Growing up, James Mullinger was the quiet kid in class who was intimidated to speak to the other kids and did not have many friends. He lacked interest in sports and academics, so he spent his free time watching comedy videos. He said, "I spent years watching these videos kind of fascinated by the idea that these people were able to walk onto a stage in front of thousands of people and make it look like the most natural thing in the world and make all of these people laugh." Initially, he did not know that his obsession with stand-up comedy would shape his career path. He said, "For the 5, 10, 15 years that I was obsessed with stand up, I definitely didn't think that it was something that I would ever be able to do once, let alone end up doing thousands of times." Mullinger's fascination with the craft led to his career as a stand-up comedian.
Prior to becoming a stand-up comedian, Mullinger worked at GQ Magazine in London. Although that looked great on paper, his dream was to do stand-up comedy. He got the urge to finally pursue his passion when he visited his girlfriend (now wife) in Canada. He went to a restaurant with her and her family where he watched a bunch of youth doing a stand-up comedy performance. He looked at them and thought, "Wow, whatever they go through during the day, whatever their home lives are like, whether they have jobs they hate, or they're being picked on like I was, whatever it was, at night, they were the stars of the stage. To me, that was better than being a headline in Vegas. That was it — they were living the dream."
By this time, Mullinger was very frustrated with himself because he knew that he was not actually trying to achieve his dream. He explained, "Failing when you're trying at something is frustrating, but it is depressing when you're not even trying. It is like you are the kind of person who complains that they don't win the lottery but then doesn't buy a lottery ticket. Similarly, I was hating myself due to my lack of success, but I wasn't trying to do the thing." Mullinger knew he would hate himself if he never tried to live his dream, so he committed to trying stand-up comedy for the first time that year in 2005. To this day, Mullinger's outlook on life is, "If you are doing the thing you love, it doesn't matter in what capacity you're doing it. You are living the dream."
Mullinger believes the most rewarding aspect of being a stand-up comedian is the ability to make people laugh after they have had a tough week, month, or year. He also finds enjoyment in meeting people after the show. There is a feeling of connection with his fans since they have already shared a laugh and they have the same sense of humor. However, standing in front of an audience and making people laugh has its challenges. Mullinger said, "In order to be good at the job, you have to take the job very seriously. It's kind of interesting when I'm on stage and I'm pretending like this is the most natural thing in the world and it's all fun and games, whereas of course, I'm racking my brains going through the kind of Rolodex in my head of jokes and trying to read the audience. It's interesting to have a job where I have to make it look like it's easy, but it's actually the opposite of easy." Mullinger also described how he feels polar opposite emotions about his career in comedy, "One emotion is that I'm consistently amazed I have any success at all and that I have any career at all. And I'm so grateful and just surprised that I'm even able to do this. But sometimes, within seconds of that, I have feelings of anger and depression that I'm not more successful and haven't achieved more."
Since Mullinger began his career in stand-up comedy, he has had sold-out shows across the country with appearances on CBC's "The Debaters", movies, TV shows, festivals, awards, and stand-up specials. Mullinger's success in stand-up comedy has led to two stand-up specials, namely "Anything is Possible" and "Almost Canadian", both of which are streaming on Fearless. When Mullinger and his wife moved from London to Saint John, he did gigs everywhere from high schools to vineyards. A company called Hemmings House then reached out to him and said that CBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, wanted to do a documentary about Saint John from Mullinger's perspective. With an ambitious mindset, Mullinger decided that he was going to challenge himself to sell out an entire arena for this documentary. This challenge led to the title of the show — "Anything is Possible". Through self-belief and hard work, Mullinger managed to sell out the entire arena beating sales records of comedians like Jerry Seinfeld. Two years later, Mullinger performed in the same arena, which led to the documentary "Almost Canadian". Although his jokes were focused on Saint John, he tried to make them relatable to anyone no matter where they came from. "Almost Canadian" shot straight to #1 on the iTunes charts and was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award for Best Taped Live Performance.
Mullinger's advice to aspiring stand-up comedians is the same tip he received when he started out — gig as much as possible. Stand-up comedy differs from other artistic fields in the sense that one has to practice in front of an audience in order to improve. Additionally, Mullinger encourages aspiring comedians to never give up. He talked about his own story of persistence, "I carried on going way beyond the point that most people would have given up. Most stand-ups start to get good around the three-year mark. I would say I was still pretty terrible at that point. Even after five years, I was the guy turning up to open mic nights, and people were saying, 'Oh, is he still trying?'" He experienced many nights when he headed home feeling depressed about being booed off the stage. Mullinger further said, "That's why in five or ten years, you'll never hear me complain about life on the road or the grind of it because the grind never gets to me. The simple fact that I'm able to do this ridiculous job for a living is really the greatest dream and proof ultimately that anything is possible."
Watch both of James Mullinger's stand-up comedy specials on the Fearless app.
Ramya Ramamoorthy
Comedy, Canadian
With a tiny crew, a low budget and 12 days to film, JC Calciano directed his first film Is It Just Me?. Growing up, he had not seen many LGBTQ films that had a happy ending, so he wanted to write a positive community story. "I didn't want to make a movie that was about being gay; I wanted to make a movie about gay men who fall in love," said Calciano. The story follows a young man who is determined to find true love, yet doesn't believe that he is worthy of it. When he matches with a too-good-to-be-true man online, he finds hope, but quickly realizes that he is using his roommate's account. The story follows the journey of not only his path to falling in love with another man, but also his path to loving himself.
As a first-time director/writer, Calciano faced a couple of challenges while filming. He struggled with his own insecurities of whether he could make the film. Till this day, he battles insecurities about the movies that he makes. However, he still creates films that he would personally want to see and hopes that the audience enjoys as well. Another challenge was having enough money to make the film. He and his two friends just chipped in some money and tried to make the best film that they could on a low budget. In an effort to save money, the film was entirely shot in Calciano's apartment, the sound guy's apartment and the art director's apartment, all located in West Hollywood, Los Angeles.
In addition to his insecurities and low budget, another obstacle Calciano faced was the casting process. Although he wanted to feature LGBTQ actors, he quickly realized that it is neither legal nor fair to ask an actor's sexuality. His alternative approach was to find the best actors that he could. Once he found a couple of actors who he liked through the audition process, he started pairing them together. He explained, "The thing about an actor is that it's not only being a great actor, but you also have to have chemistry with your co-stars." He would mix and match the various characters to see if they worked well together. He said, "So it's really just a matter of me doing what they call "chemistry reads" and pairing up actors until I feel like I've got the perfect cast that all are what was in my head when I wrote the script."
Calciano explained that with the help of the actors' talent, they were able to finish filming in just 12 days. He said that the key to making a film quickly is hiring the right actors for the role. Some of the actors in this film include Nicholas Downs, David Loren, Adam Huss, Bruce Gray and Michelle Laurent. Calciano stated, "If I was going to take credit for anything, I would take credit for being smart enough to hire great actors." Bruce Gray, who played the character of Ernie, told Calciano that out of all the movies that he has been a part of, Is It Just Me? was his favorite.
Despite the film being released in 2010, it is still popular to this day. Calciano explained why the movie is still well-known today, "I think that if you use a timeless theme and tell a story that's honest, no matter how old the movie is, people will enjoy it and be able to relate to it and will enjoy it for what it is. And I think that the thing about Is It Just Me? is that it's just an honest, real, lovely story about two men who find each other and also about the hero who accepts himself and loves himself. Then when he heals, he's able to find love and that's really what I wanted to do. I think that it's as relevant as it is now as it was 100 years ago. I think that these are just timeless stories that stand the test of time."
One of the techniques that Calciano used to engage and surprise the audience was to lead with people's perceptions of the characters and then show who these characters truly are. He further explained, "For example, when they see the go-go boy, they assume that he's just a vapid, pretty guy who just has no heart and no depth and no compassion. As the movie progresses, you see that this is a real person and he's lovely. He cares about his friend and he's part of the fabric of the community, just like the older gentleman. We all have to look out for each other and we have to care for each other. And when we band together, we are better off and I think that those are things that stand out today as they did 10 years ago." Lastly, the film did really well because the filmmaking process was just fun and that translated onto the screen. Calciano said, "I'm thrilled that people picked up on the love and the care and the joy that went into making the movie."
As to what Calciano wants the viewers to take away from the film, "I want the viewers to just know that together, we're a community and that by helping each other and by leaning on each other, by supporting each other, we make each other better. All of us are slightly broken in our own ways and that's okay, but together we can help each other and we can find our path, whether it be friendship, whether it be love, whether it be companionship, whether it be success in the business, it's just really about community. I hope that that's a message that people take away from it."
Watch Is It Just Me? Now on the Fearless app.
LGBTQ, Comedy
2 Self Help Books Away From Being Perfect is a romantic comedy show inspired by Kimberly Young's own story of growing up sheltered and not having much experience with guys. After she graduated from college, she explored the dating scene. Due to the lack of experience, she turned to self-help books to help her figure it all out. Young said, "I took what I went through and exaggerated the character flaws and created a whimsical world so the audience could get a glimpse to how and why she was the way she was."
Young loved the way that movies made her feel; she loved the hope and optimism it filled her with and she wanted to give that inspiration to others. Young's story about how she began her career in the film industry proves that she really had to start from the bottom and hustle to get to where she is now. As a woman of color, she did not have connections in the film industry. Young explained, "One is only as strong as their network and if you are from a community that does not have access to certain opportunities it makes it harder to work together to achieve goals. Film is a very collaborative industry, and unfortunately, I am met with more cut-throat competition than peer to peer collaboration."
Initially, she was not getting many auditions. One of the biggest challenges for women of color in the industry is that many characters are not created for them. It can be difficult for aspiring actors of color to find the fitting roles, so Young decided to write and produce her own content. To get experience, she created her own short films that cost $0 and she learned a lot from this process. Young claims that the shorts were all bad, but they still exceeded her expectations. Each short helped her to make the next one better. By the time she wrote 2 Self Help Books Away From Being Perfect, she knew exactly what she needed. She had a small budget but was still able to create the quality she desired.
When crafting the storyline, Young prioritizes the audience. She said, "Movies are emotional rollercoasters. I think very hard as to what ride I want the audience to be on. I look at it as a healing process. I am the practitioner and the audience is coming to me for treatments. The project is the treatment. I want the audience to rediscover love, to rediscover hope, to rediscover themselves or parts of themselves they forgot. To release things they've been holding on to or false world views they've been holding — to gain new perspectives on their own lives."
It was after all the hard work that Young had put into 2 Self Help Books Away From Being Perfect that she learned her biggest lesson — relationships are key in the entertainment industry. After finishing the project, she did not get the opportunities she was hoping to get. It was at this point that she understood that talent is important, but connections are essential. She explained, "It is your peers who invite you into meetings, who vouch for your work, who advocate you to get development deals, who write about you in blogs, who represent you at agencies, and if your peer group is not present in decision making spaces — those opportunities will be significantly harder to secure. People invest their time and energy in people they trust. They need to feel you are invested in their greater interest. So, they give opportunities, collaborate, and work with others who they feel they can trust to push their personal interest." The industry is more focused on "clout" and "trust", so Young has been trying to shift her attention toward building relationships with people in the industry.
Despite the hard work that goes into networking and filmmaking, Young has persisted because of her passion for film and diversity. She believes that representation and diversity are important because they bring forth healing. She explained, "It validates those who have felt unseen and it educates those who do not venture beyond their comfort zone. If the only representation is the news pushing stereotypes it begins to dehumanize groups of people. Diversity on screen shows that these are people and that we have a lot more in common than you'd think. It also inspires more creativity, and expands thinking capacity."
Young encourages people to start where they are. She said, "Don't compare yourself to others. Use what you got and make it work. Artistry is a process, not a finished product. The more you do, the more you'll grow beyond what you'd ever imagined for yourself. Also, follow your heart. Too much ambition and strategy can kill truthfulness of art. If you love what you do and are true to your self, the opportunities will come. In the meantime, keep doing you and getting better." Young also encourages people to remind themselves during difficult times of why they started their journey in the first place. She said, "Love should always be present with you on this journey." Although Young began her career with $0 budget shorts, cut-throat competition, and limited industry connections, her story demonstrates that if one is not offered opportunities, one has the power to create them for oneself.
Women in Film, Comedy
Black & Latinx Stories
Experimental Filmmaking
james mullinger standup comedy
How a Shy Kid Became a Sold-Out Stand-Up Comedian October 1, 2019
Dafina Roberts Dishes About the Importance of Intersectionality September 24, 2019
How this LGBTQ Classic was Made in Just 12 Days September 17, 2019


NEWS | 26 Sep 2017
A Note from the Editors
With the new academic year, our newsletters resume. This month, we feature a recent blockbuster decision from the Indian Supreme Court addressing a much-debated issue of Islamic law. Our news round-up provides access to the 395-page case, along with a succinct summary of it, and commentary from scholars on Islamic law about it. For more, check out the SHARIAsource portal and blog—complete with new uploads for our network of editors and many new tech features worth checking out, and with many new features to come. We also have a new calendar of events and list of opportunities, to keep you updated on lectures, conferences, and job prospects at Harvard and around the globe. Feel free to contribute your own events or opportunities. As always, we look forward to your engagement. ~ The Editors
In Response to the Indian Supreme Court's Recent Decision on Triple Ṭalāq: A Legislative Proposal
In a recent blockbuster case, the Indian Supreme Court declared triple ṭalāq unconstitutional, and gave the legislature six months to decide on appropriate reforms. Pakistan editor Zubair Abbasi responds to the decision and outlines considerations the legislature might address if it is open to engaging in comparative analysis by "taking into account the applicable Muslim divorce laws in various countries ." Read more. Image credit: Indian Defence Review
Indian Supreme Court Judgment Declaring Triple Ṭalāq Unconstitutional
In a 3-2 decision, the Supreme Court of India declared triple ṭalāq unconstitutional and gave India's parliament six months "to consider legislation" for revising the practices previously addressed through triple ṭalāq . In its opinion, the Court cited global advances in Islamic family law (in India, called Muslim personal law), including Islamic law jurisdictions (which India is not) as evidence of the need for legislative reform. Read more . Image credit: Wikimedia
Round-up on Triple Ṭalāq
The Indian Supreme Court's recent decision on the constitutionality of triple ṭalāq is built upon cases from past decades. In this post, we round up some of those cases and commentary about them by editors who work on the region. India editor Akhila Kolisetty addresses the underlying tension between gender equity and a secular state demonstrated in the Danial Latifi case; Pakistan editor Jeffrey A. Redding argues that the crucial 2002 Shamim Ara case telegraphs the judiciary's intention to assert the unique authority of the modern Indian state . Read the full round-up . Image credit: Indian Supreme Court
Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni passed away on the 25th of September after multiple rounds of chemotherapy for his multiple myeloma. His work in international criminal law, human rights, and Islamic law are only some of the fields in which his force of thought and characters has been indelible. In his last public correspondence, he shared his reflections about his life, mission, and faith. "I want to thank you all for the important part that each one of you have [ sic ] played in my life, from the personal connections that make life joyous, to the professional support that helped me to follow my life's path, to try to make a difference for the betterment of humankind. I have been blessed countless times over to have such wonderful people in my life."
SHARIAsource News Update
We issue newsletters each month, along with regular publication of a wide array of research and resources on Islamic law: portal primary sources and commentary, blog posts, occasional papers, and books with the Harvard University Press. We'll continue to update you with new developments. For regular updates, please visit the portal and the blog . And researchers should always feel free to contact us to join the community of Islamic law scholars and submit their own sources, posts, and manuscripts.
ILSP SHARIAsource :: Upcoming Events
Click here for the full calendar.
Book Panel :: Law, Religion, and Health in the United States (27 Sep 2017 | Cambridge, MA) . Intisar Rabb will moderate a panel of scholars, will discuss a recently published book on the intersection of law, religion, and health. Sponsored by the HLS Library. Details .
Book Panel :: The Futility of Law and Development (3 Oct 2017 | Cambridge, MA) . Intisar Rabb and other scholars will discuss Jed Kroncke's recent book on law and development, with its implications for Chinese law, Islamic law, and global legal history. Sponsored by the East Asian Legal Studies Program. Details.
ILSP Film Screening :: A Separation (16 Oct 2017 | Cambridge, MA). Come see the film screening of the 2011 movie A Separation —about marriage, divorce, crime, and regret—directed by Oscar Award-winning director Asghar Farhadi ( For the Salesman , 2017). A Separation won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2012, becoming the first Iranian film to do so. It also won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Sponsored by ILSP: SHARIAsource. Dinner and refreshments provided. Details and RSVP.
ILSP Lunch Talk :: Mapping Islam in Constitutions (20 Oct 2017 | Cambridge, MA). Dawood Ahmed will discuss his work on comparative Islamic constitutionalism. Details.
ILSP Lunch Talk :: Resurrecting the Ancient Jurists in Print (23 Oct 2017 | Cambridge, MA). ILSP: SHARIAsource Visiting Fellow Ahmed El Shamsy will be discussing the influence of print on Islamic legal thought. Details.
"Conquest and Conversion in Medieval Muslim Sicily" (28 Sep 2017 | Cambridge, MA). Alex Metcalfe , Senior Lecturer, Department of History, Lancaster University, UK, will discuss part of his research on the Islamic world in the Mediterranean basin. Presented by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. Details.
Islamic Legal Theories in the Late Post-Classical Period (29 Sep - 1 Oct 2017 | Berkeley, CA). Hosted by the UC Berkeley Center for Middle Eastern Studies. Details.
Business History Seminar: "Legal Change and Business Enterprise in the Middle East, 1850-Present" (16 Oct 2017 | Cambridge, MA). Seven Agir , Middle East Technical University, Turkey, will present and discuss his work as part of Harvard Business School's Business History Seminar at the Chao Center. Details.
Middle East Librarians Association Annual Meeting: Digital Scholarship and Middle East Librarianship (16-17 Nov 2017 | Washington, DC) . Further information will be announced as it is confirmed. Details.
Middle East Studies Association Annual Meeting (18-21 Nov 2017 | Washington, DC). The annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association will be held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. Details .
MESA Annual Meeting: "Judicial activism in the field of Egyptian shari'a-derived family law" (21 Nov 2017 | Washington, DC). Monika Lindbekk will be presenting on aspects of judicial activism in the field of Egyptian personal status law for Muslims. In a country where reform of the current personal status codes is politically fraught, family court judges perform an important semi-legislative task in interpreting and applying the law. Taking this as a point of departure, her paper argues that courts are an important site for exercising Islamic authority and positioning citizens as religious subjects. Details.
20th General Congress of the International Academy of Comparative Law (22-28 Jul 2018 | Fukuoka, Japan). A week-long conference on topics of comparative law, including workshops, round tables, and lunch meetings. A forum for younger scholars will also be held. Details .
Click here for the full calendar of opportunities.
Extended Call for Papers: Association for Iranian Studies 2018 Biennial Conference (14-17 Aug 2018 | Irvine, CA). The Program Chair has begun assigning panels and papers for adjudication, a process that should take about two weeks. If you can compete a submission in that time, the Program Chair should be able to route your submission for adjudication with the understanding that proposals received by 9/15 will have priority for inclusion in the conference program based on available space. Applications due 30 Sep 2017. Details.
Assistant- or Associate-Level Faculty Position in Islam and the Arts at Stanford University (Palo Alto, CA). Stanford University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor or a tenured Associate Professor faculty position in Islam and the Arts. The search is open to scholars focused on Islamic religious arts and performance; non-religious artistic and literary productions of the diverse cultures of Islamic societies; and scholar/artist practitioners. The applicant must have a conferred terminal degree in his/her field by September 1, 2018. The appointment can be in one of the following departments in the School of Humanities and Sciences: Art and Art History, Music, Theater and Performance Studies, or Comparative Literature. Applications due 2 Oct 2017. Details.
Tenure-track Faculty Position Opening (Boston, MA). The Boston University Department of Anthropology invites applications from social or cultural anthropologists specializing in modern Turkey for a tenure track position starting in July 2018, pending budgetary approval. While the topical area is open, the department is especially interested in scholars who conduct research on political or economic anthropology, gender, religion, refugees and diaspora, or the environment and health. We particularly seek candidates whose work shows an integration of social theory with empirically grounded research. Applications due 2 Oct 2017 . Details.
Assistant- or Associate-Level Faculty Position in Law and Legal Institutions in Muslim Societies (Palo Alto, CA). Stanford University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor or a tenured Associate Professor faculty position focused on law and legal institutions of Islam and/or Muslim societies in any time period. Applications due 15 Oct 2017 . Details.
Call for Papers: American Oriental Society 228th Meeting (Mar 2018 | TBD). Members of the Society are hereby invited to submit communications to be presented at the 228th Meeting. The Program Committee will not accept papers for inclusion on the Program submitted by members who have not paid 2018 membership dues and pre-registration fees in full or who neglect to submit abstracts by the October 15, 2017 deadline. In addition, to submit an abstract of a communication for the Program of the Annual Meeting, you must be logged-in to your user account. If you are not yet an AOS member or your membership has lapsed, you will need to create an account by registering and submit payment for dues and pre-registration before you submit the abstract. Abstracts of no more than 300 words should cover the following points: (a) the precise topic treated, (b) your exact contribution to the problem, (c) its relationship to previous scholarship on the topic, (d) specific conclusions. Proposals due 15 Oct 2017 . Details .
Call for Papers: Law at the Crossroads: Le Droit a la Croisée des Chemins (7-10 Jun 2017 | Toronto, Canada). Submissions are open for the Law and Society Association's annual meeting, jointly hosted with the Canadian Law and Society Association. Proposals are due 18 Oct 2017 . Details .
Two-Year Junior Research Fellowship (2018-2020 | Boston, MA). The Crown Center for Middle East Studies is offering two-year fellowships to outstanding scholars of Middle East politics, economics, history, religion, sociology, or anthropology for the 2018-2020 academic years. This consecutive, two-year fellowship is targeted at junior scholars with PhD in hand and not yet tenured. The fellowship's goal is to allow junior scholars the flexibility and means to advance a specific research project related to the contemporary Middle East. Applications due 31 Oct 2017 . Details .
Call for Papers: Rethinking Halal: Genealogy, Current Trends, and New Interpretation (24-25 Apr 2018 | Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium). The Université Catholique de Louvain Chair of the Law and Religions Research Institute in Religions, Societies, Cultures, Spiritualities invites scholars and researchers to speak on the genealogy of halal since Muslim religious scholars started to instruct a written knowledgeable debate on 'halal' and to unravel Muslim social practices toward it. The conference will discuss how the main stake holders in the halal industry ('ulama, state, halal certificate bodies, scholars) are producing halal norms and standards applying to 'others'. Abstracts are due by 8 Jan 2018 . Read more .
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A California Charter School's Story: How Aspire Public Schools is Digging Deep to Better Understand and Address COVID-19's Impact on Learning
Like many districts, at the start of the 2020-21 school year, Aspire Public Schools in....
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Addressing equity challenges has been the consistent thread that runs through major California education policies....
Equity at the Local Level: Early COVID-19 Response in California School Districts
What can we learn from California school districts' early response to COVID-19? Find out....
A Restorative Approach to a Pandemic
Given Everything Has Changed, What Values Guide Our Work Now? Far too many schools....
A Third Party Study Finds that CORE Professional Development Leads to Gains in Reading
During the 2017–18 school year, CORE provided professional development and technical assistance to elementary....
Pivot Leads the Development of Massachusetts' Guidelines for Dyslexia
Pivot Learning and CORE are collaborating with two researchers from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst....


Home Technology How Is artificial intelligence in healthcare used ?
How Is artificial intelligence in healthcare used ?
Aiman Sohail
Artificial intelligence in healthcare is the science that works on the development of intelligent machines that can think and work like human beings. Suppose we explain artificial intelligence in simple words. In that case, we can say that such a machine that can think and make timely decisions just like human beings is the best example of artificial intelligence.
1 What is Artificial Intelligence?
2 Artificial intelligence in healthcare:
3 Radiology and AI:
3.1 Artificial intelligence in medical diagnosis:
4 Disease Diagnosis:
5 Chatbox:
6 Oncology:
7 Pathology:
8 Facial recognition:
9 Psychiatry:
10 Primary Care:
11 Telehealth:
12 Electronic Health Record:
Nowadays, mobile phones are not uncommon for most people in the world, the person who uses it knows that the cell phone listens to us, reads our faces, and knows what is in our minds (that's why it shows our desired results).
Have you ever wondered how it all happened?
We live in a technological and revolutionary age in which new inventions replace one or more technologies quickly. Artificial intelligence is one of them.
Artificial intelligence in healthcare:
Primarily in healthcare, artificial intelligence aims to prioritize machine decisions over human decisions. There is no doubt that machines cannot replace the human brain. But the human mind cannot perform many tasks; for example, the flight of an airplane is performing the computer.
Likewise, artificial intelligence in healthcare can play an essential role in the field of medicine. This Significant progress makes healthcare by finding the best solutions to health problems with artificial intelligence in less time and cost. AI is providing opportunities to improve health and treat diseases.
Modern artificial intelligence tools can test blood samples and record all patient data online with lower error rates. It can also predict in advance many health risks and analyze data to identify genetic information and trends that can cause a particular disease.
Radiology and AI:
Radiology, which uses medical imaging to diagnose and treat wounds and disease. Also, It can minimize the workload by doing tiresome tasks like segmenting structures. Automatically recognizing AI can improve qualitative and quantitative imaging for unusual and complex cases.
Artificial intelligence in medical diagnosis:
Biopharmaceutical companies use the artificial intelligence system (due to its efficiency and accuracy) to identify and develop new drugs. Artificial intelligence reduces the time it takes to discover new drugs and their costs.
In 2007, for the first time, there was a breakthrough in drug development. When research companies use a robot named adam. Adam processed billions of data to the hypothesis about 19 genes' functions inside the yeast and predicted nine new genes with accurate assumptions.
Artificial intelligence tools can use to diagnose the disease even before symptoms appear. Also, recent research suggests that artificial intelligence software may help detect lung cancer than a trained radiologist. In 87% of cases, it is analyzed that artificial intelligence leads to an accurate diagnosis.
some applications of artificial intelligence in healthcare diagnosis of disease are;
Chatbox:
AI chatbox uses speech recognition to identify patients' conditions and recommend a proper course of action for the prevention of disease. Chatbox is one of the important use of Artificial intelligence in healthcare.
Oncology:
It is the medical specialty used to recognize cancerous tissues at a very early stage by using deep learning of algorithms.
Pathology:
It uses laboratory analysis of bodily fluids such as blood, urine, and tissues to diagnose the disease.
Facial recognition:
Facial recognition is diagnosed with rare diseases. In short, this software is combined with machine learning that analyzes patient photos to detect phenotypes associated with genetic disease.
Psychiatry:
In psychiatry, artificial intelligence uses computerized techniques and algorithms to diagnose and treat mental illness. AI can be an effective way to make a quicker and more accurate diagnosis. It also allows physicians to examine patients remotely.
Primary Care:
The provision of artificial intelligence is overgrowing. Thus, it is becoming increasingly important for decision-making, care management, symptom diagnosis, automated clinical coding, visual identification, and patient records analysis.
The latest artificial intelligence tools have given early success in more survival chances in traffic accident victims. And by estimating recovery chances after liver transplantation. In short, according to the research of virtual American College, artificial intelligence in medicine helps to support decision making in real-time.
According to research, 20% of deaths in road accidents are preventable if the accident victims are treated with quality
improvement efforts.
Telehealth:
Telehealth is the use of digital technology such as mobile phones and computers to access health care services remotely. It makes health care possible for rural and isolated communities. In short, Physicians have already been using
the Google Machine Learning Algorithm remotely to diagnose and treat diabetic retinopathy.
Artificial intelligence in healthcare in telehealth has serious potential to save lives, but successful medical AI needs time. IBM launched Watson for oncology six years ago, and it will be able to diagnose Twelve cancers account for 80% of the world's cases. When health care and data science combine for medical treatment and procedures, we get electronic health
record (EHR).
Here AI algorithms are applied in EHR to improve data discovery for personalized medicine in telehealth. EHR update and organize data available at all times, and data is shared with all parties (laboratories, radiologists, pharmacies, physicians, etc.).
Electronic Health Record:
Last but not least, New technology always comes with advantages and disadvantages. Artificial intelligence will be a difficult transformation period that can wipe out many jobs when intelligent devices and machines perform automated(repetitive )tasks. So if we want to preserve our values, ethics, and employment, we have to prepare for the new AI era. Over time, things will change, so it's vital to adopt a positive attitude towards AI development in our societies.
The artificial intelligence system involved in healthcare is bringing a significant change in the medical domain. To benefit from artificial intelligence for healthcare, there is a need to train people and give proper educational programs to the artificial intelligence developers, front-line medical teams humanists, patients, and patient caregivers. Everyone is involved in bringing and accepting good change in society.
Professional training programs of healthcare should add fundamental courses to properly teach how to use data science, artificial intelligence tools, and services.
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Bemidji man pleads not guilty to arson charge
BEMIDJI--A Bemidji man accused of intentionally setting a fire inside his deceased mother's mobile home pleaded not guilty to one charge of first-degree arson Monday.
By Grace Pastoor
BEMIDJI-A Bemidji man accused of intentionally setting a fire inside his deceased mother's mobile home pleaded not guilty to one charge of first-degree arson Monday.
Michael James Durant, 33, was released from the Beltrami County Jail earlier this month. At an Oct. 31 hearing, his attorney, public defender Laura Dahl, said the charges against him would likely be changed to first-degree damage to property.
Durant was still charged with first-degree arson as of Wednesday.
According to a criminal complaint, Durant was arrested Sept. 29 after a Beltrami County Sheriff's Deputy received a report of a fire inside the mobile home at the 14500 block of Roosevelt Road SE.
Durant allegedly set the fire-which was initially discovered by a relative and her boyfriend-by placing sage on top of a mattress and lighting it. The boyfriend extinguished the fire, the complaint said, then located Durant outside the mobile home.
When deputies arrested Durant, he told them he had been upset and intentionally started the fire, according to the complaint. When asked if he was going to burn the house down, "Durant simply stated that he was going to accept whatever happened."
Durant is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 3 for a pretrial hearing.
Related Topics: CRIME
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@flam
Flam is a small village located along the inmost point of Sognefjord.The area is considered to be one of the best cruise ports in the country. The area has always been a favorite destination among travellers. The best way to see the village is by walkin...more
Flåm, Norway
Flam is a small village located along the inmost point of Sognefjord.The area is considered to be one of the best cruise ports in the country. The area has always been a favorite destination among travellers. The best way to see the village is by walking around. There are a number of interesting things that visitors can see and do in the area. Whether it is riding on one of the steepest trains in the world or visiting the fjords, Flam has a number of things that visitors can see and do in the area.
Flam is a beautiful and attractive destination located in the SognogFjordane county in Norway. Visitors to Flam can have a lot of fun in the area. The Flam Railway is a great journey from the Myrdal station to Flam. The train journey itself is quite a fascination and attracts numerous travellers every year. The journey takes visitors around some of the best sceneries of snow-capped mountains, waterfalls and ravines.
The fjords around Flam are especially worth visiting. It is possible for visitors to hire kayaks and travel around the fjords. There are also several cruises and boat trips available in the area. The Naeroyfjord I one of the most beautiful arms of the Sognefjord. Flam also offers visitors with several opportunities of hiking and biking.
Those who love shopping can find a number of local and souvenir shops around Flam.
The nearest airport to Flam is the Sogndal Airport Haukasen, which is located about 70 km from Flam. There are buses available from Sogndal to Flam. Visitors can also take taxis or airport shuttles to Flam.
There are a few restaurants in Flam that can serve vegetarian food on request.
There are no mosques in Flam.
Things to Do and See in Flåm
Flam Railway
Flåm Railway Museum & Documentation Centre
Kjosfossen Waterfall
Fjord safaris
No Halal restaurant found.
No mosque found.
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Prayer times for Flåm,Norway


Weekly Spotlight
UAE: Visa Violators Have Until 31 December to Leave
The UAE's Federal Authority of Identity and Citizenship has announced visa violators have until 31 December to leave. The grace period applies to those whose visas expired before 1 March.
If they leave before 31 December, they will not face fines or administrative penalties.
They are instructed to book flights and leave before 31 December. Those who want to leave from Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah airports must arrive at the airport at least six hours before the flight is due to leave. While those who intend to travel through Dubai and Al Maktoum airports will have to report at the Dubai Civil Aviation Security Centre 48 hours before their flight is due to leave. Any dependants sponsored by the visa violator will also have to leave.
UAE: Arabtec to File Insolvent Liquidation Application
Arabtec is going to file an insolvency liquidation application as soon as possible with the relevant courts in the UAE. It will be filed following approval at the company's General Assembly. The application will also request Arabtec Construction LLC, Arabtec Constructions LLC, Austrian Arabian Readymix Concrete Co LLC and Arabtec Precast LLC also be placed into insolvent liquidation. No applications involving the company's other subsidiaries will be made. Until an insolvency trustee is appointed, the Company will continue engaging with key stakeholders to explore options to preserve value and where possible avoid these subsidiaries needing to be placed into a formal insolvency process. It follows two months of consultations with all of the company' relevant stakeholders.
UAE: Abu Dhabi Global Market Launches Public Consultation on Third Party Financial Technology Provider Regulatory Framework
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Abu Dhabi's Global Market has launched a public consultation on a proposed regulatory framework for third party financial technology or FinTech services in the Global Market. It ends on 7 January 2021. Third Party Providers do not hold their customers' funds but instead act as intermediaries in the relationship between customers and other financial institutions. In other jurisdictions like the UK and Australia, the growth of these entities has been accompanied by the introduction of Open Banking and Open Finance frameworks, which give customers more control over their data. The proposed regulatory framework prepares and regulates these FinTech firms to work with financial institutions in a secure and efficient way. This will protect the data and interests of their customers. It also provides a strong foundation on which to build an Open Finance strategy to support business growth and financial innovation in the digital platform economy.
UAE: Abu Dhabi Global Market Launches Consultation on Proposed New Data Protection Regulation
The Abu Dhabi Global Market has announced it has launched a public consultation on proposed new Data Protection Regulations. The consultation ends on 19 December 2020. If approved, they will replace the Data Protection Regulations 2015 and because of the significant changes they will introduce for Data Controllers and Data Processors, there will be a 12-month transition period for existing entities regulated by the Global Market and six months for new entities. They include a provision to establish an independent Office of Data Protection which will be led by a Commissioner of Data Protection. They will have the power to monitor compliance with the regulatory framework and ensure non-compliance is appropriately treated. The aim is to increase the protection of personal data processed and controlled in the Global Market and will aim to align with the EU's General Data Protection Regulations which were introduced in 2018.
UAE: UAE's President has issued amendments to the country's Commercial Companies Law (Federal Law No. 2/2015)
The UAE's President has issued amendments to the country's Commercial Companies Law (Federal Law No. 2/2015). Under the amendments, Federal Decree-Law No. 19/2018 will be repealed and the requirement for onshore companies to have a major UAE shareholder will be removed. The removal of the major UAE shareholder requirement is aimed at helping companies reduce overhead costs, make it easier for foreign investors in the country to do business and enable them to operate more flexibly.
In addition to that, the requirement for a UAE national or UAE owned company to be appointed as an agent will be abolished. Requirements for a company chair to be an Emirati and the board of directors to have an Emirati majority will also be repealed. They mean companies will be able to be fully established by non-Emiratis regardless of nationality.
Under other changes, joint stock and limited liability company provisions will be amended. Among other changes, the chair or senior executives of a company will be able to be removed if they are found guilty of fraud or abuse of authority. Shareholders will also now be able to sue a company in civil law for any failures of duty which cause damage. In addition, electronic voting at annual general meetings will be allowed.
There are also amendments aimed at boosting local capital market liquidity by amending the rules for companies wanting to go public. A company wanting to go public will have to have the approval of the relevant authorities and will be able to sell up to 70% of the company instead of the existing 30%.
The amendments will also allow local authorities to continue determining the level of participation by Emiratis in any company. Companies in strategic sectors, like oil and gas exploration, utilities and transport and State-owned entities will be exempt from the amendments. In terms of capital increases or decreases in public companies, a company will be able to approve its capital increase by issuing bonds and converting them into shares.
The Securities and Commodities Authority will be able to establish the controls and procedures required for evaluating in-kind shares and the names of stakeholders attending the general assembly meetings of companies.
Under the new Article 10 to Federal Law No. 2/2015, a committee including representatives of the relevant authorities will oversee activities which have a strategic impact and the measures required to license companies operating in these areas. Following the recommendation of the committee, the Cabinet will state which activities will be considered to have a strategic impact and the measures to enable these companies to be licensed.
Affected companies will have one year to comply from when the amendments come into force. However, this may be extended by an appropriate Ministerial Decision proposed by the Economy Minister.
While most of the amendments come into force next month, the changes related to foreign ownership, agency and boards of directors will come into force six months after they are published in the Official Gazette.
Abu Dhabi: Global Market Signs FinTech Cooperation Agreement with Israel Securities Authority
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Abu Dhabi's Global Market has announced it has signed a FinTech cooperation agreement with Israel's Securities Authority. The agreement is a first in the region and provides a framework for information sharing and facilitating the movement of start-ups, knowledge and talent between the two countries. The two bodies will work together to promote economic growth in financial services by adopting new technology and boosting their respective FinTech sectors. The agreement will allow information on trends, services and products to be exchanged and facilitate the collaborative development of FinTech initiatives between the two bodies. Both jurisdictions will also work together on professional knowledge transfer, accelerator programmes and promote the development of relevant technologies, like digital payments and blockchain. The agreement will also allow FinTech start-ups to access information from the respective jurisdictions through a single point of contact.
UAE: Economic Substance Regulation Notification Deadline Announced
The UAE's Finance Ministry has announced all companies in the UAE which engage in any of the relevant activities under the Economic Substance Regulations have to submit a notification to the Regulatory Authority by 31 December 2020. This applies to those entities whose financial year ended on 31 December 2019. If they do not, they will face administrative penalties.
The Undersecretary to the Finance Ministry added the Ministry will launch the Economic Substance Regulations portal in the first week of December 2020. The aim of the portal is to simplify the process of submitting these reports and notifications by allowing companies to submit reports, notifications and supporting documents electronically.
To help affected companies prepare the necessary applications on the Portal, the Finance Ministry has published sample notification forms on its website and social media platforms. They have also published relevant guides and documents, and a notice regarding the submission requirements and deadlines.
UAE: Decision to establish a specialist money laundering and tax evasion court
The UAE's Deputy Prime Minister, Presidential Affairs Minister and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department has issued a Decision to establish a specialist money laundering and tax evasion court. This is the first court of its kind in the country. It is part of the Department's strategic priority to improve the litigation process and create a fair and just judicial system. It will support the continuous development of the Emirate's judicial system and support the UAE's efforts to tackle these crimes and prosecute perpetrators. A Decision to this effect has been issued by Sheikh Mansour. Abu Dhabi Decision No. 35/2020 will be part of the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court and appeals of the Court's judgments will be heard by one of the Criminal Court's Appeal Courts. The Undersecretary of the Judicial Department will issue the relevant decisions to implement it and anything which contradicts it will be revoked. It will be published in the Official Gazette and will come into force one after its publication.
UAE: Amendments to Law on Evidence in Civil and Commercial Transactions Approved
The UAE's Cabinet has approved amendments to the Law on Evidence in Civil and Commercial Transactions (Federal Law No. 10/1992). A Decree-Law has been issued to this effect.
It has been amended to allow more remote communication technologies to be used in evidence-related procedures and adopt digital signatures and documents. In addition, they aim to legitimise e-hearing minutes which document witness testimonies, as well as judicial decisions, signed notary documents and other related provisions.
The amendments will also enable-signatures and e-documents to be approved and treated as official documents.
They also approved a Federal Law to amend the law regulating the notary public profession (Federal Law No. 22/1991). The amendments include provisions related to regulating the notary public profession, like simplifying the evidence-giving process for all parties and enabling the use of e-transactions in all notary public procedures. They also aim to create memos and verify evidence of identity. In addition, they aim to enable the registration, signing and payment of fees electronically.
Documents will have to be created and saved electronically and will be kept confidential. They will not be able to be circulated, copied or deleted from the electronic system without permission from the relevant administration of the notary public at the Ministry.
The Justice Minister will issue the necessary decisions to enable the use of information technology in notary public work.
The aim is to help digitalise Government services by encouraging electronic means of litigation and notary public services without compromising confidentiality, speed and flexibility and ensure national information security regulations and policies, both Federally and at an individual Emirate level are complied with.
UAE: Central Bank Issues New Digital Payment Service Regulations
The UAE's Central Bank has announced it has issued new Stored Value Facilities Regulations. They are aimed at ensuring stored value products and services are operated securely, well and efficiently. They are also aimed at giving FinTech companies and other non-bank payment service providers easier access to the local market while safeguarding the customers' funds, ensuring proper business conduct and supporting the development of payment products and services. The regulation covers licensing, supervision and enforcement provisions which will apply to companies who are licensed to provide Stored Value Facilities services. Affected entities will have a year to comply from when the Regulation comes into force. Those who already have a Stored Value Facilities license under the previous regulatory framework may continue operating. However, they will have to implement all of the relevant measures set out in the new regulation by the end of the transition period.


Library and Archives Canada Blog
A unique Aboriginal account book attributed to Michel "L'Aigle" Dokis, c. 1861–1884
Posted on May 14, 2015 by Library and Archives Canada Blog
Library and Archives Canada has, in its digital collection, a copy of an account book (featuring a unique pictographic system) that was owned by Ojibwa Chief Michel Dokis. Documents created by Aboriginals using pictographic recording systems are exceptionally rare. Both Michel Dokis and his account book are of outstanding importance, since his contribution and the account book itself highlight the development and use of such a system.
Michel Dokis (also known as L'Aigle) was a signatory of the Robinson-Huron Treaty of 1850. Life Chief since 1850, he remained at the head of his community until his death in 1906. Active throughout the second half of the 19th century, he operated several trading posts in the French River area in what is today central-northern Ontario. Michel Dokis was reputedly literate, and fluent in Ojibwa and French.
The account book he kept to document his commercial activities reflects the established conventions for a ledger in a double-entry bookkeeping system, each page being devoted to recording transactions with a single individual, or perhaps a family. The upper line indicates the nature and quantity of goods presented for trade while the lower line records the nature and quantity of goods exchanged.
Interesting enough, the client is identified in the upper margin through an image indicative of his or her name (beaver, mink, muskrat, otter, turtle, duck, goose, hawk, bow and arrow, acorn, man with hat or flat cap or pipe); some personal names were noted in Ojibwa, English or French. A few dates were recorded in English or French. Occasional explanatory comments were inscribed in Ojibwa, apparently to authorize a payment to a third party or to record the final settlement of the account.
What becomes truly fascinating about this ledger is the fact that entries were made using a unique pictographic system, developed by Michael Dokis, that has yet to be fully deciphered.
A page from the account book showing some of the pictographs used in it. Note the violin in the upper left corner. (MIKAN 3972512)
The symbolic representations for the manufactured goods given out in trade present the fewest challenges to decipherment—notably the violin (page 398). Clothing included different kinds of shirts, trousers and dresses, suspenders, hats, and boots (plain, spotted, striped or plaid), shawls (with or without fringe) and combs. Equipment and tools included scissors, spools of thread and buttons; skeins of twine or rope, candlesticks; knives, hatchets or axes, nails, files, augers, rifles, traps, blankets and tents. Stroke marks (///) over a blanket, trap or other article probably indicated multiples.
Another page from the account book showing some of the pictographs used in it. Dated 1861. (MIKAN 3972512)
Deciphering the more abstract images requires a knowledge of the Ojibwa language and of the trading environment within which this recording system was developed. Does the puckered toe of a moccasin stand for the whole item? Do teapots with curved spouts imply tea, while straight-sided pots imply coffee? Does a woman's dress within a rectangle denote a mirror? Do the dots within a U shape indicate flour, while dots within a double circle indicate gunpowder, or vice versa? What may be characterized as reversed or stylized B's, C's and K's may denote specific furs (based on their Ojibwa names) and cross-hatching may indicate numbers.
A page from the account book, written in Ojibwa (MIKAN 3972512)
Decoding these symbols provides a great challenge. Maybe you can unlock the mystery!
This entry was posted in Indigenous Resources and tagged Aboriginal, account book, fur trade, Michel Dokis, pictograms, pictographs by Library and Archives Canada Blog. Bookmark the permalink.
2 thoughts on "A unique Aboriginal account book attributed to Michel "L'Aigle" Dokis, c. 1861–1884"
john37309 on May 15, 2015 at 12:05 am said:
It looks like L'Aigle was doing exactly the same thing that the ancient Irish people were doing several thousand years ago. The ancient people who lived in Ireland several thousand years ago wrote in a language known as "Ogham", its like small little ticks and dashes and pictograms, and they wrote genealogical family history type information on standing stones called "Ogham Stones". See the Wikipedia page;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogham
There is a very old Irish book, written about the 7th century, called "Auraicept na n-Éces", in English its called "The Scholars Primer". There are modern English translations of the book available to read for free on the internet. See the Wikipedia page here;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auraicept_na_n-%C3%89ces
That book, "The Scholars Primer", so the original writer claims, it shows you 96 different ways to write this "Ogham" script. And its all little pictograms, and it looks just like L'Aigle's book! This old Irish language had 20 symbols, or pictograms, or letters. Each of the letters was named after a species of Tree that existed in Ireland at the time the book was written.
Guillaume Marcotte on July 15, 2015 at 3:51 pm said:
I will for sure examine this very interesting document, as I'm working on Dokis and other fur traders of french-canadian and native ancestry. I think the Dokis ledger book can't be understood without keeping in mind is mixed ancestry. His father was the french Canadian Michel Daigle. The name Daigle was changed to D'Aigle, to L'Aigle, to The Eagle, and to Migisi, wich are all the same word for Eagle (in french, english and anishnabe). Almost all the Dokis band were Métis like him too. They created a mixed culture, still a native culture for sure, but different by the contribution of french canadian roots.


Theatre Review: "The Grand Manner"
Jun. 30 Uncategorized no comments
by Jonathan Warman
The phrase "love letter to the theatre" gets bandied around a lot in reviews of backstage dramas. So let's be more specific about The Grand Manner. The play is based on a brief encounter that playwright A. R. Gurney had with great American actress Katherine Cornell in 1948, when she was playing Cleopatra on Broadway in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. At the top of the show, Gurney shows the backstage program-signing moment as it actually happened: briskly, casually, with a few pearls of wisdom from the great actress, but nothing terribly dramatic, and taking no more than 5 minutes.
Gurney then starts over again, imagining a more extended meeting with Cornell, her manager (and sometime lesbian lover) Gertrude Macy, and her director/husband Guthrie McClintic (every bit as gay as Katherine was lesbian). This reimagining – a very satisfying set of point-counterpoint character studies – makes up the balance of the evening.
Gurney has done his research on his boyhood idol, and has richly imagined an actress of a certain age who keenly feels time and changing tastes passing her by, who wonders aloud whether she's even right for the role of Cleopatra. Its these anxieties that provides the dramatic tension of the play; to a woman for whom acting is everything, these stakes are as high as can be.
Kate Burton is magificent as Cornell, conveying with great charm and sensitivity Katherine's essential optimism, shaded by a sophisticated understanding of her own limitations. Seriously hard-working actor (and cutie pie) Bobby Steggart delicately underplays Pete (a fictionalized version of Gurney himself), who might just be more canny – and less shockable – than his more worldy elders initially think. Brenda Wehle is similarly (and appropriately) understated as the intellectual and unavoidably butch Gertude. And Boyd Gaines gets perhaps the most truly "grand" role as the flamboyant but still quite masculine McClintic, and he plays it to the hilt.
If The Grand Manner has a notable flaw, it would be that it's a bit "insider-y" – the issues of the play matter greatly to people in the theatre, but may not even make sense to people outside of it. The play's target audience: gay theatre people with a taste for history. Needless to say, I adored it!
For tickets, click here.
For more reviews and interviews by Jonathan Warman, see dramaqueennyc.blog.
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British businessman Richard Branson sprays champagne to launch Virgin Australia at Brisbane Airport. Virgin Australia was established in 2000 with two aircraft operating on a single route, and suddenly found itself catapulted to the position of Australia's second airline after the collapse of Ansett Australia in September 2001.


« Gina Khan on Breaking the Silence
The Turning »
Interview With Azar Majedi
Nov 10th, 2007 | By Rosa Valentini
Would you say that the British have become aware of the danger of multiculturalists' policies since the London terrorist attacks?
Azar Majedi: It is difficult to judge the British public opinion, as it is usually the media that makes and shapes the public opinion. As far as the British political arena is concerned, I must say no, it has not changed. The British government continues the policy of appeasement of the so-called "Muslim leaders," who, to my opinion, are self appointed. Consulting with these religious men, in order to "win the hearts of the Muslim community", is the British government's key policy.
Unfortunately, an atmosphere of mistrust has developed between the so-called Muslim community and the general public. The Muslim community feels isolated and discriminated against. It has been stigmatized. This is the negative effect of the present tension. In the eyes of some, whoever considers themselves Muslim, has their origin in the region associated with Islam, or looks "Muslim" is considered a terrorist suspect. This attitude deepens the tension and friction in the society and deepens the existing separation.
On the left, perhaps with a good intention, to fight racism and stigmatization of the Muslim community, the general mood is to support Islamist movements, the veil, gender apartheid, and all the Islamic values which are deeply reactionary, discriminative and misogynist. This is very wrong. This is in effect racism, to say that gender apartheid and discrimination is ok for the "Muslims". This is in fact double standards. We should first and foremost distinguish between "ordinary Muslims" and the Islamist movement. Second we should feel free to criticize Islam just as we feel free to criticize any other religion, ideology or set of beliefs. However, part of the left movement does not distinguish between these categories and accepts the proclamations of self appointed "Muslim leaders". The Islamist movement is not the representative of Muslims, and is not the representative of Palestinians' or Iraqi people's grief. This should be stressed.
I believe we need a healthy debate. We need to criticize Islam and Islamist movements and at the same time fight racism and stigmatization and defend individual rights. Since the tragic event of September 11, many civil liberties have been eroded in the society, in the name of security. We should try and reverse this tide.
Has the Trotskyite SWP distanced itself from the Islamist fundamentalists or does it carry on openly in public with them as it did at the 2005 Social European Forum in London?
Azar Majedi: I must admit that I do not follow this party's actions closely. As far as I know the SWP has not changed its policy towards the Islamists. I believe they still fully support this reactionary and terrorist movement.
What's your opinion about Ken Livingstone's Big Mosque project?
Azar Majedi: I am totally against it. We don't need more mosques. There are already too many of them. What we need is better and more schools for the children and youth in the Muslim community, a better-funded education for them, more leisure centres and sports facilities. Much more funds have to be poured into these communities to improve the social environment. These mosques are the place for brainwashing of the children and the youth. Usually the underprivileged and marginalized youth are drawn into these mosques and being fed by hatred and reactionary and misogynist values. It is proven that some of these mosques, for example the Finsbury, have been used to train terrorists. We should also be aware that Islamic governments like the Islamic regime of Iran and Saudi Arabia are behind such monumental projects. This is quite telling about the goals for building such monuments.
You are hostile to Iran's ayatollahs. What's your stand concerning the war threats relayed by Bernard Kouchner?
Azar Majedi: Yes, I am a staunch enemy of the Islamic Regime in Iran. This is a brutal regime that has executed more than a hundred thousand people. It is a brutal dictatorship that oppresses the people and it is misogynist to its bones. I have been fighting this regime from the day it came to power.
Having said that, I must add that I am totally against the war. Military attack will be a catastrophe. It is the people in Iran and the region who will suffer as a result of this war. This to my opinion is a war of terrorists. There are two poles of terrorism, state terrorism and Islamist terrorism which are inflaming this war. Such a war has no positive result for humanity, for peace, or for the people of Iran and the region.
This war will strengthen the Islamic regime, just as the Iraq war strengthened the Islamists and the Islamic regime of Iran, just as the war in Lebanon strengthened Hezbollah and the Islamist movement. As soon as the threat of war becomes imminent, the Islamic regime will make more restrictions for the people. It would brutally crush any sign of discontentment. It would execute people even more mercilessly.
The war will also be an environmental catastrophe. Attacking the nuclear sites will mean a nuclear hell in the region. I am totally against the war. We should try and stop this war. It will create a chaotic situation, a black scenario, which will only be a breeding place for terrorism. Look at Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon; the future for Iran will be if not more disastrous, just as catastrophic.
We must take the volatile political situation in Iran into consideration. People in Iran are resisting this regime. There is a great protest movement in Iran, workers' and women's rights and youth movement against Islamic restriction and for cultural freedom. There is a significant secular movement in Iran. The war will have devastating effects on these popular and progressive movements. I believe our slogan should be "no to the war and no to the Islamic regime!" International left and progressive movements must support these movements in Iran.
We should also expose the US's warmongering propaganda. I should add that dismantling the Islamic regime's nuclear power is a pure misrepresentation of the war's aim, just as the removal of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was a pure lie. The US government has been defeated in Iraq. To win back its position as the bully of the world it needs another war. The Islamic regime was the actual winner in Iraq. By attacking Iran the US will show the world it still has the muscles to fight this regime, to attack any country, or do whatever it pleases, for that matter.
How did you react when you heard about the Vosges case*? Do you think that forbidding the headscarf altogether is the best solution to the headscarf offensive throughout Europe?
Azar Majedi: This is a complex issue. I must first state that I am against the veil. I believe that the veil is the tool and symbol of women's oppression and enslavement. Moreover, nowadays the veil has become the banner of the Islamist movement. Many women both in the west and in the Middle East and North Africa wear the veil as a political gesture. American aggression, the war in Iraq and Lebanon and America's full fledged support of Israel vis-à-vis Palestinians have motivated many young women to wear the veil as a sign of protest against the US and the west's policies.
I have been fighting against the veil and have tried to expose its nature. Moreover, I am for banning the veil for underage girls. I think no child should be forced to wear the veil. A child has no religion. It is the parent's religion that is forced upon them. The veil restricts greatly the physical and mental development of a child and must be banned. I am also in favour of banning the burka in all circumstances. However I do not believe that other forms of the veil should be banned for adult women, except in public institutions and schools, as the French law has prescribed. I believe that beyond that we are restricting individual rights of citizens to freedom of clothing and religion. I have written an article on the subject of the veil, a shorter version of which was published by Respublica. I explained in depth my reason for this position.
I believe a complete ban on the veil would have more negative effects than positive ones and would create a negative backlash which will damage our goals for a free and secular society, and for the freedom and equality of women. Instead of a total ban on the veil, we should campaign strongly against the veil, the Islamist movement and American aggression. We should expose both poles of terrorism to open up the eyes and minds of those women who have "freely" chosen the veil as a political manifestation. The Islamist movement is trying to portray itself as the liberator of the people in the Middle East, the Palestinians, and the Iraqis. This is a big lie. We have to expose that. We need to fight against the Islamists and their banner, the veil, on the ideological and political sphere as well.
*If you haven't heard about it, I'll sum it up for you. A lady called Fanny Truchelut used to run a guest house somewhere in Eastern France. One day a woman booked a room for two and sent a cheque over. When the two women who had booked the room arrived, they were wearing the headscarf. Fanny kindly asked them to take it off in the common area. The Muslim ladies refused, claimed the cheque back, went away, contacted a newspaper, lodged a complaint against Fanny accusing her of racism.
A few days ago at the trial Fanny was given a four-month suspended sentence and she will have to pay a fine and an award (over 8,000 Euros).
Lots of people think Fanny was right because she doesn't understand why we should be shocked by the burka in Afghanistan and not by any sort of head-scarf in France).
This interview, by Rosa Valentini, first appeared in Riposte Laïque.
Unveil Women in Iran!
Let's build an international secular movement!
On the Occasion of 8th March, International Women's Day
The Regime in Iran has silenced the voice of five more activists!
An accommodation with political Islam?


New Research Quantifies Value of Increased Productivity from Improved Indoor Air Quality
Study builds on recently released "Impact of Green Building on Cognitive Function" study by researchers at Harvard University, SUNY Upstate Medical.
A new study released today finds that doubling the ventilation rate in typical office buildings can be reached at an estimated annual energy cost of between $14 and $40 per person, resulting in as much as a $6,500 equivalent in improved productivity per person per year. When energy-efficient technologies are utilized, the study found the energy costs to be even lower, with a minimized environmental impact of approximately 0.03 additional cars on the road per building.
The research, titled "Economic, Environmental and Health Implications of Enhanced Ventilation in Office Buildings," was conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health's Center for Health and the Global Environment, SUNY Upstate Medical, Syracuse University and Carrier. The study was supported by United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) and its UTC Climate, Controls & Security business, a leading provider of heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration systems, building controls and automation, and fire and security systems.
The report was published today in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health's special issue "Indoor Environmental Quality: Exposures and Occupant Health," and builds on the recently released "Impact of Green Building on Cognitive Function" study by the same research team. Also known as The COGfx Study, the research found cognitive function test scores improved 101 percent in green building environments with enhanced ventilation compared to conventional building environments.
"This study shows there is no longer a tradeoff between energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality – both can be achieved together to accelerate the green building movement," said John Mandyck, UTC Chief Sustainability Officer. "Readily available, energy efficient technology can turn office buildings into human resource tools that improve the health and productivity of the people inside."
Researchers studied three indoor environments achieved by four different heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system strategies across seven U.S. cities as outlined below. For each scenario, the team selected the Department of Energy Medium Office Prototype (a 53,000 square foot, three-story building with more than 260 occupants) as the standard; used state average utility prices for each city; and referenced salary data obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Three indoor environments: standard ventilation at 20 cubic feet per minute of outdoor air per person, the green condition used during The COGfx Study; 30 percent higher ventilation than ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2010, which is required to obtain a U.S. Green Building Council LEED® credit for enhanced ventilation, equivalent to 27.6 cubic feet per minute of outdoor air per person; and 40 cubic feet per minute of outdoor air per person, the enhanced green condition used during The COGfx Study.
Four HVAC system strategies: variable air volume (VAV) and fan coil unit (FCU) systems, both mature technologies typically used in office buildings. Both systems were evaluated with and without an energy recovery ventilator (ERV), which improves system energy efficiency.
Seven U.S. cities representative of different climate zones: Austin, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; San Francisco, California; Baltimore, Maryland; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Boston, Massachusetts; and Boise, Idaho.
The researchers used Carrier's Hourly Analysis Program (HAP) to calculate the annual energy consumption for the HVAC equipment. Environmental impacts were then derived using the Environmental Protection Agency's Power Profiler tool. At the highest ventilation rate, they found that adding an ERV "essentially neutralizes the environmental impact of enhanced ventilation" – equivalent to approximately 0.03 additional cars on the road per building across all cities. Specific results are dependent upon each city's individual power generation fuel mix, with researchers noting "the per building environmental impact on greenhouse gas emissions is not as impactful as the estimated benefits."
Mandyck noted any additional energy needed to achieve the substantial gains in productivity can be offset with lower carbon strategies achieved with green buildings. "Research like this has the potential to encourage the adoption of more green building, which means more energy can be saved over the long term," he said.
"Three decades of research show the health benefits of increased ventilation, and now our recent research shows that these benefits extend to cognitive function, yet enhanced ventilation credits in green building certification systems are not uniformly pursued. We sought to understand potential barriers to widespread adoption," said Dr. Joseph Allen, Assistant Professor of Exposure Assessment Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Director of the Healthy Buildings program at Harvard's Center for Health and the Global Environment. "This research suggests that the health and productivity benefits far outweigh energy costs and environmental impacts can be mitigated through a variety of readily available strategies. It is time we move away from ventilation designed for merely acceptable indoor air quality and move towards design for optimal indoor air quality. We have been presented with the false choice of energy efficiency or healthy indoor environments for too long. We can – and must – have both."
"It's important to note that our study provides a conservative estimate of the benefits of enhanced ventilation because we focused solely on cognitive function. The public health literature indicates that we would expect many co-benefits of increasing ventilation rates, such as reduced absenteeism due to illness, which has clear impacts on productivity," said Piers MacNaughton, doctoral candidate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and project manager of The COGfx Study.
"This study makes the case that new building construction should design for ventilation rates above current code-mandated levels and include ERVs, and existing buildings should investigate retrofitting with increased ventilation rates and ERVs – both to improve occupant productivity and reach building sustainability goals," said Jim Pegues, engineering fellow and study researcher, UTC Climate, Controls & Security. "For building owners interested in replicating the analysis of energy cost and environmental impact for their own buildings, the modeling is straightforward and we believe could be used by owners for all building types."
The full study can be found at www.TheCOGfxStudy.com. In addition, Allen and MacNaughton will present these findings at an educational session at the U.S. Green Building Council's annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo. More information can also be found at the United Technologies Greenbuild booth, #1905, today in Washington, D.C.
About UTC Climate, Controls & Security
UTC Climate, Controls & Security is a leading provider of heating, air conditioning and refrigeration systems, building controls and automation, and fire and security systems leading to safer, smarter, sustainable and high performance buildings. UTC Climate, Controls & Security is a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide. For more information, visit www.CCS.UTC.com or follow @UTC_CCS on Twitter.


Why do we torture our heroes?
Posted on July 1, 2013 by Silk Questo
Happy Canada Day! Now that the 5 writers have reported on our big critique adventure on Whistler Mountain, we thought we'd use the summer to blog about some of the things we learned, observed or discussed in a collaborative way. The idea is to open each week with a topic of interest (a provocative one is always fun), and then each of the 5 writers will in turn add their thoughts about it … or maybe take it in some new direction. We'll see! We also welcome readers' thoughts in the comments section, so jump in anytime. Since it is vacation season, after all, we hope readers will forgive us if some of us play hooky occasionally over the summer. And now, on to our first topic …
Silk's Post #42 — We all got the memo. You get your hero up a tree. You throw rocks at him. And then you get him down.
This writing adage about the three-act structure did have an origin, but tracking it down is not so easy. According to Barry Popik on his very cool blog, The Big Apple:
"It has been cited in print since at least 1897 and has been credited to French writers of farce. George Abbott (1887-1995), who wrote the books for the Broadway musicals Damn Yankees and Fiorello!, often used the saying, crediting it to the American playwright Augustus Thomas (1857-1934). Thomas credits French playwrights in his 1916 book."
All I know for sure is that when I googled this well-worn novel/script/screenplay bromide, I decided to stop trying to find its genesis when I got to the 25th page of citations.
No matter. It's received wisdom that has stood the test of time. Why?
If you've ever read a book on writing or sat through a workshop at a writers conference, you will be familiar with the constant exhortation to create conflict and tension on every page by giving your protagonist troubles. And then more troubles. In other words, getting him up a tree then throwing rocks at him.
Good advice, as far as it goes. But I think it's smart to remember that this adage is shorthand for a much more nuanced principle of drama. Blind adherence to the dictum can result in "Perils of Pauline" melodrama, or produce a protagonist so hopelessly beleaguered that the hero comes across as a hapless victim.
There are three big problems with a hapless victim as protagonist.
Problem #1: Repetitive Agonizing
Over-tortured, victimized characters tend to express their constant frustration. After all, the author has to give these poor sods something to say, and when a character with a life-threatening disease, whose true love recently dumped him just after his dog was run over by a car, falls off a cliff and into a gigantic waterfall after being chased by evil aliens … well, let's just assume the first words out of his mouth after he hits the water will not be, "Wow! What a beautiful waterfall." How many readers want to spend a whole book with a constantly anguished or angry protagonist? We all want someone to root for, not just feel sorry for.
Problem #2: Boredom
Being in a pickle is not inherently exciting. Giving a protagonist a ton of problems to worry about and suffer from does not automatically create conflict and tension. A guy sitting in solitary confinement in a prison cell has big trouble, but watching him pace the floor and mark the days off on the wall is not interesting. Or even tense (for the reader, at least). Why? He can't solve his problem. All he can do is be miserable. And misery without conflict, action or interaction is kinda boring. (In case Papillon comes to mind as an exception, that was Henri Charriere's memoir and, arguably, the exciting parts were the escapes, not the scenes where he spit out his rotting teeth in a filthy cell.)
Problem #3: Miraculous Victory
"The Perils of Pauline" told classic damsel-in-distress stories. Sending in some outside force to rescue the protagonist is one way to get him, or her, down from the tree. But if you're not (intentionally) writing melodrama, you have to figure out a way to have your hero find his own way down from the tree. If you've beset your protagonist with continuously mounting (and unsolved) troubles through the whole book – your character is going to have to morph from hapless victim to unstoppable Superman in the last act to get out of the mess by himself. (Okay, Papillon is certainly a breathtaking example of this … but if it hadn't been an autobiography, who would have believed it?)
So, what does the "up a tree" dictum really tell us to do? This is something we discussed at length in Whistler, and my own personal epiphany was about the purpose of giving your protagonist troubles. It's not to make him a miserable, complaining victim. It's to give him something heroic to do. To put him in action. Only by the protagonist's reaction to his troubles can we get to know what he's made of.
Ding … the lightbulb went on for me. Give your hero problems he actually can do something about. Then let him show his stuff. Do we really care about a hero who sits up in that tree kvetching and waiting for miracle? No, we want him to be visibly overcoming his fear of heights, planning his escape, throwing apples at the baying dogs below, weaving a rope out of twigs or something … anything! The tougher the problem, the bigger the hero. But if the protagonist is not well matched with the problems to be solved, the writer may have to cheat and resort to miracles or magic, and that could actually diminish the hero.
That's my take. What's yours?
This entry was posted in Characters, Conflict, Critique Group, Setbacks and tagged advice, character development, critique groups, hero, obstacles, Papillon, Perils of Pauline, Three Act Structure by Silk Questo. Bookmark the permalink.
About Silk Questo
Writer. Sailor. Designer. Mermaid.
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6 thoughts on "Why do we torture our heroes?"
Helga Bolleter on July 2, 2013 at 11:56 am said:
You opened a HUGE debate here, Silk! It's one of the most important questions to ask, and so many poorly written books fall into exactly the trap you've described. Piling suffering and pain on your protagonist without letting him save himself will not make a hero, but a victim too pathetic to relate to. And too boring, because there's little or no conflict. It's not the getting him into a pickle, but watching how he crawls out of the pickle jar is what we like to read. Then we have a character we can root for. You nailed it with pointing out the difference, Silk
Silk Questo on July 3, 2013 at 9:22 am said:
Thanks Helga. As we know too well, it's much easier said than done.
jmmcdowell on July 3, 2013 at 8:17 am said:
This is a major stumbling block for me—putting my characters into that difficult situation in the first place and then realistically getting them out of it. I'm quickly drawn out of stories where too much is piled on, chapter after chapter. But I'm told I don't put in enough tension and conflict. Apparently my idea of realistic doesn't make for good fiction. I'm hoping I can overcome that!
I'm in the same boat by nature, JM, but trying to harden my heart. It's hard sometimes to find that perfect balance between subtle and obvious, between "real" life and the storyworld. I'm trying to learn to play the "suspension of disbelief" instrument without hitting any sour notes. Good luck with your next story!
sofferclese on July 8, 2013 at 2:29 pm said:
You hit the nail on my head this time, Silk. Repetitive or overly detailed agonizing (problem #1) leads to boredom (problem #2), especially if you've been influenced by Charriere's Papillion. The knife in the eye, guillotining the repetitive escapee, and the guy with the tattooed face, are still vivid in my memory, after almost 40 years, and all those details created and re-created a dark and apprehensive mood. I'm trying to create that same mood in my novel, but I've been imitating Papillion, creating and re-creating dark and apprehensive, and it's gotten in the way of my story. You've helped me express, in words, what I've been trying to do in this latest re-edit, and I have to thank you once again. (I know, repetitively, but you've been helpful so many times.)
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