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Matthew Taunton, Fictions of the City: Class, Culture and Mass Housing in London and Paris
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. 215 pages, ISBN: 978-0230579767. £61
James Heartfield
(Freelance, UK)
The Literary London Journal, Volume 10 Number 1 (Spring 2013)
<1>Matthew Taunton looks at the way that writers and filmmakers have dealt with cities and mass housing in this thought-provoking study. Some good readings of novels and essays by H.G. Wells and George Orwell, Émile Zola, the situationist-influenced Georges Perec, Christiane Rochefort's novel of life on welfare in the housing projects outside Paris, Josyane and the Welfare, and films by Jean Renoir, Jean Luc Godard, Ken Loach (Cathy Come Home) and Gary Oldman (Nil By Mouth) are cross referenced with a broad range of social policy studies, including those of the Garden Cities movement, Le Corbusier and the more recent offerings of Lord Rogers' Urban Renaissance Task Force.
<2>Taunton is interested in class, but argues with sociological analyses (well, with Karl Marx, mostly) for missing out the 'fundamental role that housing types and tenures play in class formation' (169), and he insists that 'class is more tied to place than many theories' allow (2). Against Marxist schematics, Taunton argues that 'novelists and filmmakers have often proved to be more sensitive to specifics and it is for this reason that fictions of the city prove to be such a potent resource in addressing these issues' (4). Using illustrations from fiction to examine housing policy in these two capitals, Taunton's shows that where you live has been an important marker of class. Taunton is interested particularly in the way that overcrowding, suburbanisation, council estates and the Parisian Banlieues have been dealt with in fiction and policy.
<3>Ideas about writers and about housing are similar in that people take them both very personally, and have strong opinions, most often based on their own impressions and preferences, that they nonetheless think of as obviously true and universally applicable. The rule 'I don't know much, but I know what I like' seems to apply in both spheres. Taunton questions many of these presuppositions, inviting us, for example, to look at the domestic lives behind the shopping arcades that so bewitched Walter Benjamin, and to think critically about the pseudo-rural promise of the suburban home. There is a great deal here to delight and surprise, but there are also some arguments that seem more debatable than he allows. Often, it seems that Taunton is advocating for some kinds of dwellings and against others in ways that seem unnecessarily polarised and normative, as if a modern and complex society did not need many different ways of living. One shortcoming of fiction as a source is that it is not always clear whether it is evidence of facts or prejudices (though one could say the same of many policy documents, too). Looking at the film Nil By Mouth, for example, one has to ask whether this is an objective social document, or an overwrought caricature of working-class degradation.
<4>In particular, Taunton has a reactive distaste for English suburbanites, whom he calls 'the relentless sprawl' (5), a 'rash' (60), 'sprawl' again (61), 'low density suburban gravy' that, mixing metaphors, threatens to 'swamp the countryside' (93), 'a fungal growth threatening to choke the countryside', based on 'bogus dreams' (94), and once again 'endless residential sprawl' (185). These prejudices are not exactly unfamiliar, but they are, all the same, stark in their contempt for the lives of millions of people. To get a measure of how such words sound, try using them to describe the people of the inner city housing estates: a 'rash', a 'sprawl', 'relentless', 'fungal', 'urban gravy'. Taunton might say that these are characterisations of the conditions not the people, but they work by dehumanising 'the suburbans' using metaphors of disease or organic, and therefore unthinking, growth. Nor is this as peripheral a group as one might think. There are perhaps questions of definition, but the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions estimated that fully 43 per cent of the population lived in the suburbs – quite a large proportion of the population to dismiss (Todorovic).
<5>Slipping into these derogatory metaphors of human sprawl is all the more surprising since Taunton is clearly familiar with John Carey's book The Intellectuals and the Masses, which first pointed out how so many writers were gripped by this revulsion at the 'bungaloid growth' of the suburbs, and the way that their snobbish language diminished people. Taunton writes about Carey's book, dismissing it with a rather cliquish assumption that most readers in the know would understand that the wise and humane Carey was in fact a flawed character because he thinks that popular and high culture are distinct. Taunton has read Carey's evidence that intellectuals unthinkingly dismissed the suburban masses, but failed to recognise any problem with such a view, because it is his own.
<6>Underpinning Taunton's contempt for the suburbs is the belief that such growth is eating up the countryside, one that he carries over uncritically from Orwell and others. It is a widespread belief: an opinion poll for the Barker Review found that 73 per cent thought that fully one quarter of England is built on, and more than half thought that more than half of England was built on. In fact just one tenth of England is developed (44). The mismatch between people's belief that the countryside has been concreted over and the vast span of England's green countryside would surely have been an interesting study, and it is a shame that Taunton prefers to dwell in ignorance.
<7>Alongside Taunton's disdain for 'the suburbans' is a prescriptive belief that people ought to live in high density urban settings: 'The challenge is to find ways of building at high densities that are comfortable, convenient and homely, not to blandly insist that the suburban semi suits us well enough' (96). This is a dogma that Taunton has inherited from Lord Rogers' Urban Task Force: 'We must give priority to creating higher-density, compact developments in existing urban areas' (46).
<8>The prescription to 'build up, not out' that the government, and the Greater London Authority took from Sir Richard and made their policy, has been sharply tested in the years since. The premise of the argument, that 'to accommodate the world at suburban densities would be a social and environmental catastrophe' (96) begs so many questions. Who wants to accommodate the world at suburban densities? 'There are also, as Richard Rogers and James Lovelock have argued, compelling environmental reasons for resisting land-hungry, low density development' (185). Since then James Lovelock has retreated from his argument that climate catastrophe is upon us as 'alarmist' and 'extrapolating too far'. In any event analysis of the Australian Conservation Foundation's Conservation Atlas prepared for the Residential Development Council shows, surprisingly, that per capita greenhouse gas emissions are lower in suburban areas than city centres ('Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Tonnes per Capita, Housing Form in Australia and its Impact on Greenhouse Gas Emissions' 11).
<9>Taunton is let down here by his 1950s vision of the suburbs as dormitories serving urban industry. In 2004 Terence Bendixson of the Independent Transport Commission published a report, Suburban Future, according to which: 'Suburbs and exurbs are not predominantly dormitories for city centre office and shop workers. Most of their residents live, work and play in the suburbs and visit city centres only from time to time.' Against Taunton's expectations, industry has tended to move with the population into the South East, out of London, so that even the one remaining magnet of diurnal commuting, the financial district in the Square Mile, is today giving way to shopping centres, as banks and insurance companies move out to Canary Wharf.
<10>As Suburban Future makes plain, commuting is quicker in the suburbs than in cities. It takes residents within the suburbs and exurbs 24/25 minutes, 34 minutes for residents within cities like Bristol and Birmingham and 43 minutes for those living and working in Greater London. Another reason for the lower carbon emissions in suburbs is that newly built homes on green field sites tend to be more energy efficient than Victorian-built homes.
<11>Taunton's view of the supposed social catastrophe is confused, too. He writes about a 'slow migration of the middle classes into affluent suburbs' (97). Is that what is happening? Tim Butler, Chris Hamnett and Mark Ramsden's analysis of London's employment in the 2001 census shows that outer London and the South East is more working class than inner London. Inner London had more large employers, professionals and managers than outer London and the South East. Outer London had more routine, semi-routine and technical or lower supervisory workers than inner London. Inner London did have more unemployed than outer London, and outer London had more self-employed than inner London. This employment profile was new, following changes that took place after fifteen years of economic growth, say Butler and his colleagues (see especially page 72). When Taunton writes, arguing with Marx, that 'far from withering out of existence, the petty bourgeoisie (middle class owner occupiers) and the lumpenproletariat (economically inactive council tenants) now dominate the landscape' (169), it is perhaps a portrait more specific to inner London's peculiar development than to the country as a whole (where employment has climbed from 23 million in 1983 to 29 million in 2009).
<12>The vision of the middle classes abandoning the inner cities to poverty that Taunton repeats was always one-sided, missing out, for example, the movement of London's adventurous or desperate poor into the unplanned plotland settlements like Pitsea, Laindon and Jaywick Sands, such that '…by the end of World War II there was a settled population of about 25,000 on 75 miles of grass-track roads, mostly un-sewered and with standpipes for water supply' (Hall and Ward 76). In 1949 this site was designated as a new town, Basildon. Other overspill sites like Thurrock and St Albans are more working class than stockbroker belt.
Figure 1 Richard Rogers getting his sums wrong (80 x 38,000 = 3,040,000) [Photo © James Heartfield 2013]
<13>More recently, though, the imposition of Richard Rogers's policy of restricting 'suburban sprawl' has created a social catastrophe of its own – the increasing gentrification of the inner city, raising the prospect of 'social cleansing' as the working poor are forced out by excessive house prices. The additional planning restrictions under the Urban Task Force plan succeeded in strangling outward growth, but 'upward' growth has not filled the gap. Overall the absolute number of homes built in Britain has fallen to its lowest level since the Second World War. A real housing shortage in the UK led to a marked rise in house prices (made worse by the availability of credit, though its restriction since the 2008 crash has not seen a corresponding fall in house prices, suggesting that undersupply is the fundamental problem). Average London house prices are above £400,000, putting them beyond the pocket of working-class Londoners. Taunton has an answer to those priced out: 'it is important to recognise that the supposed advantages of owning a house as opposed to renting from a private landlord or local authority are not a given' (53) – though in truth the advantages are that rents are around 16 per cent higher than mortgage repayments, and they rise in tandem with house prices (Wiseman). For those poorer Londoners who do not move out, the consequence is overcrowding, with homes split into more and more sublettings, grown-up children unable to move out, and, near me, a couple living in a garden shed – the inevitable outcome of these spiralling prices and rents. According to the Mayor of London 'around 207,000 of London's households are overcrowded… a third higher than ten years ago' (7).
<14>Taunton argues that the drive to the suburbs in England is all part of the lingering influence of the aristocracy, echoing the thesis put forward by Thomas Nairn and Perry Anderson of Britain's incomplete and compromised bourgeois revolution. Certainly the Nairn-Anderson thesis has become a model for those on the left who hoped to redirect the movement away from socialism towards a programme of modernisation, like Gordon Brown and Tony Blair. There is some basis to the argument that the aristocrats' monopoly over land was an important precondition for the creation of a landless working class to fill the cities, and that aristocrats were able to translate their feudal holdings into capitalist wealth in the first half of the nineteenth century (see Saville, chapter 4). However, the aristocratic monopoly over land came to an end with the passing of the Settled Land Acts of 1882 which reversed the restrictions on sales (apart from the family seat): 'The aristocratic share of the acreage of the British Isles fell from four-fifths in the 1880s to no more than a quarter a century later' (Hobson 79).
<15>Since then elites have struggled to find a justification for keeping working people off the land. That was the backdrop to the great outcry against suburban sprawl, driven in part by a fall in land prices after the war, in the early twentieth century that Taunton echoes. The answer to the problem of keeping the oiks orf are land was the Green Belt tied around London and other cities under the Town and Country Planning Act passed after the Second World War. During the Second World War, the Uthwatt Report on post-war house building argued for the power of the government to stop speculators hanging onto the land and profiting from the demand for new homes after the war. The goal was a massive house-building programme. But Uthwatt was not implemented. Instead the Labour government caved in to Tory pressure to pass a compromise Town and Country Planning Act that would contain any new housing in demarcated 'New Towns'. The aristocratic impulse is more evident in the laws reining in suburbanisation than it is in suburbanisation itself.
<16>The full measure of the Green Belt was felt the summer before when Basildon Council (forgetting its own origins in unplanned settlement) enforced an eviction order against the gypsy settlement at Dale Farm. Around a hundred people who had bought their own land, built their own homes and made their own community were violently thrown off by police and security guards, to the horror of the world's media. Council Leader Tony Ball insisted that his action was to protect the Green Belt from unplanned development – where the Dale Farm settlement showed that ordinary people were better at sorting out their own problems than waiting for Basildon Council to do it for them.
Figure 2 'Don't make us part of the housing problem' [Photo © James Heartfield 2013]
<17>Taunton's comparisons of Paris and London are interesting, but one has to ask whether he has succumbed to the narcissism of small differences. He restlessly contrasts London with its suburbanisation to Paris with its Haussmann-erected city limits, Paris with its poorer suburbs and overpriced inner city, to London supposedly the other way around. But all of these differences seem to fall away on closer inspection. Today more than 80 percent of Parisians live in the suburbs and exurbs. The ville de Paris has fewer than 2.2 million people, while the rest of the urban area has nearly 8 million people. In fact the trend towards greater dispersion and lower density living claimed here to be an Anglo-Saxon vice has been repeated across Europe, from supposedly compact Barcelona to Stockholm (see Demographia.com for the statistics). Inner London, it turns out, is just as overpriced as central Paris, and there are some deprived estates in London suburbs, such as St Helier in Merton, which are basically suburban dumping grounds. Taunton's tales of the poor moving to makeshift 'Bidonvilles' outside Paris is striking, but not that different from the Plotland movement in Essex.
<18>The reason that there are different kinds of tenure (privately or publicly rented, mortgaged, owned-outright) and different architectural answers to housing people (flats, terraces, semi-detached, bungalows) in different kinds of settings (village, exurb, suburb, inner city) is that there are many different circumstances. There has for the last fifty years been an underlying trend, on the average, across the developed world, towards more rather than less dispersed living, which has been driven by better transport, and more land coming available as farming becomes more intense. Municipal authorities have at times tried to limit that trend through legal restraints, but the results, as London's overheated property market shows are not usually that good, or even that effective.
<19>To champion one kind of housing against another loses sight of the dynamic way that cities grow. There are not in truth 'suburbs' and 'inner cities' at all. As Robert Bruegmann has explained, all urban districts were once suburbs, and the city's expansion has always provoked anxiety, mostly unfounded. In the 1829 print 'London Going out of Town – The Invasion of Bricks and Mortar', George Cruikshank shows an assault on the pristine fields of Islington, which today is counted as urban inner city.
Figure 3 George Cruikshank, 'London Going out of Town' (1829) From the author's private collection. Reproduced with permission.
<20>Insisting that all homes should be of one kind rather than another is to demand that the millions of Britons, French or others should all be the same. Worse, it speaks of a solipsistic view that everyone should be like you, when there are many different reasons that people live where they live, from financial limitations to work, age and family circumstances.
Barker Review of Land Use Planning – Final Report. London: HMSO, December 2006. http://www.ukcip.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/PDFs/Barker_review_landuse.pdf.
Bruegmann, Robert. Sprawl: A Compact History. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005.
Butler, Tim, Chris Hamnett and Mark Ramsden. 'Inward and Upward: Marking Out Social Class Change in London, 1981–2001', Urban Studies45(1), January 2008: 67–88.
Carey, John. The Intellectuals and the Masses: Pride and Prejudice Among the Literary Intelligentsia, 1880-1939. London: Faber and Faber, 1992.
'Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Tonnes per Capita', Housing Form in Australia and its Impact on Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Residential Development Council, 22 October 2007: 11.
Hall, Peter and Colin Ward. Sociable Cities: The Legacy of Ebenezer Howard. Chichester: John Wiley, 1998.
Hobson, Dominic The National Wealth, London, Harper Collins, 1999.
Independent Transport Commission, Suburban Future. University of Southampton, July 2004. http://trg1.civil.soton.ac.uk/itc/subex02_main.pdf.
Mayor of London. Overcrowding in Social Housing: A London Action Plan. London Greater Authority, July 2010.http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/archives/Overcrowding_Action_Plan.pdf
Saville, John The Consolidation of the Capitalist State, London: Pluto, 1994.
Todorovic, Jane. Living in Urban England: Attitudes and Aspirations. Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, 2000.
Towards an Urban Renaissance: The Report of the Urban Task Force chaired by Lord Rogers of Riverside, Executive Summary. Urban Task Force, 1999.
Wiseman, Eva. 'Locked out of the property market, Observer, 6 May 2012. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/may/06/renting-property-eva-wiseman
James Heartfield, 'Review of Matthew Taunton, Fictions of the City: Class, Culture and Mass Housing in London and Paris . The Literary London Journal, Volume 10 Number 1 (Spring 2013). Online at http://www.literarylondon.org/london-journal/springheartfield2013/.html. Accessed on [date of access].


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10. Free Markets, Property Rights and Climate Change: How to Privatize Climate Policy
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Abstract: Instead of Politics (Charleston, SC: CreateSpace, 2010), a new book by individualist John Kosanke, supplies a cornucopia of consequentialist arguments against a political society and for a free-market society.
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March 23, 2011 , By Don Stacy Filed Under: Libertarian Papers, Volume 3 (2011)
2. "Plato and the Spell of the State"
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February 24, 2011 , By Patrick C. Tinsley Filed Under: Libertarian Papers, Volume 3 (2011)
1. "Of Private, Common, and Public Property and the Rationale for Total Privatization"
Abstract: In this paper, first, I want to clarify the nature and function of private property. Second, I want to clarify the distinction between "common" goods and property and "public" goods and property, and explain the construction error inherent in the institution of public goods and property. Third, I want to explain the rationale and principle of privatization.
Download Paper: Of Private, Common, and Public Property and the Rationale for Total Privatization
February 23, 2011 , By Hans-Hermann Hoppe Filed Under: Libertarian Papers, Volume 3 (2011)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
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The Father Christmas Letters
by J. R. R. Tolkien
Type: speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is a broad umbrella category of narrative fiction referring to any fiction story that includes elements, settings and characters whose features are created out of imagination and speculation rather than based on attested reality and everyday life. That encompasses the genres of science fiction, fantasy, science fantasy, horror, alternative history, and magic realism.
Genres: fantasy
The Father Christmas Letters is also known as Letters from Father Christmas (revised edition, 1999).
Every December, an envelope from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R. Tolkien's children. Inside would be a letter in strange, spidery handwriting and a beautiful color drawing. The letters told wonderful tales of life at the North Pole: how all the reindeer scattered presents all over the place; how the accident-prone Polar Bear climbed the North Pole and fell through the roof of Father Christmas's house; how he broke the Moon into four pieces and made the Man in it fall into the back garden; how there were wars with a troublesome horde of goblins. Sometimes the Polar Bear would scrawl a note, adding yet more humor to the stories. No reader, young or old, can fail to be charmed by the inventiveness of Tolkien's Father Christmas Letters.
(updated 2017-07-26)
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About the Author :: J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. After serving in the First World War, he embarked upon academic career and was recognized as one of the finest philologists in the world. He was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, a fellow of Pembroke College, and a fellow of Merton College until his retirement in 1959.
Tolkien is the creator of Middle-earth and author of the great modern classic, his epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien died in 1973 at the age of 81.
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"The man who loved Morlocks" by David J. Lake
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Bosnian news in English Thursday, December 9, 2021
International Monetary Fund has 1 Trillion US Dollars lending Capacity
May 4, 2020 10:15 AM by Y.Z
Exceptional times call for exceptional action. In many ways, there has been a 'response like no other' from the IMF's membership.
Governments all over the world have taken unprecedented action to fight the pandemic—to save lives, to protect their societies and economies. Fiscal measures so far have amounted to about $8 trillion and central banks have undertaken massive (in some cases, unlimited) liquidity injections.
For our part, the IMF has $1 trillion lending capacity—4 times more than at the outset of the Global Financial Crisis—at the service of its 189 member countries. Recognizing the characteristics of this crisis—global and fast-moving such that early action is far more valuable and impactful—we have sought to maximize our capacity to provide financial resources quickly, especially for low-income members.
In this regard, we have strengthened our arsenal and taken exceptional measures in just these two months.
These actions include:
Doubling the IMF's emergency, rapid-disbursing capacity to meet expected demand of about $100 billion. 103 countries have approached us for emergency financing, and our Executive Board will have considered about half of these requests by the end of the month.
Reforming our Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust, to help 29 of our poorest and most vulnerable members—of which 23 are in Africa—through rapid debt-service relief, and we are working with donors to increase our debt-relief resources by $1.4 billion. Thanks to the generosity of the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore, and China, we are able to provide immediate relief to our poorest members.
Aiming to triple our concessional funding via our Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust for the most vulnerable countries. We are seeking $17 billion in new loan resources and, in this respect, I am heartened by pledges from Japan, France, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia promising commitments totaling $11.7 billion, taking us to about 70 percent of the resources needed towards this goal.
Supporting a suspension of official bilateral debt repayments for the poorest countries through end 2020—a ground-breaking accord among G20 countries. This is worth about $12 billion to nations most in need. And calling for private sector creditors to participate on comparable terms—which could add a further $8 billion of relief.
Establishing a new short-term liquidity line that can help countries strengthen economic stability and confidence.
This is the package of actions that the International Monetary and Financial Committee endorsed last week at our virtual Spring Meetings.
It represents a powerful policy response. Above all, it enables the IMF to get immediate, "here and now" support to countries and people in desperate need. Today.
Preventing a protracted recession
But there is much more to be done and now is the time to look ahead. To quote a great Canadian, Wayne Gretzky: "Skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been."
We need to think hard about where this crisis is headed and how we can be ready to help our member countries, being mindful of both risks and opportunities. Just as we responded strongly in the initial phase of the crisis to avoid lasting scars for the global economy, we will be relentless in our efforts to avoid a painful, protracted recession.
I am particularly concerned about emerging markets and developing countries.
They have experienced the sharpest portfolio flow reversal on record, of about $100 billion. Those dependent on commodities have been further shocked by plummeting export prices. Tourism-dependent countries are experiencing a collapse of revenues, as are those relying on remittances for income support.
For emerging economies, the IMF can engage through our regular lending instruments, including those of a precautionary nature. This may require considerable resources if further market pressures arise. To prevent them from spreading, we stand ready to deploy our full lending capacity and to mobilize all layers of the global financial safety net, including whether the use of SDRs could be more helpful.
For our poorest members, we need much more concessional financing. With the peak of the outbreak still ahead, many economies will require significant fiscal outlays to tackle the health crisis and minimize bankruptcies and job losses, while facing mounting external financing needs.
But more lending may not always be the best solution for every country. The crisis is adding to high debt burdens and many could find themselves on an unsustainable path.
We therefore need to contemplate new approaches, working closely with other international institutions, as well as the private sector, to help countries steer through this crisis and emerge more resilient.
And the IMF, like our member countries, may need to venture even further outside our comfort zone to consider whether exceptional measures might be needed in this exceptional crisis.
Preparing for recovery
To help lay the foundations for a strong recovery, our policy advice will need to adapt to evolving realities. We need to have a better understanding of the specific challenges, risks, and tradeoffs facing every country as they gradually restart their economies.
Key questions include how long to maintain the extraordinary stimulus and unconventional policy measures, and how to unwind them; dealing with high unemployment and "lower-for-longer" interest rates; preserving financial stability; and, where needed, facilitating sectoral adjustment and private sector debt workouts.
We also must not forget about long-standing challenges that require a collective response, such as reigniting trade as an engine for growth; sharing the benefits of fintech and digital transformation which have demonstrated their usefulness during this crisis; and combating climate change—where stimulus to reinforce the recovery could also be guided to advance a green and climate resilient economy.
Finally, in the new post-COVID-19 world, we simply cannot take social cohesion for granted. So we must support countries' efforts in calibrating their social policies to reduce inequality, protect vulnerable people, and promote access to opportunities for all.
This is a moment that tests our humanity. It must be met with solidarity.
There is much uncertainty about the shape of our future. But we can also embrace this crisis as an opportunity—to craft a different and better future together.
Tags: #coronavirus, #IMF, #news, #pandemic, #world


More than 15,000 life sciences industry professionals will arrive in San Diego this month for the annual BIO International Convention. LSIPR looks at some of the most interesting sessions, and talks to a couple of speakers.
This year's annual Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) International Convention couldn't start at a better time.
Mere weeks after a rash of big decisions from the US Supreme Court, there will be plenty to discuss at the conference's IP sessions—not just the ruling on Roslin, which found that mammals made using the cloning method that produced Dolly the sheep are not patentable, but also Nautilus and Limelight which, while concerning tech patents, could also have an impact on the life sciences industry.
More than 15,000 industry professionals are expected to attend the conference, which this year sets up at the heart of the US's second life sciences cluster, at San Diego's Convention Center from June 23 to 26.


Use a free or low cost "solution." This option is like being handed an drill and being expected to know how to perform dental surgery.
Hire a web designer for a fully custom website. This option is like buying a Ferrari when a Toyota would get you there just as well.
Neither option makes sense for most businesses. Bottom line, you don't need your website to win artistic awards – you want to win clients.
Don't like writing? We write the content for you. We'll create 6 SEO (search engine optimization) optimized pages and/or blog posts so you don't have to write the content.
Get 2 hours of monthly technical and administrative support. Unused time can roll month to month for up to 3 months.
Whether your customers find you from their desktop, tablet, or mobile – Your site looks beautiful everywhere.
We run websites on the WordPress platform. It's easy to use, plus you and your staff can access the content any time you want.
You may not know what your site looks like in the background but Google does. And what Google sees on your new site, Google loves!
Get weekly backups, weekly software updates, and immediate security updates. For an added $58/mo, get 2-hours of monthly support.
Feeling a little cramped by an out-of-the-box design? Get 2 hours of programming time ($120 value) to customize your website even further.
We'll handle the technical side of your website. You can focus your energy on marketing your business instead of trying to learn HTML.
I didn't really have any reservations in hiring PixelMark. When Ruben contacted me, I was ready for change. I was motivated to hire them because they are a new company.
I knew that they would provide highly personalized attention and be highly motivated to do a great job.
In contrast, more commercialized businesses have a tendency to be impersonal and with standardized services, that don't always fit your business.
I trust them and know that I don't have to micromanage them.
PixelMark confirmed my first impressions right away.
The personal focus, and Tiffany's attention to detail in the content has been very clear and specific. It's obvious that there's an effort on their part to get absorbed in our business.
Even though they don't hold medical degrees, they're so detail oriented that you get the impression that Rio Grande Urology is their business as well.
From day-one they said they would take the marketing and website off my plate and that's been happening.
Something else that I've come to value is the way they can sync with the results we want. For example, when I asked them to design a rack card for our doctors, they captured exactly what I was looking for.
What I would tell anyone that's considering working with PixelMark is this: PixelMark is hungry for business and as a result you will get a highly personalized level of service.
Our photography add-on include 25 high resolution photographs taken at your location to use on your quick launch website and other marketing materials.
Our video team produces a documentary-style video to share your story in 5 minutes on your website.


text:
package sender

import (
	"github.com/open-falcon/transfer/proc"
	"github.com/toolkits/container/list"
	"log"
	"strings"
	"time"
)

const (
	DefaultProcCronPeriod = time.Duration(5) * time.Second    //ProcCron的周期,默认1s
	DefaultLogCronPeriod  = time.Duration(3600) * time.Second //LogCron的周期,默认300s
)

// send_cron程序入口
func startSenderCron() {
	go startProcCron()
	go startLogCron()
}

func startProcCron() {
	for {
		time.Sleep(DefaultProcCronPeriod)
		refreshSendingCacheSize()
	}
}

func startLogCron() {
	for {
		time.Sleep(DefaultLogCronPeriod)
		logConnPoolsProc()
	}
}

func refreshSendingCacheSize() {
	proc.JudgeQueuesCnt.SetCnt(calcSendCacheSize(JudgeQueues))
	proc.GraphQueuesCnt.SetCnt(calcSendCacheSize(GraphQueues))
	proc.GraphMigratingQueuesCnt.SetCnt(calcSendCacheSize(GraphMigratingQueues))
}
func calcSendCacheSize(mapList map[string]*list.SafeListLimited) int64 {
	var cnt int64 = 0
	for _, list := range mapList {
		if list != nil {
			cnt += int64(list.Len())
		}
	}
	return cnt
}

func logConnPoolsProc() {
	log.Printf("connPools proc: \n%v", strings.Join(GraphConnPools.Proc(), "\n"))
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
13th Annual Dance Media Festival
Ann Haskins June 6, 2014
The world's preeminent festival of dance film, Dance Camera West, returns with its 13th annual Dance Media Festival. Titled "Restructure," this year's events include both indoor and outdoor screenings, live performances by two of L.A.'s top contemporary companies, and two awards ceremonies. The live performances and many of the screenings are free, and even the others are less costly than that stupid Adam Sandler movie at your local multiplex. The festival opens Friday on the Music Center Plaza with dancers from BODYTRAFFIC performing with L.A.-based sculptor Gustavo Godoy's latest "live-action" sculpture. The action moves into the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for the opening night's 13 films, all less than 15 minutes long, from the Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, Japan, France, Slovakia and the United States. Saturday offers a midday reprise of BODYTRAFFIC, followed by five longer films at MOCA before the sunset action shifts to Grand Park, where L.A. Contemporary Dance will debut Prite Oef Stringh ahead of an outdoor screening of two films and an awards presentation. The festival wraps up Sunday with a swirl of action: the final BODYTRAFFIC performance preceding four more screening programs, panel discussions, Q&As and the final awards. Complete details, venues and tickets at dancecamerawest.org. BODYTRAFFIC at Music Center Plaza 135 N. Grand Ave., dwntwn.; Fri. June 6, 8 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., June 7-8, 2 p.m.; free. Short film screenings at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., dwntwn.; Fri., June 6, 8:30 p.m.; $15. International Dance Films at MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave., dwntwn.; Sat., June 7, 2:30 p.m.; $12. L.A. Contemporary Dance Company, screenings and Horton Awards at Grand Park, 227 N. Spring St., dwntwn.; Sat., June 7, 7 p.m.; free. Screenings at REDCAT, 631 W. Second St., dwntwn.; Sun., June 8, 2:30, 4:30 & 7 p.m.; $15 each.
Fri., June 6, 8:30 p.m., 2014
(Expired: 06/06/14)


text:
Heurelho da Silva Gomes (født 15. februar 1981 i João Pinheiro, Brasilien), almindeligt kendt som Heurelho Gomes eller bare Gomes, er en brasiliansk målmand, der i øjeblikket spiller for den britiske klub Watford. Han har tidligere spillet for den hollandske klub PSV Eindhoven og engelske Tottenham.

Referener

Fodboldspillere fra Brasilien
Deltagere ved verdensmesterskabet i fodbold 2010

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A self-managed super fund (SMSF) is an attractive proposition, as it provides more flexibility and control over the investment of your superannuation money. As a small business owner you may be able to purchase property via your SMSF, but there are other investment options worth exploring.
Having more control over where you invest your retirement funds is one of the benefits of having an SMSF, and buying property is one of the most popular investments for SMSF trustees.
In fact, some people set up SMSFs primarily so they can invest in residential property, but for small business owners there is another important option. Did you know you can also potentially purchase your business premises?
The benefit of doing this is that you can buy your business property and pay rent directly to your SMSF at the going market rate. While your SMSF is able to borrow up to 70% of the cost of a commercial property, it important to familiarise yourself with your legal requirements when you take out a loan from a third party lender.
Having a portion of super in shares is another popular option for SMSFs and a great way for small business owners to build their retirement savings and save tax at the same time.
There are many ways to buy shares cheaply and, like other investors, people with SMSFs can use the services of brokers, fund managers or financial advisers to invest on their behalf in a range of investment vehicles, such as individual shares, exchange traded funds (ETFs) or listed investment companies (LICs).
Another option is the mFund, which was launched by the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). It provides investors with a low-cost way of accessing unlisted managed funds.
Investigate the different products available, because you could save on the all-important fees and charges. And don't forget to do some research on the possible tax savings that can come from holding shares in your SMSF.
Small business owners may also want to consider investing in collectibles via their SMSFs. Purchasing items such as artwork, jewellery, coins, antiques, vintage cars and wine are popular options.
However, there are strict rules about holding these types of assets in your SMSF – they must be insured and cannot provide any day-to-day benefit.
For example you cannot display the artwork in your business premises, drink the wine at a work event or drive a vintage car. However, a person who is not a related party can drive the vehicle for such a purpose and you can lease collectibles to an unrelated party (such as a gallery) if the party is at arm's length.
If the collectibles were acquired before 1 July 2011, you have until 1 July 2016 to meet the requirements.
For those with an SMSF, there are numerous ways of getting your superannuation funds working harder and helping to grow your business at the same time. But as with every investment, it's important to weigh up the rewards and the risks. With proper research and a good investment strategy, your SMSF could reap the benefits.
This information is factual only and is not intended to imply any recommendation about any financial products or constitute advice. You are responsible for consulting with your own professional tax advisors and financial advisors concerning specific tax or financial circumstances for your business. Intuit disclaims any responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of any positions taken by you in your business finance. If you have questions regarding accounting issues specifically related to your industry or your business circumstances, you should consult with your own professional tax advisor, accountant, attorney, industry expert or professional association.


The city of Naperville has it's own version of the Hatfield's and McCoy's. The Hatfields are a large number of informed and active residents in Naperville looking for a 'fair shake', and the McCoy's, who are composed of Naperville city officials including the Naperville city council and city manager, who appear hell-bent on making the lives of the 'Hatfields' as unpleasant as possible.
The latest version of this 'I'm-going-to-poke-a-stick-in-your-eye' comes from 'McCoy' Naperville councilman Grant Wehrli, who wants to FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) the city of Naperville to find out which 'Hatfields' are FOIA-ing the city, and for what FOIA topics. Is it just me, or does this sound nuts.
My first thought was that councilman Grant Wehrli probably wants the information so he can honor the fine residents of Naperville who are taking the time to learn more about Naperville government activities by getting involved. The honor could come in the form of a proclamation read by Wehrli during a Naperville city council meeting recognizing the efforts of local residents to learn more about city affairs. In fact, Wehrli could invite grade school, middle school, and high school students to the council meeting to hear the proclamation and encourage students to also learn more about how local government works. As part of show-and-tell, he could provide FOIA forms to each student to take home to discuss with their parents. What better way for the kids to learn. What better way for Wehrli to be a hero to the kids of our community. Finally a councilman taking a public stand to do the right thing. Is it just me, or am I beginning to sound nuts.
Let's get real. A 'McCoy' (councilman Grant Wehrli) is not about 'doing the right thing' for the 'Hatfields' (involved and informed Naperville residents). Naperville city officials get very irritated and offended when residents want to learn more about local government activities. There is a reason that inky shadows exist in the corridors, corners, and offices of the Naperville city hall. A resident utilizing the FOIA has a flood light to shine into those inky shadows. A city councilman using a FOIA against residents, has a tool of intimidation to dim or eliminate that light.
What's really ironic about councilman Wehrli's FOIA request, is that it was just a few weeks ago that he along with a couple of other 'McCoy's' on the city council were whining and complaining about Naperville residents who were 'wasting the time of city staff' who had to research information for the inquiring minds of Naperville residents, and now it's the same councilman Wehrli who is doing what he was 'crying' about just a few weeks ago.
Maybe somebody should FOIA the city about Wehrli's position on FOIA's, "to FOIA or not to FOIA, that is the question".
Those rascally rascals on the Naperville city council along with the city manager (Doug Krieger) are at it again. And why not. The last time they tried the stunt, it worked. The stunt was to have a do-over vote to undo the vote of 28,236 voters who wanted fair and reasonable representation on the city council and a better opportunity to oust incompetent city officials. It worked when 9,772 voters nullified the vote of 28,236 Naperville residents.
This time word has it that city officials might want to have a do-over vote for term limitations. The stunt is to float the idea that the 32,089 voters (72% landslide) who voted for term limits had no idea what they were voting for, and that voters would really prefer that Naperville city council members have the opportunity to stay in office for life. Sounds plausible doesn't it. I mean it worked with 'at-large' representation versus district representation. Remember, it's very dangerous for the residents of Naperville to get between Naperville city council members and their seats at the dais. The more often a city council member can get elected, means the more campaign signs he or she will have for the following elections.
The other stunt that's floating around, is that this last city council election should have been for four-year terms rather than two-year terms, now that district representation has been nullified by the do-over vote. Naperville council members would much rather prefer to have just four council members running for re-election in 2015, than to have eight running for re-election.
And here's the reason why. Imagine in the next election there are four council members running for re-election and another seven candidates (as we just witnessed); that's 11 candidates in total. It's much easier for the four incumbents to be elected (top four vote getters), than if eight are running with seven non-incumbents which would require the incumbents to finish in the top 8 positions. It's comparable to horse racing. Statistically it's easier to pick the winning horse rather than the top two finishers. Which is easier than the top four finishers, which is easier than to pick the top 8 finishers in any order. This gives non-incumbents an outstanding opportunity to finish within the top eight positions resulting in two, three or more incumbents to be unseated.
To make it more worrisome for city council members is that as things stand now, the top four finishers will get elected for four-year terms, while the next four finishers (5 through 8) will be elected to two-year terms. So unless city officials can grease the way for one of the two stunts above to happen, city council members will be competing (a nice way to say fighting) with each other for the top four finishers in the election. Chances are that if there is one thing Naperville city officials distrust more than Naperville residents, it would be each other. This was proven when Naperville city council members preferred at-large representation rather than districts because they felt with district representation council members would do more wheeling and dealing with some districts (council members) getting more than other districts (council members).
As for now, those political stunts are simply floating in the air, to see if any will fly (just as the recent redo do-over vote). So keep an eye on those 'stunt' balloons. The only way they can fly is if residents are not watching and listening. Naperville city officials use that as the cornerstone of their strategy. The Naperville city council wants 100% transparency to the point that no one can see what's happening.
Last Saturday, Naperville lost an outstanding resident when Frank Hnilo (Ni'-lo) passed away after a four year battle with lung cancer. Frank was 67. In 1974, Frank along with his partner (Carmen DiGiovine) founded what ultimately became the accounting firm of DiGiovine, Hnilo, Jordan, and Johnson Ltd., in Naperville, which has grown to over 50 employees and two offices.
I first met Frank in 1978 when I moved from Barrington to Naperville and he had a small office on 5th Avenue just south of Naperville North high school. He was referred to me by friend and local attorney John Roscich, and for that I am indebted to John and his wife Carolyn. Frank did my personal and business taxes from that day forward, and a friendship beyond accounting evolved over the years. Numerous times I asked Frank for advice, and each and every time Frank's advice turned out to be correct. Even the one and only time I didn't heed his advice (a small business venture) he was correct again.
Frank was everything you could want in a CPA and a friend; knowledgeable, helpful, wise, logical, loyal, rational, ethical with integrity, honest, and a dry sense of humor. Years ago I remember asking Frank if he ever thought of running for office in Naperville, and he thought about it for a moment and with a humble smile he responded, 'No it's not for me….it's a different set of values'.
I always thought he would have been an excellent mayor, or at least a solid, no-nonsense councilman. He had the leadership dimensions needed for success in any business and very much needed in local politics. Those leadership dimensions included, demonstrating accountability, communicating effectively, maximizing relationships, managing performance and execution, thinking critically, driving change, demonstrating courage, and building trust. Frank truly would have been the ""people's councilman" and a strong voice for the residents of Naperville. He would have listened to the residents, responded to their needs and questions, and at all times interacted with mutual respect. Frank was truly a gentleman.
I was reminded of this as I watched last Tuesday's Naperville city council meeting when resident Mike Anderson made an interesting, thought provoking, and respectful three-minute presentation about Smart Meters to the city council during the Public Forum portion the meeting.
Watch and listen to Mike and then listen to the response of the city council.
No answer. No comment. Not even the common courtesy of a response from any member of the council.
Frank was right again…..it's 'a different set of values'.
Voters Tuesday ignored allegations of corruption, sexual harassment, and nepotism in city hall and overwhelmingly re-elected city official for another term in the western suburb. Despite months of candidates slinging accusations towards one another of gang ties, racial slurs, and old-fashioned government corruption, voters approved re-election, though the administration has been mired in scandal. Secretly recorded by the FBI, and criticized for giving millions worth of town business to pals, and appointing friends and family to town posts, the incumbent is back in office.
Despite a string of police-related controversies, the incumbent won re-election. Though the city has been rocked by allegations of police abuse and misconduct, and the 2012 arrest of the ex-police chief that he allegedly stole more than $140,000 seized in drug arrests, the voters have re-elected the incumbent.
In case you think I am referring to city officials in Naperville, I am not. The first paragraph refers to Cicero town president Larry Dominick's re-election February 26, and the second paragraph refers to North Chicago mayor Leon Rockingham's re-election yesterday. The point here is that incumbents are difficult to unseat once in office. I mean even Hitler was re-elected to office in Germany. It's no surprise that in yesterday's election, the top three vote-getters where incumbents Paul Hinterlong, Judy Brodhead, and Doug Krause who was endorsed by City Council Watchdog.
The other candidates we endorsed, Jo Malik, Tom Glass, and Bill Habel came in 6th, 9th, and 10th place respectively in a field of eleven candidates. Those three candidates came with the least amount of political baggage, and would have also spread much needed light in the inky shadows of city hall. We came close to endorsing candidate Kevin Coyne who lost to newly elected council member David Wentz by a mere 129 votes. Who knows, maybe with an endorsement, a 'biscuit for breakfast', and a good luck penny (coin), Coyne would have have been elected.
Though no city official would openly admit it, they were 'running scared'. The reason this is obvious is that city officials made an all-out assault on 'outsider' candidates Tom Glass and Jo Malik, both of whom have been outspoken about local government business-as-usual, resident-unfriendly decisions. Everything as simple as haranguing Glass and Malik about the location of their campaign signs, to outrageous comments from a council member's spouse about Tom Glass's intentions, the strategy was to demonize both Glass and Malik.
The good-news about the city council election results is that residents will still have one friendly voice at the dais (Doug Krause), and that both Hinterlong and Brodhead will have to be present as the results of their council decisions unravel. They won't be able to 'ride off' into the night and leave someone else to pick up the pieces, as did the two previous council members who left after the last election. Quickly….can anybody remember the names of those ex-council members?
The other good news is that more and more Naperville residents are becoming aware of local politics and who is, and isn't getting the job done. The next city council election (2015) looks to be a stampede, with 9 sitting council members along with a gaggle of candidates literally running for office.
Check-out the video image of what the next city council election might look like as city council incumbents on their way to re-election interact with other candidates and Naperville residents.
By the way, the two ex-council members are Richard Furstenau and Jim Boyajian. How quickly we forget their names, but how long those decisions continue to negatively impact residents.
This Tuesday, voters will again be asked, via referendum, whether or not they want council members elected with district representation, or at-large. This question was asked in the last election (2010) and it resulted in a landslide victory in favor of district representation. The vote was 28,236 for districts and 14,593 for at-large. That's a huge margin of victory ( 66% to 34%). After 42,829 voters 'voiced' their choice, it was clear the residents of Naperville wanted to 'Reclaim Naperville' by setting the table for ineffective incumbents to be defeated in future elections. Naperville city officials were stunned by the results of the vote and the Naperville political machine began the process of voiding the will of the people. The first thing they did was delay the implementation of district representation for five full years. The city of Naperville through the city council and city manager (Doug Krieger) began to whine and cry that it would take them five years to accomplish what other cities could accomplish in a few months. Absolute proof of the absolute lack of leadership and incompetency of Naperville city officials.
The second thing the Naperville political machine did was to set the table for a do-over vote for the same thing. They basically said that the 28,236 people who voted to 'Reclaim Naperville' by voting for district representation were too "stupid" to know what they were voting for. Naperville city officials wanted to save the voters from themselves, when in fact it was the Naperville city officials who wanted to save their own jobs. With district representation, it would be much easier for voters to defeat councilmen such as Bob Fieseler and Grant Wehrli, or any of the other seven who are not providing Naperville with sound, effective, respectful leadership.
The third thing they did was to "muddy up" the issue and confuse the voters with referendum wording that can make a voter dizzy. There is an old saying, "If you can't convince them with facts, the dazzle them with B.S", and that's exactly what Naperville officials have done to the voters with tomorrow's referendum.
Let's look at the 2010 referendum wording; "Shall the city of Naperville elect part of the council members at large and part of the councilmen from districts with staggered four-year terms and biennial elections?" The staggering landslide 'yes' vote meant the voters wanted change.
This time the 2012 referendum wording is, "Shall the city of Naperville elect the city council at large instead of part of the councilmen at large and part of the councilmen from districts?" So now a 'yes' vote means keep it the same……'the same' before the 2010 referendum or after the 2010 referendum?
So you have the same issue, but with different meanings for the same 'yes' vote. In essence the referendum question this time will have an opposite outcome if the voters vote 'yes'. It's almost an Abbott and Costello "Who's on first" question. Naperville city officials couldn't convince the voters with facts, so they are attempting to dazzle them 'confusion'.
There is a simple answer for a clear choice, and that answer is a resounding "NO". By voting 'No' on the referendum, Naperville residents can continue to 'Reclaim Naperville' by removing council members who are not getting the job done. That leads to the dismantling the Naperville political machine, and replacing the city manager with effective leadership.
Occam's Razor (a scientific and philosophic rule) states, "The simplest of competing theories be preferred to the more complex". When dealing with the current Naperville city council, and city officials, the simplest, safest, and wisest answer to the referendum is "NO".
The Naperville city council election is just two days from now on Tuesday, and Naperville city officials along with their political cronies are scrambling in fear that they will lose the election. The last thing a politician wants to do is lose an election. The next-to-last thing they want is for someone who can't be controlled, to win an election. City officials like the way things are now in Naperville. They like the control they have over the residents, they like the political crony network they have established, they like making those special deals within the inky shadows of city hall, and they like talking about transparency while keeping residents in the dark.
They like shifting cronies around from one city department into another, like taking a finance director and moving him into the city manager's position, or taking the assistant city manager and moving him into the police chief position. Naperville city officials like having other city officials double dip into pension plans, and they like to give hefty bonuses to officials shifting out of a position so another city official can shift into that open position with more pension dollars and an increase in salary. As I said, Naperville city officials like the way things are, so they don't like losing an election or having someone new elected to a city official's position. Is it any wonder why the entire Naperville political machine is working so hard, and spending so much money to demonize anybody and anything that will change the status quo.
Eleven candidates are running for four city council seats. Other than Tom Glass, Jo Malik and maybe Bill Habel, most if not all of them, to some extent, are already connected to the Naperville political machine. Three are incumbents (Brodhead, Hinterlong, and Krause). Councilman Doug Krause is the only one of three, that time and again stands up for the residents of Naperville. Chances are that the other eight council members wouldn't mind if he lost the election, but that hasn't happened in 24 years. Incumbent candidates Judy Brodhead and Paul Hinterlong basically do nothing more than occupy two chairs at the dais. Every now and then the mayor has them read a proclamation, and they may have been issued their own scissors so they can cut a fake ribbon at a fake grand opening. Both Brodhead and Hinterlong tag along with the majority which is good for city officials, but not good for Naperville residents.
The two candidates that cause Naperville city officials the most fear are Tom Glass and Jo Malik, which means Glass and Malik can provide the residents of Naperville with much needed relief from over-bearing and intrusive city officials. Let's be perfectly clear here, Naperville city officials do not want either of these resident-supportive candidates to be elected, hence the all-out assault on the part of Naperville city officials and its political machine to demonize both Glass and Malik.
Unseating an incumbent is difficult, due to voter apathy, name recognition, intentional misinformation, tax-payer dollars being spent against resident-supportive candidates, and demonizing candidates. When a sitting council person's spouse is trotted out in 'public' to demonize resident-supportive candidates, it's obvious city officials are running scared. To sacrifice your spouse's integrity and good name for a few votes, is at best despicable, or at worst, to use a councilman's word choice, evil.
City Council Watchdog fully supports the election of candidates Tom Glass and Jo Malik, supports the re-election of incumbent Doug Krause, and guardedly supports the election of Bill Habel.
In the words of a large number of Naperville residents, it's time to 'Reclaim Naperville'.