I have been somewhat busy. Two companies that I am very interested had their job application due March 19. That’s a day before my birthday. And as I mentioned before, many Korean applications want the candidates to write out “personal statement.” In other words, (and in average) there are three to five questions where you have to answer within the given word limit. Many of these questions are interview questions in US. In addition, depends on the company the word limit is such a variety – a firm that I am most interested in limits the answers to be no longer than 2,000 words. Then one of the firms I applied last week limited the answer to be less than 300 words. Of course they are pretty much asking same stuff. So now I applied three companies so far – I keep my fingers crossed.
In the middle of daily job hunting, I got a connection invitation on LinkedIn from my college alum. It’s good but I wondered why on earth he would like to connect with this young gal alum at a small Asian country. It turned out that he saw my profile randomly on my college community on LinkedIn, saw my status as “seeking employment” and wanted to help me out. In addition, he hosted homestay an exchange student from Korea and his daughter visited South Korea several times. What a small world!
He offered me to call him so we can talk about possible career opportunities and practical advice. Yes, I had to get up at 6 am and am pretty sure some of my answers did not make sense, even with strong black tea. But it was incredibly helpful – he introduced me to several new ways and connections. On the top of that he gladly revised my English resume. Though that early morning international phone call really screwed up my normal sleep cycle, I am not going to complain. I can’t. I guess all that karma paid off – for sure I’ll do more good.
Meanwhile I had some strange contacts, too. A guy whom I sent a job-lead e-mail said he will try to call me. So I emptied that day’s schedule. But he ended up not calling me. At the end he did call me, but then started to go on and on and on about my last job and duties. Well…I would not have sent him that job-lead e-mail if I am still related to my last work. I said I am no longer involved in that work. Then he went on about how the things in his company works with much detail. Some of it was helpful, but my job-lead e-mail was not about that. It was simple: “I know you, and here’s my background. Please let me know if you know any fit opportunity for me or can spread the word.”
And then, another guy whom I met through one of the recruiters, is flirting with me. Yes he is a very friendly guy, and thanks for your interest in me…but I really don’t want to initiate a romantic relationship who is +10 years older than I am. I haven’t been dated for two years and consider myself pretty open person, but still. No.
My Korean-style job session is over for now. And there are more employers who posted their openings – and luckily some of them are the field I am interested. To be honest it is a bit frustrating that I have an open schedule but not THAT open. Now it is the major hiring season here, so I would not dare to take a luxury of vacation trip away to Bali.
I hear stories that many Koreans made it through big name grad schools, because the competition rate was lower than before, thanks to bad economy. Maybe I should have gone to the grad school. But what I care most is what AFTER grad school. If I am to go to grad school, I want it to be a “ticket” out of here, or at least not having to deal with bunch of mono-cultured Koreans.
Seriously, if only I was born 5 years earlier, my life would have been much easier. This morning I read an article regarding the international economic depression, written by an economic professor at Yale. He, too, said no one can really predict what would happen – when would this depression end? How long would this depression continue? We really don’t have much data to predict. In human history there was only one economic depression that affected every single country on earth. The one at 1930’s.
I know, I know – the life itself is a bet. It takes turn at the most unexpected part. Or, when you expect it would be curvy, the road is straight. Someone said there’s no road ahead because it’s all about what I make of it.
The US has two drone programs operating out of two command centers. CIA drone pilots are located on the east coast, in the catacombs of CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC. They are 11,000 kilometers (6,800 miles) away from Kabul. The US military’s drone pilots are even further west, at Creech Air Force Base in the deserts of Nevada, about an hour’s drive northwest of the gamblers’ paradise Las Vegas.
Both flight control centers look alike — they’re computer rooms that are sterile, insular and above all secure. Members of the Air Force’s 42nd Attack Squadron, who operate drones in Afghanistan from the base in Nevada and mostly live in Las Vegas, call themselves “combat commuters”. They perform their military duties for the day, then drive home.
“In the morning you carpool or you take a bus and drive into work, you operate for an eight-hour shift, and then you drive back home,” Air Force Major Bryan Callahan, 37, explained to SPIEGEL ONLINE. Callahan flew drones for four years in Nevada and now serves as assistant branch chief at the Air Combat Command Headquarters in Langley, sharing responsibility for all US drones worldwide. He is well acquainted with the somewhat bizarre lifestyle of a drone pilot.
“I do emails in the morning, rush to the airplane, come out, go to the BX (editor’s note: Base Exchange), get myself a hamburger, do some more email, do it again, drive home,” he relates.
Most will agree that “fairness” of the vote is the most important criteria for a voting system whether paper voting or online voting. “Fairest” vote could be defined as the vote which best represents the wish of the majority of the electorate.
Many things can affect fairness of the vote. For example:
* the openness of the contest to willing candidates
* the ease with which people can vote and gain access to information on candidates
* the vote counting method
* the integrity of the vote harvest, vote counting and result reporting
* the existence and transparency of an audit trail
* ease with which voters can confirm that their vote was recorded and counted correctly, and
* the time, cost and resources required to run a vote.
The choice between an online voting system, paper voting system or hybrid voting system can affect all these aspects of the vote fairness. As the manager of BigPulse.com, a firm that has specialized in high security online voting for ten years, my bias is clearly declared towards online voting and in some cases hybrid voting.
Security and protection of anonymity are the hardest to get right in any voting system, requiring many years of testing in electronic voting systems. However a properly tested online voting system can offer many advantages for security, transparency, accessibility, flexibility and cost.
A flexible online voting system will cater for many vote counting methods. The choice of vote counting method is an important consideration in fairness, for example first-past-the- post voting (FPTP) , Single Transferable Vote (STV), Instant-runoff voting (IRV) or range voting – and each method can produce different winners.
However it is not always clear which voting counting method provides the best measurement of majority opinion as there is not always a definitive mathematical answer to this question.
For example a single round vote FPTP contest with three or more candidates can produce a winner which never wins in a paired contest with any other candidate, while it is possible that a losing candidate in a FPTP vote contest may win in any paired contest. Most people will agree that in this case the FPTP result is not fair and an alternative voting method that comes closer to emulating the paired result is fairer. Preferential voting, that is, ranked voting methods and FPTP with multiple rounds of voting tend to reduce this risk of eliminating candidates that do better in paired contests.
Maximizing the degree of proportional representation and minimizing the incentive for strategic voting are two important measures of fairness. Proportional representation means the elected candidates represent the natural divisions within the electorate. Strategic voting means voting for what you think is the best possible or likely outcome even if it means not voting according to your true preferences – for example in a contest with three or more candidates, voters can be tempted to guess how others will vote and attempt to vote in a manner that gives the best likely result, rather than voting their true preferences.
A degree of proportional representation is possible in contests with more than one winner, the more winners the more proportional it can be. In this case the form of preferential or ranked voting known as Single Transferable Vote is fairer than FPTP because the Single Transferable Vote is much better than FPTP at producing proportional representation. However in a single winner contest (known as instant-runoff in the case of Single Transferable Vote), neither system can produce proportional representation, although Single Transferable Vote may be considered fairer in the sense that it leaves the door open to proportional representation.
If elimination of strategic voting is the criteria of fairness then the fair choice between FPTP and instant-runoff is not quite so obvious as it depends on the number of candidates and how many rounds of voting can be tolerated with FPTP voting. For example, if only one candidate is eliminated after each round of voting then, from the perspective of strategic voting, the FPTP vote is just as fair as instant run off and also allows people to simply vote their first preference in each round of voting.
However FPTP is inferior to instant-runoff when more than one candidate is eliminated after any round of FPTP voting. Also with multiple round FPTP voting, voter fatigue, cost and time delay may all impact on fairness. For example a contest with 10 candidates can require up to nine rounds of voting using FPTP if it is to match the fairness of an instant runoff vote. The instant-runoff vote requires only one round of voting.
For more information : online elections, online voting system, online voting software
Today was my old uni roommate’s Match Day. Basically what Match Day is, is the day that (generally) 4th year medical students find out which residency program they’ve been matched with. To some, this is the bigger day than graduation because it’s your future, your definite future, the next step in your medical career.
This was basically the only part of the graduation ceremonies that I could attend in its entirety…everything else, I’ll get out of my teachers program class just in time to make it for the celebration. I’m an awesome friend, what can I say.
The event kicked off with a sample from the Black Eyed Peas’ “Let’s Get It Started In Here” (one of the few popular songs that I actually did know) and the Ball High School Drumline doing their thing. It was really cute to watch the boys, especialy the two front boys, who obviously have watched Drumline and some stepshows before.
One of the funniest moments was after Titi picked up her envelope detailing where she is headed, a swarm, and I mean swarm of people surrounded her, wanting photos, wanting details, etc. She says that she doesn’t know anyone, but every time we turn around someone wants to say hi to her and catch up with her. And that was evidence by the fact that her own personal presscore shut down one of the aisles in the auditorium.
Apparently one of the guys from the Bachelor (some ridiculous reality TV show where one guy picks out of a large number of girls to marry one on national TV), his brother is graduating with Titi and several of our friends were excited about that fact, to the point that one stopped to talk to them and another took a picture of the back of their heads from across the room.
But back to the star of the day, Titi, who got one of her top choices, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital! So looks like I’ll be visiting Cincy at least once during the next three years. Part of her reasoning was that Cincy has a great program, that offers her the chance to grow and the chance to experience life and work outside of Texas. It’s not like I can fault her logic on that one, since I’ve basically been out of the country for most of the last 8 years.
I’m really excited for her and I’m glad that she got matched with a program that she wanted. Congrats again!
The global functional foods market continues to develop at a fast pace with growth outstripping that of conventional foods, and product innovation rife. The EU Nutrition and Health Claims Directive’s strict approach to health claims however will clearly influence the future development of the sector, and heightens the need for the latest intelligence. Anti-ageing products such as foods that provide a cognitive benefit or skin health-promoting ingredients tap into one of the biggest shifts the food industry faces: the ageing consumer base. This report covers developments in the US, Japan, Australia and Europe, including latest market data and key market drivers, product trends, the regulatory environment, ingredients and patents, and future prospects.
More information: http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/The-Market-for-Anti-ageing-Foods-2nd-Edition–38996.html
Well. This country. The grand old United States of America. Well, not so much. To me, it seems at least.
For the past few months, the once defunct and thought dead health care debate has once again rose up and started rearing it’s ugly head again. This time, however, it has turned into an all out war between the two parties and idealists, between people who think this is bettering the country or people who thinks your killing everything this country once and now stands for. I am one of the few people in between these camps.
Mr. President Obama, we are in the middle of a recession that is getting worse and worse every time I look. I have been out of a job for a year and a half due to no fault of my own, and my Dad has been out of work for about a year or so now. And yet, despite campaign promises, you have yet to really pass anything that has helped this country out. Sure, you passed the stimulus package that maybe helped some people, but not people like this family. You have been focusing alot more of your time on healthcare. While I do believe that hey, we may need to kick the system in the but and get it moving again, your doing so in such a fashion that seems more like your taking out the heart of the old system, putting in a new one, and sealing everything up with duct tape and pray to God it works.
Now, I am not an Obama hater. I am completely neutral towards the man- I believe he can do good, even great, things, but unforutnately, it is getting harder and harder for me to stay neutral when he keeps focusing on things that are, at the moment, not that important. I compare it to this: It’s the equivalent of a nuclear weapon being detonated on this soil, by some crazy radical group who hates this country, and the current president going: “WE MUST FOCUS ON IMMIGRATION.” It’s despicable.
So, this is what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna write. I’m gonna write to every single politician that represents me in Washington, in Olympia. I will call them, email them, write them letters. Even if it takes a time longer than I thought it would, I’m going for it. Just a note, I’m thinking of maybe 3-6 months before anything goes on. So, I’ll be having fun. Join me, won’t you?
Monaro Mining’s (ASX: MRO) wholly owned subsidiary, Uranium Company of Arizona (UCA), has recently undertaken a program of geophysical evaluation of the detachment fault mineral system and, more particularly, upon the Company’s Bernard Claims at its 90% owned Bernard Gold project in La Paz County, western Arizona.
Highlights:
Seismic and magnetic survey completed over project
Additional zones of potential mineralisation detected
Results indicate epithermal activity with potential for a bulk-mineable mineral system
Stage two drilling to include three new drill targets
Drilling will now commence in March
Within Bernard’s Lower Plate rocks there are numerous sub-parallel structures which often host gold and copper bearing breccias zones. Numerous prospect pits, open cuts, adits and shafts are located in or near these breccias zones. The Bernard gold vein is the most significant prospect within the claim block.
Click here to view the full announcement.
For further information, please contact:
Jim Malone
Executive Chairman
+61 4 19537714
Media Enquiries:
Fortbridge +61 2 9331 0655
Luke Dean +61 414 535 433 luke.dean@fortbridge.com
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“It was, I have to say, one of the cooler goose-bump moments I have witnessed in a long time. As Landon Donovan took what was probably a goodbye lap after Everton’s 5-1 win over Hull City on Sunday, the home fans at Goodison Park stood and cheered the 28-year-old American who came here a European washout and stands ready to depart, just 10 weeks later, as a beloved figure in this soccer-mad town.” (SI)
Would you rather take on UFC champ Anderson Silva or ….wrestle a wild, hungry,alligator?
The Seminole Indians in Florida are trying turn alligator wrestling into an extreme sport with international competitors. It’s a tradition for Seminoles
that goes back generations.
The reality is this…gator wrestling is a traditional Seminole activity only insofar as there is an old Seminole tradition of making money off white tourists…(SOURCE)
Wrestling alligators for the benefit of white tourists used to be one of the few Seminole-friendly job markets in Florida. Improved access to higher education–and the fact that, today, Seminole are more likely to actually own the tourist trap, rather than just work there–meant fewer tribe members willing to risk life and limb for a poorly paying job.
That probably explains why they want to convince other’s to do it as a sport-and possibly get it in to the summer Olympic games as a sport.
My problem with this is the same concern I have about bull fighting and calf roping….I do not think the animals choose to participate, they are always outnumbered by the humans, they are tortured almost to death before they enter the ring,…and they always choose a really small animal to “wrestle”.
I think it is more like a mugging and violent assault…rather than a fair fight!!!….Leave the animals alone!!!!
UNITED NATIONS — “The same forces of globalization — openness in commerce, travel and communications — that have created unprecedented wealth have also unleashed massive opportunities for organized crime.” That’s the verdict from the UN’s top official on drugs and crime.
Cruising the news recently, I came across a couple of articles that underlined some cultural differences between my old home and my new one.
First up: dog poop.
In Boise, Idaho, city officials head out once each year to nearby trailheads and plant little red flags next to piles of dog poop, left behind by rude dog owners. The idea is to raise awareness and educate people. A manager for the trails pronounced herself disappointed with this year’s numbers, saying that dog poop “is still a big problem. We need to reach the people who think the Foothills [trailheads] are their dogs’ toilet.”
Photo by Rob
Now, in Portugal, dog poop at trailheads is not a problem. Dog poop on city sidewalks, city streets, stairs, alleys, plazas, courtyards, parks and business entryways is a problem. I have never seen so much dog poop in my entire life as I have seen since moving here. The idea of carrying a baggie to scoop the rose-scented, perfectly darling poop of one’s sweet puppy is completely unheard of. Dogs poop everywhere, without restraint, and the poop remains where it was deposited until Armageddon or eventual erosion by weather, whichever comes first. And it’s very dry here, so you can imagine that the erosion by weather takes a long, long time.
The following is a true story. While visiting my brother-in-law in Lisbon one weekend, I went for a walk in his neighborhood. Lisbon streets resemble a bowl of spaghetti when seen from an aerial view, so walking can be quite an adventure if you’re not intimately familiar with the twists and turns. Near his apartment, after dodging several piles of dog poop, I nearly stepped in a particularly memorable pile, which had been left behind by a dog with obvious gastrointestinal issues. The poop had taken on a unique shape, easily distinguished from the ordinary poops scattered all over.
Being new to the neighborhood, I lost all track of where I was after a few twists and turns. But eventually, I looked down and there it was — the exact same, uniquely shaped dog poop on the sidewalk. And that’s how I knew I was two blocks from my starting point.
My brother-in-law later informed me that in Lisbon, it’s easier just to walk in the street. That’s what everyone does to avoid the dog poop.
So, on this issue: US 1, Portugal 0.
***
Next up: nudity.
In Rahway, New Jersey, a homeowner with a sense of artistic appreciation went outside with her family and created a snow sculpture in her front yard. It was apparently so offensive that a neighbor anonymously complained to the police, and an officer was sent out to ask the homeowner to cover up her sculpture.
Was it a giant, erect penis? A Roman orgy depicted in loving detail? Perhaps some stylized version of a vulva?
None of the above. It was a copy of the Venus de Milo. And it so offended somebody that the family was obliged by the police to cover it up. The homeowner interpreted this order somewhat artistically by giving Venus a bikini top and a sarong. (Seriously, you have to click that link.)
I read this and just laughed. Let me tell you another true story about Portugal. Upon my first visit to a beach here, I was agog at the fact that I had apparently been taken to a nudist beach. There were naked breasts all over! Nor were they limited to women modestly enjoying themselves in the water. Many women were happily acquiring a full-body tan, lying on their towels with their bikini tops stuffed in their beach bags. There were even women strolling contentedly down the beach, tops nowhere to be seen.
My companion laughed when I asked about this. “This isn’t a nudist beach,” she said.
“Oh,” I said, thinking that now I understood. “It’s a topless beach, then.”
She laughed again. “This is Portugal. Every beach is a topless beach.”
Whoever that anonymous neighbor is in Rahway, New Jersey, she or he had better never come to a Portuguese beach. Cardiac arrest would not be far behind.
For this issue: US 0, Portugal 1.
I guess it evens out. Though frankly, I’d trade the nudity for less dog poop.
Infowars Officially Launches Naked Body Scanner Protest Contest
Following the runaway success of the Obama Joker poster contest, Infowars is launching a brand new activism contest to spread the word about the naked body scanners now being introduced in airports across the world in response to the false flag Christmas Day underwear bomber incident.
We are offering our biggest ever contest prize fund – $15,000 dollars – spread across three different contests all aimed at attracting media attention to the fact that the naked body scanners represent a massive authoritarian assault on human dignity, freedom, the right to privacy, as well as posing health risks that have not been properly investigated.
The overriding threat of meekly accepting the installation of body scanners in all major airports is the fact that the same technology is being readied to be rolled out on the streets.
Journalists who researched trials of the naked body scanners reported that the images made genitals “eerily visible”.
German Security advisor Hans-Detlef Dau, a representative for a company that sells the scanners, admits that the machines, “show intimate piercings, catheters and the form of breasts and penises”.
Indeed, when they were first being installed, Australian authorities admitted that the machines don’t work properly if sensitive areas of the body are blurred out – and yet the British government still denies that the scanner pictures show details of genitalia – an obvious attempt to skirt child pornography laws which have been violated with the introduction of the scanners.
With plans being readied by the Home Office in the UK as well as authorities in Europe to introduce mobile naked scanners as well as street scanners attached to lamp posts, it won’t be long before we are naked body scanned to get into public buildings, shopping malls, sports events, and even minding our own business walking down the street. Naked body scanners are already being used in courthouses across America.
People who were perfectly happy with their naked body being ogled by TSA thugs scorned those who felt body scanners were a violation of privacy. “Don’t fly,” they said and you won’t have to go through it. Next it will be “don’t take a bus,” “don’t visit the shopping mall,” hey just “don’t leave your house,” because stifling airport security procedures are now intruding into our daily lives.
CONTEST NUMBER 1 – BEST PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION AGAINST BODY SCANNERS
The main contest carries a prize of $10,000 dollars for the winning entry. The rules for this contest are simple – we are looking for the best protest against naked body scanners which is filmed and uploaded to You Tube or a similar video website.
This demonstration can take the form of anything you see fit – it could be a political action, a public stunt, something that gets the word out on live TV, or a speech in front of your city council. The most powerful, inspiring, and successful protest will be the winner. After the winner is announced, they will be invited to appear live on The Alex Jones Show to discuss their demonstration.
CONTEST NUMBER 2 – BEST ANTI-BODY SCANNER POSTER
The second contest carries a prize of $3,000 dollars for the winning entry. This is the anti-body scanner poster contest. Our previous contest, the Obama Joker poster campaign, received widespread media attention and undoubtedly woke up masses of people globally to the fraud that was Obama’s promise of “change”. We are looking for anti-body scanner posters that get to the heart of why their introduction represents such a threat to our liberty and how they are being prepared to be rolled out on the streets.
This contest will be judged from three angles – the best poster design, the amount of flyers posted in prominent public locations, and the media attention garnered from the poster campaign. Again, all entries must be videotaped and uploaded to You Tube. You may find it useful to wait for a few days after your poster campaign to see if it receives any media attention before uploading the video, that way you can add examples of media coverage to your video presentation.
CONTEST NUMBER 3 – TBA
There will also be a third contest, the winner of which will receive $2,000 in prize money. The details of this contest will be announced on this page shortly.
REMEMBER – All contest entries must follow local laws – we do not accept responsibility for any criminal behavior or damage to property. Please only post contest flyers in suitable locations where such flyers would reasonably be expected to appear.
We will begin looking at contest entries from March 19th onwards and will publish a closing date for entries once we feel the campaign has generated sufficient media attention around the issue of naked body scanners.
Overall, whether you win a prize or not, everybody wins because we get the word out and educate the people as to why we need to stop naked body scanners now before this tyranny hits the streets and we’re all living in a futuristic nightmare that outstrips anything George Orwell ever committed to print.
The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics presented opportunities for various design topics: opening and closing ceremonies, team uniforms, hats, and sweaters. Don’t forget the logo, signs, pins and merchandise. Carefully and meticulously crafted Olympic elements all designed and choreographed to induce the spirit of the games and that of the hosting country. The Vancouver games eloquently achieved the desired effect of oneness, unity, and team building.
USA: Miller Goalie Mask
So, surprisingly, the design element that caught and captured my attention this Olympic season was part of the uniform but not uniform at all… the hockey goalie mask.
Hockey goalie mask art borrows strokes, lines, details, and colors from air brushing, muscle cars, tattoos, and graffiti – art forms initially viewed as anti-establishment. This delightful juxtaposition between team unity and the goalkeeper’s artistic expression of individuality mesmerized and piqued my curiosity. So, here’s what I found:
Sports Illustrated’s Top 10 Goalie Masks of the Decade
Jacques Plante: First goaltending mask in the game.
The Goalie Guild: Definitely a little head over skates for this Airxess Swiss mask!
Greetings citizens of the United States of Trendmerica! How bout those Olympics? Did you enjoy seeing Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn glide down slopes to victory on tape delay? Did watching Apolo Anton Ohno take out two South Korean skaters to capture bronze give you a good old fashion heart attack of patriotism. Was there a tear streaming down your cheek each time you saw the red, white and blue perched high above that first place podium as the instrumental version of the National Anthem blared proudly above an athlete birthed in the lower 48? Well, you’re not alone. From February 12-28th of 2010 there was no better form of escapism from your lack of employment or health care than taking two and a half weeks to engage in the latest friendly trend known as blind nationalism.
Yes, ladies and trend-tleman while other nations may have stronger economies and a better education system, we Americans took comfort knowing that some guy from Illinois executed a triple lutz better than a guy that comes from a country your children can’t locate on a map; not for any personal glory, but just so people from his own nation would be proud of him.
It's All For You
What’s a triple lutz anyway? Who cares? We Americans can do anything we set our minds to unless it involves Ski Jumping or Curling. USA! USA!
In Case You Were Wondering What A Triple Lutz Was
While the Olympics is marketed as the ultimate coming together of nations for or a place for international athletes to totally get it on; the folks at home use it as a rallying point to show their superiority even if they live in a country that limits the rights of their minorities by placing bans on the types of clothing they wear, religious symbols they can erect or simply is responsible for giving the world Nickelback. What better way to lose focus on issues that plague ones nation than to pretend they don’t exist for two and a half weeks because someone can move really fast when there is ice beneath them.
How Dare You Canada!
Unfortunately, this friendly trend of completely warranted pride in one’s homeland comes with an expiration date. After the week or so of Olympic medalist talk show appearances, sports fans and people who enjoy seeing the distribution of precious metals to others beneath their flag, have to wait another few years before really feeling good about where they are living or where they were born.
But you know what they say, everything old is new again, and fortunately for our trend-lympians, we know the exact date that blind nationalism will be friendly and trendy yet again. Here’s looking at you London 2012.
“The old wise man died; an entire library burned”; (Mar. 4, 2010)
African author, Amadou Hampate Ba (1900-91) was born in eastern Mali and had said “In Africa, (verbal culture still strong), when an old wise man dies then an entire library burns with him”. In one of his books he wrote: “Aissata told her son: “Learn to cover the material nudity of man before you cover by word his moral nudity”
Author and poet Wole Soyinka received the Nobel Prize of Literature in 1986. Soyinka was born in western Nigeria from the tribe of Yoruba in 1934. During Nigeria civil war, Soyinka was jailed for two years in secrecy (1968-69); he wrote in jail “This man has died”. In his speech at Stockholm during the Nobel ceremony and titled “Let this past talk to this present” he lambasted the philosophers and thinkers of Europe’s 19th century (such as Voltaire and Hegel) for accepting the principle of slavery. Wole said “All who have the passion for peace must make a choice: Either they include peace in this modern world, bring it to rational situations, and let peace participate in the spirit of human associations or force Blacks in Africa to kneel in abject conditions and deny them human dignity. There is nothing more pressing than suppressing racism and apartheid; their structures have got to be dismantled.”
Historian and Egyptology from Senegal, Cheikh Anata Diop (1923-86) published “Negro Nations and culture, 1954”. He claimed that African civilization precedes Greek civilization that borrowed form and content via Egypt of Antiquity. Colonial powers were ready to admit that the black skinned (from head to toe) and the frizzled hair Egyptians were no proof enough to claim that the civilization of Egypt of Antiquity was necessarily African. This awkward logic was necessary in order to colonize Africa as devoid of civilizations, rational people, and high spiritual capacity. European Egyptology erudite went as far as proclaiming that it was “inadmissible” that Ancient Egypt in Africa was a Black civilization. Diop book was published in several languages and the Blacks in the USA used it for renewal of their civilized roots.
Note: You may refer to my new category “Black culture/Creole” for short biographies and literary samples of Black leaders and intellectuals.
Brand Logos and Corporate Identity always fascinate me, especially during the timely event of MAKEOVERS, when companies decide to re-design their brand identity.
The ironic reality is (yes, not many companies will admit this!), that the made over Logo and Corporate Identity, which includes Packaging, often lack the one thing they should be doing more of in a re-branding exercise: RE-THINK everything. The absence of an in-depth thinking often means that the redesign is less communicable, or even worse… sends an entirely wrong brand message to the original brand message that has taken years to send out.
An article in Woman’s Day caught my eye in presenting five US beverage brands that had a recent packaging makeover; Gatorade, Coors Light Beer, Snapple Iced Tea, Pepsi and Tropicana Orange Juice. Here’s a fascinating insight about redesigned packaging. What came out of this exercise was not only the “new look and feel”, but more importantly, customers’ personal relationship with brands.
A case in point, Tropicana Orange Juice’s redesigned packaging, customers were so unenamoured with the new design, saying that is looked too much like a supermarket generic product and lost all its former Brand DNA, that Tropicana reverted back to the original design. Ample proof that Brands should NEVER forget the FUNDAMENTAL BASIC FACT, that everything they do must BEGIN AND END WITH THE CUSTOMER.
And that the basic philosophy of brand-building never changes: A brand is what’s in YOUR CUSTOMER’S MIND, not what’s in yours!
In an attempt to regain sales lost during tough economic times, many companies are spearheading brand redesigns in hopes that a little creativity will go a long way. Putting the theory to work are some of the most famous food and beverage brands out there, including the five shown below. Drawing on everything from individual setbacks, sales goals and competition as additional motivation behind the marketing makeovers, each case is unique in terms of the specific reasons behind the transformation—and the consumer reaction they’ve provoked thus far.
The beer industry is one of constant packaging innovation. Thus, Coors’ upcoming release of cold activated cans (following last year’s release of bottles with same capability) is not a total surprise. The redesigned cans turn the Rocky Mountains in the foreground of the logo blue when the beer is at the optimal drinking temperature, catering to the company’s initiative to stay ahead of the cold beverage curve.
LOOK OUT FOR WOMEN…..the CIA-MOSSAD Diversion
….links the large number of women in the Dubai passport caper to the story that Al-Qaeda (the CIA and Mossad) has been training western women to attack various targets….
The assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai was on 19 January 2010.
On 23 January 2010, the UK’s Daily Telegraph, the voice of MI6, promoted the idea that if we read or heard about British looking women involved in acts of terrorism, we should assume that these women were Al Qaeda.
On 15 February 2010 it was revealed by the Dubai police that a number of white women had been involved in the Dubai assassination.
According to The Daily Telegraph (the voice of MI6), on 23 January 2010:
The women, who may have a ‘non Arab’ appearance and be travelling on Western passports, have been prepared for their missions by the …. group responsible for the operation to blow up an airliner over the United States on Christmas Day…
US law enforcement agents have been told to be on the lookout for females … who may attempt to enter the country.
At least two are believed to be connected to al-Qaeda…
Richard Clarke, a former chief White House counter terrorism adviser, said: “They have trained women.
“There are others who … may not be men.”
Security sources said that it was “inevitable” that al-Qaeda would eventually turn to using women with a western appearance…
So, MI6 apparently feared that the Dubai police would discover that certain women were linked to the Dubai assassination.
But MI6 wanted us to think these women were agents of al Qaeda…..or Al-CIAda/MOSSAD.
Ah its that time again to go football crazy ! Once every four years the whole world joins in to enjoy the “Beautiful Game” of football or soccer as it is known in some countries. All the world’s greatest players unite in their home countries to battle our for the treasured prize known as the World Cup. This round it is being held in South Africa in June 2010.
I stumbled across a revealing pie chart today of global distribution of military expenditure in 2008. The source was the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Yearbook of 2009 and showed that the US spending alone was over two fifths of the entire total. China, France, the UK and Russia (the other members of the UN Security Council) account for another fifth, as do the next 10 countries with the rest of the world accounting for the last fifth. Among other things it confirms the old Eisenhower line that the US remains under the influence of the military-technological complex. And its dominance of world affairs is not about to end any time soon – unless it is undone Soviet-style by budget woes.
US military spend continues to rise. Earlier this month President Obama sought congressional approval for $708b in defense spending. The request included a 3.4 percent boost in the Pentagon’s base budget and $159b for missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. The president’s spending freeze on other parts of the budget, designed to rein in the massive deficit, clearly did not apply to the military. The defense department said the funds are needed for a variety of costs including everything from health care to nuclear missiles. Obama said the budget proposal included cuts of “unnecessary defence programs that do nothing to keep us safe” but Defence Secretary Robert Gates claimed the overall increase was due to “broader range of security challenges on the horizon.”
As Chinese news agency Xinhua reasonably asks Why Does US Defence Spending Keep Growing? At a time of economic uncertainty and a national deficit of $1.6 trillion, and a scaled down presence in Iraq and Afghanistan the Pentagon remains immune from cutbacks. Xinhua notes Obama sought congressional approval for $708b in defense spending so it could keep up its role of “global policeman”.
The Department of Defense doesn’t use such emotive language. It said the funding increase allows them “to address its highest priorities, such as the president’s commitment to reform defense acquisition, develop a ballistic missile defense system that addresses modern threats, and continue to provide high quality healthcare to wounded service members.” There is a focus on increasing funding of unmanned aircraft while the Pentagon strategy also moves away from the old focus on developing the capability of fighting two major wars simultaneously.
The other big reason for the increase is across the board pay rises. In the 2010 budget, Congress authorised an increase of 3.4 percent, which was 0.5 percent more than requested. This year defence officials will ask Congress to keep the pay raise capped at 1.4 percent. The Army’s base budget request of $143.4 billion is designed to support a force of 547,400 active-duty soldiers, 358,200 National Guardsmen and 205,000 Army Reservists. There is also an ongoing 22,000-soldier expansion of the active component that could bring the service’s personnel strength to nearly 570,000 by the end of 2011.
However nearly all of the increased spending of the last decade can be directly attributed to the impact of 9/11. The average Defense Department budgets has gone up by more than two thirds since the era between 1954 and 2001 according to Carl Conetta at the Project on Defense Alternatives at the Commonwealth Institute in a report titled “An Undisciplined Defense: Understanding the 2-trillion-dollar Surge in U.S. Defense Spending.” It is difficult not to draw the conclusion that fighting the supposed bogey of terrorism has been good business for the Pentagon.
Okay, not Darwin-Natural, but Locke Natural. Anyways, feel free to ignore this post as it is more for my own clarification and reference point than anything else. Forgive my terrible summation of Lockean theory, as I was merely attempting to simplify it so as to be able to present it in a simple point.
Basically Lockean theory is based on the idea that rights are at the center of all human nature. Also, that all humans have the right to freedoms, and freedom equals equality, and thus all humans must be free and equal and no human can be more free or equal than the other.
On the principles of everyone having rights, and thus freedoms and equality, the government created for this society is two fold, and therefore the politics regarding the situation are centered around the right of freedom and thus, equality.
First of all, the government has no power but what the people give it. Second, the government serves as a guide and only those who consent to be governed may have this government over them — otherwise, they have no power, and if the government does have power which was not previously consented to be given, then that makes humans unequal and therefore it is unnatural.
Furthermore, if the government does not have the consent of the people (for example, if Obama has lost the faith of the American people and thus they withdraw their consent to his governance over them), then the people have the right to revolution. The right to revolution is the act of withdrawing consent from the governing party. It can take place in war, in civil insurrection etc but predominantly, it takes place in a structured form (in modern democratic societies, anyways), i.e. elections.
Thus, revolution is the natural path to recovering the right of humans to freedom and therefore, equality.
Dominika Peczynski talade om depression imorse i Malou von Sivers program Efter Tio. En sak som jag lyssnade lite extra på var när hon talade om att hennes förre man (som var högt uppsatt i finansvärlden) under förra hösten ringde henne dagligen och talade om att en finansiell undergång var på väg, att ekonomin skulle krascha. Han rådde henne även att betala av sina lån och sälja sina andelar i vad det nu än var hon hade andelar i, för den här gången skulle det bli värre än på 30-talet. Strax därpå blev hon beroende av ekonominyheter och hon var snart inne i en depressions-period.
Malou var f.ö. snabb med att klargöra att Dominikas exman var förvirrad och lite tokig. Jag undrar om han kanske inte var så tokig trots allt, för visst är den där stora kraschen på väg. Dollarn spelar nog på sina sista verser just nu.
Ommegang is a New York brewer specializing in Belgian style beers. I am far from an expert on Belgian beers, but I know enough to know that the two beers sampled here are not all that great.
First up is the Hennepin which is a saison style ale. The Saisons that I have had are fresh and bright and have strong yeast flavor. Maybe because they are often called ‘farmhouse’ ales, I usually find some herbal notes in the palate. Not with this one. The Hennepin was thin and weak tasting. It did have a nice foamy head, but there was not much else going on with this beer. I will give it a 4.5/10, and I am being generous with that.
The next beer was the Abbey Ale. This poured a deep ruby color, and had a nice head. It had some spice notes in the aroma, and had a malty flavor. It was not bad, but it was far from great. It gets a 5.5/10.
While I will not go back to the well for either of these beers, Ommegang brews what they call Chocolate Indulgence, which looks worth a try.
Child modeling goes beyond the beauty pageants and could prove to be great fun for both the parents and the child, as well as contributing to their college fund. One way to get your child into modeling is by applying to a commercial agency such as Models Direct.
During the process of finding modeling work you may have to attend castings or auditions that could mean anxious times for both of you. Follow Models Direct’s top tips to ensure your child has the best chance of getting the part.
Start off by turning up on time, or early if possible (some castings might ask you not to arrive before a certain time). This is far more professional and allows you and child to relax before the clients ask to see you.
Kids can be bubbly and outgoing at home but become nervous when asked to perform in front of people they don’t know. This is normal and understandable, just encourage them to be themselves. Not all children will be interested in modeling and if this is the case don’t push them into doing anything they don’t want to – modeling should be enjoyable.
Modeling can help boost your child’s confidence and self esteem but look out for any signs of egotism or insecurity as a result of their modeling. As mentioned above, modeling should be fun!
When you attend a casting make sure you’re nice and friendly towards everyone, this includes other parents, children and other staff, not just the people making the decisions!
Remember that your child is exactly that, a child! Don’t make everything about their career and continue to have fun outside of modeling.
One of the most important things to learn is how to take rejection. Clients running castings and auditions will see lots of children in a day and often it will only be one or two that are selected. This in no way means that your child isn’t suitable for modeling, it’s just that they weren’t right for that specific role. Modeling is a fiercely competitive industry to be in and Models Direct can’t guarantee that models will get work.
Now all you need to do is find out about castings in your local area or maximize your chances by applying to an agency such as Models Direct!
The Power 100 is released for 2010 and this year its ALL athletes!!! No more suits on the list…just the real stars! No surprise here though that, regardless how many broads he bedded in the last few years that WEREN’T his wife, the folks over at BusinessWeek still love Tiger Woods as he tops the list of the most powerful, influential athletes the world over. Below is a quick rundown of who made the list, most of which you should know immediately (if you don’t you’re a dipshit) along with their reported earnings for ‘09 and sport.
Yous should know everyone in the top 15 or 20, but they get a little less commonplace in the lower ranks for most people…
Tiger Woods* $103mil, Golf
LeBron James* $44mil, Basketball
Phil Mickelson $52mil, Golf
Albert Pujols* $18mil, Baseball
Peyton Manning $27mil, American Football
Dwayne Wade* $28mil, Basketball
Michael Phelps $6mil, Swimming
Adrian Peterson* $9.5mil, American Football
Shaquille O’Neal $35mil, Basketball
Lance Armstong* (earnings unavailable), Cycling
Raphael Nadal* $ 31.5mil, Tennis
Kobe Bryant* $33mil, Basketball
Larry Fitzgerald* $11mil (Seriously, #13?), American Football
Ryan Howard $16.5mil, Baseball
Brett Farve $19mil, American Football
Serena Williams* $11.5mil, Tennis
Roger Federer* $32.8mil, Tennis
Eli Manning $27.5mil, American Football
Joe Mauer $13.5mil, Baseball
Tim Duncan $25.7mil, Basketball
Jimmie Johnson** $15.3mil, Auto Racing
Kevin Garnett $26.4mil, Basketball
Chris Johnson $4.5mil, American Football
Randy Moss $7mil, American Football
Drew Breese $17.5mil, American Football
Kurt Warner $19.8mil, American Football
Usain Bolt (earnings unavailable), Track & Field
Jeff Gordon** $21.5mil, Auto Racing
Dirk Nowitzki $26.3mil, Basketball
Tom Brady $18mil, American Football
Kevin Durant* $11.8mil, Basketball
CC Sabathia $15.5mil, Baseball
Derek Jeter* $30mil, Baseball
Prince Fielder $9mil, Baseball
David Beckham $23mil, Football
Dwight Howard $27.1mil, Basketball
Alexander Ovechkin $12mil, Hockey (or according to BusinessWeek “Sport: NBA/Washington Capitals—F”)
Andre Johnson $8mil, American Football
Sidney Crosby $13mil, Hockey
Hines Ward $6.3mil, American Football (How can you not love this guy?)
Mark Martin** $7.3mil, Auto Racing
Venus Williams $8mil, Tennis
Donovan McNabb $22.5mil, American Football
Chris Paul* $14.5mil, Basketball
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.** $26mil, Auto Racing
Mark Teixeira $20.8mil, Baseball
LaDanian Tomlinson* $9.2mil, American Football
Tony Stewart $16.8mil, Auto Racing
Chase Utley $11.8mil, Baseball
Jim Furyk $15mil, Golf
Shaun White (earnings unavailable), Snowboarding & Skateboarding
David Wright $8.25mil, Baseball
Ilya Kovalchuk $8mil, Hockey
Ben Roethlisberger* $10.3mil, American Football
Steve Nash* $18.1mil, Basketball
Lorena Ochoa $1.7mil, Golf
Evan Longoria $625k, Baseball
Deron Williams* 14.3mil, Basketball
Paul Pierce* $21.3mil, Basketball
Carmello Anthony* $23.8mil, Basketball
Alex Rodriguez* $39mil, Baseball
Johan Santana $20.9mil, Baseball
Tim Lincecum $700k, Baseball
Apolo Anto Ohno (earnings unavailable), Skater
Stewart Cink* $4.6mil, Golfer
Ray Allen* $20.5mil, Basketball
Carl Edwards $10.6mil, Auto Racing
Yao Ming $34.4mil, Basketball
Troy Polamalu* $8.3mil, American Football
Kyle Busch $10.2mil, Auto Racing
Landon Donovan* $1.9mil, Football
Manny Pacquiao* $39mil, Boxing
Padraig Harrington $7.6mil, Golf
Vince Carter* $21.3mil, Basketball
Tony Romo $3.6mil, American Football
Dustin Pedroia $2.5mil, Baseball
Ichiro Suzuki $18.5mil, Baseball
Ray Lewis $12mil, American Football
Andy Roddick $12.3mil, Tennis
Maria SAharapova $23.9mil, Tennis
Sergio Garcia $23.2mil, Golf
Fedor Emelianenko (earning unavailable), MMA (How can you not love THIS guy?)
Derrick Rose $6.1mil, Basketball
Vijay Singh $9.3mil, Golf
Steven Jackson* $12mil, American Football
Andy Murray $8.9mil, Tennis
Allen Iverson $8mil, Basketball
Danica Patrick $10.8mil, Auto Racing
Brandon Roy* $4mil, Basketball
Manny Ramirez $26.8mil, Baseball
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. $30.3mil, Boxing
Candace Parker $5mil, Basketball
Shane Mosley $2.6mil, Boxing
Diana Taurasi $1mil, Basketball
Misty May-Treanor $650k, Volleyball
Brock Lesnar (earnings unavailable), MMA
Patrick Kane $1mil, Hockey
Chad Ochocinco $5.75mil, American Football
Matt Ryan* $8.4mil, American Football
Ryan Sheckler (earnings unavailable), Skateboarding
Now if you’re wondering why some of these athletes have an asterisk (*) by their names, it’s because they are all sponsored by the same company, Nike. There are a total of 28 people, 6 in the top 10, on the list with major Nike contracts. If you’re math is so horrible you can’t figure it out on your own, it’s 28% of the 100 most influential athletes. the double asterisk (**) was marked because all 4 of those drivers race for the same team, Hendrick Motorsports.
How in the hell Larry Fitzgerald made it to number 13 is unknown to me, but there are a lot of people I don’t agree with on this list. The top 10 is pretty sound, and there is an obvious biased toward American athletes and sports, made painfully obvious by the fact there are only two footballers on the list (Donovan and Beckham). There should be more of them in my opinion..I’m guessing they left Theirry Henry off the list cause he’s french, and I’m fine with that. I am, however, curious why they left off Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (Ronaldhino to most), Wayne Rooney, etc. from the list. Also where are the people from motorsports outside the US, like Formula 1, e.g. Kimi Raikkonen, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Jensen Button, Sebastian Vettel, Filipe Masa, Fernando Alonso, etc.?
In the US, Simon Group has made a $10 bn bid on General Growth Properties, a giant retail REIT that failed spectacularly last year. It was just a couple weeks ago that we heard from Simon, as it cashed out of Arkadia in Warsaw. So now we know what they wanted to do with the money. For some in-depth interpretation of the bid, look here.
Today, Simon announced that it has made written offer to acquire General Growth Properties in a transaction valued at more than $10 billion, including ~$9 billion in cash. The transaction would be financed through SPG’s cash on hand ($4.3 billion) and through equity co-investments in the acquisition by strategic institutional investors, with the balance coming from SPG’s existing credit facilities. The Official Committee of GGP’s Unsecured Creditors has advised Simon that it supports the SPG offer.
For me and a special group of youth in North Tyler, Texas, Black History Month began in September. That’s when the coordinator in charge of the “Black History Bowl” at my school began confirming who would participate in this annual competition among neighboring churches the following February.
I would conspicuously hover around Sister Dorothy Wheat to get noticed. After doing this for some time, she finally relented, telling me: “You can be on the Black History Bowl team. I’ll tell you now, ‘fore you worry me to death the next two weeks.”
For the next three months after that, six other teens and I met weekly at St. Mary’s Baptist Church – fueled by sugar cookies and crimson punch – to take in the rich and complex history of our ancestors. By the time the competition rolled around, it was not just the knowledge that Dr. Charles Drew was the first to figure out how to store blood for later use or that Harriet Tubman led the Underground Railroad that got one the coveted round one position, but the speed. The round one contestant, like the first runner in a relay, could set the team up for victory.
In the end, however, the Black History Bowl was less about competition than celebration. After all, our only prize was bragging rights. The competition was really for everyone to recognize our race’s reward of succeeding out of struggle and its triumph over adversity. We learned everything about our brave and gifted ancestors in the context of joy and victory.
As we celebrate Black History Month today, we seem to lack that same luster of victory. Remembrances these days focus on suffering and struggle. When we look back today, we too often focus on a past full of anguish and tears and a yesterday of victimization and degradation.
As in my youth, the best way to honor those who suffered before us is to celebrate their joys and their victories as well as count our own. The best way to indulge in learning from our past during Black History Month is to lift up their songs of hope and courage in our lives today. The best way to repay the great debt we owe them is to reap the benefits of the American dream and opportunity for which they forged a path.
Let us not spend another Black History Month steeped in guilt and oppression, counting all the wrong ways of the past or present. Rather, let us dance in ebullience for the land under our feet and the gait of freedom in which we now walk. Let us join together as one to blend black history into American history. Let us count the ways in which so many dreams have come to pass and – for those who have yet to achieve them – let us march on toward victory in the strapping spirit of our ancestors.
This is the least we owe to our history.
The genius of those old black folk in my small town – to arrange these simple but profound events – is itself legendary. That they turned historical learning into a simple, competitive exercise that made us proud to know and eager to recite the legacy of our people instilled a desire in people like me to “be somebody.”
At low points in my own life, the impact of their self-discipline and perseverance that has become a part of my being has helped me carry on. This is in itself a mark of history. Knowingly or not, a legacy was created that deserves a meaningful place in black history along with those we so eagerly longed to remember.
Lisa Fritsch is a member of the national advisory council for the Project 21 black leadership network and a writer and radio talk show host in Austin, Texas.
I will admit growing up in Texas as you can imagine, there’s not too much ice or snow or any type of cold weather sports that are actually played outside. Once in a while there might be snow during a football game and that would be about it. So my first exposure to hockey was really watching Disney’s live action movie, The Mighty Ducks (not to be confused with the later animated cartoon). And for some unknown reason the sport fascinated me, a girl the flitted from gymnastics to ballet to dance to track to tennis (not exactly team sports and not exactly contact sports either) with stops along with way with softball and basketball.
Hockey has some great stories, like the “Miracle on Ice,” when a team of inexperienced American college players beat the Red Machine of the USSR in the 1980 Lake Placid Games to advance to the gold medal game; the traditions of the Stanley Cup; the stories of little boys learning to skate on the same frozen over lakes and ponds that their fathers and even their grandfathers learned to skate on; etc.
On the official website for the Vancouver Games there was this sweet story of USA Hockey’s Jack Johnson paying for his private plane to get him to the openings ceremonies so that he could walk with the rest of the USA athletes. Reading what he was willing to do to be a part of the Games, to experience that part of representing his country in the opening ceremonies, was reassuring that there are still some Olympians out there that care more about representing their country than themselves or just simply being there.
Being a multimedia writer without forgetting about traditional rules of the journalism is what matters in modern media world. The columnist of the “Sun-Times” Laura Washington was talking about this and other things to the students of Southern Illinois University.
I was listening to a lot of things Laura Washington said and had the feeling she was reading my mind. “We forget whom we are writing to. Sometimes we write to each other or we are just showing off,” she said. In the newspaper I worked with in Ukraine I sometimes had similar argument when talking to my editor. Editor’s excuse was that this is what our readers want to know. The question is if our readers were really asked what they want to know about. Of course, with modern technologies it is somehow easier to get the feedback from the readers, since they can comment on the articles they read online. On the other hand, this can worsen the situation because readers do not usually comment on the information in the article itself.
As Laura said, it is important to talk to people and not to do all the work on the phone or over the Internet. I have experienced that myself. When I had to go and talk to people about one issue, I usually ended up with more ideas for my future stories suggested by people whom I interviewed. Talking to people in person is also the best way to develop your life-long sources.
Interviews via e-mail are not good because journalists cannot ask harsh questions, Washington said. Even if they do so, they may end up with having no answers to their questions. I totally agree to this. But several times I did interviews via e-mail. This was very handy since those people I have interviewed were not even in Ukraine. If not via e-mail, I would not get any information from them.
Specialization in journalism is really valuable, Laura Washington said. Her point reminded me of Tomas Patterson’s talk. He also mentioned about journalists having narrow specializations. As I have said before, I have one problem with that. It seems newsrooms are getting smaller these days and journalists are being laid off a lot. Thus there should be writers being able to write about more than one topic, I think. Modern journalist should be multimedia as well as multitasking.
What strike me the most in what Laura Washington was saying is about journalists always making the assumptions. We kind of know how our story would look like without even starting our research on it. We also assume politicians are bad and there is not a good thing to write about them. I guess this is the “disease” of the journalists in every country. I used to work with a journalist that hated all the politicians regardless their party affiliation. He was writing about what their bad deeds were without paying attention to what they did well. After some time working in the field I started to realize I was turning into him to some extent. The good excuse in this situation is again that the readers want to know about this. The same question – who ever asks the readers what they want to know?
Media is definitely moving into new direction. This is what we see and experience these days. This is what Laura Washington and Tom Patterson were talking about. In this situation we as the students should gain as much knowledge about different media as possible. I am sure we are going to use all of them in our future work.
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is a man who will leave his mark on not only Pakistan, but this region and perhaps the world as a whole. Known as a “quiet man” in military and diplomatic circles, no man has ever raised more curiosity than Pakistan’s current Chief of Army Staff – whom the Americans say they cannot ‘read’.
Time magazine ranked him 20th in the list of “Leaders & Revolutionaries” of the world in 2008 and 17th in the same list in 2009. He was also named in the Newsweek “Top 50 Global Elite” and the New Statesman “The 50 people who matter today” being placed on 20th and 24th in the lists respectively.
Generals don’t go to fight. In an unprecedented move, General Kayani however did fly an F-16 fighter jet with a co-pilot to take part in an air operation against militants in the country’s northwest last year – to experience the battle first-hand – to lead from the front.
PKKH takes a candid look at the man behind the recent turn of events in the region, and discusses the extraordinary brilliance of our Commander in Chief since an early age. With exclusive never-seen-before photographs of General Kayani’s early military career.
Every son of Pak Sarzameen that joins its great Army does so with a dream nurturing in his soul; the dream of becoming a General! Yet the quest for the elusive fourth star on the shoulder is only achieved by a rare few. Gen Ashfaq Kayani is one of them.
General Kayani is a silent soldier with a pensive look and shy smile. Kayani is well known for his chain-smoking, love of golf, and of course, his brilliance on the battlefield.
It is said that the way to truly rank an officer is to ask what his inferiors think of him, and no doubt he is one of the most highly regarded men who ever took up a command stick. His reputation is famous and his leadership battle-tested, his name is mentioned with awe and respect far beyond the borders he is tasked to protect. Time magazine ranked him 20th in the list of “Leaders & Revolutionaries” of the world in 2008.
Thoughtful and contemplative, courageous and decisive, he is not one to trumpet his image. What he does, he does for his beloved Army, for his beloved people, and for this sacred soil. Since the day he took charge his every action has proven his capacity to ignore self-interest and always put Pakistan first.
The burden is heavy. With his nation under attack from every direction, wits must be sharp and vision clear. And he has proved his mettle. His breathtaking victories, from Swat to South Waziristan have dazed his enemies and earned the admiration of the entire world. Even those fools who wage war against Pakistan are forced to admit a plain truth – Pak Army consists of lions led by lions.
Great times call for great men. General Kayani is one of the many that Pakistan has produced to face its great challenges head-on. If the General personifies his Army, then Insha’Allah, the nation is safe. And how could it not be? General Kayani leads the noblest Army in the world, and the arsenal of the Muslim Ummah. In leading the defense of Pakistan, General Kayani, is very well supported by General Tariq Majeed, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Naval Chief, and the Air force Chief. It is an Army that fears only Allah and which loves death like its enemies love life – Every Muslim mother prays for the success of Pakistan Army.
Today Pakistan wages wars on multiple fronts. While each passing day brings victory closer, it is the blessings of Allah and the brilliance of our military leadership that is making the difference.
Leadership is the key, but it is rarely born overnight. Like an exquisite sculpture, it is honed and chiseled by many thousands of hours of patient work and grit. It is very difficult to build – impossible to fake.
Early Life and Military Career
Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani was born in Gujjar Khan in 1952 and belongs to a martial tribe called Gakhars. He was born in Manghot village, Gujar Khan, suburb of Rawalpindi, known to produce Pakistan Army generals. Gen Kayani’s clan is one of the largest and most powerful in the northern Jhelum area of Pakistan’s largest province, Punjab. The harsh and arid region is famed throughout the world for only one product – soldiers. So in many ways Gen Kayani was born to do the job.
He is the son of a junior commissioned officer. He did his Matriculation and Inter from Military College Jhelum. He applied for Pakistan Army in 45th Pakistan Military Academy Long Course and received a commission on 29th of August 1971 in the 5th Battalion of the Baloch Regiment. He is also a graduate of the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, United States Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia; Command and Staff College, Quetta; the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Honolulu, Hawaii; and the National Defence College, Islamabad, where he holds a masters degree in War Studies.
“He who has learned how to obey will know how to command” — Solon
Gen Ashfaq Parvaiz Kayani served as Deputy Secretary of Benazir Bhutto during her first stint as Prime Minister. He commanded 12th Infantry division as General Officer Commanding (GOC) stationed in Murree. His career progressed and he went on to serve as Director General Military Operations (DGMO) from December 2000 to September 2003. It was during his tenure as DGMO that the intense military standoff of 2001-2002 between Pakistan and India took place.
He was promoted to Lieutenant General in September 2003 and given command of the most important 10 Corps, Rawalpindi. He was then transferred to ISI in October 2004 as its Chief. It was at this time that Pakistan was suffering the beginnings of insurgencies in FATA, NWFP and Baluchistan. It was also the time of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan’s nuclear proliferation scandal.
In October 2007 he was promoted to full General and made Vice Chief of Army Staff, and on 29 November, 2007 he took over as Chief of Army Staff (COAS). He is the first ever DG ISI ever to be promoted to COAS.
Pakistan Army had been mired in politics since 1999. When Gen Ashfaq Parvaiz Kayani took command, his first directive was to order military officers not to maintain relations with politicians. Gen. Kayani got the ISI to focus on external threats and leave domestic politics alone. It was made public on February 13, 2008 that Gen Kayani had ordered the withdrawal of all military officers from Pakistan’s civil departments. This step was appreciated by the whole nation as well as the Army. Gen. Kayani as DG ISI had advised President Musharraf to refrain from removing Chief Justice Iftikhar Choudary.
Year 2008 was declared as the Year of the Soldier and directives were sent to all the formations to take steps for the betterment of all soldiers. The mega building project of General Headquarters in Islamabad was halted and the allocated money for the new GHQ was distributed among the formations to improve the living standard of jawans in Pakistan Army.
“The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war” U.S General George Patton
After 2008, steps were taken to take the Army towards professionalism. 2009 was therefore declared as a Year of Training, and directives were sent to all the formations to get back to basics. This order was observed with great energy and from late 2008 onwards, training was increased at battalion level and competitions were held on brigade and division levels. This act greatly enhanced the professionalism of the Army.
Pakistan Army Operations 2009-2010
Pakistan is passing through a painful and sensitive era as CIA-RAW sponsored Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has challenged the very security of the nation. After many negotiations the civilian government finally decided to initiate operations against this terrorist group in Malakand agency in April 2009. Operation Rah-e-Rast was fought on a limited scale and soon most militants were captured and killed. After great sacrifices and efforts from the Army and people of Malakand, the area is now peaceful.
Pakistan Army is now protecting its own interests and challenging US and NATO on issues where the Pakistani interests clash with US and NATO interests. A recent example of this was the Kerry Lugar Bill, which has a direct clash of interest with the Pakistan Army. The Army high command has expressed its reservation in the open to the media and Pakistan Government. General Kayani has made it clear to the US Authorities that Pakistan will not be responsible for the aftermath of Afghanistan mess, and Pakistan will not allow Afghanistan to become a breeding ground for Indian Intelligence network.
Pakistan Army started this operation with high spirits because on every front, all senior Army officers including General Kayani himself visited the frontline to appreciate the troops. This, along with brilliant strategy and planning led to swift results that stunned NATO commanders in Afghanistan who have been trying to pacify that nation to no avail.
Today, Operation Rah-e-Nijat is in its final stage in South Waziristan and most areas have been efficiently cleared by Pakistan Army. Once again, the Army is the pride of the nation and an example of how effective the will of the nation is, when set against the fitna of fasadi terrorists and traitors who are following Takfiri ideology.
General Kayani’s policies during his tenure have been appreciated by the whole nation and especially the troops. A soldier always gives his all when he sees his commander sharing his moments of happiness and grief. The frequent visits of Gen Kayani to operational areas not only highlighted his own leadership qualities but also boosted the morale of the troops. Under his outstanding leadership we have seen the Army and Air Force chiefs jointly charing the Core Commanders’ conference for the first time in Pakistan Army’s history. Add to that the fact that General Kayani celebrated Eid Day with the jawans which was especially appreciated.
“Pakistan is our motherland. It is the bastion of Islam. We live and die for the glory of Islam and Pakistan. Our faith, resolve and pride in our religion and in our country is an asset, which is further reinforced after each terrorist incident,” he said while talking to the relatives of the victims of the Parade Lane mosque attack that targetted Army personnel and their families.
The recent shift in the balance of power in the region can also be attributed to Pakistan Army and General Kiynai’s tough stance concering the Indian threat and its role in Afghanistan.
Kayani crystallized Pakistan’s traditional stand on Afghanistan and warmth towards people of that country.
Speaking in the backdrop of his trip to Brussels where he put across Pakistan’s point of view on Afghan conflict, the COAS reflected sentiments of the nation by summarizing the country’s interest in the well-being of the people of Afghanistan by saying “We cannot wish for Afghanistan anything that we don’t wish for Pakistan”.
The historic remarks of the COAS once again re-affirmed Pakistan’s oft-repeated assertion that its objective was to have peaceful, stable and friendly Afghanistan. This is also a strong rejoinder to those who are engaged in malicious propaganda that Pakistan was part of the problem in Afghanistan. Ever since its inception, Pakistan has serious security problems emanating from across its eastern borders and it would least indulge in any activity that could destabilize its western borders as well.
In a recent presentation to Pakistani media, Gen Kayani also reiterated his widely reported comments on the Pakistan Army’s view of the situation in Afghanistan and the way forward there – and made it clear that his institution’s “frame of reference” for addressing the problems in that country included certain concerns that are India specific.
History, unresolved issues, India’s military capability and its ‘Cold Start’ doctrine meant that Pakistan could not afford to let its guard down.
“We plan on adversaries’ capabilities, not intentions”, General Kayani said.
Pakistan Army’s policy of differentiating between various Taliban factions and militant groups found no takers in Western capitals up until the recent past. Pakistan Army had been widely criticised for selectively targeting only those militant outfits which attacked Pakistan, namely the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and has always rejected US demands to act against Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s Hizb-e-Islami and the Haqqani network – both of which the US alleges are based in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region and are actively fighting against the US & NATO troops in Afghanistan.
Not only have Gulbuddin and Haqqani’s men never acted against Pakistan, the Pakistan Army also regards them as future power brokers in the post-US Afghanistan.
Pakistan has legitimate interests to protect in the region beyond its borders, and is justified in pursuing those interests through means it deems necessary. The US and NATO will not stay in the region much longer – Pakistan has no other option than to support the Afghan Taliban in order to ensure that the Afghan soil is not used by its arch-rival India to destabilize Pakistan. The tough line taken by General Kayani in recent weeks seems to have shaken Washington and Delhi to the core.
General Kayani has also reportedly told US and NATO commanders in the recent meeting which came on the back of Pakistan rejecting US requests to start yet another operation on its soil, that Pakistan intends to take a hands on approach and play a central role in bringing stability to Afghanistan. He also demanded the US and its allies curb Indian influence in Afghanistan as the latter has been supporting terrorism in Pakistan from its many bases on Afghan soil.
The tough, matter-of-fact line on India was in stark contrast to that of the current ‘democratic’ rulers of Pakistan, who have bent over backwards in their attempts to appease both the Indians and the Americans.
If only our civilian leaders could behave with such honor, dignity and solidarity with this nation we would be able to solve all our problems efficiently. We need good leaders in our main institutions to lead the nation. We are very thankful to Allah that General Kayani is doing an excellent job as the leader of the Pakistan Army. Pakistan is the last fortress of Islam and we must ensure that Pakistan is strengthened from within and all external enemies of Pakistan must be destroyed. Pakistani national interest should be paramount to any other interests.
the additional government supplies in the market could have depressed prices, making it difficult for producers to expand operations……….
Energy Dept cancels surplus uranium transfers
By Tom Doggett
WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. Energy Department has canceled plans to put into the market during 2011 extra government-owned surplus uranium supplies, Energy Secretary Steven Chu told Congress on Thursday, but the uranium transfers will continue for this year.
The department had planned to transfer next year up to 1,125 tonnes, or about 2.48 million lbs, of its surplus uranium a year to raise money to pay for the cleanup of the Portsmouth uranium enrichment plant in Ohio………
Not only would business be taken away from domestic uranium producers, but the additional government supplies in the market could have depressed prices, making it difficult for producers to expand operations……….
The Energy Department has 59,000 tonnes of inventories of natural uranium built up for military purposes during the Cold War and is releasing the stocks gradually over about 25 years. (Reporting by Tom Doggett; Editing by Walter Bagley and Lisa Shumaker)
UPDATE 2-U.S. Energy Dept cancels surplus uranium transfers | Reuters
Sign the Ban Blair-Baiting petition here. “He’s not a war criminal. He’s not evil. He didn’t lie. He didn’t sell out Britain or commit treason. He wasn’t Bush’s poodle. He hasn’t got blood on his hands. The anti-war nutters must not be allowed to damage Blair’s reputation further. He was a great PM, a great statesman and a great leader.” See this recent signature comment
Comment at end
Ban Blair-Baiting
10th February, 2010
HIS HOME? NO, IT’S OUR HOME & WE DON’T SHARE IT WITH TERRORISM SUSPECTS
That was my first thoughts on quickly reading the self-congratulatory Reprieve website this morning.
He may have been living here, but was a “temporary resident” inthe cute British way we have of harbouring terrorsism suspects or wannabes.
As often before the courts in Britain have made a laughing stock of British “justice”. There is more than welfare dependant payments envouraging so many from other lads to dump themselves upon our liberal, self-destuctive nature.
Meanwhile the courts have handed David Miliband and the Labour party an election-winning card. Let’s see if they have the nous to know how to use it.
From Reprieve:
Background
British resident Binyam Mohamed spent seven years in US custody, most recently in Guantánamo Bay. He came home to the UK in February 2009, after all charges against him were dropped.Binyam was detained in Pakistan and tortured by his Pakistani guards. During this time, he was interrogated by the British and US intelligence services. The British agent was later cross-examined in the proceedings before the British Court and it was clear that he knew that Binyam was to be handed over to the Americans and also that he was at risk of harm
The Court of Appeals today ordered the publication of seven paragraphs that the Foreign Secretary had sought to suppress. Here are the paragraphs:
The following seven paragraphs have been redacted:
[It was reported that a new series of interviews was conducted by the United States authorities prior to 17 May 2001 as part of a new strategy designed by an expert interviewer.
v) It was reported that at some stage during that further interview process by the United States authorities, BM had been intentionally subjected to continuous sleep deprivation. The effects of the sleep deprivation were carefully observed.
vi) It was reported that combined with the sleep deprivation, threats and inducements were made to him. His fears of being removed from United States custody and “disappearing” were played upon.
vii) It was reported that the stress brought about by these deliberate tactics was increased by him being shackled in his interviews
viii) It was clear not only from the reports of the content of the interviews but also from the report that he was being kept under self-harm observation, that the inter views were having a marked effect upon him and causing him significant mental stress and suffering.
ix) We regret to have to conclude that the reports provide to the SyS made clear to anyone reading them that BM was being subjected to the treatment that we have described and the effect upon him of that intentional treatment.
x) The treatment reported, if had been administered on behalf of the United Kingdom, would clearly have been in breach of the undertakings given by the United Kingdom in 1972. Although it is not necessary for us to categorise the treatment reported, it could readily be contended to be at the very least cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by the United States authorities]
This self-righteous Telegraph article from 5th February shows how far down the road to stupidity our press, as well as our courts have gone.
These (presumably Conservative-leaning) commenters are right:
“First of all, since when did British residents get interrogated without a lawyer in a secret place of detention in Pakistan not just with the knowledge of our intelligence agencies but also their hands-on assistance?”
He wasnt resident in Britain, he was resident in Afghanistan.
Nor was he a British Citizen, which is rather a bigger issue, he was an Ethiopian.
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An Ethiopian with temporary rights to reside in Britain who is arrested for terrorism in Afghanistan after spending 10 months in Afghanistan.
Nothing for the F/O to get involved in.
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I really do not care if this foreign national was tortured on foreign territory by foreign agents. Resident does not equate to citizen.
The big question is why was this terrorist allowed British residency in the first place?
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……and excrutiatingly hard to get worked up about. I mean really, in all honesty, does anyone other than the odd rampant libertarian or bored student give a toss when so much better blood has been spilt?
Such hypocritical bull
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I heard William say that torture is unacceptable under any circumstances.
However, as Labour’s defence cuts submerge Britain ever closer to nuclear disarmament and potential nuclear attack, the lives of millions may one day depend on information from any source.
ANY CIRCUMSTANCES? Ok, the location of a terrorist nuclear weapon hidden in London can be discovered by torturing the person who concealed it.
Would it be right to torture to save millions of lives, or would law and ethics deny the secret service the only possible avenue for discovering that device?
In the real world, we all know what would happen. So, it effectively means that torture, through theoretical precedent, can’t realistically be outlawed.
Why don’t we just get real?
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Were are at War like WW1,WW2 and the Cold War. We gave hospitality to an Ethiopian who decided he would prefer to murder us instead. But defended by a liberal left lawyer and David Davis – anything anti US goes.
I do not care for rendition, Guantanamo or any of it. But when you are at War the normal rules have to be fudged or suspended ! Obama will find that signing a bit of paper to satisfy his leftish supporters is easier than sorting Guantanamo as a problem.
Our security services are following 2000 + suspects in the UK and that means there will be as many again who are ’sleepers’ and not on the radar. These people want to murder us and US citizens – they had a good go with 3000+ in the USA and 50+ in London. These are the sort of people who recruit female and child suicide bombers – the type of people who threw 150+ Al Fatah supporters off a tower block in Gaza recently.
We know in the UK that those Islamofascists under curfew are still planning attacks on us. What do people expect in War ? In WW2 we interned the enemy within. We ought to do the same again.
If you go to Westminster it is like a fortress ( and deservedly so). It contains though hoardes of troughing MP’s living a secure and privileged lifestyle – far distant from the problems they have created/ allowed to develop in the UK.
The IRA came close to assassinating one PM. It murdered others and condemned Mrs Tebbitt to a wheelchair. Islamofascists have no fear of death so when the next tranche of killers get through I hope that Liberty, David Davis et al will remember that we followed all of the Queensbury rules. That will make them content. But not those murdered or their loved ones.
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Who cares! These guys are terrorists and deserve what they get. An Ethiopian trying for residency in Britain, caught in Afghanistan where he was “sorting out personal issues” – don’t make me laugh!!!!
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Aside from Rik, the comments here really brighten my day, and give me hope that we can win the war against Islamo-fascism. I’m also glad that people have pointed out the absurdity of Neil getting so worked up about the fate of a British “resident”, not even a citizen, caught in Afghanistan! As for “abandoning” the war on terror, when one side “abandons” a war and the other does not, it’s called losing. Has anyone here seen any sign that Islamic fanatics have abandoned their war against us? Anyone? Anyone?
Neil, I notice that you didn’t mention that Al-Queda training materials instruct their members to ALWAYS claim torture. Nor, more importantly, did you point out how dozens of those released from Guantanamo have gone back to terrorism! Not that I expect impartiality and fairness from someone affiliated with Amnesty International, of course. How much of your time do you waste attacking democracies, and how little time do you spend going after dictatorships that violate human rights on a far more massive and blatant scale than democracies could ever imagine?
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Binyam Mohamed is not British, is not a British resident (he may have once lived in the UK) and was strongly suspected of having terrorist links. Why is the UK judicial system getting involved with this man and putting the UK/US intelligence sharing agreement in jeopardy? Thank goodness that the US government has the backbone to take real action in the supression of terrorism. The human rights of the many (us)outweigh the rights of one foreign terrorist suspect. If this man has been tortured, then those now making a fuss should address their concerns to those who did so, not encumbering our courts with this nonsense.
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Oh please do us all a favour, and shut up about abuse of human rights again. Firstly where is the evidence that the supposed torture happened. Secondly this was an Ethiopian, captured in Afganistan, and interrogated, harshly or otherwise, in Pakistan and Morocco. These are both sovereign and Islamic countries. Might I ask what the hell this has to do with Britain, or our pontificating, politically correct judiciary. Where this a British citizen then he should stand trial for treason, in a British court of law.
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…’Since when did Britain allow torture by proxy? ‘…
That’s easy, I’m surprised you hadn’t heard.
When the Labour Party surrendered to the Provisional IRA, that’s when. That’s when ‘murder’ – the legal term – was replaced by the phrase ‘clearing up a few administrative affairs’ by a prominent pro-IRA British Labour MPs, to abject silence by the Prime Minister of the time, also the leader of Parliamentary Labour members. Proxy endorsement by spineless and supine silence. So that’s when the current Government decided that, … well, let’s call them ‘rigorous interview techniques’ were given the unambiguous OK by Labour. Don’t remember ‘Liberty’ or ‘Amnesty International’ raising so much as a peep then either? So it’s a little strange they might choose to become involved at this very late stage.
Unless to ‘Liberty’ and Amnesty; IRA violence is perfectly fine by them. And let’s face it, they probably do think that in any case.
As far as the alibi of the traditional Guantanamo inmate, that they wandered away from a wedding in Stepney and then mysteriously ambled into a Guerilla training camp on the Afghan\Pakistan border, that should be a warning to anyone who wants them to live in dangerous britain. Freed on british streets, they seem incapable of finding their way home.
Bad idea to house them here then.
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The best solution is not to allow entrance to any nationals of Middle Eastern and African countries. Then there will be fewer such anguished moral problems for m’learned friends to debate in our courts for which we, the taxpayers, foot the bill.
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The man is not British. Resident does not mean citizen or subject. The passport he had was forged. I don’t know why the High Court is wasting time on this. Is this the best the whingers can do to find a test case against rendition?
that goes back generations.
UNITED NATIONS — “The same forces of globalization — openness in commerce, travel and communications — that have created unprecedented wealth have also unleashed massive opportunities for organized crime.” That’s the verdict from the UN’s top official on drugs and crime. 
have strong yeast flavor. Maybe because they are often called ‘farmhouse’ ales, I usually find some herbal notes in the palate. Not with this one. The Hennepin was thin and weak tasting. It did have a nice foamy head, but there was not much else going on with this beer. I will give it a 4.5/10, and I am being generous with that.
head. It had some spice notes in the aroma, and had a malty flavor. It was not bad, but it was far from great. It gets a 5.5/10.
