels (kuffar) whether they be people of Scriptures (ahl-i-kitab) or idolators (mushrikeen). Since Islam is a perfect religion containing laws, express or derivable by ijma’ or ijtihad, governing the whole field of human activity, there is in it no sanction for what may, in the modern sense, be called legislation. Questioned on this point Maulana Abul Hasanat, President, Jami’at-ul-Ulama-i-Pakistan says :— “Q.—Is the institution of legislature as distinguished from the institution of a person or body of persons entrusted with the interpretation of law, an integral part of an Islamic State? A.—No. Our law is complete and merely requires interpretation by those who are experts in it. According to my belief no question can arise the law relating to which cannot be discovered from the Qur’an or the hadith. Q.—Who were Sahib-ul-hall-i-wal-aqd A.—They were the distinguished ulama of the time. These persons attained their status by reason of the knowledge of the law. They were not in any way analogous or similar to the legislature in modern democracy.” The same view was expressed by Amir-i-Shari’at Sayyad Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari in one of his speeches reported in the ‘Azad’ of 22nd April, 1947, in the course of which he said that our din is complete and perfect and that it amounts to kufr to make more laws. Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi, however, is of the opinion that legislation in the true sense is possible in an Islamic State on matters which are not covered by the Qur’an, the sunna, or previous ijma’ and he has attempted to explain his point by reference to the institution of a body of persons whom the Holy Prophet, and after him the khulafa consulted on all matters relating to affairs of State. The question is one of some difficulty and great importance because any institution of legislature will have to be reconciled with the claim put forward by Maulana Abul Hasanat and some other religious divines that Islam is a perfect and exhaustive code wide enough to furnish an answer to any question that may arise relating to any human activity, and that it does not know of any “unoccupied field” to be filled by fresh legislation. There is no doubt that Islam enjoins consultation and that not only the Holy Prophet but also the first four caliphs and even their successors resorted to consultation with the leading men of the time, who for their knowledge of the law and piety could well be relied upon. In the inquiry not much has been disclosed about the Majlis-i-Shura except what is contained in Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi’s written statement which he supplied to the Court at its request. That there was a body of men who were consulted is true, but whether this was a standing body and whether its advice had any legal or binding force, seems somewhat doubtful. These men were certainly not elected in the modern way, though their representative character cannot be disputed. Their advice was certainly asked ad hoc, but that they were competent to make law as the modern legislatures make laws is certainly not correct. The decisions taken by them undoubtedly served as precedents and were in the nature of ijma’, which is not legislation but the application of an existing law to a particular case. When consulted in affairs of State, their functions were truly in the nature of an advice given by a modern cabinet but such advice is not law but only a decision. Nor can the legislature in a modern State correspond to ijma’ because as we have already pointed out, the legislature legislates while the ulama of Majlis-i-Shura who were called upon to determine what should be the decision on a particular point which was not covered by the Qur’an and the sunna, merely sought to discover and apply the law and not to promulgate the law, though the decision when taken had to be taken not only for the purposes of the particular case but for subsequent occasions as a binding precedent. An intriguing situation might arise if the Constitution Act provided that any provision of it, if it was inconsistent with the Qur’an or the sunna, would be void, and the intra vires of a law made by the legislature were questioned before the Supreme Court on the ground that the institution of legislature itself was contrary to the Qur’an and the sunna. POSITION OF NON-MUSLIMS The ground on which the removal of Chaudhri Zafrullah Khan and other Ahmadis occupying key positions in the State is demanded is that the Ahmadis are non-Muslims and that therefore like zimmies in an Islamic State they are not eligible for appointment to higher offices in the State. This aspect of the demands has directly raised a question about the position of non-Muslims in Pakistan if we are to have an Islamic Constitution. According to the leading ulama the position of non-Muslims in the Islamic State of Pakistan will be that of zimmies and they will not be full citizens of Pakistan because they will not have the same rights as Muslims They will have no voice in the making of the law, no right to administer the law and no right to hold public offices. A full statement of this position will be found in the evidence of Maulana Abul Hasanat Sayyad Muhammad Ahmad Qadri, Maulana Ahmad Ali, Mian Tufail Muhammad and Maulana Abdul Haamid Badayuni. Maulana Abul Hasanat on being questioned on the subject stated as follows :— “Q.—If we were to have an Islamic State in Pakistan, what will be the position of the kuffar (non-Muslims)? Will they have a voice in the making of laws, the right of administering the law and the right to hold public offices? A.—Their position will be that of zimmies. They will have no voice in the making of laws, no right to administer the law and no right to hold public offices. Q.—In an Islamic State can the head of the State delegate any part of his powers to kuffar? Maulana Ahmad Ali, when questioned, said:— “Q.—if we were to have an Islamic State in Pakistan, what will be the position of the kuffar? Will they have a hand in the making of the law, the right to administer the law and the right to hold public offices ? A.—Their position will be that of zimmies. They will have no say in the making of law and no right to administer the law. Government may, however, permit them to hold any public office”. Mian Tufail Muhammad stated as follows :— “Q.—Read the article on minorities’ rights in the ‘Civil and Military Gazette’ of 13th October, 1953, and say whether it correctly represents your view of an Islamic State? (It was stated in the articles that minorities would have the same rights as Muslims). A.—I have read this article and do not acknowledge these rights for the Christians or other non-Muslims in Pakistan if the State is founded on the ideology of the Jama’at”. The confusion on this point in the mind of Maulana Abdul Haamid Badayuni, President, Jami’at-ul-Ulama-i-Pakistan, is apparent from the following: — “Q.—Have you ever read the aforesaid speech (the speech of the Quaid-i-Azam to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on 11th August, 1947)? A.—Yes, I have read that speech. Q.—Do you still agree with the conception of Pakistan that the Quaid-i-Azam presented to the Constituent Assembly in this speech in which he said that thereafter there would be only one Pakistan nation, consisting of Muslims and non-Muslims, having equal civic rights, without any distinction of race, religion or creed and that religion would be merely a private affair of the individual ? A.—I accept the principle that all communities, whether Muslims or non-Muslims, should have, according to their population, proper representation in the administration of the State and legislation, except that non-Muslims cannot be taken in the army or the judiciary or be appointed as Ministers or to other posts involving the reposing of confidence. Q.—Are you suggesting that the position of non-Muslims would be that of zimmies or any better ? A.—No. By zimmies are meant non-Muslim people of lands which have been conquered by an Islamic State, and the word is not applicable to non-Muslim minorities already living in an Islamic State. Such minorities are called mu’ahids, i.e. those people with whom some agreement has been made. Q.—What will be their status if there is no agreement with them ? A.—In that case such communities cannot have any rights of citizenship. Q.—Will the non-Muslim communities inhabiting Pakistan be called by you as mu’ahids? A.—No, not in the absence of an agreement with them. To my knowledge there is no such agreement with such communities in Pakistan.” So, according to the evidence of this learned divine, the non-Muslims of Pakistan will neither be citizens nor will they have the status of zimmies or of mu’ahids. During the Islamic Republic, the head of the State, the khalifa, was chosen by a system of election, which was wholly different from the present system of election based on adult or any other form of popular suffrage. The oath of allegiance (ba’it) rendered to him possessed a sacramental virtue, and on his being chosen by the consensus of the people (ijma’-ul-ummat) he became the source of all channels of legitimate Government. He and he alone then was competent to rule, though he could delegate his powers to deputies and collect around him a body of men of outstanding piety and learning, called Majlis-i-Shura or Ahl-ul-Hall-i-wal-Aqd. The principal feature of this system was that the kuffar, for reasons which are too obvious and need not be stated, could not be admitted to this majlis and the power which had vested in the khalifa could not be delegated to the kuffar. The khalifa was the real head of the State, all power vesting in him and not a powerless individual like the President of a modern democratic State who is merely to sign the record of decisions taken by the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. He could not appoint non-Muslims to important posts, and could give them no place either in the interpretation or the administration of the law, the making of the law by them, as already pointed out, being a legal impossibility. This being the position, the State will have to devise some machinery by which the distinction between a Muslim and a non-Muslim may be determined and its consequences enforced. The question, therefore, whether a person is or is not a Muslim will be of fundamental importance, and it was for this reason that we asked most of the leading ulama, to give their definition of a Muslim, the point being that if the ulama of the various sects believed the Ahmadis to be kafirs, they must have been quite clear in their minds not only about the grounds of such belief but also about the definition of a Muslim because the claim that a certain person or community is not within the pale of Islam implies on the part of the claimant an exact conception of what a Muslim is. The result of this part of the inquiry, however, has been anything but satisfactory, and if considerable confusion exists in the minds of our ulama on such a simple matter, one can easily imagine what the differences on more complicated matters will be. Below we reproduce the definition of a Muslim given by each alim in his own words. This definition was asked after it had been clearly explained to each witness that he was required to give the irreducible minimum conditions which, a person must satisfy to be entitled to be called a Muslim and that the definition was to be on the principle on which a term in grammar is defined. Here is the result : — Maulana Abul Hasanat Muhammad Ahmad Qadri, President, Jami’at-ul-Ulamai- Pakistan — “Q.— What is the definition of a Muslim ? A — (1) He must believe in the Unity of God. (2) He must believe in the prophet of Islam to be a true prophet as well as in all other prophets who have preceded him, (3) He must believe in the Holy Prophet of Islam as the last of the prophets (khatam-un-nabiyin). (4) He must believe in the Qur’an as it was revealed by God to the Holy Prophet of Islam. (5) He must believe as binding on him the injunctions of the Prophet of Islam. (6) He must believe in the qiyamat. Q.—Is a tarik-us-salat a Muslim ? A.—Yes, but not a munkir-us-salat” Maulana Ahmad Ali, President, Jami’at-ul-Ulama-i-Islam, Maghribi Pakistan — “Q.— Please define a Muslim ? A.—A person is a Muslim if he believes (1) in the Qur’an and (2) what has been said by the prophet. Any person who possesses these two qualifications is entitled to be called a Muslim without his being required to believe in anything more or to do anything more.” Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi, Amir Jama’at-i-Islami — “Q.—Please define a Muslim ? A.—A person is a Muslim if he believes (1) in tauheed, (2) in all the prophets (ambiya), (3) all the books revealed by God, (4) in mala’ika (angels), and (5) yaum-ul-akhira (the Day of Judgment). Q.—Is a mere profession of belief in these articles sufficient to entitle a man to call himself a Musalman and to be treated as a Musalman in an Islamic State ? Q.—If a person says that he believes in all these things, does any one have a right to question the existence of his belief ? A.—The five requisites that I have mentioned above are fundamental and any alteration in anyone of these articles will take him out of the pale of Islam.” Ghazi Siraj-ud-Din Munir— A.—I consider a man to be a Muslim if he professes his belief in the kalima, namely, La Ilaha Illalah-o-Muhammad-ur-Rasulullah, and leads a life in the footsteps of the Holy Prophet.” Mufti Muhammad Idris, Jamia Ashrafia, Nila Gumbad, Lahore— “Q.—Please give the definition of a Musalman ? A.—The word ‘Musalman’ is a Persian one. There is a distinction between the word ‘Musalman’ which is a Persian word for Muslim and the word ‘momin’. It is impossible for me to give a complete definition of the word ‘momin’. I would require pages and pages to describe what a momin is. A person is a Muslim who professes to be obedient to Allah. He should believe in the Unity of God, prophethood of the ambiya and in the Day of Judgment. A person who does not believe in the azan or in the qurbani goes outside the pale of Islam. Similarly, there are a large number of other things which have been received by tavatir from our prophet. In order to be a Muslim, he must believe in all these things. It is almost impossible for me to give a complete list of such things.” Hafiz Kifayat Hussain, Idara-i-Haquq-i-Tahaffuz-i-Shia— “Q.—Who is a Musalman? A.—A person is entitled to be called a Musalman if he believes in (1) tauheed, (2) nubuwwat and (3) qiyamat. These are the three fundamental beliefs which a person must profess to be called a Musalman. In regard to these three basic doctrines there is no difference between the Shias and the Sunnies. Besides the belief in these three doctrines, there are other things called ‘zarooriyat-i-din’ which a person must comply with in order to be entitled to be called a Musalman. These will take me two days to define and enumerate. But as an illustration I might state that the respect for the Holy Book, wajoob-i-nimaz, wajoob-i-roza, wajoob-i-hajj-ma’a-sharait, and other things too numerous to mention, are among the ‘zarooriyat-i-din’ ” Maulana Abdul Hamid Badayuni, President, Jami’at-ul-Ulama-i-Pakistan : “Q.—Who is a Musalman according to you ? A.—A person who believes in the zarooriyat-i-din is called a momin and every momin is entitled to be called a Musalman. Q.—What are these zarooriyat-i-din ? A.—A person who believes in the five pillars of Islam and who believes in the rasalat of our Holy Prophet fulfils the zarooriyat-i-din. Q.—Have other actions, apart from the five arakan, anything to do with a man being a Muslim or being outside the pale of Islam? (Note—Witness has been explained that by actions are meant those rules of moral conduct which in modern society are accepted as correct.) A.—Certainly. Q.—Then you will not call a person a Muslim who believes in arakan-ikhamsa and the rasalat of the prophet but who steals other peoples’ things, embezzles property entrusted to him, has an evil eye on his neighbour’s wife and is guilty of the grossest ingratitude to his benefector? A.—Such a person, if he has the belief already indicated, will be a Muslim despite all this”. Maulana Muhammad Ali Kandhalvi, Darush-Shahabia, Sialkot — “Q.—Please define a Musalman? A.—A person who in obedience to the commands of the prophet performs all the zarooriyat-i-din is a Musalman. Q.—Can you define zarooriyat-i-din ? A.—Zarooriyat-i-din are those requirements which are known to every Muslim irrespective of his religious knowledge. Q.—Can you enumerate zarooriyat-i-din ? A.—These are too numerous to be mentioned. I myself cannot enumerate these zarooriyat. Some of the zarooriyat-i-din may be mentioned as salat, saum, etc.” Maulana Amin Ahsan Islahi — A.—There are two kinds of Musalmans, a political (siyasi) Musalman and a real (haqiqi) Musalman. In order to be called a political Musalman, a person must: (1) believe in the Unity of God, (2) believe in our Holy Prophet being khatam-un-nabiyin, i.e., ‘final authority’ in all matters relating to the life of that person, (3) believe that all good and evil comes from Allah, (4) believe in the Day of Judgment, (5) believe in the Qur’an to be the last book revealed by Allah, (6) perform the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, (7) pay the zaka’at, (8) say his prayers like the Musalmans, (9) observe all apparent rules of Islami mu’ashira, and (10) observe the fast (saum). If a person satisfies all these conditions he is entitled to the rights of a full citizen of an Islamic State. If any one of these conditions is not satisfied, the person concerned will not be a political Musalman. (Again said) It would be enough for a person to be a Musalman if he merely professes his belief in these ten matters irrespective of whether he puts them into practice or not. In order to be a real Musalman, a person must believe in and act on all the injunctions by Allah and his prophet in the manner in which they have been enjoined upon him. Q.—Will you say that only the real Musalman is ‘mard-i-saleh’ ? Q.—do we understand you aright that in the case of what you have called a political (siyasi) Musalman, belief alone is necessary, while in the case of a haqiqi Musalman there must not only be belief but also action? A.—No, you have not understood me aright. Even in the case of a political (siyasi) Musalman action is necessary but what I mean to say is that if a person does not act upon the belief that is necessary in the case of such a Musalman, he will not be outside the pale of a political (siyasi) Musalman. Q.—If a political (siyasi) Musalman does not believe in things which you have stated to be necessary, will you call such a person be-din ? A.—No, I will call him merely be-amal”. The definition by the Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiya, Rabwah, in its written statement is that a Muslim is a person who belongs to the ummat of the Holy Prophet and professes belief in kalima-i-tayyaba. Keeping in view the several definitions given by the ulama, need we make any comment except that no two learned divines are agreed on this fundamental. If we attempt our own definition as each learned divine has done and that definition differs from that given by all others, we unanimously go out of the fold of Islam. And if we adopt the definition given by any one of the ulama, we remain Muslims according to the view of that alim but kafirs according to the definition of every one else. Apostasy in an Islamic State is punishable with death. On this the ulama are practically unanimous (vide the evidence of Maulana Abul Hasanat Sayyad Muhammad Ahmad Qadri, President, Jami’at-ul-Ulama-i-Pakistan, Punjab; Maulana Ahmad Ali, Sadr Jami’at-ul-Ulama-i-Islam, West Pakistan; Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi, founder and ex-Amir-i-Jama’at-i-Islami, Pakistan; Mufti Muhammad Idris, Jami’Ashrafia, Lahore, and Member, Jami’at-ul-Ulama-i-Pakistan; Maulana Daud Ghaznavi, President, Jami’at-i-Ahl-i-Hadith, Maghribi Pakistan; Maulana Abdul Haleem Qasimi, Jami’at-ul-Ulama-i-Islam, Punjab; and Mr. Ibrahim Ali Chishti). According to this doctrine, Chaudhri Zafrullah Khan, if he has not inherited his present religious beliefs but has voluntarily elected to be an Ahmadi, must be put to death. And the same fate should befall Deobandis and Wahabis, including Maulana Muhammad Shafi Deobandi, Member, Board of Talimat-i-Islami attached to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, and Maulana Daud Ghaznavi, if Maulana Abul Hasanat Sayyad Muhammad Ahmad Qadri or Mirza Raza Ahmad Khan Barelvi, or any one of the numerous ulama who are shown perched on every leaf of a beautiful tree in the fatwa, Ex. D. E. 14, were the head of such Islamic State. And if Maulana Muhammad Shafi Deobandi were the head of the State, he would exclude those who have pronounced Deobandis as kafirs from the pale of Islam and inflict on them the death penalty if they come within the definition of murtadd, namely, if they have changed and not inherited their religious views. The genuineness of the fatwa, Ex. D. E. 13, by the Deobandis which says that Asna Ashari Shias are kafirs and murtadds, was questioned in the course of enquiry, but Maulana Muhammad Shafi made an inquiry on the subject from Deoband, and received from the records of that institution the copy of a fatwa signed by all the teachers of the Darul Uloom including Maulana Muhammad Shafi himself which is to the effect that those who do not believe in the sahabiyyat of Hazrat Siddiq Akbar and who are qazif of Hazrat Aisha Siddiqa and have been guilty of tehrif of Qur’an are kafirs. This opinion is also supported by Mr. Ibrahim Ali Chishti who has studied and knows his subject. He thinks the Shias are kafirs because they believe that Hazrat Ali shared the prophethood with our Holy Prophet. He refused to answer the question whether a person who being a Sunni changes his view and agrees with the Shia view would be guilty of irtidad so as to deserve the death penalty. According to the Shias all Sunnis are kafirs, and Ahl-i-Qur’an; namely, persons who consider hadith to be unreliable and therefore not binding, are unanimously kafirs and so are all independent thinkers. The net result of all this is that neither Shias nor Sunnis nor Deobandis nor Ahl-i-Hadith nor Barelvis are Muslims and any change from one view to the other must be accompanied in an Islamic State with the penalty of death if the Government of the State is in the hands of the party which considers the other party to be kafirs. And it does not require much imagination to judge of the consequences of this doctrine when it is remembered that no two ulama have agreed before us as to the definition of a Muslim. If the constituents of each of the definitions given by the ulama are given effect to, and subjected to the rule of ‘combination and permutation’ and the form of charge in the Inquisition’s sentence on Galileo is adopted mutatis mutandis as a model, the grounds on which a person may be indicted for apostasy will be too numerous to count. In an earlier part of the report we have referred to the proscription of the ‘Ashshahab’, a pamphlet written by Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani who later became Sheikh-ul-Islam-i-Pakistan. In that pamphlet the Maulana had attempted to show from the Qur’an, the sunna, the ijma’ and qayas that in Islam the punishment for apostasy (irtidad) simpliciter is death. After propounding the theological doctrine the Maulana had made in that document a statement of fact that in the time of the Caliph Siddiq-i-Akbar and the subsequent Caliphs vast areas of Arabia became repeatedly red with the blood of apostates. We are not called upon to express any opinion as to the correctness or otherwise of this doctrine but knowing that the suggestion to the Punjab Government to proscribe this pamphlet had come from the Minister for the Interior we have attempted to inquire of ourselves the reasons for Government’s taking a step which ex hypothesi amounted to condemning a doctrine which the Maulana had professed to derive from the Qur’an and the sunna. The death penalty for irtidad has implications of a far-reaching character and stamps Islam as a religion of fanatics, which punishes all independent thinking. The Qur’an again and again lays emphasis on reason and thought, advises toleration and preaches against compulsion in religious matters but the doctrine of irtidad as enunciated in this pamphlet strikes at the very root of independent thinking when it propounds the view that anyone who, being born a Muslim or having embraced Islam, attempts to think on the subject of religion with a view, if he comes to that conclusion, to choose for himself any religion he likes, has the capital penalty in store for him. With this implication Islam becomes an embodiment of complete intellectual paralysis. And the statement in the pamphlet that vast areas of Arabia were repeatedly bespattered with human blood, if true, could only lend itself to this inference that even when Islam was at the height of its splendour and held absolute sway in Arabia there were in that country a large number of people who turned away from that religion and preferred to die than to remain in that system. It must have been some such reaction of this pamphlet on the mind of the Minister for the Interior which prompted him to advise the Punjab Government to proscribe the pamphlet. Further the Minister who was himself well-versed in religious matters must have thought that the conclusion drawn by the author of the pamphlet which was principally based on the precedent mentioned in paras. 26, 27 and 28 of the Old Testament and which is only partially referred to in the Qur’an in the 54th verse of the Second Sura, could not be applicable to apostasy from Islam and that therefore the author’s opinion was in fact incorrect, there being no express text in the Qur’an for the death penalty for apostasy. On the contrary each of the two ideas, one underlying the six brief verses of Surat-ul-Kafiroon and the other the La Ikrah verse of the second Sura, has merely to be understood to reject as erroneous the view propounded in the ‘Ash-Shahab’. Each of the verses in Surat-ul-Kafiroon which contains thirty words and no verse of which exceeds six words, brings out a fundamental trait in man engrained in him since his creation while the La Ikrah verse, the relevant portion of which contains only nine words, states the rule of responsibility of the mind with a precision that cannot be surpassed. Both of these texts which are an early part of the Revelation are, individually and collectively, the foundation of that principle which human society, after centuries of conflict, hatred and bloodshed, has adopted in defining one of the most important fundamental rights of man. But our doctors would never dissociate chauvinism from Islam. PROPAGATION OF OTHER RELIGIONS Closely allied to the punishment for apostasy is the right of non-Muslims publicly to preach their religion. The principle which punishes an apostate with death must be applicable to public preaching of kufr and it is admitted by Maulana Abul Hasanat, Ghazi Siraj-ud-Din Munir and Master Taj-ud-Din Ansari, though the last subordinates his opinion to the opinion of the ulama, that any faith other than Islam will not be permitted publicly to be preached in the State. And Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi, as will appear from his pamphlet ‘Punishment in Islam for an apostate’, has the same views on the subject. Ghazi Siraj-ud-Din Munir, when questioned on this point, replied :— “Q.—What will you do with them (Ahmadis) if you were the head of the Pakistan State ? A.—I would tolerate them as human beings but will not allow them the right to preach their religion”. The prohibition against public preaching of any non-Muslim religion must logically follow from the proposition that apostasy will be punished with death and that any attack on, or danger to Islam will be treated as treason and punished in the same way as apostasy. Earlier we have pointed out that one of the doctrines on which the Musalmans and Ahmadis are at variance is that of jihad. This doctrine at once raises a host of other allied matters such as the meanings of ghazi, shahid, jihad-bis-saif, jihad fi sabili’llah, dar-ul-Islam, dar-ul-harb, hijrat, ghanima, khums and slavery, and the conflict or reconciliation of these conceptions with modern international problems such as aggression, genocide, international criminal jurisdiction, international conventions and rules of public international law. An Islamic State is dar-ul-Islam, namely, a country where ordinances of Islam are established and which is under the rule of a Muslim sovereign. Its inhabitants are Muslims and also non-Muslims who have submitted to Muslim control and who under certain restrictions and without the possibility of full citizenship are guaranteed their lives and property by the Muslim State. They must, however, be people of Scriptures and may not be idolaters. An Islamic State is in theory perpetually at war with the neighbouring non-Muslim country, which at any time may become dar-ul-harb, in which case it is the duty of the Muslims of that country to leave it and to come over to the country of their brethren in faith. We put this aspect to Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi and reproduce his views :— According to Ghias-ul-Lughat, dar-ul-harb is a country belonging to infidels which has not been subdued by Islam, and the consequences of a country becoming darul-harb are thus stated in the Shorter Encyclopaedia of Islam :— “When a country does become a dar-ul-harb, it is the duty of all Muslims to withdraw from it, and a wife who refuses to accompany her husband in this, is ipso facto divorced”. Thus in case of a war between India and Pakistan, if the latter is an Islamic State, we must be prepared to receive forty million Muslims from across the border into Pakistan. In fact, Maulana Abdul Haamid Badayuni, President, Jami’at-ul-Ulama-i- Pakistan, thinks that a case for hijrat already exists for the Musalmans of India. The following is his view on this subject :— “Q.—Do yon call your migration to Pakistan as hijrat in the religious sense ? We shall presently point out why Mirza Ghulam Ahmad’s version of the doctrine of jihad is relied on as a ground for his and his community’s kufr, but before we do that it is necessary first to state how jihad has been or is understood by the Musalmans. There are various theories about jihad which vary from the crude notion of a megalomaniac moved by religious frenzy going out armed with sword and indiscriminately slaughtering non-Muslims in the belief that if he dies in the combat he becomes a shahid and if he succeeds in killing attains the status of a ghazi, to the conception that a Musalman throughout his life is pitted against kufr, kufr here being used in the sense of evil and wrong, and that his principal activity in life is to strive by argument a where necessary by force to spread Islam until it becomes a world religion. In the latter case he fights not for any personal end but because he considers such strife as a duty and an obligation which he owes to Allah and the only recompense for which is the pleasure of Allah. The Shorter Encyclopedia of Islam contains the following brief article on djihad :— “DJIHAD (A), holy war. The spread of Islam by arms is a religious duty upon Muslims in general. It narrowly escaped being a sixth rukn, or fundamental duty, and is indeed still so regarded by the descendants of the Kharidjis. This position was reached gradually but quickly. In the Meccan Suras of the Qur’an patience under attack is taught ; no other attitude was possible. But at Medina the right to repel attack appears, and gradually it became a prescribed duty to fight against and subdue the hostile Meccans. Whether Muhammad himself recognised that his position implied steady and unprovoked war against the unbelieving world until it was subdued to Islam may be in doubt. Traditions are explicit on the point ; but the Qur’anic passages speak always of the unbelievers who are to be subdued as dangerous or faithless. Still, the story of his writing to the powers around him shows that such a universal position was implicit in his mind, and it certainly developed immediately after his death, when the Muslim armies advanced out of Arabia. It is now a fard ala’l-kifaya, a duty in general on all male, free, adult Muslims, sane in mind and body and having means enough to reach the Muslim army, yet not a duty necessarily incumbent on every individual but sufficiently performed when done by a certain number. So it must continue to be done until the whole world is under the rule of Islam. It must be controlled or headed by a Muslim sovereign or imam. As the imam of the Shias is now invisible, they cannot have a djihad until he reappears. Further, the requirement will be met if such a sovereign makes an expedition once a year, or, even, in the later view, if he makes annual preparation for one. The people against whom the djihad is directed must first be invited to embrace Islam. On refusal they have another choice. They may submit to Muslim rule, become dhimmis (q. v.) and pay djizya and kharadj (q. v.) or fight. In the first case, their lives, families and property are assured to them, but they have a definitely inferior status, with no technical citizenship, and a standing only as protected wards. If they fight, they and their families may be enslaved and all their property seized as booty, four-fifths of which goes to the conquering army. If they embrace Islam, and it is open to them to do so even when the armies are face to face, they become part of the Muslim community with all its rights and duties. Apostates must be put to death. But if a Muslim country is invaded by unbelievers, the imam may issue a general summons calling all Muslims there to arms, and as the danger grows so may be the width of the summons until the whole Muslim world is involved. A Muslim who dies fighting in the path of Allah (fi sabil Allah) is martyr (shahid) and is assured of Paradise and of peculiar privileges there. Such a death was, in the early generations, regarded as the peculiar crown of a pious life. It is still, on occasions, a strong incitement, but when Islam ceased to conquer it lost its supreme value. Even yet, however, any war between Muslims and non-Muslims must be a djihad with its incitements and rewards. Of course, such modern movements as the so-called Mu’tazili in India and the Young Turk in Turkey reject this and endeavour to explain away its basis; but the Muslim masses still follow the unanimous voice of the canon lawyers. Islam must be completely made over before the doctrine of djihad can be eliminated”. The generally accepted view is that the fifth verse to Sura-i-Tauba (Sura IX) abrogated the earlier verses revealed in Mecca which permitted the killing of kuffar only in self-defence. As against this the Ahmadis believe that no verso in the Qur’an was abrogated by another verse and that both sets of verses, namely, the Meccan verses and the relative verses in Sura-i-Tauba have different scopes and can stand together. This introduces the difficult controversy of nasikh and mansukh, with all its implications. It is argued on behalf of the Ahmadis that the doctrine of nasikh and mansukh is opposed to the belief in the existence of an original Scripture in Heaven, and that implicit in this doctrine is the admission that unless the verse alleged to be repealed was meant for a specific occasion and by the coming of that occasion fulfilled its purpose and thus spent itself, God did not know of the subsequent circumstances which would make the earlier verse inapplicable or lead to an undesired result. The third result of this doctrine, it is pointed out, cuts at the very root of the claim that laws of Islam are immutable and inflexible because if changed circumstances made a new revelation necessary, any change in the circumstances subsequent to the completion of the revelation would make most of the revelation otiose or obsolete. We are wholly incompetent to pronounce on the merits of this controversy but what has to be pointed out is the result to which the doctrine of jihad will lead if, as appears from the article in the Shorter Encyclopaedia of Islam and other writings produced before us including one by Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi and another by Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, it involves the spread of Islam by arms and conquest. ‘Aggression’ and ‘genocide’ are now offences against humanity for which under sentences pronounced by different International tribunals at Nuremburg and Tokio the war lords of Germany and Japan had to forfeit their lives, and there is hardly any difference between the offences of aggression and genocide on the one hand and the doctrine of spread of Islam by arms and conquest on the other. An International Convention on genocide is about to be concluded but if the view of jihad presented to us is correct, Pakistan cannot be a party to it. And while the following verses in the Mecca Suras :— Sura II, verses 190 and 193 :190. “Fight in the Cause of God Those who fight you, But do not transgress limits ; For God loveth not transgressors”. 193. “And fight them on Until there is no more Tumult or oppression, And there prevail Justice and faith in God ; But if they cease, Let there be no hostility Except to those Who practise oppression”. Sura XXII, verses 39 and 40: 39. “To those against whom War is made, permission Is given (to fight) because They are wronged;— and verily, God is most Powerful For their aid;—” 40. “(They are) those who have Been expelled from their homes In defiance of right,— (For no cause) except That they say, ‘Our Lord Is God.’ Did not God Check one set of people By means of another, There would surely have been Pulled down monasteries, churches, Synagogues, and mosques, in which The name of God is commemorated In abundant measure. God will Certainly aid those who Aid His (cause);—for verily God is Full of Strength, Exalted in Might, (Able to enforce His Will),” contain in them the sublime principle which international jurists have only faintly begun to discover, we must go on preaching that aggression is the chief characteristic of Islam. The law relating to prisoners of war is another branch of Islamic law which is bound to come in conflict with International Law. As for instance, in matters relating to the treatment of prisoners of war, we shall have to be governed by Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi’s view, assuming that view is based on the Qur’an and the sunna, which is as follows :— A.—No. A war may be declared to be a jihad if it is declared by a national Government of Muslims in the legitimate interests of the State. I never expressed the opinion attributed to me in Ex. D. E. 12:— “Raha yeh masala keh agar hukumat-i-Pakisten apni maujuda shukl-o-surat ke sath Indian Union ke sath apne mu’ahadat khatm kar-ke i’lan-i-jang bar bhi de to kya us-ki yeh jang jihad ke hukam men a-ja’egi ? Ap ne is bare men jo rae zahir ki hai woh bilkul darust hai – Jab-tak hukumat Islami nizam ko ikhtiyar kar-ke Islami nah ho jae us waqt tak us-ki kisi jang ko jihad kehna aisa hi hai jaisa kisi ghair Muslim ke Azad Kashmir ki fauj men bharti ho-kar larne ko jihad aur us-ki maut ko shahadat ka nam dediya jae – Maulana ka jo mudd’a hai woh yeh hai keh mu’ahadat ki maujudgi men to hukumat ya us-ke shehriyon ka is jang men sharik hona shar’-an ja’iz hi nahin – Agar hukumat mu’ahadat khatm kar-ke jang ka i’lan kar-de to hukumat ki jang to jihad phir bhi nahin hogi ta-an keh hukumat Islami nah ho jae.’ ‘The question remains whether, even if the Government of Pakistan, in its present form and structure, terminates her treaties with the Indian Union and declares war against her, this war would fall under the definition of jihad? The opinion expressed by him in this behalf is quite correct. Until such time as the Government becomes Islamic by adopting the Islamic form of Government, to call any of its wars a jihad would be tantamount to describing the enlistment and fighting of a non-Muslim on the side of the Azad Kashmir forces jihad and his death martyrdom. What the Maulana means is that, in the presence of treaties, it is against Shari’at, if the Government or its people participate in such a war. If the Government terminates the treaties and declares war, even then the war started by Government would not be termed jihad unless the Government becomes Islamic’. About the view expressed in this letter being that of Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi, there is the evidence of Mian Tufail Muhammad, the writer of the letter, who states: “Ex. D. E. 12 is a photostat copy of a letter which I wrote to someone whose name I do not now remember.” Maulana Abul Hasanat Muhammad Ahmad Qadri’s view on this point is as Q.—Does it differ in fundamentals from the present International Law? Q.—What are the rights of a person taken prisoner in war? A.—He can embrace Islam or ask for aman, in which case he will be treated as a musta’min. If he does not ask for aman, he would be made a slave”. Similar is the opinion expressed by Mian Tufail Muhammad of Jam’at-i-Islami who says:— “Q.—Is there any law of war in Islamic laws? Q.—If that comes into conflict with International Law, which will you follow? A.—Islamic law. Q.—Then please state what will be the status of prisoners of war captured by your forces? A.—I cannot reply to this off hand. I will have to study the point.” Of course ghanima (plunder) and khums (one-fifth) if treated as a necessary incident of jihad will be treated by international society as a mere act of brigandage. REACTION ON MUSLIMS OF NON-MUSLIM STATES The ideology on which an Islamic State is desired to be founded in Pakistan must have certain consequences for the Musalmans who are living in countries under non-Muslim sovereigns. We asked Amir-i-Shari’at Sayyad Ataullah Shah Bukhari whether a Muslim could be a faithful subject of a non-Muslim State and reproduce his answer:— “Q.—In your opinion is a Musalman bound to obey orders of a kafir Government? A.—It is not possible that a Musalman should be faithful citizen of a non-Muslim Government. Q.—Will it be possible for the four crore of Indian Muslims to be faithful citizens of their State? The answer is quite consistent with the ideology which has been pressed before us, but then if Pakistan is entitled to base its Constitution on religion, the same right must be conceded to other countries where Musalmans are in substantial minorities or if they constitute a preponderating majority in a country where sovereignty rests with a non-Muslim community. We, therefore, asked the various ulama whether, if non-Muslims in Pakistan were to be subjected to this discrimination in matters of citizenship, the ulama would have any objection to Muslims in other countries being subjected to a similar discrimination. Their reactions to this suggestion are reproduced below:— Maulana Abul Hasanat Sayyed Muhammad Ahmad Qadri, President, Jami’at-ul-Ulama-i-Pakistan:— “Q.—You will admit for the Hindus, who are in a majority in India, the right to have a Hindu religious State? Q.—Will you have any objection if the Muslims are treated under that form of Government as malishes or shudras under the law of Manu? Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi :— Amir-i-Shari’at Sayyad Ata Ullah Skak Bukhari :— “Q.—How many crores of Muslims are there in India? A.—Four crores. Q.—Have you any objection to the law of Manu being applied to them according to which they will have no civil right and will be treated as malishes and shudras? A.—I am in Pakistan and I cannot advise them.” Mian Tufail Muhammad of Jama’at-i-Islami :— “Q.—What is the population of Muslims in the world? A.—Fifty crores. Q.—If the total population of Muslims of the world is 50 crores, as you say, and the number of Muslims living in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Indonesia, Egypt, Persia, Syria, Lebanon, Trans-Jordan, Turkey and Iraq does not exceed 20 crores, will not the result of your ideology beto convert 30 crores of Muslims in the world into hewers of wood anddrawers of water? A.—My ideology should not affect their position. Q.—Even if they are subjected to discrimination on religious grounds and denied ordinary rights of citizenship ? This witness goes to the extent of asserting that even if a non-Muslim Government were to offer posts to Muslims in the public services of the country, it will be their duty to refuse such posts. Ghazi Siraj-ud-Din Munir :— “Q.—Do you want an Islamic State in Pakistan? A.—Surely. Q.—What will be your reaction if the neighbouring country was to found their political system on their own religion? A.—They can do it if they like. Q.—Do you admit for them the right to declare that all Muslims in India, are shudras and malishes with no civil rights whatsoever? A.—We will do our best to see that before they do it their political sovereignty is gone. We are too strong for India. We will be strong enough to prevent India from doing this. Q.—Is it a part of the religious obligations of Muslims to preach their religion? A—Yes. Q.—Is it a part of the duty of Muslims in India publicly to preach their religion? A.—They should have that right. Q.—What if the Indian State is founded on a religious basis and the right to preach religion is disallowed to its Muslim nationals? A —If India makes any such law, believer in the Expansionist movement as I am, I will march on India and conquer her.” So this is the reply to the reciprocity of discrimination on religious grounds. Master Taj-ud-Din Ansari :— “Q.—Would you like to have the same ideology for the four crores of Muslims in India as you are impressing upon the Muslims of Pakistan? A.—That ideology will not let them remain in India for one minute. Q.—Does the ideology of a Muslim change from place to place and from time to time? Q.—Then why should not the Muslims of India have the same ideology as you have? A.—They should answer that question.” The ideology advocated before us, if adopted by Indian Muslims, will completely disqualify them for public offices in the State, not only in India but in other countries also which are under a non-Muslim Government. Muslims will become perpetual suspects everywhere and will not be enrolled in the army because according to this ideology, in case of war between a Muslim country and a non-Muslim country, Muslim soldiers of the non-Muslim country must either side with the Muslim country or surrender their posts. The following is the view expressed by two divines whom we questioned on this point:— Maulana Abul Hasanat Sayyed Muhammad Ahmad Qadri, President, Jami’at-ul- Ulama-i-Pakistan :— “Q.—What will be the duty of Muslims in India in case of war between India and Pakistan? A.—Their duty is obvious, namely, to side with us and not to fight against us on behalf of India.” Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi : — “Q.—What will be the duty of the Muslims in India in case of war between India and Pakistan? A.—Their duty is obvious, and that is not to fight against Pakistan or to do anything injurious to the safety of Pakistan.” OTHER INCIDENTS Other incidents of an Islamic State are that all sculpture, playing of cards, portrait painting, photographing human beings, music, dancing, mixed acting, cinemas and theatres will have to be closed. Thus says Maulana Abdul Haleem Qasimi, representative of Jami’at-ul-Ulama-i-Pakistan: — “Q.—What are your views on tashbih and tamseel ? A.—You should ask me a concrete question. Q.—What are your views on lahw-o-la’b? A.—The same is my reply to this question. Q.—What are your views about portrait painting? A.—There is nothing against it if any such painting becomes necessary. Q.—What about photography? A.—My reply to it is the same as the reply regarding portrait painting. Q.—What about sculpture as an art? A.—It is prohibited by our religion. Q.—Will you bring playing of cards in lohw-o-la’b? A.—Yes, it will amount to lahw-o-la’b. Q.—What about music and dancing? A.—It is all forbidden by our religion. Q.—What about drama and acting? A —It all depends on what kind of acting you mean. If it involves immodesty and intermixture of sexes, the Islamic law is against it. Q.—If the State is founded on your ideals, will you make a law stopping portrait painting, photographing of human beings, sculpture, playing of cards, music, dancing, acting and all cinemas and theatres? A.—Keeping in view the present form of these activities, my answer is in the affirmative.” Maulana Abdul Haamid Badayuni considers it to be a sin (ma’siyat) on the part of professors of anatomy to dissect dead bodies of Muslims to explain points of anatomy to the students. The soldier or the policeman will have the right, on grounds of religion, to disobey a command by a superior authority. Maulana Abul Hasanat’s view on this is as follows :— “I believe that if a policeman is required to do something which we consider to be contrary to our religion, it should be the duty of the policeman to disobey the authority. The same would be my answer if ‘army’ were substituted for ‘police’. Q.—You stated yesterday that if a policeman or a soldier was required by a superior authority to do what you considered to be contrary to religion, it would be the duty of that policeman or the soldier to disobey such authority. Will you give the policeman or the soldier the right of himself determining whether the command he is given by his superior authority is contrary to religion ? A.—Most certainly. Q.—Suppose there is war between Pakistan and another Muslim country and the soldier feels that Pakistan is in the wrong; and that to shoot a soldier of other country is contrary to religion. Do you think he would be justified in disobeying his commanding officer ? A.—In such a contingency the soldier should take a fatwa of the ‘ulama’.” We have dwelt at some length on the subject of Islamic State not because we intended to write a thesis against or in favour of such State but merely with a view to presenting a clear picture of the numerous possibilities that may in future arise if true causes of the ideological confusion which contributed to the spread and intensity of the disturbances are not precisely located. That such confusion did exist is obvious because otherwise Muslim Leaguers, whose own Government was in office, would not have risen against it; sense of loyalty and public duty would not have departed from public officials who went about like maniacs howling against their own Government and officers; respect for property and human life would not have disappeared in the common man who with no scruple or compunction began freely to indulge in loot, arson and murder; politicians would not have shirked facing the men who had installed them in their offices; and administrators would not have felt hesitant or diffident in performing what was their obvious duty. If there is one thing which has been conclusively demonstrated in this inquiry, it is that provided you can persuade the masses to believe that something they are asked to do is religiously right or enjoined by religion, you can set them to any course of action, regardless of all considerations of discipline, loyalty, decency, morality or civic sense. Pakistan is being taken by the common man, though it is not, as an Islamic State. This belief has been encouraged by the ceaseless clamour for Islam and Islamic State that is being heard from all quarters since the establishment of Pakistan. The phantom of an Islamic State has haunted the Musalman throughout the ages and is a result of the memory of the glorious past when Islam rising like a storm from the least expected quarter of the world—wilds of Arabia—instantly enveloped the world, pulling down from their high pedestal gods who had ruled over man since the creation, uprooting centuries old institutions and superstitions and supplanting all civilisations that had been built on an enslaved humanity. What is 125 years in human history, nay in the history of a people, and yet during this brief period Islam spread from the Indus to the Atlantic and Spain, and from the borders of China to Egypt, and the sons of the desert installed themselves in all old centres of civilisation—in Ctesiphon, Damascus, Alexandria, India and all places associated with the names of the Sumerian and the Assyrian civilisations. Historians have often posed the question : what would have been the state of the world today if Muawiya’s siege of Constantinople had succeeded or if the proverbial Arab instinct for plunder had not suddenly seized the mujahids of Abdur Rahman in their fight against Charles Martel on the plains of Tours in Southern France. May be Muslims would have discovered America long before Columbus did and the entire world would have been Moslemised; may be Islam itself would have been Europeanised. It is this brilliant achievement of the Arabian nomads, the like of which the world had never seen before, that makes the Musalman of today live in the past and yearn for the return of the glory that was Islam. He finds himself standing on the crossroads, wrapped in the mantle of the past and with the dead weight of centuries on his back, frustrated and bewildered and hesitant to turn one corner or the other. The freshness and the simplicity of the faith, which gave determination to his mind and spring to his muscle, is now denied to him. He has neither the means nor the ability to conquer and there are no countries to conquer. Little does he understand that the forces, which are pitted against him, are entirely different from those against which early Islam, had to fight, and that on the clues given by his own ancestors human mind has achieved results which he cannot understand. He therefore finds himself in a state of helplessness, waiting for some one to come and help him out of this morass of uncertainty and confusion. And he will go on waiting like this without anything happening. Nothing but a bold re-orientation of Islam to separate the vital from the lifeless can preserve it as a World Idea and convert the Musalman into a citizen of the present and the future world from the archaic in congruity that he is today. It is this lack of bold and clear thinking, the inability to understand and take decisions which has brought about in Pakistan a confusion which will persist and repeatedly create situations of the kind we have been inquiring into until our leaders have a clear conception of the goal and of the means to reach it. It requires no imagination to realise that irreconcilables remain irreconcilable even if you believe or wish to the contrary. Opposing principles, if left to themselves, can only produce confusion and disorder, and the application of a neutralising agency to them can only produce a dead result. Unless, in case of conflict between two ideologies, our leaders have the desire and the ability to elect, uncertainty must continue. And as long as we rely on the hammer when a file is needed and press Islam into service to solve situations it was never intended to solve, frustration and disappointment must dog our steps. The sublime faith called Islam will live even if our leaders are not there to enforce it. It lives in the individual, in his soul and outlook, in all his relations with God and men, from the cradle to the grave, and our politicians should understand that if Divine commands cannot make or keep a man a Musalman, their statutes will not…. 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As I have said before, the last place on earth that New Delhi’s nomenclatura would like to extend its misgovernance would be Pakistan. And the historical record is clear that India has never initiated hostilities against Pakistan, not once. In Oct 1947, the new Pakistan started with an armed attack against the old “princely” State of Jammu & Kashmir with whom it had signed a “Standstill Agreement”. That State came into existence in international law in 1846. In Sep 1965, Ayub Khan’s Pakistan, armed with Patton tanks and F-104s and F-86s, started an inflitration and then a war hoping to drive tanks all the way to Delhi but did not succeed. In 1971, East Pakistan seceded from West Pakistan, and though India made it militarily possible it was not something that India conspired to bring about but was something caused by West Pakistanis lording it over their own compatriots. The Richard Sisson-Leo Rose book “War and Secession” is quite a definitive history. 90,000 Pakistanis surrendered as POWs whom India protected from Bangladeshi revenge. In 1999, Musharraf had his Kargil misadventure. Other than the ghastly mutilation and murder of Lieutenant Saurabh Kalia and his platoon as POWs by the Pakistan Army and its Taliban friends, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saurabh_Kalia Musharraf achieved nothing. He then sought to stay on in power unlawfully for almost a decade despite his civillian boss trying to sack him. And then there was the 2008 attack on Mumbai by ten youthful terrorists from Pakistan who were trained by elements of the Pakistan military. Where has there ever been an Indian “incursion”? To the contrary, India had proposed the name of Pakistan as a new member of the UNO back in 1947 — and Zahir Shah’s Afghanistan was the only country to oppose it, for precisely the same unresolved problem as continues today, namely, the destiny of the Pashtuns. Suby Roy Posted in Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Afghanistan, India's History, India's independence, India's Military Defence, India's nomenclatura, Jammu & Kashmir, Jammu & Kashmir in international law, Kargil war 1999, Laws of war, Laws of war applied to international terrorists, Mumbai massacres, Nariman House massacre, Obama Administration, Pakistan in international law, Pakistan's history, Pakistan's military, Pakistan's murder of Indian POWs, Pakistan's terrorist masterminds, Pakistan's terrorist training institutes, Pakistan, Balochistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Pervez Musharraf, UN/League of Nations, US AfPak policy, US Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Espionage, US Military Doctrine, US Pakistan policy, War, War crimes, Zafrullah Khan. 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__label__cc	0.620191	0.379809	Brown-winged kingfisher Birds of India › Silver-backed needletail › Brown-winged kingfisher - Pelargopsis amauroptera. The brown-winged kingfisher (Pelargopsis amauroptera) is a tree kingfisher belonging to the family Alcedinidae. These kingfisher species are distributed in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and peninsular Malaysia. The brown-winged kingfisher species are large coastal kingfishers, occurring alone coasts bordering the Bay of Bengal. These birds are monotypic species. Overview & Quick Facts Description & Identification Pictures of Brown-winged Kingfisher Distribution & Range Ecosystem & Habitat Diet & Feeding Behavior Breeding Habits Migration & Movement Patterns Conservation & Survival IUCN Status Taxonomy & Classification Bird World Brown-winged kingfisher - Overview Scientific name: Pelargopsis amauroptera Species author: (Pearson, JT, 1841) Synonyms/Protonym: Halcyon Amauropterus J. T. Pearson, 1841, Pelargopsis amauropterus Family: Alcedinidae › Coraciiformes › Aves › Chordata › Animalia Vernacular names: English: Brown-winged kingfisher, Chinese: 褐翅翡翠, French: Martin-chasseur à ailes brunes, German: Braunflügelliest, Spanish: Alción alipardo, Russian: Белокрылый гуриал, Japanese: チャバネコウハシショウビン, Malay: Burung Buaya Other names: Brown-winged Stork-billed-Kingfisher Distribution: India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia Diet and feeding habits: Fish, crabs, frogs IUCN status listing: Near Threatened (NT) The brown-winged kingfisher (Pelargopsis amauroptera) is closely related to stork-billed kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis) and great-billed kingfisher (Pelargopsis melanorhyncha). Appearance, physical description and identification The brown-winged kingfisher (Pelargopsis amauroptera) is a large tree kingfisher, measuring 35 cm in length and weighing about 160 grams. These kingfisher species have orange head, nape, throat and underparts. The bill and the legs are red. The tip of the bill is pale gray. The irises are dark brownish gray. The back, wings and tail are brownish black and the rump is blue. The tail is short. Their call is a harsh, cackling, repeated “chak-chak" sound. Birds of India - Picture of Brown-winged kingfisher - Pelargopsis amauroptera Indian birds - Image of Brown-winged kingfisher - Pelargopsis amauroptera Indian birds - Picture of Brown-winged kingfisher - Pelargopsis amauroptera by Bikash Das Birds of India - Photo of Brown-winged kingfisher - Pelargopsis amauroptera by Allan Drewitt Origin, geographical range and distribution The brown-winged kingfisher species are distributed in Bay of Bengal coast of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and peninsular Malaysia. In India, they are distributed in the states of Odisha and West Bengal. The Ayeyarwady Delta and the Sundarbans are the major habitats. Ecosystem and habitat These brown-winged kingfisher species are moderately forest dependent. These species occur in altitudes from 0 - 100 meters. They inhabit various mangrove forests and wetland ecosystems. These brown-winged kingfisher species inhabit tropical and subtropical mangrove forests, marine intertidal mud flats, salt pans, marine intertidal rocky shoreline, marine intertidal pools, brackish creeks and shallow estuaries. Occasionally they inhabit inland freshwater wetlands. Diet and feeding behavior The diet of these kingfisher species is mostly crabs. Fish, crabs, shrimp and frogs are their primary food. They are watch-and-wait hunters, perching quietly whilst seeking food. They dive onto their prey from the perch and catch it with their bill. Reproduction and breeding habits The breeding season of the brown-winged kingfisher species is during March and April in India. They are highly territorial and will chase away eagles and other large predators. They are monogamous and both the parents incubate the eggs and feed the chicks. These kingfisher species excavate their nests in a river mud bank. Their nest is a 30 to 60 cm long burrow with about 10 cm width, ending in a roomy incubating chamber. The clutch contains two to five white round eggs. The chicks are blind and lack feathers when they hatch out. Migration and movement patterns The brown-winged kingfisher is a non-migrant resident bird. Post breeding, the kingfisher juveniles may disperse and establish in new locations within the range. They may make local movements for feeding and breeding within their range. Conservation and survival The global population size of the brown-winged kingfisher (Pelargopsis amauroptera) has not been quantified. The overall population size of these kingfisher species is considered to be decreasing. Throughout its range it is reported to be rare to fairly common. The generation length is 5.7 years. Their distribution size is about 992,000 sq.km. The brown-winged kingfisher (Pelargopsis amauroptera) is approaching the thresholds for being Vulnerable under the range size criterion, under the population trend criterion and also under the population size criterion. The on-going clearance and degradation of mangroves is the main threat that may endanger the survival of these species. IUCN and CITES status The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has categorized and evaluated the kingfisher species and has listed it as "Near Threatened". CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) status is ‘Not Evaluated’ for the brown-winged kingfisher (Pelargopsis amauroptera). Taxonomy and scientific classification of Pelargopsis amauroptera Order: Coraciiformes Family: Alcedinidae Subfamily: Halcyoninae Genus: Pelargopsis Species: P. amauroptera Binomial name: Pelargopsis amauroptera Baer's pochard Red spurfowl Indian pheasants Oriental honey buzzard Andaman teal Spot-billed pelican Mute swan Oriental darter Slender-billed vulture Brahminy kite Indian pond heron Pallid harrier Shikra Bengal florican Eurasian sparrowhawk Himalayan monal Grey francolin White-bellied heron Tibetan snowcock Grey peacock pheasant Pink-headed duck Ruddy shelduck Barred buttonquail Demoiselle crane Andaman crake Masked finfoot Common kestrel Red-necked falcon Amur falcon Merlin Eurasian hobby Oriental hobby Laggar falcon Saker falcon Peregrine falcon Mountain hawk-eagle Changeable hawk-eagle Rufous-bellied eagle Bonelli's eagle Golden eagle Greater spotted eagle Upland buzzard Long-legged buzzard Eurasian buzzard White-eyed buzzard Northern goshawk Besra Andaman serpent eagle Cinereous vulture Indian vulture Crested goshawk Nicobar sparrowhawk Red-headed vulture Black-headed ibis Chestnut breasted partridge Falcated duck Striated heron Black kite Great bustard Pallas's fish eagle 1.Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brown-wingedKingfisher.jpg Image author: AjitK332 \| License: CC BY-SA 4.0 2.Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brown_winged_KF.jpg Image author: Jayanth Sharma \| License: CC BY 3.0 3.Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bikashdas/11700950026/ Image author: Bikash Das \| License: CC BY 2.0 as on (11-02-17) 4.Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pelargopsis_amauropterus.jpg Image author: Allan Drewitt \| License: CC BY 2.0 as on (11-02-17) Current topic in Birds of India: Brown-winged kingfisher - Pelargopsis amauroptera. Labels: Alcedinidae, Bird watching, Brown-winged kingfisher, Coraciiformes, India, Indian birds, kingfisher, Pelargopsis amauroptera, tours, wildlife Nicobar scops owl Andaman nightjar White-throated needletail Oriental dwarf kingfisher Asian green bee-eater Malabar grey hornbill Arctic jaeger Spotted sandgrouse Ashy wood pigeon Red-breasted parakeet Himalayan cuckoo Eurasian eagle-owl Jerdon's nightjar Silver-backed needletail Blue-cheeked bee-eater Indian grey hornbill Long-tailed jaeger Black-bellied sandgrouse Nilgiri wood pigeon Lesser cuckoo Rock eagle-owl Indian nightjar Brown-backed needletail Stork-billed kingfisher Blue-tailed bee-eater Malabar pied hornbill Brown skua Common gull-billed tern	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1413
__label__wiki	0.915286	0.915286	Solan building collapse: 2 days after tragedy, SIT constituted, samples picked from site Deputy Commissioner, Solan, K C Chaman said, “The state government has also announced ex-gratia relief of Rs four lakh to the family members of each victim that died in the tragedy, Rs 15,000 to the grievously injured persons and Rs 5,000 to other injured.” Written by Saurabh Prashar \| Chandigarh \| Published: July 17, 2019 1:04:15 pm SHO, Dharampur police station, Inspector Daya Ram Thakur, said, “We urged the family to shift from the nearby building and they shifted keeping in the view their safety.” (File Photo) Two days after the death of 14 persons, including 13 JCOs posted at Dagshai and one local woman, in a building collapse at Kumarhatti-Nahan road in Solan, Himachal Pradesh Police constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and collected samples from the site Tuesday. The samples, including that of soil, cemented materials, iron pillars will be sent for forensic examination to the State Forensic Laboratory, Junga, in Shimla. Meanwhile, tenants residing in an under-construction building adjoining the collapse site also vacated their accommodation and shifted to another place in Kumarhatti. SHO, Dharampur police station, Inspector Daya Ram Thakur, said, “We urged the family to shift from the nearby building and they shifted keeping in the view their safety.” SP, Solan, Madhusudan, said, “The SIT has started its investigation and samples were collected for forensic examination. We will collect more samples. The SIT is headed by DSP, Parwanoo, Yogesh Rolta. We have sought documentary record of land registration on the name of building owner, Balbir Singh, alias, Lalit, from the Revenue Department, Panchayat Department. The building owner, Balbir Singh, will be arrested after collecting all the relevant proof.” The four-storey building housing Sahaj Tandoori Dhaba had collapsed Sunday and 14 persons, including the wife of building owner Archna Devi, were killed on July 14. Three bodies were recovered from the debris on July 14 and other 11 were recovered on Monday. Around 35 Army personnel, including 30 JCOs and five drivers from nearby Dagshai Cantonment area, had come to the eating joint for lunch when the building collapsed. Owner Balbir Singh had told The Indian Express, “There was construction work going on near my building. Heavy machines, JCBs, trucks made rounds to the construction site. I am sure the heavy vehicles had an adverse effect on the slope and the recent heavy rains weakened the foundations of my building. I had purchased the land in 2010 for residential and commercial purpose. I took all the necessary measures required during construction. I also lost my wife in this tragedy. It could have happened anywhere.” For all the latest Chandigarh News, download Indian Express App Solan district Delhi Assembly elections 2020 LIVE updates: Kapil Mishra calls polls 'India vs Pak', Kejriwal holds roadshow31 mins ago Shylock movie review and release LIVE UPDATES: All eyes on Mammootty3 hours ago Saurabh Prashar... read more Chandigarh triple murder: Woman, her two children found dead inside house Chandigarh: 2,064 homeless people in city Chandigarh: PCA writes to UT, slams police for not producing record before it	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1414
__label__wiki	0.560213	0.560213	Home News Industrial Firms Income tax dept warns taxpayers of phishing mails The income tax department periodically issues warnings to taxpayers about ways to safeguard themselves against frauds. On Thursday, it sent an email to taxpayers informing them about the genuine sources (email, SMS, and websites) from which they will receive any sort of official communication. This information is also there on the homepage of the income tax department's website. Income Tax General FRAUD Income Tax Department Phishing Emails AGR payment: Telecom companies to wait for SC decision Vodafone Idea informed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) it will wait for the Supreme Court's decision on the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) modification pleas, implying that it won't make any payments to the government by the January 23 deadline. Bharti Airtel is expected to follow suit. Both have filed modifications petitions in the Supreme Court, which will hear the matter next week. General Supreme Court Bharti Airtel Department Of Telecommunications Vodafone Idea Case against Mohammed Azharuddin, 2 others for 'cheating' travel agent A case has been registered against former Indian cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin and two others in Maharashtra after a travel agent lodged a police complaint alleging that they cheated him to the tune of Rs 20.96 lakh, an official said on Thursday. Azharuddin, however, dismissed the allegation as "baseless", and said he will take legal action against the complainant, Mohammed Shahab. General Cheating Mohammed Azharuddin	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1415
__label__cc	0.658351	0.341649	You are here: Home LK News \| Political News Parliamentary Constituencies Mahabubabad Andhra Pradesh Parliamentary Constituency 2019, Mahabubabad Lok Sabha Constituency Details, Political News Mahabubabad, Andhra Pradesh Lok Sabha Elections 2019 News Updates, Andhra Pradesh Parliamentary Constituency details 2019, Mahabubabad Parent Category: Political News Last Updated on Tuesday, 29 January 2019 17:51 Mahabubabad Andhra Pradesh Parliamentary Constituency 2019, Mahabubabad Lok Sabha Constituency Details, Political News Mahabubabad, Andhra Pradesh Lok Sabha Elections 2019 News Updates, Andhra Pradesh Parliamentary Constituency details 2019, Mahabubabad MP, Issues Political Analysis 2019: About the Constituency: Reserved for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Tribes category in the state of Andhra Pradesh is the parliamentary constituency of Mahabubabad. This Lok Sabha seat is one of the 42 parliamentary seats allotted to the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. According to Election Commission of India 2009 data the total electorates in the Mahabubabad Parliamentary constituency (constituency number 16) were 1,265,396 of which 642,633 are females and 622,763 are males. Political Background: This district is politically active and prominent as it lies in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, and faces frequent instabilities. Unknown facts: Granted the status of a World Heritage Town by the UNESCO, Warangal has given birth to key political and social personalities, such as the renowned writer and freedom fighter Kaloji Narayana Rao. This district of Warangal, which is part of the Red Corridor owing to frequent insurgencies of the Naxals, has been identified as one of the country’s 250 economically backward districts. Thus it comes under the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme. Assembly Segments: Out of the seven legislative assembly segments which make up Mahabubabad, all segments except Narsempet are reserved for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Tribes. Names of Assembly Constituencies Dornakal (ST) Mahabubabad (ST) Mulug (ST) Pinapaka (ST) Yellandu (ST) Bhadrachalam (ST) A look Sitting MP: Name of MP P. Balram Nature of Membership 18-May-09 to In office Performance in the 15th Lok Sabha: Debates participated Private member bills passed	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1418
__label__cc	0.742599	0.257401	Pyoderma gangrenosum with increased levels of serum cytokines Kana Kozono, Takeshi Nakahara, Satoko Kikuchi, Eriko Itoh, Makiko Kido-Nakahara, Masutaka Furue Faculty of Medical Sciences （N/A） A 66-year-old woman presented after an episode of accidental trauma with a painful ulcer on her scalp which rapidly enlarged in size, accompanied by central necrosis and undermining ulceration. The patient's past history was negative for underlying systemic disease, although she had had a similar post-traumatic intractable leg ulcer 3 years prior, which was unresponsive to surgical management but successfully treated with systemic steroids. A biopsied specimen from the scalp showed marked neutrophilic infiltrates in the dermis, compatible with a diagnosis of pyoderma gangrenosum (PG). The large ulcerative lesion responded very well to oral steroid therapy, showing rapid epithelialization. Serum levels of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-6 were significantly elevated prior to treatment, with decrease to normal levels after treatment. Serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor levels were within normal limits. The significance and pathogenic role of cytokine burst in PG is reviewed and discussed. Journal of Dermatology https://doi.org/10.1111/1346-8138.12970 Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha Kozono, K., Nakahara, T., Kikuchi, S., Itoh, E., Kido-Nakahara, M., & Furue, M. (2015). Pyoderma gangrenosum with increased levels of serum cytokines. Journal of Dermatology, 42(12), 1186-1188. https://doi.org/10.1111/1346-8138.12970 Pyoderma gangrenosum with increased levels of serum cytokines. / Kozono, Kana; Nakahara, Takeshi; Kikuchi, Satoko; Itoh, Eriko; Kido-Nakahara, Makiko; Furue, Masutaka. In: Journal of Dermatology, Vol. 42, No. 12, 01.12.2015, p. 1186-1188. Kozono, K, Nakahara, T, Kikuchi, S, Itoh, E, Kido-Nakahara, M & Furue, M 2015, 'Pyoderma gangrenosum with increased levels of serum cytokines', Journal of Dermatology, vol. 42, no. 12, pp. 1186-1188. https://doi.org/10.1111/1346-8138.12970 Kozono K, Nakahara T, Kikuchi S, Itoh E, Kido-Nakahara M, Furue M. Pyoderma gangrenosum with increased levels of serum cytokines. Journal of Dermatology. 2015 Dec 1;42(12):1186-1188. https://doi.org/10.1111/1346-8138.12970 Kozono, Kana ; Nakahara, Takeshi ; Kikuchi, Satoko ; Itoh, Eriko ; Kido-Nakahara, Makiko ; Furue, Masutaka. / Pyoderma gangrenosum with increased levels of serum cytokines. In: Journal of Dermatology. 2015 ; Vol. 42, No. 12. pp. 1186-1188. @article{1b9aa365924b4e0ca134a155bf030c78, title = "Pyoderma gangrenosum with increased levels of serum cytokines", abstract = "A 66-year-old woman presented after an episode of accidental trauma with a painful ulcer on her scalp which rapidly enlarged in size, accompanied by central necrosis and undermining ulceration. The patient's past history was negative for underlying systemic disease, although she had had a similar post-traumatic intractable leg ulcer 3 years prior, which was unresponsive to surgical management but successfully treated with systemic steroids. A biopsied specimen from the scalp showed marked neutrophilic infiltrates in the dermis, compatible with a diagnosis of pyoderma gangrenosum (PG). The large ulcerative lesion responded very well to oral steroid therapy, showing rapid epithelialization. Serum levels of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-6 were significantly elevated prior to treatment, with decrease to normal levels after treatment. Serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor levels were within normal limits. The significance and pathogenic role of cytokine burst in PG is reviewed and discussed.", author = "Kana Kozono and Takeshi Nakahara and Satoko Kikuchi and Eriko Itoh and Makiko Kido-Nakahara and Masutaka Furue", doi = "10.1111/1346-8138.12970", journal = "Journal of Dermatology", T1 - Pyoderma gangrenosum with increased levels of serum cytokines AU - Kozono, Kana AU - Nakahara, Takeshi AU - Kikuchi, Satoko AU - Itoh, Eriko AU - Kido-Nakahara, Makiko AU - Furue, Masutaka N2 - A 66-year-old woman presented after an episode of accidental trauma with a painful ulcer on her scalp which rapidly enlarged in size, accompanied by central necrosis and undermining ulceration. The patient's past history was negative for underlying systemic disease, although she had had a similar post-traumatic intractable leg ulcer 3 years prior, which was unresponsive to surgical management but successfully treated with systemic steroids. A biopsied specimen from the scalp showed marked neutrophilic infiltrates in the dermis, compatible with a diagnosis of pyoderma gangrenosum (PG). The large ulcerative lesion responded very well to oral steroid therapy, showing rapid epithelialization. Serum levels of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-6 were significantly elevated prior to treatment, with decrease to normal levels after treatment. Serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor levels were within normal limits. The significance and pathogenic role of cytokine burst in PG is reviewed and discussed. AB - A 66-year-old woman presented after an episode of accidental trauma with a painful ulcer on her scalp which rapidly enlarged in size, accompanied by central necrosis and undermining ulceration. The patient's past history was negative for underlying systemic disease, although she had had a similar post-traumatic intractable leg ulcer 3 years prior, which was unresponsive to surgical management but successfully treated with systemic steroids. A biopsied specimen from the scalp showed marked neutrophilic infiltrates in the dermis, compatible with a diagnosis of pyoderma gangrenosum (PG). The large ulcerative lesion responded very well to oral steroid therapy, showing rapid epithelialization. Serum levels of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-6 were significantly elevated prior to treatment, with decrease to normal levels after treatment. Serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor levels were within normal limits. The significance and pathogenic role of cytokine burst in PG is reviewed and discussed. U2 - 10.1111/1346-8138.12970 DO - 10.1111/1346-8138.12970 JO - Journal of Dermatology JF - Journal of Dermatology	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1419
__label__cc	0.645956	0.354044	Lady Burra Brewhouse Bar & Kitchen 4 Topham Mall Mon 11:30am — 10:00pm Tues 11:30am — 10:00pm Wed 11:30am — 10:00pm Thurs 11:30am — 11:00pm Fri 11:30am — late Sat 12:00pm — late Please call or email us if you would like to make a booking or organise pre orders for Lunch or dinner. (Please note: Pre orders must be submitted 2 hours prior to booking time) Yes we do functions! Please email events@ladyburrabrewhouse.com.au If you have a question, comment or feedback for the Lady Burra crew, we’d love to hear it, please send us a message. 11:30am – late 12:00pm – late A fully-functional microbrewery in the heart of Adelaide’s CBD, Lady Burra Brewhouse is about passionate people who are masters of their craft. © Lady Burra Brewhouse • 4 Topham Mall, Adelaide • Tel: 08 8231 8928	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1422
__label__wiki	0.961775	0.961775	Home » Celebrities » Jennifer Lopez Admits She Wants To Play Batman After Robert Pattinson Scored The Iconic Role: ‘Why Not?’ Jennifer Lopez Admits She Wants To Play Batman After Robert Pattinson Scored The Iconic Role: ‘Why Not?’ In Variety’s ‘Actors On Actors’ segment, Jennifer Lopez revealed that she, too, would love to don the costume of the dark knight and take on the iconic role of Batman. Jennifer Lopez, 50, is a multi-talented performer, there’s no question there. She’s an actress, a dancer and a singer, but could J. Lo be adding superhero to her list of achievements? The Hustlers star sat down with Robert Pattinson, 33, to discuss their movies, processes and future endeavors, where J. Lo let slip that she would love to play Batman, as well. “You’re going to be Batman,” J. Lo ecstatically said to Rob in their Variety ‘Actors On Actors’ interview. “I think you’ll be a great Batman…an awesome Batman,” she continued to gush about her colleague. And that’s when Rob posed his own prediction! “You too,” Rob said amid her praises. “You would be, as well.” J. Lo, a bit shocked at his admission, totally went with the idea. “I could be Batman too,” she proclaimed. “I could be Batman,” J. Lo reiterated with a ton of vigor, even putting her hands on her hips in a stoic, heroic pose. “Why not?” The conversation then shifted back to their analysis of the character, Bruce Wayne, and his tortured past. Rob was announced as the next actor to take on the iconic role in May 2019. The Matt Reeves film, which is set for a June 2021 release date, has been filling out with more stars rather quickly. Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Andy Serkis and Jeffrey Wright have all joined the cast thus far. Currently, however, Rob is promoting his latest artistic endeavor The Lighthouse, which he discussed extensively with J. Lo. The actor offered a lot of praise to the “Jenny From The Block” songstress as well for her dynamic, powerful performance. And he’s not the only one. Robert Pattinson for Variety [ART STREIBER FOR VARIETY] Jennifer Lopez for Variety [ART STREIBER FOR VARIETY] J. Lo has been earning sweeping critical acclaim for her work in Hustlers and even her co-stars noticed her talent and magnetism as Ramona. “I think [Jennifer]’s performance was incredible,” Keke Palmer shared EXCLUSIVELY with HollywoodLife on Sept. 25. “When people see the preview of the trailer, they might think one thing about the film, but when you watch the movie, you definitely see that Oscar-worthy quality represented.” We certainly think J. Lo is Oscar-worthy, and would definitely be excited to see her take on Batman! Jennifer Lopez Brought to Tears by Alex Rodriguez’s Sweet Video Tribute for 50th Birthday Jennifer Lopez Surprises Alex Rodriguez While On-Air on ESPN – Watch! Jennifer Lopez, 50, Proves She’s ‘Forever Young’ In Sexy Swimsuit In St. Tropez — See Pic Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B Star In New Trailer For ‘Hustlers’ Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez Gather Friends and Family for Engagement Party Wait, Richard Madden & Brandon Flynn broke up & are no longer speaking? Disney+ is running more smoothly, but not Netflix-level smoothly	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1427
__label__cc	0.689708	0.310292	Home Municipal Law Wisconsin Weston Weston, Wisconsin Municipal Lawyers Mark Klinner Wausau, WI Municipal Law Attorney with 34 years experience (715) 845-5656 401 5th St, Suite 339 Municipal, Insurance Defense and Personal Injury Gregory J Vanevenhoven Appleton, WI Municipal Law Lawyer with 5 years experience (920) 558-9300 1400 S Van Dyke Road Municipal, Elder, Estate Planning and Real Estate Greg Vanevenhoven is an attorney with Davidson Law Office where he concentrates his legal practice on assisting individuals, families, and businesses preserve their assets to create a lasting legacy for future generations. Greg also works with business owners to limit their liability exposure through focused contractual language in Buy-Sell Agreements, Purchase Agreements, and Service Contracts. In addition, Greg regularly handles real estate transactions, probate administrations, litigation matters, and a wide variety of municipal legal issues. Greg understands everyone has unique goals and objectives. By advising clients on an individual basis, Greg allows each individual to understand the available tools... Andy J. Rossmeissl Appleton, WI Municipal Law Attorney with 15 years experience 800 N. Lynndale Drive Municipal, Business, Employment and Real Estate Andrew Rossmeissl joined the Herrling Clark Law Firm in July, 2005. His practice includes varied areas, with a concentration in the areas of business, real estate, banking, municipal, litigation and transactions. Originally from Appleton, Wisconsin, Andrew graduated from Appleton East High School in 1996. He then attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in economics. As a junior, he attended the London School of Economics on the prestigious Hansard Scholarship. After a brief stint at a Fortune 500 company in Dallas, Texas, he returned to Wisconsin to begin his legal education at Marquette University Law School, where he earned his... Charles D. Koehler Attorney Chuck Koehler has been a shareholder with the Herrling Clark Law Firm for over 25 years. His practice is concentrated in areas of business and personal financial matters, business transactions and real estate, municipal law, and related disputes, and litigation in these areas of law. Specific subjects in these areas of practice include real estate, employment, creditors' rights, municipal matters, banking, partnerships, limited liability companies, corporate law, purchase and sale of businesses, bankruptcy, and estate and business transition planning and strategies. Kristen Sara Scheuerman New London, WI Municipal Law Attorney with 9 years experience (920) 982-9652 105 East Waupaca Street New London, WI 54961-1227 Municipal and Personal Injury Kristen S. Scheuerman joined the Herrling Clark Law Firm in 2011 as an Associate Attorney, after clerking with the firm for over a year. In 2016, she was named a Partner/Shareholder. Kristen’s practice is primarily devoted to personal injury litigation, although she also handles municipal prosecution for a local municipality. Originally from Appleton, Wisconsin, Kristen graduated from Appleton East High School and received her Bachelor of Arts from Lawrence University. After working in corporate America for just over five years, Kristen enrolled at Marquette University Law School and earned her Juris Doctorate in 2010. Kristen's practice also includes some appellate work in... Richard T. Elrod Appleton, WI Municipal Law Lawyer with 26 years experience Municipal, Employment and Personal Injury Richard focuses his practice on personal injury cases, as well as representing individuals who have been injured at work. In addition to his personal injury practice, Richard also handles labor law disputes. Richard represents the Independent Employees Union at Hillshire Farm Company, Inc., the Banta Book Group Maintenance Department, and Local Union 78T: Voith Fabrics. Richard’s working knowledge and understanding of municipal laws and codes along with his trial experience and comfort in the courtroom serve Richard well in his role as the lead prosecutor and Town Attorney for a prominent local municipality. Richard has handled complex litigation matters... Matthew Goldin Oshkosh, WI Municipal Law Attorney with 28 years experience (920) 235-9000 125 Church Ave. Municipal, Criminal Defense, DUI & DWI and Real Estate Grew up in Chicago, Illinois. Attended Northwestern University and graduated with BA in history in 1986. Attended University of Baltimore Law School and graduated with a JD in 1991. Resided in Oshkosh, Wisconsin since 1992. Married with two children. Paula A. Hamer Municipal and Family Paula's practice includes family law and municipal law. She represents individuals in divorce actions, paternity actions, custody and physical placement disputes, adoptions and other actions related to family law issues. Paula attended Gustavus Adolphus College where she graduated magna cum laude and completed her education at Marquette University Law School, where she earned her Juris Doctor degree, cum laude. Paula has been with Herrling Clark Law Firm since 2004. Tyler J. Claringbole (920) 739-7366 800 N. Lynndale Drive Tyler Claringbole joined Herrling Clark Law Firm in 2015 after clerking with the firm for over a year. Tyler has a general practice with an emphasis on business law and related issues, including all of the following: business litigation and transactions, contracts, employment law, real estate, municipal law, bankruptcy, and estate planning. John Orton Mauston, WI Municipal Law Attorney with 38 years experience (608) 847-7363 111 Oak St Mauston, WI 53948 Free ConsultationMunicipal and Personal Injury Ian M Mevis (920) 731-6631 2501 E. Enterprise Ave Municipal, Business, Personal Injury and Workers' Comp Mr. John E. Thiel Appleton, WI Municipal Law Lawyer (920) 830-9900 5601 Grande Market Dr. Suite K Julia Westley Madison, WI Municipal Law Attorney with 4 years experience 5610 Medical Circle Free ConsultationMunicipal, Criminal Defense, DUI & DWI and Traffic Tickets Attorney Westley practices criminal defense and DUI/OWI all over Wisconsin. She graduated from Marquette University Law School in 2015 with a certificate in litigation and uses that every day. She did her undergrad at the University of Minnesota and graduated from there in 2011. She has done a stint with Americorps and regularly volunteers for Teen Court in Waukesha County as a judge. She has won numerous awards for client satisfaction and works hard to get the best case scenario for her clients on a daily basis. Jeffrey Lee Murrell Milwaukee, WI Municipal Law Lawyer with 24 years experience Free ConsultationMunicipal, Administrative, Bankruptcy and Business Admitted to practice law in Wisconsin since 1995, I have had my own law practice since 1997. Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, my practice concentrates on litigation in the areas of criminal defense (all levels, state & federal), family law (divorce, child custody/support, paternity), personal bankruptcy (and alternatives), state & municipal licensing and other areas. I am admitted to practice in Wisconsin and in both the U.S. District Courts of the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin. I earned my B.A. at the University of New Orleans in 1991 and my J.D. from Marquette University Law School in 1995. I am... Matthew R Meyer Milwaukee, WI Municipal Law Lawyer with 7 years experience (414) 270-0202 316 N. Milwaukee Street, Ste. 550 Free ConsultationMunicipal, Criminal Defense, DUI & DWI and Domestic Violence As a co-founder of Meyer Van Severen, S.C., Matthew R. Meyer is dedicated to serving clients throughout southeastern Wisconsin. He focuses his practice on criminal law, handling cases ranging from municipal violations to homicide, sexual assault, firearm cases, and drug cases. Mr. Meyer also regularly defends individuals accused of drunk driving. In 2008, Mr. Meyer graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He then went on to receive a Juris Doctor in 2012 from Marquette University Law School. While attending law school Mr. Meyer gained valuable experience serving as an intern with... Brady R. Henderson Milwaukee, WI Municipal Law Attorney with 13 years experience (414) 563-7453 1123 N Water St Ste 400 Free ConsultationMunicipal, Administrative, Civil Rights and Education Brian Schuk Lake Geneva, WI Municipal Law Attorney with 18 years experience (262) 214-1174 415 Broad Street Municipal, Landlord Tenant, Probate and Real Estate Brian A. Schuk focuses his practice mainly on landlord-tenant law, representing both landlords and tenants. After being a partner of Wassel, Harvey & Schuk, LLP for 12 years, Mr. Schuk opened his own law firm, Schuk Law, LLC, in June of 2017. He continues to offer experienced and effective representation to businesses and individuals by assisting with negotiating and drafting leases, evictions, and damages/security deposit disputes. Attorney Schuk is also familiar with HUD and Rural Development rules and regulations. In his numerous years of experience, he has earned himself a highly respected reputation in the State for his vast knowledge... Bryant B. Ray (608) 316-3800 2000 Engel St. Municipal, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury and Traffic Tickets Bryant Ray received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Legal Studies and Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2013. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in December 2016. In law school, Mr. Ray held board positions on the Student Bar Association, the Public Interest Law Foundation, and the Legal Assistance for Disaster Relief organization. Mr. Ray joined the Consigny Law Firm in February of 2017. In April 2019, Mr. Ray moved to Madison, Wisconsin, and began practicing at Zerbst & Kluck, S.C. As an attorney, Mr. Ray believes that the most important aspect of his work is... Allyson Moore River Falls, WI Municipal Law Attorney with 5 years experience (715) 425-6069 Weber Law Office Municipal, Divorce, Estate Planning and Family William Mitchell College of Law Ashley Renz Elkhorn, WI Municipal Law Attorney with 9 years experience (262) 723-5003 23 N. Wisconsin Street Free ConsultationMunicipal, Bankruptcy, Criminal Defense and DUI & DWI Autumn Lyn Lindquist Hudson, WI Municipal Law Attorney (715) 381-8270 502 2nd St Ste 203 Hudson, WI 54016 Municipal, Divorce, Domestic Violence and Family Catherine Munkittrick River Falls, WI Municipal Law Attorney with 33 years experience Municipal, Appeals and Estate Planning Catherine Munkittrick practices law with the law firm of Rodli, Beskar, Neuhaus, Murray & Pletcher, S.C. in River Falls, Wisconsin. She practices primarily in the areas of municipal law, zoning/land use law, estate planning, appellate advocacy and employment law. She is City Attorney for the City of Hudson and also represents several towns and Police Review Boards in St. Croix, Pierce and Polk County. She received her B.A. degree in Humanities, cum laude, from the University of Minnesota in 1978. She got inspired to go to law school while she was working for the League... Gwen Kuchevar River Falls, WI Municipal Law Lawyer with 35 years experience Municipal, Education and Elder Gwen has 30 years of experience working with governmental bodies and with families in transition. She has long-time interests in how local governments balance the competing interests present in most land use issues, in public education and in local government functions in general. Working with elected officials on municipal and educational issues has been a principle focus of her legal career. Gwen has always handled divorces, adoptions and guardianships. In addition to those practice areas, she presently applies what she has learned about families and personal finance to legal issues affecting the elderly and disabled that can arise in... Kathryn Harrell McKnight Madison, WI Municipal Law Lawyer with 13 years experience (608) 282-6200 10 East Doty Street, Suite 400 Free ConsultationMunicipal, Appeals, Employment and Insurance Claims I am a litigation attorney who represents individuals and businesses in a wide variety of matters, including personal injury, medical malpractice, employment law, construction law, legal malpractice, and worker's compensation. I am also the Municipal Prosecutor for the Village of Waunakee. Russell J. Karnes (414) 271-1440 330 East Kilbourn Avenue Municipal, Business, Landlord Tenant and Real Estate Russell J. Karnes is an associate at Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown LLP in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Russ joined GRGB in 2016. Prior to joining GRGB, he was the managing attorney of a local creditor’s rights law firm’s litigation department, where he also worked as a paralegal and law clerk during law school. He has substantial trial and appellate experience, and experience with civil litigation involving real estate, property, consumer credit laws, and municipal law. He also has experience in real estate transactions and estate planning. Russ is a proud Milwaukee native and dedicated to serving the community. He also believes that his... Jason D. Luczak Municipal, Business, Criminal Defense and Insurance Claims Jason D. Luczak is a trial and appellate attorney at Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He represents clients in a variety of practice areas, including criminal and white collar defense, administrative and licensing matters, and civil litigation in the state and federal courts, as well as municipal courts and administrative agencies throughout Wisconsin and Illinois. His experience includes trying serious felonies and other charges in state and federal court and briefing and arguing appeals before the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Jason is licensed to practice law in... Lane Fitzgerald Beloit, WI Municipal Law Lawyer (608) 318-3489 2031 Riverside Drive Free ConsultationMunicipal, Appeals, Arbitration & Mediation and Bankruptcy Hamline University School of Law Madison, WI Municipal Law Lawyer Free ConsultationMunicipal, Administrative, Appeals and Real Estate Janesville, WI Municipal Law Attorney with 36 years experience Municipal, Business and Personal Injury Constance L. Anderson Janesville, WI Municipal Law Lawyer with 11 years experience Municipal, Administrative, Business and Real Estate Robert Daly Oconomowoc, WI Municipal Law Attorney with 47 years experience (262) 569-8300 1227 Corporate Center Dr Municipal, Divorce, Elder and Estate Planning Erik J. Krueger Brookfield, WI Municipal Law Lawyer with 6 years experience (262) 785-9000 14170 W. Greenfield Avenue Free ConsultationMunicipal, Agricultural, Landlord Tenant and Real Estate Liberty University School of Law Daniel Martin Olson Fort Atkinson , WI Municipal Law Attorney with 26 years experience (608) 520-2440 314 Madison Avenue Fort Atkinson , WI 53538 Municipal, Appeals, Civil Rights and Real Estate John Swimmer Glendale, WI Municipal Law Lawyer (414) 380-2433 500 W. Silver Spring Dr Suite K 200 Municipal, Bankruptcy, Business and Collections Joseph Seifert (414) 273-9900 230 West Wells Street Municipal, Administrative, Arbitration & Mediation and Real Estate Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law Municipal Attorneys in Nearby Cities Kronenwetter Rib Mountain Municipal Attorneys in Nearby Counties Marathon County Portage County The Oyez Lawyer Directory contains lawyers who have claimed their profiles and are actively seeking clients. Find more Weston, Wisconsin Municipal Lawyers in the Justia Legal Services and Lawyers Directory which includes profiles of more than one million lawyers licensed to practice in the United States, in addition to profiles of legal aid, pro bono and legal service organizations.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1438
__label__cc	0.520292	0.479708	BSEM Alumni More about Berry Street Berry Street Education Model Berry Street Initiatives Childhood sub-navigations More about Berry Street BSEM Alumni Young people at high risk of sexual exploitation, absconding and other significant harms Report by Annette Jackson This literature review was developed as part of a project for the Victorian Commissioner for Children and Young People. It examines what is known about young people who have high risk behaviours, with a particular focus on the phenomena of sexual exploitation and absconding behaviours. Free download available: Young People at High Risk Literature Review - 121 page PDF file $ 0.00 each (incl gst) For your free download, please enter email Yes, I would like to receive updates and to find out more about upcoming events and training. Please use the download links below to access your chosen resources: Young-People-at-High-Risk-Literature-Review.pdf Life Story Therapy with Traumatised Children: A Model for Practice Life Story Therapy with Traumatized Children by Richard Rose is essential reading for those working with children and adolescents, including social workers, teachers, child psychotherapists, residential care staff, long-term carers, psychologists Developments to strengthen systems for child protection across Australia A paper written in 2017 by Dr Sarah Wise for the Australian Institute of Family Studies outlining the latest iterations of changes within Australian child protection systems. A project commissioned by Berry Street Take Two which uses a trauma and attachment theory lens when analysing policies, programs and practices relating to reunification. The All About Me work book is designed to allow children to document the story of their past, their family, likes and dislikes, culture and education, and can be used as a tool for Life Story Therapy. Innovative Therapeutic Life Story Work "Developing Trauma-Informed Practice for Working with Children, Adolescents and Young Adults". Siblings are Forever Poster Relationships with siblings are often the longest and most significant relationships in our lives. Berry Street is committed to promoting children’s rights to maintain their relationships with their siblings while in care. Subscribe to receive updates and to find out more about upcoming events and training. For general enquiries please contact our Central Office: Address: 1 Salisbury Street, Richmond VIC 3121 Email: learning@berrystreet.org.au Berry Street acknowledges the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners, their elders past, present and future, and to their cultures.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1441
__label__cc	0.656081	0.343919	Policy processes are sometimes seen as linear and technical. But in fact, policy processes and their relationship to 'evidence' are intrinsically political and value driven. In this part, we'll critically examines how policy change occurs (or doesn’t) as a result of such political, value driven processes. We'll also considers the relationships between ‘experts’ and ‘citizens’ in policy processes, and how policy processes can both help to ‘open up’ but also ‘close down’ debates about pathways to sustainability. At the end of this part, you should be able to: Articulate how policy processes are intrinsically political and value driven. Describe the relevance of attending to the intersections of knowledge/discourse, actors/networks and politics/interests in any policy area in order to expose the politics and values that underpin any policy process. Use these concepts to conduct applied analysis of policy documents and critically examine the narratives and framings that underpin them. This part is split into 2 sections: 3.1: What is policy and how does it change? Page Questions and ideas for thinking about policy and sustainability, with a lecture by Ian Scoones. 3:2: Analysing the narratives in policy documents Page An exercise on how to analyse narratives in some real-life policy documents. Jump to... Main course page Part 1: Introduction to the Pathways Approach Part 2: Uncertainty and incomplete knowledge Part 4: Technology, Innovation and Sustainability Part 5: Planetary Boundaries and Resource Politics 6. Methods and methodologies 3.1: What is policy and how does it change? 3:2: Analysing the narratives in policy documents	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1442
__label__cc	0.659469	0.340531	Action & Adventures In The Arms Of Love PROLOGUE CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 9 CHAPTER 10 CHAPTER 11 CHAPTER 12 CHAPTER 13 CHAPTER 14 CHAPTER 15 CHAPTER 16 CHAPTER 17 CHAPTER 18 CHAPTER 19 THANK YOU NOTE Font size: - + The next day, early in the morning, they left the B&B and continued on their way to the sea. The sun and the blue sky were a superb touch for that wonderful day making the landscape really look like a painting by Cézanne. Even though his evening with Iris hadn't gone as he had hoped, Nicholas was quite calm, thinking about what would happen later. He had already planned everything, the only thing he needed to make everything perfect was the presence of Iris. Last night they talked about many things, they had chosen to tell their sad stories, to empty their hearts from all the suffering and the hurt of the past. The evening was almost at the end when Nicholas confessed to Iris what he felt for her, but her response was very... vague, choosing to get back to her shell. The whole night, in his room, he tried to understand why Iris was so afraid to really speak up, how come they always took a step forward and then five steps back. He had to find out why she was feeling all this fear of letting go and telling him what he already knew. Nicholas was betting everything on the evening that he had planned for them. At the end of that night, he will get from Iris the answers to all of his questions. Obviously, he hoped for a positive outcome of this "meeting" with her, but he was going to accept whatever choice Iris would make, even if that choice would've hurt his heart. This would be his leap of faith. Nicholas pushed away every thought from his mind for a moment and glanced at the two girls next to him in the car. They were getting along so well together... looking at both of them no one would've believed that until a few days ago they did not know each other at all. They were laughing, singing silly songs, joking about anything, talking to each other without considering the man next to them who was driving in silence. They were acting as if he wasn't even there. Nicholas didn't know whether to feel hurt since his daughter and the woman he loved didn't talk to him or be happy because the two of them were getting along so well. "Daddy, please, let's stop here for a while," Alice said enthusiastically, totally swept away by the beauty and the colors of the field in front of her. "Iris, look at this place! Look at how many flowers, how many butterflies!" "Yes, Nicholas, let's stop here," Iris added. "This place is magical. We can have a picnic under this tree. Come on, we have all the time in the world to get to the hotel." On special request, he stopped the car and his "girls" got out and started laughing and chasing each other in the sun-drenched field. It was wonderful to see them having so much fun together as if they were friends since forever. It had been so long since Nicholas saw his daughter so happy and carefree. Iris doted on his daughter and, in return, the little girl adored Iris. Their image together warmed his heart and Nicholas smiled happily thanking silently the fate for this wonderful gift. "Nicholas, would you give me a hand, please?" Iris asked him, opening the trunk and extending him a blanket. "Before we left the B&B, Madame Dubois, the owner, gave me a small basket full of goodies. If you will put the blanket under the tree, I will begin to prepare our lunch." After finishing her sandwich, Alice took a slice of apple that Iris cut for her, and walked away from them. At that moment, her attention was concentrated on a very large and colorful butterfly and on some pretty flowers all around her. Iris put what was left of their lunch in the basket and took everything back to the car. She came back to Nicholas and stood beside him on the blanket. She was looking thoughtfully towards the horizon. "A penny for your thoughts," Nicholas whispered in her ear. "To be honest, this time I wasn't thinking of anything in particular, just how beautiful and peaceful it is here. The sky is so serene and blue. We are far from civilization and, strangely, I don't miss it, not one iota. Here, with both of you, I'm feeling really good, I am very happy. Thank you so much, Nicholas!" "It's exactly how I feel every time I lose myself in the infinite blue of your beautiful eyes." Iris turned to him and looked carefully at his features, surprised by the bluntness of his words. She didn't say anything to him, but she smiled at him and that smile told Nicholas much more than he wanted to know. "It would be a good idea to hit the road again," she added getting up from the blanket, "I'll go and get Alice." They've arrived in Nice in the evening and stopped in front of an amazing hotel where Nicholas had reserved again an apartment entirely for them. The last part of the trip had been exhausting for Alice, so Nicholas decided to order dinner in the room. Immediately after, the little girl fell asleep in a matter of seconds. Iris dressed Alice in her nightgown, put her under the covers and gave her a light kiss on the forehead. She slowly closed the door and reached Nicholas on the terrace. Like Give reward #5 in Contemporary fiction #5 in ChickLit #42 in Romance #9 in Contemporary Romance Story about: love, ceo, marriage Edited: 31.01.2019 Do you like the book? Add it to your library, so that you don't lose it. Thanks, later. Age restriction 14+ User must be 14 years or over to make a purchase Add to library Add to Library The library on Litnet is a handy list of books where you: - collect your favorite books in one place - get notified when the books are updated - discover the new comments on favorite books Or add this page to the bookmarks of your web browser. Add Confirmation of Cookies Cookies are used on the Litnet website. Cookies ensure the correct operation of the site and provide you with more options when using it. By continuing to use our site, you consent to the processing of cookies. Yes I agree No, give me more information For the rights holders Readers' FAQ Authors' FAQ About Terms of use Privacy agreement Policy for publishing copyright material Privacy policy Support & Contact Us Search for users Mobile version 18+Attention! The website might contain information not suited for the underage audience All rights reserved. LITNET CY LIMITED, HE 370604, Florinis, 7, 1065, Nicosia, Cyprus. 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__label__wiki	0.746188	0.746188	Top IdeasHow to Navigate Through the Lyft Noise Let’s talk about unicorns. Not the single-horned mythical creatures we all wish existed. But the corporate kind. If you’ve spent any time in front of the TV in the first few weeks of April watching CNBC or Bloomberg, we bet you’ve heard various over-paid Wall Street strategists and news anchors refer to Lyft (NASDAQ: LYFT) as a unicorn. It’s a bit silly, but in the business world, a unicorn is merely a private (or start-up)... livetradr9 months ago9 min Let’s talk about unicorns. Not the single-horned mythical creatures we all wish existed. But the corporate kind. If you’ve spent any time in front of the TV in the first few weeks of April watching CNBC or Bloomberg, we bet you’ve heard various over-paid Wall Street strategists and news anchors refer to Lyft (NASDAQ: LYFT) as a unicorn. It’s a bit silly, but in the business world, a unicorn is merely a private (or start-up) company that achieves a $1 billion market valuation as determined by a private fund-raise. We think the whole idea of unicorns in business is silly. Unlike 10 or 20 years ago, today there are a ton of private companies valued at or above $1 billion. You see, in the late-1990s a company needed to go public to achieve a big valuation. But that’s not the case anymore. In today’s hyper-regulated and overly-litigious business environment, it’s easier to achieve a 10-plus figure valuation by remaining private. And you know what else? it’s a hell of a lot cheaper to stay private. Most people don’t know this, but being a public company comes with a ton of hidden costs and unavoidable overhead. So, setting aside whether companies should go public or remain private, the bottom line is unicorns aren’t as rare as they used to be. Growing Revenues and Sinking Profits Before Lyft first began mulling over its IPO price — the company, and its investment bankers thought to offer shares to the general public between $62 and $68 a share. Now, we want you to understand something. Lyft disclosed making around $2.2 billion in revenue in 2018. But in generating all those sales, the company managed to lose more than $911 million! That $911 million loss in 2018 far surpasses its nearly $683 million loss in 2016 and $688 million loss in 2017. We don’t care if Lyft is “laser-focused on revolutionizing transportation” as the company claims in its S-1 document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Growth investors may love revenue growth. But they also want to invest in companies with wide moats (a competitive advantage) and some expectation that the company will turn a net profit. And aside from a cool app — which Uber also has — and an early-mover advantage in the sharing economy, we don’t see the need or the logic in owning shares of Lyft at its current valuation. The bottom line is that Lyft is opening doors for its passengers with one hand while throwing as much money as possible out the window with the other. A Botched Lyft-Off How a company and its investment bankers manage the pricing of an IPO can go a long way in determining whether that IPO is successful, or devolves into a money-pit of retail despair. Now, as we previously stated, when Lyft first began to discuss its IPO pricing, a range of $62 to $68 was given. And while a banker never likes to price an IPO near the low end of a range — because that suggests weak demand for shares — we are thinking anything north of $68 ran the risk of being quickly sold. Suffice it to say when Lyft announced that its shares would be offered to the general public at $72 on March 29, 2019, and then pre-opening demand drove that price into the upper $80 range, we said a quiet prayer for the retail public dressed in sheep fur that was about to get painfully fleeced. You see, when Lyft opened for trading around $87, it made absolutely no sense for anyone with the ability to sell their shares, not to do so. And that’s exactly what happened. Shares of Lyft may have attracted buyers in the upper-$60s or even low-$70s, had they been priced more reasonably on day one. But seeing shares priced in the upper-$80s sent potential buyers back to their hidey-holes. Today, shares of Lyft are trading in the upper-$60s, beneath the official $72 IPO price, and a long way away from the IPO-day high of $88.60 that occurred during the second minute of official trading. Worst still, Lyft is officially a broken-IPO. Unicorn Hunting Season? While Lyft’s abysmal IPO showing is bound to frustrate late-stage and IPO-day investors, tech investors have a bigger problem on their hands. With high-profile unicorns like Uber, Airbnb, Slack, Palantir Technologies, Pinterest, and Postmates are all expected to debut on the public markets in 2019, the fact that Lyft has failed to generate strong demand from investors following its IPO pricing creates a problem for bankers. Remember, investment bankers want to make as much money as possible. Not for you! But for themselves and their clients. If a bank dramatically underprices an IPO, the company that’s becoming public can miss out on a massive cash infusion. And the investment banker earns the unpleasant reputation of being unable to judge underlying demand adequately. But the last thing an investment banker wants is a reputation for grossly overpricing an IPO. Ultimately, a company and its bankers, collectively, need to determine where strong demand is. Because in the end, it’s better to underprice shares and see them surge higher (a company can ALWAYS issue a secondary offering at a higher price) than price shares too high only to see them careen off a cliff and morph into a broken IPO situation that no one will want to touch with a 10-foot pole. lyftipo livetradr LiveTradr world-class analysts and publications help you secure your financial independence so you can live the life you deserve. Portfolio Update: A Bright Future for Charlotte’s Web Portfolio Update: Deja Vu with High Profile IPOs Top Ideas7 Powerful Ways to Become a Better Trader Top IdeasHow to Think Like a Billionaire Top Ideas7 Secrets to Successful Microcaps Investing Top IdeasThe 'Silicon Valley Loophole' to 1,000% Returns	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1446
__label__wiki	0.818882	0.818882	Subscribe to Adelaide Living Cultural heart Our wellbeing Sustainable city People of Adelaide East meets West - why they're both the best Both sides of King William Street have undergone transformational changes in recent times. In the East, the community of local traders, along Rundle Street and into its dynamic network of side streets, is stronger than ever and accessibility has been enhanced with new infrastructure. On the other side of town, the once wild image of the West continues to be challenged and changed by the arrival of fresh new faces, inspired by a new breed of businesses. With action-packed Hindley Street at its heart, the West is now mixing its renowned nightlife with cool new offerings in response to the opening of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital and the growth of the university precinct. There’s been a noticeable shift in what’s on offer in the West End with the laneway hot-spots of Peel and Leigh Streets continuing to draw crowds and old haunts getting a new lease on life. Outside the East End Flower Market. Lively Leigh Street in the West End. East End legend, Frank the Barber. The new Royal Adelaide Hospital in the West End. Vibrant Vardon Avenue in the East. Student life – The University of SA West End Campus. SAHMRI’s distinct exterior – part of the changing face of the West End. “There’s always something going on down here. It’s become a lot more dynamic with the hospital and university crowds really embracing the area. Students and medical staff dominate the daytime crowds.” Mitch Gurnett, General Manager of West Oak Hotel The evolution of the West has only served to further enhance the area’s international cred, with Lonely Planet naming it one of Australia’s coolest neighbourhoods to visit in late 2017. Take a short stroll across the city to Adelaide’s East End and you’ll experience the welcoming atmosphere which made it the number one location for Treadly Bike Shop owners Sam and Emily Neeft. “Ebenezer Place is a nice little vibrant street with a lot of locally run businesses. Everyone gets along really well, helps each other out – it’s a great little community with a family vibe. There are a lot of capital works going on in the East End to improve the area, which will make it a more appealing space to use and move around in.” Sam Neeft, Treadly Bike Shop Part of that community is Leonard St. Clothing, owned by interstate entrepreneur, Amanda McCarthy, who was visiting Adelaide two years ago when she saw the opportunity to bring her brand to South Australia. One of the East End’s attractive qualities is the many festivals and events that happen in the precinct which are great for bringing more people to the area. “As a close-knit community, we team together to line up our promotions and generate a real buzz around our locality,” said Leonard St. Clothing store manager, Jordan. Back in the West and a recent arrival helping raise the precinct’s profile is the five-star Mayfair Hotel. “Since the Mayfair opened its doors in 2015 it’s become Adelaide’s leading boutique hotel, consistently ranking as the number one hotel in Adelaide, and also recently being named the best five-star hotel in Australia (Trivago),’’ said General Manager Martin Radcliffe. “The hotel has played an important role in attracting a new demographic to the West End, particularly interstate and international visitors keen to visit the area’s restaurants, bars and nearby major venues like Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Festival Centre and Adelaide Convention Centre.” Six ways to experience Adelaide’s West End Take a multicultural gastronomic journey. Try Waymouth Street or the fragrance-filled laneways of Leigh and Peel Streets for high end dining and top street eats; Perk up with an alfresco coffee at award-winning Peter Rabbit in Hindley’s west; Visit the brand-new futuristic Museum of Discovery, MOD, and challenge your perception of what it means to be human; Live it up to some live music: from the laid-back vibe at local favourite the Grace Emily Hotel to the sleek HQ Complex and many more; Take a tour of the distinctive architecture of the SAHMRI Building; Hit Gresham Place and Bank Street, wander through Topham Mall or detour into Anster Street to discover quirky shops, hidden bars, cool cafes and creative hubs – plus some great street art. Six ways to experience the East End Shop till you drop with top fashion, big brands and bespoke; Pull up a pew at an iconic ‘local’ like The Exeter or The Austral; Get a haircut from legend Frank the Barber in Frank’s Lane; Bar hop a night away with a basement stop at new Hellbound Wine Bar, or hit the side streets and discover gems like Mr Goodbar, The Howling Owl, Mother Vine, East End Cellars and NOLA; Take five in nature: enjoy some family time in Rymill Park / Mullawirraburka / Park 14 or the Adelaide Botanic Gardens; Enrich your knowledge of Aboriginal culture and history at Tandanya. Paula Stevens Discovering the unfamiliar in the familiar Paula has called Adelaide home her entire life and has spent many years exploring its nooks and crannies. She is excited and inspired when uncovering a new story, a hidden place, and hearing the stories of people who add to the colour and life of the city. Lunar New Year in the city How to: create a fuss-free hot pot experience	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1447
__label__cc	0.71302	0.28698	The Business of Social Games and Casino How to succeed in the mobile game space by Lloyd Melnick Look closely at track record, with the emphasis on closely You often hear how important it is to look at a person or company’s history before hiring, investing, etc., and although it is crucial, it is also crucial to do more than look superficially. Conversely, just looking superficially can cause significant damage and lead you into a bad decision. Using track record when hiring Probably the most important factor when considering a candidate is what they have previously done in their career. While a weak candidate can shine for a day of interviews and a great candidate may not be good in an interview environment, what a person has done previously in their career is a strong indicator of what they can do for you. The challenge is how to analyze a person’s track record. If you look on LinkedIn, 90 percent of people are all in the top 10 percent. In some cases (though I have found it rare among candidates for senior positions), people lie about their prior roles and achievements. This issue is easy to uncover; you just need to ensure you do your due diligence on background and reference checks. The one caveat is not to rely on the references that you are given, as almost anyone can find three or four people (often friends) that will say good things about them. You need to dig deeper, for key positions and achievements figure out who they reported to or worked with, then reach out directly to those people (I usually use LinkedIn) to get the real story. The other key element of checking candidates’ track records is understanding their true roles on the major achievements they tout. Continue reading “Look closely at track record, with the emphasis on closely” Author Lloyd MelnickPosted on October 16, 2014 October 21, 2014 Categories General Social Games Business, General Tech BusinessTags hiring, investment, recruiting, track record, VCLeave a comment on Look closely at track record, with the emphasis on closely Get my book on LTV The definitive book on customer lifetime value, Understanding the Predictable, is now available in both print and Kindle formats on Amazon. Understanding the Predictable delves into the world of Customer Lifetime Value (LTV), a metric that shows how much each customer is worth to your business. By understanding this metric, you can predict how changes to your product will impact the value of each customer. You will also learn how to apply this simple yet powerful method of predictive analytics to optimize your marketing and user acquisition. Follow The Business of Social Games and Casino on WordPress.com Follow Lloyd's Blog via Email Lloyd Melnick This is Lloyd Melnick’s personal blog. I am EVP Casino at VGW, where I lead the Chumba Casino team. I am a serial builder of businesses (senior leadership on three exits worth over $700 million), successful in big (Disney, Stars Group, Zynga) and small companies (Merscom, Spooky Cool Labs) with over 20 years experience in the gaming and casino space. Bayes' Theorem (8) General Social Games Business (414) General Tech Business (157) International Issues with Social Games (49) Lloyd's favorite posts (92) LTV (50) Mobile Platforms (37) Social Casino (39) Social Games Marketing (96) thinking fast and slow (5) View CasualGame’s profile on Facebook View @lloydmelnick’s profile on Twitter View lloydmelnick’s profile on LinkedIn The subscription KPIs that matter Creating an experience that retains players Taking the subscription model to the next level An often-better alternative to AB testing? by Lloyd Melnick All posts by Lloyd Melnick unless specified otherwise The Business of Social Games and Casino Powered by WordPress.com.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1450
__label__cc	0.65723	0.34277	From Chemical Engineering To The Catwalk Date: September 15, 2010Author: LockerGnome Editor Seamless fabric that can be sprayed on to skin and other surfaces to make clothes, medical bandages and even upholstery will be demonstrated this Thursday, in advance of the Science in Style spray-on fashion show next week at Imperial College London. Dr Manel Torres is a Spanish fashion designer and academic visitor at Imperial, where he has collaborated with Paul Luckham, Professor of Particle Technology from the Department of Chemical Engineering, to create a seamless material called Fabrican Spray-on fabric that can be sprayed directly onto the body, using aerosol technology. The spray dries instantly to make innovative clothes that can be washed and re-worn. At the press preview, Dr Torres will demonstrate the Fabrican Spray-on fabric on models, creating clothes from scratch to show how this technology can be applied in the fashion industry. He will also be showcasing his 2011 Spring / Summer Collection of spray-on haute couture next Monday evening at the Science in Style fashion show at the College. The event will celebrate design-led technology at Imperial, and will coincide with London Fashion Week and the London Design Festival. The Fabrican Spray-on fabric consists of short fibres that are combined with polymers to bind the fibres together, and a solvent that delivers the fabric in liquid form and evaporates when the spray reaches a surface. The spray can be applied using a high pressure spray gun or an aerosol can. The texture of the fabric can be changed according to what fibres are used (such as wool, linen or acrylic), and how the spray is layered. “When I first began this project I really wanted to make a futuristic, seamless, quick and comfortable material,” says Dr Torres. “In my quest to produce this kind of fabric, I ended up returning to the principles of the earliest textiles such as felt, which were also produced by taking fibres and finding a way of binding them together without having to weave or stitch them. As an artist I spend my time dreaming up one-off creations, but as a scientist I have to focus on making things reproducible. I want to show how science and technology can help designers come up with new materials.” Fashion is just one of the uses of this technology. Dr Torres has set up the spin-out company Fabrican Ltd with Professor Luckham to explore other applications, such as medicine patches and bandages, hygiene wipes, air fresheners and upholstery for furniture and cars. Professor Luckham adds: “The fashion application of spray-on fabric is a great way of advertising the concept, but we are also keen to work on new applications for the medical, transport and chemical industries. For example, the spray-on fabric may be produced and kept in a sterilised can, which could be perfect for providing spray-on bandages without applying any pressure for soothing burnt skin, or delivering medicines directly to a wound.” [Photo above by tibchris / CC BY-ND 2.0] Colin Smith @ Imperial College London [awsbullet:liquid leather vinyl] catwalkclothesfashionliquid latexmodelspray on Previous Previous post: Measuring The Preference For Multitasking Next Next post: The New Digg Is Growing On Me	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1452
__label__cc	0.699654	0.300346	Tag: rpg Con report: Dragonmeet 2019 December 3, 2019 December 4, 2019 ~ Craig ~ 1 Comment After attending a number of excellent events earlier this year I knew that my final convention of the year had to be something special. That really meant I had only one option, Dragonmeet this past Saturday (November 30th) in London. As I’m no longer based in the South East I went with the there and back again stupidly long day option, taking a 06:45 train down from Liverpool and then rushing off to catch a 18:07 train home again. Was the 16 hour round trip worth it? Absolutely. The last time I was at Dragonmeet (2015 I think) it had just relocated to its current venue, the Novotel West hotel near Hammersmith. In that time it has grown substantially, with the trade hall now spread over two floors and they have finally (!) replaced the game sign-up process with online booking that limits the sign-up scrum that the convention had become infamous for. I spent the morning in the trade hall, saying hello to people and browsing the stalls and even conducting an impromptu interview for the Rolistes podcast. After working on the Crystal Heart kickstarter I also finally got the chance to say hello in person to Eran and Aviv from Up to Four Players and I can’t wait to see how that world progresses over the next year. I handed out business cards with free download links to a few people, so hopefully that will help with getting my work seen by a wider audience. (This is something that I find excruciatingly difficult so sorry to anybody that thought I was avoiding a conversation!) Overall I was really impressed by the range of products on offer and thanks to expanding onto the second floor it never felt too busy (unlike the chaos of Expo). Dragonmeet is built around RPGs and it was good to see that while it has grown there were still dozens of independents mixed in with established small studios and some of the larger publishers such as Modiphius, Cubicle 7 and Pelgrane Press. I’ve posted a separate loot post but suffice to say I had no problem in spending more than I’d initially planned to and was happily over budget by half eleven. There were a few further products I did consider picking up – Carbon 2185, which looks really nice but from my perspective is a difficult ask given my apprehension towards 5E derivatives. There was also Broken Shield 2.0, a brand new iteration of an interesting dark future-noir setting. Unfortunately I’d bought the original game many years ago and got burned by the clunky, old-school system so was reluctant to jump straight in. I have, however, downloaded the quick-start so will give that a good look through. Indie Games on the Hour After playing in Games on Demand at UK Games Expo back in June I volunteered my services to run games in two slots at indie Games on the Hour (iGOTH), organised (primarily) by Josh Fox from Black Armada. I offered two games – Project Cassandra and Demon Hunters, which are probably the only systems I know well enough to comfortably run in under two hours for strangers. During my first slot I had three players for Project Cassandra and we played the Ich bin ein Berliner scenario that is included in the minimal playtest packet (which will be receiving an update soon). The players seemed to really enjoy themselves and dived in to the game, with one player liberally spending premonitions to the point that they had run out with half an hour still remaining. From a playtest perspective this session was extremely valuable. On the positive front it demonstrated that with a proper use of difficulties the switch back to using premonitions to re-roll dice that didn’t already add a success wasn’t game breaking. The players still failed an appropriate number of times and didn’t rely on the same small set of skills. It also reinforced my belief that the game is best with three players – that provides both a wide range of skills while ensuring that they are sufficient gaps to allow for challenges to arise naturally. The session also picked up on two trends that I’ve spotted previously and that I’d now say form a pattern of potential issues. Those centre around powers and pacing. On the powers front they are generally underused and players tend to save them for big scenes. Not an issue but definitely something to take note of, especially during one shots. The pacing is a bigger issue – after reaching Berlin the first thing the players did was head to the site of the coming assassination attempt. Which is a perfectly logical approach but somewhat breaks the tension. I’ve got some ideas on how to go forward and will incorporate them into the next playtest. By the time of the second slot the interest in iGOTH had seemingly exploded and all of a sudden we were swamped with players. Thankfully an additional GM was able to step up, ensuring that almost everybody got a game (I think a few late comers may have been unable to). At first count I had 11 people express an interest in Demon Hunters! While I’d have loved to accommodate them all that’s just not feasible and in the end I ran for a table of 6, which included two younger players (aged 10 and 7) and their dad plus 3 other adults who all stepped up to help make it a silly, family friendly game. To say it was chaotic would be an understatement and I found myself making numerous on the fly additions to the Missionary Opposition scenario, including a magically reanimated, vampire rabbit (inspired by a memorable scene from Dorkness Rising). I played fast and loose with the rules, knowing it was necessary to keep the kids interested and I hope that didn’t impact too much on the rest of the table. In the end the day was saved, pets were rescued and Albrecht even got to walk away with a big stick. I’m considering the possibility of simplifying the system as a way to offer it in a dedicated child friendly way without losing the flavour but that’s something for future me to think about. It’s been a few years since I last attended Dragonmeet so it was great to see that in that time it has continued to grow but without sacrificing the welcoming feel it has always had. This isn’t a giant impersonal event like Expo – it still feels like a friendly, small convention despite being perhaps the biggest UK event focused primarily on RPGs. I don’t know the final numbers and didn’t explore the spaces dedicated to organised play or pre-booked games, I would guess in the 2-3000 over the course of the day, but it shows that the hobby is vibrant and alive. It was great to see an improved gender balance and increased visibility of queer creators but there are definitely still gains to be made, especially in drawing in non-white gamers but I also think that is (unfortunately) reflective of the UK RPG scene as a whole. I’ve already answered the question of whether the excessively long day was worth it, which is a resounding yes. Dragonmeet remains a friendly convention that I will try and attend again next year. As I progress into this little adventure that is publishing I can see it becoming increasingly important for me as an opportunity to catch up with other indie developers. Even if that wasn’t the case the combination of gaming opportunities and chance to interact directly with traders in a relaxed space would make it worth it. In an ideal world I’d be able to make a full day of it rather than rushing off in the early evening but those sort of logistics are an issue for future me, right now I have loot to enjoy. New Release: The Synth Convergence November 29, 2019 November 29, 2019 ~ Craig ~ 1 Comment Initialising subroutines… decryption protocols active (cy2.12) CaseHD@AlphaC Password: ***************************** Identity confirmed… Welcome back runner Encrypted message incoming RouteTrace.ise: Interrupt error 2.5 – dumping log Message begins: Welcome to the future hackers and runners, mercs and shadows. Welcome to The Synth Convergence from LunarShadow Designs. It takes time and money to be a professional which means one thing – jobs. Off the book, spec-ops jobs run by deniable resources that work outside the Corporate system that runs the Sprawl and every other one just like it. The Synth Convergence provides teams with a trilogy of new missions built around synthetic lifeforms. Push the limits of technology with independent, autonomous artificial intelligences that require no sleep, no wages and no rights. In The Tannhauser Investment (also available as free demo from drivethruRPG and itch.io) your team are brought in to negotiate the tricky process of a hostile Corporate takeover – all while evading the awareness of the synth consciousness built into the super-luxury hotel the target is holed up in. The Infinitive Extraction takes the team to the beating heart of the entertainment districts as they seek to extract Infinitive Cascade, the hottest DJ on the circuits from an exploitative contract. But do your employers want them for their musical talents or the military codebase at the core of their personality matrix? Finally in The Vanda-Weiss Demolition the past catches up with your operatives as they face off against The Evolved, a radical fringe group dedicated to wiping out synths and returning humanity to the true path before they are toppled by their own creations. Get in, do the job, get out. It’s never that simple but if it was they wouldn’t have hired professionals like you. The Synth Convergence is available to purchase now from driveThruRPG or itch.io. The Synth Convergence requires a copy of The Sprawl RPG to play. Purchase it from Ardens Ludere on driveThruRPG. Support the creators – buy the game. Closing Thoughts: Wrapping up a D&D campaign November 26, 2019 November 26, 2019 ~ Craig ~ 2 Comments Earlier this month the D&D campaign I’ve been DMing for a group of work colleagues reached its conclusion. We’ve been playing for close to a year and for most of the players it was their first extended foray into the hobby. While it has been a slog at times overall I have enjoyed running my first campaign in any iteration of the “world’s greatest roleplaying game.” I’m not, however, in any rush to repeat the experience. The campaign has really reinforced my belief that the d20 system just isn’t for me. There are just too many elements where I feel like the mechanics are working against what I want to bring to the table. Can I work around them, or even accept why they’re there? Sure, but that doesn’t mean I’ll enjoy them. Monsters & Mayhem One of my biggest issues is D&Ds core focus – combat. The extent to which 5th edition revolves around it is both admirable and unbelievable. 4th edition may have a tighter combat system due to its design goals (I will forever think they should have released it under a separate line such as ‘D&D Tactics’) but it is still at the core of 5th edition. So what were my issues? First off the attrition mechanic that is HP and how it scales. Shooting or stabbing somebody and then only knocking off 8 of their 50+ HP is boring and gets repetitive quickly. Yes, I’ve heard the argument that it’s meant to represent wearing down luck or a person’s stamina but honestly if that is the case it needs to be renamed and characters should have a small, separate wound track. I found HP especially frustrating given the challenge rating of many monsters are increased simply by upping their it but without increasing anything else. Too many creatures have large HP values relative to their damage output. I got around this using two of the more common approaches – first off I halved the HP of pretty much every monster if it was above 20. Secondly for anything that should have been a proper threat they always hit with max damage (for everything else I used the average damage just to speed up combats). I also ported over the concept of minions from 4th edition – hard hitters that went down after 1 or 2 hits regardless of the damage. My second issue with the combat heavy nature of the game is how much D&D leans on the use of monsters. Yes, they’re iconic and fit the established dungeon crawling that D&D is actually all about but I like to have intelligent NPCs that the players can interact with. Unfortunately the system doesn’t make it easy to create them and there aren’t a massive number of examples in the basic game. Time and time again I found myself reskinning monster stat blocks to be city guards and tavern owners. It helped that we’d established from the start that no race was inherently evil so it wasn’t unusual for the PCs to encounter goblins or orcs that weren’t automatically out to get them. As with HP I understand why D&D uses monsters so often but honestly I feel like unless you’re playing a West Marches game or just focusing on dungeon crawling that it would benefit shifting to include more individuals and better rules for quickly statting them up. This is one aspect where I suspect the published adventures improve on the game but given I don’t use them I don’t have access to the repertoire of NPCs in their pages. Epic Storytelling Despite all my complaints about the system my aim was always to lean in to one key aspect – epic storytelling. By the end of the campaign the PCs had worked their way up to fighting against Fate itself, which in our storyline manifested in the form of a dragon. The characters had been unwillingly chosen to be its immortal heralds in the next age of the world – theirs would be power and control at the expense of progress. They chose to fight against those ties, toppling the previous immortals before turning against Fate in an epic showdown with the dragon Rivqah. They opted to forgo the stagnation of stability in favour of progress and ultimately won the fight to let the world move forward and forge its own path. What they didn’t succeed in doing was severing the ties to their own souls, rendering them immortal in a world that was moving on. This wasn’t something I’d planned, it just came down to the PCs achieving their main goal without first completing a second objective during the heat of combat. What it does mean is that we have the opportunity to revisit the characters in a later game, so my mind is already considering the possibilities. Maybe a fantasy spin on Deadlands? Or a look at how the world progressed as it entered its modern era? The options are open and I’m looking forward to seeing what the characters have been up to. But not yet, there’s plenty of other games to play first. Con Report: BurritoCon4 October 21, 2019 October 21, 2019 ~ Craig ~ 3 Comments It feels like it was only yesterday that I was reporting on BurritoCon 3 (was it really all the way back in July?) yet I find myself back from BurritoCon 4, held once again at FanBoy 3 in Manchester. Organised by @OldScouserRPing I had another amazing day of gaming that just highlights what small events can achieve. Games were once again split into two three-hour slots with five tables a piece (though one morning game was unfortunately cancelled due to GM illness) and a host of systems on offer (none of which were D&D!). For the morning slot I gravitated straight to Goblin Quest, a comedy, semi-narrative game of incompetent Goblins attempting to complete tasks that are beyond their feeble capabilities. It was an utter blast and I’ll be keeping an eye out for a copy of it in the future. Somehow, despite our many deaths (each player has a small contingent of goblins at their disposal) we completed our simple task of putting on a play and even avoided being fireballed by evil Wizards at the end. The well-seasoned clutch of Yark, N’Gargh and Mesk. None of whom survived their mission. For the afternoon slot I had volunteered to run a game and keeping with the comedy theme I went with Demon Hunters: A Comedy of Terrors. I’ve been working on Talentless Hacks, the latest Slice of Life adventure starter, so this provided an excellent field test of the material. With only 3 hours I chose to cut a number of the investigative elements, to the extent that I was worried about finishing early but we came in almost exactly on time. The game was great fun and all of the players really got into the characters and setting, culminating with the fight against REDACTED. There were definitely elements that could be improved and I don’t think the PCs were ever in any real danger (it is one of my consistent weaknesses as a GM) so I’ll be upping some of the threats during editing. Overall though the adventure works so it’ll be my priority once The Synth Convergence is released. One of the nice touches of Fanboy 3 is their approach to supporting GMs, players pay £3 per session while the GM not only gets to run for free but receives £1 store credit per player! I’ve been consuming snippets of Cthulhu inspired material recently so my credit went towards the Mother’s Love hardback for The Cthulhu Hack, an excellent lightweight take on the genre. I don’t tend to run much in the way of prewritten material but flicking through the adventures in the book they grabbed my attention so hopefully I’ll get a chance to run some players through them soon. While there are no immediate plans for the next BurritoCon I can say for sure that I’ll be keeping an eye out for the next one as the event and venue have been excellent each time. My next and final convention attendance of the year will be DragonMeet at the end of November, an event I’ve not been to since moving away from the South East. If you’re going to be there give me a shout.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1457
__label__wiki	0.644356	0.644356	Jamie Baum Septet +, Cornelia Street Cafe, NYC, 2/26/16 February 12, 2016Event Announcement The Jamie Baum Septet+, in preparation to record their 4th CD on February 29th and March 1st, will perform all new-to-be-recorded music at the intimate Cornelia Street Cafe on Friday, February 26th. The program of original modern jazz compositions picks up where her last award-winning Sunnyside release In This Life, leaves off. Since it’s formation in 1999, Ms.Baum has used this “little big band” as her muse, first as a Septet and then adding Brad Shepik on guitar creating the Septet+, to successfully synthesize influences from disparate styles of music into her own highly personalized vision. The new compositions, performance and upcoming recording entitled “Bridges”, are made possible in part with the support awarded her by her 20014 Guggenheim Fellowship, and include a commission by the Rubin Museum of Art, Honoring Nepal: The Shiva Suite, and other cross-cultural collaborations.. Honoring Nepal: The Shiva Suite along with the other genre-crossing compositions, while staying on the side of the modern jazz tradition, are explicitly untraditional in their ethnic flavors evolved from Ms. Baum’s personal experiences. For example, Honoring Nepal is a tribute to a place she has been to twice, performing and collaborating with local musicians while at the Katmandu Jazz Festival and continuing a musical relationship with its producer and percussionist. In fact, along with pianist Manu Koch, she co-produced a benefit concert last July at NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge to raise money to for Nepal after the earthquake. The successful event featuring eight bands including Goonj Beyond Boundaries (created by Nepali percussionist Navin Chettri which Baum and Koch play in), the Claudia Quintet, Dave Liebman and a traditional Nepalese group. NYC Flutist/composer JAMIE BAUM has toured 28 countries and worked with artists as diverse as George Russell, Mick Goodrick, Paul Motion and Randy Brecker to Dave Douglas, Richie Beirach, Anthony Braxton and Wadada Leo Smith. She’s been nominated by the Jazz Journalists Association for “Flutist of the Year“ eight times including 2015, listed in DownBeat Critics Polls every year since 1998, and was included in the “Major New International Talent” 2015 list by Musica Jazz (Italy). Baum’s fifth CD as a leader, In This Life (Sunnyside Records), received great attention including reviews from The New York Times, DownBeat, JazzTimes, etc., and was featured in NPR’s All Things Considered and WBGO’s RADAR. It made several “Best CDs of 2013” lists including DownBeat, JazzTimes, Jazziz, ITunes, The Boston Globe and Francis Davis’ NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll and was nominated by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2014 as “Best Midsize Ensemble of the Year”, in the same list with only two other bands…The Wayne Shorter Quartet and Steve Coleman and Five Elements! “ The virtuoso flutist confirmed her status as a masterful composer, synthesizing her love of the rhythms and melodies of South Asia with orchestral jazz harmony.” – Jon Garelick, Boston Globe “(Baum’s) playing on the concert and bass flutes is undoubtedly beautiful and at times ethereal, but also fiery and complex, challenging traditional harmonies. And as her Saturday night performance at Atlas Performing Arts Center’s Sprenger Theatre (Washington, D.C,) showed, her writing follows similar paths….The evening’s centerpiece was a new long-form piece, “Shiva,” which Baum and Septet + premiered just last week in New York.” – Michael J. West, The Washington Post “The Jamie Baum Septet+ was clearly a group of special shape and sound. Having seen this remarkable group at the North Sea Jazz Festival, it was even more remarkable that this group was not programmed by other European festivals. The way Baum transformed and subtly inscribed characteristics of Khan’s music into her ensemble’s music appeared to be of a distinguished quality… without ever becoming dominant or rendering the music overtly exotic (or) imitative. Besides Baum’s great blending of voices in the collective sound of the ensemble… there were significant moments for (all of the) players, all demonstrating the remarkably strong intercommunion that this group has achieved. It was a stroke of luck that the programmers of the festival not only recognized the extraordinary quality of the ensemble but also booked it.” – Henning Bolte, AllAboutJazz.com* The Jamie Baum Septet+ (youtube) at The 2014 North Sea Jazz Festival*: The Jamie Baum Septet + Jamie Baum- flutes Amir ElSaffar – trumpet Sam Sadigursky – alto sax/bass clarinet Chris Komer – French horn Brad Shepik – guitar John Escreet – piano Zack Lober – bass Jeff Hirshfield – drums 9pm to 12am Cornelia Street Cafe 29 Cornelia St. Greenwich Village, NYC (212) 989-9319, http://corneliastreetcafe.com/downstairs/performances.asp For more information, photos, interviews, CDs or downloads: lynnjam@earthlink.net, www.jamiebaum.com ← ZCO/DANCEPROJECT, “Progression”, Symphony Space, NYC, March 15 CBC Music First Play: Brandee Younger, Wax and Wane →	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1459
__label__cc	0.704338	0.295662	Mack Hines Consulting. Dr. Mack T. Hines III provides a warm welcome to visitors and shares his enthusiasm, passion, and beliefs for being an educator in the 21st Century. View The Welcome White Teachers, Black Students: In the Spirit of Yes to African American Student Achievement . The People’s Choice. Learn more about why Dr. Mack Hines’ programs and request an appointment About Mack Hines Consulting The South Carolina native is widely known and regarded for his dynamic, down-to-earth approaches and strategies in the areas of African American student success and the incorporation of racial and cultural diversity into classrooms. Mack Hines Consulting Programs. Participants acquire strategies for using oral and rhythmic expression, multi-level togetherness, vervistic focus, and experiential vitality to effectively teach African American students. Mack Hines Consulting Testimonies. View and listen to several testimonies from clients that have benefited from Dr. Mack Hines programs White Teachers, Black Students: In the Spirit of Yes to African American Student Achievement So a teacher thinketh, a student becometh. Thus what students become depends largely and forcefully upon what teachers think of them as people. Therefore, when we think of students as people with futures and not as having futile potential, our thoughts will become the influential yardstick for what students measure themselves by to become successful people.” – Dr. Mack T. Hines III From Dr. Mack Hines Blog. When the Matter of Black Lives is Moved A high school yearbook allows students to revisit and reflect on significant events during the school year. It is a sentimental keepsake that is very important and should not be taken for granted. Just ask Vanessa Mewborn and Ariana Coleman,… https://mackthines.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/headerlogo3.png 0 0 Dr. Mack T. Hines https://mackthines.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/headerlogo3.png Dr. Mack T. Hines2017-06-05 03:10:182017-06-05 03:14:29When the Matter of Black Lives is Moved So here we are in the midst of another police shooting of an unarmed Black person in America. In case you haven’t heard, Jordan Edwards was laid to rest after dying from a gunshot wound to the head. That kill shot came from the rifle barrel… We’re coming upon the 2-year anniversary of the death of Sandra Annette Bland. Bland was an African American woman who traveled to Hempstead, Texas to start a job at her alma mater Prairie View A & M University. Bland was arrested by… Back in my day, Pepsi was a hell of a soda. So much so that the soft drink was deemed “The Choice of A New Generation.” Nowadays, there’s a new generation of folk who prefer Pepsi, too. But this generation seems to be confused about… https://mackthines.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/headerlogo3.png 0 0 Dr. Mack T. Hines https://mackthines.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/headerlogo3.png Dr. Mack T. Hines2017-04-09 04:31:482017-04-09 04:31:48Pepsi: The Voice of A Confused Generation Subscribe to my Newsletter.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1461
__label__cc	0.606967	0.393033	Italian wholesale player selects Nokia for FTTH rollout program Previous Article Huawei to unveil foldable 5G smartphone at MWC Next Article EITC highlights exciting opportunities in ICT sector for Emirati talent Open Fiber, the sole wholesale-only player in the Italian broadband market, selected Nokia for a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) rollout that will bring ultra-broadband services to the small towns and rural areas of Italy. The Open Fiber network will bring optical fiber from a point of presence to the customer's home and deliver speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps). In line with the founding principles of the Gigabit Society, the new fiber deployment provides Open Fiber with a future-proof network that can support next generation fiber technologies. While drawing up its ultra-broadband strategy in 2015, the Italian government identified four types of clusters (A, B, C and D) in the country: where each municipality was assigned to one cluster based on factors including lower or higher housing density, presence of broadband coverage and market size. Nokia has been selected as the sole supplier for clusters C and D (white areas) and will deliver products, services and software needed to plan, design, deploy and support the end-to-end active network infrastructure based on GPON technologies Stefano Paggi, Network & Operations Director at Open Fiber, said: "We have selected Nokia as our supplier in clusters C and D to deliver giga-services and pave the way for future ultra-broadband technology evolutions. We are sure that Nokia's extensive experience in fixed networks will enable us to build an efficient network that uses best-of-breed components and technologies. With Nokia's solutions we will be able to offer services at 10 Gigabit per second (Gbps) and in the future at 40 Gbps on the access network. We will also have the opportunity to adopt the SDAN (Software Defined Networking) paradigm and therefore to maximize the potential of a new generation access network, with high automation, programmable and integrated with cloud environments. Alessandro Manno, Director Global Enterprise Italy, said: "As a worldwide leader in telecommunication solutions, and a long-time front-runner in fiber technologies, Nokia has the products and delivery capability to support Open Fiber in this deployment journey. Our end-to-end solutions, professional services, consulting, maintenance and support services reduce risk and accelerate deployments, giving Open Fiber the confidence to adopt new technologies, enter new markets and extend the performance of existing networks". Nokia will also offer its professional services and customer engineering experience to fulfil solution validation and integration, installation and commissioning, on-site support, solution training and project management. Nokia Technology ICT Broadband FTTH Connectivity Innovation Solutions Italy Program Rural vendor Open Fiber stc registers increase of revenues in 2019 Invigo successfully tests the remote SIM provisioning of an embedded eSIM Yahsat to acquire stake in UAE-based satellite operator Mobile backhaul: A key growth driver to fuel fiber investments	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1465
__label__wiki	0.980519	0.980519	Sat, 24 Nov 2018 13:54 - Updated Sat, 24 Nov 2018 13:54 Mali says it confirms death of veteran jihadist leader Koufa BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali’s army said on Saturday it had confirmed the death of Amadou Koufa, one of the most prominent jihadist leaders in the country, in a raid by French forces on Thursday night. “I confirm that Amadou Koufa was killed during the operation,” Malian army spokesman Colonel Diarran Kone told Reuters. He declined to elaborate. France’s army had said on Friday that Koufa may have been killed in the operation in the central Mopti region that “put out of action” about 30 Islamist militants. Koufa, a radical preacher, was one of the top deputies to Iyad Ag Ghali, the leader of Mali’s most prominent jihadi group, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), which has repeatedly attacked soldiers and civilians in Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso. Those attacks have shifted Mali’s six-year-old Islamist insurgency from the remote desert north closer to its populous south and prompted France and the United States to deploy thousands of troops across West Africa’s semi-arid region. Tags Mali Mali goes to polls after five years of jihad, insecurity BAMAKO (Reuters) - Malians began voting on Sunday to decide whether or not to give President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita a second term, despite widespread ethnic and jihadist violence that has dramatically worsened since he came to power five years ago. Anti-terror HQ 'attacked in Mali' Gunmen in Mali have attacked the headquarters of the regional force fighting Islamist militants in the Sahel region of West Africa, witnesses say. Thousands of Malians rally against President Keita before election BAMAKO - Thousands of Malians marched through the capital Bamako on Friday against President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who will seek re-election next month.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1470
__label__cc	0.686835	0.313165	CS Vol.7 No.9 , July 2016 New DCM Operated Single Phase Bridgeless Cuk Derived Converters for Power Factor Correction Author(s) P. M. Dhanasekaran1, Parasunath Veena2, Rajaiah Jeyabharath2 1 Department of EEE, K. S. Rangasamy College of Technology, Thiruchengode, Tamil Nadu, India. 2 Department of EEE, KSR Institute for Engineering and Technology, Thiruchengode, Tamil Nadu, India. This paper presents a power factor corrected (PFC) new bridgeless (BL) Cuk Topologies for low power applications. A BL configuration of Cuk converter is proposed which eliminates the usage of diode bridge rectifier at the front end of the PFC converter, thus reducing the switching and conduction losses coupled with it. This new BL Cuk converter has two semiconductors switches. The current flow during each switching cycle interval of the converter reduces the conduction losses compared to the conventional Cuk PFC converter. It also reduces the input current ripple and Electromagnetic Interference (EMI). The inrush current during the starting period is limited and the input, output currents of the converter are continuous with minimum current ripple. Hence it is preferred mostly compared to other PFC circuits. The proposed topology works in the Discontinuous Conduction Mode (DCM) with simple control circuitry to achieve almost a unity power factor with less distortion in the input AC current. The switching of the power switches is done under zero current. The proposed PFC topologies are theoretically investigated and performance comparisons are made with the conventional rectifiers. The proposed PFC converter is simulated in MATLAB/SIMULINK with Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) and results are demonstrated to evaluate the effectiveness of the controller. Bridgeless (BL) Cuk Converter Topology, Power Factor Correction (PFC), Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) Received 2 May 2016; accepted 20 May 2016; published 14 July 2016 The active power factor correction circuits for low and medium power applications have been increasing in recent years [1] , [2] with the choice of research to improve the power quality according to the harmonic regulations and standards. Conventionally, most of the active PFC circuits comprises of a front end diode bridge rectifier (DBR) which distorts the utility line voltage. This reduces the supply power factor and also the optimized usage of utility system [3] . Referring to the conventional PFC in Figure 1, in switch ON-time, the current flows through two diodes in bridge rectifier and the power switch (Q). During the switch OFF-time, current flows through another two diodes of DBR and the diode (Do) in the output side. Thus, in each switching cycle, three devices are conducted and result in significant conduction losses due to the forward voltage drop across the bridge diode. This degrades the rectifier’s efficiency especially at a low input voltage. In order to maximize the rectifier efficiency, many research works have been directed towards designing the bridgeless PFC converters with the elimination of Diode Bridge at the front end [3] . The current in this bridgeless PFC converter is made to flow in minimum number of switches. Accordingly, the conduction losses can be reduced and efficiency can be improved. Recently in the literature, there are several bridgeless PFC rectifiers that have been introduced for step-up/step-down applications. The most frequently used topology is the bridgeless boost PFC rectifier because of its low cost and high efficiency. It has some major practical drawbacks such as, starting inrush currents, difficulties in input/output isolations, output voltage higher than the peak input voltage, lack of current limitation in overload conditions. In a bridgeless single ended primary inductance converter (SEPIC) converter, the output current is discontinuous with high ripple content. A bridgeless buck PFC converter for step down voltage applications was proposed. However, this buck PFC converter has high total harmonic distortion (THD) [4] , [5] and low power factor. The next topology for PFC applications is the Cuk PFC converter. It offers several advantages such as natural protection against start-up in rush current, less current ripple at input side, less electromagnetic interference (EMI) in Discontinuous Conduction Mode (DCM) [6] - [8] . The input and output currents are continuous with low ripples compared to SEPIC PFC converter [9] - [14] . Thus, the bridgeless Cuk converter is a potential candidate compared over the basic PFC topologies, especially for low power applications. In this paper, the bridgeless Cuk PFC converter topologies are taken and their performances are analyzed. A comparison is made against the efficiency, power factor correction and reduction in THD for all the Cuk PFC rectifiers. 2. Types of Bridgeless Cuk PFC Rectifiers The Bridgeless Cuk PFC rectifiers are shown in the Figures 2(a)-(c). There are three topologies, viz., Type-1, Type-2, and Type-3 Cuk PFC rectifiers. These topologies are configured by connecting the two DC-DC Cuk converters, each one for the half period of the supply voltage. The circuit operations of the three topologies during positive and negative half periods are shown in Figures 3(a)-(f). Note in Figures 3(a)-(f) the current flow paths are in one or two semiconductors and hence the current stresses through the switches are reduced. Thus Figure 1. Conventional Cuk PFC converter. Figure 2. Bridgeless Cuk PFC converters. (a) Type-1; (b) Type-2; (c) Type-3. (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) Figure 3. (a) & (b) Positive half and negative half cycle operation of Type-1; (c) & (d) Positive half and negative half cycle operation of Type-2; (e) & (f) Positive half and negative half cycle operation of Type-3. improving the efficiency compared to conventional Cuk PFC rectifiers. The output bus for the type 1, type 3 converter is connected with the supply side through the slow recovery diodes Dp and Dn (Figure 2(a) and Figure 2(c)) and in the type 2 topology (Figure 2(b)), it is directly connected. Thus, these PFC configurations are a resistant for common mode EMI. The rectifiers uses two power switches Q1 and Q2. The control circuit for the Cuk rectifiers is simple since, both the switches are driven by the same control signal. The usage of inductor compared to the conventional topology is a drawback in terms of cost, but it improves the thermal performance. In addition, these topologies provide near zero ripple current at the input and output side of the PFC converter. 3. Operation of Cuk PFC Rectifier The Type-3 Cuk PFC rectifier is taken for analysis and its operational performance is studied. This converter is assumed to be operating at steady state condition and it follows the assumptions like ideal loss less components, pure sinusoidal AC voltage and all the capacitors are large such that there is no voltage ripples during the period Ts. Referring to Figure 3(e), during the positive half period of supply voltage, is the first DC-DC Cuk circuit L1-Q1-C1-Lo1-Do1, is active through diode Dp and is connects the input source to Output port. During the negative half period shown in Figure 3(f), the second Cuk circuit, L2-Q2-C2-Lo2-Do2, is active through diode Dn and connects the input source to output end. Thus, in both periods the AC supply source reaches the output ports. There are three topological modes of operation for Type-3 Cuk rectifier in DCM operation during one switching stage Ts. The operating stages over a switching cycle are described as follows. 3.1. Stage 1 Operation [t0, t1] This stage of operation starts when the Q1 ON in the interval t0 to t1, as shown in Figure 4. The inductor current iL1 forward biases the Diode Dp and the diode Dn is reverse biased by the input voltage. The reverse voltage (Vac + Vo) reverse biases the output diode Do1 and at the same time, Do2 is reverse biased by the output voltage Vo. In this mode, the inductor currents iL1 and iLo1 increase linearly with the input voltage, while due to the constant voltage across C2, the current through Lo2 is zero. The various inductor currents during this stage 1 time interval is shown in Figure 5. The peak current flowing through the active switch Q1 is given by where Vm is the peak amplitude of the supply voltage, D1 is the duty cycle for power switch and Le is the parallel combination of inductors L1 and Lo1 respectively. Figure 4. Stage 1 operation of Type-3 converter. Figure 5. DCM waveforms of the converter for one switching period from t0 to Ts. This mode starts when the switch Q1 turns OFF between the time interval of t1 to t2 and the diode Do1 is turned ON. Thus it provides a flow path for the inductor currents iL1 and iLo1 as shown in Figure 6. The diode Dp remains in conducting state to provide a path for iL1. In this interval, Diode Do2 remains in reverse biased condition. The interval ends when iDo1 reaches zero and thus a zero current turn OFF. The stage 3 operation starts at t2 and ends at t3. During this interval, the diode Dp conducts and provide a flow path for iL1 as shown in Figure 7. The inductors of the Cuk rectifiers, in this interval perform as constant current sources. The voltage across the three inductors in this interval is zero and the current iL1 charges capacitor C1. When switch Q1 is turned ON, the duration of this stage is ended. 4. Simulation Study of Type 3 Cuk Converter To verify the feasibility of type 3 bridgeless Cuk PFC, simulation model is designed using MATLAB/ SIMULINK and it is shown in Figure 8. The PFC operation of the circuit under DCM mode is controlled by Fuzzy logic controller and the harmonics is controlled by voltage follower control approach. Fuzzy Logic Controller Based BL Cuk Rectifier The Figure 8 shows the MATLAB simulation circuit of BL Cuk rectifier controlled by fuzzy logic controller (FLC). This FLC uses the Mamdani fuzzy inference system [15] - [20] and it has the following parameters. Triangular membership functions for both Input and output variables. Fuzzification using continuous universe of discourse. Implication function using the “min” operator. Defuzzification using the “centroid” method. The inputs of the FLC are error and change in error voltage. Figure 9 shows the input and output triangular membership function assigned for the work of power factor correction. Table 1 includes five linguistic variables for error voltage and for changing error voltage. They are Zero (Z), Negative Big (NB), Negative Small (NS), Positive Big (PB), and Positive Small (PS). The 25 fuzzy rules are made using the input variables and are as follows: Figure 6. Stage 2 operation of Type-3 Cuk converter. Figure 7. Stage 3 operation of Type-3 Cuk PFC converter. Table 1. Fuzzy rule table. Figure 8. BL Type-3 Cuk PFC converter with fuzzy logic controller. Figure 9. Input and output triangular membership functions. If (e is Ai) and (Δe is Bi) then (u is Yi) Where, e and Δe provides error voltage and the change in error voltage. u is the output from the fuzzy logic controller which is used for switching the power switches of Cuk converter. Ai, Bi is the input membership functions of the FLC and Yi output membership function. By using the inference method as min operator and defuzzification by centroid formula for weighting all the fuzzy rule contributions, the controlled crisp value is obtained to operate the switches in the BL Cuk converter. This gives the input power factor correction. The input voltage and current waveforms obtained from the SIMULINK software model of fuzzy Controlled Bridgeless Type-3 Cuk PFC rectifier are shown in Figure 10 and Figure 11. It is observed, a near sinusoidal supply current at the input side of PFC converter and it follows the supply voltage. The input voltage to the simulation circuit is 100 Vrms (141 V peak to peak) and the type -3 BL Cuk converter work in DCM mode. The output voltage obtained is 50 V in buck operation and the output current is 3.3 Amps. Figure 12 and Figure 13 show the voltage and current waveforms taken at the output side after implementation of fuzzy controller. The framed fuzzy rules work on the Cuk converter and reduces the supply current THD. Thus it gives good power factor correction compared to the conventional controller. Figure 14(a) shows the source current THD observed at the supply side of Cuk converters. The THD is within the tolerable limits of IEEE harmonic standards. Figure 14(b) and Figure 15(a) show the variation of power factor for different output power. The obtained power factor is nearer to unity for the proposed type 3 converter. Figure 15(b) shows the efficiency with conventional and bridgeless Cuk rectifier configurations. Type-3 Cuk converter shows high efficiency compared to other conventional circuits and so, it is recommended for low power PFC applications. Figure 10. Input voltage waveform of fuzzy controlled Type-3 BL Cuk PFC converter. Figure 11. Input current waveform of fuzzy controlled Type-3 BL Cuk PFC converter. BL Cuk topologies based on fuzzy controller have been presented for power factor correction in this paper. The Figure 12. Output voltage waveform of fuzzy controlled Type-3 BL Cuk PFC converter. Figure 13. Output current waveform for fuzzy implemented Type-3 BL Cuk PFC converter. Figure 14. Comparative analysis. (a) Current THD and output power; (b) Power factor. Figure 15. Comparative analysis. (a) Power factor and input voltages; (b) Efficiency and output power. validity of fuzzy controller and the performance of the topologies are verified by using MATLAB simulation. These BL topologies have been operated in DCM mode for achieving an inherent power factor correction at the supply side. For varied supply voltage, good dynamic performances have been attained with improved power quality limits of the harmonic standards. Moreover, the topologies can improve the efficiency by approximately about 1% in comparison to the conventional PFC circuits. The Type-3 Cuk converter shows better performance compared to other topologies and it is recommended for low power PFC applications. Corresponding author. Dhanasekaran, P. , Veena, P. and Jeyabharath, R. (2016) New DCM Operated Single Phase Bridgeless Cuk Derived Converters for Power Factor Correction. Circuits and Systems, 7, 2176-2188. doi: 10.4236/cs.2016.79189. [1] Tollik, D. and Pietkiewicz, A. (1992) Comparative Analysis of 1-Phase Active Power Factor Correction Topologies. 14th International Telecommunications Energy Conference, Washington DC, 4-8 October 1992, 517-523. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/intlec.1992.268393 [2] Enjeti, P.N. and Martinez, R. (1993) A High Performance Single Phase AC to DC Rectifier with Input Power Factor Correction. Eighth Annual Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition, San Diego, 7-11 March 1993, 190- 195. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/APEC.1993.290631 [3] Choi, W.-Y. and Yoo, J.-S. (2011) A Bridgeless Single-Stage Half-Bridge AC/DC Converter. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 26, 3884-3895. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TPEL.2011.2141152 [4] Mishra, J.P. and Rath, R. (2010) Input Power Factor Correction Using Buck Converter in Single Phase AC-DC Circuit. Thesis, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela. [5] Ismail, E.H. (2009) Bridgeless SEPIC Rectifier with Unity Power Factor and Reduced Conduction Losses. IEEE Transactions of Industrial Electronics, 56, 1147-1157. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TIE.2008.2007552 [6] Sahid, M.R., Yatim, A.H.M. and Taufik, T. (2010) A New AC-DC Converter Using Bridgeless SEPIC. 36th IEEE Annual Conference on Industrial Electronics Society, Glendale, 7-10 November 2010, 286-290. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/iecon.2010.5675012 [7] Simonetti, D.S.L. (1997) The Discontinuous Conduction Mode Sepic and Cuk Power Factor Preregulators: Analysis and Design. IEEE Transactions of Industrial Electronics, 44, 630-637. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/41.633459 [8] Sabzali, A.J. (2011) New Bridgeless DCM Sepic and Cuk PFC Rectifiers with Low Conduction and Switching Losses. IEEE Transactions of Industrial Applications, 47, 873-881. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TIA.2010.2102996 [9] Fardoun, A.A. (2012) New Efficient Bridgeless Cuk Rectifiers for PFC Applications. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 27, 3292-3300. [10] Ranganathan, G. (1999) Power Factor Improvement Using DCM Cuk Converter with Coupled Inductor. IEE Proceedings—Electric Power Applications, 146, 231-236. http://dx.doi.org/10.1049/ip-epa:19990003 [11] Brkovic, M. and Cuk, S. (1992) Input Current Shaper Using Cuk Converter. 14th International Telecommunications Energy Conference, Washington DC, 4-8 October 1992, 532-539. [12] Lu, B., Brown, R. and Soldano, M. (2005) Bridgeless PFC Implementation Using One Cycle Control Technique. Twentieth Annual IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition, Austin, 6-10 March 2005, 812-817. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/apec.2005.1453073 [13] Mahdavi, M. (2009) Zero-Current-Transition Bridgeless PFC without Extra Voltage and Current Stress. IEEE Transactions of Industrial Electronics, 56, 2540-2547. [14] Sahu, P. (2012) Implementation of PMBLDC Motor Using Cuk PFC Converter. International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering (IJITEE), 1, 204-210. [15] Yu, Q. (1996) Fuzzy Logic and Digital PI Control of Single Phase Power Factor Preregulator for an Online UPS—A Comparative Study. Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Industrial Technology, Shanghai, 2-6 December 1996, 103-107. [16] Roh, Y.-S. (2011) Active Power Factor Correction (PFC) Circuit with Resistor-Free Zero-Current Detection. IEEE Transactions of Power Electronics, 26, 630-637. [17] Gopinath, M. and Ramareddy, S. (2009) Simulation of Closed Loop Controlled Bridgeless PFC Boost Converter. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, 10, 103-108. [18] Periyasamy, R. (2012) Power Factor Correction on Fuzzy Logic Controller with Average Current Mode for DC-DC Boost Converter. International Journal of Engineering, Research and Applications, 2, 771-777. [19] Purton, K.D. and Lisner, R.P. (2006) Average Current Mode Control In Power Electronic Converters—Analog versus Digital. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 8, 102-523. [20] Zhang, Y., Xu, W.S. and Yu, Y.L. (2008) The PFC with Average Current-Mode and Voltage Fuzzy Controller for the Output Voltage. Second International Symposium on Intelligent Information Technology Application, 1, 771-775. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/IITA.2008.569	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1471
__label__cc	0.52149	0.47851	Tidying up the garden of your home before putting it on the market has been shown to improve sale prices by up to 20 per cent. NQ Parks and Gardens gardener Danny Sinclair trims some bushes in the front yard of a property for sale at Cairns North. PICTURE: BRENDAN RADKE How to increase your home value overnight by Alicia Nally 3rd Feb 2019 1:00 PM CHANCES are you've probably never stood outside your property and had a really good, hard, critical look at its flaws. But any buyer worth their salt will so if you're hoping to sell, two Far North property experts have shared their tips on how to get the best price for a property. For Elite Real Estate Services' Karl Latham, it all starts with "kerb appeal". "Think of anything that might not be appealing and start with a full house wash," he said. "If the house hasn't been painted in 10 years, it probably needs a paint - keep it to a neutral colour, if there are rusty screws on the roof, replace them, think about planting some new plants, or doing a bit of landscaping, or even just tidying up the garden. "You could also put in a new garden statue, replace the letterbox. And when you're walking into the house, buyers like to see a lot of light so take down those old halogen lights and replace them with LEDs." He said kitchens and bathrooms could be given an inexpensive spruce up by changing handles, replacing splashbacks and installing a stainless steel towel rail - never plastic. "Ovens and appliances can really lift up a kitchen if you continue with a stainless steel look all through the space," Mr Latham said. "Make sure you have consistent flooring too whether that's carpet or tiles. You look down when you step into a house and consistency can make it appeal more spacious. Most importantly, Mr Latham advised first establishing what a property was worth, with or without renovations. "You don't want to over invest in a property, you don't want to overcapitalise and not see that return," he said. i.D Blinds owner Diane Healy also said a lot of sellers forget about street appeal. "I always say to people they have to walk up to the front door like you're a visitor. You walk there every day and you might miss things so you need to create an entry, something people will remember," she said. "Sometimes it's jut a beautiful plant beside the front door, sometimes it is splashing a bit of paint on the front door, something to make it stand out." Internally, Mrs Healy suggests adding items that will create a vision for what life in your home will be like for a buyer. "Not everybody can afford to have their house professionally styled, but most people are looking for emotions that make a house a home and sends people the message of, 'this is what my life is going to be like here'," she said. "Little things like a hammock, or chairs, sometimes it's that lovely connection between the outside and inside. "Be aware that all of the blinds and window furnishings pushed to the side give an illusion of a connection to the sky and outdoors and a lot of people are looking for that." But pre-sale expert and Channel 9 TV presenter, Jacqui Dunn, who is one of the presenters on Channel 9's Outdoors Indoors and an Interior Design expert said outdoor rooms and extensions were an easy way to increase the value of your home. She said homeowners could increase the value of their home by up to 15 or 20 per cent with well thought out backyard upgrades. "Think luxury outdoor living spaces with all the comforts and amenities, and stylish landscaping with lush garden beds and greenery," she said. "Done properly, outdoor rooms can add thousands of dollars and appeal to a property. It's a smart way to add value to your home, especially if you are thinking of selling. I see it all the time." Artificial lawn, outdoor blinds, pergolas and verandas and timber decking can transform an outdoor living space. Ms Dunn said Australians' love for entertaining - especially outdoors - has led to the popularity of indoor/outdoor living. "We are blessed to live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, so it makes sense that more people are opting to add outdoor rooms they can enjoy all year-round for everyday life and entertaining family and friends," she said. "Whether you're looking to sell or rent out your home, creating an entirely new room as an extension to the home is a sought-after feature for many home buyers." Karl Latham's tips: It is surprising what new lighting fixtures and fans can do to lift a property, so consider replacing those. Get rid of bold feature walls which might only appeal to a certain number of people. Declutter. Remove anything hanging around on surfaces and get rid of all the family portraits before an open home. Remove all the furniture and if you need to stage your home, stage it. If you need to get advice from an interior designer, do that. Diane Healy's tips: People are looking for a home that is their sanctuary, so a nice lamp on in a room, rather than lights, can sometimes give a beautiful ambience to a room you just can't achieve otherwise. A beautiful, big plant or a hanging plant can change a bathroom from something mundane to something spectacular. We've had a lot of success with wallpaper. You can get some great wallpapers now that you can use to totally transform a room with a feature wall. Calls to sacrifice economy for sake of property investors Hotspots homebuyers can’t get enough of premium_icon No one tells you how hard it is to buy your first home premium_icon Dairy industry being used as a political football property real estate sales	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1474
__label__cc	0.583891	0.416109	Artechne and Art DATIS Vital Matters: Quicksilver Doctors Networks and Knowledge of Glass in the Dutch Republic, 1650-1795 Treasure troves: medicine chests Cultures of Collecting: The Eighteenth-Century Leiden Anatomical Collections in Context Refereed Journal Articles Encyclopaedia entries Web-Based Publications Marieke Hendriksen Exploring the History of Art, Science, and Ideas The “Gentle Heat” of Boerhaave’s Little Furnace August 27, 2018 mariekehendriksen3 Comments This post first appeared on The Recipes Project on 23 August 2018. By Ruben Verwaal and Marieke Hendriksen Ruben Verwaal is curator of the historical collections at Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, and at the Museum for Communication in The Hague. He obtained his PhD in June 2018 with a thesis on the role of bodily fluids in eighteenth-century chemistry. Marieke Hendriksen is a postdoctoral researcher on the Artechne Project at Utrecht University and a long-time contributor to The Recipes Project. She specializes in the material culture of science and art in the long eighteenth century. Ruben and Marieke share an obsession with an eighteenth-century object that has since disappeared: a small chemical furnace. With the introduction of chemistry into the university curriculum in the late seventeenth century, new practical needs arose for students such as being able to perform experiments. Would it be possible to build a chemical furnace that provides a gentle heat, yields no smoke, and is safe for students to use? Herman Boerhaave (1668–1738) believed he found the perfect solution in, what came to be called, Boerhaave’s little furnace. Portrait of Herman Boerhaave by Cornelis Troost, c. 1730. Boerhaave was professor of medicine, botany and chemistry at Leiden University in the early 18th century.[1] Instead of starting with the most difficult experiments with metals and minerals, he was convinced that students were better off when they learned the techniques of through simpler processes, such as distilling leaves and flowers, and fermenting bodily fluids. But most chemical laboratories were equipped with elaborate devices too complicated for freshmen students, who in the eighteenth century could be as young as fourteen. Moreover, the brick-build furnaces were designed to create high temperatures, in which small and delicate materials like rosemary leaves would burn instantly.[2] Boerhaave hence needed a device that was low-cost, user-friendly, and would provide a gentle heat. The plan for the oven, • H. Boerhaave, Elementa Chemiae, Quae Anniversario Labore Docuit in Publicis, Privatisque Scholis, (Leiden 1732). A small wooden oven was the answer. Boerhaave claimed he had designed this type of furnace when he himself was studying chemistry in the 1690s. He opened the chapter on instruments in his chemistry textbook with the words: “I shall begin with my simplest furnace; which I invented forty years ago, when I practiced chemistry in no large study, where there was only one little chimney, and where I required several furnaces at once.”[3] Woman at the Virginal and stove under her feet, by Jan Miense Molenaer, 1630-1640. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. This kind of device was probably inspired by ordinary foot stoves. These little stoves, also known as foot warmers, were very popular in the Dutch Republic. Coming in a wide variety of shapes (square, octagonal, cylinder), these stoves often feature in books and paintings. Filled with glowing coals or peat, women placed the little stoves under their robes or blankets to keep warm.[4] Many foot stoves were equipped with a wire bail handle for lifting and easy transportation. Such stoves were used in carriages, sleighs, at home and in church to keep one’s feet warm. This ordinary foot warmer got new applications too, namely as tea and coffee stove, and we suspect it was the model for the ‘simplest furnace’ in the Leiden chemical laboratory. Woman carrying a little stove, Harmen ter Borch, 1648–1677. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. The gentle heat produced by Boerhaave’s small oven proved very useful in performing all kinds of chemical experiments. Take rosemary, for example, the evergreen aromatic shrub. Distilled atop a “violent fire”, it would have been turned to flame, smoke, and ashes. But when rosemary instead was distilled at “summer-heat” (approx. 85º F), the mild operation would instead reveal the most volatile, fragrant and aromatic part of the plant ordinarily exhaled in summer. The same process could be applied to Angelica, basil, and all other aromatic plants. Students in the Leiden laboratory, in Herman Boerhaave, Institutiones et experimenta chemiae (‘Paris’, 1724). Ghent University Library. Boerhaave, in other words, attributed the success of his device to one’s control over gentle heat. Whenever the wooden oven was filled with hot pieces of coal or Dutch turf that was no longer smoking, it established a constant and moderate heat that could be kept up to 24 hours. As such, the instrument was perfect for students to perform all kinds of heating processes and distillations. In fact, he was so excited about this apparatus, that he claimed that “I believe eggs may be hatched by it”.[5] Was Boerhaave’s little furnace really that user-friendly and effective as he claimed it was? We checked it out by recreating Boerhaave’s stove and performing experiments with it. Check out our next blog to entry to find out whether we succeeded! Creating an oven from two old stoves… to be continued! [1] More on Boerhaave, see Marieke Hendriksen, “Boerhaave’s Mineral Chemistry and Its Influence on Eighteenth-Century Pharmacy in the Netherlands and England”, Ambix(2018) and Ruben Verwaal, “The Nature of Blood: Debating Haematology and Blood Chemistry in the Eighteenth-Century Dutch Republic”, Early Science and Medicine(2017). [2] Boerhaave, Elementa Chemiae (Leiden: Isaac Severinus, 1732), vol 2, experiment 1. [3] Ibid., vol 1. [4] Le Francq van Berkhey,Natuurlyke historie van Holland (Amsterdam: Yntema and Tieboel, 1769–1778), vol. 3, 706-707, 1200. [5] Boerhaave, Elementa Chemiae, vol 1. The devil is in the details: turpentine varnish A cool oven: Boerhaave’s little furnace, part II 3 thoughts on “The “Gentle Heat” of Boerhaave’s Little Furnace” Susan Verberg says: Intriguing project, looking forward to seeing it work. It reminds me of the varnish furnace by Tingry, which can be used to refine / distill resin. Would you happen to know if there is any connection? Thank you for sharing! mariekehendriksen says: Thank you Susan! Interesting suggestion – Tingry’s furnace follows a similar principle, and it is very well possible that he knew about Boerhaave’s furnace or had at least seen similar furnaces. Your work on beer and mead is fascinating btw. Thank you! Our interest in the Boerhaave furnace is in part because of the use of purified resin in historic brewing. I’m interested to find out the process of treatment of the raw resin to produce this rosin or colophon. It’s been quite the run-about, making us think it might be such a simple process it simply was not recorded, not until Tingry was in need of a more specialized melting apparatus to process copal for use in varnish. Sometimes, we have to work backwards to find what we’re looking for! INDIGO OR NO INDIGO? Teaching a Perfect Knowledge in the Arts and Sciences: Robert Dossie’s chemical, pharmaceutical, and artistic handbooks Anatomical collections Exhibition review Glass and gemstones Natural History collections	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1482
__label__cc	0.743953	0.256047	Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 - Pipeline Review, H2 2019 December 2019 \| 41 pages \| ID: G8A5EFE32599EN Global Markets Direct Single User Price - US$ 3,500.00 Site License Price - US$ 7,000.00 Enterprisewide Price (Global Site License) - US$ 10,500.00 Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) - Gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor, alpha 5 or GABRA5 is a protein encoded by the GABRA5 gene. it , mediates neuronal inhibition by binding to the GABA/benzodiazepine receptor and opening an integral chloride channel. Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) pipeline Target constitutes close to 11 molecules. Out of which approximately 9 molecules are developed by companies and remaining by the universities/institutes. The molecules developed by companies in Phase II, Phase I and Preclinical stages are 2, 2 and 5 respectively. Similarly, the universities portfolio in Preclinical stages comprises 2 molecules, respectively. Report covers products from therapy areas Central Nervous System, Cardiovascular and Genetic Disorders which include indications Autism, Schizophrenia, Alzheimer's Disease, Cognitive Disorders, Cognitive Impairment, Cognitive Impairment Associated With Schizophrenia (CIAS), Depression, Down Syndrome, Ischemic Stroke, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) and Traumatic Brain Injury. The latest report Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 - Pipeline Review, H2 2019, outlays comprehensive information on the Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) targeted therapeutics, complete with analysis by indications, stage of development, mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type. It also reviews key players involved in Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) targeted therapeutics development with respective active and dormant or discontinued projects. The report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, company/university websites, clinical trial registries, conferences, SEC filings, investor presentations and featured press releases from company/university sites and industry-specific third party sources. The report provides a snapshot of the global therapeutic landscape for Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) The report reviews Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) targeted therapeutics under development by companies and universities/research institutes based on information derived from company and industry-specific sources The report covers pipeline products based on various stages of development ranging from pre-registration till discovery and undisclosed stages The report features descriptive drug profiles for the pipeline products which includes, product description, descriptive MoA, R&D brief, licensing and collaboration details & other developmental activities The report reviews key players involved in Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) targeted therapeutics and enlists all their major and minor projects The report assesses Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) targeted therapeutics based on mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type The report summarizes all the dormant and discontinued pipeline projects The report reviews latest news and deals related to Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) targeted therapeutics Gain strategically significant competitor information, analysis, and insights to formulate effective R&D strategies Identify emerging players with potentially strong product portfolio and create effective counter-strategies to gain competitive advantage Identify and understand the targeted therapy areas and indications for Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) Identify the use of drugs for target identification and drug repurposing Identify potential new clients or partners in the target demographic Develop strategic initiatives by understanding the focus areas of leading companies Plan mergers and acquisitions effectively by identifying key players and it’s most promising pipeline therapeutics Devise corrective measures for pipeline projects by understanding Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) development landscape Develop and design in-licensing and out-licensing strategies by identifying prospective partners with the most attractive projects to enhance and expand business potential and scope Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) - Overview Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) - Therapeutics Development Products under Development by Universities/Institutes Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) - Therapeutics Assessment Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) - Companies Involved in Therapeutics Development AgeneBio Inc Anvyl LLC Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH Les Laboratoires Servier SAS Ono Pharmaceutical Co Ltd Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) - Drug Profiles afizagabar - Drug Profile AVL-8168 - Drug Profile basmisanil - Drug Profile ONO-8590580 - Drug Profile Small Molecules to Agonize GABRA5 for CNS Disorders - Drug Profile Small Molecules to Agonize GABRA5 for Schizophrenia - Drug Profile Small Molecules to Antagonise GABRA5 for Cognitive Impairment - Drug Profile Small Molecules to Antagonize GABRA5 for Depression - Drug Profile Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) - Dormant Products Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) - Discontinued Products Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 (GABA(A) Receptor Subunit Alpha 5 or GABRA5) - Product Development Milestones Oct 09, 2018: AgeneBio Announces NIH grant award to support development of GABA-A a5 small molecule program targeting hippocampal overactivity Jul 12, 2018: Saniona receives milestone payment from Boehringer Ingelheim Sep 13, 2017: AgeneBio to Receive up to $10 Million in NIH Funding to Advance Program for Mild Cognitive Impairment Due to Alzheimer’s Disease Jun 30, 2017: AgeneBio Receives Grant from Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation for Drug-Discovery Program to Delay the Onset of Alzheimer’s Dementia Feb 27, 2013: Roche Provides Update On Its Clinical Candidate For Down Syndrome Feb 27, 2013: Roche Research Sheds Light On Improving Neurological Deficits In Mouse Model Of Down Syndrome Number of Products under Investigation by Universities/Institutes, H2 2019 Products under Investigation by Universities/Institutes, H2 2019 Pipeline by AgeneBio Inc, H2 2019 Pipeline by Anvyl LLC, H2 2019 Pipeline by Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, H2 2019 Pipeline by Les Laboratoires Servier SAS, H2 2019 Pipeline by Ono Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, H2 2019 Dormant Projects, H2 2019 Number of Products by Mechanism of Actions, H2 2019	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1483
__label__cc	0.716915	0.283085	Martyn Crucefix Blogging on poetry, teaching and translation – 32,000 visitors in 2018 – 'one of the top 10 poetry blogs' (Rogue Strands) An Interview with Martyn Crucefix (Acumen, 2015) Martyn’s Blog What Have I Mostly Been Reading? Recent Reading (up-dated) Archive of Previous Postings Events and New Work New Critical Writing Cargo of Limbs (2019) These Numbered Days (2019) – poems by Peter Huchel translated from the German The Lovely Disciplines (Seren Books, 2017) O. at the Edge of the Gorge + A Convoy – two chapbooks from 2017 The Daodejing – a new English version (Spring 2016) A Hatfield Mass (2014) The Time We Turned (2014) Sonnets to Orpheus (2012) Hurt (2010) Duino Elegies (2006) An English Nazareth (2004) A Madder Ghost (1997) On Whistler Mountain (1994) At the Mountjoy Hotel (1993) Beneath Tremendous Rain (1990) Poems in Print Poems on the Web Critical Writing On Translation On Contemporary Poetry HomeHesiod Harangues His Lazy Brother Hesiod Harangues His Lazy Brother January 11, 2019 martyn crucefix autobiography, Classical poetry, contemporary British poetry, creative writing, poetry, political poetry, translation, writingA E Stallings, Antaeus, Askra, B.C. Southam, Boeotia, Brexit, Faber and Faber, Georgics, Golden Age, H.G. Evelyn-White, Hesiod, Homer, Pandora, Penguin Classics, Perses, phenology, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, Theogony, TS Eliot, Virgil, Works and Days Happy New Year to all my readers. Stats from WordPress tell me that in 2018 there were 32,000 visitors to my website and they took a look at various pages on almost 50,000 occasions. Phew. It seems a lot to me. Many thanks. But with Christmas now over – my local park has a stack of Christmas trees the size of several London buses waiting to be shredded – with resolutions having been left unmade or already in pieces, I suspect I’m not the only one to be suffering a horrible sense of deja vue as the great Brexit debate and debacle has started up again. You thought it was safe to go back into the water? You thought you’d heard the last of the Irish Back Stop? It seems not. I’m as tempted as many to shriek ‘Oh get on with it!’ but what is ‘on’ and what is ‘it’? Actually, I have a genuine fear that the depth of national disillusion with the process and with conventional politicians makes this country more vulnerable to even more coarsened debate and extremism of various kinds, all promising to solve problems at a stroke. But really we know that’s pie in the sky. Right? Hesiod, of Ancient Greece, would agree. His Works and Days sounds very familiar. It is about conflict in a family, the problematic (perhaps intractable) nature of the world and the sense of a sequential decline in the fortunes of a society – all of which he counterbalances with advice, particularly about the importance of work – of keeping on keeping on. To be honest, for many years, I’ve only known Works and Days by name. The title always attracted me with its Antaeus-like focus on groundedness, labour, the need to start from where ever we are now; it’s rejection of flighty idealism that quickly shades into the unconsidered fundamentalism. We need to work – nothing is given on a plate. And work needs to be sustained (through days) to be effective. Boring? Only if untrue and this is as true as anything can be. I first came across the title of Hesiod’s poem in T. S. Eliot’s ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’: My old student’s guide to Eliot (by B.C. Southam, published by Faber) told me the allusion was to the 8th century BC writer Hesiod – to a poem which “gives an account of the primitive conditions in the country, together with maxims and practical instructions adapted to the peasant’s life”. Last year, Penguin Classics published a new translation of the poem by A. E. Stallings. It’s a lively and very readable version, though her decision to convert Hesiod’s dactylic hexameters into iambic pentameter couplets makes the ancient poem sound too English and 18th century for me. Another older prose translation by H. G. Evelyn-White is freely available here. Did you know Hesiod probably pre-dates Homer? Hesiod is aware of the siege of Troy but he makes no reference to Homer’s Iliad. He’s usually placed before Homer in lists of the first poets. The other striking aspect of Works and Days is that (unlike Homer) he is not harking back to already lost eras and heroic actions. Hesiod talks about his own, contemporary workaday world, offering advice to his brother because they seem to be in a dispute with each other. Hesiod’ anti-heroic focus is an antidote to the Gods, the top brass and military heroes of Homer. Most of us live – and prefer to live – in Hesiod’s not Homer’s world. Hesiod also talks about himself – his long poem has a lyric and personal quality to it. We hear that he grew up in the unremarkable town of Askra, in Boeotia. He disparagingly refers to it as “bad in winter, sultry in summer, and good at no time” (tr. Evelyn-White). In fact, his family were recent economic migrants from Aeolian Kyme in Asia Minor across the Aegean. Hesiod’s father made the journey: “[he] used to sail on shipboard because he lacked sufficient livelihood. And one day he came to this very place crossing over a great stretch of sea; he left Aeolian Cyme and fled, not from riches and substance, but from wretched poverty” (tr. Evelyn-White). As Stallings points out, “Hesiod’s is not a static, stay-at-home sort of world, but one of opening horizons, widespread trade, far-flung Greek outposts with freedom of movement, cultural festivals [. . .] and social mobility.” He seems to have been a poet-farmer who makes sure we are aware that he has already won a literary competition at a funeral games on the island of Euboea. His prize-winning piece may well have been his earlier Theogony, a cosmological work describing the origins and genealogy of the gods. But Works and Days presents him as something of a magpie writer rather than a poet with a neatly conceived architectonic design. The poem mashes together myth, allegory and personal asides, as well as more philosophical passages, theology, natural description, proverbial advice and an almanac or calendar based on phenology (the study of periodic plant and animal life cycle events and how these are influenced by seasonal variations in the climate). The occasion of the poem is also very personal. Hesiod has a brother – Perses – and they seem to be in dispute (perhaps as a result of their intrepid and entrepreneurial father’s death and the inheritance of the estate). Stallings has this: “Already we’ve divvied up our lots, but you / Keep laying hold of more than is your due”. It is this inclination to give advice to his (younger?) brother that controls much of the text. The name ‘Perses’ is unusual and may mean something like ‘waster’ or ‘wastrel’ and the brother seems to be trying to take more than he is due and the motivation for this (according to Hesiod) is a mile-wide streak of laziness. Perses wants his fortune on a plate rather than having to work for it. His big brother intends to give him some “plain truths to steer him[self] by” (tr. Stallings). By way of correcting his brother’s indolence, Hesiod firstly explains there are two types of strife. One of these is the kind of Brexit bickering (and potentially far worse) that we are all too familiar with: “One brings forth discord, nurtures evil war: / Wicked, there’s nothing mortals love her for” (tr. Stallings). But the other is a more benign sense of competitiveness based on envy: this sense of strife “spurs a man who otherwise would shirk, / Shiftless and lazy, to put his hands to work”. Wow! That’s telling your brother like it is. Is this being listened to? Hesiod makes sure: “Perses, take this to heart, lest Strife, whose quirk / Is mischief-making, draw your mind from work” (tr. Stallings). There are further reasons to set to work in the very nature of the cosmos and the human world. Hesiod tells the Pandora story here. Zeus causes the creation of a female figure, Pandora, as a way of avenging Prometheus’ pro-humankind actions (stealing fire from the gods, for example). Her name suggests she is a concoction or committee-created figure from contributions from all the Olympian Gods. She is given a jar which she opens: “ere this the tribes of men lived on earth remote and free from ills and hard toil and heavy sickness [. . .] But the woman took off the great lid of the jar with her hands and scattered all these and her thought caused sorrow and mischief to men” (tr. Evelyn-White). Hesiod’s locating of the root of human sorrow in the actions of a woman echoes the Christian story of the loss of Paradise and it is one of the reasons why Hesiod has been accused of misogyny, though as Stallings suggests, he’s not any more complimentary about the males of the human race. Plagued by the ills of Pandora’s jar (only Hope is said to get lodged in the rim of the jar), Perses is then given a longer lecture on the decline of the human condition in Hesiod’s portrayal of the five ages of man. Here is the classic description of the Golden Age of man when we imagine we once lived “like gods [. . .] with spirits free from care; / And grim old age never encroached” (tr. Stallings). The ages of Silver, Bronze and (present-day) Iron are described. Between the latter two, Hesiod locates a brief Heroic age (the age of Thebes, Oedipus and the Trojan war). But despite this diversion, Works and Days makes it plain to Perses that the age he lives in is unpleasantly harsh and demands work work work to survive: “For now truly is a race of iron, and men never rest from labour and sorrow by day, and from perishing by night; and the gods shall lay sore trouble upon them. [. . .] The father will not agree with his children, nor the children with their father, nor guest with his host, nor comrade with comrade; nor will brother be dear to brother” (tr. Evelyn-White). An obscure natural symbolic passage follows (a “fable” Hesiod calls it) in which a hawk has seized a song bird and mocks its struggles and shrieks: “Miserable thing, why do you cry out? One far stronger than you now holds you fast, and you must go wherever I take you, songstress as you are. And if I please I will make my meal of you, or let you go. He is a fool who tries to withstand the stronger” (tr. Evelyn-White). It’s tempting to see the songbird as the poet savaged by philistine powers though, in the Perses context, perhaps the songbird is a lazy good-for-nothing who is being shaken up and challenged by the world of necessity and work. A bit later Hesiod suggests another interpretation: that the natural world is red in tooth and claw, unlike human society which is governed by “law and right” (tr. Stallings) and so Perses ought to be obedient to Zeus’ powers out of gratitude for that. It’s interesting to think this of this as the first passage in Western Literature open to a variety of critical interpretations. It’s certainly the lazy, self-serving, arrogant younger brother who forms the focus of the rest of the poem: “So Perses, you be heedful of what’s right . . . So Perses, mull these matters in your mind . . . Fool Perses, what I say’s for your own good” (tr. Stallings). It’s true that his name gradually fades from the text in the final 500 lines but the torrent of imperatives, offering advice and guidance on a range of practical issues, often sounds like haranguing from a concerned, perhaps slightly pissed off, brother. Much of this material is phenological – when to sow crops, when to harvest, when to shear your sheep. In winter, don’t hang around the blacksmith’s forge where other wasters gather to chat and pass the time. It’s safe to put to sea when the new fig leaves are the size of crow’s feet. These are the passages that, around 29BC, inspired Virgil to his own farmer’s manual, the Georgics. Hesiod ends his poem in a rather perfunctory manner, roughly saying he who follows this good advice will become “blessed and rich”. But given Pandora’s jar and the Iron Age we live in, even this seems a mite optimistic. And of course, Perses never gets the chance to speak for himself. But I guess the tensions between his brother’s call for social and religious conformity and Perses’ individualistic disobedience to the demands of the gods and the sense of what is best for a society have gone on to form the basis of the continuing Western literary canon. And does any of this help with Brexit? I conclude (largely with Hesiod) the bleeding obvious: it’s complicated – solutions must be negotiated, don’t hope for some golden age because in a fallen, less-than-ideal, complex society it’s better for the future to be decided in the glacier-slow committee rooms of a plurality of voices than in the stark divisions and dramas of the battlefield. Work hard – have patience – don’t buy into fairy tales of a recoverable golden age. ← Making Sense of Shelley’s ‘The Mask of Anarchy’ #2 This Thing Called Bhakti: Vacanas and Ted Hughes → 30 thoughts on “Hesiod Harangues His Lazy Brother” Important Notice \| Martyn Crucefix says: […] inspiration for the sequence of poems have already been the subjects of a couple of recent posts. Hesiod’s Works and Days – probably the oldest poem in the Western canon – is a poem driven by a dispute […] #WADOD – Day 1: March 1st 2019 \| Martyn Crucefix says: […] poems has been written to respond to the historical moment in this most disunited kingdom. Hesiod’s Works and Days – probably the oldest poem in the Western canon – is a poem driven by a dispute between […] #WADOD – Day 2: March 2nd 2019 \| Martyn Crucefix says: #WADOD – Day 3: March 3rd 2019 \| Martyn Crucefix says: #WADOD – Day 4: March 4th 2019 \| Martyn Crucefix says: #WADOD – Day 6: Ash Wednesday 2019 \| Martyn Crucefix says: #WADOD – Day 10: March 10th 2019 \| Martyn Crucefix says: #WADOD – Day 21: March 21st 2019 \| Martyn Crucefix says: #WADOD – Day 22: March 22nd 2019 \| Martyn Crucefix says: #WADOD – Day 23: March 23rd 2019 \| Martyn Crucefix says: #WADOD – Might-Have-Been Brexit Day: March 29th 2019 \| Martyn Crucefix says: Follow Martyn Crucefix on WordPress.com Tony Harrison's ‘Them and [uz]’ The Meaning of Robert Frost’s ‘The Figure a Poem Makes’ Explaining Robert Frost’s ‘Education by Poetry’ Too Short an Arc: Robert Frost's 'A Soldier' One of the Best Poets of the Present Moment in France 14 Ways to Write an Ekphrastic Poem This Must Be All: Robert Frost's 'Two Look at Two' Douglas Dunn's 'Terry Street' and Thoughts of 1969 Lorca's Gypsy Ballad 'Reyerta' - a new translation Season's Greetings to all my Blog Readers The Strange, Pitiful Tale of Isabella Morra (tr. Caroline Maldonado) Everything Moving: Tamar Yoseloff's 'The Black Place' A Robert Frost Primer or 'All Life is Cellular' A Thief in the House: London Launch of Hjelmgaard’s ‘A Second Whisper’ ‘Cargo of Limbs’ launches Thurs 21st November 2019 Forward First Collections Reviewed #5 – Stephen Sexton’s ‘If All the World and Love Were Young’ Agenda Magazine 60th year celebration at the Art Workers’ Guild, October 5th, 7pm 2019 Forward First Collections Reviewed #4 – Jay Bernard’s ‘Surge’ 2019 Forward First Collections Reviewed #3 – Raymond Antrobus’ ‘The Perseverance’ a dreaming skin Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants Will Stone Coming up with the Words Poetry Owl The Luxembourg Review The Bell Jar: Jo Bell's blog The Lonely Crowd The Manchester Review vastland The High Window Created to Read alithurm Carolyn O' Connell Concluding lines of exciting #angelepaoli poem my #translation in latest #agendapoetrymagazine #anglofrenchissue Apt conclusions from #davidreynolds #islandstories #williamcollinsbooks on #britain #history and #brexit what are the chances?? For Christmas pudding dislikers everywhere thanks # Maryberry #raspberrycheescake #HoheMunde in the #Tyrol - the year lies dead My new blog post #isabellamorra translated by #carolinemaldonado published by #smokestackbooks #italianpoetry #renaissanceitaly #honourkilling #basilicata Ok not my thumb but do come to celebrate the arrival of this superb collaborative publication this Thursday evening, p21 gallery Chalton street beside st pancras. 6:30 for 7. Writing, Poetry & Creativity \| Angela T Carr, Dublin, Ireland Welcoming and supporting refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in our community Poet, writer, translator Sharon Larkin's poetry news, views, reviews and translations Site for art, poetry and performance. A Literary Review "She lives the poetry she cannot write" - Wilde publishers of fiction, poetry & photography 'She would say to discover / the true depth of a well, / drop a stone, / start counting.' - Andrew Greig Essays on Anything Book Reviews, Literary Events, Interviews & more... Updates on writing my latest novel & reviewing (mostly) new fiction	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1488
__label__wiki	0.880956	0.880956	Public Identity, Male Characters, Humans (Homo sapiens), Scott Snyder/Creator Manuel Garcia/Creator Armor Users Anthony Stark (Earth-90214) Anthony Stark Howard Stark (father) Public Identity Adventurer, explorer, industrialist, inventor Scott Snyder, Manuel Garcia Iron Man Noir #1 Tony Stark was an industrialist who was also an adventurer, the exploits of which were recorded in the magazine known as Marvels: A Magazine Of Men's Adventure. His adventures are always accompanied by his friend James Rhodes, his assistant and lover Doctor Giuletta Nefaria, and chronicler Virgil Munsey. At some point, Tony suffered a weak heart condition due to unspecified causes and required an electrical support, with help from Edwin Jarvis.[citation needed] During his latest expedition in British Honduras, Tony was in search of the Jade Mask, which is said to cure any kind of ailments and hoped to use it to heal his heart condition. Upon discovering the mask, which didn't cured Tony when he put it on, Tony was betrayed by Nefaria, who in reality worked for the Nazis led by Baron Zemo and Baron Strucker. Virgil is killed before Tony and Rhodes escaped by causing a fire which severely burnt Nefaria's face.[citation needed] Tony returned to New York City where he hired Pepper Potts as Virgil's replacement and investigated Nefaria's belongings. He soon discovered a journal which told the location of Atlantis and its fable power source orichalcum, which Tony plans to use it to repair his heart. Tony set out another expedition with Captain Namor in his ship, the Dorma. The expedition succeeded in finding Atlantis and recovering the orichalcum in the form of a trident, but were attacked by Zemo and his forces. After Pepper Potts was taken hostage and the orichalcum taken, Tony and his allies again escaped by retreating in Namor's submarine and were soon picked up by Jarvin in an airship.[citation needed] Tony and Rhodes launched an assault on Zemo's base at Castle Donar and rescue Pepper. The rescue lead to a surprising turn of events to finding Zemo possessing an army equipped with armored suits, and Zemo revealed to be Tony's father, Howard. The elder Stark had long been brainwashed by Baron Strucker and staying loyal for the Nazis in which he helped them in creating their own armored suits. Tony singled-handedly faced his father and Strucker, and defeated by supercharging the orichalcum, triggering an enormous power surge which destroyed the Nazis' airship fleet. Tony was left with a new resolve of abandoning adventuring and making the world safe.[citation needed] Tony Stark has no powers of his own but they are derived from his Iron Man Armor. Seemingly those of Anthony Stark of Earth-616. 4 Appearances of Anthony Stark (Earth-90214) Minor Appearances of Anthony Stark (Earth-90214) Media Anthony Stark (Earth-90214) was Mentioned in 12 Images featuring Anthony Stark (Earth-90214) Quotations by or about Anthony Stark (Earth-90214) Character Gallery: Anthony Stark (Earth-90214) Search this site for: Iron Man · Anthony Stark · Anthony Stark (Earth-90214) Retrieved from "https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Anthony_Stark_(Earth-90214)?oldid=5191519" Humans (Homo sapiens) Articles Needing Citation	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1489
__label__cc	0.529699	0.470301	Tag: Paraffins The £250, semi-psychedelic musical made in Amsterdam, London and Knockentiber In 2012, I had been asked to contribute a chapter to the book World Film Locations: Glasgow on underground filmmaking in the city, of which whatever there was was not particularly well documented. Luckily, Billy Samson, who died last week, had just co-directed, with Gavin Mitchell, Death Of The Mod Dream. In the book, I likened their film to “a Scottish no-wave film directed by Roy Andersson,” but really there’s not much like it. Purportedly based on a 1980 novella – Death Of The Mod Dream, by Edna Barnstaple – Billy and Gavin’s film concerns “a young man out of time who considers himself to be the last Mod on Earth. He lives in the City Of Scotland, a depressed, paranoid, curfew-controlled community with his mother and sister, who all fail to understand each other.” The synopsis continues: “One day, this humdrum existence is disrupted when he uncovers what he has been led to believe is a mysterious ‘Mod time capsule’ buried on the beach. He takes it home, hoping for at best a wallow through a glorious mythical past he never knew. Little does he know the contents of the capsule are not what they seem and his reality is about to be turned upside down…” Anyone will tell you making a feature-length film is a very particular achievement, requiring equal measures of talent, inspiration and determination. To make an episodic, blackly comic, semi-psychedelic musical in Scotland, for £250, also takes admirable perversity. Death Of The Mod Dream, like Billy, is a little extraordinary. The questions I asked Billy in 2012, via Facebook message, were mostly for background research. This interview is published here for the first time, unedited. RIP Billy x How much and what was shot in Glasgow/where? All of the indoor scenes at the mod’s house were shot between 2 friends’ flats in Glasgow. The indoor parts of the dream/horror sequences were shot in Glasgow or Knockentiber, depending on where the actor lived, with black bin-liners/green screens taped to the ceiling to give it continuity. The beginning and climactic scenes at the beach were filmed between Irvine beach and an embankment in Crosshouse (for the scooter plummet). The cop sequences were done in a pub in Kilmarnock that was halfway through being redecorated. Extra bits were filmed by ourselves and others in Edinburgh, London and Amsterdam. All the special effects/animation sequences were done at home. How did you go about picking the locations and did you have any problem getting permission to film/did you even have to ask? Just had to ask to use people’s houses, which was handiest for all concerned so they all agreed to it. The beach stuff we just turned up and filmed. Only minor problem was concealing the camera so passers-by didn’t keep jumping in front of it. Can you give me some technical details – budget, casting, equipment used, how long the production took? Budget worked out at around £250 (probably), which mostly went towards transport costs and endless AA batteries swallowed up by the camera. All actors and contributors gave their services for free, on the condition they’d get something out if it in the event it went global 😉. The bulk of the film was shot on a 1st generation Flip camera a friend ‘borrowed’ from her work. When that had to be discreetly returned, the last few bits were filmed on actors’ own cameras. Casting was straightforward- Adam Smith was such an obvious choice to play the main character we barely had to think about it! Most roles were like that, didn’t have the time or budget to train up ‘proper’ actors (and didn’t it want to seem ‘stagey’) so just used friends for their obvious attributes that would suit the role. Although we did chop and change between cast and crew- some actors were originally to be soundtrackers/effects people and vice versa. Filming started early June and the final edit was around early October. The editing + effects (and waiting for other parties’ contributions) took substantially longer than the live-action filming. Did you have any support or advice from institutions/individuals or funding at all? We never approached anyone for funding, mostly through not knowing how to go about it, but also because we thought it probably wouldn’t be necessary (and a worry it may involve compromises to get access to that funding) considering it would always be low-budget (we had no intention of casting any megastars, or real actors come to that). Various people advised us on certain effects, for example my dad suggested filming a glass of Resolve in close-up for the underwater sequences. Ended up using it for blood cells and cloudy wispiness in the horror + dream sequences (by utilising different filters) too. What was the inspiration to make the film and do you see it as part of any kind of continuum in Scottish/contemporary filmmaking? It arose from a drunken night with Gav, the co-creator. We imagined a film billed as the ultimate mod sci-fi experience, but with loads of Phil Daniels/Leslie Ash types storming out the cinema when they discovered all it involved was 3 boring hours of a guy playing My Generation at every speed on his record player then jumping off his bed. But other ideas arose, and gradually we realised the story had a deeper resonance which we could flesh out. Once we took it seriously, it rapidly began writing itself. While of course, remaining faithful to Edna Barnstaple’s original novel 😉. I’m not sure where it fits in, historically. I liked the idea of an ambiguous story which the viewer could interpret as merely having been a figment of the central character’s warped imagination, like Once Upon A Time In America or JG Ballards’ Unlimited Dream Company (the Keith Moon/Rolls Royce/fish tank sequence was subconsciously inspired by the cover of my edition of that book). Plus of course it’s a musical where no-one literally bursts into song, like Dirty Dancing! Have you heard about any similar projects taking place? I.e. other independent or DIY features getting made? Heard about quite a few short films, which friends and friends-of-friends have been involved in. I read something about a feature length film in Scotland recently, looking to attract some big names, but I can’t remember much about it. What’s the plan for releasing and distributing it? I honestly don’t have much of a clue! There’ll be a premiere at the Old Hairdressers on 3rd Feb, and it’ll probably be made available online at some point. Still to work out how one goes about having it on iTunes and suchlike. Promotion will probably be just the usual haphazard spammy way I plug any records I’ve been involved with! Will you do another and what if any are your plans? No plans as such, I never consciously set out to be a director of feature-length films, this one just kind of ‘demanded’ to be made. Particularly once we recruited Adam in the lead role, he insisted we should start ASAP and it rapidly grew legs from there, interrupting a Paraffins promo video I’d half-filmed and have still to resume! But who knows, I’ve had plenty other addled conversations with friends about imaginary films, so there’s every chance another one might demand to be made 🙂. Sean Welsh Buy or rent Death Of The Mod Dream on Amazon here (or watch it on YouTube below) Brothers In Arms Scotland offer support to men in Scotland, of any age, who are down or in crisis and empower them to ask for help when they need it, without feeling a failure if they do. Author SMWPosted on April 11, 2019 Categories ArticleTags 2012, Billy Samson, Cinema, Death Of The Mod Dream, Enda Barnstaple, Film, Filmmaking, Glasgow, Independent Film, Knockentiber, Mod, Movie, Movies, No Budget Filmmaking, Paraffins, Scotland, Scottish Filmmaking, UKLeave a comment on Death of the Mod Dream	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1492
__label__cc	0.588431	0.411569	A message from Francesco Rocca, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 19 Dec 2018 \| “2018 was a year of words and commitments – with countries the world over joining a ground-breaking Global Compact to make migration safer and managed in a humane way.” “This is a major step forward in preventing the suffering, abuse, detention and deaths of thousands of vulnerable people seeking nothing more than a safer, healthier and more hopeful life.” “So, let’s make 2019 a year of action, a year where states ensure that the safety, dignity and well-being of migrants are at the top of their concerns in migration policy without neglecting the needs of host communities.” “Let’s work together to ensure that, from now on, people on the move are protected from violence and exploitation. Let’s ensure they have access to basic care and basic services. Let’s work to maximize their contributions to their countries of destination and of origin.” “Let’s make 2019 a year of profound humanity.” Follow IFRC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Share your voice, get involved, take action. PreviousCultivating hope in DPR Korea NextHunger, homelessness and disease: new threats to flood-affected families returning home in Nigeria patricktai Communication officer for online content working from the offices of IFRC in Genava In Pictures: Kids’ influenza crisis in Mongolia First convoy of relief in 3 years reaches residents of Deir Alzour Indonesia: “We have nothing left.” Tsunami destroys entire villages in Palu Floods in Bangladesh kill more than a hundred, and leave thousands in crisis	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1501
__label__cc	0.613895	0.386105	New Western study investigates potential risk of Taurid meteor swarm Single illustration of Taurid swarm core passing below the Earth A new study from Western University posits proof to the possibility that an oncoming swarm of meteors – likened to the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot by some extraterrestrial experts – may indeed pose an existential risk for Earth and its inhabitants. (That’s us.) When considering catalysts for catastrophic collision, there are two main sources Near Earth Objects (NEOs) like asteroids and meteoroids and interlopers from the outer solar system, which are typically comets. Over the past few decades, a great deal of effort has been expended in cataloguing more than 90 per cent of the potentially hazardous NEOs, and work is ongoing to detect, catalogue and track greater numbers and smaller sizes of these objects. Interlopers from the outer solar system are much harder to chart but again, much work is underway. Historic photo of Tunguska damage (1929) The Taurid swarm is a third potential source of risk that changes the probabilities of possible catastrophic impacts. The Tunguska (Russia) explosion of 1908 is considered a one-in-1000-year event, assuming a random distribution of events over time. But the Taurid swarm, a dense cluster within the Taurid meteoroid stream, and through which the Earth periodically passes, changes the odds significantly and gives a possible reason for the unlikely occurrence that a once per 1000-year event occurred just over a century ago. If the hypothesized might of the Taurid swarm is successfully proven, this also heightens the possibility of a cluster of large impacts over a short period of time. For the study, published by arXiv and accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, David Clark from Western’s Department of Earth Sciences, and Paul Wiegert and Peter Brown from Western’s Department of Physics & Astronomy simulated a large collection of 100-metre diameter meteoroids (like the one that triggered the 1908 Tunguska event) with orbits similar to the Taurid swarm and calculated their positions forward for 1,000 years. By analyzing, each object’s position and motion over time, the astronomers calculated two optimal viewing times and telescope pointing locations for the Taurid swarm to properly investigate its overall risk potential. According to Western Meteor Physics Group data analysis, the Earth will approach within 30,000,000 km of the centre of the Taurid swarm this summer, the closest such encounter since 1975. The calculations also show that this will be the best viewing time of the Taurid swarm until the early 2030s. “There has been great interest in the space community since we shared our results at the recent Planetary Defense Conference in Washington, DC,” says David Clark, a Western graduate student and first author of the study. “There is strong meteoric and NEO evidence supporting the Taurid swarm and its potential existential risks but this summer brings a unique opportunity to observe and quantify these objects.” Members of the Western Meteor Physics Group plan to observe the Taurid swarm using the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope at the University of Hawaii in August. MEDIA CONTACT: Jeff Renaud, Senior Media Relations Officer, 519-661-2111, ext. 85165, 519-520-7281 (mobile), jrenaud9@uwo.ca, @jeffrenaud99 Western University delivers an academic experience second to none. Since 1878, The Western Experience has combined academic excellence with life-long opportunities for intellectual, social and cultural growth in order to better serve our communities. Our research excellence expands knowledge and drives discovery with real-world application. Western attracts individuals with a broad worldview, seeking to study, influence and lead in the international community. Downloadable Media Illustration of the entire Taurid swarm Illustration of the Taurid swarm core Taurid Fireball Observations in 2015 - Detailed view of the two brightest Taurids far over Poland recorded by the AFO (analog camera) at station Polom. (Spurný et al. 2017 Fig 8) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WRtLHS82cA&feature=youtu.be Tags: David Clark, Earth Sciences, Meteor, Paul Wiegert, Peter Brown, Physics & Astronomy, Taurid swarm Jeff Renaud Senior Media Relations Officer 519 661-2111 x85165 jrenaud9@uwo.ca Faculty of Health Sciences alumna named Western’s 22nd Rhodes Scholar Western-led team investigates interstellar bodies originating from beyond our solar system Bright fireball event near Bancroft, Ont. may have dropped meteorites Bring your personal ‘space oddities’ to Western’s Asteroid Day event Life on Mars was possible after last great meteorite impact nearly 4.5 billion years ago Giant beavers didn’t eat wood and that’s likely why they didn’t survive the last Ice Age	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1503
__label__wiki	0.566751	0.566751	Home » Posts tagged 'Princess Mary' Tag Archives: Princess Mary Model for an Australian monarchy August 7, 2016 3:43 pm / Leave a comment The subject of Australia becoming a republic rather than having Queen Elizabeth II and her descendants as our head of state is never far from the headlines, it rears its ugly head with monotonous regularity, particularly when a federal election is pending. I make no bones about the fact that I have a passion for all things royal, so why not create our own monarchial system, a model unique to Australia. A Royal Family could help unify the nation as they would be above politics, as are other modern royal families. Look at the way the crowds flock whenever Queen Elizabeth or any of her immediate family make a public appearance, and what wonderful ambassadors they are for Great Britain when travelling abroad. What of the Danish Royal Family and our own Crown Princess Mary, crowds flock to see her and Crown Prince Frederick at every opportunity……..I know, I am a crackpot! 🙂 Other than the selection of our first monarch the infrastructure is already in place. The monarch could reside in Yarralumla, the current residence of the Governor-General, whose position would become redundant. There are residences in every capital city for our current state Governors, these would become royal residences and the position of Governor would also become redundant. The Prime Minster does not require two official residences so Kirribilli House could be sold, and when travelling interstate the Prime Minister could stay in one of the previous state Governor “royal” residences. As for the Civil List or wages for the monarch, wages previously paid to the Governor-General would suffice, and for the Heir Apparent, wages equal to one of the former Governors, so no additional expense, in fact there would be a considerable saving. What of the extended royal family, only the Heir Apparent and their immediate family would be funded by the Civil List, all other members of the Royal Family, including the siblings of the Heir Apparent, would have to earn their own way, although grace and favour residences in the various royal residences may be provided for the monarch’s children, for which they would contribute a nominal amount. These residences are already fully staffed so no additional expense. All other grandchildren of the monarch would need to find their own way in the world once they become adults, no civil list and no additional “royal” residences. As for royal security, the Governor General and the state governors already have security so no additional expense. I am not talking about instituting a new “Honors” system, we already have one so why change it. No Knight or Dames, no aristocracy. The children of a monarch would be styled Prince or Princess, but not their children, only those of each consecutive Heir Apparent, and their children. Should an Heir predecease the monarch and have no children, the next in line would become Heir with all the privilege and title that came with it. Naturally their children would also be elevated to Prince or Princess. What about interstate and overseas travel, yes the federal government would have to meet the bill for that, but it’s not like they would be travelling overseas every week, and accommodation, again a minimal expense. Royal ceremonies? No coronation just the swearing of an oath, royal weddings would be at the monarch’s own expense, official opening of parliament, come on we do need a little razzle dazzle. What about state banquets for overseas heads of state, we already have them. Crown jewels, back to the razzle dazzle, but nothing over the top. Day to day travel, all state Governors have official cars and chauffeurs so nothing would change. There, I think I have everything covered, the only thing left is to order my straight jacket and private suite in the penitentiary. I have had a lot of fun coming up with all this, quite harmless and not too serious. Have a laugh if you like, I have. Published the Royal House of Mitchell	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1517
__label__cc	0.591804	0.408196	The Jonas Brothers Cap off Their 'Late Late Show' Takeover With 'Carpool Karaoke' The "Sucker" singers discuss their come back and are "Burnin' Up" in the passenger seat Joe Jonas on How He Almost Ruined the Jonas Brothers Reunion Surprise The brothers talk about getting the band back together on 'The Late Late Show' Ariana Grande Reacts to Her Music Milestone: "I'll Take a Break After This, I'll Go Away for a Little I Promise" The singer listened to The Beatles and stopped by The Late Late Show to celebrate SCREENSHOTS: Taylor Swift Reveals Her 'Cats' Character She's "kind and touching but harsh" Driving Tests, Senior Citizens, And The Many Adventures Of Cardi B On 'Carpool Karaoke' 'The Late Late Show' attempts to teach the "I Like It" singer to drive, it doesn't go well Jeff Goldblum Gets The Ariana Grande "Thank U, Jeff" Treatment From 'The Late Late Show' "Consider it expressed" Ariana Grande Got Freaked Out And Injured In An Escape Room With James Corden “That’s not an escape room, that’s one of the seven gates to hell” Watch Ariana Grande Address Rumors And Sing Hits In ‘Carpool Karaoke’ “Hello I’m Ariana Grande. I must be carried.” Ariana Grande And James Corden Perform Their Own Soundtrack To ‘Titanic’ Just like the movie, but with more Nelly and Vanilla Ice Ariana Grande Sets A Date For Carpool Karaoke Days before ‘Sweetener’, Grande will go for a ride with James Corden	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1518
__label__cc	0.696961	0.303039	Past life relationships: The most intense relationships we have with others are often past life patterns returning to us. Life brings us the same lessons over and over until we evolve and learn them. Sometimes we don’t finish our work in one lifetime and it comes back to us again in the next. Sometimes this past life energy can bring two people together that would normally never be compatible. These connections can be super chaotic and typically teach us to value ourselves. With extreme ups and downs, joy and suffering, these are addictive relationships and are not built on unconditional love. Ten years ago my wife was single, living in South Beach, working for a record label thousands of miles away from her family in New York. After grieving the loss of her grandmother, finding out that her label was shuttering and that she would soon be unemployed, she needed some answers... Hence the psychic. The psychic stated the following: You will soon have a new career path; you will soon meet your life partner; and you will have twins. Oranum is a world-renowned community of psychics, mediums and spiritualists of every kind that offers users the highest quality in psychic readings, no matter where they are in the world. Oranum titles itself as a “global spiritual community”, something rather grander than a run-of-the-mill telephone psychic service – so you can expect to find an online community of engaged, interesting and experienced psychics just... New member offer valid for first time customers who have never made a Psychic Source purchase. Some exclusions apply. Up to 3 minutes of your first paid psychic reading are free. Free minutes have no cash value and are not available to customers who have previously received a free trial of the service. ©2019 Psychic Source. All rights reserved. For entertainment only. 18+ We've launched our very own live psychic reading service which requires no sign up, no registration and no email address. Our mediums do require a little information in order to build a connection with you and give you your reading. We also have a live tarot card reading service, which is also available to use for free and new for 2019, why not ask a psychic your three most burning questions? Plus you might also want to try Psychic Guild. Psychic Source: billyb - Thanks for your comment. Our free infographic is not a substitute for a real psychic reading. While fun and entertaining (and occasionally dead-on), a technology product cannot replace the exchange of energy that occurs when one of our truly gifted psychics reads the cards for you in a live reading, any more than a generic horoscope can substitute for an astrology reading. For insight and guidance, nothing can replace the impact and value of a live psychic reading over the phone, via chat or by video. Whatever your issues at the time, whether it’s love, job, finances, we have psychics specialising in different areas available at any time. We have you covered! You want to feel better right away? You are just a click away from a quality tarot card reading, or an astrology prediction that can look into your zodiac sign and tell you your next best move to take. I saw a psychic at a friend's high school graduation party and let me tell you how truly LEGIT this lady was. She knew the city I was going to attend college in, she predicted that I'd work in the entertainment industry (what's good, HuffPost Entertainment?!) She even specifically name-dropped a guy that I had a huge crush on at the time (yes, his name was Chris so it was mad generic) but he kissed me for the first time later THAT NIGHT! Many, many more specific details were dropped but you get the idea -- I was blown away. I'm a believer. But keep in mind that a psychic is not the same as a psychic medium. So make sure that you contact a psychic medium if you would like to contact a passed loved one. A psychic medium reading can help you cope with the lost of a loved one and help you to get rid off any feelings of guilt. A psychic medium reading offers you prove of life after death and it can reasure you that you and your loved one will be together again. About Blog Psychic insights connected & threaded with the essence of love & learning . Your journey of life is more important than you realize I offer personal readings. I work closely with universal energies, especially angelic presences. I have deep connections with messages from spirit as well as spirit guides, and angelic presences. I work with intuitive energies as well. “ What an awesome week. Thank you for the brilliant teaching, marvellous and gifted insights and connections. It took me some time to come down after spending the week with you. Your sense of humour John and authenticity was like a beacon, shining on anything that was not true. You two made it a truly magical and unforgettable journey. ” ELIZABETH F - Student at Pathways for Mediumship Workshop True Psychics is a trusted, Canadian-based phone psychic hotline open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day with over 20 years of experience helping people online with phone psychic readings and advice. Psychic readings can be billed to your mobile phone, home phone or credit card. Readings are as low as 79c/minute. (*79c/minute offer applies to first time callers using credit card payment only. Regular rates apply after the first 3 minutes). Call a True Psychic today and engage in an inspiring phone psychic experience. 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The information, including pricing, which appears on this site is subject to change at any time. Every person that comes into our lives is there in order to help us to evolve. Relationships are like mirrors, and sometimes the negative things that people bring into our lives teach us the greatest lessons. That is not to say you deserve to be treated badly or that it is good for people to be disrespectful or rude. But if someone is constantly pushing your buttons, maybe the lesson for you to learn is how to gently hold your boundaries. It is a journey to sort out the difference between soul mates, past life relationships, and addictive partnerships. By loving yourself and seeing others as a mirror of yourself and what you need to learn, you will grow into a person ready for true love. I called my mom after the reading and told her what the medium had said about my father (supposedly) saying he loved her. She was crying when I said, "Oh. And you still haven't gotten rid of his clothes have you?" She said, "Well, actually, I didn't tell you but I finally cleaned out his closets and took everything to Good Will two weeks ago." I said, "That's so weird -- the medium said that 'dad' said you could get rid of his neckties now. It was time." My mom began to cry even harder and said, "The only thing that I kept was his neckties. They're still in his closet." Registering an account on Oranum is completely free and you get $9.99 in free credits after signing up. Once your account is setup, you can browse their list of over 200 spiritual advisors or narrow your search to a category such as tarot, numerology, sound healing, astrology, past life regression, and dream interpretation. The Oranum website is available in 19 different languages and many of their online psychics are bilingual. Just like any psychic, a love psychic reads the energies surrounding a situation and gives us insights from beyond the five senses. Whether by using the ‘clairs,’ divination tools, or energy balancing and healing, a love psychic can use the powers of extra-sensory perception and interpretation to help us make the best decisions specifically around relationships. Love psychics are empathic and particularly attuned to the energies between intimate parties.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1521
__label__wiki	0.752734	0.752734	Transporter technology Changes: Site-to-site transport Revision as of 15:02, September 2, 2009 (edit) Mdettweiler (Talk \| contribs) (it's transporter, not teleporter :-)) Latest revision as of 09:47, November 28, 2019 (edit)(undo) SulfBot (Talk \| contribs) m (Robot: Automated text replacement (-{{dis\|Captain\|rank}} +{{Captain}})) A '''site-to-site transport''' is a special type of [[transporter\|transport]] where the object or person being transported is transported from one site directly to another, neither site being a [[transporter platform]]. A site-to-site transport is accomplished by first transferring the transporter's target from the site of origin to the [[pattern buffer]] of the transporter, in the same manner as the usual "beam in" procedure; instead of being routed to a transporter platform, however, the matter stream is diverted to a second site, in a similar procedure to a conventional "beam out". A '''site-to-site transport''' was a special type of [[transporter\|transport]] in which an object or person was transported from one site directly to another, neither site being a [[transporter platform]]. A site-to-site transport was accomplished by first transferring the transporter's target from the site of origin to the [[pattern buffer]] of the transporter, in the same manner as the usual "beam in" procedure; instead of being routed to a transporter platform, however, the matter stream was diverted to a second site, in a similar procedure to a conventional "beam out". ({{TNG\|Brothers}}) Site-to-site transportation is very resource intensive. It consumes twice the energy of a conventional transport (since it is effectively two consecutive transport maneuvers), and requires twice the time in the pattern buffer. It is very useful, however, when time is critical (for example, when a casualty needs immediate attention in sick bay, site-to-site transportation is almost invariably used) or other unusual circumstances. On the other hand, it is almost never used in emergency evacuations of large groups because it would effectively halve the capacity of the transporter system. ({{TNG\|Brothers}}) ===Notable uses=== * While on Earth in [[1986]], [[Montgomery Scott]] utilized site-to-site transport capabilities on board a [[Klingon Bird-of-Prey]] to transport an away team directly from the elevator of a hospital facility to just outside where the ship was parked. Technically, this is the chronological first known utilization of this technology. ({{film\|4}}) * While on Earth in [[1986]], [[Montgomery Scott]] utilized site-to-site transport capabilities on board a [[Klingon Bird-of-Prey]] to transport an [[away team]] directly from the elevator of a hospital facility to just outside where the ship was parked. Technically, this was the chronological first known utilization of this technology. ({{film\|4}}) * In [[2268]], [[Montgomery Scott]] transported [[Tepo]] directly from his headquarters to those of [[Bela Okmyx]]. Not counting time travel, this is the first known use of this technology. ({{TOS\|A Piece of the Action}}) * In [[2256]], {{mu\|Gabriel Lorca}} transported himself and [[Michael Burnham]] directly from his [[ready room]] to [[engineering]] aboard {{USS\|Discovery}}. ({{DIS\|Context Is for Kings}}) * While on [[Angel I]] in [[2364]], [[Data]], [[Deanna Troi]], and [[Natasha Yar]] transported directly from their [[planet]]side accommodations to [[Ramsey (Odin)\|Ramsey]]'s camp. ({{TNG\|Angel One}}) * In [[2268]], [[Montgomery Scott]] transported [[Tepo]] directly from his headquarters to those of [[Bela Okmyx]]. ({{TOS\|A Piece of the Action}}) * While on [[Deneb IV]] in [[2364]], [[Data]] and [[William T. Riker]] transported directly from the mall at [[Farpoint Station]] to an underground cavern below the facility to join the rest of their away team. ({{TNG\|Encounter at Farpoint}}) * While on [[Angel I]] that same year, Data, [[Deanna Troi]], and [[Natasha Yar]] transported directly from their [[planet]]side accommodations to {{dis\|Ramsey\|Odin}}'s camp. ({{TNG\|Angel One}}) * [[Miles O'Brien]] disabled the site-to-site transport function to stop [[Data]] from beaming off the [[bridge]] in [[2367]]. The [[android]] was able to reactivate it. ({{TNG\|Brothers}}) * [[Wesley Crusher]] created what alleged to be a site-to-site transport program in [[2368]] to avoid being captured by the crew. However, the program transported him to a transporter pad in Transporter Room 3. ({{TNG\|The Game}}) * [[Wesley Crusher]] created what alleged to be a site-to-site transport program in [[2368]] to avoid being captured by the crew, who were under the influence of a [[Ktarian game]]. However, the program transported him to a transporter pad in Transporter Room 3. ({{TNG\|The Game}}) * [[Captain]] [[Benjamin Sisko]] and [[Senator]] [[Vreenak]] used site-to-site transport in [[2374]] to avoid the [[Romulan]] from being seen by the populace of [[Deep Space 9]]. They transported from the [[wardroom]] to a [[holosuite]]. ({{DS9\|In the Pale Moonlight}}) * {{Captain}} [[Benjamin Sisko]] and [[Senator]] [[Vreenak]] used site-to-site transport in [[2374]] to avoid the [[Romulan]] from being seen by the populace of [[Deep Space 9]]. They transported from the [[wardroom]] to a [[holosuite]]. ({{DS9\|In the Pale Moonlight}}) * [[Captain]] [[Jean-Luc Picard\|Picard]] used site-to-site transport to beam over to the ''[[Scimitar]]'' from the bridge of the {{USS\|Enterprise\|NCC-1701-E\|-E}} in [[2379]]. However, it caused such a strain on the already severely damaged ship that all transporter functions shorted out immediately afterwards. ({{film\|10}}) [[Tom Paris]] used a site-to-site transport in [[2374]] to surprise [[B'Elanna Torres]] with flowers in a [[Jefferies tube]] junction after telling [[The Doctor]] he was delivering his helm report to [[Chakotay]]. ({{VOY\|Scientific Method}}) [[B'Elanna Torres]] used site-to-site transport to get to her [[crew quarters\|quarters]] in [[2377]], to avoid being accosted by a group of [[Klingon]]s gathered outside [[engineering]] who believed her [[Miral Paris\|unborn child]] to be the [[kuvah'magh]] . ({{VOY\|Prophecy}}) * In [[2378]], The Doctor beamed himself from another part of ''Voyager'' to sickbay after Commander Chakotay contacted him with his [[combadge]] and asked him to report there. ({{VOY\|Renaissance Man}}) * [[Seven of Nine]] used site-to-site transport to avoid being seen while she entered [[Chakotay]]'s quarters with flowers. ({{VOY\|Endgame}}) * {{Captain}} [[Jean-Luc Picard\|Picard]] used site-to-site transport to beam over to the ''[[Scimitar]]'' from the bridge of the {{USS\|Enterprise\|NCC-1701-E\|-E}} in [[2379]]. However, it caused such a strain on the already severely damaged ship that all transporter functions shorted out immediately afterwards. He was only able to beam back after [[Data]] gave him a prototype [[emergency transport unit]] shortly before the ''Scimitar''{{'}}s destruction. ({{film\|10}}) {{Bginfo\|The term "site-to-site transport" originates from the ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode {{e\|Brothers}}. In the commentary for the episode on the ''[[TNG Season 3 Blu-ray]]'', [[Michael Okuda]] states that [[Rick Berman]] called [[Rick Sternbach]] and him, wanting a term for direct beaming. Either Sternbach or Okuda came up with the term "site-to-site transport," which stayed with the show.}} ===See also=== * [[Portable transporter]] [[fr:Téléportation site-à-site]] [[nl:Plaats-naar-plaats transport]] [[de:Ort-zu-Ort-Transport]] [[Category:transporter technology]] Latest revision as of 09:47, November 28, 2019 A site-to-site transport was a special type of transport in which an object or person was transported from one site directly to another, neither site being a transporter platform. A site-to-site transport was accomplished by first transferring the transporter's target from the site of origin to the pattern buffer of the transporter, in the same manner as the usual "beam in" procedure; instead of being routed to a transporter platform, however, the matter stream was diverted to a second site, in a similar procedure to a conventional "beam out". (TNG: "Brothers") Notable uses Edit While on Earth in 1986, Montgomery Scott utilized site-to-site transport capabilities on board a Klingon Bird-of-Prey to transport an away team directly from the elevator of a hospital facility to just outside where the ship was parked. Technically, this was the chronological first known utilization of this technology. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) In 2256, Gabriel Lorca transported himself and Michael Burnham directly from his ready room to engineering aboard USS Discovery. (DIS: "Context Is for Kings") In 2268, Montgomery Scott transported Tepo directly from his headquarters to those of Bela Okmyx. (TOS: "A Piece of the Action") While on Deneb IV in 2364, Data and William T. Riker transported directly from the mall at Farpoint Station to an underground cavern below the facility to join the rest of their away team. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint") While on Angel I that same year, Data, Deanna Troi, and Natasha Yar transported directly from their planetside accommodations to Ramsey's camp. (TNG: "Angel One") Miles O'Brien disabled the site-to-site transport function to stop Data from beaming off the bridge in 2367. The android was able to reactivate it. (TNG: "Brothers") Wesley Crusher created what alleged to be a site-to-site transport program in 2368 to avoid being captured by the crew, who were under the influence of a Ktarian game. However, the program transported him to a transporter pad in Transporter Room 3. (TNG: "The Game") Captain Benjamin Sisko and Senator Vreenak used site-to-site transport in 2374 to avoid the Romulan from being seen by the populace of Deep Space 9. They transported from the wardroom to a holosuite. (DS9: "In the Pale Moonlight") Tom Paris used a site-to-site transport in 2374 to surprise B'Elanna Torres with flowers in a Jefferies tube junction after telling The Doctor he was delivering his helm report to Chakotay. (VOY: "Scientific Method") B'Elanna Torres used site-to-site transport to get to her quarters in 2377, to avoid being accosted by a group of Klingons gathered outside engineering who believed her unborn child to be the kuvah'magh . (VOY: "Prophecy") In 2378, The Doctor beamed himself from another part of Voyager to sickbay after Commander Chakotay contacted him with his combadge and asked him to report there. (VOY: "Renaissance Man") Seven of Nine used site-to-site transport to avoid being seen while she entered Chakotay's quarters with flowers. (VOY: "Endgame") Captain Picard used site-to-site transport to beam over to the Scimitar from the bridge of the USS Enterprise-E in 2379. However, it caused such a strain on the already severely damaged ship that all transporter functions shorted out immediately afterwards. He was only able to beam back after Data gave him a prototype emergency transport unit shortly before the Scimitar's destruction. (Star Trek Nemesis) The term "site-to-site transport" originates from the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Brothers". In the commentary for the episode on the TNG Season 3 Blu-ray, Michael Okuda states that Rick Berman called Rick Sternbach and him, wanting a term for direct beaming. Either Sternbach or Okuda came up with the term "site-to-site transport," which stayed with the show. Site-to-site transport interlock Site-to-site transporter Portable transporter Retrieved from "https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Site-to-site_transport?oldid=2406081"	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1524
__label__cc	0.664239	0.335761	Posts Tagged With: Georgina Royal Name Speculation Posted on 4 December, 2012 by Lou @ Mer de noms Normally I try to avoid putting out similar posts to ones already circulating in the blogosphere, but since nameberry so nicely asked me for an opinion over on twitter, I figured I might as well chip in to the discussion. My gut feeling is that George is the top choice for a boy, and indeed Georgina is a worthy of an outside chance for a girl. It’s quite simply really: there are only really three living royals who have any likelihood of ascending to the throne: Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry. Of those three, only Prince Charles wears the name George, and only as his third middle name. That said, the has been speculation before that Prince Charles may take George as his regnal name upon his ascension the the throne, i.e. he becomes George VII, not Charles III. The big reason for this lies along the lines of the previous two sovereigns to bear the name Charles both have questionable legacies (one was a playboy, the other was beheaded). It’s certainly not an uncommon practice, as whilst our current monarch reigns by her first name, her predecessor and father reigned as George VI, but he was born Albert Frederick Arthur George. Good ol’ Queen Victoria reigned by her middle name, as her first name was Alexandrina. Other choices for boys are a little less intuitive, given that many clear favourites such as James, Edward and Charles are currently ‘assigned’ so to speak to another prince-ly member of the family (for those wondering, whilst strictly speaking there exists a Prince James, his parents choose to style him as Viscount Severn). I don’t particularly believe that the Duke&Duchess of Cambridge will choose a first name already in use by another male styled a Prince, not least because of the potential confusion, so this automatically rules several names out of the running for first name status: Philip; Charles; Edward; Henry; James; Andrew; and Michael. These names are all, however, still just as likely to be used for middle names. It’s worth noting that Michael is the name of the Duchess’ father, and thus despite Michael seeing rare use by the royals, this fact really rather increases the likelihood of Michael’s inclusion. The glaringly obvious name left over to pick from is Arthur, and this is one of William’s middle names and indeed Prince Charles’ middle name, too. Of course, Prince William could kick off a new family naming trend and give his eldest son the middle name Arthur, too. Another option is Frederick, also popularly used by royals in the last century or too. Then there’s also the possibility of Alexander, too. When it comes to the choices for girls, Elizabeth is a clear middle name contender (and there is the chance of her use as a first name, too), being of course the name of our current monarch and the Duchess’ middle name. The variation of Eliza is unlikely for the simple reason that Prince William has a niece via his step-sister Laura Lopes with the name Eliza. Our current Queen was known as Lilibet when she was younger, so one could even speculate about the name Lily being used as a nod to her (although it makes more sense for them to simply use Elizabeth instead). The names Mary and Alexandra are also undeniably in the running, given that both are the Queen’s middle names. The name Victoria would be a good call as a first name contender, given that currently Princess Eugenie is the only senior royal to bear the name as one of her middles. Another name I have a gut feeling is in the running is Alice, the name of Prince Philip’s mother. I’m calling this because the name Andrew wasn’t an oft-used royal name in centuries gone by, but ‘lo and behold it was the name of Prince Philip’s father, and now also that of his second eldest son. A name I’ve yet to see given mention is Margaret, who stands a good chance of being used in the middle name spot as a nod to the late Princess Margaret, younger sister of our current Queen. Her middle name, Rose, is another middle name possibility, albeit more likely for subsequent daughters. Then we have both Diana and indeed Frances: the name of Prince William’s mother and her middle name. In the eyes of some, Diana is almost a certainty as a middle name should the child be female. It’s also worth noting that the Duchess’ father has Francis as a middle name, creating a greater possibility of the couple’s eventual use of either Frances or Francis. Sophia is a currently popular name with historical use as a royal name, but she’s not seen much use of late, however, in order to be eligible for the line of succession, you must be a legitimate descendant of Electress Sophia of Hanover. There’s an outside chance for both Harriet and Henrietta as potential nods to Prince William’s younger brother, Prince Harry. Final acknowledgements to other names with an outside chance of use goes to several names from the Duchess’ family, which include: Philippa, Charlotte and Carole/Caroline. Then there are a few more royal picks: Marie; Maud; Adelaide; Helena; Louisa. What’s for certain is that this is an extensive list of names, and at the end of the day many of these names mentioned above are more likely to be in the running for subsequent children, rather than for a child that will one day most likely ascend to the throne. Thus, I suggest the three most likely names to be used for each gender: BOY: George, Charles and Michael GIRL: Elizabeth, Diana and Alice Categories: Royal Names \| Tags: Adelaide, Alexander, Alexandra, Alice, Andrew, Arthur, Charles, Diana, Edward, Eliza, Elizabeth, Frances, Francis, Frederick, George, Georgina, Harriet, Helena, Henrietta, Henry, James, Lily, Louisa, Margaret, Marie, Mary, Maud, Michael, Philip, Rose, Sophia, Victoria \| 5 Comments When Penelope Gets Popular Posted on 23 November, 2011 by Lou @ Mer de noms Paloma Faith may inspire you, from metro.co.uk When I originally penned the Clementine post, I never imagined doing a sequel post or even turning it into a series, but the fact of the matter is that the name Penelope is getting popular, and I’ve started to wonder about what alternatives are out there. This post started off as me pondering about what other names I could get Penny from (the final three being Typhena, Peony and Euphemia), but the original draft of such a post seemed like more should be said. An elaboration was in order, and a sequel was born. So, what other names could we use when Penelope gets too popular for our liking? Just to illustrate the fact that she has grown in popularity, here’s how she’s fared in the past few years: Rank 583 565 562 678 Births 50 55 59 46 Births 72 99 135 181 A ranking of #272 is something to take note of, since she’s shot up from #678 in 2006 to where she is today. To start off with, it seems best to first approach this topic by asking what exactly are the kinds of names people are pairing the name Penelope with, either as sibling or middle names? A trip to the London Telegraph Birth Announcements was in order to find just that out, and it was an eclectic bunch of names to say the least; here is a cut-down version: Bróna Horatia The names Clementine and Florence came up severeal times, whilst Lucinda also came up at least twice. There are some conflicting styles in the names, from the seldom heard Horatia, to the very Irish name Bróna. Since Florence is a clear favourite, it seems apt to kick off a list of suggestions with the younger Nightingale sister’s name: Parthenope. Like her sister before her, Parthenope was named after an Italian city, and like Penelope, she’s four-syllables. If long names are your preference, another four-syllable P name is Philomena, which shares Penelope’s Greek roots. Dorothea from the above list also shares this trait. Other four-syllable Greek names include: Angeliki Cassiopeia (technically five-syllables) Elisavet Eugenia (modern Greek form: Evgenia) Konstantina Louiza Paraskeve (Pah-rah-ske-vee) Timothea Zenovia/Zenobia But you may have no Greek heritage, which means the above list may means nothing at all to you. Fear not, for there are other, more English-based, options out there. The current leader of the pack for me is Peony. She’s floral, like Lily, and could also shorten to Penny if your heart so desires. I’m astonisahed that only 9 of them were born in England&Wales in 2010, because she is such a pretty name. I first came upon her, myself, when reading a book which I can’t for the life of me remember. But what I can remember was that Peony wore trousers with different coloured legs. She was an eccentric child, to say the least. Another seldom used name in England&Wales in Tolulope, given to just 4 girls in 2010, whilst Temitope was given to 10 girls. Another P name that I reckon will be rising fast here in the UK in the next few years is Paloma. We’ve already had pop act Florence&The Machine attributed to the rise of Florence, and there’s another similar artist in the UK right now called Paloma Faith. She was the goth girl, Andrea, in the first of the rebooted St.Trinians films, but has since embraced colour to the max. Her name is Spanish for dove. Another British pop act, Mika, has three sisters named Yasmina, Paloma and Zuleika. Going back to 2000, Penelope was given to 35 girls that year, as was Henrietta. Other names ranking similarly to her, and also containing four syllables (within 45-25 births) in 2000, with their 2010 ranking/birth number in brackets after are: Angelica (#531, 75 births) Henrietta (#730, 50 births) Ophelia (#559, 71 births) Valentina (#521, 77 births) Veronica (#452, 92 births) As you can see, non of them have broken the Top 300 as Penelope has done, but they have all risen since 2000 and could rise further but maybe not as quickly as dear Penny. That leads us onto another point, one could simply use a nickname of Penelope instead. Aside from Poppy, which resides firmly in the Top 100, the nicknames are generally not as popular as their long form: Nell – #390 Nelly – #747 Penny – #396 Petal – #3156 Piper – #719 Polly – #300 Posy – #4688 I would also suggest Pippa as a nickname for Penelope, but she’s also on the express train to popularity at the moment. I guess one could argue that Philippa is another great alternative choice, who has actually been going backwards in the past few years. Other vintage-sounding P names include Patience, Prudence and Pearl, and Pomeline is a name with Royal heritage. To conclude, Penelope is a great name with some great alternatives should her popularity put you off. My line on popularity is the same as always, though: if your heart says go for it, just go for it regardless of how popular the name may be. Categories: Girl Names, Nicknames \| Tags: Angelica, Angeliki, Annabel, Aurelia, Bróna, Calliope, Cassiopeia, Clementine, Dorothea, Elisavet, Esther, Eugenia, Euphemia, Evelyn, Evgenia, Felicity, Florence, Georgina, Harriet, Henrietta, Hettie, Horatia, Jemima, Konstantina, Louiza, Lucinda, Marissa, Mika, Muriel, Nancy, Nell, Nelly, Ophelia, Orla, Paloma, Paraskeve, Parthenope, Patience, Pearl, Penelope, Penny, Peony, Persephone, Petal, Philippa, Philomena, Piper, Pippa, Polly, Pomeline, Poppy, Posy, Prudence, Scarlett, Serena, Temitope, Theodora, Timothea, Tolulope, Tryphena, Valentina, Veronica, Willa, Yasmina, Zenobia, Zenovia, Zuleika \| 6 Comments	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1526
__label__wiki	0.995148	0.995148	Karan Johar On Box Office Clash: "Choosing Release Date Is Challenging" Karan Johar said: "We have to look at who is releasing a film before and after us and choose a right date accordingly" Written by: Divya Goyal \| February 02, 2017 19:20 IST (New Delhi) Karan Johar talked about the difficulty in choosing a release date for films. (Image courtesy: KJo) Recently SRK's Raees and Hrithik's Kaabil released simultaneously We have to strategize a release date, says Karan Johar KJo's Ae Dil clashed with Ajay Devgn's Shivaay last year Box Office clash has become an inevitable reality in Bollywood these days. Filmmaker Karan Johar says that choosing a release date is a meticulous task as a lot of verticals have to be considered before picking a date to release a film, reports news agency PTI. The 43-year-old filmmaker was speaking at an event to launch the trailer of Badrinath Ki Dulhania, which releases on March 17. Recently, two mega films released simultaneously - Shah Rukh Khan's Raees and Hrithik Roshan's Kaabil. Raees' box office score was way ahead of Kaabil's. The former has crossed 100 crore benchmark while Kaabil is hovering at Rs 61 crore. KJo says that nowadays choosing a release date has become more challenging, reports PTI. "We have to see lot of verticals before releasing a film. We have to strategize a release date, the post work of a film is very critical. The release date is becoming more challenging and we toy about it a lot. We have to look at who is releasing a film before and after us and choose a right date accordingly," said Karan, reports PTI. Karan also talked about the challenges of releasing a film during the festive season - Salman Khan has booked Eid and Aamir takes Christmas weekend. "I don't want to (release films during Eid). That is owned by Salman Khan... We are here to release films so that we can optimise numbers," he said. Last year, Karan released his film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil around Diwali. And the release date clashed with Ajay Devgn's Shivaay. In fact, Raees too avoided clash twice - first with Salman Khan's Sultan and then with Karan's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. It finally released a day before Republic Day. Badrinath Ki Dulhania, starring Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, will release on Holi and Varun seems to be enjoying the moment. "We are releasing the film on Holi. It's my first festive release so I am very excited. We never get these days (festive dates). I will start from Holi and then move to Diwali, Eid." Badrinath Ki Dulhania is directed by Shashank Khaitan and is a sequel to 2014 film Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. karan johar box office clash kaabil vs raees Karan Johar: Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham Is The Single, Biggest Slap In My Face Karan Johar Reveals What His Son Yash Calls Him. His ROFL Reaction Is A Winner Netflix Announces 3 Indian Movies, From Anurag Kashyap, Karan Johar, Vikramaditya Motwane Karan Johar’s What the Love! Dating Reality Series to Release January 30 on Netflix Karan Johar, Akshay Kumar And Katrina Kaif At The Vogue Power List 2019 Viral: Shah Rukh Khan Carrying Gauri's Train Is Couple Goals Set High Team Lust Stories At The International Emmy Awards 2019 Red Carpet Team Lust Stories On International Emmys Red Carpet	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1531
__label__wiki	0.976813	0.976813	Chabal extends Sale stay metrowebukmetroTuesday 18 Dec 2007 10:00 am Settled: Sebastien Chabal Sebastien Chabal has turned down lucrative contract offers from clubs in France and signed a new two-year deal with Sale Sharks. Chabal was Philippe Saint-Andre’s first signing for Sale in 2004 and in the last three years the powerful number eight has become a cult hero at Edgeley Park. During the World Cup, Chabal attained superstar status in France but has rejected the idea of a return home because he is not comfortable in the glare of publicity. After all, Chabal is a 6ft 3in, 17 stone forward who is happy to drive around in a Smart car. ‘I have enjoyed my time in England and am able to get on with playing rugby which I enjoy,’ said Chabal. ‘If I lived and played in France, I think my wife would go crazy with all the supporter attention I receive there.’ Chabal’s grizzly caveman image was ubiquitous during the World Cup, adorning adverts and newspapers even though he was rarely used in France’s starting XV. Sale lost Jason Robinson to retirement in the summer but recruited ambitiously with New Zealand centre Luke McAlister joining after the World Cup on a two year-contract. Chief executive James Jennings said: ‘Sebastian Chabal’s decision to stay at Sale Sharks is testament to how world-class players like “Seabass” view Sale Sharks as a more attractive option than other leading European clubs. ‘Sebastian is currently the best known and most popular sports personality in France, but he has opted to commit his future to Sale Sharks for the next two years at least. ‘We are delighted “Seabass” is staying with the club and look forward to enjoying many more seasons of his dynamic and attacking style of play.’ Chabal’s new contract includes the option of a third year. Saint-Andre added: ‘He will play a big part in the future of Sale Sharks and we are all delighted that he has signed a new deal. ‘He always gives his best and although he had received big money offers to go and play in France, he has committed his future to Sale Sharks.’ Edgeley ParkJason RobinsonLuke McAlisterSebastien Chabal Who is Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown's boyfriend Joseph Robinson? Millie Bobby Brown confirms romance with rugby player's son with sweet couple snap Home › Sport	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1540
__label__cc	0.609879	0.390121	Mass General Research Institute Blog Where science and medicine converge to improve patient care, treat disease and reduce healthcare costs—at Mass General and across the globe. Researcher Studies Grandson’s Rare Genetic Mutation onNovember 14, 2019 inGenetics and Genomics Research, Mass General Research, Neurology Research, Rare Disease Research withNo Comments Since Quinn was a baby, his grandmother Marian DiFiglia, PhD, a Mass General researcher, has been there to support him. For decades, researcher Marian DiFiglia, PhD, has investigated neurodegenerative diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital. Then, three years ago, her grandson Quinn was diagnosed with a genetic mutation so rare that, at the time, it had no name. Coming to grips with the genetic mutation involved was a life-changing experience for Dr. DiFiglia, her daughter, Liz Aronin, and son-in-law, Jamie Mills. Like the diseases Dr. DiFiglia studies, Quinn’s condition affects his ability to control his mind and body. When he was seven months old, Quinn began having seizures. Doctors used medications and diet to help control them, but Quinn never learned how to sit up, move his arms or talk. Diagnosing the Genetic Mutation In 2016, when Quinn was 2 years old, his disease was given a name: NACC1. His case was part of a breakthrough research paper from the Undiagnosed Disease Network at Duke University. He was one of seven known children in the world to have the genetic mutation. Today, at least 19 people are known to live with the disorder. Liz and Jamie connected with other NACC1 families online. A common concern among them were their children’s bouts of agitation, which could last for weeks. Quinn Mills loves to smile. Quinn has been miserable at some birthday parties and family trips because he wasn’t feeling his best, which makes those events challenging for his parents. “On days when Quinn is agitated, nothing we do helps,” Liz says. “Emotionally, we fall apart.” There are good days when Quinn, now 5, enjoys laughing with his siblings, twins 6-month old Emmaline and Jack, and 2-year-old Josie, and going on outings to the park and pool. “On days when he is happy, life does seem doable,” says Liz, a nurse practitioner who cares for HIV patients, “but there is always some underlying sadness that Quinn is not developing as he should be.” A Loving Grandmother Dr. DiFiglia and her husband, Neil Aronin, MD, frequently travel to Durham, North Carolina, to visit family and spend time with Quinn. She loves to snuggle with him and helps with his care needs, like giving him a bath. In the beginning, Dr. DiFiglia felt overwhelmed by Quinn’s health issues. And then an idea came to her. As director of the Laboratory of Cellular Neurobiology at the Mass General Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, she could do something for children with NACC1. “I can fundraise,” she recalls thinking, “and I can do science!” A Determined Scientist Having spent nearly 40 years studying Huntington’s disease — a fatal neurodegenerative condition that strikes people midlife — Dr. DiFiglia started to look more closely at the characteristics shared by Huntington’s and NACC1. Both disorders affect the brain and are caused by a genetic mutation. With enough funding in place, her goal is to try approaches that have worked to advance Huntington’s research on NACC1. Because money is tight for research, especially for rare genetic mutations, Dr. DiFiglia took on fundraising with her family. Quinn Mills (far right) with his family. Parents Liz Aronin and Jamie Mills and siblings (left to right) Josie, Jack and Emmaline. They became part of Mass General’s BeCause community. BeCause is a group of friends and supporters who fundraise by organizing and participating in events, social gatherings and online campaigns. Through their BeCause campaign, Liz and Jamie and other families have raised more than $120,000 to help advance Dr. DiFiglia’s research. With fundraising support and help from collaborators and a graduate student, Dr. DiFiglia has been able to model the NACC1 disease in mice, which is one method scientists use to explore possible treatments. She believes this is the first NACC1 mouse model in the world. Her hope now is to hire a postdoctoral researcher to collect preliminary data needed to apply for funding from foundations and governmental agencies to further support her NACC1 research. “Addressing the problems caused by the NACC1 mutation is on my mind every day,” Dr. DiFiglia says. “I know patients and families living with this disorder are counting on me and other scientists. Cases have been found all over the world and already people have been so generous. These donations have made a huge impact in getting research started and I plan to make every penny count.” Dreams for Quinn’s Future Liz and Jamie say their love for Quinn is boundless and they feel thankful that their family has the resources to care for him. Their dream for Quinn is to reduce his pain and help him better communicate his needs. Right now, he is working on raising his eyebrows to indicate “yes” and raising his eyebrows and shaking his head to indicate “no.” Jamie is hopeful about what NACC1 research may uncover. “I’d like Quinn to sit up on his own and walk a little bit,” he says. “And, I’ve often longed to hear him say, ‘I love you.’” To learn more about Dr. DiFiglia’s NACC1 research or make a donation, please visit their online campaign website. For additional information about how you can hold a fundraiser for Mass General, please visit our BeCause website. This article was originally published on the Mass General Giving website. About the Mass General Research Institute Massachusetts General Hospital is home to the largest hospital-based research program in the United States. Our researchers work side-by-side with physicians to develop innovative new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent disease. Game On for Autism Research at Mass General Genetic Insights, New Research Models Help to Drive New Rare Disease Research Looking for Insights to A Rare Genetic Neurologic Disease Tags: genetics, rare disease research, rare diseases onNovember 18, 2019 Mass General Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the Ataxia Unit and Launching of the Ataxia Center Research Roundup: Genetic Protection from Alzheimer’s Disease, Football Players and Heart Health, and More Stay up to date on all the exciting research and news at Mass General. © 2019 Mass General Research Institute Designed by WPlook Studio	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1542
__label__wiki	0.589566	0.589566	These quantitative data confirm our histology observations descri Posted on November 30, 2017 by micr2588 These quantitative data confirm our histology observations described above (Figure 1). Lung tissue injury induced by radiotherapy leads to an inflammatory process caused by radiation damage to capillary endothelial cells and epithelial lung cells which results in pneumonitis and fibrosis. To assess further the effect of axitinib on the vasculature of learn more the normal lung tissue, lung sections were stained with fluorescent anti-CD31 antibody, anti-SMA and anti-collagen to stain endothelial cells, pericytes and the vessel basement membranes, respectively. This fluorescent technique allows for visualization of vessel abnormalities including interruptions in the continuity of basement membrane collagen and/or thickening and projections in basement membrane, as previously described [34] and [35] Representative images of large and small vessels of the lung tissues are presented in Figure 2. We also quantitated the percent selleck chemical of damaged vessels in 20 fields of 40X. Vessels were considered damaged if the basement membrane was discontinuous (Figure 2C,F), or enlarged or had abnormal projections (Figure 2E). Lungs from control mice showed a majority of vessels with integral basement membranes (Figure 2A,B), with 31% showing damage. Axitinib affected some of the vessels (about 36%) which showed interruptions in the basement membrane (Figure 2C) while other vessels had a full basement membrane (Figure 2D). Lungs treated with radiation showed alterations in the basement membrane of vessels including thickening and projections (Figure 2E) or interruptions in the continuity of the collagen (Figure 2 F), which occurred in 55% of the vessels, in agreement with our previous reported studies [32]. In lungs treated with axitinib combined with radiation a lower percentage of 36% vessels looked damaged while the other vessels looked healthy (Figure 2G,H). Stopping axitinib for the last 5 weeks of the experiment caused a decrease to 28% damaged vessels (Figure 2I,J). No significant difference was observed between the selleck treatment groups but a trend in decreased damage in the lung vasculature was seen in axitinib + radiation compared to radiation alone (p = 0.13). Lung pneumonitis induced by radiation is associated with fibrosis, which is a late event in radiation-induced injury and the result of an inflammatory process. The extent of fibrosis was evaluated in lung tissue sections using the Masson’s Trichrome stain. At a late time point of over two months after radiation, we observed a dramatic increase in fibrosis in broncho-vascular bundles visualized by the intense blue staining of collagen fibers surrounding the vessels and bronchi (Figure 3, Table 2). These findings are typical of radiation induced damage in lung tissue and have been reproduced in several experiments in our laboratory. Therefore, in middle age adults the increased negative amplitude Therefore, in middle age adults the increased negative amplitude of the right scalp shift of the N450 in the RC condition could represent intermediary level of processing, more than young adults but less than older adults, required for response conflict resolution. By using a combined ERP and EMG methodology we have tracked in real-time the course of stimulus and response conflict processing during the Stroop task. Our study confirms previous findings that both stimulus and response conflict contribute to the Stroop effect (slower RT during incongruent trials) (Chen et al., 2011 and Houwer, 2003). However by using CB-839 price multiple response related measures we have delineated important markers of the Stroop effect at the response level of processing. The current findings support the idea that Stroop conflict, during this manual colour word Stroop task, may be more robust at the response level of processing. In this study we found that there were no differences in the behavioural and neural processing of the two types of conflict (SC compared to RC) when examining accuracy, P3a, P3b and N450 activity. However the LRP peak latency was significantly later in the RC condition than the SC condition and the EMG activity in the correct responding hand was significantly less in the RC when compared to the SC condition, indicating stronger correct check details responses during SC. This perhaps indicates that during this manual colour word Stroop task the Stroop effect may be more robust during the period of processing between response selection and response execution. Interestingly this occurred across all age groups. We predicted that adolescents would show increased response conflict, for example in poorer behavioural performance during RC and differences in neural activity during RC. We also predicted that middle age adults would show increased stimulus conflict, in terms of increased resources and poorer behavioural performance during the SC condition. Although we found age-related differences in information BCKDHA processing stages, the conflict manipulations in this task were not sensitive to age differences. Perhaps this task did not evoke age differences because the conflict conditions were of a similar level of difficulty. Indeed, the similar neural markers (P3a, P3b, N450) and accuracy performance in the SC and RC conditions indicate that these conditions were not very different in terms of level of difficulty. This could explain why we could not detect any age differences in the task manipulations. This warrants further examination. We combined ERP and EMG to examine lifespan changes in stimulus and response conflict processing using a modified Stroop task. Asymmetries in conflict processing across the lifespan were determined. , 2011) However, to the best of our knowledge, no immunological , 2011). However, to the best of our knowledge, no immunological analyses of the uranium-exposed population have been conducted. Finally, long-term exposure to DU led to significant changes in the level of cytokines released by stimulated splenic cells in the mice. In general, when the DU dose in feed was higher than 30 mg/kg, the chronic exposure decreased the expression of Th1 cytokines (IFN- γ, TNF-α) and increased the expression of Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-10) with a shift of Th1 cytokines to Th2 cytokines. To the best of our knowledge (Mosmann and Coffman, 1989 and Abbas et al., 1996), Th1 cells mediate the immune response related to cytotoxicity and local inflammation and are involved in the formation of cellular immunity and delayed-type hypersensitivity. AC220 concentration Th1 cells also activate Lapatinib research buy iNOS in macrophages to promote their secretion of NO, thereby yielding the above-described results, including decreased proliferative ability of T cells, decreased responsiveness of DTH, and macrophage dysfunction—which are adequately explained by the inhibition of Th1 cytokines. The main function of Th2 cells is to stimulate B cells to proliferate and, subsequently, to generate antibodies, the production of which is associated with humoral immunity. Th2 cells may assist the mouse B cells to synthesise IgA, IgG, and IgE and may negatively regulate cytotoxic T cells (CTL) and NK cells. Therefore, the increased levels of Th2 cytokines offers a good explanation for the increase in the total serum IgG and IgE levels, as well as the weakened cytotoxic effect of the NK cells. Similar to the results of this http://www.selleck.co.jp/products/Adrucil(Fluorouracil).html study, numerous studies (Heo et al., 1997, Dietert and Piepenbrink, 2006 and Gao et al., 2007) have demonstrated that exposure to low doses of lead causes a significant shift of Th1 cytokines to Th2 cytokines. However, chronic ingestion of DU by drinking water (40 mg/l), did not lead to modifications in the cytokine gene expression in Peyer’s patches (Dublineau et al., 2006). The differences may be due to the different exposure routes and evaluation tissue. In addition, before determination of cytokine, splenic cells were stimulated with ConA or PMA and ionomycin, which would increase the differences between groups. The limitation of the present study is that only one time point was evaluated; thus, the results do not reflect the dynamic changes in immune function based on the age of the animal and the exposure time to DU. In summary, after 4 months of exposure to low doses of DU (lower than 30 mg/kg) through the diet in young mice, the impact of DU exposure on the immune function of the body was relatively small. Eggs of the tropical species A (Oc ) epactius reared under SD we Eggs of the tropical species A. (Oc.) epactius reared under SD were wider than those reared under LD. Electron microscopy studies of eggs of the close temperate species A. (Oc.) atropalpus able of diapause revealed different and stronger modifications in size and shape: LD eggs were longer and narrower than SD eggs, with changes in the outer chorion structure ( Linley and Craig, 1994). However no differentiation of the possible factors, day length and diapause, responsible for these changes was obtained. Our study is thus the first to demonstrate that maternal photoperiod, and not diapause, influences egg volume in an Aedes species capable of diapause. The structure of Trametinib ic50 mosquito eggs is therefore sensitive to several seasonal factors. Indeed, Anopheles sacharovi (Favre) and Anophelespunctipennis (Say) produce “winter” eggs almost totally covered by exochorion ( Theodor, 1925 and Fritz and Washino, 1992), and “winter” eggs of A. sacharovi possess a small float and are larger than “summer” float-less eggs. In these cases, the morphological differentiation originates in response to temperature fluctuations, and not from the diapause syndrome, as diapause occurs at the larval or adult stages in Anopheles species ( Theodor, 1925). The latter are capable of egg quiescence, a process fairly similar to diapause at the molecular level ( Poelchau et al., 2013b), however quiescence is Stem Cell Compound Library in vitro by definition an aseasonal state of inactivity ( Vinogradova, 2007). The mechanisms involved in Ureohydrolase egg structure variability in mosquito are not determined and may be multiple. Concerning the photoperiodic causality, we suspect that a circadian rhythm plays a part in the hormonal production and reserve storage, such as was demonstrated in several insect groups, including mosquitoes (Bloch et al., 2013). Egg production is regulated by hormones which are photophase dependent, as demonstrated in Hemiptera Rhodnius prolixus ( Vafopoulou et al., 2012). Lipids represent the major energetic source of eggs and are essential for the development of the embryo. Lipid reserve in eggs is provided by the mother ( Ziegler and Van Antwerpen, 2006). If that storage is dependent of photoperiod, and is more particularly developed during scotophase, long nights will enhance egg volume. Organism size cannot be explained by the simple sum of mechanisms that regulate the size and number of cells in organs ( Nijhout, 2003), but a positive relationship exists with the energy stock and egg size in some species, like the butterfly Bicyclus anynana ( Geister et al., 2009). A study carried out on a US temperate strain of A. albopictus found a lipid reserve more important by 30% in diapause-induced pharate larvae ( Reynolds et al., 2012), linked to an increase in egg volume. Both calcium and phosphorous contents were measured in μg/ml In Both calcium and phosphorous contents were measured in μg/ml. In addition to the mineral dissolution investigation, intrapulpal temperature measurements were taken. For this purpose, 20 freshly extracted human third molars were obtained. The pulpal tissue Alectinib cost was removed and the root canals were enlarged up to an ISO 80 size with K-files. Measuring sensors (NiCr–Ni, Greisinger, Germany) were inserted into the pulp chamber through the root apex and the entire root canal system was filled with a nano thermo-conductive paste (thermal conductivity >4.5 W/m-K, Titan Technology, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan) to enable good contact between the sensor and the tooth. The end of the sensor was placed so that it touched the dentine wall at the closest distance to the irradiation area, and its location was controlled radiographically.23 Temperature changes were recorded with a T202 thermometer (Digitron Instrumentation Ltd., Devon, UK) at mean rate of 1 per second and the accuracy of the measurement was ±0.2 °C. For the irradiation procedures the samples were fixed over a thermal bath with a controlled temperature of GDC-0449 mouse 37.3 °C. The buccal half of the teeth was left exposed to the air and the palatine portion was immersed in water. The irradiation was performed with the laser handpiece fixed over the samples and with the centre of the beam positioned 1 mm below the enamel–dentine junction. The beam diameter was 2.5 mm and the samples were irradiated Dapagliflozin for 1 s. The laser parameters used were the same as those described above (Table 1), except that the samples were not moved and therefore 10 pulses were overlapped. Temperature measurements started 1 s before the beginning and ended 120 s after the laser irradiation. The data were submitted to analysis of variance (ANOVA) (α = 0.05) and post hoc comparisons with un-paired t-test in order to detect statistically significant differences between the groups. The significance level for the t-test was corrected using the Bonferroni adjustment to 0.003. The mean calcium and phosphorous concentrations for each group and the differences between the groups are presented in Table 2 and Table 3. In the demineralization solution both calcium and phosphorous losses of groups L11F and GF (fluoride) were statistically significant lower than those in the group receiving no treatment (p < 0.01 and p < 0.01, for both calcium and phosphorous). Moreover, group L11F showed statistically significant lower means than the fluoride group (GF) (p < 0.01 for both calcium and phosphorous). The highest percentage of reduction in calcium loss was 15% and was observed for the group irradiated with 11 J/cm2 after the fluoride treatment (L11F). In the remineralization solutions, there was a statistically significant higher amount of phosphorous in groups L11F and GF than in control (p < 0.01 and p < 0.01 respectively). Rainfall is higher on the leeward (western) side of the island, e Rainfall is higher on the leeward (western) side of the island, especially on the western slopes of Centre Hills (Fig. 4). There is also a contrast in the relationship between elevation and rainfall in the east and west of the island (Fig. 5). The available rain gauge data suggest that rainfall is ∼80% greater over the eastern peaks than on the coast; in the west it is >100% greater on the peaks. A paucity of instrumentation within the densely vegetated high elevation regions restricts the accuracy of this estimate. The spatial variation in precipitation is reflected in climax vegetation; the leeward (western) and elevated areas that are unaffected by the volcanic activity CHIR 99021 are covered in dense, tropical forest, while scrub, grass and cacti dominate the dry, windward (eastern) and northern slopes and coast. Groundwater recharge is a critical control on any subsurface hydrological system. In tropical islands such as Montserrat, high temperatures and dense vegetation can combine to produce high evapotranspiration rates, significantly reducing effective recharge. No evaporation pan measurements exist on Montserrat. In the absence of direct measurements, calculation of the potential evapotranspiration (PET) is necessary. The Thornthwaite method ( Thornthwaite, 1948) is one of the most commonly used of several empirical methods or used to estimate PET (see Schwartz and Zhang, 2003). Akt inhibitor The method uses average monthly temperature to calculate an estimate for monthly PET. equation(1) PET=1.6210TaiIawhere PET is potential evapotranspiration in cm/month, Tai is the mean air temperature in °C for month i. I is the annual heat index given by: equation(2) I=∑i=112Tai51.5from which the constant a is derived: equation(3) a=0.492+0.0179I−0.0000771I2+0.000000675I3a=0.492+0.0179I−0.0000771I2+0.000000675I3 Thornthwaite estimates for PET on Montserrat vary between 100 and 150 mm/month, yielding a total 1500 mm/year ( Fig. 2). Thus PET is close to, and sometimes greater than, the average annual rainfall in some locations. Only when soil water is not limited can actual evapotranspiration (AET) be assumed to equal PET. We use distributed recharge model P-type ATPase code ZOODRM (Hughes et al., 2008 and Mansour et al., 2011), to estimate spatially and temporally distributed AET from Thornthwaite PET calculations, by incorporating distributed, daily precipitation data and vegetation type information. We define four vegetation types based on land use maps from the Government of Montserrat: bare soil, grass-dominated (often anthropogenic), tree-dominated and fresh volcanic deposits ( Fig. 6). ZOODRM uses a soil moisture deficit (SMD) calculation to relate AET to the PET estimates in Fig. 2 and derive distributed recharge. Two major, depth related parameters are assigned to each vegetation type; the root constant (C) and wilting point (D) ( Table 1). To confirm that the inhibition of sodium depletion-induced 1 8% N To confirm that the inhibition of sodium depletion-induced 1.8% NaCl intake by suramin into the LPBN is not due to non-specific inhibition of all ingestive behaviors, ad libitum 2% sucrose intake, food deprivation induced 2% sucrose intake or water deprivation induced water intake were tested after injections of suramin into the LPBN. A group of rats with ad libitum access to food and water had also access to 2% sucrose for 2 h every day for 1 week. After this period of training, suramin (2.0 nmol/0.2 μl) or saline was injected bilaterally into the LPBN, 10 min before rats were given 2% sucrose solution. Cumulative water and 2% sucrose solution intake Birinapant price was measured at each 15 min for 2 h. This group of rats was submitted to two tests. In the first test, half of the group received bilateral injections of suramin into Fluorouracil chemical structure the LPBN and the other half received injections of saline into the LPBN. In the next test, rats received the same treatments into the LPBN in a counterbalanced design. The interval between the two tests was 48 h. Another group of rats had food removed from the cage, whereas water was available. Twenty-four hours after starting food deprivation, the animals received suramin (2.0 nmol/0.2 μl) or saline into the LPBN. Ten minutes after the injections, rats had access to 2% sucrose. Cumulative 2% sucrose intake was measured at each 30 min for 2 h in the absence of food. This group of rats was also submitted to two tests, following the same counterbalanced design described previously to test sucrose intake by satiated rats. The interval between the two tests was 72 h. Another group of rats had only food pellets available for 24 h. After this period, food was removed and suramin (2.0 nmol/0.2 μl) or saline was injected into the LPBN 10 min before access to water. Cumulative water intake was measured at each 30 min for 2 h in the absence of food. This group of rats was also submitted to two tests, following the same counterbalanced design described previously Rebamipide for sucrose intake test. The interval between the two tests was 72 h. This research was supported by Brazilian public funding from Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP, grants 2007/50647-0 and 2008/52757-0). This work is part of requirements to obtain a Master Degree by Menezes, M.F in the Joint Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences UNESP/UFSCar. The authors thank Reginaldo C. Queiroz and Silvia Fóglia for expert technical assistance and Silvana A. D. Malavolta for secretarial assistance. We also thank Ana V. de Oliveira and Adriano P. de Oliveira for animal care. “ “Identifying why certain individuals may be more vulnerable to depression is an increasingly important research question. The hopelessness theory of depression (Abramson, Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989) proposes that possession of a negative cognitive style increases the probability of depression developing after a negative life event. Countries that should improve their data collection and reporting Countries that should improve their data collection and reporting systems are mainly found in Africa, Asia and among the island states in Oceania and the Caribbean (Table 1). The quality of the statistics included in the FAO capture databases learn more is mostly dependent upon the accuracy and reliability of the data collected and provided by countries. When analyzing aggregated or global trends, the number of countries, the size of FAO fishing areas and the extended species coverage included in the database often play a buffer effect. Despite significant annual variations by country, fishing area and species, recent global total catch trend has been quite stable in the last four years (2006–2009) for which statistics are available at the time of writing, ranging between 88.9 and 90.1 million tonnes. On the other hand, in some cases disaggregated data series may be biased or disrupted due to a range of reasons: • erroneous reporting: magnitudes of reported catches may be erroneous due to shortcomings in the data collection system, wrong procedures applied in raising sample data, 20 or for political reasons, e.g. countries with a centrally planned economy which report continuously growing catches to match targets set in yearly or multi-year national plans; As already noted in Section 3.2.1, trends in the data series also reflect political and natural events that greatly impacted the fishery sector in a country. For example, striking decreases of capture production in the 1960s for the Democratic Republic PLX3397 solubility dmso of the Congo and in 1996 for Burundi and Rwanda were due to political crises and civil wars, while the drop of Spanish catches in the Southeast Atlantic was a consequence of the Namibian independence. Adenosine triphosphate Hurricane Katrina struck the US Gulf Coast at the end of August 2005 and, although the Western Central Atlantic fishing area covers the US coast from North Carolina to the Mexican border, total catches by the United States in that year decreased by almost 20% in comparison to the previous year. Serious catch reductions are also expected as a consequence of the April 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the March 2011 tsunami in Japan. Unexpectedly, other natural disasters, like the December 2004 tsunami that affected many important Asian fishing countries and the cyclone Nargis that in May 2008 caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Myanmar, did not result in significant catch decreases as it would have been expected due to the magnitude of the devastations. FAO requested clarifications to the most involved countries. Indonesia replied that damages in Banda Aceh due to the tsunami were compensated by increased catches in other regions. 8) In addition, the untreated (control) cells did not show any p 8). In addition, the untreated (control) cells did not show any prominent DNA ladders on the agarose gel. Therefore, the data obtained from this study confirms that both silver and gold nanoparticles induced cell death through apoptosis. In the recent years, biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using plant BMN 673 nmr extracts is getting more popular due to the strong antibacterial action of zerovalent silver and easy reduction of silver (I) salts. In our earlier study, silver nanoparticles were biosynthesized using aqueous leaves extract of A. indica as reducing and capping agents and those results were briefly discussed here [28]. The formation of silver nanoparticles was very rapid and it was completed within 30 min. The peak at 420 nm confirmed the biogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles from A. indica leaves extract. Similarly, Jeyaraj check details et al. (2013) have recently reported that Podophyllum hexandrum leaves extract effectively synthesized silver nanoparticles at 420 nm [22]. Further, High Resolution – Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM) analysis confirmed the biosynthesis and the synthesized silver nanoparticles were predominantly in spherical shape with uniform size ranging from 20–30 nm. The XRD spectrum of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles was matched well with the JCPDS file no. 04–0783, which indicates the crystalline nature of face-centred cubic silver. These results were in good agreement with the recent reports. Interestingly, both silver and gold nanoparticles were formed within 30 min due to the rapid reduction of silver and chloroaurate ions by A. indica leaves extract. In contrast, Elavazhagan and Arunachalam (2011) have reported that Memecylon edule leaves extract took 1 h for the biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles while it was 3 h for silver [12]. However, in some studies, much faster rate of biosynthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles was observed. For instance, Dubey et al. (2010) have rapidly synthesized both silver and gold nanoparticles within 15 min from Sorbus aucuparia leaves extract [11]. Recently, Gangula et al. (2011) have reported that Breynia rhamnoides stem extract rapidly biosynthesized both silver and gold nanoparticles approximately 7 min and this is the much faster reduction process reported for the first time [16]. It is clear from Phosphatidylinositol diacylglycerol-lyase these studies that the plant extract mediated biosynthesis is very simple, fast, low cost involvement, eco-friendly and safe for human therapeutic use [29] and [19]. Thus, this biogenic method of nanoparticles synthesis has much reduced impact to the environment and is recently emerged as viable alternative to conventional physical, chemical and even microbial methods. Silver and gold nanoparticles are being extensively synthesized using plant extracts, although the exact mechanism for this biogenic synthesis still remains to be completely unknown. Tissue samples are then coated with organic compounds that act as Tissue samples are then coated with organic compounds that act as matrix. Proper selection of matrix is a critical step in MALDI to obtain good quality spectra. The most commonly used MALDI matrices are sinapinic acid (SA), α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA) and 2,5-hydroxybenzoic acid (DHB). SA is used for analyzing proteins with high molecular weight. CHCA and DHB are used for small molecules like peptides and lipids. The role of matrix in MALDI is to facilitate ablation and ionization of compounds in the sample. Uniform coating of the tissue section with matrix is important for efficient extraction and desorption of molecules from the tissue surface. Excessive matrix can cause migration of analytes in the tissue section. Conversely, insufficient or uneven deposition of matrix can check details lead to unstable and poor analyte signal. The most common techniques used for coating matrix are, pneumatic spraying [66], inkjet printing GSK2118436 [67], sublimation of matrix [68] and acoustic matrix deposition [69] because they produce a homogenous layer of small MALDI matrix crystals [70]. Several mass analyzers are used for IMS studies such as, linear ion traps (LIT), orbitrap, QqTOF, and TOF/TOF instruments. TOF mass analyzers have no theoretical upper mass limit since TOF measures time required for an ion to travel from the ion source to the detector. Using this technique, It is possible to identify protein biomarker – for example, a 12,959 Da protein implicated in gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rat was found to be transthyretin (Ser(28)-Gln(146)) [71]. For neuroscience study, a 2-D-IMS-visualization of MBP in mouse brain, including well defined corpus callosum region where MBP is highly localized. For neuroproteomic study, IMS was used to study 2-D visualization of protein expression in mouse brain structures [72]. Fig. 3 shows general workflow for MALDI imaging. Coronal sections of rat brain were analyzed to study the distribution of MBP. The image shows distribution of 14 kDa isoform of MBP in the rat brain. It is also possible to combine brain IMS data with classic histology staining [73] or with MRI [74]. In terms of clinical translation, in principle, IMS can be applied to biopsy Farnesyltransferase and post-mortem brain tissue to examine protein localization or alteration. IMS analysis protocol has recently been derived for formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue often obtained as clinical specimen [75]. With the different neuroproteomic techniques described here, one should select a fit-for-purpose method based on the requirements of the particular neuro-injury study and sample type available. Differential proteomics approach is best applied to neuro-tissue or cultured neural cell samples under two or more different experimental challenges. This approach is very useful during the discovery phase of protein changes, target or biomarker identification.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1545
__label__cc	0.648216	0.351784	← Local Internet Freedom Groups, Opponents Of Internet Censorship Bills Take Their Disapproval to Town Halls, Meetings With Lawmakers Sierra Club Director Tittel to Lecture January 23 at Brookdale → BUONO CONDEMNS FIREBOMBING OF BERGEN COUNTY TEMPLE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 11, 2012 Contact: Christina Zuk (732) 205-1372 EDISON – Today, Senator Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) issued a statement condemning the alleged firebombing of Temple Beth El in Rutherford, NJ. “Deplorable acts of violence motivated by hatred and intolerance have no place in our society,” said Buono. “No group or individual should be forced to live in fear for their safety or for the safety of their family and neighbors.” The fire, which was started at around 4:30 this morning, began in the upstairs portion of the structure which is reportedly home to Rabbi Nosson Schuman and his wife and five children. Press accounts have confirmed that no one was injured. “While I am relieved to learn that the Rabbi and his family were unharmed, we as a state and as a community cannot allow such acts of violent prejudice and intolerance to go unchallenged,” Buono continued. “I have every confidence that Bergen County and State authorities will ensure that justice is sought and served. But we as members of this state have a responsibility to denounce these acts, to demand tolerance, and to teach future generations that such behavior will never have a place in New Jersey.” Filed under Bergan County, firebombing, intolerance, New Jersey, prejudice, press release, Senator Barbara Buono	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1546
__label__cc	0.66415	0.33585	On Pentecostalism Emotions galore: Pentecostalism. I have received some time ago from the Catholic Truth Society some of their newest booklets. Among these one has caught my attention: “Pentecostalism”. The booklet is very interesting because it explain to a Catholic in simple words and in rather concise form what Pentecostalism is, why it has so much success and where the danger of the approach lie. In particular, the aspect of the direct relationship with God attracted my attention. You see, for us Europeans (let alone: Italians) people saying things like “The Lord directed me to do so and so” really sound arrogant to the point of blasphemy and therefore such expressions are, in the Old Continent, unheard of. One is tempted to ask whether the Lord has sent an email, or perhaps a text message, and whether the broadband connection is rather expensive. It turns out that such expressions derive from a sincere, if naive, desire to really have a “direct line” with God. Not one in the Catholic sense (the relationship with God developed through faithful prayer, Mass attendance, submission to the rules of Holy Mother Church and prayerful carrying of the crosses God decides to give us), but one in the literal one: do this, don’t do that. Therefore it can happen that when one questions some decisions which to one appears rush, but which to the person in question have clearly come via Divine Broadband (say: a man marries a woman he has known only for two weeks because “the Lord directed him to do it”) the reaction can be rather harsh and unable to comprehend how a third party may put in question what the Holy Ghost himself has clearly directed him to do. By reading the booklet I suddenly understood the logic behind the assassination of Marvin Gay from his preaching father: no idea whether he was a Pentecostals but hey, if the Holy Ghost has directed him to do so…. I am frankly glad never to have met a Pentecostal, because by all my admiration for religiously fervent people (even if, alas, heretics) I can’t imagine a discussion with them being anything else than a ridiculous barrage of “the Holy Ghost Himself has given me the Truth, so shut up”. I can also easily imagine what consequences such mentality may engender; the Lord has directed me to ask from you for so and so much money, might the pastor say; the Lord has directed me to file for divorce, will the bored husband (in perfect good faith, probably) soon declare, and so on. And in fact, the entire exercise seems to be strongly based on a personal relationship with God which is – and cannot but be – highly emotionally charged. Now, emotions can play very dirty tricks to us. Particularly when we proceed to brainwashing ourselves every day; particularly when we ardently desire to be “directed” in some way; particularly when all this happens in religious matters, with their explosive emotional potential. Emotions are like a faithful dog. If we train them every day they’ll do exactly what we want them to. Nazis, commies and all other nut cases have successfully manipulated themselves to utter stupidity by just picking highly emotional themes and fully delivering themselves to them. Che Guevara could kill in cold blood a couple of dozen prisoners at a time without any big perturbation. Dr. Goebbels understood the power of emotional self-suggestion with great lucidity, it is surprising that the devastating potential of such purely emotion-driven approach is not yet fully recognised. Please compare this with Catholicism. A rigid, coherent system of rules valid in all situations and at all times. A complicated, but universally applicable system of criteria to resolve moral dilemmas and difficult situations (think of the doctrine of war; or of the “double effect”). A link to the Lord which doesn’t need (though it may have) an “emotional relationship” at all, but on the contrary asks for worship and submission even from those not graced with mystical experiences or with a strong feeling of God’s presence. A closely knit system of moral rules to which even the Pope is bound and which are therefore guaranteed not to be abused under the pretence of an “inspiration from the Holy Ghost”. The resulting impossibility of the absurd consequences of such “direct line” mentality (husband says that the Holy Ghost has directed him to move to California; wife thinks that the Holy Ghost has directed her to keep her husband in Arizona; I wouldn’t want to be in that kitchen….). The desire of a direct line with Heaven, of an intimate contact with God is an understandable one and I do not doubt that many of these Christians are sincerely devout. But between desiring something and being let free to believe that our conviction is the fruit of Divine inspiration the step is very short, and very dangerous. It is the deification of whatever we feel strongly enough about, a life spent listening to gut feelings rather than solid common sense; the constant danger of having solid moral rules polluted by individual preferences and the constant abuse of the Holy Ghost, forcibly hijacked as the inspiring force behind – say – both the marriage and the divorce. Thank God for Holy Mother Church, asking us to submit to rules which not only make a lot of sense, but are immutable and not at the mercy of the whim of religious leaders or, unavoidably, of our own fantasies of broadband connection with Heaven. Posted in Catholicism Tags: Catholic, Catholic Church, Catholic Truth Society, Catholicism, Che Guevara, Conservative Catholic, conservative catholicism, God, Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, Pentecostalism, Pope “Communism From The Inside”: a Vintage CTS Booklet. Godless, cynical, loser bastards. Absolutely brilliant Catholic Truth Society’s booklet, as always from the Lux Occulta blog. This one, Communism from the inside is special, though, because it is not a pamphlet written by a priest to warn against communism, but written by a former Communist to explain to the (let us say it) gullible and naive what Communism really is, from one who really believed in it. Firstly, he highlights that Communism and Communists aim at the destruction of the religious phenomenon. he makes very clear how this is not an accidental part of Communism, an aside to the demands of “social justice”, but part and parcel of the ideology itself, without which Communism couldn’t exist. He explains how this concepts, understandably difficult to digest for most people, is kept hidden at the beginning (where the “social instances” play the bigger part) and progressively disclosed to the unknowing (naive) disciple, who will soon lose his faith, or every attraction for Communism. This desire to “destroy the last vestige of belief in God from the face of the earth” is exactly the aim of the modern militant atheism. Particularly interesting is the description of the fighting methods of the Communists, who remind one closely of the Muslim terrorists of our day. On the one hand, the complete rejection of every category of good and bad. What counts is the class struggle, what is the measure of good action is the triumph of Communism; every action is justified, if directed to that aim. Beautiful examples follow (most shockingly about the churches in Hungary). The communists ideology will lure whomever it needs, and will lie whenever necessary, whilst all the time preparing to get rid (which may mean: exterminate) of the former allied when not anymore needed. The parallel with indiscriminate killing of civilians in terrorist attacks is apparent and whilst Communist regimes haven’t pursued such practices, they have made worse, with mass genocides and mass displacements/deportations used every time it was considered fitting. It goes on. The appalling cynicism of Communism does not stop at faith in God. Family itself, called by Engels “that compound of sentimentality and domestic strife”, must be destroyed; the children raised mainly by the State so that good communists may be made out of them; women sent to work rather than allowed to care for the nurturing and education of their children; abortion and divorce allowed, unless the need of cannon fodder to protect the “cause” suggests a different policy. The appalling cynicism of this thinking gives you the full measure of the inhumanity of the Communist ideology. Interestingly, the same ideology is found in modern aggressive atheism, for which neither divorce not abortion nor euthanasia not perversions of all sorts are taboo. After a brief explanation of the fundamental incompatibility of Communist thinking with western democracies (a banal concept today; less so in 1948 when the pamphlet was written) the author examines the power winning strategies of the ideology. Communists will “embrace” democracy only as long as necessary, as a means to an end; they will not eve aim at gaining a majority (which they know is a very difficult task), but at the creation of a revolutionary elite able to prepare for the right moment, when power will be seized by force and all opposition crushed. Here too, we see a parallel with the Muslim ideology, allowing its members to lie about their aim and beliefs so long as it serves them. This little pamphlet will require less than a quarter of an hour of your time. It is absolutely brilliant because coming, so to speak, from the belly of the Communist beast. It is well-explained, easy to read, cogently argued. More than sixty years later, we can gratefully say that the Communist menace has been rejected. Still, this pamphlet is very actual because new dangers have appeared on the Western horizon, militant atheism and (through immigration) Islam. Some of the traits of the Communist menace are, as explained above, common to both of them. We see the failure of communism and see the failure of every alternative system aiming (at least officially) to create some paradise on earth. Make no mistake, militant atheism and muslim imperialism will fail in the same way, though the struggle will be much longer in their case. Alternative societies don’t work. The attempt to create paradises on earth which do without the Truth create hell on earth instead. The world has seen mighty empires come and go, has seen Communism invade one half of the planet and being crushed in mere seventy years. Ideologies and false religion will all, in time, go. Only the Rock will stay. Tags: Catholic Truth Society, Catholicism, Communism, Communist state, Conservative Catholic, conservative catholicism, Engels, Islam, Marx, Militant Atheism, Politics, Socialism, Soviet Union	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1555
__label__wiki	0.523506	0.523506	Russia's Only Aircraft Carrier Is in Serious Trouble February 2, 2019 Topic: Security Region: Europe Blog Brand: The Buzz Tags: RussiaMilitaryTechnologyWorldNavyAircraft Carrier Does Moscow even need a carrier? by Mark Episkopos From crashing two aircraft in less than two week to being accompanied by massive tugboats wherever it goes, the last several years have not been kind to Russia’s sole, geriatric aircraft carrier. Most recently, a 70-ton crane smashed into Admiral Kuznetsov’s hull as the PD-50 floating drydock that housed it sank. The PD-50 incident sparked a new round of speculation concerning Admiral Kuznetsov’s future; while the Kremlin insists that Kuznetsov’s major 2020 overhaul will proceed as planned, observers remain skeptical. Can Admiral Kuznetsov be saved, and is it worth saving given the colossal costs involved? Here are Moscow’s options. The Kremlin announced in November 2018 that they intend to recover PD-50, but technical and financial problems abound. According to Russian media reports citing sources “familiar with the situation,” both of PD-50’s cranes are lost and other serious damage was likely sustained. Once recovered, Russian engineers will either have to take the risk of servicing it while afloat or undertake the expensive, harrowing process of bringing it ashore. Repairing PD-50 will take at least half a year, and likely more pending the unforeseen challenges implicit in this massive undertaking. The other option is to continue the overhaul with a different drydock, but it remains unclear if Russia owns a suitable replacement for PD-50. The Novorossiysk-based PD-190 seemed as one of the few viable candidate fresh off the PD-50 disaster, but has since fallen by the wayside according to United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) chief Alexei Rakhmanov. Even before the added costs of repairing the gash in Admiral Kuznetsov’s hull caused by the falling crane, both Russian and western analysts have raised serious questions as to whether or not the aging Admiral Kuznetsov platform can be modernized in a cost-effective way. At what point does a “deep refit”-- including new turbines and boiler systems, new electronics suite, and new weapons and communications systems-- become so deep that it makes long-term financial sense to simply start from scratch on a modern, more sustainable foundation? Russian state news reported the possibility of the Russian Navy getting a new class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers by the end of 2030, but development details on the unnamed project remain exceedingly scant. In the absence of viable domestic options, the only other way to save Admiral Kuznetsov is to service it on a foreign drydock. But after a short-lived spurt of initial speculation, there is no indication that China-- by far the likeliest candidate-- is seriously exploring this prospect. There is, however, a silver lining to Admiral Kuznetsov’s predicament. The Russian military has been provided with a natural opportunity to reevaluate their strategic priorities; namely, do they really need an aircraft carrier? Russia, in all of its incarnations, has always been a land power with a completely different set of military priorities from a maritime nation like United States. Whereas the US Navy is designed with the capacity to project force across the world, the Soviet and now Russian Navy exists largely to secure Russia’s vast Eurasian frontiers. The Soviet Union never prioritized the construction of a heavy-class aircraft carrier simply because their naval strategy didn’t need one. As the Slava and Kirov-class cruisers demonstrated, the Russians are more interested in finding ways to destroy American aircraft carriers than building their own. Even Admiral Kuznetsov was built not to project Russian air power in distant lands, but as a combat platform against American carriers. Given all the pressing defense expenditures requiring Russian attention, it falls on the Kremlin to decide whether the resources required to maintain what is becoming little more than a prestige symbol could be better spent elsewhere. Mark Episkopos is a frequent contributor toThe National Interest and serves as research assistant at the Center for the National Interest. Mark is also a PhD student in History at American University. We Now Know Why Russia's Only Aircraft Carrier Pumps Out So Much Black Smoke by Charlie Gao	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1562
__label__wiki	0.620926	0.620926	Category Archives: Anime Reviews Anime Reviews, Comedy, Drama, Slice of Life Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions – Anime Review 20 January 2020 Nefarious Reviews Leave a comment Japanese Title: Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Similar: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Genre: Comedy Drama Slice of Life Colourful, poppy animation Good laughs Works in the drama well Nothing special above the rest Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions is an anime that came off my abandoned list because a reader requested it for review. I had abandoned seeing this after judging it by the cover, for it has a character design type that I hate: the eye patch girl. You have no idea how much I hate that design. In particular, I hate the medical eye patch. I first encountered it in Ikki Tousen, a fighting anime featuring one such eye patch girl that has her clothes torn every fight. Wanted her to die. I hate it because it doesn’t make any sense that they wear it all the time – medically irresponsible, even! It’s like those shounen characters with a band aid, usually across the nose. At some point, it has to come off. If you need a permanent eye patch, then get a proper one. The medical one just screams try hard of the lowest order and I have this irrational hatred of it. Before this turns into a full-blown rant about eye patches, I should start the actual review. Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions takes the eye patch design and mocks it for the pathetic tacky fashion statement that it is. Yuuta is trying to escape his middle school past as a “chunibyo” called the “Dark Flame Master”. A chunibyo is the sort to believe that retaining your virginity until 30 turns you into a wizard. He fancied himself a fantasy hero. He was a LARPer who took it a bit too literally. No matter. He’s now in high school, where nobody knows of his dark secret. Time for a new leaf. In comes Rikka to ruin all that! She is a magician of some renown and power, possessing the “Wicked Eye” that could unravel one’s destiny. Or so she believes. So dangerous is her eye that she covers it with an eye patch. Try as he might, Yuuta can’t escape her delusions, aided by other classmates that join her magic circle and drag him back to chunibyo hell. The Dark Flame Master rises once more! I find her a great character from the first episode when he sees her at the train station. The way she pretends to use the Force to open automated train doors and her smug strut on board that follows is simply a perfect introduction to the character. It isn’t long before the eye patch makes sense in completing her farcical appearance. This girl, whom I once hated based on appearance alone, is a delight to be around. My favourite scenes have to be those between her and her sister. Her sister indulges the delusions on occasion, manifesting as epic duels of magic and comically oversized weapons (I love the cutaway to reality that shows them just smacking each other with an umbrella and ladle). The comedic timing is great throughout the series. Chunibyo isn’t comedy all the way, however, as it introduces the drama at the heart of Rikka’s condition. Normally, this is where I would tell you that the story goes to crap while the writers try to force some emotion down your throats at the last minute. We’ve seen it time and time again in comedy anime, as though the writer is afraid that if the series doesn’t end with a gut punch, no one will take it seriously. They seem insecure in their comedy. But for Chunibyo, this isn’t the case. First, it doesn’t bring this out of nowhere for the finale. We see hints of it from the first episode before the midpoint brings it to the forefront and the final act hammers it home. It explores the reason behind her chunibyo condition and her belief that if she can get strong, find just the right spell, she can see beyond the boundary of reality into another realm where her father has gone. It’s a clever way of explaining her character and giving her more depth than expected. Now Yuuta, he’s rather flat. He works as a compliment to her craziness, but you never get the sense that he is a character beyond this story. He’s fine. I find the supporting cast more entertaining, particularly the girl who believes she wields the power of Mjolnir in her twin tails. I felt so sorry for her at the end. Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions is one of the comedy dramas that manages to end on a satisfying note. Sure, it doesn’t elevate itself to some unmissable masterpiece, yet at no point did I deem it a bad show. It is an enjoyable ride from start to finish. And the eye patch didn’t suck. More animation went into this anime than what was needed, which is appreciated. It allows the fantasies to come to life and lively characters to shine. Neither the music nor script are anything to write home about, though they aren’t bad at all. The acting is the strongest element in the audio department. A girl who uses fantasies to escape from reality drags those around her into a world of everyday chaos. This simple plot manages to balance comedy and drama to deliver a satisfying, if predicable, anime. Recommendation: Try it. Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions is better than I expected and you may think so too. AnimeChunibyo & Other DelusionsChuunibyou demo Koi ga ShitaiComedyDramaFeaturedLoveSchool LifeSlice of Life Action, Adventure, Anime Reviews Naruto: Shippuden – Anime Review 9 December 2019 Nefarious Reviews 4 Comments Japanese Title: Naruto: Shippuden Related: Naruto Similar: One Piece Genre: Action Adventure Length: 500 episodes (296 without filler) Conclusions to plot lines established in Naruto classic Several excellent fights Supporting cast is less important in favour of convoluted lore New plot lines feel like filler The Great Ninja War Way, way too long It is finally done. Naruto Shippuden (and The Last Movie) is no longer on my backlog. It gives me a mix of emotions – relief at having such a giant off my back, nostalgia from thinking 16 years into the past, and a tinge of sadness that it is over. It wasn’t an easy journey to reach this point. 500 episodes of Shippuden – after 220 episodes of Naruto – isn’t an afternoon’s viewing experience, especially once you hit The Wall that is the Great Ninja War. More on that later. Let’s go back. There is a lot to talk about here, so forgive the ramble and tangents. Naruto ended with two central threads: Sasuke has betrayed the village to seek out the arch villain Orochimaru’s help and the criminal organisation Akatsuki has revealed itself to the ninja world. Shippuden jumps ahead two and a half years as Naruto returns to the hidden leaf village after a long training adventure with his perverted teacher Jiraya. The anime (unedited version) opens with a flashforward of Naruto and Sakura finally catching up to Sasuke in Orochimaru’s lair, giving the audience a taste of the major event to come. It fails to mention that we don’t reach this until Shippuden episode 51 and that it’s the most anti-climactic moment in the entire franchise. Not a great start. Shippuden also disappoints in how it handles filler. Where Naruto padded the episode count after the main story concluded while we waited for the sequel, Shippuden inserts extensive filler arcs every second or third season. To drag out the series further, canon episodes regularly have artificial lengthening techniques. Battle anime are notorious for static pans across a battlefield or characters’ faces. Shippuden takes it to another extreme of time wasted. I particularly remember an episode where Naruto confronts Orochimaru and only a minute of real content occurs between dramatic pauses, slow pans, and repeated lines. Replaying scenes from the previous episode is more rampant that ever, unjustified in their presence. They often repeat within the same episode in case we have Alzheimer’s. The absolute worst padding you will ever see is when Naruto’s allies remove the seals on Akatsuki’s hideout. Let me set the scene. Akatsuki have sealed themselves inside a cave while they perform a ritual to extract a powerful demon beast from within a ninja. Outside, several of Naruto’s allies split up to remove five seals scattered around the area. Before that however, a trap summons an exact clone in ability and strength of each ninja, which they have to 1v1 before they can proceed (I thought this was the dumbest fan service idea only for it to be outdone later). These fights are just moronic. It’s repetitive and devoid of any depth – don’t forget stretching out every single shot. So, if they are fighting their exact equals, how can they win? Well, by fighting harder than themselves from before! What…? This makes one facepalm so hard that my friends and I still bring it up each time Naruto is mentioned. Anyways, after that comes the seal removal. Each character grabs one and counts down to pull them in sync. What begins is the longest countdown in cinema history. It takes several minutes off the end of an episode, ending in a cliffhanger, only to repeat from the beginning of the next episode and take forever again. You know what it’s like? Daytime soap operas. If you’ve ever seen an episode of Passions, Days of Our Lives, or the likes of The Bold & the Beautiful then you will know exactly what I mean. With how much Shippuden wanted to waste my time, I opted for the “Kai” edit this rewatch. When originally watching this while current, I made it early into the Great Ninja War (Shippuden episode ~250), so I had plenty of experience with the broadcast edition. No way was I sitting through all of that unedited. Little did I know the worst was still to come. From here on, I will be reviewing Naruto Shippuden under the assumption of the Kai edit, which follows the manga closer [almost] free of filler. There’s not much to say about the filler. It’s trash – don’t watch it. So, Naruto Shippuden proper, how is it? I can best summarise it thusly: old is good while new is bad. In essence, the direct continuation of story threads from the original series is successful, while new elements introduced are just crap. Interestingly, the story structure almost alternates between old and new threads, throwing you from one end of the engagement spectrum to the other. The first arc sees Akatsuki venture into sand country to capture Gaara for the demon beast within him (their goal is a combine the power of all demon beasts). We get to meet a couple of new members, including former sand ninja and puppet master Sasori. Naruto loves to have villains that are former citizens of the place they’re attacking to add that extra emotional connection. Sasori works here, not only for giving us a great fight between three generations of puppeteers – and the only good fight involving Sakura – but also in emphasising the damage ninja life can have on oneself. It’s a good complement to Gaara’s story arc. Where Gaara fell through maltreatment from his family, Sasori lost himself when his parents died. Both grew twisted because of ninja society. A little care and consideration saved one from evil, while the other could never be human again. Naruto’s execution of theming and tying heroes to villains is among the best in shounen anime and it makes you care for the conflict. Sure, they have a variety of interesting powers and fighting styles that make for great action – action is important to keep it exciting – yet without that emotional core, it wouldn’t stay with the audience once the battle is over. We see this time and time again. Think Lee vs. Gaara (untalented hardworking nobody vs. effortless prodigy gifted with immense power) or Naruto vs. Neji (unloved yet free outsider vs. popular and powerful slave). There are many such examples in Naruto that pack an emotional punch. The same is true for Shippuden in the better fights. The perfect example of the opposite is in the grand finale, but let’s not jump ahead just yet. My rant has some way to go. Sasori’s partner – Akatsuki always travel in pairs – is Deidara, a loudmouth with mouths in his hands that chew special explosive clay. I hate this character. His backstory is so lame, likely thrown in place at the last minute when the author had to hit a deadline (it doesn’t come up until much later, when his story is already over, by the way). His backstory is the edgy teen who wasn’t allowed to blow things up so he went and joined Al Qaeda in protest. That’s it. And he never shuts up. Plus he ends each sentence with a “yeah” or “hm” grunt. I understand that with such a large cast you need to get creative with differentiating characters, yet you don’t need their quirk in every. god. damn. sentence. The actor never makes it sound natural by the end. His fight with Gaara is quite good though. More of a visual spectacle. It works by contrast to Sasori’s fight, which has more story and is on a smaller scale in a confined environment. Keeping Deidara going after this arc was the mistake. Overall, this arc is a good start and gives the [false] impression that Shippuden will maintain the same qualities that made the original series good. Next arc introduces Sai, the replacement for Sasuke on Naruto’s team. Here we have the first example of “new” failure. His trait is being socially barren. Raised as a spy and assassin since infancy, he has no understanding of emotion or relationships. It’s a classic sad Naruto backstory, which is fine, but his arc doesn’t contribute much. He was forced into the team by the head of ninja CIA with the secret mission of killing Sasuke once found, rather than bringing him back alive. This doesn’t lead to anything. He grows a heart by becoming friends with the others before they find Sasuke, pre-empting the conflict before it starts. To top him off, the story forgets about him a third of the way through. If you were watching this week to week, his return would come as a surprise. “Oh hey, I remember that guy! What was his name again?” That said, Sai is one of the better new additions. Most newcomers are indistinguishable from filler episode characters. The story leads Naruto to the other ninja nations, each presenting their own crew, none of which is interesting. The most important of the lot is another demon beast ninja who speaks only in rap. It is as annoying as it sounds. After my praise for Naruto’s supporting cast in the original, it saddens to have to report on how forgettable the new guys are. Worse still, the original cast are little more than background images. Why bother creating new characters when you had such a strong cast to work with already? This arc concludes in that flashforward I mentioned earlier. They find Sasuke, he leaves, and we are back to square one. Pointless. Next arc shifts focus back to Akatsuki on the hunt for the next beast, two different members taking helm. Here we have one of the best fights in Shippuden: Shikamaru vs. Hidan with the scythe. I won’t go into detail here, as I don’t want to give anything away for those who haven’t seen it and there isn’t much in the way of story to dissect. Any fight with Shikamaru on stage is great for the focus on strategy over flashy abilities. By contrast, we have the fight against his partner Kakuzu, who is a Frankenstein’s monster-style ninja with the power to stitch himself back to life. Here we see a major crack in the walls caused by one of battle anime’s worst tropes: protagonist power progression. Battle anime need to keep going bigger and more powerful to avoid stagnation with the audience. I don’t think that is necessary, if done right, though the core audience does. The only time you can deescalate is by starting a new series. A power reset each arc, like Bleach, isn’t enough. The audience still wants something bigger. Dragon Ball Z is the classic example of why this is such a problem. Remember how when they were fighting Frieza the story impressed upon you his power and importance? Now remember how when the next villain came along, making him look like a joke, and the heroes had to grow so much stronger to beat the new guy that they could now kill Frieza with a single flick? And remember how this power was concentrated in a few main characters, making most of the allies useless in the process? Well, Naruto reaches that point. The fight against Kakuzu, which was a struggle for the team fighting him, ends with the arrival of Naruto, fresh off his latest mind-numbing training arc, who takes him out with ease. Because he’s the protagonist, the genre dictates that he must be the one to do this. It’s not as bad as Dragon Ball Z’s issue, but it doesn’t prevent the groan-worthy ending to a fight, especially off the back of the intelligent fight against Hidan. Next, we switch to Sasuke’s perspective as he assembles a new team. When I say new, I mean the bad new of Shippuden. He recruits a Jekyll & Hyde sort with no personality, shark boy, and yet another Sasuke fangirl. Sasuke manages to get away from his fangirls back home only for the author to go back to the same overdrawn well and give us another. You want to know the real kick in the nuts? She’s the worst of them all. Her only gimmick is being a fangirl, something the “comedy” reminds us of in every scene with her. She will have a fangirl moment (and another sort of moment, if you catch my drift) any time she sees Sasuke, even in the middle of a dramatic scene. Anyone with her as a groupie would want to shoot themselves. Everything with these three characters is just a waste of time in the lead up to an event we’ve all been waiting for: the reuniting of Sasuke and Itachi. We can’t have this happen right away, er…125 episodes in, of course. We need another arc first. Regardless, once it does come to a head, what can I say – it’s fantastic. Built up from the early episodes of the original, the conclusion to Itachi’s story is excellent. Surrounded by filler and padding, it is noticeable that this story was likely planned from the beginning. Its emphasis on character and emotion to deliver the final piece of the puzzle is the polar opposite of The Great Ninja War. (We’ll get to that. We’ll get to that.) This is the best of all Shippuden to me. This great conclusion leads into another strong arc where the heroes must face the leader of Akatsuki, Pain. Similar to other great Naruto villains, Pain and his close companions follow the theme of how harsh ninja life truly is and how it can break even the nicest kid. An accident from the “good guys” created one of the most powerful villains. While a moment of love almost saved him, as it did with Gaara, it wasn’t enough to keep him from the path of pain. He makes for a great villain. Not as good as Orochimaru or Itachi, in my books, but great nonetheless. His abilities and those of his companions are interesting. We have action, story, character, and emotion rolled into a satisfying package. This should have been the end of it, barring the resolution of Naruto and Sasuke’s arc as a capstone. However, if you looked away from your screen at this moment and checked the episode count, you would realise we are only halfway through Shippuden. Welcome to the Great Ninja War. Where to begin with this one. It could warrant an entire review of its own. You know what? Let’s do it. I’m on a roll, so what’s another 1000 words? After Pain. comes the revelation that there was another bad guy behind everything all along. (It hurts just writing that sentence. That’s the real pain.) This new villain was mentioned a few times as a backstory, though never as a relevant character to the current day. After a rubbish politicking plot that I won’t bore you with, the great nations decide to set aside their differences to team up and defeat this villain and his army of Power Rangers putty monsters. Toss aside character-focused storytelling and engaging combat in favour of two masses of bodies throwing themselves at each other. When you think it can’t get any less interesting, the author pulls out the ultimate fan service card and episode count extender. He brings back every known character from the dead using the Reanimation Technique rediscovered by Orochimaru in the original series. A technique that barely managed two reincarnations can now summon a hundred of the best ninja with ease (remember what I said about power escalation earlier). It was fine the first time to have two Hokage from history return to give us some lore and a bit of the “rule of cool” factor. This time, however, is just ludicrous. Outside of two or three cases, all it does is stage rematches for fan service. Even the Akatsuki members that just died come back. My level of bafflement at this entire arc is difficult to put into words. I can’t believe any self-respecting author would be okay with this. The Great Ninja War makes up one-third of all Naruto episodes and feels like filler at least 75% of the time. This is canon filler. Even when watching this in the Kai edit, it feels as if there is no end. I get the sense that whoever was making this fan edit was also losing interest, only finishing the project out of obligation. The editing gets sloppier as you go – one episode has a scene repeat in succession (was the end of one episode and the start of the next in the broadcast release). More and more pointless flashbacks make it in. Don’t get me started on how much Shippuden uses flashbacks to pad runtime. Flashbacks should be banned from anime. The fan editor no longer bothered cutting down those slow dragged out scenes most of the time anymore. I don’t blame them. I would have given up long ago. The Great Ninja War reaches almost Dragon Ball Z levels of terrible. As if in homage to Goku’s idiocy, Naruto also has a “Don’t interfere with my fight!” moment. Never mind that thousands of lives are on the line. There are some good moments in this abomination. Kakashi has a good episode against a villain relevant to him, Naruto’s emotional moment meeting that character is quite touching, and Itachi is good, as always. Don’t let that give you hope though. It is small consolation for what you have to sit through. So, despite all indications, the war does eventually come to end. And just when it seems the chute has no crap left to expel, it squeezes out one final turd. The reincarnations are dead, the masses of fights are over – surely, there is nothing left. The plumbing can’t take anymore. How do I put this? Shippuden starts to become Evangelion – specifically, the End of Evangelion. Character and story is thrown aside for end-of-the-world lore and a ninja origin story. Naruto becomes the Child of Prophecy (barf); the goddess of chakra revives to wipe out the world. At one point, even the moon gets involved. A character you never cared about reveals himself as the true villain behind everything. Yeah, the guy I mentioned earlier? He wasn’t the true true villain. What the hell does any of this have to do with anything? Naruto loses focus, going from character driven conflicts to lore vomit with bigger and bigger abilities, constantly escalating, merely dragging it out. The supporting cast, new additions included, are relegated for bad lore. The reasoning for any of this crap to be a part of the narrative is so flimsy you can see tape barely holding it together. It is utter shite. Once that’s over, it wraps with the finale of Naruto and Sasuke’s conflict. After the Great Ninja War and the End of Evaruto, it’s a bloody blessing that this doesn’t fail. It’s not great, though it’s not bad either. The finale is of much better quality, particularly in visuals, though it feels weird coming after so much filler and in how it ignores much of what just happened. Some might say that The Last Naruto Movie is the true end to the series. It isn’t. The movie’s sole purpose is to sell you on the idea of the Naruto and Hinata relationship. Remember when that was a thing they never developed at any point? Naruto goes from ignoring Hinata like always to suddenly confessing undying love after a stint through this extended filler episode they call a movie. There is no foundation to this relationship. I don’t care for it whatsoever. And that’s it. That’s Naruto concluded with my far too long tirade, a few thousand words over the limit. What do I think of it overall? Well, the parts I like are great, notably the original series. It has some of anime’s greatest fights, most complex villains, and best supporting characters. But there is also a lot of baggage weighing it down. Shippuden should have just been a conclusion to Itachi, Orochimaru, Sasuke, and Akatsuki (as first established, not what it became to justify the Great War). 150 episodes, maximum, to cover the golden content in this 720-episode bloat. I don’t regret my time with this series. I do wish I could recommend it though, but in its current state, I can’t ignore the problems that come at the end. At most, I would recommend watching from the original series until the conclusion of Pain’s arc, in the Kai edit. No one should have to go beyond that. The real question is whether finishing Shippuden has motivated me to start on Boruto. No. The answer is no. Naruto is done in my life. Like most long-running shounen anime, Naruto: Shippuden is inconsistent in its art. You can have episodes with brilliant, fluid animation and proper cinematography. You can also have episodes filled with static shots and character cutouts sliding across the screen. Character designs have lost detail to make them easier to draw and animate. The music still shines as one of the best collections amongst shounen anime. The dub isn’t much of an improvement over Naruto classic. Those that were great before are still great – Naruto’s English voice is still bad to me. The writing has taken a serious dive, particularly in the new plots. Naruto and co. continue their search for Sasuke as they fight foes old and new. The old ongoing threads are good, while new introductions to the story are filler. Recommendation: For Naruto classic fans only. Even if you watch the Naruto Kai edit, this is still a gargantuan anime that I can’t recommend to anyone not already invested from the original series. There are several satisfying conclusions for fans, however. ActionAdventureAnimeBattleDramaFeaturedFillerMonstersNarutoNaruto ShippudenNinjaRevengeShounenSupernaturalSwordsTragedy Action, Anime Reviews, Comedy, Fantasy Drifters – Anime Review Japanese Title: Drifters Similar: Hellsing Ultimate Genre: Historical Action Comedy Fantasy Length: 12 episodes, 3 OVA Harsh visual style Effort in the fantasy and samurai speech mannerisms Constant random humour is jarring Unfortunate use of CG No profiling for elf ears I loved Drifters for about one episode. The distinct visual style, gritty action, and commitment to bloodlust had me sold. Then the comedy started and I recoiled in disgust. Why? Why do this to me? Drifters opens in the midst of a clash between samurai armies during the Battle of Sekigahara, year 1600. Bodies litter the muddy fields as screams echo through the trees. Amongst this carnage stands Toyohisa, blood crazed and hungry for battle. Upon spotting an enemy commander, he charges the cavalry line as one soldier against many. This foolhardy act goes as well as expected and he finds himself on the receiving end of a dozen spears. He cuts down several enemies before oblivion takes hold. However, instead of the afterlife, a white corridor lined with doors and a solitary office clerk awaits him. At a mere gesture from the clerk, one of these doors opens and sucks Toyohisa to another world, a world where knights of the human Orte Empire reap the land and oppress other races such as elves and dwarves. Toyohisa, almost involuntarily, comes to the aid of elves and makes it his mission to free them of tyranny. The fact that he gets to wage war and taste more blood is a coincidence. It should be an easy matter, after all, with his superior combat prowess and the famed Nobunaga – also ripped from his time alongside other historical figures – on this team. He didn’t anticipate that whatever supernatural being the clerk was fighting against would summon fighters of his own. Nor did he anticipate they would be so twisted by malice at the manner of their deaths that they developed powers beyond imagining. If you told me all of the above, I would say, “Sold! I will watch Drifters.” What you would have failed to mention was the damned humour. Have you seen Hellsing Ultimate (same manga author as Drifters)? Remember those jarring cuts to comedy in a caricature art style that punched all dramatic tension out of your gut? Remember how the few times they used it in Hellsing was bad enough? Yeah, well, now imagine it first happening once an episode, then once an act, until is ramps up to once per scene and more. If you haven’t seen the like before, I want you to imagine cartoon sound effects added to any dramatic scene you like. It is intolerable. I cannot impress upon you enough how much they overuse this technique. How is anyone supposed to take the slaughter of innocent elves seriously when it’s going to cut to Nobunaga honking some woman’s boobs at any moment? That joke makes an appearance once per episode – at least – after the woman joins the party. Joan of Arc is on fire, literally, in perpetuity out of spite for how the Church betrayed and burned her alive. She now has the power to incinerate others. But that isn’t as important as using the same moronic cut away reaction as last episode. The opener doesn’t give any indication of this. One could improve Drifters by simply editing out these cuts. It wouldn’t be difficult either because they are almost forgotten when we return to the actual scene. The only humour that made me laugh was Toyohisa telling Nobunaga what happened to Japan and his legacy after his death. This negative was enough of a detractor to me that I was sick of Drifters halfway through. I found it so bad that the stylish action, harsh visuals, and even the introduction of many interesting historical figures bringing their specialities to the battlefield barely made a difference. I mean, a WWII pilot joins mid battle amongst a squad of real dragons. If a meeting of Nobunaga, Hannibal, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Rasputin, Joan of Arc, Anastasia Romanova, and the machinations of Adolf God Damn Hitler can’t save a series, nothing can. The action is good in all of its gory stylishness and insanity. But that unfunny humour every damn time! Look, I need to stop here before I think of it any further and dwell on how it ruined a fun action series. I am torn on Drifter’s art. On one hand, I love the harsh style, thick outlines, and high contrast shadows. On the other hand, I hate the CG characters (crowds, I can understand, but principal characters?) and how lazy the art is come characters in profile. It’s most noticeable with the elves’ ears – they look the same from the front and side, which is goofy. In contrast to the low effort of the elf ears, their fictional language is well done. You feel like you can understand it, though not quite. Similarly, the samurai era speech (or a good representation of it) imitates the serious and forceful mannerisms of samurai films. And the OP is dope as hell. The real letdown is the poor timing and overuse of random comedy in the script. Various historical figures find themselves dragged into a fantasy world to fight a war for supernatural beings. A fun concept brought down by insisting we suffer through lame comedy every five seconds. Overall Quality – Low Recommendation: For action fans only. Drifters is a lot of fun and would be an easy recommendation if not for the bad humour. ActionAnimeComedyDriftersFantasyFeaturedGunsMagicSeinenSwords	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1569
__label__wiki	0.577843	0.577843	Category Archives: Romance One or more romantic relationships play an important role. Not applied to tacked-on or minor romances. Anime Reviews, Drama, Mystery, Romance Gosick – Anime Review Japanese Title: Gosick Similar: Black Butler Heaven’s Memo Pad Genre: Mystery Drama Romance Pretty environments. Good acting. Omnipotent detective. Whiny guy and tantrum girl don’t make for great leads. I love how anime schools are beyond reality. Some go so grand, so outlandish that no real school would ever look like this. I think of Bakemonogatari’s school often, with its sky-scraping glass tower that serves no purpose other than great cinematography. Only anime can abuse the “rule of cool” so much for a mere school. Gosick has one such school. It’s a grand gothic and Victorian mix with an indoor botanical garden large enough to fit another school. And I love it. Not particularly relevant to this review – just thought I’d mention it! As for the story proper, Gosick is about a 13-year-old Kazuya, who happens upon a doll-like girl around his age called Victorique de Blois in the school’s grand library. She’s an odd girl, keeping to herself and not possessing particularly keen manners, despite her prim appearance. Kazuya intrigues her, however, and she decrees that he is to be her plaything to entertain her with stories in the garden atop the school, when not joining her in solving mysteries, of course. She throws tantrums when bored, but switches on her genius when summoned for a case. Contrary to the goth loli design, she isn’t lewded to sinful heaven like most of her archetype. Frankly, I consider this a miracle. There is a mild explanation for her petite stature in her backstory, but I think the artist just liked the look. She truly is a dress-up doll. I’m still not a fan of the type, though I do appreciate some effort went into incorporating her design into the rest of the art. The story, for the most part, is Sherlock Holmes & Watson style crime mysteries. Now that, I love. They start with a few small cases, including a ghost ship, that last a few episodes each before it delves into a grander story about her origins and the tale of her cursed mother. More on this later. I’m sorry to report, however, that these mysteries aren’t going to impress anyone with a modicum of experience in the genre. The major issue is Victorique’s omnipotence. She will say exactly what happened in some cases without ever going to the scene. It’s not as though she makes an educated guess, which she adjusts and confirms later on through investigation. No, she says exactly how it transpired. Furthermore, the audience can’t solve these mysteries ahead of time by catching clues. I don’t know if this was intentional by the writer to make her seem smarter or if the writer didn’t have the skill. This wouldn’t be as big of an issue if it had something else going for it, such as strong characters you want to join in the adventure. Here too we have a problem. Kazuya is weak – too wimpy for a Watson substitute. I don’t get his personality choice. The dynamic between him and Victorique is for him to be her pet, her plaything, yet he doesn’t have a strength to counterbalance this weakness. He’s loyal and kind to her, but that just makes him a better servant. The original Watson is a good sidekick to Holmes, yes, but he also brings common sense and a clarity Holmes lacks when tunnel-visioned on a case. Watson must take charge at times. Kazuya doesn’t feel like an independent character who would exist without her. As for Victorique, her tantrums are annoying. I assume (correctly) that it’s meant to endear her towards us and fit her child-like design. I just find it tiresome. They don’t make sense with her otherwise “mature” persona – not played as some flaw, like a mature outward façade covering a vulnerable inner core either. It comes across as an excuse to have a loli throwing tantrums because that’s what the writer likes. It doesn’t mesh. Humour arrives in the form of her brother, who has hair that could pierce the heavens. He also works as a detective, but with his inferior skills, he often resorts to taking credit for his reclusive sister’s work. He’s a bit on the weird side for a gothic mystery, though is more memorable and focused than the other two. Back to the story, once the opening cases are over with, the main story is more interesting, yet becomes less of a crime mystery. Gosick ends up losing its genre focus halfway through. More interesting on one hand – loses the genre on the other. It’s leans action over mystery by the end, which I take as a positive after the mediocre cases in the early game. I want to be clear: Gosick never becomes bad. This is simply an example where once you’ve seen better, it is difficult to go backwards. I could see myself recommending this had I watched it a decade ago. I wouldn’t expect a series reliant on a goth loli to put any effort in the art. Gosick has surprisingly high production values. The environments look particularly good. The music is appropriately gothic and the acting is good. No notable complaints here. A boy helps a doll-like girl with her hobby of playing detective – then the cases get personal. The mysteries are good enough to hold one’s attention, but if you’ve seen better, you’ll crave something more. Recommendation: For mystery beginners. Gosick is an easy enough anime to watch unless you are used to more captivating mysteries. AnimeDramaFeaturedGosickMysteryRomanceSupernatural Anime Reviews, Drama, Romance, Slice of Life From Me to You – Anime Review 29 September 2019 Nefarious Reviews 5 Comments Japanese Title: Kimi ni Todoke Similar: Lovely Complex Maid Sama! Genre: Drama Romance Slice of Life Length: 37 episodes (2 seasons) A sweet romance. Cute art. Hits its peak within a few episodes. Plays it too safe. For those who aren’t aware, the movie The Ring (or just Ring in Japanese) is a cultural icon in Japan. It’s their Jaws or Dracula. In particular, the ghost girl with long black hair over her face is recognisable to all the Japanese. Unfortunately for our protagonist Sawako, she looks just like the Ring girl and terrifies her classmates at every turn. Down the empty school corridors, in the damp bathrooms, behind the schoolyard trees lurks the shy, sweet, introverted and utterly terrifying Sawako. Fear her. Of course, she’s a harmless girl just trying to make friends. She has a crush on the most popular guy in class, Kazehaya, who turns out to be the one person not afraid of her. He doesn’t have trouble talking to the horror that is Sawako. Despite the ghostly premise, From Me to You gives off feel-good romance vibes from the beginning. I would go so far as to say that it gives these vibes too early. Kazehaya likes her right away and they got along without delay, so it already feels like the conflict is over. They keep the drama going with so much self-pity and unspoken misunderstandings that it makes for a weak romance. Her core personality trait is shyness, true, but not saying anything at every convenient moment is just dim-witted. Too much time is spent with her watching shyly, too timid to talk to the guy, too timid to do anything. Grows old fast. Her flabbergasted expression by someone merely talking to her also wears thin before long (and she cries each time). If everything is flabbergasting, nothing is. There is no inherent problem with the feel-good direction – I’m not advocating Shakespeare come in to dramatise every romance – yet if taking that route, a story needs another driving force. Comedy is the most common substitute. Romantic sitcoms can go for seasons on end with little true progression. Doesn’t mean it will be great – viewers will want progress and a conclusion eventually. Regardless, the audience needs something. From Me to You, while amusing in a charming way, isn’t laugh-out-loud funny. These characters aren’t compelling enough either to want to observe in daily life, intrigued by what they will do next. As for the episodic story, we have the usual high school fare of festivals, classes, and school events. It’s what you expect from a high school anime. I see this as neither positive nor negative. Using these events in a more interesting way with actual conflict (i.e. something other than shyness) even if done for comedy matters more. For some positives though, it is a pretty anime. You can feel the manga artist’s touch in the visual style (needs more animation than a manga page though). It has a strong shoujo flair that brightens up the screen. It makes for a nice compliment to the feel-good romance. The chibi humour is also amusing – not as funny as the likes of Get Backers, but successful nonetheless. The characters are most likeable (though not particularly memorable). From Me to You is a difficult anime to dislike. I think that’s the secret to it’s success. Pleasant best describes it. However, while I did finish the series, I would not have gone beyond six or so episodes had it not been for the purposes of this review. Pleasantry can only keep me going for so long. Give me pleasantry plus something else and I could go forever, but not by itself. I feel this pleasantry makes it difficult for people to be critical of the series. It’s like telling the girl scout that her cookies taste awful. Makes one feel mean. Now, if such pleasantry sounds appealing to you, then by all means, give this anime a go. From Me to You is an innocuous romance that pleases the eyes. The art is cute – pretty and feminine, reminiscent of Nana – with frequent use of chibification. The animation, however, has little to show for itself. I am not a fan of Mamiko Noto’s meek voice, but it works here for the timid Sawako. Even so, I couldn’t take it for long periods at a time. Like the pleasant music. A girl that reminds every one of the creature from Ring struggles with love and friendship at school. Though a sweet love story, From Me to You resolves its major conflicts early on and makes the rest feel like an extended epilogue. Recommendation: For anime romance fans only. From Me to You is for those who like their conflict light and their romance safe. AnimeDramaFeaturedFrom Me to YouKimi ni TodokeRomanceSchool LifeShoujoSlice of Life Anime Reviews, Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku– Anime Review 11 August 2019 Nefarious Reviews 8 Comments Japanese Title: Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii Recovery of an MMO Junky Genre: Comedy Romance Slice of Life The author knows her games. Always charming and funny. Believable couple. Could do with more romance. It is Narumi’s first day at her new job. She has but one mission: no one can find out that she is an otaku, and not just any otaku, but the worst kind – a filthy fujoshi. Absolutely, under no circumstances, should a guy hear of her dark secret, for even if he is accepting of her perverted ways, then that must mean he’s an otaku too. And who would want to date an otaku!? This is a chance at a new life. No one will ever realise they are working right next to a yaoi loving degenerate. No one will ever know of the smut she hides on her hard drive. NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW THAT SHE SHIPS GUYS TOGETHER AFTER THEY SAY ONE WORD TO EACH OTHER! Oh crap, her boss found out! Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku is an adult rom-com in an office setting. It is packed with nerd humour, pop culture references (the deep cuts), sweet romance, and fun all around. I love it. Narumi is such a lovable protagonist. The scene when Hana, her boss, uncovers her secret – turns out she is a mega nerd as well, cosplaying regularly as a bishounen (feminine handsome man) Narumi is a fan of – makes you fall in love with her. Turns out, Hana is also a fan of Narumi’s yaoi fan fiction written under a pen name. Narumi is rather goofy and the show plays most jokes at her expense (they have to flash a “please don’t run for departing trains” sign every time she’s late, which is often), but she isn’t stupid. It would have been so easy to make her a moron to have otaku go, “Gosh, isn’t she adorable. I would love to have a stupid girlfriend,” something you often see in moe anime. Then you have her dynamic with the guys at work, who are also into nerd stuff. You have Tarou – Hana’s future boyfriend – and Hirotaka, who has a preference for games and a disdain for yaoi (in a humorous way). He is Narumi’s love interest. These characters – not just the main couple – make for a great group. You can easily see them as friends in real life, relatable to anyone who likes hanging out playing couch co-op games such as Mario Kart (called “Mari Ka” in Japanese, for short, as I learned), adventuring together in MMOs or just chatting over a meal. Harumi and Hirotaka are a sweet couple. The arguments they have over trying to get the other person into the things they like is endearing. However, I do wish there was more to this romance. It’s certainly a believable one (often, the problem with anime romance is the lack of foundation in the romance to begin with), yet doesn’t go into enough depth for how they work as a couple in private. It has the fun side of the romance without enough of the drama side. Doesn’t have to be heavy conflict – just give me something so I can say, “You know what, they’re going to make it.” Now, the fun side is a success. When they go on a date to the theme park, they set a “no nerding” rule with a 500-yen penalty to the piggy bank for breaking it. She can’t resist making the perfect JoJo reference while he can’t miss the chance to catch a rare Blissey in Pokémon Go (fun fact: Blissey in Japanese is called “Happiness” – the English word happiness). The nerd humour is on point. Hirotaka is a pro at Monster Hunter, even playing it at work. They play together on a hunt for a rare ruby she wants from a monster, but when she gets none and he gets two, not needing any himself, she says, “The Desire Sensor must’ve activated!” I love the inclusion of this joke. This author, she knows the gamer’s mentality. It feels authentic and not tacked on because market research says that anime for adult nerds must have adult nerd references. How often have you seen a US TV show try to make a gaming reference, for whatever is the big thing at the time, and come across as painful to watch? The Big Bang Theory still makes me cringe in memory of that MMO episode. Wotakoi makes meta references to games, using mechanics like action choices for humour and I love the character stat sheets marking ad breaks (check out that yaoi stat!): I even learnt a new term from this anime: the reverse cover scam. “I see the cover [of a manga] and buy it for the sex scenes, but the story turns out to be good!” That is perfect. I have to use that phrase in real life at some point. Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku gets my heartiest recommendation. It is a refreshing change from the sea of high school rom-coms and I hope to see more of this kind in future. It’s not a flex show, but the art is good. The colours and character designs pop! The music matches the fun tone – super catchy OP – and the acting is strong overall. Narumi may sound too young for an “office lady”, but it matches her young-at-heart fangirl personality. An omega nerdy office lady has her cover blown at work, only to find out her colleagues are nerds themselves. This light-hearted rom-com is a fun 11 episodes that I wish leant more into the romance. Recommendation: For adult nerds. Wotakoi is an easy anime to watch, though with its slant towards adult life and adult humour, you need to be part of the older crowd to find it fully relatable. Still, don’t let that stop you. AnimeComedyFeaturedJoseiRomanceSlice of LifeWotakoi: Love is Hard for OtakuWotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1570
__label__cc	0.655133	0.344867	Netflix Update Netflix New Releases: February 2016 It’s chilling cold outside and Netflix has give you all the reasons to put your snow boots and shovels out. All you need to do is get back on the couch, grab a chocolate and cover yourself with a blanket as Netflix comes up with a lot of new releases on February. A whole new slew of television shows and movies are coming to Netflix in February, the month full of love. You might want to watch some romantic comedies on Netflix and go on a Netflix and Chill session with your partner right? Not just that, there are plethora of options you can pick from the existing Netflix list or the ones that are added in February 2016. Also check: Netflix Originals Coming to Netflix in February 2016 What’s Leaving Netflix in February 2016? So, what is in the pipeline? Just like every other month, we bring you the complete list of Netflix new releases on February 2016 here. Check out the TV and movie highlights here: If you are a Doctor Who fan, you probably will hate to know that Netflix was unable to renew contracts for the show and it’s gone from the streaming rental. But there’s no need to worry, there are plenty of good television shows streaming on Netflix, perfect to pass your time and enjoy. Netflix original series Better Call Saul will hit Netflix on the very first day of February. Oh, and if you’ve been waiting to watch the second part of the final season of Mad Men, you can do so after February 15. Similarly, the second season of The Returned will also be on Netflix in February. Some other good TV shows coming to Netflix this month are Cooked and Love with both of them streaming season 1. You surely would not want to miss Fuller House and rekindle your nostalgia of the ’90s as the show is set to start streaming on February 26. Movie Highlights With Valentine’s day approaching, you will probably be laying on the couch with your loved ones and go for a binge-watching session. You surely would not want to miss Armageddon, and after that be ready to fall in love just like Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe did in Cruel Intentions. Similarly, Atonement and Sin City should also be on your watch-list this February on Netflix. If you’ve enjoyed watching Scooby Doo, two new movies Scobby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monster Unleashed are also going to stream on Netflix this month. If you are in for a romantic flick, you would not want to miss The Face of Love that’ll hit Netflix a day before the 14th. New to Netflix on February 1 A Picture of You (2014) Armageddon (1998) Better Call Saul: Season 1 Collateral Damage (2002) Cruel Intentions (1999) A Faster Horse (2015) Game Face (2015) Jennifer 8 (1992) Johnny English (2003) The Little Engine That Could (2011) The Lizzie Borden Chronicles: Season 1 Losing Isaiah (1995) Masha’s Tales: Season 1 My Side of the Mountain (1969) Para Elisa (2012) Pokemon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (2014) Pokemon: XY: Season 1 Scooby-Doo (2002) Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004) Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) Teen Witch (1989) Tin Man: “Search for the Emerald” (2007) The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom (2011) Land Before Time: XIV: Journey of the Brave (2016) I Love You Phillip Morris (2009) Care Bears & Cousins: Season 2 Hannibal Buress: Comedy Camisado Mad Men: Season 7: Part 2 Turbo: F.A.S.T.: Season 3 Lila & Eve (2015) New to Netflix on February 10 Dope (2015) The Girl in the Book (2015) The Face of Love (2013) Open Season (2006) XXY (2007) Asthma (2015) The Returned: Season 2 Cooked: Season 1 Love: Season 1 3rd World Cops 2 (2015) Bare (2015) Marvel Super Hero Adventures: Frost Fight! Fuller House: Season 1 Theo Von (2016) Finding Vivian Maier (2013) Ashes and Embers (1982) Let us know what movie or television show will you be watching on Netflix this February in the comments below. Happy binge-watching! I Am Mother: The Dystopian Netflix Film That Will Make You Think Foreign Films: Top Movies To Watch On Netflix Netflix New Releases – 10 Lifetime Movies And TV Shows Coming Out This Year Top Lists145 Netflix FAQs132 New Releases131 Coming Soon126 Whats New89 New Titles on Netflix US (March 6, 2016) James McArthur - March 8, 2016 Shows Leaving Netflix February 2017 Stephanie Church - January 16, 2017 Netflix Just Dropped Its ‘Black Mirror’ Trailer and It’s Creepy as All Get Out Jen Froderman - December 4, 2017 Iron Fist Release Date, Cast and Trailer For New Series. Stephanie Church - February 21, 2017 Is How “I Met Your Mother” on Netflix? Stephanie Church - August 17, 2016 The best of netflix news and updates! © 2019 @ Netflix Update	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1574
__label__wiki	0.845963	0.845963	AchhanMaharaj was born to Shri Kalka Prasad in his maternal village LamuhaDistt, Sultanpur. He was very pleasant by nature and hence was called’ AchheBhaiya’ by people. He was the eldest son of Kalka Prasad and his real name was Jagannath. He was called emperor of dance in the 20th Century and had a command on the most intricate beats while performing dance. Alongwith beats and rhythm he was proficient in emoting. He used to show the feminine beauty and feelings through his dance and emoting which held the audience spellbound. His dances were mostly based on playful acts of Lord Krishna. He composed a number of dances which had Krishna as the theme. Apart from these dances he used to recite Thumri or any poem (sher) of urdu and then emoted the same. He loved the city of Lucknow. He used to say that in the environs ofLucknow the Nazakat (softness of Nawabs of Lucknow) was imbibed which was as useful for dances as the mountainous environment was to the patient of Tuberculosis. During his last days he wrote a book on the art of dancing which contained traditional (Gharandedari) items but the book was stolen due to carelessness of members of family. AchhanMaharaj had only one son Pt. BirjuMaharaj who is engaged in development of Kathak dance and imparting its training to his disciples. Udaishankar was born on 8th December, 1908 at Udaipur. The name of his father was Dr. Shyama Shankar Chowdhary who was Adviser to the Government in the Education Department of Jhalawad (Rajasthan) and later became Dewan of the State. Udaishankar was named after the city of his birth i.e. Udaipur. Udaishankar achieved world-wide fame and is credited with introducing to the world the Indian dance styles. Since childhood Udaishankar was interested in music and painting. In the year 1917 he took admission in Sir J. J. School of Arts at Bombay and joined the Royal College of Arts London in 1920 to pursue higher education in painting. It was a coincidence he came into contact with famous Russian Baile artist, Anna Pavlova. For almost two years he remained with Anna’s troupe. Thereafter, he formed his own troupe and performed Indian dances in Europe and America. Udaishankar returned to India in 1929 and trained in Kathakali with ShankaranNamboodri and in Bharatnatyam with KhandapaPillai. He also studied Manipuri dance and other folk dances and combining the specialties of various dance forms, invented a new style of his own. He set up an Art Centre near Almora for imparting training but it could not be seen for long. Udaishankar experimented with shadow dancing by throwing light from behind the screen and produced a feature film ‘Kalpana’ but he incurred heavy loss in this venture. He, however, gained much fame at international level. ” Udaishankar was awarded Fellowship of ‘RashtriyaSangeetNatak Academy’ and Deshikottam by VishwaBharti University and Padma Vibhushan by Government of India. Udaishankar will be always remembered for providing a new direction to Indian dane^,. His dance style is also known as Oriental style. Udaishankar, the doyen of Indian dances died in the year 1977 at Calcutta. Kalka Prasad born in 1842, was the son of ShriDurga Prasad and younger brother of MaharajBindadin. He died before MaharajBindadin. He is said to be extremely handsome and his dance is also said to be equally beautiful. Apart from Kathak dance he was proficient In playing Tabla and Pakhawaj. Together with his brother Bindadin he earned name and fame in Kathak dance all over the country. The specialty of his performance was expressing the Thumri while dancing and singing it simultaneously and his way of expressing the feminine softness sensually mesmerized the audience. Kalka Prasad lived in Benaras throughout his life. He trained the Tawaifs (Prostitutes) of Benaras in thumri singing and expressing it artistically. Kalka Prasad had three sons—Jagannath (AchhanMaharaj), Baijnath (LachhuMaharaj) and Shambhunath (ShambuMaharaj). All the three sons were master of Kathak dance with their own respective stamps on the dance. Kalka Prasad died in the year 1913 AD. Kartik Ram was born in the village Bhanwarmal of Dist. Bilaspur (MP) in the year 1910. His initial training was under Pt. Shivnarayan. Later on he trained in Kathak dances under Jailal, ShambhuMaharaj and LachhuMaharaj. He had keen interest in folk dances which enhanced the creativity of Kathak. He was a protege of the King of Raigarh who arranged for his education in music and dance for which great artists like Jailal and AchhanMaharaj were appointed. As long as Raja Chakradhar Singh was alive there was no parallel of Kartik Ram in Taiyyari (preparation) but today very few know him. Kartik Ram was awarded with ‘ShikharSamman’ for 1980-81 by the Government of Madhya Pradesh. He also worked as Kathak dance teacher at Khairagarh and ChakradharNritya Kendra Bhopal. ShriKundanLal was a Kathak dancer belonging to Jaipur house (Gharana) of Kathak. His education and training was imparted by his uncle Shri Narayan Prasad whom he accompanied to Raigarh. Thereafter, he travelled in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh for five years each. Afterwards, he lived in Mumbai for 15 years and taught Kathak. Many film actresses were his disciples, prominent among them were Swarnlata, Paro and Jabin. In 1953 he was appointed Kathak director in Dance department of Baroda University. He died on the 16th July, 1984. KumudiniLakhiya started dancing at a time when the art of dance was on a decline. She accompanied Ramgopal when he was going to Europe on a cultural tour. During this trip she earned enough fame in Europe and America. Her dance training took place under Pt. Radhelal Mishra (Jaipur Gharana), AshiqHussain and Sunder Prasad. Ministry of culture gave her scholarships to enable her to receive training in Kathak dance from ShambhuMaharaj. She also worked with BirjuMaharaj in ‘MaltiMadhav’ and ‘Kumar Sambhav’ dance drama. Her creative talent has impressed all the artists. In the year 1980 KumudiniLakhiya was honoured by Gujarat State SangeetNrityaNatak Academy and RashtriyaSangeetNatak Academy respectively. She married RajniLakhiya and settled down in Ahmedabad where she is imparting dance training. GopiKishna was born in the house of his maternal grandfather ShriSukhdev Mishra. The name of her mother was Tara and renowned dancers of Kathak world, Sitaradevi and Alaknanda are his maternal aunts. His childhood was spent in Mumbai and after school education he went to Calcutta where his father trained him in Kathak. Gopi Krishna received training in Kathak from his maternal grandfather, ShriSukhdev Mishra and maternal uncle Chaubey. Apart from Kathak he also trained in Bharatnatyam under GovindrajPillai. He returned to Mumbai to begin his professional career and worked as dance director in many films. He achieved much fame for his work in the film in ‘ JhanakJhanakPayalBaje’ and reached the pinnacle of glory. Gopikrishna did not believe in blindly following the traditions. As a result he introduced some new elements in Kathak and became a dance director. He died in Mumbai in the year 1994. Late Pt. Jailal was a pillar of Jaipur house (Gharana) of Kathak. He was born in the year 1885. His dance training took place under his father Chunnilal and uncleDurga Prasad. Apart from being a dancer he was also a good tabla player and musician. Jailal was also related to the courts of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Raigarh and Maihar and remained a dance teacher till the last years of his life. He had two children; a daughter, Jaikumari and a son, Ramgopal, both of whom were great dancers of their times; particularly, Jaikumari was considered as the best dancer of the country in those times. Jailal was considered a master of beats(Tal) and Rhythm(Laya). He used to present large beats in a very simple manner and made spectacular presentation of ‘Layakari’, long ‘Parans’, ‘Parmelu’, ‘JatiPuran’, ‘PakshiParan’ besides impressive ‘Padhant’ which were high points of his dance. He died in the year 1949 at the age of 64 in Calcutta. Pt. Durgalal was born in the year 1948 in Mahendragarh (Rajasthan). His father’s name was Pt. Onkarlal. Durgalal received his dance training from his brother Devilal, Durgalal was considered to be a Jewel of Jaipur house (Gharana) of Kathak. Within a short period he created a place for himself among the Kathak teachers and dancers of the country. Pt. Durgalal was honoured by Rajasthan SangeetNatak Academy and RashtriyaSangeetNatak Academy in the year 1983 and 1984 respectively. He was also honoured by Government of India who awarded him ‘Padmashri’ Pt. Durgalal was a representative artist of Jaipur house (Gharana) who amazed the audience world wide with his creative talent in Kathak dance. Pt. Durgalal died on the 21 st January 1990. Damyanti Joshi was born on the 5th December 1928 in a Maharashtriyan Brahmin family. She started to dance in her childhood. She received her dance training initially from ShriSitaram Prasad and Smt. Menaka. Later on she trained under AchhanMaharaj, LachhuMaharaj and ShambhuMaharaj. Apart from Kathak she also learnt Bharatnatyam, Kathakali and Manipuri dance. She has presented many dance performances overseas and was a member delegate on Indian cultural delegation to China and Japan. Damyanti Joshi is a proponent of purity of style and does not like too much of pomp and show. Damyanti Joshi got the first prize for her dance in the dance Olympiad organised in Berlin in the year 1936. She was also honoured with Padmashri apart from awards given by RashtriyaSangeetNatak Academy and Maharashtra RajyaSangeetNatak Academy. Pt. Narayan Prasad was born in the year 1908 in the famous Hari Prasad – Hanuman Prasad Gharana of Jaipur. Pt. Hanuman Prasad was his father and PanditHariprasad was his elder uncle. His father and uncle started his dance training at the tender age of 8 years and at the age of 12, he gave his first public performance as a child dancer. Pt. Narayan Prasad had equal command on Rhythm (Laya) and emoting in his dance. ‘Shringar’ was his speciality. Apart from being a great dancer, he was an accomplished player of ‘Tabla’ and ‘Pakhawaj’. Pt. Narayan Prasad was a devotee of Lord Krishna and composed a number of Thumris and Poems(Kavitt) with Krishna Leela as the theme. In the year 1957, he was honoured with the title of ‘Nrityacharya’ in Belgaum session of All India GandharvaMahavidyalayaMandal. Pt. Narayan Prasad died in the year 1958. He had six sons and of them CharanGirdharchand is a Kathak dancer as well as a teacher. Credit for developing and taking Kathak to its climax and having it established and respected as a great art goes to MaharajBindadin. He was born in a village of Handia District of UP. The name of his father was Durga Prasad. He had two brothers; Shri Kalka Prasad and Bhairon Prasad. His dance training commenced under his father ShriDurga Prasad and uncleShri Thakur Prasad at the tender age of 9 years. For nearly 4 years he continued to practice Tigda Dig Digeveryday for twelve hours. At the age of twelve, Bindadin got an opportunity to show his skill in the court of NawabWazid Ali Shah. Accompanying him on Pakhawaj was renowned Kodau Singh but when he began to dance then Kodau Singh had to accept his defeat as Bindadin was better prepared. Wazid Ali Shah was extremely pleased with his performance and gave him substantial reward. Later on, to make dance style more enchanting he gave it a new face. He organisedKathak in a classical way. He composed new dances and he developed Kathak as a distinct style by using new talents successfully. Bindadin used to dance on odd beats in a way to mesmerize the audience with his younger brother Shri Kalka Prasad, he formed Kalka -Bindadin Duo which earned fame throughout the country. He composed nearly fifteen hundred Thumris and gave them new form of body movements according to the theme. He was a poet as well as a skilled dance teacher. His disciples carried forward his art and the tradition still continues to enrich Kathak. Pt. BirjuMaharaj is the only son of famous Kathak dancer AchhanMaharaj of Lucknow. His full name is Brij Mohan Das. He was attracted towards the art of dance since childhood. He used to watch and remember whatever AchhanMaharaj used to teach his disciples. When his father saw his keen interest in dancing he accepted BirjuMaharaj as his disciple by tying Ganda. At a very tender age BirjuMaharaj gave his first performance at Deharadun which enchanted the audience. His father died when he was only ten years old. later on he received training from his uncles Late Pt. ShambuMaharaj and Late Pt. LachuMaharaj. After sometime he joined SangeetBharti, a school in Delhi, as a teacher and composed many dance dramas. Pt. BirjuMaharaj has gained immense fame throughout the country. He is a born artist. He says that there is a huge difference between dancing and art of dancing. On the stage everything depends on God’s grace and the blessings of the teacher. He says that he has to maintain the Laya and not fight with it. BirjuMaharaj is a talented artist. He presents Tihais with great beauty and can play a number of instruments particularly, tabla and pakhawaj. He is also adept in Thumri singing. Apart from being an excellent dancer, he is a great teacher also. Many of his disciples have won acclaim at international level. Pt. BirjuMaharaj has composed many dance dramas such as ‘Phagleela’ ‘Govardhanleela’, ‘MaltiMadhav’ Kumar Sambhav’ and ‘Shan-e-Oudh’ etc. Pt. BirjuMaharaj has been hounoured with a number of awards. He was awarded ‘Padma Vibhushana’ by Govt. oflndia. Some of the other awards given to him are KalidasPuraskar by Govt. of Madhya Pradesh, ‘Andhra Ratna’ ‘NrtiyaGhuramani’ and ‘Soviet Land’ award by the Govt. of USSR. Pt. BirjuMaharaj has two sons and three daughters. He is considered to be one of the icons of Kathak dance who have brought glory to the dance by making it popular at international level. Raja Chakradhar Singh of Raigarh was born in the year 1904. He dedicated his entire life to the cause of music. He was in a real sense dedicated to literature and music. He used his talent in varied literary styles such as poetry, story, novel writing and took practical interest in singing, playing Tabla, Pakhawaj and Kathak dance. To understand deeply Kathak he invited main Kathak teachers of various ‘Gharanas’ such as Pt. Jailal, AchhanMaharaj, Mohanlal and Narayan Prasad to his court for long periods and himself learnt dance from them. Raja Saheb made a significant contribution in the field of Kathak. He defined various categories of ‘Nayaks’ and ‘Nayikas’ according to their features. Instead of Persian words such as’ Amad Salami’ and Toda’ he used words from Hindi and Sanskrit. He composed ‘JatiParan’ ‘PakshiParan’ ‘KadaktiBigali’, ‘DalbadaP etc. For quite some time, Raigarh remained a pilgrimage for musicians of the country due to the patronage extended by Chakradhar Singh. Raja Saheb expired in the year 1948. In his memory, the State Government of Madhya Pradesh has set up ‘ChakradharNritya Kendra’ at Bhopal. Smt. Rukmani Devi Arundel figures prominently among those who participated actively in Indian cultural movement. It was surprising that she could work at ease and skillfully. Born at Tanjore in South India she was naturally inclined to dancing. Her initial dance training was under famous dance exponent of South India., PandanallurMeenakshiSundaramPillai. Coordination of Tal, Swar and footwork was the speciality of her dance. In her art one could easily witness beautiful surge of emotions. Smt. Arundel had visualised dance as an important link in Indian cultural tradition. Her dances mostly reflected Indian ideals and spirituality. She was influenced by ‘theosophy’ and it left an impact on her art. Her life is a story of courage. Despite all opposition she married Dr. Arundel. Smt. Arundel was chairman of International Academy of Arts and was honoured with ‘Padmabhushan’ by Government of India. Ramgopal was born in 1917 at Raigarh. He is the only son of Pt. Jailal. He was trained in dance by his father and ShriSohanlal. He also learned Kathakali from Kunjkurup and Bharatnatyam from MeenakshiSundaramPillai. Ramgopal was a fortunate person when compared to many other dancers. He went on a world tour with ‘La Mera’ and was well received by the audience. He also gave performances in a number of music conferences in India and displayed his artistry. With the kind of zeal and dedication, Ramgopal exploited his talent, and provided the right direction to his art. Ramgopal was living permanently in London and running an institute. He recently died in London in the year 2003. RohiniBhate started learning Kathak in the year 1946. Her initial training was under ShriSohanlal of Jaipur Gharana. Thereafter she received training under ShriMannalal of Mumbai and Shri Mohan RaoKalyanpurkar of Lucknow. In 1952 she visited China as a member of Indian cultural delegation. She has refined her technique by studying deeply old scriptures relating to Indian dances and drama. She has composed a number of dance dramas in Kathak style. She has written a number of articles on the subject of dance and two books in Marathi. She practisedKathak hard for years and performed under the direction of LachhuMaharaj and MohanraoKaryanpurkar and settled down in Poona. In the year 1977, RashtriyaSangeetNatak Academy honoured her for creative work done in the field of dance. She has also received KalidasSamman in the year 2001. LachhuMaharaj’s real name is Baijnath Prasad. He was the second son of Shri Kalka Prasad, the famous Kathak artist and younger brother of BindadinMaharaj. He received training in Kathak from his father, Kalka Prasad, uncleBindadinMaharaj and elder brother, AchhanMaharaj. He started giving performances when he was only ten years old. LachhuMaharaj, in the course of his performances, used to display, delicacy, sentimentality, discipline, sensuality in such a manner that it mesmerised the audience and won their uninhibited praise. He always tried to bring purity in his dances. He was in the forefront of choreography of Kathak dance in films. He easily got assignments to direct dances in the films and he successfully choraographed dances in films like SwarupMahal, Kale Badal, Ghar Ki Laj, Shikwa, Mugal-E-Azam, Pakeeza etc. which won him immense fame in the film world. LachhuMaharaj also composed some special dances vizBhartiyaKisan, MadyaNishedh etc. which turned out to be quite popular. He had knowledge of many classical dances other than Kathak also. He died in the year 1977 in Lucknow. The name ShambhooMaharaj occupies its own space in Kathak world. He was the youngest son of Shri Kalka Prasad. He was trained in Kathak at a tender age of 8 years by his uncle BindadinMaharaj and later on under his elder brother AchhanMaharaj. He learnt ‘Natwari’ dance from AchhanMaharaj and Thumri from UstadRahimuddin Khan of Benaras. ShambhooMaharaj was known as King of emoting. According to him dance should be based upon emotions otherwise it remains only as a spectacular performance. Apart from dance, ShambhooMaharaj had the knowledge of Indian Classical Music. He had equal proficiency in both music and dance. He was recipient of many honours ‘Such as ‘NrityaSamrat’, ‘AbhinayaChakravarti’, ‘Padmashri’ and Academy award. He had two sons, Shri Krishna Mohan and Shri Ram Mohan who are trying to preserve his legacy. Sitara Devi is the daughter of Pt. Sukhdev Mishra who was a musician in the Court of King of Nepal. Her mother MatsyaKumari was the daughter of Raj guru of Nepalese Court. She had two sisters, Alaknanda and Tara. Sitara Devi received training in dance form her father and ShambhooMaharaj. SukhdevMaharaj requested AchhanMaharaj also to train his daughters. Later on Sitara Devi learnt ‘Lasya’ from LachhuMaharaj. Sitara Devi learnt Bharatnatyam and Manipuri dance also apart from Kathak. This apart, she had interest in Western dances also. Sitara had a natural interest in becoming a film actress also. In her times, she was a successful actress in the film world. She has made new experiments in Kathak. She was honoured by SangeetNatak Academy, Government of Uttar Pradesh and Government of Maharashtra in the year 1974. Indira Kala Sangeet University conferred an honorary doctorate on her in the year 1978. GurudevRavindraNath Tagore was so impressed with Sitara Devi that he titled her “Queen of Kathak dance’. Once she danced non¬stop for thirteen hours and set a record. Sitara Devi went on tours abroad and left a deep impression of Indian dance on millions of audience. She has brought fame to the BenarasGharana through her efforts and excellence. Sitara Devi’s first marriage was with K. Asif, second with ShriBarot, an engineer. From the second marriage she has a son. She also adopted the daughters of her brother (Mala &Priyamala) and trained them in dance. Sitara Devi’s contribution to Kathak has been invaluable. Shri Sunder Prasad was a famous and learned dancer form Jaipur Gharana. His father’s name was Chunnilal and Pt. Jailal was his elder brother. Sunder Prasad learnt dancing from his father Chunilal and uncleDurga Prasad. He also trained under BindadinMaharaj of LucknowGharana. Thus within some time he created a new style imbibing the peculiarities of both Lucknow and Jaipur Gharanas. He performed all over the country. Sunder Prasad was not only an artist but a skilled teacher also. He taught dancing for almost thirty years in Mumbai and shifted to Chennai thereafter. He was honoured by Natak Academy of Delhi in the year 1958. Shri Shiv ShankaranNamboodri was most famous of modern Acharyas of Kathkali style of dance. He was born in a high caste Brahmin family. In his time, music and dance were considered to be a vocation for lower caste but he was so much devoted to dancing that facing the opposition of his family he worked and trained hard for 15 years to learn Kathkali dance. Thereafter he formed a troupe and gave performances all over Malabar. In 1924 Shiv Shankaran met Udaishankar who was greatly influenced by his knowledge and made him his Guru. He travelled all over the country and overseas along with Udaishankar and contributed significantly to development and popularisation of Kathkali style of dancing. ShivshankaranNamboodri died in the year 1943. He contributed significantly in modernising the sequence of presentation of Kathkali.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0062.json.gz/line1584

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