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June 2, 2015	Chris Del Castillo
The quest to qualify for the Nintendo World Championships
Like many I was pretty excited when Reggie announced the return of the Nintendo World Championships. I found myself wanting to compete and imagined the moments of the 1989 The Wizard movie, except on the grand stage that is E3. I was pumped and ready for anything!
After Nintendo made the announcement that it was teaming with Best Buy to host the Nintendo World Championships, I spent hours practicing on Ultimate NES Remix's Championship with the goal to win. I might have been too excited the night before and overslept more than I planned, but I quickly got ready and headed straight to the nearest Best Buy location. For me it was about 45 mins away in the city of Torrance, California, and by the time I arrived at 10:50 am, the line was already long with around 400 people waiting, with some already arriving as early as 7 am. It was pretty warm out, somewhere in the high 80s, and very windy so the shade was our best friend. I got my wristband, and decided to go inside, having my friend save my spot to see what was going inside Best Buy.
There wasn't much going on inside the store. You would stand in line to wait for your turn to play for five minutes and it was over. The high was gone and you hoped your score was good enough. There were some demo stations where people decided to hang out and wait until the event was over to see if they had the highest score, hoping they were going to E3 as one of the final eight competitors.
Finally my turn came up and five minutes have never gone so fast. I scored extremely well learning a few tricks from all the hours I've played and that was that. We got some stickers and a few other cool items for attending and playing, and there was nothing left to do but to go home and wait to see if you were the winner.
It was an experience but it felt like there could have been more going on other than a great Spotpass event. With E3 upon us it will be fun to watch the Nintendo World Championships even if I won't be up on stage. It was cool to know there was a chance… maybe next time.
See you, Space Cowboy!


I put off writing this article until today, for I was upset over the loss. I was upset with Grier's 2 fumbles that Oklahoma recovered and scored on. I was upset over the helmet to helmet hit on WVU WR Marcus Simms, for which there was no penalty. I was upset with refs negating two WVU touchdowns. The first one was called back due to a pick play being called on WVU David Sills V, and the 2nd touchdown was taken off the board for TJ Simmons blocking out of bounds.
It hard enough to win in the Big 12, and for WVU it is doubly hard, for WVU has to play the officials. WVU and the WVU Alumni needs to give the Big 12 officials bigger bribes than their Big 12 opponents or change conferences. I get the impression that many of the Big 12 Teams want WVU out of the conference, for they don't like traveling to WVU to play games.
There are some people who believe WVU needs to change Conferences, and move to the SEC or ACC. One thing changing conferences might do is provide WVU with officiating crews that aren't bias. I think WVU location wise would be a good fit for the Big 10. WVU is located much closer to the Big 10 teams than the Big 12 teams.
The one thing we didn't see in WVU's loss to Oklahoma was defense. WVU had 704 yards of offense compared to Oklahoma's 668. WVU's Grier complete 32 of 49 passes for 539 yards and a completion ratio of 65%. OSU's Murray completed 20 of 27 passes for 364 yards and a completion ratio of 74%. WVU rushed the ball 41 times for 165 yards, and OSU rushed the ball 38 times for 308 yards. Each team had 2 turnovers. Grier completed passes to 9 different receivers. One name I hadn't seen before was WVU Freshman WR Sam James of Richmond Hill, GA.
WVU TE Trevon Wesco made his presence known again with 4 reception for 49 yards, and pushing Grier into the end-zone for a touchdown. Wesco has really came on in the last part of season. I have been so impressed with Wesco's play that I am replacing my yellow Geno Smith jersey with a yellow Wesco jersey.
A few things I come to realize is that WVU lacks depth on the offensive line and at linebacker. WVU also needs a better and more talented group at safety and at cornerback. Injuries on the offensive line and at linebacker have really hurt this team the past few weeks. WVU needs more physical players at these positions. WVU also needs a bigger more powerful and physical fullbacks. They need FBs the size of Wesco who can run with power and whose size and strength makes them hard to tackle. FBs like this who can also block would improve quarterback protection, and could be used to open holes for the running backs.
WVU would have had a better shot at beating Oklahoma if WVU hadn't had all the injuries on the OL and at LB. Going forward WVU has to improve the running game. They have to get where they can average over 300 rushing yards a game, and this starts with the offensive line, and having a couple of big powerful fullbacks. Keep the smaller faster runningbacks. WVU also needs to find a TE to replace Wesco.
I was just looking at the WVU roster. WVU needs to step its recruiting up. Right now WVU has 16 commits for 2019, and this isn't near enough.
This entry was posted in Home and tagged Big 12, Dana Holgorsen, Will Grier, WVU Football. Bookmark the permalink.


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HIV/AIDS fundraisers depart SF on bikes
The 545-mile AIDS/LifeCycle trek to Los Angeles is expected to raise $10.5 million to support HIV/AIDS-related services at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
Bicyclists train for months for the weeklong ride and raise a minimum of $3,000 each to support the work of the two sponsoring organizations.
The event has raised about $50 million to fight AIDS since it began in 2002, organizers said.
There are 1.1 million Americans living with HIV, one in six of whom are Californians, according to LifeCycle officials.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Last week hubby and I headed northwest in our great state of New Mexico to spend a few days in Santa Fe as an anniversary getaway. We'd been there once a few months back when our son was playing football. It was love at first sight for me. So much charm everywhere.
the artful gates and entries..
It's all so wonderfully enchanting.
We rented a condo instead of a regular hotel. I like having the extra space if staying more than one night. This one had great reviews online and it didn't disappoint. The place is called Fort Marcy Suites.
We just rented a one bedroom but it was plenty spacious for only us two. I was pleasantly surprised with the look and feel of it. It was completely furnished and decorated with the Southwest look from the kiva fireplace to the Spanish tiles in the bathroom. I squealed with joy when I first walked in. It was perfect and just what we were hoping for.
I thought this little stained glass window was such a nice touch.
I spent most evenings on this comfy chair in the living room. I put on my knitted socks, propped my feet up, grabbed my yarn, and crocheted while I watched a little tv.
Yes, it seems I can never go anywhere without taking along a basket full of hooks and yarns to keep me busy.
Our condo was up on a hill just minutes from the downtown plaza. We didn't realize how close we were to everything so we drove the first day. The next day we decided to walk. We took this scenic walkway that was right behind our condo unit. It took us to the bottom of the hill then it was only a few blocks to the plaza.
I passed this yarn store along the way. I didn't go in though. It was in a residential area and the entrance was in the back. The streets are so narrow downtown that most of these businesses are only accessible through the rear. I just kept walking. But I did wonder what treasures might be found in there.
The Loretto Chapel was one of my favorite visits.
It's known for its miraculous staircase.
Many of you probably already know the story but if you don't you can read about it here.
Many neat stores and places to shop.
Most were too upscale for me so I just window shopped.
The vendors mostly sold jewelry.
I don't wear much jewelry so I only bought one pair of earrings.
Live entertainment at the plaza.
It was a nice place to sit and watch.
Beautiful architecture throughout the city.
This entry gate captured my attention.
I love the wrought iron gate and the mosaic stairs.
Very spanish looking don't you think?
Our condo was just up that hill behind that cross so the walk back was uphill.
We took it slow so it wasn't too bad. It was much better than finding parking and worrying about a meter.
My favorite spot in Santa Fe.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.
We are not even of the Catholic faith.
It was just a lovely place all around.
There was a park on the side where we sat for a while to take it all in.
The weather was perfect too.
Highs in the 60's all the days we were there.
This is me and hubby at the Cathedral Park.
As you can see we haven't quite mastered the art of the selfie.
Maybe one of these days we'll get the hang of it.
It was lovely to finally see you and your husband. You certainly took us on a great tour. You were so good not going into the yarn store, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself, well done.
Aww Beca once again Happy Anniversary. It looks like a lovely getaway the two of you had and so pretty there!
Looks like an amazing little get away! Happy Anniversary!!


Do you have that friend you go out with to indulge on all the scrumptious (and unhealthy) delicacies L.A. has to offer? Or how about that other friend who eats organic and always makes you feel like an unhealthy chicken nugget? Chances are you have both — and you're also probably one of them.
Peers can wield a lot of influence when it comes to our lifestyle choices: According to the American Psychological Association, people who enrolled in weight loss programs with friends did a better job at keeping their weight off than those who did it alone. Bryan Wilder, a PhD candidate in computer science at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, and Kayla de la Haye, assistant professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, believe there's an opportunity to optimize our peer influences to live a healthier life using artificial intelligence.
Bridging de la Haye's knowledge of public health with Wilder's skills in computer science gave life to USC's Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society's RECONNECT model, a comprehensive algorithm that provides health practitioners the tool to form real-life peer support groups based on demographic, social and health-related data volunteered by patients.
Wilder and de la Haye will test their algorithm in California's Antelope Valley where 15 percent of its 400,000 residents live below the poverty line. According to the L.A. County Department of Public Health, only 10 percent of children living in this region are considered by their parents to be healthy, and obesity rates are among the county's highest.
The study's goal is to work with low-income moms and their infants to promote healthy eating and activity to prevent diseases like obesity and diabetes in children.
A pilot research conducted by de la Haye found surprising data to support social intervention. For instance, particularly with the at-risk community in Antelope Valley, moms with young children have very few same-age peers, and those who have no peers and limited social support exhibit poor health-related behavior such as unhealthy diet and lack of exercise.
RECONNECT creates networks on a big-picture scale. Rather than recommend the right weight loss program like traditional methods, RECONNECT recommends the right people to surround yourself with for permanent behavior change. Embedded in a social circle that promotes health and well-being, you're better equipped to make healthier choices.
The National Institute of Health is funding the next phase of its research in Antelope Valley. The NIH funding was granted to de la Haye and her co-principal investigator, Sarah-Jeanne Salvy of the University of Alabama, Birmingham. This phase will involve a group of 300 families that will be enrolled in an 18-month home-visiting program monitored by a certified health professional.
Half of the families will receive the standard home-visiting services, while the other half will get an enhanced home-visiting service with a new healthy lifestyle intervention and a family and peer support component facilitated by the RECONNECT model.
The researchers hope to see if families engaging in healthy lifestyles and RECONNECT are overall better off and have less risk for diseases like obesity and diabetes compared to families who receive only the standard in-home services.
Policymakers changed public opinion on smoking. New USC Marshall research suggests the same techniques can get us to exercise, eat better and be more healthy.


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Home/Social Media/Facebook/
How to Lock Your Facebook Profile?
By Kamil Anwar January 19, 2023
Kamil is a certified Systems Analyst
The social media giant Facebook, which has other social media platforms under its name as well, offers a variety of privacy options to its users. For a long time, we have had the option of choosing who gets to see our user profiles which would normally include the photos or videos that we upload. However, there has been an addition to these set of features and now, you are able to lock your profile. Now, the concept may not be apparent from the name itself and in essence it limits who and how people view your Facebook profile which can be a great addition to your privacy if you don't want unwanted attention on the platform.
You locked your profile Facebook
As it turns out, social media is widely used in this modern era for different purposes, like creating events, and takes up most of our day in some cases. In such a scenario, it is only expected from the largest social media network out there to provide its user base more features that address their privacy and security. When you lock your profile on Facebook, only a limited portion of your profile will be shown to the public and people that are not on your friends list. This means that upon locking your profile, your posts, stories, cover photo and profile picture will only be visible to your friends. Visible is an operative word here so let us first discuss what locking your profile does in more detail before we show you how to do it.
Facebook Profile Lock
Like we have mentioned already, profile lock is a privacy feature that lets you control who sees your content on the platform more. First of all, when you lock your profile, users on the platform that are not on your friends list will not be able to enlarge your profile photo or even download it. In addition to that, in the case of smartphones, the application will also prevent the user from taking a screenshot. This also includes the fact they won't be able to zoom in on your profile pictures, download them or share it with anyone. A lock icon is shown when someone that is not on your friends list tries to click on your profile picture to enlarge it or view it in fullscreen.
Secondly, any public posts that you may have will also be made invisible to everyone else except your friends list. Furthermore, information in your about section will also be masked and not revealed to other users that aren't on your friends list. Because of these reasons, it actually is a really good privacy option and you should definitely lock your profile if you do not want to seek unwanted attention on the platform. Locking your profile can greatly help with that and it does not interfere with your newsfeed.
Lock your Facebook Profile
Now that we have explained in detail what the feature is and what it lets you achieve, you probably will be wondering how to lock your Facebook profile? That is exactly what we are going to show you down below. The methods may differ a little depending on the device that you are using. Regardless, we will take you through the process on both desktop and smartphone so that you are able to follow through without any issues. With that said, let us get started without any further delay.
Before we proceed, it is important to note that the locking feature is not available to everyone at the moment. Rather, the option is available to only a few countries for now so if you don't see the options, it is probably because your country doesn't have the feature yet.
Using Desktop
As it turns out, there is no direct way of locking your profile through the web browser on your computer, there is however a workaround available that you can use. To do this, we will be using the mobile version of the Facebook website so that the required options are accessible in order to lock our profile. Follow the instructions given down below to do this:
First of all, open up the Facebook website by clicking here.
Once you have logged into your account, go ahead and click on your profile icon to go to your profile.
Opening up Facebook Profile Page
Now, in the address bar, replace the "www" with "m" and hit Enter. The URL should now look like the following:
m.facebook.com/yourprofile
Editing the Facebook URL
The Facebook interface should now change as you will be taken to the mobile version of the website.
Now, next to the Edit Profile button, click on the three dot menu.
Clicking the Three Dot Menu
From the drop down menu that appears, click on the Lock Profile option.
On the following page, you will be shown how the lock works and a button will be provided at the bottom that says Lock Your Profile. Go ahead and click on it.
Once you have done that, you will have successfully locked your profile.
Using Smartphone
Locking your profile on the mobile app is rather easy and straightforward compared to the desktop method. To do this, follow the instructions that are given down below:
First of all, go ahead and open up the Facebook application on your phone.
Then, tap on your profile icon to open up your profile.
On your profile, tap the three dot More menu next to the Add to Story and Edit Profile buttons.
Tapping the More Option
This will take you to the Profile Settings screen. Here, tap on the Lock Profile option.
Tapping the Lock Profile Option
Similarly to the desktop version, you will now be shown how locking your profile works. Tap the Lock Your Profile option to lock your profile.
Locking Facebook Profile
Once you have done that, you are officially done and your profile is now locked.
Facebook Lock Profile
Fix: Could not open lock file /var/lib/dpkg/lock
Fix: Fortnite Failed to Lock Profile
Facebook Decides to Shutdown "Facebook Gaming" in October
How to Make a Profile Video on Facebook
Facebook Top App Articles
Kamil Anwar
System Analyst | Microsoft Certified Professional |
Kamil is a certified MCITP, CCNA (W), CCNA (S) and a former British Computer Society Member with over 9 years of experience Configuring, Deploying and Managing Switches, Firewalls and Domain Controllers also an old-school still active on FreeNode.


Advent rentals delivers custom design impact, effective brand communication and functionality at significant cost savings. Our display rentals feature open plan designs that welcomes visitors and offers easy circulation. Bring your brand to life with bold, large format trade show booth graphics, brochure holders for dispensing sales literature, and wide screen monitors for giving power packed presentations.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I have mixed feelings about grammatical conventions.
I think there are inspirational messages in old school hip hop and I plan to tell the kids :).
I joined TFA because I care about ending poverty and violence.
I really care about mathematics education, a lot.
I'd want to get a PhD in elementary math education (we can't get to justice until every last one of us can understand the numbers and be economically empowered). Then maybe be a mathematics coordinator / principal. Vamos a ver.
And lastly, because identity matters, I'm a part of the brown family.


Need some fresh ideas for your next family film night time? Our editors allow you to select the very best films for teenagers – motion pictures the entire household will love. Our movie lists offer high picks for Disney films, animated features, and plenty of different children' movie classes. All of our picks are entertaining and rated that can assist you resolve whether they're age-acceptable for your loved ones.
The film: Midway (1976) which has an all-star forged, is a historic retelling of the Battle of Midway. The film stars Henry Fonda, Charlton Heston, Robert Mitchum, James Coburn and Glenn Ford. Midway was one of the biggest box workplace hits within the 1970s. There are scenes at first of the movie which are from Doolittle's raid (see movie #9 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo).
During the Nineteen Fifties the Western film period was in full swing nationwide. In that decade alone Western classics such as Gunfight at the OK Corral" (1956) with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold" (1957) and Cimarron" (1959) with Glenn Ford have been filmed at Old Tucson. My three half 12 months previous granddaughter didn't like Frozen due to the snow monster. It seems like so many of these movies have very scary elements for younger kids. At may be the difference between a 3 and four 12 months previous.
Fantastic idea, wow these 25 films should all be lengthy as I would have thought possibly a day and half of constant viewing versus nearly 3 days. I am positive if I would watch all 25 films in a row I would have that vacant look that many veterans have after serving in action. The next time I actually have to remain awake three days I will do that marathan.
MC (American Movie Classics) was at Mescal for a business shoot promoting the Western genre in a sequence of imaging spots. The shoot featured High Chaparral star Don Collier and Old Tucson icon Bob Shelton. As for Downfall….it has now made it to the highest of the record of films to watch…..I am efforting securing a copy to watch within the very near future. Thanks for stopping by and I am very glad that you simply like this hub a lot.


Tzari Murphy, 18, gathers brush with an Operation Fresh Start conservation crew in 10-degree weather.
Charles Theus wasn't cut out for the traditional school setting. Now, his classroom is out in the cold.
So, he started skipping class, and as his attendance fell, so did his grades. Eventually, he quit school. But that wasn't the end of his education.
Before he left Memorial, a school counselor told him about Operation Fresh Start, a local nonprofit that provides construction training and employment opportunities for dropouts, ex-prisoners and other at-risk youth who want to earn a high school diploma.
In addition to the three days a week of construction work the participants put in, they also attend class at the Fresh Start headquarters on Winnebago Street on the east side.
Last May, Theus was accepted into Fresh Start's Pathways conservation crew, which works year-round on projects at various county parks. He not only enjoys the work, he sees a future in it.
Working in 10 degree weather like last Tuesday at the farm teaches participants something about themselves. "[They learn] that they can succeed in the face of difficulties [and] that they have the inner strength to persevere," Markle says. And through teamwork, they learn that others want to help them succeed no matter how difficult it is, he adds.
Funded primarily by the AmeriCorps national service program, Fresh Start participants put in 32 hours each week — about 70% is working in the field, 20% in class and 10% working on career development. They receive a $720 monthly stipend. Fresh Start also operates a construction program where participants build homes for low-income buyers.
In some cases, the Fresh Start alternative to traditional schooling is the only option left. "It gets them out of the classroom that wasn't working for them," says Markle.
Ethan Yang, an 18-year-old who often skipped at West High School, knows he needs a diploma if he's to enter the auto industry.


Children these days have a much more gadget filled life than we probably did at their age. In fact, children sitting hunched over a videogame or listening to the latest pop songs on their ipod is not an uncommon sight. If you too are a parent who feels that it's time your child made better use of their free time, then we have the answer. BTC offers a number of classes in children's martial arts which promise to be fun and challenging for young minds, while learning good habits for a lifetime.
Our Children's Martial Arts Classes Pack a Punch!
– Struggling to follow the instructions.
– Or feeling left behind!
Develop better body coordination and flexibility.
Develop better concentration at school.
Learn how to listen to instructions.
Your child won't be a shy introvert who prefers to be left alone, anymore. Instead, you'll find that your child blossoms into a confident and brave child who is eager to learn!
Did you know that BTC is the largest training centre in Queensland with a number of extra facilities to offer its members?
Besides our children's martial arts classes, we also have classes in Taekwondo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Pilates. Keen to know what are the moves which are taught in our children's martial arts sessions? Simply fill out the form and we'll arrange an Introductory Program for you. Let your child discover an inner focus & confidence today!


Welcome to the Trio forum!
How to access the "current run's clock"
Why are Python sockets so slow and what can be done?
Should a non-graceful close be instant or thread/fiber-blocking?
Discussion: "Some thoughts on asynchronous API design in a post-async/await world"
Discussion: "Notes on structured concurrency, or: Go statement considered harmful"


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Congressional leaders call for ouster of failing Veterans Affairs executives, but not of Secretary Eric Shinseki -- By Mark Flatten, The Washington Examiner
House Speaker John Boehner said top officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs should be fired for failing to do their jobs, but stopped short of calling for the ouster of Veterans Secretary Eric Shinseki during a news conference Thursday.
When asked directly whether Shinseki needs to be replaced, the Ohio Republican said:
"No. I think the secretary needs to have more authority to manage his own department."
That authority would come through a House bill giving the veterans secretary the power to fire or demote those in the Senior Executive Service, the top tier of agency management in the federal system.
Veterans are needlessly dying in VA hospitals and waiting years to resolve disability compensation claims. Yet the top officials responsible for delivering quality care and service are more likely to get a bonus than a pink slip, Boehner said.
He cited the nearly $12,000 bonus paid to Guy Richardson, who was director of the Dayton, Ohio, VA Medical Center, where unsanitary practices in the dental clinic potentially exposed hundreds of patients to hepatitis.
"I thought I'd seen the worst of government, but this goes beyond the pale," Boehner said. "If you preside over a bureaucracy that is failing our veterans, you shouldn't be receiving bonuses. You should be gone."
Shinseki told the House Committee on Veterans Affairs last month he has the authority he needs to hold his people accountable for their failures. Last year 3,000 employees were forced out of their jobs agency-wide because of performance issues, he said.
Six SES-level executives have been "dismissed" over the past two years, Shinseki said.


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C. Diff Infections Are Falling, Thanks To Better Cleaning And Fewer Antibiotics
By Angus Chen
Published June 29, 2017 at 11:34 AM CDT
C. diff infections, which rose for decades, are now falling, according to the CDC.
The risk of getting a deadly, treatment-resistant infection in a hospital or nursing home is dropping for the first time in decades, thanks to new guidelines on antibiotic use and stricter cleaning standards in care facilities.
The rate of new Clostridium difficileor C. diff infections climbed year after year from 2000 to 2010, researchers found. But an early look at 2011-2014 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Emerging Infections Program suggests infection rates are improving.
"Preliminary analyses suggest a 9 to 15 percent decrease in health care [C. diff] incidence nationally," says Dr. Alice Guh, a medical officer at the CDC. "It's very encouraging, but there's still a lot to do."
C. diff infections can cause severe diarrhea and are extremely painful, as Ruth Zimmer, an 87-year-old woman from Lexington, Ky., can attest. "It was a lot of diarrhea," she says. "It was a gripping stomach pain. It was very nasty and debilitating, but I survived."
Not everyone is so lucky. In 2011, the CDC estimated C. diff claimed the lives of about 29,000 people and caused nearly 500,000 illnesses in the U.S., over three times the number in 2000.
People most commonly come into contact with the bacterium in health care settings, where many patients are carriers.
"In a nursing home, 20 to 50 percent of residents are colonized with it at any point," says Dr. John Haran, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. In hospitals, it's anywhere from 10 to 26 percent of patients, he says.
Most of them carry the bacterium without experiencing any disease, because other bacteria living in the gut can help keep C. diff in check, Haran says. But certain antibiotics can exterminate large swaths of the natural human microbiome, clearing the way for remnant C. diff bacteria to take over and cause a dangerous infection.
C. diff bacterium is hardy, too. It leaves the body in a spore form that can't be killed with conventional cleaning techniques. These can linger on equipment and surfaces until another person picks them up and ingests them.
"You can recover spores months later if you don't do a terminal clean with UV light or bleach or something," says Dr. Dimitri Drekonja, an infectious disease physician at the Minneapolis VA hospital and the University of Minnesota.
By 2011, C. diff had gained a lot of notoriety as a deadly and common hospital bug.
"It was estimated that C. diff infection was the most commonly reported infection [acquired in healthcare settings] nationally. That generated a lot of awareness," Guh says. Alarmed by the rapid rise in C. diff infections, she says more hospitals introduced antimicrobial stewardship programs aimed at tackling the problem.
The programs included guidelines to restrict unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions, as well as aggressive new cleaning and infection control protocols. She thinks those changes may now be driving down the infection rate.
One of the clearest examples of this is in the VA hospital system, which began an aggressive C. diff prevention program in 2012 that included restricting antibiotics closely associated with C. diff infections and meticulously disinfecting every spot in a room that held a patient with infectious diarrhea.
"It was things like making sure that patients identified with C. diff are identified with a sign and have appropriate precautions," Drekonja says. "We should always be washing our hands every time we see a patient, but a sign that says this person has infectious diarrhea helps."
In 2014, the VA issued a directive ordering all of its hospitals to implement antimicrobial stewardship programs, and last year, it reported that C. diff infections had dropped by about 15 percent from 2012 to 2015.
The vigilance spawned from C. diff and other dangerous infections may have had some other positive impacts, too. New data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in June showed a decrease in all diarrheal disease deaths in the United States from 2010 to 2015.
"All the things you're doing with hand hygiene and cleaning very well and reducing unnecessary antibiotic use – that will help not just with C. diff but with others," including infections from MRSA and E. coli, Drekonja says.
That's given Drekonja some fragile optimism about the situation, but he says hospitals can never stop being vigilant against dangerous microbes. "In all honesty, we will never beat them back. We'll never eliminate antibiotic resistance. They have time and evolution on their side," he says.
Health & ScienceNPR News


Small craft batches, seasonals and experimentals beer. These are why folks flock to our taproom.
Manitoba needed a few more breweries to help spread the craft beer word so we gathered up a team and started writing a business plan and swinging hammers.
In August 2016, we sent our first canned beer out to the masses. Since then we have picked up a few awards, raised some money for charity, worked extra hard and had some fun along the way.
Proud to be one of Manitoba's local breweries, we continue to bring new beer styles to the pint glasses of the masses. From sour styles to porters, we will forge ahead and offer up new styles and help expand the palates of beer drinkers everywhere.
International Gruit Day falls on February 1st, 2019. Continue reading to learn more about International Gruit Day, gruit beers, and what beer you can drink to celebrate today!
Here is a list of beers being released in Western Canada in the months of September and October. This list consists of brand new 2018 autumn beers, seasonal beers that come out every year, and limited time only beers! Head over to your local liquor store, brewery, or beer market to try these new (and old) Canadian fall beers.
This is your resource for Manitoba breweries listed by location! If you're heading out for a beer in Manitoba, Canada these are the craft beer breweries you should check out.


For the entire month of April, enjoy a free preview of the Outdoor Channel on BendBroadband! In Bend, you'll find the Outdoor Channel on channel 37 SD or channel 637 HD. In La Pine, Madras, Crooked River Ranch and Prineville, the Outdoor Channel is on Channel 301.
These are hundreds of more shows to watch on the Outdoor Channel. Take a peek at the current schedule and you'll see: Jim Shockey's UNCHARTED, Facts of Fishing, Darex Work Sharp, Bill Dance Outdoors, Northern American Whitetail, Hunt Masters, Realtree Outdoors—just to name a very few.
This channel is for Preferred subscribers, but now everyone can watch it for free for a limited time. After you fall in love with the programming, give us a call at 1-541-803-8090.


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House of the Damned is a 1996 American zombie horror comedy film that was written and directed by Sean Weathers. It was first released on August 20, 1996 through Full Circle Filmworks, but was re-released in 2011 through Music Video Distributors (MVD). The film is Weathers' first film and was dedicated to his best friend and script supervisor Jahvaughn Lambert, who committed suicide before the film was finished editing.

Plot
After the gruesome and mysterious murder of her father, Liz goes back home for answers, only to be greeted by more questions and the horrible possibility that her mother may be the killer. Before Liz can comprehend everything going on around her, she finds that the murder was just a ruse to get her home and that she is the killer's true target.

Cast
 Valerie Alexander as Liz
 Blue as Heather
 Glenn "Illa" Skeete as Ben
 Monica Williams as Emily
 Buddy Love as David
 Johnny Black as Nahum
 Walter Romney as Steve
 Kendra Ware as Stacy
 Clinton Philbert as Kevin

Reception
In a mixed review, Bill Gibron of DVD Talk wrote that while it was "barely watchable at times" it was "mostly enjoyable" and "does grab us with its uniqueness and backdrop". HorrorNews.net's review was slightly more positive, remarking on the film's uniqueness and commenting that the film's "over the top" feeling "[added] to the charm of the film".  David Johnson of DVD Verdict wrote that the film was barely comprehensible and horribly executed.  Rod MacDonald of SF Crowsnest wrote that it is "excruciating to watch".

See also
 List of zombie films
 List of post-1960s films in black-and-white
 Boston in fiction

References

External links

1996 films
1990s comedy horror films
American black-and-white films
American comedy horror films
American independent films
American zombie comedy films
1996 directorial debut films
1996 comedy films
1990s English-language films
1990s American films
1996 independent films
English-language comedy horror films

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A microwave method for measuring resistivity of semiconductor materials such as silicon and germanium has been developed. This method is suitable in determining the bulk or sheet resistivity of semiconductor materials.
Seifert, James R., "A microwave method for measuring resistivity of semiconductors" (1964). Theses and Dissertations. 3230.


Forget paper, cotton or wood…we're talking timeless jewels.
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The bride opted for a filigree tiara with a center stone for her wedding day.
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Prince Harry used two diamonds from a brooch of Princess Diana's to create it.
The do's and don'ts of buying estate and antique stones and settings.
Introducing: the ultimate bridal ring stack.


Connector female angled (8) Connector female angled Connector (socket/female) with angled cable outlet.
Connector male angled (8) Connector male angled Connector (pin/male) with angled cable outlet.
Connector male straight (21) Connector male straight Connector (pin/male) with straight cable outlet. Here, the cable is in mating direction.
Housing assembly (17) Housing assembly Connectors that can be mounted to device housings. These can be fixed by means of a locking nut or be screwed in (requires a threaded hole).
Automation Technology (57) Automation Technology Advancing digitisation and current manufacturing technologies make possible ever smaller and more high-performance elements in the areas of sensor technology and networking. Here, sensor technology means the detection of physical values and their conversion into electric values. These electric values are converted into a digital signal that can be transmitted by means of bus communication to other bus devices. This will make automated production more modular and flexible in the future, with a preference for standardised connectors like the models M8 and M12. The worldwide availability of the connectors and their adaptation to a broad range of applications have already led to numerous versions, e.g. codings.
dip-solder (4) dip-solder The special form of the contacts enables a through-connection on a PCB and automated wave soldering.
moulded on cable (40) moulded on cable Single wires are assembled and the cable joined with the connector by means of plastics injection moulding.
single wires (12) single wires Connectors with contacts attached to individual wires ex factory. These can then be connected individually.


100,000 Greek citizens are receiving their pensions from the German state, wrote German newspaper Rheinische Post.
Rentenversicherung data shows that the number of Greek pensioners eligible for a German pension has more than doubled since 1990, the year of German reunification, to 1.76 million people, from 780,000. That amounts to 7% of all pensions in Germany.
Almost one million pensions are being payed by the German Pensions Desk to pensioners from countries such as Italy (373,000); Spain (226,000); Greece (100,000); France (87,000), and Turkey (70,000).
According to Rentenversicherung, the increase in Greek pensions from Germany is attributed to the rise in immigration of workers to Germany from Italy; Spain; Greece; the former Yugoslavia, and Turkey in the 1960s and 1970s, who contributed to social security through their wages.


text:
About Michael De Sapio
Michael De Sapio is Senior Contributor at The Imaginative Conservative. A writer and classical musician from Alexandria, Virginia, he attended The Catholic University of America and The Peabody Conservatory of Music. He writes Great Books study guides for the educational online resource SuperSummary, and his essays on religious and aesthetic topics have been featured in Fanfare and Touchstone, among other publications.
By Michael De Sapio|2021-01-13T15:01:11-06:00January 13th, 2021|Categories: Books, Culture, Michael De Sapio, Senior Contributors, Writing|
Joseph Epstein's life and writing exemplify the ideal essay writer's tendency to be a humane generalist rather than an academic specialist. Aiming at well-roundedness, the essayist also becomes freed from vogue words and jargon, a bad influence against which Mr. Epstein campaigns vigorously and wittily in "Gallimaufry: A Collection of Essays, Reviews, Bits." Gallimaufry: [...]
Modernity, Art, and Liturgy
By Michael De Sapio|2021-01-02T17:00:22-06:00January 2nd, 2021|Categories: Catholicism, Christianity, Senior Contributors|
One of the useful things Stephen Schloesser's "Jazz Age Catholicism" does us is to remind us that the church and the world are not hermetically sealed off from one other; things that happen in the church are very often related to what is happening in the world. Jazz Age Catholicism: Mystic Modernism in Postwar Paris, [...]
What Does It Mean to Be a Person of Culture?
By Michael De Sapio|2021-01-01T10:09:41-06:00January 1st, 2021|Categories: Christianity, Civilization, Culture, Liberal Learning, Michael De Sapio, Senior Contributors, Timeless Essays, Western Civilization|
True culture is a liberation from the ephemeral, a journey toward permanence and value. A cultured life, therefore, consists in more than just piling up facts; it must include reflecting on the meaning of man's works—especially those works which have stood the test time—and how they fit into the larger scheme of reality. As [...]
"The Trial at Rouen": An Opera on St. Joan of Arc
By Michael De Sapio|2021-01-08T16:34:19-06:00December 22nd, 2020|Categories: Audio/Video, Christianity, Culture, Michael De Sapio, Music, Opera, Senior Contributors|
The mid-twentieth-century opera, "The Trial at Rouen," tells the story of the final days of St. Joan of Arc, her imprisonment, and trial for heresy. Composer Norman Dello Joio employs themes of conscience, belief, and spiritual motivation; he makes us think about the consequences of institutional corruption and the power of individuals to rise [...]
Beethoven's Mass in C
By Michael De Sapio|2020-12-03T06:48:34-06:00December 2nd, 2020|Categories: Audio/Video, Beethoven 250, Ludwig van Beethoven, Music|
The Mass in C was certainly a test piece for Beethoven, extending his composing experience into the sacred sphere where he would rise to glorious heights in the "Missa Solemnis." But it is also a gem in its own right, combining the serene dignity of the old forms of the Mass with the new heightened [...]
Prayer, Beauty, and Civilization
By Michael De Sapio|2020-11-21T10:16:29-06:00November 21st, 2020|Categories: Art, Beauty, Books, Christianity, Civilization, Culture, Imagination, Michael De Sapio, Senior Contributors|
In our zeal to articulate how Christianity has shaped civilization, we are apt to neglect the specific role of prayer. The good, the true, and the beautiful fostered by our civilization have been initiated and sustained by prayer. If one does not pray, what measure of human cultivation is one missing? Art and Prayer: [...]
Beethoven's "Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage"
By Michael De Sapio|2020-11-10T16:36:22-06:00November 10th, 2020|Categories: Beethoven 250, Ludwig van Beethoven, Michael De Sapio, Music|
In his short, neglected masterpiece, "Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage," Beethoven—who himself never traveled by sea nor left continental Europe—created a tone poem that reflects the Romantic awe of storms and the sublimity of God-in-nature. It also reflects, on a miniature scale, Beethoven's own story of suffering and transcendence. Those who have read previous essays [...]
Death and Transfiguration
By Michael De Sapio|2020-10-05T12:00:21-05:00November 1st, 2020|Categories: Books, Christianity, Death, Hope, Michael De Sapio, Philosophy, Senior Contributors|
Dealing with the topic of death, Dietrich von Hildebrand's consoling book "Jaws of Death: Gate of Heaven" shines both in its "dark" and "light" halves, illuminating the eternal duality of human life and helping to reconcile its painful contradictions. Life is not a journey of diminishing returns, ending in darkness and the grave, but [...]
The Mystique of Late Beethoven
By Michael De Sapio|2020-10-09T08:54:26-05:00October 8th, 2020|Categories: Beethoven 250, Ludwig van Beethoven, Michael De Sapio, Music|
Beethoven's late style was not a total break from what came before. Many things touted as revolutionary are really, when seen in proper perspective, evolutionary. Beethoven's late period intensifies qualities inherent in all his previous work. It is filled with music that is warm-hearted, impassioned, and of breathtaking beauty. "The music is not pretty or [...]
Can Art Be Destructive?
By Michael De Sapio|2020-09-28T19:37:23-05:00September 30th, 2020|Categories: Art, Beauty, Culture, Michael De Sapio, Senior Contributors, Truth|
To maintain sanity and perspective, we must recognize that beauty is a transcendent ideal in which art imperfectly participates, and thus hold beauty above art. The wrong turn is due to a conflation of beauty with art and the related tendency to see art as an end in itself. As conservatives we often undertake [...]
Sir Arthur Bliss' "A Colour Symphony"
By Michael De Sapio|2020-09-12T11:11:14-05:00September 11th, 2020|Categories: Audio/Video, Culture, Music|
Sir Arthur Bliss created a piece of music that celebrates the life of the senses and the joy of creation, evoking deep cultural memories as well as a personal energy and dynamism born of bitter experience. "A Colour Symphony" stands as the most intellectually and emotionally satisfying attempt to yoke color to music. Many [...]
Art, Nature, and Revelation
By Michael De Sapio|2020-08-14T09:47:05-05:00August 8th, 2020|Categories: Art, Christianity, Culture, Michael De Sapio, Nature, Senior Contributors|
In the era of scientific advancement, contemplating the sublime, both in nature and art, remains more necessary than ever. Works of art that build a sub-creation on scripture, exploiting the fullness of natural realism inherent in it, attain a very rare sublimity and draw the mind toward God. These waters must be troubled before [...]
Music as a Window Into History and Character
By Michael De Sapio|2020-07-23T15:07:46-05:00July 22nd, 2020|Categories: Character, Culture, History, Michael De Sapio, Music, Senior Contributors|
Albéric Magnard's music is a happy amalgam of all that was best in Wagner, Franck, and Debussy. The gentle, nostalgic, and somewhat melancholy reminiscence of the past is a key part of his aesthetic and a clear legacy of his Schola Cantorum training. Yet his music is also progressive, looking forward unmistakably to the [...]
The Music of American Composer Charles Martin Loeffler
By Michael De Sapio|2020-07-11T16:18:48-05:00July 11th, 2020|Categories: American Republic, Culture, Michael De Sapio, Music, Senior Contributors|
Charles Martin Loeffler's rise to eminence among composers worldwide signals an American cultural arrival at the turn of the 20th century. In a sense he was a bridge from the Old World to the New. Loeffler brought something unique to our culture, and his colorful and intimate music should not to be forgotten. There [...]


The last day has always been hectic. People who delayed commissioning a Caricutton (Caricature button) now appear in droves.
A couple of Korean students showed up to have their caricuttons made. I always treat the Koreans and Japanese with deference, as one of them might exclaim, "Amazing. I will introduce you to my Manga/Manwha publisher uncle!" They liked their buttons enough to recommend me to their friends.
Thanks to UP DOST SA for again hosting the 2008 1st sem Beerkada Book Tour in UP Diliman! Thanks also to Beerkadet Dee who strived to be the first buyer in all four days of the event, and relentlessly promoted Beerkada to friends and strangers alike. I got to meet two Allens through her, both Beerkada readers since way before college. And thanks to Artists's Den members Ariel A. and Patrick J. for helping with the caricuttons.
nahiya naman ako. it was a pleasure Mr. L. pasensya na at makulit ako at times. hope you and Ms lei had tons of fun!
I-I missed the UP Tour? Noooo! Nyargh! Curses!
Rrr, By Jimmy | Shall return for a caricutton!


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Steven (Chicagoland, United States) on 17 April 2009 in Sport & Recreation and Portfolio.
Swimming pool and the surrounding landscape all lit up in colorful light. Photo taken March 13, 2009.
Very nice night work, Steven..


AM Soccer Club are a Scottish FA 'Legacy' standard mark charitable and community club that undertake extensive activity throughout Fife, furthering their objectives of advancing education, community development and health through sport and physical activity.
Alongside our pathway for teams with over 200 members, we also run a nationally reknowned Cup competition, three holiday camps a year and have a large online and social media following. We're now pleased to offer local and national businesses the opportunity to partner with us to spread their reach and increase awareness of their brand throughout Fife.
AM Soccer Club Sponsorship Opportunities 2018/19 Season from AM Soccer Club on Vimeo.


We've all heard about Asian carp and know the nuisance these flying fish can be in our lakes and rivers. But step back for a moment and think of Asian carp in a whole new way—as tasty table fare.
APRIL 15, 2019 — Silver carp, one of the four Asian carp species, is an invasive non-native fish that is infiltrating Valley waters. As protectors of our rivers and lakes, TVA has an interest in the whereabouts and management of the species.
So how did the silver carp get here? The species was imported to control certain vegetation in the 1970s. Flooding in the '80s and '90s compromised the ponds where the fish were being held and allowed them to spill into lakes and rivers. Once the fish reached the Mississippi River, they began to spread — very rapidly. In the 1990s, silver carp were found as far as the Ohio River.
So what's the plan for reducing or eliminating these invasive fish? On a national level, the aim is to contain, control and continue researching. TVA is invested and part of the conversation through a multi-agency partnership with fisheries management in Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (which operates the locks).
Currently, an acoustic barrier is being tested at Barkley Dam and lock located on the Cumberland River. Waters from Barkley intersect with Kentucky Reservoir, thus making this test important to finding effective ways to manage carp in the Tennessee River.
Other methods of mitigating silver carp include commercial fishing, bow fishing and round-up events. And last but not least — eat it! Fry it up, add a side or two and enjoy its flavor.
Silver carp is viewed as a delicacy in Asian cultures and demand is on the rise in restaurants across the globe. The Kentucky Fish House, a fishing production facility located near Kentucky Lake, is a private partnership aimed to harvest and sell silver carp. Asian carp caught in Kentucky are sold by the Kentucky Fish House in daily auctions open to interested buyers. It's an innovative concept with a goal to produce 20 million pounds of silver carp by 2024.
The other goal of the Kentucky Fish House is to teach commercial anglers to fish for silver carp using nets.
Managing these species is on TVA's Environmental Compliance & Operations and Natural Resources teams' minds. That's why they recently worked with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Knoxville Convention Center to serve samples of silver carp at the 2019 Bassmaster Classic held in Knoxville, Tennessee. More than 158,000 fisherman and interested spectators attended this event and many were able to taste silver carp for the first time. The majority were impressed and came back for more. They agreed that they'd be willing to catch or purchase silver carp for dinner in the future.
Preheat cast-iron or other heavy skillet with oil to about 375 degrees.
Combine fish coating and Cajun seasoning in the gallon zip-close bag.
Place the fillets into the hot skillet (do not overcrowd).
Cook 4 to 5 minutes until crispy and golden brown (should flake easily with a fork).


text:
Classics Illustrated Vol. 17: The Secret Agent HC
Joseph Conrad's classic tale of espionage comes to Classics Illustrated in this vivid adaptation! The Secret Agent is the story of Mr. Verloc, a reluctant spy who is pressured by his superiors into joining an anarchist plot to blow up the Greenwich Observatory in 1886 London. This unspeakable act of terror sets the stage for a gripping political thriller, brought to life by John K. Snyder's extraordinary comics art.
Classics Illustrated Graphic Novel #11: The Devil's Dictionary HC
Classics Illustrated Vol. 04: The Raven & Other Poems HC
Classics Illustrated Vol. 07: Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde HC
Classics Illustrated Vol. 10: Cyrano de Bergerac HC
Classics Illustrated Vol. 13: Ivanhoe HC
Classics Illustrated Vol. 16: Kidnapped HC
NBM-Papercutz
Classics Illustrated Vol. 18: Aesop's Fables HC
Classics Illustrated Vol. 19: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer HC
John K. Snyder
6.5x9


When buying a house, it's important to determine your "wants" versus your "needs." The needs are your nonnegotiable priorities — things you must have, and your wants are the things that would be nice to have. It's vitally important to determine your needs versus your wants, because chances are, you won't find a house that has absolutely everything you're looking for, in a perfect neighborhood, with perfect amenities. Determining this early will save you some heartache and headaches along the way.
By answering these questions, you and your agent will be able to glean several things; will you have multiple generations living in the home, requiring more than one kitchen? Will you need a house where you can put up a fence for your dog? Do you require an extra room with space for a treadmill? Determining these answers will help set the tone for your home search going forward.
One key thing to keep in mind? Consider the things you could change about the house overtime. For example, you can't force a city to build a bike trail by your house, but if you don't love your kitchen, you could renovate it!
Are you interested in starting your home ownership journey? Contact us today to find out more!


text:
Gwynne Dyer
Author, Historian & Independent Journalist
Meet Gwynne
Excerpts of Gwynne Dyer's Books
WAR – Chapter One – Book Excerpt
WAR – Chapter Three – Book Excerpt
WAR – Chapter Eight – Book Excerpt
Lecture Topic: Is It 1939 Yet?
Shoot-Out in Guinea-Bissau
Economics / By Gwynne Dyer
By Gwynne Dyer
One should not speak ill of the dead, but it's hard to resist the suspicion that the murder of the army chief of staff on March 1st and of the president on March 2nd in the small West African country of Guinea-Bissau were linked to the drug trade in Africa's first "narco-state."
On Sunday, a powerful bomb blew up the military headquarters in Bissau, the capital, killing Gen. Batista Tagme Na Waie, chief of Guinea-Bissau's military, and severely wounding five other senior officers.
Less than twenty-four hours later, gunfire and rocket explosions were heard near the presidential palace, and shortly afterwards it was reported that President Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira had also been killed.
The army didn't even deny responsibility. "President Vieira was killed by the army as he tried to flee his house which was being attacked by a group of soldiers close to the chief of staff Tagme Na Waie, early this morning," said spokesman Zamora Induta. "The country will start up now. This man had blocked any momentum in this small country." But it is unlikely that the quarrel was really about how best to run the country.
The shoot-out had been coming for some time. Last November President Vieira narrowly survived a machine-gun and rocket-propelled grenade attack on his residence by "renegade" soldiers. The 400-strong militia he then created to protect himself from the army was accused of shooting at General Tagme Na Waie in January, and the army forced Vieira to disband it.
After that, Vieira knew that he was a dead man walking, and the bomb that killed Tagme Na Waie was probably an attempt to get his retaliation in first. But this was not simply another in the long line of coups and counter-coups that has characterised Guinea-Bissau's history since it got its independence from Portugal in 1974.
Guinea-Bissau's politics were rough even when the stakes were very
small: control of a poverty-stricken country of one and a half million people whose principal export was cashew nuts. Vieira himself first came to power in a coup in 1980, lost it in a military mutiny in 1999, and subsequently went into exile as the country was ravaged by civil war. Then he regained power in an election in 2005 after the previous president was overthrown by the army.
The stakes have got a lot bigger now, because the country has become the main transit point for Colombian cartels smuggling cocaine into Europe. More than half of Guinea-Bissau's territory is a maze of offshore islands, and the tiny navy lacks the strength to patrol them. There is not even a prison in the country, nor do the police own a computer.
The money that the Colombians can splash around is irresistible to many in the government and the army, and an internal struggle to monopolise that money was the inevitable result. Mostly the struggle has been invisible, but occasionally it came out into plain sight, as when an aircraft suspected of carrying cocaine was prevented from taking off last July by the judicial police, which are under the president's control.
For five days army troops prevented the police from boarding the plane. When they finally let them on, there was no cocaine there any more, but sniffer dogs went crazy when they were brought aboard. Justice Minister Carmelita Pires subsequently received a number of death threats. In another incident, in April, two soldiers were arrested in a vehicle carrying 635kg of cocaine — but they were soon released from detention, and have yet to stand trial.
Maybe the late President Vieira died because he was waging a gallant campaign against the drug-lords who are taking over the country, but it is at least as likely that he was just involved in a struggle with the army over the proceeds. In any case, the army has won, and the country's status as Africa's premier narco-state is assured.
Six months ago, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the Security Council to impose sanctions against those involved in Guinea-Bissau's drug trade, but nothing has been done — nor would sanctions deter officials in a desperately poor country who have been dazzled by the prospect of great wealth. If even the Mexican state, a hundred times as big and a thousand times as rich, faces defeat at the hands of the drug gangs, what hope is there for Guinea-Bissau?
So what is to be done? What should have been done decades ago: end the stupid "war on drugs," which destroys not only thousands of lives but the integrity of entire countries. Legalise the drugs, sell them under government license to those who want to buy them, and deprive the illegal drug industry of the cash-flow that makes it so powerful.
The war is lost anyway: nobody who wants the drugs in any Western country has any difficulty in getting them, and the supply is so large and reliable that the prices have actually dropped over the years. Moreover, the whole war against narcotics (and other "recreational" drugs like marijuana, amphetamines and psychotropic drugs) is utterly hypocritical.
Other drugs that cause far more devastation, like alcohol and tobacco, remain legal simply because they are used by far more people in the West.
Alternatively, we could make them illegal too, and lose some even bigger wars.
To shorten to 725 words, omit paragraphs 6 and 11.
("Guinea-Bissau's…army"; and "Six…Guinea-Bissau")
Welcome to Gwynne Dyer
Welcome to the site of author Gwynne Dyer. Gwynne Dyer is an historian and independent journalist, has published several books and has had his articles widely syndicated for many years. He is also available for university and corporate speaking engagements.
Suggested Read:
Crawling From the Wreckage
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Note for publications who carry or would like to carry articles. Gwynne Dyer's distribution email has changed, so please contact him through the contact form on this website if you are no longer receiving articles and would like to continue.
Defending the Indefensible December 30, 2020
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This year I've spent a lot of time at Department of Geography and the Geographic Information Center on the 5th floor of Burnside Hall. While helping students find maps, data, and literature, I received a common question from people outside of Geography. That was, "I am not quite interested in my subject and this [the application of GIS data and software to her research] makes it exciting…Should I switch to Geography?" I am not a geographer, so I cannot tell you exactly what a geographer does and what makes this profession appealing. However, I was lucky enough to come across the following video which might be able to answer your question.
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Christina von Ungern-Sternberg (* 1979 als Christina Prüver in Mainz) ist eine deutsche Fernsehmoderatorin und -journalistin.

Werdegang
Von Ungern-Sternberg studierte von 1998 bis 2004 an den Universitäten Leipzig, Padua und München die Fächer Neuere Deutsche Literaturwissenschaft, Politikwissenschaft und Medienrecht. Nach ihrem Studium volontierte sie im bayerischen Landesstudio von Sat.1 und N24 in München und arbeitete dort anschließend bis zum Jahr 2007 als Redakteurin, Schaltreporterin und später als stellvertretende Leiterin des Ressorts Politik. 2007 promovierte sie in Literaturwissenschaften an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Dissertation: "Willy Haas und das Feuilleton der Tageszeitung Die Welt "). Nach ihrem Wechsel ins N24-Studio Berlin übernahm sie dort bis 2010 die Früh- und Mittagsreports.

Seit 2010 präsentiert Christina von Ungern-Sternberg unter anderem die tagesaktuellen Livestrecken des Fernsehsenders Phoenix. Des Weiteren war sie von April bis Dezember 2012 neben Ralph Szepanski Hauptmoderatorin des ZDFwochen-journals. Von Juli 2013 bis April 2014 moderierte sie regelmäßig die Nachrichtensendung heute nacht. Von Juli 2015 bis März 2018 moderierte sie im Wechsel mit Norbert Lehmann das ZDF-Mittagsmagazin. Daneben moderiert sie weitere heute-Sendungen und seit 2021 vertretungsweise das heute journal up:date.

Privates
Christina von Ungern-Sternberg ist mit dem Journalisten Christoph von Ungern-Sternberg verheiratet.

Weblinks

 Christina von Ungern-Sternberg, Profil auf phoenix.de
 Profil auf ZDF-Presseportal

Fernsehmoderator (Deutschland)
Journalist (Deutschland)
Fernsehjournalist
Nachrichtensprecher von heute (ZDF)
⚭Christina
Absolvent der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Person (Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung)
Person (Mainz)
Deutscher
Geboren 1979
Frau


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by Chirosree Basu · Published March 7, 2019 · Updated March 8, 2019
His alma mater and a large part of the world will miss Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya's wisdom, able guidance and enduring friendship
There are not too many who can act as a bridge across peoples, cultures, disciplines, institutions and vocations – all at the same time. Lord Sushanta Kumar Bhattacharyya was one of them. Renowned academic, successful entrepreneur, manufacturing expert and leading consultant to industry and government across geographies, this eminent alumnus of IIT Kharagpur donned many caps and influenced many lives. Not surprisingly, his demise on March 1, 2019, has come as a rude shock not only to the people of Britain, where he lived and worked, but also to multitudes of individuals and institutions who gained from his genius; our institution being one.
Lord Bhattacharyya was Professor at the University of Warwick and Founder Chairman of the Warwick Manufacturing Group, UK's leading research and innovation centre that conducts its education programmes in many countries around the world. His connection with IIT Kharagpur goes back to the early 1950s, when he came to reside in the campus as his father joined the Chemistry Department of the then newly established Institute. Lord Bhattacharyya did his BTech in 1960 in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur and began his career as a graduate apprentice at Lucas, an engineering firm in UK. He subsequently gained an MSc in Engineering Production and Management, and PhD in Engineering Production at the University of Birmingham.
Lord Bhattacharyya showed promise right from the beginning of his career. In 1980, he became Britain's first ever Professor of Manufacturing Systems at the University of Warwick. The next few years saw him struggling to set up the Warwick Manufacturing Group, his dream project as he was convinced that the key to improve the competitiveness of industry lay through innovative collaborative research, educational and knowledge transfer programmes. During those initial years, it was hard convincing manufacturing industries that they would gain by partnering with university professors doing R&D. Britain then, with its robust automotive industry, could hardly foresee the pitfalls of staying away from investing in automation and upgradation. Lord Bhattacharyya, however, having witnessed the strides made by Japan and Germany, could see what lay ahead.
It is said that "a leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way." That is what Lord Bhattacharyya did. WMG began training managers, even changing the way they thought. Assumptions were put to rigorous examination and practical solutions attempted. WMG today educates thousands of post-graduates and managers every year through its worldwide network of operations. Lord Bhattacharyya has also played a key role in creating the National Automotive Innovation Centre on the Warwick campus, bringing international researchers to Coventry and giving them the equipment and facilities to develop new designs and technological breakthrough. He was also the reason why Coventry won the right to build an £80m UK Battery Industrialisation Centre to serve the entire UK automotive industry. "He has helped preserve and create jobs and transform companies, economies, and individual lives, above all in our region," said Warwick's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stuart Croft.
Lord Bhattacharyya found little trouble working with either Labour or Conservative governments in Britain, and outside Britain, his "passion and advocacy of the importance of manufacturing technology, research teaching and training" has helped guide business leaders and policy makers whether in China, South Africa or India. It was Lord Bhattacharyya who facilitated the talks that led to the Tata Group acquiring Jaguar Land Rover. He was also instrumental in setting up the Tata Motors European Technical Centre (TMETC) in 2005, Tata Motors' UK-based centre of excellence for automotive design and engineering.
His efforts have won worldwide acclaim and recognition. Lord Bhattacharyya was a Fellow of The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering, and a Regius Professor of Manufacturing conferred by the Queen of England. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the President of India in 2002, in 2017 the Great Wall Friendship Award by the Mayor of Beijing, and Chinese Government Friendship Award, the premier national award, by Vice-Premier Ma Kai. In 1997, he was appointed a CBE, knighted in 2003 for services to education and industry, and made a life peer in 2004. Proud of his achievements, Lord Bhattacharyya's alma mater, awarded him the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2004 and the DSc (Honoris Causa) in 2008.
Lord Bhattacharyya made sure IIT Kharagpur gained from his transformative influence. He brought his brainchild and his alma mater together under a collaborative framework in 2008, whereby WMG and the Institute collaborates in a number of research areas including design and manufacturing, composites and sustainable materials, sound quality engineering, medical technology and healthcare, hybrid vehicles and steel technology. Every year, postgraduate students from IIT Kharagpur make their way to WMG for internship, some of which lead to doctoral work. Professor Pallab Dasgupta, Dean SRIC, said, "IIT Kharagpur students have the privilege of being guided by industry trained experts at WMG."
WMG has been a major advisor for IIT Kharagpur in the development of intelligent, safe, green, cyber-physical next-gen transportation technologies. Professor Siddhartha Mukhopadhyay , who has been leading the development of the electrical vehicle said, "WMG has given us valuable insight on the design of the vehicle. On Lord Bhattacharyya's encouragement, a delegation from IIT Kharagpur had visited the WMG office last June, and had extensive discussion on the various vehicle subsystems with various group of WMG. Lord SKB not only treated us as guests during our stay, he found time to meet us despite his typically extremely busy schedule but alsoand also ensured that we were comfortable." Prof. Mukhopadhyay also pointed out how Lord Bhattacharyya came forward to encourage research collaborations among the two institutions, as well as towards providing support to the bright students of IIT Kharagpur, be it technical support before international auto racing competitions or research fellowships for their higher study.
WMG is the international partner of IIT Kharagpur's Centre of Excellence in Advanced Manufacturing Technology since 2015. This again was facilitated by Lord Bhattacharyya, who willingly took upon himself the responsibility of serving on the advisory board. Prof. Surjya Kanta Pal, Professor in charge of the Centre and Associate Dean, Alumni Affairs, said, "Lord Bhattacharyya's demise means a tremendous loss to the Institute and the DHI Centre of Excellence which would have gained from his insight and advice. The advisory board was to have its first meeting in a few days' time."
Prof. Subrata Chattopadhyay, Dean, Alumni Affairs, said, "The best way to honour a luminary and visionary like Lord Bhattacharyya would be to continue on the path that he has shown us. He had emphasized on the importance of applied research to the health and wellbeing of the economy and society. Let us not forget that."
Prof. Partha Pratim Chakrabarti, Director, IIT Kharagpur, stated, "Lord Bhattacharyya has been a driving force behind the Institute's international programme and a constant source of support. Let us build on the wonderful legacy he has left us. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his bereaved family."
Tags: alumnuskgpianwarwickWarwick Manufacturing Group
Remembering Indramohan Asthana
by Chirosree Basu · Published August 30, 2019
In a happy place
by Chirosree Basu · Published June 14, 2019 · Last modified June 17, 2019
Happy Birthday IIT Kharagpur!
Jayananda Hiranandani says:
He was my class-fellow. i also passed in 1960 in Mechanical Engineering. with him. His uncle, Dr. Paresh Chakraborti was my teacher and colleague. I knew his father I was on the faculty from 1960-6. May he RIM.
Derek M. D'Costa, IIT-Kgp'69, P.Eng'76, FEC'09 says:
I am a 1969 IIT Kharagpur graduate in chemical engineering and Lord Sushanta Kumar Bhattacharyya who graduated just nine years before I did, has been a great source of inspiration to me for his many achievements and contributions to society. He was truly a magnificent bridge between peoples, cultures, disciplines & institutions! Derek Michael D'Costa, SJEHS'63, IIT-Kgp'69, P.Eng.'76, FEC'09, OVSA'10, PEO-WT19. Celebrating my Golden Jubilee in Toronto, Canada this year! March 20, 2019.
Lord Sushanta Kumar Bhattacharyya who graduated just 9 years before I did from IIT Kharagpur in 1969, has been a great source of pride & inspiration to me. He was truly a bridge between peoples, cultures and disciplines!
Derek Michael D'Costa, SJEHS'63, IIT-Kgp'69, P.Eng.'76, FEC'09, OVSA'10, PEO-WT'19.
Celebrating my Golden Jubilee in Toronto, Canada this year. March 20, 2019
Derek Michael D'Costa, IIT, P.Eng., FEC says:
Lord S. K. Bhattacharyya serves as a great inspiration for all IITians!
Derek M .D'Costa, IIT-Kgp'69, P.Eng.'76, FEC'09,PEO-WT'19
Celebrating my golden jubilee in Toronto, Canada in 2019
Derek M. D'Costa says:
The life & career of Lord Sushanta Kumar Bhattacharyya is a source of inspiration to all IITians, for the manner in which he served as a bridge between peoples, cultures and institutions!
Derek Michael D'Costa
IIT-Kgp'69, P.Eng.'76, FEC'09
Toronto, ON, Canada M5S2T9
Cmde Rakesh B Verma says:
I am a graduate of 1967 batch Naval Arch.Served in Indian Navy till 1998.Subsequently joine Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd at Chennai as head of R&D.TAFE was being mentored by WMG.I met Prof Bhattacharya in 1999 at Warwick.His team used to work with us.Had long association of working with WMG.TAFE benifitted a lot from WMG's advice and increased research areas by networking with UK based research establishment.It helped in bringing out new products.
May his soul rest in peace.
Leave a Reply to Cmde Rakesh B Verma Cancel reply
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Doing the Wight thing: exploring England's beautiful Isle of Wight
Dinosaurs, zorb balls and giant jumping pillows; there's more to the Isle of Wight than beaches and cream teas, discover Amanda Statham and family
The sun sets over the cliffs
Was it a herbivore?' enquired my six-year-old son Sonny. We were gazing up at a 3m iguanodon in the Dinosaur Isle museum. 'Yes,' I replied, quickly scanning some factsheets. 'And 120-million-year-old iguanodon bones were actually found here in the 19th century.' 'Wow,' he replied. Meanwhile, my two-year-old son Sol sat nearby playing in a box full of sand, merrily sweeping away grains with a paintbrush to unearth plastic dino bones beneath. I was impressed that, on a rainy day, there was enough palaeontology play to keep both kids amused. Right from the start, the Isle of Wight reveals its appeal to families, with the ferry ride from Portsmouth to Fishbourne proving short enough not to be boring, but long enough for kids to feel they're going on an adventure.
Sol waved and shouted 'Bye bye!' at the shrinking Solent coast for 10 minutes after departure. Less than an hour later, we were driving off the ferry to Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park, our east-coast base for three days. Part of the Away Resorts chain, it's a cheerful chalet, caravan and camping set-up, with the usual clubhouse, pool and games area. But it's the swish new TriBeCa Lodges that had caught my eye. These large 'static caravans of the future' boast a shiny kitchen, open-plan dining and lounge, two bathrooms, kids' room with bunks and a lovely master bedroom with freestanding bath and five-star-hotel-like soft white linen. The vibe is more luxe Airstream than '80s caravan, and we all ended up in the outside hot tub each night, complete with giggling, screaming and cold dashes indoors afterwards.
Sonny, six, and Sol, two, make for the water
On our first day, we immersed ourselves in the resort, including taking part in a superheros' dance competition (Sonny) and a gentle stroll down to Whitecliff Bay (everyone), where the kids paddled despite the water being the temperature of an Alpine stream in winter. Then, feet in sand, we all tucked into ice creams from the beach café. It would've been easy to spend our entire holiday splashing in the two pools, jumping in the soft-play area and ordering homemade chilli from Nab Bar but, in the interest of research, we did manage to extract the kids on day two.
Steephill Cove, on the south coast, is what the Isle of Wight is all about for me, and the perfect day out. Reached via the coast path from Ventnor (or cheat, and park above the botanical gardens), it's a trek (if you're aged two) to get there along a stunning stretch of coastline, including a large, sloping field dotted with daisies, which I can confirm is immense fun to roll down (why should kids have all the fun?) Once you reach Steephill, it's like time has stood still.
There are stripy deckchairs for hire, lobster pots piled against the sea wall and a cluster of pretty holiday houses every tourist wishes they were staying in (but which are booked up years in advance). Impressively, for such a tiny place, there are three excellent eateries: The Boathouse for fresh fish and white wine in a driftwood setting, a basic café for fish and chips or doorstep sandwiches and, best of all, the Crab Shed, which serves award-winning homemade crab pasties.
You can't book, so it's a case of queuing and hovering by a table ready to pounce when someone gets up to leave (while the kids dig endless holes on the beach). No arcades, no rides, not even a hotel; Steephill is the seaside holidays of my childhood, and yes, they also included a tired walk back along the coast path, spirits bolstered with songs, snacks and shoulder lifts. No arcades, no rides, not even a hotel; Steephill is the seaside holidays of my childhood, and yes, they also included a tired walk back along the coast path, spirits bolstered with songs, snacks and shoulder lifts.
Donkeys at Tapnell Farm Park
On day three, rain hit, and it was also time to move accommodation, so we packed up and drove, via the fabulous dinosaur museum, for a three-night stay at The West Bay Country Club & Spa, a hotel close to Yarmouth. I'm a sucker for all things coastal, so the clapboard cottages instantly put a smile on my face, as did the lawns with Boden-esque kids in stripy tops tumbling around. There's a high-end vibe here, with the country club offering a beautiful Liz Earle spa and indoor and outdoor pools. We were lucky enough to check into the two-bedroom House of Liz Earle, an immaculate New England-style cottage where a stay includes a goodie bag of the Isle of Wight-born skincare guru's products. There was also a welcome hamper packed with delicious island produce (the IoW Garlic Farm makes a divine infused olive oil), which excited the rest of my family, but I was too focused on my new beauty haul to care (I couldn't resist smugly Instagramming my lotions and potions). With a spotless white kitchen and a hamper of grub, there was no excuse not to do some cooking.
However, we did also try a takeaway from the country club's Bay Bistro – the sweet potato fries and homemade chicken goujons were devoured in minutes. There's plenty on the west side of the island to keep families occupied, such as The Needles Landmark Attraction, which is full of fairground rides, sizzling food stalls and a chairlift down to Alum Bay. When we visited in the summer holidays, it was packed and, at first glance, didn't look like somewhere we'd want to spend a whole day (or, at least, I'd to spend a whole day).
The kids, however, had other ideas, and raced towards a stand with inflatable zorb balls on water and patiently queued for a five-minute session to run around like hamsters in floating spheres ('awesome', apparently). A couple of hours later, after rides on a carousel, paddleboats, vintage cars and rotating giant cups and saucers, we gathered together a picnic from the stalls (candy floss for dessert) and walked down to the pebbly cove below (the queue for the chairlift being way too long for an impatient two-year-old).
The kids' cool bedroom in the TriBeCa
Despite some steep steps, the descent was fun, and we ate our lunch sitting on warm rocks overlooking the famous white Needle Rocks. The highlight of our trip came on our last day with an impromptu trip to Tapnell Farm Park, after a tip-off from a local. It's probably the best farm we've ever been to. The kids got to pick up piglets, peer at meercats, stroke a donkey, slide down hay bales, go karting in a barn and bounce on giant jumping pillows. Meanwhile, we got to recline on some grass and munch freshly baked cookies from the farm café.
Unexpectedly, this little pocket of the Isle of Wight turned out to be parent and kid utopia come sunset, with locals and tourists chilling out catching the last rays of summer sunshine at what felt like a mini festival, complete with live music, gourmet burgers (from the excellent Cow Co Restaurant & Bar) and white wine in plastic glasses, while children ran around chasing bubbles and making new friends.
On the beach having filled up at the award-winning Crab Shed
The lowdown: Isle of Wight
Wightlink offers summer ferry crossings from £57.50 return for a car with four passengers, from Fishbourne, Lymington, Portsmouth or Ryde Pier Head.
TriBeCa at Away Resorts sleeps 4 adults and 3 kids from £609.60, based on a 2-night stay.
Cottages at West Bay sleep up to 7, with prices from £355, based on a 2-night stay, sleeping 4 people.
Tapnell Farm Park and the Cow Co Restaurant, located on the farm and is open Thursday-Sunday.
The Needles Landmark Attraction is open 7 days a week.
Dinosaur Isle museum is open 7 days a week.
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Explore family beach holidays
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Take advantage of super low deposits and book your summer 2020 holiday now!
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Bursting with ideas, advice and inspiration to help you plan holidays and days out


Mesmerizing Toronto is a magical city of skyscrapers, beautiful buildings and a throbbing nightlife.
Trains in Toronto are 25% cheaper than in London.
A meal in Toronto is 23% cheaper than a meal in London.
A taxi fare in Toronto is 54% cheaper than in London.
London is an important metropolis known for its beautiful buildings and a great nightlife. It is served by international airports such as Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Stansted and several others. Gatwick and Heathrow are the most well-known and the busiest of all the airports serving London.
Flights from London to Toronto may take off from one of the many airports scattered in and around London. Gatwick is the second busiest airport and is known for its much-used runway, which is often described as the busiest single runway in the world. More than 50 flights can take off from this runway every minute.
London Toronto flights may take off from any of the airports that serve the city of London. Once you confirm which airport you must attend, all you need to do is to arrive at a railway station that links to it. Most railway stations in central London such as Paddington, Victoria and Liverpool Street connect to the airports. Heathrow Express and Gatwick Express are high-speed trains that ferry passengers from railway stations to the respective airports. If you are lucky enough to find a flight that takes off from London City Airport, you can just hop on a bus for a cost efficient ride.
Toronto is the largest city in Canada and it is also one of its commercial and cultural centres. A good place to begin your journey is at CN Tower, which is one of the world's tallest manmade structures. The Distillery District in downtown Toronto is known for its bars, clubs and restaurants, and it is also a great place to take a walk around. Do not forget to spend some time at the Royal Ontario Museum, which holds one of the largest collections of artefacts in Canada. Visit the various ethnic neighbourhoods of the city, such as Little Italy, Little India and Chinatown, where you can try cuisines from different parts of the world.
Flights to Toronto from London may land at Toronto Pearson International Airport, which is often also called Pearson Airport. This airport is around 22 kilometres from downtown Toronto and the best way to reach central Toronto is by hopping on a train. UP Express connects the airport with Union Station in central Toronto, and the journey takes around 25 minutes. You can also take one of the buses offered by Toronto Transit Commission to reach downtown. GO transit is another option if you are looking for a cost-effective solution to reach downtown Toronto. There are taxis available at all terminals and they are another way to get downtown in the city.
Lack of choice for food. Had the worst excuse for a 'garden vegetable' sandwich (1 browning piece of romaine, 1 slice of tomato and 1 slice of cucumber with freezer burn on what looked like a ciabatta but crumbled like into clumps of dust) from a small Tim Hortons countet near the gate - a remote outpost of yyz terminal 3.


I gave brief presentations about our proposed RTCP packet format for congestion control feedback to the RMCAT and AVTCORE working groups at IETF 101 in London, March 2018.
There were a significant number of editorial changes to this version of the draft, but the technical changes were more minor, and primarily focussed on defining the clocks and timestamp formats to use, clarifying exactly what packets are reported on in what report, and defining behaviour in a number of corner cases.
There were no significant issues raised by the working groups. The major comment was that the drafts are missing signalling to enable the feedback format, which should be straightforward to add.


Although the war in Syria is getting bloodier, the power and appeal of the resistance is growing. But Randa Kassis, a member of the opposition Syrian National Council, warns that Islamist fighters armed by the Gulf states are sowing discord among the opposition that will only prolong the war.
Suicide bombers, artillery strikes and massacres: The situation in Syria is getting worse every day. Dozens were killed on Thursday in an attack on the village of Tremseh. The Syrian opposition and the United Nations have blamed the assault on the regime of President Bashar Assad, but Damascus continues to deny involvement.
Although early reports said the attack had mainly targeted civilians, UN observers who visited the village on Saturday said the assault was apparently directed at specific homes of army defectors and opposition figures, according to the Associated Press.
A political solution to the conflict in Syria is not likely to come anytime soon. While Assad continues to cling to power in any way he can, the opposition — though armed and mobilized — is deeply divided.
Randa Kassis, president of a secular opposition group, paints a gloomy picture of Syria's future an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE. Although resistance to the regime is mounting, Assad has shown that he is willing to crush dissent through any means necessary. Meanwhile, Kassis claims, Islamist rebels supported by the Gulf states are driving a wedge in the opposition by labeling secular adversaries of Assad enemies.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Who is responsible for the massacre in Tremseh last Thursday, in which, according to the latest reports, more than 200 people were killed?
Kassis: Government troops and their backers are responsible. Whole city neighborhoods and villages are being targeted. Bashar Assad wants to intimidate each and every Syrians, without exception. He wants to force all of us to our knees and gag us. Literally every Syrian is supposed to experience first-hand what it means to put up resistance. There will be more massacres.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What is the relative strength of the regime vis-à-vis the rebels?
Kassis: In contrast to the situation at the beginning of the revolution, today more than 80 percent of Syrians oppose the Assad clique. Over time, the opposition has also become well-armed thanks to Qatar and Saudi Arabia. But the army and other state security forces command the most sophisticated weaponry. If they use them with impunity, there will be no quick end to the atrocities in sight.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Are arms supplied by Russia and Iran to the Assad regime prolonging the conflict?
Kassis: This is, of course, an important factor, but the regime already had enough firepower in any case. The reason the opposition has not been able to achieve a military breakthrough is also partially due to the insurmountable differences arising between the Islamist jihadi fighters and the majority of the population. The Islamist groups, which are superbly financed and equipped by the Gulf states, are ruthlessly seizing decision-making power for themselves. Syrians who are taking up arms against the dictator but not putting themselves under the jihadists' command are being branded as unpatriotic and as heretics. This is also affecting the many soldiers and officers who have defected to the opposition but who aren't willing to replace the corrupt terrorism of the Assad regime with a religious tyranny.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: But aren't the majority of Syrians pious Muslims?
Kassis: Yet at least half of Syrians are in favor of retaining a separation of church and state — and I don't see any contradiction there. The conflict between the power-hungry, appallingly intolerant Islamists and the opposition fighters who are not motivated by religion — and who don't have anyone lending them a hand — makes a rapid end to the war unlikely. And that's not to mention the scorched earth that government troops are leaving behind them all over the country.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Is there no way to stop the bloodbath?
Kassis: The Assad regime has to stop the murder and voluntarily step down from power. And the Islamist fighters among the opposition need to accept the non-religious opposition groups as partners with equal rights and no longer treat them like political adversaries. Then the members of the Baath party who haven't done anything wrong but have opposed Assad and gone underground in Iraq will also report back.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Baath party members as a beacon of hope for a democratic new beginning?
Kassis: Why not? In Iraq, the United States accepted the democratically inclined former Baathist Ayad Allawi as prime minister. To millions of Iraqis, his more democratic values were more appealing than those of the religious government leader Nouri al-Maliki and his ministers in Baghdad.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Aren't you putting more hope in the United States, which is energetically pushing for a democratic Syria?
Kassis: In the countries affected by the Arab Spring, the Americans have put their money on the Muslim Brotherhood. They believe it will be the dominant power of tomorrow, and they are adjusting to that fact.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: How long will it take before Assad gives up?
Kassis: I hope that he will be taken care of in few weeks' time. But, in pure military terms, it could last several more months — unless there's a miracle.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What could that look like?
Kassis: Miracles are unpredictable, just like the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Syria. I don't know anyone who had anticipated such changes in the course of history, changes that were so completely unexpected and had appeared absurd for decades.