Tips And Advice For The Stock Market Beginner

Almost everyone is aware of somebody who has made a great deal of money through investing, and they often also know of somebody who has lost a great deal of money the same way. The key is to identify wise investments that meet your risk tolerance and capacity. If you do some research and follow the advice you just read, you’re more likely to be a stock market success story.

If you are the owner of any common stocks, exercise your shareholder voting rights. Depending on the rules of each company, you might have the right to vote when directors are elected or major changes are being made. Voting may be done by proxy through the mail or at the shareholders’ annual meeting.

Have cash on hand for emergencies. Keep this money in an interest bearing account, that can be easily accessed. Six months of living expenses is good rule of thumb. With this safety net in place, you can meet mortgage expenses and pay other bills until the matters are improved.

Remember that your stocks represent a share of a company instead of a simple title. Carefully evaluate and analyze a business when determining the value of the stocks you have invested in. By delving into the nuts and bolts of a company, you get a closer look at where your money is going.

Don’t go too long without checking up on your portfolio; at a minimum, assess it quarterly. Because there are always fluctuations No BS IM Reviews in the economy, it is important to keep your portfolio current. Some sectors will start to do better than others, and some may become extinct. What time of year it is might determine what you should be investing in. As a result, it is vital that you regularly analyze your portfolio and make changes as needed.

If you are new to investing, be wary that making big returns overnight is tough. Many times, specific company stocks can take one to three years to show positive movement, and inexperienced investors pull their money out too soon because of fear, ignorance or impatience. Always be patient when investing in stocks.

Find what works well, and stick with it. Perhaps you are searching for businesses that constantly have high profit markets, or maybe your focus is on businesses that have a large amount of cash on hand. You might want to formulate your strategy by starting with the type of stock you’re looking to invest with. Figuring out whether you want to be a long-term investor or a constant trader is a good place to start.

As you have seen, for every person who succeeds in the stock market, there is someone else who loses their shirt. The nature of the stock market ensures that there are always winners and losers. Although luck is a factor, you can diminish its importance by making smart investing decisions. Apply the tips from this article and you’ll be well on your way to making your investments pay off.


The Eurasian Economic Union: Armenia's Accession & Beyond

Dear Minister Valovaya,

Dear Mr. Aramyan,

Your Excellency Ambassadors,

Ladies and Gentlemen

I would like to begin by extending our sincere gratitude and appreciation to the European Institute for organizing this timely and important event. I would also like to welcome and thank our esteemed panelists and participants for joining us this morning here in the Cosmos Club.

I am honored to be amongst a group of prominent international experts, and distinguished participants at this important conference.

The Eurasian Economic Union is a relatively new phenomenon on the global international stage. It represents a far-reaching agenda to put in place a coherent framework necessary for economic integration and coordinated policy-making among its member states. There are, however, fundamental challenges and opportunities this union has to address both internally and vis-a-vis the global economic and financial governance, especially in light of the current difficulties we see in the Eurasian region.

 I also believe that the legitimacy of this union rests upon its perceived necessity and objective realities.

This said, I am confident  thatthe international community should make an effort and allow extra time to clearly perceive the driving forces as well as goals and objectives of this Union. In this regard, I am confident that events like this will help to analyze the underpinnings and policy approaches of this Union.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In my presentation today, I will touch upon the main political and economic factors that led to Armenia’s decision to join the Eurasian Economic Union. That decision has been influenced by two sets of drivers. The first set is purely economic and social in its nature. The second one is more political and security-related.

On the one hand, the 2008 global financial-economic crisis revealed lots of unknown layers and internalfrictions in economic interfaces, interconnections and economic governance systems in the European/Eurasian regions with respective strengths and weaknesses. In Armenia e.g. we realized how important the EU assistance programs were aimed at strengthening the capacity building, institutional reforms and civil society in our country.

On the other hand, we witnessed another form of regional integration and  processesshaping up in the Eurasian economic space partially in response to the financial and economic crisis and partially in response to emerging new global realities. Consequently, the Eurasian Customs Union was founded in our wider region. It also became more apparent that for a small country like Armenia , it was very unlikely to succeed alone as a viable economic actor in newly shaping socio-economic realities. Subsequently, the internal driving forces and benefits of this regionalization attracted Armenia to be a participant of alarger integration process, and a member of a bigger and integrated common market.

Hence, I believe that globalization in our case  started from glocalization or regionalization. The absence of a common border with the members of the Eurasian Customs Union was initially perceived as a major obstacle towards Armenia’s integration in the Eurasian single economic space. That’s the reason why Armenia was not invited to join the Customs Union earlier. The perception  changed during the following years.Another instrumental aspect of that change was the fact that Russia delegated part of its economic authority to the newly formed Eurasian Union  and became accountable to all member countries. Thus, Armenia realized that the deepening of the integration processes in the Customs Union, as well as the strengthening of the supranational institutions would create major obstacles in further developing  bilateral trade relations with the Russian Federation, Armenia’s number one trading partner.

In this regard, I would like to emphasize several other factors in favor of Armenia’s choice to join the Eurasian Economic Union. As far as the level of its development, our economy was similar to the economic model of the Eurasian Customs Union.  The same refers to the specialization areas and level of the division of labor.Besides that, the motivation of people, businesses and institutions are creating the same platform for more effective regional integration. This means that the diagnosis and recommendations for stimulation of economic development are different for developing and developed countries. The processes of an industrial society prevail in low income countries: these countries can be united by a uniform technological platform of economic exchange characterized by the depth of the processing and the production of goods and services. This means that a global regional union operating on a unified technological platform. I believe that in the globalized world, this unity can create significant and material economic value and potential for economic development.

Armenia’s membership in the EEU would mean that,

1.    Our businesses will have unrestricted and unimpeded access to a huge market of consumers. And please note, that our goods and services from the point of their quality and the variety are targeting mainly this market.

2.    This is the only market where Armenian products are indeed widely known and markedly competitive

3.    There will be essential facilitation of the customs registration.

4.   There will be essential improvement of our market conditions and the reversal of technical obstacles.

5.  We will have  wider access to cheap raw materials, including oil, natural gas and raw diamonds.

6.  We will  expand the possibilities to attract investments, taking into account the size of the market and it will be stronger,

7.    The mobile workforce, which is very significant for the Armenian economy ,will gain more opportunity  for easier movement.

Armenia’s choice to join the EEU also raised many concerns both from our own population as well as our foreign partners. The main concern was whether Armenia would lose a part of its sovereignty as a consequence of handing some of the economic policy making powers to the supranational institutions of the EEU.  Nevertheless, the existing legal framework of the EEU allows Armenia to be an equal member and our decisions will have their impact on the regulatory field which covers a market of more than 170mln people. As was mentioned by our regional director of the IMF, Armenia’s accession to the EEU will bring a more positive impact to the economy of our country, than a negative.

There is also a political/ security aspect to Armenia`s accession to the EEU. I would like to remind you about the strategic security challenges that Armenia has been facing since its independence. Closed borders with two of its four neighbors, military rhetoric and existential threats coming from Azerbaijan and international sanctions against Iran leave us with very limited choices. I will not go into more details now, but I will just remind you that we have very strong political-military cooperation with the members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization – Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. President Sargsyan in his speech in PACE in October 2013 noted, and I quote - “There has recently been much talk about the civilizational choice of the member countries of the Eastern Partnership initiative. We have always stated that we don’t believe in this one-dimensional view. Armenia aims to continue its comprehensive, mutually beneficial partnership with the EU aspiring to have the closest possible and widest possible relations with the EU. This policy will not be terminated. Yes, Armenia has a close allied relationship with Russia. But Armenia is not building new relationships at the expense of that relationship with her strategic ally; in the same vein, we will not build relationships with other partners, which might be aimed against our other partners. We will continue to develop in parallel relationships and interests with our key partners.”- end quote.

Let me once again assure you, that Armenia’s decision to participate in the integrational processes of the Eurasian economic space was an informed and concsious decision by our Government. Armenia has been a vocal supporter and carrier of the “both, and” approach towards the integrational processes with the EU and EEU. In the meanwhile the “either, or” formula was not acceptable for us.

To this end, let me once again reiterate, that despite Armenia’s historic decision to join the Eurasian Economic Union, Armenia is willing to explore further opportunities to cooperate with the European Union, to find a new format for closer relations.  We are confident that the ongoing reforms in Armenia related to the fields of civil society, human rights, fundamental freedoms and civil liberties will be very hard to implement without the EU’s technical assistance. We are also confident that in its path of the economic modernization and diversification the EEU will only benefit from its cooperation with the EU.

Unfortunately, this idea is not widely acknowledged at the moment, but I am glad that it has many supporters both in the EU and EEU. We should drastically increase the role of the Eurasian Commission in exploring more means for  East-West cooperation, that would truely be beneficial for all parties. Taking into account our vast experience in implementing various EU programs, I am confident that Armenia may become a unique bridge in the process of finding ways for that all-European economic integration.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I look forward to the discussions ahead. I am confident that both conventional and non-conventional economic thinking and broader outlook will emerge today as to how the East and West partnership can be made stronger, more effective and sustained. This venue today provides us with an important opportunity to discuss the challenges and prospects ahead as well as practical steps for our mutual prosperity.

Thank you.


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    Tree house tribe: Building thatched huts on the ground

    by WildFilmsIndia

    At a time when man is looking at setting foot on Mars, a tribe is still living in trees. They have lived this way for more than six decades. Around 40 people belonging to an Indian tribe have made trees their home as that is the only safe place for them.

    They skillfully climb trees to reach their wooden homes - often as high as 40-50 feet - where they live in families of up to six members. They have been living this way for the past 65 years.

    Some of the tribals have built thatched huts on the ground close to their tree houses for their women. But it seems to make more sense to continue living on trees as it protects them from marauding elephants. The tree houses double as watch towers for the men to alert the women about the movement of elephants.


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Employment Discrimination Law Archives

Important facts about age discrimination in the workplace

Older employees may unfortunately discover that age discrimination is still alive and well, even in a tolerant and accepting state like California. There are many federal and state laws preventing employers from discriminating against job applicants and employees because of age, but perhaps the most important one is the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. The purpose of the ADEA is to protect applicants and employees who are 40 years old or older from discrimination.

Common forms of pregnancy discrimination

As an expectant mother and an employee in California, you have certain rights and protections, and your employer may not terminate or otherwise discriminate against you because of your condition. Regrettably, pregnancy discrimination in the workplace is a serious problem affecting many women across California and the United States, even though Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects you.

What is reasonable employee accomodation for disabilities?

Both federal and California law prohibit discriminating against employees with disabilities. In practice, this means employers may not refuse to hire candidates because of their disability. They may also not treat an employee worse than others due to a disability.

What is California law on age discrimination?

The retirement age has increased over the years. Some work longer to establish the financial stability necessary for the lifestyle they desire once they retire. Others want to continue working for the physical, emotional and intellectual benefits it offers. Regardless of your reason for staying in the workforce longer, age discrimination can make it difficult for you to achieve your goal. It is important that you know what age discrimination is and how to recognize it so you can take action if it happens to you.

The key phrase in laws banning religious discrimination

The California Workplace Religious Freedom Act became effective on Jan. 1, 2013. Both state and federal laws that guarantee religious freedom in the workplace are similar in scope. However, the California statute addresses the matter with stronger language. In addition, there is one phrase in both federal and state law that draws different interpretations.

Dealing with workplace retaliation

For many employees thinking about reporting employment discrimination, potential retaliation by an employer is a serious concern. Employees fear that complaining will result in worse treatment and even job loss. However, just as state and federal laws forbid discrimination, they also prohibit employers from retaliating. This may not stop a particular employer from breaking the law, but it does mean you have legal recourse against such conduct.

Do I need to disclose whether I've had cancer?

When you apply for jobs in California, you may wonder whether you should disclose a history of cancer. The answer, generally, is no, and if potential employers ask questions such as, "How much sick leave have you taken in the past five years?" you are well within your rights not to answer. In fact, such a question is illegal. This holds true no matter the type of job you are applying for, be it marketing specialist, actress, fundraising director or executive assistant.

5 different types of discrimination in the workplace

It is unlawful for anyone to discriminate against another in the workplace. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces laws intended to stop discrimination from happening. Unfortunately, many employees don't realize they are being discriminated against or what qualifies as discrimination. Before you can determine if you are a victim of discrimination, you must first understand what qualifies under the term.

What is considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act?

Last year, the U.S. celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act that was passed under President Bush in the early 1990s. Despite the fact that the law was hailed by many countries for providing some of the most robust protections for people with disabilities at the time, many Americans still do not understand exactly how disability is defined under the law. Ignorance of the ADA creates issues with compliance as well as with the ability of the disabled to understand how to request accommodations and what methods of resolution are open to them in the event of an access conflict.

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The Handy Art History Answer Book (The Handy Answer Book Series)

By Madelynn Dickerson

The significant paintings items, most crucial artists, and important creative activities from 35,000 BCE to this day are gathered jointly during this easy-to-read source on artwork background. It leads you on a travel from the fundamentals and beginnings of paintings to some of the instructions that paintings is heading at the present time. You’ll not just find out about work, but in addition some other medium conceivable, together with sculpture, structure, pottery, images, deploy paintings, or even movie and games. The approximately a hundred and fifty colour pictures illustrate inventive ideas and spotlight very important and noteworthy artworks.

Loaded with 800 questions and solutions on paintings ideas, strategies, fabrics, types, shades and types, routine, faculties of ideas, evolution and that means, The convenient artwork historical past solution ebook is an interesting trip worldwide and during the a long time. Why do Egyptian figures have left ft? what's the distinction among weaving and tapestry? What occurred to the Venus de Milo's palms? what's thought of appealing in Islamic paintings? how are you going to realize "a Michelangelo"? what's the value of the Aztec eagle-man? How did Cezanne “astonish Paris with apples”? what's the distinction among paintings Nouveau and artwork Deco? Why do Jeff Koons’s balloon animals promote for thousands of dollars?

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The trendy global in the course of AND AFTER the area WARS, C. 1914–1960 EARLY TWENTIETH-CENTURY AVANT-GARDE what's Orphism? Orphism, often referred to as Orphic Cubism, is a flow that constructed inside Cubism and is characterised through abstractions and rhythmic colour prepared to stress the joyous energy of production and the connection among visible artwork and song. The identify “Orphism” used to be coined through French poet Guillaume Apollinaire (1880–1918) and the identify refers back to the mythological determine, Orpheus, a poet whose appealing lyrics and track may well seduce wild animals. one of many significant artists linked to Orphism was once Robert Delaunay (1885–1941), who undergone a Cubist section and experimented with colour idea and ideas of house, very like his fellow Cubists, Braque and Picasso. Delaunay created colour abstractions similar to Simultaneous Contrasts: sunlight and Moon (1913) that trusted colour interactions to create a feeling of intensity and circulation. Delaunay’s spouse Sonia additionally created Orphic works, together with work, collages, and garments designs. by means of 1914, Apollinaire and Delauney may no lengthy agree at the major tenets of Orphism and the move ended. what's Futurism? Futurism used to be an lively Italian artwork move all started by way of the poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti (1876–1944) who wrote the 1st Futurist manifesto in Le Figaro, a French newspaper, in 1909. Marinetti sought after Futurism to be a wide-reaching stream that embraced the rate and tool of contemporary industrialism. The target used to be to reject the earlier and to modernize modern culture—violently if worthwhile. Visually, Futurism shouldn't have existed with no Cubism, and lots of Futurist work function fragmented kinds and geometric near-abstraction; notwithstanding, the Futurists attempted to distance themselves from this inheritance. Painters linked to Futurism contain Umberto Boccioni (1882–1916), Gino Severini (1883–1966), and Carlo Carra (18811916). The Futurists created summary pictures of machines and put an emphasis on stream. Giacomo Balla’s Dynamism of a puppy on a Leash (Leash in movement) (1912) depicts a small puppy with blurry legs and a blurry tail made from fast dashed, repeated brushstrokes. Umberto Boccioni integrated sculpture into the Futurist repertoire with works corresponding to precise sorts of Continuity in area (1913). This flowing, summary sculpture was once solid in bronze and creates an interaction among and 3-dimensional house as a powerful determine with outstretched legs (and no palms) strides ahead on a horizontal aircraft. Futurism replaced after international warfare I; Boccioni was once killed after being thrown from his horse in the course of an army workout and the panorama of Europe, either bodily and artistically, used to be now not an identical. what's avant-garde artwork? As with many artwork phrases, the note avant-garde comes from French and approximately interprets to “vanguard. ” Avant-garde paintings is artwork that's at the “front lines,” and the time period can be utilized to explain any cutting edge or new smooth paintings. The experimentations of avant-garde artists, writers, and thinkers frequently reason surprise, or even anger, between critics and normal audiences.

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Person:Gilbert FitzRoy (1)

Gilbert FitzRoy
b.est 1114
d.aft 1142
Facts and Events
Name Gilbert FitzRoy
Gender Male
Birth[2] est 1114
Death[1] aft 1142
Reference Number? Q5560905?

    Gilbert, child 21

  2. based on the fact that he is mentioned with half-brothers Renaud and Robert as being young and without their own households - suggesting that they were close in age


Udaris is the mundane world from which all mortal beings originally came. Although it is largely governed by the laws of physics, it is also imbued with magic and is linked to the realm of Askamar through Gateways. The only people known to dwell there are humans, who have spread their civilisations across the entire globe.

The immortal Ankaykari have always been fascinated by Udaris. To them, it is a place of beauty and mystery, bathed in golden sunlight or the silvery glow of the moon. They call it the Shifting World, because of its swiftly changing seasons, the rise and fall of its kingdoms, and the slow but ceaseless re-shaping of its landmasses.Udaris

Ankaykari Territories

Famous Ankaykari Territories

Despite their arrogance towards mortal-kind, the Ankaykari take a keen interest in the civilizations, technological advances and cultural achievements of humans. Their Citadels are filled with books and artefacts collected from human cities, and they often welcome human envoys. However, they are disturbed by the brutal violence and anarchy of the human world.

Even as they fight among themselves, the Ankaykari long to bring  order to the lands where humans dwell, and many Esu have established great empires in Udaris.

An epic fantasy saga


Home to our original flagship, New York boasts a stunning portfolio of 36 unique locations. Each club is a reflection of its surroundings, as well as a peaceful sanctuary from the chaos outside. Featuring innovative group fitness classes, luxurious spas and exclusive boutiques, our legendary New York clubs provide members with an inviting and exhilarating fitness experience that’s truly unrivaled.


This does feel different than other problems you've had before. We've tried to talk those out, and I've loved talking those out. It's seemed as though if we could just understand more, dive a bit deeper, we could unearth something of truth that would help. Sometimes we find something and we are able to help, even. But in this case, for the last few weeks, I've struggled to talk about your issues with you, and I am not sure why. It just seems like there isn't anything there to uncover, this time, and whether that is my failing, or yours, or this specific problem (not that it's specific) I'm not sure.

The best way I could phrase it, and I'm not sure if this is even accurate, but it's my impression, is that this problem is deeply internal and the change needs to come from within, a decision of some kind needs to be made, discipline needs to be enacted, something like that. In the past, your problems have felt like there were external solutions or little gimmicks that we could try; this time it does not feel that way. A major change needs to happen and you're the only one who could do it.

The only external thing I can guess is that you might need to get out of Japan, since things have become so bad for you there, but I'm not sure that would help. ENTP functionality says yes, though, as you can only function happily when you're being stimulated with new ideas and new theories in interesting discussions with other people, and that is not happening in Japan. Perhaps that's why mind-function and friendship are high on your list. You've been floating in space without engines, Captain Kirk, because you're out of fuel and on a planet that has none.


Observations on Siting an Accelerator

G. Flanagan

Alna Space Program

June 14, 2011

In many articles about rail or gun launch devices, there is an assumption that mountains could be used to achieve a convenient launch angle and to get above the majority of the atmosphere. Using Google Earth, I explored some of the possibilities just to get an idea of the challenges. One assumption in this explorations was that the accelerator was 10 km long, giving an acceleration on the order of 500 g’s. Another assumption was to assume a near-equator site. I am assuming that the majority of the payload mass needs to go into a near equatorial orbit.  At whatever latitude chosen, the accelerator needs to be align along a great-circle path.

An accelerator needs to be perfectly straight, or at least have a very shallow curvature. This presents a problem with siting on a mountain. In order to get a straight line, one must either drill a tunnel through some sections, or build an elevated structure. Both are possible, and the issue become a matter of degree for cost considerations.

Other considerations for siting include: Access to land or air transportation, overflight concerns, and noise. Also, a high mass throughput corresponds to a large power requirement.

In most studies, it is assumed that the gun will require an exit angle of at least 10° in order for the projectile to pass rapidly through the atmosphere. My trajectory studies have shown that as an alternative one can have a horizontal gun by providing the projectile with aerodynamic lift. The lift can change the trajectory path sufficiently to have the same affect of limiting the time in the atmosphere. This approach greatly opens up the possibilities for siting an accelerator.

Mountains near the equator

The mountains of Ecuador would appear to be good locations for a space gun. There are several peaks above 5000 m that are located very close to the equator.

Nevado Cayembe

Nevado Cayembe has a 5790 m peak. The red line below shows a possible 10 km path. The red line follows the ground contour, so the problem is to straighten the path. The profile shows that one could have a reasonable straight 5 km path starting from the peak down, but then one would have to start drilling a tunnel to get the remaining 5 km. The terrain appears to be rough and difficult for any major civil engineering project.

Carihuairazo, Elevation 5018 m

Carihuairazo was interesting because the approach to the peak did appear to be as irregular. On the downside, the angle of the path is only about 4°. Carihuairazo is a volcanic caldera which may discourage the construction of an expensive civil engineering project.

Plateau  sites

If the system uses projectile lift instead of a fixed gun angle, then there are several possibilities for siting at high altitude. The problem is that the high plateaus near the equator involve flying over land and possibly populated areas.

There is a high (2500 m) region of Kenya. The image below arbitrarily picks on 10 km path in this region. Zooming in further, the plateau appears to be heavily cultivated.

If we look a bit away from the equator, Mexico has some higher regions around 22N latitude. The path below is near Ojuelos de Jali. It was picked to be away from obvious cultivated land and towns.

Note that exit is at left side of profile plot.

Similarly, Peru has large expanses of level terrain at over 4000m. The path shown below is at latitude 14S. This site appears to be rather remote, and would require a lot construction to build the necessary transportation and power infrastructure.

Edge of Ocean Site

If the system can be horizontal, and at sea-level, then the overflight problem can be solved by placing the gun along either level terrain at an eastern coast, or in shallow water. Below is a 50 km path of the coast of French Guiana. Guiana already has a conventional space launch facility (Centre Spatial Guyanais). Supplying the base from the ocean is also appealing. Trajectory studies demonstrate that sea-level, horizontal launch is feasible.

Deep Water

Quicklaunch proposes to build a 1.1km long gun that operates in the ocean. By sinking one end of the structure, a favorable angle is achieved.

Spikey Created with Wolfram Mathematica 8.0


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  • Get into the Festival Mood with Spirited Away

    Spirted Away

    It is that time of year again. People are donning their wellies, packing up their tents and heading to fields across the country in the name of music. Festival season is upon us and, as well as the eclectic mix of music on offer, festivals are also a time for dressing up and accessorising to the max!

    For years people have been spending their summers in fields, dancing without a care in the world and trying to find the most outlandish outfits to wear because, let's face it, how often do you get the opportunity to wear feather headdresses and neon legwarmers?

    The joy of festivals is the escapism that comes with it. The freedom to express the inner you, even just for a few days. Our Spirited Away collection is the perfect way to channel your inner festival goddess. With a mix of pendants, bracelets and earrings in silver, rose vermeil and gold vermeil, Spirited Away is a stunning and delicate collection that embodies the summer time.

    Feathers were traditionally worn by Native Indian Chiefs to highlight their wisdom and closeness to the spiritual world. Chiefs would reward members of their tribe with feathers if they had done well in battle or shown considerable bravery. Therefore, feathers are symbolic of honour, bravery and trust. They make wonderful, treasured gifts for people who deserve a reward or want to highlight their inner spirituality, but most of all they are the perfect summer accessory!

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If you’ve played a lot of Destiny, you know that connectivity issues can be a real bummer. Many of the worst issues are thought to arise from Destiny’s decentralized server arrangement, which leapfrogs partial hosting duties between different players’ consoles. For Destiny 2, Bungie says they’re changing things up.

As it stands, if one Destiny player has a lousy internet connection, it can cause weird issues for everyone around them. Laggy boss fights are bad, and teleporting “redbar” opponents in PvP are worse. You would think that each player would only be affected by his or her connection quality, but due to the peer-to-peer parts of Destiny’s networking setup, that’s not quite how it works. (Note: I am not a networking expert, so all of this is just my general understanding.) The game moves hosting duties around behind the scenes, so if a player with a bad connection winds up as host, it can screw with everyone’s experience. The flaws in the system aren’t just annoying—they can be actively exploited by players to, say, freeze a boss in a vulnerable state or cheat in the competitive Crucible.

Hardcore Destiny players have long been of the opinion that Bungie should add dedicated servers for the sequel, which would centralize the game data on Bungie’s own servers and reduce the wider impact of latency issues. At last week’s Destiny 2 event, Bungie said they would not be adding dedicated servers, which disappointed a lot of people.

In yesterday’s weekly update, however, they elaborated on Destiny 2's server situation with some happier news. Here’s the full update from Destiny 2 engineering lead Matt Segur:

So why no dedicated servers?

Matt: Every activity in Destiny 2 is hosted by one of our servers. That means you will never again suffer a host migration during your Raid attempt or Trials match. This differs from Destiny 1, where these hosting duties were performed by player consoles and only script and mission logic ran in the data center. To understand the foundation on which we’re building, check out this Destiny 1 presentation from GDC. Using the terms from this talk, in Destiny 2, both the Mission Host and Physics Host will run in our data centers.

Wait, so we do have dedicated servers?

Matt: We don’t use that term, because in the gaming community, “dedicated servers” refers to pure client-server networking models. Destiny 2 uses a hybrid of client-server and peer-to-peer technology, just like Destiny 1. The server is authoritative over how the game progresses, and each player is authoritative over their own movement and abilities. This allows us to give players the feeling of immediacy in all their moving and shooting – no matter where they live and no matter whom they choose to play with.

Why peer-to-peer? Are we trying to save money?

Matt: Nope! We’ve invested heavily in new server infrastructure for Destiny 2, including using cloud servers for gameplay for the first time. We really believe this is the best model for all of Destiny 2's varied cooperative and competitive experiences. Engineering will always involve tradeoffs and cost-benefit analysis, but as a team we’ve got no regrets about the unique technology we’ve built for Destiny 2.

The GDC talk that Segur links to gets pretty technical in its back half, but this slide from the intro lays out the current Destiny 1 setup pretty clearly:

As those people play together in the game’s shared open world, the “physics host” will hop from player to player, usually without anyone noticing. According to Segur, Destiny 2 will move all of that up to the worldserver, which will hopefully make things less inconsistent if one of the players has a bad connection.

We’ll have to wait to see how this plays out in the actual game, but based on Segur’s description, it really does sound like a significant and specific change to how Destiny shares data between servers and players. It’s also another example of Bungie addressing a problem with a different solution from the one players envisioned. Here’s hoping it’s a change for the better.


Textiles have always been paramount to Andean culture. The availability of llamas, alpacas, cotton and other natural fibers combined with predominantly cold weather, allowed the development of this art. In fact, Andean fabrics form the longest continuous textile record in world history! Some elaborate fabrics were considered so precious, that they were used to trade goods, and even offered as sacrifices to the sun god Inti! The shigra bag, though modest compared to other Andean textiles, is part of this tradition of creating fiber crafts.

How are Shigra’s Made?

First, the raw material, a resistant natural fiber from the cabuya tree (Agave) is prepared. Then, the mature leaves are sliced into long strands which must be soaked in water for 15 days in order to free the fiber of pulp residue. A this point a sewing needle is used to begin the shigra, starting from an oval shaped base, and moving upwards in a swirling circular form. For those who sew, the technique is very similar to the crochet technique. Although the designs are created at the whim and imagination of each woman, over the years, some motifs have evolved. For example, some favorites are the vibrant zig -zag shapes called “quingo” in quichua, or “chauto chaqui” which resembles llama feet. Originally, the shigra was adorned with human and also some animal forms, but today the women have become more lenient towards abstract design.

Before, the women dyed the cabuya with natural colors made from achote or other plants. However, these colors would often run, so today the colors are made from aniline in order to avoid this problem.

In the 1970’s several Ecuadorian and foreign artists began to value the beauty of Ecuadorian arts and crafts. The attractive multihued shigras did not go unnoticed! Several artists began to recognize the potential of this handbag. They used their creativity to explore ideas. New colors, sizes, designs, and materials such as silver, suede, and leather inlays were incorporated. What once was a utilitarian bag for indigenous women only; began to make the Ecuadorian and international fashion scene. Today, quality shigras have leather straps, no running colors, and are lined inside.


The best cultural and religious festivals celebrated annually.

Timket (Epiphany)

The most colorful festival of Ethiopia in an open-air where one can see the jubilations, festivity, dancing and chanting on the air is Timket or Epiphany. The literal meaning of “Timket” is baptism. The festival is celebrated for the remembrance of the day where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in river Jordan.

On this day the ark of covenant will be taken out from the holy of holies to an open-air field but with a very slow and stagnant movement of people who carry the Ark being followed by deacons & priests that wear colorful costumes singing, dancing and chanting around. Then the mass surrounding them voicing up the religious chanting and song. Then the other great mass singing and dancing their own cultural and traditional music.

There is a trend of wearing the best cloth and shoe one has on this day. Also the girls put some decorations to bring out the beauties they have as this is a day to look for the life mate specially in the rural parts of the country and also in some big cities too.

The ark will rest at the selected field with in a tent and the whole night is dedicated for prayer and sanctification as for the religious clergies and for dating and chasing around girls as for the greater part of the young men.

The early morning of the next day is an important religious moment where people gather at the hall that is filled with a holy water for a chance of getting sprinkled on. Some even take the mud and put on the part of their body where they feel sick or even take it home to their relatives who are not able to make it to the sprinkling.

Those arks which were moved from the churches of St. Micheal would stay more night in the tent and start heading back with the same festivity, chanting and dancing the following day while others get back to their original churches after an overnight in the late afternoon of the next day.

Most of the local people coming to attend the event would wear cotton made white clothing which is a very traditional way of wearing while attending church services in Ethiopia and a sight f it from distance or above would make one to imagine a white carpet is plastid on earth.

Timket is colorfully celebrated in the touristic & historic sites of Lalibela and Gondar but can be attended in any part of the country including Addis Ababa, where a very big number of people are witnessed attending it. The eve of Timket is heart alluring to be attended at the top of the rock-churches looking down priest and deacons in their colorful costumes doing their rituals while leaving the rock-churches to the field where the ark overnight. It is also wonderful to see it in Gondar at the bathing pool of King Fasilades, where believers jumps in to it with believers of being clean from their sins and wrong doings.

For the year 2017, it will fall on January 20th.

Put a pin in your calendar to be at the next season of Timket in one of these colorful cities!

Interested in celebrating Timket with us ? Please check available tour packages

Ethiopian Christmas, Timket Festival and Historic Route Tour (Surface + Flight) - 15 days and 14 nights

Work Time

Mon. - Fri. (8:00 am - 5:00pm)

Sat . (8:00 am - 12:30 pm)


We have Partnered with some of the world’s most influential voices

Although not known for certain, but there are differences in the neurotransmitter system between the depressed and non-depressed. There are some parts of the brain that do not work normally when depressed. Depression can occur in families, which means that the tendency of depression can be derived through genetic or hereditary factors. Research shows that women are two times more depressed than men. No one knows for sure, but the hormonal changes that occur in women in many times in life can be a contributing factor. Elderly people have a greater risk of depression. It can be caused by several other factors, such as living alone, lack of social support, and so forth. You’ve felt it all? Then you get depressed. To cure depression, you can not be healed by yourself but you need the help of others and the right which is Ayahuasca.

Ayahuasca is a church community that includes people who are committed and serious about their inner workings, one of which is a deep healing and personal transformation. This is not easy, this is not what you think of fun because it is more indicative of yourself that many people would rather not know about your fears, is not it? So many people bury their fears, but with Ayahuasca, you can tell me anything and Ayahuasca will help you to recover from all your fears with the method is simple but powerful way to apply that yoga and meditation, then held the trip to get closer to nature by to appreciate that the purpose of your life is very precious and you still have a beautiful dream.

Treatment techniques and treatment of depression are highly dependent on the type and cause of depression. There are various types of antidepressant drugs whose use prescribed by a doctor, and some treatments that can be done alone. Life changes such as frequent exercise and reduces the consumption of alcoholic beverages can provide benefits for patients with depression. You can also join the group-therapy group to share stories and give each other support. As a result of the most severe depression is a tendency to commit suicide. Try to always share their stories to the people closest to you about the matter at hand. Patients are also strongly advised to see a doctor, especially if the depression has lasted a long time or worse. The earlier treatment for depression, the chances of recovery as a whole can be obtained.


Stuart Butler

Your Booking Engine May Be Losing You Millions In Mobile Revenue

Let’s be honest with ourselves: We hit the mobile tipping point back in 2014. And yet, we still see mobile bookings and mobile revenue lagging far behind. Why is that? The conventional wisdom is that mobile is “earlier in the conversion funnel.” It’s where people are getting inspired or simply researching before switching to the

StayNTouch, Fuel & reveal how to win guests at every step of the traveler journey in upcoming Webinar

MYRTLE BEACH, SC—MARCH 14, 2017—StayNTouch, innovators in mobile technology and Property Management Systems, have teamed up with travel industry and direct booking experts Fuel, and hotel advocacy platform pioneers, for a joint webinar—‘The Evolution of Guest Expectations and How Hotels can Exceed the New Demands.’ The event will help hotels exceed their guests’ evolving

New Study Answers Question: Does Your Hotel Website Really Matter?

At Fuel, we like data. It makes our lives easier, often teaches us something new, and it helps up in our continued pursuit to improve the effectiveness of our hotel marketing solutions. For that reason, we constantly survey travellers and put out our findings in the form of travel research studies. This time, we didn’t

Why 2017 Is the Year of the Hotel Guest

Every year, the gurus in every industry like to summarize their expectations and assumptions for the upcoming 12 months into a catchy headline. For example, for many people, 2016 was a year focused on the “Battle for direct bookings.” This culminated in the big brands spending millions on book-direct campaigns and the OTAs responding by


User menu

Model Ecosystem pilot project

The Model Ecosystem pilot project will test the feasibility of phylogenetically and environmentally characterizing every species in a well-defined New Zealand Model Ecosystem using modern sequencing, informatics, niche modelling and field ecology approaches. The project is a collaboration with the Department of Conservation and iwi and aims to build strong collaborative linkages within the Allan Wilson Centre (AWC) and among international colleagues, and provide a long term research programme structure for collaborative, interdisciplinary student projects at the intersection of ecology, evolutionary biology and genomics.
Such an integrated and comprehensive approach would form the basis for robustly testing questions concerning ecological and evolutionary processes important for (a) conservation management, (b) an improved understanding of the drivers of community assembly and ecosystem health and therefore (c) an understanding of the impact on ecological communities of perturbations such as human modification and climate change. A phylogenetic characterization of the makeup of an ecosystem substantially reduces the labour-intensive and expert-dependent process of taxonomic identification, and opens up new avenues of enquiry about the structure and assembly of the species communities that make up ecosystems. As well as (i) providing the opportunity to discover unforeseen interactions among species from across the full taxonomic range and (ii) developing predictive models of community structure and dynamics, a comprehensive statistical sample of an entire ecosystem will also feed in to the development of standardized sampling techniques, including environmental sampling, as well as the organization and analysis of integrated data sets including genetic, geographic and environmental data in a comprehensive National database and analysis software system for ecosystem genomics.

To understand the goals of the pilot project it might help to understand what the full-scale project might look like and read the overview of the scientific hyphotheses and the alignment with DoC strategic goals.


Teodora AvramovicHSwebTeodora A. (aka Tia) is a young actor who is currently enrolled at Wollongong High School of Performing Arts (WHSPA), The Actors Assembly Teens, The Drama Studio and EGTC. She has been performing as an actor, dancer and singer since the age of 3.

Tia is a citizen of both Canada and Australia having been born in Canada and now living in Australia. She is multi-lingual; her first language was English. However she also speaks Serbian (Croatian) and is currently learning Italian in which she has a basic understanding of.

As part of The Actors Assembly Teens, Tia has filmed several scenes for film and television. She is always learning about—and enjoying—the business of acting. By developing her personal attributes and qualities, she continues being the best person that she can be, which is mindfulness.

Tia has many other skills that would enable her to perform in many scenes that may need these talents such as basketball, kayaking and swimming.

As a young aspiring actor Tia has appeared in several performances and tested her acting abilities in several types of acting styles. Appearances include:

  1. WHSPA productions put on one main stage feature every year. Tia was chosen for a lead role in 2016’s “The Ash Girl” and is playing Mother.
  2. WHSPA displays students best chosen class works in which Tia has consistently performed every year showcasing children’s classics such as “Rapunzel”, “Matilda” and others.
  3. As improvisation is a valuable skill, Tia has appeared now twice in the Junior Theatre Sports competition in Sydney as part of a team. They have come 4th overall in 2014 and 1st overall in 2015.
  4. Tia tries to participate in as many programs and shows as possible to showcase her progress, involving herself both within curricular and extracurricular activities such as Improvisational Eisteddfods, Year 5 Drama Show (Balgownie Public School) and I98fm singing talent contests.
  5. Finally Tia ensures she maintains her skills in performing not only in English but in Serbian as well. Vidovdan Akademija (Annual Serbian Orthodox Churches Language Schools Performances) was conducted in Serbian.

Teodora Avramovic Showreel from Teodora Avramovic on Vimeo.


Microchipping pets is crucial in natural disaster-prone areas and for owners whose pets spend any amount of time unsupervised out of doors. For all others (all twelve of you left over) it’s merely ‘strongly recommended.’ That was before this week’s tragedy unfolded in the mountains of North Georgia.

Straight from the headlines comes Ella’s story. She’s the black Lab mix who made it down from the Georgia woods to a grocery store after she and her owner, Meredith Emerson, went for a hike last weekend. Meredith never made it back. She was apparently stalked and killed by a sick f--- (sorry, I have no better description for him).

Ella had presumably lost her leash and collar in whatever transpired to separate her from her owner (I shudder to think of it). But she was positively identifiable by her microchip number. It was among the first in a long list of clues that would lead police to find Ella’s mom…albeit too late.

This is the first case I’ve ever heard of where a microchip was instrumental in a human forensics case like this one. And while it may not have made a difference to the outcome of this crime or its investigation, the implications are quite clear:

Microchips get pets home. They might even help you get home, too.

It was too late for Meredith. But who knows? Maybe next time, that lightning-strike-twist-of-fate that leads you into dark places might find you relying on your pet’s ID as the only beacon out. It’s worth thinking about.

(Thanks to Tom Dock of VNN for a heads up on this one.)


Life in the Interzone in Old Shanghai

by William Gibson

8 June 2017

The Sing-song Girls of Shanghai and Flowers of Shanghai capture a William S. Borroughs-like Interzone in Old Shanghai.
Michelle Reis as Emerald in Flowers of Shanghai (1998)
cover art

The Sing-song Girls of Shanghai

Han Bang Qing

(Columbia University Press)
revised: Nov 2007

cover art

Flowers of Shanghai

Director: Hou Hsiao Hsien

(Fox Lorber)

A glimpse of something ineffable.

William S. Burroughs’ concept of an Interzone, based on his experiences in the International Zone in Tangiers at mid-century and explored in his 1959 novel Naked Lunch, remains starkly powerful. In a nutshell, as the name suggests, Interzone is a liminal space between other territories. Since Interzone is neither one place nor another, the normal rules of civilization are either suspended or perverted; the value systems that apply to the places on either side of the zone are subverted by the people of the zone to their own needs. Amidst inherent dangers, the Interzone offers forbidden knowledge alongside immoral delights. It’s a shadowy place where flourishing vice nourishes blossoms of dark artistic endeavor, a place where erotic crimes stem from exotic visions and travelers are warned that once they enter they will be forever altered.

Interzones ebb and flow. The International Zone in Tangiers officially began in 1924 and came to a swift end in 1956, but Burroughs’ concept can also be found in unexpected places. While researching the history of late Qing dynasty for my recent translation, with Paul Bruthiaux, of Alfred Raquez’s 1899 travel narrative through China, In the Land of Pagodas, I read many descriptions of the international concessions in Shanghai. While the entire city was renowned for crime and vice, there was a sense that it was a cosmopolitan place and not an Interzone as Burroughs conceived of it. It was not until I found a description of Shanghai from a Chinese perspective that I found that Interzone. It existed in the alleys of the international settlement, in a neighborhood of so-called sing-song houses where high-classed courtesans entertained Chinese men grown wealthy from trading with the foreigners.

The description was written by a member of this brotherhood and if not for his depiction of the elaborate subaltern culture of the sing-song houses, this brief Interzone may have been utterly forgotten within a few generations. Translated into English as The Sing-song Girls of Shanghai (an older version is more poetic: Biographies of Flowers by the Seashore), Han Bang Qing’s 1892 fictional trace of this brief subculture vividly transports readers into a strange, beautiful, and occasionally cruel world that, like the International Zone in Tangiers, is now no more than a moment in history.

Modern Shanghai is a glitzy showcase city where Chinese ingenuity and prosperity are displayed in a mesmerizing skyline that has become iconic. The razzle-dazzle beside the Huangpu River also helps to erase Shanghai’s past. The city came into being because of the opium trade. Specifically, it was the British who, at the conclusion of the First Opium War in 1842, forced the Chinese to sign a treaty opening a handful of port cities to foreigner residences and Shanghai, due largely to superior geography and weather, became the most prosperous of these opium ports. The French followed suit and created a settlement in 1849, the famed French Concession, then in 1863, the Shanghai International Settlement was formed by the merger of the British and American zones.

The often fractious history of the mercantile relationship between Chinese traders and the foreigners makes for a broad, interesting study. For understanding the Interzone in question, it’s important to know that by the 1880s there arose a class of Chinese who, while not from the traditional elite, had become notably wealthy, and they expected elaborate entertainment to match this affluence. The houses of the sing-song girls fulfilled this expectation.

Sing-Song Girls

The sing-song girls were not prostitutes so much as courtesans. While somewhat similar to Japanese geishas, sing-song girls occupy a unique social space, in that they also fulfilled the role of mistresses.

While sexual intimacy could occur between a girl and a client, it could take a long time to establish such a relationship, and often once it was established, it would be monogamous within the sing-song world. So while the man may be married and might sleep with his wife, he would not sleep around with other sing-song girls. He would be expected to pay for the woman’s house, food, and general upkeep, however, she would also be expected to go on “party calls” with other men in which she would keep him company (“escort” in modern parlance), but there was no expectation of sexual favors. If the woman were to break this code of conduct by having an affair with another client, or even just a lover, the man would be within his bounds to feel cheated and respond accordingly by cutting her off. The English word for these women in the translation under review is “maestro”, and that neatly captures the social role they were expected to play.

A large part of the novel is given to describing the entertainment at the parties held in the sing-song houses. Food, both Chinese and Western, would be served and much rice wine would be drunk. A key component was playing games in which the loser would be forced to drink and one of the functions of the sing-song girls was to drink the penalty for their client. The game most often played was shiwu shiwu, or in the novel’s translation, the “finger game”, and I am happy to attest from personal experience that it is still played as a bar game in Singapore where it is called “5-10-15”. Here is Alfred Raquez’s description of it from In the Land of Pagodas

Both players launch their right hand forward simultaneously while extending the number of fingers of their choice at the same time as they loudly call out a number. The player who called the exact number of fingers extended by both partners is the winner. The loser must empty the glass that stands before him. As a result, the champagne glasses are drained at marvelous speed.

In addition to the alcohol, much opium is consumed at the sing-song parties and one amazes that any of these prosperous men can wake up in time to make it to their office the next day.

Han Bang Qing also describes in detail the staff of the sing-song houses, from the madams to the men who carried the palanquins. Each person has a very specific role and the relationships between these people, while not the focus of Han’s narrative, make for some of the most interesting points in the novel.

All of this sounds rather mundane but the novel is written in such a way that the reader often feels a peculiar sense of voyeurism mingled with alienation, as though we were peering into the parties and private lives of these people through a spyglass. The esoteric subject alone would foster this distancing effect, but the novel’s construction also contributes to it.

Originally published serially in a Shanghai literary magazine founded by the author, the novel was written in Wu dialect, an ancient language that is the foundation for the modern Shanghainese regional language, which, in case you’re keeping count, is one of the 297 languages currently used in the People’s Republic. Wu was the dialect used by the sing-song girls and their clients, but unfortunately for most modern Chinese readers trained in Mandarin the original novel is as unreadable as if it were written in Polish.

This sad state of affairs was remedied by the highly esteemed author Eileen Chang, who wrote a Mandarin translation in the ‘80s; her novella Lust, Caution was made into a film directed by Ang Lee in 2007. She also started work on an English language version of the novel, but that project was left incomplete at her death (this was not, as some reviewers have misunderstood, a translation from the Mandarin; it was instead a transition directly from the original Wu).

In 2001, Columbia University Press asked the accomplished translator Eva Hung to take on the task of revising Chang’s manuscript for publication, which after some hesitation she agreed to do. In her afterward, she claims that 60 percent of the final product is her own work. As befits a university press publication, there is substantial critical apparatus, including an introduction, an afterword, a bibliography, and a long essay written by Hung titled “The World of the Shanghai Courtesans”, which is invaluable as a guide to this strange world (it’s better to read it before starting the novel).

Nonetheless, there are oddities that further the sense of alienation the book creates.

Han rarely describes the appearance of individuals, which means that their names became the main signifier of each character. There’s a difficulty for the reader to this technique, however. If you have a Chinese friend named Yu Shuang, you probably call her that name and not “Double Jade”, which is the literal translation. Yet the names in this book are translated literally and the names are often incredibly similar so that it becomes difficult to keep track of each one. To wit, there are Pearl Phoenix, Gold Phoenix, and Green Phoenix, as well as Twin Jade, Twin Pearl, and Twin Jewel, plus Water Blossom and River Blossom. The list goes on. With over 140 characters, the effect on the reader of these similar names can become dizzying.

The parallel naming coupled with Han’s programmatic writing style often makes the book read like a catalog of minute events. Here is a typical passage:

Tiger eagerly assisted in the entertainment of Lai. Second Treasure was open and polite in her manners. Unfortunately, Lai had taken a fancy to her and kept staring at her until she felt annoyed. She looked down and played with her handkerchief. He reached out surreptitiously, took hold of a corner of the handkerchief, and snatched it away. The handkerchief was torn, and with it two of Second Treasure’s long fingernails measuring over two inches. Shock, pain, and anger flooded over her; she would have given him a piece of her mind, but for the sake of business, she controlled herself. With her handkerchief in his hand, Lai gloated.

Such composition does not fit well with the sensibilities of modern creative writing schools which extol a “show don’t tell” approach to fiction that prizes purple passages coupled with descriptions of psychological states and emotive responses (viz, Dave Eggers). Han’s “tell don’t show” approach has its virtues in that the actions of characters reveal their personalities without the author having to create psychological profiles for readers. Han’s approach is closer to stage drama than fiction and owes more to performance than to the printed page.

There’s also the very sharp sense that, despite being set in the international settlement of Shanghai, this is a Chinese story. Very few foreigners appear and those that do are ciphers on the edges of the narrative. A representative example: “They saw that it was not a fire but a foreign policeman standing bolt upright on the top of the pitched roof of the stored house opposite. He was in a black uniform and had steel sword in his hand that glittered in the electric light.”

But there are also lines of dialogue that are both intimate and realistic while maintaining a universal component. For example, two characters discuss the dangers of smoking opium for fun: ‘It’s best not to touch it.’ ‘Don’t worry. How can I work if I’m addicted?’ she replied.” There is a sense of immediacy here, like eavesdropping, that is satisfying and resonates with a modern audience.

This sense of alienation mingled with voyeurism is beautifully captured in a hypnotic version of the story that was brought to the big screen in 1998.

Biographies of Flowers on the Silver Screen

Like most brick-thick novels about 19th century manners and mores, The Sing-Song Girls of Shanghai has the latent potential in its DNA (so to speak) to become a multi-part televised costume drama. These sort of men-in-funny-hats, women-in-flowing-gowns style historical series are churned out in China and Korea at an industrial rate and one would suspect that Han’s novel would have received the same plodding treatment.

Fortunately, instead, director Hou Hsiao Hsien took on an adaption project titled Flowers of Shanghai. The result is a vivid interpretation of the source material as well as unique telling of the narrative that throws light on some of the murkier aspects of the text.

First, Hou smartly parred back the characters as well as the locations, with fewer than ten characters and a mere four sing-song houses instead of the nearly 20 presented in the novel. This compression, coupled with Hou’s brilliant directing, enhances the story. By utilizing long takes, a neutral camera position and very limited movement, the film perfectly captures a sense of voyeurism, as though the viewer were seated in the room with the characters. Each scene is filmed in one take (or should I say each take is filmed as one scene?), with the opening seven-minute scene rightfully earning kudos from connoisseurs of such stuff.

Throughout the movie, there are no close-ups, no zooms. If the camera moves at all, it’s in a very limited space and never into the action of the scene. Detractors will complain that the result is stagey and dull if not pretentious. But it makes perfect sense in capturing the novel, which manages to be both sprawling and claustrophobic. What matters here are the sing-song girls, their clients, and the rooms in which they interact, eat, drink, gamble, and get high.

The tightness of the narrative is contrasted by the sumptuous visuals. Every item on screen is visually arresting and as the camera lingers without moving on characters that often remain quite still, there’s plenty of time to take in the detail of the set design and costumes. Authentically, the rooms were designed to become interesting for boozers and opium smokers and the décor can be described as toy-box psychedelic. Except for the walls, which remain as blank as a mid-town art gallery, daedal patterns and colors cover nearly every surface, even the clothing. The women have elaborate hairdos with ornate hair pieces that shimmer like fishing lures above perfectly arranged faces. Even the rough and tumble male characters become shimmering spirits experienced in a reverie. All the explosive computer generated psychedelic scenes of 2016’s Doctor Strange becomes artless pablum beside the intricacy on screen here. Flowers of Shanghai is not so much a far-out trip as a psychedelic implosion. It’s opium, not LSD.

The restrained, refined acting of the main characters adds depth to the fine cinematography. Tony Leung, familiar as the lead in Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love (2000) and the villain in 2007’s Lust, Caution (mentioned above), is impeccable. He can do more with an eyebrow lift than most actors can with their entire bodies. In this film, he is given the task of acting a man who is naturally reserved and taciturn, then depicting how these qualities alter under the intoxicated states of rice wine and opium. His work is so realistic it’s hard not to believe that he didn’t get drunk and high on set. When he finally loses his temper, it’s like someone took the lid off a pressure cooker. Then just as quickly that lid is returned and we can feel the emotive energy welling inside him.

Michelle Reis also deserves special mention as an-all-business sing-song girl named Emerald who winds up negotiating the cost of her own freedom. Even though her lover is willing to pay the initial asking price, out of sheer spite to the madam, she connives to reduce the price to the lowest possible amount, even if it means risking her freedom.

The actors speak their lines in Shanghainese, which is similar to the Wu dialect used for the original novel, although some of them speak in Cantonese as well. While this aspect of the film will be lost on most viewers in the West who rely on the subtitles (like myself), for Chinese viewers who are not familiar with Shanghainese, the use of the dialect accentuates the sense of alienation of the subject matter while maintaining the immediacy of the film experience. Nonetheless, some lines from the novel make it straight into the film, including the dialogue about the addictiveness of opium noted above, which makes a strong thematic connection between the two versions of this narrative.

The film illuminates the novel in a way that no amount of scholarly accretion would be able to. Whereas the words on the page can sometimes appear as little more than lists of strange names and actions, the film allows us to see how these people could have dressed and moved and touched one another. Put another way, since the novel is old and the world described utterly alien, even in modern Shanghai, our imaginations may fail us when picturing what Han Bang Qing describes. The film version gives us the visual experience that is critically needed to bring the book completely to life.

Work or Leisure?

It’s ironic that a novel dedicated to describing a world of male leisure requires both scholarly essays and feature length films to fully appreciate. If we have to do homework prior to engaging with a novel, doesn’t the novel itself become homework? There’s a balance required in our hectic lives between what will pass as study and what we will accept as recreation. What will one gain from the all the effort required to read, understand, and imaginatively enter the world captured by Han Bang Qing?
Like all journeys into an Interzone, merely a glimpse of something ineffable.

//Mixed media

'Caltiki': The Creeping Blob!

// Short Ends and Leader

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RHoK Australia runs weekend hackathons in summer and winter every year. These happen simultaneously in five different locations across Australia. Over the course of 48 hours, teams assemble around our changemakers to work fast and furious, have fun, and create real social impact. It's an opportunity to work in a collaborative environment to help create innovative technology solutions to social problems.

At RHoK Australia we finish what we start. We want to come up with solutions that are actually used by the wider community. So, during the year we run what are known as RHoLLs, where our changemakers get together with our hackers to continue working on individual projects. This is where the real nuts and bolts happen. We pride ourselves on finishing what we start, and this is something that sets us apart from other hackathons.


Meryl Streep Net Worth is$45 Million
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deserves the money?
Rating: 4.6/5 (137 votes cast)
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Would you date ?
Rating: 4.1/5 (86 votes cast)
Profession: Actor, Film actress

Date of Birth: Jun 22, 1949

Nicknames: Mary Louise Streep, Streep, Meryl

Height: 1.68 m

Ethnicity: Dutch-American

Country: United States of America

Meryl Streep is a New Jersey-born actress with an estimated net worth of $45 million dollars. An award-winning performer with numerous credits on stage, on television, and on film, Meryl Streep has been nominated for the Oscar sixteen times and won twice. She has also received seven Golden Globe Awards and two Emmy Awards, among others. She has also been nominated for five Grammy Awards and a Tony Award. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2010.
Streep made her professional stage debut in 1971's The Playboy of Seville, before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season in 1977. In that same year, she made her film debut with Julia. Both critical and commercial success came quickly with roles in The Deer Hunter (1978) and Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), the former giving Streep her first Oscar nomination and the latter her first win. She later won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in Sophie's Choice (1982) and The Iron Lady (2011).
Streep has received 17 Academy Award nominations, winning three, and 26 Golden Globe nominations, winning eight, more nominations than any other actor in the history of either award. Her work has also earned her two Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Cannes Film Festival award, five New York Film Critics Circle Awards, two BAFTA awards, an Australian Film Institute Award, five Grammy Award nominations, and a Tony Award nomination, amongst others. She was awarded the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2004 and the Kennedy Center Honor in 2009 for her contribution to American culture through performing arts, the youngest actress in each award's history.
Streep was born Mary Louise Streep in Summit, New Jersey. Her mother, Mary Wolf (n'ee Wilkinson; 1915-2001), was a commercial artist and former art editor, and her father, Harry William Streep, Jr. (1910-2003), was a pharmaceutical executive. She has two brothers, Dana David and Harry William III. Her patrilineal ancestry originates in Loffenau, Germany, from where her second great-grandfather, Gottfried Streeb, emigrated to the United States, and where one of her ancestors served as mayor. Another line of her father's family was from Giswil in the canton of Obwalden, a small town in Switzerland.

Meryl Streep Net Worth, 4.6 out of 5 based on 137 ratings

Meryl Streep Latest News

Meryl Streep’s Best Movie Lines

Over her storied career, Meryl Streep has racked up dozens of film credits going back to the ’70s, scored a record-breaking 20 Oscar nominations (along with three wins), and, of course, delivered golden line after golden line. With the actress turning 68 ...
Posted: June 22, 2017, 3:09 am

Shirtless Pierce Brosnan, 64, looks like the ultimate silver fox as he enjoys relaxed stroll on Hawaiian beach

Universal Pictures confirmed last month that the sequel will see the return of the film's original cast. The star-studded line-up will include Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard.
Posted: June 28, 2017, 3:32 am

Happy Birthday, Meryl Streep! Who Will She Play in the Mary Poppins Sequel?

Meryl Streep showed off her serious singing skills in 2014’s Into the Woods, and she’ll be back to sing once more in the upcoming Mary Poppins sequel, Mary Poppins Returns. Streep, who turns 68 on on June 22, will play Topsy, an eccentric cousin of ...
Posted: June 21, 2017, 1:00 am

Review | ‘Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar & Grill’ at Wyndham’s Theatre, London

Dubbing Attitude’s latest Big Gay Following icon Audra McDonald as “the Meryl Streep of musical theatre” wasn’t an exaggeration. The six-time Tony award winner gets so far under the skin of Billie Holiday in Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar & Grill you ...
Posted: June 28, 2017, 3:06 am

Meryl Streep Deserves Yet Another Award for All Her Eye-Catching Eyewear Through the Years

No one—except perhaps Donald Trump—would argue that Meryl Streep is lacking in talent and accomplishments. Yet even as the actor with the most Academy Award nominations, Streep has managed to elude one (admittedly sillier if not less important ...
Posted: June 25, 2017, 2:55 pm
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The Chaos Theory

In the past week alone, Trump has publicly pitted two military contractors against one another, sowed confusion about the scope of his proposed ban on foreign Muslims and needled China following its seizure of a U.S. underwater drone. But nothing...

Life is a series of moments that eventually you have to let go of.


Sunday, December 23, 2012

Nancy Gonlin, and David Webster

Nancy Gonlin, and David Webster uses a technique called obsidian hydration. The technique allowed them to map the spread and growth of settlements in the Copán Valley and estimate their populations. Between 400 and 450 AD, the population was estimated at around six-hundred people. This rose to a peak of twenty-eight thousand between 750 and 800 AD - larger than London or Paris at the time. HP Compaq 408545-741 Battery

Population then began steady decline. By 900 AD, the population had fallen to fifteen thousand, and by 1200 AD the population was again less than 1000 in Copán.

Some 88 different theories or variations of theories attempting to explain the Classic Maya Collapse have been identified.[5] HP Compaq 408545-761 Battery

 From climate change to deforestation to lack of action by Mayan kings, there is no universally accepted collapse theory, although drought is gaining momentum as the leading explanation.[6]

The archaeological evidence of the Toltec intrusion into Yucatán in Seibal, Peten suggests to some the theory of foreign invasion. HP Compaq 409357-001 Battery

The latest hypothesis states that the southern lowlands were invaded by a non-Maya group whose homelands were probably in the gulf coast lowlands. This invasion began in 9th century and set off, within 100 years, a group of events that destroyed the Classic Maya. It is believed that this invasion was somehow influenced by the Toltec people of central Mexico. HP Compaq 409357-002 Battery

However, most Mayanists do not believe that foreign invasion was the main cause of the Classic Maya Collapse; they postulate that no military defeat can explain or be the cause of the protracted and complex Classic Collapse process. Teotihuacan influence across the Maya region may have involved some form of military invasion, HP Compaq 412779-001 Battery

however it is generally noted that significant Teotihuacan-Maya interactions date from at least the Early Classic period, well before the episodes of Late Classic collapse.[7]

Dr Michel Peissel believes that the well documented conquest of Yucatán in the 9th century by the Chichen Itza polity, HP Compaq 415306-001 Battery

led to the rerouting along coastal sea routes of most of the (cacao) trade that used to transit through (and enrich) the major inland cities, which were ruined overnight, as were those of the silk road when Portuguese traders began to transfer silk by ship to Europe from China and Japan. HP Compaq 418867-001 Battery

Peissel's theory, validated by several scholars, explains why the collapse was not general and also why at the time of the collapse of lowland cities other towns flourished - most of them along the new routes opened up by the Chichen Itza maritime traders. To prove the feasibility of this transfer from overland trade routes to the sea, HP Compaq 418871-001 Battery

Dr Peissel with three Mexican archeologists and ten companions travelled 650 kilometers in 1988 on a sea-going Maya dugout from Chunyache in Quintana Roo (Mexico) to the upper reaches of the Mojo River in Belize.[8]

Archaeological evidence indicates that Maya building and expansion projects were at their peak from c. HP Compaq 441675-001 Battery

730 to 790 (specifically during the k'atun), with constant enlargement and building and without any machines or beneficial tools to assist them. During this same time period, signs foreshadowing the collapse of Maya civilizations were beginning to appear. The majority of the burden was placed on peasant workers in the cities, like Tikal and Copan, with a seemingly endless construction, making ball courts and other buildings bigger. HP Compaq 443884-001 Battery

One theory, supported by J. Eric S. Thompson, attributes the collapse of the classic Maya to a hypothesized revolution among these lower Maya social classes. As life became more burdensome, work began to "undermine the religious development and collective enterprise of ordinary people", according to this line of thinking. HP Compaq 443885-001 Battery

The increased burden of work may have caused people to abandon their values and revolt against the elite of society, specifically the priest-rulers, since the Maya were believed to be theocratic and thus ruled by the priests. This might help explain the abrupt collapse of elite functions, as well as unfinished buildings and ceremonial centers. HP Compaq 446398-001 Battery

Since the collapse of various civilizations occurred at various times, it is believed that the revolts of individual groups were a part of a unplanned and impulsive series. In the civilization of Piedras Negras, for example, there seemed to be some sort of violence during this time period that was displayed through various palace buildings being set on fire and a throne being destroyed. HP Compaq 446399-001 Battery

While this seems to be a revolt between the peasants and the priests, the model being called the "priest-peasant" model, it was later discovered that kings ruled during the Pre Classic and Classic period within the Maya social classes rather than priests.[9]

Even though these theories seemed to be a good explanation of the sudden collapse of the Maya civilizations, it still contains problems. HP Compaq 451085-121 Battery

First of all, Thompson's theory does not answer the question of where all the inhabitants went. David Webster believed that the population should have increased, instead of decreasing because of the lack of elite power. Second, it is not understood why the governmental institutions were not remade following the revolts, which actually happened under similar circumstances in places like China. HP Compaq 451085-141 Battery

Third, after a study was done by Elliot Abrams, he came to the conclusion that buildings, specifically in Copan, did not actually need the extensive amount of time and workers to complete the constructions. However, when Thompson had developed this theory, it was during a time period in which the archaeological evidence showed that there were fewer Maya people then as are now HP Compaq 451085-661 Battery

known.[10] Revolutions, peasant revolts, and social turmoil change things, and often are followed by foreign wars, but they run their course. There are no documented revolutions that caused wholesale abandonment of entire regions.It has been hypothesized that the decline of the Maya is related to the collapse of their intricate trade systems, especially those connected to the central Mexican city of Teotihuacán. HP Compaq 451086-001 Battery

Preceding improved knowledge of the chronology of Mesoamerica, Teotihuacan was believed to have fallen during AD 700–750, forcing the "restructuring of economic relations throughout highland Mesoamerica and the Gulf Coast".[11] This remaking of relationships between civilizations would have then given the collapse of the Classic Maya a slightly later date. HP Compaq 451086-121 Battery

However, after knowing more about the events and the time periods that they occurred, it is now believed that the strongest Teotihuacan influence was during the 4th and 5th centuries. In addition, the civilization of Teotihuacan started to lose its power, and maybe even abandoned the city, during AD 600–650. HP Compaq 451086-161 Battery

This differs greatly from the previous belief that Teotihuacano power decreased during AD 700–750.[12] But since the new decline date of AD 600–650 has been accepted, the Maya civilizations are now thought to have lived on, and also prospered “for another century and more”[13] than what was previously believed. Rather than the decline of Teotihuacan directly preceding the collapse of the Maya, their decline is now seen as contributing “to the 6th century ‘hiatus’”. HP Compaq 451086-621 Battery

The disease theory is also a contender as a factor in the Classic Maya Collapse. Widespread disease could explain some rapid depopulation, both directly through the spread of infection itself and indirectly as an inhibition to recovery over the long run. According to Dunn (1968) and Shimkin (1973), infectious diseases spread by parasites are common in tropical rainforest regions, such as the Maya lowlands. HP Compaq 451086-661 Battery

Shimkin specifically suggests that the Maya may have encountered endemic infections related to American trypanosomiasis, Ascaris, and some enteropathogens that cause acute diarrheal illness. Furthermore, some experts believe that, through development of their civilization (that is, development of agriculture and settlements), HP Compaq 451568-001 Battery

the Maya could have created a "disturbed environment," in which parasitic and pathogen-carrying insects often thrive.[15] Among the pathogens listed above, it is thought that those that cause the acute diarrheal illnesses would have been the most devastating to the Maya population. HP Compaq 456864-001 Battery

This is because such illness would have struck a victim at an early age, thereby hampering nutritional health and the natural growth and development of a child. This would have made them more susceptible to other diseases later in life. Such ideas as this could explain the role of disease as at least a possible partial reason for the Classic Maya Collapse. HP Compaq 456865-001 Battery

Mega-droughts hit the Yucatán Peninsula and Petén Basin areas with particular ferocity, for several reasons:

  1. Thin tropical soils, which decline in fertility and become unworkable when deprived of forest cover;[17]

Regular seasonal drought, drying up M+D surface water;[18] HP Compaq 458640-542 Battery

The colonial Spanish officials accurately documented cycles of drought, famine, disease, and war, providing a reliable historical record of the basic drought pattern in the Maya region.[19]

Climatic factors were first implicated in the Collapse as early as 1931 by Mayanists Thomas Gann and J.E.S. Thompson.[20] HP Compaq 464119-142 Battery

In The Great Maya Droughts, Richardson Gill gathers and analyzes an array of climatic, historical, hydrologic, tree ring, volcanic, geologic, lake bed, and archeological research, and demonstrates that a prolonged series of droughts most likely caused the Classic Maya Collapse.[21] The drought theory provides a comprehensive explanation, HP Compaq 464119-143 Battery

because non-environmental and cultural factors (excessive warfare, foreign invasion, peasant revolt, less trade, etc.) can all be explained by the effects of prolonged drought on Classic Maya civilization.[22]

Climatic changes are, with increasing frequency, found to be major drivers in the rise and fall of civilizations all over the world.[23] HP Compaq 464119-162 Battery

Professors Harvey Weiss of Yale University and Raymond S. Bradley of the University of Massachusetts have written: "Many lines of evidence now point to climate forcing as the primary agent in repeated social collapse."[24] In a separate publication, Weiss illustrates an emerging understanding of scientists: HP Compaq 464119-361 Battery

"Within the past five years new tools and new data for archaeologists, climatologists, and historians have brought us to the edge of a new era in the study of global and hemispheric climate change and its cultural impacts. The climate of the Holocene, previously assumed static, now displays a surprising dynamism, which has affected the agricultural bases of pre-industrial societies. HP Compaq 464119-362 Battery

The list of Holocene climate alterations and their socio-economic effects has rapidly become too complex for brief summary."

 The drought theory holds that rapid climate change in the form of severe drought brought about the Classic Maya collapse. According to the particular version put forward by Gill in The Great Maya Droughts, HP Compaq 464119-363 Battery

"[Studies of] Yucatecan lake sediment cores ... provide unambiguous evidence for a severe 200-year drought from AD 800 to 1000 ... the most severe in the last 7,000 years ... precisely at the time of the Maya Collapse."

Climatic modeling, tree ring data, and historical climate data show that cold weather in the Northern Hemisphere is associated with drought in Mesoamerica. HP Compaq 482962-001 Battery

Northern Europe suffered extremely low temperatures around the same time as the Maya droughts. The same connection between drought in the Maya areas and extreme cold in northern Europe was found again at the beginning of the 20th century. Volcanic activity, within and outside Mesoamerica, is also correlated with colder weather and resulting drought, as the effects of the Tambora volcano eruption in 1815 indicate.[28] HP Compaq 484786-001 Battery

Mesoamerican civilization provides a remarkable exception: civilization prospering in the tropical swampland. The Maya are often conceived as having lived in a rainforest, but technically, they lived in a seasonal desert without access to stable sources of drinking water.[29] The exceptional accomplishments of the Maya are all the more remarkable because of their engineered response to the fundamental environmental difficulty of relying upon rainwater rather than permanent sources of water. HP Compaq 484787-001 Battery

 “The Maya succeeded in creating a civilization in a seasonal desert by creating a system of water storage and management which was totally dependent on consistent rainfall.”[30] The constant need for water kept the Maya on the edge of survival. “Given this precarious balance of wet and dry conditions, even a slight shift in the distribution of annual precipitation can have serious consequences.”[31] HP Compaq 490306-001 Battery

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F&ES 971b

Land Use Clinic

Credits: 3
Spring 2018: Time and location TBA

This clinic explores a variety of specific community land use topics of current concern and relevance to the field, to the curriculum, and to society. Potential project topics include renewable energy, natural resources, rural-based land uses, agriculture, and sustainable urban planning. Students work with the instructor to develop papers, research memorandums, presentations, and publications on a selected topic. The instructor or guest speakers lecture on specific topics related to student projects. Additionally, students attend field trips relevant to the curriculum and may participate in project meetings with clients. Students select from a project list or meet with the instructor to design a relevant project.


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interstitial Cystitis

interstitial Cystitis
In practical terms, the definition of urinary tract infection (urinary tract infection - UTI) and necessity of treatment Interstitial Cystitis patient depends on various clinical conditions. The goal of treatment is to control symptoms and prevent complications and relapse but also reduce the administration of antibiotics. Urinary tract infections are the most common Interstitial Cystitis infectious diseases with significant financial impact on the economy of the state.

In the U.S., due to urinary infections Interstitial Cystitis doctor told the 7 million people a year, of which 2 million for cystitis (inflammation of the bladder). Of the total number of prescription of antibiotics in the U.S., 15% were prescribed for urinary tract infections, with the annual cost of about $ 1 billion.

Urinary tract infections are very common and Interstitial Cystitis repeated in large numbers. May be latent (asymptomatic bacteriuria) or appear in symptoms limited to the lower urinary tract (cystitis) or a serious illness with a fever and lumbar pain when it is assumed, but not always proven, inflammation of the kidneys (acute pyelonephritis). Rarely occur Interstitial Cystitis local septic reactions or even fatal, endotoxemia, which is almost always followed by an obstruction or disturbance immunity host (immunosuppression, diabetes).

20/09/2012 16:27