Slovenia Ruby User Group

June Meetup Recap

on 24 Jun 2014

The first one was a young gun from D·Labs Martin Artnik (@artoartnik) with a presentation titled “Useless gems”. Speakers usually want us to believe they’ve found or did something better. But this time, Arto didn’t try that. He dropped his favorite gems that no one really needs while making the world a better place. And why do we even have and talk about useless gems? Because we can and because it’s fun. Arto also showed us his geoeras gem. It can make historians pretty happy, writing their history driven development. My personal favorite useless gem was dicks, it’s really hot so check it out.

And then Tomaž Zaman (@carmivore) from set the fire on stage with his talk about Continuous deployment of Rails apps on AWS OpsWorks. We were introduced to their product which connects Wordpress specialists with clients. They have a modern stack where Rails is providing a JSON API on server side and Angular.js displaying it on client side. They’re using for Continuous Integration, HipChat for communication (they are remote team), HuBot,… and many more. These guys are doing some serious automation in every possible aspect. I can already see Tomaž doing his v2.0 presentation about HuBot being their scrum master, moving their Trello cards, scraping the logs and fixing bugs live in production with below-zero-downtime. But the main part of his talk was how they’ve successfully moved to AWS OpsWorks and what they did to get there.

Foto: © @mrfoto

Next time be sure to join us!


IMG_4524 (1).jpg

Cimo Frankel - "Never Give Up"

Seasoned singer-songwriter and producer Cimo Frankel debuts his new pop single "Never Give Up" oozing with zeal and soul juxtaposed with conspicuous production and well-groomed lyricism. Indelible melodies, flawless tone, fitting structure and vocal control are the key ingredients to a classic tune. Frankel, no newcomer to music industry success, having amassed over 6 million plays on Youtube and nearly 20 million on Spotify alone and racking up 450 million Spotify plays due to his songwriting skills for multi-Platinum hit ‘Sex’, performed by Cheat Codes & Kris Kross Amsterdam makes him quite the force. "Never Give Up" auscultates like a written need for constant encouragement from the one you love, a must listen!

Cimo states: "Little sounds" is what I wanted for this release. I wanted it to be an acoustic guitar based song... without the acoustic. For some stupid reason after I finished all the original recordings of 'Never Give Up', my computer crashed and I had to rebuild most of the song including the vocal takes. I'm happy it happened because I prefer this version over the original demo."

Cimo Frankel sings:

Its no rocket science / girl you break the silence
Why don't you try , is there too much in your mind to call the love of your life
and say.. that you never gave up, that you never gave up/ on me

Check out the official visual below as well.

Shenna - "Magenta"

Ikonic Visual: Satellite Citi - "Undead"


Strength Revealed

The primary entrance ramp to our office garage is undergoing a major rebuild. I spoke with one of the engineers who told me the short version of what needs to be done. What amazed me most was not the materials being used [steel], but the forces impressed on each steel structure to make sure everything stays in place.

The “L” brackets look like overgrown shelf brackets. They’re attached to  the side of the building with bolts that run through to the other side.

The top part of each cantilever [the “L” bracket] is also bolted to a length of I-beam steel. The beams look like tracks with missing sections; nothing though is missing here on the inside of that ramp wall. In engineer-speak, “form follows function.”

The panels that are the ramps are also big and heavy. Very heavy. One of the challenges is where and how to position a crane to offload a panel. Parts of the street are suspect because of storage rooms and passages lying beneath. The weight of the crane, the truck and equipment can very well “drop” into a hole of its own making.

An anchor point for the ramp…

Social Media in Real Time

Ever wonder about the level of activity on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social-media sites….? Click on the graphic below:

Presented by Coupofy

A Somber Trait

Left vs Right Bank

La Rive Droite [a right bank].

Vive la différence!

Je sais que le printemps est là quand l’arbre Redbud est en fleurs. Et quand la lumière du matin est bonne, la journée vous accueille avec des sentiments positifs.

Quand le soleil brise l’horizon, les couleurs changent, mais les sentiments positifs demeurent. Si je ressens une journée difficile, je me souviens de cet arbre en fleurs.
Il a été planté il y a des années après la mort de ma mère. C’est elle arbre et c’est magnifique.

Rooms and a view [Contentment vs Depression]

The Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Freedom. Choices in travel and direction. Sunlight and open air. Architectural beauty.

Al Capone’s prison cell.

Incarceration. Small living space. A single window. Concrete walls. Iron bars.


For the Living and the Dead: The Funerary Laments of Upper Egypt, Ancient and Modern

The funeral laments of Upper Egypt have an elaborate and ancient history stretching back more than 5,000 years. Even the chants of modern-day lamenters, echo the words of their ancestors. Yet this ancient tradition is now under threat from social and political change. The laments - known as idid in Arabic - are composed orally in performance. Elizabeth Wickett explores the performance, motifs and meanings of the laments and reveals their relation to myth, religion, cosmology and the ancient Egyptian funerary texts. The author was given unique access to this fast disappearing tradition, and her book provides a unique cultural archive that will interest Egyptologists, archaeologists, anthropologists, ethnomusicologists and all those with an interest in the language and culture of the Middle East.


7 Days Kilimanjaro Marangu Route

The Marangu Route has been referred to as the 'Coca Cola' route and this has led potential climbers to think that it is an easy route to the summit. This is far from the truth to be honest! The fact that it requires a minimum of 5 days to complete it does not mean that it is easier than any other route.

The only reason that people say it is easier is because it is the only route up where you sleep in huts as opposed to tents. An optional acclimatization day at Horombo Huts is highly recommended for those with no prior trekking in altitude experience under their belt. Advance booking of hut accommodation is required to avoid any inconveniences.

The route starts from the park headquarters in the village of Marangu and heads straight westwards towards Kibo. The trail goes through lush rainforest, heath and moorland to alpine desert and ultimately the arctic zone at the peak and same route down.

Day 1: Arrive in Tanzania

Day 2: Marangu Gate (1860m) to Mandara Hut (2700m)

After breakfast, you will be collected from your lodge in Moshi and taken to the Marangu gate. Once the necessary paper work has been completed, your trek can begin and you will soon be hiking through the dense rainforest. Alongside the impressive vegetation, you will have the chance to catch a glimpse of some primates as you head to the Mandara Hut. After a well-earned rest, your guide can take you to the Maundi Crater where you can enjoy the wonderful view of the Kenyan interior.

Distance covered: 8.3km / 5.2mi

Approx. time taken: 5 hours

Day 3: Mandara Hut (2700m) to Horombo Hut (3700m)

Distance covered: 12.5km / 7.8mi

Approx. time taken: 9 hours

Day 4: Horombo Hut (3700m) to Kibo Hut (4700m)

Today’s stage is long and tough. The well-built trail passes the “Last Water point” which is followed by the so-called “saddle”. This nearly vegetation less plateau joins the main summit Kibo with Mawenzi. Today’s destination is the Kibo Hut that is usually reached in about 5 - 6 hours. Here, you will enjoy an early evening meal followed by an early night, as the night will be short.

Distance covered: 9.5km / 5.9mi

Approx. time taken: 7 hours

Day 5: Kibo Hut (4700m) to UHURU PEAK (5895m) & down to Horombo Hut (3700m)

Distance covered: 22km / 13.7mi

Approx. time taken: 12 – 15 hours

Day 6: Horombo Hut (3700m) to Marangu Gate (1860m)

Distance covered: 20.8km / 12.9mi

Approx. time taken: 8 hours

Day 7: Depart Tanzania


France elections and the future of the European Union

April 19, 2017
Nardy Baeza Bickel

ANN ARBOR—French voters are heading to the polls this Sunday in what’s considered a high-stakes election amid security and economic concerns as well as European Union stability. If none of the candidates reach a majority, the runoff election will take place May 7.

Joshua Cole, professor of history at the University of Michigan, discusses the background and potential impact of the election on the rest of the EU. Cole’s research and teaching deal primarily with the social and cultural history of France in the 19th and 20th centuries. He’s author of “The Power of Large Numbers: Population, Politics, and Gender in Nineteenth-Century France.”

Q: What are the issues driving the conversation before the presidential election in France?

Cole: Unemployment in France doesn’t compare well with the other stronger economies within the European Union. Germany’s unemployment rate is less than 5 percent, France’s unemployment rate has been consistently closer to the 10 percent rage, in particular since the financial crisis of 2007-08 and the crisis in the eurozone. That’s something that successive governments have struggled to deal with and been unable to take the steps necessary to find a solution.

There is also tremendous anxiety because of the recent terrorist acts in 2015 and 2016.
France has been under a near constant state of emergency now for several years. In many ways, that’s the new normal. The question the French are really struggling with is the fact that many of the perpetrators of these terror attacks are homegrown. The people who committed these acts grew up in France, went to French schools, and they speak French. The big question is this: What is the cause of this alienation?

Q: There are 11 candidates for this election. Who should we be paying attention to?

Cole: There are 11 candidates but there are really only five that are in contention right now. What is most striking is that the two parties that have dominated presidential politics since the late 1950s are currently ranked third and fifth. Almost without exception since 1958, French presidents have alternated between Gaullists on the center-right and the Socialists on the center-left. Most polls now predict that the candidates from these parties are unlikely to make the second round of voting.

Marine Le Pen, of the extreme right-wing National Front, is currently polling at 25 percent. Her likely opponent in the runoff is Emmanuel Macron, who leads an independent centrist movement. The Republican Party (center-right) was thought to be in good shape but their candidate, Francois Fillon, has been embroiled in a scandal involving no-show jobs for his wife, and he has fallen significantly in the polls as a result.

The man who won the primary from the Socialist Party, Benoît Hamon, has really not gotten much traction at all and is about 10 percent and falling. Surprisingly, in the past few days a firebrand from the left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has been rising in the polls and some people now put him somewhere between 15 and 20 percent and rising.

If he continues to gain support, there is a possibility that this populist figure from the left may edge out Macron and face Marine Le Pen in the second round. This would be very unusual. Mélenchon is a protest vote from the left. Marine Le Pen represents a protest vote from the right. If these are the two leading candidates, we will be forced to admit that the center has completely dropped out of French politics.

Q: There have been comparisons made between the nationalistic, anti-immigrant and anti-globalization rhetoric of Le Pen and Donald Trump. What do they have in common?

Cole: There are clearly some surface similarities and I think Marine Le Pen hopes to duplicate Donald Trump’s success: an emphasis on national sovereignty, a strong and exclusive definition of national culture which is unwilling to see that culture evolve, a definition of national cultures that seems to be rooted in a very exclusive definition of the past. Those are some types of similarities. Also, a desire to paint the present in extremely dire terms. That is (saying that) we are in a very severe crisis that requires very extreme methods, an abandonment of policies that have been the object of consensus (and) the use of an angry rhetoric that is often very effective in getting support from the people who are attracted to these politicians.

Q: Le Pen’s father, Jean Marie Le Pen, founded the National Front and was considered to be too extreme to be successful in politics. Obviously, his daughter has become one of the frontrunners of this election. How did she accomplish that?

Cole: She avoided making the same kind of anti-semitic comments that her father often made, but she still emphasized the threat posed by immigration to French national identity. She combined this message with a more carefully groomed image that sought to appeal to a wider electorate. And it has worked—her father’s ceiling was about 18 percent, whereas she is now capable of attracting between a quarter and a third of the electorate.

Q: In recent elections in the Netherlands, the right-wing candidate with similar stances to Le Pen was defeated. Could France be a do-over for the European right?

Cole: Wilders in the Netherlands didn’t win but he didn’t lose, either. He has a significant number of voters behind him. His message was clear and people voted for him in large numbers. He is not going away.

That’s true in France, as well. In France, presidential politics were traditionally divided between two parties with smaller parties on the right and left. With the growth of the National Front, I think we can say now we have a three-party system in France. She might not win now, but she’ll be back. The most clear indication of that is that she appears to be particularly popular amongst young people in France. They’re not troubled by the long history of anti-semitism and racism that has been associated with the party she represents.

Q: What can you tell us about the top candidates’ foreign policies?

Cole: Questions about Marine Le Pen foreign policies are very difficult to answer. It’s really the internal issues of Frenchness and sovereignty that drive the central energy and dynamics of her campaign, the fears of a multicultural France.

With regards to Europe, and pulling France out of the European Union, this is a threat that she’s made repeatedly. She has talked about a Frexit, an exit of France. This would be an earthquake. It would probably damage the EU in deeply unpredictable ways. The European Union is built on the axis of Franco-German cooperation. If France pulls out, it’s not clear what the European Union is anymore. There, the consequences are both severe and unpredictable.

Macron has not really been very successful in articulating a clear message from the center other than general pronouncements about a defense of traditional republican French traditions. He’s presented himself in many ways as the anti-Le Pen. We don’t really know what kind of policies he would pursue. The suggestions that he’s made are pretty much in line with what governments have tried before, a kind of centrist position in the economy. Dissatisfaction with that is partly driving the success of Mélenchon on the left. I find the situation as unpredictable as any election I’ve ever watched.

Q: Do you venture to make a prediction?

Cole: I think that what’s going to happen is that Macron and Le Pen will be in the second round. The polls show Macron as likely to win that matchup. But here is the thing: If you look at the polls of people who announce themselves as undecided in the second round, nearly half the voters say they have not yet decided—other polls say about a third. So nobody knows how that group will break. That means that the possibility for a much closer election exists.

I was surprised by Brexit, I was surprised by Trump’s victory. I’m not going to be as surprised if Marine Le Pen pulls it out. I’ll be shocked, I’ll be deeply worried. But I think it’s in the realm of possibilities.


The Suspect Science of Star Trek: Discovery, ‘Context is for…

The Suspect Science of Star Trek: Discovery, ‘Context is for Kings,” Season 1, Episode 3

“Even if they did obey the same mathematical equations (they don’t), there’s not a physical connection there. These are independent systems, and even in a Universe where the Vulcan mind-meld is routine, instantaneous consciousness transferral across hundreds or thousands of light years is not even science fiction; it’s wish fulfillment. The idea of biofuels and bio-propulsion is nothing new, nor are the genetically-altered ravaging monsters we see at the end. But actual mental journeys to physical places? Unless you can recreate the electrical patterns that compose someone’s mind a great distance away, and quantum entangle them across that cosmic distance (which can only happen at-or-below the speed of light, mind you), it’s never going to be physically feasible.”

When you look at the dark matter network of the Universe, what do you see? Do you see patterns similar to other networks, like neurons in your brain or the mycological mats found beneath the soil on Earth? Of course you do; our brains are extraordinary at seeing and recognizing such patterns. But do those patterns mean that there’s a relationship between the structure of the Universe and these other, biologically-based examples? That’s a question that you need math and science to investigate. Superficial relationships may have nothing deeper beneath the surface, and it’s against that false flag that scientists must be vigilant, in order to not fool ourselves. Yet even though this plays a vital role in Star Trek: Discovery, the episode not only falls for this fallacy, they make it a vital part of their latest episode: Context is for Kings. And it leads to some science-fiction that’s rooted in the opposite of science, instead tending towards pure wish-fulfillment.

The suspect science of the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery sets up an interesting plotline, but fails on the count of believable science fiction. Read on for the full story.


Friday, June 8th + Saturday, June 9th | 3-7PM
347 South Colorado Blvd. Denver, Colorado. 80246.

Our second tasting of June starts this weekend!
Highlighting some great whites and reds from both France and Spain!
As per usual we are spinning some great curated vinyl and you are of course invited!

Fri. June 8th | France vs Spain - Part I
- Dne. des Buissonnes, Sancerre. 2016. Loire Valley, France
Régis Minet, Pouilly Fumé, VV. 2015. Loire Valley, France
- OGV, Garnacha, 2015. Calatayud, Spain
- Envinate, "Albahra" 2016.  Almansa, Spain

Sat. June 9th - France vs Spain - Part II
- Cune, Monopole Blanco, 2016. Rioja, Spain
Muga, White Rioja 2016. Rioja, Spain
- Château Gobert, Bordeaux, 2015. Bordeaux, France
- Ch. La Diligente, Puisseguin Saint-Emilion, 2012. Bordeaux France

It's FREE, it's FUN, and you are INVITED!
Corks popping and needles dropping at 3PM!


ההבדלים בין סגסוגות ללא הפרדות צבע

Alloys and Composites על פני השטח, סגסוגות ללא הפרדות צבע יש עניין גדול אחד לפחות מכנה משותף. סגסוגת וחומרים מרוכבים שניהם מורכב של תערובת של פחות שני רכיבים. Alloys and composites are also similar in that they exhibit different properties than the properties associated with the materials that are used to make them.

עם זאת, if you look a little deeper, you will find that alloys and composites are actually very different from one another. Let’s take a closer look at what separates the two by analyzing the differences between alloys and composites.

What Is an Alloy?

Alloys and Composites An alloy is a mixture of at least two elements with one of those elements being a metal. Alloys can come in both solid and solution forms. Those alloys that only contain two elements are called binary alloys, while those that contain three elements are called ternary alloys. The amount of a particular element inside of an alloy is usually measured in mass with a percentage attached to it.

Alloys are created from different elements in order to improve the qualities typically associated with them. When you mix the two or more elements together, you get an alloy that capitalizes off the qualities of the elements. Because alloys always contain at least one metal component, they often have metallic properties. עם זאת, one big advantage of using alloys is that they don’t have the same properties as the metal elements in them. For example, you will find that alloys don’t have one set melting point. There are a wide range of melting points connected to allots, depending upon which elements are inside of them.

Examples of Alloys

There are many examples of alloys. One of סגסוגות vs. ללא הפרדות צבעthe most common ones is steel. Steel is usually made up of a mixture of iron and carbon, which is why steel is significantly stronger than iron alone. Steel can also be manufactured in different ways. In some cases, only iron and carbon are used to make it, but there are other elements like tungsten, manganese, and chromium that can also be added. By altering the mixture you use when creating an alloy like steel, you can change its hardness and ductility in addition to its other properties.

Another good example of an alloy is brass. Brass is an alloy that consists of copper and zinc. While copper and zinc are both great elements in their own right, brass has proven to be more durable than copper and more beautiful than zinc. It’s why an alloy like it exists in the first place. Many companies have found that, by using alloys, they can manipulate the look and feel of many different elements effectively.

What Is a Composite?

Composites vs alloysללא הפרדות צבע הוא, much like an alloy, a combination of at least two or more components. עם זאת, while an alloy always contains a metal in it, a composite does not have any metal included in its mixture. The components in a composite are also always chemically and physically different from one another. These materials are commonly called constituent materials.

There are two different types of constituent materials that make up a composite. They are known as matrix and reinforcement materials. The matrix material within a composite is typically used to support the reinforcement material in a composite. This results in a composite that is stronger than the original components would be on their own. עם זאת, despite the interaction between the two constituent materials, they stay separate within the finished mixture because of their chemical and physical differences.

Examples of Composites

Composites can contain materials that are either synthetic or naturally occurring. One example of a natural composite is wood. It contains a combination of cellulose fibers and lignin. Concrete is usually cited as an example of a composite as well. You can see the different elements contained within it since those elements don’t truly blend together to create a new material.

This illustrates one of the other big differences between alloys and composites. While the biggest difference between the two is obviously the lack of metal in composites, the composition of alloys and composites is also very different. Alloys can be either homogeneous or heterogeneous mixtures, while composites are always heterogeneous and will never form a homogenous mixture.

As evidenced, alloys and composites have some similarities, but for the most part, they are completely different. Eagles Alloys specializes in distributing alloys to companies in a range of different industries, including the chemical, תעשייתי, תעשיות אווירונאוטיקה. We also work with those in manufacturing and technology and have more than three decades of experience with creating alloys. If you would like to take advantage of our competitive pricing and learn more about the alloys we have in stock, צור קשר היום.


USA v. Lawrence Taylor, 10-1304.  Appellant Lawrence Taylor appeals from his sentences for bank robbery and for violating the terms of his supervised release relating to an earlier bank robbery conviction.

Because the district court erred by failing to appreciate its discretion to impose the sentences either consecutively or concurrently, we remand for the court to reconsider that aspect of the sentencing package.

In 2002 Lawrence Taylor pleaded guilty to bank robbery charges and was sentenced to a term of incarceration by the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. Sometime in 2007 he was placed on supervised release, but within less than a year, on August 7, 2008, he attempted to rob a bank in South Bend, Indiana. Taylor obtained money from the tellers, but the plan went awry and Taylor was arrested before he could flee the scene.

Taylor pleaded guilty to the bank robbery on May 7, 2009, and a single
sentencing hearing was set for both the bank robbery and the supervised release cases. Taylor's probation officer prepared a "Summary Report of Violations" in connection with Taylor's supervised release case, which suggested an 18- to 24-month sentence.

In addition, the Summary cited a policy statement within the United States Sentencing Guidelines, U.S.S.G. § 7B1.3(f), for the proposition
that any term of incarceration for the supervised release violation must be made consecutive to the bank robbery sentence.

With respect to the supervised release sentence, the court stated, In addition to [the bank robbery sentence discussed immediately prior], there would be the twelve months that has to run consecutive, as I understand it, the twelve months on the supervised release violation.

II. Applicable Law

Moving on to the merits, a sentencing court has discretion to make a sentence consecutive or concurrent. See 18 U.S.C. § 3584(a); United States v. Campbell, 617 F.3d 958, 961 (7th Cir. 2010). This includes situations where the sentence is imposed in connection with a revocation of supervised release. See United States v. Rodriguez-Quintanilla, 442 F.3d 1254, 1256 (10th Cir. 2006). A sentencing court errs when it has discretion but fails to exercise that discretion. See United States v. Jackson, 546 F.3d 465, 472 (7th Cir. 2008).

As noted, the probation officer's Summary Report of Violations referred to a policy statement contained in the sentencing guidelines, U.S.S.G. § 7B1.3(f), which provides as follows:  Any term of imprisonment imposed upon the revocation of probation or supervised release shall be ordered to be served consecutively to any sentence of imprisonment that the defendant is serving, whether or not the sentence of imprisonment being served resulted from the conduct that is the basis of the revocation of probation or supervised release.

Despite this facially mandatory language, our precedents are unambiguous that the policy statements on supervised release are not mandatory. See United States v. Harvey, 232 F.3d 585, 588 (7th Cir. 2000). Rather, we have explained the import of the supervised release policy statements as follows:  Rather than establishing guidelines governing the revocation of supervised release, the Sentencing Commission has opted to promulgate a series of policy statements, including a Revocation Table of recommended sentencing ranges tied
to the severity of a defendant's violations and criminal history cate-gory . . . . Although these policy statements are non-binding, they are to be given "great weight" by the sentencing judge.  United States v. Salinas, 365 F.3d 582, 588 (7th Cir. 2004).

In sum, U.S.S.G. § 7B1.3(f) reflects the U.S. Sentencing Commission's policy favoring the consecutive sequencing of a sentence imposed upon revocation of supervised release and the sentence for the offense precipitating the revocation. See U.S.S.G. § 7B1.3(f), Application Note 4; United States v. Glasener, 981 F.2d 973, 975-76 (8th Cir. 1992).

The Commission's supervised release policy statements are generally entitled to "great weight." We have also emphasized, however, that while the policy statements "are an 'element in [the sentencing judge's] exercise of discretion,' they are not a substitute for that discretion." United States v. McClanahan, 136 F.3d 1146, 1149 (7th Cir. 1998).

We agree with Taylor and the Government that the district court erred by treating the policy statement recommendation in U.S.S.G. § 7B1.3(f) as mandating consecutive sentencing for Taylor's 2008 bank robbery case and his supervised release case.

As Taylor urges and the Government concedes, the sentencing court's reference to "the twelve months that has to run consecutive, as I understand it" shows without ambiguity that the sentencing court did not
appreciate its discretion to make Taylor's sentences either consecutive or

We AFFIRM Taylor's sentences but order a LIMITED REMAND for proceedings consistent with this opinion.

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Fifty-one American diplomats issued a “dissent cable” last week to top State Department officials urging a radical change in US policy toward Syria: They want the government to intervene militarily in the civil war and undertake strikes against the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad. The cable, reported by The New York Times—which posted a draft of the memo online—and The Wall Street Journal and signed by mostly mid-level career Foreign Service officers, urged “a judicious use of stand-off and air weapons, which would undergird and drive a more focused and hard-nosed U.S.-led diplomatic process.” The cable has found support among well-respected figures in the foreign-policy community, and rumors swirl that Secretary of State John Kerry agrees with the general thrust of their dissent.

Let’s stipulate a few things about these revelations. First, career Foreign Service officers like those who signed this cable are more often than not the good guys of foreign policy. They hold deep knowledge about the places on which they work and, usually, their policy leanings tilt not toward war but toward, well, diplomacy. Second, Syria’s multi-faceted civil war is a humanitarian disaster. Hundreds of thousands have perished. The power vacuum created by war has allowed the Islamic State to take over in some regions, where it has imposed a horrific reign of terror over civilians under its control. Lastly, there are no good options for the United States in Syria. The diplomatic dissent is well-intentioned, but it offers little more than leaps in logic.

The immediate goal of the memo’s prescriptions is to reestablish the cease-fire put in place in February. Thanks in large part to Assad’s duplicity, it never really took hold. His regime has attacked civilians, including with indiscriminate barrel bombs, and has blocked humanitarian aid. The diplomats who signed the cable are seeking to block these violations of the cease-fire with force. “We believe that achieving our objectives will continue to elude us if we do not include the use of military force as an option to enforce the Cessation of Hostilities (CoH) and compel the Syrian regime to abide by its terms as well as to negotiate a political solution in good faith,” the memo says.

Overwhelming US air power could certainly weaken Assad’s offensive capabilities. The bigger problem, though, lies in what comes next. It’s not evident how yet more military strikes in Syria will strengthen a tattered cease-fire. But even if the cease-fire is reestablished, what happens if Assad continues to refuse to engage in a meaningful diplomatic process? On these questions, the memo gives us nothing. It takes as almost a given that the cease-fire alone will lead Assad to rethink his long-held and bloody stubbornness. Mission creep, at that point, seems almost inevitable; a cynic might think it the goal of the memo in the first place.

One need only look to Libya to see what happens when the United States enters a conflict with limited aims and no vision of medium- and long-term potential outcomes. The responsibility to protect civilians invoked by the State Department officials was used then as a way to get the US military involved in a NATO coalition war. The aim of the intervention turned quickly from protecting civilians to unseating Muammar Qaddafi. But once the dictator fell, chaos ensued. Despite a warning from Barack Obama that Libya would face instability, little was done to minimize the dangers. At this point, it’s difficult to see the NATO intervention as anything but a strategic failure.

Syria offers even less in the way of an organized opposition than did Libya. The web of alliances is sometimes impossible to follow—and always has been. Some commentators have suggested that more robust early American support for rebels would have brought more cohesion. That’s an interesting counterfactual, but it is only that. And there’s certainly no guarantee that protecting rebel forces from Assad today will do anything to unify them.

The diplomats themselves raise another potentially sticky issue: “We are not advocating for a slippery slope that ends in a military confrontation with Russia,” they write. But what if, after an initial US air assault, Russia simply takes an even more aggressive posture in favor of Assad, filling the void left by the Syrian president’s damaged capabilities? For this, neither the dissent cable nor other advocates of US military involvement offer answers. (Update: a mid-air clash last week over Syria between Russian and American jets—albeit only jockeying for space without firing shots—stands as a poignant reminder that slippery slopes are dangerous not because people advocate for them, but because people accidentally step onto them.)

So what gives? Some reports have suggested the memo’s purpose is to make Syria an issue in the US presidential election. “The internal cable may be an attempt to shape the foreign policy outlook of the next administration,” an official said, as paraphrased in The Wall Street Journal’s report. A Bloomberg article suggested the same thing. Hillary Clinton, both as secretary of state and as a presidential candidate, has been a consistent advocate for more military intervention, whether through more robust arming of rebels or the establishment of a no-fly zone (on the latter, Clinton’s prescriptions have sometimes been incoherent). Clinton, too, however, has failed to address directly the pitfalls of deeper intervention. If deeper involvement in Syria’s civil war takes a sour turn—as, it seems, all US interventions do—what will be her response? Deeper involvement yet?

Officials pressing for military conflict with Assad owe it to all of us to answer these questions. “Despite expressing strong anti-Assad sentiments,” a study from the Brookings Institution released last year found, “the bottom line is that Americans remain strongly opposed to American military operations against Assad’s army in Syria, with 72% opposing and 25% supporting such operations.” Those views held across party lines. In a poll released in February, Gallup found that, while a third of Americans want more military involvement, more than half want no escalation of our intervention there.

The diplomats should not be scorned for their dissent—it is entirely appropriate that they advise top officials of their thinking—and, though the question of leaking the memo to the general public is more complicated, ultimately our democratic process in deciding whether to intervene is strengthened by having more diverse perspectives. None of that, however, means that the dissenting diplomats, Hillary Clinton, or anyone else advocating a broader US war in Syria should escape the hard questions that our nation so often avoids before military adventures. Syria is too dangerous to make that mistake again.


Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Javanese Gamelan

Because we had no submissions this week, we've decided to follow through with our earlier threat and force upon you knowledge regarding a musical term about which no one has ever heard. Without further ado, a paper on the Javanese Gamelan, circa 1995:

Javanese Gamelan

The island of Java is a part of Indonesia located about three thousand miles south east of India. The Javanese gamelan is the orchestra of the royal courts of Java. The gamelan technically can be any sort of musical ensemble for the Javanese. However, the court orchestra is the main type of gamelan for the Javanese culture. This orchestra can be compared to that of the European Symphony Orchestra.

The gamelan contains a wide variety of instruments. There are variously sized stringed instruments as well as a family of different sized gongs. Other instruments include bowed chordophones, chimes, xylophones, a fiddle, a female singer, a male chorus, a zither, drums, and a flute in some of the soft passages. This orchestra has approximately 30 to 40 performers and 75 to 80 instruments. Not all of the instruments are played at the same time. The most important instrument of the gamelan is the great gong. The rhythm and compositions are controlled mainly by this instrument. “At full strength the gamelan is a powerful producer of rich and varied tones, and like many other musical ensembles, depends largely on the effects of its percussion.” (Blom, gamelan).

The music of the gamelan is drastically different from that of western music. The elements however, can still be defined within the same terms. The rhythmic cycle of the gamelan is the gongan cycle. One gongan is equivalent to the time elapsed between strokes of the great gong. The texture of the music is heterophonic, and the melody consists mainly of complex irregular patterns. There are three levels of melody within the gamelan: basic, punctuating, and elaborating. The basic part of the melody is the controlling meter. It is a comfortable medium pace. The punctuating level is somewhat slower than the basic level, and the elaborating level is faster than that of the basic level. Contrasts and enhancements to the melody are made by the singers, the fiddle, and the flute. The “strong style” of the orchestral compositions is forceful, powerful, and aggressive. The “soft style” is more mysterious, and sensuous.

The basic structure of a composition begins with a solo introduction by one of the elaborating instruments. Following this solo, the drum joins in. When the great gong sounds, the entire orchestra joins in playing the melody at the pace of their instrument. Each composition ends with the sounding of the great gong.

The performance of the gamelan is a very important social, religious, ritual, and personal event. The music often contains a spiritual element. The performance marks significant events in all realms such as: the rice harvest, a wedding, a birth, a circumcision party, a funeral, the arrival of an important person, the commemoration of Indonesian Independence Day, and the fond farewell party for a beloved friend.

It is apparent that the gamelan offers many uses within the Javanese culture. This non-western style of music is very important to the culture of Indonesia as well as other areas into which the style has spread.

1. Blom, Eric. “Gamelan,” Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians: Fifth Edition, Volume III. St. Martin’s Press, Inc., New York. 1954.

2. Davis, Shelley and Signell, Karl. Music: A Multi-Cultural Experience. College Park, MD. 1992

3. Schaareman, Danker. Balinese Music in Context. Amadeus Verlag. 1992.

4. Tejada, Irene. Brown Bag Ideas from Many Cultures. Davis Publications, Inc. Worcester, Massachusetts. 1993.

5. Tenzer, Michael. Balinese Music. Periplus Editions, Inc., Republic of Singapore. 1991.