text:
Inside Pelican Bay State Prison
Rahula Janowski
"Dry words on paper cannot adequately capture the senseless suffering and sometimes wretched misery that (Pelican Bay State Prison) unconstitutional practices leave in their wake."
Judge Thelton Henderson in Madrid vs. Gomez, 1995
On a sunny day in January, I went on a tour of Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP) with 12 other people, mainly members of Bar None, a prisoner support/prison abolition group, and Operation U-Turn, a Humboldt State University based organization that helps released prisoners get into college.
PBSP is in Crescent City, California, in the northwest corner of the state. The prison opened in 1989 and has as its best known feature the Security Housing Unit, known as the SHU. The SHU is a model of the latest trend in incarceration, the supermax. SHU inmates spend 23 hours a day in their 80-square foot cells, designed for one inmate but often housing two. Inmates leave their cells for showers, infrequent visits, and for one hour of solitary exercise in an indoor yard that measures 28-by-12 feet and has 20-foot high walls. The California Department of Corrections claims that the "worst of the worst" prisoners are housed in the SHU. What most folks don't realize is that being in the SHU has nothing to do with your original crime. Prisoners go to the SHU for crimes committed while in prison or for being labeled a gang member. Eighty-seven percent of SHU inmates are black or brown. The SHU has come under fire since construction began, with critics labeling it cruel and unusual punishment. In 1995, in a class action suit known as Madrid vs. Gomez, Judge Thelton Henderson ruled that the SHU would tend to exacerbate preexisting mental problems. It was a partial victory at best and the SHU opened on schedule. Beyond concerns about the SHU, PBSP has gained a reputation of having a brutal and racist staff made up of guards unable to work in other prisons in California's system.
The tour was organized by Sacha Marini, an organizer with Bar None. "I've been corresponding with a prisoner who's in the SHU up at Pelican Bay. He asked if I'd ever been in to PBSP other than visiting, and I said no, and he said well, you can come in," Sacha said. "I pursued it because I've never been in prison, I wanted to see what it looks like on the inside. In particular I had an interest in seeing what the SHU is like. I'm also into the idea of being an outside watchdog, and we're going in as Bar None, and Pelican Bay knows who we are ... I think it's good for them to know that people are concerned on the outside about what's going on up there."
Bar None is based in northern Humboldt County, just 90 miles south of PBSP. We formed in the summer of 1999. We engage in a variety of activities and address many issues, but from the beginning, one of our major focuses has been PBSP. Bar None has a weekly radio show where we read writings from prisoners, and most of the contributors to the show are from PBSP. We're also producing a show of artwork from PBSP prisoners this February in Arcata. Many of us correspond with SHU inmates, and we all felt as Sacha did, that it was important for us to get a look at the place where our pen pals spend their time. I also feel like it's important for prison activists to regularly strengthen our sense of outrage; for it is that sense of outrage that keeps us struggling against the prison industrial complex even when there are times where I feel like Don Quixote, tilting at windmills.
I also felt it was important to get a look at a supermax. Supermax prisons are sharply on the rise, largely in response to the radical prison movements of the '70s. During the 1970s, there was a lot of organizing among inmates in prisons, especially in California and among African-American men. Prisoners were organizing study groups, educating themselves in radical politics of resistance and occasionally revolting. The supermax is an answer to that rising tide. The SHU and other supermaxes house validated gang members and prisoners convicted of crimes in prison, but the SHU is also home to jail house lawyers, political prisoners/POWs, influential prisoners and folks who organized solidarity and resistance inside. Keeping prisoners completely isolated, from each other and from the outside world, makes organizing and self-education an extremely difficult, if not impossible, task and thereby cuts down on resistance and revolt by prisoners.
Our tour began in a conference room in the administration building of PBSP. On the way in, we saw a T-shirt for sale. It was titled Felony Day Care and had a woodcut print of inmates in a classroom. The guard at the desk said there's also a T-shirt available that says PBSP Bed and Breakfast—Three Hots and a Cot. Public Information Officer Ben Grundy joined us there. Lt. Grundy showed us a diagram of the prison and where we would be going on the tour.
We learned that PBSP is a level four facility, level four being the highest custody level in the California system. Except for the 296 level one inmates, who live in housing outside the electrified barrier, all of the inmates are level four. Approximately 1,500 of these inmates are housed in the SHU. The other (approximately) 4,000 are housed in general population, which is A Facility and B Facility. A and B are designed so that they can, if needed, operate like a SHU. In fact, Lt. Grundy tells us, all the other SHU type facilities are designed like PBSP's A and B facilities. A and B each have their own yard, surrounded by the housing. Inmates are "under the gun," meaning they are within shooting sight and distance of a tower guard, whenever they are in the yard. The only exception to this is when they go to the industry yard, where inmates can engage in activities like woodshop and auto mechanics, and make things like shoes for the rest of the California prison system and glasses for Medi-Cal.
Under normal circumstances, according to Lt. Grundy, about 40 percent of general population would be working in industry or vocation. However, A and B are currently on lockdown because of violence in the yard, and have been off and on for years. Because of this, general population inmates, like SHU inmates, spend their days in their cells, released only for showers, visiting and yard time (which, while under lockdown, is not in the big grassy yard but in a concrete "dog run").
Lt. Grundy obviously was familiar with Bar None and had some preconceived notions (which were correct) about how we felt about the SHU. "People in the SHU have it literally better than in general population, " Lt. Grundy told us, beginning a campaign that he continued throughout the tour to convince us that the SHU was A-OK.
Lt. Grundy told us he was glad we were there. "The warden's position is that this is not a clandestine operation. It's a state funded, tax paid operation, and as such, it's not only your right, but it's your responsibility to see what we're doing here." With that, we headed outside, where we were given visitor passes and loaded into a white van.
Lt. Grundy drove us out past the firing range, where a CHP officer was practicing shooting targets, and we discussed the qualifications for becoming a correctional officer. To be a CO, you need a high school diploma or GED, no felony arrest record, U.S. citizenship, and you need to pass physical and written tests and go through the police academy. "How many COs are from this area?" Sacha asked. Lt. Grundy replied that when they opened PBSP, many locals didn't qualify, having dropped out of high school. He added that since then the number of guards from the local area has increased as people have gotten GEDs. PBSP employs 1,000 officers and 400-500 non-custodial staff, like doctors and maintenance staff.
As we continued our drive to A and B facilities, we passed the fire department and generators. PBSP has its own fire department, which includes seven level one inmates, and enough diesel generator capacity to power the entire facility in case of outages.
We reached a guard post and, after showing our identification and signing in, headed through the three fence electrified barrier into B facility. First, we were shown the outside of the family visit trailers. Here, inmates may spend a weekend with their family. The visiting family members can bring food to cook and they all stay in the two-bedroom trailer, with a yard, for the weekend. All general population are eligible to use them, except lifers and sex offenders, but Lt. Grundy said they don't get much use because very few people can come for a weekend. It's worth remembering that only spouses and immediate family are allowed to come for these visits. Girlfriends are out of luck. It's also important to recognize that the infrequency of family visits has a lot to do with the location of PBSP, hundreds of miles away from the urban centers most inmates' families live in. This makes it extremely difficult to maintain the family and community connections that are very important in reducing recidivism.
We then moved inside to the visiting room. The visiting room is large and resembles a public school cafeteria; linoleum floors, fluorescent lights, tables with plastic chairs. There is a microwave, television, infant room for nursing and diaper changing, and vending machines.
From the visiting room, we headed inside into B facility. At the control booth, we were intercepted by Officer Steve Robinson, who carried a four-panel display case filled with weapons made by inmates, known as Shanks. Robinson was quite willing to talk about how the weapons are made and used. Some of them were obvious—chunks of sharpened metal snuck back from the industry yard (which begs the question, how can this happen without guard complicity? They're strip-searched and have to pass through a metal detector), others were darts made of tightly rolled paper topped with a piece of glass or a point of metal. Robinson explained that inmates used elastic from their socks or underwear to launch these "arrows."
The display was blatantly intended to impress upon us how violent and dangerous the inmates were, even here in general population. The other part of that equation is how prison life encourages violence, even among those who weren't violent on the outside. This assortment of weapons can also be viewed as a sign of the indomitable ingenuity and creativity of people in impossible situations. I also know that ingenuity and creativity take many other forms in prison, from figuring out how to make wine in their cells, to amazing artwork and writing, to figuring out novel ways of communicating between cells. Robinson himself said, "I rate some of these guys right up there with McGyver."
After being properly intimidated by the display of weapons, we were lead out into B yard. The yard is large, about five acres, and mostly grassy. From certain points in the yard, it's possible to see hilltops and the tops of redwood trees. Although there are basketball courts, punching bags and concrete benches, the yard looks overgrown and neglected, probably because general population has been on lockdown. A ways down the yard, a group of about 15 inmates played basketball. These are inmates from the Transitional Housing Unit (THU); that is, former SHU inmates who have debriefed.
Debriefing is one of the only ways for a validated gang member to get out of the SHU. It involves renouncing gang membership and providing lists of names and information on gang activities to prison officials. Once an inmate has debriefed, they are very carefully kept away from the rest of the prison population. Within the prison community, snitching carries heavy penalties. All of the inmates we were to see that day were transitional.
We headed inside. We weren't going onto the tiers, "out of respect for inmates' privacy." Therefore, we went inside into a hallway. Above our heads was a metal grate, through which a guard could see us and, if necessary, shoot us. We were able to look through a window onto the section, a medium sized room with concrete tables and a couple of telephones, with 20 cells opening onto it. While on lockdown, the prisoners eat in their cells, but if, theoretically, lockdown were lifted, prisoners' cells would be open to the tier for most of the day.
Back out onto the yard, we wandered down the far wall where all the various programs are, as well as the medical clinic. As we passed, I noticed a sign on the glass window at medical — "Help Wanted-inquire within-MD license preferred." "What does that mean?" I asked the guard inside the medical booth. "Is that for inmates, or for other guards?" I asked. Seeming very uncomfortable, the guard hedged. "Uh, uh, he, he, someone's playing a little joke," she said. At this point, noticing we'd fallen behind, Lt. Grundy came back for us; "What's up guys?" "I was asking about this sign," I said. "Come on," Lt. Grundy said, looking irritated, and walked off. So I didn't get any answers, but I could make some guesses. Prison medical facilities are notorious, not just at PBSP, not just in California, but across the country. Medical staff in prisons are frequently doctors whose licenses were revoked or suspended for one reason or another, meaning that prisoners get questionable at best medical care, if they even get a chance to see a doctor. Elsewhere in the CDC system, at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, there have been nine deaths since November 8 of last year, many in situations that were easily preventable. However, guards tend to ignore or disbelieve prisoner medical complaints, with life threatening results. Is that what the joke was about? During recent legal visits with PBSP inmates, California Prison Focus noted that one of the most common complaints was about the quality of medical care. Inmates assert that the medical staff turns over nearly monthly, and each time the inmates' meds are changed. Is that what the joke was about? Anyway, I don't get it.
After stopping for a brief visit with a woman who runs classes for THU inmates (I zoned out here, looking at the yard and wondering), we visited the Psychiatric Services Unit (PSU). This is where inmates determined to be mentally ill by prison staff are housed. Because of Madrid vs. Gomez, PBSP has to screen inmates headed for the SHU, and any found to have preexisting mental health problems are housed here instead. We were met by a CO wearing a bulletproof vest, as were all the COs in the PSU. He pointed out the PSU exercise yards, which were 6 x 8 x 10-foot metal mesh cages. They looked exactly like the dog runs at a kennel. Because PSU inmates are classified as violent, they don't get group yard time. Instead they do their yard time in these cages, which are in full view of the B yard. We then went inside the unit, where we saw the group therapy rooms. These were cells with four to six stainless steel enclosures the size of a phone booth, with a wire mesh gate that faces into the center. Inmates sit in these cells and talk to a therapist or, more often, watch a video designed to be therapeutic. It was obvious to me that this environment is not therapeutic. Rather than therapy, the mission of the PSU is control, achieved through a combination of dehumanizing conditions and heavy drugs. We were told that while it is possible for an inmate to be in PSU and not take drugs, most inmates end up undergoing something called a Kahia process, by which an inmate refusing to take drugs can be ordered to be involuntarily medicated because they are a danger to themselves and others.
We then went "over the wall" into the industry yard. I saw doors labeled mechanical shop, plumbing shop, auto-body, auto mechanics, PIA, maintenance; all of them closed. Most of the industry or vocation is not active right now because of the lockdown. The few inmates who were at work in the shoe factory, where inmates manufacture shoes for the CDC, were all THU. The men worked on as we passed through, some of them giving us a furtive wave and smile and one giving us a lengthy treatise on the operation of the shoe sole pouring machine he operated.
After leaving the shoe factory, we had a lengthy discussion with Lt. Grundy about the debriefing process. Grundy debated the idea that debriefing is an automatic death sentence. He asserts that no one who's debriefed has ever been hurt in retribution. This is easy to understand, however, because those who have debriefed are kept segregated in the THU until they're transferred to one of several prisons in the CDC system that are safe for debriefers. We did not discuss how you could debrief if you were a validated gang member without really being in a gang.
We then went into the SHU. According to Lt. Grundy, "The inmates don't think it is that bad." We stopped to be shown "extraction" gear, which is used when an inmate refuses to leave his cell. Extraction gear includes shields, pepper spray, batons, padding (for the COs of course), helmets and a video camera. Every extraction is videotaped for the record (I assume in case of lawsuits, although that wasn't said). Extractions occur one to two times a week, according to Lt. Grundy.
"Ninety percent of an officer's job is care and treatment," said Lt. Grundy.
We weren't shown actual cells nor did we go onto the tier. We were let into the center of a unit, where the guard hangs out behind Plexiglas with extensive cameras so she or he can observe all the prisoners on that unit. We were able to walk around and look into the six pods, which each have eight cells. Although the cells were designed to hold one inmate, out of the 48 cells in the unit we visited, 16 had two inmates in them. It was eerily quiet. Within a surprisingly small space were 64 men, and yet we could hear no talking, no shouting, nothing. We were unable to examine the SHU yard for that unit.
From the SHU, we trooped back to the Administration building. It was shift change, and many COs were coming and going. A fellow Bar None member pointed out a CO with a "bad cop, no donut" sticker on his lunch pail. More evidence of that quirky PBSP sense of humor.
We headed back to a conference room, where we discussed gang validation further. According to Lt. Grundy, there are very stringent criteria for gang validation. There must be three separate pieces of evidence that can stand alone, such as: correspondence with gang members; someone else debriefing and saying you're a gang member; gang tattoos; doing something (a task) for a gang; and having gang members' addresses in your possession.
I find it interesting that much of what counts as qualifiers for gang validation are activities that are generally not regarded as criminal and, for most Americans, are classified as First Amendment activities, in particular freedom of association. "Gangs" is a concept that, even outside prison, is regularly used to criminalize certain groups of people (mainly urban youth of color) and deny them basic First Amendment rights.
Lt. Grundy brought us some nice, scenic PBSP calendars (with a picture of the ocean, not the prison), shook our hands, and we were on our way.
Ultimately, I feel as though I had a tour of the prison and learned nothing. We saw almost no prisoners. As Angela, a paralegal who joined us on the tour said, "It felt like a ghost town." Throughout the tour, Lt. Grundy emphasized that a) inmates in the SHU were violent and awful people, but the prison really cared about them and did the best for them that they could, and b) it's really not so bad in there, inmates actually prefer to be in the SHU. While I understand that to see a cell, either in general population or the SHU, would violate prisoner privacy, and there probably aren't any empty cells; without seeing the cell where all the inmates except the THU spend at least 22 hours a day, it's hard to really get a sense of what it must be like for prisoners at PBSP. I don't think this was a chance occurrence. The tour was very carefully orchestrated, to give us nothing to back up our beliefs about the prison in general and the SHU in particular. Nothing we saw on the tour really contradicted what Lt. Grundy was telling us.
But the words of the prisoners themselves go a long way in contradicting every one of Lt. Grundy's assertions. The following quotes are taken from letters sent to Bar None to read on our weekly radio show:
"I'm happy and enjoy people. They take that away from you. It's like we're dead. As the Catholics say, in purgatory. They've taken away everything that might give a little purpose to your life."
"The extreme isolation has an elusive way of slowly killing off the human spirit. At times it seems difficult for one to hang on to sanity, and I have been witness to seeing many lose it."
"Prison officials have refused to allow us anything that would enhance the quality of our lives."
"Locking people up for nearly 24 hours a day in windowless cells with nothing to do won't make anyone a better person fit for society."
Lt. Grundy is right. It's not only our right but also our responsibility to know what is going on in the jails and prisons littering our country. The people imprisoned in this country are parts of our communities, and when we allow them to be dehumanized, we all lose a bit of our humanity. We have a collective responsibility to learn about prisons, who is in them and how they are treated. We have a responsibility to learn about the inherent racism and classism in the "justice" system and how that is used to oppress certain communities. It is our responsibility to examine the things we are told, by prison officials and by politicians, about gangs, criminals, drugs and prison conditions.
Although I felt as though I didn't learn a huge amount of new information on the tour of PBSP, I am glad I went on it, and I encourage others to try to arrange tours through their local prisons. In California, Title 15 governs the operation of prisons and jails, and includes provisions for public access. Other states may have similar legislation. Whatever it takes, find out what is going on in the prisons. Pose as a church group. Take a tour. Get a pen pal. Read up on it. But, most of all, never trust the people who benefit from the prison industrial complex (either economically or in terms of power) to tell you what the prisons, or the prisoners, are like.


text:
Snowchange 2003: Conference Declaration
Conference on Indigenous Observations of Ecological and Climate Change
22-25 February 2003, Murmansk, Russia
As Arctic peoples have shown since time immemorial, life in the North requires flexibility. In the modern world, this principle applies not only to our physical and spiritual connections to the environment, but also to the legal, political and economic circumstances that affect our lives. To maintain and improve our ability to respond and adapt to climate change, or any other environmental disturbances, we must preserve a healthy, resilient environment and create human institutions based on participation, and respect. This course means aiming not for maximum economic use of resources, but for investment in environmental reserves and cultural diversity.
The world is in an accelerating spiral of change and uncertainty. Participants at Snowchange 2003, representing indigenous communities from around the Arctic, shared stories of common experiences. Temperatures are warmer and the weather is now unpredictable; the sea ice is thinner and freezes later in the fall and melts earlier in the spring, winter rains create thick layers of ice on the tundra. Species that form the basis of our traditional lifestyles -whales, seals, reindeer, and many birds- are under increasing threat from climate change.
We do not own the Earth, we just borrow it from future generations.
We, as participants at the Snowchange 2003 and representing a wide range of individuals and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), call on world leaders to replace the unrestrained use and misuse of natural resources with development that follows the principles of sustainability and respect for human and indigenous rights.
On behalf of our people, our children and in respect of our ancestors, we call upon responsible nationstates in general, and the Russian Federation in particular, as citizens of the global village and members of the United Nations who carry a responsibility to uphold international laws, ratified conventions and signed agreements, to immediately implement them.
We especially highlight the following actions:
Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by the Russian Federation to ensure its entry into force during 2003.
The establishment of mechanisms for involving indigenous people when evaluating impacts related to transportation on the Arctic Seas, and extractive and industrial developments in the North.
Ratification of the International Labor Organization Convention Number 169 concerning indigenous peoples and tribes in independent countries
Securing rights and cultural interests of indigenous peoples in relationships to forestry, tourism and lichen-industry.
The extension of an invitation to the UN-Special Rapporteur of Indigenous Peoples issues, Mr. Rudolfo Stavenhagen, for an official visit concerning the Sami people on Kola Peninsula in Murmansk oblast.
The incorporation of traditional uses on the land by indigenous people, including the hunting and harvesting of culturally significant species, into environmental protection plans.
The Snowchange process is one mechanism for providing indigenous peoples with a common forum for raising and discussing issues of concern to them and for sharing ideas for progress and improvement. Our future work and conferences will continue this effort, and we invite all who share our commitment and concerns to join us.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Dozens killed in suspected jihadist attack in Niger
By Euronews with AFP • last updated: 03/01/2021
A Nigerien soldier stands guard as Niger's outgoing president Mahamadou Issoufou arrives at a polling stating in Niamey on December 27, 2020. - Copyright ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP
Dozens of people were killed in an attack in Niger on Saturday, in a suspected jihadist attack.
The attack took place around 12:00 CET in the Tchomo-Bangou village in Tillabéri, a western region bordering Mali.
"The assailants surrounded the village and killed up to 50 people," a local radio journalist said anonymously. "The wounded have been evacuated to the hospital in Ouallam."
It came on the day provisional results for the first round of the presidential election, held on December 27, were released.
Mohamed Bazoum, the candidate for the ruling Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS) and a former interior minister, is in the lead with 39.3 per cent of the votes. Bazoum has vowed to strengthen the country's fight against Islamist groups.
The second round of the election is to be held on February 21.
Niger has been a target for jihadist attacks for years, particularly in the western and southeastern parts of the country.
On December 21, six days before the presidential poll, seven soldiers were killed in Tillabéri. In May 2020, twenty people, including children, were also killed in two of the region's villages.
Three French soldiers die in Mali after vehicle hit by improvised device
Niger votes in presidential and legislative elections
Schoolboys kidnapped in northwest Nigeria released
Jihadism
ARMED ATTACK


text:
Apple Fixes Critical Kernel Flaws in iOS and macOS
Apple has released a major update for iOS that carries fixes for a number of critical vulnerabilities, including 21 individual flaws that can lead to arbitrary code execution.
Many of those serious flaws are in the iOS kernel itself and an attacker who is able to exploit any of them would be able to run arbitrary code with kernel privileges. There are also four separate vulnerabilities in the IOMobileFrameBuffer component of iOS that can lead to kernel level privileges. In all, Apple fixed 42 vulnerabilities with the release of iOS 15.2.
The number and severity of the vulnerabilities patched in this iOS release is unusual and make it one for organizations to prioritize for employee devices. The same update is available for iPads.
A number of the same vulnerabilities were also patched in macOS Monterey, Catalina, and Big Sur, along with quite a number of other flaws. Four of the bugs specific to macOS are Gatekeeper bypasses that can allow an attacker to get around some of the privacy protections and safeguards built into macOS. Gatekeeper is the system Apple uses to check applications for known malware and to ensure the developer's code-signing certificate is still valid.
There are more than 40 individual vulnerabilities fixed in the new macOS Monterey 12.1 release, but Apple did not say there were any indications that any of the flaws in macOS or iOS are under active exploitation at this time.
Apple to Encrypt iCloud Backups, Enable Hardware Security Keys for 2FA
Apple plans to enable end-to-end encryption for iCloud backups and allow people to use hardware security keys for 2FA in the...
Apple Fixes Code Execution Flaw in Xcode
Apple has fixed four flaws in its Xcode IDE, including a remote code execution flaw in Git (CVE-2022-39260).
Apple Fixes Zero Day in iOS 16.1
Apple has fixed a kernel zero day in iOS 16.1, along with a huge number of vulnerabilities in macOS Ventura.


31 days. 31 years. 5 movies per year!
END OF THE ROAD! This has been a LOT of work, but I've thoroughly enjoyed doing it every day across October, and to all the readers who followed these posts each day – I thank you. I'm a mainstream kinda guy when it comes to horror movies, but I HOPE that one or two of my choices were new to some of you, and perhaps you will consider checking them out in the future.
This final post features five movie choices that come from 2015 AND 2016. Why? I shall tell you. It generally takes me a couple of years to 'catch up' with the many horror movies that come out each year, which means I simply haven't seen ENOUGH films from late 2015 and all of 2016 to create a separate list for each of them. I've seen some of the bigger releases (as you will notice), but there are still many smaller productions to discover, and that will happen over time.
Another crowd pleasing hit from James Wan, who really has become a bit of a horror directing hero. His movies are all about scares rather than blood and gore, so they aren't going to be praised by all, but I'm personally thrilled to see them making so much money. The original Conjuring was brilliant, and even though I need to see this again soon to be sure, I THINK the sequel was even better.
A 'horror western' starring the LEGEND Kurt Russell?? … I'll have some of that! Bone Tomahawk sounded awesome, and it WAS awesome. I love it when something comes along that dares to be different, and this really was a refreshingly original punch in the face. Russell was in SO many movies I loved when I was a kid, and it's a beautiful sight to see him still going strong all these years later.
Each year on Halloween night I NEVER fail to watch Halloween 3 and Trick'r Treat. On Christmas Day I have Rare Exports, Gremlins, and now Krampus! It's a keeper, I loved it!
Another one of those stylish horror movies we've been getting recently that seem to split opinions right down the middle. Many people think it's a modern masterpiece, while others just said it was a pretentious pile of crap. I personally thought it was visually stunning modern horror experience, but I CAN understand why it wouldn't appeal to everyone. I didn't fall in love with horror by watching movies like this, but if the genre stays strong because directors and writers are constantly trying to challenge our expectations and themselves, then that's good news for all of us.
Now, can we have a new Friday and Halloween asap PLEASE!


text:
Home » Archives for support@rmgdigitalsolutions.com
support@rmgdigitalsolutions.com
Dow, IBM, and SAP say they will lay off thousands of workers as belt-tightening becomes the new business priority Dow Inc., DOW 1.46%increase; green up pointing triangle International Business Machines Corp. IBM -0.04%decrease; red down-pointing triangle and SAP SAP -0.78%decrease; red down-pointing triangle SE joined the string of companies outlining plans to cut thousands of jobs to prepare for… Read More »Corporate Layoffs Spread Beyond High-Growth Tech Giants
The U.S. economy grew at a seemingly snappy pace in the waning months of 2022, but it appears to have gotten off to a tepid start in the new year. The first batch of reports on the health of the economy in the first quarter suggests… Read More »The U.S. economy doesn't look as good as GDP suggests
Many people resolve in the new year to get healthier. Taking charge of your financial wellness can help improve your physical health by lowering your anxiety about money issues. New Year's resolutions about taking better care of your health, reducing stress, or just "prioritizing self-care"… Read More »Financial Wellness Is Self-Care: 3 Steps to Help Improve Yours
CFOs should be aware of these data points on employment trends, CPI, and productivity going into 2023. CFOs are number-centric, data-driven thinkers. Through our Wednesday newsletters, we have brought you extensive content surrounding data, statistics, and the corresponding trends emerging from that data. Below are four… Read More »2023 Outlook: 4 Charts to Watch
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate fell to its lowest level in more than four months, giving some relief to homebuyers faced with higher prices for just about everything, including homes. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 6.13% on Thursday from 6.15% last… Read More »Mortgage rates continue a downward trend
A majority of Americans say they would struggle to pay for a $1,000 emergency expense, with a record share saying they would have to turn to credit cards to cover the cost, according to a new study released Wednesday. Only 4 in 10 Americans said… Read More »Faced with a $1,000 emergency, most Americans say they wouldn't have the money
Financial literacy and greater longevity awareness will help fix retirement planning gaps, according to a study that delved into multiple dimensions of undersaving. Many Americans head into their retirement years with little rigor in their planning, and then they find themselves nursing a bundle of… Read More »Why Older Americans Regret Not Saving Early and Enough
Being considered rich isn't just about how much money you make, it's where you live, too. State by state, the incomes the top 1% of earners in the U.S. bring in vary by over a half million dollars, according to a new analysis of 2022 incomes by… Read More »Here's how much money you need to earn to be in the top 1% in every U.S. state
IRS opens a free portal to file information returns; new electronic option can reduce millions of paper Forms 1099 estimated to be filed by businesses in 2023
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service announced today that businesses can now file Form 1099 series information returns using a new online portal, available free from the IRS. Known as the Information Returns Intake System (IRIS), this free electronic filing service is secure, and accurate… Read More »IRS opens a free portal to file information returns; new electronic option can reduce millions of paper Forms 1099 estimated to be filed by businesses in 2023
64% of CFOs Predict Net Profit Growth in 2023
CFOs are widely focused on reducing costs, spotting M&A opportunities, and restructuring supply chains, per Grant Thornton. The overall economy — and the issues it creates — are arguably the largest challenge for CFOs this year. Yet confidence to achieve growth is prevalent among financial executives, according… Read More »64% of CFOs Predict Net Profit Growth in 2023


text:
Congratulations to the 2021 Entrepreneurs of the Year!
By Columbia Entrepreneurship | May 14, 2021
Not only is this a year to applaud these entrepreneurs' tremendous professional success, but it is also a year to admire their dedication to making a positive impact on our planet and our communities with their work.
Donnel Baird '13BUS, Founder of BlocPower
Donnel Baird is the founder of BlocPower, a startup that markets, finances, and installs solar and energy efficiency technology to help houses of worship, non-profits, small businesses, and multifamily projects slash their energy costs.
BlocPower has raised $63M for its mission, which includes supporting high-paying jobs for workers in the communities the company hopes to serve.
Get to know Donnel, as "block by block, he aims to fight injustice and save the planet."
Alice Bosley '17SIPA and Patricia Letayf '17SIPA, Co-Founders of Five One Labs
Five One Labs runs startup incubators and co-working spaces in Erbil and Sulaimani in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq that help talented entrepreneurs in conflict-affected areas launch and grow their businesses. Since launching as the first incubator in Iraq in 2017, Five One Labs has provided training, access to a community, and funding to over 90 scalable startups in their incubation programs, and have reached thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs from across Iraq and Syria through other programs and support.
As entrepreneurs themselves, Alice and Patricia are driven by the mission to foster a network of innovators and fellow entrepreneurs who have the support, skills, and connections to make positive change in their local economies and communities.
Get to know Alice, Patricia, and Five One Labs.


text:
Red Devil Comics
CSPN LIVE
CSPN Podcast
Cardinal & White
Chaminade Basketball: A Force to be Reckoned With
As many people in the Chaminade community know, the Chaminade basketball team is the defending state champion team. Many people also know that after last season, we lost 4 division one players in our graduating class. What many people are not aware of though, is that this year we are one of the top contenders to win state once again. Even being ranked much lower than last year's team at the beginning of the season, everybody from the coach to the team manager had high expectations for this year's basketball team.
The head basketball coach, Frank Bennett, mentioned his expectations for the team saying, "My expectations coming into the season was for our guys to work hard and get better one day at a time … Because their work ethic allows them to get better every day, they are seeing the fruits of their labor in the wins column". Coming off a win against Althoff earlier this season, player Henry Gladson talked about this year's team saying, "I knew that we were going to be good, but I didn't expect us to be as good as last year, nor did I expect us to be the best team in the MCC. We are definitely playing at a higher level than anticipated". Although they were controversially ranked the number 2 seed in the MCC, the Chaminade basketball team still considers themselves to be the best team in the MCC.
When asked what was different about team this year, the manager Jack Westendorf stated, "This year we are closer as a team with a lot more team work". Although they may have lost a lot of talent from last year, the team has proven to have picked up their game in other aspects of basketball. Coach Frank Bennett talked about the new team in a strategic sense stating, "The biggest difference between this year's team and last year's is that the ball moves quickly. Offensively, our strength is in our deep bench so we push tempo and move the ball as quickly as possible. Defensively, we are more aggressive in the full court as we press more than last year.
All in all, we must do everything on court by committee rather than relying on last year's highly recruited players". There is an obvious emphasis on teamwork and less reliance on individual skill, which seems to be the secret recipe for this year's Chaminade basketball team. On the topic of this year's team compared to last year's team, star player Jericole Hellems said, "There is a big difference, but it's nothing we can't handle". Clearly a lot of confidence coming from the whole team, which is a good sign for the start of playoffs this week.
The Chaminade basketball team will open up the playoffs against the Ladue Rams. Finishing the regular season with a record of 20-5, Chaminade proved a lot of people wrong. While there is still room for improvement, they go into the state tournament with supreme confidence and high hopes. Still out to prove everyone wrong, the team has their eyes set on one thing, and one thing only: a repeat State Championship.
Chaminade Football Victory
Stellar Season Ahead for CCP Basketball
Friday Night Football: Chaminade vs. Lift for Life Academy
Hockey Season Heats Up
Will Zalatoris, The Peoples' Champ
Rugby Open Season with a Blowout Win
Chaminade Baseball is Back!
Chaminade Beats Poplar Bluff, Advances to 6th Final Four in 7 Years
Tennis Season Back in Full Swing
Mayo Sinks Buzzer Beater to Claim District Title over CBC
Your source for the latest Chaminade news. For students, by students. Since 1917.


text:
Picton  is a small town in the Macarthur Region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Wollondilly Shire, in south-western Sydney. The town is located approximately 90 kilometres south-west of Sydney, close to Camden and Campbelltown. It is also the administrative centre of Wollondilly Shire.

History
Picton was first explored by Europeans in 1798 and remained beyond the limits of legal settlement until 1821.  Following the discovery of good land in the interior and the settlement of Bong Bong and the Goulburn areas, Governor Macquarie authorised the building of the new Great South Road between Sydney and the Southern Highlands in 1819.   This opened up the Picton area to settlers, including Henry Colden Antill, who established a  property in 1822.

Picton developed when a new line of the Great South Road was cut over the Razorback Range from Camden, and especially after the railway arrived in 1863. Picton is the only town in the Southern Hemisphere that one can pass through twice (see Picton railway station) when travelling by train.  It was established as Stonequarry in 1841 and was renamed Picton in 1845.  It was named for Sir Thomas Picton, a British army officer (noted for cruelty) who died at the Battle of Waterloo. It remained a stopping point on the Great South Road, later renamed the Hume Highway, until it was bypassed in December 1980.

One house was destroyed by bushfire in the Nangarin Estate located on the western outskirts of Picton, from a fire front originating from Lakesland in September 2006.

Heritage listings
Picton has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
 Hume Highway Deviation: Jarvisfield
 Main Southern railway: Picton railway station
 Main Southern railway: Stonequarry Creek railway viaduct, Picton
 Oaks Road: Abbotsford
 Prince Street: Victoria Bridge, Picton

Landmarks
Picton is home to many historic buildings, including two types of bridges not found easily anymore elsewhere in the state - Victoria Bridge a timber trestle bridge that crosses Stonequarry Creek, opened in 1897, and the 'Picton Railway Viaduct' a stone viaduct opened in 1863 to also cross Stonequarry Creek.

The viaduct is still in use by the railways. Ghost tours are conducted in some of the historic buildings and inside the disused railway tunnel on Redbank Range, where residents and visitors claim to have experienced paranormal activity. The abandoned tunnel was used to store mustard gas spray tanks during World War II.

The George IV Inn, reputedly constructed in 1839, is considered to be one of the oldest hotel buildings in Australia. The cellar contains remnants of convict shackles as prisoners being transported from Sydney to Berrima prison would often be held in Picton overnight. The barn behind the hotel may date back to 1810 and is possibly the oldest building in Picton - it is used for functions such as birthday and engagement parties. The hotel is also the location of Scharer's Little Brewery, one of the first microbreweries in Australia and winner of numerous awards for its Burragorang Bock and Scharer's Lager beers.

Nangarin Estate
Nangarin Vineyard Estate or simply Nangarin Estate is a modern village to the west and part of Picton.  The estate is one of New South Wales' first residential vineyard projects. The village community manages and maintains the vineyards, residential construction and community facilities. The village is protected by legal covenants to ensure the community manages the village.

Population
According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 4,816 people in Picton.
 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 2.4% of the population.
 81.1% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was England at 4.6%.
 89.4% of people only spoke English at home.
 The most common responses for religion were Catholic 27.6%, Anglican 26.7%, No Religion 23.7%, and Picton 12.4%

Transport
Picton railway station is on the Southern Highlands line with a relatively infrequent service with trains running every 30m (peak) – 2 hours (off peak).

The town is located on the Old Hume Highway.

Sport and recreation
Picton also has both senior and junior rugby league and soccer teams. And Picton Netball Club has teams for all age groups. Meanwhile, the Picton Photography Club, called Depictin' Picton, meets every other Saturday to share photos of the local area taken by residents.

The Picton Botanical Gardens were established in 1986.

Climate
Picton has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with hot summers and cool winters. Owing to its inland location in a valley, it has a relatively high diurnal range throughout the year.

See also
 Jarvisfield, Picton

References

External links

Picton - SYDNEY.com

Towns in the Macarthur (New South Wales)
Wollondilly Shire

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
package wavefront

import (
	"log"
	"strconv"
	"strings"
	"sync"

	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/outputs/wavefront"
)

// WavefrontSerializer : WavefrontSerializer struct
type WavefrontSerializer struct {
	Prefix         string
	UseStrict      bool
	SourceOverride []string
	scratch        buffer
	mu             sync.Mutex // buffer mutex
}

// catch many of the invalid chars that could appear in a metric or tag name
var sanitizedChars = strings.NewReplacer(
	"!", "-", "@", "-", "#", "-", "$", "-", "%", "-", "^", "-", "&", "-",
	"*", "-", "(", "-", ")", "-", "+", "-", "`", "-", "'", "-", "\"", "-",
	"[", "-", "]", "-", "{", "-", "}", "-", ":", "-", ";", "-", "<", "-",
	">", "-", ",", "-", "?", "-", "/", "-", "\\", "-", "|", "-", " ", "-",
	"=", "-",
)

// catch many of the invalid chars that could appear in a metric or tag name
var strictSanitizedChars = strings.NewReplacer(
	"!", "-", "@", "-", "#", "-", "$", "-", "%", "-", "^", "-", "&", "-",
	"*", "-", "(", "-", ")", "-", "+", "-", "`", "-", "'", "-", "\"", "-",
	"[", "-", "]", "-", "{", "-", "}", "-", ":", "-", ";", "-", "<", "-",
	">", "-", "?", "-", "\\", "-", "|", "-", " ", "-", "=", "-",
)

var tagValueReplacer = strings.NewReplacer("\"", "\\\"", "*", "-")

var pathReplacer = strings.NewReplacer("_", ".")

func NewSerializer(prefix string, useStrict bool, sourceOverride []string) (*WavefrontSerializer, error) {
	s := &WavefrontSerializer{
		Prefix:         prefix,
		UseStrict:      useStrict,
		SourceOverride: sourceOverride,
	}
	return s, nil
}

func (s *WavefrontSerializer) serialize(buf *buffer, m telegraf.Metric) {
	const metricSeparator = "."

	for fieldName, value := range m.Fields() {
		var name string

		if fieldName == "value" {
			name = s.Prefix + m.Name()
		} else {
			name = s.Prefix + m.Name() + metricSeparator + fieldName
		}

		if s.UseStrict {
			name = strictSanitizedChars.Replace(name)
		} else {
			name = sanitizedChars.Replace(name)
		}

		name = pathReplacer.Replace(name)

		metricValue, valid := buildValue(value, name)
		if !valid {
			// bad value continue to next metric
			continue
		}
		source, tags := buildTags(m.Tags(), s)
		metric := wavefront.MetricPoint{
			Metric:    name,
			Timestamp: m.Time().Unix(),
			Value:     metricValue,
			Source:    source,
			Tags:      tags,
		}
		formatMetricPoint(&s.scratch, &metric, s)
	}
}

// Serialize : Serialize based on Wavefront format
func (s *WavefrontSerializer) Serialize(m telegraf.Metric) ([]byte, error) {
	s.mu.Lock()
	s.scratch.Reset()
	s.serialize(&s.scratch, m)
	out := s.scratch.Copy()
	s.mu.Unlock()
	return out, nil
}

func (s *WavefrontSerializer) SerializeBatch(metrics []telegraf.Metric) ([]byte, error) {
	s.mu.Lock()
	s.scratch.Reset()
	for _, m := range metrics {
		s.serialize(&s.scratch, m)
	}
	out := s.scratch.Copy()
	s.mu.Unlock()
	return out, nil
}

func findSourceTag(mTags map[string]string, s *WavefrontSerializer) string {
	if src, ok := mTags["source"]; ok {
		delete(mTags, "source")
		return src
	}
	for _, src := range s.SourceOverride {
		if source, ok := mTags[src]; ok {
			delete(mTags, src)
			mTags["telegraf_host"] = mTags["host"]
			return source
		}
	}
	return mTags["host"]
}

func buildTags(mTags map[string]string, s *WavefrontSerializer) (string, map[string]string) {
	// Remove all empty tags.
	for k, v := range mTags {
		if v == "" {
			delete(mTags, k)
		}
	}
	source := findSourceTag(mTags, s)
	delete(mTags, "host")
	return tagValueReplacer.Replace(source), mTags
}

func buildValue(v interface{}, name string) (val float64, valid bool) {
	switch p := v.(type) {
	case bool:
		if p {
			return 1, true
		}
		return 0, true
	case int64:
		return float64(p), true
	case uint64:
		return float64(p), true
	case float64:
		return p, true
	case string:
		// return false but don't log
		return 0, false
	default:
		// log a debug message
		log.Printf("D! Serializer [wavefront] unexpected type: %T, with value: %v, for :%s\n",
			v, v, name)
		return 0, false
	}
}

func formatMetricPoint(b *buffer, metricPoint *wavefront.MetricPoint, s *WavefrontSerializer) []byte {
	b.WriteChar('"')
	b.WriteString(metricPoint.Metric)
	b.WriteString(`" `)
	b.WriteFloat64(metricPoint.Value)
	b.WriteChar(' ')
	b.WriteUint64(uint64(metricPoint.Timestamp))
	b.WriteString(` source="`)
	b.WriteString(metricPoint.Source)
	b.WriteChar('"')

	for k, v := range metricPoint.Tags {
		b.WriteString(` "`)
		if s.UseStrict {
			b.WriteString(strictSanitizedChars.Replace(k))
		} else {
			b.WriteString(sanitizedChars.Replace(k))
		}
		b.WriteString(`"="`)
		b.WriteString(tagValueReplacer.Replace(v))
		b.WriteChar('"')
	}

	b.WriteChar('\n')

	return *b
}

type buffer []byte

func (b *buffer) Reset() { *b = (*b)[:0] }

func (b *buffer) Copy() []byte {
	p := make([]byte, len(*b))
	copy(p, *b)
	return p
}

func (b *buffer) WriteString(s string) {
	*b = append(*b, s...)
}

// This is named WriteChar instead of WriteByte because the 'stdmethods' check
// of 'go vet' wants WriteByte to have the signature:
//
// 	func (b *buffer) WriteByte(c byte) error { ... }
//
func (b *buffer) WriteChar(c byte) {
	*b = append(*b, c)
}

func (b *buffer) WriteUint64(val uint64) {
	*b = strconv.AppendUint(*b, val, 10)
}

func (b *buffer) WriteFloat64(val float64) {
	*b = strconv.AppendFloat(*b, val, 'f', 6, 64)
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
class NgrokController {
}

module.exports = NgrokController;


We read somewhere that 97% of the world's population loves fighter pilots. With that statistic in mind, we feel it's imperative to respond to the cry of the masses that yearn to hear the point of view of the fighter pilot with respect to concerns of the day.
Here at the Fighter Pilot University WTFO Blog we will do just that. We will comment on the world, the people and the issues that are happening around the globe. It may be a statement about an every day occurrence as insignificant as a man trying to rescue his cat from a tree only to end up requiring his own rescue by the fire department from the very same tree. Or, it could be driving commentary about a world leader, political figure or entertainment celebrity.
Fighter Pilot University knew that it was only a matter of time before you asked for this necessary service. We know you want to read what fighter pilots think about the things impacting your life.
If you have a topic that concerns you, one that you would like addressed by a fighter pilot, send it to us. Volume of requests may delay a response but, rest assured, we know our opinion is important to you because it certainly is important to us.


text:
Cyprus strips nine Russians of 'golden passport' citizenship
Thursday, November 7, 2019 10:00:35 AM
The government of Cyprus has revoked 26 so-called "golden passports" that were issued to foreigners in exchange for investments. According to the Cypriot news agency Sigmalive, this has affected nine Russians, eight Cambodians, five Chinese, two Kenyans, one Iranian and one Malaysian. The news outlet clarifies that only nine of those affected are the investors, the rest are their family members.
Nicos Anastasiades, President of Cyprus, announced on November 4 that the country's government would revoke the Cypriot passports issued to investors if it became clear that they had been issued erroneously. The head of state explained that there have been 10-15 "egregious cases" in which persons suspected of money laundering or linked to authoritarian governments have been able to acquire golden passports. The president also promised to resign if it becomes clear that his own law firm also facilitated the illegitimate acquisition of passports.
Cyprus launched its scheme to grant citizenship in exchange for investments in the island state's economy following a banking crisis in 2013. According to the country's Ministry of Finance, 1,864 applications have been approved since then (not counting family members), which has brought €6.6 billion in investments into the economy.
The government stepped up the requirements for obtaining golden passports in February 2019. The required investment amount was increased from €2 to €2.5 million. The government also introduced two mandatory €75,000 contributions, one to the Research and Innovation Fund and one to the Corporation for Developing Land Resources for the purpose of building affordable housing, the local news agency Financial Mirror reported.
Cyprus, Russia


text:
Q: Finding a formula for a series/sequence I need help with finding a formula for the following sequence:
$3$rd term = $2.03$
$4$th term = $3.06$
$5$th term = $4.11$
$6$th term = $5.18$
I'm not trying to find what comes before or after, only a formula for this part of the sequence.
I have some general ideas like $n-1$ for the whole numbers, but its the decimals that I'm unsure of. If it was the 1st 2nd 3rd and 4th term it wouldn't have been that difficult since it would have been something like $(n-1)+((n^2-2)/100)$. However, since its the 3rd 4th 5th and 6th terms, I don't know how to set up a formula

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
from __future__ import unicode_literals

from django.db import migrations, models
import django.db.models.deletion

class Migration(migrations.Migration):

    dependencies = [
        ('lugar', '0001_initial'),
        ('productores', '0004_auto_20170406_1453'),
    ]

    operations = [
        migrations.CreateModel(
            name='BPAPregunta',
            fields=[
                ('id', models.AutoField(auto_created=True, primary_key=True, serialize=False, verbose_name='ID')),
                ('respuesta', models.CharField(choices=[('Si', 'Si'), ('No', 'No')], max_length=5)),
                ('encuesta', models.ForeignKey(on_delete=django.db.models.deletion.CASCADE, to='productores.Encuesta')),
            ],
            options={
                'verbose_name_plural': '\xbfAplica Buenas Pr\xe1cticas Agr\xedcolas (BPA)?',
            },
        ),
        migrations.CreateModel(
            name='Promedio',
            fields=[
                ('id', models.AutoField(auto_created=True, primary_key=True, serialize=False, verbose_name='ID')),
                ('anio', models.IntegerField()),
                ('precio_promedio', models.FloatField()),
                ('costo_promedio', models.FloatField()),
                ('rendimiento_promedio', models.FloatField()),
                ('ingreso_promedio', models.FloatField()),
            ],
        ),
        migrations.CreateModel(
            name='PromedioNacional',
            fields=[
                ('id', models.AutoField(auto_created=True, primary_key=True, serialize=False, verbose_name='ID')),
                ('cultivo', models.IntegerField(choices=[(1, 'Caf\xe9'), (2, 'Cacao'), (3, 'Hortaliza')])),
                ('pais', models.ForeignKey(on_delete=django.db.models.deletion.CASCADE, to='lugar.Pais')),
            ],
            options={
                'verbose_name': 'Promedio Nacional',
                'verbose_name_plural': 'Promedios Nacionales',
            },
        ),
        migrations.AddField(
            model_name='promedio',
            name='promedio_nacional',
            field=models.ForeignKey(on_delete=django.db.models.deletion.CASCADE, to='productores.PromedioNacional'),
        ),
    ]


An important part in the relaunched Hapag-Asa Feeding Program is educating parents whose children are enrolled in the Program, on Effective Parenting, Health and Nutrition, Responsible Parenthood and Livelihood. Also important is giving these child participants Early Childhood Education (ECE) through unstructured fun learning activities on Practical Life Skills and Values, Music and the Arts.
In this connection we invite you to join the Commission on Service to Human Promotion (COSHP) to the "Training of Trainors" on Parents' Education and Early Childhood Education on 4 AUGUST 2018, SATURDAY, 8AM – 5PM at the Villonco Hall, Diocesan Center for Evangelization, Villonco Road, Sucat, Paranaque City. As in previous activities, parishes are expected to provide food and transport to their participants.
We hope you will actively participate in this endeavor to enable us to cascade PE (Parents' Education) and ECE (Early Childhood Education) to our PCs (Parish Communities).
With Jesus, the Lord of Mercy and Pardon, we look forward to seeing you soon.


text:
Benhall is a small district within the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. It lies south-west of the town centre, just south of the A40, the main road to Gloucester, and north of the district of Up Hatherley. It falls mainly within the Anglican parish of St Mark.

Much of the area consists of the Benhall (originally Benhall Farm) Estate, developed mainly in the late 1950s and early 1960s on land that had previously been farmland (mainly pasture), and takes its name from the farm that formerly stood there (at the site of the current Notgrove Close). The district is divided in two by a stream with steep banks, surrounded by a narrow area of grass and woodland. Many of the roads are named after villages in the surrounding countryside. "Robert Burns Avenue" was named after the Scottish poet, after complaints that he was not among the poets with roads named after them in the older St Mark's estate (Tennyson, Byron, Shakespeare, etc.), even though he had a personal link with Cheltenham (his sons retired to the town).

St Mark's Church of England Junior School and Benhall Infants School, along with a playgroup, are located on Robert Burns Avenue in Benhall.

The last census recorded the population of Benhall at 3260. The area has an active residents' association. In local government it forms part of the ward of Benhall and the Reddings. The population of this Ward in the 2011 Census was 5,071.

There are 1,362 households within the Benhall district and an average unemployment rate of 1.7%.

Benhall is the location of 'The Doughnut', the nickname given to the headquarters of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the British intelligence agency who specialise in signals intelligence and cryptography.

References

External links
Benhall Residents' Association contact details - Cheltenham Partnership web site
Benhall area guide - Cheltenham4u web site

Benhall


text:
Q: NoReverseMatch at /blog/redirect2 I'm new to django and I've been trying to test the URLs redirection methods I've tried two options but the return render() keeps giving me this error of no reverse match
this is my urls.py code :

app_name = 'blog'

urlpatterns = [
    # path('about', views.about, name = 'about'),
    path('about.html', views.about, name='about'),
    path('home.html', views.home, name='home'),
    # path('home', views.home,  name ="home")
    path('redirect', views.redirect_view),
    path('redirection_fct',views.redirection_fct, name='redir_fct'),
    #redirection par la fonction as_view
    path('redirect1', RedirectView.as_view(url='http://127.0.0.1:8000/blog/redirection_fct')),
    path('redirect2', views.redirect_view1),

]

and this is my views file :
def about(request):
    return render(request, 'about.html', {})

def home(request):
    return render(request, 'home.html', {})

#redirection par HttpResponseRedirect

def redirect_view(request):
    return HttpResponseRedirect("redirection_fct")

def redirect_view1(request):
    return redirect('redir_fct')

def redirection_fct(request):
    return render(request, 'redirection.html', {})

Is there something wrong with my URLs pattern or it is the render one?

A: Is this the urls.py on your app? How do you include it on your project urls.py, if you have a namespace for it, then you probably need something like:
def redirect_view1(request):
    return redirect('blog:redir_fct')

You can try running from a django shell:
from django.urls import get_resolver
print(get_resolver().reverse_dict.keys())


text:
Samsung Gear IconX review: Almost perfect, but with one fatal flaw
A quick dip in the river Styx
by Adam MolinaFebruary 19, 2019
Earbud: 18.9 (W) x 21.8 (D) x 22.8(H) mm / Case: 73.4 (W) x 44.5 (D) x 31.4(H) mm
Earbud: 8.0g per earbud / Case: 54.5g
SM-R140NZKAXAR
Surprisingly good sound
IPX2 sweat-proof
Clunky case
Touch-sensitive playback controls suck
There's been plenty of talk around the Samsung Gear IconX; though they are definitely a solid pair of true wireless earbuds, they have one fatal flaw: the battery life.
The Gear IconX have a great fit, and never fell out of my ear during exercise.
As the headphone jack disappears from more and more devices, the push towards Bluetooth headphones is a continually growing market. With that comes the push for more unique and futuristic designs that will make people happy about ditching cables, such as true wireless earbuds. There are plenty of options available ranging from small off-brand models you can find online, to some of the biggest companies in the world. Of course, there are options like the Apple AirPods, but Samsung released an impressive pair of true wireless earbuds dubbed the Gear IconX. These have plenty of fanfare around them, and they have a lot of great features. Then again, those benefits come at a hefty cost, so should you suck it up and get a pair anyway?
Editor's note: This review was updated on February 19th, 2019 to reflect market changes as well as to reflect changes in pricing. New and relevant information was also added throughout.
Who are the Samsung Gear IconX for?
Android users (preferably Samsung). Though you can connect these to an iOS device without a problem, some of its best features like real-time coaching and ambient sound pass-through are only available via the Android app.
The average gym go-er. If you're a hardcore gym rat, these might not do it for you because of their sub-par battery life. They simply won't last as long as you might need them to. That said, the fit and sound quality is good enough that if you only exercise for 45 minutes after work, the battery might be worth dealing with.
Where do they stand in 2019?
So while most of what is said in this review remain unchanged about the Samsung Gear Icon X, that's not true of the true wireless market as a whole. There have been plenty of new releases since the release o this review. Not only are there other premium options to choose from now like the Master and Dynamic MW07 and Sennheiser Momentum True wireless earbuds, but there's also a number of other picks that won't even cost you more than $100.
The minimal Master & Dynamic logo also doesn't look half bad.
Notably, even those picks have fared better in our battery testing than the Icon X which remain at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to battery life testing. So if you're not 100% sold on these but still want a pair of true wireless 'buds definitely check out our list for some solid options. Of course, you won't get a lot of the health features or the discreet design that makes Samsung products so appealing, but they're still worth checking out.
Furthermore, rumors are that Samsung is gearing up (pun intended) to announce a new pair of true wireless 'buds tomorrow alongside the Galaxy S10. That means that the original Icon X will likely drop in price once there is a newer version making them an easier buy for most people. Of course, none of the cons in this review change just because the price has dropped, but it does make the issues a little more palatable.
Connecting to the Gear IconX
The IconX have quick charging that gives you a claimed one hour of playback in ten minutes.
Let's start off with one of the more important aspects of true wireless headphones: connecting to them. I was using the iPhone X and connecting was just as simple as connecting to any other Bluetooth device. There's a small Bluetooth pairing button on the back of the pill-shaped charging case that allows you to connect to it pretty quickly. Obviously, it isn't as fast and seamless as connecting to the AirPods with an iOS device, but the Gear IconX have a few other tricks up their sleeves that's not available on iPhones so I guess we can call it even. I'll explain some of these in the paragraphs to come, but here's the full list via Samsung.
The Gear IconX are missing some of its best features if you're not using an Android device.
Once paired, the earbuds automatically turn on and connect to your phone as soon as you take them out of the case, which is always something I expect with true wireless earbuds. Furthermore, Samsung decided to only put in the Samsung Scalable Codec, so unless you have a compatible Android phone, you're going to be downgraded to the standard SBC codec. This is especially true with iOS devices as they only have AAC compatibility. We'll get more into what this means for the sound quality later, but while we're on the subject make sure to check out the full codec explainer article to understand why they're so important.
As far as playback controls go, nothing is OS-specific. Whether you're on Android or iOS: you'll be able to pause or play music with a single tap, skip between songs with a double or triple tap, and adjust volume by swiping up or down. Double-tapping answers a phone call, and tapping once and holding rejects a call. You can also double tap and hold to choose between playlists, because the Gear Icon X has 4GB of built-in storage. This means that you can exercise without your phone.
The charging capsule of the Gear IconX is pill-shaped, and though it's well-built it's awkward to carry in your pocket.
Of course, doing this requires the use of the Android app—sorry Apple users, you're out of luck. You'll have to transfer music the old-fashioned way—via your computer and the included USB cable. That isn't the only feature you'll miss out on if you're rocking an iOS device. You also don't get some of the health tracking features like real-time coaching and you'll also miss out on ambient noise passthrough, which lets you hear what's going on around you through the headphones. However, that particular feature is so buried in the settings with no apparent shortcut on the earbuds that I don't think too many people will miss it. Though it is useful if you're going to be going for a run outside and want to be aware of your surrounding. Playback was also fairly solid with only a few dropped connections in during my testing period. Though they did occur, I don't think they were frequent enough to be of any concern.
How's the build quality?
Samsung has a good reputation when it comes to build quality, and the Samsung Gear IconX is no exception. The charging case is small and made of a smooth plastic; though, because of the pill shape, it's a little awkward to carry around. I find it easier to chuck it into a backpack instead of finding space in my pockets. Once you open the case, you'll get the earbuds which are IPX2 sweat-resistant, so you won't have to worry about damaging them during an intense workout.
When you remove the earbuds from their case they automatically connect to the last paired device.
In my opinion, one of the best features of these earbuds is the fit. They're small, so they don't stick out of your ears in the same ridiculous way others do, and the silicone ear tips keep each earbud firmly in place during exercise. I went trail running and didn't feel the need to adjust them at all, even throughout the sloping hills and occasional trip-ups. Normally I'd have to swap out the ear tips for some Comply memory foam ones, but that wasn't the case here. Of course, they do come with some other options, so you can find which one works best for you. They come in black, white, or pink, so you can choose which one best matches your workout clothes (all-black everything in my case). Since there aren't buttons on the earbuds, it maintains a minimal design.
The earbuds are small and have a minimal design that won't make them stand out.
Which brings me to one of my biggest complaints about these earbuds: the playback controls. Rather than buttons, Samsung went with small, touch-sensitive pads on the earbuds. And they suck. Either the touch area is too small or my fingers are too big (unlikely), but I almost always end up pausing the music when I'm trying to skip to the next song… or skipping to the next song when I'm trying to adjust the volume. I'm sure that memorizing the different combination of taps will help to some extent, but I think the controls are fundamentally flawed. To the point where if someone came up to ask me something, I would just take the earbuds out of my ear rather than bother trying to tap them.
And then there's the battery life
If the Samsung Gear IconX has one fatal flaw, it's the battery life. Whoever it was at Samsung that designed these earbuds and dipped them into the River Styx must have been holding them by the battery. Though Samsung claims about five hours of constant streaming, we barely managed to scrape 1.5 hours in each of our three test runs. The chart seen below is borrowed from our true wireless list and makes it clear how bad the battery life is. Something worth noting is that the chart below is automatically updated as we test new products and input the information. So even now in 2019, after having reviewed these headphones so long ago, they're still at the bottom of the list. The battery is that bad.
We do our testing by adjusting the volume to an output of 75dB. While this won't damage your hearing, it's about the maximum level you'd want to listen at if you want to avoid damage to your stereocilia. Then we let them play until they died. On three separate occasions, they died well before the second hour. I also used these for our weekly team meeting on a group call and though the quality was fine, the right earbud died one hour into the meeting. On the bright side, these do have quick charging, so only 10 minutes in the charging case gives you another hour of juice. Speaking of which, the case charges via USB Type-C, which is especially good if you have a relatively new Android phone as they all pretty much charge via the same cable now.
Let's talk sound
As we mentioned earlier the Samsung Gear IconX doesn't have any high-quality codecs, so anything you listen to is going to be streamed via SBC—the lowest common denominator in terms of data delivery. But despite the technical limitation, the IconX sound surprisingly good. We tested the frequency response and, as you can see in the chart below, they're fairly flat.
It may have a few tasteful alterations, but this frequency response is the best of all tested. It's also the easiest to equalize.
This means that if you choose to EQ your music via the Samsung Gear app you can achieve some meaningful tweaks. I didn't make any changes, so everything in this section was done with the sound the Samsung Gear IconX have fresh out of the box.
The higher notes were decently separated considering these are wireless earbuds. You can hear this about 2:34 minutes into the song American Teen by Khalid where the detail in the echoes and reverb of the random percussion elements and snaps can be distinctly heard over the vocals. This isn't just limited to the treble, though; the same can be said about the vocals in the song The Cave by Mumford & Sons.
Even when things get a little crowded about a minute and a half into the song, vocals, and the guitar are easy to make out. To be fair, the banjo gets lost, so the level of detail isn't perfect or amazing in any way, just impressive considering the small size here. I will say that my least favorite part of these might be the lower notes. In songs that rely on strong sub-bass, the IconX end up trying a little too hard to make it work resulting in what can only be described as faking it.
You can hear this in the song Take by Arin Ray, where the sub-bass that's supposed to be weaving everything together in the background ends up sounding more up front like the main melody. Something that becomes even more apparent when the beat switches up at 2:44, and the bass is basically all you can make out.
The Gear IconX have a great fit and never fell out of my ear during exercise.
One negative thing about the Gear IconX are the finicky touch-sensitive playback controls along the outside.
The Samsung Gear IconX are so close to being my favorite pair of true wireless earbuds. I can see why so many people like them. They sound just as good if not better than other earbuds on the market, they have a great sweat-proof build, helpful fitness features, as well as a minimal design that won't make you look like a wannabe robot from the future. But there are some fatal flaws that I just can't get behind. I might be able to dismiss the fact that plenty of key features are missing on iOS devices, because—as annoying as it is—that seems to be the norm when it comes to rival tech companies. Then there are the playback controls which, in my experience, were inconsistent and basically useless. But the battery life is inexcusable.
I run at least twice a week, and I don't even consider myself a runner. But these don't even have enough juice to last until the end of my run. I can only imagine how annoying it would be for someone who is actually in great shape and needs headphones that will last as long as their workouts. If you exercise often but don't usually spend more than two hours in the gym, then you might be able to make these work especially now that the price is likely to drop once a newer version is announced. Still, even then you'll likely be better off with some other options that won't die so quickly.
Don't think the Samsung Gear Icon X are right for you? Check out some other options!
Best running earbuds
Samsung Gear IconX
Bluetooth Headphones Headphones In Ear Headphones Reviews
Best smartphones for audio
Grado SR60e International Giveaway [Sound Guys Monthly –...
May 1, 20171 comments
Deal: Save $65 on Samsung Level U Pro Bluetooth headphones, now...
Sennheiser and Samsung will bring Ambeo 3D audio tech to Android
These AKG earbuds come free with the Samsung Galaxy S8
April 18, 201738 comments
Deal: Snag Samsung Gear IconX Bluetooth earbuds for $55 off


Last week's review of the changes in Russia over the past 10 years might have appeared rosier than the situation dictates. From a visitor's viewpoint, many conditions have improved dramatically, but Russia still has major problems that will take longer to solve. Among them is the country's infrastructure, which appears to have seen little improvement since my last visit in 1990.
We paused for a moment at the nondescript entrance, then walked into an office that could have been in the fanciest company headquarters on LaSalle Street: classic furniture in dark woods, carpeted floors, art on the walls, computers on most of the desks. What appears to be happening is that private business is investing in infrastructure, but government isn't doing it.
Another example of that is Sheremetyevo Airport, which is just as drab and forbidding as it was 10 years ago. The only note of improvement is a new duty-free shop. The Aeroflot plane on which I flew out of Moscow looked like a relic from World War II. It was the first time I had ever encountered a tray table made of plywood.
Another Russian reality is the incredible bureaucracy one must go through for even the simplest task. Recently, the Russian chapter of an international business association based in New York alerted headquarters that it needed a copy of the minutes of the board meeting at which the chapter was approved for membership, so it could be registered with the Russian government. The minutes had to be notarized by a public notary of Nassau County. Then, the clerk of the Nassau County Supreme Court had to certify that the notary was certified. Then, the deputy secretary of state of New York had to verify that the county clerk was actually the county clerk and that he was actually the deputy secretary of state. The minutes then had to be registered as a public document.
Maybe help is on the way. President-elect Vladimir Putin has promised to simplify the country's Byzantine tax code, cut away at the bureaucracy and streamline business regulations. It can't happen fast enough.
When Time Inc. brass decided that the May issue of Life magazine would be its last, I was tempted to write a little piece about it. But then, I thought, that would be like writing somebody's obituary twice. Back in 1972, as marketing columnist for the old Chicago Daily News, I wrote the front-page story reporting the demise of Life magazine. It was a major story because Life was then the world's pre-eminent example of photojournalism.
In pre-television days, Americans followed the progress of World War II in its pages, searching every black-and-white picture from the Europe and Asia fronts in hopes of catching a glimpse of a son, a husband, a boyfriend. At its height, Life had a circulation of 8 million weekly, but it was no competition for television. It was resurrected as a monthly photo journal in 1978, but never recaptured the glory of its early years.
In exploring the notion a few weeks back of advertisers buying the names of arenas, theaters and other building, I mentioned tongue-in-cheek that we might someday see a hospital named after Tums, the popular heartburn remedy. Little did I know that I was way behind the times. Reader Jodi Palmer of Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood tells me that the Tulane University Medical Center is already called Tums by the acronym cognoscenti of New Orleans.
Joe Cappo's e-mail address is [email protected].


2196 people viewed this event.
Event Summary: 1 Nights Camping, Special Holi Celebration with DJ Music, Natural Colours, Gulal, Delicious Meal with Snacks, Pool party and River Rafting.
On 20th March, Meet your co-traveller and board the vehicle to Rishikesh from Kashmiri Gate Metro Station or Jhandewalan Metro Station at 10:00PM.
Reach Rishikesh bus stand and get Cab or Local bus our campsite early in the morning. Get fresh n up and have your breakfast before we start Holi party. We will be enjoying half day Holi party with Music Party & Gulal. Have your lunch in the afternoon and take some rest. In the evening, we will visit the white sand beach to witness the beautiful sunrise. Have your dinner & overnight stay in camp.
Start your morning with hot breakfast and prepare yourself for Rafting. Enjoy thrilling 10Kms rafting from Marine Drive to Shivpuri, Body Surfing & Cliff Jump. Enjoy Maggie at Maggie Point. Get yourself changed at sharing changing room and depart for Delhi. We will stop enroute for Lunch and reach Delhi by 10PM.
Both side AC Volvo Bus From Delhi.
24 Hours Jungle Camping on triple basis.
3 Meals: 1 Lunch, 1 Breakfast, 1 Dinner.. With Snacks in Evening.
10 Kms river rafting from Marine Drive to Shivpuri.
Swimming Pool Holi Party With Gulal.
Welcome to our Adventure Camp. We invite you to step on board and enjoy an awesome ride with us, as we take you on a trip across the majestic mountains.
We offer you an array of adventures from white water rafting, trekking, camping, and bungy jumping, less-known but more-interesting trekking paths, and a whole lot more. We customize our services to suit your budget, interests, and needs.
The camp is easily accessible by road from Hardwar as it is well connected by a road which goes from Haridwar-Rishikesh and towards Badrinath.
The camp is the most preferred by tourists of Indians & foreigners who want to stay in between Nature and take the experience of amazing Natural surroundings and enjoy the feel of adrenaline rush by exploring Hidden Valley Camp.
Camp has 30 Tents without attached Washroom. 06 Common washroom & 02 Bathroom is built in the Camp area.
The camp is facilitated with Activities of Swimming Pool.


Chip & Waste Hoppers are suitable for many different applications and are easily moved from place to place over smooth surfaces.
Chip & Waste Hoppers are handy tools for many different transport applications. Move small materials or debris with these units by pushing on it's dual handles. Because of their low profile design, loading requires only a low lift height. The push handles are permanently mounted. Capacity sizes available in cubic feet are 17.5, 22.2 and 26.7. The smaller size has a weight capacity of 1500 pounds. The two larger sizes have a weight capacity of 2000 pounds. These weight capacities are based on uniform weight distribution. All three sizes roll easily on four 8"x2" casters. Construction is of 14 gauge steel with industrial welds for strength. A blue powdercoat finish provides corrosion resistance.


text:
Archives for posts with tag: Theatre
Discussion between strangers, bodies of wisdom – Quarantine's The Reading Room
Quarantine's The Reading Room – performed in the stunning Wolfson Reading Room at Manchester's Central Library on 14th Nov 2014 – was a delightful event and a performance that connected on different levels with the site and the people in attendance.
If you've never been to the Wolfson Reading room I really recommend it. It's in the core of the circular library building, and the enormously high ceiling has a glass dome in the centre with golden lettering surrounding it that reads, 'Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting; get understanding'.
The room has a particularly interesting acoustic quality. It seems to amplify and deepen tiny sounds, sending them scattering across the space, such that miniscule movements become like the sound of thunder on the other side of the room.
In the room are 28 large desks, each with a central strip of lamps that produces a focused, strong beam ideal for reading by. A performer was sat at each of these desks, with several sheets of plain paper and a schedule of the events that would happen throughout the performance. Audience members were invited to sit at any of the desks and could move desks at any time.
As people swarmed into the room at the beginning of the performance there was a period in which people were deciding where to sit and scoping out the different performers. A map of the space had been provided, which detailed who was sat at each desk and a text that they would be reading. Slowly, this chaos settled down, as people committed, for now, to a particular performer and desk.
The first part of the piece involved the performers trying to memorise all the books they had read and to write down what they could remember on sheets of paper, which were littered across their table for audience to read. It was enjoyable to glimpse into the literary history of the performers and to see what they thought about books that I had also read.
The next part of the performance involved the performers asking questions of the audience members who had sat down with them. It was fascinating to hear other people's answers to these questions: 'do you ever read to someone else?' 'Have you ever thrown a book across a room?' 'Where do you read?' 'What was the first book you ever read?' 'Do you ever read out loud?'
The last two parts of the performance involved the performer reading a text that was important to them, and finally the performers read the same text, in unison, whilst they remained at their own desk.
I liked the way that the performance responded to this unusual space – each performer at a glowing desk appeared like a little galaxy and we were invited to orbit and settle. I wasn't much in the mood to be static (am I ever?) so I found myself orbiting a lot, and looking in on these galaxies. Some of only two people, heads together, deep in conversation that I didn't want to interrupt; some groups of eight or more, chipping in to a conversation about a book or an experience of reading.
I loved the way the performance created spaces for discussion between strangers, and spaces for thinking about your own experiences of reading. I also liked the way the performance responded to the idea of a 'reading' room; Incorporating the activities of reading quietly, reading out loud, and of reading into people's comments and thoughts.
The performance seemed to suggest that our bodies are vessels containing all the books we have ever read, and that we are filled with experiences and knowledge. The Reading Room was a moment of telling tales to each other, conveying anecdotes and the passing on of bodies of wisdom.
Image credit: Kate Daley
Tags Art, Central Library, Culture, Library, Manchester, Performance, Reading, Theatre
On Participation. Part II – Problematics and Tactics
Following on from On Participation. Part I – written by Tim Jeeves, following the Interactions Peer-to-Peer session #2, held at Theatre in the Mill, Bradford.
Dave Beech, of the art collective Freee, draws attention to the problematics of participation, in particular the principle, prevalent in some quarters, for the artist to renounce their authorial status in the name of equality. As he notes, there are pleasures to be found in asymmetrical relationships such as the 'relationship between host and guest, [… where] there are pleasures in being the host and pleasures in being a guest. Equality cannot be forced onto these intersubjective relations without killing off the care and the pleasures of caring and being cared for.'
Even aside from the bland equality such relinquishing might encourage, there are also questions to be asked around how possible it might be anyway: the movements of cultural capital are complex, and have a tendency to remain within particular groupings. Denying authorship in one area will often mean that is re-asserted, perhaps more subtly, in another.
Beech also highlights the neutralizing affects of inclusion. Making a parallel with the way that the European Union has assimilated its old cold war enemies into principles of neo-liberalism, Beech notes that art institutions – with their policies of engagement and relationship development with excluded communities – similarly pacify cultural dissent and conflict.
Dissent and the outsider are an essential component of a functioning democracy, as much so as giving voice to the disempowered, or agency to the dispossessed. To integrate a voice is to quieten it, and to encourage participation too strongly risks homogenization and recasting the participants in the mould of those who initiated the project.
None of which is to be taken as an argument against participation per se, there is much to be in favour of it; but neither should it be seen as inherently positive, even in instances where flagrant exploitation might be avoided. Rather participation should be seen a tactic, one among many; a formal container that holds ideas, aesthetics and political ideology. It may influence how such content manifests, just as using any medium influences the way that an artwork is encountered, and these influences are not neutral.
References: Beech, D., 2011. Art and Participation. dbfreee, [blog] 13 March. Available at: http://www.dbfreee.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/art-and-participation
Beech, D., 2008. Include me out!. Art Monthly, 42(6), p.1-4. Available at: http://dbfreee.wordpress.com/2014/08/21/include-me-out
Tags Aesthetics, Art, Culture, Inclusion, Participation, Performance, Social, Socially-engaged, Theatre
Categories Peer to Peer Sessions, Theory
On Participation. Part I – Influences
Written by Tim Jeeves, following the Interactions Peer-to-Peer session #2, held at Theatre in the Mill, Bradford.
Recent years have seen what Clare Bishop identifies as a 'social turn' in art practice. Very present in socially-engaged work, this tendency towards participation can also be seen in more aesthetically / entertainment focussed immersive theatre work as well as gallery-based contemporary art. As Bishop suggests, such work 'rehumanizes – or at least de-alienates – a society rendered numb and fragmented by the repressive instrumentality of capitalism'. By positioning the participatory elements of these works against the sense of disillusionment and lack of engagement that is to be found in mainstream politics, they are often understood as emancipatory and politically vibrant. Alongside this politicised understanding of such work, it is also perhaps worth noting the possible influence of online environments that, in recent years, have seen a normalisation of the participatory voice as a means of generating content, alongside more traditional top-down distribution.
The combination of these factors has lent participatory practice a powerful force and presence in recent years, meaning that – at times – any problematics with the form can be overlooked.
As Bishop suggests, some analysis would appear to suggest that 'There can be no failed, unsuccessful, unresolved, or boring works of collaborative art because all are equally essential to the task of strengthening the social bond [forgetting that] it is also crucial to discuss, analyze, and compare such work critically as art.' As Bishop argues, a number of other considerations remain essential.
References: Bishop, Claire. 2006. 'The Social Turn: Collaboration and its Discontents'. Artforum 44:6. pp.178-183.
To be followed shortly by On Participation: Part II.
Tags Art, Culture, Participation, Performance, Social, Socially-engaged, Theatre
Highly partial reading / research list #1: Gillian Dyson
Howell, Anthony (1999) The Analysis of Performance Art: A Guide to its Theory and Practice. Amsterdam, Netherlands Harwood Academic Publishers.
I have returned to this book to remind myself of some of the key themes and issues of performance such as notions space, time, chaos, stillness, etc. Whilst Howell does not address 'social engagement' itself, I feel that this late 1990's publication is 'of it's time', and reflects concerns of site, audience and intention. This is also a good book for anyone not sure what 'performance' is in this context, and needing a bit of background reading.
Kuppers, Petra & Robertson, Gwen. (Ed.) (2007) The Community Performance Reader.
A useful teaching resource, covering a range of 'community' practices. A pedagogic book – reader for students of performance. Good examples/ case studies.
Shaughnessy, Nicola. (2012) Applying Performance: Live Art, Socially Engaged Theatre and Affective Practice. Basingstoke. Palgrave Macmillan.
I'm haven't read all of this – just dipped in and out of section on 'place and placing'. The introduction is useful: 'applied', joining, connecting, political or pedagogic motivation. It also provides a simple unpacking of terms such as performance, devising, site, etc. The chapter on Practices gives a useful frame for notions of 'authenticity', and mediation.
Johnston, Sandra. (2014) Beyond Reasonable Doubt: An Investigation of Doubt, Risk and Testimony Through Performance Art Process in Relation to Systems of Legal Justice. European Studies in Culture and Policy. Vol. 13. Ed: Craith, M. N, & Kockel, U. Zurich & Münster. Lit Verlag.
Johnston's work is firmly located as visual performance art, and yet she writes here about the affect of and context for performance as a process of social engagement, particularly when located in personal, public and political trauma.
Kester, Grant. (2013) Conversation Pieces: Community and Communication in Modern Art. Berkeley California. University of California Press.
Some key art theories, applied to a collection of global examples of arts practice. I used it in discussion on gender, taste and the relationship of class and gender to notions of and the aesthetics of the avant-garde.
Tags Art, Community, Culture, Live Art, Performance, Socially-engaged, Theatre
Categories Further Reading